Title: The Forgotten Time

By: Metamorcy

Rating: M

Pairing: RebornXTsuna R27

Summary: An incident with the 10-year bazooka leaves Tsuna stuck in the past…what's he gonna to do?

Disclaimer: don't own and if I did then the whole world would be filled with yaoi

Remember, sentences that are italic are Italian.

Finished edit: 2/3/12


Chapter 9: Meet the Group

For Tsuna, the next day, after all the trips, had passed by with no troubles at all with the two of them resting after their little adventures. Walking around all day in the hot sun had taken its toll on their bodies and the next morning when they had come back from their trip, they had simply slept in. Neither of them minded about the fact they were sharing the bed together throughout the entire night and morning, quite used to it after it being a week now. Though the brunet had to wonder every now and then when he would head back home, he was getting used to this new setting and Reborn. It was like this Reborn is more human in a sense compared to before but he figured if one had been transformed into a baby, emotions were the last thing that needed to be out of control.

During that free day, they spent that time wondering around the city a little more and eating the wonderful seafood cuisines they served. Tsuna found himself enjoying the various pasta and shrimp dishes, trying something a different each time. He had never been a picky eater, Nana making sure of that whenever she cooked. Still, he was beginning to get used to Venice and, despite his curiosity over everything, he remained attached to Reborn wherever they went, never leaving his future tutor's side.

The hitman didn't mind, he was enjoying this free time to get some good rest that he's been wanting for a long time. All the thoughts of killing and his next target were put out of his mind and, for a few seconds every day when he was around the brunet, he secretly smiled. Of course, he wasn't going to let Tsuna or anyone else know that. It was always hidden underneath his fedora. The two continued to visit anything that was within walking or driving distance for the next day afterwards and even went to one of the cities that were against the ocean on a mountain. The views were breathtaking on how everything seemed to work together and though, they never got through all of it, Tsuna was happy. He smiled for most of the days, completely content with everything around him.

The ninth day since Tsuna's arrival, however, their plans were changed. Tsuna peered up curiously from over the couch he had somewhat claimed for himself seeing as Reborn rarely used it and watched the hitman went over to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. Today, the hitman looked the same as always but he seemed…more tense than before. He was curious as to why and hopped off the couch, shutting the TV behind. "Is there something wrong, Reborn?"

The hitman paused at what he was doing for a moment before clicking the button to get the coffee machine running. He held his car and apartment keys in his hand and pocketed it within his jacket. "Ah, I need to head out somewhere today. I just got called for a meeting."

Tsuna blinked his eyes, feeling a little depressed since that would mean he would be left alone. And there was no telling on how long the other would take either. Those mafia meetings, what he's guessing it is, could go on for hours. Reborn immediately picked up the sad state and almost sighed, lifting up his black coffee form the machine once it was finished to sip on the scorching hot liquid. He had no plans on taking the brunet with him there of all place despite knowing it might not be that dangerous. Most of the people there were good heart. Well, most of them. He continued to sip quietly on his black coffee, enjoying the rich taste and the caffeine that came with it.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to take the other along…right? It would be safer with him around since Tsuna had the ability to get into the oddest trouble. Reborn hummed gently to himself, "Do you want to come?"

At those words, the brunet brightened up and was actually tempted to run up and hug the other. He resisted since he'd still liked to be alive after all this. "Sure! But um…where are we going?" Stepping closer to the other, his large eyes peered up, patiently waiting for the other's answer.

"Just to a meeting."

Tsuna tilted his head cutely. "A meeting? What type? Will it be alright with me there?"

"Yeah, shouldn't be a problem. As for the other questions, you'll just have to see." Reborn smirked, downing the rest of his coffee, and began to nudge Tsuna out the door, closing it behind him.


"So…where exactly are we?"

Tsuna stared at the building before him, his eyes peering over the odd place curiously. He didn't understand why Reborn would be here for, the man refusing to say anything on the subject, nor the fact of why someone would want a meeting here either. Maybe because it was isolated? Far away from civilization? Tsuna almost wanted to shrug his shoulders at the idea, knowing there would be no answer. Looking further into the place, it's a large wooden house built up on a side of a mountain completely surrounded by trees. It would have looked abandoned if it wasn't for a couple of cars that were parked in the area, Reborn's own about to add to the list. A few lights were on inside but from peaking at the sides, he could see what was within. The place is absolutely quiet, not even the crickets were heard, and the mountain air is thick and heavy. The car lights exposed more of the setting but the darkness was thick, revealing nothing more than what Tsuna already knew. A single dirt path that lead from the main road to the house was left behind them and Reborn, driving, parked next to the others. The engine turned off, the keys were out, and the hitman remained in his seat, staring up at the building. It was clear to Tsuna that Reborn was examining it.

"It's just a meeting place for the rest of the group. It's easier out here where there are less people who can eavesdrop on us." Reborn flicked the end of his fedora upward and stared directly at a camera was that looking at them back. He mentally sighed, his right hand reaching over to the door handle. 'So they're already watching…'

As he exited the vehicle, Tsuna followed along and went straight to Reborn's side with a slight twitch of fear. A place like this just gave him the chills. The building is like one of those cabins in the movies where everyone gets killed and Tsuna never enjoyed horror movies, no, he was absolutely terrified of them. The brunet barely noticed the camera until it moved, making a soft motor sound, and as they went closer to the building, the lenses rotated in a circular movement to focus on them. The sky guardian made a quiet squeak, wanting nothing more than to demand Reborn to tell him what was going, but kept his mouth shut. He would ask when he felt a little bit safer than outside where he felt like all eyes were on him. Swallowing, the nervous butterflies in his stomach continued to flutter around, but strangely, he didn't feel afraid, not at all. Tsuna didn't feel like he should be afraid of what was to come and that gave him the strength to keep moving.

Reborn opened the front door of the place without any hesitation as if overly familiar with this place and listened to the hinges rattle, squeaking loudly in protest. Immediately upon doing so, he peered inside from his spot and noticed that it was dark inside. Still, no concern flared within his thoughts and pressed on, holding the door open for Tsuna to follow. The brunet kept himself attached to his arms and it is an endearing act, kinda cute. The hitman just couldn't bring himself to mind, accepting the tightness of the arms on his own. His and Tsuna's shadow stretched across the wooden ground from the sun behind, dancing across the floorboards as they moved. Then the door closed, engulfing the two into the darkness that had settled in the entranceway. Tsuna let out a squeak and the only thing that was preventing him from outright panicking was person he was clinging to. Reborn almost chuckled in amusement at how the brunet is acting and stepped forward, dragging the teen with him.

They heard some footsteps coming towards them from within the darkness, tensing slightly, and then the lights flickered on. Tsuna winced as the brightness caught him off guard, squinting to adjust his eyes, and freed a hand to bring it up for cover. He guessed that Reborn didn't have the same problem since he felt no movement from the other.

"Reborn, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

'That voice…' Tsuna rapidly blinked his eyes and focused on the group before him at the end of the hallway. There were five in total and each one of them was staring back at them curiously, mostly at him. One was currently standing just a few feet away, the same one that had spoken. As for the rest of the room they were in, it was mostly dull in taste. Empty, it was completely empty save for the table that is in the center. If there were doors, they were closed, preventing him from seeing what was on the other side.

Reborn continued to walk forward as if nothing was wrong, pulling Tsuna along. "Whatever do you mean?"

The woman before them is incredibly beautiful, if not rough looking around the edges. It was clear to anyone that she was not someone to trifle with. She looked in her mid-twenties and has long blue hair that fell just past her shoulders. Tsuna peered over the uniform she is wearing, finding it like those military-types he had seen on TV but more plain. It was dull in color but the short skirt left it revealing her long thing legs with the combat boots at the bottom with a slight heel on the bottom. A cap rested on her head, making her appearance neat and professional looking. But her eyes, they were filled with rage, and that rage was being directed straight towards Reborn. As she came stomping over, her heels clicking against the hardwood floors, she stopped before the two and pointed straight at Tsuna, who jumped at the venom in her eyes and voice. "I'm talking about this! You're not supposed to bring anyone else here!"

It took him a moment to realize who this is but that fiery personality and facial features just gave her away. 'Lal Mirch!' Tsuna's eyes widened in disbelief, he couldn't believe it. He was actually seeing the normal version of the crazy woman before she got turned into a baby and perhaps in some normal clothes then those weird ones she had been wearing before in the future. Examining closer, he noticed that she didn't have that same scars on her face. Perhaps it happened later in time? Or was it when she had been transformed? He wasn't entirely certain as he never did get the story about the Arcobaleno. As realization settled within his mind, he turned to the others, looking them over. 'Then that means…'

"Now, now, Lal. Let's hear what Reborn has to say first before you start accusing." A tall man in a red Chinese silk garb stood up from the table, stepping closer to the group with a soft smile on his lips. His long black hair that is braided back swung behind him at his movements and he gave off a relaxing aura that seemed to put the room at ease. He went towards Tsuna and leaned over, his black eyes observing the brunt closely. The sky guardian blinked as a small tint colored his cheeks as he realized how close the other was to him. The Chinese man chuckled when the brunet squeaked in embarrassment, clinging tighter to Reborn. "Look, he's basically harmless."

As soon as he said that, he reached over to pat the top of Tsuna's head, listening to another squeak from the physical contact. Tsuna didn't resist and instead closed one eye when his bangs shifted too close. The redness darkened, spreading across his entire face in awkwardness, and stared down at the ground to keep his attention off the Chinese man before looking back up. Though there was an age difference between the baby version and the adult one, he could still make out the person. It was I-pin's master, Fong. It seems that despite the changes in his physical form, his personality had not changed a bit.

"See, absolutely harmless." Fong continued to smile, watching as the blush grew in shades, and almost looked like he wanted to laugh. The monkey on the martial artist's right shoulder peered up from behind, its beery eyes staring straight at the brunet for a moment. As if deciding that the other was safe, it jumped off and landed onto the teen. It then wrapped its arms around the neck and rubbed its face into Tsuna's right cheek, who giggled at the ticklish feeling. The brunet pulled away from Reborn to reach up, his fingers drifting the soft fur of the white monkey. Fong retreated back to watch the scene before him, turning back to the rest of the group. "Well, if my partner likes him already, that means he's okay."

"It doesn't matter! We're not supposed to bring anyone else with us for safety!" Lal argued back, tempted to fight against Reborn, who looked unaffected by all the yelling. He just tilted his fedora downward and strode towards the table with the rest of the group that was sitting there.

"Lal, he's my charge, I can't leave him at my place alone." Reborn sighed, nodding to the others that were sitting at the table. He instantly took a seat, leaning back against the chair with his arms folded across his chest. "There's no telling what could have happen. He's has enough bad luck as it is."

Tsuna ignored the dialogue that was going on, not understanding a single thing, though he was able to pick out a few words. He could pierce together a few things in an attempt to make a sentence, but after that, the conversation has moved on. They simply spoke too fast for him to follow and instead focused on the people that were next to Reborn. He recognized them as Mammon or is it Viper now, Skull, and Verde. He didn't see Colonello anywhere but if he remembered correctly, he hadn't originally been in the Arcobaleno group. As he counted the members, he noticed that one of the seven is missing and guessed by the elements that it had to be the sky flame. However, he had never met the original sky Arcobaleno other than her daughter, Aria, and the granddaughter, Yuni. It would be interesting to see how the original looked, probably not too far away from the descendants though. Tsuna turned away from the group for a moment and looked around the room to keep his mind occupied since everyone was still speaking Italian, petting the monkey on his shoulders. He didn't know what to and after a while, he just stared at the group in confusion.

Fong, who is still standing beside the teen, noticed this and held out his hand. "Come on, let's go sit down."

However, due to the fact that it was in Italian, Tsuna simply stared only getting the words 'come' and 'go' out of the whole sentence, his face clearly stating a 'I-don't-know-what-the-hell-you're-saying' expression. The only one that recognized this complication was Reborn, who let out a small sigh. Still, the brunet took the offered hand, letting himself get pulled along towards the table. But that didn't stop Fong from throwing a glance towards the hitman, having noticed the expression.

Reborn crossed his legs and leaned his head back to speak, "He doesn't understand Italian, only Japanese."

The Chinese man peered back to Tsuna and switched languages for better apprehending. "Japanese, huh… Well, then, my name is Fong."

"O-Oh…" Tsuna felt a little more at ease at being able to understand and opened his mouth to speak. There was some hesitation as he tried to remember how to introduce himself. After all, in Japan, it was the surnames first and anywhere else it was backwards. "I'm Tsuna Sa-"

Bang!

A gunshot rang, the bullet just gazing Tsuna's face. It had been close enough to cut off some pieces of hair and the teen stiffened immediately. His eyes glanced towards the direction of the bullet, at Reborn, and swallowed thickly. Everyone else froze in their movements, watching the setting with apprehension, their minds trying to work out what was happening. Even Verde took that moment to look away from his paperwork to see what was going on. The hitman gave a huffed, his eyes clearing warning the brunet from speaking further. It had been the same act he had done during the visit to the Vongola headquarters and it was enough for Tsuna to know the meaning.

The brunet gave a nervous laugh, "J-Just Tsuna." He squeaked out, fearing for his life, and hid behind Fong for protection. He couldn't help but quiver despite being used to Reborn's absurd ways. The monkey that had been on Tsuna's shoulder jumped back onto Fong, copying the other in hiding behind for shelter, peeking up shyly.

Everyone in the room stared at Reborn in question for a little longer before going back to their own things. They knew better than to interrogate the hitman, not when he was willing to shoot someone already. Fong sighed, shaking his head at Reborn's attitude, and slowly tugged the now scared Tsuna to his seat, which happened to be next to hitman. He had to pull over an extra chair from another room and decided to sit down next to Tsuna to offer some support, knowing how Reborn acted around people. Lal remained standing in her spot before she grumbled in irritation, finally flopping next to the hit man. She immediately crossed her arms, not pleased with the extra person joining in. From beside her, there was Skull and next to him is an empty seat.

Tsuna remained quiet, not sure on what to say, especially with Reborn's watchful eyes on him. He fiddled with his fingers, trying to keep his attention occupied and from doing something stupid. Silence settled on the room, no one brave or stupid enough to speak out.

Except for Skull.

The purple-hair man, or was it teen, stood up from his seat with a wide grin. "Well, since no one is going say anything, I will. Let me introduce myself, I'm Skull. It's nice to meet you!" He grinned happily, the piercing on his mouth following his lip movements, and reached out with his right hand for a shake.

Tsuna brightened up at that, returning the gesture, and smiled, starting to relax again. "Likewise. I'm Tsuna."

That small smile made Skull's grin grow wider. "Also, I'm kn-"

"No one wants to know who you are." Viper cut in, silencing the to-be cloud Arcobaleno. He picked up a large number of bills and put them away somewhere under his cloak for protection.

At that, Skull deflated and looked like he was going to cry but he didn't. His shoulders slumped downward, settling back into his seat depressingly.

Tsuna sighed, knowing that feeling of being put down. He was used to it after all, even before baby Reborn showed up in his life. The brunet tilted his head to the side, letting his bangs slide downward, "Skull, I wouldn't mind hearing about you."

This small remark made the purple-haired man shine brightly once more.

'Guess the Skull in this time is still being ridiculed by the others. But…he's not a bad guy.' Tsuna leaned against the table and sighed as he looked around everything. 'I feel like I'm taking care of the kids at home when I'm talking to Skull.'

As he thought that, the door screeched open again, bringing everyone's attention towards the entrance. Tsuna blinked as he watched only half the table turned to look, guessing they already knew who it is. However, he didn't and peered back to see a young woman, one Tsuna didn't recognize at all, but was very familiar in features. The newcomer appeared to be somewhere in her late-twenties and wobbled forward, holding a hand on her stomach as if rubbing it. She seemed to struggle slightly but made it forward without anyone's help and placed a basket onto the table.

The woman waved at the group with a bright smile once she got settled. "Sorry, I'm late. The traffic to get to the roads here was pretty bad today." She pulled the chair back, Skull helping her get settled, and peered around the other members. It was only then that she noticed the extra person at the table, not that he was hard to miss in the mismatch of people. He somewhat stood out in his ordinary clothes. The woman didn't skip a beat and welcomed the person without any hesitation. "Oh, we have a guest?"

"Ah…" Tsuna noticed that she was looking at him and straightened himself up. "H-Hello."

The woman blinked, not expecting the language change.

Fong intercepted instantaneously to clear things up. "This is Tsuna, Reborn's charge. He doesn't understand Italian, only Japanese."

"Oh, well then…" She glanced at the hitman curiously. It was, after all, not in his nature to take care of someone. He was more likely to kill the person he was assigned to, whether on purpose or accidently. There was also the fact that Reborn is a very paranoid person, refusing anyone to get to close, much attach himself to a person. This is the mafia, a very dark world. Pushing the questions out of her mind, she smiled at Tsuna. "Hello, I'm Luce, nice to meet you."

"Pleasure, oh, and I'm Tsuna."

"Aw, aren't you the most adorable little thing." Luce cooed, standing up with some struggling due to the size of her still-growing child. She went around the table and patted the brunet on the head, doing the same thing Fong had done earlier. The woman almost squealed at how soft the brown locks were, rubbing her fingers deeper. It was too clear that Tsuna is a kind-hearted child, something unusual in the mafia, and someone that is easy to take advantage of. "How can someone like you be around big ol' bad Reborn? He's way too gloomy for someone like you. Now don't ever become like him, alright?"

"H-Hai…" The teen could only blink, staring at the woman as if she was crazy. Did she just say that? Did she really just say that? But no one at the table did anything, not even Reborn. This just left Tsuna confused, his expression showed it. It was only then that he remembered soon after. 'Luce is the boss, of course she can get away with anything.'

"Oh, you're so cute. I wish I could keep you. Reborn, just where did you get him?" Luce hugged the teen from behind, wary of the budging of her stomach, but that didn't stop her from nearly crushing Tsuna with her vice grip. She rubbed her face into the soft hair, enjoying the sensation, and made another cooing sound from the back of her throat. Tsuna made no movement to get away, though he did struggle to get some air into his lungs. The arms were wrapped around his shoulders and necks, preventing him from doing so. "And from whom?"

"I can't tell you that." Reborn responded, staring at the scene before him. It was funny to say at the least and almost wanted to laugh at Tsuna's misery.

"That's too bad."

Fong decided to cut in, saving Tsuna after receiving a desperate pleading look. He outstretched his hand towards the teen, trying to catch the soon-to-be sky Arcobaleno. "Luce, I believe you are crushing him now."

Luce blinked and then looked down at the brunet. "Oh, sorry." She loosened her grip, allowing enough room for Tsuna to shift and get some air. His face was burning bright red, the first time someone else beside his own mother hugging him like that. Verde had gone back to work, the sounds of his pen scribbling filled the room. Viper was back with his money, counting a new batch that had appeared out of nowhere. Everyone else just seemed to be watching the interactions with curiosity, finding it amusing. Luce soon turned to Fong, who had placed his arm back down in relief, and stared at him for a moment or two before glancing down at Tsuna. A smile appeared on her lips. "Here, Fong, you take him." She gave a hard shove, pushing the brunet towards the other. Neither of them had time to react before Tsuna landed onto Fong's lap with a loud yelp. He would have fallen back onto the floor head first if the older man hadn't wrapped his right arm around the waist, holding the teen up.

The to-be storm Arcobaleno eyed the female with a calm expression though his eyes showed a little bit of panic inside. He clearly hadn't expected such a response. "L-Luce, what was that for?"

Tsuna blushed at his position, not sure on what to do. He never thought in his entire life that this would happen. Never! He was sitting on Fong of all people! It's ridiculous.

Luce just smiled with a cunning edge in her eyes as if plotting something out. "I'm just testing something. And I was right. You two look cute together too."

"Huh?" The two chocked out and then glanced at each other. Tsuna's face couldn't turn any redder than it already was and closed his eyes to prevent himself from doing something stupid while Fong brought up his other hand, his sleeve covering his face from the nose down. But there was a noticeable light tint on the cheeks, growing the longer time passed. Reborn mentally grumbled, not entirely sure on why, but didn't do anything about the situation. He wanted nothing more than to tear Tsuna away from Fong.

"You said 'too'." Viper threw in. "Who's the other person?"

"Reborn." Luce clapped her hands together as if it was obvious. Her smile didn't leave and she peered at the hitman for a reaction and was disappointed when she got nothing. Reborn's expressions were too tight for anything and were far too unreadable. How boring.

The number one hitman glanced away and Tsuna just sat still, not entirely sure on what to do. Slowly, he slipped off the lap, offering apologizes to the other, and settled back into his seat with his shoulders slumped. It was clear he hadn't gotten over this little incidence. The Chinese man waved it off, knowing it wasn't the brunet's fault, but didn't say anything, probably not trusting himself at the moment. He still looked startled, one hand still covering his face.

Luce just giggled and bended over, continuing to talk as if nothing had happened. "If only you were a few years older, it would be perfect. Too bad. Well, how old are you, Tsuna?"

"F-Fifteen."

The entire table paused what they were doing to stare except for Reborn, who already knew this. There was a passing expression on each person that showed disbelief. A muttered "Really?" went around the table.

Luce was first to speak. "Fifteen? But you only look around twelve."

"He is quite short." Reborn retorted with a smirk.

"Shut up!" Tsuna pouted, slumping further into his chair, tempted to bang his head against the table in frustration. That comment just bruised his ego, not as if he had much of one after all the abuse he went through from school.

"Poor kid, probably gets abused by Reborn all the time too." Verde chuckled, shaking his head with his right hand was holding up his pen, temporally ignoring his paperwork. "Whoever chose you to stay with Reborn is incredibly stupid." He ignored the glare he got from the said person, not caring at all, and went back to scribbling on his notes.

Lal decided to add to that with a snort, "Damn right, the kid probably has been threatened multiple times and what happened earlier proves it." Luce had a confused look at that, hands against his stomach, but Fong leaned over to fill her in. The woman was now bearing an angry motherly-type scowl, hands on her hips as she looked down at Reborn in disappointment. Tsuna didn't know who was more frightening, her or Reborn. Probably Luce considering she's the boss of everyone here and knew how to most likely control them. Lal continued to speak, finding the situation hilarious, "I'm actually amazed the kid is still alive right now. Most people would usually be dead or worse."

Reborn growled, not liking all the remarks that had been aimed at him, and clicked his gun to alert everyone that the safety is off. "Let's just start this damn meeting already. Now."

The chattering stopped instantly after hearing the hitman speak so venomously, the poison clear within the air. They were touching dangerous grounds, one that would earn them death if they went any further into it, but then they turned to Tsuna, who squeaked in surprise. He never liked it when everyone's eyes were on him. It always made him feel uncomfortable and under pressure.

"Still…what about him?" Lal grumbled, unfolding her arms, and placed them on top of the table. "He can't listen in even if he doesn't know what's going on. He can easily give something away if he relays it back to someone else."

Reborn didn't think that would happen but didn't put out an argument for obvious reasons. It would be too much trouble to explain the situation after all.

It was then that a voice cut in. "Then I'll watch him."


Who's going to watch him?…Hehehe…You can guess if you like, I already know since I'm the one that's writing this. And I think you've noticed it but I'm also a big fan of FongXTsuna too. They look cute together!

Thanks for reading!