#giglio nero family

[naluwalker]

Somehow I managed to get them all related

Headcanon:

Well, I really like Katekyo Hitman Reborn. I really like Byakuran, Mukuro, Hibari and Tsuna, especially Byakuran. Now, I was playing with headcanons and thought it wouldn't be unusual for many mafia families to be related to each other if they wanted to maintain "purity" of blood. I thought that if you searched your family trees, you would find members of different families, including the Vongola. So I said to myself, I want the Tri-ni-sette skies to be related and I started to see how they could.

Since we have the Sawada family tree more or less complete and I could see more or less how many generations there were, I decided to expand it a little.

Ambrogio Fabbri, later known as Giotto di Vongola, would move to Japan, taking three of his guardians with him: Luigi "G" Sorrentino, Ugetsu Asari and Carlo "Knuckle" Corazza. Alaude le Tellier would leave with them, but would eventually find his way to China where he would meet his wife, Míngxiá Wǔ, member of the ancient Wǔ clan. Damian "Daemon" Spade would stay in the mafia, becoming Secondo's Mist, and Lamberto "Lampow" Balzarini would escape to Liguria where he would marry Danila Bovino, a farmer's daughter.

Giotto would take with him Daemon and Elena Weatherington's biological daughter, Helen, who would have been no more than 4 years old at the time.

In Japan, Giotto would meet and marry Ayako Urushisako, and together they would have Yoshimune Sawada. Yoshimune Sawada would in turn marry Sakuya Uryūhara, and have twins Yoshinobu and Nobuyasu Sawada. From here the divergence of the canon begins.

Yoshinobu would marry Nogiku Kohinoki, and continue the family line until reaching Iemitsu Sawada, who would marry Nana Hitogi and they would have Tsunayoshi Sawada.

Nobuyasu Sawada (OC) would leave Japan to return to his Italian roots, because he felt it was "calling" him. He would meet and fall in love with Fiammetta Gesso, the only daughter of a landowner who was slowly becoming a mafia family. After marrying, he would adopt his wife's surname and would also have twins, Raffaello and Michele Gesso, of whom Michele, the youngest, would become the heir of the family because Raffaello would fall in love with the Sixth Chief of the Giglio Nero famiglia, Sibilla Giglio Nero and would become the father of Marcella Giglio Nero, who would give birth to Luciana "Luce" Giglio Nero, making him the great-great-grandfather of Eunice "Uni" Giglio Nero.

Michele Gesso and Iolanda Passantino would have Uriele Gesso. Uriele Gesso in turn would marry Romina Cavallone, and from their marriage Gabriele Gesso would be born. Gabriele Gesso would marry Maria Sole Scicolone, but she would turn out to be sterile, so he would look for a child in the Japanese fashion designer, Setsuka Nishikiori, who came from Namimori. Setsuka was unaware that her lover was married and a mafia member, and by the time she discovered it, she was already pregnant. In desperation, she fled to the United States with her unborn child and would change her identity to Selina Nield, giving her son two names at birth: Barnaby Nield and Byakuran Nishikiori. But despite her efforts, Gabriele would finally find her seven years later and order her murder. After that, he took custody of his son.

That's more or less what I have of the Giglio Nero and Gesso families. He has many OCs (if you can say that), but remember that there is no information on the family life of Giotto and his guardians after leaving the mafia, and asexual reproduction in humans is currently impossible so the children had to come from somewhere. From my point of view, for such a great resemblance, the boys should at least descend from the guardians.

Maybe if I get up to it, I'll do something with the families of G, Knuckles, Daemon and his daughter mentioned here, who is Mukuro and Chrome's ancestor

PS: Fon belongs to the Wǔ clan, in fact he is the younger brother of the current matriarch. The Wǔ clan is a Chinese clan of martial artists who have existed for at least a thousand years and are capable of using dying will flames. The Hibari family is a secondary branch that descends from some of them who left China for Japan, and it is not strange that every few generations some members get together.

#khr #headcanon #byakuran #uni giglio nero #gesso famiglia #giglio nero famiglia #wu clan #fon khr #hibari family #world building

[rayshippouuchiha]

Had a Thought™ about KHR. (excuse spelling mistakes because I WILL be making them)

So the giglio Nero family canonically has the strongest skies right? Like this matrilineal family of Skies has, as far as we know, always held the strongest skies in existence. It doesn't matter who they have a kid with, their first kid is 1) always a girl (far as we know) 2) an insanely strong sky 3) has some type of foresight.

So my thought (story idea/premise IG). Nana is descended from this family in some probably convoluted distant way. This could explain her space cadet behavior. She is LITERALLY not mentally present in the, well present. But she's enough removed from the family line that what she's seeing is probably really confusing and has little resemblance to reality. Also, let's be honest, if you're seeing visions of an alternate or possible future existence and aren't aware what that is about? You probably think there's something wrong with you. To the point you probably instinctively disregard A LOT of things that would be odd or concerning because well, they don't make sense so are probably made up. (Nana basically taking masking to the extreme meaning she doesn't notice/pay attention to the Flame and Mafia stuff because nobody else around her notices/talks about it. So it's probably Not Real)

And then she meets Iemeitsu. Who let's be honest, also has something DEEPLY wrong with him. ( A sky with no guardians? When that's what they DO?! Something is wrong with him on a literal soul deep level.) But he just acts like a mildly eccentric goofy guy, who otherwise is Normal™. So Nana gets attached to him, because she sees something similar in him. And she ignores anything pretty obviously WRONG because well, it's not REAL is it? She's just seeing things again. Plus of course Iemeitsu can't act Normal™ all the time, SHE struggles with that and that's something else she feels they have in common. (Very much modeling the fact that neurodivergent people tend to gravitate towards each other, and ignore stuff that's 'not normal', because for them normal isn't a thing that exists.)

And then they have Tsuna. An insanely powerful Sky child (I think there's mention of him possibly being the future sky acrobaleno at some point? Might just be fanon tho) who from a pretty young age has Hyper-Intuition.

Nana probably assumes her son has inherited her problems regarding seeing non-existent things. She probably ignores the general weirdness of Iemeitsu bringing his boss home and her son changing entirely after the visit, because she can't figure out a logical reason for Tsuna to change, so OBVIOUSLY there can't be anything wrong there, he's just going through a growth spurt!

Tsuna gets bullied in school? Well, so did Nana growing up. The fact the teachers are in on it? Not outside her perception of reality, because that's just how people treat those who are different, who can't 'Act Normal ™'. The problem of course here is that this behavior was Normal™. She was gaslit into believing this was expected and tacitly encouraged by society.

But, there's that little part that's still a mother, and doesn't understand WHY people act like this, and SURELY it's NOT Normal™ for people to treat her son like this!? It can't be reality! Right?! So obviously it's something ELSE her brain is making up, so something she should ignore entirely!

It would take ..... A LOT to have her come to terms with the fact that all that stuff she was convinced wasn't really happening, and just something else her brain was lying to her about, is actually reality. She's closed herself into a teeny tiny box of what she considers reality and anything outside of that obviously ISN'T.

ohoho now this is an interesting take on Nana that I've never seen before and it's so fucking cool

#RayRambles #KHR #katekyo hitman reborn

[dark-elf-writes]

Is the implication in the sky aggression au that Uni is particularly vicious (you saying she’s never been around another sky with her mind intact)

I would also like it if Giglio Nero skies in general were a different brand of vicious, perhaps a side effect of having the Sky Pacifier passed down for generations or a result of their future sight

Oh yeah Uni is way more aggressive than is considered normal even for skies. Like if Dino is the ultimate low (not considering Tsuna) then she is the ultimate high.

That was actually my intention with her entire family. With them being the line of strongest skies and the connection to Sepira it’s more “pure” through their line meaning their aggression is through the roof. It’s also a reason they tend to die young.

#the elf talks #katekyo hitman reborn #sky aggression au

[yarrayora]

let's pretend the romantic overtone in canon between gamma and uni doesn't exist, let's pretend for one second amano akira wrote them as entirely platonic relationship and dissect their power dynamic with that in mind

khr is an action battle shounen manga with teenage boys as its target audience, that's why even though realistically children as young as uni and tsuna would simply be figureheads as the adults play politic, that's not what happens in canon because it's about giving kids the fantasy of being in power

and that's why even though female characters are largely ignored in terms of writing in shounen jump, even uni holds power that veterans like timoteo and iemitsu can't compare with. she's the sky arcobaleno, an important player that helps keep the balance of the khr universe

she is also the giglio nero's boss. she might be the child of gamma's beloved crush, but that doesn't make him her father figure. it's the same with romario and dino. he takes care of dino, he's someone dino relies on as part of his family not just Family, but at the same time he is not dino's father. he is still dino's subordinate, and dino still holds power over him in a way a younger man wouldn't have been able to if they were a normal family and romario was actually his uncle.

the same thing is applicable with gamma and uni. no matter what, uni is gamma's superior. both because in canon it's supposed to be a story where children can go toe to toe against adults with no issues, and also the interpretation that reads this whole situation as a tragedy where children must hold power over the people they consider their family if they want to survive the underworld

#katekyo hitman reborn #khr gamma #khr uni #dino cavallone #khr analysis #uni khr #gamma khr

[katzkinder]

lies down

killed myself with the image of little baby Uni sitting on the floor and rolling a ball back and forth with Reborn, or shaking her teething toys at him, and Aria who is so thankful for the break of watching over her daughter because she's effectively a single mother with this One Guy acting as her support, and how it allows her to keep up the pretenses of being herself, of being The Boss, un compromised and un afflicted by anything but her love for Giglio Nero (while they all pretend the future isn’t going to happen and her years aren’t limited)

Reborn relearns how to weave flowers together, and holds perfectly still when the little toddler places a crown of clovers on top of his head. He lies on the floor with her and uses crayons, pins her scribbles to the fridge for Aria to see, and patiently allows chubby fingers to pat pat at his face.

Uni is a very special little girl, not the least reason of which being she manages to sand away the walls he built up in the face of betrayal, the ones which her mother had managed to beat with a hammer so that she could slip in and cradle his grief.

Reborn is the most loyal of the arcobaleno. He may not be part of the giglio nero, but nothing will change that in every sense but blood, Luce claimed him into her family before she tore them all to pieces and her own heart with it

#khr #katekyo hitman reborn #khr reborn #khr uni #i love the implications of his relationship with her and what that all means

[moonlit-mystery-writer]

My Oc's Relationships with the Varia

@childe-of-saulot @myrmyrtheorca

Okay! Fair warning before I start on this oc, there will be a lot on her lol. I've been able to play around with her the longest of my KHR ocs and I have her entwined with a handful of other ocs (That I might post some other day).

Secondly, she's the wife of the Arcobaleno and partially cursed as such, so Viper/Mammon will be done later when/if I ever get around to writing out her dynamics with that group lol.

Thirdly, Fran will be on a different post too if/when I get to the Kokuyo Gang.

Celeste Thorne or Celeste Épine is naturally a very caring and kind woman. If she's not actively taking care of someone, she's inevitably mother hen-ing someone. The type of person who's always wanted to be a parent; someone who's always dreamed a big family. However, her chances of being a mother were mostly dashed when her spouses were cursed into infantile forms and her own age permanently frozen no matter how many years pass. Even so, she did everything to keep herself hopeful and positive for the sake of Aria who she was now raising.

Squalo: Celeste is best friends with Squalo's mother and is his godmother. She was one of the first few people who held him as newborn and basically helped raise him throughout his life. Right there for almost ever major milestone of his life, and for the few she wasn't, she showed up not long after. She adores him with all her heart, having a slight tendency to still view him as the ambitious little boy she knew so long ago; the baby who'd stubbornly fuss in her arms no matter what she did as his mother got some much needed rest.

One thing she still does for him that she's done since he was young is get him at least one birthday gift with his birthstone, something she does for anyone she loves. For Squalo, he has plenty of jewelry and charms with aquamarine, but his favorite (though he'd never fully admit it to her) is the bloodstone locket that has the Varia logo on it with a picture of him and Xanxus inside. She got it for him for his first birthday after he became part of the Varia; the bloodstone being both March's second birthstone and a bad joke about him being an assassin now.

Nowadays, when she visits him, she tends to fuss over his hair a little. Celeste knows full well that he can take care of himself and his hair is doing just fine with how he cares for it, obviously. However, as someone with really long hair herself, she instinctively wants to take care of it for him. In fact, she tends to fuss over his health in general, if he gets snippy about it she will point out all his near-death experiences and how he cut off his own hand when he was young. In her eyes, this perfectly warrants her concerns over him.

Bel/Belphegor: Since she was a little girl and knew she wanted a family of her own, Celeste would go on and on about wanting twins. As she got older and older, she was certain one day she'd have twin sons. And well... She wasn't wrong per se, but the method wasn't exactly conventional at all.

She met Bel and Rasiel when they were 4 years old, or more specifically, 3 years old and 11 months. She was in their kingdom after their father contacted the Giglio Nero Famiglia, wanting to discuss the idea joining the mafia life. She was hesitant at first, but after learning he had young sons and running the idea of the visit past Aria, she couldn't help agreeing. Thus, her and the then 12 year old Aria, ending up staying in their kingdom for almost a year. She thought she'd be getting into a situation where the boys were loved dearly by others and that their father was an actual parent to them. That was not the case and she was so angry for the sake of both boys. If she could've, she would've killed their father a million times over and taken them far away from there. The only thing that held her back is the risk that regicide would pose for Aria and the Giglio Nero Famiglia as a whole.

Bel's first memory of Celeste is of him opening a birthday gift she got him. The toy inside was a simple stuffed animal, but it was a mink stuffed animal. To a little him, the fact she took effort in getting him his specific favorite animal instead of just grabbing him something generic meant the world. To this day he has that toy, far more weathered and aged, but still the same. Its also where his dear box animal, Mink, gets its name from.

Celeste tried everything she could to get the boys to stop fighting each other entirely. She could get them to pause for moments, namely by distracting them with activities or singing for them, but it'd never last for too long. Even so, she never yelled or used force or do anything that could hurt them forever. She'd gentle scold, explain why the actions were wrong, then tend to any injuries that may have happened or would clean them both up.

She did everything she could to make sure both twins knew they were loved, but especially Bel. She knew the pains of being the spare heir(ess) very well herself. She knew what it felt like to have everyone's eyes on an older sibling rather than you. So she made sure he knew that she was always there for him. That her eyes were always on him too, not just on Rasiel. Celeste also did this by giving both unique and kinda silly nicknames. Bel's are: Little prince, mon loup, and Baby-Bel Cheese. She still calls Bel these to this day.

I don't think we're ever given a proper timeline as to when the twins gave each other laxative and worms. So! When Bel got sick after being force fed worms by his brother, Celeste stayed right by his side. She took care of him and made sure he got better instead of force. At the time, he was bitter because she'd done the same for Rasiel a week earlier when he poisoned him. However now, whenever he's sick, he will often find himself missing her soft words and gentle touch and how she'd only leave to get things he needed, to check on Aria, or when he was asleep.

Both of them equally hate when she had to leave and leave him behind. Celeste just also hates that she had to leave Rasiel behind too given she loved both twins as her own after all.

Celeste met him again basically right after he joined the Varia. When Viper had called her and said they had a gift for her, one of her lost babies wasn't what she'd expected. But she was so happy to have Bel back in her life, even if she couldn't be right there for him full time. Of course it hurt to learn Rasiel was gone, but she'd never tell him that directly. And it's not like it was a big surprise to learn given that she was the only trying to actively curb their violent tendencies towards each other, there was a part of her that figured one of them would end up killing the other as much as it hurt to think.

To this day, he's the Varia member she spends the most time with outside of Viper. She loves taking him out to places he wants to see or to events or even just short shopping trips. She wants to give Bel the best sense of normalcy that she can despite his upbringing and the fact both of them are so deeply involved in the mafia. As, she knows he'll never fully be able to get it for himself.

Lussuria and Levi: Combining these two because there's not much to them and her! However, that doesn't mean she doesn't care for them at all. She simply didn't get to know them well until after Xanxus got frozen. Celeste did small thing for them to show she cares for them too. Though, her biggest act involving one of them has to be when she bought Lussuria a whole set of diamond jewelry (necklace, bracelets, and earrings) because he's an April birthday like her.

Xanxus: On all level except physical, Xanxus is her son. That's how she sees it at least. They met at a Vongola party when a then 9 year old Aria dragged a less than happy 9 year old Xanxus right up to her, declaring the boy her new best friend. From that day on, he became her own son in her heart. She hated Timoteo, but she was willing to set all of that completely aside so Xanxus could spend time with her and Aria. She doted on him like any spoiling mother would. She showered him with attention and praise. She helped him with homework and made sure to reward his good grades. But she knew that she wasn't the one he wanted that from.

Celeste wasn't stupid. She knew all the boy wanted was his father's acknowledgement. Part of her wanted to fight Timoteo until he gave Xanxus what he wanted. In her eyes, her baby was more than deserving of it. But she held back, knowing it'd just hurt him if he ever learned she had to step in to get him what he wanted most. And she doesn't want him in pain after all. She didn't know what eventually caused Xanxus to hate Timoteo too, but she supported him.

For her, like with the rest of the mafia world, Xanxus simply disappeared. She mourned like any mother would when their child is missing without a trace. However, it wasn't hard for her to learn the real story from the others she's close to in the Varia. She was pissed, beyond pissed even when she learned. At Timoteo, at the rest of Vongola, at the rest of mafia in general, and even at herself.

To her, she failed Xanxus. She didn't love him enough clearly. She didn't give him everything he needed, that's what caused this. Maybe she should've fought Timoteo into give Xanxus the attention he wanted, even if it hurt him emotionally. Hurt feelings are better than being frozen in ice after all... She should've done more for him...

The main reason she hates the rest of the mafia for this though is for a simple reason: They don't miss her son. They miss Timoteo's heir. They don't miss the boy who always struggled getting up in the morning after sleepover with Aria. They don't miss the boy she helped finish hard math homework. They don't miss the boy who loves ligers, who's favorite color is orange, and who loves to read. They don't miss the boy who'd struggle to fall back asleep after a nightmare. They don't miss the boy she taught to swim. They don't miss the boy she carried to bed when he and Aria fell asleep on her couch. They don't miss that Xanxus, her Xanxus. They miss the Vongola Decimo candidate, Xanxus.

For every year he was frozen, she still got birthday gifts for him. Of course, she wasn't sure if he'd actually like them at that point, but she took an educated guess of what he might've liked as he got older. His fist birthday after he got unfrozen, she sent him every last one of those gifts.

Nowadays, she still love him with all her heart as her son. He'll always be her baby after all. But, he's not a kid anymore and she knows it. He doesn't need her to hold her to hold his hand and guide him around anymore. Her little boy is all grown up now. Yet... She can't stop herself from showing him her love the same ways still. She can't help herself from fixing his hair when there's a part out of place. She still calls him all the little nicknames she came up with for young him. She still buys him opal cufflinks and suit pins and more for his birthdays.

She also will still carry him to bed if he falls asleep around her. And I do mean will, she can be frighteningly strong when she wants to be.

Also this applies to Squalo, Bel, and Xanxus. But she does loves sharing those "embarrassing" stories parents will tell about their kids. Like odd games they played, silly mishaps they had, and things like that.

#katekyo hitman reborn #khr #khr oc #khr belphegor #khr squalo #khr xanxus #khr varia #this took me 4 hours to write lol

[dragonfirerogue-writes]

I couldn't exactly find the soulmate au that I was thinking about so any Soulmate au would be applicable!

KHR x Wednesday

Reader is the Sky Arcobaleno instead of Luce, They have powerful sky flames that manages to keep Reader alive for decades and The Arcobaleno kept in touch via an app/website that Verde made. They decided to enroll into Nevermore because they are bored and if vampires can join Nevermore at any age then R can too! Reader is just on the sidelines, watching from afar never revealing their flames to anyone in Nevermore even Weems.

Here we come to the Angsty Fun part! Reader confronts Wednesday on being soulmates but gets rejected. Saddened but smiles at Wednesday and nods and they apologizes and bids them a good life. One of the arcobaleno comes and enrolls after that and Reader spends time with the arcobaleno, ignoring Wednesday. Reader and arcobaleno can be lovers or something like that. You can decide the plot

Wednesday x Arcobaleno!Reader

V: Any trouble so far?

-No, not so far. There seems to be some rumbles about, but nothing I need to step into.

R: Good to know. We have a contact that may show up. He's a troublemaker, but he's a good informant.

V: Name's Fester.

C: Make sure the authorities don't get to him. He's usually good about it though.

The rest of the conversation devolves into other updates that don't pertain to you so you return your gaze to the Nevermore Quad. You watch as outcasts of all sorts mingle together and smile at the sight. In the years you've been alive, it warmed your heart to see the evolution and progression of their acceptance within the world.

You came to this school out of boredom. With the other Arcobaleno able to keep things running without you, you had a bit of freedom with your life. Especially since the curse running in your family seemed to skip you. In fact, you've been the head of the Giglio Nero Famiglia for years longer than any others.

But now, you're just another face in the crowd. It was a nice change of pace. No one needed you aside from your team. No one knew who you were. No one knew your power. Both your clairvoyance and your flames. And you had no intention of showing anyone.

At least until you laid eyes on Nevermore's newest resident, Wednesday Addams.

As soon as you gaze upon her, the flame in your heart blazes then ebbs into a calm ember. Because of the strength of your Dying Will Flame, you had to constantly be aware of your power. But now, you feel as though calm has settled into your soul.

You need to talk to Wednesday as soon as you can. It takes a couple days, but you managed to catch the goth alone.

"Wednesday, yes?" You wait until the girl turns to look at you. "I'm Y/N. And... And I believe you're my soulmate."

She just stares at you, her eyes occasionally moving you size you up. You don't know what's on her mind, but you hope that there's something there.

"I have no soulmate," she says, crushing your hopes. "And I have no intention of getting one. That is a weakness I will not claim."

You feel your heart breaking. The sorrow nearly cripples you. But you take a breath and offer the goth a smile. Stepping back from her space, you bow.

"I suppose I'll just have to accept that then." Your eyes waver and tears begin to fill up. "May your future lead you to greatness."

You walk away, letting your tears fall. Your flames withering with your mood.

-----+++++-----

The days seem to blur after your encounter with Wednesday. You see her everywhere and the hurt renews every time you do so. Even now, when you're sitting in the quad, you find yourself looking in her direction. You don't snap out of it until a wrapped bento box is waved in front of you.

"It's a rare sight to see a frown on your face, Boss."

Startled, you look up at your new companion only to see a familiar smile.

"Fon! What are you doing here?" You stand up and pull him into an embrace, which he returns in kind with a soft chuckle.

"We thought you would like some company while here, so I volunteered." He smooths the creases on his uniform and sits next to you. "Also thought you might've missed some good food so..." He opens the bento, revealing his favorite food.

"Hahaha Mapo tofu. Yes, it's been a while since I've had this. Thank you, Fon."

"Of course."

Little did you know, a pair of dark eyes witnessed the whole interaction and a stuttering heart beats for the first time.

-----+++++-----

Wednesday is investigating in the woods when she hears grunts. Following the sound, she finds you and Fon sparring in a clearing. For a split second, rage surges through her veins. It was strange for her. She never wanted a soulmate. She didn't even think she had one. But now that you made yourself known, the possessive feelings seem to overtake her.

Your eyes on her quickly became a staple in her life. Even after she rejected you, the fact that you watched her gave her a strange comfort. But when your companion arrived, she didn't feel those eyes anymore and it makes her feel more empty than she usually feels. She didn't like it. And knowing that your eyes were more on this newcomer than on her, she liked that even less.

Wednesday found herself watching the sparring match. She wanted to know more about you and why she was drawn to you outside of being soulmates. When the appearance of flames from the both of you came about, she was captivated.

Yours and Fon's flames danced in red and oranges. You easily recovered from every strike using your Soft Flames. Fon's speed gave him the advantage when it came to the number of attacks. However, your Hard Flames gave you the power to deal extra damage.

The battle grows more fearsome as time goes on. At some point, Fon sends an Exploding Lotus Kempo towards you, which you dodge. But in doing so, it goes towards Wednesday. As soon as you notice, you burst forward as the red dragon races towards the goth. You make it in time to take the hit, using your own flames to nullify the damage as much as you can.

"Boss!" Fon races towards you and checks you for harm.

"What did I tell you about calling me that here, Fon?" You let out a soft groan. The sleeves of your shirt have disintegrated, leaving your forearms bare and slightly singed. You turned to look at the girl behind you with a soft smile.

"Any harm to you, Wednesday?" The goth shakes her head.

"Good." You turn back to Fon. Almost immediately, Wednesday misses your eyes on her. "Fon, we'll have to be more careful while sparring." The Storm Arcobaleno nods in agreement.

"Of course." He looks at Wednesday and bows. "Apologies for the fright. I should've held back."

"What power is that?" Wednesday asks, ever the curious one. "I've never seen it before."

Fon looks at you. He wasn't sure whether to tell the girl about your famiglia and everything that it entailed. You just keep your smile.

"They're called Dying Will Flames." You explain. "It's an... Inherited trait within our circle." Wednesday frowns at your explanation.

"Just who are you?" A sad smile graces your features.

"Someone of no real importance to you, amore."

You turn to leave, taking Fon by the arm to leave as well. "Be safe out here, Wednesday. Sorry to have bothered you."

Fon placed a comforting hand on your back as you both walked away. Wednesday feels as though she just lost something dear to her, something she hasn't felt since losing Nero. She hates herself for this, but maybe she'll have to find a way into your good graces if she's going to feel normal again.

Wednesday isn't even sure if that's possible now...

#a dragon tries to write #wednesday addams x reader #wednesday x reader #wednesday (netflix) #asks #requests

[ciaossu-imagines]

Prompt 19: ▼☮♒✿♦ for my son, Nosaru from KHR?

Oh, this one is so much fun because I haven’t written anything for Nosaru in a long time, because he’s so forgotten by fandom! I had fun with these, and I hope you’ll enjoy!

Childhood headcanon

I honestly do see Nosaru as being orphaned. His parents were part of the Giglio Nero but died when he was a baby during a mission. Because Aria and later Yuni are very caring, empathetic bosses, they made sure to incorporate Nosaru into the family, with Gamma and Tazaru really becoming the boy’s parental figures as he grew up and his childhood with them was really something he remembers with fondness. He was never forced into fighting, never pushed into doing anything. He was played with, watched over, treated with kindness and love by these men and because he so admired them, he chose to try to emulate them from an early age in fighting for the family.

Friendship headcanon

Nosaru is definitely that friend who needs a mom friend. He’s headstrong, stubborn, and honestly way too fearless for his own good. He needs that grounding voice of ‘no, don’t go jump off that roof onto that trampoline to see what would happen; that’s a really stupid idea.’

Family headcanon

Nosaru isn’t a person who will want to form his own family when he grows up. Because he remembers all the kindness and love the Giglio Nero family showed him, he simply wants to devote his life to…not so much repaying them, but making them proud. To quote Gregory and the Hawk, ‘just trying to be good to the people who raised me.’

Happy headcanon

Nosaru, for all his hot-headedness, is honestly a really cheerful person. He might be quick to anger, but he’s even quicker to grin and smile and laugh. He’s very encouraging of others too – while an insult might come quick when people screw up, once his initial anger fades, he’s quick with compliments and offers to help them learn what to do.

Emotional headcanon

Nosaru struggles with his temper throughout all of his life, he really does. He has a really bad temper and is really quick to anger. Even when he gets sad or grieves, he defaults those emotions to anger because it’s something easier for him to process, easier for him to deal with. He will learn over the years how to better control his anger, how to walk away and go work out or go spar with someone he trusts instead of causing a scene but during his younger years, there were some hard times where he really did struggle with that anger.

#event asks #katekyo hitman reborn #khr #headcanons #nosaru

[parallelroutes]

[ continuation of this 'thread' with @queenharumiura ]

[ tws: violence, physical assault, semi-gruesome, injury/illness (?), dark thoughts, victim blaming (himself) ... idk just know it's heavy. ]

-

Byakuran thought he'd break once he faced his past, but he broke facing the present first.

They ripped off the feathers, over and over, watched them vanish into dust, but he still wouldn't answer a single question. They punished him through pulling out feathers more and more with every refusal. He didn't care.

It really doesn't matter how much it hurt when the wings were pulled off entirely. He should've let his wings dissipate beforehand, but that wouldn't be fun, he thought (at the time.) It wasn't fun to have them ripped out either, but he still wouldn't let them have ultimate control over him and kept them out as an act of defiance. Who cares about the tears he shed in the process? Not him.

( What's wrong, flying freak? Are you useless without your wings? )

Tsunayoshi-kun said the same thing once. Looks like he was right all along.

Nothing in life could hurt him, he thought. Invincible. Smart. Intelligent. He has knowledge from so many parallel worlds, but he was still too stupid to predict the gang would go after Haru-chan directly. It was so stupid to assume he'd be able to handle that many grown men... they didn't even need the gun.

This is entirely his fault. It was his choice. He's the idiot who provoked them, the fool that intervened instead of waiting for law enforcement. He really thought he could handle anything life threw at him and genuinely thought he was capable of everything. In reality, he can't do much of anything. And now, he's finally facing the consequences of his craving for 'entertainment'.

There's so much blood everywhere on him and it wouldn't surprise him if there's some on the wall he's leaning against. They'd even torn off the back of his shirt to watch... he's glad he doesn't have a mirror because he can't be pretty right now. The gang is long gone by now and he didn't catch why they left. It doesn't matter.

Haru-chan will be fine. She has the Vongola family on her side. All Byakuran has is Giglio-Nero, and there's none of them anywhere near Namimori. He's nothing.

The only thing he can really do when it matters is his healing, but… right now, he doesn't even have that. Even if he could reach his back with his hand, he doubts he could seal off a wound with Sky Flames when those caused the injury to begin with. He probably needs stitches at minimum.

However, the blood is not the dangerous part. It's hypoglycemia. Flying takes a lot of energy as is, so adding that to the energy needed to make the wings out of flames from his back already… if he uses flames now, what will happen?

He's so tired.

He might never wake up if he falls asleep now, but that's fine. He's okay with that. He was never meant to be happy in the first place, so that's fine. It's just what he gets. It's pointless to fight for his life against a battle he can't win alone... like he is now.

… Haru-chan would disagree with all of this. She'd cry. She'd grieve. He doesn't know how much - or for how long - but he knows her well enough to be sure. Can't close his eyes or he'll never see her again… well, at this rate, he won't see anything again.

He doubts he has much time before he'll pass out. What can he even do? His hands are still tied behind his back, he's already tried standing up and he'd just make his condition worse if he tries again. But… if he doesn't, then…

…

Huh?

With what little energy he has, he lifts his head as someone shouts his name. Blink, blink. Tsunayoshi-kun?

There's Ryohei-kun rushing behind him and the warmth of Sun Flames spreading through his back. Takeshi-kun is talking to him with a fairly uncharacteristic frown. Hayato-kun found the phone.

He asks Tsunayoshi-kun how Haru-chan is doing, who tells him she left to see a doctor and asked them to find him. She's probably so worried right now... this was already a terrible idea, and now he feels even more like a dumbass. Oh well.

He has just enough energy left in him to tell them to give him sweets before they take him to the hospital. They probably don't have any, but he smiles as he shuts his eyes anyway.

Hopefully he will wake up later. Even if it does matter this time, who knows?

#>> ROUTE: 3YL. #queenharumiura #[ ah yes this got so gruesome and heavy i am Sorry ] #[ i fixed the writing itself as much as i could but i gotta go sleep now so ] #[ also pls tell me if the smalltext got messed up at the ends again ]

[hopeswriting]

EVENT: KHR Rare Pair Week 2022

PROMPT: Day 6 - Sleep Intimacy

PAIRING: Byakuran & Uni

SUMMARY:

The night before the Representative Battle of the Rainbow starts, Byakuran is kept awake by the memories of the Future that Never Was. They didn’t teach him anything he didn’t already know about himself, and maybe he wishes they did.

Or, Byakuran grapples with the memories of the Future that Never Was.

RATING: T

AUTHOR: @hopeswriting

TAG WARNINGS: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Canon-Typical Violence, Mental Anguish

WORD COUNT: 10170

LINKS: Ao3 & Ff.net

[Plain text:

EVENT: KHR Rare Pair Week 2022

PROMPT: Day 6 - Sleep Intimacy

PAIRING: Byakuran & Uni

SUMMARY:

The night before the Representative Battle of the Rainbow starts, Byakuran is kept awake by the memories of the Future that Never Was. They didn’t teach him anything he didn’t already know about himself, and maybe he wishes they did.

Or, Byakuran grapples with the memories of the Future that Never Was.

RATING: T

AUTHOR: @hopeswriting

TAG WARNINGS: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Canon-Typical Violence, Mental Anguish

WORD COUNT: 10170

LINKS: Ao3 & Ff.net /End PT]

*

Byakuran gazes down at the town, sitting cross-legged on the roof of the house the Giglio Nero have rented for their temporary stay in Namimori. It’s the middle of the night, but he knows Gamma at the very least isn’t sleeping soundly, not with him so near to them, and most importantly to his dear Princess.

Uni has still allowed both his Guardians and him to stay despite his best efforts, which is only natural as they’re meant to also be her representatives during the upcoming Battle of the Rainbow, but she also welcomes their presence, and would still have even if she hadn’t any use of them. They’re there at all because she’s chosen him as her representative too, even when her family could have done the job by themselves, and she’d still have sought him out even if she hadn’t the convenient excuse of the Battle of the Rainbow to do so, even if she hadn’t any excuse at all to do it.

Byakuran has not yet figured out what she’s up to doing all this, acting like that like they both don’t perfectly know what he did but never did at the same time, and who he is and has in him to turn into like it never happened. He has not yet figured out what she hopes to gain from it either, or gain from him specifically—

Ah, nope, nope, nope, that’s not it, of course not. Uni isn’t that type at all, isn’t anywhere near the likes of him. She does things even when she hasn’t anything to gain from them, is happy to do things even when it’ll only benefit everyone else but herself, even when it’ll cost her everything so everyone else but herself can benefit from it, and Byakuran would know that most of all.

She’s only hoping he’ll get something out of this, but won’t force neither the issue nor him, only allowing herself to gently nudge him to whichever right place she believes will do him good. Because of course, somehow, for reasons he may have already grasped but has yet to comprehend—doesn’t think he’ll ever comprehend—, that hidden agenda of hers is only well-meaning and has only his best interest at heart.

Byakuran smiles, because sometimes he truly doesn’t understand that child, even as he suspects he’s the one person who understands her the most out of an entire world. Out of entire worlds, even.

It’s fine, he isn’t bothered by it, on the contrary. He’s enjoying trying to figure her out, trying to figure out what this really is about for her, and not even to get in her way, of course not, he doesn’t plan to at all, why would he? It would ruin all the fun of this, all the novelty of it. Byakuran is usually the one who has everyone else figured out, and thinking they figured him out in turn, when he’s only showing them what he needs to have them dance in the palm of his hand.

Namimori is quiet, asleep, the streets empty, the lights in houses and buildings turned off. It looks peaceful surrounded by its trees and forests and cliffs and mountains, looks safe, unlike his memories of the destroyed town, colorful fires wreaking havoc and leaving death and violence in their wake, men clad in white and black hunting down screaming men, women and children. In those memories Byakuran himself stood in those bloody streets more than once, smiling and laughing at the destruction and slaughter, participating in it and enjoying himself as he did.

Not even once was it even close to necessary. Not even the very first time, where he could have just taken the time to look into parallel worlds to know what the Vongola Tenth Generation was up to, and how to best take the Vongola Rings from them. And of course, especially not after so many times of playing that same game he already knew all the cards Vongola had to play, and all the different combinations they could play them in, and how to win the game before they could even think to play any of their cards. The smartest move was actually to not go that route even only once, if nothing else because per Omerta he should have made sure to be able to take care of his businesses quietly and discreetly.

But he still chose the full scale destruction and violence over and over again, because it was fun. It was distracting, and that’s all the reason he’s ever needed to do anything. It was him carving his mark in the world in the most efficient, indisputable way he came up with, carving the proof of his existence in the world in the most lasting way he came up with, and it’s the only reason he’s ever needed to see through anything he does, however much it’s shaping to mean unspeakable ruin and pain and loss to everyone but him.

This time should have been the one, though. He was so sure it was, but as he looked down at the remains of the worlds he destroyed from his sole remaining tower, he still felt nothing. He still felt nothing, and he knew it wasn’t just because he couldn’t walk that final step to make it all worthy and meaningful. Then he laughed, because that had never been the point anyway.

Byakuran likes to win, he’s a sore loser too, because where’s the fun in playing a game if not to win it? He likes to win, he does, but he’s always liked the game most, so much so he’d still play it even if he knew he was going to lose.

Byakuran gazes down at the town, at the world spreading far and out of reach in front of him, because this is one of those nights where the memories from the future keep him awake, the memories of all the different futures the future Byakuran of his timeline had in his head.

He wonders if the future Arcobaleno knew he’d have those memories too. Unlikely, as they went through the trouble of sealing the Mare rings of his time so he wouldn’t have that ability on his side again. Then again maybe they simply hadn’t had a choice in the matter, not when the future Byakuran had all those memories in his head independently of which parallel world they came from, and they couldn’t handpick which ones to pass down to him. He remains the rightful bearer of the Mare rings too, even if they’re sealed, but then again with all those futures erased and reset to start anew, it’s not like those memories hold any real power for him to wield them against the worlds again, should he feel like doing it again.

He thinks he does.

He can’t say for sure he doesn’t.

He doesn’t know which it is.

There’s a craving clawing under his skin when he’s kept awake on nights like this, gazing down at a world out of his reach, and it has never tried to claw its way out more strongly than since he learned he could make the world his. It echoes to the tempting pull soothing the ache deep in his bones when he looks at the Mare ring around his finger, is emphasizes by it and emphasizes it in turn, making both feelings stronger.

But there’s peace too as he gazes down at a world out of his reach, knowing he failed to make it his even if by all accounts it should have been a sure win for him, knowing that no one will ever let him try again, and won’t hesitate even if killing him is the only way to stop him. It echoes to the thing he thinks might be comfort dulling the craving and relieving the ache, souring the taste of peace in his mouth as it does, even if neither of those feelings felt much like anything positive to begin with.

He likes to think no one will hesitate anyway. Why would they? He could see one or two of them do, but even them, surely, if push comes to shove?

Byakuran wishes they won’t.

He knows Gamma won’t, which makes him one of his most favorite people in the world right now, and it’s funny how much it infuriates him when he treats him as such.

Byakuran gazes down at the world, and tonight is one of those nights where he thinks he feels like taking over the world again. And taking over the worlds too, should he fail with this one, and the one after that, because if he starts he won’t stop until he gets it right, or until someone stops him.

He’s done it already literally as many times as he could through all the different routes possible, so the idea shouldn’t appeal to him anymore, but the circumstances are different enough to make it a new, interesting game for all of them to play. This time they’d all stand behind the starting line on equal ground for one, though Byakuran would still have the advantage to know how he lost and how he won all the other times, and they wouldn’t know the latter. He could win too if they were to play again, would do his best to anyway because he isn’t about to let himself lose twice in a row, and he’s been itching to play that brand-new, fun game ever since he’s gotten the memories from the future.

More often than not he thinks he feels like taking over the world again on nights like this, which he knows for a fact because he’s been keeping count. He wonders if that alone would be enough of a reason for any of them to already take action to stop him.

He wishes it would be.

“Byakuran?” Uni calls softly in his back. “Do you mind some company?”

“Of course not, Uni-chan! You know I hate being alone more than anything else in the world.”

“I do,” she says, a smile in her voice. A sad one, he bets. “Me too.”

She sits next to him, hugging her knees against her chest, the white cape of the Giglio Nero Donne hanging from her shoulders. A family heirloom more than a famiglia heirloom, he thinks, though of course they’re both. It’s one of the few things she has left from her mother, and he wonders if she cried her death hugging it close to her chest, if she muffled her screams against it, hid the pain on her face in it, let it soak up the proof of her tears away.

Uni gave her life away wearing that cape too times and times again, and he wonders if she let some of her tears and pain be for herself too.

He doesn’t think she’ll ever let anyone know, not even him.

“You shouldn’t be here, haven’t you any sympathy for poor Gamma-kun?” he asks teasingly. “Now for sure he isn’t sleeping.”

Uni frowns. “Byakuran, I know Gamma’s been… very harsh with you—”

“Yeah, and he’s really hurting my feelings, actually, you know? You should scold him harder.”

“He doesn’t mean to be.”

Byakuran laughs. “Come on, Uni-chan. You and I both know he does. He’ll electrocute me all the way to my grave the second I step out of line. The second he even thinks I’m stepping out of line.”

“He won’t,” she says, shaking her head. “We’re all just still raw from the memories from the future, and it’s easier to lay it all at your feet. But I’m sure that should it ever come to that, which I don’t believe it will, they’ll all know to look at you as your own person with no crimes of your own to punish you for, Gamma included.”

“I wish they wouldn’t.”

He sees Uni frown again at the corner of his eye, pursing her lips, but she doesn’t pursue the matter. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Sure do!” he perks up, leaning forwards so he can catch her eye. “You know I always love talking with you, right? I’m happy to tell you aaaall about what’s going on in my head. Let’s see, what about I tell you about…” and he really means to start talking, but he trails off, changing his mind “...everything, but I like you too much to do that to you, Uni-chan.”

“Thank you,” Uni says, smiling, her eyes softening, and Byakuran didn’t know if he meant it or not, but now he knows he did.

Is that why she’s here? Why she cares about him still being awake, sitting alone on the roof? Why she cares about it enough to join him, to not be able to fall asleep herself?

Why she sat so close to him, like they’re friends, like he’s safe, like she trusts him?

He doesn’t like that she might think so.

“Why are you here, Uni-chan?” he asks, his voice still pleasant, lighthearted, but quiet.

“To keep you company,” she says easily, holding his gaze.

“Why would you care to? Why would you take that risk? Because I like you?” He smiles, and her eyes drop to it before holding his gaze again, but he already knew it isn’t a nice smile. “Don’t you know? You’re saddening me, I thought you knew me best.”

Everything Byakuran has ever liked ended up crushed beyond repair in his hands. Everyone he likes ends up broken and damaged beyond repair in his hands, right where he planned to have them from the very beginning. They’re never grateful for it, but they couldn’t truly like him back like they said they did without knowing who he is, without knowing this is the way he likes and shows that he does, so he’s never bothered listening to what they had to say, let alone remembering it, and least of all taking it to heart.

He raises his hand, slowly moving it closer to Uni’s face, and it’s the last thing she saw across many parallel worlds, because he liked Uni the most out of everyone else across all of them most often than not.

Likes her the most out of everyone else in this world too.

Uni looks at his hand, then purses her lips in a hard line, steel pooling in her eyes. “Don’t you put your hands on me,” she says, looking back at him, and her voice is neither warm nor gentle. “Not like this.”

She doesn’t pull away even with distaste clear as day on her face, if not straight-up disgust or hatred, but of course she doesn’t.

She’s threatening him.

He can’t remember a world in which she fought him back out of anything but self-defense or the defense of others, but of course her threat has a real weight to it he ought to be wary of. How could it not have, when she has the purest, strongest Sky flames in this world? When she’s one of the Strongest in the World? And she might have inherited that title through her mother and her grandmother before her, but it doesn’t mean she isn’t worthy of it all the same.

How delightful. Uni truly never ceases to keep him entertained.

Her words stay his hand, though not because of the threat in them, and makes him choose more vicious words. Then again, he’s never learned how to be kind or even merciful. “But you’ve been doing nothing but tempting me to by acting like that, Uni-chan. Nothing but daring me to. Do you think I won’t? I might be my own person from my future self, but everything he became came from me. How many times did he kill you?”

“Not even once.”

Byakuran chuckles. “That’s not quite how I remember it. He killed you so many times, all the times, whether by his own hands or by forcing your own.”

“He didn’t. Every single path that led me to my death, every single one of them, I chose to walk on them head-on even knowing it could end up in my death, because I believed them worthy to die for.”

“But you would never have had to if it weren’t for him, would you?”

“Byakuran.” She grabs his hand, holding on tight, and this, too, is a threat, a final warning. She straightens to her full height, Byakuran straightening too so to keep looking her in the eye, and he can count on the fingers of one hand in how many parallel worlds he earned that unforgiving look on her face, unyielding, but softened by pleading sorrow. “My deaths were by my own hands, from my own choices. So will be this one too should it come to that after all. And you don’t get to try to take that away from me, no one does.”

Her eyes stay dry, unfaltering, even when she should have fell apart long ago, undone by all that weight on her shoulders, a child like her. A child, but her eyes are still the most haunting sight he’s ever seen, and she’s strength in a way only those who stood in her shoes before will ever be able to understand.

Byakuran hears loud and clear what she doesn’t say. Him, too, would rather burn the world to the ground than let it impose him the way he should live his life. Did just that once, and then countless times after, and would have never stopped if he hadn’t been stopped.

How tragic that Uni can only fight for her death, that her death is the only part of her life the world doesn’t require for it to happen only on its terms. He really thinks it is, but he doesn’t feel pity or even sympathy for her, not that he believes anyone could feel the latter in any meaningful way.

Uni hates nothing more than to be mourned even as she still lives, even as she still does her best to make the most out of a life that has never been meant to be fully hers.

Byakuran slowly frees his hand from her grip, sitting straight again, facing forwards, his hands on his lap. He feels Uni’s eyes on them, but ignores it. “I just can’t help but wonder why you’d ever want to be by my side. How you can bear it.”

“I don’t,” she says softly, and her voice is becoming warm and gentle again. “Not always. Sometimes I look at you, and all I can think of is…” She won’t finish that phrase, but he still wonders what she would have said if she had. All of it, maybe? He did many different things to her across all the different parallel worlds. “Sometimes—often, just your sight pains me, angers me, but—” She needs a moment before going on, but then leaves that matter at that for another one. “I don’t trust you either, not like that. And I don't forgive you for the things you did that are mine to forgive. I just trust you won’t harm me again just to prove you can.”

Byakuran laughs. “Is that so? I wish you wouldn’t.”

He leans back on his hands, stretching his legs in front of him, crossing them at his ankles. This isn’t quite how he wanted it to go, but it’ll do. As long as she doesn’t mistake him for someone he isn’t, and frankly, for someone he might never become, not her of all people. How disappointing would that have been?

She hasn’t forgiven him either. He didn’t plan to ever try to get her stance on the matter, but he’s glad she’s given it to him, and likes the stance she’s taken. He likes her phrasing too, how she doesn’t forgive him only for the things he did that are hers to forgive.

The rest is none of her business, isn’t hers to pass judgment on, is all Bykauran’s, and he’d hate for anyone to claim otherwise, would get rid of any such person without a second thought. They’re free to make the things he did about them, but only the things that are theirs to make about them to begin with.

Tsunayoshi Sawada will never forgive him either for the things that are his to forgive, and it’s the Tsunayoshi of his time who has said so. Maybe he forgot though, or did forgive him after all, because when they met again in this time—

No, he’s getting it wrong again. It was deliberate, because Tsunayoshi is much closer to the likes of Uni than him, so it probably wasn’t even much of a struggle to see him as his own person, undeserving of bearing the crimes of another, even if that other person is his future self, all of them. And apparently the him of this time is allowed to be curious about Tsunayoshi’s room and take a peek at it, and gets to ask and hear about his school life.

It felt nice, but he’s still figuring out what to make of it.

“Do you resent having been given the memories from the future, Byakuran?”

Byakuran glances at her, curled on herself again, hugging her knees against her chest. He looks up at the sky, dark and starless tonight. Pity. “I wonder.”

He doesn’t.

The memories felt like a dream even when he was awake when he got them, but he knew without a doubt they weren’t, knew they were real in some capacity or another. He knew they couldn’t not be real, not when the Byakurans in them were acting just like he knew he would have every step of their ten years plan for world domination, and no one knew him that well to fake such accurate memories.

They didn’t shock him either. They did not cause him grief, did not torment him, did not horrify him. He hadn’t quite realized he’d be willing to go that far, but then as he did, it felt nothing but natural that he would be.

Byakuran is an incredibly good liar, but he’s never seen the point to lie to himself, has never done so. He’s always been acutely aware of who he is, from the good to the bad to the monstrous parts of himself, and has always embraced all of them whole. Should he have been offered the mean to scratch the itch he’s always felt to his heart’s content at last, to do whatever he’d need to do to get rid of it entirely, he, too, would have eagerly, resolutely gone off the deep end, never even thinking he might want to look back, and wouldn’t have had any remorse or regrets even if he’d have looked back after all was said and done.

The Byakurans in the memories certainly didn’t, nor did they feel guilt, or shame, or horror. Byakuran didn’t either even as he saw himself so clearly through each and every one of them he might as well have been them, and he still didn’t feel any of it even after he snapped back in his own time and in his own mind, and his alone.

He didn’t bother looking to feel that way either. Why should he have? Byakuran is the most selfish person he knows, and if anyone should have to deal with those feelings it’s the Byakurans from the memories and them alone, especially when they were the only ones to experience firsthand the fun parts of taking over the world.

Byakuran snapped out of the memories back in his own time and in his own mind, and his alone, and burst out laughing. A genuine laugh too, a happy one like he didn’t remember the last time it had been, and one relieved from his itch and craving and ache like he had yet to succeed in making himself feel.

There’s something bitter and awfully envious in knowing every other version of himself got to do what they felt needed to be done to get rid of their itch and craving and ache without any restraints, in knowing he’ll never get to do so himself should he feel like it because they got to, in knowing he’ll have to content himself with only having experienced it secondhand through their memories for the rest of his life, but even that alone was something he thought would be forever out of his reach.

Byakuran is nothing but grateful for having been given the memories from the future, and he wonders if that alone would be enough of a reason for any of them to already take action to stop him.

“They didn’t mean for them to hurt any of us,” Uni says when he fails to add anything else, and he has to scoff.

“I doubt the future Arcobaleno cared much about my well-being.”

“It’s okay if you don’t believe it, but I don’t think they meant for them to hurt even you. But even if they did, they still did you a kindness along with the rest of us by sharing those memories with us, you know?” Byakuran tilts his head to look at her, curious. “It’s an incredibly precious and rare blessing to know the future in a way where you’ll be able to change it should you want or need to. It’s worth the pain of knowing what’ll happen but might never do, or in this case, what happened but never did at the same time.”

“Is that what you tell yourself, Uni-chan? Is that how you bear all of your other visions where there’s nothing you can do but let them happen every bit like you’ve seen them? How you bear all the other visions that still happen every bit like you’ve seen them even when you did everything you could to change them?” Uni doesn’t say anything, doesn’t move, but she’s tenser than before. “Do you resent your visions, Uni-chan? Do you resent your existence?”

Uni stays silent and unmoving so long, he thinks she won’t answer him after all, and knew they were little chances she would anyway. But then she turns her head to look at him, and doesn’t try to hide the tears brimming in her eyes. “I could hurt you just as easily and deeply too.”

It’s not a threat, not even a warning. It’s… an accusation, he thinks.

Because they both know she really could, but she won’t.

Because they both know he didn’t have to even if he could and just because he could, but he did.

“I’m sorry.”

Uni smiles a smile that isn’t a smile at all, and keeps her eyes in his even when tears drip down her cheeks. “Thank you.”

Byakuran didn’t know if he meant it or not, but now he knows he didn’t.

He didn’t mean to say all that either, not really. He never does, isn’t close enough to anyone to take meaningful satisfaction out of it, or even one simply worth the effort.

But it doesn’t ever require any effort from him, and that’s the problem, isn’t it? It’s just what has always come first to him, and what has always come the easiest.

Byakuran has yet to learn how to be kind, and it seems he’ll never do considering that even ten years later all of his future selves had still to learn how to. He’s always wondered how come it seems to come so easily to other people, and though he’s been tempted once or twice to chalk it up to some natural instinct he’s just so happened to be born without, it’d be taking hard-earned credit from where it’s due, fascinating credit from where it’s due.

People are never born anything at all, and thank God for that, because how much duller he’d have found the world then? No, it might come easier to some, but he’s observed other people enough to know it’s all purposeful, conscious decisions, and one some are so committed to take over and over again no matter what and no matter the cost of it, it ends up becoming akin to a natural instinct.

He could believe some of them are born that way though, could believe Uni was, or Tsunayoshi Sawada, but either way he knows where he stands.

He’s been made that way, through and through, over and over again, and by his own, careful, resolute hands too.

“I’m sorry,” he hears himself say again.

Uni blinks, surprised, but then smiles again.

He didn’t mean it this time either.

Ah, well, that’s too bad. At least he tried, didn’t he?

Byakuran glances more closely at her smile, and sure enough, it’s the one she’s been giving him since they met again in this time that makes him want to try to… to something. He hasn’t yet figured out what.

“Thank you,” Uni says again, then sniffles. She stands, drying her eyes. “We should go back inside now, what do you think? You need to be well-rested for tomorrow’s battles.” She smiles, warmth and gentle and genuine like he didn’t just bring her to tears just because he could, every bit like the child she is in that moment.

A child, but one who literally saved his soul, and might very well reach out to even his heart should she bother trying to.

Byakuran didn’t deserve any of it, doesn’t deserve any part of her. He shouldn’t even be allowed to exist on the same plane of existence as her, especially not when the world has shackled its existence to hers, and she gives herself to it willingly.

“Is that what was keeping you awake? Are you worried about the Battle of the Rainbow?” He’s sure she’s going to dodge the question, or not answer him at all, but no, they really don’t lie to each other after all. Not since the very first time they met, in whichever world it was, and an unspoken understanding and agreement passed between them about the matter.

“I am.”

“I don’t know about that,” he says in a sing-song tone, teasing, but she isn’t fooled, like he knew she wouldn’t be. “You say that, but it doesn’t seem to be your first priority at all. How can it not possibly be?” He stands to face her, Uni craning her neck up to keep looking him in the eye as he does, but she doesn’t offer any words to fill the beat of silence. He tones down the smile and cheerfulness and lightheartedness a notch or two. “I get that that Checker Face isn’t trustworthy, but for all you know this is really the only real chance you’ll ever have to get rid of your curse. Don’t you care?”

“Of course I do,” she says, and the child is gone, replaced by… by whatever children turn into once they’ve locked themselves up in the closet and thrown away the key.

He doesn’t think he ever wants to find the word for it.

He smiles the biggest smile he’s given her that night. “Good, because I have every intention to get rid of that curse for you, so don’t you worry about a thing, alright?”

Uni smiles, but he already knew he meant it before she did.

He suspects more and more that Uni simply doesn’t remember how to want things for herself that’ll only ever benefit herself, how to hold onto them comes hell or high water until she makes them hers, even if it means burning the world to the ground to make them hers.

How she should burn the world to the ground to make them hers, because sometimes it’s the right thing to do.

Either that, or she’ll never allow herself to remember how to.

It’s fine though, whatever she needs to do to be able to do more than just bearing her existence. Byakuran can be plenty selfish for the both of them.

“Alright, time to go back inside indeed!” he says before she can thank him again. “A princess like you needs her beauty sleep after all, and even more so a king like me.”

Uni laughs. “Okay,” she says, nodding, but she turns the opposite way to him. She pauses, the both of them turning back to each other at the same time. She glances at the wings in his back, then down to the front of the house, and back at him again. She frowns. “Where... are you going?”

“You’re going to laugh, but I had no idea you could go up to the roof from inside.” Sure enough, she snorts, then slaps her hands against her mouth to muffle it. He grins. “Yes, yes, whatever. My way of travel is better and cooler anyway.” He pointedly flutters his wings. “And lucky you, because I’m willing to give you a ride! Am I not the greatest person you’ve ever met?”

Uni’s eyes crinkle at the corners as she grins wide under her hands, slightly shaking with silent laughter. She shakes her head, then steps into his space. “I’m honored to accept your offer for a ride, Your Majesty.” If she can tell Byakuran didn’t expect her to accept for even a second, she doesn’t show it. Instead she wraps her arms around his waist, pressing her body securely against his. “Just don’t drop me.”

“Well, now I’m simply obligated to.”

Uni giggles, looking up to give him what she might have meant as a playful, warning look, but she doesn’t look worried by his words.

She should be.

She should be, he thinks again as he wraps his arms securely around her.

She’s warm against him as he slowly flies them down to the ground, but it’s nothing compared to the warmth that brought him back to life.

After the dream-like memories of the future, another set of dream-like memories got hold of his mind, a nightmare of his own creation. In that dream he defeated Tsunayoshi in his game of his, but afterwards, even when all his wishes came to fruition…

Having lost all his goals, he became nothing. He returned to a state of no attachments or connections, the one thing he’s been running away from all his life, the one thing he’s tried so hard to hold onto and chased after all his life no matter the cost to secure its presence in his life and within himself.

The one thing he died for in the future and has always been ready to die for, because he knows what living through the other option feels like.

But he became nothing in a dream-like world that was nothing at all too, even after he won and made a world that should have fitted him first and foremost in every way. And being nothing in a world that was nothing, he did nothing, because there was nothing to do, nothing he could do, but he didn’t care about it.

He didn’t care about what happened, even if the one thing he’s always wanted was to care. He was just waiting to die, being nothing in a world that was nothing, even if dying like that is the one thing he’s always been terrified of the most.

It was interesting too, the despair and terror and loneliness numbed by all that nothingness, but still just within his reach enough he could feel and imagine all too well the pain of drowning in them. There was no itch or craving or ache in that dream-like world either, and it was the worst thing that had ever happened to him.

But then Uni came.

She came.

She found him in that far away place, and sat beside him the entire time he was there, surrounding the both of them with her warmth, keeping the nothingness away from them with it.

She sat beside him, so warm it burned but didn’t hurt, doing away with his being, then rising him anew from the ashes.

But then Uni came to him, for him, out of nothing but genuine worry for him from the bottom of her heart, and her warmth truly brought him back to life, brought life back into him. It made him feel again, made him feel for the first time, and the kindness of her heart was the glue that connected his own back to reality, that connected his heart to reality for the very first time.

But then Uni came for him.

Byakuran snapped out of those dream-like memories, of that nightmare of his own creation turned into salvation, and wept.

It felt like the utmost proof of the monster he was.

He hasn’t yet figured out in which way.

Uni does a playful curtsy once he lands them on the floor. “Thank you for this joyful ride, Your Majesty. I’m most grateful you didn’t drop me.” She giggles at her own joke, catching his eye, and he sees in hers she never thought for a second he was ever going to.

She should have.

Or should she?

Fact is, Byakuran didn’t drop her, didn’t even consider to, even if he knows he would have been able to.

He smiles, following her inside the house. There’s something here only Uni knows, but he isn’t in any hurry to get there too.

Uni leads them to his room first. He walks in, not bothering to turn on the light, and gives it until he reaches his bed, but still he feels Uni’s eyes on him, has still to hear her close the door in his back.

“Do you want me to stay?” she speaks before he can.

He laughs, turning around, then sits on the bed. “I’m not afraid of being alone or in the dark, Uni-chan.”

“Do you want me to stay?” she simply asks again.

Byakuran tilts his head, considering. Maybe it’s that she wants to stay for herself too.

If nothing else, it’s no secret she’s been grieving her mother since her death, even if he has yet to see even a hint of a tear on her face from it, and he knows it’s the same for everyone else. Maybe that’s what was keeping her awake before she realized he was awake too, if nothing else.

Maybe it’s that she’s afraid of being alone and in the dark tonight, and it doesn’t matter if he feels the same or not.

He dramatically flops down on the bed. “If you’re so certain you’re going to miss me so quickly and badly, then I suppose the merciful king that I am can allow you to keep me company a bit longer.”

He doesn’t hear a laugh, but he knows he got at least a smile out of her.

Uni closes the door, and keeps the light turned off too. She does turn on the light on his bedside table, then carefully folds her cape and puts it on it.

“Alright,” she says, walking to him, then quickly taps his knees to usher him along. “Time to sleep now.”

She instantly takes matter in her own hands before he can do anything, moving his legs from the floor to the bed, and he does nothing to help her, remaining a dead weight until she has both his legs on the bed. Only then he rolls on his elbows and knees, laughing. “Your wish is my command, Your Highness.”

Uni tucks him in once he lies properly on the bed and under the blanket, then sits next to him. She takes his hand in both of hers, holding it on her lap, and his eyes linger on their hands a beat too long.

Byakuran doesn’t deserve any part of her.

“Would it help if I were to sing you a lullaby?”

He catches her eye, but the look in them stays his words. “You’re a tragic existence, Uni-chan,” he hears himself say instead.

He didn’t mean to ever say those words out loud to her, but she must know he doesn’t mean it the way everyone else does because she only smiles, however sadly. “And you’re a lonely soul, Byakuran. What does it feel like?” she asks after a beat.

“Like a bottomless, gaping hole,” he hears himself say right away, and misses a beat in surprise. He’s never told that to anyone. More than that, he was certain he’d never want to share that part of him with anyone, but this is Uni, and he opens his mouth again. “It sucks everything in but nothing ever stays, nothing ever fills it up. And when it does it matters so little while it’s there, if at all, I can barely feel it anyway.”

“What about your Guardians?”

Byakuran raises his eyebrows, genuinely not getting how they’re relevant to the subject. “What about them?”

“You have them. You still have them. They stayed.”

Ah, that. “It’s more like they still care to hang onto me, and I don’t care enough to do something about it one way or another. Do you know they’re the ones who found me? I had no intention to ever reach out to them in this time.”

Whether she knew it or not, she doesn’t seem surprised to hear it. “And it matters you didn’t, of course, but they did go on their way to find you anyway. It matters too.”

Byakuran frowns, then opens his mouth, but he doesn’t quite know what to say to that. There’s something here Uni doesn’t say that he doesn’t hear—

No, no, that’s not it. He thinks he does hear it, but he could just as easily ask her, “What about my fake Guardians?”

And what about them indeed? What about the ones he used for all they were worth and left to die without a care once they became useless? The ones he used so well, most of them were genuinely, deeply loyal to him all the while, never realizing they were nothing but pawns to him? He was even best friends with one of them too, but it didn’t stop him, never even made him hesitate.

His real Guardians were nothing but pawns too. They might have been his most useful and looked after ones, but that’s still all they were in the end. And they must know that by now, surely, if they didn’t already know it before. He left them to die too when it was the most convenient for him without a care after all.

He doubts it’s anything meaningful that they went on their way to find him in this time the way she makes it sound. Not in the way she makes it sound anyway. As far as he can tell, it only shows that his manipulations got a hold of them too deeply, and the easiest option was to call it unconditional, unwavering loyalty and go along with it.

That’s what he can tell in hindsight anyway.

No, not even that.

That’s what he can tell if he’s being the most logical about it, but it’s not what happened when they met again for the first time in this time.

Byakuran expected anger should it ever happen, retaliation, disgust and hatred, resentment at the very least, but there was none of it. Instead they lit up at his sight, Bluebell jumping in his arms, and Kikyo kneeling in front of him.

“Byakuran-sama,” they said, the way they’ve always said it, like they didn’t have the memories of just how little he cared about them at the end of the day in their heads too.

They hadn’t asked either, but for how much they were acting like they took it for granted, they were wondering, doubting it. It was there in the air between them, in the beat of silence that stretched between them after their greetings, in the slight, tensed line of their shoulders and their smiles.

Byakuran laughed, said, “Oh, you guys actually came to find me? Don’t you all look so much cuter like that?” He hugged back Bluebell, allowed Deisy to come closer too with a look, and said, “Well, I hope you’re all hungry because I was just about to go to lunch. Your treat, Kikyo. I’m afraid I’m only but a poor student in this time.”

They smiled wider then, brighter, relieved, their shoulders sagging, and he didn’t understand any of it.

Sometimes people are simply and so thoroughly incomprehensible to him, and he hates those moments, loathes them, but that one, as he watched them come closer and surround him, as he watched them take their place at his side like it was second nature…

He’s not sure.

It felt… fortunate, he thinks.

He felt relieved too, in his own way, though he has yet to figure out which way that was.

There’s actually a lot he has yet to figure out ever since he got the memories from the future. They’re not all pleasant mysteries to unveil either, but he’s fine with it, is happy with it. At least now it feels like he can eventually figure all of it out, when before, too often he doubted it was something he could ever be able to understand, let alone relate to.

“What about my fake Guardians?” he still could ask her just as easily, and he drops the matter, cutting short his thoughts on it too.

“What does it feel like?” he asks her in turn.

Uni’s smile slowly falls from her lips like she’s trying to keep it there. She frees one of her hand from his, and absentmindedly rubs at her chest. “Like an open, bleeding, gaping wound. And it bleeds, and it bleeds, and it bleeds…”

She doesn’t say how she lets it bleed, but she doesn’t need to with him.

Byakuran pulls at her hand, bringing her back to the present moment. “Come sit against the bed, you’ll tire your back like that.”

“Eh? But…” She trails off, uncertainly moving to awkwardly sits on the pillow next to him, leaning against the headboard. His hand is still in hers, still resting on her lap, and she looks down at it worriedly. “Now it’s your arm which is going to tire and cramp.”

“You’re right. And it’s going to be such an unbelievably painful experience to go through, but I promise you to do everything I can to live it through.”

She gives him an unimpressed look, but doesn’t quite manage to hide the smile pulling at her lips. “Yes, really funny.” She sits herself more comfortably, using the pillow under her to support her back, and slipping her legs under the blanket so not to disturb it too much. “Alright,” she says, running her hand through his hair. “Stop looking at me, you’re going to hurt your neck, and you’re supposed to be sleeping anyway.” Byakuran laughs, but stops craning his neck to look at her, looking back at the ceiling. Uni gently closes his eyes with her hand, then runs it through his hair again. “Just try to catch on some sleep, alright? I’ll keep any bad dreams away from you.”

He chuckles. “I’m not afraid of any bad dreams either.”

“I’ll still keep them away from you.”

Byakuran wants to open his eyes again to see what kind of face she’s making, but he’s starting to actually feel sleepy now. He keeps them closed, waiting for the gentle strokes through his hair to lull him to sleep, waiting for the lullaby he didn’t get to say he wanted, but Uni must know he does.

Her hand pauses in his hair, then starts moving again, but she needs another beat before she speaks, “You know, Sawada-san was a lonely soul too once upon a time.”

“Tsunayoshi-kun again.”

“Because I really think the two of you are more alike than you might realize,” she says, a smile in her voice. “Sawada-san just…”

“Made all the right choices, right?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. But don’t say it like it was easy for him.”

Oh, he would never. He would know more than anyone else just how hard it must have been to wake up every day in a world that didn’t want to have anything to do with him, a world that didn’t think he was anything of worth, how hard it must have been to not let it make him lose faith in the people around him.

How hard it must have been to just take it, because anything else wouldn’t have been true to himself, would have given him everything he’s ever wanted in the worst of ways, turning it meaningless.

Byakuran truly can’t imagine ever turning the Cervellos away.

He can’t imagine doing it even now, knowing all that he does, not when they were giving him everything he’s ever wanted and thought he might never have on a silver platter. He just can’t.

Whether it means Tsunayoshi is stronger than him, or Byakuran was hurting more than him, he supposes it’s one of those questions with no definite answer.

“What about Tsunayoshi-kun, then?”

“He’s been found in time. I don’t know if it means anything to you, but that’s the best way I can put it.” Her hand stills in his hair again, and she squeezes his hand with her other one. Strangely enough Byakuran wants to ignore it, an inexplicable weight pressing down on his chest, but this is Uni, so of course he opens his eyes, and catches her eye. She smiles, squeezing his hand again. “And now I’ve found you.”

He almost hears it then, that thing she has yet to say clearly to him ever since they met in this time, almost.

He almost puts his finger on why the smiles like the one she’s giving him now makes him want to try to do something too, to try to… to rise to it, he thinks is the best way he can put it now.

It suffocates him, stealing all the air from his lungs.

It pains him, the weight on his chest pressing down and down like it wants to crack his ribs cage so it can crush his heart, but he thinks it’s a pain he might want to embrace whole.

He wonders what kind of face he’s making now.

Whichever one he does, Uni’s smile softens even more at the sight of it, and she gently closes his eyes with her hand once more. “This is my favorite lullaby. I think you’ll like it too.”

Byakuran expects to not be able to focus on it, but it fills his lungs with air again and eases the weight on his chest away, and immediately it’s all he can hear.

He does like the lullaby, just that bit on the side of too catchy for one, but he’s always liked too fast better than too slow. Uni’s no singer, but the song is well-practiced in her mouth, the words rolling off her tongue easily, and it sounds right in her mouth, off-tuned as it sounds.

It sounds happy and loving with some sorrow underneath, and it wraps him in another layer of warm blanket, drifting him off to sleep.

It reminds him of his mother. She used to lull him to sleep with a song or two too, and he can’t think of any one of them similar to the one Uni’s singing, but all he can think all of a sudden is his mother singing him a lullaby they both knew by heart, but had yet to become tired of.

The world still felt right then, he thinks. It still felt like he would eventually be able to carve himself a place in it too without changing it too much for everyone else around him, or changing himself into another person entirely.

At the very least the world still felt right enough he was happy lying on his bed, listening to his mother singing him off to sleep.

When did it start to feel so wrong, without any hope it would ever feel right again?

When did the world start to feel so wrong, he—

He—

The memories flood his head all over again, and his stomach jolts, his heart lurching in his throat. An acrid taste bursts in his mouth as bile rises up his throat, and he shots upwards. He presses his hands against his face, curling over himself, cold sweat breaking down his face and back, his pajama sticking heavy to his skin, closing on him and squeezing like it wants to burst his insides out. He hides his head between his knees, a sharp metallic scent all he can smell, and the darkness lets him see all too clearly the senseless violence, destruction and cruelty wrought by his hands.

What did he do?

No, he knows exactly what he did, remembers every single thing he did, will remember every single thing he did for the rest of his life.

But how could he?

But no, even that he knows all too well. He knows how he could, and why he could.

It’s who he was, who he is, who he’s always been.

It’s who he chose to be.

He bursts out laughing, and the sound of it gives him a little reprieve from the screams ringing in his ears.

He’s nothing more but a monster given human flesh, and he embraced it whole, welcomed it whole.

He’s not a good person.

He’s not a good person.

“I’m not a good person,” he hears himself say in a voice that doesn’t sound like his.

Does Uni know?

Does she?

Does she?

She wraps her arms around him, resting her head against his shoulder, and he almost howls, the burn of her warmth scorching away his flesh and muscles and bones, leaving him bare under her eyes.

But even then, even if he were to willingly surrender himself to her, completely at the mercy of whatever fate she’d choose for him, he would have yet to even begin to repent for what he did to her.

“You did unspeakable and unforgivable things, yes. And you have it in you to do them all over again, I know.” The relief that washes over him is so strong, he swears it makes the world spin. She does know. She knows, and she’s still been acting the way she is with him despite it. “But I think you choose to be good or bad more than you are good or bad. I think you choose to do good or bad. You chose to go down one path again and again, but you have it in you to choose to go down the other one, I know that too.”

Something wet drips along his fingers, and he thought he was imagining all the blood he sees so crystal clear in the memories in his head, but it’s tears.

She does know just what he’s capable of, and she’s still been acting the way she is with him because of it.

There’s still mercy to be given even past the point of salvation, there’s still faith and hope to be placed into you even past the point of salvation. He didn’t know.

He didn’t know, but even more than that he didn’t believe it would ever be granted upon him, not after all he did, all he is. Not from Uni of all people, but at the same time she’s the only one he trusts she truly means it from the bottom of her heart.

Byakuran doesn’t deserve any part her, he doesn’t deserve any part of her, he doesn’t deserve any part of her.

He doesn’t, but as long as Uni will allow him to be near her, to benefit from being near her, he wants to…

“What does it matter?” he asks, because he’ll never be good again, will never do enough good to right all the wrongs he did, not even if he dedicates the rest of his life to that and that only. That much he knows and will remain true no matter what he does, and Uni must know it too.

“It matters.”

“Will it? Tell me the truth, Uni. We don’t lie to each other, do we?”

“We don’t.” She holds him tighter. “It will matter, I know it will. It matters. But it will be a difficult and painful path.”

“But worth it?”

“You’re the only one who can decide the answer to that, Byakuran.”

Most often than not Uni finds it in herself to smile at him like he isn’t the one person in the world who hurt her the most again and again, like he’s someone able to do so much more than cause only pain around him, and he wants to—

Not to become deserving of it, because he’ll never be deserving of her no matter what he does and how long he has to do it, but he wants to become worthy of it, he thinks is the right word, the right feeling he’s been searching for ever since they’ve met again in this time.

He wants to show how grateful he is for it by proving her right, wants to try and become everything she sees in him, even if he doesn’t believe there’s anything there at all.

He doesn’t know if it’ll be worth it, but even if he had the proof it won’t, he’d still commit to try anyway.

“I’ll save you,” he says in a voice that sounds like him again, though he’s never heard it sound that way before, and he doesn’t need to see her face or eyes to know he means it. His cheeks and hands are still wet, but his eyes are drying out. “I’ll win the Battle of the Rainbow, freeing you from your curse. You’re going to grow up and live long and happy, Uni, so don’t you worry about a thing.”

“Thank you,” Uni says after a beat that makes his stomach drop, a smile in her voice. He can’t say what kind of smile it is, and can’t quite put his finger on what her voice sounded like, and his stomach twists.

But it’s fine, because he will save her, he will. She doesn’t have to believe him because he’ll make it happen anyway, and then she can just see it for herself once he’d already have made it a reality.

“Come, then,” she says, pulling away. “If you’re going to do that, you’re really going to need all the sleep you can have.” She gently lays his head on her lap, then covers him with the blanket again as best as she can. “I’ll keep any bad dreams away from you, alright?”

She runs her hand through his hair again, and he lets himself pull his hands away from his face, lets himself stretch out and relax his body.

The memories from the future are still flooding his head without rest, but it doesn’t feel as much like they’re pulling him under. His heart is still in his throat too, but it doesn’t feel as much like it’s going to suffocate him.

And still, despite his heart in his throat, despite his wet eyes and cheeks,  he still doesn’t feel guilt, or shame, or horror over them.

He doesn’t think he still feels like taking over the world tonight, doesn’t think he’d do it even if he was given the means to, but all the Byakurans who did did it because they couldn’t imagine keeping living in the world knowing they had the opportunity to change it in a way that’d fit them too. They don’t regret it either, couldn’t regret any of it even if they wanted to, and he doesn’t either.

He did feel horror over the memories, still does, but about how he came to a point to do all that he did, and not about the things he did in and of themselves. And maybe there’s no repentance to be found without regrets or remorse, but he can still take responsibility for all he did. He can still go on his way to make amends for them, to do good for all the times he chose to do wrong.

“Will you sing me the lullaby again?” he asks, and Uni says nothing, but he can clearly see the smile on her lips in his head.

He closes his eyes, and lets the sound of her soft singing and the soft strokes of her hand in his hair lull him to sleep.

Byakuran chose to go down one path again and again, but he can choose to go down the other one from now on. It will never right all the wrongs he did, if even only one of them at all, but eventually, surely, he’ll be able to look at all the wrongs he did, and know for a fact it’s not all that he’s capable of.

The world might never forgive him for them either, but eventually, surely, it’ll have no choice but to look at all the good he did, and acknowledge he’s earned to amount to be more than all the wrongs he’s never done but has always had in him to.

*

This one was a surprise because since when I seriously write about Byakuran, right? But I thought about these two for this prompt, and this is what I came up with, and I knew I just had to write it, and it actually came very easily to me too.

I’m super happy about how it came out too, because I think I really nailed what could have been Byakuran’s mental and emotional state post the future that never was. Maybe not accurately to his canon self, but accuratly to the understanding I have of his canon self, and it’s good enough for me.

Also his dynamic with Uni here is heavily based on that one post that says Uni’s goal during the rainbow arc was to teach Byakuran the same way it was for Reborn with Tsuna, because yeah, agree.

Hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading!

[Plain text:

“This one was a surprise because since when I seriously write about Byakuran, right? But I thought about these two for this prompt, and this is what I came up with, and I knew I just had to write it, and it actually came very easily to me too.

I’m super happy about how it came out too, because I think I really nailed what could have been Byakuran’s mental and emotional state post the future that never was. Maybe not accurately to his canon self, but accurately to the understanding I have of his canon self, and it’s good enough for me.

Also his dynamic with Uni here is heavily based on that one post that says Uni’s goal during the rainbow arc was to teach Byakuran the same way it was for Reborn with Tsuna, because yeah, agree.

Hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading!” in bold. /End PT]

#katekyo hitman reborn #khr #khr fanfic #khrrarepairweek2022 #khr byakuran #khr uni | yuni #byakuran & uni #wip khr #wip khr one shots #wip khr prompts #khrrarepairweek #hope's writing #mine

[khr-guilded-cage]

The Giglio Nero Family

The White Lily is a symbol of purity.

The Black Lily is exactly the opposite.

Other of my fav KHR's Families after the Dysfunctional Fire Family that is the Vongola and Fanon!Hibari Clan (with Fon too because fuck you)

#giglio nero #women in power #khr #khr aria #khr luce #khr yuni #katekyo hitman reborn #katekyo #matrilineal #lady boss #sephira

[withsorrowandregret-archive]

@sinwrote​  ━━    ♡ ’ d for a surprise  .​

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒  .    fall was around the corner  ,    leaves were slowly losing their color tainting them all shades of reddish hues ━━    as if splattered with blood  ,    he noted with morbid humor  ,    before succumbing to the harsh weather  .    it was mayhem.    the millefiore had grown exponentially in the matter of weeks and had launched their attack of the vongola bases shortly after the gesso and the giglio nero had merged  .    while most were appalled that the second in command of the millefiore  ,    once the boss of an allied family  ,    dared to betray the vongola  ,    yet sawada had felt the shift in the balance of power  ,    in the trinisette  ,    the second it happened  .    in that moment  ,    the bitter realisation of their limited options settled in  .

❝     gokudera - kun . . .    it is time  .   we need to engage  ,    today  .     i know it’s too much to ask . . .    but would you come with me  ?    ❞

#sinwrote #(( i set the story in the future i hope you don't mind ! )) #(( i could write something else just let me know )) #sawada tsuna tag tba .

[goldenrevelries]

If it’s alright, maybe Gamma and Aria (khr) for your ship requests? I never see anything for them and they’re just adorable

i hope i did them justice, anon! :3c (i surprisingly enjoyed writing about them omg and please ignore any mistakes/typos!! wrote this on my phone ahaha!)

also, sorry for the late posting, I'm a slow writer 😔

Lichtenberg figures

an Aria x Gamma (KHR) drabble

cw // violence, coarse language, slight mention of alcohol

note: to be expanded and posted to ao3

Gamma isn't sure how he's sitting in the Giglio Nero Famiglia's reception room, clutching a tea cup filled with what he discerns to be Earl Gray and avoiding eye contact with one of her Guardians eyeing him like he was a bug under his shoe.

Sighing, he stares out the floor-to-ceiling window but angles his body so that he can still see the other man in his peripheral vision.

—

It went like this:

As a freelance assassin, Gamma is free to choose any of the hits his multiple contacts with various Families occasionally put on the table.

And, it just so happens, Gamma chooses the hit of one small Family he barely spares a thought to.

It'll be easy! his contact says.

Half a day, tops! he says.

You'll be a 100,000 richer! he fucking says.

And, like the idiot he is, Gamma shrugs and takes the job.

Once he had enough information to go forward with the assassination, Gamma gets comfortable on his stomach at a rooftop across a quaint café. His target, a woman with a curious tattoo under her left eye, arrives but he hasn't even peered through the scope before he feels the unmistakable press of a barrel against the back of his head.

Biting back a curse, Gamma freezes, mind whirling a mind a minute. He hadn't even heard the bastard move, much less open the door to the roof!

Damn, damn, damn!

"Remove your hands from the sniper rifle. Slowly."

Gamma gives a minute growl and flexes his hands.

The gun presses harder. "Now."

Knowing that he wouldn't survive a point-blank shot to the head, Gamma obeys.

The last thing he sees is the way the woman darts her eyes to lock with his then she grins and waves.

His mouth barely drops into an outraged gasp before the goon behind him raises his gun and clocks Gamma against the back of his head in one smooth motion.

Darkness is a welcome feeling. At least he can inconvenience the fucker in hauling his lax body to wherever they are planning to interrogate him.

—

He wakes up to a raging headache and, surprisingly, hands and feet not tied to anything.

As he adjusts to being awake, Gamma swears to raze his sleazy as fuck contact to the ground until his Family won't even recognize him. By the rumors he had heard from various credible sources, the jackass won't be missed, what with his... dipping into different pastures, so to speak.

Gamma blinks.

He's on couch?

Alright, either this Family is strong enough to leave a potential threat untied or composed entirely of noobs.

"Believe you me, one Guardian is enough to put you down for even thinking of harming our boss."

Gamma snaps his head up and sees a man glaring at him, arms crossed on his chest. Clenching his jaw, Gamma berates himself once he realizes he had spoken his thought out loud.

He stays silent.

The other man snorts. "Don't worry, Boss will be here shortly." Tilting his head, he moves away from the door he was leaning against. "Hmph, sooner than you think."

The words aren't even completely out of his mouth before the double doors open.

Gamma braces himself.

"Join my Family."

With the image of the Giglio Nero's Boss grinning with a glint in her eyes and her teeth bared too widely to not be considered feral, Gamma promises to buy himself a delectable wine bottle and get absolutely smashed because what. The. Fuck.

#khr #katekyo hitman reborn #aria khr #gamma khr #aria x gamma #khr request

[social-muffin]

For the Fanfic Writer Emoji Ask

😅🛒✨(🧠 for Skull)🤯

😅 What’s a story or scene you’ve created that you’re a smidge embarrassed exists?

A story I'm a bit embarrassed about... That would be this one!

It was the first purely self indulgent fic I ever posted to Ao3. It was so full of headcanons it barely even resemble khr anymore lmao. But it was written for me and the few commenter that kept me going back then. :'3

It was a thing of pure love, so I'm not embarrassed to the point where I don't love it anymore. So give it a read and have a chuckle at the formatting and ridiculousness with me!

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

I seem to default to themes of isolation and loneliness, mostly counteracted by found family and platonic intimacy. Lately I've also been playing with the concept of tough self love, especially in the context of Hibari Kyoya >:3

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

I've only ever given up on a story once, and every single story has at least a little chunk of my heart and soul in it! :D

(The story in question was orphaned btw. I never delete anything I post because I always have pride and respect for what I create.)

🧠 Pick a character, and I’ll tell you my favorite headcanon for them.

Oooo my favourite headcanon for Skull... Oof I have so so many... But I think my favourite headcanon would be that he is directly blood related to the Hibari Clan! He was either stolen/lost as an infant, or left of his own free will as an teen/young adult!

Related to that headcanon but also not really, I have really enjoyed toying with the idea that Skull is just Alaude, whom was nearly turned into an Arcobaleno to rebelled the Giglio Nero sky. Which caused her to turn his own flame against him, thus overwhelming him, erasing large chunks of his memories and possibly putting ghim in a coma for a number of years. The cloud flames explain the purple hair and eyes and he literally became immortal. (explaining everything else that's wonky with Skull)

🤯 What’s a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

I don't know all the genres that exist so I'm gonna go with thriller and mystery I think.

Thanks ofr the ask Anon! 💜

#katekyo hitman reborn #khr fanfic #ask game #sweet anon

[foreverfamilyforevervongola]

A Vongola Family Christmas

And this marks the end of this year’s KHR Holiday Celebration! Thank you so much for all the asks! I’ll see you in the New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

...

Summary: Tsuna would always remember his first Christmas with his extended family. A group of people that couldn't have been more different, yet they shared similarities that they perhaps didn't want to acknowledge. When the inevitable brawl breaks out, Tsuna, ever the peacekeeper, steps in and breaks it up. Christmas is a time for family, and they are his, and he hopes, one day, they will all get along.

...

Tsuna was seventeen when Timoteo invited him and his family to Italy for the annual Vongola Christmas party. He wanted his future successor to start to mingle with their central allies, begin to forge new connections and allow other Famiglia to see the heir to the Vongola Family. Tsuna had not wanted to go if he was going to spend Christmas doing business, but Reborn had intervened and well, that had been that.

"Isn't this exciting?" Nana exclaimed, stepping through the automatic airport doors and beaming, a rather out of place expression amongst the holiday hustle, bustle and impatience that engulfed the horde of travel-goers.

Balancing a stack of luggage in his arms, Tsuna said uncertainly, "I suppose so."

Though he was rather composed, he was stressing out on the inside. He knew for a fact the Varia would be there and mixing his Guardians together with the assassins was never a good idea. He didn't have a clue who else would be attending this high-class, vied after gathering (Reborn refused to tell him anything), and Gokudera didn't handle strangers well. There was also the matter of Hibari and Mukuro—

Schink!

Whipping his head around, his eyes tripled in size at the ever-familiar sight of Hibari's tonfas clashing with Mukuro's trident, the latter's crimson eye beginning to flash with Mist Flames. "Stop it!" he hissed, wishing he wasn't burdened with so much luggage. "You can't do this in an airport! They're going to think we're terrorists or something!"

"Don't worry, Juudaime," assured Gokudera. He strode over to the fighting pair and barked, "He told you to knock it off!"

Using one tonfa to deflect Mukuro's trident, Hibari used the other to slam into Gokudera's stomach. "Don't tell me what to do, herbivore."

"We haven't even left Japan yet, Mukuro-sama," said Chrome in slight exasperation.

Mukuro smirked at Hibari, who glowered, but he took a few steps back. "I suppose I can wait to destroy him. It wouldn't be merciful of me to kill him on his precious home soil. I have some Christmas spirit." Shifting his gaze towards Tsuna, he said in amusement, "I did have an illusion cloaking us. I'm not a fool."

"I beg to differ," drawled Hibari.

"Why must you guys always fight?" asked Haru with a disapproving frown.

Satisfied for now that they would not cause untold damage to the airport, Tsuna turned his head around. Kyoko came up beside him and linked arms. "Are you excited, Tsuna-kun?"

"No," answered Tsuna honestly. "This is going to be a disaster."

"Don't be like that," chided Ryohei. "This will be EXTREMELY fun."

"Tsu-nii, where's I-Pin?" Lambo asked anxiously, pulling on the hem of Tsuna's jacket. "We're gonna see her, right?"

"Absolutely," soothed Tsuna. "Fong is meeting us at Grandfather's house with her."

Yamamoto sauntered forwards and swung the excited eight-year-old into his arms. "We'll see her before we know it."

"Bianchi," Futa spoke, getting the pink-haired woman's attention. "Can I get a magazine from that gift shop?"

"Of course," granted Bianchi. "I could use one myself."

"Don't be long!" called Tsuna as they departed for the strategically placed shop that seemed to sell almost everything for a traveler's needs. "The plane leaves in less than an hour."

They were an odd group as they progressed towards the security check, many travellers leaping to get out of their purposeful path. Nana turned to Tsuna and said happily, "I can't wait to see your father. This will be a wonderful Christmas we get to spend together!"

"Uh-huh," uttered Tsuna. If we make it to Italy in the first place.

As they neared the metal gates, Tsuna suddenly screeched to a halt, causing the rest of his family to stop and eye him curiously. Lips curling into a frown, he asked, "Okay. How many of you people brought your weapons with you?"

Hibari and Mukuro were a given, considering they just tried to kill each other in the lobby. Reborn glanced at Tsuna with an amused smirk and he knew he shouldn't have bothered to ask. Gokudera shifted his eyes about nervously and Yamamoto chuckled sheepishly.

Lifting his eyes heavenward, Tsuna heaved out a sigh. "Right. Those harbouring dangerous weaponry go first while we normal, peaceful people stand off to the side. I may or may not bust you out of jail."

This is going to be a very long Christmas.

…

The ballroom glittered with garland draped over the windows and dozens of cranberry candles. Poinsettia made up the centerpieces of the tables and the colour scheme of the tablecloths, napkins and other décor followed cranberry red and pine green. There were about a thousand people at the party in total, and when Tsuna first saw the tuxedo-clad crowd his throat closed up and he made a strangled squeak. Reborn gave the back of his head a sharp slap, causing him to swallow his anxieties and move forwards. After Timoteo proudly introduced him to the group of high-ranking Mafia Dons, Tsuna smoothly maneuvered through the crowd, Gokudera and Yamamoto remaining by his side.

The Varia were there, as he suspected, but he was surprised to see Xanxus among them. They were at a table shrouded in the shadows of an isolated corner, speaking lowly with one another. Tsuna's eyes widened at the sight of the Gesso and Giglio Nero families, stationed at tables at opposite ends of the massive, elegant ballroom. The ex-Arcobaleno were also there, and Tsuna suspected only the combined force of Reborn and Yuni (and perhaps Lal Mirch) could have convinced Verde to attend. Ken, who was normally uncontrollable at the option of free food, sat stiffly at a table with Chikusa, Fran, Chrome and Mukuro. His mother and father had their hands intertwined the entire time, casting loving glances at each other that filled Tsuna with childlike embarrassment and affection.

Tsuna felt relief at seeing Dino and his family in attendance, for at least he would be of assistance in meeting some of the Dons. As he made his circulations, he could see the hands on his wristwatch steadily moving, and he felt a pang of sadness that he would not get any time to speak with the people he really wanted to interact with.

A burst of joy went through him at the sight of Lambo and I-Pin reuniting, when Fong finally arrived with the girl fashionably late. The two collided with each other in a hug, dissolving into delighted laughter. The guests looked at the pair with scowls, but their expressions hastily rearranged at the many murderous glares they received in turn.

It was ten at night when the guests started to trickle out, just as the snow started to pick up speed outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. Finally having a free moment, Tsuna made his way over to Yuni's table. "I'm exhausted," he groaned, rubbing at his neck. "Did I look as miserable as I felt?"

"Not at all," assured Yuni. "You had a very gracious smile."

"Thanks. I'm glad it's over. I think I made a good impression." Tsuna cast a quick glance to check the status of the members of his family. "And putting Hibari and Mukuro at separate tables was smart. Though I'm surprised Xanxus hasn't tried to shoot anyone."

"I think he has a steady stream of booze to keep him occupied," piped up Gamma dryly.

"And steak," added Yuni.

"I could use some steak," muttered Tsuna. "I managed to snag some miniature sandwich wraps from the servers. I wish I had more time to enjoy myself."

"You can," replied Yuni. "The Vongola Family normally stays long after the guest have gone."

"Oh." Tsuna smiled. "Great! I hardly got a chance to speak with anyone. Did you have fun?"

"I did," said Yuni, though her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Gamma, would you mind getting me some punch please?"

"Of course, Princess."

Gamma swept off to get Yuni another drink and the girl let out a long sigh. "I haven't been able to go on the same side of the room as Byakuran-san," she said with a frown. "Gamma doesn't trust him at all. I understand why, but I wish he'd trust me."

"He loves you. He doesn't want to risk losing you. He'll come around eventually."

"It's taking longer than I thought," said Yuni doubtfully, idly pushing a piece of chicken parmesan around her plate.

Gamma soon returned with a glass and did not miss Yuni's downcast expression. Brow furrowing, he asked, "Is something wrong?"

Giving a slight shake of her head, Yuni said, "No, I'm fine. Thank you, Gamma."

"This is your first gathering, is it not?" Gamma asked Tsuna.

"Yeah."

"How did you find it?"

"Er…boring," said Tsuna with a slight grin.

"Not holding back I see," said Gamma in amusement as Yuni giggled.

"Don't tell Reborn I said that. I'm going to use a different choice of words when he asks the same question."

After a few more minutes of conversation, Tsuna wandered over to where his parents sat. Lambo was happily munching on a chocolate dessert and Futa was eating his ice-cream, both sitting securely in Iemitsu's lap. Nana stroked her fingers through I-Pin's raven braids as the girl ate her spaghetti.

"You didn't have too many of those, did you?" he asked Lambo.

"No," lied Lambo.

"Yes," said I-Pin.

"A lot," added Futa.

"Aw, it's Christmas. It's a special occasion. Let him eat all the sweets," said Iemitsu cheerfully, ruffling the boy's hair.

Tsuna rolled his eyes. "He eats enough sugar on a regular day. But fine. You're the one who's going to have to deal with his hyperactivity later."

"You look so handsome," gushed Nana, using one hand to straighten his orange tie. "No one here holds a candle to you. Except for your father, of course."

"As usual, never the best," quipped Tsuna.

Accepting a kiss on the cheek from his mother and a back-slap from his father, he went to see his Guardians. Hibari was reclining in his chair, eyes closed. Mukuro was near the food table with Ken and Chikusa, the three of them looking slightly more relaxed now that there was less people. Ryohei smiled as he approached. "Tsuna! How did it go?"

"Okay," said Tsuna with a shrug. "I don't remember a lot of the names, which Reborn is going to probably shoot me for."

"Don't worry Juudaime, I kept track in this notebook." Gokudera removed a red-covered notebook from his suit jacket and flipped through it, revealing pages of neatly written notes.

"You're a lifesaver," said Tsuna gratefully and Gokudera's face glowed. "I'm sorry this hasn't been more fun."

"Don't be silly," countered Yamamoto. "We're all together, aren't we?"

The table rattled slightly as Hibari shot out his foot, kicking Yamamoto in the shin and causing the teen to yelp. Eyes still closed, he muttered, "Stop being so sentimental."

"I thought you were asleep," snapped Gokudera as Yamamoto laughed.

"I am. You're disturbing me. Shut up before I bite you to death."

Pwish!

There was great roar of wind, so strong the windows rattled. Startled, Tsuna turned to stare out the window, eyes widening at the vortex of snow that swirled about outside, a pure white sheet that obscured everything from sight.

"Yay!" cheered Lambo. "Snow!"

Regarding the weather thoughtfully, Timoteo said, "Well now, it seems that we are snowed in."

A chilling silence followed after his casual remark as everyone realized exactly what that meant. It was broken by Xanxus flinging his glass clear across the room, where it shattered against the opposite wall. "I am not staying here with you trash all effing night," he snarled. "I came because I was promised steak and booze. I'm effing out of steak and the good booze is gone."

"Feel free to try and drive home," sneered Gokudera.

"Insolent brat, don't talk to Boss like that!" barked Levi.

"Squalo told me if I started some merda during the party he'd kick my ass," drawled Belphegor, removing his knives. "Party's over and your face is pissing me off. I'll skewer you first."

"Voi, if you effing kill someone, you're doing the damn paperwork!"

Iemitsu stood, raising his hands in a placating manner. "There's no need to get riled up. There are plenty of rooms in which you can stay."

"Ushishishi, if you think I'm sleeping in contaminated sheets, you've lost your mind."

"I don't know why that bothers you," drawled Fran. "It's not like your royal or anything."

"You little piece of—"

"You're all too noisy," growled Hibari. "I'm going to bite you all to death."

"Kufufufu, I'd like to see you try," mocked Mukuro.

"Guys!" snapped Tsuna. "You're not helping!"

"I think a show is exactly what we need to entertain us," said Byakuran in amusement.

Gamma glared at the white-haired male. "I'm sure you would love nothing more to see blood spilled."

"Gamma!" pleaded Yuni. "Stop."

Zakuro stood up, lips twisting into a snarl. "I'm tired of your disrespectful attitude."

"Disrespectful?" echoed Tazaru incredulously. "Someone who brainwashed our Princess and manipulated us will never deserve respect."

"Simmer down," ordered Lal Mirch. "You're all acting ridiculous."

"I cannot believe I'm here in the first place," said Verde disdainfully. "It's like being surrounded by a group of unintelligent monkeys."

"Verde," said Fong sharply. "Relax."

"If you all don't shut up I'm sending you into a black abyss," said Mammon in irritation.

"It'd be better than spending it with these jerks!" cried Skull, who sat in between Colonnello and Reborn, and promptly got his ears boxed by the both of them.

A strong pulse of anger and irritation struck through Tsuna and he spun on his heel, eyes zeroing in on the source. "Xanxus, don't!"

Boom!

The one gunshot was all it took to set off an avalanche of chaos.

Mukuro and Hibari wasted no time in colliding with a clash of tonfas and trident. Ken and Chikusa immediately went to back their friend up, animal roars and spraying needles adding to the sound of metal striking against metal. Gamma, Tazaru, Kikyo and Zakuro went head-to-head in the middle of the ballroom, Byakuran's and Yuni's shouts to cease going unheeded. Belphegor went after Gokudera, knives gleaming under the crystal chandelier and there was a sharp hiss as the silver-haired teen lit up his dynamite. Disgusted with the lot of them and willing to take his risks in the extreme weather getting home, Verde tried to storm out, only to be physically restrained by Fong.

After one too many insolent and nasty remarks, Colonnello wrestled Skull to the floor. Irate by their childish behaviour, Lal Mirch went to try and break the two up. Basil, Turmeric and Oregano immediately helped Iemitsu try to calm the situation and defend Nana and the kids from stray projectiles. Tired of Shamal's relentless advances, Bianchi finally snapped and slammed a poison cake into his face. For the hell of it Squalo delved into a swordfight with Yamamoto, inspiring Ryohei and Lussuria to have a spontaneous boxing match.

It was as if Tsuna was seeing everything in slow motion. Bullets whizzed past his head, the threats and swears muddled together in his ears. He had seen his family fight before—it was as natural as breathing. But this…this was different. This was them, nearly all of them, not getting along with one another. In fact, none of them probably would have been there in the first place if it wasn't for him. He was the core reason they were all together, that they even had a connection with one another. He felt their rage, their dislike, their irritation and their agitation. It throbbed through his bonds, nearly overwhelming him.

It was then that he got a true look around, that he realized how isolated and separated everyone had been throughout the party. Ken, Chikusa and Mukuro had stayed together in one corner of the room. The Varia stayed in another. The ex-Arcobaleno were at one end of the room. The Gesso and Giglio Nero families were at opposite sides. The CEDEF members got their table closest to the Guardians, but yet still not quite close enough. Bianchi, Kyoko, Haru, Futa and I-Pin had been placed at the same table as Nana and Iemitsu before they started to circulate, at least making an effort to mingle. Spanner, Giannini and Shoichi were placed at the back of room. Dino and Romario had understandably been placed with their family, but a distance away from Tsuna and the others.

It wasn't right. It didn't feel right, how separated they had been during Christmas, a time meant to spend with family. How were they supposed to get to know one another if they stayed with the ones they knew best? How would they forge bonds if they had an excuse not to?

Tsuna was startled from his deep thoughts by a knife swishing past his ear and he jolted. The volume in the room increased tenfold and his head immediately began to ache. He darted his eyes around, staring at the brawling with a rising ire and anger. Reborn and Timoteo were staring at him, waiting, and Tsuna knew he was expected to take control of this situation. Timoteo was watching the chaos with a serene expression and Reborn seemed to thoroughly be enjoying himself. Shoichi, Spanner and Giannini had flipped their table over to use as a shield. Dino and Romario had quickly moved over to guard the girls, Kyoko and Haru watching everything with wide, concerned gazes.

"ENOUGH!"

His shout rumbled across the ballroom, the force of his Will causing everyone to halt in their tracks. His Sky Flame blazed on his forehead, amber eyes daring anyone to defy him. Quiet eventually set across the room, the culprits of this free-for-all battle glancing at Tsuna warily. Xanxus glowered at the brunette who dared give him an order, but lowered his gun. It took quite a bit to anger Tsuna enough that his Flames were brought forth.

Breathing heavily, Tsuna took a moment to calm down. I-Pin took Lambo's hand and the two approached him. "Tsu-nii? Can we go play?" ventured I-Pin hesitantly.

Shifting a quick look to Timoteo and receiving a permissive nod, said, "Keep to the corridor outside the ballroom. Don't break anything."

Brightening at this, Futa departed from his table and went over to Fran, who had been watching the entire ordeal from the back of the room with a raised brow. He took the small illusionist cheerfully by the arm and dragged him out the glimmering gold doors. Lambo and I-Pin were a little slower to follow. The Lightning Guardian approached Yuni's table and extended a hand towards Nosaru.

"Wanna play?"

The purple-haired boy's eyes widened and he shot a hopeful glance towards Yuni. "Can I?"

"Of course," Yuni granted, relieved that at least some of her family members were willing to get along with the others. "Thank you, Lambo-kun."

At Byakuran's table, I-Pin folded her arms neatly in front of her. "Do you want to play with us?" she asked Bluebell and Daisy.

"I don't know how to play," said Daisy, eyeing I-Pin uncertainly.

"It's okay. We can do something easy."

Bluebell, who did not get chances to play with other girls around her age, turned to Byakuran. "Could we?" she asked hesitantly.

"Absolutely." Byakuran smiled at her and reached out to rub the top of I-Pin's head in gratitude. "I think that's a great idea."

Encouraged by Byakuran's approval and I-Pin's inviting, sincere smile, Daisy eased off his chair. He clutched his stuffed bunny to his chest as he followed after the two girls, the children disappearing into the corridor.

Staring after them, Tsuna lamented, "Why can't you people be like them?"

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" asked Ken, voicing the thought everyone held.

Tsuna waved his arms in exasperation. "I-Pin and Lambo hardly know Bluebell, Nosaru and Daisy, but they wanted to play with them anyway. They know they're different and come from different backgrounds, but they don't care."

"Is there a point to this?" drawled Xanxus.

"Yes! The point is that if they can be friends, then you, grown-ass adults, should at least be able to hold a civil conversation."

"Tsu-kun, mind your language!"

Pressing a hand against his forehead, Tsuna very nearly gave into the desire to whimper. "Yes, Mom."

Verde gave a snort of disbelief. "Why could I possibly have to say with people like you?"

"Seems to me a genius like you should be able to hold a simple conversation," countered Tsuna.

There was a brief rumble of laughter at this, mostly coming from the ex-Arcobaleno, and Verde regarded the brunette coolly for a moment, his lips twitching into the barest hints of an impressed smirk at his quick rebuttal.

Resting his cheek against his knuckles, Xanxus narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to lecture me, scum?"

"Yes," said Tsuna matter-of-factly. "You've got the social skills of a robot, and in fact Spanner's Mini-Moska had more than you do. If you don't to talk to people, fine. But geez, have you ever heard the saying if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all?" He nimbly sidestepped and snatched the flying wine glass flung at him out of the air, setting it on the table nearest to him. "And you," he continued, pointing at his male Mist and Cloud, "I will send you to therapy or rehab or military school or something if you don't stop fighting."

Hibari and Mukuro glanced at each other before shifting their gazes away, lips curling upwards. Huffing out a breath, Tsuna set his hands on his hips. "I know we all have our differences. I don't expect everyone to get along all the time. But I would appreciate it if you would just try." He took a look around the room, at the faces of the people he had met and bonded with over the years, and his expression softened.

"You know, I never in my life thought my Christmas would ever be this extravagant, this big. I only ever celebrated with my mom and sometimes my dad. I wished I could have a bigger family to share Christmas with. Now I have it. I have you. And it would be nice if you could maybe stop fighting and trying to kill each other for a couple of hours or so."

"Awww, that's so sweet!" cooed Lussuria, and was promptly struck across the back of the head by Squalo.

"Well said, Sawada-dono," said Basil with an enthusiastic clap.

"You're a useless herbivore," muttered Hibari, but he finally slipped his tonfas back into his suit jacket.

"I don't have an effing clue how you've survived this long with that bleeding heart," said Xanxus flatly.

Yuni moved over to Gamma and Tazaru, taking them both gently by the wrists. "I know you're scared for me. I know it's hard to forget what Byakuran-san tried to do. But he's not really the same person as he was in the future. I know he's a good person. I can feel it. And I know, if you gave him a chance, you'll feel it too."

Gamma stared down at her, his expression conflicted. He glanced at Byakuran, who was clearly touched by Yuni's words. Closing his eyes, he exchanged looks with Tazaru before saying, "For your happiness, Princess, we will try."

Yuni's face lit up and she happily hugged them before dragging them over to where Byakuran and his family were.

"See that, that's what I'm talking about," said Tsuna, hopeful at this progression. "We're all going to be snowed in for the night, anyway. Let's at least try to get along." He paused and added, "Or in Xanxus' case just ignore everyone." He caught the incoming fork before it could stab into his shoulder.

Skull glanced around the room, expression reluctant. "I don't think any of us have anything in common."

"Sure you do," said Tsuna with certainly. "In fact, you all have one thing in common. You drive me absolutely insane."

There was a lot of jeering at that, but Tsuna felt the atmosphere ease. With a reluctant expression, Verde made his way towards the trio of engineers who were now righting their table. Belphegor shoved Gokudera in the shoulder and the Storm Guardian sneered in return, but they both sat down at the same table. The Gesso and Giglio Nero families crowded together and Shamal, wiping frosting off of his face, lazily made his way over to speak with Iemitsu and Nana, Fong joining them shortly after. Basil invited Ken and Chikusa to sit with him, Oregano and Turmeric, which they hesitantly accepted. Lal Mirch, Colonnello and Skull moved over to sit with Dino and Romario.

Mukuro and Hibari managed to sit next to each other without causing any more bruising. During the night, the Guardians circulated amongst the others, all of them now on the same side of the ballroom. They took turns checking on the kids, who raced about the corridor with ringing laughter. Kyoko and Haru, ever polite and friendly, daringly approached the Varia table. Xanxus made an annoyed hum in the back of his throat but did not startle them away.

Heaving out a sigh of relief, Tsuna rubbed the back of his neck. Timoteo, who had moved from his prestigious spot at the grand table at the front of the ballroom and was now sitting with Tsuna's parents, regarded his heir with pride. Reborn's fedora covered his eyes, but there was a smile of approval on his lips. Dino caught Tsuna's eye and he flashed a thumbs-up.

Their first Christmas together didn't get off on the right foot, and they were not quite all friends by the time morning came and the snow melted enough for them to leave. But Tsuna had hope. They were all different, sure. But they had all been through the unimaginable, things only they would ever be able to understand. They were his family, the large one he always wished for and finally received.

They would all be comfortable with each other eventually.

…

Twenty-four-year-old Tsuna reclined back against the leather couch, a glass of wine between his fingers. The drawing room was filled with noise, laughter and conversation. A fire roared in the fireplace, the Christmas tree glinting with warm white lights. The environment was much more inviting and personal than the ballroom, which was why Tsuna decided the drawing room would host their family Christmas, leaving the ballroom for the Vongola party.

Gamma, Byakuran, Yuni and Kikyo were conversing on the couch by the door. Spanner, Verde, Shoichi, Shamal, Giannini and Futa were playing a game of cards. The eighteen-year-old was leaning slightly against Verde's side, his feet tucked in Shamal's lap. Gokudera, Fong, Belphegor and Turmeric were engaged in poker, and from the amount of swearing Gokudera was doing, he was losing. Tazaru, Zakuro and Levi were having a heated debate, probably over which football team should win the final tournament. Ryohei was playing checkers against Skull, his brow furrowed in concentration. Timoteo, Reborn, Kusakabe, Iemitsu and Romario were talking politics on the couch near the Christmas tree. Mammon, Torikabuto, Mukuro and Chrome were seated near the fireplace, having a mini-illusion contest.

Squalo, Yamamoto, Bianchi, Lancia, Colonnello, Nana and Dino were playing a board game. Nosaru, Bluebell, Daisy, Lambo, I-Pin, Basil, Ken, Chikusa, Mochida and Fran were in an intense video game battle. Oregano, Hana, Kyoko and Lal Mirch were sitting with Lussuria near the television, alternating between chatting and settling the group of gamers when they got too rowdy. Hibari and Xanxus were sitting on opposite ends of the couch in the middle of the room, both of them with their eyes closed and heads tilted back, letting the noise of their family wash over them. When Haru picked her way towards Kyoko and the rest she had to pass by Xanxus. Her foot caught the corner of the coffee table and she started a quick descent for the ground. The Sky Varia easily caught her by the arm and righted her without opening his eyes. Hibari gave her a sharp kick to the ankle, a rebuke for being unaware of her surroundings. Haru pouted at him as she went to sit beside Lussuria.

Contentment, affection and warmth hummed throughout the room, entwining through their bonds. Tsuna could not help the grin from curling across his face as he recalled their first Christmas together. They had come a long way since then. They still fought like crazy, but it was just what they did. They went through too much together to keep each other at a distance. There were a few new additions over the years, like Moretti, Mochida, Hana, Kusakabe and Lancia. They all integrated nicely, for they were all weird, insane and tough in their own unique ways.

Christmas was a family occasion, and Tsuna was extraordinarily happy that he got to spend every year with his. They had celebrated seven Christmases so far, with many more to come. But Tsuna would always remember the first one they spent together.

#katekyo hitman reborn #khr #vongola family #vongola guardians #varia #gesso family #giglio nero family #CEDEF #arcobaleno #Christmas #forever family forever vongola #a vongola family Christmas

[10th-vongola]

Hello, this is a question for the giveaway :D I will ask the classic question about what the hell was up with the whole alien aspect with the Giglio Nero family, and how did we not get an entire arc about it? They are aliens! That see the future!! HOW

AHHAHAHHAHA AAAAAAA you’re so right and you should say it!! I feel like everyone just glosses over the fact that they’re literally from outer space I’m crying...... i feel like at that point it’s like weLL there might as well be aliens. WHY NOT. feels like there’s a dartboard somewhere in amano’s office where crazy plot points are like pinned up. 

#this person can now FLOAT because they have BALLOONS on their body #this guy has a frog face and is MILLENIA OLD #now there are flames of THE NIGHT #and we all just sit there and take it like yes. **consumes** #answered #chierry