Title: and all the lovely angels sing

Rating: M

Summary: You are born in a body that's wrong, in a world gone wrong. It's a disaster from the very beginning. [OC, AU, heavy warnings]

Warnings: Violence, gore, disturbing elements, etc. Additional trigger warnings for coercion, sexual abuse, descriptive violence/body harm. Please note that certain views/actions of the characters portrayed in this story are not necessarily reflective of the author's own beliefs, and are not socially acceptable in any way, shape, or form.

AN at bottom.

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and all the lovely angels sing

"5. of gentle footprints, broken glass"

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His name is Dino Cavallone, and he is the fourth son of Don Cavallone, the head of the Cavallone Famiglia.

"Thank you for coming with us," one of the kid's bodyguards says to you. Short, clipped. There isn't an ounce of gratitude in his voice, all business, and the heavy foreign accent tainting his Japanese pronunciation is something truly atrocious… not that you bother to enlighten him on this fact. There's no point in doing so, not when the only other person who speaks Japanese around here is the oblivious little kid, who's all of… what, eight? Nine?

That's the age you were when Higuchi made you his Cloud.

You close your eyes and deliberately shut down that line of thought, brusquely shoving it aside. Higuchi is dead.

… If only his shadow over you would be so easily dispelled.

As if on cue directly in contrast to your dark thoughts, the little blond boy skipping in front of you turns around, blinking wide eyes that curve into crescents as he smiles brightly at you. Is he trying to cheer you up, or is he just trying to act cute and provoke sympathy from you?

Whatever his reason might be, you remain dispassionate, utterly unmoved, and swiftly brush aside the tentative flicker of curious Sky flames against your own with what is the flame equivalent of the cold shoulder. The little boy falters for a moment at this, his smile fading, before he turns back around, hanging his head and continuing to follow his bodyguards with small, shuffling steps.

"We… apologize for the young master's… hastiness. He has yet to learn how to properly control his flames; most unbecoming, for a child of Don Cavallone." If possible, the kid's head ducks even lower, shame-faced and cheeks flushing at the man's rebuking words. Words that are stated like objective fact, rather than opinion, which is… interesting.

(… Interesting, but none of your business; nor do you care to learn more about it.)

The almost-Harmony that you'd forcibly prevented from taking place –even though you unhesitatingly Rejected the bond, there are still traces of the kid's flames interspersed within yours, and it's a clumsy, uncomfortable not-bond feeling that's… not unpleasant, but it's only a small step below making you feel like you want to kill something. Preferably in a very painful manner.

His bodyguards, after they'd recovered from their stunned shock at seeing their 'young master' nearly bond with a complete stranger out of the blue, had promptly rushed forward to confirm the status of the bond: Is it a full bond, is it a fledgling bond, or is it just a first courting–

All of the terms went flying over your head. Even after the only Japanese-speaking man had started translating after seeing the blank incomprehension in your eyes, you still didn't quite understand the terms they were throwing out left and right. But after seeing that the bond didn't take, that the vestiges of the kid's flames that they could sense with yours were only fragmented vestiges, he'd muttered something about 'failed residual remnants,' then offered for you to visit the Cavallone's territory so you could get the Sky remnants removed.

"Offered."

… You don't quite know the intricacies of it all, but you can hazard a guess. Higuchi had a habit of smothering you in his flames. Mine, he'd say, pulling you in close before he'd kiss your forehead and breathe flames down your throat. Akari hadn't been quite so blatant about it, but her flames were a steady, constant pulse behind the flickering beat of your own flames.

A sign of ownership, of possession. Each person has a signature unique to them, and most likely there was something about the kid's that screamed Cavallone, and there was no way his men could let a complete stranger walk around wearing the flames of a Cavallone Sky. Or something.

You don't know the entirety of their motives, but you don't care. As far as you're concerned, the kid's flames would eventually dissipate on their own, anyways. Maybe after a week or two, given that the kid's flames aren't particularly strong. But if they want to hurry the process along, that's something you're fine with, too.

Get the kid's flames removed, then leave. Although, given the kid's poorly-hidden excitement, it doesn't seem like he knows the reason why his bodyguards are bringing you along with them…

…

… Well, no matter. You're not interested in sticking around. And if it turns out they have less-than-positive intentions towards you… you're no stranger to killing. You might not like it, might not derive any enjoyment from it as others do, but this doesn't change the cold truth of the fact that you're good at it.

Unfortunate, that.

.

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"I apologize for the inconvenience that my son has caused you, young man."

Pleasantries. Boring, useless. Don Cavallone's Japanese is a good step above the level of his subordinate's, but it still rings a harsh note in your ears, and it takes effort for you not to frown. You have a feeling that it wouldn't be looked upon kindly by the three other armed men in the room –one to the left, one to the right, and one in your blind spot.

How predictable.

You pretend not to notice anything out of place. What was it that Akari always used to say? Men like having the illusion of power; it makes them feel comfortable, and much easier to play towards your own ends. Something like that? "Please remove the Sky flames."

The visible guard standing to your left bristles, but you don't even bat an eye. Twitchy, easily riled, most likely quick-tempered as well. Not good guard material. Then again, Teru hadn't been good guard material, either… though that was more the fault of his shortcomings in skill, rather than personality…

"How dare you be rude to the Don! I–"

"It's quite alright, Mario," the Don himself interrupts the furious outburst of butchered Japanese, smiling a smile that is void of any good cheer and humor. Instead, it looks almost calculative. You lower your eyes. Men like having the illusion of power. "I'm sure the young man didn't mean anything with his… frankness."

"You are most forgiving, sir."

You resist the temptation to roll your eyes, tempering your impatience –and rising irritation– with effort. Effort that goes unnoticed by the rest of the room.

"Stay still, alright? It's not painful, and it won't take long," the old Don finally says, eyes crinkling in an expression that would be reassuring if you hadn't seen so many faked expressions in your years spent as an attack dog. He reaches a flame-wreathed hand to your forehead, barely stopping right above skin contact.

(It's good that he does. You don't think you could've stopped yourself from cutting off his hand otherwise, mafia don or no. There are few reservations that you have, when it comes to having blood spilled, and spilling blood. Higuchi made sure of that.)

You're careful, monitoring precisely what his flames do to yours. In this area, your numerous unpleasant experiences with Higuchi has given you plenty of practice. If he tries anything –you will not hesitate to ensure that he does not live to regret it. One Higuchi is more than enough.

For all his suspicions, though, he does not attempt anything. All he does with his flames is call back the fragments of Sky scattered throughout your own, much like a parent coaxing a stubborn, reluctant child back to them. You don't relax, though. You won't, not until–

"… no! FERMO! Papa, fermo!"

–what.

No one expected the kid suddenly barging in. The guards had been focused on their Don, the Don had been focused on calling back his son's flames, and you had been more concerned about monitoring what the Don was doing to your flames… quite understandably, everyone was startled by the kid charging in blindly, making a beeline straight for you.

And, quite understandably, you… do not react very well to this.

You might not understand Italian, but it doesn't take a genius to realize that the other men in the room are swearing up a storm when you violently flare your flames, burning everyone and everything that comes too close to you for comfort. It already puts you on edge, letting another Sky comb through your flames –if it wasn't for trying to keep a low profile and for getting rid of the brat's flames, you wouldn't even bother with this– and the way the fucking little brat just homes in on you, right when his father is cleaning up the mess he made–

It would be easy, you realize with a sudden start. It would be easy, to kill them. It would only take a moment. The guards are skilled, but none of them are a match for you. The Don might be dangerous, but he's also old, and the unhealthy pallor in his skin, the tremble in his hand that he tries and fails to hide…

It would be easy.

"Dino!" The brat's name is the only thing you catch in the old Don's angry, berating tirade towards his son. You catch his gaze flickering to you warily; once, twice, thrice. Wariness, tinged with disbelief, as if he can't fathom why your flames are suddenly a roaring inferno, instead of the candle flicker he'd been working his way through earlier.

You don't bother enlightening him. It's easy to hide things. After seeing Higuchi do it so many times, you can do it in your sleep.

… To hell with giving him the illusion of power. You've fucking finally had enough of all of this.

You let your flames burn for a moment longer, then let it wink out of existence all at once, not even a single stray ember remaining. Perfect control. It's not the full extent of what you can do nowadays, but it should be more than enough to warn them to back off.

"I'm leaving." Voice placid, your tone brooks no argument. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to send your message across clearly enough.

"W-wait," the Don swallows. "Those flames, that level of strength. You… I know my son; Dino is clumsy, the weakest of all my children –he shouldn't have been able to establish any level of Harmony with someone of your caliber in the first place! Not unless–"

Not unless the brat caught you at a rare moment of unawareness, in a time when you're still recovering from the second Sky bond you've personally severed with your own two hands–

"–unless you have Perfect Compatibility with each other! This –this is Natural Harmony!"

…

What.

"You're mistaken."

"Natural Harmony! Natural Harmony! You –do you even realize how rare that is?" Your fingers twitch for your blade at the sudden gleam that enters the old Don's eyes. You've seen it before; that burst of covetousness. You've seen it in Higuchi. "The last recorded case was in Vongola Sesto's generation, between Sesto and his Sun Guardian! The things they could accomplish together, it was –w-wait, where are you going?"

You ignore the old man, silently reinforcing your body with flames before kicking directly at the windows; the glass shatters with a loud, satisfying crash. Good. Exit secured.

"… What are you… it's… it's Natural Harmony. Are you seriously thinking of turning your back on Natural Harmony?!" The Don's voice rises in outrage, scandalized. His brat shrinks back, but the little boy's gaze remains fixated on you, and that itself makes a chill run down your spine. No more Skies. "How can you –young man, do you even realize the significance of what you're giving up here?"

Yes. You're giving up a Sky bond. You don't want to be bonded to another Sky again.

No more Skies.

The Don's gaze hardens. "I apologize in advance for this, but I'll have to rescind my previous promise to allow you to leave Cavallone territory. It seems that you might have some misgivings about young Dino, but I'm sure we can work out your differences."

You slant a sideways glance at the aged Sky, who's abruptly changed his mind about letting you go. Of course. People like him, men like him –they're all the same. Promises mean nothing, in face of potential profit. Before, you were nothing, just a stray that his youngest son picked up off the streets, but now, you're a worthwhile investment, a… how did Higuchi like to put it?

A rare gem. A special item.

Your gaze flits over the room. Trembling guards –whether it's from pressure or fear or anger is anyone's guess. A stupid, spoiled little brat of a Sky, clinging to his father's jacket. A determined Don, who appears more than ready to use force to make you stay. Foolish.

Higuchi is gone, and so is Akari. No one can hold you. No one will ever hold you again.

"I cannot allow you to leave, young man," Don Cavallone says gravely. "Sit. Let's talk this out like civilized people, shall we?"

You turn and jump out the window.

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As it turns out, you end up having to kill several men as you forcibly cut a bloody path out from this goddamn fortress where you'd been brought to meet Don Cavallone. It certainly hadn't seemed like that on the way in. Your unauthorized departure causes a not-insignificant disturbance in the area, and it's… inconvenient, because you're still knee-deep in Cavallone territory. And even though you've managed to escape from the old Sky before he brought in reinforcements, none of this changes the fact that you're in a foreign country that you don't even speak the language of, and you have no fucking idea where you are or where you should go from here.

… You should probably find a bookstore and find a few elementary Italian books sometime. It would probably take you a week or so to get the grasp of the language, maybe another to become halfway fluent. Everything is easier in this body; this broken body that still operates like a flawless machine.

Luckily, there are tourists in the local town, and this helps you blend in. Somewhat. You avoid the men searching for you, primarily because you know the signs and tells of tailing and being tailed, but they have the home advantage –if you can't make your way out of here, then they'll find you eventually, with their ever-tightening net, and you refuse to be found.

You know what the old Don wants to do. He wants to force you to Harmonize with his son –"Natural Harmony" be damned; it's all just flimsy excuses. Akari's mentioned Natural Harmony to you before, the rarity of it, those less than one-in-one-thousand odds. If the two of you were truly perfectly compatible, you would've Harmonized automatically and in a heartbeat with no chance to Reject anything whatsoever until it was all over, and by then it would be far too late.

… Or maybe it wouldn't be; you'd just have to kill your Sky again. Third time's the charm, right? But there's no way a child like that would ever be compatible with something like you, so this is all just a moot point–

Ah.

You pause, your eye caught by a shop you very nearly just walked past without a second glance. It's a clothing store. A boutique, to be precise. One that happens to be well-stocked with dresses and other distinctly feminine articles of clothing. The vague hints of a plan to evade Cavallone attention start forming in your mind; perhaps…

Briefly, you cast a glance into your reflection in the shop's window. Gray eyes, black hair. Dull colors, but the high cheekbones and pointed chin cast your features into something refined instead, settling somewhere firmly into the elegant, androgynous category. In a single word: Pretty.

But what do you care for this beauty? This beauty –it's the very beauty that Higuchi had been so thoroughly enamored with, the beauty which is precisely the reason why he'd aside the last of his inhibitions when it came to you, and… and…

… and nothing.

Right now, the first thing on your list of priorities is to evade the attention of your relentless pursuers in a foreign country. Pursuers who happen to be mafia, and isn't that ever-so-delightful to consider.

So perhaps, a disguise would be in order…?

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…

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Author's Notes:

… To be continued? Yeah, I don't know if MC is going to end up being Dino's Guardian, actually. Whoops? :D Or... maybe I'm just trolling y'all idk we'll see when we get to it. At least we have a better idea of the timeline now?

Yes, this fic is pre-canon. We'll probably go into canon at some point. Would be fun to see Tsuna, right? :D

Aaaaand I just realized I missed a good point for MC to get a name in the dialogue with Don Cavallone. Well. I'm sure we'll have opportunities to make up for this later on in the fic. ;3

Toodles,

XxZuiliu