What is Dead Never Dies

Gochisoosama.

The former Storm Arcobaleno often did not have the time to respond to Hibari Kyouya's thirst for battle. He had to attend to his ten schools; he could then handle more than a hundred for every style he had learned, but he also wanted to have time to make gyoza so the latter won. He was getting older as well, in the Arcobaleno sense. Reborn was the only ex-Arcobaleno who wasn't growing, and they joked about that during their last meeting.

His disciples then were more than happy to sign him up as an idol in the wake of that Korean wave or whatever, so he had no choice but to abide to their wishes for the sake of him buying them his favorite mapo tofu. He really did not know how it happened exactly, but it turned out the music producer liked him enough to have him enter as a trainee. During one of their meetings, he pranked Hibari to enter in his stead, and he never received a call from that studio again.

Hibari was incensed to the point of nearly destroying the training ground, but Fon managed to appease him enough with a battle that lasted the entire night.

That made Fon enjoy a one day off supervising his disciples' training and getting a chuckle out of it with Reborn.

"I quite like his energy, reminds me of my youth," Fon tittered that time, glossing over Hibari's potential to raze towns to the ground. He was enjoying a break with his students in his seventh school that day. "Quite rambunctious and nearly decapitated me plenty of times during our spar. He took it quite seriously," he adds the last statement with a laugh.

"Has he improved?"

"He still hasn't perfected the gyoza he makes me, so there's that," he nods. His disciples were playing with his pet monkey along with Hibird and Roll on the side while some continued their training.

"Tsuna is anxious of his return."

"The young Vongola must wait a little more. Taming a baby dragon takes time. Please ask I-pin if she is progressing with her training. It might take me awhile to visit her."

"Roger that." Reborn's end crackled for awhile. Fon by then places it below and begins to enjoy his mapo tofu.

"When Kyoya gets back I'll make sure to send you some mapo tofu," he says.

"You rarely get attached to people. Hibari must remind you of the things you threw away to become what you are now."

"I never saw Kyoya when he was a child," Fon muses. "Maybe that is all?"

"I never knew what you were like before you became a Storm Arcobaleno."

"It took me quite awhile to be at peace with the things I have seen. I merely want him to accept that darkness. It will always be a part of him, and only in that darkness can his flame burn like mine."

"Do not overestimate your ability. Only he can change himself."

"That is true," Fon looks at the moment to the looming green mountains in the horizon, along with the salmon pink sky. "But he needs us to realize that." He turns off the phone and quickly finishes the rest of his meal. He then asks for two glasses of water.

-18-

Hibari was awake when Fon entered his room, carrying a bowl of rice and sautéed shrimp.

"Fresh from the river. I went with my children this time to make sure you don't throw them out again."

"I don't want to owe you anything," he grunted as he stands. His pets, who were beside Fon were eagerly trailing behind him.

"I know," Fon says. "But I did not want to wake you this time."

His pets were now biting his shirt and beckoning him closer to his meal. Hibari looked at them passively for a moment. He then followed them at his small table and pries open the chopsticks.