Chapter 45
"Vivo?"
Isago took a moment from his computer before getting up to open the door. When he did, Reborn was standing in front of him with his hands behind his back and Leon gone from his shoulder. Reborn was in his usual suit, but he seemed chipper than usual. Isago laughed, asking him what he was here for before inviting his sun into his room and shutting the door behind them. Tomorrow, they were going to move all their stuff to their official base. Isago was writing down the names of the tutors that his other self had found for his new members. They were not the best, but they were capable of teaching the basics. Other than that, he had a list of the lottery numbers that were going to start from tomorrow.
There were many things he had to organize before handing them off to Adriano who was almost done with his part of the job. Isago needed his secretary- and quick. Just a few minutes ago, Isago had finished calling his dear twin who was bombarded with his own studies. Isago had no idea why Tsuna didn't think of using his flame state to study. Maybe it was because Mateo wanted the boy to figure it out himself, but Isago kept quiet on his own behalf. After all, Tsuna needed to work out things on his own.
Tsuna missed him dearly, yet Isago couldn't say the same. He was too busy- too driven to even have time to sleep.
"You were working, Vivo?" Reborn asked in a light tone before glancing back at Isago.
"It's all I live for these days," Isago shrugged before inviting Reborn to sit on his seat. "Would you like some expresso, Reborn?"
"I can never reject that," Reborn's eyes glimmered along with the smile he had before Isago went outside of his room and prepared them some coffee. It took less time than he had expected, and while he was waiting for the coffee, he conversed with his other-selves. As expected, there were many potential candidates that he could recruit into his family. First would be the children, however, then he would worry about the rest. But he had to give Adriano the list of names and ask him to recruit them on Isago's behalf.
Isago was too busy with the things on his hands.
There was a faint tap of his fingers on the table before he opened his eyes to pour the coffee into their respective cups. He brought them into his room, closing the door with his elbow before sitting back into his seat with a quizzled smile upon his lips.
"Did you need to talk to me?"
Reborn pouted slightly and his cheeks jiggled with the movement.
"I can't see my sky without reason now?"
Isago was a bit surprised before placing his mug onto the table and leaning on his left hand with a certain glimmer in his eyes.
"Unless you want to help me with work, I don't suppose you want to stare at my face while I ignore you and focus on my computer?"
Reborn chuckled.
"You need tutors and experienced men for your future members, Vivo?" Reborn brought out before Isago exhaled almost immediately. He lifted his gaze off of Reborn's face before laughing to himself, smiling carelessly and closed his eyes. Reborn's lips curled up before sliding him a note of thirty men and women all included.
"I've worked with them before. Fairly strong and they all lack a sky to follow. I've already spoken with them beforehand and they are available to chat with you anytime. It is a good chance, Vivo."
"Ah-" Isago leaned back in his chair before running his hand through his hair before staring joyfully at Reborn. "You're spoiling me too much, Reborn. I can't thank you enough."
"You are my sky, Vivo," Reborn pointed out with a small smile and lifted the mug up to his lips before taking a sip out of his cup. His eyes twinkled when he placed his cup on the table and bolded his hands casually on his lap. "I can't sit back and watch you suffer."
"Other than that, Vivo, if you have any plans, tell me about it."
"I need to have my guardians start their training as soon as possible in their spare time. Byakuran is able to attack us at any time by pulling us into his timeline."
"I can handle teaching them, Vivo."
"After tomorrow I need to interview the potential members from Aurelio's request. I need someone who can sort them into units."
"I'm free," Reborn said.
"I need some connections to firearms," Isago said and Reborn instantly slid out a piece of paper from his chest pocket with a famous name that even Isago- a complete newbie on firearms knew.
"He's the world's best weapon provider, Vivo. Just mention my name."
Isago hesitated a moment before opening his mouth again.
"I'm working on the curse."
Reborn's eyes darkened.
"Vivo, you have too many things on your plate right now. I don't mind if you place it later."
Although Reborn said that, he could feel the sun's rise in hope when he mentioned the curse. It was a speculation that Isago came to terms with, but if he really could find Tethla's mom, then it would be possible to chase down more clues about the curse. He wasn't that clear on how to separate the gems from the pacifiers, nor was sure if separating the pacifiers would really get rid of the curse.
After regaining his memories about the future, he had realized that a couple of his selves had researched on this topic before. With the knowledge he had beforehand of the anime, naturally, he excelled in researching that part. However, most of the questions he had were unanswered due to the fact that the true earthlings were the only ones who separated the gems. They must have used a special method not to mention- there was nothing that talked about true earthlings.
The only place he could get answers was from Aria or Tethla's mom. Aria, he would talk to tomorrow, but most likely they would not have known about the way or else they would have solved the problem years ago. They weren't dumb, especially that blond man who had an unrequited love for Aria in the anime. If he knew that the woman of his life was going to die because of the pacifier, he would have tried every way to prevent it. Not to mention he had brought the topic up with Verde before, and Verde's answer was the exact same as what Isago had thought himself.
Just separating the pacifiers might not be enough. After all, the pacifiers were sucking their flames. No one but Isago and the twins knew that the reason why the pacifiers were sucking on flames was because they needed to maintain the Trinitsette. He had found countless libraries and asked around about the curse in different timelines for the information. If Isago didn't have that main information, then he would have thought naively that separating the gems that were in the pacifiers were the easy way to solve it.
Yes, in theory, Isago could create rings from the pacifiers- which was what he was going to do to get the rings for Aurelio and the twins. Heck, why not make rings from all the pacifiers? It didn't take much effort if he knew how. Isago could also use another sky ring for the sake of being overpowered in the future. The only problem was that even if he did separate the rings, he still needed a way to maintain the trinisette.
Which was one of the problems that were on his hands. He had no idea how to maintain the trinisette. If he only read the manga- if Isago only read the manga then he would have known-
"Vivo."
Isago jerked his head up and blinked a couple of times. What was with him today? He was thinking so much that he was buried in his own thoughts. Reborn had his eyes narrowed at his sky before Isago outwardly sighed in front of him, lowering his burning face into his hands. His cheeks were burning from embarrassment. This didn't just happen once, maybe twice or thrice already. Isago knew it was extremely rude to not pay attention when he was in a conversation.
"I- sorry Reborn," Isago heaved before feeling the hitman move from his seat. "I've been so caught in my thoughts that-"
Reborn hopped onto the table and yanked Isago's hand away from his face before placing a hand over his forehead. Reborn's hand felt so cold on his forehead that Isago physically held his breath due to the uncommon skinship he had with anyone. Reborn's eyes glimmered darkly before he shot Isago a look.
"You have a fever."
"This is the most subtle fever then," Isago flashed Reborn a weak smile before taking Reborn's hand off his forehead and moving his eyes back to his computer for a moment. Reborn's frown deepened.
"Vivo, you need to rest."
"Can I- uh, finish my documents first?"
"I've told you twice that it's moronic to have a boss collapse before he can lead his family."
Isago winced.
"Fine," he uttered and stood up from his chair to reach his wardrobe. Honestly, it didn't even feel like a fever. Reborn was exaggerating, Isago didn't feel weak- only more tired than usual. He didn't even have a headache, which was unusual for him. The fevers he had gotten in the past all included terrible headaches and fainting. Just before Isago could unbutton his collar, he turned to Reborn with a skeptical raise of his eyebrows.
"I can tuck myself in, thank you very much."
Reborn smirked slightly before leaning back on the seat that Isago was just sitting on. It was facing him directly, allowing Reborn to see every single movement that Isago was doing.
"We're both men, isn't it fine, Vivo?" Reborn's smirk deepened along with his gaze. His fingers trailed upwards to play with his sideburns with a careless lift of his chin. "I have promised you that I wouldn't make a move before I regain my form back."
Isago paused in his spot before his eyelashes grazed over his skin. Isago knew what Reborn was doing- because his sun flames had healing and a calming factor, it was Isago's drug to help him sleep. It was also because, according to Reborn, he was running on a fever. He had to be in prime shape to tackle Gigolo Nero's family tomorrow. Reborn was also teasing him on purpose. But well, Isago was really too tired to think about this entire situation right now.
His fingers started to move across his buttons, undoing them before feeling the sun flames stiffen up from Isago's response. Isago could slightly feel the pounding of a headache coming on before he tossed his shirt to the side and grabbed his pyjamas in one hand and walked towards the bathroom. He glanced at Reborn's sharp gaze wandering over his body before tearing eye contact with the hitman and entering the shower by himself.
(○｀ 3′○)
When he stepped out of the shower, Reborn was still in his seat, this time in his own pyjamas. There was a subtle change in the infant's eyes. It glazed over Isago's damp hair and the towel that was on his head. Some droplets of water trickled their way down his neck and he could feel the heat in Reborn's gaze. It was turning darker, and more sultry by the minute. Isago thanked Reborn's curse for holding the baby back or else who would know- Reborn might have pushed Isago down by now.
Reborn was...a very shameless and direct man.
Isago knew from his past actions that Reborn would not stop himself from seducing Isago if they were in the same room alone and at night. Thinking about it, Reborn sounded more like a monster who had zero self-control. Well, the hitman was a very popular man in his prime. He could probably get any girl with just a twitch of his lips.
Isago sighed, drying his hair slowly as he sat on his bed, not looking at Reborn. He was really tired. All the timeline conversations were still ongoing in his head not to mention Isago hadn't gotten used to all the travelling either. It might have started when the twins dragged him into Tethla's memories. Her mind was constantly in a state of frenzy, definitely went insane and to have someone experience exactly what she thought and felt...
"I'm surprised you're so obedient, Vivo," Reborn said out with an unintentional lowness in his voice. He knew Isago was attracted to his adult voice, and Isago did flinch from his sudden change. If Isago had more energy, he would be a bit pink to the ears right now. But all he could think about was his work for tomorrow and the fatigue on his eyelids.
"Reborn, if you can't control yourself then go back to your own room," Isago stared at the hitman boredly. "You said that we were both men, and I have no problem treating the entire situation like that. No?"
Reborn chuckled slowly before stepping down from his chair and stopping before Isago. There was an innocent quirk of his lips before he took his fedora off and tossed it to the chair beside him. It landed with a neat downwards motion and a plop in the middle of the seat. The action was so smooth that Isago had a bit of impressed interest on his face.
"Vivo, let's sleep."
Isago was a bit surprised by the hitman's innocent words before picking up the baby's body and slipping into his covers while squeezing Reborn like a teddy bear. He sighed, suddenly feeling relief over his head as he closed his eyes slowly- too tired to think of anything else. He felt Reborn's sun flames curl against his own, calm yet melodic like his own voice, purring him to sleep.
=￣ω￣=
Was it too late to regret things?
Isago didn't open his eyes but he could feel the sun's presence enveloped around him. He really wasn't the type to voluntarily agree to sleep with Reborn on the same bed. Even for the twins, he was overly wary of them because he was not used to human contact. In his past life, no one touched him as much as Reborn did. He never slept with another human after he turned three, nor did he like having a breathing mammal snoring beside him at all times. Reborn though, did not snore, which was good because Isago was a light sleeper and already had the consequences of insomnia.
In this life, it was the same.
Tsuna and him slept on the same bed when they were children, but Isago always preferred to sleep alone. He was always wide awake when he was sleeping next to someone else. In Reborn's case, could anyone really blame Isago? The first time was when he was on the brink of fainting in school. Second time was because he was truly tired. But this time, Isago had willingly slept with Reborn. Exactly how much had Reborn taken advantage of his insomnia condition? He drew out a very long breath before opening his eyes to Reborn's sleeping face which had a bubble seeping out of his nose.
Reborn's eyes were closed- and that stunned Isago a moment, he blinked twice before loosening his arms around Reborn slowly in order to not wake the hitman up. Didn't he sleep with his eyes open in the anime? Ah, but then again, that was when he was messing with Tsuna. Isago rubbed his eyes and sunk back into his pillows, feeling way better in his current condition than the one yesterday. Timeline communication took time- especially when his ring was intact on his finger now. Byakuran must have already gotten used to peeking into the different timelines since he had the ability years ago before attaining the ring.
Other than that, it was partially because of Byakuran's actions in awakening Isago's future memories. Gokudera- Isago wanted to laugh out loud but he held it in by biting his lip. Now Isago knew how much Gokudera had hated him. It was true, being Tsuna's younger brother was already enough to arouse suspicion to the loyal storm guardian. Well, he was one person that Isago didn't have to worry about after he left Vongola. Tsuna was set in stone to become the boss, and unless Isago had any plans to take over Vongola by force, he would meet Gokudera again. Not that it mattered, because at this pace, Isago predicted that within two years, he would be able to get his family up on their feet and functioning exactly like the Vongola.
How many days had it been? Barely a week? And he was already recruiting people and had his base done. Isago had plans to expand his base to the upper world, but now was not the time since he had to go into hiding from Vongola's inspections. Reborn was right- Isago was thinking too much into the future. But again, thinking too much wasn't a bad thing either. He would be mentally prepared when problems came to this. Today, he actually had time to test out his new gun that Verde had sent as a birthday present yesterday.
He was also eager to test out two new techniques that he had learned from Byakuran in his future timeline. The condensed string and the claws. Thinking about it, he really had no name to call them. The condensed string was able to destroy a human's body from the inside by sending the thing inside. It was a good assassination technique, slipping it into the tea of others and having them inhale it. It would be better if he could use that as poison to control them. The laser string was able to burst on Isago's command or eat the victim up by Isago's will.
An undetectable method of killing future business partners. It would also be a good way to keep his own members in check. Perhaps place one into their body and when they do betray him, burst it? Though, it was hard to say because some people were overly sensitive with emotions. If one of them found out about the poison, then the entire mafia would turn against him. All his hard work- again, Isago had to sigh at that. Suddenly, he felt a strong flicker in the sun's flame.
Possession. Isago would call the technique Possession because his victim's body would be in his possession. Other than that, the claws that he had gained from Byakuran's lessons... were like claws made out of lasers, except they would be able to materialize and be used as a pair of indestructible daggers. Why not just call them Hawk? The claws of a furious bird. That made Isago smile a bit. It suited him.
"Reborn, if you're awake, then you don't need to pretend," Isago chuckled before lifting his head off the pillow to peek at the small hitman. Reborn blinked open his eyes while the corner of his lips curled up at Isago before chuckling himself.
"Vivo, you're a brat."
"You just noticed?" Isago grinned, placing an arm under his head. "I thought you were more observant than that."
"Normally lovers would play along, Vivo," Reborn raised an eyebrow before staring expectantly at Isago. Isago gave a mirthless laugh, though his eyes were twinkling. Reborn's flame quivered and his own eyes started shimmering.
"I haven't remembered agreeing to you just yet," Isago eyed him before quirking up a playful smile. He pushed himself up before tilting his head to the side. "Do you want to be my training partner for this morning?"
There was instantly a malicious glint in Reborn's eyes before he tilted his chin downwards with a smirk. "I can never refuse that, Vivo."
(づ￣ 3￣)づ
"We apparently have an audience," Isago addressed to the entire hall where all his guardians were gathered to speculate the match of the century. Isago furrowed up his eyebrows even though he was grinning through his teeth. What was with all this pressure? Reborn stared evilly at Isago who looked a bit uncomfortable to the boot.
Aurelio jumped on top of a box that he had taken from the storage room, placing his hands in between his legs as he cackled with excitement.
"I call dibs to battle the winner of this match!" He pointed at the two competitors then grabbed his spear from the wall and pounded it onto the newly made floor. Yesterday night, they had settled down in their own respective new rooms, and the apartment that they were living in just a couple of days ago was sold by Adriano according to Isago's directions. Adriano placed his hands on his hips before wishing both of them good luck.
Good luck? Isago wanted to mock himself for wishing him good luck. The twins were cheering for him at the corner, Lucille yelling loudly with his hands that formed a circle over his mouth. Lucas said one word into Isago's brain before cutting all connections with him. Usagi had rushed over in a panic after hearing about this battle, her hair messed up along with the black eye bags that resulted from her experimenting on all kinds of flames. She wore a set of goggles over her forehead and her hair was tied into a short ponytail. She still had her gloves on her hands before she started to peel them off, fingers trying to avoid touching the green substance that stuck on the tips of the plastic gloves.
Thadeka helped her, pulling out a plastic bag from her pockets and wiping the sweat that was trickling down Usagi's face. Usagi flashed her a bright smile before going back to taking her gloves off and placing them into the bag. Usagi wore a lab coat over her clothes, now looking more and more like a scientist. Even Bei Li was leaning against the wall with his facial mask on his skin and his hair pushed up with a panda hairband. He looked like he just woke up since he was in his robes. His face was completely emotionless since his clay mask required him to be expressionless, but Isago could feel the lightning's flame inching closer to his sky with the same amount of eagerness.
"This is the match of the century! The Sky Mare ring holder and the world's greatest hitman! It's like seeing two champions battle in the arena with their stats all at max!" Aurelio grinned widely before the door opened again, a couple of Cervello girls trickling in with Reborn's three recommended inventors. Aurelio cackled, saluting to the inventors before saying, "Yo, nerds!"
The three inventors laughed at the child, greeting him back either politely or returning the gesture with their own nicknames. Since when did they get so close to each other?
"Aurelio, it's more like we both have debuffs," Isago corrected with a chuckle before returning his stare towards Reborn. Isago thanked himself for wearing casual pants that he could easily move in. He definitely needed all the advantages he could get even if it was on clothes. "The world's greatest hitman, huh?"
"I won't be going easy on you, Vivo," Reborn tilted his hat with a click of his gun in his hand. Leon was on his shoulder, pumping up his small green fist out to Isago as if to challenge him. Where was Isago's own pet? Isago closed his eyes with a slight mock before feeling the pressure linger on his shoulders. He could already predict what was going to happen. Reborn was going to beat his ass in front of the entire Notte Eterna unless he went full out with the power of his Mare.
Again, Isago was reminded that he hadn't mastered the Mare ring yet. A simple desire to test out his current skills gained an entire audience- Isago bet it was Reborn's tactic to train him under pressure while he was at it. Isago lowered his head as he started unbuttoning his sleeves and pushing them up to his forearms. The gun that Verde had made was perfectly on his belt- though it was also the first time that Isago would be using it after the modifications.
Speaking about Verde, that scientist must also be watching this battle somewhere behind a screen. That green head would never miss the chance to speculate on the two flames, one was the strongest, one was a weirdo. Isago made a face before he licked his lips and resigned to his fate.
"Then I'll be going full out, Reborn."
"I won't be expecting anything less, Vivo."
With a flicker of his flame, his eyes blazed red and the Mare on his finger was glowing with the flame of Eternity. Isago opened his eyes along with the countless timelines that revolved in this single battle. Reborn probably didn't know that the Sky Mare could peer into timelines about a single moment. It took a lot of his flames, but Isago was the person who plunged himself in the Flame Extender non-stop for over a week. It was enough, not to mention he was constantly using his flames when he was unconscious- there should be no problem except for a slight headache at the end.
Isago's eyes flickered before countless timelines charged at Reborn and in that second, he made up the best move he could use. He moved backwards while shooting out all the lasers constantly. Reborn leaped to the right just enough to avoid all the bolts within a hair's breadth. Isago pulled out his gun before ducking down his head as multiple shots from Reborn's gun rushed towards him. He responded with a follow-up, shooting his bullets as he pulsed in zero point through his gun.
Small balls of ice pierced into the air, and with every landing, they started to grow into a block of larger ice just how Isago willed it. Reborn smirked before flipping back, disappearing underneath a block of ice that was slamming into his face. Isago reached out to search for the hitman's flame to only realize that his enemy was concealing it. He grunted, using both his hyper intuition and timelines after bulleting to the end of the arena and locating the hitman and exposing him with another flicker of his lasers. Reborn appeared in front of him before a wave of force lashed out at Isago- he was flying back towards the wall in mid-air before Isago tilted the weight of his body and shot multiple ice bullets behind him to cushion his landing.
Instead of really cushioning- he whacked his body onto the ice, pieces of broken ice daggers piercing into his clothes before he held his breath and created a large boom with all his previous ice balls breaking into his Eternal flames. The entire training ground was on fire, his flames retaining their hue stronger than ever before the crunch of his shoe stamped out the ice that Isago pushed himself off of. Reborn was eyeing the entire ground with an expressionless face that Isago could tell was nothing else but surprised.
The whole place had turned into his field, and anyone who got close to his flames would be severely burned. His guardians were hiding behind a shield that the three inventors had activated on time, but the shield was cracking due to the intensity of Isago's flames. Isago started to heave, feeling a bit tired out from maintaining his flames around the entire room before he threw multiple more lasers as one of his timelines did as they fizzled in the air. Reborn was smiling, the corner of his lips twisting malignantly- the blood lust seeping out of his small body made Isago flinch before he flared out his own aura, battling against the hitman.
He was sweating in his flame state and his shoulders were heaving up and down with an exhausted motion, then with a push from his decisions, he closed off the Mare ring's timeline power and bolted towards Reborn's direction. The flames on the walls quivered strongly, pushing higher and higher to the point where they were extending their grasp into the center to corner Reborn. Reborn's eyes were glimmering with excitement and Isago's blood pulsed, remembering all the steps that Byakuran had taught him one by one before-
Isago slashed his hand across Reborn's suit, the hitman leaping back except Hawk and reached out before Reborn could predict his move, ripping part of his shoulder off while Isago's bayonet extended in front of him to block the bullets from Reborn's guns. The crowd watching their fight were in utter silence as they watched the flames of Eternity crawl closer towards the hitman like a snake. Even the ceiling; Reborn's face was shrouded in the colour of dark blue. The Bayonet was knocked out of Isago's hand by the sun flames that had shot into his hand. It wasn't Reborn's intention- Isago knew because he was the one who forced his hand in the direction of the bullet in order to use his Devour on the sun flames. It worked, the load on Isago's shoulder lightened up but... Blood vomited out of the hole in between his fingers as Isago's eyes darkened- twisting into the form of a monster.
A monster that wielded the emotions of Tethla's insanity.
Everything had to go.
Everything that cursed him would have to die.
Isago didn't know this, but black started seeping out of his form like strands lifting up from his shoulders and twisting into the air, a sadistic curl appeared on his face along with his eyes appearing into a darker shade that resembled fresh blood. His silver hair fluttered with the darkness that started to swallow him and two balls of ice exploded with a shriek on his sides. He slipped back and Reborn couldn't see his student's form anywhere after the zero point shattered with his sun bullets. There was a twitch in Reborn's eye before an actual frown appeared on his face even though his eyes were sparkling with curiosity.
"It seems as if our mother-"
"-Bitch's emotions have latched onto Isago."
The twins exchanged uneasy glances.
There was a jerk of Reborn's head as he felt the Eternal flames start to darken into something much more sinister. Unlike Byakuran's white wings, a darkness started to swirl around in Isago's flames, evaporating another form of a darker Eternity that resembled Eternity but in the form of a black void. Reborn glanced at the figure that appeared in the flames, stepping out with a pair of extremely cold eyes that resembled ones that he had during his training at first with Reborn. Reborn physically flinched as his own expression hardened when Isago chuckled. Reborn yanked his hand towards the direction of his sky, shooting multiple bullets. The flames surrounded their owner before he disappeared into the flames again.
"Ah-" Isago's voice whispered around the entire battlefield and his own guardians started trembling under the pressure he was emitting. That was right, he had been faced with the same scene before. All his members were shaking before him as he sat on his throne. Isago lifted his chin, laughing once again as a surge of power resonated with him. He didn't have his full power back since Byakuran's technique needed an extreme amount of practice and the user to be in specific requirements in body state to maintain the flames.
"Right, this...was Byakuran's," he said and felt Reborn's sun flames jerk at his words before there was a fwoosh. Then the lights flickered a few times back on and his flames disappeared. Reborn was staring at him with a hint of wariness but when Isago rolled his shoulders back and flared up his flame of Eternity, it was clearer than ever.
There was no sign of black flames mingling with the purified Rain and Sky flames and Isago felt all his members sigh in relief at the side. Reborn too, had lowered his gun but there was a conflict in his eyes. That was right, Isago had remembered it all despite all the tortuous experiences that the man had brought to him. He was so overwhelmed with the pain that he forgot the most important technique that Byakuran had taught him. The whole reason why he murdered Tsuna in that timeline to rule with Byakuran was because Byakuran had promised to teach him things that he would never teach to anyone else in any other timeline.
Isago's title was the Black King not because he wore the Black Millefiore uniform, but because his flames were completely black when he was going out in full power. Byakuran had created another type of flame- he named it the Black Flame Attack, which was one of his most powerful techniques used after his wings turned black. Isago didn't have wings, yet the new technique merged well with his Eternity flame and he had wielded it fully unlike Byakuran. It was actually still a single flame- and not a completely new flame- but it was a stronger form of flame.
Another level, Isago would call it. It was common knowledge that the clearer your flames, the stronger the destruction rate and intensity your flame would have. However, the Black Flame Attack thrived on hatred and emotions thus making it unconstant in power. It was a double-edged sword. Powerful, but unstable. In the anime, it occurred at the last battle before Tsuna killed him. And while Byakuran was showing this technique to Isago in another timeline, Byakuran's state had to be at the brink of death. Unlike Isago who could wield it by hand, Byakuran's come out more slimy, more disgusting, or in other words, appalling if Isago could call it.
The image of Byakuran's white hair shifted in his mind as Isago blinked slowly, remembering the laugh that Byakuran would let go near his ear in the other timelines. How ironic, the creator of this technique never actually wielded it as his main weapon and lost the technique the moment he killed Isago off in another timeline. It was revenge well served.
Isago remembered the technique which would sprout roots from Byakuran's legs to stabilize the user since the flames had an extremely high recoil rate. Then he would concentrate his black flames and rotate it at an extremely high speed to form a ball. The flame thrived on the negative emotions that emitted out from a user's body.
It was also because Isago had so much hatred for everything in that timeline. He hated his past. He hated how he couldn't get the Vongola's seat. He loathed his brother but loved him at the same time. But that only made him hate Vongola and his brother even more. He wanted to crush Vongola with his own hands, yet he didn't have the power to because Gokudera stripped any possible chances of him learning something new that could prove to be lethal to Vongola Decimo. Yes, in that timeline, Isago was pent up. He hated the world but hated those who killed his potential. So when Byakuran taught him the technique, Isago embraced himself in that darkness. He clung to it because it was the only thing that made him feel alive. Yes, power and hatred. Hatred for the Vongola.
Isago was able to melt almost anything with that flame. Including other flames. Unlike zero point or Devour, this attack destroyed flames in general. Which meant that if someone was touched by this flame at full power, they would lose their flames completely. The Black flame, however, was one that burned on the user's life force for its power when practicing. Unless the user wanted to die before actually perfecting the technique, it was recommended that no one attempted it. Again, even Byakuran didn't perfect the technique because his attacks came out grotesque. The official user was the Black King- Isago Sawada.
Which was why Tethla's emotions sparked a reaction from Isago who was the previous official user of that flame. Tethla was injected with a drug that could create a black flame inside her body. He experienced it before in Byakuran's timeline. It was painful- like a scorching fire that would burn your life instantly if you let your guard down. It was actually the prototype for that Black Flame. But because Isago was an actual lab rat for Byakuran, that man had figured out that drugs were not the correct way to master that technique. Which meant that Fredrick had gotten the drug before Isago came into Millefiore.
Isago pondered over if he should extend his grip to that part of power yet. Of course, Isago had the time and the resources. The technique was branded into his mind and the only problem for the user to be using the technique was understanding and knowing the release of the flame. But Isago didn't need to understand- because it was already a skill he knew. There was a sly smile that surfaced on Isago's lips. This was Byakuran's strongest technique. And ironically Isago was better at the skill than the creator himself.
The only problem was that when he used the flames, the aura that it gave out was so menacing that his members could be permanently traumatized if he wasn't careful.
"I'm out of flames. You win, Reborn," Isago grinned casually, making everyone else blink in surprise. It wasn't true at all- Isago still had an abundance of flames but he knew that he couldn't push himself too hard. He needed to give his guardians some recovery time from that previous pressure. The twins stepped out of the safety zone and ran up to Isago, checking him over again. Aurelio was the first one to snap out of it in his guardian's group.
"Cool! Isago! What was that? It was like you went the yandere route!" Aurelio marvelled before stepping outside of the shield too. Isago mused once at the word that Aurelio chose, but placed it at the back of his head without a second thought. Thadeka and Bei Li soon followed, Usagi blinking twice before going out as her lab coat trailed behind her. Adriano stepped out too, rushing over to Isago while breathing heavily. There was a slight tremble on his shoulders but after Isago shot him a reassuring grin, he calmed down a bit.
There was worry stretched all over his guardian's faces while Aurelio's spear jabbed to the ground for attention. Aurelio leaned closer to Isago to check him with curious eyes and said, "It was like you reached a new evolution of flames that turned you evil! Were you able to hear the devil's whisper?"
"Not really devil, but definitely something," Isago glanced at the twins who patted his legs and nodded in heavy relief. Lucas locked eyes with Isago before warning him in his mind to never do that again. But inside of Isago's head, he knew that he would attempt to recreate his powers as the Black King. The power was too tempting to pass by, and Isago was the only one who knew the complete technique. Though- the title itself was a bit childish. It was like Tom Riddle's evil dark lord. When you think about it, wouldn't a ten-year-old kid call himself the 'evil dark lord' while being emo and trying to act like the villain?
'I am the evil, dark lord! Roarrr!' with his hands extended above his head and trying to put on his best evil face? So again, the Black King? It sounded like something emo would call himself. Totally radiating evil energy from that name. But again, Isago preferred his Black King title over the evil dark lord.
I told you to not use that technique again! This time, Lucas' shout was perturbed, a bit hasty as the boy narrowed his eyes at Isago. It will consume the user's life if you're not careful!
But that's because the user isn't familiar with the flame, Isago said, raising his eyebrows and Lucas clicked his tongue, turning the other way. Isago however, cooed gently to him and explained that he would never risk his life in this timeline. Lucas already knew that, but there was a worried crease in between his eyes.
"Isago, don't do that again!" Lucille clasped his hands together and swallowed with a whimper. Even though Lucille knew, he still had to add that like the same with Lucas, pleading to Isago in his mind while trying to persuade him in real speech too. "You felt like our mother-"
"Bitch," Lucas narrowed his eyes.
"-bitch!" Lucille nodded furiously and Usagi frowned also, her eyes glimmering with concern. She tugged at Isago's sleeve, asking him to flare up his flame in his hands again just to make sure that the darkness wasn't infested in him. It was a wonder- one minute they were shivering in front of him with an oppressed expression of fear, the next they were surrounding him and trying to hold him down in place. There was a grateful smile that broke out on Isago's face as he glanced over at his guardians.
Thankfully, they weren't scared of him. Thank goodness he stopped himself in time. Or else he would have started all over again. In his mind, he reassured the twins that he would not risk his life to perfect the technique. But they had to understand that within the borders of not risking his life and killing himself, he had to play and practice the technique. They were both a bit hesitant, but Lucille was the first to agree as long as the flame didn't feel like Tethla. Isago knew, because today he was influenced by Tethla's emotions, he felt like her.
"Are you alright, Isago?" Thadeka crept over with the first aid kit that she started bringing with her ever since the battle of rings. It was a small pouch that she strapped around her waist and beside her own weapon. "Do you need pain relievers?"
"I'm fine, Thadeka," Isago laughed as Bei Li ripped his mask off of his face and patted his skin to absorb the moisture.
"Boss, I know black is sexy but that aura was unneeded. It looked like it was ripping your lifespan into shreds," Bei Li frowned before his eyes trailed over to the orange Mare. There was a moment when he furrowed his eyebrows and Isago caught that motion, silently observing what Bei Li was going to say. Bei Li was hesitant for a moment since he was opening and closing his mouth before voicing out his concerns. It seemed like he was sure about his guess, but was a bit unsure about saying it out in front of everyone else.
Nevertheless, when Bei Li's black eyes shifted through the crowd and landed on Isago's small, quirky smile, he opened his mouth while scrunching up his nose. "Was it Byakuran?"
The man had potential.
Despite Bei Li's light atmosphere and pretending to be nothing but a comic relief, he was truly intelligent. Bei Li narrowed his gaze while Isago said nothing as confirmation. Isago wanted to see Bei Li's train of thought. He wanted to see how far Bei Li's observations could go. For now, Bei Li's knowledge was that Byakuran tortured Isago in countless timelines, and in this timeline, Isago executed revenge on the man. The other thing that was not clarified with his members, was why Byakuran had done so much to Isago, but they all knew that Isago and Byakuran's paths were crossing each other's the moment he went for the Mare rings. They did know how Byakuran forced Isago down since Isago had placed that discussion onto the table not long ago, to buy himself some more loyalty from his subordinates.
But most importantly, Byakuran was the original owner of the Mare ring. That, was known throughout his family
"Did Byakuran force you to learn that technique?"
Again, Isago didn't answer. Though, he lowered his head in motion.
"Isago, that flame-" Usagi opened her mouth and instantly clamped down her mouth when she saw Isago's rueful smile. Her eyes shone a moment with a dangerous glint of red. "Will it threaten your life?"
While Isago was all about honesty, he only used it to his advantage and when he needed it. His goal was to fulfill the promise he made with Byakuran ages ago, and that was to kill the man. It was also good character development for Byakuran who never saw human life as something precious since he was undefeatable in the first place. That man needed someone to knock some sense into him, and unfortunately, Isago was in the best position to do that to him.
Isago would never forgive Byakuran.
But that didn't mean that Isago hated him.
Isago knew very well what the man was like. All his habits and all Byakuran's thoughts were almost transparent to him since there were so many timelines that Isago had stayed with Byakuran including the memories of KHR. He knew him so well that Isago from the other timelines had a soft spot for Byakuran.
"Isago-kun, you won't hate me, right?"
Yes, Isago knew- the moment Byakuran tortured him once, his other timelines would repeat. Isago didn't blame Byakuran for torturing him, but he did blame Byakuran for enjoying the slow torture and relying the message to his other timelines. Isago knew that Byakuran did it on purpose. He wanted to play with someone who seemed to know of his situation and even though he could not retain all the memories of his other timelines to prove Byakuran's worth.
It really was ironic
What Byakuran needed the most was someone who could remember him and see him as an actual human being. The white-haired man himself, however, didn't treat other people as humans in the first place. Everything was a game for him, and it was bluntly amusing to see what Byakuran wanted. Byakuran thought that Shoichi could give him what he wanted since Shoichi was the only one who knew about the destruction that Byakuran would create, but the more Byakuran played with that toy, the more he realized that the outcome would always be the same: his best friend would betray him and lose. Ultimately die.
That was why Isago meant so much to that man. Isago was unpredictable, already knowing the future and everything that Byakuran would do and wanted to do. Each of his timelines was different, yet at the same time, they were all the same in refusing Byakuran's embrace. This was why Byakuran was so desperate to get his partner back whom he accidentally killed. It was like a child who accidentally smashed his favourite toy, only to cry and want to make up for everything that he did wrong.
It was cute, and Isago could see why his other timeline created a soft spot for the man.
Although Isago wasn't petty, Isago wanted to give Byakuran a taste of his own medicine when he was having fun torturing him in different timelines. What would it be like if Byakuran crossed timelines and used a time machine to only get launched at, by Notte Eterna? Death by hatred, furthermore, he would bring devastation to Byakuran.
Isago smiled a little at that thought.
If he could create more hatred for Byakuran and loyalty towards himself, then he would. In that way, no one would question why Isago was out for Byakuran's blood aside from getting revenge. Not that anyone would question him at all, but then again, with Reborn on his side, Isago could never be too careful. His eyes slightly grazed over to Reborn's side before flickering them back without the hitman noticing. There was no reason to tell anyone about the promise he made. Isago deliberately didn't answer Usagi's question and he only waited for Notte Eterna to come to the conclusion themselves. Even Cervelli had stiffened up when the silence was an automatic 'yes' to them.
Sure enough, his lightning took reign of the situation and answered it for everyone. There was a dark glimmer that disappeared in Bei Li's eyes before he ruffled his hair and let out a long sigh. "If time machines were the thing that messed up our boss' mind before he inherited the Mare, then we don't have enough time."
That one sentence from Bei Li made all his guardians stiff. The unsaid, 'Byakuran might cross over to this timeline' was in the air. Even though they did know that Byakuran in this timeline was dead, no one could be sure. They knew best about Byakuran's possible actions since they weren't idiots. It was at this point where Isago decided that his members should know what was going on between Byakuran and him more specifically, to give them a gist of the situation and what would happen. Of course, he left all the emotions from his other timeline out of the conversation and only told them about Byakuran's goal in the world.
This was a tactic that he favoured a lot since it was how some countries won their near-impossible wars in his past life.
He believed it to be Canada? Where the general had revealed everything that happened in the war, telling his soldiers of their plans and what they were going to do along with the targeted goal. They rehearsed before the actual war and took over the enemy's base within hours. Isago also didn't reveal all the specific information about Byakuran retaining feelings for Isago so that it seemed like Isago didn't understand Byakuran's emotions when forcing him down, but he did say that Byakuran needed the Vongola rings along with Isago being the main source of his entertainment.
Suddenly, Isago felt all the flames from his guardians blaze up higher than ever before. Their eyes shimmered with resolution as they looked towards their boss. Masking it, Isago's eyes slanted only a little with glee. Yes, that devotion…Isago chuckled a bit, feeling so loved as usual.
Reborn's footsteps stole Isago's attention but only momentarily while the glimmer returned in Reborn's eyes.
"Vivo, you're explaining everything after you finish Giglio Nero's business."
Ah- did Reborn catch on the parts that he left out?
"Good game, Reborn. You fared quite well without knowing my techniques."
Reborn smiled ironically before lowering his hat to cover his eyes.
"You've improved, Vivo. If you didn't forfeit halfway, you would have damaged me."
"I find it hard to believe that the world's greatest hitman is saying that," Isago kneeled down to Reborn's eye level and gave him a half-hearted smile. "I'm sorry if I worried you."
Reborn smiled a bit, smirking instantly afterward before chirping, "In my current body, that is."
"Mhm, I learned a lot from this practice match," Isago grinned and extended his hand towards the hitman. Thinking about it, he really had learned a lot from one match. The hitman in front of him wasn't bleeding, but his left shoulder's suit was ripped. It showed how much Isago had grown from his previous fights with Reborn. The last time he fought with Reborn was in the forest in Namimori. The last time that he was actually serious in fighting Reborn was before the succession and when he had just awakened his flames.
"I didn't know I could reverse zero point back into flames."
If he could do zero point, then it was possible to reverse zero point without melting it with the original dying will flames. He didn't even think about reversing zero point, he just went along with his flames- his hyper intuition that told him to crush all the flames that were in zeropoint and make them soar. So he did. He would have to remaster that technique. It could be used to trap his enemies in his circle. The only weakness was enemies that could fly or mist users.
"But then again," Isago said as Reborn stepped onto his arm and sat down on his shoulder. There was a mischievous grin on Isago's face before his tone dropped lowly. "I wasn't going full out on you either."
Reborn's gaze held nothing but a calculating glint before smiling with vanity.
"As expected of my sky."
"I object!" Aurelio pounced up from his stop and inhaled dramatically through his flared nostrils. The spear in his hands shifted along with his violent actions. His eyebrows were furrowed with displeasure directed at the other sun who was stealing his role to protect Isago. "Isago's my sky!"
"Our sky," Thadeka smiled and everyone nodded with her.
"We'll protect our only sky."
(～﹃～)~zZ
"Haha, thank you for the gifts, Eternità Primo," Gamma chuckled as he ruffled the hair on his back head. He smiled casually, before placing a cup in front of Isago and looking outside at the overwhelming gifts that Adriano was placing into the courtyard. There was so much that some of Giglio Nero's members had to come out and help. There were two people outside that Isago had instantly recognized, a long pink-haired child who was wearing heavy eyeliner and a tall ponytail that tied his long locks in order. He called another character 'brother' with a cheerful grin while the brown-skinned man laughed and chatted with Adriano, telling the pink-haired boy to behave.
The brown man had a yellow tuff at the top of his hair and a yellow beard that made him stand out from the rest of the men helping out. They were the two who attacked Tsuna when he first landed in the future. Isago quirked on a sly smile before turning to Gamma. Behind Isago were the twins who stood there casually, Lucas blinked like he was bored although Isago knew that he was counting all the minds in the very area.
Lucille was looking around smiling sweetly at the tall man who had just given Isago the cup of tea. Lucille leaned over the couch with a head tilt, not showing any signs of communicating with his brother.
"It's expected since we are a newly formed group," Isago replied and picked up the tea with a smooth motion. In several of his timelines, his other selves had come out safe, though some not attaining the Mares as he wanted- others moved on to just obliterate the entire family. Reborn didn't come with him this time, because Isago knew his feelings and connections with the sky arcobaleno.
Did he poison this? Isago asked and Lucas confirmed that they did not.
"I have caught news of Reborn joining your newly formed group," Gamma stated with a casual lift of his shoulders. There was a sharpness in his eyes yet it was not hostile at all. Instead, they were cautious like how a normal guard was supposed to be. Isago could tell that the man was wary of him, constantly trying to sense if he was going to make any moves to his boss. "You must be a powerful sky to attract the world's strongest."
"It was just a mere coincidence that he took interest in me," smiling gratefully, Isago took a sip from it then blinked in surprise.
"Earl Grey?"
"Our boss made sure to tailor it to your tastes. We had information that you stayed in London for some time," Gamma answered with a cool tone and shifted his weight to his side. Isago thanked him, leaning back on the seat and taking another sip from his cup until the ninth boss stepped into the room.
Gamma bowed to her and her strong eyes turned to Isago who smiled back at her, placing the cup on top of his saucer and greeting her. She had shoulder-length hair along with both sides of her hair braided up and tied along the back of her head. She was a gorgeous woman that seemed to emit light from the back of her head and Isago wondered when he was able to have that glow. Was it because they had the sky arocrobaleno's halo? Isago's gaze instantly trailed to Aria's sky pacifier around her neck.
Like how it was portrayed in the anime, Aria wore a long-sleeved red shirt with a black necktie around her collar. Her stockings were black along with her pencil skirt and high heels. The second thing that caught Isago's eye was the familiar star under her left eye. Lucas stiffened when he placed his eyes on her face too, recalling the features of their grandmother.
She really does look like her, Lucille chirped in Isago's mind before Aria sat across from Isago. Gamma also placed a cup in front of Aria with a gentle smile. Isago almost grinned when he saw the sparks flying from Gamma's eyes towards Aria.
"Isago Sawada, I've been expecting you," Aria leaned forward and Isago chuckled.
"Foresight?"
Gamma flinched at the use of the word but Aria lifted her hand to stop him from saying anything. There was an interesting glimmer in her blue eyes before she crossed one of her legs over the other.
"We have many things to talk about, but I'm sure you wouldn't mind my guard staying in the room while we talk?"
Isago nodded, a small and mischievous curl on his own lips before he gestured to the twins behind him. "As long as you don't mind my guardians being in the same room with you."
"Of course," Aria turned towards the twins before smiling with her eyes closed. "I have a feeling we will be meeting very soon again."
"So do I," Isago agreed with his hyper intuition on her words. "I suppose you already know what I'm here for?"
"It's a miracle that the future has changed so much from your actions, Isago. May I see the ring?" Aria relaxed into her position and slouched just a bit, the confidence as a boss still there. Isago shifted to his right hand and pulled off the glove that was covering the Sky Mare. It was shimmering brighter than usual due to sensing its set within parameters. Gamma's eyes widened before the pale stone on his finger started to glow with bright green.
"Mhm, you really are the chosen one," Aria's tone was light, more ever, pleasing. She leaned closer to peer at the unique flame that was sprouting out of Isago's ring before propping her chin on her hand as she smiled with amusement. "What will you offer in trade for our Mare rings?"
Gamma's reaction shook violently but he held back, gritting his teeth as he ruffled through his blond hair. Isago did nothing but smile politely at the lightning guardian.
"I understand it's your heirlooms, which is why it's hard to give them to a stranger. Don't hesitate to be blunt with me- I'm all ears," Isago said and the stress on Gamma's shoulders decreased ever so slightly. There was a long pause of silence before Gamma sighed, lowering his head at Isago.
"Thank you for understanding. Which is why please back off from our rings and return the Sky Mare."
The quirk on Isago's lips didn't disappear before he hummed with a light tone.
"Has your ring ever lit up before, Gamma?"
"Excuse me?"
"The green hue."
Gamma paused for a second and Isago continued explaining.
"You see, the reason why the Sky Mare is not in your family's possession was because the Sky Mare chooses their owner. When the owner is chosen, the Sky Mare will come to them," he glanced at Gamma's facial expressions. "The Mare has chosen me as its owner, and will only light up in my hands. Aria knows this too since the Sky Mare belongs in a set with your heirlooms."
"Once the owner of the Sky Mare is chosen, the rest of the Mares will choose their owners too."
Aria laughed and said, "I'm actually very happy that you were the chosen one this time."
"I agree, instead of the white-haired male who you saw a couple of months ago, I prefer to be more honest on this topic."
"Of course," she chuckled before opening her eyes.
...She knows that you positioned your other guardians to attack if she refuses, Lucas said and Isago's facial muscles twitched a bit. Though, she's not sure about it. She only saw it in foresight.
"My proposal is this," Isago gestured calmly with his hands and turned to Aria with a kind smile. "Notte Eterna will become Giglio Nero Famiglia's strongest ally. We will not betray you until Giglio decides themselves that they would not like to continue the partnership."
Aria's eyes glinted.
"Instead of partnership, would you like a sibling family?"
Isago blinked before announcing very carefully, "...Sibling?"
Even Gamma's eyes were bulging out of their sockets. Aria laughed at the men's expressions, cheeks glowing before she explained more of her side.
"In a way, you can see it as Giglio Nero rising up with Notte Eterna, Eternita Primo. Our famiglia has no allies, and we are known to be the guardians of the Mare rings and sky arcobalenos. I have a very good feeling that if we were to become Notte Eterna's sibling, my family will survive in history."
What was the difference between that and an ally?
It was like Aria could read Isago's mind before she smiled with a genuine glow on her face.
"We will become something like the Cervello."
Isago mouthed a quiet 'oh' before nodding his head. Allies helped each other in need while Aria was saying that Isago could treat Giglio Nero as his own family that lived with his current one or at least closer. It was better than Byakuran's merging of the two families because Giglio would have their own freedom to do whatever they wanted, and Isago's goal of creating a family of his own would not be interrupted. They would share their resources and protect each other.
The keyword was protecting.
In all honesty, this deal was too good for Giglio because they were going to become a weaker family compared to Notte. Aria wanted security- for the future sky arcobalenos and her family from a potential threat like Byakuran. She knew that if she didn't make any connections now, her family would be forced into a future like the original. Thus, it was a partnership that resembled more of a single-family but they had their own mindsets. Giglio would supply them with the ultimate power of the rings while Notte would vow to protect them with their lives. Isago lifted his eyes to glance at Aria who was beaming fondly at him.
"...Would you like some time to discuss it with your other members?" Isago asked and lifted his head towards Gamma who really wanted to say something. He looked like a pufferfish that was about to explode if he didn't say anything in the next minute. Aria chuckled before dismissing Gamma's silent protests with her hand.
"All I need is your answer," the glint in her eyes was apparent.
"How many people do you have in your family, Aria?"
"Twelve."
That's so small! Lucille sang out with an airy 'oh!'
"...are you willing to move into Notte Eterna's base?"
"Give us some time and we will be ready."
Isago glanced at Gamma warily before turning his eyes back at Aria. He lowered his head before lifting it back up.
"I will be looking forward to working with you then, Aria."
ヾ(￣▽￣)
Aria sat back in her seat and sipped her tea comfortably. Gamma had just left the room to break the news to her fellow guardians. Her guard was too overprotective of her, and she understood his worries for not being able to trust the boy who seemed so young. But Aria also reminded him that the boy in his mouth was the child who won the battle of succession in the Vongola with immeasurable strength, won the hearts of that group's members despite leaving, and the one who was steadily building his own family and base at an unspeakable speed.
Aria hadn't even mentioned the requirements to forcefully become the Sky Mare's user. She didn't have the details since the Sky Mare had been long gone from her family, but she had a vague idea of the pain the user needed to take before the Sky Mare accepted him.
From here on out, Aria decided to change her family's future.
Her mother had always repeated that she believed in fate. She believed in fate that could never be touched or changed. But Aria thought differently. Her mother was kind, ever so kind even if she lied to several people and ruined their lives. Aria thought that if there was a future where she could save her family's life, she would obtain it with her own hands. But her mother's words always echoed in her mind as a warning.
That was why she never moved. Until her clairvoyance started changing with the existence of someone who was completely variable and unknown. Many of her visions had changed because of that one person, and when she saw the Vongola battles, it confirmed her belief even more. Humans were selfish by nature. Seeing Isago Sawada pave his own way from scratch struck something in her. He really started with nothing- no guardians, no training. But he endured and pushed through. Even when he was near death, he never gave up.
He changed the world with his own hands.
He was able to make it better.
So Aria thought, why not her?
If she could make things better for her future, why couldn't she? Did she have to obediently live like fate had controlled her? A puppet that would walk the steps that were already paved in front of her? Aria respected the boy who preserved and changed fate. It was not an easy thing to do.
Then she would ride on the train that the boy made with his bare hands. Aria smiled as she took another sip of her tea, the future changing into millions of other versions.
"You found a good sky, Reborn."
A small shadow leaned on the doorframe of the large double doors.
"A talented sky, isn't he?"
Aria laughed at the man's confidence. She lifted her eyes off the cup but did not look at the hitman at all. Leaning back into the couch, she sighed and then chuckled.
"I admire him for his bravery. He inspired me to take action for the lives of my own family."
"Vivo is indeed gifted at drawing people in. I don't blame you for following his desires in the future."
Future, huh? Aria knew that word would not stay in her world for much longer. She closed her eyes blissfully and felt the smell of afternoon air brush against her nose. It was so comforting- as if all her worries of breaking fate were gone just from her simple action. She felt so free for being able to make her own decisions.
"That child will choose you as his sun, Reborn."
There was a small silence from the sun before he uttered out almost darkly
"He already has his official guardian, Aria."
"But he values you, no?"
Silence.
Aria laughed at the man's feelings for the child. It was very unusual to see the world's greatest hitman's flame act so flustered like this when he was always so confident. It was fresh to see all of this play out. If that boy had not existed and broken the laws of fate, then she would never see the expression that the hitman had on his face right now.
"Reborn, when it comes to the Mare rings, they will follow the wishes of their sky. In a way, it is another word of fate." She paused, smiling. "A fate that Isago Sawada has chosen for himself."
She was thankful for him appearing in this world.
Truly…thankful.