"If he ran away from Tsuna, I really don't know how Reborn expects us to entice him back," Cristiana says to Nico as they walk around the garden on their break. "And it's not like we can hire him - he doesn't take long term contracts."

"So offer a teaching contract," Nico says. They've been doing anime-inspired looks a lot recently, probably because of their brother, and today she'd decided to go full Hatsuna Miku, though she isn't really trying for the voice. "That's how Timoteo caught Reborn, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Cristiana admits. "I can't really think of anything he could teach Tsuna though. Our family isn't exactly known for our psychic abilities.

"Not for him," Nico says, skipping forwards a little to turn around and face her. "He's got a full set of guardians now, which means Baby's First Mist. Even if she doesn't have any psychic abilities, Rokudo famously knows how to use Mist Flames, remember? All that juicy family magic theft the Estraneo did. And Mist Flame users can usually use a helping hand at the start."

Cristiana doesn't smile back. "I thought you wanted to do that?"

Nico's smile cracks a little. "Ah, I came to terms with it. I'm not going to leave you, and we won't be in the same area as little Tsuna-fishie for a while."

"If you're sure," Cristiana starts, and he nods, "then I'll authorize it."

()

Reborn is there when Tsuna wakes up in the hotel room.

They're alone. Even Chrome is with the other guardians, though she's doing a set of gentle exercises, mostly stretches, to get her body used to the movement.

"We got you into Dying Will Mode," Reborn tells him, recording him with a Leon video-camera for Shamal and Hibari Taka to review later.. "On the first try, too."

"That motivation won't work again," Tsuna says. His tone is good. He sounds tired, but . . .he's not blank, like he had been after Reborn shot him.

"Was she right though?" Reborn asks. "Were you just letting it happen?"

Tsuna's eyes close.

"Would you have believed me if I said I knew the bullet would send me into Hyper Dying Will Mode?" Tsuna scoffs. "I'm not even supposed to know about my family magic, let alone how it works, or how I can use it."

"I would have had to test it at least once," Reborn admits.

"And again for Shamal," Tsuna says. "Which is exactly what we ended up doing."

"You would have let me do more."

"Do you want me to trust you or not, Reborn?" Tsuna asks. "If you hadn't noticed it, I would have spoken up. But you did. And if you needed me to do it again after you noticed, I know there would have been a reason."

"But was she right?"

Tsuna sighs. "She could have been. If wouldn't be too hard to burn myself up. But if that's what I really wanted I would have been dead before you ever set foot in Namimori. I promise."

". . . You really know how to trigger Hyper Dying Will Mode on your own?"

"It's not exactly hard," Tsuna says, like widespread dependence on external triggers wasn't the reason Vongola had moved away from fighting in Hyper Dying Will Mode despite the advantages it offers over just fighting with Flames.

". . . You need a new motivation?"

"I might be able to figure something out," Tsuna says. His words are distorted by a yawn. "I couldn't get a feel for the state I need to be in for Dying Will Mode before. It really is an absolutely stunning loss of control. I might be able to tip myself over again."

"It can wait a little longer. Go back to sleep."

". . . will Byakuran be back?" Tsuna mumbles.

There honestly aren't too many stories about Sky-Sky interactions between people who aren't related, Reborn thinks, despairing a little.

"Why do you you even want him back? Or Rokudo? We brought them in to do honestly rather invasive tests on you."

"I don't know either of them," Tsuna says. Then, low enough that he might think Reborn can't hear, "But they're mine. I want them back."

()

They spend most of the next day off to the side of the field Tsuna's guardians are training on trying to find a new motivation for Tsuna to use to propel himself into Dying Will Mode, Reborn occasionally putting that on pause to insult Colonello.

"Obviously, what gets me to that level of uncontrolled is my guardians," Tsuna says finally, glossing over the fact that Byakuran was the trigger last time. "I'm not going to be able to worry about them when I know that they're fine and right over there, Reborn."

"That's exactly what happened last time."

"Last time I was suddenly struck by the thought that they might think it's all well and good if they choose to die for me. They know that now at least."

"Do I?" Reborn challenges.

Tsuna doesn't even look annoyed.

"Reborn, trust games aren't going to work here. Either I trust you or I don't. Don't say I can't trust you, don't say I won't be able to trust anyone once I'm the boss - if I can't trust you, there's no point in you teaching me, and I already know I won't be able to trust people once I'm the boss."

"Trust isn't necessarily an all or nothing thing," Reborn says.

"You're in charge of my life and every person in it right now, Reborn. Maybe later, I won't need to trust you so much."

"I could still be working against your best interests."

"Sabotage away," Tsuna says. "It's not like I can stop you."

"So you think I won't die for you?" Reborn asks.

Tsuna gives him a look. "I think," he says, "that that's not something I should answer right now."

"And I think that we're supposed to be riling you up. But fine, enough about me. What about your guardians. They're all so obsessed with you, aren't they?"

"Stop," Tsuna says.

"Just look at Gokudera - he thought he was coming to you to try to kill you and to die and fade into obscurity."

"Reborn stop."

"And Lambo - it's a miracle he didn't die between Massimo's murder and you managing to actually catch his attention, isn't it? But then, you did catch his attention."

"Stop it."

"And even Sasagawa Ryohei and Yamamoto Takeshi latched onto you so fast. Sasagawa quit his job helping at the hospital once you no longer needed physical therapy. You gave them both another friend, and you gave Sasagawa back the ability to punch."

"Reborn."

"And Hibari Kyoya - well, you must know how Hibari magic works, with the obsession and all. Now's right about the age that starts isn't it? And he followed you here-"

"Reborn." Tsuna's eyes are orange. And there's the terror - the lack of controll.

And Reborn wants to feel triumphant, but mostly he feels tired. What would it be like, to have that kind of loyalty?

Then Tsuna leans forwards and grabs Reborn's hand.

"Reborn, you need to stop doing that."

"What? Goading you into Dying Will Mode? You need me to."

"No," Tsuna sighs. "You keep avoiding it-"

"Are you talking about Byakuran? Because I'm not happy that my-"

"Not Byakuran."

"Then Rokudo? You were asking for him at the end-"

"You, Reborn. I asked you."

After a moment, "I'm your teacher. You don't even know me."

"Reborn, nobody knows me. I haven't known most of my guardians even a month. The others not much longer, and I love my mother, but we weren't close."

"You don't even know me," Reborn finds himself repeating.

"Do I look like I know Byakuran and Mukuro? I met them yesterday."

"Then how do I know this isn't for everyone?" Reborn asks.

"I'll admit that I don't want anyone dying for me. But you're-" Tsuna makes a choking sound, mid sentence, then doubles over.

Reborn scrambles closer, but Tsuna's already sitting up. The flame is still burning on his forehead, but his eyes are a darker shad of orange now.

"Ah," he says, looking down at his hands. "So I can do that."

"Tsuna?"

"Sorry, Reborn," Tsuna says looking up. "I'll be out for the rest of the day. I needed to check that I could tip myself over into Hyper Dying Will Mode if I had to."

"In the middle of a sentence?"

"I had to."

"You're hiding-"

"Reborn, I can't talk right now," Tsuna interrupts, flopping backwards. "Ask me when I wake up."

And then the flame on his forehead flickers out.

Reborn watches him, and he goes over their conversation again and again in his head, trying to figure out what tipped Tsuna into Dying Will Mode, trying to figure out what made him propel himself into Hyper Dying Will Mode.

It had all been about Reborn. Everything Tsuna said was about Reborn once the topic of conversation had shifted. Reborn still doesn't understand what it was that got Tsuna into Dying Will Mode, but looking back, it obviously wasn't the prodding about Tsuna's guardians.

Tsuna had been about to say that Reborn was . . . something. And it scared him enough that that he'd pushed through to Hyper Dying Will Mode. Even though Dying Will Mode isn't exactly a truth serum, and fear doesn't make the most honest of people. Reborn knows that.

But Tsuna had been scared. Tsuna had been scared . . . that he would loose Reborn? Maybe?

That Reborn would think that Tsuna values him less than his guardians, definitely, which . . . that's a lot to think about.

Reborn doesn't understand -

Tsuna is terrified of what Reborn might think Tsuna thinks about him. Tsuna was so terrified of that, that with his limits removed, he was going to say something. And in turn, he was terrified that what he intended to say would affect Reborn's opinion, terrified enough that he pushed himself further, into Hyper Dying Will Mode.

Reborn doesn't understand.

He doesn't understand why Tsuna seems to trust him so much and so little. He doesn't understand why his opinion is so important to Tsuna.

And Reborn notes, as Leon transforms into a notepad so he can start the report, that Tsuna stayed in Hyper Dying Will Mode longer than he has before.

Not long. Not even a full minute in total. But longer.