Trigger: N/A
Warnings: N/A
Important Stuff:
Small OC Cheat Sheet
Spirits:
Zephyr -The wind spirit that Reborn met in the Spirit World.
Kamikawa - The origami spirit that Reborn exchanged information with.
Engetsu - Silver kitsune that Reborn met in the Spirit World. Knows Ayame.
Meishi - A green falcon that lives in the Sawada Household
Ienari's Guardians
Matsushita Hachirou - Ienari's best friend. Captain of the Judo Club. Lightning Guardian
Akemi Kaori - President of Ienari's fanclub. Black Hair, Purple Eyes. Sun Guardian
Kakusu Hideki - Former student council president, son of politician. Red Rimmed Glasses. Mist Guardian
Koujin Fuun - Ninja assassin. Dark purple hair, crimson eyes. Kunais as weapons. Cloud Guardian
Inmen Hisen - Mochida's cousin. Ienari's crush. Hime-cut black hair and ocean blue eyes. Rain Guardian
Others:
Hibari Koumei - Kyoya's Father. Interpol Agent.
Hibari Yun - Kyoya's Mother. Deceased. Fon's sister.
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Guest Reviewer (on 9/10)
Yes the shiny one has already been introduced. But Reborn doesn't know who it is yet.
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665 reviews! Thanks for all the support guys! 8D
Last Time
Fon blinked, eyes soaking in the strange scenery around him. He warily looked at the pink sky and the green ocean before him.
"Another one of you?"
Fon turned around to see a young man with iced blue eyes looking at him. The young man ran hand through his black hair and huffed. "I do not get paid enough to do this," he grumbled.
"Who are you?" Fon asked.
"I'm Zephyr. Welcome to the Spirit World."
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Meeting Zephyr
"Where?" Fon asked, wary. He didn't know where he was, how he had gotten here. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep and then he found himself… here.
"The Spirit World," Zephyr repeated, crossing his arms in annoyance. "Look, I don't really want to deal with you, so I'll make this quick. One, don't give your real name to spirits who will use it to enslave you. Two, everything has a price. Don't freely accept anything, especially food. An existing deal has been worked out and this information is being given to you free of charge. Three, if possible avoid eating things here. If you must, give thanks. Lastly, be polite and mind your manners."
"Zephyr."
Fon watched as the black haired teen bristled. "Farran," he greeted coldly.
A young woman in a dark blue cheongsam appeared. Her long steel gray hair pinned up with silver hair sticks. She tutted. "Still borrowing that appearance aren't you? You should be strong enough to hold your own version."
"That is my choice," Zephyr snapped. "What do you want?"
Farran's smile was not a nice one. Fon was instantly reminded of Kyoya, of Koumei, of the entire Hibari Clan. Not only was this woman dangerous, she was strong. "I'm here to challenge the human."
"You?" Zephyr asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Farran said. She waved her hand dismissively. "Now leave."
Zephyr pursed his lips. Looking at Fon, he gave one more warning. "Farran is by no means a nice spirit. She won't hesitate to kill you if you fail."
Farran scoffed. "Leave, now Zephyr. This is my challenge."
Zephyr took off, flying away.
Fon felt himself shifting into a half stance once Farran's gaze landed on him. He wasn't sure if he could trust her. What exactly did she mean by challenge?
"Now, let's get started," Farran said.
The ground collapsed beneath Fon's feet and he fell.
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Iron Maze
Fon landed on his feet, instantly surveying his surrounding, trying to find out where he had ended up. On all four sides around him, iron walls stared down at him.
"This is the Iron Maze."
Fon looked for the source of the voice. Sitting on the top of the iron wall behind him was Farran. Her legs were crossed, smoke rising from her golden dragon pipe. She blew out a smoke ring. "If you make it through the maze, you will have won. Failure means you'll starve to death because I won't be helping you out of here. Nor will Zephyr."
"How do I know there is an exit?" Fon asked.
Farran's smile this time revealed a pair of fangs. "Well then you're doomed to fail aren't you?" She vanished before Fon could ask any more questions.
Fon turned back to the maze. Now how was he going to get out of here?
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Circles and Hours
He was going around in circles. Fon was sure of it.
Before he had gone anywhere, he had marked his starting point with the character of his name in the soft dirt. Taking the branch to the left, he wandered, marking every fork with the arrow of direction he had taken.
Only his last turn ended up at the beginning.
Fon let out a frustrated sound. His patience was beginning to run dry. This maze did not have a solution. He had taken all forks in the roads. That he still ended up back in the beginning told him he was going around in a circle.
His stomach let out a rumble. Fon looked upward. A solid black sky greeted him. There was no sun, no clouds, nothing to show the passage of time. His body apparently knew, but aside from the hunger, Fon had no clue how long he had actually been here.
Farran, true to her word, never reappeared.
He dug at the soft dirt. If going through the maze was an impossibility, then perhaps underneath it? A foot down, however, told him that this plan would fail. An iron plate stopped his progress. Fon turned his gaze upward, wondering if he could reach the top of the iron walls. He summoned his Storm Flames, using them to propel him upward. The iron walls stretched upwards with him, never allowing him to reach the top.
Well then.
If he cannot go left, right, forward, back, down or up, then that left only one other option: through.
The red Storm Flames danced around Fon's fist, building up. "EXPLODING LOTUS TEMPO!" His red dragon soared, devouring the iron walls in its wake. Fon quickly followed after it, not wanting to chance the walls regrowing.
In a few short minutes, he broke through the last wall, revealing Farran waiting for him on the other side.
"Well done," she said dryly.
"What is the point of this?" Fon demanded as he stepped forward.
"You should ask the Speaker," Farran said. Her dangerous smile returned. "To know when to stand steadfast and when to break through the impossibilities, yes, very interesting indeed. I will look forward to this."
"Look forward to what?" Fon pressed.
"Ask the Speaker," Farran repeated. Then she pushed him and Fon fell backwards.
Instead of hitting the ground, Fon's eyes snapped open. He found himself in the bed he went to sleep in. The clock revealed it had only been a few hours since he had fallen asleep.
"What," Fon asked himself, "was that about?"
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Flustered
Reborn didn't think it was quite possible actually. Fon looked flustered. Usually the Storm Arcobaleno was always calm and serene. On occasion, Reborn had seen Fon angry, upset, and a myriad of other emotions, except for flustered.
He didn't think it was actually possible for Fon to look unbalanced. Yet, here he was, pacing like a caged animal in front of Reborn, hair only half braided and slight panic expression reflected in his eyes.
"Fon," Reborn said, letting his weariness show. It was far too early in the morning for this. Three am, according to the clock hanging on Tsuna's wall. Reborn casted an envied look at Leon nestled in Tsuna's hair, both his partner and Sky were still asleep. He would really like Fon to get to the point of why he had dragged Reborn out of bed so he could go back and join them.
"I had a very strange dream," Fon said. "Only given the past few days I've been having, I'm not quite convinced it was a dream."
Reborn could agree about the last couple of stressful days. Giotto's words still bothered him and he was coming to several very unsettling realizations with the knowledge that Kamikawa had been modifying his reports. Ayame owed him answers, but she was currently off limits according to Tsuna. Then there was Dino who was not coping with the knowledge of spirits and ghosts very well, Ienari who was both annoying and oblivious (for good and bad reasons), and for once Reborn wished that everything would slow down because no matter how good he was, he was still one person.
"About what?" Reborn asked when Fon didn't elaborate.
"Two spirits named Zephyr and Farran, the Spirit World and mazes," Fon snapped.
"Ah."
"Don't 'ah' me," Fon barked out, irritated. "I don't want any games nor any 'you won't believe me if I told you'. I have been here helping you for months now. Give me a straight answer, is that normal?"
Reborn shrugged nonchalantly. "I can only speak for myself. I ended up there a couple weeks after arriving in Namimori. I was told that I most likely offended some God or Spirit. I also met a spirit calling himself Zephyr, along with a woman with silver hair who turned into a young woman, an origami information phoenix spirit called Kamikawa and a silver glowing kitsune called Engetsu, before challenging a Yatagarasu to battle and barely surviving. Why you ended up there now of all times, I do not know."
Fon just stared at him.
Reborn waited.
Taking a deep breath, Fon centered himself, letting his frustration drain away.
"What does it mean?" Fon finally asked. "The Spirit World, why we both went there, the spirits that challenged us?"
"Who knows?" Reborn said, with just a touch of bitterness. He hated that he was completely in the dark regarding Namimori and the Spirit World. Slowly, he collected the pieces of the puzzles, but the big image was still a mystery. There was confidence in Giotto's words that Vongola wasn't a threat, there was the incident between the twins at age eight that no one spoke about, there was something more to these spirits.
"Will Ayame give us a straight answer if we ask?" Fon questioned.
Reborn snorted, but before he could retort, another voice cut him off.
"A straight answer about what?"
Both Arcobaleno twirled around to see Ayame opening the balcony door, poking her head out.
"How," Reborn gritted out, "are you doing that?" Ayame came and went as she pleased and the most infuriating thing was that she didn't make a bloodied sound. None of Reborn's finely honed and almost superhuman like senses could sense that she was coming. To him, she was literally popping out of nowhere.
Ayame shrugged, stepping outside to join them. She slid the door shut so that their conversation wouldn't wake Tsuna who was still sleeping.
"Are you Kamikawa?" Reborn asked, jumping on the opportunity to interrogate her.
"No," Ayame said.
"But you know of her," Reborn stated. "She's the reason why no one can find information on you, why you know things others don't, how you can access information that others never dream they could." The realization that all information fell under Kamikawa's domain was an uncomfortable one. It didn't just stop at modifying Reborn's reports, this meant the origami phoenix spirit could change any information and access any information. Such as Vongola's secret library or Yousei's records who had left an untraceable trail, until it had been almost too late. It was no surprise none of Reborn's informants had been able to discover anything about Ayame, no paper trail at least, but no one in Namimori knew where she come from (except for possibly Tsuna).
Ayame's smile was razor sharp. "Finally figured that out, I see."
"Who exactly is Kamikawa?" Fon asked, annoyed.
"Kamikawa is an origami phoenix spirit," Ayame explained. "All of information is her domain."
"And what can you tell me about the Spirit World and why I just came from there?" Fon asked.
Ayame shrugged. "The Spirit World exist and I don't claim to know why you got dragged in there. The most common explanation is you did something to offend a spirit or god."
Fon stared at her, baffled. "What could I have done to offend a spirit or god?" he asked.
Ayame shrugged again.
"Your relationship with Engetsu?" Reborn asked.
Ayame waved her hand dismissively. "Engetsu is a friend and I think I've answered enough of your questions for the night. I'm going to sleep before Tsuna discovers that I'm still awake at this unforgivable hour." She didn't let them get in another word, sliding open the balcony door and stepping into Tsuna's room.
As soon as the door click shut, Fon get out a frustrated garbled sound. "This town is infuriating," Fon hissed.
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Healing Peace
Slowly, Namimori settled into peace. The last remnants of the Triad were swiftly dealt with it, the repairs to the damages done during the fighting was fixed and majority of the civilians continued on with their life unaware.
Ienari and his Guardians continued to practice, growing stronger each day. Reborn was secretly impressed at the way they came together. It didn't stop him from tortu-teaching Ienari into the ground every day though. Still, the upside to Ienari's new focus with his friends and the new 'headquarters' he and his friends had obtained, it often meant that he spent more time away from the Sawada Household.
The farther he was away from Tsuna, the easier everyone breathed.
Everyone else settled into their old routine. There was school to worry about, limits to tests and wounds to heal. But to a select few there was an undercurrent that was slowly beginning to grow stronger.
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Praise
"You're done?" Ayame asked, blinking. That was honestly not the piece of news she had expected to hear when Shoichi walked into her office that morning. "It worked?"
Shoichi nodded. "I know how important this experiment was to you, that why I'm not at school today. But yes. I was talking to Spanner about it. Not in detail, but he had given me an insight that solved the issue I was having. See the thing was we trying to hard -"
"Wait, wait," Ayame cut him off. "Who is Spanner?"
Shoichi looked startled. "Oh, ah he's a friend. We met through an online robotics forum? We've been debating ideas, sound boarding off each other for years. Remembered the self-filing robot I showed you? That was something we collaborated on a few years back."
"Where is he from?" Ayame asked. Her mind already spinning. Shoichi never mentioned he had a friend that was smart enough to keep up with him!
"Well he's originally from London, but he's currently living in Italy with his grandfather as a mechanic," Shoichi said.
"Does he want a job?" Ayame asked. "Because Shoichi, dear you are amazing and if your friend is even half as good as you, I want him here. Shoichi? Shoichi?" She looked down to see that Shoichi had once again fainted on her. "Argh," she said, frustrated. "I thought I finally trained that out him!"
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Spanner
Spanner was not expecting this. He wasn't expecting a young woman dressed in a black short dress with long white sleeves and high top stockings to be standing at the entrance of his home.
"Hello! You must be Spanner," the woman said. She looked oddly familiar. Then the penny dropped.
"You're-"
"Ayame. Yes, that Ayame," she introduced herself. "I heard about you from Shoichi. I would have brought him with me, but well, he fainted on me and I didn't want to wait until he woke back up. But enough about that. Do you want a job?"
Was that even a serious question?
"It is indeed a serious question," Ayame said, amused. She handed him a stack of papers. "You're technically still a minor, but here's the contract, here's how to apply for a work visa, here's all the benefits you will gain if you want the job. Now go get your guardian and let's talk."
Not even an hour later, Spanner found himself on his way to Japan.
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Doctor
Shamal felt the atmosphere tense when Tsuna walked into his infirmary. His hands were already grabbing bandages. "Where?" he demanded.
Tsuna smiled, holding up his hands in surrender. "Nothing today, I promise."
"You are going to drive me into an early grave, I swear," Shamal grumbled. Curse that reflex to immediately check for injuries on Tsuna.
Tsuna took a seat on the bed, kicking his legs lightly. "Shamal-san, can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead," Shamal said, putting back the bandages.
"Would you like to stay here, in Namimori, as a doctor?" Tsuna asked.
Shamal froze. "I'm an assassin," he said slowly.
"But you're also a doctor," Tsuna pointed out. "I… I just wanted to let you know you have the option. I know leaving the mafia isn't exactly an easy thing, especially since you're so well known. But if you want to become a doctor full time, then it's a choice you can make."
Shamal stared at him, surprised. He was a freelance hitman for a good reason. There hadn't been anyone who called him to their side. No one had asked the right question. Shamal took a shaky breath, feeling the harmonization that was singing in the air, feeling the way Tsuna called him home.
He was a doctor before anything else. But he had learned to become an assassin as a way to protect himself. Too many mafiosos took advantage of his skills, so Shamal learned to turn those skills into deadly weapons. As his notoriety grew, many Skies tried to get him to join their famiglia. They always offered the wrong thing, more money, more women, more hits. None got that Shamal valued life above all, that saving people had always been his dream no matter his vices.
Yet this fourteen year old boy got it. This tiny boy whom Shamal had spent the last several months worrying over, subverting his own rule to treat woman only.
Shamal sank into his chair, legs giving out. Shit. When had Sawada Tsunayoshi become his Sky?
"Just think about it please," Tsuna asked. He licked his lips, nervous. "I also wanted to ask if it was okay if you became my doctor full time? Right now, my primary doctor is Neesan. There's nothing wrong with that. She has the degree and all the training, but I'm her only patient because she isn't a practicing doctor, technically."
"She's a doctor?" Shamal asked.
Tsuna nodded. "She was finishing up her training during the year I met her actually. I mean, it is Neesan. She was in an accelerated training, after she finished getting her degree in record time. I think she wanted the medical knowledge just in case. Neesan is paranoid like that."
Given Namimori and the state that the kids often ended up, he felt Ayame's paranoia was well justified. He wasn't sure how these kids survived before he had come to Namimori, now he knew. Ayame was an actual licensed doctor apparently. Wait, didn't Reborn say she was business woman? That would explain why she isn't a practicing doctor.
'You know what,' Shamal thought. 'Let Reborn figure that out.'
"Because Neesan isn't a practicing doctor, she told me if I ever find a doctor I trusted, a real doctor, I should go ahead and show them my medical files. I trust you, Shamal-san," Tsuna said.
Tsuna trusted him? Shit, forget even considering going back to the mafia after this. "I have your medical records," Shamal decided to say instead.
"Not all of them," Tsuna said quietly. He opened his bag and pulled out a folder. Handing it over to Shamal, Tsuna said, "Please don't tell Reborn. I'm still trying to figure out how to tell him myself."
Shamal flipped through the folder, heart dropping. He choked as he read, hands beginning to tremble. "Tsunayoshi," he said gravely. "How are you still alive?"
Tsuna gave him a bittersweet expression. "I ask myself that often."
Shit.
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Doing her best (and failing anyways)
Nana opened the newspaper, finding the first article that sounded slightly interesting to her. Apparently Kinga Company's PV System line was doing exceeding well. Maybe she should look into some solar panels for the house? It would save on cost in the long run.
"Good morning Kaasan," Ienari said, yawning as he sat down in his chair.
Nana smiled. "Good morning Nari-kun." She stood and pulled out the breakfast she had already cooked, placing it front of her youngest son. The house was quiet this morning. She was not sure where Reborn was, but Ayame and Tsuna had already left. She quietly asked Bianchi to take the kids out. Bianchi looked concerned, but ultimately agreed to do so. The kids left, grumbling at being woken so early, but Nana promised a sweet treat if they went.
So this morning was just her and Ienari.
"Nari-kun," Nana said.
"Hmm?" her son questioned, mouth full as he gobbled down his breakfast.
"Do you even want to become Vongola Decimo?"
Ienari choked. He grabbed his milk, taking a swing and patted his chest. "Kaasan!" he said scandalized. "You know about Vongola?"
For a brief moment, Nana saw Iemitsu in Ienari's place. It was… disquieting that her son thought of her to be so oblivious. Did she really come across like that? 'Then again,' she thought bitterly, 'had Tsu-kun never met Ayame, I would have still been in the dark about Iemitsu's job.'
In her darkest moments, she wondered what kind of life she would have led had Ayame not come to Namimori. She was well aware she was not the most aware person in the world, perhaps a little too out of touch with reality. Gullible to a fault as well; that was probably why Iemitsu got away with lying to her for so long. Meishi's presence was invaluable, allowing her to see things she had missed, anchoring her in a way she needed. She would have lost both of her sons without Ayame, because Ienari would have destroyed Tsuna before going to Vongola and she would have never known. Not really.
Everything that had happened to her sons when they were eight was a nightmare. She had been so blind; it was a brutal wake up call.
Nana mourned just a little. This was never the life she had wanted to lead and while she loved her sons immensely, loved what little happiness Iemitsu had given her, this was not the family she had dreamed about. She couldn't even count it as a family. Her husband was lying to her; she was lying to him. Her sons were on two opposite ends of the world, in everything.
Then there were her failings as a mother. It didn't matter how much her sons told her that they loved her, it didn't matter Tsuyoshi's reassurance that she was doing a fine job, or the way Reborn called her Mamma, she was a failure of a mother. How could anyone say she was doing a good job with her sons when one of them actively abuses the other? And there was nothing she could stop Ienari, no matter how much she intervened, grounded him, scolded him, the best she could do was keep them apart?
There was Tsunayoshi. Gods, Nana was so reliant on Ayame for Tsunayoshi. Ayame was only a few years older than Tsuna, set adrift in a worse way than Nana ever was, and yet she was doing better job with Tsuna then Nana was. Tsuna relied on Ayame for everything.
'Maybe,' she thought darkly, 'I'm still going to lose both my sons.'
Ienari had never really needed her. He needed the idea of her, the idea of a mother, but he was always fiercely independent. Which was why, should Ienari ever go Italy for Vongola, Nana knew she would never see him again outside of a few phone calls during the holidays. On the other hand, Tsuna had always needed her, needed her support, needed her simple belief that he could do anything he wanted, but he never asked for it. Nana was so ashamed that she use to often miss Tsuna's silent cries for help. She has spent every day since the incident making it up to him and it still didn't feel like enough.
She couldn't keep failing. That was why, even though it was so late to be asking this, she wanted to know if Ienari even wanted to be Vongola Decimo. Admittedly, if Ienari didn't, she didn't know what was going to happen next.
"Yes, I know about Vongola," Nana said. "I know that Reborn was sent here to teach you as the next heir."
"Are you… disappointed?" Ienari asked, uncomfortably.
"I'm disappointed in your father," Nana admitted. "I found out about Vongola the hard way. He never told me that he was part of the Italian mob." Nana had many issues with Iemitsu, left unresolved. She didn't know what she was going to do if he ever came back home.
"But," Nana said. "It's your decision to follow in his footsteps or not. If you want to become Decimo, I won't disagree. As long as you want to."
Ienari looked at her, stunned. "I-I don't know," he said, unsure.
She suspected as much. Reborn had a good heart underneath everything, but it didn't change the fact that he was sent here to make one of her sons into a heir for the bloodiest mafia famiglia in Italy. (It was something she probably would never forgive him for.)
"Think about it," Nana said gently. "Before it becomes too late for you to change your mind."
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Light
Kamikawa lazily turned the page of her book. She paused, stopping to read the sentence that caught her attention.
Fiat justitia per lux beatissima
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My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark
Shoichi found himself in darkness. He stumbled around, trying to feel for a wall. Why was it so dark? Where was Ayame? The last thing he remembered was talking to her about the experiment they had been working on for months.
Ping!
Shoichi stopped, hearing a noise in the distance. As he listened more closely, he realized it was a song. A shamisen perhaps? It didn't quite sound like his mother's harp, but it was a stringed instrument.
Inching forward, Shoichi followed the sound, trying to navigate through the dark. If nothing else, a song meant someone was playing and hopefully a way out of this darkness.
The song grew louder and louder as he drew closer to the source. There, tiny and small, was a bright light in the distance. The exit.
Shielding his eyes, he stepped out into the light. He blinked rapidly, trying to adjust. It was a small grove, surrounded by cherry blossom trees.
A woman sat playing the shamisen. Her kimono was a vibrant crimson red, embroidered with golden sakura petals. Her skin was as white as freshly fallen snow.
"Welcome," the woman greeted. She handed him her bachi. Her green eyes sparkled in mirth. "Congratulations."
Shoichi looked at her confused as he tentatively took the bachi. "I don't understand?"
The woman merely smiled. "No, you don't. But in time you will. Until we meet again."
Shoichi's world plunged into darkness again.
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Path to Madness
It was a quiet afternoon when Dino finally managed to talk to Ayame. Ayame had been blissfully unaware that he wanted to talk to her. There was much to do in the following clean-up and Shamal's insistence that she rest. Tsuna's look of disappointment had all but ensured that Ayame was indeed resting. Then there was whole issue with Shoichi's experiment and dragging Spanner to Japan. (In fact, she had all but thrown Spanner and Shoichi at Tsuna. They would figure it out.)
That insistence tugging in the back of her mind alerted Ayame to Dino's presence. (Someone up there was mocking her, she just knew it.)
"If you ruin this outfit, I'm going to be very upset," Ayame said flatly.
Dino held up his hands in surrender, revealing that he wasn't carrying anything. (Of course that didn't stop issues like him crashing into her and them landing in mud, paint, or other various things that stained her clothes.)
"I just want to talk," Dino said.
Alarm bells went off in Ayame's head. Sometime about this conversation was dangerous. "Very well," she said warily.
"Is there a way to speak to my father's ghost?" Dino blurted out.
Ayame froze. "No," she instantly replied. "No." That path led to madness. If Ayame was a person of less regrets, of a more stable mind and personality, maybe possibly. But there were things she never pursued, never taught herself, never learned because it led to more madness.
"Leave it," she hissed, not feeling any remorse as Dino flinched at her tone. "There," she struggled to say the words. "There are people you can seek out if you really want that, mediums who specialize in it, but never tell me about it, never ask me about it."
It was temptation and Ayame needed all of her ghosts to stay firmly in the past. All of them, not matter whom she may wish to see.
"I'm sorry," Dino apologized.
Ayame let out a frustrated sigh. She centered herself, forcing back the hysteria. "You have no way of knowing," she said miserably. Voice shaking, she took a step back. "I'm going to go and lock myself in a room or something."
"Wait, Aya-"
She didn't give him a chance to finish, fleeing.
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Real Illusions
Chrome focused, deeply breathing in and out. In front of her, a tiny toy car lazily made loops around the table. It putted out tiny flumes of exhaust, tainting the air just a little; its tiny turn signals turning off and on with each left and right.
"How are you doing that?"
Chrome jumped, the toy car vanishing in a puff of Mist Flames. "Mukuro-san!" she exclaimed, startled by his appearance.
Mukuro frowned, approaching the table. "You shouldn't let me break your concentration," he chided.
Chrome blushed, embarrassed. "That's what I was working on."
"Show me," Mukuro ordered.
Chrome hesitated for only a fraction, before summoning back the toy car. Mukuro reached over, touching the car. Unlike other illusions, it didn't collapse. In fact, Mukuro was able to pick the car up. "This has weight," he said, eyes narrowing. "You're making these illusions real."
"They're still illusions," Chrome said. "I can't, that's reality warping to make them real. They're real to an extent, but they're still illusions. I can't make them any bigger than this car at the moment, it's no more powerful than a toy, and they don't last away from me beyond a few feet."
"Mental projection?" Mukuro asked.
Chrome nodded. "They're still dependent on me. To make them real would mean they're not. But giving them weight as if they were a real object, allowing them to materialize and allow you to interact with them even if you know they're an illusion, that's the next step I suppose."
"How did you learn this?" Mukuro asked.
Once more, Chrome hesitated. "I could introduce you to my teacher," she said finally. Ayame might disapprove and it was potentially a disaster in waiting, but Chrome wanted to trust Mukuro.
"I look forward to it," Mukuro said, eyes gleaming.
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Lighter
Giotto felt strange. It was as if a weight had disappeared overnight. This was the first time in years that he felt so light. He hadn't even noticed how heavy the weight was until it was gone.
He wasn't the only one. The rest of his Guardians felt it too. No one was sure what to make of it. There wasn't anything physically different, according to Knuckles, nor did anything else feel wrong. Still, it felt strange to be this light.
If he wasn't careful, Giotto was sure he would just float away.
"Perhaps Ayame would know?" Asari said. "She is after all the person we go to for information about the Spirit World."
"So damn embarrassing," G mumbled. "She's human, currently alive, and yet she knows more about this place then we do and we've been here for centuries."
"It's what her family is known for," Giotto said. "But excellent idea Asari. I'll go ask her."
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Planning a Meeting
"Tsuna."
"Papa," Tsuna said, surprised to see Giotto. He wasn't expecting to see him for at least a few more days while Giotto was recharging in Spirit World.
"Is Ayame around?" Giotto asked.
"Is something wrong?" Tsuna asked, feeling the tingle of Hyper Intuition. He shuffled away his homework, knowing full well that he wouldn't be concentrating on anything while Giotto was here. Shoichi and Spanner had left over an hour ago.
"Not sure," Giotto admitted. "I was hoping she could explain it though."
Tsuna nodded. "I'm not sure where she is right now," Tsuna said. "She's not responding to her phone messages and Meishi mentioned she's not in town at the moment. So… that's anywhere. Neesan did mention that whenever you came back, she wanted to talk to both of us."
"Ominous," Giotto said.
Tsuna nodded glumly. The last time the three of them had a serious talk, the conversation regarding killing Ayame had come about, sparking their fight. He was not looking forward to it.
"I'll come back tomorrow then," Giotto said.
"Yeah, we might as well get it over with," Tsuna said. He wasn't looking forward to it.
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Inheritance
Tsuna's eyes narrowed as he walked into Ayame's office with Giotto following behind him. He had waved hello to Shoichi and Spanner in the labs before entering Ayame office. He wasn't really expecting to find her looking exhausted.
"Neesan," he said with a hint of warning.
"I'll sleep soon," she promised.
"You better," Tsuna grumbled. "Shamal said you needed more rest. You're pushing yourself too hard."
"You should take better care of yourself," Giotto agreed.
"It's not like I purposely do this," Ayame protested.
Tsuna felt the spike of Hyper Intuition telling him clearly that little tidbit was a lie. This current spell of exhaustion was definitely done on purpose, but there wasn't much he could do about it. You could lead a horse to water, but you couldn't force it to drink. She had been doing so well, it was frustrating that she had let it split back to this already.
Instead, Ayame handed Tsuna a box.
"Four years ago we told Giotto about our plans regarding Vongola," Ayame said, purposely changing the subject. "In return, he asked a favor of me. Thank Shoichi when you have the chance. He figured out what I was missing."
"It worked?" Giotto asked, excited.
"Yes," Ayame said. She gestured to the box. "Open it."
Tsuna opened the box. Inside, sitting on black velvet, were seven rings. Each one had a different color gem set in them, but otherwise looked plain.
"The Vongola rings were part of something called the Tri-Ni-Set," Ayame explained. "They're very powerful artifacts which amplify Dying Will Flames."
"They're also powerful weapons," Giotto said, cutting in. "When you decided that you didn't want any part of Vongola, I respected that. But I also didn't want Ienari to have free range with them. When I was still alive, I sealed the Vongola Rings into a lesser form. However, they were still more powerful than any other ring in the mafia. So I asked Ayame for a way to prevent Ienari from using the Vongola Rings or even better, let you have them instead."
"This is not the Vongola Rings though," Tsuna said, examining the one with the orange gem closely. Ayame had shown him pictures of the Vongola Rings. These lacked the insignia of the mafia famiglia.
"No," Ayame said. "As our goal is to fly under Vongola's radar for as long as possible, going in and stealing the rings wasn't an option. Even if it would have much easier to do that."
She pulled out ingot of metal. "This is metal from the Spirit World called Ikigane. Ikigane is an excellent Spirit Energy conductor. The gems used are also from the Spirit World, natural amplifiers and energy storage. You know how energy likes to travel down the path of least resistance? With Ikigane, we formed a pathway and gems are basically battery packages and we charged these rings using the Vongola Rings as a power supply. Like charging a battery with another battery."
"When did you get your hands on the Vongola Rings to do this?" Tsuna asked, alarmed.
"Ah, I didn't," Ayame said. "I used Giotto here as a charging cable. I basically anchored Giotto to these new rings and with his connection to the Vongola Rings, the Tri-Ni-Set easily moved to its new home. Took less than a few hours."
"What?" Giotto asked. "I didn't know about that."
"I had figured," Ayame said. "You still haven't realized why you're different from other ghosts have you? Why you haven't moved onto the afterlife like other normal people."
"No…" Giotto said, looking unsure.
"Your soul was tied to the Vongola Rings," Ayame explained. "Even more so because you're the first holder. The Dons and Donna that came after you, only fragments of their soul were attached to the Vongola Rings. You were basically doomed for all eternity to remain anchored to those rings."
Giotto paled. "The miracle of the time axis," he whispered, stunned.
"Wait, so what happened to the Vongola Rings and papa's soul now?" Tsuna asked.
"Well the Vongola Rings are basically empty husk. They're still slightly more powerful rings than other rings, but power behind them, this Tri-Ni-Set, is gone, tied to these new rings instead," Ayame said. "As for Giotto, well I've detached him from the Vongola Rings. Are you feeling lighter?"
Giotto nodded. "Yes. That was what I wanted to ask you about. The others feel it too."
"Same issue with them as you. Their souls were anchored to the Vongola Rings," Ayame explained. "You can probably move on to the afterlife now if you wanted to. Alternatively, you can also remain here for a bit longer. Because you're not anchored to the Vongola Rings anymore, the pesky ritual we had to do to get you here isn't required. You can travel anywhere in the world, provided you have enough Spirit Particles to support yourself. However, you're a borderline spirit."
"What does that mean?" Giotto asked.
"Sometimes humans become a little bit more. High exposure to Spirit Energy, the Spirit World, or Spirit Particles all lead to humans becoming a little less human and more like spirits. And you know spirits what are, the power and strength, the longevity of their lifespan, some almost to the point of immortality. You live in the Spirit World, your own Dying Will Flames which again are a form of Spirit Energy, the very Spirit Particles you use to support your form," Ayame explained. "The only thing keeping you fully human was the fact that your soul was anchored here on the physical plane."
She looked at him, up and down. "A couple more years should be okay, but if you want to go to the afterlife at all, you're going to have to decide that sooner than later."
Turning back to Tsuna, Ayame said, "Tsuna you also have a decision to make. You can choose to not use these rings at all and I can throw them into a vault or hide them somewhere. Or… you can name them."
"Names have power," Tsuna said, remembering that lesson from long ago.
"Yes," Ayame said. "You can use the name to bind the rings. When you name them, they'll change shape, taking on whatever insignia you choose." Looking at Giotto, she asked. "The Vongola Rings didn't always have Vongola's crest on them, did they?"
Giotto shook his head. "No, it was something we noticed one day. But they were magical rings so we didn't question them much."
"Always question things like that, especially because they are magical," Ayame grumbled. "Anyways, for example let's say you named the rings Hamaguri after Vongola. On the rings themselves eventually the name Hamaguri would engrave itself. You could restrict how they're inherited, how they're used."
"But why me?" Tsuna asked. Wise beyond her years in this type of thing, he didn't understand why Ayame just didn't do this herself.
"Because Giotto has picked you as his heir. They were originally his and as he's still around, he does get a say in who gets to inherit. Also you're his direct descendent which means you have a larger claim over Vongola anyways. Then between you and Ienari, you're the older twin," Ayame said. "In not so many words, you have the blood claim, the spiritual claim and the approval of your predecessor which means you outrank everyone, even me, when it comes to these new rings."
Oh. That would explain it.
"There is a possibility that you and whoever you choose to share those rings will get bound to these rings the same way Giotto and his Guardians were bound to the Vongola Rings once you die," Ayame said with a frown. "I don't know enough about this Tri-Ni-Set to be sure and many spirits I talked to only know the bare minimum about it."
Tsuna looked down at the rings, feeling the weight of them. It felt heavy. Despite his best efforts, it seemed he was still destined to play a part. He ran his fingers over the seven rings.
"What do you recommend?" he asked.
"Honestly, I say name them," Ayame said. "Right now, they're blank slates. If somewhere down the line someone like Triads got their hands of this, they could twist them into powerful weapons again. It might not happen now, might not happen even in a few decades, but sooner or later after we're both dead and turn to dust, someone will either steal the rings thinking they're a pretty thing to sell only to discover their power or one of our descendants who no longer remembers whatever warnings we might pass down accidently finds them."
She shrugged. "On the other hand, if you name them, you can probably can set some of requirement, like how a Sky Ring can only be passed down to a Sky Flamer user. Or a blood requirement which is what the Vongola Rings are currently set to. If you do get bound to the rings after your death, you can influence who gets picked, like Giotto here and Tsuna you're an excellent judge of character. I hope you don't get bounded to the ring, but in the event that you do, you are the better choice."
Tsuna's shoulders sagged. Ayame's judgement was sound and he did agree. (Sometimes it was infuriating how much she would make sense.) When she put it that way, then yes Tsuna rather name these rings now then it let potentially fall into the wrong hands. The blood requirement wasn't needed, Ienari was proof that blood didn't really mean anything. A trial maybe? Individually a judge each person?
Then he noticed a very important key factor. "There are only one of each Flame Type," Tsuna said slowly.
"Well there are only seven Vongola Rings," Giotto said.
Tsuna despaired. He had two Clouds. Two! Kyoya and Kyoko were going to tear each other over who got the ring. Three Suns! Three! Reborn would destroy Ryohei and Shoichi. Five Storms! FIVE! Hayato and Hana would probably be the ones to fight over the Ring. I-pin wouldn't care, nor would Bianchi and Fon was still a wild card at this point. Both Haru and Lambo had Lightning Flames but neither knew how to use them. He wasn't even going to think about Mists. He wasn't. (Chrome was his, Tsuna knew that, could feel that, so was Shamal. Despite his mistrust of Mukuro, Tsuna also knew that Mukuro was his too and nope, nope not thinking about it.)
Thank the gods above that Takeshi was his only Rain.
"We can make more rings," Ayame said. "They'll be on par with those, but they won't be connected to the Tri-Ni-Set."
Tsuna rubbed his forehead. "Hieee," he mumbled. "They're going to tear each other apart."
"I'm pretty sure both Reborn and Fon won't be able to hold them because the pacifiers are another part of the Tri-Ni-Set," Giotto said.
Still didn't help, but that was good to know Tsuna supposed.
"Maybe they can tell me more about it," Ayame grumbled. "It makes me nervous that most Spirits don't know about it."
Tsuna shut the box. "I guess I'm going to just let them decide."
A battle royal might be the easiest solution when he thought about it. His friends were battle happy enough, Shoichi aside.
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Breakout
"BOSS!"
Iemitsu looked up startled when Oregano burst into his office. "Oregano? What's wrong?" he asked, rising to his feet.
"The Varia just broke out Xanxus!"
Oh boy. So counting down to the appearance of the Varia. Fon's trip to the Spirit World was short and easy (from a certain point of view). Reborn is finally getting some answers and he isn't liking what he finds. Ienari really doesn't realize what he's getting himself into. Spanner's introduction finally! \ o / Shamal knows. And then the rings. Hard for Vongola to be a threat if the Vongola Rings have been neutralized no? 8D
General Notes
Giotto mentioned in Chapter 5: Noisy Worry that he discovered later that his soul was bound to the Vongola Rings. Here's later :P
Shoichi and Ayame's Ring Experiment. Direct references to it can be found in Chapter 14: Faint and Chapter 21: Path of Least Resistance.
Kamikawa modified Reborn's reports in Chapter 8: Report II Revised, Chapter 11: Report III Revised, Chapter 14: Report IV Revised and Chapter 19: Report V Revised
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Please leave a review on your way out :3 Who do you think is getting the new rings?