Chapter Eighteen - Gathering

Harry heard the phone ringing downstairs, but he couldn't bring himself to let go of Teddy long enough to go fetch it. The ringing stopped abruptly, and he could hear the soft tones of Andromeda. Andromeda. She was alive. She was alive and well and here. Teddy, who had been enduring the hug quietly, was starting to squirm impatiently.

Andromeda knocked on the door, and came in without waiting for a reply, holding the phone out to him.

"It's your friend Squalo, "she told him.

Harry reached out for the phone, and Teddy took the weakening of his grip to escape. He wiggled out of Harry's grasp, but didn't move far. He sat down beside Harry on the bed, so that Harry could feel his warmth against his side. Harry wrapped his spare arm around him.

"Hello?" he said. Hopefully they would be able to explain what the Hell had just happened.

"What's Bester?" Squalo asked, his voice rough but quieter than normal.

"A Sky liger," he replied automatically. Then he froze.

"You dreamt that too?" he asked.

"Wasn't a dream. Mammon says that she'll explain, but she wants all of us there first."

If they had all dreamed the same thing, Harry couldn't blame the Arcobaleno for not wanting to relive it more than once.

"I'm not leaving Teddy," he told Squalo.

"Voi! Bring the brat along. He's going to need to know why you're going to be a clingy little bitch for the foreseeable future. Have you let go at all since you woke up?"

"No," Harry said, in his best 'do you want pink hair for the next week' voice.

"Didn't think so. Bel hasn't let go of Mammon either. She hasn't even charged him for it. It's weird as Hell. Get your ass over here." Squalo hung up the phone.

Mammon was clutched tightly in Bel's arms. Harry could tell by the stubborn set of his shoulders that nothing less than a direct order from Xanxus could compel him to put her down, and maybe not even that. Xanxus was sat on his throne, eyes constantly darting between Officers. He had all but snarled when Lussuria had tried to leave the room 'just for a second, darlings!', and the Sun had immediately sank back into his chair. Levi was sat on a sofa, scribbling furiously. Harry wasn't surprised; the man was an obsessive diary keeper, and not bad at fiction writing. And he hadn't known that yesterday.

Squalo was yelling at someone down the phone. "Get me eyes on him! I don't care if you've never heard of him, find him!"

He snapped the phone shut with a frustrated sigh, rubbing his hand down his face. "Morons. I don't care how out of the blue it is. His name's Byakuran Gesso, he can't be that hard to find."

Teddy was practically vibrating in place. Despite the number of times Bel, and occasionally Squalo, Mammon and Lussuria had visited, he had never seen the mansion before. Bel walked over to them, pausing for a moment as he shifted his grip on Mammon so that she was supported by only one arm. Then he flung himself at Harry and Teddy, wrapping his free arm tightly around them.

"The Prince did not like that dream. And the Prince will not allow his kouhai to take dangerous missions until he can beat the Prince in a fight without his Magic. The Prince forbids it." Bel's voice was muffled by Harry's shirt.

Harry wrapped his arms around the shaking boy, fighting back his own tears. Teddy did the same.

"I don't know what's going on, Bel-nii. But I'm fine, and Uncle Harry's fine, and we're all safe."

Harry had the most amazing Godson in existence.

Mammon somehow managed to exude an aura of resigned tolerance as Bel refused to release her. Harry had no idea how she managed it with half her face covered. Maybe it was an illusionist thing?

"Explain, Midget," Xanxus demanded, once they were all settled on the sofas.

"Yuni's sacrifice enabled the Arcobaleno to be revived. Sacrifice is a powerful thing. From a Sky, and an Arcobaleno, it is even more so. There was a lot of power left over. There was a debt to be paid, and I dislike owing people. So, we Arcobaleno combined our powers to seal the Mare Ring in this time, so that Byakuran will no longer be a threat. We gave the memories of the last ten years to anyone who had been present at the final battle against Byakuran. We Arcobaleno received the memories up until the time of our deaths, and after our revival. And we sealed the Box Weapons into Rings."

Harry looked down at the rings on his finger, one in the shape of a canary and the other in the shape of a butterfly. He had barely noticed them, the weight feeling so familiar to him. Now that his attention was on them, he could feel the thrumming energy within them. If they were like Box Weapons, did that mean he just needed to channel his Flame into them?

A roar echoed around the room. It seemed that Xanxus had beaten him to it. Bester prowled around curiously, sniffing at everything. It was no secret that Xanxus doted on the liger, and she had spent far more time out of her Box than inside it. Everyone seemed to take that as their cue to release their Box Animals. The room quickly descended into chaos. Mink seemed happy to curl up around Bel's neck. Teddy was immediately entranced, and Mink and Bel both laughed at his adoration as he carefully stroked the back of Mink's neck. Pea-chan and Manta were both released, although Manta was quickly returned to his Box. He was just too big to be summoned indoors. Squalo didn't bother summoning his Shark. Of all of them, he had been the one to see his Box Weapon as just that, rather than as a companion or an ally. Finally, Harry released Canary and Butterfly. By the time he had gotten around to naming them properly, it seemed strange to call them anything else. Besides, Bel was allowed to call his mink, Mink, so no one had the right to complain.

Teddy laughed at him as his Box Animals fluttered around him for a moment before coming to rest, Butterfly in his hair and Canary on his shoulder.

"You have the girliest animals ever!" he told him.

Harry almost pouted. He had taken enough of this teasing when he first got them. He turned to look at Mammon, who was alone in her lack of Box Weapon. Hopefully they would be developed in this time soon, so that she could join in. He saw Fantasma, sat in frog form on her head, nuzzle her gently. Just then, what she had said came back to him.

"Everyone at the battle got the memories?" he asked.

"Yes," Mammon said, the tone of her voice saying that she would charge for any more stupid questions.

"Including Byakuran?"

"The Mare Rings are sealed. He can no longer peer into other worlds."

"But he'll have all the memories his future self had?"

Squalo drew in a sharp breath as he took Harry's point. Byakuran already had knowledge of every possible world, even if he couldn't add to it. He was still a major threat.

"I've got people looking for him. If we find him before he can build up his Family, we can impress on him the importance of behaving," Squalo said with a gleeful grin.

"Good. You'll probably have quite a window to find him while he processes the memories. I'm dizzy from ten years' worth, I don't want to imagine how bad it is for him. If he were anyone else, I'd feel sorry for him."

"This Byakuran has committed no crimes," Mammon pointed out.

"Ushishishishi! He killed Teddy, Mammy. We're not going to forgive him," Bel said, pulling knives from nowhere.

"I see. I was unaware of that."

"Wait. I died in this weird future dream thing?" Teddy sounded panicked, and Harry didn't know what to say. Bel stepped in.

"There was a war, Kouhai. Byakuran was driving the Vongola into the ground, and you were skilled. Harry didn't want you to, but you insisted and we needed the information. You infiltrated Byakuran's stronghold and got caught. You turned into him before you were shot. You were Quality, Kouhai, but the Prince forbids you from doing it again!"

"Again? I haven't done it in the first place Bel-nii! But I promise not to get myself shot."

"Or join the Varia," Harry said. The thought of Teddy risking his life like that was agonising. Even if it became necessary, he didn't think he could bear it.

"Like Hell. Brat's Quality," Xanxus spoke for the first time, gesturing with his bottle.

Teddy turned to look at him with stars in his eyes. Harry sighed as he recognised the first signs of hero-worship. By the smirk that played at Xanxus' lips, he recognised it too.

I'm not completely happy with this, but explanations needed to happen.

Also, 'Xanxus' Babysitter', from 'How Harry Became', is now its own fic. Because I'm trash, and I can't argue with Xanxus.