DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or any of its characters. I do NOT gain any profit from this fan-fiction. It is strictly for my entertainment and anyone who enjoys reading it!

CLAIMER: I OWN the craziness of my Self-Inserted Gary-Stu. Beware!

WARNING: This is a SLASH/MALExMALE/YAOI fan-fiction. If you do NOT like same-sex relationships, then this story is NOT for you. The reborn/self-inserted character may be a Gary-Stue. This story is also FAST-PACED.

BETA READER: None, so there will be some mistakes that I miss.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a turning point for not only the future of KHR, but it seems that it is also a turning point regarding the pairing for this fic. When I first started this story back in…2016 (holy cow), this was going to strictly be a romance between the chosen pair of Kyoya and Tsuna. It was also supposed to remain happy-go-luckish, if you want to call it that. Over the years, yes years things change. Apparently, one of the things that change if the direction this story has taken. As you all should be aware of by now, I write what my muse makes me. This story and the direction it is going is a result of that. I write this before I have even a slight idea regarding the next chapter. I honestly do not know who Kyoya will be paired with going forward. I just know that right now…it is not Tsuna.

-Chapter 21-

"Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it's less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you've lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that's good."

― Elizabeth Edwards

-KHR-

Laying down on a spare futon, I peered up at the ceiling with half-lidded eyes and my hands behind my head. Ever since that day two weeks ago, there has been a throbbing ache deep inside my chest that had nothing to do with the pain of loving Tsuna. This ache was as though something inside me was cut in half; not a clean cut, but something that was pulled until it snapped. Whatever it was. I closed my eyes trying to focus on the source, hoping to relieve that ache in some way. I drifted in and out of focus, pushing the sound of Fuuta's sound snoring out of my mind.

Something in the air shifted, but I continued to focus on my inner self. I could feel a pulsing warmth inside me and it drew me towards it. My consciousness widened and I could suddenly see a purple glow merging from within. A cluster of purple flames circled one another to form an interlocking design that grew brighter the closer I became, but so did the aching sensation…throbbing quicker and quicker.

My eyes caught sight of several threads fluttering around the intertwined cloud flames. They moved as though they were pieces of a spider's web that have been pulled loose from the main web. I inhaled deeply in an effort to keep myself calm. Those loose strands could be none other than the strands that had once been connected to Tsuna's Sky flames. Our bond was severed and I did not know what to think of that.

A weight settled on top of me and my eyes flew open as my body tensed up. Snowy locks and lilac orbs entered my narrowed gaze. Instead of his amused or teasing expression, Byakuran's eyes held a sense of concentration and his mouth set in a slight frown. Byakuran's hands rested on either side of my shoulders with his legs framing mine. He seemed to stare down at me for the longest time, but only seconds have passed.

"I want to try something," Byakuran whispered, not wanting to wake the child sleeping nearby.

I moved my hands out from under my head. I did not know whether to shove Byakuran off or… I grabbed hold of the edges of my futon and returned his stare. Ever so gently, an orange glow began to outline Byakuran's figure. The warming affect had my breath catch in my throat and I could feel that same warmth soak into my very being. A warm sensation softly caressed the broken threads around my core and the aching pain inside me vanished. My lips parted in shock as a new bond involving Sky flames was formed.

-KHR-

It was only a matter of time before everything that has happened in recent weeks reached the two people I would rather not know. I stared at the them sitting inside the living room calmly drinking green tea and cookies Byakuran insisted on keeping stocked in the pantry. Fuuta's hand tightened on mine, but the shy action of him slightly hiding behind me came to no surprise. Fuuta had never met my parents before. How could he, when they were hardly ever in Japan.

"Okaa-sama. Otou-sama," I uttered, not quite sure how to feel right now.

I was still trying to understand the emotions I was feeling concerning the new bond that had developed between my cloud flames and Byakuran's sky flames. This bond was not developed over time like mine and Tsuna's had been. It was not from the effect of falling in love. Byakuran had purposefully introduced his sky flames to my damaged cloud flames…and he healed them. He managed to heal my pain that Tsuna had unknowingly, no…Tsuna knew exactly what he was doing the night Shamal used one of his Trident mosquitos on me.

Stunned silence met my ears and Fuuta lightly tugged on my hand to get my attention. Apparently, I had zoned out. This was something that had been happening more than usual…thoughts of the past and possible future always pulling me from the present. A pair of arms wrapped around me and I was immediately pulled against someone smelling faintly of chamomile. The hold was comforting and I felt my body responding with a return embrace.

'Mother.'

I rested my forehead against her shoulder, my fingers tightening on the back of her silk blouse. Hibari Akira murmured a few words softly, her words vibrating against the crown of my head she had nuzzled her face against my raven locks. A large hand settled on the back of my neck and I immediately knew that it was my father, Kaoru. I barely registered Byakuran's voice quietly coaxing Fuuta back outside, most likely taking Fuuta to the bakery around the corner and providing the three of us some privacy. Akira leaned back and cupped my face.

"Your friend didn't exaggerate your state at all," Kaoru murmured, displeased with his son's appearance. "You resemble a wounded animal—ask! Anata?!"

"Be quiet, Kaoru," Akira hissed, leading me over to the sofa while sending me a concerned look.

I realized that this was usually a moment when I would threaten to bite my father to death. Sighing, I allowed my mother to guide me back into sitting down on the couch and prepared myself for the impending conversation. I also realized that I will need to have a serious conversation with Byakuran about using my phone to contact my parents.

"Before we get into the reason for why my darling son is acting unlike himself, and you will tell me," Akira practically sneered at the thought of something happening to cause her first and only child such misery. "Who was the child you walked in with?"

"He is…," I trailed off.

'Who was Fuuta to me?' I wondered silently, my brows furrowing in thought.

He was more than a little brother, but I could not exactly say that I feel as though he is a son to me, on account of our ages…could I?

"He is someone I take care of," I settled on saying.

Fuuta is a child that I am taking care of. Why should I need a word to define that?

"Oho, for how long?" Kaoru asked, a brow lifting at the thought of me willingly taking care of another person. "And what does Sawada-san think of you taking care of a child and apparently living with another male, in another district I might add?"

That was the wrong thing to say. It was like a switch flicked off or on, however you wish to describe the utter destruction that followed my father's statement. The most striking shade of purple practically engulfed the entire apartment as cloud flames erupted from around me. I was standing where the coffee table used to be when I caught sight of my parents crouched down near a wall, my mother's own cloud flames surrounding her and my father to stave off my all-consuming flames. The air was thinning and I saw my father wince as he wiped off a bead of sweat dotting his brow.

"Kyoya-kun, that's enough."

And then Byakuran was there, coming up behind me and covering my eyes with his cool hands.

"Focus on me. Feel my chest moving with every breath? Match it. That's it," Byakuran whispered in my ear as my cloud flames began to dissipate.

I opened my mouth, about to apologize to my parents when they stood up and crossed the room.

"Don't ever apologize for your pain, Kyoya," Kaoru ordered, his arms curving around his wife's waist to keep her steady on her feet. "Our family is resilient. Yes, it hurts right now, but you will become stronger for it."

Akira's face remained blank, her thoughts racing at each piece of information she has gathered since now.

"Okaa-sama, you're not allowed to kill him," I quickly, yet hoarsely informed her.

I recognized that glint in her eyes. It was exactly the same I would have when going off to bite someone to death. She frowned.

"Very well…on one condition," Akira stated solemnly, her eyes flickering to Byakuran who was still pressed up against my back.

Comprehending our position, I stepped away from him and looked for Fuuta. I saw him sitting at the kitchen table eating a large ice cream sundae with headphones on and Hibird resting on his head. I shot Byakuran a glare.

"That is too much sugar," I hissed at him, knowing how off the walls the child would be later. "He'll never settle down for a nap."

Byakuran smirked at him. The nerve of him as he tilted back on his heels in nonchalance.

"Tell me, Byakuran-san," Akira started, grabbing our attention and preventing Byakuran from replying to me as she stepped closer to him. "What are your intentions with my son?"

Anything less that the truth promised nothing short of a painful death, if by the looks my mother was giving Byakuran at this very moment. I caught my father's eyes and he did not look sorry at all for what was about to happen. If anything, he was waiting for his turn at the Sky.

"Kyoya-chan is mine."Byakuran answered Akira's question without hesitation and I was immediately thrown back to when my father asked me about Tsuna and me claiming the brunette as mine.

Somehow, Byakuran must have felt the flinch I tried to hide, but he would have none of that. The bastard poked my cheek before pinching it.

"Don't argue with me, Kyo-ya-chan," Byakuran sing-songed, quickly releasing my cheek when I turned by head to bite him.

I bared my teeth at him and my father tossed back his head and laughed, clutching his stomach at the force of it. His mother, on the other hand, looked unamused at her husband and crossed her arms under her breast.

"Your father…just ignore him," Akira huffed, turning away to do just that.

"I did that to your mother once and she reacted the exact same way you did, son," Kaoru explained once he was able to get himself under control. "Hmm…"

I did not like the plotting look my father sported.

-KHR-

"You have a difficult decision to make. Just know that whatever path you choose, I will always be proud of you. A mother could only hope to have such a wonderful son as you are," Akira whispered against my ear before standing straight.

My father placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly before letting go.

"Call us if you ever need us. We'll be on the next flight over," Kaoru stated with a nod, before my parents left the apartment and the three of us in it to head back to the airport.

A pair of arms slid around me and grabbed hold of my wrists. Byakuran lifted my right hand up and I glanced down at the ring that belongs to the Vongola Cloud guardian.

"So…what is your decision?" Byakuran asked, his breath fluttering along the curve of my ear.

The drive from Narita, Japan to Namimori may have been a little under two hours, but it may have been on the other side of the moon with how utterly busy with people it was compared to the quietish town of Namimori. It is one of the reasons why no one living in Namimori who knows of Hibari Kyoya would ever guess to look in such a crowded place. It was the main reason I remained in Byakuran's apartment instead of going out. There were too many herbivores to think straight without biting someone to death every few steps.

I glanced at the review mirror and saw Fuuta still sulking in the backseat with his bottom lip stuck out. Every now and then his face would scrunch up as if he smelt something, but I knew it was because he was having to come back to Namimori instead of staying with me. My brows furrowed. Surely, he missed the other children? I asked him.

"No," Fuuta huffed, crossing his arms with a stubbornness that caused my lips to twitch upwards.

Fuuta looked up to catch me staring and his eyes immediately began to tear up.

"Do I have to go back, Nii-chan? Can't I stay with you and Ran-chan?" Fuuta asked, his voice catching on the last few words. "I'll be goo-good. I'll eat all m-my veggies an-and I'll be qui-quiet when you read—Don't leave me again, Nii-chan!"

Eyes wide and heart racing, I responded in the only way that I could.

"Okay."

Twenty minutes later, I was pulling up right out front of the Sawada residence. I took my time parking and shutting off the car Byakuran let me use, my motorcycle not the best choice when traveling with a child. I made Byakuran swear on his blood that he would not damage my motorcycle while I was gone, because he will be spilling blood after I get through with him. The bastard only smirked. The front door opened and Nana stepped outside. I knew right then that I needed to move and help Fuuta out so he can stretch his legs…and gather the rest of his belongings. It will be a while until I come back here.

"Ora, Kyo-chan and Fuu-chan, you're back," Nana greeted us with a smile. "Tsu-kun is upstairs doing his homework. Would you like to come in?"

I nodded and we followed Nana inside.

"I'll just go and get Tsu-kun for you…Oh, Tsu-kun, are you done with homework? Would you like a snack?" Nana asked, seeing her son standing frozen halfway down the stairs.

She went into the kitchen without an answer to begin getting some snacks together.

"Kyo-kun…," Tsuna breathed, slowly stepping down the stairs.

He had yet to blink as if the action would cause me to disappear. I wanted to…disappear, but I remembered what my mother said and continued to look at the mousy-haired brunette with a blank expression. Tsuna did not even acknowledge Fuuta as the child ran past him and up the stairs to pack.

As calmly as I could, I slipped the Vongola Cloud ring off on my finger. With his eyes locked on mine, Tsuna did not see. I grabbed his forearm, unconsciously grabbing the portion covered by his shirt before placing the ring in his hand. This had Tsuna break eye contact with me and look down. His body tensed and he jerked his head up with a shocked expression.

"You…this is…Kyo-kun?!" Tsuna exclaimed, unable to piece together what he was trying to say.

"Fuuta has decided to stay with me," I finally spoke, fighting every instinct inside me not to strike out at the person who has managed to hurt me more than any physical blow could.

"No, he's—You can't!" Tsuna cried out, not believing what he was hearing.

Tsuna grabbed hold of the front of my jacket only for me to snatch his hands away. He flinched back in surprise, me having never acted out like that with him before.

"Fuuta is not a part of the Vongola Familia," I sneered, gritting my teeth as I took a threatening step closer. "As of the moment that I returned that ring, neither am I."

Hearing Fuuta hurrying back down the stairs with a bookbag stuffed with items most likely retrieved from the Hibari main house, I cleared the anger from my face. Fuuta came to my side and took my hand.

"We're leaving. Fuuta, say your good-byes," I said, taking the child's bookbag.

"Kyo-kun, don't do this," Tsuna whimpered, his hands forming fists at his side in order to keep himself steady.

Up on the stair landing, I felt more than saw eyes on us. I knew for a fact that two pairs belonged to Gokudera and Yamamoto. Ignoring them and Tsuna's last statement, I turned on my heel and lead Fuuta out to the car. As soon as I settled Fuuta in the backseat and making sure he was strapped in, I shut the door and came face to face with Reborn who stood on the cement wall in front of the Sawada residence. No words were shared and after a moment of silence, Reborn hopped down to go back inside the house. Getting inside the car, I started it up and began the long drive back to Narita.