Reborn was thoroughly annoyed with Timoteo and Iemitsu. Not only was the information he was given about the girl in question almost entirely bullshit, but the contract he had signed was under false pretenses.
He had more or less blocked any attempts from the Vongola to contact him after the third time Timoteo tried to 'convince' him to change the girl's mind.
Considering Arashi was definitely at the same skill level as Fon before he died, he wasn't about to piss off the Storm. Besides, it was rather nice being around a Sky that wasn't trying to shove their flames down your throat in an attempt to forcibly bond with you. Hotaru already had all the positions in hers filled, so she wasn't reaching out for new ones instinctively. Instead she let her flames hover in the air as a sort of safety blanket for the more... damaged...of her Elements and didn't mind if others used it as well.
Even if she did have a tendency to 'cuddle' with him, she was at least polite enough to ask first and never treated him like an actual toddler. She afforded him the same respect one would give to an adult, which was a very nice change of pace from what he had to put up with until he broke out his guns and shot people.
The only thing that kept bugging the hell out of him (he ignored the floating teddy bear thing that called itself Kero, having already registered it as Hotaru's familiar and thus not worth his attention) was Arashi. He would swear on his fedora that the teen was Fon, except he knew for a fact Fon was a straight Storm, not a Storm with a decent Cloud secondary.
Plus there was the way he interacted with Reborn. It made it nearly impossible not to draw comparisons to Fon.
If it wasn't for the fact he had seen Fon's pacifier himself, and confirmed the flames, he would have thought the Storm faked his death.
Which was ridiculous, because if Fon had found a way to get the curse off surely he would have shared it with them. Right?
AtWitsEnd: Reborn, why do you have a communication ban going on?
ChaosKing: The Ninth and your Boss lied to me. Timoteo wanted me to train their last heir, but Iemitsu hasn't bothered to keep track of his own daughter. Her Storm went to some rather impressive lengths to cut off all control the Vongola have over her.
SnakeInTheMist: What do you mean lied to you?
ChaosKing: the girl has Vindice-sealed paperwork stating rather emphatically that she is not a Vongola. When Timoteo sealed her as a child at Iemitsu's request, he effectively cast her out of the family and removed her from the line of succession. Her Storm merely insured the Vindice knew what they did and pointed out that they had made it clear they didn't want her as part of the famiglia. And it really doesn't help their case that she was raised civilian.
SnakeInTheMist: are you telling me she's considered a freelance Sky?!
ChaosKing: if and when she wants to start her own Family, she has to file the same paperwork as any other Sky that isn't attached to one. At the moment she's still considered a "civilian" despite being Active with a full complement of Elements, plus a few extras.
AtWitsEnd: How the hell did that jackass miss this?
ChaosKing: to be fair, he also missed the fact his wife lost custody of the girl in question, and that the daughter he cast aside doesn't even acknowledge him as her father anymore.
He could feel Lal fuming over that knowledge, but to be fair Iemitsu brought all on himself.
ChaosKing: if the Vongola ask I'm on a vacation and unless they have an actual heir that needs training, completely unavailable for any contracts whatsoever. And I want actual proof of their candidacy before I even consider a contract.
Reborn closed out the chat window, and noticed an amused Arashi nearby.
"Sticking around are we?"
"I will figure out what the deal is with you even if it kills me," said Reborn flatly. Arashi's smirk widened.
He was going to enjoy trolling the hell out of Reborn.
Dino was rather confused as to why Reborn made the 'request' that he visit Japan to meet his new student.
He had heard rumors that the Ninth had hired Reborn to train a potential heir...only for Reborn to cancel it almost immediately upon meeting them.
So he was rather baffled as to why his former tutor would call him up.
The girl was fluffy, and he could feel the Sky flames off her long before he actually entered the restaurant. He only had Romario with him, since there wasn't enough room to have most of his men there.
"Stupid-Dino, what did I tell you about being late?" drawled Reborn.
"Reborn! It's not nice to call people something like that," scolded Hotaru. He almost gaped at her, because who talked back to Reborn like that?
"Ah, but for Reborn that sort of nickname is a term of endearment, Hotaru-hime," said her Storm with amusement.
She scowled at him.
"Considering the level of abuse Luce allowed Reborn to put Skull through, I would have to say otherwise," said Hotaru darkly.
It was clear she had a very low opinion of the former Arcobaleno Sky, which was weird because she had died a long time ago.
Reborn scowled at her himself.
"I still say that trick of yours is a total cheat," said Reborn.
"You're just annoyed I was able to show everyone what you used to look like before that fool tricked you into a curse. I have to say, while you are an adorable toddler you looked far better as an adult," Hotaru said primly.
"Wait, you know what Reborn looked like before?" said Dino, unable to stay silent. He had always wondered, but Reborn kept a tight lid on any pictures of what he originally looked like.
Hotaru blinked, before she beamed at him. He would swear he saw sparkles.
"Would you like to see? I can show you what all of them used to look like before the curse, or even how the Primo really acted when he was alive!" she chirped.
Dino perked up at that.
Hotaru took out a mirror about the size of a large bowl, and channeled something into it. Her eyes glowed a bright orange and he could feel her flames settle in the room. It was far from an unpleasant feeling and made him relax.
Needless to say looking at a much older version of his former tutor was a real eye opening experience. Not to mention Colonello. The difference was astounding, and he had to wonder how much of a hit Reborn's pride had taken upon realizing he now looked 'cute' rather than 'dangerously handsome'.
Then Hotaru's concentration slipped, and he saw people he didn't recognize.
"Who are they?"
The Storm almost winced.
"The Vindice, before they were cursed and became what they are now. Hotaru became very popular when they realized she could get pictures of their old selves from before, because even they had forgotten what they originally looked like."
It was a bittersweet memory, but being able to actually see their past and remember their lives before That Man took everything from them was not something they would idly dismiss. Even Bermuda wanted to remember the times before the curse.
As a result, they took Hotaru's safety and neutrality very seriously and would react badly if the Vongola attempted to force the issue of her candidacy as Decimo.
Arashi found it very telling that Bermuda never once complained when Hotaru swept him up into a cuddle. He seemed to find her aura relaxing to be around.
Then again, he had to deal with the idiocy of the mafia on a daily basis, and Hotaru had never shown him anything less than respect and good behavior. Arashi felt nothing but empathy for him.
Dino sputtered at that.
"Wait, why did Reborn call you his student?"
"Because the Hibari hired him on as a 'general tutor' to insure my grades don't slip," said Hotaru. "Considering the Ninth gave him a false contract because he couldn't be bothered to keep track of potential heirs due to his arrogance, Reborn didn't mind taking it as it meant that they couldn't drag him into their mess. If something happens, he's free to break it at any time and walk away."
Now Dino got why Reborn called her his 'student'. He was just acting as her general tutor, rather than training her to be a mafia boss.
He found it very telling Reborn didn't complain about the way the girl scooped him up into a cuddle. He generally didn't appreciate being reminded of his small size, but with Hotaru he seemed to tolerate it to an extent.
Dino found himself falling into an easy 'older brother' role around Hotaru. The fact she reacted the same way a younger sibling would didn't hurt either. It was nice, being able to relax around someone and not have to worry about it being used against him later.
So he was quite surprised when her Storm pulled him aside with Reborn nearby.
"Do you need something?"
"I'm aware that as the head of the Cavallone you often get invited to large parties hosted by the Vongola," said Arashi bluntly. "I would like to know if it's possible for you to escort Hotaru to one as your 'date' to make it very clear to the Alliance that she has no ties to the Vongola and is an established neutral party according to the Vindice."
Dino blinked, before looking at Reborn.
"I know Timoteo. He'll likely drag Xanxus out from wherever he stashed him and attempt to have her marry back into the family that way. Both to keep the Primo's line under his control and to bind the Varia to the main family," said Reborn flatly. "The fact both of them are within the same age range doesn't hurt either."
"Needless to say I would like to make it very clear to the Vongola and the Alliance that she is not theirs to control. Particularly Iemitsu," said Arashi calmly. "However as it would be impossible for her to establish herself as a genuine neutral party by showing up on her own merit, Reborn helpfully 'suggested' that we use your connections instead."
"What are you attempting to accomplish?" asked Dino honestly.
"Hotaru has established a good relationship with the Vindice, who are...difficult... to work with as they rather dislike the headaches the mafioso put them through. Establishing her as a neutral party who could intercede with the Vindice regarding certain matters would allow her to be part of the underworld, without forcing her into a famiglia who would only treat her as a caged bird because of her flame type. Bermuda, who is the Vindice leader, has agreed to consider the idea if we can establish that sort of system up as it means freeing them of having to deal with the idiots directly," said Arashi.
Seeing Dino didn't fully get it, Reborn clarified it for him.
"She would become a neutral famiglia who's sole purpose is to act as an intermediary with the group in charge of regulating the mafia and protecting the secret of flames from the general populace, as well as providing a sanctuary to any civilians who have yet to understand the gravity of what it means to be able to play with 'pretty fires'," said Reborn dryly.
People like Skull, who had literally been shoved head first into the mafia regardless of his feelings on the matter, and who was still struggling to keep from being used as a mere pawn for the weaker famiglia. Or Reborn, who liked being freelance and didn't want the traditions and demands of a famiglia to tie him down.
"So what do you need me to do, outside of introducing her to the Alliance?" asked Dino with interest. "And potentially allying my famiglia with hers, to make it more official."
Reborn was discreetly pleased with his former student. Trust Dino to pick up on a potentially beneficial alliance without his input.
"Mostly we'll need you to gather some allies interested in having a neutral party capable of telling the Vongola where to shove their arrogance that have a 'good' reputation without being outright Alliance. People like the Gesso famiglia," said Arashi.
Hotaru was very hesitant to ally herself with the Giglio Nero, considering that was the famiglia Luce had been a part of before her death. She had no idea how much Aria took after her mother, nor did she want to find out just yet.
Dino nodded. He could do that.
"Hotaru also made it clear she would be interested in reaching out to the Varia, but she wants to wait until Xanxus is free before she attempts it."
"Why?"
Arashi didn't hide the smugness in his voice when he replied.
"She feels that the way Timoteo handled his adopted son was appalling, and wishes to offer Xanxus a way to make the Varia a neutral faction of assassins, rather than make them dependant on the Vongola for missions, as the Ninth has made it abundantly clear he favors the External Adviser's group over the Varia. She is of the opinion he would attempt to restrict them to the point that they would be forced to make cut-backs on their numbers, which would mean a lot of assassins looking for work and causing trouble, rather than having them centralized in a group capable of reigning them in."
"And I thought she would have a problem with the idea of having a group of known killers, being a civilian," said Reborn in annoyance.
"You forgot to factor her in her hatred of Iemitsu for what he did to her and her mother. That and I explained it in a way that she could understand. She might not like it, but she can accept the fact that assassins are a necessary part of the underworld and that it's better to have them in one place rather than scattered about causing collateral damage," said Arashi.
Dino hummed. At least Hotaru had a Storm with a very good head on his shoulders to help keep her afloat.
"I'll keep an eye out for an invitation to one of the bigger parties and let you know when to get ready," he said. He then turned a hopeful look on Arashi. "Would you object to me visiting often? It's rare I get to meet a Sky who isn't trying to get one over me."
"Of course. Hotaru would only benefit from having an older brother figure who knows how to use Sky flames and she's rather partial to you already," said Arashi easily.
Dino hoped his flames didn't give off how happy the idea made him. Something about Hotaru made him want to spoil her like an adorable little sister, and she was just as quick to reciprocate it.