This is a collection of drabbles written for the 50ficlets challenge on Livejournal, in a vain attempt to beat my word count for 2010 by the end of 2011. Some will be gen, some will have pairings, all will be between one hundred and one thousand words in length. I hope you enjoy them!

Amano Akira owns Reborn. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

Theme One - Family

There had been many times that Tsuna had felt that his Guardians were like family to him; the fact that they had been through so much together had certainly given him a sense of appreciation and concern, and that had given way to camaraderie and genuine loyalty. The process had been gradual but smooth, and Tsuna eventually found, with some surprise, that he had started focusing on the positive, logical aspects of his Guardians' personalities instead of panicking about the bad.

There had been so many occasions on which Tsuna had relied on them, and although he could see the similarities, it was the subtle differences that made each time they gathered in the one place unique but familiar, as if every one of his recollections was the same memory against a different backdrop.

There was Gokudera, fiercely loyal and protective as he was, who stayed by his side and defended against any threat without hesitation. Yamamoto always protected his back, an easy smile on his face and encouraging words flowing from his lips as he cut down anyone willing to challenge him. Lambo started every battle with both innocence and hesitance, and became more confident with every enemy that fell to the Vongola; if Tsuna caught him looking at the older Guardians with admiration, he could manage a smile in the middle of the worst firefight. Ryohei was the pinnacle of fervour and enthusiasm, throwing bare-fisted punches and shouting over the fray to Tsuna - and anyone else close enough to listen - when they connected and sent his attackers sprawling to the ground. Hibari distanced himself from the other Guardians and tore through any enemy he came across with deadly precision and force, crushing them underfoot as if they were the weakest challenge he had ever faced. Chrome stood placidly with her trident clutched tightly in both hands, and would have looked out of place among the violence were in not for the several men sprawled around her feet, screaming and writhing in agony from an illusion that Tsuna was glad he could not see. And then as the floor opens beneath him to an empty blackness that he knows isn't even real, Tsuna shuts his eyes regardless and feels as if he's stuck between sleep and consciousness even as a soft laugh echoes in his mind, accompanied by the flash of a red eye...

And then it's over as abruptly as it began, with only the eight of them left standing. Hibari leaves almost immediately, without a farewell or any further acknowledgement. Mukuro departs quickly too, and Chrome follows after a brief but noticeable moment of hesitation. As Gokudera, Yamamoto, Lambo and Ryohei fall into their usual post-battle duties, Tsuna wonders if it's wrong that above all, he's glad that they are safe. He poses the question to Reborn when he returns, and his tutor breaks into a small smile that could be interpreted a million ways.

Family, he realised, stood by each other with the purest form of loyalty. They laughed and encouraged through the bad times. They grew and developed into something stronger with the help of the people around them. They were the most vocal, and the most silent forms of support. They protected one another from anguish. And in the world of the Mafia, they were the final, powerful word in every argument.

For better or for worse, Tsuna knew that his Guardians were his family.

end.