Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sweat has dripped and dried on her skin, and there is a deep ache through her whole being, yet Sawada Nana smiles. She beams, really, peering at the tiny, swaddled bundle in her arms. “My little Tsu-kun,” she croons.

One of the nurses reaches over and pulls back the blankets a bit to show her Tsu-kun’s heart. Right over it sprouts a badger painted in brilliant shades of orange. Nana gasps. The colors are so bright, and the fur almost looks like it flickers like fire as she watches. “Oh, such a strong soul you have, my dear Tsunayoshi,” she bubbles.

The nurses and doctors agree and assure her her child is special.

“Your papa will be so excited,” Nana tells her little Tsu-kun.

(Iemitsu is three days late, just in time to take them home from the hospital. He doesn’t ask about Tsuna’s soulmark, and Nana is too tired to remember to tell him.)

Chapter Text

Tsuna wants to see the bird. It is pretty and flies away as he crawls closer. Tsuna frowns at it and sticks out his lower lip. He looks around for mama. He can hear her humming just inside the open door. She peers out at him every couple of minutes, safely tucked in their fenced backyard. She gives him a wave when she sees him looking.

Tsuna frowns at her, too. Can’t she see he needs help catching the bird? Well, if mama won’t do it, Tsuna is going to get the bird himself. He wants it to tell him how the world looks from the sky. He wants to convince it to come back and tell him more later, once it’s seen more of the world.

Crawling is too slow, to catch the bird, so Tsuna grabs the low rock wall that borders the patio. He maneuvers his feet beneath him. One hand still on the stone, he takes a step towards the bird. Then, he releases the stone and takes another step, and another. He’s off-balance but quicker than he was crawling. The bird is still faster. Tsuna scowls. He just wants it to tell him about the world outside the wall.

Nana gasps behind him and Tsuna turns to blink at her.

“Tsu-kun, you got a soulmark!” Nana rushes to him and peppers him with kisses. “And you’ve learned to walk, what a clever little Tsuna!”

Tsuna giggles as she peppers him with kisses. She shows him pictures later, of the pearlescent purple skylark swooping down upon some unknown prey. It covers his entire back. It does not make Tsuna feel warm and full like his own mark, but occasionally feels like a cool summer breeze brushing over his skin.

“Such a pretty bird,” Nana says.

“No, he’s scary,” Tsuna says with equal determination. “Like a wolf.”

Nana laughs. “A perfect match for our little honey badger then,” she says, and returns to the housework.

(She doesn’t look close enough to notice the razor sharp talons or the piercing beak, but Tsuna knew without checking that this bird wasn’t, would never be, prey.)

Chapter Text

The toy in the bin won’t fit out through the bars around it. Tsuna frowns, contemplating the problem. He reaches through with one tiny fist and tries to shift the toy onto its side, so it will squeeze through better.

“Oh? Where are your parents, little one?” a deep voice asks.

Tsuna looks up at a man. His face smiles, gentle and kind. Looking around, Tsuna is startled to see that his mama is no longer trying to decide between pull-up brands. “Mama’s getting stuff,” Tsuna says, and turns back to his predicament.

The man leans over, pulling out the toy and offering it to Tsuna. “Come along, let’s find your mama,” he says, still smiling.

A nearby young woman with a swollen belly says, “What a nice man,” to the friend shopping with her.

This man is NOT nice, Tsuna decides with every ounce of his two-year-old fervor. He just has a nice face. It’s the first time Tsuna has met someone whose outside is so different from the inside. Liar, liar, he hears like a chuckle.

(A serpent in indigo so dark it is nearly black, with one red eye, curls into an ‘s’ shape behind his ear.)

The man reaches to pick him up.

Tsuna screams. “NO!” he shouts, ducking around the back of the toy bin.

The man sighs, every inch the world-weary fellow helping a grumpy toddler. “Now, now, let the nice man help you,” someone nearby chides.

“NO!” Tsuna screams. “HE is NOT NICE!”

“Tsu-kun!”

Tsuna darts around behind his mother.

“Tsu-kun, you shouldn’t wander off like that!” his mama says.

“That man is bad,” Tsuna says.

Nana smiles at him. “Oh, he was just trying to help,” she says.

Why won’t she listen, Tsuna wonders. He looks at all the other shoppers. Why won’t any of them?

(A serpent in indigo so pale it is nearly silver wraps a reverse ‘s’ around the first serpent, each devouring the other’s tail in an infinite loop. This serpent’s eye is empty.)

It takes a few days for Nana to notice the new marks, hidden in Tsuna’s hairline and behind his left ear, and then a new picture promptly joins the one of the wings on his back, both tucked into the edge of Tsuna’s mirror.

Over the years, Tsuna will notice the eyes switch places, sometimes. He is also convinced, regardless of his mother’s confusion, that the snakes are two marks, not one, and he never mixes up the indigo serpent with his echoing voice (Liar, liar, he hisses) and the silver snake with her husky hope (Listen, listen, she pleads).

Chapter Text

One of the girls at Tsuna’s preschool, Kyoko-chan, said her brother climbed all the way to the top of the tree outside the window, just because he could. Tsuna looked at the very big old tree, eyes wide. “All the way up there?” he asked.

“All the way,” Kyoko agreed.

Tsuna wanted to try. He bet he could see the whole world from up there. He wanted to practice first, so his classmates wouldn’t laugh. So when Tsuna got home, he went out in the backyard and looked up and up into the branches of the tree in the backyard.

Tsuna set his jaw. He was going to climb the tree, and it was going to be… be… extremely awesome. So cool all the other kids would be impressed, and his mama would coo and pepper him with kisses again.

Hoisting himself up to the first branch of the tree was really hard. Tsuna fell three times, but it wasn’t far enough to hurt. When he finally got up onto the branch, he beamed.

Reaching up for the next branch, he paused. From his knuckles to his wrist, his whole right hand was wrapped in bright yellow bandages. Tsuna ran his fingers over the mark. Smooth skin met his touch.

“Mama, mama!” He hollered, “Mama!”

Nana rushed out, only to panic as she saw her child in the tree. “Tsu-kun, how did you get up there?” she asked, running over.

“Mama, look!” Tsuna held up his hand, beaming.

“Oh, my!” Nana said. She reached up and carefully plucked him out of the tree. “Another mark, how lucky, Tsu-kun! Come inside and we’ll take a picture.”

Tsuna obligingly let her carry him inside and set him on the kitchen counter. Nana retrieved the camera from the drawer next to him and Tsuna held out his hand. Nana snapped a few pictures, then set the camera down.

“Tsu-kun,” she said. “Have you noticed that some of your classmates always wear gloves, or long sleeves?”

Tsuna nodded. “Haruna-sensei always wears a scarf,” he said.

Nana nodded. “Now, Tsuna, you know and I know that soulmarks are precious blessings,” she said. Tsuna nodded. “But some people get very jealous, because others have more soulmarks than them. They can be very mean.”

Tsuna frowned. “Jealous?”

“It means they wish they had more soulmarks, and are sad someone else has more,” Nana said.

“Oh, okay.”

“Some people hide their marks all the time,” Nana said. “It’s more mysterious and romantic that way! And then, no one gets jealous!”

“But they’re so pretty,” Tsuna complained.

“They are,” Nana agreed. She held out her hand, gently loosening the thick watch she always wore from her wrist. On the inner wrist, right at her pulse, rested a tiny brown bird with indigo eyes. “This is mama’s soulmark - it’s a killdeer bird. I keep it hidden, so only my soulmate knows about it. It’s our little secret!”

Tsuna’s eyes went round. “Cool,” he said.

“Your other marks are always hidden, by your hair and when you wear a shirt,” Nana said. “So it hasn’t come up. But now, you’ll get to have a special glove of your own to hide this one.”

Tsuna frowned. He still didn’t really want to hide the pretty yellow wrappings, but if mama said so, it must be important. “Can it have badgers?” Tsuna asked.

Nana smiled. “We’ll get a plain one from the store tomorrow, and I’ll make one with badgers for later,” she promised.

Tsuna beamed.

(Nana’s heart ached. Her boy was so very special with his four marks all so brightly colored, but she knew they would likely bring him pain before they brought him joy.)

“Mama, my new mark glows!” Tsuna informed her when she put him to bed.

Chapter Text

Tsuna ignores the two weird men in his house as they coo over him. Instead, he looks at his mama. “Who are these?” he asks.

The blonde one chokes on his own horror.

“This is your papa, Iemitsu,” Nana says, ignoring her husband’s discomfort. “That’s his boss, Timoteo-san.”

“Hello,” Tsuna says. He is curious about this blonde-haired man that helped make him, but the weather today is clear and sunny and his yellow mark is tingling. “Can I go play, mama?”

“Just in the yard, Tsu-kun.”

“Okay!” Tsuna heads towards the backyard. He wants to climb the tree again. He’s almost managed to get all the way to the top the last couple of times, though Tsuna still sometimes needs help climbing down. Mama took him to a place made for climbing and rolling around last time he climbed the tree. She called it the ‘gymnastics.’ Tsuna loved it. He always felt so warm when he was climbing and getting close to the sky and the birds.

Today, though, Tsuna ties to climb higher than ever before. The branches closer to the top are too thin, too new to hold him, and he is surprised by the snapping sound one makes as he tries to step on it. So surprised, he forgets to be scared as he tumbles from the tree with a small yelp of surprise. As he falls, he feels his badger burn, burn even as the wings on his back flutter against his skin, and then the heat spreads through his hands and against his forehead. Tsuna is falling slowly.

He settles lightly onto the grass. He looks at his hands, and they are on fire, flickering with orange flame like the badger on his chest.

“Are you alright, Tsunayoshi-kun?” asks a kind voice.

He looks up at the old man. He nods. “I’m okay!” he says. Behind Timoteo his papa is standing frozen, eyes on the flames fading from Tsuna’s hands.

“Look,” Timoteo says. He holds up a finger filled with flame like Tsuna’s, only cold. His face is kind.

Liar, liar, his serpent whispers.

Tsuna isn’t fast enough on small legs to move away as Timoteo presses the finger to Tsuna’s forehead. It burns, burns with cold, freezes Tsuna down to his bones. Tsuna’s badger heats and heats and heats, but the warmth all gets caught in the spot the badger rests on Tsuna’s chest. Tsuna is cold. He’s cold, and he feels like he’s off-balance, like he’s wearing his shoes wrong in his very soul.

Something is missing. Something is lost. It’s lost, and Tsuna doesn’t know how to get it back, doesn’t even know if he can.

His short sleeve shirt makes it easy to spot the rivulets of water climbing from the crook of his left elbow and wrapping around his whole arm all the way to his collarbone. The way they flicker with brilliant blue light makes it look like the water is moving, streaming towards his heart to try and sooth it.

Tsuna turns betrayed eyes on Iemitsu. His dad stood there and did nothing. His papa let this man steal a part of his very being, let him hurt Tsuna, and still his papa says nothing. His papa doesn’t care, does he?

The explosion painted in crimson climbing from the crook of his right elbow rages up and around Tsuna’s whole arm until it hits Tsuna’s collarbone, and Tsuna can smell the explosion, like the fireworks at the festivals. It is angry and biting, trying to eat the cold that is consuming Tsuna. (It is a long time before he notices flickers of blue, purple, yellow, and green nestled among the red, red, red.)

Tsuna wishes his papa cared. Wishes his papa cared about him, and his mama, and would keep them safe instead of bringing this cold creature with a smiling face into their house.

Bright green lighting dances across his left hand, tingling, numbing his fingers to try and stop the onset of the cold. It spreads across his knuckles like the yellow across his right hand.

Tsuna scrabbles at his shirt, pulls it up to see icy chains burying his pretty badger, trapping it away. He is cold, so cold he is shivering.

“There there,” the old man soothes. “It will be alright.”

Liar, liar, the indigo serpent hisses. “You,” Tsuna says. “Give the warmth back! GIVE IT BACK!” Listen, listen, the silver snake pleads.

Timoteo looks startled.

Nana swoops in and scoops him up and away. “Ah,” she says. “It seems it’s Tsuna’s naptime! And I must say, I have a bit of a headache. Perhaps you should visit later?”

Tsuna buries his face in her neck, lets his tears soak in.

“Of course, Nana,” Timoteo says.

(Like the Killdeer in her soul, Nana fakes a headache, fakes naptime, fakes smiles, fakes it fakes it fakes it, until the predator is lured away from her nest.)

(Unlike the Killdeer, Nana has no wings to fly away.)

Chapter Text

Hibari Kyoya is born with a pearlescent purple skylark that covers his entire back. His mother is pleased to see her bloodline so firmly present in her son, the pride of the royal purple. His father is proud of the power displayed in the bird’s sharp talons and beak. Both are delighted by the pearlescence marking him as special.

Kyoya learns to walk early, learns to open doors and unlock baby gates with astonishing speed. More pride from his parents. He speaks late, and little. They are not bothered.

At age two, Kyoya finds a beautiful pen leaking ink like blood on his right side. When Kyoya is three, a badger in oranges paints itself over his heart. Its fur flickers like fire, and it warms Kyoya even on the coldest nights.

“What is this?” he demands.

“It is your soulmate’s mark,” his father answers. He tells Kyoya of soulmates, of people with fates tied so closely together they are marked with it.

“It is the badger,” his mother replies. She explains that badgers are creatures that look harmless, but will fight off lions to defend their setts. Omnivores, she tells him.

Kyoya thinks for a while. “Better than an herbivore,” he decides. “Why is it warm?”

His mother and father share a glance, and together they explain about the seven flames of the sky. How the orange of the sky flame is home to those who seek harmony within its reaches.

“Then my sky will be the biggest one,” Kyoya says, and goes to meet his uncle in the courtyard for tonfa practice.

By the time Kyoya is 7, his parents are rarely home. They are not there the afternoon chains of ice form over the badger and make him cold. They get back very late, both busy with work (His father, trying to find a killer; his mother, demanding payment for hiding one). Kyoya is waiting.

“Kyoya,” his father says harshly. “You should be in bed.”

Kyoya lifts his shirt, and points at the cold mark over his chest.

His parents’ faces morph into snarls. They tell him of sealing a sky, of how it will break his mate’s soul and devour Kyoya’s mate’s will and life until the mate is only a fraction of himself.

“Can the chains be broken?”

His parents nod.

“Then I will break them,” Kyoya said. “And then I will find who did this and bite them to death.”

His parents, as ever, are proud. Not that he cares. (He has a chained omnivore to find and free. This changes things.)

Mukuro is born with a serpent twisted into his hairline. He doesn’t know until he is older, when scientists find it and sigh that their subject isn’t as unique as expected. They grow more delighted when they realize the intertwined silver snake is a separate mark, not the same one. When the orange badger flames into existence on Mukuro’s chest, the grim pleasure extends.

When the badger ices over, Mukuro loses the only warmth he’s ever known. He starts to plan his escape.

After all, he has to get revenge on whoever stole the warmth from him.

(When the family that takes him in agree before he even asks, he decides to give them a chance. This changes things.)

Nagi is born with a silver snake behind her ear. Her parents shrug. Could be worse. Could be better. As she grows, she's average in school, joins the track team and does okay as an endurance runner. She blends in with the crowd. Her parents shrug, and forget her.

They never notice the indigo serpent hissing in her ear (liar, liar) or the warm badger nestled over her heart, or the glowing bandages on her knuckles.

They never notice when she starts to wear sweaters, even in the hottest weather. (They never notice that she starts wandering the streets alone, looking for a badger and learning to pick locks, making friends with thieves and pickpockets. This changes things.)

Ryohei is born with a soulmark that glows. His parents notice, but they are too tired to be very excited. Their new baby has more energy than both of them put together, and it just gets crazier as he learns to crawl, then walk, then climb under, over, or on anything he can get to. They love him and tell him so, but he has always outpaced them.

They tell him when an elegant war fan opens across his shoulder blades. He shows them when an orange badger forms right over his heart, tells them it is warm. Shows them again when the tiny silver snake appears behind his left ear, hidden. Tells them the two marks belong to his other brother and sister. His parents are surprised by how specific he is, but pleased. He has been a good brother to Kyoko, and will be a good one to his soulmates, if that is how they are bonded.

Ryohei knows he terrifies his parents, the day his teacher calls and has them pick him up from school. He is crying, and his badger mark is cold and crisscrossed by chains made of ice. The doctors can give no explanation, and Ryohei just cries, because his soulmate is trapped and frozen and he can do nothing.

(He takes up boxing because someday he will punch whoever has done this to them, in the face. This changes things.)

Takeshi is born with water pouring up his left arm that the nurses try to dry several times before they realize it is his mark. They have to point it out to his mother and father, all surprised by such a large, realistic-looking mark. Takeshi’s parents see the blue flickering through it and exchange a look, and a nod.

Takeshi’s is angry with the sword, angry with baseball, angry with his friends and the world when he gets his first mark. His mother is in the hospital and his father is too quiet and it isn’t fair, and with a slash of his sword a crimson explosion smelling of fireworks climbs up his right arm to brush his collarbone exactly opposite his own cool water. His father is panicked for a moment, believing Takeshi cut himself, but soon calms. Tsuyoshi chuckles. “Seems your soulmate will be a bit explosive,” he says.

The orange badger appears the day of his mother’s funeral, when Takeshi is cold with loss and grief, and it warms him from the inside out. When he shows his father, Tsuyoshi’s eyes close in grief for a long moment, knowing what orange brings. Then, Tsuyoshi smiles, and says, “I am glad you have a comforting soulmate to balance your explosion.”

It is not much later that the orange mark burns and turns into something like ice.

“Takeshi,” his father says, “let me tell you of flames.”

(Takeshi’s love of the sword comes young, for the sake of calming a tempest and unchaining a sky. This changes things.)

Hayato is born with an explosion of crimson on his right arm. No one notices the flickers of other colors buried beneath all that red. The doctors panic until they figure out its his mark, not blood from himself or Lavina. They have never had a tempest so strong in the Family, and his father is proud. Proud, and ashamed, because this child is born to a mistress. Bianchi is too young to understand it yet, and just stares at her little brother with confusion, wondering why he doesn’t have a perfect little cake with indigo decorations on his hip.

Hayato doesn’t get his first mark until he is nearly five, when he hears some maids talking and finally understands. He is a smart child, and one word about ‘the bastard child’ and the pianist mother (recently deceased), and Hayato knows. An orange badger with flame-like fur sprouts over his heart even as rivulets of water flickering with blue fire slip up his left arm. He basks in the soothing rain, and in the warmth of the sky, knows what it means. Seconds later, icy chains sprout into being, as if on a delay, and Hayato’s horrified shriek draws the maid in charge of making sure he has food, and water, and other necessities. Hayato is quick to hide the mark. He knows what it means, and he is not going to let it stand.

Years later, he is playing in the pool when one of the Vongola drop by. He sees the way Iemitsu’s eyes drop to his chest and stick there, widening at the sight of the chained badger. Hayato marches up and demands, with the rage of a tempest, “Where is my sky?!” Iemitsu answers softly, almost unthinkingly. Japan, where his mother was born.

(Hayato knows his sky needs him, knows where to find him, and knows Shamal will help if Hayato threatens to go alone. This changes things.)

When he is older, Lambo will find gyoza buns in a bowl decorated with red and yellow roses resting right above his belly button - but Lambo is born with lightning bursting over his left fist, practically sparking already. Three days later, an orange badger in splintering ice chains fades onto his heart. The Bovinos are not prepared for such a strong lightning, let alone one always screaming from the cold. Lambo just wants to zap the chains until they shatter.

(This changes things.)

Chapter Text

“Mom?” Tsuna asks, even as he tugs off his rumpled sweater.

Nana’s eyes stay on her cooking. “Hm?”

Tsuna shifts and bites his lip. He wonders if he should ask his question. “Mom,” he says again. “Mom, when will I meet my marked?”

Nana looks up. Her eyes widen, and Tsuna winces. “Tsuna-kun! What happened?”

“I fell out of the tree again,” Tsuna says. The words are bitter on his tongue. He can remember climbing trees like a squirrel when he was only four. Now he can’t even manage stairs. The cold numbs him to his bones.

Nana sets her cooking aside and gets out the first aid kit. Sitting Tsuna on a chair in the kitchen, she begins treating his scratches, hands hovering over his bruises.

“So?” Tsuna asked.

“Oh. Well, no one knows when they’ll meet their marked,” Nana replies. “We don’t get a timer with them, unfortunately.”

“Is papa your marked?”

Nana’s hands still.

Tsuna shakes his head. “Nevermind, I shouldn’t ask,” he says. He desperately wants to know. Hopes against hope that his supposed father isn’t her marked.

“No,” Nana says at last. “I haven’t met my marked yet.”

Tsuna’s shoulders droop. “So I might have to wait until I’m a grown-up?” he asks. His voice trembles, and he sighs inside. His mother has been very perceptive since the old man stole Tsuna’s fire. He thinks she is angry at his father and his father’s boss, but it’s hard to tell, with how much she smiles. Even his serpent isn’t sure sometimes.

“Tsuna?”

He sniffs. “The - the kids at school,” he says. “They say my soulmates won’t want me, because I’m useless.” He stares at the ground. He believes them. After all, he’s just useless, no-good-Tsuna. One of the teachers even called him that today. He tries, tries and tries to do better at his homework, and at sports, but the piece of him that made him good at it is missing.

“You are not useless,” Nana snarls.

Tsuna looks up at her in shock - he has never heard Nana so viciously angry before. He sees her take a deep breath.

“You’re not useless,” Nana says again. “And of course your soulmates will want you. You’re my Tsunayoshi! How could they not want you?”

Tsuna doesn’t really believe her.

Nana sighs, and pulls him in close, hugs him tight. “You are going to be the best of them all,” she says.

Tsuna cries into her shoulder. He doesn’t tell her only some of the bruises are from his fall from the tree. He doesn’t mention his lunch was stolen (again). He just leans into her, and for a moment, it’s almost like he’s warm.

(Tsuna knows his own uselessness isn’t his fault, is because of a man with cold fire at his fingertips. This changes things.)

(This changes things a lot.)

Chapter Text

“You’re wrong,” Tsuna growls. “I’m not useless! I’m not!”

Mochida glowers at him, his cronies laughing. “Your own soulmates won’t want you. You’re just no-good!”

Tsuna flinches, but balls up his fists and glowered at the much larger boy. “At least I’m not a stupid bully,” he growls.

Tsuna sees the fist coming. He should be able to block it, but the cold seeping into his muscles slows his reactions. Numbs his movement. He’s resigned as he drops from the fist to his gut, trying to catch his breath. It’s hardly the first time Tsuna’s had the wind knocked out of him.

“I know,” Mochida says. “Let’s see just what kind of useless marks useless Tsuna’s useless soulmates gave him.”

Tsuna whitens with rage. “My soulmates are not useless,” he squeaks, sucking in air.

Mochida and his friends snicker. Once grabs the bottom of Tsuna’s sweaters - he’s wearing three, despite the approach of summer - and pulls, as another steps on one of Tsuna’s hands to keep him on the ground. Tsuna wriggles, trying to get them to let go. Mochida grabs the other hand, trying to force Tsuna’s fist to uncurl so he could pull the offending fabric away.

The one pulling up Tsuna’s sweater laughs. “It’s just some dumb purple bird!”

“It’s even shiny,” another crowed.

Tsuna’s eyes are feeling with tears despite his best efforts. “It’s not a dumb bird!” he manages to yell. “It’s dangerous!”

They’re too stupid to notice the sharp claws and talons on the bird. They’re also too stupid to notice the figure rounding the corner.

“Dangerous?” Mochida scoffed, finally getting Tsuna’s hands flat and gripping the base of the glove. He spots green as he begins to tug. “It’s a bird. And what’s this hand, grass?”

His friends don’t answer. Tsuna looks up, trying to figure out why. He sees Mochida whiten as he looks at something over Tsuna’s shoulder.

Then, Tsuna hears a voice he’s normally terrified of directed at Mochida’s group.

“For tormenting my soulmate, I’ll bite you all to death,” growls The Hibari Kyoya.

One of the group (the smartest one, Tsuna assumes) bolts, booking it in the opposite direction of Hibari Kyoya. The rest look from him to Tsuna in astonishment.

“Your soulmate?” Mochida says, in complete disbelief. “Dame-Tsuna is your soulmate?”

Tsuna, though Hibari-senpai is behind him, swears he can feel the usual glare intensify. That’s the moment the rest think to try and run, but it is far too late. They are all down and groaning in pain by the time Tsuna manages to pull his sweaters straight and stumble to his feet, wide eyes on Hibari-senpai’s back. Hibari turns and marches straight towards him.

“Omnivore,” Hibari growls.

“M - me?” Tsuna asks, resisting the urge to take a step backwards.

Hibari eyes him, then nods abruptly and grabs Tsuna’s wrist. Tsuna, braced for pain, is surprised to find that Hibari’s touch - though insistent - doesn’t hurt. It almost feels…

Tsuna grabs him and clings, breath shuddering through him. “Warm,” he chokes. “You’re warm, warm like what they stole from me -” and he buries his face into Hibari’s side.

Hibari doesn’t react for a moment, and Tsuna wonders if he’s about to be bitten to death. Instead, one hand pats him on the head. “You’re still fighting it, good,” Hibari says. “Come.”

Tsuna isn’t crazy enough to protest, let alone mention that they still have half a day of school left. Instead, he lets Hibari grab his wrist again, and follows where the purple skylark leads. Hibari tugs him away from the school ground.

“Hibari-senpai?” Tsuna asks, bewildered.

“Kyoya,” Hibari corrects. “What is it?”

“Ah… Kyoya-senpai, where are we going?”

“To see mother.”

Tsuna blinks.

“She knows how to unseal the flames.”

“Flames?”

Kyoya blinks and frowns. “Mother can explain,” he says.

Tsuna gets the feeling Kyoya had some sort of daily word quota, and that the older boy has gone over on it. Instead of asking all the questions running through his head, he just says, “I’ll have to borrow your phone to tell my mama where I went.”

“Hn.”

Tsuna follows quietly after that, trying his best not to trip or stumble. He’s managing pretty well, staying on his feet even when he stubs his toe on a crack in the sidewalk.

“Clumsy,” Kyoya comments.

Tsuna drops his eyes to his feet. “It’s not my fault,” he grumbles.

“It isn’t,” Kyoya agrees.

Tsuna’s eyes widen. His soulmate agrees with him. Glancing up at Kyoya, he is surprised to see the other boy absently rub the hand not locked around Tsuna’s wrist against his chest like it pains him. Kyoya knows. “Oh no,” Tsuna says. “I don’t want you to be cold, too.”

Kyoya sniffs. “As if I need worry from an omnivore like you,” he scolds.

Eventually, they reach the Hibari grounds, and the long drive up to the main house. A guard at the gate jumps to attention as they approach. “Welcome home, young master!” he greets. His eyes drift to Tsuna.

“Is mother home?” Kyoya demands.

“In the dojo, young master.”

Kyoya tugs Tsuna along behind him. It’s another ten minutes on a curving stone path around the back of the main house before they reach the traditional dojo. As they step into the entry, Kyoya turns to Tsuna and puts a finger to his lips. Tsuna nods, and leans down, unlacing his shoes. When he looks up, his soulmate watches with approving eyes, offering a pair of slippers. Tsuna accepts and puts them on. Kyoya then leads him down a short hallway, which opens into a large single room. He points at a few cushions on the floor against one wall, and Tsuna neatly places himself on one, moving carefully. He slips a little on the floor, but again manages to catch himself. It’s a surprise to Tsuna, considering his usual luck.

“Don’t you have school?” Kyoya’s mother asks. Tsuna looks at her. She has long, long inky hair in a low, tight braid. She hasn’t turned, and Tsuna wonders how she knows her son is there.

“Yes. Unimportant.”

“Kyoya.” Now the woman turns. She has a slender face and muscled arms, a fan in one hand that Tsuna eyes warily. That beautiful embellishment is dangerous, he thinks. “I thought we agreed you would continue to attend school. Who is this?”

Tsuna blinks and ducks his head when her eyes fall on him. “Sorry for intruding,” he mumbles.

“This is my badger,” Kyoya says.

His mother nods. “Ah, now I see. I will meet you in the tea room shortly.”

Kyoya nods and goes to the door to switch back to his shoes. Tsuna scrambles to his feet and follows immediately. He nearly faceplants on his way down the stairs, but Kyoya catches him.

As they enter the traditional abode with its paper doors, Tsuna feels his nerves climb. Paper doors and Tsuna don’t get along well. Kyoya leads him to a room with a low table at the center of the room and cushions for kneeling.

“Haruki-san,” Kyoya says clearly.

“Yes, young master?” a calm voice draws Tsuna’s eyes to the side, where another paper door slides open. A neatly-dressed man kneels there.

“Tea, if you please. And a phone.”

The man bows, and slides the door shut again. Tsuna feels more out of place than ever. This is all too fancy for him, in his three layers of sweater. Kyoya takes a seat seiza-style at a low table in the center of the room. Tsuna sits next to him, as close as he dares. He can practically feel the warmth coming off of the older boy. It isn’t long before the man returns. He quickly pours tea, places a phone beside the pot, and leaves again.

Tsuna warily eyes the fine ceramic cup and decides to take his chances with the phone first.

“Hello?” Nana answers.

“Hey, mom.”

“Tsu-kun! Aren’t you at school?”

“No, I met one of my soulmates, and he took me to his house.”

“A soulmate! A soulmate already, oh, Tsu-kun! Who is it?”

“My… the skylark,” he said. “And it’s Hibari Kyoya-senpai.”

“Do you want me to come?”

Tsuna glances at Kyoya, who nods. “Yes, please.”

“What’s the address?”

Kyoya motions for the phone. Tsuna give it to him, and Kyoya gives his address clearly, wasting no extra words, and immediately gives the phone back to Tsuna. “I’ll be there soon,” Tsuna’s mother promises.

Tsuna sets the phone down, and carefully picks up the tea. It wobbles in his fingers. He takes a sip and sets it down again. Expectedly, it tips and spills. At least, Tsuna thinks, he didn’t break the cup. He stares at it, eyes resigned, and looks at Kyoya. “I’m sorry,” he says. “If you have a towel, I can -”

“Haruki-san,” Kyoya says, and in an instant Haruki-san is there, easily cleaning the small mess and offering a slight bow.

Tsuna bites his lip, and doesn’t even try for the newly refilled cup.

“Are you beaten so easily?” a female voice from the doorway says.

Tsuna lowers his eyes. “If I fight to drink it without spilling or breaking the cup, then later I won’t have the energy to fight the stairs, and one is more deadly than the other,” he says. Glancing up through his bangs, he can see that Kyoya’s mother’s expression is almost stricken for a moment, before it again settles into a serene blankness.

“Sawada-san will be arriving soon,” Kyoya informs his mother.

Sure enough, only a few minutes later, a bubbly and excited Nana arrives at the door, delighted to find her son sitting with such a handsome boy and his mother. “Sorry for intruding!” Nana says, joining them. “I am Sawada Nana, and I am delighted to meet you!”

Tsuna bites back a laugh at the way both Hibaris almost wince at her exuberance. He knows Nana notices too, because he can see her begin to gentle her excitement, letting it roil back until it bubbles behind her actions, instead of leaking out through all of them.

“Hibari Hoshimi,” Kyoya’s mother says. “And my son, Kyoya. It is good to meet you. My husband, Hideki, is at work.”

“My husband Iemitsu, as well,” Nana says. Her voice is noticeably cooler on her husband’s name, and Tsuna shifts uncomfortably.

They all sip their tea in silence for a few moments.

“Are you aware of the seven flames of the sky?” Hoshimi asks.

Tsuna and Nana shake their heads.

Hoshimi explains the flames, mentions that for the most part they are a sign of status and power in the underworld. Yakuza, mafia, triads, gangs. Then she explains what it means to seal a flame. For most, it would just leave them feeling a bit off, she says, but anyone with a very strong flame would find they didn’t fit in their own skin properly. Most would consider death a mercy in comparison. For a sky it is even worse, especially a sky that has yet to find its elements. After all, a sky is meant to have the power and capacity to support all of them, as they each contribute to supporting the sky.

Tsuna is relieved to finally have an explanation for the burning cold that fills him. He glances at his mother, and freezes, edging slightly away from her. He knows that when his mother is smiling that sweetly, she is nothing short of enraged. Tsuna also sees that Hoshimi and Kyoya approve.

“Is that why I always know things?” Tsuna asks.

“What do you know?” Hoshimi asks.

“I know when people feel strong emotions,” Tsuna says. “And I know when there will be bullies around the next corner, or when someone… well, usually me, is about to get hurt.”

“It could be how your flame is,” Hoshimi agrees. “I have heard of some with the trait.”

“Well,” Nana says. “It certainly explains - well, the glowing, and the smoke smell.”

“What?” Kyoya asks.

“Oh,” Tsuna says. “I have a soulmark in each of those colors. And some of them are… well. Weird. Yours is the biggest.”

Kyoya seems pleased by that.

“So… how do we fix it?” Tsuna asks.

Hishomi smiles. “You find your elements,” she says. “And learn to use the flames. That will take time - I will arrange a tutor. Your element’s flames will be able to chip away at the ice. In particular, tempest will be useful. It’s property is disintegration.”

Tsuna’s face falls a bit. “So I have to find them,” he says.

“Why don’t you two go out to the gardens?” Hoshimi suggests.

Kyoya stands, and Tsuna scrambles to follow him. Once they reach a secluded corner of the very large gardens on the Hibari estate, Kyoya pushes Tsuna lightly onto a bench. “Show me,” he demands.

Tsuna shucks his gloves, revealing the yellow and green. Then his sweaters, set on the bench beside him, showing the red, blue, orange, and purple. Finally, he tugs back his hair to show the pair of snakes.

Kyoya nods. “I have a pen, also,” he tells Tsuna. “It is Kusakabe’s.”

Tsuna has heard of the other boy. Kyoya could destroy the world, the other kids whispered. And Kusakabe would make sure Kyoya got away with it. “I’m glad you have him,” Tsuna says. “Or you’d be in jail and we’d never have met.”

Kyoya smacks the back of his head. “As if jail would hold me,” he scoffs.

Tsuna rubs the back of his head, wincing. “Right, sorry,” he says.

They sit quietly in the garden for two hours. Kyoya dozes against Tsuna, like Tsuna is some sort of fluffy pillow. Tsuna reads manga on his phone. Slowly. Tsuna comes to a realization. If Kyoya is a bird, Tsuna is like the wind. Where the bird goes doesn’t matter, because it will always return to the sky that gives it freedom, and if the bird can’t, the sky will always be there to find it.

He likes his imperfect metaphor, but decides not to voice it. He doesn’t think Kyoya would like the idea that he might ever need help from Tsuna.

“You’re a cloud,” Tsuna decides.

“Yes,” Kyoya says.

Nana collects Tsuna to return home soon after, banked anger still in her eyes. That night, the few photos of Iemitsu that were still in the house disappear.

Chapter Text

Most of Tsuna’s bullies back off the moment word gets around that he is The Hibari Kyoya’s soulmate. Only the stupidest ones try anything. Kyoya retaliates, and soon even the most determined bully is unwilling to face his wrath just to bother Tsuna. They still mock and laugh and call him useless, but Tsuna, free of bruises for the first time all year, doesn’t care.

Tsuna finds that he always knows when Kyoya is nearby. He can tell, because he will suddenly be able to catch himself when he trips and avoid falls that normally would leave him with bloody knees. One day, he climbs a tree Kyoya is sitting in, and he doesn’t fall out of it, only slipping twice. Tsuna cries silently, wiping tears of relief away, and Kyoya politely pretends not to notice.

The words and numbers in his homework still swim dizzyingly on the page, making absolutely no sense, so instead of trying to muscle through it, Tsuna goes out after school. He goes to all the hot spots where his classmates like to play and visit, and often sits on the bench outside the nearest convenience store when he gets tired. Tsuna watches people walk by, trying to find the other pieces of his soul. So far, he has no luck. His usual crippling anxiety over his grades and the bullies and his own general uselessness shifts. Now he worries perpetually that he’ll never find his soulmates. That he’ll be crippled forever, never worthy of any of them. Will they even want him? He searches harder, when he can push past his internal panic.

(Hibari is looking too, mostly for the tempest. Tsuna finds out when he hears some beat-up teens complaining about their ripped off right sleeves.)

The spring passes with no progress on the soulmate front, and eventually summer vacation arrives. Nana meets Tsuna at the door the last day of classes, as usual. “Made it through another year,” she sighs, smiling.

“Survival matters more than grades,” Tsuna nods.

“Well, this deserves a celebration!”

Tsuna looks at her.

“You found a soulmate, and you survived! Let’s go out for dinner. You can invite Hibari-kun!”

“I think I just want to go with you,” Tsuna says. “And Kyoya-senpai is, ah, busy today.” Getting an early start on taking over Namimori Middle, now that he was no long in elementary school.

“Just us then!” Nana beams. “What do you want to eat?”

Tsuna shrugs.

“Well, how about we go to that place… the one we always say we should try. Over by the market.”

“TakeSushi?”

“That’s it!” Nana claps her hands together.

“Okay, mama,” Tsuna says. Nana hugs him tight, then runs to grab her purse and put on her shoes. Tsuna sets his bag just inside the door. He’ll put it away when they get back. He double-checks his pocket for his keys, then waits for Nana. She doesn’t take long to return and slip into her shoes, and then they head out the door.

Warm evening air slips over Tsuna’s face. He revels in it. If he wasn’t perpetually cold, he would take off his sweaters and sink into the summer sun and warmth. Then again, if he was warm inside, maybe he wouldn’t enjoy the heat outside so much. For now, he just enjoys the walk. Nana hums a bit walking with him.

When they arrive, a boy Tsuna’s age greets them. “Hello! I am Yamamoto Takeshi, and I will be your server tonight!” he chirps.

Tsuna thinks Takeshi seems nice. He serves them with a disarming smile, and recommends Tsuna’s favorite sushi of the night. After spotting the sushi chef working behind the bar, Tsuna realized Takeshi must be the man’s son. The whole room feels relaxed and peaceful, even when a group of delinquents come in and watch avidly as the man slices fish with precision.

“I like this restaurant,” Tsuna tells Nana when they leave.

“Me, too,” she says. “It’s such a nice atmosphere!”

They return four more times over the break. Takeshi is always just as friendly, even when Tsuna spills water, which happens almost every time they go to TakeSushi. Tsuna makes sure to apologize, even though Takeshi waves it away.

When the school year begins again, Tsuna thinks he is ready for it. He thinks he is prepared to face it, and deal with the bullies that are sure to be back, since Hibari is in middle school and Tsuna is still in elementary. Tsuna arrives early, before any of the other students. He isn’t prepared for Takeshi to be in his class.

Now Takeshi will hear all about dame-Tsuna. How useless he is, and how stupid, and how bad at sports, and how clumsy and dumb and useless. And then Takeshi will start ignoring him, like all the other nice kids do, while the mean kids ‘teach him his place.’ Tsuna isn’t really ready for that to happen. He’d started to hope maybe he could be friends with Takeshi. There they are though, Tsuna frozen in his desk in the back corner of the room as a Takeshi comes in the door. Tsuna shrinks in his seat, wishing he could turn invisible.

“Ah, Sawada-kun! Hey!”

“Hi, Yamamoto-kun.”

“We’re in the same class! Isn’t this great? I didn’t even realize you went to this elementary.”

“I do.”

“This year is going to be great!”

Tsuna smiles, unable to help it in the face of Takeshi’s happiness at seeing him. It doesn’t even seem faked like half of Takeshi’s smiles are (Tsuna can always tell). “I’m not very good at school,” Tsuna says, “But I’m glad we’re in the same class.”

Takeshi’s eyes seem to sharpen.

“Hello, Yamamoto-kun!” Kyoko says.

Takeshi turns to greet her. “Hello, Sasagawa-chan,” he says. “How was your break?”

Tsuna turns away from their conversation, settling into his desk and fidgeting with his pencil. He has all his books, a fresh notebook, and three pencils. His desk is a fresh one - it’s not covered in mean names and spilled ink yet. Several more students trickle in. Many know Takeshi, and greet him happily. The others are happy to meet the smiling new member of the class. Several ask him to sit with them.

“No, thank you,” Takeshi says. “I’m going to sit with Sawada-kun.”

A hush. Tsuna sighs inside. Here it comes.

“You’re going to sit,” one of his worst bullies says, “with useless-Tsuna?”

Takeshi smiles. “That’s not nice,” he says. “Who are you?”

“Adachi Kensuke.”

“Well, bully-Kensuke, yes I am.”

Their classmates all suck in a breath.

“But it’s bad luck,” someone whispered.

“He gets zeroes on all his tests,” another contributed.

“And he can’t even walk on a flat surface without falling over!”

As their classmates tell Takeshi about all the reasons Tsuna is useless, Tsuna curls around his desk like he can become a part of it. That might be nice, he thinks. Then he would just sit there all day, and have a defined purpose. Of course, he’d probably fail as a desk too. He’d be wobbly or something.

“Well, maybe,” he hears Takeshi say, “but Tsuna’s still nicer than all of you, and I only want nice friends, so I’m sitting here.”

It takes Tsuna several minutes of staring (along with most of his class) to comprehend that Takeshi had sat right next to him.

“It’s - it’s fine, Yamamoto-kun,” Tsuna says.

“No, it’s not,” Takeshi replies. “You’re the nicest person who ever comes to our restaurant, and you always try really hard at everything you do, and Hibari-senpai called you an omnivore when he came with you and Sawada-san that one time.”

The rest of the class takes a collective step back at that.

Tsuna flushes. “Oh. Okay,” he says. The teacher walks in then, and the rest of the class scramble to take their seats. Tsuna is surprised when Sasagawa-chan and Kurokawa-chan sit in front of he and Takeshi. Relief floods through him. The two girls would probably mostly ignore him, unlike when Mochida sat behind Tsuna the previous year.

Tsuna thinks Takeshi will eventually fall in with the rest of the class, either ignoring Tsuna or hating him. Two months pass, though, and Takeshi shows no sign of it. Instead, Takeshi always greets Tsuna in the morning. They often eat lunch together, even on the occasions when Kyoya-senpai comes to check on Tsuna and make sure the elementary school is still following his rules. And except when he has baseball club, Takeshi walks part of the way home with Tsuna before splitting off to head towards his own house.

Despite being generally useless, Tsuna is actually pretty observant. He notices how some of the other students start to avoid Takeshi. Some of the meaner ones start to call him crazy or stupid. Takeshi doesn’t have lunch with him one day, and Tsuna knows Takeshi is lying when he claims he forgot it. One day while they are walking home, Tsuna breaks.

“You should just stop hanging out with me,” Tsuna says dully. “They’d leave you alone then.”

“What?” Takeshi stops, startled.

“If - if you stop being friends with me, they won’t be mean to you,” Tsuna says, staring at the ground. “Wouldn’t that be better?”

“Do - do you not want to be friends with me?” Takeshi sounds heartbroken.

“NO! No, I do, it’s just - wouldn’t that be easier? I’m not worth all the bullies, or, or stolen lunches.”

“Tsuna-kun.”

Tsuna looks up. Takeshi has never called him that before.

“If they can’t see that you’re nice, and try so hard, then they are the ones who aren’t worth being friends with,” Takeshi says.

Tsuna stares at him. Takeshi digs through his pockets and pulls out a small package of tissues. Tsuna blinks at it, then touches his face. He’s crying. “Why?” he asks, even as he takes the tissues and swipes at his eyes, embarrassed. “Why are you so… so…”

“I know, my magnificence is hard to take sometimes,” Takeshi says, faux-sympathetically. “It’s okay.”

And Tsuna is laughing, laughing like he hasn’t laughed since he was four and someone stole away part of his soul. “Do you want to come have a sleepover on Saturday?” Tsuna asks when he can breathe again. “I’ve never had one before.”

“I’ll ask dad,” Takeshi says, and he slings an arm over Tsuna’s shoulders like it belongs there.

Tsuna can barely contain himself during school on Saturday. Next to him, Takeshi is just as distracted. They keep exchanging glances and giggling. Tsuna knows Takeshi has a bag packed downstairs with a change of clothes and snacks, and he knows that Nana is so excited that the quantity of desserts available is likely to have quadrupled over the course of the day.

When the end of the day arrives, Tsuna and Takeshi are the first ones out the door. Tsuna falls down the stairs for the first time since he met Kyoya.

Takeshi is there in an instant. “Are you okay, Tsunayoshi-kun?”

Tsuna waves it away. “I’ve had way worse! This is no problem!”

Takeshi winces. “You’re bleeding!”

“Just skinned my knees,” Tsuna says, examining the small tears in his pants. “Let’s go!”

Though he still looks worried, Takeshi nods and follows Tsuna to their lockers. Tsuna freezes in front of them. Someone has scrawled “Useless freak” across Tsuna’s locker. Worse, someone used a Sharpie to write “Crazy” across Takeshi’s. Takeshi acts like he doesn’t notice the writing, opening his locker quickly, but Tsuna can tell that Takeshi’s smile is fake again.

“Sorry, Takeshi-kun,” he mumbles.

“Why? This is going to be great!”

Tsuna lets it go, gathering his things and shutting the locker door. When he and Takeshi turn to go, he is surprised to see Hibari standing in the doorway. In front of him, lugging buckets, are two terrified-looking girls from their class.

“Oh! Hi, Kyoya-senpai!” Tsuna greets happily.

“Hello, Hibari-senpai,” Takeshi says.

“Hello, omnivore, sheep,” Kyoya says.

“We’re having a sleepover tonight. Do you want to come?” Tsuna asks.

“Maybe,” Kyoya says. “I have to discipline these herbivores for vandalizing school property first.”

Takeshi smiles. It’s not a nice smile, Tsuna decides. He can tell Kyoya sees it, too. As they leave, Kyoya reaches out and smacks Takeshi lightly on the back of the head. “Stop acting like a sheep, little wolf,” Kyoya says. Takeshi’s eyes go wide, and Tsuna can’t help but giggle at his expression.

“Tsunayoshi-kun, Hibari-senpai thinks I’m a wolf,” Takeshi breathes. His wide eyes and the slight flush on his face shine.

“That’s so cool,” Tsuna agrees.

When they reach Tsuna’s street, Tsuna starts drooling. He can smell Nana’s homemade chocolate chip cookies. Glancing to the side, he sees that Takeshi is in a similar state. “Come on,” Tsuna says, and races to his house, Takeshi at his side. Sure enough, Nana has cookies cooling. As Tsuna and Takeshi turn pleading eyes her way, she laughs.

“You may each have one,” Nana says. “And then another after dinner.”

The cookies are delicious and they tell her so. Nana thanks them and tells them to go play while she works on getting dinner ready.

“Shouldn’t we help?” Takeshi asks on the way up the stairs.

Tsuna shakes his head. “I’m so clumsy, it just causes more trouble,” he says. Then he forces a smile back on his face. “Besides, this way I can show you my video games!”

Takeshi reflects his smile. “Sounds like fun.”

Takeshi sets his things in Tsuna’s room, by the bed, and they set up a futon for later. Then, they settle in to play games. They laugh and joke while they do, and open a bag of chips Takeshi brought to share. They hear a knock downstairs and bounce down the stairs to see who it is.

“Hello, Hibari-kun,” Nana says. “You’re just in time for dinner.”

“Pardon the intrusion,” Kyoya says.

“Kyoya-senpai!” Tsuna greets. “I’m glad you could come.”

“Omnivore. Fake herbivore.”

“Hello, Hibari-senpai,” Takeshi says.

Dinner is a hearty potato and meat casserole, something Nana had been wanting to try for a while. Kyoya takes seconds, and Tsuna amuses himself with a mental image of the older boy as a panther with fangs digging into the meaty dish.

“How did you meet Hibari-senpai, Tsunayoshi-kun?” Takeshi asks.

Hibari nodded in Tsuna’s direction. Tsuna smiles. “Kyoya-kun is one of my soulmates,” he says. “He saved me from a bunch of bullies.”

“Wow,” Takeshi says. “I haven’t found either of my soulmates yet.”

“Whoever it is must be amazing,” Tsuna says, trying not to be jealous of whoever could claim the other boy as a soulmate. “You’re amazing, after all.”

Takeshi blushes. “Oh, thanks,” he says. He takes a big bite of his food.

Kyoya leaves right after dinner. Nana sends a tupperware of cookies with him to share with Kusakabe. Tsuna and Takeshi return to Tsuna’s room to change into pajamas. They take turns in the restroom. Tsuna pulls on the thick, warm pajamas he wears year round, even as warm as this summer has been. He is surprised to find that Takeshi wears pajamas just as thick. Neither of them says anything about it. Instead, they just return to their games and snacks, chatting about school and how hard English class is lately and where the next class trip should be. Tsuna wants to go to the aquarium, while Takeshi is arguing for a professional sports event. Eventually they get sleepy. Tsuna turns off his lamp and settles into his bed as Takeshi sprawls across the futon next to it.

Tsuna can see Takeshi tossing and turning a bit. “Takeshi-kun?” he whispers.

“Hm?”

“Are you okay?”

Takeshi shifts a little, silent. “I don’t really like the dark,” he admits. “It’s silly, but -”

“It’s not silly,” Tsuna says. He thinks. He doesn’t have a night light. But he does have something just as good. Shifting around, Tsuna tugs the glove off of his right hand. The soulmark there glows softly, providing a dim glow. It’s not enough to light the room, just enough to soften the darkness.

“Thanks,” Takeshi says.

“Mm,” Tsuna says. “It’s from my big brother. I haven’t met him yet, though.”

“Wait - is that a soulmark?”

“Yeah,” Tsuna rolls over to face Takeshi, who blinks sleepily at him. “Just a little… piece of… the sun…” he yawns, eyes heavy and mostly closed.

“The - the sun?” Takeshi asks. There’s something like wonder in his voice. “Does that make Hibari-senpai the cloud?”

Tsuna yawns, nodding a little.

“Oh,” Takeshi says. His voice is soft, almost reverent. “Oh.”

“Takeshi-kun?”

“Tsunayoshi-kun? Can I - can I ask a personal question?”

“Hm?”

“Is - are you the badger?”

Tsuna blinks his eyes open again, startled. He isn’t sure what question he expected, but it wasn’t that. “Takeshi-kun?”

Takeshi sits up on the futon, and tugs his shirt up, revealing -

Tsuna moves off the bed and onto the futon with Takeshi, staring at his perfect orange badger in chains on Takeshi’s chest. “Mine,” he almost growls, and hugs Takeshi. It’s warm, warm in the same was as Kyoya, warm like Tsuna used to be, before his father and the old man stole Tsuna’s soul away.

Takeshi laughs, and it sounds like a sob. “Tadaima, Sky-sama.”

“Okaeri,” Tsuna mumbles, and yawns again. He feels safe, calm, content. His usual anxiety just a whisper in the back of his head. “Rain-kun.”

He feels Takeshi move them so they are lying down, and falls asleep soon after.

Tsuna wakes up with his left sleeve pushed all the way up. He stares in confusion at the elbow linked with his for a moment. The other elbow has a river of water wrapping upwards, too. Tsuna follows the arm up to Takeshi’s face, and Tsuna remembers.

He hears a giggle and a click from the door. Looks up to see Nana smiling at them. “So cute, Tsu-kun,” she coos.

Tsuna yawns and pokes Takeshi. “Keshi,” he says. “Keeessshhhiiiii.” He pokes him again.

Takeshi yawns, blinking his eyes quickly as he wakes. “Tsunayoshi-kun?” He yawns again, and his eyes drift down to their arms. “So- oh. Oh!”

Tsuna watches as Takeshi’s face lights up, so brightly that for a moment Tsuna thinks he outshines the sun. Tsuna grabs the bottom of Takeshi’s shirt and tugs it upward to stare at his badger on the other boy’s chest. He can see cracks in the chain. “Mine,” Tsuna grumbles, smooshing his face there.

“Well, welcome to the family, Takeshi-kun,” Nana says cheerfully. “Tsu-kun, he’s going to explode if you keep doing that.”

Confused, Tsuna pulls away and glances at Takeshi’s face. Takeshi is turning bright red. Almost as red as Tsuna’s tempest mark. “Sorry, Keshi,” Tsuna says.

Takeshi shakes his head. “It’s fine,” he says.

Tsuna sits up and stretches. He sees Nana leave the doorway. He turns to Takeshi. Takeshi sits up too. “Do you have any others?” Tsuna asks.

Takeshi nods. He rolls up his right sleeve, revealing a familiar explosion of red.

“I have that one too,” Tsuna tells him.

“It smells like fireworks, right?” Takeshi asks.

“It does!”

Then they get dressed, and go to breakfast.

Chapter Text

“I need to go to Japan,” Hayato tells Shamal.

“Can you even speak Japanese?” Shamal asks.

Hayato can’t, and finds this is a good point. Hayato will need to be able to communicate with his soulmate. So Hayato gets some books from the library, and learns Japanese over the course of the next six months. Then he sets his computer up for Japanese, and learns to type properly. He goes to Shamal again.

“I need to go to Japan,” Hayato says.

“Do you have a passport?” Shamal asks.

Hayato does not. He works at it, slips the appropriate forms in among his father’s paperwork, collects them afterwards. This takes longer, but soon, his passport is in his wallet and Hayato is ready. “I need to go to Japan.”

“What threats might we find there?” Shamal asks.

Hayato sighs, and begins investigating the wildlife of Japan, and the organizations there, and the different gangs and yakuza to be wary of. He also learns where their allies are. This takes much longer. By the time he has a good reply to Shamal’s question, Hayato is beginning his second-to-last year of elementary school.

“I need to go to Japan,” Hayato tells Shamal.

“Japan is a big country. Where are we going?”

Hayato scowls. He doesn’t know. All Hayato knows is that anywhere in Japan is closer to his sky than anywhere in Italy. But finding his sky in the range of a whole country is crazy. So Hayato bribes Bianchi, who is in the important meetings his father has with important people, like the man who recognized his mark.

“I’ll try all the meals you’re making for Romeo if you help,” Hayato says.

“Name your price,” Bianchi replies.

And Bianchi delivers, tells him the name of the man who knew his mark is Sawada Iemitsu, and that according to her hacker friend, for some reason the man has people watching someone in a small place called Namimori. About the same time, Bianchi breaks up with Romeo, and Romeo disappears. Hayato’s stomach cramps in sympathy.

“I need to go to Namimori, Japan,” Hayato tells Shamal.

“Do you have your father’s permission?” Shamal asks.

Hayato snorts. He couldn’t care less about his father’s wishes. “Are you coming?” he asks.

Shamal sighs, and nods. “If you get the plane tickets,” he says.

It takes a stolen credit card, hacked pin, and three maps and two schedulers, but Hayato gets the tickets. Then, he packs his bags, and leaves.

Bianchi catches him, but Hayato simply says, “My soulmate needs me,” and she lets him go.

A month into his second-to-last year of elementary school, Hayato starts classes at an all-boys school in Namimori known for its excellent academics. After all, Hayato thinks, his sky is clearly the absolute best, and deserves only the best, so must be here.

Shamal sighs, and rolls with it.

After a day at the school, Hayato is fed up. If his soulmate attends, Hayato doesn’t meet him, and honestly, if his soulmate did like this place, Hayato would seriously question the workings of fate, because Hayato hates it. The uniforms are stiff and there is no allowance for any sort of difference. Three different teachers try to give Hayato detention for his naturally pale hair, and the other boys are too stuck up to get into a proper fight. Instead they just make snide comments and add more gel to their hair.

The only highlight to the day comes at lunch. The boy’s academy and the neighboring girl’s one share an outdoor cafeteria area where the students are allowed to mingle during breaks, under the watchful eye of the monitors of course. Hayato is annoyed when he accidentally bumps into a girl. The girl proceeds to tear him a new one, so frustrated with her apparently terrible day that her eyes are teary. Hayato hates her and she hates him and a rival is just what he needs to push himself farther. Miura Haru becomes first in her class in grades. Hayato’s grades jump from last to first practically overnight. Miura Haru starts taking violin lessons. Hayato plays a perfect piano accompaniment.

In Haru, Hayato finds another soul that is angry for the sheer joy of it, passionate because why wouldn’t they be? He sees her helpless rage, and even if he doesn’t know what it’s for, he feels it echoed in his own soul.

(Usually, Haru is content. But sometimes, even though she is so, so young, Haru is angry with her own helplessness, angry because she can shout and scream to all the world but the world never answers back, angry because she is fated to be alone. Then she meets another angry soul, sees her helplessness in the face of what is done to her reflected in him, and one day she wakes and the world has given her not one but two people. She knows exactly who is represented by the explosion of red, and really, him of all people?) (The world sighs. It just can’t win with Miura Haru.)

In late autumn, Miura Haru comes to school one day wearing a long sleeve over her right arm, and Hayato arrives the same day wearing high socks and pants long enough to hide the bright green thread that zigzags down and around his entire leg until it hits an empty, lavender spool at his ankle.

Hayato is smart enough to realize what this means, just as Haru is. They both proceed to ignore it and continue getting into epic shouting matches at lunch, often on subjects with no relevance, such as the elements of the perfect cosplay, or the existence of UMA.

They’re real, and Hayato is going to prove it.

(Neither of them know that as they hit late autumn, a boy across town in another elementary is completely surprised to wake up and find green thread decorating his leg.)

“Let’s continue this tomorrow, at Cafe Blue, Gokudera-kun,” Haru proposes.

“As if you even have a valid argument! You’re on, Miura-chan,” Hayato agrees.

And so, on their day off, they meet up for lunch. They argue about UMA’s for a time, and then touch on how UMA’s might be related to soulmarks.

“Do you have a badger, too?” Haru asks.

“Yes. You too?”

“Yes. Do you know why it’s cold?”

Hayato tells her, and his own rage over the treatment of their sky is reflected in Haru’s eyes.

“Maybe she’s a she,” Haru says, “And that’s why you can’t find her.”

So Haru starts to search with Hayato, and they keep right on squabbling, like a pair of long-lost siblings that despise each other (but if anyone except them bad mouths the other, it ends badly for everyone involved). At the same time, though, Hayato finds that he feels a little lighter now, with someone to share the search. He sees the same feeling reflected in Haru’s eyes. They understand each other.

Haru’s parents aren’t quite sure what to make of the delinquent, angry child who is their daughter’s soulmate. They decide just to love him like they love Haru, to treat him as a son like their daughter treats him as a brother. Hayato has no idea what to do with these odd adults who are suddenly invested in his life, doesn’t know what to do with their kindness.

At the midpoint of the year, Hayato has had enough of the academy and the stuck-up boys in it. He demands that Shamal transfer him to another school, and Shamal obliges, sighing about foolish children and lacking patience.

“Miura-chan has these schools covered,” Hayato says. “I need to look elsewhere.”

As the second half of the year begins, Hayato enters Namimori Elementary, and Haru begins taking lessons in martial arts and reading manga to find interesting ways to use electricity.

When they get back from the short winter break, Tsuna and Takeshi move to take their usual seats. As Tsuna moves to sit, he feels off.

“Sky-sama?” Takeshi asks.

“This doesn’t feel right. Switch me places. And really, call me Tsuna, ‘Keshi-kun.”

Takeshi takes the corner seat, to Tsuna’s left. The seat to Tsuna’s right is left vacant. The rest of their classmates filter in. Tsuna frowns. The seat on his right is vacant, but it looks like all their classmates have arrived.

“That’s weird,” says Hana, in front of them.

“I heard that there’s a transfer student.” Kyoko says.

Takeshi leans forward. “You think they’re in our class?”

The rest of the class is whispering. Tsuna is surprised. A transfer student. That’s uncommon. The door slides open Tsuna watches as the teacher enters, followed by the transfer student. His hair is practically white it’s so light. He’s wearing the right shirt for the uniform, but the top button is undone, and he’s wearing long sleeves despite the weather. His face is etched in a scowl.

“Good morning, class!” their teacher says.

“Good morning!” The class replies.

“We have a new student joining us today, from Italy,” the teacher says cheerfully. “Please introduce yourself.”

The new boy turns and writes his name on the board neatly. “I am Gokudera Hayato,” he says. He is still glaring at them all, like he’s challenging them to call him out on his very slight accent. “Please welcome me kindly.” Or else, his face says.

“I expect you all to treat Hayato-kun well,” their teacher says. “Hayato-kun, it appears there is a seat open next to usel- er, Tsunayoshi.”

A few whispers across the room have Tsuna shrinking in his chair. “Stuck next to useless-Tsuna and the crazy,” someone mumbles. Tsuna watches the angry boy march right over and sit down in the desk without paying any mind to any of their classmates.

“Welcome,” Tsuna mumbles.

“Tch,” the boy leans on one of his arms and looks at the clock.

It’s going to be a long day, Tsuna thinks. Looking at Takeshi and spotting the smirk on his friend’s face, Tsuna sighs. A very long day, he thinks.

By the time they reach lunch, Takeshi has passed three notes to Hayato-kun, and in the process managed to spark a war. Tsuna is caught in the middle as they flick paper projectiles back and forth at each other, each with sharper folds than the last. Tsuna knows Takeshi has at least a half a dozen paper cuts, and he doesn’t think Hayato is faring much better. Tsuna himself has one from when he accidentally leaned forward at the wrong moment.

At lunch time, Tsuna gathers his things and follows the rest of the class out to the lunch area. Behind him, he hears Hayato shouting at Takeshi, who is absolutely beaming. Tsuna can’t tell if the smile is fake or not, but he doesn’t think it is. Takeshi says something back to Hayato - something about paint and a suit? - and Hayato explodes all over again. Tsuna ducks his head to hide his own smile.

“Omnivore.”

“Hello, Kyoya-senpai. Are you joining us for lunch today?”

“You have a loud herbivore with you.” Kyoya eyes the squabbling pair.

Hayato notices. “What’re you looking at?” he growls.

“You, herbivore,” Kyoya says.

Hayato blinks. “Herbivore?” he repeats the word.

“That’s the word for an animal that doesn’t eat meat,” Takeshi says.

“I know what it means!” Hayato says.

“Loud,” Kyoya grumbles, and turns back to Tsuna.

Tsuna holds out the bento he always brings for Kyoya. “Here.”

“Hn.” Kyoya takes it and nods. As he walks away, the rest of the class stops maintaining their careful fifteen feet of distance and reforms as more of a group.

Hayato notices, Tsuna realizes, watching the other boy’s sharp eyes take in the motions of their classmates before flickering towards Tsuna. It doesn’t take long for the rest of the class to approach the Italian boy, with Kyoya safely away.

“Want to eat lunch with us?” a pair of giggling girls ask.

“No.”

“Hey! Do you like Gameboy? Adachi-kun brought one!”

“Whatever.”

“You should eat lunch with us,” Takeshi says. “Do you even know how to say anything but no?”

“Yes!”

“Great, we sit over here!” Takeshi laughs.

Tsuna watches in fascination as Hayato’s face contorts through annoyance at being tricked, speculation at Takeshi’s fake-stupid smile, and observation of the rest of their classmate’s snickers.

“Why would he want to eat with you and useless-Tsuna?” One of them taunts.

Takeshi whirls towards the taunter, his smile turning sharp.

“‘Keshi,” Tsuna says, softly. “Please, just leave it.”

Slowly, Takeshi turns back. “But…”

Tsuna gives him a pleading look, and Takeshi subsides, smile still a touch too sharp.

“Wipe that stupid grin off your face,” Hayato says abruptly. “If you don’t want to smile, don’t, idiot.”

“That’s not very nice!” Takeshi protests.

“Yes, well you’re very stupid!” Hayato growls.

They proceed to continue with their pointless argument as they sit, upack their lunches, and eat.

Over the next three days, Tsuna learns a dozen curse words he’s sure students their age shouldn’t know, eight ways to threaten to kill someone with school supplies, and that Hayato seems to have no way to express himself except through terribly expressed worry that looks like anger. It’s kind of adorable, like a dog that can’t help but bark but wants to be friends anyway.

On the fourth day, Tsuna musters up enough courage to interrupt their argument. “Your Japanese is very good, Gokudera-kun,” he says.

Derailed from his one-sided argument with Takeshi, Hayato blinks. “I - thanks.”

“Where did you learn it?”

“Taught myself when I decided I wanted to come to Japan,” he says bluntly.

Tsuna’s jaw drops. “You taught yourself a new language?”

“Yeah, so?” Hayato says, gearing up for a fight again.

“Wow,” Takeshi says. “That’s - that’s incredible.”

Tsuna nods in agreement. “I can’t even pass my literature tests, and you learned a whole new language by yourself,” Tsuna says. “That’s - that’s amazing.”

Hayato is bright red in the face. “It’s not that impressive,” he mutters.

“Yes it is,” Tsuna insists. “You’re so cool, Gokudera-kun!”

Hayato gets even redder. He’s quiet for a moment. “I could help,” he says suddenly. “If you want. With the literature.”

Tsuna smiles. “Thank you! But I’m a bit of a lost cause.”

“No, you aren’t,” Takeshi cuts in, almost growling.

Tsuna pats his arm. “I am. But that’s okay, it’s not my fault.”

“I’m sure if we just work very hard,” Hayato starts.

“No.” Takeshi says, and now he’s scowling at Tsuna. Tsuna blinks. He doesn’t think Takeshi’s ever looked at him like this before. “No, you are not a lost cause. Not anymore, not now that you’ve found two of us.”

Tsuna smiles at him. “Whatever you say, ‘Keshi. Gokudera-kun, I’d really appreciate the help.”

Hayato’s eyes flick back and forth between them. “Okay. Should we do a study group, after school?”

“That sounds good. I’ll ask Kyoya-senpai to assign a room for us.”

“That kid scares me,” Hayato grumbles.

“Good,” Takeshi says. “You’ll live longer then.”

Tsuna turns away from Hayato snapping at Takeshi that he could survive anything, thanks, and a quip about cockroaches and the ensuing larger explosion, to eat his rice. He likes their new friend, he decides. Hayato is prickly, but Tsuna thinks it’s just to hide how soft he is on the inside. He thinks Takeshi can tell too, with all the teasing.

After school, Kusakabe is waiting for Tsuna outside the classroom. “We’ve set aside a room for you,” the older boy informs him. “This way.”

“You didn’t have to come just to show us,” Tsuna says.

Kusakabe smiles. “That’s not all I came for,” he says, but doesn’t elaborate.

He leads them to a small room Tsuna thought was a large storage room. Retrieving a key from his pocket, he opens the door. The room has a window on the far wall. A large chalkboard covers the wall to the left, and a bookshelf on the right is full of supplies like chalk, paper, and pencils. A long table fills the middle of the room, surrounded by nine chairs - four down each side, and one at the head.

“Thank you, Kusakabe-senpai,” Tsuna says.

“Of course, Sawada-san,” Kusakabe says. “Let us know if you need anything else. Oh, here’s the key. Don’t worry, I have the original.”

Tsuna takes it, and very carefully places it on the same ring as his house key. Kusakabe closes the door behind him as he leaves the three boys to the space.

Hayato’s eyes are wide as he looks at the space.

Tsuna goes and sits in the head chair. “Okay, so here’s what I don’t understand,” he says, pulling out his homework. Hayato rushes to help. Tsuna is surprised to find that the words, though still hard to focus on, don’t float around on the page. Even his math homework almost makes sense, with Hayato explaining in a steady voice.

“You’re really smart,” Tsuna tells Hayato when they pack up for the night.

“Really smart,” Takeshi agrees.

Hayato turns bright red again. “I’m glad I can help,” he says.

Tsuna opens the door and finds Kyoya leaning against the opposite wall. “Kyoya-senpai?”

“Nana called me,” Kyoya says simply. “That bastard’s in town.”

Tsuna froze. Every muscle in his body went rigid. For a moment he is four years old again, cold and alone. Then he blinks, and Kyoya is in front of him a cloud with rage in his eyes.

“I will not go where he is,” Tsuna says crisply.

“Understood,” Kyoya says. “You may stay with the fake herbivore.”

“Yeah, dad would be happy to have you,” Takeshi says. “Though, um, who are we avoiding?”

“My dad,” Tsuna says. “Last time I saw him -” he realizes he’s rubbing his chest, trying to get rid of the cold, and forces himself to stop.

“No damn way,” Hayato says. Kyoya turns in his direction, looking angry, then stops. Confusion flickers across his face. Tsuna turns to look at Hayato too. Hayato is looking at Tsuna like he’s an angel, impossible and out of reach.

“Gokudera-kun?” Tsuna can see pieces slotting together in Gokudera’s mind, see observations and misunderstandings realigning.

Then, Gokudera rolls up his right sleeve.

There, spreading up his arm in brilliant red is an explosion, dynamite and fire and soot.

“The tempest,” Tsuna says, entranced. He rolls up his sleeve to show the matching mark. “My tempest.”

“Ours, technically,” Takeshi murmurs, eyes wide and on that same mark.

Kyoya sighs. “Fine, the loud herbivore can stay,” he says.

Hayato goes down on the ground and hugs Tsuna’s knees. “My sky,” he whispers. “My sky, I finally found you. I’m sorry it took so long.”

“Puppy,” Takeshi and Kyoya say. Kyoya smacks Takeshi on the head.

Tsuna reaches down and runs his fingers through Hayato’s hair. “It’s okay,” he says. “You found me.”

“Oh!” Hayato sits back in a crouch. “Do you have a spool of green thread, all unwound?”

Tsuna blinks, and nods.

Hayato beams at him. “I found our lightning too, then!”

All three of them gape at the tempest.

“Herbivores,” Kyoya grumbles. “The school is closed. Leave before I bite you to death.”

They go to TakeSushi, sneaking in the back and heading up the stairs.

“Takeshi? Is that you?”

“Hey dad!” Takeshi calls. After a moment, Tsuyoshi comes out of the restaurant.

“Where have you been? We’re busy tonight!”

“We got caught in a tempest,” Takeshi says, grinning.

Tsuyoshi notices Tsuna and Hayato then. “Sorry, Tsunayoshi-sama, I didn’t see you,” he says. “And this is?”

“This is Gokudera Hayato-kun,” Tsuna says.

“Sorry for intruding,” Hayato says.

“Any soulmate of Takeshi’s is welcome,” Tsuyoshi says. “Along with any of Tsuna’s elements.”

Hayato nods. “Thank you.”

Bemused by Hayato’s sudden formality, Tsuna turns to Tsuyoshi. “The bastard’s in town,” he tells Tsuyoshi. “Do - do you mind if…”

“I would be honored to have you stay for a few days,” Tsuyoshi tells him, a hard glint to his eyes.

Tsuna blushes. He’s still getting used to being a sky, to what it means. To those who know calling him -sama and listening to what he says. “Can I borrow your phone to tell mama?”

Tsuyoshi nods. “You know where it is. I need to get back.”

“I’ll be down to help in a minute,” Takeshi says.

Tsuyoshi leaves. Tsuna borrows their phone and calls Nana. He claims that he has a big school project, and his new friend and Takeshi are helping. She says he can stay as long as he needs. She sounds tired. Tsuna bites his lip, and calls Kyoya’s house. Hoshimi answers, and listens as Tsuna asks if she could visit his mom. Hoshimi agrees and hangs up.

“What does Yamamoto-san need help with?” Hayato asks.

“Oh, we run a restaurant,” Takeshi says. “I need to go help clear tables and serve food.”

“And I’ll do dishes,” Tsuna says. “Considering what happened last time.”

“I can help,” Hayato says at once.

Takeshi winces at Tsuna’s comment, and nods at Hayato’s. “I’ll get you both aprons.”

Tsuyoshi smiles at them all when they emerge ready to work. He gives Hayato a quick once over, then assigns him to the rowdiest tables near the bar, where his less respectable customers always sit. Hayato takes to it well, and gives as good as he gets when they try to complain about their order being wrong.

Tsuna can hear him from the kitchen where he is washing dishes once. “I have an eidetic memory, don’t pull that on me!” Hayato shouts.

When they close up for the night, Hayato seems more relaxed, Takeshi is watching him with a touch of respect in his eyes, and Tsuyoshi is beaming.

“If you want a part-time job you’ve got one, kid,” he tells Hayato. “I’ll pay you under the table and the assholes left some pretty good tips.”

Hayato flushes, and nods. “I’d like that, thank you.” Noticing that Tsuna is still washing, Hayato comes over and nudges him aside to the drying station.

Tsuna dries his wrinkled fingers and starts drying plates, sighing in relief. Takeshi joins Hayato to rinse, while Tsuyoshi locks up and starts to store any leftover fish properly. Once the work is done, he hands them each a bento to eat before sending them up to bed. The three boys dig out futons and lay them out on the floor.

“Your room is pretty okay I guess,” Hayato tells Takeshi.

“Thanks! I think the dojo is cooler, though,” Takeshi says.

“Dojo?”

“Yeah, dad’s teaching me the sword.”

“He’s really good,” Tsuna says.

“I make my own bombs, and fireworks,” Hayato says.

“You make your own? That’s so cool!” Takeshi says.

“Explains why your mark smells like fireworks,” Tsuna agrees.

“Tsu - Tsunayoshi-sama? Can I - will you show me…”

Tsuna smiles. “If you show me,” he replies.

Hayato nods, beginning to strip off his shirt. Takeshi gets up. “I’ll find you something to wear for pajamas,” he says.

“Thank you,” Tsuna says. He starts taking off his gloves, then his three sweaters. Hayato stares in awe at the marks on his fists, then his eyes catch on his own mark. He stares at the explosion of red climbing Tsuna’s right arm.

Tsuna, in turn, stares at his badger on Hayato’s chest, chained in its cold prison. There are small cracks in the chains. That’s his mark on Hayato. His. “Mine,” Tsuna says, pushing into Hayato’s space to trace the badger.

“Yours,” Hayato agrees. “Your storm, my sky, your tempest to direct as you will.”

Tsuna snuggles closer.

“Yeah, he does that,” Takeshi says behind him. “Calm down, Hayato-kun.”

Tsuna sees Takeshi’s hand slip over the rain mark on Hayato’s skin.

After a while, Tsuna leans back and yawns. Takeshi hands him a large shirt. Tsuna pulls it on, then takes off his pants. His recently acquired mark of green thread and lavender spool are revealed, reminding him of something.

“Hayato-kun? You said you found one of my lightnings?”

Hayato nods, switching for an over-large shirt as well and revealing the same mark on his own leg. “Yeah. Miura-chan lives on the other side of town and attends the all-girls academy.” His face lights up with glee. “She’s going to be so mad I was right about you being a boy, and that I found you first.”

“So we just need my other lightning, my sun, and two mists,” Tsuna muses.

Hayato frowns. “What about… oh. Hibari-senpai.”

Takeshi turns off the light, and they all settle onto their futons.

“Hayato-kun?”

“Yes, Tsunayoshi-sama?”

“Tsuna is fine. Um. Tempest has the property of disintegration, right?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think - do you think you could…”

Hayato sighs. “Break the seal?”

Tsuna nods, then remembers it’s too dark for Hayato to see him. “Yeah.”

“Maybe. But - well, Tempest flames are - I don’t want to hurt you.”

Tsuna’s heart fall a bit in his chest. “Oh. Okay,” he says.

“I’m sorry,” Hayato says. The genuine heartbreak in his voice has Tsuna sitting up. “I should have better control by now.”

“I can’t even summon my flames yet,” Takeshi says.

“Me neither,” Tsuna says. “It’s not your fault, Hayato.”

Hayato sits up, too. “I - I’ll do better,” he says. “I’ll be the best tempest that ever lived, I swear.”

“You already are,” Tsuna says. “You’re mine.”

In the morning, they go to class. Takeshi sits at Tsuna’s left, and Hayato at Tsuna’s right, and he almost feels warm.

Chapter Text

On Sunday, they climb on a bus first thing in the morning. It takes them across town to a quiet neighborhood. Tsuna sees a few people out early to weed their gardens, and more than a few in pajamas collecting their mail before returning inside. Hayato leads Tsuna and Takeshi to a neatly kept house with a hanging basket of orange poppies.

Hayato rings the doorbell. When there’s no response, he rings it again.

“Just a second!” a female voice calls. Tsuna hears a crashing sound, a startled, “Hahi!” and approaching footsteps. When the door opens, he blinks. In front of them is a brown-haired, dark-eyed girl. She’s wearing a thick, fluffy yellow sweater and a neat skirt patterned with birds. When she spots Hayato, her eyes narrow. “Gokudera-kun.”

“Miura-chan,” Hayato says. “I was right.”

“About what? I maintain that UMA are -”

“Our sky is male,” Hayato says, and smirks.

Haru’s eyes flick over the other two boys on the step, and she groans. “Hahi! I hate you,” she hisses to Hayato. Then she turns back to Tsuna and Takeshi. “Welcome! Please come in.”

“Sorry for intruding,” Tsuna says, slipping off his shoes. He hears Takeshi mutter the same behind him.

Haru leads them to a small kitchen table and shuffles through some cupboards. She fills a few cups with lemonade and passes them out, then sits down. “My parents are at a college thing, for dad’s work,” she says. “Grandfather is still asleep, so we should be quiet.” The glare she throws Hayato’s way.

Tsuna can’t help but smile as Hayato nearly bursts with containing the angry yell of indignation. “I can be quieter than you, silly woman,” Hayato grumbles.

“Dumb boy.” Turning away from Hayato’s spluttering, Haru beams at Tsuna and Takeshi. “Hello! I’m Miura Haru, lightning!”

“I’m Yamamoto Takeshi, rain,” Takeshi says. “Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Sawada Tsunayoshi, sky,” Tsuna says. “Hello, Haru-san.”

Haru’s eyes get all watery, and she wipes them before tears can fall. “Hello,” she says. “I thought I was going to be all alone.”

“Crazy woman,” Hayato grumbles. He takes a hurried sip of his lemonade as Haru turns to glare at him, eyes still a bit wet.

“Well, now you’re mine,” Tsuna says simply.

Haru puffs up, beaming. “Yep! And look, I figured this out!” She pulls a small remote-controlled car out of her pocket, and shows the bottom. There aren’t any batteries in it. Then, Haru focuses really hard, until her hands light up with green sparks. She pokes the car, and it flies off the table and crashes into the wall with a loud bang. A large crack sits where the car bounced, and the car itself is undamaged.

They all stare for a moment. “Haru?” a voice calls from upstairs.

“I’m fine!” she says.

Takeshi leans over to look Haru dead in the eye. “How do you do that?”

Haru points at Hayato, who answers. “The elements of the sky are also often called dying will flames,” he explains. “You use them by just… wanting to, badly enough to make it work. Or to need it to work.”

“Eh?”

Hayato sighs impatiently, and Haru picks it up. “For example,” she says, “I think about how awesome it would be to be my own battery in a cosplay, and how much I want it, and then I just force it to happen.”

“I tend to just get really angry and it happens on its own,” Hayato says.

“That’s because you’re dumb,” Haru says as though it’s fact.

The two immediately begin quietly arguing again.

Tsuna looks at Takeshi, who is frowning at his hands. “Think of what makes you happy,” Tsuna suggests, “and wish as hard as you can to protect it.” Rain is different than a strike of lightning or a whirling tempest. It’s soft, like Takeshi’s real, proper smiles, and sudden like his sword.

Two minutes later, Takeshi is holding a handful of blue flames that flicker like water moves.

“Wow,” Hayato says. “I’ve never seen a rain flame that’s so bright.”

“Show them yours,” Haru says.

Hayato hesitates. Tsuna looks at him, curious. “What do yours look like?” he asks.

“If we’re doing this, we’re doing it at the park,” Hayato says. “The one with a pond.”

“Just let me tell grandfather we’re going,” Haru says.

Haru’s grandfather is surprised to see they have company so early, but has nothing against going to the park. He insists they eat breakfast first, and then retrieves a backpack with some water bottles, a pack of bandaids, and a box of crackers. Tsuna sees him sneak a box of sidewalk chalk into it, too. He gives it to Haru, and tells them to be careful.

They all troop towards the shallow pond in the park. A short fence separates it from the playground, but Hayato hops it easily. He sets his socks and shoes next to Haru, Tsuna, and Takeshi where they are waiting outside the fence. Then he rolls up his pants and wades into the water.

“Are you sure you want to see?” Hayato asks.

They all nod.

Hayato sighs. He closes his eyes and breathes in. As he breathes out, his cupped hands fill with fire the color of blood, crimson so clear it hurts Tsuna’s eyes. Hayato seems relieved, for a moment, but then the flame grows. Hayato’s eyes widen. Tsuna feels wrong.

“Drop it!” he yells.

Hayato immediately lets go. Halfway to the water, the flame… well, explodes. It bursts across the surface of the water, and to Tsuna it looks like the water itself catches fire for a moment before the tempest flames begin to go out. Hayato stands there, wiping at his face in annoyance. There’s a small scratch on his cheekbone.

“Hayato-kun!” Tsuna gasps. “Come here - are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Hayato says, even as he obeys, returning to where his friends are waiting. “See the problem?”

Tsuna doesn’t answer, digging into the bag and pulling out the bandaids. Carefully selecting one that’s the right size, Tsuna carefully presses it into place.

“Good thing you were in the water,” Takeshi says.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hayato demands.

Takeshi laughs. “How did you learn to summon your flames?”

“Born to it,” Hayato says.

“I don’t think the adults are actually telling us everything,” Haru says. “So maybe you should fill us in.”

Hayato tells them a lot more about the status of elements and skies. Skies are like royalty, he explains, the emperors of their courts. Elements bonded to a sky are princes and princesses, extensions and emissaries of the sky themself. Elements without a sky are barons or counts. The strength of the elements matters just as much, and typically, the stronger the sky, the stronger their elements.

“So sealing a sky would be like locking up the emperor?” Haru asks.

Hayato nods.

Tsuna sits down on the earth, thinking. He’s supposed to be the boss, then, the leader of his pack. Fate itself has decided he is supposed to be the best and brightest. So why did his father and the old man try to steal that from Tsuna?

Hayato is trying to show Haru how to produce more than sparks. “Each element has different properties. The lightning is ‘hardness’ - it absorbs damage and returns it tenfold,” he says, like he’s repeating flash cards he’s memorized. “What would you do if Tsuna-sama were hurt?”

And just like that, Haru is holding a blazing green flame throwing off violet sparks.

“You can use cloud flames, too! I’ve never seen anyone with two flames before.”

“It’s possible to have multiple flames?” Tsuna asks.

“Yeah. I’ve never heard of anyone with more than three, and it’s super uncommon.”

Tsuna thinks of the flashes of other colors he’s spotted in Hayato’s mark, but doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t want to upset Hayato. He stands. “Let’s go play,” he decides.

They all follow him. As they do, Tsuna thinks. He can see in his friend’s eyes that they follow Tsuna because they love him. That’s why Tsuna’s the sky. Because they love him. And Tsuna would do anything, he thinks, to keep them.

For a moment, he feels warm, but the flicker of fire on his forehead is gone as quickly as it appears.

Their lives settle into a routine. During the week, Takeshi is busy with helping his father and with training. Hayato joins the music club, and says he is working with someone named Shamal to control his flames. Tsuna attempts calligraphy, and on finding he isn’t terrible at it, starts to practice when he is lonely. Haru studies hard and sews. Kyoya utterly dominated the middle school before the year began, and now is organizing a committee with Kusakabe. On the weekends, Tsuna, Takeshi, and Hayato visit Haru, or Haru comes and visits them. Kyoya and Haru meet on one such occasion. Kyoya deems her “possibly not an herbivore,” and Haru takes it as her due.

Hayato continues to help Tsuna and Takeshi with their homework. They’re doing a little better, but Tsuna struggles to focus and Takeshi doesn’t much care about the work. Winter passes, and they reach the spring. On the weekends, he also helps them work on their flames. Tsuna can feel his, sometimes, but always just out of reach. When Tsuna mentions it’s probably the seal, Hayato looks sad and guilty while Takeshi smiles a little too widely, so Tsuna doesn’t mention it again.

One weekend, Haru comes to visit them. They go to a park near Tsuna’s house, one with a canal. All of them are practicing with their flames, even Kyoya. Hayato still insists on standing in the water, well upstream from the rest of them. Tsuna insisted Hayato stand upstream, so they had time to catch him if he tripped or something. Kyoya is up the bank near the sidewalk, above them all. Even at that distance, Tsuna can see Kyoya’s eyes glowing purple.

Tsuna watches as Takeshi easily gathers a handful of blue flames and makes it dance, taking the shape of a little bird, then a dog. “You’re getting really good at that, ‘Keshi-kun.”

“Dad’s been helping me. He’s got rain flames, too.”

“It’s too bad we can’t find more grown ups with different flames,” Tsuna says.

“Any luck with yours?” Takeshi asks.

Tsuna shakes his head. “I can almost feel them sometimes, when I’m really relaxed. But it’s like looking through a window and they’re on the other side of the glass.”

Takeshi’s smile droops a little. “We’ll figure it out.”

A sound like power lines draws their attention to Haru. She has a palm full of lightning and sparking with cloud. She throws it towards the sky.

“Good pitch,” Takeshi says.

The palmful of lightning zaps and zings in the air before finally grounding itself in a nearby tree. It splinters a little.

“Hahi!” Haru says. “I didn’t mean to do that!”

“It’s the cloud,” Kyoya says, stalking down towards her. “Cloud flames have the property of propagation, or multiplying.”

“Oh,” Haru says.

Kyoya shows her a handful of cloud flame, which rapidly multiplies - and then disperses. “You can wish it gone,” he says. He watches as she tries the trick a few times, picking it up quickly. He nods, then returns to his perch.

Tsuna looks farther upriver. Hayato is doing better with his flames. Tsuna feels it’s probably due to being balanced with the others. Hibari’s father, the local police chief, agrees. Last time Tsuna saw him and mentioned it, the older man said it wasn’t uncommon for tempest flames to react to the state of their sky’s flames - often in very dangerous ways. Still, better didn’t mean good, and Tsuna can see the moment Hayato loses control of the swirling red fire around his arms. The following explosion zips across the water.

Takeshi flicks a handful of rain flames over the sparks that last long enough to get to where the rest of them are practicing. His blue fire douses the red.

“Hayato?” Tsuna calls.

“I’m fine!”

Tsuna climbs up on the grassy bank and lays down, watching the sky. He listens to his friends playing and practicing around him. He spots Kyoya in the corners of his eyes now and then, watching them all with an annoyed expression. The more he hangs out with his friends, Tsuna has discovered, the easier it is to do things. Being around Takeshi eases his anxiety. Kyoya, his tendency to fall on his face. Haru’s presence makes it easier for Tsuna to ignore his classmates jeers and to push through scraped knees and paper cuts. Hayato makes it easier to focus, especially on new things. Even though Tsuna is still tired a lot, and has a hard time understanding people, and occasionally falls over or panics for no reason, things are a thousand times better than they were before. Tsuna even wears two sweaters instead of three now, he feels so much warmer with them.

Another cracking explosion.

“I’m fine!”

“That was EXTREME!”

Tsuna sits up, blinking.

Kyoya, lounging in the grass not far from Tsuna, actually growls. “Herbivore.”

“And Hibari-kun is here, too! Extreme!” The tall, white-haired boy is beaming, almost hopping from foot to foot he’s so excited.

“Who the hell’re you?”

“Sasagawa Ryohei! I think I’ve seen you at school before! Oh, and Sawada-san! Kyoko-chan would want me to tell you she says hello!”

“Oh, you’re her older brother!” Tsuna says.

“I am!” Ryohei agrees. Then he turns his attention back on Hayato. “How did you do that? It was so… so extreme!”

“Why do you want to know?” Hayato demands.

“I’m going to be captain of the boxing club -”

“There is no boxing club -” Kyoya starts.

“And that would be a cool move!” Ryohei finishes, largely ignoring the very irate cloud.

Tsuna is impressed. He wouldn’t dare ignore Kyoya that way, and Kyoya actually seems to like Tsuna. Tsuna is more surprised when Kyoya gets up and walks away, rather than attempting to bite Ryohei to death. Ryohei notices where Tsuna is looking and grins. “Hibari-san is extremely good at sparring!” he says. “Now, how do you do the fire thing?”

Hayato, clearly annoyed, stalks over. “By wanting to, with your dying will,” he grumbles, clearly expecting nothing of it.

Ryohei raises clenched fists. “I will learn this technique to the extreme!” he says.

Tsuna stares as Ryohei’s fists, wrapped in sports tape, catch fire. A flame a bright and gold as the noonday sun, leaving spots in Tsuna’s eyes. He’s gaping, and he knows he isn’t the only one.

“Sun,” Hayato grumbles. “You have flames of the sun.”

Ryohei makes a few quick jabs in the air before the flames fade from his fists. He droops a little, looking vaguely tired but extremely excited. “They didn’t explode like your red ones,” Ryohei says.

“Of course not,” Hayato snaps. “Sun flames have different properties than storm flames.”

“Sun flames?”

Tsuna smiles. “There are seven types of flame, Nii-san.” The appellation rolls off his tongue easily. He blinks, but Ryohei takes it in stride, so Tsuna continues. “Sun flames have the property of activation.”

“Sun flames are usually used to heal,” Hayato says. “But some people use them to increase their own body’s strength. If overdone that can cause major issues, though.”

“So I could be a doctor! Cool! What’s your name?” Ryohei is bouncing from foot to foot.

“Gokudera Hayato. That’s Miura Haru.”

“She zapped the tree, which is extremely cool.” Ryohei glances over to where Kyoya had settled out of earshot. “What is Hibari-san’s flame?”

“Cloud,” Tsuna says. He sits up, feeling a little more energized.

“I should go ask my sister what her flame is!”

“Woah, hang on, not everyone has a flame!” Hayato shouts after the already running Ryohei.

Ryohei turns and shouts back, “I’ll just finish my extreme run then!” and leaves.

Over the course of the next week, Ryohei pops in and out of their lives like an over-enthusiastic golden retriever. He takes to calling Tsuna otouto. Hayato protests until he notices Tsuna seems to enjoy the attention, and soak in the energy of the sun user. The next weekend, Ryohei offers to teach Tsuna basic self-defense, out of worry Tsuna can’t stop any bullies that he might run into.

“You sure?” Tsuna asks. “I’m pretty clumsy.”

“Then it’s even more important!” Ryohei throws Tsuna a roll of sports tape. “Take off your gloves and wrap your knuckles, I’ll show you a few things!”

Tsuna sighs, and obliges, tugging off his gloves.

“AH!” Ryohei points at Tsuna’s right hand, where the brilliant yellow mark gleams.

“What?”

Ryohei begins unwinding the tape on his own right hand. Tsuna’s heart leaps to his throat. He stares at the matching mark that is revealed. “Found you!” Ryohei yells, and hugs Tsuna like he’s the only thing holding Tsuna together.

“Hi, Nii-san,” Tsuna says.

“Hi, otouto! This is going to be extreme!”

Chapter Text

Tsuna startles in his desk when Hayato storms in. Hayato had mellowed some as he settled in with his sky, but now Hayato slouches in his desk as angrily as the first day he arrived. Tsuna sees that Takeshi is eyeing Hayato worriedly as well, before glancing at Tsuna.

Tsuna mouths, lunch, and Takeshi settles. His sky has a plan, which is good enough for him. Tsuna’s heart swells with pride, because Takeshi trusts him.

The teacher comes in, and Tsuna sighs and braces himself to fail the test they are taking today.

At lunch, Tsuna draws Takeshi and Hayato to the side of the schoolyard. He sits quietly and opens his lunch. Takeshi and Hayato mimic him. Halfway through their food, Hayato snaps. He chucks his bento at the tree next to him and sits, fuming and flipping his chopsticks between his fingers.

“What’s wrong, Hayato-kun?” Tsuna asks.

“Tsunayoshi-sama,” Hayato says. “My so-called father is demanding that I come home. It seems he finally noticed my absence. Shamal, the bastard, didn’t tell me until today that we have tickets back to Italy tonight.”

Tsuna freezes. His entire being stumbles to a halt at the idea of his tempest leaving. (He hears ice cracking.)

“I don’t want to go back to Italy. I like it here, and I’ve never had friends before,” Hayato says. He tries to make it sound angry. To Tsuna, is just sounds sad.

“Does he know you found your sky?” Takeshi asks.

“No,” Hayato says. “And I’m not telling him.”

Tsuna is fighting himself. Every fibre of his being screams at the idea of Hayato leaving. He wants nothing more and nothing less than to order Hayato to stay, to demand that his tempest remain at his right side, in his place. His instincts are shrieking at him, mine mine mine. Hayato is his own person, Tsuna tells himself. I don’t own him.

“Tsuna-sama?”

Tsuna blinks at his rain and his tempest, both watching him worriedly. Ryohei bursts out of the school building and paces around them, all frenetic energy with nowhere to go. There’s a commotion at the other end of the schoolyard as Kyoya walks in. Tsuna takes a breath.

“Kyoya.”

In moments, his cloud is there. Tsuna realizes Kyoya’s phone is ringing. Haru is on the other end, her voice frantic over the line as Kyoya answers.

“Tsunayoshi. You need to breathe.”

Tsuna lets the air out and sucks in another breath. In, out, he tells himself. Lunch ends. The teachers see Kyoya and leave them alone in the yard, Tsuna and his elements. He realizes he is gripping Hayato’s wrist hard enough it might bruise.

(A girl two towns over is panicking, not sure why, but she’s running eastward, fast enough she just misses getting hit by a truck.)

(A toddler flickering green screams, and screams, and screams.)

(A boy with one red eye opens his eyes and breathes, Namimori.)

Tsuna breathes.

“I’m right here,” Hayato says. His voice is gentle.

“Don’t go,” Tsuna says. Begs.

Kyoya turns to glare at Hayato. Hayato is already nodding. “I won’t,” he says. “I’ll - I’ll run away and hide, so Shamal can’t find me.”

Tsuna’s breathing steadies. “No,” he says. “No, we will hide you.”

He sees Takeshi beam, and Hayato bow, and Kyoya stiffen.

“If I must, I will tell him he is not taking one of Mine from Me,” Tsuna says, and his voice is steady. The yard swims back into focus. “And he will obey.”

“Gokudera, you will remain at the Hibari estate,” Kyoya says.

“But -”

“Hayato-kun.” Tsuna looks at him. “You will hide. The Hibari grounds are large, and no one intrudes there. It is ideal. Once we are sure things are safe, we can discuss.”

“Yes, my sky.”

“Takeshi-kun. Remain armed, for a time. Let Tsuyoshi know.”

“Yes, my sky!”

“What about me?”

“Haru-san. You talk to a lot of people. Spread the idea that Hayato left Namimori already.”

“Yes!”

“The committee will help,” Kyoya says, as Tsuna turns to ask. There is a hungry pride in Kyoya’s eyes, respect shining through. “Look at your hands, omnivore.”

Tsuna looks, and they are flickering orange.

When the adrenaline wears off, Tsuna crashes hard. Kyoya tells him to go home for the rest of the day. Tsuna does, stumbling his way back. He catches glimpses of Disciplinary Committee members out of the corners of his eyes, subtly keeping an eye out. Takeshi stands at his elbow, catching Tsuna before he can fall. Once Tsuna is safely home and in bed, Takeshi salutes and runs back towards school. Kyoya hasn’t given Takeshi permission to miss class, after all.

Tsuna sleeps deeply and long. When he wakes briefly, it is to Nana’s worried face as she presses a damp cloth to his forehead.

“You’re burning up, Tsuna-kun,” she says. “I think you’ve caught a cold. You shouldn’t push yourself too hard.”

“I’m alright, mama,” Tsuna says, sleepy and snuffly. “You take care of me.”

“Of course, my dear little sky,” she says. “Of course.”

Tsuna sleeps most of the next day away, waking only briefly when Kyoya arrives.

“The one called Shamal just got on a plane and left Namimori,” Kyoya tells him. “He is a well-known mist, according to Hayato, so we will keep watching.”

“Good,” Tsuna says. “Thank you, Kyoya-senpai.”

“Omnivore,” Kyoya replies, and leaves.

Tsuna knows that the cloud wanders away with a purpose, though, and Tsuna will be here when Kyoya needs someone to return to, no matter what.

When Tsuna wakes up the next day, he feels better. He sits up and stretches, then pauses. Looking around, he sees Takeshi and Hayato on futons, breaths even and light. There’s a crease in Takeshi’s brow; in contrast, Hayato’s face is easy, for once. Tsuna watches their chests rise and fall. His rain and storm are here, and they will stay.

Tsuna gets dressed and makes his way down the stairs. Nana smiles at him. “French toast, dear?”

“Yes, please.”

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

“Thanks for taking care of me,” Tsuna says. “And the others,” he adds, spotting the massive pile of French toast Nana is carefully balancing next to her. Tsuna has noticed, lately, the way bullies can’t seem to find this house, the way they get lost when they try.

(The killdeer excels at luring predators away from the nest.)

Nana smiles, and hands him the syrup.

Chapter Text

Rokudo Mukuro is meditating when he hears ice crack and feels a pull to the east. He feels it tugging, demanding he go, now. Mukuro knows it’s his sky, calling the elements to their side. He reaches out with his mist along the bond, gets a glimpse of - a boy, angry and crimson - a man, too inconspicuous - a bus - a sign, Namimori.

The sensation doesn’t last long. The seal reasserts itself the moment whatever cracked it ceases. Checking the mark on his chest, though, Mukuro sees hairline cracks in the icy chains, and smiles. His sky is a strong one.

Rokudo Mukuro stands and goes to the door of the small room where he goes for quiet. He opens the door and makes his way down the hall. Stopping outside a closed door, he knocks. “Come in,” calls a voice inside. Mukuro enters. Lancia di Lucciano looks up from his papers.

“Mukuro! What can I do for you?”

“Senpai. I need a plane ticket.”

“Where to?”

“Japan.”

That gives Lancia pause. Mukuro has requested plane tickets before, and taken some of the family to deal with loose branches of the Estraneo. It’s uncommon, but the twelve-year-old is good at holding a grudge. Mostly, Mukuro practices with his flames and attends lessons, and the Lucciano hunt down leads to get revenge for the young mist in their midst. Mukuro has considered playing with their minds, just to relieve the boredom, but as long as they support his goal of finding his sky, he can’t be bothered.

“Why are we going to Japan, Mukuro?”

Mukuro considers the answers he could give, and decides to see how the man will react to the truth. “My sky is there. I feel it.”

Lancia’s eyes widen. “Well, then. I’ll arrange a flight at once, and let the Don know we may be gone for some time.”

All Don Lucciano says is, “Convey my regards. Try not to get into too much trouble, kid.”

Mukuro shrugs, and makes no promises.

Two hours after his initial request he, Lancia, Ken, M.M. and Chikusa are on a plane to Japan. Mukuro smirks. Soon he will find his sky, and then they will destroy the mafia.

Nagi has a lot of friendly acquaintances in the darker corners of her city. She has taken advantage of being overlooked, learned to make invisibility work in her favor.

She is lonely, but sure of her footsteps in the streets she’s made home. Here they call her Chrome, and she has picked up all kinds of skills from the people there. The boys in the back of the mart teach her to steal, to sneak items past scanners and eyes. The girls in dirty bathrooms and on cold street corners teach Chrome to use makeup to hide her face, teach her to appear vulnerable to con meals out of strangers. They teach her where to hit to make a man let go.

The first man Chrome tries to pickpocket catches her - and decides to show her how to do it better, if she shares her scores. She agrees after she follows him home and learns he’s just trying to feed his poor family of four. He teaches her to pick locks, too, and how to hold a knife. She’s not good at it, but it would serve her well in a pinch.

She practices, and she gets better with it. Much better.

It doesn’t take them long to forget her. All the while, Chrome searches for signs of her soulmates. She sees tall, tattooed figures with colored flames in their hands at the local gambling den. Liar, liar, her fellow serpent hisses in her ear. If he is a cobra, bright and showy and deadly (a pretty coat to hide venom), Chrome is a rattlesnake, unnoticed unless it offers a warning before its strike. She watches, instead of asking questions. Works at the gambling den as a waitress for a time, collecting bits of information like treasures. She learns about flames, about willpower, about the soulmarks. Nothing in-depth, but enough to try her own flames, enough to understand she has a Sky.

One day she is out wandering, street to street. She wanders quicker and quicker, until she is running eastward, halfway through buying a complicated series of bus and train tickets before she stops herself. She looks at the destination, Namimori. She swears she hears ice cracking. Chrome walks away.

That night, Nagi borrows her mother’s credit card and packs a bag. Nagi never shows up at school. No one notices. Chrome withdraws plenty of cash from an ATM and ditches the credit card, then climbs on the earliest train heading east. The farther she goes, the warmer she feels.

It is almost her last stop (she can feel it). The train she’s on (third train, sixth bus since she left) stops at a small airport. She switches to a bus. The last bus. As she sits, a boy slides into the seat across from her. He has one red eye and carries a trident no one else seems to notice. Their hair color matches, even the style similar. She smiles softly at him even as he smirks at her. Chrome delights in the wariness in his eye - the acknowledgement that she is a serpent in her own right, despite her plain scales.

“Chrome,” she offers a hand.

He takes it. “Rokudo Mukuro.”

Chrome hums. “Dokuro Chrome,” she decides. She’ll need a last name at some point, after all. What better than a twisted reflection of the cobra’s?

He has people with him. A tall man and three other children, all bewildered by this meeting.

“You look at me like I’m going to bite! I am harmless as a bunny,” Mukuro teases.

Chrome smiles, showing her canines. “Liar, liar. But then, if you were a bunny, I’d have eaten you already.”

She watches Mukuro’s smirk widen. Chrome smiles - properly this time. Here she has found someone who sees her. They are gemini, they are the two halves of a whole now found, they are shadow and light. She brushes back her hair, lets Mukuro catch the reflection of intertwined snakes in the window. He does the same.

Chrome thinks Mukuro notices she is nervous of he and his companions, all physically much stronger than Chrome. She is too skinny, too underfed, to throw a proper punch. She doesn’t think any of his companions notice, and Mukuro doesn’t mention it. An unexpected kindness.

“Our sky isn’t far,” Mukuro says. His companions startle, and look at her with new eyes. “Two more stops.”

“So few?” Chrome murmurs.

“You didn’t know?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Kufufufufu.”

Two days after Shamal leaves, the hairs on the back of Tsuna’s neck stand on end. He’s twitchy, checking the corners of his eyes everywhere he goes. His elements pick up on it. Kyoya is more annoyed than usual, Hayato more prickly, Takeshi more apt to forget that Tsuna hates his fake smile and use it anyway. Haru calls after class.

“I’m all sparky today,” she complains.

“Sorry,” Tsuna says. “I just feel like something’s coming. You should see Kyoya-san.”

“Hahi! No thanks.”

“Fair enough. See you Saturday?”

“Yeah, of course!”

She calls again the next day, everyone still on edge. It’s like a grasshopper is about to suddenly land on them, or a loud slammed door make them jump, or something, Tsuna thinks.

“There’s a new girl in our class. Her name is Chrome-chan and she is my new best friend.”

“That’s great, Haru-chan! Don’t worry, I won’t tell Hayato-kun.”

“And apparently she has a brother attending school at Kokuyo. He’s Ryohei-san’s age.”

“Wait, Chrome-chan is attending classes with you, and he’s going to Kokuyo? That’s a bit unusual.” Tsuna frowned. Haru’s school was one of the best girls’ schools in the area, while Kokuyo was known for its delinquents.

Warm laughter drew him out of his thoughts. “Chrome-chan says he didn’t want to deal with the expectations.”

“Maybe you should bring her this weekend so we can meet her.”

“I’ll ask.”

“Talk to you soon, Haru-chan.”

“Bye, Tsuna-sama!”

Tsuna hangs up the phone. He sighs and rubs his forehead. All this waiting for something to happen is giving him a headache.

Chrome likes her new school. Everyone is very nice. She’s not as invisible, here - everyone’s curious about the transfer student with the purple hair. Honestly Chrome is a little overwhelmed by the attention on the first day, until an angel with brown hair descends to save her.

“Hahi! Let Chrome-chan have some air! The teacher is arriving!”

The other students give her a little more space then. A few still say hello, ask some generic questions about her favorite color and where she’s from, but they slowly filter away, leaving Chrome and the brown-haired girl, who sits at the desk in front of her.

“Miura Haru-chan,” Haru says. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Dokuro Chrome,” Chrome says softly. “Hello.”

Haru-chan watches her for a second. “We,” Haru says, “are going to be best friends.”

Chrome smiles. “Okay,” she says.

“Ditching that pack of boys for the new girl?” someone says.

Chrome turns towards the other person with a frown, but Haru just laughs. “As if,” she retorts. “You can have more than one friend. Now I have, uh, six instead of five.”

The other girl turns away with her nose in the air.

“You have a lot of friends, Haru-chan,” Chrome says.

Haru beams. “They’re amazing! I’ll introduce you some time. There’s Stupid-Hayato, and Takeshi-kun and Hibari-senpai and Ryohei-onii and Tsuna-sama!”

Chrome considers the names. “Are you sure you’re friends with - ah - Hayato-san?”

“Depends on what we’re arguing about.”

Yeah, Chrome is going to leave that one alone.

“I’ll introduce you to my brother and his friends, then,” Chrome says. “He’s kind of weird though.”

Haru smiles. “That’s okay. All my friends are pretty weird too.”

Chrome tells Mukuro she is going out as a courtesy to a roommate. “I’m going out. Might be back late.”

He nods. “Take care.” Mukuro still looks tense. She’d had a hell of an argument with him shortly after they met, during which discussion of healthy boundaries in a relationship came up. Chrome agreed to keep her phone with her, and to let him know if she would be back late. Mukuro agreed to let her live her life, without tracking her constantly. Or near-constantly. Or even often.

Chrome wears her favorite black dress - gothic and lightweight - and matching lace gloves to cover the mark on her hand. She sticks her phone in her purse, and leaves. She finds Haru waiting at the corner by the park, where they agreed to meet. Haru is bouncing on her toes and chattering on her phone. When she spots Chrome approaching up the road, she waves eagerly.

“- be there soon! Bye!”

“Your friends?” Chrome asks.

“Yeah! Apparently, Takeshi-kun’s dad made bentos for everyone. Yamamoto-san makes the best sushi.”

“I look forward to it. I like your clothes.” Chrome had discovered that other girls and women tended to appreciate compliments to their clothes.

Haru was wearing a pale gold shirt over jeans. “Thank you! I like your dress.”

Chrome waited for the inevitable comment on its over-formality. It never came. “Oh. Thank you,” she said. “I really like gothic clothes.”

“Hahi! You should try cosplay - maybe something from Black Butler…”

“We could try it together sometime?”

“It’s a date!” Haru cheered. Chrome flushed, and nodded. They waited for the bus for a few long moments. Haru chattered a bit about the beautiful weather, and a bird that had built a nest in the tree right outside her window. She didn’t seem bothered by Chrome’s rare comments - or by their rarity. The bus arrived. As they climbed on, Chrome decided to comment.

“I like birds. I took care of a few, back home.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Sometimes I would help one with a hurt wing.” Chrome smiled, remembering how happy the bird had been to be able to fly again once it healed.

“Do you want to be a vet?” Haru asked.

Chrome thought about it. She liked the idea. “Maybe,” she decided. “I don’t know if I can afford school for it, though.”

Haru nodded. “School can be expensive.”

“There’s my soulmate out there to think of, too.”

“No. You do what makes you happy. If your soulmate can’t support that, then they aren’t worth it,” Haru said, “and the world messed up somewhere.”

(The world sighs. They really just can’t win with this one!)

“I’ll keep that in mind. Have you met your soulmate?”

“I’ve met both! Tsuna and stupid-dera. Have you?”

“Only one of them,” Chrome said. “I am teaching him about boundaries.”

Haru kept giggling the rest of the way to their destination. Chrome wasn’t sure why.

The bus stopped in a warm suburb, on the other side of Namimori. Haru cheerfully led the way down the street as Chrome basked in the sun. This place felt so right against her senses. “This is nice,” she said.

A boy came around the corner ahead of them was a boy a little older than Chrome, but about the same height. His brown hair was wild.

“Hahi - Tsuna-sama!” Haru greeted.

“Oh! Hello.” Chrome offered a slight bow. “I am Dokuro Chrome.”

The boy blinked. “Have we met?” he asked.

Chrome frowned. “I - I’m not sure. I don’t think so.” He did seem familiar.

She was distracted as another boy came pelting around the corner, almost colliding with Tsuna’s back. This one had silver hair and smelled like gunpowder.

“Stupid-dera,” Haru said.

“Crazy girl,” the boy sneered.

Ah, Chrome thought. This must be Gokudera-kun. She listened quietly to their ensuing argument - something about the feasibility of the existence of ghosts as compared to aliens. A soft sigh drew her attention to the boy beside her.

“Sorry about this,” Tsuna said. “They have this argument every time they see each other.”

Chrome smiled. “It’s no trouble. I like to listen.”

Tsuna froze, eyes wide. “Oh,” he breathed. It was a sound of delight and nerves all in one. “Mist-chan.”

Chrome froze and stared at him. He reached up and brushed his hair back away from his ear. Twin serpents danced there. Chrome felt her eyes fill up with tears. “I’d know that voice anywhere,” Tsuna said.

Chrome impulsively hugged him, hard.

“Hahi! What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Tsuna said. “I think I figured out why we’ve been so twitchy the last few days, though.”

“Mukuro is here, too,” Chrome said. “We found each other along the way.”

“What?” Gokudera sounded mystified.

Chrome straightened, carefully fixing her clothes. “Sorry for the poor introduction,” she said. “My name is Dokuro Chrome, mist. How do you do, Sky-sama?”

They were frozen for a moment. Then, Haru turned to Gokudera. “I found her first!”

Chrome didn’t mind. She felt warm here.

Mukuro’s phone rang. A surprise in and of itself - all their little group preferred to text, generally. The caller ID was just a tiny emoji of a snake. Even more surprising - his dear Chrome had made her opinion of him monitoring her life very clear.

“Chrome dear!”

“Mukuro-san. I found him.”

Mukuro blinked, twice. Of all the reasons he thought Chrome might be calling, that hadn’t been one.

“He is tiny, and fluffy, and we’re keeping him.”

“Obviously,” Mukuro scoffed. He reached out with his mind, gently nudging against Chrome’s. She let him peek through her eyes. He peered at the boy she was with. He felt warm. “Oh,” he said.

“Hello, Mist-kun,” the boy greeted. “I’m Tsuna.”

Mukuro raised Chrome’s eyebrow. Tsuna could recognize the switch then. “Hm,” he said, and left Chrome to it. This sky was nothing like Mukuro expected. He was tiny, and fluffy, and seemed kind of useless. Mukuro had no idea what to do with a person like that. It wouldn’t further his goals. Might even be more of a liability than anything.

But also, warm.

Mukuro would reserve judgment - for now.