A/N: Thanks for the reviews, favorites and follows~

December 30, 2016: Betaed by Pure Red Crane

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn so no suing…!

Chapter 8

'Hibari-san is really strong,' Tsuna noted as he watched Hibari hit the thugs with his metal tonfas. The older boy hit them on the shoulder, grazing their legs, jabbing them squarely in the stomach and their faces. They couldn't help but beg for mercy, but Hibari just kept biting them to death until they finally passed out on the floor, covered with different sets of bruises that made the brunet wince. Hibari didn't show one ounce of mercy. Perhaps falling unconscious was an act of mercy? Tsuna doubted it.

Tsuna stood frozen in his spot when Hibari had turned towards him. Hibari's menacing expression scared him. He didn't make a move, merely remaining still, but it didn't stop his beating heart and his knees from shaking. If Hibari wanted to bite him to death, Tsuna would immediately run away. Like hell would he allow himself be beaten twice that afternoon.

When Hibari had almost lifted his arm with a displeased grunt of "Herbivore," Tsuna's eyes widened and he made a startled step back. But before he could execute his plan of escape, Hibari had turned his back on him with a sway of his gakuran without even giving a backward glance. That action made it look like Hibari was ignoring him and that confused the brunet. Oh well, better than getting beaten.

Tsuna sagged with relief and weakness. He almost fell down because of it, but a callused larger hand had clamped on his forearm, which made the brunet instantly stiffen and snap his eyes to a person with the distinctly pompadour hair style, which automatically labeled the other as someone from the Namimori Disciplinary Committee. This person was preventing him from falling and helped him up. With that action, Tsuna's body eased from building the tension.

"Do you want me to bring you to the hospital?"

Tsuna shook his head in answer, dipping his head in gratitude with a wince, "But thank you for helping me." And after that, he limped back home, not caring that the other teen was looking at him dubiously and wondering if the brunet could actually go home judging by the way he was holding up.


"I'm home!" Tsuna called out, not because he was expecting answer, but to make noise in the lonely, silent house. He forced down the lump in his throat when he heard a delusion of the very familiar and painful voice of his Mother greeting him back.

("Welcome home, Tsu-kun!")

He kicked off his shoes with a wince, his body protesting the movement with pain and successfully taking his mind off reminiscing. The injured brunet slowly climbed up the stairs. When he went inside his room, he dropped his bag on the floor unceremoniously. After pulling a random set of clothes from his drawer, he made his way to the bathroom and turned the tap for warm water. While waiting, he took off his uniform and checked out his bruises.

'It looks like I'm going to be sporting bruises for a week or two,' Tsuna concluded. Well, at least there was only a slight graze on his face. That would fade within two days. The brunet tenderly poked his left shoulder blade and immediately winced. Thanks to small mercy, it wasn't his right and he had no broken bones or deep gashes, or else he would have had harder time. He sighed as he looked down. There was reddish violet marring his left shoulder blade, stomach and legs.

When he noticed that the water was warm enough, Tsuna stepped into the bath. He laid there and let the warm water soothe his body, his bruises stinging at first. Tsuna closes his eyes, tiredness and exhaustion almost getting to him, but he willed himself not to fall asleep. It wouldn't do him any good to fall asleep now, despite how tempting it was to just sleep away all his exhaustion.

("Ara~ Tsu-kun, don't sleep in the tub.")

The exasperated yet fond voice of his mother rang behind his ears, somewhat washing away his current tiredness. 'I didn't hear anything.' The brunet squashed down the emotional turmoil he was feeling and winced when he not-so-accidentally poked his bruised shoulder.

Despite how soothing the warm water was on his body or how the pain ran all over his body, it didn't stop his thoughts from swirling and jumping through different loops regarding that insult.

They called his mother a...whore. Tsuna opened his eyes with brows creased against each other while he absent-mindedly started washing his body and other body necessities. He didn't register that he was scrubbing a bit too harshly or when he had dug his finger nails against his arms. 'But Hibari had already bitten them.'

The brunet tried to console himself and dampen the negative feelings emitting within his heart, but he still felt angry that it didn't do anything.

The brunet took a deep breath, trying to stop the angry feelings in his heart and forcefully tried to think of something else, something to distract him, to forget that word.

Then he started thinking about his mother's death anniversary and he shot down that train of thought. It wouldn't do him any good to be depressed now… maybe later. Tsuna knew his thoughts would circle back to that statement those thugs said and it would only result with him throwing a tantrum.

Maybe he should think of something boring and monotonous? Well, there was school. It was boring, also annoying, and totally not worthy to think about.

His schoolmates? No. He didn't like them. Thinking about them only brought uncomfortable thoughts, like unpleasant thoughts how he was Dame-Tsuna and that was a circle of depressing thoughts.

His teachers? He didn't like them too. They kept giving homework that weren't tackled in their lessons. They also liked to give pop quizzes, which he had grown to despise. But at least his teachers weren't mean. No one failed him...Well, he wouldn't allow himself to fail since it would ruin his summer plan.

His classmates? Only Sasagawa Kyoko would talk to him…Tsuna promptly blushed again when he remembered Reborn's teasing. Thinking of his blunder that morning was also no good. He didn't want to think about anything embarrassing, despite how successfully it was managing to make him stop feeling depressed and angry.

He continued washing his body, now in a more sedated manner as he cleaned his bruised skin.

Reborn? Thinking about him would only make him think about his nonexistent love life with Sasagawa Kyoko. When he felt the tell-tale sign of a blush heating up his cheeks, Tsuna sighed. It would seem that any thought was unacceptable for him for the time being.

He shot down any thought regarding the Mafia. It would only make him disgusted and want to throw up.

Deeming himself clean enough, the brunet got up and wrapped a wet towel around his hips, noting the exact positions of his bruises and deciding that it could be hidden under a baggy shirt and knee-size pants, though nothing too fitting. He would need to wrap bandage on his bruises. But it wasn't that obvious...

'Maybe I should stop thinking all together.' He decided as he made himself presentable and let the silence occupy his mind.


When Tsuna arrived in the kitchen, he saw Reborn sipping coffee, making him throw a questioningly look at the Mafia baby. Who drank coffee before dinner? 'Of course, Reborn.' The baby ignored his silent question.

"I have ordered take-out for the both of us." Reborn called out as Tsuna made his way to the refrigerator. It made the brunet throw another quizzical look at the Mafia baby. Why would he do that? The answer he received was a pointed look at his stomach and left shoulder blade. Tsuna's eyes widened.

"How did you..?" The brunet slowly trailed off, unsure of how to proceed.

"Observation is a basic skill to have as a Mafia Boss, Dame-Tsuna."

'Of course.' The brunet thought irritatingly as he sighed. He really should have expected the answer to be Mafia related.

Tsuna sat on the opposite seat from Reborn and looked at the baby before abruptly turning away with an embarrassed blush on his face. Now that he was sitting across from the infant, the brunet's thoughts immediately turned back to the time when Reborn asked him about his love life. He remained silent as he willed his blush to go away while the Mafia baby let him be for the moment.

Tsuna didn't know why, but the silence was uncomfortable, making him unconsciously fidget on his seat.

"Say," the brunet started unsurely as he slowly tilted his head to peer at the Mafia baby, who had stopped from sipping his coffee to look at him inquiringly.

"What is it?"

"Where did you go this morning? I thought you would accompany me to school." Tsuna didn't really know what to ask, but as this question left his mouth, he found himself growing curious. Where did Reborn go after that embarrassing moment? The Mafia baby raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"I did." Tsuna looked at the baby with confusion in his eyes.

"But I didn't see you there." Tsuna asked after a blink.

"Of course you wouldn't." Reborn answered with a smug air around him. Tsuna felt that Reborn was being condescending with him. It made him dismiss the conversation with a roll of his eyes.

With those few words exchanged between them, silence descended between them again. Tsuna concluded that this kind of silence was better than earlier. He could stop feeling embarrassed when he looked at the baby. It was probably because Reborn didn't point the incident out.

When the doorbell rang a minute later, Tsuna stood up, knowing that it was the take-out Reborn had talked about earlier. He graciously accepted the food with a polite yet seductive smile he automatically gave to men in certain age-range and this man, being in his mid-20's, was included. And when the delivery man flushed at his smile, Tsuna grimaced, already knowing that the man had fallen for his charming smile, but still morally blinded to do anything than to admire him.

The brunet didn't expect to see a sick person that would fall for his smile in Namimori, though it seemed that he could have some fun if he wanted to. Tsuna shrugged off that thought. Tokyo was a better place to do those things.

Before the man left, he left his phone number and, being a good person, Tsuna politely accepted the card, which he crumpled into his fist as the man disappeared, but, before he could throw it in the bin, his mind abruptly changed. The brunet unfolded it and hastily put it back on his pocket, deciding that maybe it could have its use later.

Arriving at the kitchen, Tsuna set the take-out on the table and he prepared the necessary utensils. When a polite thanks for the meal was exchanged, they started eating and made small talk from time to time. Those little conversations were lost to the brunet. He was too absentminded at the moment.


Tsuna groaned as he propped his cheeks against the desk. He had just finished his homework and Reborn was currently checking it. The brunet sighed and closed his eyes, his limbs protesting and aching, especially more so after writing a five-page essay that Reborn had him make, despite it not being included in his current lessons at school.

'I want to sleep.' Tsuna thought tiredly, burying his face in his arms.

"Dame-Tsuna." Reborn's voice rang in the brunet's ears. He just wanted to sleep, and that desire prompted him to ignore the baby with a mumble of displeasure at being interrupted from his rest.

A second later, a gunshot rang in the room, making Tsuna jerk to his feet, eyes wide with apprehension. When the brunet saw Reborn and his pet chameleon-turned-weapon, he stared accusingly at the Mafia Baby. "W-What the hell was that for?! I'm going to sleep and you do that."

"You're still not finished with the essay, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn answered normally. Tsuna gaped at the baby.

"I am! Why are you saying otherwise?" The brunet groaned in despair at the end as his shoulder blade started to ache painfully from jerking on his feet. He should rest, but the tutor was not letting him and it started getting on his nerves.

"There's another five-page essay I gave you, or did you forget?" Reborn said in a matter of fact tone and with a raised eyebrow. Despite him being absentminded through Reborn's statement, Tsuna was sure that the tutor didn't say that there were two five-page essays…Wait. He stared at the baby accusingly and then he looked away with a huff, "I won't do it. Why don't you just leave me alone, you sadistic Mafia baby, so I can sleep?"

Click.

"What was that, Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn asked in a false oh-so-innocent voice that made Tsuna sweat dropped. The brunet was pissed with Reborn and this situation was bad. He might like pain, but when Reborn hurt him, it hurt like hell and he didn't want any of that, not now, not when he could feel that he was gonna pass out any second! The brunet slowly inched away from the trigger-happy baby as he threw a nervous look at the gun.

"I…didn't say anything." Tsuna said slowly, letting out a forced nervous chuckle. Reborn made his trademark smirk of sadistic amusement, causing the brunet to involuntarily shriek without meaning to.

"Hieee!"

'I swear he's up to no good!' Tsuna screamed in his mind.

"I-I didn't say anything!" he repeated, shaking his head vehemently as he tried to pass it off as nothing, but he failed, which made him cringe again. He was able to deceive so many old men, so why is his acting skill failing him in front of Reborn? Tsuna moaned internally in despair. 'Oh no! Don't hurt me!'

The brunet nervously forced himself not to look in Reborn's direction, trying to hide his terror. "I'm going to finish that essay now!"

There was an 'hmph.' Tsuna was tempted to sag in relief that Reborn believed him and wasn't doing anything to him, but there was another five-page essay he needed to finish despite his sore limbs and dropping eyes.

Hopefully, he wouldn't pass out from exhaustion before he finished it.

Who was he kidding? There was no possible way could he finish it in time when he was so damn tired, sleepy and overall exhausted. Tsuna inwardly cried and set himself up to work as long as he can. 'Curse you, Reborn!'


Just as expected, Tsuna was on his way to the third page when he passed out from exhaustion. However, Reborn was surprised that Tsuna was able to hold out that long. He had expected his dame student to pass out during dinner from his injuries, but from the looks of it, that child had a high pain tolerance.

Reborn hopped down the desk to Tsuna's bed and took the blanket from the bed. He hopped back to the desk and hung the sheet loosely on the brunet's shoulders. Despite it being near summer, his student was shivering.

The tutor pulled something from inside the desk drawer. He stared at the crumpled card with the hurried handwriting of a phone number in blue ink. Reborn's lips quirked upward into a smirk. Reborn then made a glance at the slumbering teen, who was currently being plagued by his dreams, shivering. The fedora wearer returned the card to its previous location and silently closed the drawer.

The baby gave one last glance to his student as his trusted partner crawled on his arm. Reborn nuzzled Leon's head with his chubby fingers. When he decided it was time for them to sleep, Reborn immediately changed into his sleeping attire. His last thought before falling asleep was 'Let me see how you will fair, Tsuna.'

To be continued…

A/N: Please leave reviews.. It's kinda sad when I only get one review, it makes me think what if there were no review at all?

Timeline: Still set on June 22.