Year 1048 A.N. – July 30th
The rain wouldn't stop.
We had spent five days under a gray sky, wrapped in a continuous, unsettling calm. It was as if the world had paused in a damp breath, a silent prayer repeating itself over the earth.
We stood gathered in a clearing just outside our mansion. At the center—the seed. It had begun to glow faintly since the third day of uninterrupted rain.
"This rain... it does fall like this once a year," murmured Reijiro, arms crossed beneath his cloak. "But this time, it doesn't seem like it'll stop. It feels like a sign."
"It is," I replied quietly, stepping forward.
The seed floated just above the muddy ground, wrapped in a faint bluish glow. It didn't burn. It didn't pulse. It just... breathed. As if listening to something we couldn't yet comprehend.
G stepped up beside me, hands in his pockets, eyes on the sky.
"I can feel it on my skin," he said without looking at me. "This moisture... it's not normal. It's like something else is surrounding us."
Takeshi, Reijiro, Sana, Daiki, and Haru stood behind us. Haru, who had returned just that morning after leaving the daimyō in the care of one of our most trusted subordinates, watched everything with sharp eyes—eyes that trembled slightly from the humidity.
"Is this another Guardian?" asked Daiki curiously. "Like G?"
"Not like G," I said. "This one represents something else."
"The Rain?" Sana asked.
I nodded.
"Rain represents tranquility. It falls without hate, without pride. Only with passion... and everything stops. But it also signifies acceptance. The Guardian of the Rain fights for connection. His flame does not push—it harmonizes."
Silence fell among us. At that moment, a gust of wind swept through the clearing, and the seed rose a little higher. The rain didn't stop, but each drop seemed to slow.
"It's time," I said.
I signaled, and the six of them formed a wide circle around the seed. I extended both hands and closed my eyes.
[System: Condition met — "The Longest Rain of the Year." Initiating summoning sequence.][Seed of Rain — Ready.]
A soft blue glow rose from the earth itself, spreading like a pool of liquid energy beneath us.
G looked up, his expression solemn.
"This feels... different from my summoning. Gentler. Deeper."
"Silence," I whispered.
As before, the seed hovered between sky and earth, absorbing the lazy clouds and the soft rain.
It began to grow, soon reaching the size of a child.
Then, it burst—softly, like a giant raindrop hitting the ground.
The light wasn't blinding. It didn't dazzle. It was a pale blue mist that slowly took shape... first an outline, then a figure, and finally, a presence.
A man with long, sky-blue hair tied in a loose ponytail stood atop the seed. His yukata was simple yet elegant, dyed in shades of blue like a river at dawn. His deep gray-blue eyes silently studied each of us.
His presence was like the rain: calm... inevitable... infinite.
"You..." he spoke softly, yet clearly through the rain. "You've called me... after so long."
"Welcome, Ugetsu Asari. Guardian of the Rain," I said with reverence.
Ugetsu nodded.
"I've been asleep for a long time. But the rain... it whispered your name to me, Giotto Sawada Vongola. Or rather... Luciano Gravina."
Sana swallowed hard, overwhelmed by Ugetsu's serene beauty, wrapped in a calm that eased her heart.
Ugetsu lowered his gaze to the seed, which dissolved slowly into his hand.
"The seed has matured. You've created something... a root. It wasn't power that brought me here, but the bond between you all."
His gaze passed over each of them.
"And you, Giotto. The one who carries the Sky... and holds it in his hands."
The rain grew heavier—not violent, but gentle. As if nature itself was crying in joy.
"Will you fully accept your role this time, Ugetsu?" I asked. "Will you walk beside us as the Guardian of the Rain?"
Ugetsu raised a hand, letting the rain fall into his open palm.
"I won't follow the Sky out of duty. I'll follow it... because you are the river still seeking its course."
He closed his fist. The Flame of the Rain ignited, surrounding him in a soft blue light that didn't burn but moistened the air like a sigh.
"From this day forth," he said solemnly, "I will walk with you. And with my flame... I will calm any storm that threatens your cause."
The aura of the Rain Flame faded slowly, as if it had never been there. Only its traces remained: the damp earth trembling, the thick and peaceful air, and the respectful silence of everyone present.
Ugetsu Asari stepped forward, gliding like a leaf carried by the wind. He approached Giotto, who remained standing, his back straight, as if bearing the will of everyone.
"I can feel it," Ugetsu said quietly, yet audibly. "This land is marked. By fire, by storm... and now, by rain."
"The rain will be the bridge," Giotto replied. "Between G's rage and the stability I wish to build."
Ugetsu gave a faint smile.
"Typical of the Sky. Always seeking balance between extremes."
Daiki stepped forward eagerly.
"Are you going to live with us too, like G?!"
"If you accept me," said the swordsman, bowing slightly. "I won't impose my presence."
"Of course you can!" Takeshi exclaimed with a grin. "You'll be like our rainy sensei!"
G grunted from a corner.
"Hmp. As long as he doesn't talk too much."
"Don't worry," Ugetsu replied serenely. "I only speak what's necessary. Useless words are like excessive rain—they flood the soul."
Sana and Reijiro exchanged glances. The tension, the mysticism—everything felt gentler now with the presence of the new Guardian.
Giotto raised a hand, signaling them to return to the mansion. The summoning was over. But the bond... had just begun.
Vongola Abandoned Mansion – Hours Later
A soft mist still blanketed the area. Chimneys exhaled warmth, and the scent of wet wood mixed with freshly served soup. In the main dining room, everyone shared a simple but warm meal. Ugetsu stood by a window, gazing into the forest.
"Not hungry?" Giotto asked, approaching with two bowls of soup.
Ugetsu accepted one with a discreet bow.
"I haven't tasted food in years."
"Do you remember your past life?"
"All of it. As if I never died... only overslept."
He took a sip and closed his eyes.
"Interesting flavor… dried seaweed?"
"And ginger," Giotto replied with a smile. "Reijiro's recipe. You'll get used to it."
There was a brief silence. Then the Rain Guardian spoke again, his voice lower:
"I sensed fear in one of your own."
Giotto didn't respond right away.
"Haru?"
"Yes. His aura wavers between obedience and fear. Not fear of you... but of what he might become."
Giotto looked down at the steaming bowl.
"Haru is like a taut rope. He'd rather snap than disappoint me."
"The rain doesn't shatter the mountain... but it erodes it over time."
"Will you train him?" Giotto asked directly.
"If you allow it," Ugetsu replied. "He needs to learn that the blade doesn't always resolve conflict."
"Do it," Giotto said firmly.
....
Days Later…
The rain still fell each afternoon, though more gently now. The whole forest seemed revitalized.Haru gripped his katana, brows furrowed. Ugetsu walked slowly around him, holding a branch instead of a sword.
"I'm not asking you to strike," he said calmly. "I'm asking you to feel."
"Feel what?"
"The intent. The vibration in the air. Every step you take disturbs the stillness. Learn to move as if you were part of the rain."
Haru growled, spinning with a violent thrust.
"Rain doesn't cut down enemies!"
Ugetsu blocked the blade with the branch. He didn't deflect it. He simply… absorbed the blow, as if he were made of water.
"And yet," he whispered near Haru's ear, "rain makes flowers grow… and ends wars."
Haru stepped back, breathing heavily. Ugetsu smiled.
"From
From the terrace, Giotto watched in silence. Sana, beside him, offered a cup of tea.
"Do you think Haru will understand that kind of teaching?"
"Not yet. But Ugetsu doesn't plant for today. He plants trees that will give shade in the future."
Sana looked at the Rain Guardian, still smiling under the drizzle like it was his true home.
"He's very different from G," she remarked.
Giotto nodded."And that's why we need him."
"By the way, who's watching over the feudal lord now?" Sana asked.
Giotto scratched his head and said,"Daiki is."
One Night – In the Strategy Room
G, Reijiro, and Takeshi stood over a map spread across the table. Clan names, villages, and roads were marked in different colors.
"Northern control remains stable," Reijiro reported. "But the Sugitani clan has been sending scouts."
"Sugitani?" G muttered. "I don't like those people. They hunt without honor."
"Want me to send a message?" Takeshi asked, cracking his knuckles.
"Not yet," Giotto cut in, entering the room with a firm stride."We won't provoke conflict until our underground network is fully established."
He placed a new piece on the map — a blue token.
"What does that represent?" G asked.
"Territories controlled and managed by Ugetsu. Places where chaos has subsided since he arrived. Cleaner rivers, better harvests, less violence."
G clicked his tongue."Sounds like fairy magic."
"No. It's the magic of harmony. And if we can spread it... the country will be ours not through fear, but through respect."
Reijiro narrowed his eyes."And if harmony fails?"
"Then," Giotto replied as he walked toward the hallway, "we'll return to the storm."
Late Night – Mansion's Back Garden
The rain had faded, leaving only a soft dripping on the leaves. The garden breathed moisture, and the cherry trees looked more alive beneath the thin mist.
Giotto sat alone on a stone bench beneath a pine. His cloak rested over his knees, and he held an old leather notebook: his men's daily reports.
"Adults behave better under constant watch," he muttered, flipping a page with disdain. "But children… they're still pure. Adults just act."
"Because they learned to survive by lying," said a calm voice beside him.
Ugetsu had appeared without a sound, sword sheathed on his back. He sat next to him uninvited.
"You didn't used to be this quiet," Giotto said without lifting his gaze.
"And you don't seem like the Giotto from our previous life."
Giotto tilted his head slightly, intrigued."Why do you say that?"
"Because your eyes don't look at the present. You're always weighing what's to come, like the past branded you with fire."
The silence between them grew dense, intimate.
"I lived a life before I was Primo Vongola — or rather, a war," Giotto said at last, eyes still on the notebook. "Full of mistakes. This time, I'm trying not to fail."
Ugetsu nodded slowly."I understand. That's why you carry so much. But even the sky needs to rain. Or it dries up and breaks."
"And you, Ugetsu? Why did you agree to come?"
"Because it was you who called me. And the Sky always calls the Rain when it's wounded."
Giotto looked at him with real attention then. For a moment, he felt those words cut deeper than anything he'd confessed himself.
"What did you feel when you woke up?"
"Peace… then fear. Then purpose."
"Purpose?"
"Rain has no meaning unless it falls on something that needs it. You… you're covered in wounds you don't show. You're a blue sky crying on the inside."
Giotto looked down, pressing his open hand to his chest."Sometimes I wonder if all this is even worth it."
Ugetsu stood."I'll tell you when you make it."
And he walked into the mist like a spirit of the forest, leaving him alone with his thoughts — and the rain, which began to fall again with an almost maternal gentleness.