"So let me get this straight. You want me to wing it when I play for Dino and his Guardians later."
"Your usual style is good, don't get me wrong, but the sound was much better when you didn't have a set piece to play."
"There's no way you're going to convince Hibari to join us."
"I've already taken that into account, though I will be bringing Lambo and I-Pin."
"Fine. When do you want to do this anyway?"
"Tomorrow, after dinner," said Reborn.
Tsuna nodded. He needed to do a maintenance check on his violin anyway. He hated putting it off, which he was forced to do once Reborn showed up.
"So we're just going to follow Tsuna's lead?" asked Takeshi.
"I have a hunch about something I want to check. Wait for him to start it off and when you get the feeling, start playing," said Reborn.
If he was right, then Tsuna had subconsciously found a way to harmonize with his Guardians without the seal stopping him. The more he could get the boy to tap into that, the easier his job was.
Besides, Fon was going to be sitting with I-Pin and Colonello since he rarely got a chance to hear Tsuna play without having to avoid Kyouya.
Tsuna took a deep breath. Dinner had been great, even if he didn't recognize most of the Italian dishes, and he was relaxed enough to do this. The doors were left open so it could be heard throughout the house. Most of Dino's men were going to be listening in through headphones anyway, since they couldn't exactly sit outside the doors.
He put the violin on his shoulder, placed the bow where he wanted...and just relaxed as notes filled the air.
As before, he felt himself thinking of his guardians...though it came easier this time. Slowly, he slipped into what he felt from Dino.
Both as a fellow "Sky" and as a surrogate older brother.
Wild and free like the horse he was named after, a bucking stallion that was loyal and true to his men. And while he was gangly and clumsy when he was alone or with people he wasn't familiar with, he was an ally that anyone would want to have. Even if he did have a bad habit of forgetting where Enzo was at any given moment.
Amber-gold slipped into resonance with the gentle amber of his own soul.
Tsuna switched over to Reborn and the other Arcobaleno.
Reborn was easy. He was chaos in human form...a dark and mysterious figure that operated from the shadows, and despite what he might claim loved his students. Even when he was blowing them up or shooting at them. He put them through hell because he actually cared and honestly believed they could be better than what they were. That they could fill the demands that fate and blood had put upon them. His loyalty was unquestioned, and his skills were unmatched by anyone alive.
Reborn felt it when his Flames started reacting to Tsuna's. It wasn't like the other Skies he had dealt with before.
Most Skies either tried to drown him with their Flames, or made sneak attacks while pretending they weren't. And every time it happened it always felt like someone was trying to rip apart his very soul at the way he was denied harmony.
It hurt, in a way that was impossible to explain or describe.
This though... he could feel a major difference.
Tsuna's Flames weren't demanding he join a Harmony he might not want (but in his heart he was always yearning for it), nor was it pressing against him and forcing him to submit. It was coiling around him like a playful kitten, asking him to join in on the fun while allowing him to keep his distance if he wished.
It was nice.
He could feel a mild disappointment when his Flames didn't feel like playing, but there was acceptance to the fact that he might not be ready for it, and for the first time he didn't feel like his very soul was being torn apart by not accepting harmony.
But the clear invitation to join was still there, waiting and displaying open patience.
He observed Fon as the melody switched over. Like the eye of the hurricane, a calm center that merely hinted at the destruction to come. The long serene notes suited Fon perfectly...right before switching to the chaotic sound of a storm about to hit and hit hard.
Like what happened to him before, he could feel the Flames coaxing Fon out to take a chance.
Unlike Reborn, Fon was willing to see what would happen.
Reborn saw the slight jolt in the Storm's body language, before it relaxed completely with surprise and astonishment. A gentle poke revealed what he suspected... Fon had slipped into Harmony with Tsuna.
Colonello seemed to realize what was going on, and looked slightly apprehensive about it. But at the same time there was a sense of eager hope that the same would happen to him.
The tune changed to the sound that reminded Reborn of a playful dog that liked to get into mischief and roll around in the mud...and was quick to switch into guard mode when danger threatened. The serene melody of a squall that was only matched by the thundering sound of rain on a tin roof.
Colonello seemed to straight up a bit before a wide smile came upon his face.
Finally Tsuna switched over to little Lambo, who had been listening to the whole thing with uncharacteristic silence and awe.
The melody reminded him of the Running of the Bulls in Spain, almost, with the crackle of a lightning storm. There was also the playful sound of a children everywhere and Reborn felt it when Lambo's Flames neatly slid into where it belonged. It seemed to settle something in the brat.
Tsuna finished and it was to the sound of a roaring applause. He blushed, especially when Dino slung an arm around his shoulder.
"Best performance I've heard. I've been to a few concert halls but none of them were that good!"
"You haven't even noticed it yet, have you?" said Reborn amused.
Dino looked at him.
"Check your flames, idiota."
Dino blinked, before squinting a bit. His eyes widened considerably in surprise.
"What... how?"
His Sunny Sky was in perfect Resonance with Tsuna.
"It seems Tsuna found his own way to work around the seal. Then again they do say that an orchestra sounds best when it is in harmony," said Reborn.
"...At least my men won't be whining that they missed it," said Dino.
"It was a most interesting performance," agreed Fon, taking the boy's free shoulder. Tsuna had finished putting up his violin, so he didn't mind it too much.
"That was certainly a work out!" laughed Takeshi. He had kept up, barely, but he was definitely winded. Ryohei nodded in agreement.
"That was an extreme performance little bro!"
"It was weird," said Hayato flatly. That warmth in his chest had gotten a lot stronger than before, and he still didn't know what it meant.
"That warmth you're feeling right now is called Harmony, and it's the reason why Skies are so coveted. The fact Tsuna can pull that off even with the seal on him is nothing short of a miracle. It also means you've become his proper Guardians, since that's a requirement," said Reborn.
"Gwahahaha! Lambo-sama wants to play with Tsuna-nii too!"
"You can play on the pots and pans when we get home, Lambo," said Tsuna absently.
I-Pin was responsible enough to have a proper instrument, but Lambo was still a bit of a wild brat. He'd have a lot of fun making noise and being a kid in general without blowing things up...and if Tsuna were lucky he'd drive Reborn crazy with the racket.
"What on earth are you putting in?" asked Reborn.
"Les Misérables. It's kid-friendly enough that Lambo can watch it with us so long as he doesn't see the scene where Fantine lowers her standards for money," said Tsuna absentmindedly. "It's not half bad and the musical score would be good practice for us as a group."
Reborn blinked.
"I didn't know you liked musicals."
Tsuna turned to look at him.
"Have you seen my music collection? Musicals are one of my favorite genres. Though mom made me keep them in my room after she accidentally put in my copy of Sweeny Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street when she was looking for a comedy."
"You don't watch Cats, do you?"
Tsuna glared at him for the mere idea.
"I have standards, thank you very much. I also have a pretty extensive collection of plays like Macbeth or Hamlet, if you're interested."
Tsuna was a fan of the classics. While he did enjoy the more modern movies, he preferred the old school ones because the scores sounded better. He could play through the Imperial March from Star Wars without hesitation, even if it only just sounded right because he was missing the other instruments.
Reborn smirked and settled in to watch a classic. It was fun to know Tsuna had good taste in movies.
"Got popcorn?"
Tsuna handed him the bowl. It took little effort to redirect Lambo away from the screen by taking him into the kitchen for a big bowl of freshly set grape jello.
Reborn noticed Tsuna humming halfway through the movie.
"You have all the songs memorized, don't you?"
"Some of them, yeah. Though I'm brave enough to sing to them out loud."
Reborn smirked.
"Let me put this another way. I am not singing unless you join in with me," deadpanned Tsuna.
"Challenge accepted."
Tsuna was positively beaming when heard Fuuta's ranking.
"Number one for musical ability and unconventional ways to use Flames. Somehow this doesn't surprise me in the least," said Reborn dryly.
"Can I stay with you?" asked Fuuta hopefully, having tracked Tsuna down.
"You don't mind classical music do you?"
Fuuta shook his head. He didn't really listen to music that much.
"Then you're welcome to stay," said Tsuna. He was practically tackled into a hug by the smaller boy. "Now where are those thugs chasing you?"
"They should be here soon enough," said Reborn.
"In that case... time for a bit of fun," grinned Tsuna.
There was something in his smile that would have worried Reborn...if he were a civilian.
"... Tsuna, when exactly did you have time to make this many Molotov Cocktails and why do you still have them?" asked Reborn seriously.
"Bonding time with Colonello and Hayato. He seemed pretty eager to play with things that explode like napalm at half the cost, besides Colonello said this stuff barely qualifies as decent liquor in the first place. Be sure to have the hose handy," said Tsuna grinning.
Reborn eyed the stockpile of flammable liquid, then his student.
"We tell your mother nothing, and I'll alert your Cloud that he's going to have to have the fire department handy if your aim is off."
"At least we'll have fun, right?"
Reborn's grin was rather terrifying. It was nice when students allowed him to join in on chaos he hadn't thought up himself.
Dino certainly wasn't this entertaining, not until after he got his whip and turtle.
Seeing the soon-to-be-on-fire members of the Todd familigia collect on the street below, Tsuna's grin was positively evil. And the best part was that Takeshi and Hayato would soon be over to deal with the stragglers.
Anyone stupid enough to chase a kid to the point he was this exhausted deserve everything those two would come up with.
"...Is that Toreador?" asked Reborn, eyeing the stereo.
"Maybe?" said Tsuna. "Easier to drown out the screams."
"True. First one to ten wins," said Reborn grinning.
"You're on!"
Some time later...
"Holy shit... what happened to the street?" asked Hayato in shock.
"...Why am I smelling burnt flesh?" asked Takeshi, staring at the damage.
"How do you even know what that smells like anyway?" asked Hayato.
"Long story short, there's a reason why dad opted to teach me how to make sushi instead of actual cooking," said Takeshi embarrassed. He couldn't cook to save his life, and last time he almost got a really nasty burn because he wasn't paying attention. Hard to forget a smell like that.
Hayato sniffed the air.
"Correction... who pissed Tsuna off to the point he actually used those bottles Colonello showed us how to make?"
"Bottles?"
"Really cheap liquor with high proof and fire. Basically a cheaper alternative to explosives with all the fun of burning liquid and a lot of pain to anyone caught in the blast zone," explained Hayato.
"...Tsuna knows how to make a Molotov cocktail?" said Takeshi, raising an eyebrow while skirting the damaged areas.
"Well yeah. It's something any 'civilian' can have in their home that makes a really effective weapon," said Hayato.
Then he saw who was inside.
"And suddenly the reason why the street looks like that makes perfect sense," deadpanned Hayato.
Because if that wasn't the Ranking Prince at the kitchen table cheerfully eating dinner, then clearly he needed his eyes checked.
"Honestly, it was a good thing you weren't home when those delinquents made such a mess outside, Tsuna!" said Nana.
Tsuna kept a perfectly straight face while trying not to laugh. He might have lost to Reborn, but it was still a pretty fun afternoon.
Though the Todd familigia was going to think twice about confronting him on his home turf. He already asked Hibari to keep an eye out for more, considering they were trying to harm a "small animal" in his territory. A small animal that was able to bring a lot of fake carnivores for Hibari to play with simply by existing.
Needless to say the Cloud was thrilled at the idea of new "playmates".
Colonello was still crowing at the damage Tsuna inflicted on a bunch of idiots using what the Rain had taught him.
"So what really happened?" asked Hayato in Tsuna's room.
Tsuna had an evil grin on his face.
"The Todd Familigia apparently thought they had a 'right' to Fuuta. They were stupid enough to surround the house, even after one of them recognized Reborn. So I taught them the error of assuming that I was just a harmless civilian," grinned Tsuna.
"Your aim needs work," said Reborn flatly.
"So long as the splatter hit them, I don't really care. I'm still waiting for summer... Colonello mentioned something about sniper rifles, since I can't seem to get the hang of hand guns."
Reborn's face darkened.
"If you wanted to learn how to shoot, you could have asked me," he said annoyed.
"And give you more reason to try and make my life miserable? It's not like there are guns you can hide in a violin case or anything," said Tsuna dismissively.
"You'd be surprised," said Reborn. "Why didn't you mention an interest in fire arms sooner?"
"Because you were too busy trying to make my life chaos, which is one thing you don't need when training someone to shoot," said Tsuna. "Besides, I'm still working on my hand to hand anyway."
"I can see what we'll be doing for the next few weeks," said Reborn cheerfully. First he would have to get a few sample guns for Tsuna to try out. "Of course you realize the first thing I'm going to be teaching you is how to take a gun apart and put it together in working order."
"Give me a second," said Tsuna, going up to the attic. He came down with a box.
"What's this?" asked Hayato. He hadn't seen that before.
Tsuna opened up the cardboard to reveal...
"Are those limited edition Gundams?" asked Takeshi, staring.
"Yes. This used to be my hobby before I took up the violin."
"Aren't these the super rare, almost impossible to put together right models that take weeks to complete, on top of the actual paint job?" said Takeshi.
Tsuna's look was perfectly flat.
"I had no friends before you guys came into my life, and it was one of the few things I could do to kill time instead of homework that made no sense."
"Exactly how hard are these things to make?" asked Reborn. The paint job was acceptable, but he could see that it was made of a lot of tiny parts that would take hours to put together properly.
It was much harder to put together compared to a simple gun.
Takeshi grimaced.
"Very. These are the sort of things only serious enthusiasts would mess with," said Takeshi.
Fuuta poked at one, and the arm moved. He squeaked and almost dropped it.
"Go ahead and play with them if you want Fuuta. I mostly kept them around since I still like the series. I can always put a new one together," said Tsuna.
The boy perked up.
"Wonder if Colonello would like this one," said Tsuna speculatively.
"Is that a gold edition model of the Wing Gundam, right down to the ability to shift into flight mode?"
"It's the silver edition, actually," said Tsuna. He couldn't afford the gold one when it came out.
Hayato had in his hands a box that looked unopened.
"Feel free to put that one together. I got those right around the time I started messing around with the violin, so it should still have all the parts," said Tsuna.
Reborn had another one in his hands.
"What's Tallgeese?"
"I'll show you the series later."