Tsuna was completely and utterly a failure. Everybody at school ignored him, and his teachers honestly did not give a crap. His dad was missing, and his mother often forgot that she had reproduced. Tsuna was isolated from the rest of his community, constantly lonely and terrified of the unknown and harsh outside world. People were a mystery to him, and as such he had almost no social skills. The combined terror of the unknown world and the lack of social skills caused people to bully him, which in turn amplified his problems, creating a vicious cycle. In short, the unfortunate circumstances of his life had turned him into an apathetic yet neurotic boy.

And this, of course, is the candidate for the next Vongola mafia boss, and by extension, the ruler of a good thousand people.

-CHAPTER ONE: Apathy -

"Good morning. It is currently 8:00 am. The weather will be sunny, with a few clouds here and there. There has been no traffic accidents as of yet. Today is the anniversary of-"

"8:00? Shit! I'm late for school!"

Tsuna rose with a start. A beam of sunlight shot into his eye, causing him to quickly jerk to the side to avoid said beam but smashing his head against the wall. Clutching his already bleeding scalp, he flopped down onto his pillow again. Once counting the number of cracks in his ceiling became mind-numbing, rolled over to count the hairs in his carpet.

"What's the point? It's not like I really matter there anyway. And this carpet, it's just, so shaggy…" Tsuna's head spun from dizziness. "Ahahaha…." He managed to giggle slightly, "I could lie here all day…" He said, closing his eyes.

"…who, despite all his shortcomings, eventually was able to overcome his mental issues. Today, he would be turning 87. In other news, NATO has recently come to an agreement that-"

Tsuna reached over to his nightstand and clicked off the radio. He didn't particularly care what the world had in store today; he hadn't cared for the past 14 years of his life. Tsuna wasn't really one for change, especially this early in the morning. Cocooning himself into his blankets, he rolled over into his bed, making sure not to hit the wall this time. "Ahhhh," He yawned, "I'm going to take a rest day." He mumbled to himself half coherently.

"Hey, that's no way a mafia boss should act. Get your ass out of bed."

Tsuna snorted, and rolled over yet again. "Mom, I'm tired. I need rest. And I'm not a mafia boss, I'm just a-"

When he opened his eyes, his mother did not greet him.

Instead, he had to look downward for the source of the noise.

A baby.

A baby donning a suit and hat, complete with a gun in his right hand. A chameleon was perched on the rim of his fedora.

Tsuna sat up slowly.

Damn, I must've hit my head pretty hard.

"Get to school. I don't want the leader of an organization of thousands to have the intelligence of a middle-schooler."

Ok. Baby can talk intelligently. This is getting pretty trippy.

"And take a shower. Whatever you rolled around in yesterday is really starting to rot."

And baby can crack insults. I don't remember kid's programs teaching them to do that…

"And one more thing: I'm Reborn, and I am your tour guide to hell."

And with that, the baby tipped his hat, raised his gun, clicked it, and shot Tsuna point blank in the forehead.

The lights of Tsuna's rooms went in and out of focus. He could feel the blood flowing down his forehead, the salt in it burning his eyes. Slowly, he slid off his bed onto the floor, his eyes coming into level with Reborn's polished shoes. The room faded to black.

I'm…going to die?

Absolute darkness. He is standing in a room with no boundaries. He feels no pain, but no sensation of life or warmth.

I….won't really be missed, I guess.

Images appear before him. A gray-haired boy. A baby soldier. A man with horrible scars covering his body. A group of people surrounding someone. A ringed finger. Himself, surrounded by flames.

Nobody will really grieve me.

A world at the mercy of one person.

Nobody will remember my name.

A world destroyed.

But still….

A world renewed.

…I think I want to live.

His eyes burst open, and he stood up. He was filled with a renowned sense of life; a feeling of sheer power. His entire body shook with the power within him. It was exhilarating.

The energy seemed to ebb out of him after a minute, much to his disappointment. When it completely left his body, however, he did not feel the pang of exhaustion. In fact, he felt more refreshed than ever.

"What was that?" He said aloud. He turned around, expecting an answer from the baby.

To his surprise, the baby was gone.

"…What a dream, then," He said, scratching his head, trying to make logic of the whole situation.

He stood there for a few moments, trying to process what had just happened. When no answer came to him, he just shook his head and sighed.

"…I'd better get to school."

With that, he stumbled into the hallway towards the bathroom.

"A dying will flame that powerful, huh."

"Yes. He was able to resurrect within seconds. His will is quite strong considering who he is."

"….Hey, do you think we might be able to get it right this time?"

"Time will tell."

A/N: First "serious" fic, so reviews are always appreciated.