Title: Timeless

Pairing: R27 RebornXTsuna

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

Important Note: Yes, I'm well aware that it's been a long time since I've updated. Sadly, I couldn't find my written story for this chapter, got the others but not this one…I really don't know how it went missing honestly. Also, this one isn't as long as the number of reviews was. I had actually just started to finish this chapter when a large number of reviews came in. So I kinda had to cut it at a point or else I would have to postpone this chapter even further (another month or two) so I decided to give it to you now. Hope you enjoy it.

Beta'd by skepsis66. Thank her for all her help.

Tsuna is now 9 and Reborn is 17.

"Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed." G.K. Chesterton

Chapter 5: Year Five

Reborn yawned, covering his mouth with his hand as he walked down the road all alone; not very many people were in the area at this time of the day. His fedora was, as always now, on his head, and he was currently dressed in dark slacks with a nice looking jacket slung over his shoulders. Glancing around the neighborhood he was in, he continued to walk, not bothering with anything else since he already had a destination in mind. He took notice of his dark shadow beneath his feet and, if it wasn't for his fedora, he would have had to cover his eyes from the blazing sun high above his head. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he stared ahead of him, well aware of the stares he was getting from the girls that had passed by, many of whom didn't attend his school. He ignored every one of them, thoroughly disinterested, and passed them without care, even those who were purposefully trying to catch his attention. His shoes clacked on the concrete, his shadow dancing behind him as he continued to walk down the street.

Finally, he stopped in front of a house; a very familiar house that he had regularly visited for the past five years. His eyes trailed over the place and he couldn't stop the shiver that ran down his spine in memory of last year's birthday party. It had taken everyone a while to forgive him for his sudden disappearance; however, it took a bit more effort on his behalf for them to do so. Eventually, the incident had cooled down without too much trouble. Those who were close to him, mainly his friends, had half-expected something like this from him and weren't really all that surprised when it had happened. Tsuna's mom, Nana, was one scary woman when she was mad. Worse still were the pair of disappointed eyes that had gazed at him when he had gotten round to returning Tsuna to his house.

'Guess I'd better head in,' the teen thought to himself, before he stepped closer and opened the front door without bothering to knock. He was so used to coming and going from Tsuna's home that he had been given a pair of keys to the house; it was almost like he lived there. Reborn was certain that if it had been any other way, if he didn't enjoy his privacy so much, he would have been dragged into living with the unusually welcoming family. Glancing at his surroundings and taking note of the familiar scent coming from the kitchen, he immediately headed toward that area after taking his shoes off at the front door. His eyes peered in first, spotting Nana at the stove, obviously cooking breakfast for her two sons, Iemitsu having left to go on his business trips as usual. Reborn leaned against the doorframe to see if she would notice him but, after a while, decided to knock on the wall with the back of his hand to make her aware of his presence.

The sound startled the woman and she almost dropped the spatula that was in her hand. She looked over with a surprised expression; her eyes were wide since she knew that there were no way her children would be up this early on a no-school day. When she saw who was standing there, she smiled brightly. "Oh, good morning, Reborn. You're here just in time. I'm about to finish making breakfast so just take a seat anywhere." She returned her attention to the food cooking in the hot pan on the stove.

"Ah, good morning to you too, Nana." Reborn took off the fedora, placing it on the counter in respect, before taking a seat. He watched as the woman gave him a pout, still unable to get him to call her 'Mom' or 'Mama', though she was happy that he had finally taken off the 'Mrs.' part. As his eyes wandered over the kitchen, it wasn't hard to notice that two people were missing from the room. "Where are Giotto and Tsuna?"

"I think they're still sleeping." Nana replied, flipping something in the pan. "Would you be a dear and wake them up? It'll make things much easier on my part – that is, if you don't mind."

The teen shook his head. "No, it's alright, I'll do it." He stood up, leaving his fedora there, and made his way around the house towards the flight of stairs that was beside the front door. After quietly heading up the stairs, he went to the first door on his right and opened it, once more, without knocking. All he had to see was the blond hair that was poking out from underneath the blue covers to know that Giotto was still fast asleep. He shook his head at the sight and reached over for a large book that had been left on the bookshelf on the opposite side of the room. Holding the book with one hand, he positioned the spine of it outward, towards the direction of Giotto, and tossed it. The item landed right on the blonde's head, hitting him painfullywith a loud smack that echoed in the quiet room.

"Ow! What the hell?" Giotto sprang up, rubbing his forehead and moaning about how badly it hurt. It took him a few moments to recover from the attack and when he did, his bright blue eyes narrowed furiously. Turning to the only person he knew in the entire world who would pull such a stunt, he growled. "What was that for, Reborn? Are you trying to kill me?"

The teen smirked in amusement. "Nana asked me to wake you. She's got breakfast almost ready so head on down before I decide to take everything." He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed and looking smug at the pain he had managed to inflict. There was now a lovely red line appearing on Giotto's head. Regrettably, it was hastily covered up by the blond, who upon seeing Reborn's satisfied smile, had rearranged his messy bangs. Shaking his head, Reborn took a step back, about to take his leave, but was stopped when Giotto began talking.

"Like hell I'll allow you to do that. What are you trying to do, kill me? Starve me?" Giotto slowly made his way out of bed, pushed the covers off, and stretched. He was still glaring hatefully even though they both knew he looked ridiculous, being only dressed in his boxers. The relationship between the two had improved over the years but they still couldn't help but get into fights. Most of the time now, they only did it to amuse themselves. To Giotto, Reborn was the only person who could act like that and get away with it. It was different compared to the usual treatment he got from everyone else. Many of his friends and classmates saw him in a somewhat worshipful light and although it was nice here and there, it got tiring really fast. As for Reborn, well, his reasons were his own.

"If only." The teen chuckled and closed the door, giving the blond some privacy to change. He went further down the hallway and into the next door on the left, opening it up without knocking, yet again. His eyes immediately zoned in on the bundle that was sleeping on the bed, all nestled up in the sheets as if it were a cocoon. Caramel-colored hair was sticking out from the top, scattered across the pillow, and a fraction of Tsuna's face could be seen from beneath the messy mop of hair. Reborn smirked, moving closer, and sat down… right on top of the brunet's back.

"H-Huh?" Tsuna cried out in shock, though his voice came out as more of a gasp since his breath had left him with Reborn pressing his chest into the bed. Squirming experimentally, he found that he couldn't move very much in his position, his legs trapped underneath the covers and the weight was holding most of his body down. He reached out to grab the railing in front of his bed and tried desperately to look behind him. All he needed to see were the cunning eyes and curly sideburns to know who it was. "R-Reborn!"

"Finally figured it out, took you long enough." The seventeen-year old grinned, crossing his legs, and smirked, adding more pressure on the other. Tsuna stopped squirming, finding that it was only worsening his situation, and sighed, giving up any hope of winning this battle. There was no way he could win, not against Reborn anyway.

"Reborn, can you please get off of me?" He whined, releasing his grip on the bedpost. He just laid there, burying his face into his pillow in frustration. Tsuna pouted and tried to move his legs again but he could only get them to wiggle from side to side. Under the covers, he was dressed in his orange-colored pajamas with the top part of his shirt unbuttoned. Sometime during the night, it had ridden up to reveal his back.

The teen smirked and then tilted his head to the side, his curls bouncing. "Well since you asked so nicely, why not?" But instead of getting up, he slid off sideways so that he was no longer on the child but still on the bed. Tsuna immediately sat up, taking deep breaths now that he could do so, and glanced over at the other before pouting. He managed to get himself untangled from the bed sheets and shifted closer to the teen beside him.

"Reborn…" Tsuna whined again, jutting out his lower lip. He grabbed the other's jacket and made an attempt to shake Reborn. The teen just sat there, chuckling at the boy's reaction, letting Tsuna do as he pleased. "Why do you have to be so mean and wake me up like that?"

"Because it's fun to watch you squirm." Reborn answered straightforwardly, grinning at his pout, and ruffling the caramel-colored hair, which was already messy and sticking out everywhere. When he pulled away, he stood up and placed his hands onto his hips, examining his work.

Tsuna officially looked like a puffed-up cat.

The black-haired teen, snickering at how the other was responding to his do over, could hear a door closing from the hallway, most likely Giotto's, and looked over the child before him once more in amusement. Reborn took a few steps back towards the door, holding the handle to keep it open. "Now, get dressed. Breakfast is ready and if you don't come down soon enough, I just might eat your share."

"Ehh?"

The teen smirked at the reaction he got and slowly stepped out into the hallway. As he began closing the door, he could see Tsuna jumping out of bed and reaching for his clothes that were scattered across the floor. Reborn shook his head and made his way back down the stairs, though not before hearing a loud 'thump' come from within Tsuna's room. This made him pause for a second. 'Guess he tripped again…' Not bothering to help the other, since this was such a common occurrence, he went back into the kitchen. He could see Giotto sitting at the table beside the kitchen counter, already starting to eat his breakfast. The red mark was still there, partially hidden underneath his hair, but it had lightened up, given some time. Nana was just coming around with the second plate when Reborn started to make his way over to a seat.

"Hope you enjoy it, Reborn." She placed it down in front of him along with a glass of orange juice.

"I believe I will, as always. Your cooking is always the best." Just as Reborn reached over to grab his chopsticks, Tsuna suddenly came rushing down the stairs, each step thudding with the force of his feet. As the teen listened, there suddenly came a yelp and then some irregular thumping noises. A pained groan came next, but no one got up from their seats, and Nana appeared like she hadn't heard a thing; she was humming to herself and getting the third plate ready for her second son's arrival.

"Looks like Tsuna tripped again." Giotto muttered between bites, shaking his head at his younger brother's clumsiness.

Reborn snorted, picking up the pair of chopsticks, and tested them by moving his hand. "Actually, that's the second time today. He tripped in his bedroom when trying to get dressed."

The blond sighed, moving his food around his plate with his chopsticks.

It was soon after that, that Tsuna appeared in the kitchen, looking a little red in the face. His clothes were all rumpled as he tumbled into his seat. There had been a faint limp in his walk, the teen noted, and Tsuna winced slightly when he sat down, or at least tried to. Reborn actually had to reach over to grab the brunet's arm to keep the other from falling off his chair as he pushed Tsuna into a sitting position. The tint on the child's face darkened in embarrassment. He managed to stutter out some thanks before lightening up at the sight of his mother coming around with another plate of food, this one meant for him. Peering at Reborn, he stuck out his tongue, and for that, the teen slapped the back of his head.

"So why are you here today, Reborn?" Nana asked, having finished getting everything complete and settled into a chair at the kitchen table with her own plate of food. Her chopsticks were in her hand and she smiled brightly like usual, inquiring as to why the other would visit so early in the day.

"Hmm…" The teen glanced from face to face before stopping at Tsuna, who was blinking in curiosity. "Well, I was planning on taking Tsuna out, unless he has something better to do."

That one sentence made the brunet grin widely and wriggle in his seat. "R-Really? You're taking me out?"

"Yeah. Of course, if Nana lets you."

Nana smiled, chuckling at her son's reaction to the invitation. She loved seeing her youngest happy. She had always been worried since Nana knew that he rarely got along with most people. "I have no problems with it. There's no school today after all."

Reborn nodded to that and then twisted to peer at the eldest son, Giotto. "If you like, Giotto, you can come with us as well."

The blond shook his head immediately. "No thanks, I'd rather not. And anyway, I have to meet up with a friend later today for a study session. I have a test next week I need to prepare for."

"I see. Well, that's too bad, perhaps next time." Reborn smirked, sipping his orange juice. When he finished, he placed the glass cup back onto the table with a sharp clack. His chopsticks were currently gripping a portion of Nana's delicious home-cooked breakfast and he brought it up to his mouth to chew.

Nana clapped her hands together, drawing everyone's attention to her after placing her chopsticks to the side of her plate. Staring directly at the teen, she couldn't help but direct some lingering suspicion toward Reborn from the birthday party incident and, though she had forgiven him, she still felt a little protective of her son. However, when she saw how cheerful Tsuna was whenever Reborn was around, it wasn't hard for her to make her decision. "So where are you planning on going?"

"That, I'm not entirely sure of yet – just wherever our feet takes us I guess, unless Tsuna has anywhere he wants to go." The teen glanced over to the brunet, who was actually looking starry-eyed. He chuckled at the sight, finding it cute and absolutely adorable, and reached over to ruffle the caramel-colored hair. Watching Tsuna close one eye to prevent his bangs from irritating it, Reborn couldn't resist a smirk when the brunet pushed his head upward to meet his hand. Tsuna was acting like a cat – the only thing he wasn't doing was 'meowing' at his touches – and he had a large grin on his face. Giotto shook his head at what his little brother was doing but he still had a soft smile on his lips as he went around the table, wrapping his arms around Tsuna's waist.

"Aw, little Tsuna is soooo cute!" Giotto gave a tight squeeze. "I refuse to give you away to anyone… except maybe Reborn since I know he'll protect you with every ounce of strength in his body." He peered at said person, giving him a look, before going back to his brother. Rubbing his cheek against Tsuna's, he heard a muffled cry and squeezed harder. Nana was laughing in the background, delighted to see her youngest so loved, while Reborn retracted his hand, chuckling at Tsuna's response, and sat back in his chair to watch.

"Giotto, Tsuna can't breathe at the rate you're squeezing him." Reborn commented when he started to notice that the brunet was struggling and waving his arms wildly to get away. Immediately, Giotto loosened his grip, pouting, but still rubbed their cheeks together, unable to resist Tsuna's sheer adorability. Reborn sighed, placing his hands onto his lap and crossing his ankles. "So Tsuna, do you have anywhere you'd like to go?"

The brunet blinked, humming to himself, and stared at the ceiling, deep in thought. Meanwhile, the blond had stopped, waiting to hear the answer. "Doesn't matter to me, as long as I'm with you, I'm happy anywhere."

Reborn coughed and ducked his head to hide the uncharacteristic blush that was appearing on his cheeks, but Giotto knew and chuckled in amusement, laughing at the fact that Tsuna could so easily make the coldest and most popular person in town blush.

"Poor, Reborn, getting manipulated by my cute little brother, huh?" As Giotto grinned, a glare was turned his way, but it was hard to take it seriously with the tint on the black-haired teen's pale cheeks. He could only laugh harder.

Reborn huffed and was tempted to grab something to throw at him but decided at the last moment not to do so; too much trouble and it would probably make a mess in the end. That and Nana was right in front of them. He could always act on his grudge later, maybe the next time he had to wake Giotto up. Smirking evilly, he could see Giotto shivering at the sight, knowing that something bad was going to happen to him later on in retaliation and that he was going to have to be more careful from now on.

As things began to settle down, everyone started to finish breakfast, placing their empty dishes into the sink. Reborn, having already stood up, walked over to his fedora that was still on the counter and settled it on top of his head, adjusting it to sit the way he liked. He reached into his right pocket to make sure that his wallet and keys were there and nodded to himself afterward. His eyes then traveled over to the little brunet that was following behind him, knowing that Tsuna wanted to reach out and grab his jacket. He sighed and motioned the other to do so. It was going to happen sooner or later, no use in resisting. Immediately, Tsuna squealed and clutched the end of his jacket, pulling himself closer so that they were now touching.

"Well, Nana, we'll be going now. We'll both see you later, alright?" Reborn placed a hand onto Tsuna's right shoulder, patting it softly.

Tsuna beamed, gripping tighter onto his jacket, and slowly edged his hold around so that he could clutch Reborn's left arm. "Yeah! Mom, I'll see you later."

"Okay, have a good time." She smiled while Giotto waved from the kitchen table, finishing up his orange juice so that he could put his dishes away. Nana gave them a small wave as well and slipped back into the kitchen, cleaning things up and packing something into a Ziploc bag.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll have a good time." The brunet smiled widely, showing his teeth, and looking like he wanted to bounce up and down in happiness. At last, he was able to spend some alone time with Reborn. Normally, that was nearly impossible since someone else would be tagging along, like Giotto or even one of Reborn's friends. And then there had been the last few weeks, where the teen had been extremely busy with school. From what Tsuna had heard over the phone and in conversations during dinner – with Nana wanting the teen to come over as often as possible to make sure he was eating properly – Reborn had been taking tests for his classes on each subject and been somewhat overwhelmed by how much work that had suddenly appeared. Even Verde, who was the smartest of the group, had been surprised and a bit hard pressed. So whenever Tsuna went over to Reborn's apartment to visit during those times, he was only able to watch TV while the other studied for exams.

But that was now all over and done with.

And that meant Tsuna had Reborn all to himself.

There was no way he was going to share him with anyone today… well, he hoped so.

As they left the house, the brunet continued to clutch onto Reborn's arm, grinning widely. "So where are we heading first?"

"Haven't made up my mind yet." The teen tilted his fedora to the side to block out the sun and peered down at the child, unable to resist patting the fluffy head of hair once more. "Come on, let's just walk around the city until we see something we want to do."

Tsuna simply agreed, allowing himself to be dragged away from his home. He was too ecstatic to care about anything else but the person next to him. Shaking his head fondly, Reborn believed he was well aware of what the other was thinking, of all those thoughts that were running through the brunet's head. In the end, he didn't bother to do anything to snap the other out of his daydream; he liked seeing Tsuna so cheerful. But that still left him with the question of where to go. He honestly hadn't thought through much of his idea before impetuously heading toward Tsuna's house and had been hoping that the brunet would have a suggestion as to what they would do for the day. However, that plan was thrown out of the window since he had, somehow, completely forgotten that the child would agree with anything he said without question.

As they left the neighborhood and entered the busy shopping streets of Namimori, Reborn noticed Tsuna tightening his hold around his arm – almost painfully – but didn't make a comment on it. 'Guess he's still uncomfortable around large numbers of people…' Though that brought up the question as to how Tsuna was surviving in school which, inevitably, brought him closer to large groups of people around his age and even teachers. Reborn knew that he was going to have to ask about that later. With Tsuna's fear of interaction, it would seem odd that the other would be okay with school. He hadn't heard much about it from Nana so far. 'I guess I'll really have to ask about this when we get back.'

When they turned the corner of a street, passing through a mass of people, Tsuna suddenly froze, a gasp escaping his lips. At first, the teen blinked in confusion, not sure of exactly what was going on, until he followed the other's gaze towards a group of three boys that were around Tsuna's age. They were still quite a distance from the two but were coming their way. The three boys were talking with each other, laughing loudly, unaware of the pair's staring.

"R-Reborn, let's go this way…" The brunet tried to cross the street, not wanting to get into a confrontation with the other school boys. He had always been against violence, after all. Glaring at the group, Reborn reluctantly followed along, keeping a mental note to investigate the matter once Tsuna and he were alone. If it was what he thought it was, there was going to be hell to pay for that little group. His once peaceful face donned a sinister expression for a moment and Tsuna, his eyes looking in front of him, didn't notice the menacing aura that suddenly surrounded his friend. People on the street backed away in fear of the evil look that was in the teen's eyes. After they had turned a few more corners, Reborn slowed down and Tsuna relaxed his grip.

"Tsuna, why are you avoiding those boys?" He immediately asked, keeping his eyes on the incoming crowd. He navigated the boy around all the people before stopping in front of a cake store, which seemed to be a good place to talk. Although Tsuna's eyes had lit up when he saw the cakes, the child winced at the question that had been directed at him. The brunet froze on the spot, shoulders slumping downward.

It was obvious that Tsuna wasn't very comfortable with this subject but that didn't stop Reborn from wanting to know the truth of the matter. "W-Well, they don't like me very much… That's all."

The black-haired teen raised an eyebrow at the way Tsuna had phased his words and shook his head. He nudged the other inside the shop, heading over to a table that was far away from the door, and sat down. "You're going to have to do better than that if you want to fool me." Tsuna flinched at those words, knowing that he had been found out. "But I won't push you any further on this issue until later. Right now, we're supposed to be enjoying ourselves."

The brunet nodded his head thankfully and reached for the menu, his eyes scanning over the numerous cakes that were listed. Each and every one of them looked delicious and he wished that he had the ability to try them all. While he continued to look over them, Reborn had ordered their drinks when the waitress had come by, water for Tsuna and an espresso for himself. The once gloomy mood that had fallen over them began to lift. "I like this one." Tsuna smiled while pointing to a picture of a white chocolate mousse cake that was shown on the menu.

"Oh? Well then, why don't you choose mine? We can split them so that we can taste them both." Reborn smirked and lifted up his cup when he saw the waitress come back with their drinks. The steaming liquid felt nice against his lips and he stared at Tsuna, who had perked up upon hearing what he had said. He had to admit that it didn't take much effort to get Tsuna to feel happy. He could sense himself relax; the espresso was good, something he was glad for, and he took quiet sips of the hot drink before putting it back down. Suddenly, he stood up. "Tsuna, I'll be right back. If the waitress comes when I'm away, just tell her what you want, alright?"

"Okay…" Tsuna didn't lift his eyes up to see where Reborn was going as he was so preoccupied with picking the perfect cake. There were so many to choose from… His ears registered Reborn moving away from the table, his shoes clicking with every step he took on the tiled floor, the sound slowly disappearing into the back of the cafe. As the brunet continued to glance over the multitude of cakes on offer, the front door rang loudly, letting everyone know that someone had either just entered or left the shop. Tsuna barely noticed, being so engrossed with the menu.

Out of the blue, a hand appeared in his vision, blocking his view and snapping him from his concentration.

"Huh?" Tsuna blinked questionably, not sure of what was going on. Before he realized where the hand had come from, the menu was ripped forcefully out of his hands. His large honey-colored eyes glanced upward, following the hand until it stopped at the face. He squeaked in terror.

"Hey, Dame-Tsuna, what are you doing here in this girly shop, hmm?"

"Um… W-Well…" The brunet held back his tears, not expecting the bullies he had seen on the street to follow him all the way here. Trying to back away, he found himself cornered as another boy appeared behind him, forcing him to remain in his seat. A couple of customers turned their way, watching the scene. The waitresses whispered among each other but didn't do anything to stop what was happening. Tsuna didn't reply to the question and stared down instead. His hands were bunched together in his lap, shaking in dread.

The boy standing beside him grinned and placed a rough hand on Tsuna's shoulder, squeezing him painfully. "Hey, why don't you treat us to some food? You obviously have plenty to spare for some friends, right?"

"I-I…" Tsuna stopped when he saw the third boy go around and flop into Reborn's seat. Staring across at him, the third boy glanced down at the espresso and moved it aside, almost knocking it over.

"Dame-Tsuna, pay attention." The first boy commanded. He grasped the brunet's left shoulder and yanked it brutally. Tsuna winced and bit his bottom lip; tears began to well up in his eyes and they threatened to fall. No… He wouldn't, he couldn't cry now…

"Hey, you're in my seat." A low voice broke through the silence and suddenly, there came a kick at the third bully's seat. Glancing up with watery eyes, Tsuna spotted Reborn standing over him with his dark eyes narrowed dangerously, glowering at the group. Everyone in the room went quiet, watching the scene in interest. The teen had his hands in his pockets and was glaring hatefully at the boy below him, his fedora tilted to the side. The bully didn't move. "Did you not hear me? That's my seat. Get out."

That finally snapped the third bully out of his trance and he smirked. He motioned to the first boy, who was sporting the same nasty smirk, to pat Tsuna on the shoulder. "Oh, please, Dame-Tsuna and I are best friends, we're just talking. You can come back later when we're done."

Reborn reached up to grab his fedora, plucking it off his head with one hand. His somewhat spiky hair sprung up and his curly sideburns bounced for a moment. A couple of squeals came from the female customers as they stared at the unexpectedly attractive teen. Tsuna remained still, watching as if mesmerized, until the fedora suddenly came down over his face. Squeaking at the sudden darkness, his fingers grabbed the rim of the fedora, trying to rip it off, but the other wouldn't allow him, keeping his hand there. After a while, Tsuna surrendered, not sure what Reborn was up to. Reborn hummed in approval before turning his attention back on the boy in his seat, who continued to sit there defiantly. "I'm not going to repeat it again."

"And what are you going to do? Whi-"

The bully didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as he was abruptly sent flying with a broken nose. He landed on the ground, sliding along the tiles, and skidded to a stop four feet away, almost hitting a couple who were at another table. Reborn huffed, flexing his hand, and turned to glare at the other two. "Scatter before I decide to take care of you too."

For a moment, the two bullies stood there in shock, before they scrambled over to their fallen friend. Tsuna stared at them with wide eyes; he had managed to pull the fedora upward just enough so that he could see what was happening. All the fear he had been feeling fell away so that nothing but relief remained. Reborn was here – that was all he needed to know to know that he would be safe. The brunet was about to send a smile the other's way before he saw something happening behind Reborn's back.

"Reborn! Behind you!" The brunet called out, clasping his hands over his mouth in fear. Instantly, the teen dropped to the side, dodging a glass bottle that had been taken from the nearby table. A collected number of gasps came from the other people in the room. "Reborn…" Tsuna clutched the fedora tightly in his hands after taking it off, a tear trailing down his cheek.

Turning around, Reborn sneered, staring at the one who had dared to do such a thing, to him of all people. His other hand emerged from his pocket and he started to crack his knuckles – it had been a long time since he'd been this pissed off. "The hell? I was going to let you go but you just had to go and piss me off." He grinned menacingly, stepping closer to the three. "I'm going to have to teach you a lesson, aren't I?"

Everyone watched, frozen to their positions; it was like they were watching a television show that they couldn't bring themselves to turn away from. They just continued to stare, doing nothing to resolve the situation. Suddenly, the front door opened for the first time after the bullies had walked in, the bell chiming merrily. No one paid any attention to the newcomers.

"Huh? Reborn, is that you?" A female voice called out, startling everyone out of their trances and causing them to turn to those who were at the door.

The black-haired teen twisted to face the woman and his eyes widened slightly in surprise. Her hand had risen up to her mouth, surprised at what she was seeing, the flower tattoo on her face distinctly unique. "Luce?" His eyes then trailed to the person standing beside the female leader of their group. The blond hair was a giveaway, as were the bright blue eyes staring straight back at him in question and curiosity, examining the situation with a raised eyebrow. "Colonello…"

"Oi, Reborn, are you seriously picking on some bratty kids? Isn't that kinda low?" The blond stepped forward, moving past Luce to stand in front of the three bullies, staring at them briefly and then at Reborn. His eyes remained on the boy with the glass bottle, keeping a wary eye out for that one. "What's going on, kora?"

Reborn didn't say anything, but instead motioned his head toward Tsuna. His two friends spotted the brunet at the table, honey-colored eyes red and large. Tsuna was obviously scared to death and his fingers had turned white from gripping Reborn's hat so hard. Crying out at the sight of the pitiful child, Luce rushed forward and carefully wrapped her arms around the brunet, crooning comforting words into Tsuna's left ear. Tsuna seemed to relax a bit at the hug, still sniffling softly. Colonello's blue eyes narrowed at the scene playing out before him and he rotated back to pin a ferocious glare on the little group of three, his blue orbs darkening in color. "Allow me to help you."

"I don't need your help." Reborn huffed, stepping towards the group, his shoes clacking. The boy with the bottle tried to strike him again but the teen caught the bully's hand while it was in mid-swing and tightened his grip around it agonizingly. A cry came from the boy and his grip on the bottle slackened.

Reaching down, Colonello picked up the only bully who had remained unharmed and jerked him close to his face. Over the two years since Tsuna's first meeting with Reborn's friends, the little brunet had gotten close to each and every one of them to the point where most of them, other than Verde and sometimes Mammon, would do almost anything to make him smile. It was obvious that each person had become increasingly attached to the brunet – it was hard not to. "Let me rephrase that, kora. No one harms a friend of mine and gets away with it so I'm going to help regardless of what you say." He proceeded to grab the second bully with the broken nose and lifted them both up into the air with ease before dragging them outside.

"Whatever you say." Reborn chuckled, getting his arms around the boy whose arm he was holding. The bottle had finally dropped to the ground but remained unbroken, rolling back and forth until it finally came to a stop. The teen was preparing to drag the bully out the front door, copying the actions of his blond friend, who was waiting just outside. As Reborn reached for the door handle, he stopped to glance back at the two at the table. "Luce, I'm leaving Tsuna in your hands. Colonello and I are going to teach these assholes a lesson. Be right back."

The female nodded in return, refusing to leave Tsuna's side. "You can count on me. Oh, and have fun. Please put in some extra punishment for me. You too, Colonello."

"Will do." With that, the two teens disappeared, the door chiming once more. Luce pulled away from the hug to grab a nearby chair, dragging it over so that she could sit instead of kneeling down. She wrapped her arms over Tsuna's shoulders, pulling the brunet closer to her body. "Are you okay?" Running a hand through the untamable caramel-colored hair, she could see the boy's grip on the fedora loosening up even more, but the brunet still refused to let it go.

Tsuna nodded his head from within her embrace.

"That's good. Now, don't worry about those horrible people. Reborn and Colonello will make sure that they pay dearly for what they did to you." Luce decided to keep quiet about what those two were really going to do to them. She knew that it was best not to tell the brunet just how those bullies were going look by the time her friends were through with them. To be honest, it had been a long time since she had seen Reborn so rifled up like that. Hardly anything could get the other to react when something happened, and yet Tsuna could bring out that fiercely overprotective side of Reborn so easily. She stared at the brunet questionably, and then smiled. 'Well, he's just too adorable to ignore. Even Colonello couldn't help but want to fight after seeing what had happened.' She continued to pat Tsuna's hair gently, ignoring all their surroundings. Everything seemed to have gone back to normal, though a few people glanced over uncertainly at the two. "Tsuna…"

The brunet looked up, blinking his large eyes. They were still red.

"I'm going to ask you something and I want you to answer it honestly. Can you do that?" Luce whispered, somewhat tightening her grip.

"O-Okay…"

"Good… Now, tell me, does this happen often? This bullying?"

Tsuna didn't reply and instead, glanced down at his hands. Luce tilted her head, already figuring out the answer from his actions but still wanting to hear it from the boy himself. Slowly, the child nodded his head, clutching the fedora once more.

"I see. At school?"

He nodded again.

Luce narrowed her eyes at that. She would need to have a talk with Reborn on this matter, to make sure that it never happened again. She hated seeing the poor thing sad and in tears; it broke her heart to see such a sight.

"Um… Excuse me?"

The female glanced up at the waitress who had come to their table and blinked her eyes in question. A spark of emotion flashed through her dark blue orbs and as she eyed the person before her, anger boiled up inside. "Yes? What is it?"

The waitress flinched at her harsh tone and slowly lifted her hands up, a pen in one hand and a pad in the other. "Well, I was wondering what you'd like to have."

A few long seconds passed in silence before Luce snapped. After all of that, how could they have just sat there and done nothing! Watched as a poor boy got bullied? Tsuna blinked as he heard the girl he was holding onto start scolding everyone around the room and slowly, a smile slipped onto his lips. He had never been defended by anyone before; it was a nice change. He closed his eyes, burying his face into Luce's shoulder, able to hear her words as clear as day. There were stutters and apologies coming from the surrounding people and Tsuna could make them out easily. He didn't bother to say anything, holding onto Luce tightly. Right now, he was comfortable where he was and he didn't want to move away yet. He had to admit that, besides his meeting with the bullies, everything had been perfect, and today had turned out more than just alright.

"Tsuna?"

The brunet snapped his eyes open and glanced up curiously. Staring at the female with his large honey-colored eyes, he tilted his head, waiting for her question.

"What would you like to order? We should get something while we're waiting for the others to return." Luce smiled and immediately placed her order before looking back at Tsuna, wondering what his was going to be. The brunet bit his bottom lip, trying to remember what he had decided on, and let his eyes drift to the menu. He brightened when the order suddenly came back to him. Smiling, he asked for the two dishes, watching as the waitress ran off, looking slightly pale from the stern lecture she had gotten. The female next to him gave him a confused look, wondering if he was really going to eat two orders all by himself. "Why'd you order that last one? Are you planning on eating it? Oh, you gluttonous boy!"

Tsuna shook his head at that, despite not being sure of what the word 'gluttonous' meant, his spiky hair flying at the movement. "W-Well, Reborn asked me to choose for him a cake he might like. And anyway, we're splitting it in half to share."

"Aww, that's so sweet." Cooing, Luce smiled brightly, clapping her hands together. "You're so lucky to have someone that cares so much for you. You know, Reborn rarely shows this many emotions to anyone, even us."

"Really?" The brunet blinked at that. He didn't get it – Reborn was cold? That didn't sound right… The teen was always kind to him.

Luce nodded. "Yep, at school, he doesn't really interact with anyone unless they come up to him themselves. He's more open with us, but with everyone else, there's always this… how to say this… wall…" She held her hands up, sliding them up and down in the air between herself and Tsuna, trying to illustrate her point. "It separates him from the other students and teachers. We can make our way around it to get to him, but on the other hand, you can destroy it easily without having to do very much at all."

Tsuna scrunched up his face, clueless. "I don't… really think so. He acts open to my mom and brother too."

"Ah, but not as much as he does with you. You'll see it eventually. Maybe when you get older."

When their conversation finished, she called for a waitress so that she could order a piece of cake on Colonello's behalf. It wouldn't be right if everyone but him got something. She wasn't entirely sure what he would enjoy the most, but getting something was always better than having nothing. Tsuna blinked his eyes, wiping them gently on his shirt, and watched as wet splotches appeared on his sleeve. His vision, which had been slightly blurry due to his tears, cleared up and he reached for his glass of water with trembling hands. But before he even managed to touch the cold glass, Luce had pushed it closer, plonking a straw inside so that all he had to do was lean over. She gave him an all-knowing smile when Tsuna peered at her, and placed her hands on her lap, patiently waiting for the two male teens to come back.

It didn't take long for the waitress to return, carrying four plates, each with a different type of cake. After setting them down, she left again, only to come back with two more glasses of water and a knife. Holding the knife in one hand, Tsuna wondered how to split the two cakes evenly and stared cautiously at the sharp edge of it. In the end, Luce was the one who cut the cake; she didn't want the brunet to hold such a dangerous item anyway.

"So, Luce, why did you come here?" Tsuna watched the other cut through the cakes as evenly as possible before she switched the pieces between the plates.

"Ah, well, I wanted to pick up some cake to share with the others tomorrow at school and Colonello offered to come with me. I believe the others are in their own homes right now, unless they left to go out somewhere. This is one of the best places that sell cakes so we came here. And then, well, you know what happened next when we came in. Still, I'm quite glad we came across you when we had. We got to see the two of you together and Reborn protecting his little darling." Luce chuckled, nudging Tsuna's plate towards the child and pushing the other over to where Reborn's now cold espresso sat.

"D-Darling?" Tsuna whispered, confusion written all over his face. He hoped that Luce would go further and explain it to him but she didn't. Instead, the female picked up her fork, twisting it in her fingers before cutting off a piece of pink-colored cake and plopping it into her mouth. At once, a squeal escaped her lips; she was delighted by how good it was. Staring at his cake, Tsuna wanted nothing more than to try a piece of it, but he first wanted to wait for Reborn to come back. It wouldn't feel right without the other beside him.

Just as that thought passed through his mind, the door bell chimed. Instantly, he snapped his head up to look over at the area, a large smile making its way onto his face. Reborn had returned, looking as if nothing was wrong, and Colonello was right behind him, a smug look on his face. The older black-haired teen eyed the table, the dark expression he had been wearing lightening up when he saw Tsuna smiling, and went over to sit down next to the brunet. His eyes looked over the child and nodded in approval; Tsuna appeared much better than before.

"My fedora…" Reborn pointed to the item that was cradled protectively in the brunet's arms. The other blinked, then stared down at it, before grinning and moving away, sticking out his tongue. Huffing at his response, Reborn reached over to pinch a puffed out cheek, pulling at it until Tsuna cried out and surrendered the hat over to him.

"Meanie…" Pouting, Tsuna tended to his red cheek, feeling the burn.

"Oh, hush. You deserve it." Reborn placed the fedora back onto his head, liking the sense of familiarity it gave him, before focusing his attention on what was on the table. Examining the two half-pieces of cake in front of him, he poked them gently with his fork, wondering what the second piece was. "I take it that these are for me."

"Yep!" Tsuna grinned, swinging his feet as he sat in his chair. "You got half of mine, which is the white chocolate mousse cake, and half of a tiramisu."

Colonello, in the meantime, had taken his own seat after dragging a chair over and had started to eat his own cake. Luce had actually gone ahead and ordered another slice since she had already finished with her first one. Reborn smirked and took the first bite of his tiramisu, licking his lips at the familiar taste. It had been a while since he'd had this dessert; it was truly a nice reminder of home, of Italy. Tsuna, seeing that Reborn had started eating, began on his own slice, almost devouring it like Luce had, and was finished before the black-haired teen took his fourth bite.

"Oh my, Tsuna, would you like to get another piece?" Luce smiled, starting on her third one, before realization dawned on her that Reborn was the one paying for him. The corners of her mouth turned downward slightly. "Oh, wait. Reborn is paying, right? So I guess it's up to him."

"It's fine. Order whatever you like. I don't care as long as you don't order the whole building to devour, alright." The teen huffed and continued to eat. The cake was too sweet for his taste and he could see that Colonello was thinking the same thing. He couldn't deny that it tasted great and that it was okay to have some of it every once in a while, but he could never eat this kind of thing continuously. Still, just from seeing Tsuna's bright smile, he could swear that the food tasted better than before.

"Yay! Thanks, Reborn." The brunet smiled, searching through the menu for another piece.

Colonello chuckled and leaned over, just about to finish his first slice of cake. He peered at Luce and smirked. "Luce, you're going to get fat if you keep eating like that."

Smack!

Tsuna glanced up when he heard the sound, flinching at its suddenness, and blinked at the scene before him. He saw Colonello bent over, cradling his head in pain, and Luce grumbling something under her breath, holding up one hand threateningly. Meanwhile, Reborn was… Tsuna paused to take in the sight. Reborn was chuckling, eyes closed, with one hand fisted over his mouth to keep the sound from escaping.

It was at that moment that Reborn glanced over at him. When he saw Tsuna's large honey-colored eyes observing him, he broke out into a smile; a smile that simply brimmed of happiness. It took Tsuna's breath away.

It was the first time that he had ever seen Reborn so happy.

And he was glad that the smile was only for him.

That's it for this chapter! Hope you've enjoyed it!