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 knew something was up the second his Sun tried to herd the herbivores he was looking after out of school early even though it was math. Reborn loved math and Sawada sucked at it. Yamamoto did, too. He wouldn't exactly let them skip unless it was something serious.
Then the Sun Arcobaleno had approached Tetsu and asked him about the Hibari underground bunker and Kyoya knew that war might as well be on their doorstep. So he called Mukuro and Chrome over the Mist mental link they'd formed and told them Chrome and the two herbivores should move to his mansion near the temple in Namimori. Kyoya also instructed Tetsu to direct Reborn and his herbivores there, too, while he reached out to Kawahira through their link to see what the hell was going on.
~Talbot tried to sell us out and was half-successful,~ the Administrator of the Trinisette replied after about a minute of waiting with a quick apology about the delay, given he had been busy assisting Fon and Lal Mirch, the Arcobaleno of the Corrupted Pacifier. ~He's been dealt with as soon as the Solution was deemed successful, though it was 99.9% percent. He's still managed to get across to the Vongola about your existence, though not your Flame status beyond being a really strong, Arcobaleno-worthy Cloud with a relatively strong secondary Mist that had rejected the position of a Vongola Guardian.~ Which meant Kyoya was, by default, a potential enemy. Especially if they knew he was a Skylark. ~Fon and Lal Mirch are hale and healthy, if a bit drained. You probably have time to prepare either until tomorrow morning or later tonight before the Vongola attack. It all depends on the Varia at this point. Bermuda and the Vindice are ready to intervene should we call. Be prepared for the other Arcobaleno to arrive soon, too. We will also come as soon as Fon and Lal Mirch wake up and we explain to her why she shouldn't kill me outright. Be safe until then.~
'Who do you think you're talking to? I'm not an herbivore.'
~We also extorted two more Animal Rings from Talbot for your other Flame types.~
Now Kyoya was almost excited. If they were even relatively as powerful as Roll - which was actually rather doubtful, seeing as Kyoya's Cloud Flames dwarf the other two put together, and Cloud Flames themselves can be quite versatile if one knows how to use them - or even if they were as cute as him, Kyoya will be more than satisfied. 'Should I get rings to help boost my secondary and tertiary Flames for them?'
~I doubt you'll need them, but I'll send the Rings over so you can test them out,~ Kawahira said before a wormhole opened that was definitely made by Flames of Night and Bermuda poked his head through.
Kyoya arched an eyebrow at him.
Bermuda seemed relatively excited, probably given that his dream of the Arcobaleno cycle being broken has finally come true. The infant-sized ancient man - Kyoya knows too many ancient men, at this point, though Talbot had been the youngest despite looking the oldest - extended both of his tiny, mummified hands and offered the two rings. One had a feline shape while the other was clearly a skylark. "I introduce to you Alauda di Cieli and Felis di Nibbia. May they serve you like Roll does." Kyoya peered down at the Animal Rings as he took them. They were as intricate as Roll's ring was, just as detailed, and the Flames inherent in them were also reaching out to him, just like Roll had when he'd first come in contact with his Ring. Kyoya could already tell: he won't need more Rings to boost the Animals within these Rings. They will connect with him as easily as Roll had, who was connected to his Cloud Flames. He hoped they will all get along.
He noticed the Vindice leader staring at him, or as much as someone with their whole face covered in mummy-like bandages can stare and couldn't help but glare at the Vindice Arcobaleno. "What?"
"Nothing, sorry, it's just," Bermuda paused, still studying him. "It's just really freaky how alike you are to Fon in appearance."
It then recurred to Kyoya that he had never seen his uncle in his true, adult form. Not once, except in pictures and in his similarity to his father. He couldn't help but wonder just how true everyone's observations on just how similar he looks to Fon actually were. Even Reborn had said something like that when they'd first met. "Does he really look like me?"
"Yeah. Down to the face structure," Bermuda replied. "Down to your build! He only has longer hair and brown eyes. It's downright scary and illogical that you'd be his spitting image when he's not your biological parent."
"He was my father's identical twin," Kyoya deadpanned. "I think that makes us closely enough related to resemble each other to this point." Though, Hibari Enmu had never been really identical to his elder twin brother. There had been facial lines that did not match up, especially as they grew up. Kyoya had seen it in pictures. Enmu and Fon were not truly identical. If Kyoya didn't know Fon as well as he did, he'd think Fon to actually be his biological father but Fon would never do that to his father, even if there was not actually all that much love between Enmu and his wife. Besides, his uncle didn't like her one bit. There's no way he'd let her cheat on her husband with him. "Any estimate as to when those two will wake up and come here?"
"Fon will probably wake up first, since he's stronger and his Flames haven't been in traumatizing and transformative disarray for the past, what, ten years? But he still will not wake before tonight, at the earliest. Kawahira is staying with them to make sure they really are stable, just in case it should turn out that Talbot has dared to try and dupe us so he can turn them back into infants before the Pacifiers drain them of all they have to offer." Kyoya frowned at that, having considered that possibility from the start. It's why Fon had collected his own Flames over the years into a container in cases of emergency and Kawahira was well aware of its constant presence on Fon's person. Kawahira will know to administrate those stored up Flames to stop Fon from being sucked dry, but good luck to the Corrupted Rain Arcobaleno. She was, unfortunately, on her own. Family came first.
"And you?"
"I have to pretend that the Vindice are still neutral mafia law enforcers," the Vindice arcobaleno replied with a shrug. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other things to attend to." And with that, Bermuda was gone and his portal closed. Kyoya sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. This is why he hated herbivores. They all made life so much more complicated than it had any need to be, the Vongola especially.
Still, if he was about to be housing said herbivores - or Reborn's herbivores who were also, unfortunately, Namimori residents and, as such, his responsibility - he had to make some arrangements and adjustments to the Hibari underground facilities. They ran throughout all of Namimori and had several entrances, but the main ones were the Hibari mansion and the temple that belonged to them. He hopes Kusakabe, who will be the one sent to escort the Sun Arcobaleno's group of herbivores, has the sense not to take them straight to Kyoya's home. There might not be many survivors left if he finds out those idiots have stuck their noses into Kyoya's things and business.
As he heads towards the temple, he looks down at the new Animal Rings he'd gotten. He has no doubt that he'll be able to control them, but he'd still rather work with them than command them. He approved of the animal choices but he wasn't sure how well he and the Sky Animal will get along. Talbot had listed the instability of the Sky natured rings altogether, let alone the Animal Rings, as one of his excuses for refusing to make one for him since the beginning. Kyoya was sure he can tame any creature that came into his possession, but he does not want a broken bird. Skylarks have always been strong because they were free and independent. Any and all shared strength and alliances that they've ever made were based entirely on mutual respect and/or requited care. His tertiary Flames might not be his favorite, but that does not mean he wants a creature molded from them to be shackled.
Kyoya was, and always will be, a Cloud first and foremost.
No creature, real or Flame-molded, especially not one that is the symbolism of his Clan, will be submitted to a fate he himself would hate more than death.
So, as soon as he was on private ground and far away from prying eyes, Kyoya put on all three of his Animal Rings and let his three Flame types flow into the Rings they were meant to feed. Roll came out first, of course, and chirped, always happy to see his master. Kyoya couldn't help but smile at his cute little hedgehog, but both of their attention was soon drawn to the second animal to appear.
It was a simple but beautiful black cat that you could probably find anywhere on the street, except its eyes were indigo and its claws looked like they were made of diamonds. It stared impassively at the human before her before walking over cautiously. Kyoya squatted down in front of her and offered her his fingers to sniff, to which she gave an approving warble. Then, she butted her head against his palm and he started petting her, earning a very loud, very vibrating purr. A purr that distorted the reality around them from the corner of his eyes. So her attacks were vocalized. Interesting, as most Mist-based attacks usually fall into the visual category as visual illusions are much easier to create and maintain than sound-based ones. But the Mist feline seemed to be finely made so Kyoya did not doubt her, especially not when she started multiplying, creating Mist clones with every warbly chirp she released when he scratched just the right spot behind her ear. That particular skill must be a result of his strong Cloud potency, even though all three of his Flame types were completely separate.
But Kyoya preferred to have multiples of cute or useful things and the newly named Onyx was both. Especially when she decided that she, apparently, liked him well enough to copy his appearance and all of her Mist clones did the same. Yes, this will, indeed, be a very useful skill, given the fight that awaits them tonight.
A piercing cry from above forces Kyoya's attention to his other newly acquired partner in battle.
The sight of the skylark in flight nearly left him breathless. Unlike with his Cloud and Mist partners, who didn't display their Flame nature so blatantly, Alauda di Cielo looked more like a phoenix than a normal bird due to the Sky Flames that danced across its wings and tail, making them look larger and longer. The bird itself was predominantly orange but it had accents of his other two Flame types, too, making it even more majestic looking. The Sky Skylark was just a bit bigger than your average skylark but it radiated power, it moved with the skill of an eagle and it had as sharp a sight as a hawk. Kyoya discovered that if he reached towards it with both his secondary and tertiary Flames combined, he can see what it sees. If he combined Cloud and Sky Flames, the skylark grew in size until it was as large as a car. Interesting. Impressive, also. Combined with the petrifying ability of the Sky harmonizing factor, the Sky Skylark was quite the powerful ally. Talbot had really known what he was doing when creating it, just as with Roll and Onyx. Sora will be a wonderful addition to Kyoya's team.
With three Animal Rings, he will be able to fight by himself, without ever involving his Guardians, which is exactly what he wants in regards to his future plans for regaining what has been lost when the Hibari were almost wiped out.
It will also make defending Namimori much, much easier.
Maintaining all three Animals didn't even take much of an effort, despite what Bermuda and Kawahira might have feared. Yes, no doubt an additional, solely Flames-conductor ring would have been a great help, but Kyoya's Flames were so weird that he could hold his Ring Animals even without them. Besides, where the hell would he get conductor rings at this short a notice? He wouldn't be able to even if he had the entire Disciplinary Committee searching. Kyoya had always collected Cloud rings, because he used his primary Flames the most, and only a handful of Mist rings. He maybe had one Sky-class ring but all of them were untested against the strain needed to add power to Animal Rings while Cloud rings shattered under the strength of his Flames after just one use regardless of how short or slight that use may be. Just the slightest amount of his Cloud Flames coursing through a ring can shatter it better than any hammer. It was both amusing and frustrating.
The Vongola Cloud Ring had been the only one to hold up against his Flames, but it was, apparently, a part of the Trinisette. Something in that Ring had all but called out to him but he had never answered the call. He had no need to. He was strong all on his own. The Cloud Ring was only an assistance in bringing his Flames out faster.
He can't deny that he'd been tempted to keep it. Roll's Ring is very powerful but he doesn't want to think of his precious hedgehog as 'useful', as though he's nothing more than a thing. Roll wasn't. He had his own personality, just as Onyx and Sora had. Sora seemed aloof and arrogant but it's only arrogance if one doesn't have the power and skill to back it up. Onyx was calm and calculating. Roll was a bit shy and clingy but so fiercely loyal that, the one time he'd accidentally pricked Kyoya, he'd lost all composure and went on an involuntary rampage. Kyoya hadn't the heart to make him go back into his Ring for three days, which was when his Guardians held an intervention because Kyoya had actually managed to chip away at his massive reserves and it had scared them shitless. So, whereas the Animal Rings weren't weapons or tools in Kyoya's mind, the Vongola Cloud Ring was. It didn't feel. It didn't think. And it most certainly did not get attached or upset. It was a source of power, a conductor strong enough to withstand Kyoya's not insignificant Cloud Flames.
Why had Reborn insisted he give up the Ring? Kyoya hadn't really wanted it at the beginning, but the possibility of being able to keep Roll out indefinitely without any strain to himself had tempted him. Did Reborn insist he give it away because he didn't want Kyoya to be forced into Harmonization, as was Vongola's wont? Sawada Tsunayoshi, nor his father nor the fool that had sealed away the little animal's Flames, was not strong enough to force him into anything. Was it the by now practically instinctual fear of the Trinisette and how it binds itself to people? The Vongola Rings aren't like the Pacifiers, which are connected to their bearers on a soul level. And they aren't like the Vongola Sky Ring, which supposedly requires blood relation in order to be passed down. (Which was ridiculous and false. Secondo had no blood relation to Giotto di Vongola. Sawada Tsunayoshi and Sawada Iemitsu had no blood relation to Timoteo Vongola. The Ring was just funky and did what it wanted, nothing more and nothing less. Why it had rejected the monkey king was a mystery. The way it picked its inheritors was a mystery, one Kyoya didn't really care to solve. That was Sawada Tsunayoshi's problem.)
Regardless, Kyoya may have to ask for it back, if his Sun still has it.
Kyoya is not letting anyone else fight his battles for him, least of all a bunch of herbivores, or, even worse, his own Guardians. He didn't need his Guardians fighting for him. He won't allow it. He will protect them.
He called back Roll, Onyx and Sora into their Animal Rings and settled to wait after unlocking only the most necessary parts of the underground facilities. All the corridors were open but only several rooms will be available for the herbivores to use. A kitchen/dining area, a base of operations/meeting room, the bathrooms and a couple of sleeping chambers. They will need nothing else for the amount of time it will take Kyoya to deal with Nono and his herbivores. Fighting the monkey king again might even be fun, if the other doesn't try to cheat again. Kyoya hates stupid, herbivorous notions like that. Fight fair and with all your might or don't fight at all. Traps were okay, as strategy was half the battle, but letting someone or thing else fight your battles for you? There's a reason why Xanxus was still a herbivore and not a carnivore, despite his strength.
The first ones to arrive were, of course, his Disciplinary Committee, along with the 'Kokuyo Gang' trailed after them with hesitant steps. Kyoya simply nodded at them and watched as his Twin Mists' herbivores were herded inside. Chrome stayed behind.
"Is everything alright, Skylark-sama?" She asked, studying him with intensity he would almost ascribe to the pineapple carnivore, but no, this was Nagi, this was Chrome Dokuro, the other half of Mukuro Roudo's Flames, so he guessed it made sense she could be just as intense and observant as the pineapple annoyance.
"Not exactly," he admitted with what may as well pass for a shrug. "But it will be. I'm taking care of it."
"Do you require assistance?"
"There is no need," he assured her, though she frowned, clearly not convinced. "I can take care of the herd of herbivores trying to take my territory. I trust you, however, to keep the herbivores in my care safe. The Sun Arcobaleno will no doubt refuse to stay inside and I have no idea how my Rain will react, overall, so I entrust the civilians and those companions of yours to your capable hands."
Chrome looked a bit taken aback by the trust he placed in her but gave a meek nod. And though the movement was, indeed, meek, the look in her eye was nothing but determined. "I'll do my best, Skylark-sama. But you need to be careful, too. Asking for help isn't a weakness. After all," Chrome's voice changed before her appearance did to accommodate his other Twin Mist. The pineapple carnivore, for once, wasn't smirking but was actually serious. "Even I had to, or else I would be completely isolated from the outside world without my precious Chrome."
Kyoya had to focus on not tensing up or getting excited by the prospect of maybe getting another spar from the slightly older teen. Now was not the time. "Keep your strength. I really do need you to protect the herbivores. That's the assistance I'm asking for." Besides, Mukuro probably wouldn't even be capable of helping Chrome any should it come to a fight severe enough that Kyoya might require assistance, which was overall unlikely but the possibility of it still existed. And he wasn't entirely sure how well his female Twin Mist can handle herself when she has no help from her other half.
"I'll do my best," Chrome says with a steel that isn't usually in her meek tone of voice before she goes on into the hideout.
Not long after that, his Rain finally makes an appearance. He guessed it made sense for the man to take this long. He had to lock up the shop, after all. What does come as a surprise, though, was the katana he was carrying. Kyoya had only ever seen that sword on three occasions, not counting Yamamoto Takeshi's fight against the shark Rain from the Varia. Tsuyoshi-jii usually didn't bring it out unless an old enemy attacks his restaurant or an assassin came after Kyoya when he was still 'too young' to defend himself.
"You will not be fighting," he tells him instead of a 'proper' greeting, glare firmly in place to convey to his second oldest Guardian just how serious and unimpressed he was. This was one thing he will not change his mind on. The Vongola were after him and it was his duty to not only chase them off but to keep Namimori safe and stop conflict from reaching his town. There is no way he will be involving his Guardians. Kyoya is a Cloud first and foremost, damn it! People need to understand that before they go trying to fight his battles for him. No Cloud worth their status will allow someone else to fight for them. Kyoya may have Sky Flames but he was not your ordinary, traditional Sky and it was time people got that through their thick skulls.
"This is a precautionary measure only, Kyoya-dono," replied the older man with one of those typical Rain-carefree grins that hid the sharpness of the gaze. Rains were a strange sort, most usually swordsmen and most usually having two personas, one of which was as sharp as the blade they utilized. Yamamoto Takeshi and his father were no exception to this rule. The only difference between them was that Ysuyoshi's 'darker' persona was definitely more dominant even if it was well hidden. One did not get the moniker Akai Ame by being a friendly idiot. Tsuoyishi was smarter than his son, even if he did not display it often outside of his culinary skills and battle. "Mind filling me in on what is going on and why we're suddenly using the underground facilities?"
"Talbot babbled," Kyoya replied curtly. "The Vongola are, apparently, moving out to 'discipline' me," he said with an actual eye roll and air quotes that had them both snorting at the westerners' arrogance. "For turning down the Vongola Cloud Ring and being Sawada's Guardian. They know I'm strong but they don't know my Flame status. Kawahira managed to prevent backup from Italy, but Vongola's Guardians are all in Japan as are the Varia, still. We're suspecting they will attack either tonight or tomorrow morning."
"Most likely tonight," Tsuyoshi-jii commented, the easygoing nature gone completely, instead replaced by assassin mode. "Seeing as this is a neutral zone, they can't afford to just act in broad daylight, even in an isolated part of town as your property may be. If Vindice were to hear about this, nothing would be able to stop them from bringing Vongola Nono and his Guardians to justice and you know the punishment for breaking Omerta."
"I suspected as much. It's why I'm moving the herbivores in as soon as possible instead of waiting around."
"And speaking of breaking vows," the sushi chef slash swordsman continued. "What happened to Talbot? I mean, we still need the Solution-"
"It is finished. Fon and the Corrupted Rain Arcobaleno Lal Mirch have already been turned back into their proper bodies and are experiencing no ill effects other than exhaustion due to the nature of their Flames. The going theory for now is that Reborn and maybe even the Cloud Arcobaleno won't even feel it while the Rain Arcobaleno might be in mortal danger due to the fact that he isn't, in fact, the strongest Rain of this generation."
"Fon-san is finally back to normal? Finally!" Tsuyoshi-jii cheered, even going as far as to do a little victory/celebratory dance. "I haven't seen him as himself for so long I'd almost forgotten what he looks like! I always have to look at you to remind myself but then I have to do mental editing with the hair and the eyes and the Flames, so that gets a bit tiring. When is he coming back home?"
"Most probably as soon as he wakes up," Kyoya guessed. "Bermuda implied he didn't take it well when he found out Talbot had blabbed."
"Well, of course," reasoned his Rain. "Yours is a very precarious situation due to the sheer ... improbability of your Flame status on top of your nature and the fact that you rejected what is known far and wide as one of the most powerful artifacts in the mafia world."
"The Pacifiers are stronger-"
"But they can't be rejected."
"Fair enough," Kyoya conceded. "Though I myself think this is more about pride on the Vongola's side than anything else, considering I've made the Cervello move the Ring Battles out of Nami-chuu and the rest of Namimori. And what do westerners know about Flame nature, anyway?" He completely ignored the fact that Kawahira has never heard of someone like him before in all of his very, very long life because there is no need for contemplating how weird he was right now. "None of that is what we should be focusing on now. Reborn and Tetsu should be bringing the herbivores in soon enough and you need to get in down there and pretend to be clueless or something, like people usually suspect of your kind." They both snorted at that. "You will not be fighting."
"I don't feel comfortable leaving you all on your own to face Vongola Nono and his Guardians, Kyoya-dono."
"I'm not alone," he replied, showing off the two new Animal Rings that now rested on his left hand while Roll's was still on his right ring finger.
Tsuyoshi-jii's eyes widened. "Talbot finally made more Animal Rings for you?"
"Talbot finally made more Animal Rings for me," he replied with a nod. "They're powerful so I won't need assistance. I'd much rather you hold the fort than step outside to battle. I already have a feeling jiji will be making an overly dramatic appearance so I don't need more of that on my plate, thanks."
"If Reborn-san doesn't beat him to it, you mean," Tsuyoshi-jii added with a snort and they both had to force themselves not to go further down that imaginary scenario because they knew, without a doubt, they'd end up laughing over it. Reborn definitely had way too much drama in that small body of his. Perhaps he will mellow out once he regains his true form? One can only hope he won't get worse. "Fine. I'll leave you to it. For now. Should I feel the need, do be expecting me to come up here to join you, Kyoya-dono."
"Focus on protecting your son and keeping him out of this mess," Kyoya instructed instead but Tsuyoshi-jii just waved him off - rude - and made his way inside.
Kyoya remained where he was, looking out towards where Reborn and the herbivores should soon be coming from.
He hopes they get here before the stirring enemy does.