Chapter Text
First Meeting
There were noises coming from that alley.
Like a moth to flame, Kyouya walked closer to the source, tonfa readied in his arms. Crowding is absolutely unforgivable and he would thoroughly bite to death whoever they were. From the noises and shouts coming from the alley, he quickly deduced that they most likely were teenagers to young adults. Delinquents, most possibly.
Just as he arrived, Kyouya raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. There were bodies sprawled on the floor already. Not dead, but certainly bruised and in various stages of concussion. And the cause of those was standing a few feets away in front of him, fighting a horde of men alone.
A child, Kyouya noted with interest. Definitely not older than the cow herbivore, so it was between ten to thirteen years old. He had an interesting hair color, a perfect split of black and white, which he doubted was artificial. Natural hair color, it seemed. Not the weirdest thing Kyouya had seen before. The omnivore literally used to be trained by a gun-wielding baby (now an adult man working as their advisor) after all. Vongola and normalcy didn’t exactly mix together.
All that said however, what truly caught Kyouya’s interest was the child’s prowess.
He was strong, for a start. His fist alone managed to make a man double his age stagger back. Using that momentum, the child spun into a kick, downing another one before moving to another target. Smart and nimble, Kyouya noted with a glee. This unknown child had a natural fighting instinct. The only downside was how erratic his fighting style was, a sign of someone who was self-taught. Something that made his insides rise up, filling him with desire and need.
A diamond in the rough.
A genius.
A potential carnivore in making.
Kyouya didn’t move from his position, having decided to continue observing the fight. The more he watched, the more interesting that child became. He wasn’t as skillful as children who grew up in the underworld obviously, but he was strong beyond civilian’s standard. He couldn’t help but imagine what could be if he grew up under Vongola’s care. What if he grew up as a Hibari.
Kyouya shuddered in excitement, a wolfish grin blooming on his face.
The moment their eyes met, the world seemed to pause. Suddenly, his world was filled with steel gray and molten gold. A pair of mismatched eyes stared, unawakened dying will flames dancing within his eyes. His bicolored eyebrows–even his eyelashes had different hair color, how interesting—scrunched in suspicion, his fists raised ready to fight despite his already quite visibly battered condition. Usually Kyouya would take that as an invitation to fight, but at that exact moment, Kyouya didn’t think to raise his tonfa. Instead he was focused on the boy’s eyes.
It was the gaze of a fighter, full of defiance and readiness to take on whatever may come.
A sky . Unawakened, yet potent.
At that exact moment, Kyouya made up his mind.
“Interesting,” Kyouya finally opened his mouth, lips perked up forming a smirk. The child jolted up, not expecting that reaction. “You, little carnivore.”
“Ha? C-carnivore–you mean me—?”
“Little carnivore,” Kyouya repeated, voice echoing within the darkened alley filled with fallen bodies.
“From now on, you’re my child.”
Adoption
“Omnivore.”
“Kyouya.”
Dear God, what crimes have I done to deserve this? Tsuna lamented inwardly. Outwardly, he just kept smiling patiently to his Cloud guardian while trying his best to ignore the kid who's thrashing and kicking within Kyouya’s grip. A civilian kid that Kyouya had kidnapped and brought back all the way to Namimori. It was just one night. It was just a simple mission that he allowed Kyouya to have in the middle of what should have been a vacation so the Cloud could deal with his boredom. Next thing he knew, he found said Cloud guardian of his in front of his house with a child he kidnapped.
Usually, Tsuna would have taken some precaution, considering Kyouya’s history of breaking things, but this time his intuition didn’t tell him anything. Tsuna cursed his own carelessness. I should’ve known better.
“Omnivore,” Kyouya repeated, this time lifting the civilian kid like Rafiki did with Simba. At least the child had stopped moving, having been distracted by Nana’s cooking even though he’s still shooting distrustful glances toward them, especially toward Kyouya. “This is my child.”
Silence.
“Did you pick him up from the orphanage?”
“No.”
“...Do you have any legal documents that say that you have custody over him?”
“My word is enough. He is my child.”
Tsuna was this close to bring about a repeat of the Great Vongola Incident (which is what the whole time travel thing had become known as among those in the know, mostly because “The Byakuran Bullshit Incident” is deemed too inappropriate of a name for it) and let himself get killed so someone else can deal with this.
“Have you at least checked if he had any parents?”
A silence. Then, “Do you have any parents, little carnivore?”
The kid shook his head. He seemed uninterested in their conversation, focusing on stuffing as much food as possible in his little mouth. Nana seemed to have made it her mission to feed the kid, even as Kyouya and Tsuna talked.
Kyouya looked at Tsuna. “He doesn’t have any parents.”
Tsuna closed his eyes, fantasizing being dead and forever away from this shitshow. Yes, he agreed to shoulder Vongola’s sin. He agreed to take on the mantle, cleaned up all the mess his grandfather and previous leaders had done, then brought Vongola back to its original purpose. But he certainly didn’t agree to be the only one with a brain cell. At this point Tsuna could see himself having gray hairs before he hit thirty. Either that or going bald.
But alas. Kyouya was his guardian. He was his responsibility no matter how much stress he had caused.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Tsuna reached his phone and dialed a certain number. “Let’s do a blood test first.” To find out if we can adopt him in a legal or illegal way. “By the way, what’s your name, child?”
The bicolored hair kid perked up, chewing his food for a moment before gulping it down. He became flustered realizing that Tsuna was staring at him. “S-Sakura Haruka,” he murmured, cheek flushing red.
Sakura Haruka , Tsuna tilted his head, interested. “It’s a good name,” he commented, huffing in good humor when Sakura’s face exploded in red. “Nice to meet you, Sakura-kun. My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsunayoshi or Tsuna for short. Can I call you Sakura-kun?”
“Ha? Uh—d-do as you want…”
“Alright then. Listen, Sakura-kun,” Tsuna offered him a kind smile. “As you can see, my good friend here really wants to adopt you, but I want to hear your opinion first. Do you want to come with us, Sakura-kun? We won’t be angry if you say no.”
“ Hafuh?! ” Sakura choked on his own spit. “You–me–ha?! But—but—”
Sakura turned his head back and forth between Kyouya and Tsuna, bewildered. Hope flickered in his eyes before it changed into distrust and wary. “Are you… are you insane?” he glowered. “You two must be lying right?! I know it! There is no way you… you want to…”
His voice gradually went softer, expression painted in disbelief. Sakura couldn’t understand why they were acting like this. Sakura was aware he was being rude, yet Tsuna was just smiling at him. Even Kyouya, his soon-to-be father—and didn’t it sound like a dream? Him, the one that people called freak, called a monster , will have a family —was silent as well. It didn’t make any sense. Adults like them were supposed to get angry at him for being rude and punish him.
Truth to be told, Sakura wanted it. Longed for it. Everything felt like a dream he never wanted to wake up from. Never in his entire life he met someone who wanted him; until he met Kyouya in that back alley.
“From now on, you’re my child.”
It wasn’t an offering. It wasn’t a demand. Kyouya said it on that night as if it was the fact itself, despite them being just two strangers who don't even know each other’s name. Yet Kyouya spoke it with such confidence that it left no room for rebuttal.
He wants me, Sakura slowly realized, his eyes bearing into Kyouya’s pitch black iris. His expression was hard to read, but for some reason Sakura could feel the unfamiliar possessiveness akin to wolf to its pup.
Not trusting his own voice, Sakura meekly nodded. He tried to ignore how Kyouya’s expression slightly lightened up, pushing down the way his stomach bubbled in unknown emotion.
Tsuna huffed, exasperated yet fond. “Alright, then.”
Nana then clapped her hands, bringing Tsuna, Kyouya, and Sakura’s attention to her.
“Now that you boys are done with your talk, how about we give Sakura-kun here some much needed shower and rest?” She suggested, though Tsuna knew better than to think of his mother’s “suggestion” as anything but an order.
Tsuna nodded and gave a little wave to Sakura as his mother took Sakura with her.
The result came out quickly.
“That brat is related to the Hibari clan,” Shamal scratched his jaw. “Not too close to the main line, though. More like a very distant relative, but yeah. I’m gonna check again to make sure, but I’m pretty sure this means your Cloud guardian is more or less his uncle.”
Tsuna gaped after hearing his explanation. Beside him, Kyouya scoffed.
“Of course,” he said, as if it was an obvious fact. “He is my child.”
“Kyouya, I’m this close to not listing you on the adoption papers, I swear to god.”
“Also,” Shamal added, catching their attention back to the retired assassin. “I suggest he start his training as fast as possible. This child has unawakened cloud and sky flames. Very potent, too.”
You have a chance to do the funniest thing, Vongola brat, Shamal thought to himself in amusement.
The adoption papers were done without any fuss. Considering the kind of power that Vongola wields, it would be stranger if there was any. On it, it was written that Sawada Tsunayoshi was the father and Hibari Kyouya was the mother.
Upon finding out about it, Kyouya chased Tsuna all the way to downtown Namimori and beyond. Meanwhile, Nana baked a congratulation cake for Sakura with the girls.
Sakura himself had a blast playing with his new big brothers and sister. He was happy because they didn’t comment on his appearance and even told him that he looked ‘cool as heck’. He later managed to memorize their names—Fuuta, Lambo, I-pin—and slept holding toys they had given to him.
(Tsuna decided to put his name in because he didn’t believe Kyouya would be able to take care of a child, at least not on his own. Even if he ended up in the hospital, it was worth it.)
On paper, Sakura had a father and mother. Although said mother was actually a man who adamantly told him to call him anything but words that resemble ‘mother’.
In reality, he had six fathers, three mothers, and three older siblings. Added with a dozen or more uncles and aunties. And couples of grandparents. Also, sometimes Sakura called Kyouya ‘Mother’ because he was a little shit and it’s the quickest way to trigger the usually unflappable man. The trip to healthbay was always worth it, and Uncle Ryohei seemed to approve.
It’s Always Sunny In Vongola
Sakura decided he likes Reborn. Tsuna was devastated.
Reborn arrived from Italy about one week after Sakura was officially adopted, disappeared for an entire week with Sakura, before returning with a battered Sakura on tow, looking more pleased than he had been in a while and what Tsuna recognized as approval for Sakura in his eyes.
“Training with Reborn is so fun!” Sakura said, despite sporting some concerning injuries and a mild concussion. His smile was way more cheerful than Tsuna would have liked. “I learned so many things!”
Oh my god my son is a masochist, was Tsuna’s first thought as he tried his best not to have a breakdown. Instead, he turned his head to the hitman who was wearing a smug expression.
“What have you done to Haruka, Reborn?!” Tsuna wailed. Reborn scoffed back.
“My best, obviously.”
In all honesty, Reborn kind of missed being a tutor. After Tsuna officially became the Decimo, or Neo Vongola Primo, depending on who you ask, Reborn’s status as Tsuna’s tutor also ended. While of course that doesn’t mean that he stopped instilling as many lessons and look after Tsuna, the dynamic between the two of them had changed over the years, and Reborn found himself reminiscing of the times when Tsuna were yet to be aware of just what kind of power he truly have over him.
But then his lover went and have a son with Kyouya. Of course, any son of Tsuna’s is Reborn’s as well, and once he finished his business in Italy, he quickly made his way to Namimori where Tsuna and his guardians were supposed to be taking a break for a few months in to meet that new son of theirs.
To say that he’s happy with what he found would be an understatement. Yes, the boy’s flames were very potent. Yes, the boy has an endless well of potential as a fighter. But what Reborn found to be most pleasing is the boy’s determination.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the boy had gone through quite a lot, especially by civilian standards, and Reborn could see that it will take some work for the boy to truly believe in himself, but there’s a strong will underlying it all. One that he saw too, with Dino and Tsuna.
“...you’re not mad that I went and got a son without asking you first, right?”
Reborn scoffed before pulling Tsuna into his embrace. Ah, what a pleasure it was to finally fully return to his adult body. “ Mio caro , everything that’s mine is yours, and everything that’s yours I will accept no matter what. I thought I had made it clear that no matter what you do I’ll follow you to the end of the Earth, or have your months away from me made you forget?’
Tsuna blushed, “Ugh, fine fine. I can’t help but worry, you know?”
“Needlessly so.” Reborn teased, and Tsuna just rolled his eyes.
Then, suddenly Tsuna remembered that Sakura was still in the room with them, and one look at the boy told Tsuna that they had one long explanation about relationships and such to give—when the boy stopped shaking like a leaf with a face redder than tomato.
(And that’s also how they found out that Sakura possesses something that they would call a “romance sensor”.)
“Where is Haruka, Hayato-kun?”
“Oh, Tenth! Last time I saw him, he was on the rooftop sleeping.”
“Why is he there again?! Wait—why do you know about that, Hayato?! …Hayato? Hayato! Come back here, Hayato! Don’t run away!”
Tsuna could only hope that sleeping on the rooftop is as far as it would get when it comes to Sakura taking after Kyouya. Just thinking about Sakura telling people that he’s going to bite them to death already made Tsuna close to despair.
“And this is Vongola’s fourth head. Remember it well, Dame-Haru.”
“...Why is his signature weapon a fork ?”
“Nobody knows. Legends said he was hungry and, poof , a flame-imbued fork. Maybe he used it to stab and feast on the flesh of his enemy. Makes you wonder, no?”
“...”
Xanxus opened Tsuna’s workroom gently by kicking the door leading into it to pieces. Tsuna stared sadly at the crumbled woods, mourning its death before turning his attention back to his cousin. “Before you say anything, Xanxus, I won’t permit you to build a tiger zoo in Varia Headquarters just because your companion looks lonely.”
Xanxus clicked his tongue. “That’s not what I’m here for,” he said. He then held out a confused and battered Sakura—showing that they just came here after a sparring fight—up like how a human held a cat, expression serious.
“I want him to join Varia.”
“No.”
Maybe bringing Sakura to Italy with them isn’t such a good idea, if that leads to Xanxus wanting him in the Varia.
“Excuse me, Saku-chan. Would you like to hear about our lord and savior Byakuran-sama?”
“Oi, Bluebell! Stop trying to drag Haruka into your famiglia !” Lambo protested as he quickly put Sakura behind him.
Bluebell pouted. “It’s not fair! I want a little brother too!”
Lambo stuck his tongue out to the girl. “Then go ask your oh so great Byakuran-sama for one!”
“He can’t get pregnant, dummy!”
“Kufufufu, actually he can,” Mukuro piped in. Nobody questioned why and how he suddenly appeared. “You know, dear Bluebell, as Chrome continuously demonstrates, with the power of Mist flame you can “create” organs that weren’t even actually there. Which means…”
Bluebell grinned like Mukuro had just told her the secrets to the universe. “Why did I never think of that! My own little brother, here I come!”
“Uhh, I have a question.” Sakura suddenly said, gaining the attention of the other three. “But why would Byakuran-san need any new organs?”
A blink. Another blink.
And then it dawned on all of them that oh my god nobody had told Sakura about the birds and the bees yet.
“W-well I’m going to need to share this with Byakuran-sama!” Bluebell suddenly exclaimed before quickly running away. “Have fun with your little brother, stupid cow!”
“Kufufufu, I’ll leave little Haruka to you.” Mukuro said as he disappeared.
“Cowards! All of you!” Lambo wailed before he turned and came face to face with Sakura’s still questioning look.
(In the end, Lambo brought Sakura to Tsuna, who while smiling pleasantly throughout the entire explanation about what happened, Lambo could tell is absolutely pissed . Mercifully, Tsuna quickly told Lambo to leave him and Sakura alone. They had grilled pineapple for dessert that night.)
The more time that Sakura spends with his new family, the more he’s convinced that they’re all insane. Maybe the whole “summoning flames out of thin air” thing should have been the dead giveaway. Or the whole circumstances surrounding him getting adopted in the first place. No sane person would just randomly take a child they met in an alleyway and claim the child as their own son.
But despite that, Sakura found himself looking at Kyouya as someone he wanted to be like when he grows up. Maybe not the weird animal analogies, or the utter lack of ability to socialize normally. But Sakura had seen the way that Kyouya commands respect without even saying a word, how a look from him is enough to bring hundreds if not thousands of men to their knees in deference. An unstoppable force and an immovable object at once, a symbol of order and strength within the chaos of Vongola.
He thought of his own upbringing. After losing his parents, even when he had “guardians” who were supposed to look after him, he would often find himself roaming the streets more often than not. Between the bullying he endured from his schoolmates until he could finally fight back and win , and all the times that people took even a single glance from him as a challenge and disrespect, sometimes he wished to be untouchable, to be so strong and intimidating that nobody would bother him even if they don’t like him. That had changed, of course. He knew now that not everyone in this world is out to get him, that he can rely on others, even if sometimes he needed to be reminded of that. But that respect and admiration toward Kyouya hadn’t changed.
Fuuta-nii said that it must have been fate that Kyouya-san found him in that alley that day, and Sakura found himself wishing for that to be true. That he’s always going to find his way to a place that would accept him for who he is, a place that he feels like he belongs to.
But he knew that the future isn’t all bright. Reborn had made sure that he knew of what might lie ahead, and Sakura wants to prove to Reborn, to Tsuna, to Kyouya, to everyone, that he can face whatever may come even without their help.
And so, a new chapter to Sakura’s life had begun.