Hotaru was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Mukuro and his friends. So was Chrome, for mostly the same reasons.
She sensed Arashi first, and made a beeline right for him.
"Arashi!" she said happily, hugging him. Only to blink in confusion when she felt something squirm in his arms. "Who's this?"
"This is Lambo. A...comrade...of sorts kept complaining about his attempts to kill him, so I thought it would be better if I brought him here instead," said Arashi calmly. "Considering the circumstances, I'm fairly certain the Vindice won't care if he stays here."
Lambo was a little boy roughly the same age as I-Pin with fluffy hair in an afro, tiny little horns on either side of his head and green-eyes. He wore a cute cow-onesie that even had a tail on the back of it and seemed to give off the feeling of 'lightning' in his flames.
He was currently rather jetlagged, but the second he saw Hotaru he brightened up.
"Ah! You're the one who gives Lambo-sama nice hugs!" he said happily.
Hotaru wasn't the only one confused. Arashi clearly had no idea Lambo would recognize her.
Didn't stop her from taking Lambo and letting him curl into her side though. She could feel her flames reaching out and coiling around his own, sinking deep.
"...I wasn't expecting you to harmonize with him that fast," admitted Arashi. "Good thing you have Meilin to act as your lightning. Lambo is still far too immature to take that post."
Meilin was rather pleased with her new lot in life, mostly because it kept her out of reach of the conniving Elders who would happily marry her off because she was from the branch family. She was far happier training under Arashi to be an effective Lightning for Hotaru.
Lambo snuggled into Hotaru's side, and she turned to find Mukuro and his trio. She smiled brightly at them.
"Welcome home, Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa."
Mukuro straightened slightly...because she made a point to say that to all of them, not just him. He could feel himself relaxing slightly in her presence.
"How did you get the Vindice to back off, pyon?" asked Ken. Because he had to know.
"I had Arashi gather evidence that they clearly didn't understand or care about the level of trauma you went through, and that Mukuro was simply protecting the bond you three had from their actions," said Hotaru. "The fact they were openly planning to separate you three, despite the fact you do have a minor flame bond was enough to convince them that his actions were justified...especially since he did spare the one person who hadn't been trying to break it. They should have done their research before trying to use you...their arrogance was their own downfall."
"The fact we were polite about the matter and were mostly pointing out that they were misinformed about certain matters didn't hurt."
Since Mukuro was compatible enough with Chrome that he accidentally started to Mist-walk in her dreams, with Chrome harmonized as Hotaru's current Mist, there was a high possiblity he was also capable of harmonizing with the unusual Sky as well.
If he was a threat, then Arashi would kill them immediately with help from Kyouya, thus they were no longer the Vindice's problem. If Mukuro had a Sky, then he might settle down and quit causing so much trouble.
Either way, he was no longer a danger to the flame community.
Feeling her flames wrap around all three of them like a soothing blanket, Mukuro only tensed for a few seconds before relaxing.
"Kufufufu...it's a pleasure to meet you in person, Hotaru-chan," he purred.
Hotaru beamed at him. He had to blink at the sparkles.
Arashi...hid a grin.
"Welcome to the chaos side. It only gets stranger from here and I honestly can't wait to see how you intend to top what happens around here on a daily basis," she chirped. Which had Arashi desperately trying not to crack up.
If Reborn wasn't such an arrogant troll, he might love it here. Besides, Arashi was allowed to be possessive of his princess...he wasn't about to let Reborn show up and potentially try to claim the affections he got on a daily basis.
Hotaru certainly didn't mind how affectionate Arashi was around her. If anything she seemed to be slowly reciprocating it, which pleased him to no end.
He would admit capturing the shell-shocked expression on their faces when they saw the spirits though. It was hilarious, especially when Kero showed up and started up a weird conversation with Ken over video games. The two hit it off almost immediately.
Though he was discreetly amused and pleased to the way I-Pin took to Lambo. He had known she was a bit lonely without having anyone to share things with, but the inclusion of the little cow (as everyone called him) made her cheer right up.
Even if she did call him a "broccoli monster" during their play times. It was all in good fun, so the older children allowed it with an indulgent smile on their faces.
Mukuro was very confused. Not just because of the lack of reaction Namimori had to the likes of the spirits that were bonded to Hotaru, the general behavior of Hibari Kyouya, or the floating bear that took full advantage of the fact that there was a sense of 'apathy' around the town to buy video games directly.
There was the strange sense of home and acceptance not just for him, but for Ken and Chikusa as well. Unlike before, it wasn't hiding a sense of barely concealed greed.
It took him a bit, and only after observing the way Hotaru treated his minions (he couldn't show affection or caring towards them...it implied weakness that they could ill afford among the mafia), did he understand why he felt off.
Hotaru genuinely cared about them and she didn't want them as a way to control Mukuro. She cared because she knew they had been badly traumatized by the adults they were supposed to trust and wanted them to belong.
It was really hard holding back every time Hotaru wrapped her flames around him. The acceptance and understanding she gave off over the suffering he endured alone... a lesser man would have folded already.
Rather than try to force the issue, Hotaru never tried to control him. Instead she quietly got him to open up, to vent about the pain he had gone through with Chrome nearby to hide his sudden 'weakness' from the world in case he was too emotional to do it himself.
It didn't hurt that Hotaru was perfectly accepting of the odd rivalry he had with Hibari, who seemed to be rather thrilled to have someone as bloodthirsty as him to 'play' with that wouldn't hold back.
And then, it happened.
He let his guard slip for only an instant around Hotaru, when her flames were wrapped around him in a soothing blanket offering something that went soul deep. It was like sinking into a warm bath after a bad day when you just needed to relax and unwind. Like melted chocolate in your mouth that seeped into your very bones and brought just a little bit of light into your life.
He barely registered the gentle warmth around him from her hug. The feeling of Harmony seeping into his very core, not trying to dominate but to offer sanctuary even for someone as broken and damaged as him without a second thought of anything other than to provide him a home...it was indescribable.
If this was what Harmony was, then it was no wonder the mafia commited such dark acts to get their hands on it.
He leaned into her hold, not even noticing the hug from little Chrome as well.
"Welcome home, Mukuro," said Hotaru gently, letting him bask into her presence. He vaguely noticed the minor bonds she had with Ken and Chikusa...how long had they been there?
Hotaru gently threaded her hands through his hair, letting Mukuro settle into the bond. She knew he would be clingy for a while...possibly quite a long time considering what he went through...but she was okay with that. She knew he needed something like that to cling to in order to properly heal.
He would never be entirely 'normal'...but at least it would give him some restraint over his bloodthirsty nature.
It was a good thing Tsuyoshi didn't mind the mixed gender sleepovers they kept having. Then again the only one to show that sort of 'interest' in her was Arashi who was perfectly capable of controlling his hormones until she was ready for such a thing.
Mukuro was very possessive, though not in a way that would make Arashi feel threatened. It was more of a 'anyone who threatens her will wish for death by the time I am through with you' sort of possessive.
Hotaru felt like she should be more disturbed by the way Mukuro seemed to be influencing Chrome, Illusion and Create, but considering she saw Arashi giving them ideas she happily pleaded ignorance.
Just like she hid a smile every time she saw Ken, Takeshi and Kero arguing over video games.
She should have known the peaceful days wouldn't last. On the plus side, she had a weapon against the Chaotic pain in the ass that would show up.
One he would never see coming.
When Reborn arrived at her mother's home claiming he was there to train her, Hotaru knew there was only one reasonable way to react to that statement. She was just glad she had the foresight to leave the window open.
It made flying off and heading straight to Arashi for back-up that much easier, particularly since she had Time stop Reborn in his place before he had a chance to react.
Arashi looked up at her in confusion. Hotaru was considerably lax about using magic, but she NEVER used it this openly unless there was a pressing need for it.
"Fake toddler with a black suit, a hat with an orange band around it with a lizard that is green with orange eyes, and a yellow pacifier. Also has ridiculously curly sideburns and introduced himself at the door with the oddly mangled word of 'Ciaossu'," said Hotaru bluntly, once she landed.
Arashi had a tired look on his face.
"Reborn. What does he want here, I wonder?" said Arashi in annoyance.
"I recognized him from what little you said about him, but considering his occupation I felt it was a better idea to high-tail it out of there once I had Time stop him cold," admitted Hotaru.
She was not going to trust some random flier her mother found that morning about a 'home tutor', especially when the one who showed up was Reborn of all people. He was a hit man, which was all the reason she needed to get the hell out of there and get reinforcements.
Arashi smiled at her, pleased with her reaction. That being said he was less than happy Reborn was here at all.
"Call the others here while I find Reborn and get an explanation for his presence in Namimori."
Hotaru nodded, not even considering the idea of arguing. It didn't take long for her Elements (she refused to call them Guardians except for Kero and Yue) to gather around and create an unspoken protective barrier. Even Kyouya was there, though he kept his distance. He didn't like having a disruptive element like Reborn present in his town either, especially without warning like this.
Arashi found Reborn, still frozen in time. The part of him that was Yue quietly dismissed the spirit, who returned to Hotaru without a word.
Reborn blinked, but he couldn't fully hide his shock at seeing Arashi instead of the 'weak, submissive' girl that he had been sent to train.
"What reason could the World's Greatest Hit Man have to enter a civilian city and deliberately intrude in my Sky's home?" asked Arashi pleasantly.
"And you are?"
"Hibari Arashi. Fon was my father," he said flatly.
Which was a lie, but he highly doubted Reborn would guess the truth.
"...Moonlit_Storm?" said Reborn carefully.
"ChaosKing," he replied evenly. "Why did you enter my Sky's home under false pretenses? Because if you're here to kill her then I must warn you that I will personally insure your demise," said Arashi.
Reborn eyed him with quiet interest.
"You certainly have your father's sense of tact," he commented. "And I didn't enter here under false pretenses. I've been hired to train her."
Arashi's half-lidded eyes held poorly disguised annoyance.
"If you're here to tell me the Vongola have finally taken note that she exists again, then I must inform you that any claim they had on her as a potential heir has long since been rendered invalid by their own arrogance. I have Vindice-backed paperwork stating that my Sky is no longer considered a Vongola or affiliated with them save for blood," said Arashi bluntly.
Reborn barely twitched, though it was clear this information caught him off guard.
"I was not informed that she had been cast out."
"Considering we kept everything quiet, you wouldn't be. I would rather not remind that incompetent fool who believes he is her father to remember she exists and that she is almost of marriageable age. Not that Iemitsu has any more claim on her than the Vongola does. By this point his status as father has been replaced by someone far more reliable who actually wants the job," said Arashi evenly. "The fact remains that despite being of the Primo's bloodline, Hotaru is not a viable heir of the Vongola after they deliberately cast her out long before the succession was ever thrown into question."
"By what reasoning?" asked Reborn, honestly curious.
"Iemitsu openly asked Timoteo Vongola to seal her, for her 'safety'. Considering she would have been fifth in line, as she was only five when her flames went active and Enrico was still very much alive, the Vindice agreed that by the Ninth's own actions in placing a seal on her that he cast her out of the famiglia and that her claim as heir was rendered invalid. That she was deliberately kept away from the famiglia and raised a civilian with no training whatsoever towards her 'place' in the mafia or in the family reinforces this," said Arashi simply. "I can have the paperwork brought over to verify that the Vindice back this up within the hour, if you wish."
"Please," said Reborn, inwardly seething. He did not appreciate being lied to like this.
Once he saw the Vindice seal on the paperwork (it was very straightforward and to the point... Hotaru was not a Vongola save for her blood connection to the Primo, and any children she had would have to marry back into the family later) Reborn immediately called Timoteo.
He was not happy.
"Is something wrong?" asked Timoteo pleasantly. He wasn't expecting Reborn to call so soon after reaching Japan.
"If by wrong you mean that you contracted me under false pretenses, then no, nothing is wrong," said Reborn openly seething.
"...Excuse me?"
"You sent me to train a potential heir that doesn't exist."
"I assure you, little Hotaru is Iemitsu's daughter. Did something happen?" asked Timoteo in confusion. Did the family move?
Reborn couldn't completely hide the annoyance and anger in his tone.
"You mean outside the fact that the girl has Vindice-sealed paperwork stating in no uncertain terms that you cast her out of the Vongola when she was five and rendered her status as an heir invalid? It's bad enough she was raised civilian... the Vindice have made it clear they don't consider her a Vongola at all."
"WHAT?!" said Timoteo in shock. Reborn idly wondered if the man would have a heart attack, not that he particularly cared.
"Her Storm has Vindice-sealed paperwork on him that states she is not a Vongola and that you cast her out when she was five. They also made it clear that if any of her Elements killed Iemitsu over his part in the stunt it wouldn't be considered Patricide," said Reborn flatly.
"Her Storm? How would she have contact with the Vindice when she's a civilian?" said Timoteo, thoroughly off balance.
"Her Storm is Fon's son. He's the one who contacted them and insured that all the proper paperwork was filled," said Reborn bluntly.
Though if it wasn't for the Cloud secondary he sensed in the teen's flames, he would have sworn Arashi was Fon himself. Which was ridiculous because they had all seen his pacifier and Verde had confirmed it had belonged to Fon.
In any case Timoteo had better get his act together before Reborn bothered to train the girl. He wasn't about to put in so much effort when there was a question if the girl was legally able to inherit in the first place.
Besides, this gave him a chance to find out what sort of person Fon's son was like.