A/N: Don't own anything.
Chapter 5 (part 1)
Harry watched the man preparing a meal for them in the kitchen. Even though Harry still felt the exhaustion pulling at his limbs he felt better rested and more focused than he had felt in a while - definitely since the start of his treatment and maybe even since before that when the terror of his wavering magic had started keeping him awake at night. Harry was glad that he had regained some control over his limbs and was able to sit on his own now.
A tray with two bowls of steaming soup as well as two tall glasses with something pinkish was set on the low table in front of him. "Chicken soup and fruit smoothie. It should be alright for your stomach." The man said as he sat down next to him again on the couch and handed him a bowl of soup.
Harry's arm was still slightly weak but he was glad to see that he was able to hold the bowl. Well, the only reason he did not spill anything was that the man had apparently anticipated this and the bowl was barely half full. The spoon the man set into the bowl was rather ladle-like in its form, so unless the shaking got too bad, Harry should actually be able to manage. Harry felt something warm spread in his chest at this small, considerate gesture from the man.
He really needed to ask for a name soon. Calling him 'the man' in his mind - trying to keep his thoughts on his bonded neutral - was starting to sound kind of ominous at this point.
Harry reached for the spoon and was about to lift it to his mouth as the man caught Harry's hand in his own. Even from the corner of his eye he could see the smirk on the man's face.
"You have to be careful. The soup is still hot." The man leaned into Harry's space - close - and gently blew over the soup in his spoon, still holding Harry's hand in his much larger one.
He nearly gaped at the man - almost leaning towards the tempting warmth, so close, so warm - before he caught himself, though still staring.
"You should eat." The smirk on the man's face widened as Harry felt the blush on his cheeks.
"Thanks. I'll wait for the soup to cool down a bit." Harry was glad he didn't stutter or anything equally embarrassing - like asking the man to do it again - even if it had sounded kind of petulant.
If anything the man's smirk got even wider. By Merlin, the man still looked ridiculously handsome even while being infuriatingly disrupting for Harry's thought processes.
The bond between them gave a hum and Harry considered the man next to him - had he been sitting this close the entire time? - as well as their situation. The bond felt permanent, reliable, anchored, urging him to trust.
Harry considered his options as he started on his soup again. A magical bond trumped pretty much everything else in the Wizarding World. True bonds, such as traditional wedding bonds, soul bonds, adoption bonds and troth pledges, were one of the most explicit exceptions for the Statute of Secrecy.
He finished his soup as far as he was going to get with his still rather unsteady hand. The man took his bowl without prompting and handed him the fruit smoothie. Harry took small sips and for a while they sat in comfortable silence. Harry needed more information before he could even begin to make decisions. Hopefully, the man would be agreeable.
"The warmth, what is it?" Harry asked as directly as he could without asking about the bond. Even though he was quite sure that the man could feel it as well - what other reason could he possibly have had to rescue Harry - he couldn't be entirely sure that the man was aware of the bond humming between them.
"Hm. It's rather convoluted to explain. How about we save the elaborate explanation for later and start on your side of the story?" Though assertive there was surprisingly little vehemence in the man's statement.
Harry had expected him to be far more adamant about hearing his side of the story first. But still. Harry slumped unnoticeably. He just wanted to rest some more - bask in the assuring hum of the bond and preferably sleep for about a month - before he had to focus on any explanation, elaborate or not, that would most likely end in some kind of disagreement.
Reborn watched as his Sky tried to gather himself. The five-day rest had definitely helped his Sky recover, but he still looked fatigued and worn. Reborn would have his Sky rest for as long as it took him to recover to full strength - his protective and possessive side surged at the thought of keeping his Sky in his bed, relying on him. Still, there were questions that needed answers, not least of all about his Sky's health and definitely about how he had gotten into the situation Reborn had found him in. Reborn needed to know if there were any more definite threats beyond those of being the Sky of the World's Greatest Hitman - not that there would be any chance that any of those threats would ever even touch his Sky.
There was something more to his Sky's question though. Reborn was almost certain that his Sky was a civilian. A civilian with an interesting background for sure but not mafia. Despite this, his Sky had not at any point questioned the existence of some strange kind of power inside himself - disregarding the fact that he was able to identify the presence of Flames at all - but rather asked for a name to call it by. That was more than interesting, potentially even worrying.
"It depends on your answers to my questions." His Sky finally said.
Reborn actually felt his eyebrows raise and not in a good way. Well, that was far more abrupt than he had expected. His thoughts must have somehow shown on his face, because his Sky wrinkled his forehead - looking quite endearingly confused - obviously thinking back on his words, before almost flinching backwards.
"No, no. That's not what I meant at all." A flush was making its way slowly across his Sky's face. "I didn't mean... It's just..."
His Sky was almost stumbling over his words and Reborn could see the frustration and a form of panic mounting. Reborn reached out - his Sky flinched backwards, flinched away from him, from his sole Guardian, Reborn was going to murder whoever had conditioned that reflex into his Sky - to rest a hand on his Sky's shoulder and pulled his Sky back into his side.
"Try again."
After a tense moment Reborn felt his Sky relax minutely. "I don't... I can't explain without more information. Truly can't. There would be consequences. Consequences neither of us is prepared to live with."
Ok, that certainly sounded ominous, but all the more interesting for the included threat. Reborn considered their situation.
Well, this was his Sky. A Sky with active Flames and an active Guardian bond with a member of the mafia. With the forming of his first Guardian bond his unaffiliated Sky could technically be considered a newly founded Famiglia. So even if his Sky truly was a civilian, Omerta didn't apply here. Additionally, his Sky seemed quite familiar with powers bordering on the supernatural, so the risk of him freaking out at the explanation should be minimal.
Reborn decided that he might as well start with the explanation. Not like his Sky would be going anywhere soon - or ever really - so he would get his story sooner or later. "The warmth, as you so adorably put it," - and there was that blush again - "is called Flames."
His Sky was endearingly easy to fluster with just a few words or gestures - Reborn could definitely see himself getting possessive of that blush. And even though he shied back from the more overt gestures - the fierce blush when Reborn had 'cooled down' his soup had been delicious - right now he was subconsciously leaning further into Reborn's side.
"Flames are a power anchored in our very soul." Reborn continued. "They are based on our resolve and created from our very life-force. There is only a very small number of people who can use Flames at all and their secrecy is protected by Omerta. As Flames are based on resolve and strength of will we call them Dying Will Flames."
His Sky was looking up at him intently. "We?" And damn he was astute.
"The mafia." This might just be the most crucial part of the explanation. Civilians almost instinctually shied away from organized crime. Their ingrained believes of right and wrong made it impossible for them to consider anything related to crime even remotely acceptable. "Do you have any relations to a Mafia Famiglia?"
Reborn already knew the answer to this question, even though there had been no overt reaction from his Sky at the mention of the mafia except for the slight widening of his eyes. His Sky might have already figured something along those lines with his own captivity. Something in Reborn's chest loosened slightly.
"No, I don't." His Sky's eyes remained slightly wider than normal - but he had not moved away from Reborn - and he was still watching Reborn intently.
His Sky was a civilian. Reborn felt a slow smug smile spread across his face. This Sky with ridiculously pure Flames was not only powerful enough to draw him in - him, the most powerful Sun Flame user in existence - to bond with him, but he was also unattached. Reborn had not only finally found what he and his Flames had been longing for, he had also somehow managed to avoid the drawbacks. There was no Famiglia to get in their way, to command missions and behavior. No enemies or allies - beyond Reborn's own - to contend with or to endanger his Sky. Even further, as his Flames had been forced into activation during his recent captivity - as signified by his complete ignorance of what Flames were in the first place - there were no other Guardians or Guardian hopefuls. His Sky was Reborn's alone. His smile widened as his possessive, selfish side seemed to almost contently stretch like a cat in the sun.
He continued his explanation as though he hadn't just realized something extraordinarily pleasing. "Dying Will Flames are almost exclusively found in the mafia and most people outside of it who manage to activate their Flames are pulled into the mafia at some point. In order for a Famiglia to reach a certain standing strong Flame users are vital. Thus unaffiliated Flame users are rare, even more so if they are strong, as they will have numerous Famiglias vying for their attention."
Reborn couldn't help but think of his own long history of Famiglias lining up to try and pull him in only to disappoint over and over and over again. His Sky was watching him intently and Reborn got the feeling that he might be very much able to recognize the desperation that Reborn had been doing his best to ignore for years.
He had a Sky now, he finally knew what home - freely given welcome, approval, warmth, unconditional acceptance - felt like.
"Depending on the Flame user there are several factors that affect overall Flame characteristics but the main factors are Flame type and purity." Reborn continued. "There are a number of different Flame types, though for brevity's sake I am just going to summarize the ones that directly apply to us, the Flames of the Sky which includes the Elements Sky, Sun, Rain, Cloud, Storm, Mist and Lightning. Each Flame type has its own ascribed characteristics of personality and abilities."
By now his Sky was leaning fully into his side, his head almost rested on Reborn's shoulder. And even though Reborn wasn't really one for touching - outside the bedroom that is - the show of easy trust and acceptance had something in his chest purring. If this was what he got for the small concession of explaining first, well, to hell with always getting what he wanted. This would definitely do as repayment. For now.
"Each Flame type brings additional abilities, the strength of which relies on the underlying purity. Purity varies depending on the Flame user's strength of will and resolve that feeds the Flames. My Sun Flames allow me to use Activation which is more or less a way to increase efficiency of any activity. Your Flame type is Sky and this gives you the power of Harmonization. The other Flame types are also called Elements of the Sky as users of these Flame types can harmonize with a Sky Flame user. A Sky can form bonds with other Flame types that are traditionally called Guardian bonds. The Guardians offer a form of protection, while the Sky offers a home, a place to return to. Most powerful Famiglias are built around a Sky with a full set of Guardians, meaning bonds with Flame users of every Element. Sky Flame users are rare and something like royalty in the Mafia World."
Reborn saw his Sky wrinkle his nose - dios mio, he was adorable - and mumble something that sounded suspiciously like 'that bloody figures'. His Sky seemed to sigh in resignation before the look of annoyance faded. "The bond between us?"
"Exactly, it is based on your ability of Harmony. There are various factors that affect a bonding. For one, the Flame purity and strength of both Elements has to be taken into account. A strong Sky cannot be forced into a bond with a weaker Element. It can be offered by the Sky, however, it is rarely ever done as the Sky's Flames are looking for Elements of mostly equal strength as they are tasked with protection. Essentially, Sky bonds are give and take, however, the Sky is always considered the pivotal center of any bond and awarded an additional amount of respect instinctually by other Elements. Sky Flame users generally seek for a full set of Guardians, meaning bonds with users of every Flame type."
"This bond cannot be dissolved." His Sky was looking pensive and if it hadn't been for the factual phrasing and tone Reborn might have been driven to do something drastic immediately.
He still felt the anxiety tightening in his chest and his answer came out maybe a bit harshly. "No, it can't. The only way to dissolve the bond is for one of the Elements to go into discord or by being rejected by the Sky. Due to the Flames being anchored in the soul, such a disruption is incredibly harmful to Sky and Element, even to any other Elements bonded to the same Sky, and can even be lethal."
However, his Sky was still watching him fully alert, his focus seemingly on another part of the explanation. "In our soul and life-force?"
Still no direct questions about Reborn's involvement in the mafia. To his exasperation it was actually starting to make him slightly apprehensive, as he couldn't quite anticipate his Sky's reactions.
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are awesome!
Chapter 4 review responses:
To Akira: Thanks so much for your review! I don't want to give too much away for the next chapters so I'm not going to identify any of Harry's guardians. But I can say that there won't be many OCs in this story. I hope this chapter answers most of your other questions :)
To Kshail: Thanks so much for reviewing again! Thank you also for the suggestions, but I won't tell for most of them :) Ron and Hermione won't be Guardians mostly because their world view is very black and white and I can't see them just accepting the mafia. Also, I intend to tie Flames into magic in a way that makes activation pretty hard so there won't suddenly be a huge number of wizard Flame users (though not saying there won't be any).
To Anon: Thanks for reviewing! I really get where you are coming from regarding Ron and Hermione and as I said before, there won't be any character bashing in this story. The part that I think is ignored in a lot of stories is that it's not only Harry who is a war veteran at 17 but his friends as well so there are some concessions to be made. Still, there are definitely issues in their friendship and the situation in this story is an example of that.
To Soaring Hawk1: Thank you for the review! I don't want to give too much away, so I'm not commenting on other possible Guardians yet :) Harry will definitely get in contact with the WW soon, even if only because of fear of Madam Pomfrey's wrath if he didn't ^^ I will do my best to keep the development with Ron and Hermione as realistic as possible.
To Silvermane1: Thanks for your review! Harry's first contact with the WW will be the healers, simply because he needs their opinion on his current situation and on how to proceed.