Edit: I'm very OCD, so I when I found out I had spelling/grammar errors, I had to fix it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyou Hitman Reborn, Akira Amano does.

**May contain spoilers**

The Meeting

Hibari drove the Mercedes without so much as a cough. He was completely silent and other than turning the wheel and changing the pedal his foot was on, he was completely still. The most noise the car ride got was the sound of the windshield wipers swiping across the glass like a metronome, taking out the rain as soon as it landed.

"You know where to go?" Tsuna asked, breaking the silence.

"…" Hibari glanced at the mafia boss through the rearview mirror before returning his gaze back onto the wet asphalt ahead of him.

Tsuna looked out the window. "How'd you find out?"

"It's not hard to track you down, Sawada. The only reason why that right-hand dog of yours hasn't is because of his loyalty and trust in you. Trust that you don't seem to reciprocate."

He sighed, closing his eyes. "Hibari, we've already been over this. I do trust you all, I really do. Why else would you be here driving me to the rendezvous location?"

"I still don't like this, Sawada."

"Then you'll just have to deal with that dislike. And when I say 'deal with', I don't mean bite Irie to death like you would normally do or threaten to do. Be polite to Irie; he has more at stake than us right now."

The car stopped to let a shepherd and his sheep pass through the crowded street. Hibari glared at the sheep and their herder with irritation through the glass of the car. He sighed as he put the car into park and killed the engine. Just as he had done so, he heard the car door slam and turned around; Tsuna was gone. He looked out every window and spotted the man out in the rain.

His messy brown hair stuck to his head and his white suit was pelted on with water. He was directing the sheep lagging in the rear. When the sheep had reached the shepherd, who stood in the middle of the road, he waved to Tsuna and gave a bow and smile, which Tsuna returned with the same gesture.

The young mafia boss reached the car and was back inside by the time the shepherd had passed through. He watched in awe as two sheep waited for the last, smaller woolly animal that was falling behind again. The three sheep then made their way across the intersection as a warm, fluffy white hit Tsuna's wet, freezing face.

He took the veil away from his face and looked down at it before ruffling his hair.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're too kind?" Hibari asked as he put the car back into drive.

Tsuna felt a small smile escorted by pain creep onto his face as he remembered what Mukuro had told him before he became too "busy" to talk. He draped the towel over his head and leaned back. The Vongola heir's voice came out slightly muffled, "Constantly."

"Tsu-kun! You're a mess!" Warm hands covered by a soft yellow towel gently rubbed the face of a small five year-old. "What did I tell you about playing outside in the rain? What if you catch a cold?"

"It's alright, Mommy! If I want to be the best giant robot out there, I have to be able to fight in the rain like the one on TV!" the little boy yelled out triumphantly, still covered by the towel.

The boy's mother laughed, "Even robots will get sick if they work too hard, Tsu-kun. And when they're sick, they get fixed by a mechanic."

"Then Mommy's a mechanic, right? Because mechanics fix robots!"

"Yes, yes. Mommy's a mechanic. She's your mechanic." The woman pressed her forehead against the small boy's. And the two's laughter filled the house.

"Sawada," Hibari called.

Tsuna opened his eyes to white and remembered that the towel was still over his face. He pulled it off, looking to his left. Hibari stood outside of an open car door. "We're here."

The car was surrounded by brown walls that resembled the earth's mud and soil. The floor was also this color, but smooth like nylon. Tsuna pushed himself out of the car and Hibari closed the door after he was out. He had almost snagged Tsuna's arm, but neither noticed nor said a word. Instead, their small silent conversation was interrupted by another's voice.

"Mr. Sawada, it's nice to see you again." A red-haired man, a few inches taller than Tsuna came over to the pair. He was dressed in blue jeans and a T-shirt. "You're Mr. Sawada's Cloud Guardian, Hibari Kyouya, yes?" He extended a hand, "My name is Irie Shoichi, pleased to meet you."

Hibari stood his ground, sparing the palm only a glance before returning his attention to Irie's face. Irie slowly lowered his hand and turned away from Hibari's death glare.

"Please excuse my subordinate's rudeness," Tsuna apologized. "Now then, would you like to share what's been happening lately in the Millefiore Family?"

Irie felt his stomach churn and cramp, but ignored it, "Right, then. Well, you're probably wondering about Byakuran's new accessory."

"The Mare Ring."

"Yes, the Mare Ring," Irie confirmed. "Just recently, Byakuran had acquired the Mare Rings from the Giglio Nero's boss, Uni. It wasn't physically forced from the Giglio Nero, but something was done to Uni that made her agree to combining her family's strength with Byakuran's. His next target to form an alliance with is your family, Mr. Sawada. I believe that you know why."

He nodded, "I do."

"And have you done as I instructed?"

"No," Tsuna answered. "I wanted to hear the next phase of your plan before doing that."

Irie scratched his arm nervously, "I see. But I really won't know what to do until after you destroy the rings. There's just too many possibilities, including death or—"

Before Irie could finish, he was pushed up against the earthy walls by Hibari, who had two steel tonfa out. One was pressed up against Irie's jaw and the other was spiked and ready for spilling blood.

"Kyouya!"

The Cloud Guardian turned his head towards Tsuna. Cold anger burned in his amber eyes and Hibari released the pressure he had on his prey. Irie breathed in deeply, coughing and choking at the chance that he had to finally refill his lungs.

"As I was saying," he coughed, "I have no way of knowing what will happen, but I'll let you know as soon as I can. Right now, because Byakuran still has a drive to make an alliance with you guys, I won't know what to do until I see what Byakuran's reaction is to you destroying the Vongola rings."

Hibari sighed, "So this meeting is just a waste of time?"

Tsuna ignored Hibari's comment and continued his conversation with Irie. "I see; I apologize for not destroying them yet." He glanced down at the watch around his wrist. "I have business to attend to early tomorrow morning, so I need to head back as quickly as possible. Is there anything you need me to do other than that?"

Irie shook his head. "I'm sorry that this meeting wasn't as productive as I would have hoped. I don't want to keep you here, so if you need to leave, please feel free to."

Tsuna made a small, short bow. "Thank you for your time, Irie."

"That was unacceptable," Tsuna scolded from the back seat of the Mercedes. "Irie had taken the time and risk to come and see us, yet you attack him at the mention of 'death'. What's wrong with you, Kyouya?"

Hibari remained silent. He was too prideful to respond to the younger man—his boss—after facing the humiliation of complying to someone he had once considered a herbivore.

Tsuna let out a sigh, "Well, there's nothing to do about it now. But next time we see him, I expect you to apologize. Understand?"

"Understood," Hibari muttered.

Midori tanabiku—Tsuna looked towards Hibari, who had one hand on the wheel and the other pressing a cell phone against his ear. "Yes? …Oh, it's you. Why did you call? … …If you wanted to talk to Sawada, you could have just called him instead." Hibari listened patiently, listening to the man on the other end of his phone rant. "If you're already at the mansion, just stay there. Sawada and I will be there soon. … …Stop complaining, how old are you? … …If you have nothing else to say, I'm hanging up. …What is it now? … … …I don't have time for something like that. Unlike you, I'm busy. … Good bye." Hibari closed his phone and threw it behind him.

"It was Cavallone," Hibari answered before Tsuna could ask. "He wanted to talk to you in person about something. But he didn't say why."

"We'll find out when we get there," Tsuna replied, looking out at the soaked landscape of Italy.

As the Mercedes approached the mansion, the thunder and lightning had faded, but the rain took no break. Outside of the Vongola home, one Lexus and five Highlanders—all black—sat outside of the front door along the curb.

"Looks like Cavallone brought his whole family," Hibari thought aloud as he parked the car next to the Lexus, which was in the center of the row of Highlanders.

"So it would appear," Tsuna agreed. He opened the door, not waiting for an umbrella and made a quick, but not rushed, jog towards the doors. The brown-haired boss pulled a key out of his pocket right before a blond-haired man wearing a fur coat pulled the doors open.

"If Tsuna isn't here then I'll—" The older man stopped looking at his junior who had also been trained by Reborn. "Tsuna!" His face brightened and he turned around to face the people inside. "Someone get a towel! Tsuna's soaking wet!"

He turned back to Tsuna, taking a step so that they were next to each other, and then placed a hand on his shoulder, escorting him into the warm mansion.

"Fuuta was at my place the other day, he said that he missed you and that he'd come visit soon. Did you see how tall he got over the years? Kids grew up fast, don't they?" he started off from there, chatting up a storm that rivaled the former thunder and lightning of the day as he and Tsuna went through hallway after hallway and up a staircase to the Vongola Boss's office.

"So, Tsuna," Dino closed the door to the room, lingering at the knob, debating whether or not he should lock it or leave it as is. He decided on the latter and turned to Tsuna. "I heard that lately you haven't been too well. Did something happen?"

Tsuna looked up at his mentor in surprise, "Who—"

Dino pressed a finger up to his lip, "Can't say. He'd bite me to death for sure if I told. Besides, even if he hadn't told me about it and how worried he was, I'd have found out eventually. So, what's wrong, Tsuna?"

"I guess, I'm just feeling stressed out," Tsuna told the older boss; he couldn't lie to his 'older brother'. He let out a sigh, which he thought would help him release the pent up emotions, but only proved to make them more noticeable. "And that stuff about the recent disappearances of several Families and Yamamoto's situation and then there's Lambo being bullied. It feels like there's just too much going on and not enough time. And I don't know what to do! If only Reborn were here…"

There was a short pause after Tsuna's mindset reverted back to his younger middle school self, when he was nick-named 'Useless Tsuna'.

Dino smiled softly and rested an equally soft calloused hand on Tsuna's shoulder. "It's really rough being a mafia boss and there will be times like this when you'll think nothing's going right and it feels like your sanity and organization are all slipping through your fingers. But, that's the time when you need to prove your worth as a Mafioso. It's just another hurdle you need to overcome in your path, sort of like the Ring Conflict."

Tsuna smiled gratuitously. "Thanks, Dino. You always know what to say in these kinds of situations."

"While it may not be exactly the same, I went through this kind of thing, too. Think of it as puberty for mafia bosses."

Tsuna laughed and Dino joined in; he was glad to hear Tsuna laughing again, to see him smiling.

"Is there something else you needed to ask me about?"

"Sharp intuition as always," Dino smiled, looking out the window. The rain had let up into a light shower. "I was going to invite you—and your Family, of course—to the annual Cavallone Christmas Party. It'll be held on Christmas Eve from seven evening to one in the morning. I also sent out invitations to Shamal, Lal Mirch, Colonello, Skull, the Tomaso Family, the Varia, the Bovino Family, and Bianchi as well as Reborn. Will you be able to come?"

"Of course," Tsuna smiled. "And when you said you sent out invitations, does that mean they also said yes or…"

"None of them replied yet," Dino answered, "But the people I sent an invitation to are supposed to give you a rough representation on which people will be there. Don't forget to prepare a speech. It's your turn this year."

Tsuna looked out the window, preoccupied by a droplet that was running down the glass. "Alright, I got it. I'll see you tomorrow, Dino."

The Cavallone boss made his way for the door, shooting Tsuna one last glance. He opened his mouth to say something, but didn't. Then he opened the door, immediately greeted by Romario as well as Hibari's presence on his way out. His arms were crossed and his back was against the wall of the hallway.

Dino smiled, shutting the door. "Thanks for the tip-off, Kyouya."

"How many times have I told you not to call me by my first name, Cavallone?" Hibari muttered.

"Tsuna's doing alright. It's just stress, so don't give him any more than he already has to deal with." Dino walked past the man, ignoring his reminder. "Oh, Kyouya, before I forget…" He turned around and tossed the Cloud Guardian a white box. "There are some A-Class Cloud Attribute rings in there as well as a Cloud Attribute box weapon. I didn't open the box weapon, so I don't know what's inside."

Hibari opened the lid on the box. Inside, lined in a royal violet velvet were three rings and a purple box all neatly and snuggly fitted into their place. "Why are you giving me these?"

"Think of it as an early Christmas gift from your former tutor. I know you don't like crowds much, but I hope you can come to the Cavallone Christmas Party this year."

He lidded the box. "I don't celebrate Christmas."

"Then think of it this way: you'll need these rings to activate your box weapons from now on because Tsuna took your ring away."

The Cloud Guardian glared at Dino, but the Italian remained unfazed by the murderous aura being directed towards him. "Kyouya, I'm not pitying you. I'm just supplying you with weapons in case there's a struggle and you have no way to stop it. After all, you don't have many other Cloud Attribute rings, do you?"

"I still don't want this gift," Hibari announced bluntly.

"Accepting a present isn't a sign of weakness, it's a symbol of friendship and family," Dino replied. "If you want to be able to fight, you should accept this present."

"Fine," he muttered, "I'll keep the present, but only because it has captured my interests."

Dino stifled a laugh. Hibari's recent tough-guy guise reminded him of all those years ago when he trained the man for the Ring Conflict. "Alright then, Kyouya, I'll see you at the Christmas Party."

"Say that one more time, and I'll bite you to death."

Even while Tsuna stood in his own office, he did not feel at ease nor did he feel safe. But at the moment, he was especially perturbed. There was a cool feeling in the air that he did not like and he stuffed his hands in his pockets. Each leg held one mitten and that's where he hid his fingers. This however did nothing to keep the cold from chilling him to the bone.

"I don't see why everyone makes such a big fuss over the Vongola Hyper Intuition."

Tsuna didn't turn at the sound of the new voice. He didn't make a move. "Byakuran, is it?"

"Hn, I guess that intuition is scary if you're not even surprised by my presence. And I thought I hid it pretty well. I guess not."

Tsuna stood silently at the window, peering into the glass to see the reflection of a white haired man lounging on the couch near his bookshelves. "Is there a reason you came to see me so discreetly, Boss of the Millefiore?"

There was a soft squeak from the iron-spring sofa. The figure that was once sitting was now only a foot away from Tsuna after a noiseless trek to the window and the brown-haired boss. "Very good, Vongola Decimo, it just so happens that I've come to talk to you…Privately. Can your intuition guess what I came here for?"

"An alliance," Tsuna answered.

"Correct!' Byakuran smiled, eyes closed like a fox's. Enthusiasm emitted from the man, but the smile was fake, slyly pasted like that of the animal he resembled.

"I'm honored and flattered that you have presented an opportunity for the Vongola to form an alliance with the Millefiore, but I'm afraid I must decline your offer. I hope you'll understand."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sawada, but I don't understand," Byakuran answered, only barely containing his rage with a patient smile. "Could you please explain why you are declining such a chance?"

Tsuna glanced at the grinning man from the corner of his eyes, then returned his gaze back to the rose garden. "I refuse to form an alliance with a family whose ideals far from match that of the Vongola's."

The mask remained plastered on Byakuran's face. "Oh? And what are these ideals of the Vongola's? Peace? Justice? A world purged of sins?"

"We can only hope for a world without pointless conflict."

"Says a family that holds the highest power in the Underworld."

"Yes, but that power will soon fall."

"Oh? And why is that, if I may be as bold as to ask, Mr. Sawada."

Tsuna removed his right hand, which was covered by a black glove with the Vongola insignia printed on the back and held the Sky Ring, from his pocket. Using his left hand, which was also clothed with the same design, he fished out his guardians' rings from his jacket pocket and lay them all in the palm of his right. Without the help of a pill or a bullet, Tsuna lit his Dying Will Flame. "This is why…"

The fingers of his right hand curled over the rings in his palms, shielding them from Byakuran's gaze. Then, without hesitation, Tsuna's glove flared, warming the room.

Byakuran's eyes widened in shock as the giant orange flames jumped from Tsuna's fist. His mask slowly melted away by the heat of the fire. Tsuna stared blankly at his hand.

After a good whole two minutes, Tsuna opened his right hand and let the burning, deformed metals fall to the floor. "And now," Tsuna said as the smoke caught the attention of the detectors on the ceiling, "the Vongola's position as the highest Underworld power is no more."

The face of the Vongola X lacked expression and stared blankly at the burning scraps as the whole room was showered with water and the flames that engulfed the scraps were doused. The true feelings of the Millefiore's Boss, on the other hand, were open for public-viewing. The remnant pieces of the mask that had formerly covered the man's face were washed away.

Byakuran somehow managed to scavenge a few remains of the broken smile as the water poured on the two mafia bosses. He formed his oddly pieced-together countenance. "I see then, Mr. Sawada. However, I would still like to form an alliance with the Vongola. Let's talk again some other time, alright? Hopefully when you won't have Guardians that will come barging in on a private meeting."

The man quietly retreated away from Tsuna into the shadows.

Tsuna shot Byakuran a cruel, fake smile of his own as the man tried to flee from view. "From which point on was this a 'private' meeting?"

"Just remember, Vongola Decimo," Byakuran's voice rang around the room, over the sound of the misting water. "I'll be back."

Tsuna turned his attention back to the seven scraps that lay at his feet after the chill finally left the room. He looked lifelessly beyond the former rings, lost within his own mind, too preoccupied to even realize that his Storm Guardian had barged into the room followed closely by Yamamoto, Ryohei, and Hibari.

"Tenth!" Gokudera rushed over to his boss, grasping him by the shoulders. "Are you alright? Did anything happen?"

There was only silence until the mist stopped spraying.

"Nothing," Tsuna replied, his voice equally expressionless as his face. "Nothing happened…"

Yamamoto and Ryohei walked into the room, feet sloshing in the soaked carpet. They approached their boss with brows knitted with worry. Hibari stood at the doorway. From where he stood, he could see seven, black, steaming lumps lying on singed carpet, the only part of the carpet that wasn't saturated with water. Then, he cast Tsuna a quick glance before leaving the area, cell phone in hand.

"The deed was done. I hope you're happy," Hibari muttered into the receiver before flipping the phone shut. Then he stuffed it into his pockets, taking out a pair of steel tonfa as he headed for the training room on the first floor.

End Chapter Three

Wow, these just get longer and longer and longer and longer…Hopefully they're getting better as well.

Review please! 3