If one were to give a name to Reborn's feelings at this moment in time, they would probable use the word bemused.

Now, the hitman had always believed that he knew his student quite well; he had been tutoring him for about six years, after all. But now, he was seeing a new side of the brunet, one that was completely unexpected.

If Reborn thought about it for a minute, though, he supposed it made sense. Even if he had been tutoring the young Decimo for just over half a decade, he really only saw him for about four hours a day on most days, and all of that time was spent teaching his young charge everything ranging from the principles of mathematics, to mastering his sky flames, so it shouldn't be too surprising that he only ever saw one side of the person that was Tsunayoshi Sawada.

From what Reborn knew of Tsunayoshi, he'd always gotten the impression that he was quite a cold boy, not unlike most of the hitman's other pupils over the years; raised with the knowledge that he'd one day be inheriting a powerful mafia famiglia, taught that he was better than everyone else he saw around him, always having hundreds of merciless mafioso at his beck and call. The fact that he couldn't talk didn't mean a thing; just that he was that much stronger for having garnered so much respect despite his disability.

What Reborn had seen of Tsunayoshi's actions these past few hours, though, had the hitman reassessing his opinion of the boy.

First, the beloved older brother had appeared as he had greeted his younger sisters at the airport.

Then, it was the long-absent and very responsible first-born, when they had arrived at the Sawada residence, and Tsunayoshi had offered to help his mother cook dinner for everyone.

After having been rejected many times and sent up to his room to refresh and relax until dinner was ready, the somewhat cold, emotionless Vongola Decimo was back.

Reborn thought on this for a few minutes as Tsunayoshi set his bags on the floor and got to unpacking before he finally came to a decision.

"Tsunayoshi," he said, claiming the brunet's attention.

At the sound of his voice, the thirteen-year-old immediately turned around, looking at him with a questioning gaze.

"You can drop the charade," he said bluntly, and for just a few seconds, he saw Tsunayoshi's expression falter.

Then, that impenetrable mask of calmness was back in place, and he signed, "What do you mean, Reborn-sensei?"

Reborn's brows furrowed a little at this, and he said, "I'm your tutor, Tsuna, not another Family's boss that needs to be impressed. If we're going to be living under the same roof from today on, it would be best if you dropped that mask of yours."

Still, Tsuna didn't say anything, continuing to stare at him.

Reborn, though, didn't avert his gaze, as he usually did, but held it. "Show me Sawada Tsunayoshi…not Vongola Decimo."

There was a moment in which time seemed to hold still as Tsuna stared at his tutor.

He wanted to see…Sawada Tsunayoshi? Not Vongola Decimo?

How long?

How long had it been since someone other than his friends, or his mother and sisters, had wanted to see Sawada Tsunayoshi instead of Vongola Decimo?

Tsuna tried to think back, tried to remember, but only one memory came to him.

Flashback

"What are you still doing on the floor, newcomer?"

Little, six-year-old Tsuna looked up from where he had been curled up on the floor in the fetal position to see the strange pineapple-haired boy from the next cell over staring down at him.

The battered little brunet let out a small whimper and pressed himself back against the cold wall of his own cell, terrified. He didn't know this boy very well, except that he was always rebelling against the scientists and throwing violent temper tantrums; add to that the facts that one of his eyes was red, and he was currently bathed in blood, and one could understand why he wasn't the most welcoming of sights.

Surprisingly, though, the expression in his eyes was almost understanding as he said, "Get up. We're finally getting out of here."

A little flame of hope alit in Tsuna's eyes when he heard this; were they really going to be leaving?

"Jutht leave him," said a new voice, and Tsuna turned to see the blond boy who shared a cell with the pineapple-haired boy. As usual, the boy talked with a lisp because of his inflamed and bleeding gums; Tsuna couldn't help but cringe when he saw the boy. Beside the blond was their third and last cellmate, the quiet boy whose hair was always matted with blood. "He hasn't been here all that long, anyways."

"We're not leaving him, Ken," was the pineapple-haired boy's reply. "Even if he only came last week, he's still one of us."

Feeling a little reassured at the boy's words, Tsuna felt some of his apprehensions disappear. The brunet quickly got to his feet, almost stumbling back down as he did so, and took the older male's hand, tugging him over to a corner of the cell, where a thin, ragged blanket covered a limp form.

When they got there, Tsuna pulled the blanket away to reveal a silveret almost as small as him.

"He was still alive?" came the pineapple-haired boy's surprised voice, and Tsuna looked up with pleading eyes.

And without another word, the pineapple-haired boy bent to pick up the silveret on the floor, carrying him piggyback out of the cell.

As the small group of five crept through the wreckage of what was once the laboratory of the Estraneo Famiglia, stepping gingerly over newly dead corpses every few feet, Tsuna clung desperately to the person nearest him.

This person just so happened to be Ken; when the blond saw how terrified the smaller boy was, he decided that maybe, just this once, he'd ignore the tiny hand that was threatening to cut off all blood flow to his arm.

The kids hadn't been walking long, though, before they heard it; the sound of hundreds of pairs of feet, pounding towards them.

Tsuna let out a small, terrified squeak, but was immediately quieted by Ken's hand in his mouth.

The next second, a thick mist had surrounded them, and Tsuna heard the pineapple-haired boy say, "Don't make a sound."

Tsuna waited quietly, cowering fearfully behind his newfound friend Ken, as the men that the footsteps belonged to burst into the room, spreading out immediately to look into the cells, as if searching for someone.

It didn't take long for the tiny brunet to recognize the crest on these men's suits, and not a second after he did, one very familiar blond came rushing into view.

With a wordless cry of relief, the young boy ran up to the Young Lion of the Vongola, throwing his arms around his legs and letting the tears overflow onto his face.

The next second, though, the six-year-old felt himself ripped away from his father as the man grabbed him by the shoulders and shouted to his comrades, "I've found the Decimo!"

End Flashback

It had been on that day, when Tsuna had sought comfort from his father and hadn't found it, that the brunet had realized that Iemitsu, just like the rest of the mafia world, didn't care about him as Sawada Tsunayoshi, but only as the Vongola's heir.

Staring back into Reborn's onyx black eyes, Tsuna used sign language to say just one word to the hitman.

"Why?"

SkyGem: Well, there's one small part of Tsuna's history revealed to you guys. Surprised? Then please leave a review and tell me what you thought, ne? Oh, and some of his guardians will be appearing in the next chapter. Look forward to it, ne? Ciao!