23 Beautiful
Daemon snatches up another Estraneo kid as they run past and delivers them to Japan, where Chrome and a couple others in the kiddie cult are waiting in the building set up in Kokuyo.
Daemon turns a corner and stops when he finds a large room full of monitors, ringed with bulky consoles and far too many switches and buttons. At least a dozen scientists are collapsed on the ground, and a little boy with Mist flames heavy around his figure stands in the middle of the room, clutching tightly to a trident with three sharp spikes.
"How nostalgic," Daemon laughs. "Nufufufu you're just missing the proper hairstyle."
Mukuro glances over his shoulder at the man and raises an eyebrow. "What is that laugh?"
"What do you mean? This is your laugh too."
"No, I have a cute kufufufu."
"That's because you do it wrong, you have a lisp."
"I am not doing it wrong-"
"Ken," a voice hisses quietly.
Two kids, one a blond with sharp teeth and the other with glasses, stand in the hallway just outside the room. The blond one -presumably Ken- is crouched low with his teeth bared and hands forming claws.
"St-step back," Ken growls out at Daemon, voice wavering in fear but willing to fight if the other purple haired kid can get away from the adult.
"That's adorable," Daemon coos at the boy threatening to maul him. He has officially spent too much time around the bloodthirsty animals Kyouya calls a Disciplinary Committee.
Mukuro observes the newcomers with a smirk. "These ones can stay with me."
Daemon huffs in amusement. "Have fun playing then. I've delivered all the others."
Mukuro nods as Daemon disappears into mist. Ken and Chikusa realise that they have maybe stepped into something they shouldn't have.
.
Kyouya opens the door to Fon's apartment and blinks at his Kcl pet, except this one is male. "Who are you?"
"Oh, right," Mukuro mutters. "We technically haven't met." He muses for a bit. "Okay, when Chrome talks to herself, she's talking to me."
Kyouya raises an eyebrow. "You're an imaginary friend?"
"Um, no-"
"Do imaginary friends also have an Incendiary Defence?" Kyouya asks curiously, going right over Mukuro's protest.
Mukuro opens his mouth and closes it a few times, trying to figure out how to explain himself in Kyouya's strange logic. "Yes," he finally just admits. "Imaginary friends have flames as well."
Ken gapes at Mukuro. Wow, he's an imaginary friend? No wonder he's so strong!
Chikusa facepalms.
.
Fon arrives back to the apartment with takeout for dinner and discovers that Kyouya has somehow accumulated more friends.
"Hello," Fon greets the two children, the large takeout bag bigger than the baby held up over his head. "Are you Kyouya's friends?"
"The baby is carrying it's weight in takeout," Chikusa deadpans. "Of course the baby can." He stands from the couch and stomps off towards the bedroom where he can suffocate himself with the pillow. Disappearing adults? Imaginary friends? Weightlifter babies? He is done with this.
"Kyouya's out," Ken says to Fon. "He went with Mukuro."
Fon isn't surprised that Kyouya has escaped again. "Do you know where he went?" Fon walks over and places the takeout on the coffee table.
"Something about a shapeshifter," Ken mumbles, eyes wide as he drools over the amazing smell emanating from the bag.
.
"There is no where left to run, baby," Kyouya declares from the mouth of the dead-end alleyway.
Reborn raises an eyebrow. Fon's kid has joined forces with Mammon's kids, which is really cute, but at the same time really annoying. None of them know when to give up and Reborn has scheduled a murder in an hour so he can't humour them right now.
Xanxus takes a step forward and his Varia shift accordingly, at least smart enough to line the rooftops as well as block the only ground level exit.
Mukuro lifts the cloth pet carrier and menacingly unzips the mesh door. There's a little yellow blanket inside and a plush teddy bear.
Reborn thinks it actually looks kind of nice and – no. Focus. "Does Mammon know where you are?" Reborn asks the Varia.
"We don't need Mammon's permission," Squalo snaps like the bratty teenager he is.
Reborn checks watch!Leon and realises he's going to have to speed things up a bit. He doesn't want to hurt them -because Mammon will start complaining- so he's going to have to run. None of them are fast enough to catch him anyway.
"Listen, hitman," Xanxus growls. "I want to -need to- shoot fireballs of glitter from my gun, and you're going to tell me how, whether you want to or not."
"Is that all?" Reborn scoffs. "Why didn't you just ask normally? I think I have some…" He reaches into his little suit jacket and pulls out a pretty standard 9mm cartridge, covered in scribbles from a purple permanent marker because Skull gets into things he really shouldn't.
Reborn tosses it to Xanxus. "Those are self-igniting so don't play around with them. And… don't tell the Arcobaleno I gave it to you."
.
Italy burns but by God does it look beautiful and sparkly while it does.
.
Fon very quickly buys plane tickets back to Namimori for Kyouya and (once he realises the children don't have families) Kyouya's friends. The people responsible for the earlier incident have been taken care of very discreetly by the Arcobaleno so Kyouya no longer needs to stay with Fon for protection.
Besides, Fon decides that Japan is honestly safer for everyone involved. Namimori has been dealing with Kyouya for almost eight years now, so surely they should have more precautions in place when the… precocious child decides he's going to play with his friends.
"I still don't understand where Xanxus got the glitter bullets in the first place," Mammon grumbles between bites of the cookie.
"It could have been a blunderbuss gun that he used instead," Lal suggests, stepping over the plate Mammon is hoarding and wandering down the table to get the apple juice.
Verde nods along. "More than likely. Otherwise he would have needed to design specific glitter bullets like…what Reborn…made."
They turn to Reborn. The hitman hugs his baby bottle and tries to look innocent but his eyes are a little too wide and manic.
"I think you've had enough coffee," Colonnello says because he recognises the signs, reaching over to the other.
"No, this is my first one today," Reborn protests quickly, leaning away.
"Really?" Skull asks sceptically. "I think you mean first one this hour."
"Either or," Reborn dismisses.
He stands up and retreats down the table when Colonnello advances again but Fon grabs him before he gets far. Fon pulls on Reborn while Colonnello pulls on the bottle.
"Stop it," Lal warns. "You're going to give him shaken baby syndrome on top of his caffeine overdose."
...
Omake – Sanity
Hayato shares a commiserating look with Chikusa, fire and death in the background. If they didn't have each other to keep their sanity in check then who knows what might have happened.
They probably would have given in to the madness.
Hayato pats Chikusa on the shoulder. He is going to get this man all of the YoYos for his birthday.
