I.
"Remember that your final drafts are due in two days everyone! Please don't forget!" The teacher's words were soon drowned out by the sound of the final bell ringing – signaling the end of the school day.
As his fellow classmates began congregating around one another and making plans on whose house to hang out at or where they wanted to grab a snack at, Sawada Tsunayoshi began to gather up his things.
While the brunet was on friendly-enough terms with the rest of his class, he really didn't have anyone he would consider a 'friend' among his year-mates.
'What does it say about me that my only two friends are not only older than me, but are also super strong and overprotective about the things they care about…?' Tsuna thought with a snort, grabbing his schoolbag and slinging it over his shoulder.
As the first-year made his way out of Class 1-A, his eyes settled on the familiar form of Yeong Tae-Il, who was standing at the far end of the corridor. At the sight of his friend, Tsuna's mind couldn't help but wander back to what had occurred yesterday afternoon when he returned home.
II.
"I'm home!" Tsuna called out, closing the front door with a soft click.
"Ah! Welcome back, Tsu-kun!" Sawada Nana appeared from the entry-way leading into the kitchen with a sunny smile. "How was school?"
Tsuna bent over and removed his shoes before slipping on a pair of house shoes. "It was fine. We got the tests back from Ueda-sensei and I did pretty well actually!"
"Wow! I knew you could do it, Tsu-kun!" Nana clapped her hands in joy. "… I think we should celebrate! What would you like to eat tonight?"
The brunet moved deeper into his house, stopping just shy from his mother. "Hmmm," Tsuna tilted his head in thought. "How about bulgogi? Tae-Il's mother made some the last time I went to his house and it was delicious!"
"Okay! I think I still have the recipe that Ji-ae gave me… I'm going to go out to buy the ingredients, then! I'll be back soon!"
Tsuna nodded his head. "Okay, be safe."
Right before his mother left, she turned around and said, "Oh! I almost forgot! I hired a home tutor for you, Tsu-kun!"
"Okay, that's- … Wait, what?"
"I received this interesting flyer in the mail today that promised that this home tutor would, 'transform your child into someone who would lead the next generation!' … Incredible, right?"
The brunet teen was silent for a moment before deadpanning, "… That sounds like a scam, Okaa-san."
"Eh?! R-Really?"
"Yes…" Tsuna nodded. "Besides, my grades – while they aren't the worst – are pretty okay and consistent thanks to Tae-Il helping me so; do I really need another tutor?"
Nana placed her hand on her face in a thoughtful manner. "That's true… I guess I just got so excited about your future that I forgot that you really don't need the extra help…"
"It's fine, Okaa-san. You go to the store; I'll talk to this home tutor and tell him that we don't require his service."
"Thank you, Tsu-kun! Well then… I'll be back!"
Tsuna waved as his mother left the house before turning and making his way up the stairs and into his bedroom.
With a sigh, the brunet flopped ungracefully onto his bed, his limbs splayed everywhere. Tsuna burrowed his face into his pillow and let out a sigh of relaxation.
"… Sawada Tsunayoshi. Age 14. A first-year student at Namimori Middle School. Grades, average. Athletic skills, poor. Social skills, poor. Ambition in life, none… Looks like my work is cut out for me."
The unknown voice had Tsuna jerking upwards in shock and he swiveled his head to gaze fearfully at the stranger in his room. "W-Who are y-you?! And how did you get in here?!"
"My name is Reborn, and I'm your new home tutor." The diminutive tutor stood in the middle of Tsuna's room – which the brunet knew was empty just moments ago – dressed in a pressed suit and holding a large briefcase in one hand.
"Y-You're a- my-?!" Tsuna caught himself and closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly; the advice given to him, when they were younger, by Tae-Il ringing in his head.
"The key to staying calm in any situation is to remember to breathe, Tsuna."
Tsuna opened his eyes and gazed calmly at the – Child-like? Just short? – tutor before him.
"… It's nice to meet you, Reborn. My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi – as I'm sure you already know – and I want to apologize for your journey here; unfortunately, Okaa-san and I no longer require your services as my home tutor."
Reborn doesn't respond for a minute, merely observing the teen sitting before him. "… Is this because of one Yeong Tae-Il," he asks after a few moments of silence.
Tsuna jerks back – surprised at the question – and asks, "H-How did you know that?"
Reborn smirks and allows his fedora to cast an ominous shadow over his face. "Masking one's presence is child's play when one is a hitman of my caliber."
"… I-I'm sorry… did you j-just say, 'hitman'…?" All pretense of calmness is gone from the brunet's expression.
"I did." Reborn says with a nod, setting down his briefcase and opening it. "My being your home tutor is just a cover-story for my real purpose here." He kneels down and ruffles through the briefcase. "I am actually here to transform you into the next Boss of the Vongola, which is the strongest Mafia Family in the world." He stands and gestures towards Tsuna, a large automatic rifle in hand.
"The key to staying calm in any situation is to remember to breathe, Tsuna."
Tsuna tries to breath – really, he does – but when there's a fucking gun pointing at your face – in your own bedroom nonetheless – it can be a little difficult to do so.
"W-W-WHAT?!" He screams after floundering and gaping like a fish for a good five minutes. "A-A WHAT?!"
Reborn makes an unimpressed sound and moves the gun away from Tsuna. "A good Mafia Boss does not let something as commonplace as a gun freak him out."
"Th-That's…! I-I haven't even seen a g-gun in re-real life before!"
"That's something that we will remedy, I promise you that." The words were uttered in such a manner that it caused Tsuna to shiver violently in fear and dread. He watched with wide eyes as Reborn put the gun away and began to look around the brunet's bedroom with a critical eye.
'W-Wh-What's going on?! A-Am I dreaming?! Th-This can't be real! I-I ca-can't- I'm not-!' As the brunet's panic began to increase, because he didn't believe a single word this – Child? – person was speaking, his eyes landed on his schoolbag which was lying next to him on his bed.
Tae-Il.
He had to call Tae-Il.
The older teen would know what to do and – if worse came to worse – he would chase away this – Not-Child, who walked and held himself the way Tae-Il and Kyoya did – person from Tsuna and then everything would go back to normal and he could forget this whole thing happened.
"Going to run to Tae-Il like you do for everything, Dame-Tsuna?"
The utterance of his old nickname caused Tsuna to stiffen in shock and stilled his hand which was hovering just inches above his schoolbag. The brunet turned his head mechanically to face Reborn. "… What?"
Reborn shrugged lightly and blithely said, "Have you never wondered why people stopped calling you, 'Dame-Tsuna'? It wasn't because of your – miniscule – academic improvement, like you so naively believed… it was because your… friend was going around and intimidating, and in some cases beating up, the people who mocked and bullied you."
"T-Tae-Il wouldn't…" The protest died in the teen's throat as his mind began to work and think.
It was… unusual that the people who used to bully and belittle him stopped doing so after his friendship with the teal-haired teen. Tsuna had brushed it off as them maturing and realizing the error of their ways, but…
Didn't everyone treat him a bit differently now?
With a startling revelation, Tsuna recalled the overly-polite way that everyone seemed to treat him with nowadays.
His classmates who always made sure to assign him the less physically-taxing job or position, who would only talk to him about homework or to offer their congratulations for something that Tae-Il did or won; his former bullies who always seemed to turn around and walk away whenever Tsuna caught sight of them; his teachers who never called on him to answer impossible questions anymore; the other people in town who only recently began to treat the brunet kindly and with respect.
All of them changed after he met and befriended Yeong Tae-Il.
"… It could all just be a massive coincidence…" The excuse was flimsy, at best, and Reborn knew it.
"Sure," the hitman drawled. "The entire town begins to stop tormenting you at the same time you befriend someone from the famous Yeong clan who has familial ties with the powerful Hibari clan is all just some gigantic coincident… right."
"S-So what…? Tae-Il is still my friend… and I'm happy that everyone starting treating me better!"
"But it wasn't you or your actions that changed their minds. It was always Tae-Il and the fear and respect that they have for him."
Tsuna flinched at those words and cast his eyes downwards.
That was…
The room was silent for a moment before Reborn said, "… It's a good thing that you have someone so loyal to you already, Dame-Tsuna. Especially considering that he's a potential Heir to the Yeong clan and brings along the strength of the Hibari clan as a bonus. However," he leveled a stern gaze at the brunet, "you have been living in his shadow and under his protection for far too long. Don't you want to change people's minds and opinions about you on your own? Don't you want to be the one to support and protect him for once?"
Tsuna's eyes snapped up to the hitman.
"I do."
The words were out before Tsuna even had a chance to think.
A smirk appeared on Reborn's face. "Good. Then I'll train you to become a person who can do that, someone who is strong enough to properly care for their Family."
"… But… I don't want to join the Mafia…"
"The Mafia is the only way, the only chance, you have to get stronger, Dame-Tsuna. Without the Mafia, you'll forever rely on Tae-Il."
Tsuna closed his eyes for a moment and breathed.
"… Then I'll join the Mafia; to get stronger and to protect Tae-Il."
III.
That conversation had happened yesterday, and even now, Tsuna still felt the conviction and resolution of his decision flowing throughout his body.
"Hey, Tsuna… ready to go?" Tae-Il had an easy-going smile on and his eyes were filled with fondness.
"The key to staying calm in any situation is to remember to breathe, Tsuna."
Tsuna took a deep breath, smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah… let's go."