Disclaimer: I own nothing from Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

Chapter 4 – Lady Poison and the Child from Bovino

"You're back," Reborn said as soon as the front door swung open and Tsuna stepped in. "I'm surprised you managed to talk Gokudera and Yamamoto into letting you come here alone."

Tsuna shrugged, placing his duffel bag on the ground by the couch before sitting down a few feet away from Reborn.

"Your brother's still asleep," Reborn continued, watching the teen. He received a nod this time.

Reborn had never been one to beat around the bush when a situation called for a direct approach. "What happened between you and Hiko?"

Tsuna started, shooting him a startled look, but didn't reply, not that Reborn had been expecting one. Instead, he kept a close eye on the brunet. While Tsuna rarely ever talked, Reborn had gotten accustomed to picking up tells and gestures.

Tsuna's gaze moved away and Reborn followed it. There were a group of pictures gathered on one corner of the coffee table and Reborn found himself looking at a photo of a laughing blond with one arm around Nana.

Reborn glanced back at Tsuna again when the teen rose to his feet. He had suspected as much, that Iemitsu had something to do with the rift between the twins, and while he still didn't know how, at least it was confirmed now.

He blinked when a notebook fell into his line of sight, filled with calculations and a few diagrams. He hid a wry smile; not even Dino had voluntarily handed him homework to correct. It usually didn't mean well for anyone on the receiving end of Reborn's gun.

He weighed his options before reaching out to take the notebook. He was Hiko's tutor and while he wasn't allowed to train Tsuna, that didn't necessarily mean he couldn't correct a few math questions. Besides, polishing up Tsuna's academic skills would be beneficial towards supporting Hiko.

Hiko. As Reborn checked over the work (much better than the ones Reborn had taken a look at when he first arrived), he wondered what he was going to do with the boy. Normally, he'd have thrown in the towel and dropped the brat by now, but he had made a promise and it wasn't in his nature to give up. Still, if Hiko didn't want to learn, there wasn't anything Reborn could do about it.

"The first half is correct," Reborn flicked a glance up at Tsuna. "Did Gokudera help you with that part?"

Tsuna nodded. Reborn scanned the latter half before handing it back.

"Three of them are wrong. Figure out which ones and fix them. You have an hour. If you're not finished by then..." He trailed off meaningfully and received a hasty nod in return before the boy scampered away.

With a satisfied smirk, Reborn jumped to the ground as well. It was time to wake Hiko up. After what had happened yesterday, Reborn had made it very clear to his student that learning some tact and manners was something that would go a long way to prolonging his life. He had even pressed the issue by mentioning how unlikely it would be for Hiko to gain any allies in the future if he didn't learn how to keep his uglier thoughts to himself. The brat hadn't been able to refute that logic, and somewhere between lectures and threats and bullets, Reborn had gotten a grudging agreement out of his student to avoid Tsuna as much as possible.

He wasn't particularly happy about this compromise but it was the best he would get out of Hiko for now.

Tsuna looked up from his homework when a crack sounded and his window rattled ominously. He had gotten used to the multiple explosions and crashes that rocked the house everyday – Reborn was a hellish teacher, and while Tsuna appreciated the hitman's help with his own schoolwork, he was rather glad Reborn only stuck to bullets with him and hadn't advanced to bombs and whatever else the tutor had in his arsenal yet – but they usually took place next door and not outside.

Hesitantly, he got up and peered out the window, more resigned than surprised that their front yard was now home to an assortment of weapons. He blinked in confusion when he saw a baby scurry out of the mess and towards their front door, and moments later, he heard the doorbell ring.

Was the baby an associate of Reborn's? Tsuna turned to his bedroom door when he heard someone pass by, and then winced when his brother's door was thrown open with a bang.

Great. Hiko was going to have a fit.

"Hey! What the hell's this baby doing here?" Tsuna heard through the walls. His house wasn't soundproof so he often overheard anything his brother had to say when he raised his voice.

"It's been a while, Reborn!" An unfamiliar voice announced. "It's me! Lambo!"

So the kid's name was Lambo and he seemed to be a friend of Reborn's.

"Remember this formula, alright?"

Tsuna twitched. Okay, maybe not a friend.

"I asked you a question, Reborn! Did you invite another weirdo into the house?"

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Lambo cried. Tsuna had the feeling this baby really was a baby and definitely not like Reborn.

There was a crash, and Tsuna stared pensively at the wall separating the two bedrooms as sniffles sounded. Absently, he sidled closer to the wall.

"The five-year-old hitman Lambo-san of the Bovino Family, who came from Italy, has tripped!" Lambo bawled. "My favourite foods are grapes and candy drops! The sworn rival of Reborn, Lambo-san, has tripped!"

Tsuna sweatdropped. This was so weird it was beyond scary. He had thought there would be another version of Reborn in the house but Lambo just seemed like a normal child. Well, not normal per se, but at least he acted his physical age, unlike Reborn.

"Is this an enemy, Reborn?" His brother snapped. "I can easily get rid of this menace-"

"Try solving this with the formula," Reborn continued, cutting Hiko off without preamble.

"It's so nice to see you again, Reborn!" Lambo tried again, and Tsuna tensed. His brother didn't particularly like children.

"You're just going to ignore it? I want it out of my room!"

The sniffles grew again and Tsuna managed to catch a muffled, "Gotta stay... calm..."

Pressing his ear to the wall, he heard Lambo say in a louder voice, "Oh my, I wonder what this is?"

If the weapons on their front lawn were any indication, Tsuna didn't want to know.

"Ta da! Die, Reborn!"

Oh, that couldn't be good.

There was a thump, a shriek, and then Tsuna managed to turn just in time to see the new kid sailing out the window and into their tree outside. A split second later, Tsuna leapt back as an explosion ignited from the tree, rocking the house and spreading smoke everywhere.

Distantly, he picked up Reborn's voice over the blast. "Now the next question."

A pause, and then Tsuna flinched away from the wall when a bullet slammed against it, right where his head had been closest to. Tsuna didn't need any more prompting. Reborn somehow always knew when he wasn't working and was actively listening in. There were probably quite a number of dents on Hiko's side of the wall now.

With a sigh, he returned to his desk, finishing up the last question that needed to be fixed. He had six minutes to spare before Reborn came to check on him and fifteen more minutes before Hayato and Takeshi would arrive outside. His two friends – and that still brought a smile to his face when he thought about it – had only relented and let him go home to put his things down after he had promised he would stay away from Hiko.

Honestly, he appreciated the concern – it was a novelty really – but even Reborn seemed a bit too protective for his tastes. Didn't they remember he had lived with Hiko for thirteen years before he had really known any of them?

Glancing out the window again, Tsuna caught a glimpse of Lambo crawling out of the wreckage and crying at the top of its lungs.

"Hey, would you shut it, you stupid cow! I'm trying to study here- ow!"

"Ignore him. Get back to work."

Tsuna sighed as the cries got louder. No doubt, after seeing how Reborn treated the child, Hiko had decided it would be alright to treat Lambo like he did everyone he didn't like and then some.

Making up his mind, Tsuna hurried from his room and headed downstairs, pausing to wave at his mother and grab some candy from a cabinet in the kitchen. Lambo liked candy drops, right? On second thought, he snatched up a few tissues as well.

Tsuna didn't have any experience handling children but at least they didn't dislike him on the spot. Moving over to where Lambo was sitting, still wailing and upset, Tsuna dropped down next to him, waiting for the kid to look up.

The cries got momentarily louder before quieting again, and Tsuna found himself on the receiving end of a watery green gaze.

"Y- You called me a stupid cow," Lambo hiccupped, trying to glare.

Tsuna blinked and then shook his head.

"You did!" Lambo accused, bristling as he sniffed.

Tsuna shook his head again. He wanted to offer a candy as a peace offering but didn't everyone know not to take candy from strangers? That would make him some sort of creep, wouldn't it?

There was a loud yelp above them as another round of bullets tore through the air and both of them could hear Hiko complaining of the rough treatment.

Lambo turned wide eyes back on him. "There are two of you?"

Tsuna shrugged and nodded. Carefully, he pulled out a Kleenex and held it out to the child. When Lambo made no move to take it, still blinking owlishly up at him, Tsuna took the initiative and wiped away the remaining tears. Once he was finished, he pulled out a candy and offered it to Lambo.

Lambo brightened immediately, snatching it from Tsuna's hand before he could blink. Apparently, not everyone learned the 'don't take candy from strangers' rule.

"Lambo-san deems you worthy of Lambo-san's presence," The kid announced after popping the candy in his mouth.

Tsuna quirked a smile. The kid was cute in a faintly exasperating sort of way.

"Who are you?" Lambo asked, eyeing Tsuna curiously. "Are you the meanie's brother?"

Tsuna nodded again, not protesting when Lambo jumped up and clambered onto his head.

"You're nicer," Lambo decided. "What's your name?"

Tsuna paused. He certainly felt a lot less guarded against a kid.

"Tsuna," He said softly, getting to his feet and heading back inside. "You met my brother, Hiko."

Lambo crossed his arms. "Hmph. He can be Baka-Hiko."

Tsuna coughed to hide a chuckle. He didn't usually like anyone badmouthing his twin but he supposed kids were different.

"Do you want to eat breakfast with us?" Tsuna asked instead.

Lambo puffed out his chest. "Since you asked, Lambo-san will grace you with his presence!"

Tsuna just nodded, smothering another smile. He paused in the kitchen's doorway as his mother caught sight of them, her eyes lighting up.

"Oh, are you one of Reborn-chan's friends?" She smiled warmly at Lambo. "Come in. We're just about to have breakfast."

Lambo took to Tsuna's mother like a fish to water, and after getting a nod of approval from Reborn for his homework, Tsuna invited Hayato and Takeshi inside and extra chairs were pulled up for everyone. As everyone gathered in the kitchen, chatter rising and falling above the sizzling pan, Tsuna just watched as his mother's smile became more and more radiant.

She must have missed this, Tsuna realized. When it had just been the three of them, mealtimes were usually filed with Hiko's taunts and his account what he had done that day as Nana enquired about it. His mother sometimes asked him too but Tsuna always responded with a shrug and kept his head down. His father was barely ever around, and when he was, the good-for-nothing man was usually drunk in the living room and singing about his wife.

Tsuna had never been one to hold a grudge but even he had an exception. He had spent enough nights sitting on the stairs listening to his mother cry downstairs after he and Hiko had turned in because she didn't want them to hear. He was pretty sure Hiko didn't know but Tsuna had always been good at picking up what other people were feeling.

Oddly enough, there were no complaints from Hiko as everyone sat down for breakfast. His twin ignored them and sat away from their group as much as possible but he hadn't said a word against their presence at all.

"What are you spacing out for, Tsuna?" Reborn piped up from beside him.

Tsuna glanced once more at his brother before shaking his head. If anyone could keep his brother in line, he supposed it would be Reborn.

"Hey, Tsuna, I think your new kid brother followed you to school," Takeshi pointed out.

Tsuna blinked and turned, catching a glimpse of a cow-patterned suit before Lambo ducked out of sight again.

With a sigh, Tsuna walked over to the tree Lambo was hiding behind and leaned down. "Lambo, you can't come to school with me."

Lambo leapt out and attached himself to Tsuna's arm. "No! Lambo-san will go where Lambo-san wants and Lambo-san wants to go with Tsuna-nii!"

"You stupid cow!" Hayato growled from Tsuna's right. "You want to get Tsuna-sama in trouble?"

To say that Hayato and Lambo hadn't hit it off was the understatement of the century. On the other hand, Lambo had taken to calling Tsuna 'Tsuna-nii' after the teen had saved him from Reborn's bullets, hammers, sticks, and whatever else the hitman had retaliated with when Lambo had tried to kill him.

"I'm going with Tsuna-nii!" Lambo's voice pitched high and Tsuna didn't have to be telepathic to see how close to tears the kid was again.

"Why don't you spend the day with Kaa-san?" Tsuna suggested. "You like her, don't you?"

Lambo sniffled. "Lambo-san will see Mamma later. Lambo-san wants to stay with Tsuna-nii now!"

On his left, Takeshi laughed. "Well, why not? We can hide him in class and the teacher will never know."

Hayato instantly rounded on him. "That'll never work, baseball freak! I know the teachers are pretty stupid but even they'll notice since the stupid cow can't stay quiet!"

"Well then, there's only one option left," Takeshi said, still smiling cheerfully. "We'll just have to skip."

"Tsuna-sama's attendance will be ruined," Hayato growled, though they all knew the bomber couldn't care less about skipping class himself.

Tsuna just sighed, straightening up with Lambo in his arms. "L- Let's skip," He decided, trying not to think of what Reborn would say when he found out. "W- We have a free period in Japanese this morning and we're just discussing the project for history later. M- Maybe Lambo will want to go home by lunch."

"Of course, Tsuna-sama!" Hayato beamed agreeably.

Tsuna pointed out that both of them could still go but Hayato wouldn't hear a word of it and Takeshi claimed he would be bored without them anyway.

It was easy enough to bypass the classrooms and settle down in one of the courtyards. It wasn't so easy not to freeze in fear when the wall of the water fountain slid open and Reborn popped out, lounging in a miniature armchair.

"Skipping today, Tsuna?" Reborn asked calmly. "And for no good reason."

Tsuna flushed and glanced down at Lambo who had been wriggling to get down as soon as he had spotted Reborn.

"That's not a good reason," Reborn said adamantly.

"I've got you now, Reborn!" Lambo cut in, jumping down to the ground and pulling a missile launcher out of hair.

Tsuna did a double-take as Hayato leapt in front of him, dynamite in hand.

Takeshi laughed on the side. "Wow! Toys these days look so real!"

Tsuna opened his mouth to stop Hayato but Reborn's presence made him hesitate and the bomber wasted no time hurling the bombs.

"Get that thing away from Tsuna-sama!" Hayato hollered just as the dynamite went off and around Lambo.

By the time the smoke cleared, Lambo was sprawled on the ground and his weapon was shattered.

Tsuna sighed. Since Reborn's arrival, there hadn't been a single day where nothing like this happened.

In front of them, Lambo burst out crying and Tsuna moved forward to comfort him, shooting a reproachful look at Hayato that instantly made the bomber look chagrined.

But before Tsuna could reach Lambo, the Bovino had scrambled to his feet and was now in the process of pulling out a purple bazooka.

How does he even manage to store so many weapons in his hair? Was all Tsuna could think before Lambo had jumped into the weapon and a cloud of pink smoke erupted around them.

"What happened?" Hayato coughed. "Tsuna-sama, are you alright?"

Tsuna nodded, waving a hand to clear the smoke.

"What was that?" Takeshi spoke up, squinting into the pink haze.

"That was the Ten-Year Bazooka," Reborn said from behind them. "A person hit with it will be replaced with themselves from ten years in the future. It only lasts for five minutes though."

Tsuna stiffened. Lambo from ten years in the future?

As the smoke cleared, a teenager stood before them, hands in his pockets and an almost lazy slouch to his frame.

"That's really the stupid cow?" Hayato said, looking wide-eyed at the newcomer.

"Cool," Takeshi remarked, studying the older Lambo with interest. The Bovino was looking around with a faintly confused expression, stilling only when his gaze landed on Tsuna.

Tsuna didn't even have time to nod before he was suddenly accosted by Lambo, almost yanked off his feet as the teen seized him by the shoulders.

"Hey, stupid cow!" Hayato instantly bristled. "Get your hands off Tsuna-sama!"

Lambo barely glanced at the bomber, single green eye searching Tsuna's before finally taking a step back. He didn't let go.

"Tsuna-nii," Lambo said, and there was tangle of emotions in that one address, leaking into the way his hands clutched at Tsuna's shoulders with near-bruising force.

Tsuna blinked at him and nodded a greeting. To his surprise, a wistful smile curved Lambo's lips. "That's right. You didn't talk much ten years ago."

"Ah, does that mean Tsuna talks more in the future?" Takeshi asked, voice still light, but his eyes were searching Lambo as if he was trying to figure out the reason behind the underlying tension the Bovino had brought with him.

Lambo just shrugged a little before his gaze finally tore away from Tsuna and landed on Reborn. Twisting around a little, Tsuna caught the unreadable look the hitman was wearing. So it wasn't just him who thought something was very wrong.

"Reborn," Lambo greeted, but there was a hard note in his voice. It wasn't even the same petulance that the five-year-old Lambo had had every time he tried to kill the hitman.

In any other situation, Tsuna had a feeling Reborn would have ignored Lambo, fifteen or no, but this time, the hitman only nodded back.

"Stupid cow, what's wrong with you?" Hayato interjected, scowling at Lambo.

Lambo blinked and finally turned fully to the bomber. "Ah, Gokudera-shi. Still as hotheaded as ever."

Hayato twitched. "I'm not the one walking around with an arsenal in my hair!"

Tsuna sweatdropped. Maybe not in your hair but you certainly walk around with an arsenal in your clothes.

Lambo looked amused but it soon faded as he turned back to stare down at Tsuna. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something and then closed again when nothing came out. Instead, he glanced at Reborn again, an odd cold look entering his open eye.

No one spoke for a long moment as Tsuna, Takeshi, and Hayato looked between Reborn and Lambo. Reborn hadn't said a word either, features blank and calm as Lambo studied him.

Tsuna shifted a little and Lambo's hold immediately tightened, though the Bovino didn't look away from Reborn. The five minutes were almost up and none of them had any idea why Lambo looked so serious.

Finally, Lambo blinked and his grip on Tsuna loosened before pulling him into a hug.

"Stupid cow, what-!" Hayato spluttered.

"I blame you," Lambo said, a harsh edge lining his voice as he stared almost malevolently at Reborn. "I never got to tell you that so I'll have to settle for your past self. I don't know if the others do, but I blame you. You made the wrong damn choice and it cost us everything."

"What does that mean?" Takeshi asked, still observing the standoff.

Reborn's expression was completely closed off, black eyes fathomless as Lambo turned back to Tsuna once more.

"Tsuna-nii," Lambo continued in a lighter tone. "We're working on it. It's going to be tough but you've always been the strongest out of all of us. You're going to be fine this time."

Tsuna stared. What did that mean?

"Stop speaking in riddles, damn it!" Hayato burst out. "What are you talking about?"

But Lambo shook his head. "We're working on it," He repeated, and then promptly disappeared in an explosion of smoke, leaving a five-year-old Lambo blinking in confusion on the ground.

"What the hell was that about?" Hayato said in the following silence.

No one had an answer and Lambo was currently distracting himself with his weapons, storing them away. Tsuna turned to Reborn to see if the hitman had any idea but the tutor was gone, the water fountain closed up as if it had never been opened.

When a person has lost something close to them, something truly precious, the hurt that comes with that loss never goes away. It could fade eventually, but it would always be there, a darkness in their eyes, a shadow in their smile, hidden away but there if you knew what to look for.

Which had been the only reason Reborn hadn't dismissed the adolescent when he had appeared. Tsuna didn't have a particularly high opinion of himself so it wouldn't occur to him, Gokudera wouldn't allow himself to even think about it unless he had substantial proof, and Yamamoto still thought everything to be a game. Besides, the cow had been purposefully vague, his words obscure enough that three teens who were still relatively normal middle-schoolers wouldn't understand.

But Reborn had seen. He had seen the desperate way Lambo had clutched at Tsuna like a lifeline, had seen the restrained fury borne from censure that blazed in his open eye as he stared at Reborn, and he had seen the resignation when it was clear the cow couldn't reveal too much about the future, couldn't warn them about things to come.

Reborn certainly wasn't afraid of Lambo. Even at fifteen, he could take the Bovino down with both hands tied behind his back and blindfolded but the words the cow had thrown at him had been unsettling. The Bovino hadn't even been looking for a fight; he had simply stated his thoughts like a fact.

In addition to that, while everyone had been occupied with Lambo's fifteen-year-old self, Reborn had taken a look at the teen's hands. He knew the chances were next to zero but he had still been disappointed when he saw no Vongola ring in sight. Hiko would never make a Bovino, much less someone like Lambo, a Guardian, but Tsuna might. There was no ring though, so either Tsuna had become Vongola Decimo and picked a different Lightning Guardian (which wasn't likely), or Hiko had become Vongola Decimo (which was far more likely).

And the cow had also accused Reborn of making the wrong choice. It looked like Lambo had learned some subtlety in the future because he was sure the Bovino had also been trying to give him a hint; to make the right choice this time. What that right choice was, Reborn didn't know.

The cow had been cryptic enough to annoy even Reborn but he understood the delicate concept of time travel.

"You're going to be fine this time."

That had troubled Reborn more than anything else. The cow had mentioned 'we' so Reborn assumed Yamamoto and Gokudera and whoever else Tsuna would eventually befriend were still alive but what were they playing at to make this time different from their time? Messing with time wasn't wise so the future must've become pretty bad. Reborn could only hope they knew what they were doing.

By the time Tsuna got home, Hayato and Takeshi behind him and Lambo, having fallen asleep a few hours ago and smuggled into class for the afternoon, in his arms, the house was in an uproar and Tsuna could hear his brother shouting something upstairs.

Hayato groaned. "Someone shut that kid up. He's worse than the stupid cow!"

"Tsuna," Reborn appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "If you're keeping the cow, he's staying in your room. Hiko has a new tutor who will be staying in the guestroom."

Tsuna blinked but nodded. He didn't like the idea of Lambo sleeping all alone with Hiko in the house anyway.

"New tutor?" Hayato echoed, scowling. "Reborn-san, he doesn't need another one."

Tsuna caught the beginnings of a smirk on Reborn's face before the hitman turned away.

"I asked her to come," He announced as he led the way upstairs. "She was my fourth lover. She'll be good for him."

Tsuna traded looks with Hayato and Takeshi. A part of him had always known that Reborn wasn't really just a genius two-year-old and he supposed this sort of proved a little of that.

Once they reached the upper landing, he did a double-take when a beautiful woman with long claret hair and green eyes that reminded him of Hayato's appeared from Hiko's bedroom.

Beside him, Hayato released a terrified gasp and Tsuna turned just in time to see the bomber collapse, his face pale.

"Gokudera, are you alright?" Takeshi leaned over as Tsuna shifted Lambo and crouched down, placing a hand on the fallen teen's shoulder.

"He'll be fine," The woman said airily. "It's been a while, Hayato."

Tsuna looked between the two as Reborn stepped in with an explanation.

"This is Bianchi, also known as Poison Scorpion Bianchi," Reborn introduced. "She specializes in Poison Cooking. Hayato is her younger half-brother."

Bianchi waved, eyes flickering first to Takeshi before settling on Tsuna. Warily, Tsuna tightened his grip on Hayato. Fainting at the sight of your sibling wasn't normal, was it?

"Hmm," Bianchi took a step forward and Tsuna instinctively shifted back a step, almost dragging Hayato along with him.

The woman laughed softly. "I see what you mean, Reborn. They're completely different. Don't worry," She added to Tsuna. "There was a bad case of food poisoning several years back and Hayato hasn't been able to look at me properly without getting sick ever since."

Tsuna looked back at Hayato who nodded weakly through a grimace and Tsuna relaxed enough to let go. Rising to his feet, he sketched a bow and glanced at the guestroom with a questioning look.

It took a moment for the woman to understand but she nodded with a curious smile once she did. "I've settled in, thank you. You've certainly got more manners than your twin."

As if called, Hiko stumbled out into the hall, hair smoking from whatever Reborn had planted in his room.

"Reborn!" He shouted, pointing at Bianchi. "You still haven't told me what she's doing here! She tried to poison me earlier!"

Bianchi's eyes shot daggers at the boy before she turned a blushing smile onto Reborn. "I'm here for love."

Reborn didn't blink as he followed up with, "She's here for work."

"Reborn needs me," Bianchi sighed dreamily.

"Bianchi will be in charge of part of your training," Reborn finished calmly.

Tsuna stared dubiously at the two. I'm going out on a limb here and guessing that the relationship didn't work out due to communication problems.

Then he had to duck when one of Reborn's bullets whistled over his head.

"I heard that," Reborn told him with a raised eyebrow as if Tsuna had spoken aloud. He supposed he might as well have; reading minds seemed to be the tutor's specialty. "Don't start getting cheeky."

Tsuna only scoffed inwardly. Reborn didn't sound unhappy about it at all. If anything, the hitman looked pleased.

"She's going to be my tutor?" Hiko interrupted loudly. "I don't want her here."

"That's too bad," Reborn said. "She'll be teaching you home economics and art."

"Why would I even need to know that?" Hiko demanded.

Art auctions and undercover spy work automatically popped into Tsuna's head. Mafia people went to art exhibits and other social events, so they'd have to know what they were talking about. And they might need to infiltrate places as cooks and whatnot, didn't they?

He thought he caught a strange mixed look of approval and almost-regret from Reborn but the hitman turned away before he could be sure.

With a shrug, Tsuna looked over at Takeshi who nodded and they hauled Hayato to his feet and helped him into Tsuna's room. He would leave Hiko to it. He knew Reborn well enough now to see that his twin's protests would be futile.

"Tsuna-nii?" Lambo whispered into the dark. There was no response at first but he had gotten used to it. Tsuna-nii didn't really like to talk much.

He heard a rustle of blankets and then worried dark eyes blinked down at him.

"Lambo-san can't sleep," Lambo admitted.

Tsuna-nii studied him for a moment before lifting him out of the hammock Mamma had set up. He snuggled into Tsuna-nii's arms without complaint as they returned to the bed and crawled under the blankets.

Lambo had a distant memory of his own mother cuddling him at night, reading him a story before tucking him in and not leaving until he had fallen asleep. She had gone away though – gone to join the stars, his papà had told him – and Lambo had had no one to read him stories to or tuck him in anymore. His father didn't do that sort of thing and Lambo was more trouble to him than anything else. Papà had told him he would be proud if Lambo killed Reborn though, so Lambo had searched and searched and finally found where Reborn had gone. But Reborn was too strong at the moment; Lambo would have to train more.

"Do you want a story, Lambo?" A soft voice asked in his ear.

Lambo blinked in surprise. Tsuna-nii usually talked as little as possible. Normally, he would say how talented he was that he was able to get Tsuna-nii to talk without having to ask but it was night time and Lambo didn't really like the dark, so he just nodded and squirmed closer to Tsuna-nii's chest.

Tsuna-nii's voice was very nice, Lambo decided as he listened. Warm and soft; a bit like his mother's. He soon found his eyes growing heavier though, and somewhere between Knight Lambo journeying through the dangerous forest with his Tsuna-nii and saving Aho-dera and Yamamoto from the mean Dragon Reborn, Lambo drifted off, tucked securely within his brother's arms.

Five days after she had become Hiko's tutor, Bianchi was ready to tear her hair out.

"I thought the whole 'heir and a spare' concept meant that the eldest would be the heir and the leftover would be the spare," She commented without remorse to Reborn as they sat on the couch and watched through the doorway as Hiko attempted to cook... something.

Reborn sipped at his cappuccino before glancing at her. "You know that doesn't apply in this case. Hiko was the last option after the first three sons died and the fourth went missing. It was Iemitsu's decision."

Bianchi didn't say anything immediately. She was afraid 'Iemitsu is an idiot' would pop out if she opened her mouth.

"I agree," Reborn replied anyway. "But it's the Nono's orders."

"Even though he'll ruin Vongola?" Bianchi challenged, meeting Reborn's sharp gaze evenly. "He treats my brother like dirt, Reborn. Even worse, he treats his own brother like dirt. I don't care how strong he becomes; I'm never going to respect him."

Bianchi had a feeling Reborn agreed with her but the hitman remained quiet as they both turned back to observe the ominous smoke now starting to rise from the stove. It wasn't even purple smoke. Two days in, she had resigned herself to the fact that all the cooking talent in the family had gone to Tsuna and had attempted to teach him her Poison Cooking instead. So far, it had been an immense failure. She supposed Hiko's only hope now would be to choke someone inside the kitchen with all that smog.

"What exactly is he good at?" Bianchi enquired.

Reborn sighed. "He can be charming when he wants to be; you just haven't seen him interact with anyone outside of Tsuna and his friends. He's a natural at sports and he's picked up some street-fighting. I suppose he can be stubborn too, though not exactly for all the right reasons."

Muffled voices reached their ears from the open window and they both turned towards the front door as it swung open.

Bianchi immediately brightened as Tsuna half-walked, half-tripped through the door. She had no grudge against this one, especially after seeing her brother so happy in the older twin's presence.

"Welcome home," She greeted, automatically keeping her voice low so she wouldn't attract Hiko's attention. Less than a week in this household and she had already learned all the rules, the first and most important being: keep the twins apart.

Tsuna dipped his head, closing the door behind him before holding out a bento box. Bianchi blinked, untying the cloth and pulling the lid off to look inside.

"Sushi?" Bianchi studied the food more closely. She had gone to the local sushi bar a few days back and confirmed the fact that Yamamoto Tsuyoshi was a brilliant sushi chef. These rolls were more clumsily made though, not the hands of an expert.

Realization dawned on her when she glanced up and caught sight of Tsuna's red face. "Ah, you made these? Did Yamamoto-san teach you?"

Tsuna nodded, turning even redder when Bianchi picked up one of the rolls, chewing thoughtfully. "Hmm, for a beginner, this is pretty good. You'll have to make it look nicer, but with more practice, I'm sure you'll be able to add sushi to your menu."

Tsuna almost smiled at her, the slight twitch at the corner of his lips giving him away, but the motion was stifled and he nodded once more in thanks instead.

Bianchi just ruffled his hair before whirling to face Reborn, already glowing at the thought of sharing a bento box with the hitman. Tsuna was such a good kid.

Right before she could open her mouth, Hiko shouted from the kitchen, "I did what you told me to! Can I stop now?"

Three things happened simultaneously: Tsuna sped past them and up the stairs, Reborn put down his coffee as Leon transformed into a gun, and Bianchi swore she would double her efforts to off the so-called Vongola Decimo.

*Ten Years in the Future*

"You saw Tsuna? How was he? I remember he didn't talk much. When was it? Was I there?"

"Yes. Fine. The day I first met him. Yes."

"Damn cow! Why the hell can't your younger self do anything right? The least you could do is make sure that damn bazooka lands on me! I want to see him!"

"Gokudera-shi, I was five."

"Is that supposed to be an excuse?"

"Maa, maa, it's alright. At least one of us got to go back for a bit."

"...Reborn was there too."

"Yeah? Did you give him a good punch in the face?"

"Huh, so it isn't just me. But no. I did tell him I blamed him for all this."

"To be fair, it isn't all the kid's fault. He did a lot of damage."

"That is putting it EXTREMELY mildly!"

"Oh, you're back, Ryohei. How is it?"

"Still safe. Kyouya's security system is tight to the extreme."

"Well, it wouldn't be Kyouya's work if it wasn't. Any word from Mukuro?"

"None. Chrome's getting worried, but she made him promise to contact her if he was really in trouble."

"Che, that bastard is practically immortal. She's got nothing to worry about."

"But you're worried too, Hayato."

"Shut up, sword freak! I've got more important things to worry about than him!"

"Yare, yare, calm down, Gokudera-shi. You've been pulling all-nighters again, haven't you?"

"That is extremely bad for your health! I volunteer to do the paperwork!"

"Turf Top, the day I let you do paperwork is the day I go insane. You just give me double the workload when you get it back to me. And unlike you idiots, I'm actually the one planning all this. I can sleep when I'm dead. ...Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"Don't say that, Hayato, you'll jinx us. The whole point of this is so we can all live."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't nag. I'll get a few winks later. What about the Varia? Did you manage to get through?"

"Yeah. They already know what we're up to, more or less. Apparently, Mukuro dropped a word to that apprentice of his and he told the rest of the Varia."

"What'd they say about all of us committing treason?"

"'About time'. And a few other things that were extremely unpleasant to hear. But they said they'll handle things in Italy."

"Good. We'll take that fucker down yet. Now, I need to meet with Irie in a few hours to see how the machine is going. Takeshi, Lambo, get back on patrol. Keep a line open. Ryohei, I need you to try contacting Dino again. They can't all be dead."

"Got it." "Understood." "Right."

"Okay then. We've got a few months to get everything ready. And then this war will really start."

Next Chapter: Haru