#the reborn/fon moments are few and far between

[ner0w0w0]

Chapters: 3/6 Fandom: Katekyou Hitman Reborn! Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Hibari Kyouya & Reborn, Fon & Hibari Kyouya, Fon/Reborn (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!) Characters: Hibari Kyouya, Reborn (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Fon (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), Vongola Tenth Generation Additional Tags: Attempt at Humor, Fluff, Mild Gore, Attempted Kidnapping, BAMF Hibari Kyouya, Hibari Kyouya-Centric, Reborn's POV, No beta we die like daemon, Other Additional Tags to Be Added Summary:

According to Fuuta's ranking, Hibari is the most wanted mafia member, and everyone and their mothers were dying just to have him for their own.

Or

5 times Hibari Kyouya was kidnapped and 1 time he didn't, retold in Reborn's POV

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My first attempt at humor with Kyouya and his feral as the main star of the show 

[darisu-chan]

Kaien vs Ichigo: A Memories in the Rain Analysis, Part 1

Hello

It’s me again, back with my bs lmao

I finally finished the mini arc of Memories in the Rain pt. 2 and, as I’ve been sort of discussing certain stuff that’s happened in Bleach as I re-read the chapters, I decided I needed to talk about MITR as a whole. If you’ve been following my posts, I didn’t really analyze the first part. I saved it to compare it with the second part. I also thought that instead of just saying my thoughts as I have been doing thus far, I’d go the extra mile and truly analyze both parts, specifically comparing Kaien and Ichigo.

So, sometime ago, I wrote this post about how it bothers me how people compare Kaien and Ichigo as being the same, and using that to establish IchiRuki. When, honestly, you don’t need to. Ichigo and Rukia’s relationship stands on its own. In fact, it is so strong that, years after the ending, people keep being fascinated by IR. The LA was centered on their relationship as well. And it’s still the Ichigo and Rukia show, thank you very much.

And though I made some good points in that post, I decided to further explore Kaien and Ichigo, as well as the events of both MITR and how that relates to Ichigo and Rukia.

It’s probably been done many times before, but I’ve never analyzed them in much depth, so here we go.

The first part will soley be about Ichigo and Kaien as individuals. On the second part, I’ll finally explore MITR

1. The Shiba Gene

So, as we all know, Ichigo and Kaien look like each other physically, and in Everything But the Rain we finally found out the reason why: they are cousins. This put a stop to all the “Ichigo is Kaien reborn” theories people liked to come up with back in the day.

Now, in the story, this resemblance was pointed out by Byakuya and even Ukitake, to an extent. Which means Kaien was designed to look like Ichigo on purpose to further draw parallels between them. What I mean to say is that this is a seed that was planted in the readers’ minds, and as such, comparing both guys was done on purpose.

Interestingly enough, neither Kukaku nor Ganju are ever seen to believe Ichigo looks like their older brother.

In EBTR we see Isshin as a young man, and we can see how Isshin, Ichigo and Kaien resemble each other, meaning the Shiba gene is a strong one, and, if Ichigo had actually stayed in SS, that same resemblance could have been used as a way for him to claim that part of his heritage, but I digress.

We are all aware they look like each other because they are family, so we don’t need to go deep into detail in that aspect. Now the true question is, just how similar are they to each other?

Physically speaking, there are a few noticable differences, like hair and eye color. Kaien’s hair is longer and there’s the fact Kaien has very long eyelashes, as Kukaku and Ganju have. He’s also taller.

Although key differences, they are not enough to negate their similarities. Hell, Ichigo does look more similar to Kaien than Ganju, his actual brother.

But there’s something very important that sets them apart: Kaien always carries himself as if he didn’t have a care in the world. When we’ve seen Kaien, he’s always able to smile freely. Sure, he also scowls, gets upset, and the like, but he goes back to smiling. This is something Ichigo hasn’t been able to do since his mother died. Hell, there’s a whole chapter about that (Can’t Smile Don’t Blame). There are very few times in which Ichigo actually smiles, and all of them are short-lived. In fact, whenever he’s tried to give big smiles, they seem off, as seen when he smiled to Orihime back at the beginning of MITR and later on, in the Lost Agent Arc, when he smiled at Yuzu. 

Even when Rukia has a flashback of Kaien while looking at Ichigo, their smiles look very different:

Ichigo more often than not smiles through his eyes, while Kaien tends to smile with his eyes closed:

Although brash and arrogant as well, Kaien is also more mature. He can go from joking around to having deep conversations with Rukia. Ichigo, as a teenager, has yet to mature and will become more and more like a grown up as time passes by. At this point in the manga, he really isn’t there yet. Now, this will be important later on.

In short, even though they look very similar, they carry themselves with different auras. Kaien is more of a free-spirit, while Ichigo is a person who seems to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

2. Prodigies

Ichigo, as the MC of a shounen manga, is obviously special. From the very first moment, we know he’s not like everyone else. He’s able to see spirits, which is not the norm. And then Rukia informs us his reiatsu is too powerful for a normal human.

And as time goes by, as he keeps fighting hollows, he grows exponentially. 

When Urahara trains him, he realizes that, which is why he tells Yoruichi that if there is someone who can achieve bankai in 3 days, is him.

As the story goes on, we learn that Ichigo is even more special, as he is also part Quincy and Hollow. But he also has very impressive skills when it comes to swordmanship, shunpo, and the like. 

What is more relevant is Ichigo’s ability to grow at a fast rate, always learning from his mistakes. 

And although he was never taught how to be a Shinigami in the traditional way, we can see how he surpassed his peers.

Now, although Kaien is not as special as Ichigo, we learn from Ganju that, for Shinigami standards, Kaien’s very impressive:

Hisagi, for example, failed the final exam numerous times. Rukia says she barely passed the entrace exam. Finishing the curriculum in two years is a great achievement. And the fact that he made VC in 5 years means a lot. It took Renji, let’s say, around 35 years to be promoted to VC. And Renji was in the special class at the Academy.

People like Ichigo and Kaien are not the norm. They are very skilled and special individuals. Might be because of their genes (it’s never explicitly said, but they might come from a long line of Shinigami), or just because they were gifted with those powers, but the point is these characteristics set them apart as more powerful than the rest.

3. Brash, Rule-breaking, Arrogant

The words above can be used to describe both Ichigo and Kaien, and that’s certainly Byakuya’s opinion of them.

Kaien and his siblings are not like the nobles we know. They’re certainly very different to Byakuya and the Kuchiki Clan, but they also live very differently than Soi Fon, Omaeda, the Shihouin Clan, and so on. They seem to live more like the common folk than like dignified people. Hence, Byakuya seems very against this sort of attitude, at least early on in Bleach. 

Because of being loud, less refined, brash, and with a penchant of rule-breaking, Kaien seems totally different to other nobles. However, I dare say these characteristics extrapolate what Ukitake meant in this scene:

Not anyone would be able to go against the whole Soul Society, specially if you are a Shinigami.

Byakuya was certainly not going to do any rule-breaking. As we later find out, he had even promised not to break anymore rules and was going to stick to that promise.

Renji, until confronted by Ichigo, had decided not to go against the SS.

Even Ukitake wasn’t about to start a revolution to save Rukia. It took him seeing Ichigo to decide on what to do.

Basically, only Kaien would have been upfront about his own intentions.

And what we know of Kaien is that he was the sort of guy who would break the rules when necessary. That means, that he would do the right thing. Specially when it comes to saving his peers. He even tells Rukia as much:

He might not have been the most elegant of individuals, but Kaien’s brashness and even arrogance came from the fact he had a good heart.

Now, who does exactly what Kaien would have done?

That’s right.

Ichigo.

Here the comparison of Ukitake trying to imagine what Kaien would have done is directly compared and contrasted to Ichigo, as before that scene Ichigo confronted Byakuya.

Now, Ichigo wasn’t raised as a noble. He had no idea he was one until almost the end of Bleach. But he was raised with the idea of protecting other people and of doing what is right.

We have seen him protect other people, even before he became a Shinigami (his friendship with Chad, Keigo and Mizuiru respectively reflects this, as he saved the three of them). 

Ichigo is not the kind of guy who can just do nothing while an injustice is taking place.

Ichigo has been, from the first moment we saw him, brash, rule-breaking and even arrogant, but note that from his introduction, we saw him protecting a little ghost girl. It goes to show that Ichigo would go to extremes to protect others and do what’s right. So, it’s no surprise he jumps at the chance to go to SS to save Rukia, and that he grows stronger and stronger each time to save her, as he cannot let her die. 

However, there’s a key difference.

If Kaien had been alive, he would have saved Rukia as 1) he would’ve probably figured out an execution was too hard a punishment for Rukia’s crime, 2) he told her he would always stand by her as long as they were from the same division, and 3) he wouldn’t let her just die.

But Ichigo’s reasons to save Rukia are much more complicated than that. As I’ve said in other posts, Ichigo is filled with guilt, as Rukia’s in this position because of him, firstly because she saved him by giving him her own powers to protect his family, and secondly, because Rukia got taken away to protect him as he feels he failed to protect her.

But, even then, it’s not only guilt that fuels him or the fact that he owes Rukia.

There’s the fact that Rukia is an important person to Ichigo regardless. Particularly, she is kind and good. Certainly not the type of person who deserves to die, much less because of a stupid rule.

Then, there is something else at a deeper level Ichigo doesn’t say out loud

My point with this is that Kaien and Ichigo are certainly the same type of rule-breaking people and that’s the sort of person needed to pull a stunt like saving Rukia from execution, in such a way that this person would even inspire others to help. Both guys are special in that way. However, in practice their actions come from different places. Certainly there’s a closeness Ichigo shares with Rukia due to circumstances that adds more complexity to his intent to save her and that, may I add, also fuels him to such a degree he refuses to lose. 

Which brings us to...

4. Rukia

The last main common denominator between them is no one else but Rukia, a person they both have inspired in different ways. However, the type of relationship they have with her is different.

Let’s start with Kaien:

So, their meeting takes place shortly after Rukia was adopted into the Kuchiki Clan and graduated early from the Academy. Ever since, it seems she was judged for both not really being from a noble family and from having been adopted by one. We can say that no one is looking at who Rukia truly is, but they are making assumptions about her at this point. This is isolating to Rukia, who now has to deal with a new identity and a new way of living. She’s now apart from the one person she had known most of her life to that point (Renji) and is feeling out of place.

Then, Kaien swoops in and he treats her like he would treat any other subordinate. He doesn’t treat her like a street rat, a pampered noble or even a pet. And she says it herself that having that normality is exactly what she needed. Rukia didn’t feel comfortable at home with Byakuya, but she could at least feel more at ease in her division, working under Kaien.

Their relationship was that of mentor and mentee. Later on we find out Kaien trained her in swordsmanship and probably other skills. 

But he also taught her important lessons about life:

And these are lessons Rukia will carry in her heart the whole series. Protecting others, making others feel welcomed, forming hearts with others. Rukia made hers everything that Kaien taught her. 

He’s very special in her life because Kaien was the first person to make her feel as if she belonged in her division, and even as a Shinigami.

In short, he’s acting like a parental influential, or even being the brother Byakuya failed to be at this point in time. Teaching Rukia and accepting her, so that she could feel she had a place she belonged to.

And we know that Kaien was the one to make her feel good

But here we have a power imbalance. Because Kaien is doing the teaching, he’s changing her life, but we don’t know if it’s mutual. We don’t know if Kaien was affected by Rukia’s actions and words. It’s a very unilateral situation.

Furthermore, if we go with the route of Rukia had a crush on Kaien, there’s more power imbalance and impossibilities, as we know that:

She already couldn’t be the person closest to Kaien, as Miyako existed. 

Rukia recognized Miyako as having great qualities, probably what Kaien even liked about her, and aspired to be like her:

So, Kaien and Rukia were never in a position of equality for several reasons, starting from the fact Kaien was her vice captain.

This is even exemplified when the find the hollow that killed Miyako:

Rukia acts like a subordinate, trying to be helpful, and is denied:

Finally, there’s a key aspect that I will be analyzing with more detail in another post, but Kaien is for Rukia what Masaki is for Ichigo:

The root of her trauma is that she failed to protect Kaien, who was the person who taught her so much and helped her when nobody else did. Rukia feels as if she didn’t do anything to save him from his fate:

And when Kaien became a hollow, instead of running or trying to help him, Rukia let instinct take in and we know what happens next:

And the fact she couldn’t save him is worse becase Kaien doesn’t blame her:

So Rukia ends up in a state of guilt, because she couldn’t save the one person she probably wanted to save the most.

This trauma will continue on for some time until HM, where Rukia comes to terms with what happened. However, that doesn’t change the fact that her relationship remains a one-way street.

Now, as for with Ichigo, they have a different relationship altogether. 

It is true that Rukia was Ichigo’s first teacher when it comes to Shinigami stuff, but it is not as if he never taught Rukia anything.

Their relationship is so special because they’re two sides of the same coin. The fact that one is a Shinigami and the other is a human being makes it so that they end in a relationship of equals. As Ichigo needs to learn how to be a Shinigami, Rukia has to learn how to be a human.

Even when they just tell each other their names, the panel demonstrates this equality

Even the way they’re both holding the sword symbolizes this equality:

They’re both holding it and directing it towards Ichigo due to a common goal.

The fact they also call each other by their first names is important. Rukia always used “-dono” to refer to Kaien, a term of respect, while he called her by her last name. Meanwhile, Ichigo and Rukia call each other by their first names, symbolizing they’re close, something that is even pointed out within the story.

They also grow together.

Not only does Rukia teach Ichigo about his powers and her philosophy of saving others, Ichigo keeps surprising her at every turn:

Ichigo teaches Rukia how to be human, and not in the way of how to appear human or do human things, but how to feel, how to make connections with others

We always say Rukia changed Ichigo’s world, but he had that same effect in her:

It was always a mutual thing.

A relationship so different to any other in this manga.

But the best example of how different Kaien and Ichigo’s relationships with Rukia are is the fact that Rukia doesn’t think Ichigo is like Kaien from the get go.

She’s reminded of Kaien twice:

1. When Ichigo’s fighting Grandfisher, and I’ll analyze that part in the next post.

2. When Ichigo finally appears in front of her in SS and reassures her he’s not going to die. He smiles at her and Rukia remembers Kaien’s smile. She closes her eyes due to all the emotions she’s feeling.

My best explanation as to why Rukia thinks of Kaien in that moment is, as I said before, because Kaien was also reassuring in the fact he was not gonna die, yet he did and by her hand. Rukia doesn’t want to cause Ichigo’s death and she already feels guilty about turning him into a Shinigami, Byakuya hurting him, and everything else he’s gone through to try to save her. Rukia doesn’t want Ichigo to be like Kaien and die for her sake, as she believes she’s not worthy of being saved:

This is yet another thing Ichigo and Rukia have in common, they both feel guilty for having in some way cause harm to the other. 

Because, above all else, they both want to protect the other.

The thing is, the two actually achieve it: Rukia saves Ichigo’s life in the first chapter and when Byakuya is about to kill him. While Ichigo ends up saving her from execution, making it so their relationship stays equal.

That is the beauty of IchiRuki.

It’s never unilateral, but their feelings parallel each other’s constantly.

They want to save each other and they do.

They learn from one another, and they have faith in one another.

One doesn’t take while the other receive, they both give and receive something in return.

Because, in their eyes, they are equals.

Anyway,

This is the end of this very long post.

The rest of MITR will be analyzed in a later post.

Thanks for reading!

[blackicephantom]

The black dragon and the coward CH. 10

You won't believe this but it is done!

I have to say, covid is neither nice nor fun. It's ugly and exhausting as fuck. So please everyone, stay safe and healthy.

tagged: @patolemus - I hope you haven't given up on this *wink*

@runestarchild

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Tsuna closed the door behind himself slowly and gently. He had much to think about. But where to start? What was next?

So much to do and plan and just not enough time. With his eyes on the ground the boy didn't see the three others that were approaching him, at least until it was way too late.

The sound of multiple and heavy steps caught his attention but when he looked up he wished he didn't. His favorite tormentors were on their way towards him. And Tsuna knew that no one would help him. They would just get angry and ignore everything around them if he caused a scene now. And Nono wouldn't be fast enough to get to the door, or him for the matter. With a rather tired sigh the brunette surrendered to his very obvious fate. Hopefully they don't dump him in the forest, for their own sakes.

Just the next moment he was grabbed and everything went dark…

In the forest

Reborn and Fon had shared a small breakfast before the latter departed again. "I'll try finding two certain someones. Who knows? Maybe my dear nephew knows something." A dismissive snort was his answer and even the Stormdragon had to chuckle. His nephew was…… special, to say it simple. He knew almost everything but wasn't prone to share. With anyone…..

Well, almost. Sweet little Tsunayoshi got even the young and moody Clouddragon to trust him. He was the only one who would get straight answers from the youngling. It was truly fascinating.

It wasn't long after Fon had left that Reborn got a certain feeling of unease. He went to the entrance of his den and looked at the surrounding area. Sharp yellow eyes tracked the wildlife: spooked birds taking flight, scared bucks running through the underwood. Something wasn't right. That's when a familiar scent hit his nose. The smell of warmth and something sweet with vanilla….. 'Tsuna!'

Without a thought Reborn jumped down from his perch, right into the forest. He knew that his draconian form would be way too big and too noticeable. So he decided to stay human, at least for now. Just before hitting the treetops he opened his wings and took an easy glide down. Once on the ground he called for his most trusted and oldest companion, someone who was always at his side. His call was nothing more than a rumble, maybe a growl, but it was answered none the less.

A green chameleon crawled down from one of the trees, only to wander up the offered arm until he sat atop Reborn's fedora. "Keep your eyes open Leon. It seems we've got unwanted company. Again."

Blending with the shadows of the trees the dragon tried to follow the scent of his boy but it was more difficult than it should be. There was something else at play, he just couldn't explain it. It was like… like something was overriding Tsuna's smell. Something rather disgusting.

Rising his sensitive nose to scent the air again he almost gagged. Right there was foul magic in the air. Someone was trying to keep their presence a secret and doing a damn shit job.

A short tap on his hat made Reborn look up. It seems Leon found something interesting. There was a fresh trail on the ground. It looked like something was dragged around…. Or someone. A snarl ripped itself out of his throat. If this is what he thinks it is, then someone's gonna die today. "Please be my scout Leon. Try to find the intruders and give me their location."

Between one moment and the next the green chameleon turned into a sparrow and flew fast and agile through the forest. Reborn in the meantime hoped against hope that he's wrong. But what were the odds? With the last day still on his mind and the boys horrible luck it couldn't be anything else. 'Please be OK. For the love of god, please be alright!'

. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -. -

Tsuna awoke with a terrible headache and to the feeling of being dragged somewhere. 'Ahhhhh, kidnapping my old friend. How I didn't miss you.'

Loud laughter caught his attention and he tried to listen, but whatever Mochida was saying was lost to the sound of the animals around them. Trying to look around as supple as possible the brunette tried to get a general location or position. But some of his memories still hadn't returned, to his utter dismay. Which means he has absolutely no idea where these idiots were taking him. They were in the forbidden forest, that he knew. But they had to be past the regular path, because the trees were bigger and still looked healthy, unlike the ones closer to the village.

How the fuck are they even pulling him along? His hands were tied, OK. But he could see. Also OK. His head hurt aaaand, jep, he was gagged. 'Better job than last time.' was one of his rather stray thoughts. Sad enough that this happens often enough that he even has something to compare….. 'Wait…… if we're in the forest, away from the path, then there are just a few places they could take me to.'

Tsuna thought and thought even harder, trying to recall the map he had memorized, while still being dragged through the dirt.

Another look around showed him the mountain to their far left. Which means they're taking him somewhere else than usual. 'Just where the heck are we going?'

A bump in the road caused the boy to wince, which alerted his captors to the fact that he was awake. There went his cover.

"Hey boss. Looks like Dame-Tsuna is finally with us again." That's the only warning he had before he hit the ground. Groaning Tsuna slowly turned around and got on all fours. But before he could get up one of the others kicked him in the rips and then again in his stomach. It looks like they had a bad day or something. It's not often that they hit the valuable spots right from the start. Sooooo. Well, nothing more.

While still protecting his poor belly, the younger was suddenly grabbed by his hair and pulled up, only to come face to face with Mochida and his grimace of a face. The raven haired looked him up and down only to sneer. “I have no fucking idea how you got that dragon to spare you. But one thing’s for sure: it won't happen again.”

Tsuna would have loved to say something, but right before he could Mochida let go of him. With one last kick he was ordered to finally get up and to walk on his own. `Not my fault they kidnapped me.´ groaned Tsunayoshi in his mind.

They walked for quite some time, without a break. And the brunette had to say that he started to get tired. His legs felt like lead and his headache was also still present. And let’s not even start with his poor ribs….

Just behind the slowly thinning treeline came a cave into view. It gave off a feeling of dread and gave the young heir more than just the chills. `I believe this is one of the places we were warned about. But some of the Arcobaleno made sure that no human should ever arrive here…..´ Out of the corner of his eyes Tsuna saw a small and rather strangely colored sparrow. Instead of it’s usual brown and gray feathers it had green ones. And it didn’t sing either, not even a little chirp or trill or something similar. It just sat there and watched them….

Then Tsuna's eyes widened. `Of cause, how could I forget! That’s not a bird, that’s definitely Leon!´

Relief flooded his whole system and he could have cried from joy. Where Leon is, Reborn is not far away. He learned that the hard way back then. But this joy was short lived. Not only did Leon take to the sky, hopefully returning to his partner's side, but his intuition started to ring all and every alarm bell inside his head. Whatever lived in this cave, it wanted not only him for dinner…… That’s when he heard the growl and a rather nasty sounding hiss. A feline then. Next thing that came into view were big and ugly paws, perfect for ripping prey apart and slicing through more than just flesh and bone.

`Oh shit.Oh shit.Oh shit.Oh shit.Oh shit.’ was all that came to mind. Tsuna didn’t need to see the redish looking fur or the big fangs to know what stood in front of them. It was a Subspecies of the sabretooth tiger, one native to their region and very VERY deadly.

There are very few who encountered one and got away safely, or at all.

`It won't happen again. I’ll make sure of it.´ Those were Mochidas exact words……

No. Nononononono. The madman wanted to feed him to the tiger, with no chance of defending himself. The closer they got to this cave the more he started to struggle. He tried to free his hands, but that caused much of a ruckus and his kidnappers noticed. The dumbass that most probably came up with that plan started to crackle until he was outright laughing. One of his goons came up to him, only to tie another rope around his hands which he uses to pull him along. But Tsuna leant in the opposite direction and tried to dig his heels in. No one and nothing would get him even close to this thing. Nope, No way. That was as much of a death sentence as being thrown into a dragons den.

The damn gag prevented him from screaming but he still tried. But that just earned him a slap to the face. The tiger started to salivate and didn't take his eyes off them.

Tsuna struggled again, harder than before. He pulled with all his might, always with sudden movements in the hopes that the one leading him would let go out of surprise. Hyper intuition and survival instincts kicked in, closely followed by a rush of panic. No teaching could keep this feeling away but they could suppress it. The rope started to rub his wrists raw and cut into his skin but Tsuna didn't care. He needed to leave, NOW! In a last minute effort to rip himself away he stumbled on purpose, crashing into the one walking in front of him. And then, when he finally let go of the makeshift leash, Tsuna turned around, grabbed the damned gag and ripped it out of his mouth and started running. The sabretooth tiger, scenting worthy prey, set off after him. The thud of the paws equaled the thundering of his heart. The young Vongola didn’t care what happened to the other three, he just wanted to get away.

Ducking around the trees Tsuna tried to lose the big predator but the beast was hot on his heels. Every once in a while the animal would try to sweep him off his feet, trying to take him down with his claws. But his intuition warned him just in time so that said claws hit nothing but thin air. The longer the chase went on, the more agitated the tiger got. With every hit that didn’t connect the beast growled louder, jumping farther, running even faster and Tsuna was reaching his limit. He tripped on a single root and the beast behind him took it’s chance. Jumping down right above him the poor boy just rolled away and struggled to his feet.

Then he remembered what Reborn told him just before leaving the village: ‘Should you ever get into trouble….’ He took a deep breath, his lungs struggling to comply due to the exercise ‘...... call out for me.’ and gave a shout. “REBORN!”

Just then his pursuer pounced and pinned the boy beneath it’s bulk. Sticky saliva dripped down its fangs and landed on his face. Still struggling writhing, winding anything to get away he couldn't hear the trilling of a sparrow, nor the growl of a predator way bigger then the fucking sabletooth tiger. The only thing soothing him were those familiar, gleaming scales.

With Reborn

Technically he knew that Leon traveled as fast as he could but somehow it was still too slow for him. Right that moment his friend darted through the trees, right towards him and flew frantic circles around him. It must be worse than anticipated. “Lead the way” was all he said and off they were. Upon noticing which way they were going, Reborn growled again. When he had Tsuna back he would fucking eat the idiots that dragged him here, no matter if he gets sick afterwards. He could hear a frantic heartbeat and the huffs of breath from the one chasing after the boy. Then there was a crash, the sound of someone falling and landing hard on the unforgiving ground. Next came something that would stay a long time in the dragon's mind. One yell, one call to him, his name screamed atop of exhausted lungs.

“REBORN!”

Changing while still running came naturally to him, crashing through the tree on all four was just as naturel. But when he saw that thing trying to bite the brunette's head off, he lost it. With a deep and mighty growl he lunged forward, catching the feline by surprise and throwing it off of the boy. When the tiger readied itself to jump again Reborn wound himself around his precious boy, his long neck and open maw just above the other, yellow flames flickering out between his fangs. Two predators, one on the hunt and one on the defense. The outcome of this was decided the moment the Sundragon arrived.

The sabertooth took its chance and tried to pounce again but Reborn had enough. He snatched it while it was still airborne, closing his maw around it, piercing though its skin and hide and then fucking incinerates it. Not even a small whine could be heard. The only thing that remained was the ashen corpse. Once sure that no other hunter was nearby, the dragon changed again and turned to Tsuna. Tsuna, who was still bound and struggling to breath properly. Tsuna, in whose eyes tears started welling up. Tsuna, who looked just like the little boy from so long ago. Without thinking about it Reborn cut through the rope with his sharp claw and then embraced the now crying boy as tight as he dared.

Tsuna was just so glad to be safe and to be held in the arms he had missed without knowing why.

_TBC_

I haven't beta read this, it's almost midnight and I'm tired. Please excuse me. I still hope you enjoy! *wave*

[hopeswriting]

FANDOM: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

EVENT: Flufftober 2020

PROMPT: Sharing Clothes

AUTHOR: @hopeswriting​

RATING: G

PAIRING: Adult!Reborn/Adult!Fon

TAG WARNING: Swearing, OOC!Reborn I guess?

SUMMARY:

Reborn keeps stealing Fon's clothes for himself. Fon thinks buying his clothes twice is the only logical, caring thing to do. (Fon is mistaken.)

WORDS: 948

*

Reborn whistles, low and drawn out and unmistakably turned on. Fon smiles and stands in front of the mirror.

His shopping trip was about filling his wardrobe with some of these boring and plain occidental clothes, but the news he could retrieve his latest handmade changshan made up for that.

The silk fabric is all in nuances of navy blue, embellished with rich but simple embroidered patterns and seasonal motifs. A storm rages at the hem of his sleeves and rises up his legs, and two dragons poise on his shoulders while two others curl around his hips.

But what Fon loves the most is the black lizard sleeping just on top of his heart.

���I’m going to enjoy taking that off of you so much.”

“Gently, I hope.”

“Or what?”

Fon grazes at the soft fabric. “I’ll break your hands,” he whispers lovingly.

Reborn laughs. “Well, don’t be shy. Let me see you.”

Fon turns around, and takes a few steps towards the bed in what may or may not be a fashion walk. Reborn lies on the bed, propped on his elbows, and is all but undressing him with his eyes.

“Is that all? Give me a little twirl, show me how you rip a man’s heart out of his chest with your bare hands.”

“Are you sure? Because I don’t see any other man here but you.”

Reborn rolls on his back, arches his back and bends his legs in quite the sensual position. “Do it.”

Fon bites his lip. “Maybe another time.”

“I like this one bit,” Reborn says in a casual voice, underlined with something that tells Fon he’s not going to let him live it down anytime soon. Not that he minds.

“I knew you would.” He shifts sideways to admire himself in the mirror some more, stroking the black lizard adoringly.

“But you know what would make this outfit even better? Black. Or yellow.” Fon scrunches up his nose. “Fuck off.”

“Oh please, I never once saw you with any ounce of yellow on you.”

“It’s called being smart, darling. People who advertise their flames like that only deserve my bullets in their head.”

Fon glances at him through the mirror. Reborn rolled back on his stomach, and is smirking at him daringly. Fon rolls his eyes and chooses not to comment on the jab.

He looks into the rest of the shopping bags instead.

“Another outfit?”

“Not quite.”

He holds the warm brown shirt in front of him, with little golden ornaments on the sleeves. It’s the exact copy of the one he already wore earlier.

He goes on like that until there’s no more clothes to show off, and every one of them was one he already tried.

“So?” He waves the button-up tantalizingly.

“So you bought all your clothes twice. So what?” Reborn’s face loses all humor, for some reason.

“You know.”

“No, I don’t.” Reborn smirks, but his eyes stay cold, and Fon would rather he stays laid down, really. “Do spell it out to me, Fon.”

Oh no. Did Fon misunderstood this?

“You know,” he says again slowly, lowering the button-up. “Now you can match clothes with me while not depriving me of my own clothes.” He tries a smile. “Happy?”

Fon ducks under a pillow, that straight up breaks the mirror and cracks and shakes the wardrobe upon impact.

“You ungrateful son of a bitch. You don’t deserve me.”

“Reborn—”

“Leave.”

“This is my apartment.”

“Did I fucking stutter? Just lock your precious wardrobe and leave.”

“Reborn, love, I swear I had only the purest intentions.” Reborn scoffs. Fon holds back a sigh. “You always steal my clothes.”

“How tyrannic of me.”

“You never give them back in one piece.”

“Life happens. Buy new ones. What, aren’t you rich?”

“I do that. And then you ruin those too.”

Reborn purses his lips. He stands, and wouldn’t you know it, he’s wearing one of Fon’s shirt.

“What is it?”

Reborn crosses his arms on his chest. “You’re not seriously going to make me say it.”

“No, you have to. Love, talk to me.”

The silent stretches between them, but he holds his ground. Reborn clenches his jaw.

“I don’t want to match clothes with you, don’t be stupid. I want to wear your clothes while being certain you can’t wear this particular piece of cloth as long as I have it. What’s the point otherwise?”

The silence falls again and Fon would feel embarrassed, but he just feels overwhelmingly fond. How sweet. How… uncharacteristically adorable.

Fon chuckles. Reborn shoots him.

He dodges, bends his arm behind his back and pins him on the bed. He settles on top of him, presses his face against the mattress with a hand on his neck.

“I’m going to kill you.”

“I know. Drop the gun.”

Reborn needs a little encouragement to comply. Fon throws the gun away, and release the pressure. Reborn shifts on his back.

“You better plan to stay like that forever. You won’t like the turn your life will take once you get off of me.”

“Then I’ll just have to take you up on your offer and stay here forever.” Fon laughs, shakes his head. He cups his face and bumps their forehead together. “You’re one unbelievable man Reborn, but rest assured I heard you loud and clear.”

Reborn curls his fingers in his hair. “Good for you.”

“You know in what clothes I love best to see you in?” A slow smirk spreads on his face, and Fon grins back.

“No clue,” Reborn whispers against his lips. He flips them around. “Let’s find out.”

*

BONUS:

Reborn and Fon are the definition of a Power Couple and I love that for them. Can you imagine fighting the two together? And they’re actually a well oiled machine type of teammates??? Oof.

They’re not together for a long time here. Well, it depends on what you consider a long relationship, but they’re together for about a year or so?

I headcanon about two years pass between the moment they’re chosen as the I Prescelti Sette and the moment they’re cursed, so you may or may not found that quick but what can I say.

It was sexual tension at first sight, and then it went from there lol.

They’re actually already living together, ish. Fon half moved out to Reborn’s apartment, and Reborn half moved out to Fon’s apartment, but they both think their apartment is the better one so they’re kind of stuck at this point.

They’ll probably fight that argument out, but in the meantime when they can’t compromise they just crash at the mansion.

------

They fight out most of their arguments really. And not in a they-can’t-communicate-with-each-other way, they just... like fighting each other lol. And they’re both stubborn so the cold hard fact of who won the fight and who didn’t works quite well for them.

Besides these fights are almost always followed by a heated make-out session, so, you know ;). And sometimes they go straight to the make out session part.

(And sometimes they “fight” just so a make out session can happen lol.)

------

Reborn is a territorial type kind of boyfriend. Clingy you might say, as long as you don’t say it in front of him lmao. He has to do it the round about way though because he has a Reputation.

His latest stunt is wearing Fon’s clothes. He’d like it better the other way around usually, so people would know Fon is with the World’s-to-be Greatest Hitman, but let’s be honest Fon doesn’t need this kind of protection.

(Or any protection at all for that matter.)

And if we’re really being honest it was never about that to begin with. Reborn just really likes wearing his boyfriend’s clothes and seeing the realization in people’s eyes when it clicks in their head.

And Fon honestly thought he was just playing another prank on him, because Reborn does keep giving them back damaged. And maybe he is a little less careful with them than, let’s say, with his own clothes, but he does actually have only good intentions.

(Fon loves nothing more than seeing him in his red changshan.)

------

On the other hand Fon is a lot more open with his affection. Wears black lizard on his clothes, stuff like that.

He always manages to drop Reborn’s name in conversations, calls him sweet names in front of others, sends him sweet messages on a daily basis.

(Reborn loves the hell out of them. He always responds casually to them but you better believe he notices when he doesn’t get them, and makes sure Fon notices he noticed.)

------

They’re kinda rough with each other, really handsy, but never violent. And it’s always all fun and games, with consent and everything.

They talk to each other exclusively in banter (in public anyway), either loaded with sexual tension, or really heated and it feels less like banter and more like they’ll break into a fight any second.

(And I know I’m talking a lot about their sexual tension lol, but they also really just love each other.)

And they never hesitate to actually break into a fight, so it’s even more confusing for people who don’t know them (and thus don’t realize it’s just how they bond together).

------

But sometimes they actually are about to break into a fight, and it happens just often enough the other Arcobaleno kind of worry about their relationship in the long-term.

Reborn and Fon don’t. It works fine for them so far, and they’re not even that serious in their relationship yet. (Or I guess the word is committed? They are serious with each other.)

They’ll figure that out once they’ll get there. And they’re pretty confident they will get there. (They want to anyway.)

(And then the Curse happens.)

*

Thank you for reading! Any and review are appreciated ^^.

[wildcardwriting]

Daemon’s Fate #5

[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]

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Daemon’s Fate on AO3

Summary: When Tsuna wasn’t born with a daemon, it drew attention. He was bullied so much that Nana was forced to take drastic measures. Yet, after Tsuna saves two animals (an abandoned baby phoenix, and a starved lion cub) they start following him around and people (including Reborn and the mafia) start making new assumptions… Poor them. Drabbles and some chapters.

XXxxxxXX

Part 5: Back Tracking

XXxxxxXX

The rest of the conversation was much tamer in comparison, but Reborn was far from pleased. Dino wasn't paying much attention anymore, going from shock to fear and back again. Normally Reborn would have snapped him out of it, but considering the situation was as mind-blowing as it was he let Dino have a few minutes. He needed to figure a few things out. The file he was given on his new student was falling to pieces the longer he was in Tsuna's presence. Now, normally he would have blamed this on poor skills and perhaps low-quality information people, but if Tsuna's hyper intuition was anywhere as good as the ninth's this was less about the people Iemitsu had put on his son's guard and more on the fact that Tsuna's latent skills were better than a civilian and better than a low-ranking mafia minion.

Reborn resisted the incredibly strong urge to sigh. He needed to gain back control of the situation, and reassess his training plans.

"Snap out of your shock, Dame-Dino," Reborn said using a bullet to help illustrate his words."A boss is supposed to be above it all."

"But, but Tsuna is trusting me with his daemons! How am I supposed to react to that? " He said looking seconds away from having a nervous breakdown. "I just met him and already he—"

Tsuna reaches across the table, to serve Dino some more tea, looking like the entire conversation had nothing to do with him. It made Reborn want to shoot at him, but he resisted the urge considering how close his student's daemons were and how likely they were to bite him if he did anything to Tsuna while they were away from him. This whole meeting was a huge mess, and while normally he thrived in creating chaos his student was apparently better at deflecting it off him than he first appeared.

"Your tea is going to get cold, Dino-san," Tsuna prompted when no one said anything after a few minutes. He took another cookie from the bowl in the middle of the table and bit into it casually as he leveled a rather serious look at the people sitting across from him. "But something is on your mind?" He asks turning not to Dino like it first seemed but to Reborn himself.

Reborn frowns. "You said good instincts. Elaborate." He presses but both of his students, past and present can hear the unsaid command.

Tsuna tilts his head and turns to his daemons. His mouth opens but there no sound—he's likely commanding his daemons. But he still doesn't immediately answer Reborn and its annoying.

There are few people who would even dare ignore him, but he knows better than to lash out at his student and frowns instead. To his left, he sees Tsubird nuzzled Dino one more time before flying off to land on Tsuna's shoulder. It was a show of support Reborn couldn't overlook, especially because Natsu followed less than a minute later. Both tensed and regarded Reborn like he was an enemy as they took their places across the table directly in front of Reborn. Any warmth that had been there only minutes before was gone replaced with distrust and anger, and yet Tsuna just sits there sipping his tea.

The disharmony between the two aspects of Tsuna is mind-bending, but instead of focusing on the one aspect that he still can't understand, he turns to his current student waiting for answers.

"I just do." He said reaching out to both of his daemons, patting them casually. Likely trying to comfort them, though why he was trying to comfort his daemons rather than the other way was curious. Daemons were a person's true nature, and most everything they did was a reflection of the person's soul that spawned them. Tsuna was acting like they were separate beings from him, distinct with all their own mannerisms and feelings. It was an odd reaction. Perhaps it was a cultural difference? It was hard to tell.

Reborn wasn't friendly enough with anyone from the Japanese Yakuza to get a general read on what was socially common in Japan, and considering even Iemitsu as his best source hadn't been to Japan in years, he was lacking information on what was commonly accepted and what wasn't socially. Parts of Tsuna's attitude could be a result of his native upbringing but there was so much he didn't know about his student that it was difficult to see what was nature and what was problematic. In Italy, a reaction like that meant therapy. In Japan, it could be common. He was left to guess. Until he managed to get Tsuna to trust him, he wouldn't know for sure.

And then Nana called them down to dinner, and the moment was lost.

XXxxxxXX

"So did you managed to get along?" Nana asks them as they enter the kitchen and start taking their seats at the table.

Tsuna smiles again, mysteriously. Reborn starts to wonder if perhaps that's Tsuna's default expression, perhaps like Fon hiding his emotions behind a smile instead of a sleeve.

"Dino-nii was very kind," He tells her, taking the plates from her hands and starting to serve everyone. Neither Reborn or Dino miss the change of honorific but let it pass. If upstairs was any indication Tsuna only said what he wanted, regardless of what anyone demanded.

Setting the plates out, Tsuna moved around the table adding food here and there, seemingly at random. Apparently, this was something of a routine because Nana takes a seat at the far right of the table and doesn't argue with him.

"Natsu and Tsubird really like Dino-nii," Tsuna tells her as he pours some more espresso into Reborn's tiny cup.

Nana brights up so much at the statement, Reborn can nearly see the flowers that spring to life. Her own daemon is apparently just as proud because it hops off her shoulder and starts rubbing up against Tsuna's cheek, lovingly.

"Oh, that is so wonderful Tsu-kun!" She smiles and then turns to Dino. She pauses for a second, surprised before smiling again. Reborn figures she noticed the rather odd patch of green on Dino's shoulder.

"Your daemon is so cute, Dino-kun." She says changing tracks from whatever she had been going to say.

Dino blinks himself, having entirely forgotten the presence of his own daemon in the aftermath of Tsuna's. He turns to his right shoulder. "This is Enzo, he's a Sicilian pond turtle." He says beaming and looks back to Enzo petting him.

"A good daemon," Tsuna says, finally taking his own seat. He starts to separate some food into some smaller plates, presumably to feed his own daemons.  "I think it matches you."

Dino and Romario blink at the odd comment. Of course, the daemon matches Dino, its Dino's daemon. It wouldn't make sense otherwise if it didn't match him.

Reborn, on the other hand, frowns. That was a rather odd comment for his student to make.

What exactly is he trying to say?

Tsuna pauses in his motions and looking at the trio he must have seen something in their expressions because he starts to elaborate. "I'm not sure how much you know about the Daemonic Theory and Symbolism...? "

He waits for the trio to reply.

Romario shakes his head, and Reborn stays nothing.

Daemonic Theory and symbolism was a complicated, delicate, and exhaustive science that was used to explain the differences in character traits among Daemons and how it linked to personality, but it was an esoteric field that not many people went into to, mostly because it required a level of memorization that was left to dedicated scholars. Reborn himself only had a passing awareness of the science, knowing only very general things about Daemons and how it related to families. It helped his awareness and his study of people for work but not much more. His time was limited and it was probably the same with both Romario and Dino.

"Not much, I admit,"  Dino tells Tsuna, interrupting Reborn's thoughts. Dino rubs his head rather sheepishly, unknowingly answering for the group.

Tsuna nods but doesn't look surprised. "Turtles are known for their determination, endurance, and longevity. A person with a turtle daemon is a survivor, often as a result of overcoming a great challenge. A person with a turtle daemon is stability and protection for those around them." He pushes the small plates of food to his daemons and looks up to met Dino's eyes. "I think it's a good match, don't you think?"

"I think so too," Nana added in. "After all, he's your new brother, right?"

Tsuna nods and both of the Sawada's dig into the food, like Tsuna, did nothing special.

While across the table Dino is bright red. Next, to him, Romario is still in shock. Neither having seen that piece of information coming or the fact Tsuna himself would know about his particular daemon. Did his instincts forewarn him or did he know it naturally? Dino couldn't even begin to guess, but Reborn might. Glancing to his right, Reborn looks especially intrigued, and Dino tries not to shiver at the thought.

An interested Reborn was never a good thing.

He himself has only had that look directed at him two times, and both times were painful, to say the least. For Tsuna to have that same look directed at him, is scary. He wonders how exactly his new little brother will take Reborn's interest.

Reborn smirks and placing his cup of espresso on the table reaches for his chopsticks. He looks ready to eat, but his eyes are Tsuna.

He'd like to test this new found knowledge of Tsuna's.

"What about chameleons? Or Monkeys? Perhaps a centipede?" He says rapid firing questions.

Dino turns to Reborn in surprise.

In that particular combination, there's no way he isn't asking about the other Arcobaleno. Especially, because while he might not know which daemon and human combination pair Reborn is getting at with the monkey question, Dino knows centipede Daemons are incredibly rare. Lal Mich is the only mafioso that he knows high up enough in the mafia for Reborn to know and interact with so it's probably not much of a stretch to guess that Reborn likely means the Storm Arcobaleno as the daemon monkey pair, as the other possible one.

Tsuna slowly blinks at the questions, but answers regardless. "Centipede daemons are born of great difficulty, they face problems often in romance or socially. They are tough, sneaky, and constantly on the move. To have a centipede daemon as a partner is to be hardworking, stubborn and reach for greater heights. They are hard to know but the greatest supports... and monkeys." He hums for a second. "That's a little more difficult."

"Really? In what way?" Reborn said looking curious.

Tsuna looks to him meeting his stare dead on. "Monkey daemons are characterized by their relationships. Do you want general, or something more specific? "

"Acquaintances.. would probably be most accurate." Reborn hedges, looking pensive.

Tsuna figures that's probably normal in the mafia were relationships and bonds of trust are hard to come by. Criminality, let alone social criminality really isn't something he knows a lot of, even considering his recent studies under Reborn. For all he knows the relationship is complicated, Tsuna doesn't know, but thinking about what he knows about Reborn and what Monkey partners and their ties to life he can make a guess.

"Monkey daemons are known to be playful, they signify safety, bravery, and emotional intelligence. Among friends and family, they bond deeply but have difficulty seeing the situation from another angle. They are sensible and resourceful. Monkey daemon pairs are a source of profound wisdom if they allow themselves to move on from the past, and don't think too hard on the future." Tsuna says reaching for his tea.

He tries not to think too much on how he sounds. He had no idea that when he started learning about Daemonic Theory and Symbolism that he was signing himself up to be interrogated. Dino is looking at him like he's some sort of bomb waiting to go off, and Reborn looks incredibly evil. He knew not many people actually studied Daemonic Theory and Symbolism but this was starting to get a little ridiculous. He would have thought people in the mafia would be studying it if only to get some advantage out of being able to read other people. Yet, for some reason, Reborn seems surprised...? It a weird sensation to finally be able to read his tutor after nearly five weeks of trying and failing to get rid of the little murderer baby, but Tsuna can't really find it in himself to be too charitable considering the mess Reborn is causing him.

"And chameleon?" Reborn says inching slightly closer to his student as if to listen better.

"What about them?" Tsuna frowns and takes a large bite out of his food. What he knows about chameleons is his own business. If Reborn wants to know about his own daemon, he can go look it up. Tsuna isn't his minion.

Reborn pouts...? Or frowns?

It hard to say on such a small face, but Tsuna could care less.

"I thought you knew all about Daemonic Theory and Symbolism, Dame-Tsuna," Reborn says inching ever so close to sounding mocking.

The chopsticks break in Tsuna's hands. While on his sides his daemons start growling. Even Nana herself doesn't seem happy with how the conversation is progressing, as she frowning disapprovingly. Dino and Romario pausing in their motions, the tension starting to build. It like the two have forgotten about everyone else in the room but considering who Tsuna is picking a fight with Dino can't help but be a little awed. He'd never had the courage to talk back to Reborn as a student and yet somehow in the last few hours he's seen his little brother do that multiple times over and over again and yet nothing happened. At all.

If anyone else had tried to pull that kind of thing with Reborn in the mafia, they'd be sporting a few bullet holes, but Dino guesses that trying that same tactic on the heir of the Vongola Family is a different matter entirely. After all, his own family had some backup heirs if Dino couldn't take up the mantle. The Vongola doesn't really have that option anymore. Tsuna is all they got, and if Reborn is too rough with him, there was going to be problems. But still, the amount of pure courage Tsuna is packing is pretty impressive.

"I didn't say I knew everything," Tsuna says not even looking at Reborn anymore.

"Oh, I thought you knew...?"

"Whether I do or don't is none of your business—"

"Considering I'm your home tutor—"

"Means nothing." Tsuna hisses. His eyes are burning fury. He pushes his plate to the side and getting to his feet he lets his daemons perch on his shoulders. "You are nothing to me. I don't trust you. Ietmisu does, and maybe your boss does, but not me." He pushes his chair in, and places his plate in the sink leaves the kitchen. He almost runs up the stairs to his room, closing the door with a quick but sharp sound.

Apparently, Reborn underscored how bad his relationship with Tsuna was in his call.

Dino sighed.

Great.

XXxxxxXX

So this chapter was mainly to work through some issue plaguing Dino, Reborn and Tsuna.

Tsuna still doesn't trust Reborn at all and he has good reason to. Being near Reborn is causing him so much grief.

Reborn is still an arrogant little jerk who thinks throwing random variables at Tsuna is enough to changes things, but he's wrong. At its doing is showing him how much Tsuna and his pets hate him. Yes, Reborn is starting to notice that Tsuna is a little odd, but the extent of it is still beyond him right now, but he's starting to understand that maybe, maybe his methods aren't working.

Dino is pretty much caught in the crossfire between Tsuna and Reborn. Reborn didn't really tell him anything about his new student. He's confused and pretty much in awe of Tsuna right now.

Also, Reborn and Dino don't really know that Tsuna told Nana about the mafia, or what Tsubird's real species is. They just guess he was some random red bird.

Extra Info: Romario's daemon was pretty much ignored, but it's a Convolvulus Hawkmoth.

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Daemon’s Fate on AO3

[onceabluemoonwrites]

KHR girls: Where Canon Went Wrong

Hey guys! As a writer of fanfiction and someone who loves writing female characters, I’ve been trying to narrow down just why even the not-blatantly-sexualised female characters in KHR leave such a bad aftertaste. In canon, mind you, not fanon. I’m shocked by the magnitude of what I found, actually. It’s… So incredibly BIG.

Every time I write a KHR woman for the first time, I… Flounder, and feel lost. And they often have this bad aftertaste when reading canon material, and I wanted to know WHY so I could narrow it down and know EXACTLY what to fix in my fix-canon fics. 

The parts in italics are by @i-w-p-chan .

Buckle up, this is a long post!

Fighting

Bianchi & I-Pin both use food (more on the women & the kitchen association under Kitchen). Bianchi is one of the most dangerous assassins in the world, so that’s a pro. Sadly, it’s one of the few pros.

I-Pin has stepped out of the mafia/triads by the time she’s fifteen, as shown by her TYL version. While this is a very sensible choice and obviously what Fon wanted for her, this makes her another female character who technically stopped fighting while all the males around her kept fighting on.  Kyoko, Haru, Hana and Nana are the most featured non-mafia characters. All female, decidedly not fighters. 

Chrome should be commended for her skills- she was able to impersonate Yamamoto perfectly. That takes an enormous amount of practice and eye for details. More on Chrome: See Kitchen.

M.M. fought and was defeated by the only other girl fighting.

Bluebell. Bluebell DIDN’T participate in choice. Zakuro didn’t either, but Bluebell was the only female funeral wreath.

Yuni only wins from Byakuran by self-sacrifice in the Future Arc.

She was scared of actually dying until Gamma came over to her. so she didn’t even get to do THAT by herself.

On Pantera: She’s obviously deadly, but Longchamp keeps LAUGHING at her assassination attempts like they’re nothing!

Introductions

Kyoko and Hana’s ‘’generic conversation about a guy’’. (Chapter 1) (See me fixing this conversation here)

Nana putting Tsuna down like he has no future? This doesn’t fit with EVERYTHING we later learn about her! (Chapter 1)

Haru ends up saying she wants to MARRY Tsuna by the end of her introductory chapter.

Bianchi’s ‘’Reborn, Reborn, Reborn!’’ and just… Trying to kill Tsuna because he’s just an obstacle between her and her boyfriend? See me when I’m done screaming out of frustration for this abomination of an introduction done to a woman that should, by all means, be one of the most deadly assassins in the world.

Longchamp’s ‘’Ugly girlfriends’’. (More about this under Because All Women Care About Are Men (and Family))

Chapter 227, the first image of the real six funeral wraths! Everybody looks freakin’ terrifying EXCEPT BLUEBELL, SHE’S JUST SLEEPING??!!

Shittopi-chan. Okay. The second female member of the Simon. That’s more women than the other sets of Elements have! I’m happy with that, but I would have been happier if they hadn’t sexualised Adel so much. And while I love Shittopi and her amazing steadfast belief in herself and her great confidence and wouldn’t have her any other way, it stands out to me that well… The first thing that happens after her introduction is Gokudera calling her a U.M.A. A freaking Unidentified Mysterious Animal.  

Handled well: Adel (chapter 283), Oregano (Chapter 112, reasonable), Lal Mirch (Chapter 112), Daniela (Chapter 158), Chrome (Chapter 113- Her entrance was fabulous).

The Kitchen

There’s nothing wrong with the kitchen. That’s where the knives are, after all! *grins* But sadly, as a woman, I know more than a thing or two about ‘’women belonging in the kitchen,’’ and ‘’make me a sandwich, woman.’’

This is the shit I’m talking about: 

Kyoko & Hana: Cooking class. Only girls. Ew. No. 

Also, in the future arc Kyoko, Haru, Bianchi and even CHROME were on kitchen duty. Kyoko and Haru were “doing what they could,” as is said in canon, but with how much time Bianchi spends with them, couldn’t they have learned how to sharpen knives or something? Besides, it was vital for them to know how to protect themselves in order not to be a liability.

Pretty much, I wanted to see Kyoko and Haru do ANYTHING besides cooking and doing the laundry!

And CHROME?! Sure, she was sick, but what a mighty coincidence! The only female guardian ending up in the kitchen while the rest of them trains and powers up!

And what was especially f*** awful about the future arc was that it TRIED TO JUSTIFY it by “we are doing what we can.’’

I love the bonding moments between the girls in the future arc, BUT WHAT WAS BIANCHI DOING THERE? EVERYBODY WAS BUSY! FUUTA WAS ALMOST NEVER THERE! FUUTA IS A TOO-TALL 18-YEAR-OLD BABY WHO NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED, WHY BE YOU OUT THERE WHILE THE EXPERIENCED HITMAN IS IN THE FREAKING KITCHEN?!!

There is another thing about the girls being put on kitchen duty: you realize how many people they’ll be cooking for and cleaning after? And how many of them are growing teenagers constantly training? That’s not something any 14-year-old girl would know how to do just by virtue of being a girl.

Consider: if Kyoko ever cooked meals at home, it would be just for her parents and Ryohei and herself. That’s four. Haru is a lone child, that’s three. The situation just doesn’t make any sense! Why couldn’t they have like, had a rotating schedule for cleaning and cooking shifts alongside training? Or heck, why isn’t there any worker tasked with the kitchen duty?

Kept in the Dark

Excerpt from Bianchi’s wiki page:

’‘Bianchi again comes to the foreground as a tutor right before Choice, but this time to Chrome. They train in hand-to-hand combat, with I-Pin to help out. During the girls’ strike, she supports Haru and Kyoko’s decision to stop doing housework until the boys tell them what’s going on. However, she also tells them what the boys are most likely thinking, and convinces them to call the strike off.”

She was Gokudera’s tutor before. But Bianchi convincing them to put the strike off? That was a slap in my face, lady! They’ve got a RIGHT to be pissed off, they’re far away from home, in the middle of a war, and you keep them in the dark! They don’t know what’s going on at all! AND THIS:

“Bianchi is first briefly seen watching Reborn worriedly when he awoke from his dream, and later seen again observing while Nana is angered at Tsuna for badmouthing Iemitsu, his father. Later, she was seen carrying an unconscious Nana who fainted after being hit by Iemitsu’s blood while wondering why Nana had to go through such an ordeal. She then requests that they make it so that when Nana wakes up, she will think it was a dream.”

Nana- seemingly obvious, has an overseas husband, “airheaded”? My God. No. Not to mention what the freakin’ anime did with her. All expressions GONE like that! Lal’s place as one of the strongest seven in the world was stolen by Colonello, no matter how well-meant it was.

Sexualization

Adel’s ZIPPER.

Iris Hepburn seduced a couple of scientists to do what she wanted- not manipulated, they say she “charmed and seduced”. Ugh. 

Also, not truly sexualized, but definitely need to be noted: Bluebell’s nudity (See Young girls, old men, nudity and being creeped on) and that one scene in the anime (I can’t quite recall if it was in the manga too) in which Gamma remembers Aria.

How? Oh, just, you know, him crawling through her open window shirtless, and her sitting up in bed, clutching the bedding to her obviously naked front while aiming a gun at him.

Also, what is it with Chrome and being attacked by tentacles? First Mammon with the tentacle illusion, then Glo Xinia!

Also, the nude shots of the girls in some very pin-up girl poses in the bathroom scene of the Future Arc (chapter 237) were horrible!

Young girls, old men, nudity and being creeped on

The KHR thing with young girls just… *shiver* For a show about fourteen-year-old kids, there are a LOT of creepers.

Chrome is the biggest victim of it, though sadly, not the only one. Glo Xinia made me so f*** uncomfortable- honestly, he was creeping on Chrome too. The Simon arc and Chrome with Daemon sends my skin crawling every time.

Also, the Byakuran hypnotizing Yuni? Yeah. Older guy controlling younger girl, the whole thing giving you the creeps? Chrome and Daemon, anyone?

Also, you remember Bluebell’s introduction? When she was climbing out of the water and one of the other Funeral Wreaths (I don’t remember which one) telling her something about proper lady manners or something along those lines? 

On Bluebell: I checked (chapter 239) and not only does Zakuro comment on her flat chest! Bluebell gets angry at him in a rather childish manner, but when she calls out Kikyo to defend her, he goes: “Zakuro’s just lashing out because he’s jealous of how cute you are.”

Zakuro: “Not likely.”

And then KIKYO SAYS: “Now, Bluebell, you are a girl, so how about you stop spreading your legs in that unsightly manner?”

And Bluebell’s only reaction to this is to close her legs (she was naked, but if she’s already naked in their vicinity, then what? It’s obviously normal for her? Not to mention that’s she’s naked during her INTRODUCTION SCENE?

And the weird thing is, while I’m happy they do treat her like a child, she’s fifteen! They make comments about her chest! And the “treating her like a child” thing is mostly not seeing her as a woman from Kikyo’s standpoint- aka, she’s not sexualized entirely.

It just f*** me up because they still make comments that are really sexist and could be seen as sexualization- not to mention that it’s that kind of freaking patriarchy superior bullshit that KEEPS her from growing up! My gosh) and complaining more about Zakuro!

Also, was it just me or were the Gamma and Yuni overtones rather romantic? Because they felt like it. And Yuni’s what? Fourteen? Thirteen? Fifteen if we’re pushing it? That’s ANOTHER young girl and an older man.

Yeeppppp. from A-Z from their ‘I feel about you the same way my mother did’ (which??? is big ?????????) until Yuni sacrifices herself.

Disease and Disability

Sick characters? Injuries, disease and mental illnesses not caused by battle wounds? Here’s a list:

Yamamoto (broken arm, depression)

Gokudera (trauma)

Hibari (though technically Sakura kura was administered by a weapon too)

Tsuna (skull disease- caused, once again, by weapons- the dying will bullets)

Ryohei (ADHD heavily implied)

Byakuran (What’s happening in his head? I don’t know, but it certainly wasn’t good for his mental health)

Chrome (no organs, repeatedly a problem when Mukuro does not come to the rescue)

Bluebell (parental abuse through neglect, paralyzed legs and trauma from seeing the car accident that ended her brother’s life)

 Luce, Aria, Yuni (Arcobaleno curse, results in early death)

 Lal Mirch (the only Arcobaleno visibly seen suffering the effects of Byakuran’s anti-Arcobaleno gass or whatever it was)

Lavina (fatal disease).

I love representation of disease and disability if done right, but looking at the list and the topic of this post, I’d say my point has been made. Also, an interesting observation: While the men do seem to deal with mental illnesses, the rest seem to be solely resting on the shoulders of the women.

Because All Women Care About Are Men (and Family)

Bianchi’s few star moments were mostly dominated by statements about love and her ex-boyfriend- though the future arc had her being AWESOME!

Akiko Irie- Shoichi’s sister. Wanna know what her wiki article says? This is under “History” :

“Not much is known about her but it is known that she has a boyfriend.”

Because that’s obviously all we need to know! Don’t even get me STARTED on Longchamp’s girlfriends- 'cause that’s their role! Girlfriend only! (Not to mention the “oh he falls for ugly girls,” thing. Like, seriously?)

Elena is near perfect- great ideals, hints at layered character- but even she is in the end almost solely remembered for the fact that she was Daemon’s wife/lover. She was clearly a vital member of the Primo generation, yet no guardian and completely forgotten because nobody recognized her? Tsuna must have been vetted extensively on the past bosses and their family as the Vonogola heir, yet he didn’t recognize her or had any idea about her existence.

Magi- the Simon child in the last Cozart memory in the Simon arc- Cozart stated that he and Giotto believed that Magi’s descendants would someday be able to laugh together with the Vongola descendants.  He and Giotto talked about this? Why not their own descendants (besides the fact that Cozart is obviously gay for Giotto, but that’s never confirmed)? Why think about Magi’s descendants? She’s a child! Once again: are you going to start this early with “that’s the only thing we need to know about this female side character”? 

Major pet peeve: MM being pitted against female characters. I still loathe the MM-Chrome interaction in the future arc where she slaps Chrome with all of my being.

YES! Like, the only interaction we’ve seen from MM is her swooning over Mukuro, her fighting Bianchi, her threatening and/or slapping Chrome OVER MUKURO and her complaining to Fran about him pronouncing her name wrong.

M.M.’s wiki entry personality summary: 

‘’She cares a lot about fashion and money, and prefers to date rich men. M.M. can be blunt and has a short temper. Despite this, she does have a caring side. She clearly has an interest in music.’’

Curse of the Rainbow arc? Oh, she’s there! But what a surprise- Levi’s interested in her and she’s all like: I’ll go on a date with you, but you’ll have to pay me for it!

Levi: The price is too high! 

There’s nothing wrong with hookers, it’s an honest profession, but as far as we know M.M. isn’t one!

Adel’s canon relationship with Julie. While Julie’s appearances have been mostly Daemon in disguise and therefore not actually good source material, the way she was reduced to a blushy mess, losing all composure suddenly over him… It felt like they took away a part of her.

Adel should be the one to have people being reduced into blushy messes and composure-losses over her. 

Chrome is subject to Mukuro’s whims. For the clearest example: Mukuro’s behaviour in the future arc. However, this eventually does lead to Chrome learning to stand in her own power in the Inheritance Arc. However, on the Inheritance arc: Chrome is the one abducted. Chrome is the one creeped on by Daemon.

There are things that I have a bone to pick with, the first one that pops into my head is how the girls are just there to cook and clean in the future arc. and then the part when the girls are in the bath and they see the wound Chrome has from training, I don’t remember the exact wording of the dialogue at that moment, but I remember that it made me want to punch something.

I found the accompanying scene:

Mochida treating Kyoko like a freaking prize and Kyoko never getting to punch him for it.

The list is endless.

Saviors

Kyoko gets rescued by Tsuna from Mochida. TYL!Kyoko gets rescued by Tsuna!

Haru is saved from drowning by Tsuna!

Chrome is constantly being saved by Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa. Her very life depends on this. Next to her organs, see Glo Xinia and many other instances.

This list would be VERY long if I went after every single instance in the manga.

Character Development

Where is my female character development? 'Cause I’m only seeing it in Bianchi, Chrome, Adel and Shittopi!

Conclusion

The Cervello are one of the few where little is to be said about. Daniela is the only non-villain(like appearance) besides Mami. Mami, who is one of the only female side characters that’s actually handled well. She’s believable, she’s the traumatic nightmare haunting Enma.

Oregano is also handled reasonably well (though I have to say, people, PLEASE stop making her the woman Iemitsu cheats on Nana within fanfiction). Sepira is good!

But the rest? The headlines in this post speak for themselves.

What I need, my friends, is for Operation: KHR Fix It Female to start Right. Now.

If I’m wrong on any of these points, guys, please tell me, because I’d LOVE to be wrong! To quote @i-w-p-chan: I need my fucking war axe.

[lighteningdancer]

Dangerous

Link to AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12279192

Summary: If only all first meetings were perfect.

Warnings: Off screen death and saddness??

The first time Skull met another Cloud he was confused. Okay, so confused may not be the right choice to describe it really, maybe he was more perplexed? The word choice here really isn't the most important thing; all that matters is that for a moment even he was stunned to complete silence.

He had heard of course how other Clouds were said to act. Most were cold and aloof, highly territorial and very volatile. Their minds could not be changed and their actions could rarely, if ever, be controlled. They were to be hoarded if found or, if found by someone weaker than then they were, left alone at all costs.

This meant there were very few active Clouds.

If they were found and restricted most tended to rebel until they met a tragic end, either by their own hands, their supposed ‘Family’s’ hands or an outside source who had heard of them due to said family’s bragging of having a Cloud. Killing themselves is perhaps the most tragic way to go out of the three options, after all the Cloud has already been chained and restricted to resort to such a measure, and to die would just be horrendous. Skull also finds the idea of dying because of the other reasons horrifying as well. Clouds that are killed by their Family's inability to not brag is heartbreaking at the very least and not something that can be taken lightly. The most heinous however is a Family killing off their Cloud, simply because they will not listen without the right Sky or because the had become no longer 'tame'. Most Clouds Skull had ever heard of had met their end in one of these three manners.

Those who could not, or would not, be ‘tamed’ for even a short time due to a variety of outside factors were another story. Their territory may to be too big for them to handle and so they died of overreaching and spending too much energy protecting what is theirs. In this scenario they usually die bone tired in battle. Or other times the territory they have is overpopulated and there are much stronger people there who don't want or need a Cloud getting in their way. In this case as well the Cloud in question also dies in battle. Lastly for unrestricted Clouds there is one more way to die free, and that is dying protecting their territory from invaders or those who wish to chain them down. These are the Clouds who go out in a final blaze of glory, their purple flames lighting the sky for all to see.

So in most, if not all cases, Clouds die in battle protecting their right to be free and to have a choice. Which is why Skull was so shocked the first time he sees a Cloud other than himself.

It was before the curse, before everything changed and shifted and became to wrong for words , while he was on a mission with Fon. The mission was simple in nature, pretend to be invited to a party, have Skull make a distraction, and then Fon would kill the boss of the Paladino family who was running a child sex ring. Which, by the way, was the only reason Skull was okay with the whole killing people thing.

If Skull hadn't been scanning the room to see what would make the most efficient distraction, a.k.a what would make the most mess if he started fucking it up, he may have never seen the other man standing alone against one of the walls.

The man was most likely just a bit shorter than Reborn but his strength was displayed the same. The same lean muscles and dangerous glint in his eyes that seemed to warn anyone away at just a single well timed glance. The other Clouds hands seemed to glint in the light of the ballroom and after a moment Skull realized the other was wearing brass knuckles. Skull knew he was staring but he couldn't help himself, for the first time in his life he was meeting someone with the same flame as himself. Where Skull wanted to be the center of attention at all times, because really he's just awesome and everyone should see him and adore him, the other Cloud almost seemed like he was trying to become the wallpaper. But like deadly wallpaper. Skull wanted to be in constant motion, always moving in and out of people's line of sight , but the other young man looked like you would have to pry him away from the wall to mingle and you would most likely get maimed trying.

Then cold eyes met his as Skull felt in his soul something akin to looking into a mirror for the first time, something he knew so well was staring back at him but backwards and almost broken in every sense of the word.

Some people state that there are two kinds of flames; classic and inverted, though those never seemed right to the young immortal stuntman. There was nothing inverted about his flame at all.

The word invert is literally defined as: to reverse in position, order, direction, or relationship.

None of that replies to his relationship with his flames. See “inverted” and “original” flames still do the same thing . The only thing that is different is how flame users are taught or forced to use them. Any single Cloud out in the world could use their flames to heal themselves by multiplying their cells, and Skull could at any time use his flames to make multiples of physical objects. It's their lives that lead them becoming more skilled at each type of flame usage. For example: Skull broke his bones a lot but never really got into fights, so his Cloud flames prioritized healing over protection. Reborn’s Sun flames became more prone to attack rather than healing for the opposite reason, but all flame users can both heal, attack or defend with their flames if needed.

And every single flame user has the same relationship with their flames, it's their life force, their reason for being, and an extension of themselves more than any other thing in their life. There is no way to invert that unless they want to literally will themselves into dying.

So do “inverted” and “classical” work as terms in Skulls mind? Well, yes, but only so much as saying a chicken is a duck in that they are both words, which means not really. Instead he likes to categorize the flames as such:

Defensive: flames used primarily to defend oneself or others.

Offensive: flames used primarily to attack threats to oneself or others.

Healing: flames used primarily to keep oneself or others alive.

Now how a Cloud, or other flame user's personality, varies due to how flame users utilize their flames this Skull is still unsure. Far too many people see a flame user mainly use one type of flame harnessing skill and then immediately start making assumptions about them. If this starts early enough in their life they may mold themselves to meet this standard. There is also the fact that a lot of these ways of presenting flames come from different lifestyles and backgrounds, which also affect a person's personality. So if there is a causation and effect relationship going on between flames and personalities Skull can not say for certain. This is what he gets, he guesses, for not growing up in the Mafia.

What he can say though is that the Cloud across from him felt wrong , and it wasn’t just because they had different ways of using their flames . It was like licking an ice cream cone that's the color of Vanilla but tastes like literal actual dirt. Or going to watch your favorite show only to realize all of the actors are suddenly speaking Mandarin and you don't know the language and there are no subtitles. Or getting to your favorite boss in a video game only to find out all the controls are backwards and suddenly you're playing the villain and have to fight the character you just were.

He was just about to go over and do something when suddenly Fon was at his side, his eyebrows lowered in concern.

“What's wrong with him?” Skull almost shrieked before Fon could even ask, gesturing at the Cloud who had begun scanning another part of the room. So at the very least the other didn't see the disrespect and start attacking out of fucking principle.

“Ah, you mean the Paladino's Cloud?” Fon asked his worried look not leaving his face.

“No! The Great Skull means the plant next to him, yes I mean the Cloud!” He replied, not bothering to lower his voice in the slightest.

“There are some rumors about him that are less than pleasant to say the least. It’d be best not to dwell on it.”

“No, Fon, I have to know why he feels so wrong . It’s like he’s broken. If you don't tell me we both know how this is going to end” The purple haired man fought back.

Sighing Fon didn't even try to fight Skull before he answered this time, it wouldn't have done any good anyway. Once Skull had something he wanted to talk about he wouldn't let go until he got answers, which Fon knew as well as almost anyone.

“Well, there are rumors that he is forcing a discord with his own Sky to gain his freedom. Of course this is all speculation and nothing is certain, but that feeling you describe is certainly one that people associate with a discord. As we are here to kill his Sky though it’s not like it matters, the bond will be severed soon enough.” Fon replied trying his hardest not to let his own voice become tainted with emotions.

Discord was not something spoken of lightly. It was the killer waiting under a wedding bed, or the shadow that moves just a bit faster than the thing causing it. It was a taboo vile subject that was left more to nightmares than reality, and one of the few ways Skull knew a Cloud could become free once trapped.

One of the few ways a desperate drowning man would try to fling himself out the the depths to reach freedom.

Looking away from Fon and back at the other Cloud Skull wanted to rage. He longed to let his flames so used to saving start destroying. The building burning to the ground would not be enough to quell the rage that was brewing in the man who had never wanted to bathe his hands in a drop of blood. Just the thought of such destruction would normally turn him to a quivering mess, but instead he found himself quivering in anticipation.

Clouds were rare enough to begin with, and one forming a bond with a Sky is one in a million odds. That a Sky would break their Cloud to the point where they would force a discord of all things to gain their freedom is disgusting! A Sky is supposed to protect their elements, a Sky is supposed to let the Cloud roam free yet give them a home to return to.

Taking a deep breath Skull locked eyes with the other Cloud and whispered under his breath to Fon four simple words before he lunged forward ready to attack.

“I have your distraction.”

A battle with flame users is always a magnificent sight, and a battle between two of the same flame can be stunning. A showdown between two Clouds however is a rare event, something many had never seen or would never seen again, and was therefore awe inducing. Something that no one in their right mind would tear their eyes away from .

To say Skull didn't know what he was doing would be an understatement. All he knew is that soon the bond between this other Cloud and his Sky would be broken, something that ruined many guardians whether they wanted the bond broken or not. At the very worst the other Cloud would be catatonic, their flames would go dormant and resist them, or they would end up dead. In the best case their flames would become volatile and possibly even uncontrollable until they found another Sky. If they ever found another Sky. Before that happened just once Skull wanted to see the fire of life in this Cloud's eyes.

Skull’s fist did not impact the other’s face, but he never expected it to, Skull wasn’t made for brute force and overwhelming his opponents with his sheer strength. What he excelled at is what he was currently doing, being distracting. Which is why the other Cloud never noticed Skulls other fist heading right towards his solar plexus. The impact shocked the other Cloud enough that Skull thought for a brief fleeting moment that he saw something in his eyes and then it was gone in an instant.

But the fight still continued.

Each hit that Skull suffered made his body sing a duet of agony and joy. Obviously being hit by flame strengthened brass knuckles was painful as all hell but the damage was quickly healed by his own flames. Flames that were begging to be used and set free on the world around him and to run through his veins as surely as his blood. Skull wanted to give in and just let his flames rage merely to see if maybe that would finally bring a reaction out of his opponent, but he held them in if only because they were literally keeping his bones from being pulverised.

Eventually the other Cloud backed Skull into a corner, which is exactly where the other wanted him, as they had made it all the way across the ballroom and surely everyone's eyes would be on them.

“And now the Great Skull will end you!” Which that’s was Fon’s que to ‘cut off the head’ as you will. And Skulls last chance to get a rise out of the other Cloud if he was ever going to get one.

Skull was finally able to let his flames loose and prove why he was one of the Strongest Seven, knowing full well that in moments he would not have any more punches to withstand with the other’s Sky gone from the world. The whole room seemed to take on a purple hue from Skull’s perspective, every pore of his skin had flames pouring out of them and never before or again would he say it but he was thankful for Reborn being kindly forced by Luce to make all of them flame resistant suits. The result being that his flames could manifest in a way that they rarely got the chance to, encasing him in a barrier that felt like every time he had ever ‘come back to life’ but better, while still being fully clothed.

He heard the gasps but only as an afterthought as he was more focused on something else, the man in front of him whose hands were still posed to strike. Skulls flames reached out to him in a way that they had only ever done to one other person and they began to practically beg the other.

‘Come and play with me.’

‘Join Me.’

‘Don’t you remember what it was like?’

‘Real Clouds are never chained, we are always free.’

‘Join Me.’

‘I want to see how brightly you burn.’

‘Join Me.’

‘Hurry! There isn’t much time left!’

‘Join Me.’

‘Join Me.’

‘Join Me!’

Skull was probably only reaching out for a small moment but it felt like an eternity before the other reacted and his eyes finally came alive. As if he couldn’t control himself even if he wanted to the other Cloud released his flames to intertwine with Skulls and they joined together in a symphony that is impossible to describe in words other than joyous. What else could he do other than join in, really, when one of the Strongest Sevens flames were calling?

But Skull could not keep his eyes away from the other’s, this is what he had been waiting for since he saw the other Cloud. To see the sense of freedom singing behind his brown eyes, to catch the flashes of unbridled joy and to know that the other remembered what it was like to be a Cloud.

What it was like to be free.

Clouds are the rarest flame type, but they are also the only type that when they let loose, really and truly let their flames be free.

And then the moment shattered when the others eyes suddenly went dull and his flame seemed to sink into him as if it had never been there at all. The young man looked like he was about to pass out and Skull was about to reach forward to help him somehow when the screaming started. And Skull knew that he should leave, he really did, but he couldn’t bring his feet to move.

He just watched a young man’s, a young Cloud’s, flames refuse to answer his call. They were no longer the other’s to control, instead they had gone dormant forever at their Sky’s death, leaving a broken young man behind. A man who from the looks of it was in shock, simply staring at his hands as tears welled in his eyes but would not fall.

He had just help steal a Cloud’s freedom.

The next thing Skull remembers of that night will forever be Fon speaking to him in hushed tones as the mansion they were in burns behind them. There are no more screams of terror or empty eyes begging for a warmth that won’t come.

And Skull?

Skull felt empty.

No more rage, just… emptiness.  

“Fon?” Skull asked surprised somehow about how scratchy his throat is and how hard it is to get that single word out.

“You did nothing wrong Skull. You set him free, you set all of that corrupted Sky’s guardians free.” Fon replied trying to sound comforting, but it had the opposite effect on the Cloud. Suddenly Skull is retching on the ground and Fon has to jump to not be caught in the crossfire.

“Death isn’t freedom!”

“Not to you, and not to me, but to a bound Cloud? This is what he would have wanted.”

Skull doubts that after seeing the other's eyes, at the joy and life that was in them when their flames came as close to a Harmony between two flames of the same type as possible. And it was at this point that though Skull had already become attached to the other Cloud he realized he had never learned the other’s name or heard him say an actual word, and that he never would.

On the lawn before the building burning with his flames was not the place for this though. No Skull could mourn for days, or weeks if he wished, once he got home in the presence of the other flames under his Sky. He could cry for hours and hours, and be called a crybaby by everyone forever, but he couldn’t and wouldn’t do it here anymore.

Not in the place where he had found and lost his first ever Cloud sibling by his own hand.

“Now that’s enough of that! On to the next adventure for the Great Skull and his lackey!” Skull said slipping on a mask of joy as he wobbled to his feet, hoping beyond all hope it looked more real than it felt.

Not believing a word, but not willing to have the other have a breakdown Fon slowly stood as well. “Lackey? Perhaps I should tell Reborn of this?”

“Ah! Well! Maybe Reborn shouldn’t know about me calling you a L-word!” Skull said waving his hands back and forth frantically.

“You mean... Lackey?”

“Fon!”

As they walked away Skull refused to look back no matter how much he wanted to. He could not look at the place where a whole Sky of elements had fallen at least in part to his own rage. After all a Cloud can only be as free as they allow themselves to be, and freedom is all Skull had ever wanted for him and everyone he loved.

He is sure, on this at least, the other Cloud would have agreed.