Title: Anomalous Days

Summary: Reborn never imagined that a simple screw up during a mission would lead him to the weirdest person he had ever met. Now he just needs to make sure that this person doesn't learn about his identity while being in an eight-year-old body.

Rating: M obviously

Pairing: Eventual R27

A/N: Kinda forgot about this one, opps.

Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and Ankou13

Chapter 2

Reborn twitched, his consciousness finally starting itself back up after the crash, but just barely. The hitman knew even before opening his eyes that he was exhausted, his body was aching all over, and he was slightly cold, shivering wherever he was. He suspected that he had been captured by the enemy - it was too obvious to not think so. After all, he knew very well it was nearly impossible for him to have gotten away and yet, he forced himself out of his induced sleep to face the trouble he had managed to land himself in. It was easier to do so now rather than later, there was only one pathway where he was heading.

But when he opened his eyes, he was only met with confusion. The place he had woken up in definitely didn't look like he was in prison or some sort of torture chamber. No, it was just a regular… bedroom? Reborn tried to sit up, only to collapse again, his breathing ragged. That was evidence enough that he had pushed his younger body to the limit during his run. Thinking back, he momentarily remembered seeing a person when he crashed. Perhaps the person had taken him away before his followers had found him? It was possible. Probably more likely than him actually getting back up and running away.

As his vision began to clear and the haze that had clouded his mind faded he took a good look at his surroundings. The bedroom was fancy yet plain at the same time. It had a chest drawer, an attached bathroom, and a table fastened to a wall. The bed he was sleeping on was about a queen in size, large compared to his child-like body, with thick bed sheets and covers that had been carefully tucked up to his neck. A nightstand was on each side with a clock on the right one stating the time as three in the afternoon. Reborn quickly calculated; he had been asleep for more than fifteen hours and despite that large amount of sleep, he still felt like shit.

A heavy cough slipped from his throat, forcing him to bend over to control it, and it was at that time that he noticed he was no longer in his usual clothes. Reborn almost felt like panicking, knowing very well that he had been stripped bare, before his mind cleared up. He was wearing something which was better than nothing at all. If he had been naked, there would have been hell to pay. He was thankful that his savior had at least thought about that. The clothing consisted of a simple over-sized white shirt with pants that were far too long for his feet, but they were better than nothing, keeping him warm despite his body's protests otherwise. They looked like something he'd possibly wear if he were around eighteen.

Just as Reborn was going to try and get up to explore his surroundings, the door to the bedroom opened. Immediately, the hitman tensed, ready for anything, but what he saw made him pause. There entering the room was a young-looking man with spiky shoulder-length brown hair that seemed to glow in the sunlight behind him. He also had the kindest looking eyes Reborn had ever seen. In the man's hands was a silver-colored tray, the contents unknown due to the angle, but he could make a guess that it was meant for him. The hitman quickly profiled the person as harmless in appearance, but he knew better. Looks could always be deceiving, him being a testament of that.

Tsuna peered up, making sure to balance everything so that he wouldn't make a fool of himself, and stared at the boy. He tensed slightly at the obscurity in the eyes. It was clear to him that the person before him had been in the dark world for a long time. Still thinking that Reborn was a child, he immediately pitied the boy, hoping that everything would be alright in the future. When it came to children, he was always adamant about protecting their innocence while it lasted despite knowing that sooner or later it would vanish due to the harshness of the world. He could only protect so much. Taking a deep breath, Tsuna stepped forward, giving a warm smile in hopes of disarming the child. "Ah, you're awake. How do you feel?"

The boy didn't answer and continued to stare which only resulted in him breaking out into another coughing fit.

The brunet quickly set the tray down onto the side of the bed, making sure that it wouldn't shift at any slight movement, before settling as well. "Do you need some water?"

Reborn seemed reluctant but nodded his head, watching as the person before him reached over to grab a glass that was on the tray. He observed everything, making sure not to miss a single move. The tray had some medication, an empty glass, a jug of ice water, and some packaged crackers. It was just some basic stuff. No food, nothing that would give him any thoughts that it had been drugged except for the meds. He could tell if there was something different in the water so he was confident enough on that subject.

Tsuna poured the water carefully, well aware of those watchful eyes. It made him feel nervous but he was used to it; he had experienced the same thing all too often in the past. As the water swished around in the clear glass, he handed it over. But Reborn couldn't grab it. The child's hands were only just able to curl around the container but his grasp was weak and almost let it slip through his fingers if Tsuna hadn't caught it. So the brunet had to provide a helping hand. The hitman was, of course, grumbling about his weakness, but let it slide knowing better than to do or say otherwise.

"So…" Tsuna started again, once he saw the boy getting enough to drink. "What's your name?"

Reborn paused at that; what was he supposed to say? Should he say his real name? No, he couldn't do that. That might give away his identity, but then again, it might not. He mentally nodded his head, for now it was best to lie. He could give out his real name later when he knew everything was safe. "Ryan."

Tsuna felt his institution resonating at that; the boy was lying to him. "Ryan?" Still, he didn't do anything and accepted the name. He figured the person was hiding something profound if he didn't want it to be found out through investigation. No matter, it was fine with Tsuna. He could deal with the fake name. "Ryan, then. Well, can you tell me how you currently feel?"

Reborn almost wanted to sigh at the stupidity of the question. "Sick."

"Sick? Well I already know that," Tsuna gave another disarming smile. "But I need to know your symptoms if I'm to treat you."

"What? Not going to ask anything else? Like why was I lying there? Why was I out in the rain in the first place?"

The brunet chuckled. "I doubt you would answer me if I asked you."

Reborn smirked, the man was smart. "Correct. But I don't need help; I'm fine on my own."

Tsuna just sighed at that response, scratching the back of his head. "Sure you don't, and yet you're still here sick as anything. Come on, get some more rest. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you need. There's some cold medication here which should help with your symptoms, but I'm not going to force you to take them since you're so paranoid already. And before I forget, I had to change your clothes," The brunet noticed the hitman looking down at himself. "They were completely soaked. I sent them out to be dry-cleaned for you so you'll get them when they return from the cleaners." The brunet stood up, placing his hands onto his hips, and peered down at the other with an almost twinkle in his eyes. "Now then, I have work to do so I'll see you later alright?"

The child almost wanted to blink in surprise, he was lucky. He hadn't been captured and was instead taken to an innocent's home to be taken care of. It was very kind of the brunet and Reborn knew he should say something for all that kindness. It would be wrong to not do so. "What's… your name?"

Pausing midway from the door, the brunet glanced back with a smile. "It's Tsuna. My real name is quite the mouthful so just say that. Ah, and before I forget," He pulled out the gun from within his jacket, knowing he had the other's eyes on him. "I guess I should give this back to you. I don't know how you got this and I won't ask, but just know that I did take the bullets out of it. A kid like yourself shouldn't have such weapons, much less, shouldn't have the need to protect yourself like this. Well, get some rest."

As he handed the gun back over, he saw a flash of gratefulness in those black eyes as the boy took hold of the weapon. It was almost like a possessive state and Reborn's fingers were clenching onto the weapon tightly. It didn't matter that it was empty, he could make the bullets appear into his hand, another special ability he had earned from being an Arcobaleno. However now Reborn knew he had to say something, the man deserved it after doing so much for a child.

"Thank you." Muttering those words, Reborn shifted back into the covers and turned away from the door, knowing he was embarrassed. He'd never liked saying it to anyone, never, not even to the boss of the Arcobaleno. He felt the person behind him paused at that and then chuckled, tossing a few words back in reply. Soon the door closed and Reborn was left alone in the room, he settled back into the comforting darkness. His throat was still sore from all of his coughing fits and his body was still shivering in its attempt to keep warm. His eyes turned to the tray where the medication was and, after an internal battle, decided that it wouldn't hurt to take some.

Tsuna had done nothing suspicious and Reborn sensed no lies within that soft voice. Reaching over to grab the bottle, Reborn examined the contents carefully before plucking the cap off for the pills within. Swallowing two with a glass of water, he shuffled back into the covers for some more sleep, knowing that he should start to feel better by the time he next awoke. His mind drifted off and he passed out in the soft bundle of sheets, for once feeling at peace.

Tsuna sighed, the boy had been more uptight than he originally thought, but he didn't think badly of it. 'He must have had a terrible childhood, perhaps?' Shaking his head, he went towards his office to finish off the rest of his paperwork, knowing it would be better to keep up with it than let it accumulate. But, for once, there wasn't much to do. The papers were mainly people asking for an alliance with or favors from Vongola. Some he agreed but most he declined. He knew better than to allow Vongola to associate with these… dirty groups - human trafficking, drugs, human experimenting, weapons, and much more.

Tsuna hated every one of them, especially the first one. He made sure he sent a message to everyone in the underworld that if he caught them doing such things, Vongola would come out and destroy them. No hesitation, no meeting, just outright murder and elimination of the group. It was harsh, he knew that, but he had long ago learnt that people just didn't listen with a small warning. His guardians held the same views as him and didn't hesitate to fulfill his desires, most knowing the horrors of the underworld firsthand. Tsuna almost wanted to laugh. Only when he was in the darkest part of the world was he able to do something the cops weren't able to.

Before long, it was almost eight at night and his stomach growled in its demand for food. Tsuna chuckled; he had been caught up in his work again, only taking small breaks now and then. Standing up, he stepped out of the office after making sure that everything was secured. He spared a glance towards the bedroom door where "Ryan" was before going down the stairs. He lived in this mansion by himself, a maid coming by once a week to clean the place, but he loved how quiet it was. It was different compared to the Vongola main base where it was always bustling with noise and people.

Entering the kitchen, he looked through the fully stocked refrigerator and grabbed a few ingredients along with the rest from the cabinets, creating some pasta for dinner. Just as he was about to turn on the water to start boiling it, his ears picked up the light sound of footsteps. They were soft, completely unnoticeable until his intuition started sounding. Peering back, he spotted Reborn standing there at the doorway, watching him intently. "Ah, you're awake," His honey-colored eyes examined the boy's appearance, smiling at the sight. "You look better."

The hitman strode closer. "Obviously. Are you cooking?" Reborn peered around him to get a better look of the food, wondering if he would be able to snag some before leaving. He couldn't stay here too long. It would be bad to involve an innocent in his problems and he still needed to take care of his mission soon to prevent any retaliation.

"Yeah, do you want some? You know what? I'm going to cook extra anyway. You look like you need a good hot meal in you," Tsuna chuckled, grabbing a few more stands of the pasta to cook, making sure to double everything. If he guessed right, the boy would most likely eat most of his portion. When Reborn didn't answer, Tsuna continued to cook and listened as the child sat down at the counter, watching him intently, but he didn't mind it at all. "So, Ryan, how old are you?"

"Eight."

"Eight? That's quite young. Shouldn't you be home with your family? I'm sure they're worried about you."

"Don't have any."

Tsuna paused. "Oh…" He peered back for a moment, letting the pasta cook. "Well, I guess I can offer my home out to you. You don't seem like a bad child." Moving around the kitchen island, he patted Reborn on the head fondly, the fedora left upstairs. His fingers threaded through the natural spiky black hair, finding himself fond of the silky sensation. "I guess you'll most likely leave in the morning when you feel better, yes?"

Reborn narrowed his eyes. The man was good at reading his actions, though not the best, but good enough to get through his defenses. "Obviously. I need to head back."

"I see, well, be safe then. Do you need some food to take with you? Perhaps something warmer to wear? Your clothes arrived an hour ago, but they don't look like they would protect you much from the weather here."

"I'm fine." The hitman couldn't help but think the other man as over-motherly. It wasn't hard to see it. The man's presence was nice and warm, and Reborn took it in with glee. He didn't mind being treated like a child either, he was, after all, in an eight year old's body. Of course, people would react this way.

Tsuna didn't say anything else and continued to work on the pasta, getting the sauce ready in another pan. As it finished, they made simple small talk, nothing major as Reborn refused to give any personal information about himself out to the man. He couldn't afford it. Though when dinner ended, the hitman couldn't help the small fluttering of warmth that filled him whenever the brunet smiled. Tsuna was just too warm and that kindness he held was something he had never met before, the underworld he lived in was far too cruel after all. Something like this was a wonderful change.

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