"Are you sure about this?"

"Honestly? Nope, not at all."

"Oh… I don't suppose that I can just magically disappear into the bathroom now, can I?"

"Damn right. Now come on, we'll get away with only a few broken bones if we're lucky."

"Happy thought."

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"Herbivore," Hibari started, glaring at the two teens in front of him, though he only acknowledged one of them. If they'd barged into the D.C. office and disturbed his nap just for a silly request… this has better be interesting. Or else. "Talk."

Tsuna didn't seem to be offended by the order while Yamamoto fidgeted slightly under Hibari's glower. The brunet merely smiled before speaking. "Train us."

… Huh. "Why."

Tsuna's peaceful smile it was starting to piss Hibari off, as it resembled an expression one would give to an agitated pet) widened until it almost looked like a smirk. Almost, that is. After all, who would believe that Tsuna was anything but weak and docile?

Tsuna tilted his head to one side, that annoying smirk/smile still on his face. "We need to get stronger," He began slowly, the mischievous glint in his eyes telling Hibari that he was about to say something that the prefect most definitely did not want to hear. "Takeshi, for baseball. And me… for obvious reasons. There are matters that we still have to take care of now, don't we? Criminals running around Namimori are unacceptable, right?"

Killing intent instantly spiked in the office, cooling the temperature in the room a good 10 degrees or so. Yamamoto was obviously caught off guard by the bloodlust as well as confused by Tsuna's words. Criminals? As far as he knew, Namimori was one of the most peaceful towns, courtesy of a certain demon prefect.

It took a few seconds, but the blood lust slowly toned down. Hibari's eyes still glinted with barely veiled anger at the thought of Mukuro. The illusionist had gotten away once already, and that was one too many times for Hibari. "There is no 'we'," He finally said through gritted teeth. "I can handle vermin like him myself."

Tsuna nodded, never dropping the smirk/smile, appearing to accept Hibari's statement. "I know that. But you're forgetting his two lackeys. If all three of them are against you, it could cause unnecessary trouble. If I'm there, you will only have to focus on him. Like last time."

Hibari stayed silent. Tsuna could see that he was starting to convince him. Not completely, but with just a small little push…

"And what would I gain from this, Herbivore?"

The smirk/smile finally evolved to its final stage: a carbon copy of Reborn's infamous smirk from Hell. "I'll fight you once a week for as long as you train us, full power. I promise that I won't bore you."

Hibari paused at the offer. It was an extremely tempting one. He'd been bored for the past few weeks, with no one to give him a good fight. The usual gangs that acted up were easily dealt with, falling after only a few swings of his tonfas, and the illusionist was strong but annoying, much too irritating for Hibari to actually enjoy the fight. But a fight with Sawada Tsunayoshi? He appeared weak, but Hibari had seen with his own eyes that Tsuna was capable of taking care of the Pineapple's subordinates. Not to mention, something told him that it would be worth it. If he trained Tsuna, he just might be able to evolve from an Herbivore to a Carnivore, and that meant more fights for Hibari…

"Six in the morning and after school, on the roof."

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"So what were you guys talking about back then? It sounded like a group of bad guys are running around Namimori." Yamamoto sat, with his legs crossed, at the low table in Tsuna's hotel room. It was Sunday, and since they would be training with Hibari on week days, they'd decided that it would be more convenient for Yamamoto to sleep over at the hotel Tsuna's family was staying at so that they could get to school together on time.

The conversation between Tsuna and Hibari in the D.C office had been bothering Yamamoto, but he didn't say anything for the rest of the day, waiting until they were both settled in Tsuna's room with tea – Oolong, Yamamoto's favorite – and snacks to ask. In response to his question, Tsuna blinked at him over the cracker held between his teeth before swallowing the snack whole, washing it down with a large gulp of tea. The brunet set his mug down before sending a reassuring smile in Yamamoto's way.

"There aren't," Tsuna replied casually as he reached over the table for the snacks, selecting a milk flavored cookie.

Yamamoto stared at the brunet. As far as he could tell, Tsuna's answer was honest and his tone genuine, no hints of lying at all. But still… "Then who were you talking about?"

"A group that broke out of jail."

Yamamoto continued staring at Tsuna who, oblivious of uncaring of his stare, wolfed down two crackers in quick succession. Finally, the black-haired teen spoke again. "Doesn't breaking out of jail make you a bad guy?"

Still smiling softly, Tsuna looked out of the window with a fond expression settled on his face. "Yes, but not them. You'll see."

Yamamoto nodded, feeling a sense of tranquility at the other boy's calm disposition. He then sipped the last of his tea, dropping the topic for the rest of the night.

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"I'm dead," Yamamoto declared dramatically as he dropped into his seat, head flopping backwards so that it lay on Tsuna's desk. "They really don't call Hibari the Demon Prefect for no reason."

Tsuna could only nod, his reply muffled by the wood he'd pressed his face into. For once, he appreciated the cool and smooth feeling of his desktop, perfect for his head to rest on after a training session with Hibari. It wasn't as tough as it would become in the future Tsuna had knowledge of, but it was still extremely taxing for his current body, what with its scrawny build and low stamina. As a result, both he and Yamamoto would barely be able to stay awake for the rest of the school day, much less be prepared for another grueling lesson after school.

Demon, indeed.

Speaking of demons, Tsuna had sensed a certain tutor of his watching them train… not that he hadn't expected for Reborn to find out soon, but did the baby really stalk him this closely in the past? Tsuna predicted that he would be dead on his foot by the time he returned to the hotel he and his mother was staying at, and it would definitely be trying for him to deflect the question that Reborn would no doubt ask. It was already it hard enough with normal conditions, considering how his tutor was the greatest hitman and one of the Arcobaleno, not to mention the rumored strongest…

Feeling his eyelids droop, Tsuna barely heard the teacher yelling for attention, a loud bang from the door, the sudden murmurings from most of the girls, and a snappy snarl from the front of the room. Moments later, his soft brown eyes shot open when his intuition set off an head-splitting alarm and he scooted back on his chair, narrowly avoiding having his head kicked away along with his desk.

The deafening silence roared in his ears.

Slowly, Tsuna's eyes travelled from a nostalgically familiar brand of sneakers to a messy ensemble of the school uniform, poisonous green eyes, and startling silver hair. Even the scowl on Gokudera's face was nostalgic, although Tsuna was used to seeing it directed at enemies and his more wayward guardians, not himself.

"Fucker."

The future Storm guardian sneered at the brunet before ambling back to his seat, previously designated by the now furious teacher. Tsuna was left sitting in his seat, staring calculatingly at his turned over desk, making no move to straighten it or pick up his scattered papers. The teacher paid him no attention however, now red in the face with frustration and much too busy to bother with Tsuna, returning to the front of the class after a failed attempt to send Gokudera to the Disciplinary Committee's office.

Tsuna paid the teacher no mind. He'd honestly forgotten about Gokudera's arrival with all of the other things going on. Handling both Mukuro and Hibari at the same time was no joke after all, and he could tell that Yamamoto wasn't completely back to normal yet (normal as in, his usual smiling, happy-go-lucky Rain guardian). It'd slipped his mind, and now Tsuna had his right-hand man trying to kill him to add to his 'List-of-problems-that-I-really-don't-want-to-deal-with-but-seem-to-attract-like-a-fucking-magnet. Fun.

Now, what should his course of action be? Tsuna could still recall the day he'd met the bomber like it was yesterday, from things like his own pathetic running to Gokudera's failed Triple Bomb. It'd been relatively easy for Tsuna to gain Gokudera's loyalty then, though it was, admittedly, earned through his own clumsy actions and overly kind heart. (His soft nature had caused problems in the future, but Tsuna never really minded. And judging by how his guardians always become overly defensive whenever the Vongola Elders so much as mentioned it, they didn't either.)

Of course, Tsuna could just follow the original script and go through the entire 'try-not-to-get-killed' process, but that posed an entire different array of problems. According to Tsuna's memories, Gokudera had been undyingly loyal and followed the brunet around like a lost puppy. Now, he had a chance to change that. Not that Gokudera's overprotectiveness was bad. It was a little suffocating at times, but Tsuna had accepted it as a part of his Storm guardian's eccentric behavior. The problem with it was that it made Gokudera unwilling to trust anyone else and stick to only him.

The fight between Yamamoto and Gokudera in the future was a prime example. Not only had Gokudera jeopardized the plan and their lives by refusing to cooperate with Yamamoto during the fight with Gamma, but it also made Tsuna realize just how dependent his guardian was on him. Granted, the silver haired teen's life had been harsh, but clinging onto Tsuna like a lifeline did nothing to help in the long run. To Tsuna, trust was a crucial factor in any kind of relationships.

But that had been in the future, and Tsuna was in the past now… doesn't he have a chance and the ability to change that?

Yamamoto couldn't help but find the strange smile on Tsuna's face frightening.

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"There's someone following you."

Tsuna stepped out onto the roof, making sure to close the door after Yamamoto. He didn't mind Gokudera knowing about their training sessions, but he'd rather the bomber not watch until his strength was somewhat up to standards. Gokudera could, of course, spy on them through other methods, but Tsuna was hoping that his pride wouldn't allow that. And the arcobaleno also spying on them… well, Tsuna already knew that the baby didn't have shame.

"I know," the brunet answered after shutting the metal door. "But it's fine. Don't worry about it."

Hibari's eyes narrowed, but the prefect didn't say anything more about it. Instead, he tossed a piece of paper at his two 'students', waiting for them to do the drills he'd written on it. Hibari watched them as they started on their warm-ups, noting Yamamoto's aptitude for athletics. Hm, maybe the younger teen wasn't as weak as he'd thought then. The boy did seem to have some potential.

Hibari spoke again when his juniors were finishing up with the cardio workout, directing his question at Yamamoto. "Are you familiar with the sword?"

"Huh?" The younger but taller teen raised his head to look at Hibari, stopping abruptly in the middle of his 13th lap, causing Tsuna to almost crash into him. "Whoops, sorry," Yamamoto apologized to the disgruntled brunet before turning back to Hibari. "Nope, the only thing I'm good for is baseball."

Hibari tilted his head by the tiniest of a fraction and studied the black-haired in front of him. He missed the amused smile on Tsuna's face. "Your family runs a sushi store, correct?"

At this, Yamamoto grinned widely and crossed his arms behind his head. "Yup! Takesushi's my old man's pride. Why'd you ask?"

Hibari tucked the information into the back of his head, but didn't show any inclination to answer. "Continue with the exercises. And stop slacking off, Herbivore."

The last sentence was directed at Tsuna, who'd been standing to the side, observing their conversation. Grinning sheepishly, Tsuna resumed running. Yamamoto was far ahead in seconds.

Sighing, Hibari decided to make Tsuna stay longer and run a few extra laps - the boy's low constitution was astounding. The brunet was already panting hard, and only on his 7th lap.

Besides, there were a few things he had to talk about with the boy.

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"You can stop now."

As soon as the words passed Hibari's lips – no, as soon the word 'stop' came from him – Tsuna flopped onto the ground and lay face down on the concrete floor. A muffled string of curses came from Tsuna, prompting Hibari to kick him in the head for his obscenity. Tsuna rolled over with the blow to lounge on his back instead, glaring at Hibari.

"I… hate you… so much," Tsuna managed to wheeze out in between desperate gasps for air, body aching from the . Hibari only smirked down at him and took a seat next to the panting brunet. It took a while – five full minutes, Hibari noted with dissatisfaction, but Tsuna finally managed to get his breathing back to normal and spoke.

"So, what did you want to ask me? And don't give me that look. You wouldn't stay behind just to watch me run extra laps." Hibari snorted, but didn't respond for the logic was flawless. Instead, he complied.

"Yamamoto Takeshi. Do you believe that he's suited for the sword?"

Tsuna answered the question with one of his own. "What makes you think so?"

Hibari eyes narrowed instinctively as a wave of irritation washed over him, evoked by having his question pushed aside, even just for the time being. But he didn't hit the younger student for it, because… well, Hibari didn't really know. Maybe it was the knowing look on Tsuna's face. Again, Hibari went along with it and answered. "I have a… relative who is familiar with the arts of the sword. I've watched him before, and the way Yamamoto Takeshi moves bears resemblance to his."

Tsuna nodded, taking in the information. A relative… there was a possibility that it was Fon, but it was slight. He knew that the Hibari's had an infamous reputation due to their abnormal strength and talent in combat. The relative Hibari spoke of could be anyone. Fon didn't seem to be particularly fond of armed close-combat either, preferring to use his fists.

As for Hibari's inquiry…

"Yes." The simple answer was said with a tone full of confidence. Hibari glanced over at Tsuna, who lay spread-eagle.

"Your reasoning?"

Tsuna smiled. "A hunch."

And for some reason, Hibari didn't have a single shred of doubt.

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When Tsuna returned home, he was battered, exhausted, and ready to fall asleep on his feet. Even Nana had watched him struggle to keep his eyes open throughout dinner with curiosity. So it was only natural that he would groan when his hope to crash for the night was shattered by the baby seated on his bed, beady black eyes piercing him with their intensity. Tsuna had hoped that Reborn wasn't home, since the infant hadn't been at the dinner table with them. Silly him.

Reborn didn't speak until Tsuna had unceremoniously dumped his bag at the entrance to his room, tugged off his dirty socks, and collapsed onto the bed next to him, uncaring of the sweaty uniform he still donned. "You're not quite what I expected."

"I thought as much," The teen murmured, staring up at the ceiling. His eyes only briefly flickered in Reborn's direction when the baby shifted, moving to sit on Tsuna's chest. Now, the two were face-to-face. Reborn wasn't going to let him escape from this. Sighing, Tsuna explained his vague statement. "My dad's reports of me weren't exactly things he'd be proud of, were they?"

Leon was in Reborn's hand instantly, and even Tsuna found the shadow on his face intimidating. "You know too much, far more than you should."

"And what will you do about that? You don't know how much I know."

Reborn's grip on Leon tightened. "I'll force it out of you."

"Ah, but that would cause even bigger problems," Tsuna said, keeping a close eye on the finger that laid on the trigger, knowing that even the slightest movement spelt the end for him. "Would you take the risk?"

And try as he might, the greatest hitman in the world couldn't detect the slightest hint of a lie. Tsuna continued.

"I'll explain everything to you one day," Tsuna promised, meeting Reborn's pit-less eyes. "Not now, but soon."

"How do I know that you're not just bluffing, or lying?" All the same, the arm holding Leon up lowered by a fraction. "How much can you tell me right now?"

Tsuna breathed out heavily when the arcobaleno got off of him, and Reborn found himself staring into eyes that spoke of nothing but the desire to protect and determinatio. "Just that… I know what I must do, and I will succeed, if only for my family's sake."

Reborn had been watching Tsuna's interactions with Hibari that afternoon, of course, and he'd seen how the raven haired teen had been drawn to Tsuna's charisma and his gentle but strong presence. Here, Reborn felt the same pull and decided. Tsuna was a true leader, an accepting sky that others were naturally attracted to.

"Your family, or your famiglia?"

"Both."

Reborn still couldn't help but wonder how the brunet could make two of the most stubborn and suspicious people in the world believe him so easily.

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A/N: um… don't kill me?

So, I'm really sorry for this super late update, but life's been hectic recently, what with high school having started and piano concerts… yeah, I have being a freshman.

I'll try to update faster, but I can't promise anything. I'll probably have to slack on my other stories to finish this one first, because I just need to get some ideas out of my brain before I lose them.

Hopefully, I'll be seeing you guys around.

(Oh, and thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. I'm amazed that I have readers that like my story enough to still take their time to do these things. I know that I suck, late updates and all.)