OpalescentGold: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
Aftermath
This is how they do their best.
Cope
They all have their different ways of coping with Noriko when she's in one of her "moods."
Eclipse, she murmurs once when Hayato prompts her, gaze unfocused and unblinking. It's called an Eclipse.
Tsuna is the one who fusses. He's the one who's seen this happen the most; he's the one who knows how bad it can get from that one time Noriko showed up at his house, not having eaten or slept for three days.
The Sky asks his mother to prepare extra bento and pesters his Moon until she's eaten half of it before dragging her off to sleep, normally at either Takeshi or Kyoya's place, because if they leave her on her own, she definitely won't.
Takeshi is the one who puts everyone's worries at rest. He's the one who diffuses the tense atmosphere with laughs and jokes; he's the one who keeps the conversation flowing and keeps them all from panicking.
The Rain cheerfully accepts the Moon into his house when Tsuna coaxes her to his doorstep, his father perceptive enough not to question things while she is half-persuaded, half-forced to go to bed when the time comes.
Kyoya is the who keeps an eye on her. He's the one who makes certain she doesn't absently fall off the rooftop one day; he's the one who thwarts the herbivores at school from attempting to disturb her because that will not end well.
The Cloud finds the herbivores under his protection annoying at best and worthy of being bitten to death at worst, but the one and only time a herbivore manages to attack the Moon in an Eclipse, he barely gets away with his life.
Ryohei is the one who looks after her. He's the only one in their family with a little sibling her age; he's the one who goes after the fools and idiots who badmouth her behind their backs and teaches them never to do it again.
The Sun lets the Moon sit nearby during his boxing sessions and whatever else he may be doing at the time, basking in the energy and sunlight he radiates and reflecting it back to him, albeit with little actually absorbed.
They grit their teeth, clench their fists, and get by until Noriko comes back to them.
Rules
Hayato and Lambo are both new to this, but they catch on quickly to the three rules that are firmly and religiously followed regarding Eclipses.
The first rule is that if possible, an Eclipse should always be avoided to the best of their abilities.
The second rule is that under no circumstances should an Eclipse be triggered by anyone in their family.
The third rule is that should there be an Eclipse regardless, all fighting, casual or not, will be halted until it's over.
Violence, glares, screaming, and guilt trips may or may not be used to enforce these rules.
Support
Eventually, the newcomers learn that it's not just because Noriko in that state is terrifying and alarming and, quite frankly, capable of scaring the shit out of anyone who cares for the strange, vivacious girl in the slightest.
Rather, it is because they are family and when someone in the family is injured or otherwise out of commission, the rest of the family bands together until the crisis is over.
(It's this mindset, the mindset that Noriko's been encouraging and inciting since the very start, that ultimately earns Xanxus' respect, but that's neither here nor now.)
To the others, an Eclipse is an expected and disliked event, but so is Tsuna's tendency to attract trouble, Takeshi's bouts of depression, Kyoya's brutal bloodthirstiness, Ryohei's extreme injuries, Hayato's bone-deep insecurity, and Lambo's childish vulnerability.
Everyone knows it. It's nothing special, nothing abnormal. They don't treat it as anything more difficulty than what they usually have to face. It's not the apocalypse, not like they make it out as if something's dreadfully wrong.
The Eclipses are just a quirk of Noriko's. Tsuna's halfway expecting it to become her signature, now that the role of welcoming chaos and insanity has gone to Reborn.
When it comes, whatever "it" might be, they'll deal with it until their family is okay once more, and when it's over, normalcy resumes as if nothing earth-shattering has happened.
That is their version of family.
Length
This time, with a Judgment more severe than anything that has happened in their group so far, the Eclipse lasts an entire week. By the end of that week, more than a few members of their family are twitchy and agitated.
But just as it may change, just as it may vanish briefly, the Moon always comes back, luminous and beautiful.
A week after she passes her judgment on Rokudo Mukuro, Noriko opens her eyes and blinks, suddenly cognizant that she is in Takeshi's house. The numbness and the detachment are gone, leaving behind a content that tugs at her lips.
Giving in to the urge to smile widely, Noriko bounces out of the guest bedroom and into Takeshi's room on light feet. "Good morning!" she sings, throwing open the curtains to let in the sunlight.
Takeshi groans, but when he opens his eyes, she does not miss the relieved glint or the bright grin on his face. "Noriiiii! Come on, it's too early to get up! We don't even have school today!"
She laughs, giddy with the renewed feeling of being alive. Becoming the Arbiter is strangely like dying, hovering in that place between life and death, full of coldness and disinterest. It's..disturbing, now that she can think again.
"Who cares? Let's go find Tsuna! Takeshi, get up!"