My Storm, My Cloud, My Sun, My Sky
Summary: Reborn met Fon, they became Arcobaleno and went separate ways, not seeing each other for years. Kyoya was born, Fon had to leave to protect his family and they didn't see each other for years. Tsuna met Reborn, the adventure starts. Hibari met Reborn, craziness starts. Dino met Kyoya, Fon returns and secrets are revealed. Better than it sounds, I promise! D18, RF, LalCol possible others.
Meeting Reborn had completely changed Dino's life.
Sure, the first year was worse than hell and none of the years following were any better until the hitman was called away by Timoteo Vongola, the Ninth Generation boss himself, to train his successor, which left Dino to deal on his own and the Cavallone for the first time in years since his father's death.
It was daunting at first. For years, he's had the best home tutor and the world's greatest hitman as an advisor, there to consult him on important matters that he felt like he was messing up, even if his reprimands and corrections were of the painful kind. It toughened him up, made him one of the best bosses in the mafia world and allowed for him to revitalize the Cavallone to their former glory, before debts nearly destroyed them. He'd made alliances, friends, enemies, acquaintances. He learned to love his family and to accept that, if for no one else, then for his men who believed in him and would follow him through the gates of hell, he will be a mafioso. He will bathe in the blood of his enemies if he must, but he will protect them.
It was not easy.
Despite what everyone believed, he was perfectly aware of just how clumsy he could be when his men weren't around. He had good days - where he could eat with chopsticks without making a mess, for example - and bad days - where he would nearly kill himself because he'd stubbed his toe against the bedside table. He's tried working on it since Reborn left and he's discovered that he can be as efficient with hundreds of his men around as he'd be efficient with only Romario there. He knew that wasn't good enough and he worked on it when he had the time. Which wasn't really all that often, despite what his frequent visits to Japan at Reborn's whimsical calls might suggest.
But with the tension brewing within Vongola itself over three dead heirs, Xanxus awakening from the Cradle and now news of a successor from Primo's bloodline over in Japan, things quieted in Italy, everyone holding their breath and just waiting to see what would happen.
Sawada Iemitsu, the External Advisor, and Timoteo Vongola, Vongola Nono, did not agree on their desired candidate for Decimo.
And so, the Battle for the Rings must take place, for the first time in three generations, second since the founding of Vongola nine - now ten - generations ago.
Dino Cavallone had been entrusted to take the real Rings to Japan while a CEDEF agent had been sent with a decoy. Dino wished him the best of luck, because his old schoolmate Squalo was after him, but he focused more on his own task and the possible reason behind it, the reason Nono had given him just before the Vongola Don had locked himself up in his mansion and hadn't left since.
Cavallone was actually older than Vongola, if not as a famiglia but as a criminal organization. They had started off by washing money through horse racing bets, breeding and selling horses to cover for their criminal activities for twenty years before Giotto Vongola entered the stage. His near 'vigilante' organization changed the course of history when Dying Will Flames were introduced into conflicts of power, Giotto and his fearsome six Guardians.
The ability to use Flames was not, however, exclusive to Vongola. Cavallone Primo had learned a useful trick regarding this ability, even if it was never written down in history. The knowledge came from the East, from a power clan of a powerful, long, ancient bloodline. All one needed was a suitable conduit and it's been revealed that the rings passed down as inheritance mementos in mafia families were more than just fancy pieces of jewelry.
Only three people outside of Cavallone Primo's closest subordinates knew about him possessing this knowledge, and that was Giotto, his Storm and right hand man G and the elusive, aloof, proud Cloud, the one who discovered this piece of information through his wast information network, Alaudi. Cavallone Primo saw the Vongola as a bunch of kids playing at being heroes, trying to change a system that has existed long before it was given a proper name. Alaudi, though, he saw as an opponent, for Cavallone Primo was a very private man and yet that young man, one of the younger ones in Giotto's family, had been able to dig up more about him than anyone else in the world.
And so Cavallone Primo pursued all of his dealing with Vongola through Alaudi, much to the Cloud's irritation, or so the existing sources say. Alaudi was indeed a true Cloud. He hated being around people if he could not learn new information from them, he could barely stand his new famiglia if they got 'too loud' by his definition and he definitely didn't like Dino's ancestor. It took Cavallone Primo years to gain the other's regard and his efforts were often interpreted as courting the Cloud. Romantically, not as a Sky would an Element. Alaudi had made it clear that he already barely tolerated Giotto, and only because their goals happened to coincide from time to time. But the rumors that the two of them became lovers, of all things, tickled Dino like the best joke he'd ever heard.
Nonetheless, whatever the relationship between those two had been, Alaudi had been the founder and first Head of CEDEF and the first time the Vongola Rings were passed down, it had been through Alaudi and Cavallone Primo. That is to say, rumors stated that Alaudi had run off after Giotto with some other Guardians to Japan when Daemon Spade managed to convince Giotto that he was no good for the Vongola, or so rumors say, and the Primo declared a Secondo, the infamous Ricardo. Alaudi could have stayed - he'd been invited by both Spade and Secondo, as he was by far the strongest Cloud of his generation as well as the strongest Guardian of the First Generation - but apparently, if rumors were to be believed, Cavallone Primo had recently broken off their 'affair' so he could get married and continue his family line. Hence, Alaudi took all of that precious, boundless information and left for Japan, married into some rich family and changed his name only to, years later when Cavallone Primo was asked by his new ally to try and convince Giotto to hand over the Rings, he met the 'new version' of Alaudi, who gave him the Vongola half-Rings and instructed that the Rings will alight only for their true Guardians.
Then Alaudi had left Japan as well and was never heard of again, though rumors - so many rumors - circulated that he had been in North America and died in some minor gang conflict, which was insane for a man rumored to make the entire mafia world shudder at the mere sound of his name.
Whatever was the truth in those old tales, Sawada Iemitsu called on that old story, that old friendship, that old alliance, to make Dino accept Nono's request and get the Rings to Tsuna and help his son as much as he could without interfering too much or too directly, which would be a breach of their alliance. Dino would have been more convinced to help if the man had simply said it was for his honorary little brother. He liked the kid, could see some of his younger self in him, back when he was stupid and naive and thought he could avoid the call of destiny. There simply wasn't a way. His blood called for it, ran hot in his veins. The Cavallone were his as he was theirs.
Reborn's request to train one of the Guardians was perhaps a bit of a surprise. Yes, the hitman couldn't train them all, even if he was Reborn. Reborn had to train Tsuna, after all. It would be Xanxus that the fourteen year old would be fighting, if it came down to it, which it very much might.
Hurricane Bomb Gokudera Hayato seems to have run off to get Trident Shamal to train him again. Sasagawa Ryohei, currently the weakest of the Guardians by some miracle - apparently the cow child could pack a punch, if Reborn's hitman intuition was anything to go by - got the Rain Arcobaleno as his 'home tutor'. Yamamoto Takeshi already had someone in mind and Dino wished him the best of luck because the kid was obviously going to train swordsmanship and his opponent was Squalo, the Second Sword Emperor, a title he had more than earned. The Mist Guardian apparently won't need help, if Reborn was to be believed, and Dino knew this to be true because Mists were illusionists and it all depended on their will.
Which left Tsuna's new Cloud Guardian, a problematic child to say the least. Stronger than the others by a mile with fighting experience probably from an incredibly young age, with a sharp analytical mind that allowed him to judge an opponent as well as a person in seconds with an indomitable will, stubborn pride and unmatched resilience and endurance, Hibari Kyoya was Dino's to teach and train.
"Though it's very possible you'll be more of a punching bag than a home tutor. Just a heads up," Reborn had said with that half-smirk, half-smile of his, but for the first time, his eyes had been distant, not all there, as though he was recalling something. A tiny fist clenched and relaxed and Reborn was back to his usual self. "He's brash and rushes into things. Teach him to be more aware of his surroundings and not to jump in head first without looking and I'll be satisfied."
"Do you really have so little faith in my abilities, Reborn?" Dino had asked with an easy smile. "Don't you worry. I'll teach this Hibari Kyoya until he's the perfect fighter."
"He already is, wimpy Dino," the hitman had refuted, smirking again. "I don't think there's much about actual fighting someone like you can teach him." Dino hadn't been sure if that had been an insult or a statement of fact, but Reborn hadn't elaborated and he knew better than to ask if he wanted to keep his dignity and pride in one piece. "Just practice patience with him. And don't underestimate him, or you might end up with more than a few bruises and broken bones."
Dino hadn't exactly believed Reborn. It was probably arrogance, now that he thinks about it. The kid, when he first saw him, was shorter than him by a head or so, slim and young. Younger than he had expected. Reborn had said Hibari Kyoya was one to two years older than Tsuna and the others, but he didn't look like it.
The first thing that made him believe the kid might be as dangerous as Reborn had said was when he had introduced himself. Not as Dino. Not as Tsuna's older brother of sorts. No, it was when he had said he was friends with Reborn that he had finally piqued Hibari Kyoya's interest and when sharp, silver blue eyes finally regarded him with an ounce of genuine interest. Hibari had stood up from the couch, all lethal grace and dangerous elegance, an aura that would have probably made a lesser man buckle to the ground wafting from him. Excitement, almost blood lust, definitely an eagerness for battle, to test himself.
Hibari would not listen to anything Dino had to say, but he would train.
Or rather, he'd show Dino just how right Reborn had been.
The kid was still immature, true, but he fought better than men twice his age and thrice his experience would, no movement wasted, every twist and turn and step made with the intent to kill, a dangerous dance of elegance and death that Dino was sure very few had not fallen to. Dino had not really thought he'd have to be even remotely serious with the kid, but Hibari caught on fast to how he moved, what gesture preceded which movement of his whip.
He managed to catch the teen off guard, restrain his movements without hurting him to ascertain his dominance, because the kid's mind seemed to function in that way, all herbivore, carnivore, little animal, predator and such, the law of the food chain at its simplest. Hibari obviously didn't respect authority, because he was the highest authority in Namimori, something that would shock him when he later learns the true extent of it. Hibari respected strength and skill and smarts and Dino decided to give him just that, using strategy and his ample experience to counter the boy and trap him with his whip.
For his efforts, he learned why it is a folly, a death wish to try and restrain a true Cloud. He'd avoided most of the damage, but his jaw hurt like a bitch and will no doubt swell. At least his skill to avoid the brunt of it seemed to vaguely impress the prefect. That was good. That meant he'd at least have the teen's attention for longer than your average Joe, which amounted to barely a glance to assess if they needed to be bitten to death for one reason or another. It meant he could convince Kyoya to become Tsuna's Cloud Guardian, to fight for him, to protect the Cloud half-Ring he'd received, like Reborn had asked.
And so began his unique relationship with Hibari, who within a day became Kyoya, who had more to him than just a battle maniac too strong for his or anyone else's good.
Dino often felt like he had been handed a precious ceramic Russian doll, stronger than glass but still fragile and yet immovable, indomitable, locked airtight until he was allowed to open the outer shell and peek inside. Kyoya was ... Actually a pretty cool guy, if he accepts you as acceptable, respectable company. It doesn't happen often, mind you, but he seems to have taken something of a shine to Dino, or as much as someone as antisocial as Kyoya could.
Still, Kyoya loved animals, big or small, furry or scaly, quiet or noisy. The cuter the better, of course, but he loved animals as they were. He was definitely charmed by Enzio when Dino had first introduced his new student to his beloved turtle. And Dino himself was rather impressed by Hibird. Kyoya had tamed it himself. It had been an agent for the enemy, one of Rokudo Mukuro's subordinates from just a couple months back. Kyoya had been tortured, beaten and left to starve in a dark, cold place and the little yellow bird had somehow found its way into his prison and started singing random things, only for Kyoya to teach it his favorite song. The little bird fairly loved its new master and would sing for him and cuddle with him whenever it perceived that Kyoya might want company but knew it would never be human company he openly wished for.
Another layer that he learned about was that Hibari Kyoya was damned smart. Dino wasn't a professional, but he was sure his pupil was at least in the 'gifted' category where intellect was concerned, if not a genius. Maybe not the overenthusiastic kind of genius like Gokudera Hayato, but more the quiet type that enjoyed his intelligence for himself and not for others. He also discovered that Reborn was right that a glance was enough for Kyoya to judge people. They'd made a game of it one night, when the Battle of the Rings had already been underway for two nights and Nami-chuu was the unfortunate battleground. Dino had taken Kyoya on a 'on the road training trip' so they could avoid the inevitable carnage if the Disciplinary Committee Chairman were to learn what was happening to his school and how much damage it sustained each night. They'd been staying at random traditional inns - because Kyoya took great pride in his nationality and refused a any more western themed hotel even if it meant they'd have to sleep outside as an alternative - so one night at dinner, Dino had asked what Hibari could say about any of them, Dino and his men, or any of the people who were also staying at the inn.
Kyoya had gotten correct their basic physical statistics, their current moods, their usual fighting styles, down to whether they were right or left handed despite none of them using chopsticks or knives at the time of that evaluation, and their weaknesses where a fight would be concerned. Then, looking around at the civilians, he'd pointed out a few who were their with their lovers instead of their rightful partners, a criminal hiding from the law, a businessman pretending to be on a business trip but was instead just avoiding his home-wrecked life and stupid job and a man who had most likely just broken up with his girlfriend. It wasn't anything like those Sherlock Holmes deductions, of course, as most of the fact would be obvious if one took a longer moment to study the people. It was the speed of it that was amazing.
Also, as Dino learned the night one of his subordinates that had stayed in Namimori called and reported the damage done to the school in the last match, Kyoya had a knack for languages. While he wasn't about to start speaking fluid Italian, the boy had been asking random things since they started their 'training' - it really was more like being a punching bag than a tutor; damn that stupid, sadistic Reborn for always being right - and he could make out enough that Dino was worried, had heard the words Namimori Middle School and had no doubt caught the words 'fight' and 'damage', words he'd know because Dino's men always teased him about how much damage he was receiving from fighting a teenager, never mind how vicious said teenager was or that he would one day without a doubt become a right monster to be feared by all who might find themselves called his enemies.
Two more layers he learned about when he found out Hibari knew how to hot-wire cars and motorcycles, as well as drive/ride them. Also, he figured out the kid had wondrous hearing, reflexes that most stuntman and professional race car drivers and mountain cross bikers would give both their hands for and instincts the likes of actual animals.
Also, he was downright reckless and was probably more than used to having his way, because he never listened, he had beat Dino up when he'd tried to stop him from running off and he had weaved between cars while racing at nearly a 100 km/h.
Also, apparently Hibird was smart enough to find its own way home no matter where it ends up.
Another thing he learned about Hibari Kyoya was that he hated Rokudo Mukuro, to the point that he'd stop in the middle of biting the Varia, Tsuna and his group and the Cervello to death for what they were doing to his school at the prospect of fighting him again. Dino had only heard a part of the story. He knew Mukuro had gone and done the unimaginable and the unwise to try and restrain a Cloud. Kyoya had done the same to him as he had Dino when the blond had only temporarily tried to restrain him, and back then he had been nearly broken in body.
Truly, Hibari Kyoya was one scary person.
The fights went on, as did Dino's training with Kyoya, even as he and his men rushed Squalo to the hospital to save his life. Dino didn't know whether he should be worried or not. That Gola Mosca guy made leed weigh his stomach, or at least that's what his dread felt like. Kyoya wasn't concerned at all, but Kyoya, for all that he could gauge an opponent in seconds and had a great analytical and strategic mind, could get overconfident and rush things. Or rather rush into things with little concern for his safety and life. He wanted to go watch Kyoya's fight, he really did, but he knew he'd be tempted to interfere no matter how the fight went, so he didn't. Romario looked at him strangely at that, knowing how much he'd come to care about his student in the short time they'd known each other, and even went as far as to question him.
"Romario," was all Dino had said. "Don't worry. That Gola Mosca guy, Kyoya didn't seem concerned about him at all."
And Kyoya won the fight, completed the ring and brought Tsuna victory and the rights to be boss.
But then it all went to hell and Kyoya ended up in the hospital.
Dino has never felt so wretched with guilt.