I suck at writing action… So please forgive me for the crappy, short (very short) fight scene here. Sorry…

A big thanks to reviewers:

kaito kitsune, cael05, skepsis66, 10th Squad 3rd Seat, animepie, DiamondGoddess, winged-angel21, LapinNoirDeCalifornie, xXxShiniXKazexXx, EK12, , Xiang Yun, okiyama, jiake97, TripOverFlatSurfaces, hokkyokusei, The stalker from your closet, CH0C0CANDYZ, plummy-kins, XWhiteDragonX, aurla0, .07

(and 1 anonymous reviewer who didn't even have a name)

Giant thanks to xXxShiniXKazexXx for unofficially beta-ing (helping me with ideas) Go read her fics, they're awesome too~

So, starting with the usual:

Warning: major OOCness, a not-so-perfect Mafia, angst, blood (gore later on?), swearing, angst, etc. Dark and Psycho Tsuna and co. And different timeline + other non-canon stuff.

Disclaimer:Taira-keimei looked at the messy haired brunet and spoke sadly, "Tsuna… You have been officially disclaimed."

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

Flashbacks/dreams

- 27dark27 - 27 - 27dark27 -

Unrelenting Fate

by Taira-keimei

Chapter 3: Welcome to the Mafia

"Mochida-sempai, Mochida-sempai... I've decided..." Tsuna muttered as he stared nostalgically at his notebook. His smile was full of innocence, sparkled even, by its brightness. It crept so unnaturally on his face, distorting it into something unnameable.

"Let's be friends~"

Sawada Residence, Namimori, Japan. Morning, 7:42 am.

The next morning, Tsuna was awoken by the same life-threatening way that Reborn did the day before. Although it was only the second day it happened, Tsuna had the bad feeling that it would become a frequent occurrence.

Clutching his head, he groaned in pain as the bruises he had gotten from the bullying started to ache, but a quick glance was enough to get him on his feet.

"HIIIIIE!WHERE DID THE CROCODILES COME FROM!"

It didn't take long (4 minutes and 53 seconds) for Tsuna to come rushing down, looking messy with his bed hair and wrinkled uniform. He was still buttoning up his shirt, while the tie hanged loosely around his neck, untied.

"Reborn!"

Reborn was sipping his favorite cup of espresso, unfazed by the previous commotion coming from Tsuna's room. Nana was flipping pancakes, all the while doing lots of other things (like washing dishes) all at the same time, totally ignoring the totally normal and absolutely un-suspicious noises upstairs.

It would seem like everything was normal, and yet, if anyone bothered to truly read the atmosphere like Tsuna did, there was a slight uneasiness in the air.

Reborn himself was actually thinking the short discussion he had with his student's mother concerning said-son's gloomy character. If what Nana said was true, then he had to be careful about his teaching methods. It wouldn't be like teaching Dino who, despite his clumsiness, was strong on the inside. Even the sadistic hitman understood that some things can't be rushed.

"REBORN! HEY! LISTEN TO ME WHEN I'M TALKING!"

Tsuna sat down around the kitchen table. However, Reborn just kept ignoring him. Annoyed, the mafia boss in training yelled again. "Reborn! Did you have to set up crocodiles in my room? I could have died, you know!"

"It's for training," Reborn declared bluntly. "Remember what I said last night?"

None of the two noticed how Nana's movements froze for a split second, before continuing washing her dishes.

"F-Fine! But, does that mean that the mines and the bombs set beside my bed as well as the automatic hammer were necessary? And I almost got hit by that bat! Are you trying to kill me? What if I died?"

Reborn lowered his fedora and smirked. "I'm an assassin."

Tsuna steamed at the implied answer. 'HE WOULDN'T HAVE CARED IF I DIED?'

Sighing, the brunet accepted the plate his mother layer down. He muttered a silent thank for the food and dug in whatever Reborn didn't steal. He ate in silence for a while, when suddenly Reborn called out, "Mama, I'm going out won't be back until late tonight, can you make sure Tsuna does his homework?"

The Sawada wife giggled, "Of course, Reborn-kun. Take your time and be careful~"

"Thank you, Mama; you're wonderful. Don't worry about me."

"Oh my!~ You're so sweet, Reborn-kun!~"

Tsuna perked up from his meal. "What? You're going out tonight? I though you would be tort- I mean, tutoring me after what happened yesterday night."

"Oh? Are you saying you want training?"

"NO—! Erm... I mean, you don't have to train me tonight... Ahaha..." the teen laughed nervously.

"I need to make my report to Nono about your current situation," Reborn spoke in a lower and calmer voice. "And I'll see what he decides to do for you."

Tsuna hesitated. "I... I see." But in his inner mind, Tsuna saw Reborn's planned absence as a chance to act.

"Don't think you'll escape being boss just because you don't have a Dying Will, Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna set down his chopsticks on his half empty plate and answered his "I don't want to be a mafia boss!" which earned him a kick on his head.

"Don't whine. Now go, or you'll be late."

"HIIIIIIIIE! I'm going mom!" Tsuna waved.

"Have a good day at school, Tsu-kun!"

There was a slam of the door, before Sawada Nana sat down at the kitchen table in front of Reborn.

"Reborn-kun."

Both their eyes met. It stayed that way for a second, before Reborn nodded at the unsaid command. "Don't worry, Nana-san. I'll protect Tsuna. I promised Iemitsu as well."

- 27dark27 - 27 - 27dark27 -

Nami-Middle, Japan. After school.

Even though Tsuna should have been more annoyed that the bullying didn't stop as he wished, he wasn't. His mind was entirely focused on the fact that Reborn wasn't observing him from afar. Sure, his home tutor did tell him that he would be coming home late that night, but he didn't expect the hitman to not watch him in the day. In other words, it offered Tsuna the freedom to act.

Well, the freedom was still limited, because there were already more than one hidden camera planted here and there. (Though Tsuna knew there wasn't too many, because even if you were the best hitman in the world, it was hard to get between Hibari-san and his love for Namimori) But, it still didn't leave the fact that he had more freedom them when Reborn is stalking. He could still do what he has to do between the gaps left out by the hidden cameras.

The first thing he needed to do, Tsuna thought, was to isolate Mochida, mostly from Sasagawa Kyoko (or the other way around). If he estimated it right, then it wasn't much if a problem as long as the kendo club captain didn't suspect anything. However, to 'break the news' to Mochida would be harder. How the upperclassman would take the news can be a problem. And then, there was what came after: the suspicion of Reborn. The way how Mochida would act afterwards was a possible giveaway.

But his guts told him that there was no other chance would probably increase his surveillance over him, so it's now or never. He was ready to take the risk.

When the bell for the end of the day rang, Tsuna quickly ran to catch up Mochida. It was the perfect opportunity to act, as long as he didn't take much time.

Mochida was mildly surprised when the one who tapped him was not his friends or his (now) girlfriend Kyoko, but Dame-Tsuna. The upperclassman was dressed in his school uniform with his wooden sword strapped on his back, school bag in hand, and was on his way to home. The stupor was quickly broken and Mochida simply smirked at the petite boy that was standing in front of him looking like a scared little rabbit.

"What are you doing here, Dame-Tsuna? Are you following me? … Ha! You were a stalker as well! I'm glad I got you away from Kyoko," Kyoko's boyfriend taunted.

Ignoring the insult, Tsuna lowered his head slightly and replied in a shaky voice, "I... I wanted to ask you something..."

That statement made Mochida raise a brow. "Oh? Then say it."

"I... I… Can we talk somew-where p-private? ... I... There's..."

Mochida snorted. Giving a disdainful look to the brunet, he replied, "Tch, you really are useless. Too afraid to speak in public? Fine. Since I'm in a good mood, I'll grant your wish for once. But..." The kendo club captain passed two fingers bellow his chin in a thoughtful manner and grinned. 'A secluded area where no one would bother if that brat ever annoys me...' "I know place where people would leave us alone."

Tsuna simply nodded. Mochida raised an eyebrow as he had expected Dame-Tsuna to act a bit more... shaky. But he brushed it off as unimportant and motioned the younger student to follow him.

The walk was entirely silent.

They arrived some time later in a secluded alley between two shabby looking buildings. Because of the way the buildings were close to each other that there was barely any sunlight reaching the place and how they were tall and had no windows, it all gave the place a gloomy feeling. The angle they were in made so that no one could see what was happening in the small alley, being in the exact blind spot between the two buildings. Tsuna (almost) narrowed his eyes at this. He wondered why Mochida would know such a suspicious place; one that even Tsuna himself didn't know until today. The brunet added the place to his mental map of Namimori, in case it would become handy in the future.

"So what is it that you wanted to say?" Mochida exclaimed, with a hint of impatience in his tone.

Tsuna blinked, slightly startled by the sudden break in the silence; then he looked intensely into Mochida's eyes. "I… want you to do something about the bullying."

Mochida's eyes bulged. He wasn't expecting that! "What? What stupid things are you trying to say?"

"I am getting tired of this… Because of that fight, I became the target of the whole school."

All the time Mochida took to listen to the younger boy, he was extremely bored. What the hell did he expect? Something good coming from a loser's request? Sawada Dame-Tsuna was ordering him around? The nerve!

"I can't do anything directly," Tsuna continued. And if he noticed Mochida's lack of concentration, he seemed not at all bothered by it. But what he said next slightly perked the swordsman's interest. "But, Mochida-sempai, you are in the perfect position to do so. You are the one who excels in kendo, to the point of becoming the club captain. You are one of the school idols. You also hold enough influence over most of the student population. You can help me, I know you can."

Though his ego was quite pleased with the last part of Tsuna's statement, Mochida was fretting over the whole request thing. He grimaced in a disgusted manner towards the small teen. "Tch. Trash like you is really annoying. Though, I should give you some credit, since you did realize what position I hold. So... So I'm thinking why not..."

Tsuna looked up in a hopeful manner. "Really?"

Mochida grinned evilly and kicked Tsuna in the stomach. He watched as the brunet fall on his behind. Looking down at Tsuna, he laughed, "BWAHAHA! YOU ACTUALLY THOUGHT I WOULD LISTEN TO YOU? A WEAKLING SHOULD JUST KNOW YOUR PLACE! DON'T FUCKING ORDER ME AROUND!"

Mochida's eyes narrowed as he spat, "Flattery will get you nowhere. For your information, I'm not stupid. Don't try to pin this on me. If you are annoyed by the way people treat you, go grow a backbone or die. If not, you're just a worthless trash. Heck, you'd contribute more to society as a fertilizer than as a human." He proceeded to give another violent kick.

However, before the kick even connected, the mass of brown hair disappeared from view. Eyes widening, Mochida's brain barely managed to react, 'Sa...wada?'

The response was a sudden pain in his stomach and then in his back a few second latter. He found himself crashing to the hard brick wall.

"Gah…" Mochida gasped as he slid down the wall.

From the corner of his eyes, Mochida saw the form of Sawada Tsunayoshi nonchalantly walk towards him. Sawada was acting nonchalant, like he didn't just send a guy flying with a kick. Shocked beyond words by this, Mochida suddenly felt fear, something he only had when facing off the school's head prefect.

Sawada bent down so their eye level would match. There was a gentle but sorrowful expression in them. The older teen though he saw orange in those eyes; but it must have been because he hit his head hard. In a serene tone, the younger teen whispered towards his sempai, "Sigh... I think you don't get this yet... Maybe I said it wrong..." Tsuna passed a nervous hand into his messy brown locks to calm himself down. After a few second, he seemed to know what he was going to say. "Let me rephrase this, maybe you'll understand a little better."

Tsuna smiled gently. It was such a beautiful and innocent smile that would have made the sempai blush if Sawada's hands weren't at his throat. Surprise froze Mochida at the abnormal behavior. "I do not care for the bullying," Sawada explained calmly. "I don't care if you call me useless, trash... or whatever. But I do wish to stay unnoticed. This attention is annoying."

The raven haired teen gritted his teeth. He was scared. But for some reason, he felt more humiliated that he was pinned by a younger —not to mention weaker boy—, than he was afraid. Unhappy with that though, Mochida gathered his forces and pushed the brunet away. Tsuna skipped back in order to avoid the swordsman. Ignoring the pain, Mochida stood up quickly and took out his shinai (sword) and pointed it towards Tsuna in an offensive position. Tsuna blinked, slightly surprised; then he remind himself that Mochida was still one of the school's top fighters. The future Mafia boss dodged the first swing directed as his head with ease, just as well as he evaded the second one. He didn't fight back at all, only dodging the hits.

"Hm?" Tsuna noticed how Mochida was deviating from the standard style used in dojos, but instead a wild mix with random movements. Without the sharpness of a real sword, the kendo club captain was using it like someone would use a metal pipe or a bat. Though it wouldn't make a hit less deadly because of the weight one had.

Mochida launched forward and delivered a blow towards Tsuna's chest area, but the brunet evaded by a hair. However, Mochida replied back with a vertical swing. Forced to take a step back, Tsuna momentarily lost balance. Smirking, Mochida thrust the sword directly at Tsuna's throat. Without second thoughts, Tsuna used the force of gravity to perform a back flip; kicking the sword to redirect the thrust and send it flying in the process. He didn't waste time. Tsuna sent a punch towards Mochida's defenseless stomach, cutting his flow of air, then delivered a kick in the chest area to push him on the ground.

"Gah-" Mochida chocked as he fell. Instinctively, the sempai brought his arms in front to protect him from any incoming hits.

Tsuna was about to punch Mochida in the face when he halted in his act. He remembered how he wanted to stay discrete and cursed under his breath. So he opted for the first and only option again: peaceful discussion. He lowered his fist and sighed. He turned away so that Mochida was facing his back. He waited until the older boy caught his breath to say, "So, Mochida-sempai… Are you willing to help me out? … It's not like you're not benefiting from this as well."

"Me? Benefiting?" Mochida spat as he coughed. "B-bullshit."

"You can really be dense, can you? … Of course you are benefiting. Why else did you think you won the duel?"

"O-Obviously! Because I beat a runt like you!"

Tsuna laughed and turned to look at Mochida with curious eyes. "Oh? Do you believe that? Fine then, if you want to say that, you're free to do so! But! You can't lie to yourself, Mochida-sempai~" he sang. He then approached Mochida and whispered in his ears, "Because deep inside of you, you know that I made you win."

Upon that, Mochida backed away towards the wall. His back hit the bricks while he could only stare the brunet with horror and disbelief. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out. He gaped for a long while, before finally snapping back and shouted, "The voice! Y-You were the voice that to-told me t-to challenge you into a fight! You planned it all!"

Tsuna narrowed his eyes. Voice? How familiar. It was the same mysterious voice that spoke to him... It was— 'As I thought, it really was all your doing, Reborn,' he thought. 'So he encouraged Mochida to fight me? Reborn really is dangerous. I really can't let my guard down.'

Grinning back widely, the brunet decided to play along. If that's what Mochida wanted to believe, why not make profit of it? Reborn might have been the one who started it; it didn't mean Tsuna couldn't have the last laugh. Slipping on one of his poker face, he exclaimed, "That's right!~ I told you to fight me because I wanted to help you! Because I wanted to see you and Sasagawa-san together!"

"W-why?"

"Why? Because I wanted to of course! So I put on the show!" Then his voice darkened and became deeper. "But you are ungrateful. Not only did you start I can as well put an end to this. After all I did to help you with Sasagawa, is this how you thank me? But taking care of you directly would mean more standing out... And standing out wouldn't stand well with me. But no worries. Because you'll get it done, won't you? After all, we're friends."

Tsuna let his bangs cover his eyes. However, when he raised them, they were no longer the normal soft caramel color, but a red-orange sunset color. Mochida gasped hard. Those eyes... they weren't human.

"Who-... What are you?"

Tsuna only smiles; eyes wide, pupils slightly dilated, and mouth twisted into a toothy grin. "Me?" he asked innocently. "Why, that's a stupid question. I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi of course. First year student at Nami-Middle. And…

"Just your average student."

- 27dark27 - 27 - 27dark27 -

Mochida didn't think he ever ran so fast in his life. He was scared— terrified of the thing that was Sawada Tsunayoshi. He didn't even care about the prized shinai he left back at the alley. No, those things were the last of what he cared at that moment. He never thought that one day; he would be running for his life.

He escaped as soon as Sawada answered his question. He just couldn't take it.

He can't say he never felt deadly auras before. Being an ace in the kendo field, he had met a few opponents that had it. But with Sawada, it was just different.

Not because the aura was dark and suffocating.

It was because there was a lack of murderous intent. Instead, there was a void, as if it was sucking your own aura in instead. And the feeling… It was so sickeningly sweet that it made Mochida want to puke. It was somehow just so wrong.

The swordsman kept running, even if he knew Sawada wasn't following him. He just wanted to escape, just in case that monster changed its mind.

He was sweating like crazy when he finally reached the big apartment he was living in. Luckily, no one was home yet, so he wasn't assaulted by questions from his mother and his older sister. As soon as he closed the boor, he sank down, head buried in his hand, shaking heavily. He calmed down while convincing himself that everything was over, that Sawada wasn't here. That's when his brain tried to find reasoning to why, how these things was possible. His logical side refused to believe that Sawada's eyes had changed colors. Maybe he was just hallucinating about Sawada?

'Yeah. That's it. I must be too emotionally tired. That's right. I probably was dreaming or something. Maybe I hit my head too hard during training.'

He coughed; now convinced (or so he told himself) that everything was but his imagination. He just couldn't accept it as reality. He decided that maybe it was a better idea to give a phone call to his new girlfriend Kyoko. Hearing her voice will definitely brighten up his mood. His dear Kyoko would comfort him. He took out his cell phone he dialed the phone number of his beloved Kyoko. He waited impatiently for her to pick up.

At that moment, his doorbell rang. Pissed off for the interruption, he stood to open the door, phone still in his hand. He knew the person the person at the door was his older sister: she always came back at this hour. And deep in his heart, he was relieved that a piece of normality was ringing at the door. Because family's presence was always comforting, no matter how annoying your older sister was.

"Stop it ringing, Sis! I'm coming!"

The doorbell kept ringing. Mochida ran to the door. "I told you to stop! How many time did I say—"

BANG!

He didn't scream, he didn't mutter a sound. He simply froze in horror. It was simply terrifying: the silence, the pain, the shadow that looked at him with those unreadable eyes.

In the split second he saw his life flash before his eyes, two thoughts occupied Mochida. The first one that flashed was, '…Monsters!' as he referred to the one standing in front of him.

The second one: his last one was…

"Hello? Hello? Mochida? Is it you?" came an angelic voice of a distant dropped cell phone.

'…Kyoko…'

- 27dark27 - 27 - 27dark27 -

At the same time, in the Sawada residence, Namimori.

"Mom! I'm home!" Tsuna exclaimed as he slammed the door open. He dropped his school bag lazily, took off his shoes and left them at the door.

"Welcome home, Tsu-kun!" his mom greeted back with an angelic smile. It made Tsuna smile back as well. Tsuna looked around until he noticed something missing.

Out of nowhere, he asked the stupid and obvious question, "Eh? Reborn is not back yet?"

Nana smiled at her son's forgetfulness. "He told us he won't be home until very late tonight, didn't he?"

Tsuna almost facepalmed, but he controlled himself. "Oh… Y-yeah… Just thought that maybe, he might have come back early…"

Somehow, Tsuna had a really bad feeling about this. '… What are you planning, Reborn?'

- 27dark27 - 27 - 27dark27 -

Reborn stared coldly at the corpse in front of him, standing carefully so that he wouldn't get any blood stains on himself. There was no other sound in the room except for the soft dial tone of a cell phone on the floor, drenched in blood. The blood puddle under his feet was still growing; the recent murder was still fresh.

No, it wasn't murder; it was a first class assassination.

And Reborn was that assassin.

The infant let Leon crawl into his chubby hands. The chameleon obeyed at his master's silent command morphed into a high-tech phone. Reborn flipped it open and quickly dialed a complex set of numbers on it.

"... It's done. Send people to clean up."

The hitman didn't wait for a response before he flipped the phone off. He absentmindedly caressed Leon with a finger as he stared into the crimson splatter on the floor and the walls.

Reborn was the world's best hitman, so it was a child's play to kill. But it didn't mean he liked it. Killing a child wasn't on his list of favorite things to do. Mochida wasn't the brightest kid in the batch, but he had potential. Not too much, but it was still there; it was enough for the boy to survive in the Mafia world. With some training, he might have been a good subordinate for Tsuna.

Actually, he hadn't though Tsuna was this weak-willed. The hitman miscalculated; he didn't think Tsuna couldn't even use the dying will bullet as a boost. And the Ninth want Tsuna as his heir? Sure, he might be better than the other problem child named Xanxus, but training the Vongola heir who can't use the Vongola trademark is absurd. Sure, the bullet was only the first step to activate the true powers of the Vongola Flame; but it was an important step that can't be skipped.

Not that Reborn wasn't capable of training someone like that.

Not that any of those mattered either. After all, it was Nono's order. And Reborn wholeheartedly agreed with the mission. He was given the choice to refuse (after all, the training methods were left to him to decide, so it was his choice either he decided the Mochida kid was a nuisance or not)

Mochida was simply too weak to be the first member of Tsuna's Family. He wouldn't be here to help Tsuna, but instead would be a constant reminder of the brunet's defeat. No, instead, he would search for better candidates. He needed someone who would be there to support Tsuna even if Tsuna was weak.

He'd kill that child named Mochida. Heck, he'll kill anyone who stands between him and Tsuna. It was all for the well being of his pupil.

The hitman threw a last empty glance at the child's glazed eyes; before he walked towards the apartment's door. That's when he heard loud footsteps stomping outside. Reborn cursed coldly.

He would do it for his student.

"Mochiiiida!" a girl's voice yelled. "Stupid brother, you home already? Mom told me to tell—" The door swung open.

BANG!

And another crimson splatter decorated the floor.

All for Tsuna.

- 27dark27 - 27 - 27dark27 -

The next day, 8:21 AM; Class A-I, Nami-Middle School.

"—and he just hanged up on me…" Sasagawa Kyoko told to her best friend, Hana. They both were sitting together, chatting while waiting for the first bell to ring.

"Tsk. What a jerk that Mochida is," Hana replied. "He just claimed you as his and now he's ignoring you? Did your brother do anything yet?"

"Huh? What would onii-chan do?" the school's female idol asked innocently, as if she didn't know anything. But the best friend knew what Kyoko truly meant; "he hasn't done anything yet" was the unsaid statement.

Tsuna watched from a corner as the two girls interacted with each other. They were talking about his new 'friend', Mochida, who was Kyoko's boyfriend thanks to the brunet's help. Tsuna smirked inwardly at the thought how Mochida would now be in Tsuna's care. The brunet knew he gave the kendo club captain a good scare. That should probably why he didn't answer his new girlfriend's phone call or something.

He was happy about his accomplishment, because he knew that there was a great chance that Mochida would now 'help' him out of fear.

A group of three girls approached Hana and Kyoko. One of them interrupted the conversation, "What? Kyoko-chan, you don't know?"

The orange haired girl looked up. "Know about what?" she asked, confused.

"Mochida-sempai transferred!" the second girl cried.

"It was so sudden! I heard it was because of a family problem, so they had to move away," added the last girl.

"He… he did?" Kyoko asked. Hana snickered as she guessed what the orange-haired girl was thinking. The orange haired-girl should probably be cheering in her head. Actually, it reminded her that Kyoko's brother might have beaten Mochida to the point that he would transfer school. At this, Hana smirked and added Ryohei to his mental list of boys that weren't monkeys.

"Aww… And just when he got Kyoko-chan as his girlfriend… Or maybe… I think Mochida-sama wanted to be your boyfriend before he leaves because he's fallen in love with you and wanted to be your knight one last time!" the third girl squealed excitedly.

"Mochida-sempai is just so sweet!" the second squealed while her two friends agreed.

"Yeah! So much better than stupid Dame-Tsuna!"

They were interrupted by the sound of a door slamming. All heads turned towards the source of the sound, wondering what it was; especially who would even dare to go outside before the class starts when Hibari was roaming around.

"Was that Dame Tsuna who just ran out?" someone gaped.

"Humph! I bet he's happy about Mochida-sempai's transfer!" the first girl huffed. "That useless guy should just get beaten up by Hibari-san!"

Sawada Tsunayoshi just couldn't keep listening anymore. Instead, he ran away, far from the class' conversation. He tried to keep a strait face as he ran between the students in the corridor. However, his eyes betrayed his horror.

Realization dawned him.

He understood the reason why Reborn wasn't there yesterday.

He understood why he had the freedom to act as he was pleased because Reborn wasn't observing him.

He understood why, why he thought it would be so easy to slip away from Reborn's grasp!

He stopped when he finally reached outside of school, in a place where no one, not even Reborn, would bother him. The brunet sunk down on his knees. He buried his head in his arms and stayed like that for a long time to sort out the events that happened in a span of only three days.

And yesterday night, how Reborn had kindly told him that he shouldn't worry about Mochida anymore. Everything! Everything connected!

"Hehe… Haha… hahaha… Ahaha!" he suddenly laughed. Sawada Tsunayoshi finally understood how, for once, he couldn't control his destiny. How his normality was destroyed so easily by his arrival. It never happened before: since that day, he always had the power to make things work out for himself. Now, Tsuna thought he could take advantage on the fact that his tutor was underestimating him; and yet, he was wrong. Reborn had managed to disturb his pace without even trying.

As his fists curled into a ball, nails digging in his skin, a single bead of sweat rolled down his face.

"So this is the Mafia… This is what I am facing…" he gritted his teeth in frustration, talking to himself. "Fine, I'll play your game, Reborn."

Somewhere, in the Sawada household, a certain tutor put down his cup of espresso. He also was thinking about the same thing. "Tsuna," he muttered under his breath. "I shall show you the Mafia world."

- Chapter end -

A/N: … Wow… -pokes Mochida with a stick- … Looks like he's dead. –pokes again- …They die so easily, don't they… -pokes- … Oh well. I hope they don't run out soon.

Sorry, this chapter was a bit too dark…But the next few chapters would be happier… Actually, the whole introduction arc where Tsuna meets his friends would be happier… since this is a family fic.

(And it's short. 5k words again. But it's the end of the first mini mini arc, so I had to stop here... Also, i shouldn't be spoiling you guys... It was supposed to be around 4k-5k words since the beginning!... Gah... Why can't I make these chapters shorter...)

In case anyone is wondering, in that last scene, Reborn isn't observing Tsuna through a camera. It just happens that both are thinking about the same thing. Also, the times that Tsuna acts are the rare times where Reborn doesn't have Tsuna under surveillance. Tsuna is a great actor so he keeps his facade in front of everyone and manages to fool even Reborn. Reborn might be a little suspicious, be he is underestimating Tsuna. So there's gasps in his teaching (training+observation+interfering with Tsuna's normal life) that Tsuna takes advantage. Both Tsuna and Reborn have their own plans; and currently, even if Reborn doesn't know about Tsuna, he can still ruin Tsuna's plans. Reborn is simply that powerful.

And...

I'm in a little bit of dilemma now… The thing is… I'm not sure how to continue this story. Now, now, before you all start panicking; I just don't know how to write the next part. The whole problem is that I have planned too far (Till the end of the future arc); so the thing is, I have no idea how the things before that goes. The "introduction arc" which is the first 3 chapters, was actually a single one. But I fail so much that I had to drag it into 3. The next chapter would either be Yamamoto or Gokudera… But I want to make it special and deviate from canon (like how I did till now… Same but different) So…

I want you guys to give me out ideas please… -bows- m( _ _ )m

You have no idea how a simple conversation can start a story. (I've started another one that I'll be co-authoring with Kaze-chan soon~) So please, gimme some suggestions. Ideas… Things you want to see. When I get a writer's block, I come back to read all your reviews to motivate myself. So… O3O Ideas? Anyone?

Either way…

Don't forget to review! A word or two is enough to make me happy! :D (And I'll answer all your questions, don't be afraid to ask!)

Next time: The wave of change hits Tsuna and he has no choice to face the incoming storm of the mafia…