Drawbacks of a mind that remembers

Aku and Altair

A/N: It might get a little graphic. I'm not very sure. 

~~

Kaito sat in his room, his eyes looking at his ring finger. He circled the base of the finger, feeling the ghost weight and texture that was there.

 He remembered not marrying back then and regretted a little. He died for his family, and that was fine. His brother gained from his death, kind of. In the end, his brother died of old age, and he was born again to attend his funeral. 

He smiled wistfully, remembering that other life when he sabotaged the Vongola archive for the fun of it and was gunned down by Reborn. Back then, the tutor was still an adult, and that was when he learnt of the arcobaleno's curse fully. 

When he was the star guardian for Primo, they never truly crossed paths with the arcobaleno then. He knew of their existence and their role in the tri-ni-set, but because they have never seen one, or he has never met one, he has never seen what their curse was.

Every individual who carries a part of the tri-ni-set has immense power, but they come with a price. The arcobaleno shrink and their flames sucked out of their individuals; the Mare are bound by power and the Vongola is bound by time. Some call it a miracle, others call it a curse. 

Kaito would call it a curse.

Holders of the tri-ni-set were always targeted by others because they are the most powerful artefacts in existence. The Vongola ring can only make one wish come true, then that becomes obsolete–as in it can no longer make wishes come true. Because the first generation guardians were full of regrets and wore the rings to their deaths. Of course, they were unaware of that extra ability of the ring, but why? Why did they all have regrets when dying? 

While it is human to err, why can't we all just go without regrets? Kaito thought to himself. 

He could still feel that bullet that went through his head when he died. The aching feeling behind his head throbbed softly. 

"Are you remembering the gunshot the Corvino gave you when you joined the team in clearing the remaining of their powers?" A familiar voice rang in his ears. Surprised, he looked up at the administrator standing in his room.

"... Trespasser," Kaito grumbled. He was tempted to flop onto his stomach to ignore the regular visitor in his room.

"You've never been truly alert when you're deep in your thoughts. Even as Altair, you haven't changed."

Kaito let out a knowing laugh and he sat up straight, his head lowered to look at his toes. "So what's your business with me today?"

"The moon shall shine softly in the sky again," Kawahira replied. The star guardian glanced at him and sighed loudly. 

"I know. I saw the signs that day during my heist. Kawahira, just what exactly is my brother's regret?"

The man stood by the window, his person facing the scenery as he replied. "Your brother was guilt-stricken. While I think there was nothing you both could do in that situation, he was tormented by the fact that he wasn't there."

Kaito fell silent. 

"I expect that his bond with the family was deeper than yours," Kawahira commented. "His family disowned him, he was sent to the Vongola as cannon fodder, only to be accepted as one of their own. He felt a sense of belonging–something his own family couldn't give."

Kaito remembered that bit well. It was an odd tradition, but the eldest son is to be the shadow of the heir.

At that time, the Vongola was just starting out, and their family was already falling apart. Their father, a man of greed, wanted the family to be the strongest and wealthiest. So he made a last-ditch attempt and sent Aku to the Vongola family to tear the newly established, yet immensely successful family apart from within. He was to send his reports every week.