Trigger: N/A

Warnings: Supernatural Elements

-Looks at reviews- haha some of you are on the right track in a few places.

Last Time

He arrived at the park just in time to see Ienari leap up in the air, still clad in only boxers, dying will flames ablaze on his forehead. Tsuna looked up in horror to see his brother descending upon him.

"TSUNA!" Reborn shouted. Guns already out because between his student and Tsuna, Reborn would pick Tsuna without a moment's hesitation. His instincts told him he was already too late, even if he fired now, it wouldn't be before Ienari killed Tsuna.

A bright light filled the park.

Burn Bright (Please live)

Reborn shielded his eyes as the bright light engulfed the park. He stood his ground as the winds howled and blew and dust scattered into the air. Reborn lowered his arms as the light died down, desperately searching for the twins amidst the dust.

Ienari was the first one he found. Slumped against the broken wall, rubble scattered around him, he laid unmoving. Reborn turned his attention back to the dust cloud, searching for Tsuna. Dead or alive, Ienari was down for the count. Reborn needed to find Tsuna because Reborn knew he (world's greatest hitman!) fucking missed because of the bright light that had filled the park. His stomach twisted, already fearing the worst, that Ienari had snapped Tsuna's neck before being thrown against the wall. The dust settled further and Reborn swallowed, throat constricted tight.

And Tsuna…

Reborn felt his breath being taken away.

There, stood Tsuna standing strong, eyebrows furrowed and eyes gleaming orange. Orange sky flames danced on his forehead and on his fists, which were dressed in metal clad black gloves. Circling around him protectively, were four golden swords, sharp and gleaming dangerously. The hand guard curved out like a stretched wing, an orange gem at the hilt, shining from the sky flames.

Once more Reborn felt everything he knew about Sawada Tsunayoshi being blown away as the boy took all of his expectations turned them upside. 'Hyper Dying Will Mode,' Reborn thought, choking and unable to form the words. 'Tsuna has Hyper Dying Will Mode.' That… that made no sense. How?

Reborn shook his head, shoving all those thoughts into the back corner of his mind with all of his shock, confusion and questions. Now was not the time for that. If Tsuna (or Ienari) needed medical attention, he needed to make sure they got it.

Reborn took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Tsu-" He froze as the four swords came flying at him. The first disarming him from Leon, two pinned him to the ground and the last pressed against his throat.

Orange eyes flickered with recognition. "Reborn," Tsuna said. He glanced over to Ienari's still body, and paled. His Sky Flames, pure and bright, flickered away. The swords and gloves disappearing in a burst of flames. Tsuna sank to his knees, realizing what exactly happened.

Reborn rushed forward, recognizing the signs of shock. Leon transformed into a blanket which Reborn draped over Tsuna. "Tsuna," Reborn asked softly. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Tsuna shook his head, unable to form words. Trembling, he gestured vaguely, at Reborn, at Ienari, fear and panic dancing in his eyes. Orange flashes kept overtaking his brown eyes and Reborn knew the only reason why Tsuna hadn't broken down into a traumatic mess was because Hyper Intuition was helping him cope; distancing him emotionally and allowing Tsuna to analyze what happened and hopefully correcting Tsuna that none of this of his fault.

Reborn placed a comforting hand on Tsuna's knee. "I'm fine, Dame-Tsuna," Reborn said, revealing none of the panicky feelings he shared with Tsuna, trying to prove to Tsuna that no, Tsuna had not hurt Reborn in anyway. "I'll check on Ienari now," he said, understanding what Tsuna was asking.

Tsuna nodded, still wordless and shaking.

Reborn went to check his student, clearing the rubble as he went. A quick look revealed, yes Ienari was still alive, still breathing. His arm was most likely broken and while Reborn could probably heal that with his Sun Flames, he was not in a giving mood because of Ienari's stunt. There was a large lump on Ienari's head from where his head had impacted the wall and a dark bruise, slightly burnt, on his cheek from where Tsuna had punched him. Overall, nothing life threatening that Reborn could see.

Fishing out his phone from his pocket, Reborn let out an uncharacteristic frustrated sigh. This was just one big mess. He was frankly sick of it.

"Reborn," came the voice over the phone.

"Shamal," Reborn said. His voice was sharp and tight. "Are you in Namimori?"

"Yes, yes, you threatened me enough to make sure I was in the vicinity. Don't tell me you're already on the tenth Dying Will Bullet! It's barely been three weeks since you arrived!"

Reborn grit his teeth at the mention of the Dying Will Bullet. "No, that's not what I'm calling you about. I need you to erase someone's memory and treat their wounds."

As evidence of their longstanding friendship, Shamal was adept at reading Reborn's moods and for once didn't complain. "Where?"

Reborn gave the address, receiving a confirmation that Shamal would arrive in ten minutes. Hanging up the phone, Reborn walked back to Tsuna and jumped into his lap. Tsuna's arms instantly went around him, trembling and hugging him close. Reborn pinched his eyes shut, listening to the frantic but steady beat of Tsuna's heart.

Tsuna was safe.

And Reborn was never firing another dying will bullet at Ienari.

Trident Shamal

Working for the mafia, in a world with dying will flames and other reality defying abilities, Shamal was used to the strange and unusual.

The scene he walked into at the location Reborn had provided him was instantly placed into the top five.

For starters, the park look like a battleground. There was a small brunet who was cuddling Reborn as if he was a teddy bear; his eyes squeezed shut as if trying to block out the world and a Leon blanket wrapped around him. His doppelganger was lying some distance away, clad only in boxers and clearly unconscious. But the thing that concerned Shamal the most was the underlying panic in Reborn's form.

The hitman was a stone wall on a good day and still as unreadable on a bad day, but Shamal had been friends with the Sun Arcobaleno long enough to be able to sense Reborn's moods, even if he displayed no outward signs of what he was feeling. And Reborn had been badly shaken. Enough that he was letting the small brunet cuddle him and was actively seeking comfort from the brunet.

"Tsuna," Reborn said gently, touching the brunet's arm. Tsuna let him go, eyes still squeezed shut and Reborn walked over to Shamal.

(Since when did gentle and Reborn go together in the same sentence?!)

"Ciaossu Shamal," Reborn greeted.

Shamal was stunned. Reborn still looked as clean cut as always but there was visible exhaustion and frustration reflected in the hitman's eyes. "I never thought I would say this, but are you alright Reborn?" the doctor asked.

Reborn snorted. "You should ask your student. This town is a little weird." He pointed to the unconscious boy. "I need you to erase his memory of this morning. And check his wounds."

Shamal kneeled down to examine the unconscious boy. "You called the other boy Tsuna. As in Sawada Tsunayoshi? This would be his brother, Sawada Ienari, your student?"

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"A Dying Will Bullet training accident."

Shamal concluded a broken arm and a serious head injury were the only things to be concerned about. It was relatively easy to erase the kid's memory too. "We will need to take him to the hospital to get that broken arm into a cast and that head injury to be looked at."

He looked over to the other boy. His brown eyes finally open and the shaking seemed to have subsided a little. "Do you need me to look over him too?" Shamal asked.

A wry grin appeared on Reborn's face. "If you would. He said he wasn't hurt, but best to check."

Reborn walked back over to Tsuna. "Tsuna," he coaxed. "Let Shamal look over you, okay? I want to make sure you aren't hurt."

Brown eyes peered up at Shamal, flashing orange (Vongola's Hyper Intuition?!) for just as brief moment. "Okay," Tsuna agreed.

Shamal carefully trod forward, knowing better to startle the already shaken brunet. Just as he finished his examination, another black haired teenager armed with tonfas came stalking into the park.

"What happened?" the teen barked out, his gray eyes flashing angrily.

"Ciaossu Hibari," Reborn said. "Training accident. Tsuna is okay though."

Hibari stormed forward, pulling Shamal away from Tsuna. He knelt down in front of Tsuna, visibly softening. "Tsunayoshi?"

"I'm fine, Kyoya-sempai. It really was training accident," Tsuna said in a shaky voice. "Could you help Shamal get Ienari to the hospital?"

Shamal watched as the black hair teen tensed up at the request. Curiously, Hibari looked to the left of Tsuna into the empty space, staring intently. After a few minutes, Hibari relaxed once more and nodded.

"Take him straight home, baby," Hibari snapped at Reborn. (Shamal had to give him guts to say that to Reborn). "Herbivore, grab the stupid wolf carnivore and come with me."

Shamal looked at Reborn as Hibari headed toward the exit, rapidly typing away on a cellphone. "Is he talking to me?" Shamal asked.

"Yes. You better hurry or he'll leave you," Reborn said.

Shamal scrambled forward to pick up the unconscious Ienari and rushed after the other teenager.

What a group of strange people.

First

Reborn managed to coax a still stun Tsuna back home. Nana was still gone, leaving the house a little too quiet and a little too empty. Tsuna stumbled into his bedroom, collapsing onto his bed. He lasted just a few seconds before he scooped Reborn into his lap and began to examine Reborn as if trying to reassure himself that Reborn was actually physically there. Tsuna trembled, visibly upset.

"Tsuna?" Reborn asked. There were too many differing thoughts swimming in Tsuna's head for Reborn to get an accurate reading of what Tsuna was thinking.

"I nearly killed you," Tsuna said, horrified. "I-, you-, if I hadn't stopped-, and Ienari!"

"Tsuna, breathe. I'm fine. You're fine. Ienari will be. It's okay," Reborn reassured. It was odd that he was comforting Tsuna. Reborn was never one to comfort. Yet for Tsuna, he was clearly the exception. Then again, it had been a disastrous morning. Everyone was going to need some comfort and a strong drink after this.

Eventually, Tsuna's breathing even out and the trembling reduced to minute shuddering.

Reborn decided then to ask his question. "Tsuna, how can you use Dying Will Flames?"

"I taught him."

Reborn turned around in Tsuna's lap to see a burst of Sky Flames and a man with blond hair and light orange eyes materialized. The black suit, the cape, and the metal clad gloves. This was a man Reborn had only seen pictures of.

"Primo…"

Follow Me

When Tsuna was nine, he spent his summer vacation in Ayame's hometown.

Jougennotsuki was a small town on the slopes of Mt. Eiki. Home to just over 300 people, it was considered to be small enough that it didn't even register on any maps. Lush green forests surrounded this small town; its people living off the land. The Kinga Corporation had come through a few years ago as a charity project and upgraded all of the technology in the area (working streetlights, a stable telephone system and an upgrade with training for medical equipment), but mostly the people carried on with their lives. No cars or skyscrapers in sight. The air was fresh and crisp and everyone knew everyone.

At the peak of Mt. Eiki was a shrine. From the base of the mountain to the very top was a long stairway framed with red tori gates leading to the shrine. Over some 5,000 steps to reach the top. "Not for the faint of heart," Ayame said. "A test of courage, to prove your worth to the gods. They say the stairs can stretch for an infinity, trapping the unworthy."

Ayame had to carry him up most of the way, but they had made it all the way to the top.

"Wow," Tsuna said. The shrine at the top of the mountain was large. A huge red tori gate loomed over at the entrance, guarded by two Kitsune statues.

"Ex-excuse me!"

Ayame and Tsuna turned to see one of the hikers they had passed their way up the mountain. She was huffing and puffing, sweat rolling down her red face as she pointed down the stairs. "Help pl-please," the woman panted. "We, not-not everyone can m-make it up h-here. The stairs seem endless."

Ayame sighed. "And this is why it is not for the faint of heart." She ruffled Tsuna's hair. "Don't move Tsu-kun, okay? I'll go help the people and then show you around the shrine."

Tsuna nodded. "Okay Neesan!"

The woman and Ayame headed back down the stairs to retrieve the rest of the woman's group as Tsuna looked around the shrine. His brown eyes soaking up the sights. It was so different compared to Namimori. But Tsuna didn't feel afraid. In fact, he felt safe despite the unknown that lurked just beyond the trees.

Now, Tsuna meant to listen to Ayame's instructions. Really, he did. But at nine, he was still filled with curiosity and the sight of something shiny promptly distracted him. Out of the corner of his eye, Tsuna spotted something sparkle in the bushes. He crept forward, trying to find what glittered. Just as he was about the pull back the branches of the bush, there was a flutter of wings and the glittering thing took off.

"W-wait!" Tsuna cried out, chasing after it.

So intent on catching it, Tsuna never noticed it was leading him farther from the shrine, through the woods, and under several tori gates. He never noticed that the forest melted away, leaving behind a wide open field. Never noticed until Tsuna straight ran into a blond hair man with light orange eyes.

"Who are you, bambino?"

Field of Flowers

The afterlife was nothing like Giotto expected. Actually, to be honest, he wasn't really sure if this world counted as the afterlife. Aside from his guardians, Giotto had yet to meet any other souls he had known. Not Ricardo or any of his descendants or even his wife. Plus, this world's inhabitants, these strange creatures of all shapes and sizes, dragons, talking objects, dragons, talking plants, and did Giotto mention the dragons?

Honestly, the next time, Giotto saw G, he was going to strangle his right hand man. Dragons! Of all the insane ideas! And G had the nerve to complain about Giotto's ideas?

Giotto supposed he couldn't complain that he was bored. Over 400 years since his death and he had yet to explore all of this spirit world.

One of his favorite places in this world was a field of yellow flowers. He didn't know what this place was called; there was a sign, but neither Giotto nor any of his guardians could read it. Considering Giotto knew five different languages and Alaude who knew at least twelve because of his travels, that was fairly impressive.

He digressed. The field of yellow flowers was his favorite place to come and sit under the wide blue sky that he was so fond of. It reminded of him a simpler time, before Vongola and its sins and the regrets and anger Giotto had as he watched his famiglia, his ideal fell deeper into darkness.

Lost in thought, Giotto didn't realize another person had entered the field. Not until a small body collided with his. Giotto looked down to see a small child, a small child that looked exactly like him but with brown hair and eyes.

"Who are you, bambino?"

What's in a Name?

Tsuna was going to answer the man's question before he remembered the very stern conversation Ayame had given him before they had traveled to the shrine.

"Now Tsuna, I need to listen to me very carefully, okay? It is said that strange things happen at the shrine and sometimes things that seem to be familiar and safe aren't always. If anyone asks, never give out your full name, okay? Tell them it's Tsu-kun or Tsuna if you must, and that's how I'm going to address you too. Always call me Neesan or just Aya-nee okay?"

"Why, Neesan?"

"Because words have power, especially names. And it isn't safe to give away your name so freely."

Tsuna's face scrunched up at the memory. "It's Tsu-kun, mister! Who are you?"

The man smiled at him, ruffling his hair. "You may call me Giotto. Why are you here?"

Tsuna waved his hands up in the air. There was a voice in his head that purred like a content cat around this man. This man was safe, Tsuna knew that. "I was chasing that pretty sparkly flying thing! Did you see it, Giotto-nii?"

Giotto shook his head.

Tsuna pouted. He wanted to know what the shiny thing was. It was then that Tsuna took in his new surroundings. "Where did the shrine and forest go?" Tsuna asked.

"Oh dear."

Back at Eiki Shrine

Ayame hauled the last of the hiker group to the top of the stairs, dumping the tall man to the ground. Honestly, the warning signs were there for a reason. Legends and superstitions existed for a reason. What would have this group done had she not been here? People these days.

She turned around to find Tsuna was not in the spot she had left him in. "Tsu-kun?" she called out.

No answer.

Ayame paled; her eyes going wide. "His mother is going to kill me." She took off, leaving behind the hiker group.

"TSU-KUN! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Sins of Blood

"Oh dear," Giotto said at Tsu-kun's words. That implied Tsu-kun was not an inhabitant of the spirit world if he was at a shrine before this. Shrines were often portals, where the physical and spiritual planes intersected and it was easy to slip in between the two. The boy had probably gotten lost and ended up here by accident.

He reviewed his mental map of this world. There was a portal back two areas away. That might not be the best one. The shrine connected to that portal was an isolated one at the peak of a mountain with very little visitors. Chances are Tsu-kun didn't come from that one. It might be safer to take Tsu-kun to that one anyways. With any luck there was a telephone (a wonderful invention) and the boy could contact his family or at least the authorities.

Giotto held out his hand. "Do you want me to take you back? I don't know which shrine you came from, but I know one nearby."

He drew in a sharp breath as Tsu-kun's brown eyes flashed orange. Hyper Intuition. His heart dropped. 'Please don't tell me he's one of my descendents,' Giotto thought. 'Please don't tell me he was born into the dark world Vongola now resides in. Am I going to appear before him one day for the Vongola Trial?'

"Tsu-kun," Giotto said softly. "You don't have to answer me, but does the word Vongola mean anything to you?"

The boy's silent but glum answer was all Giotto needed. Giotto cursed his famiglia to the depths of hell and back. A child!

Giotto shoved the heavy thoughts away. First thing first, get Tsu-kun out of here. Who knew the impacts of staying too long in the spirit world had on a living person. "Why don't you tell me about your family?" Giotto asked, trying to coax the child into a lighter topic.

He wasn't expecting the fear and panic that flashed in Tsu-kun eyes. Giotto cursed his family once more. He had no idea how he and Tsu-kun were related, but the last time he checked all the members of his family were somewhat decent people (for all that they were mafioso) who were raised to love and care for their blood family just as equally as their famiglia. For Tsu-kun to react like that, it spoke of neglect or abuse which meant someone was failing as a parent. Giotto was going to have some very strong words with Nono the next time they met. If he could muster enough energy, a good punch too!

"Friends?" Giotto asked.

Tsu-kun looked at him thoughtfully. "Neesan and Bari-sempai," he said softly.

Giotto smiled. "Why don't you tell me about them as we head back to the shrine? Whatever you feel comfortable revealing."

Tsu-kun shyly took Giotto's outstretched hand. He nodded in agreement. "Neesan is my first friend. She's really nice and takes me all sorts of places. She doesn't mind that I'm clumsy and useless and not as smart as her. I just met Bari-sempai. Bari-sempai is really scary, but really strong. He saved me from bullies."

Bullies too. They had just met and Giotto's list of people to get revenge on was starting to get surprisingly long. He would have to ask Alaude for help. His Cloud Guardian would get a kick out of that.

"I have a friend like that too," Giotto said.

"Really?" Tsu-kun asked.

"Yes. He can be really scary and cold to everyone. He hates crowding and is a very independent person. But he's really strong and has an even stronger sense of justice. He arrests anyone who breaks the rules," Giotto said, thinking fondly of his Cloud Guardian.

Tsu-kun giggled. "That sounds like Bari-sempai! He's always biting people to death for disturbing the peace."

Biting people to death? That was… unique.

Tsu-kun continued. "I hope Bari-sempai and I can be friends like you and your scary but strong friend."

Giotto smiled. "The trick with those types of people is to just be there. Don't push into being their friends. They don't like being restrained like that. Accept that they're going to drift away, but know they're always going to come back to stand by your side when you need them most."

Tsu-kun's eyes glowed orange as he nodded in understanding. "Okay."

Warm Hugs

They had just made out of the field of flowers before Tsuna had started to lag. Between climbing the stairs and his stumble into the spirit world, Tsuna was exhausted. Giotto merely smiled and bend down so Tsuna could climb onto his back.

Tsuna was gleefully pleased at the offer. He pressed himself against Giotto's body, noting how warm it was. It reminded him of his mother and Neesan's hugs. Warm and safe as if nothing would ever hurt him in the world. He closed his eyes, lulled to sleep by Giotto's heartbeat.

Warm and safe.

The Great Sky (Vongola Primo)

Giotto paused his trek as he felt a small flicker of Sky Flames pulse from Tsu-kun. Definitely one of his descendants. He smiled fondly at his slumbering descendant before turning his focus to the rocky terrain.

It was actually a good thing that Tsu-kun had fallen asleep. This area was one of the more dangerous ones where monsters roamed. The rocky terrain, sharp slopes and sudden cliffs made it equally dangerous, but it was the fastest way to the portal without having to travel through five other areas.

This area had a name too, but like the field of yellow flowers, Giotto couldn't read the sign. If he could, he might have avoided this area, long route be damned.

Such was life. Thus halfway through the area, they ran straight into the Nue that had just claimed the area as its territory.

The face of a monkey, the torso of a tankui, the limbs of a tiger and a snake tail, the Nue towered over Giotto. "Hyoo Hyoo," it cried, howling into the wind.

"This is bad," Giotto said. He shook his sleeping partner. "Tsu-kun. Wake up."

The boy woke up, blinking the sleep away. Tsu-kun immediately zeroed in on the Nue, paling. "Hiiieee! What's that?"

"A Nue. Don't be afraid Tsu-kun," Giotto reassured the small boy. "But I do need you to hold onto me as tight as you can okay? I'm gonna need my hands."

Giotto felt Tsu-kun's grip tighten around his shoulders. He brought his hands forward, clenching them into a fist. With a deep breath, his Sky Flames lit, burning bright, as Giotto slipped into Hyper Dying Will Mode.

The Nue leapt at them; claws out and ready to shred. Giotto gathered the flames into his right fist, focusing it into a single point. His glove flickered, changing shape. "Burning Axel!"

The Nue was thrown backwards, slamming into the rocky terrain. Giotto wasted no time, using the dust as a cover. He flared his Sky Flames out of his hands and propelling into the sky, flying as far away as he could from the Nue.

"You okay Tsu-kun?" Giotto asked, looking over his shoulder.

Tsu-kun's bright laughter was his answer. "Wao, you can fly!"

Giotto laughed. "Yeah, I can. Let's get you back to that shrine okay?"

"Yes!"

First Meetings

Giotto stepped out of the portal, carrying Tsu-kun in his arms. The shrine was as majestic as he remembered and one of the few in Japan that still had a strong enough spiritual presence that Giotto could manifest himself on the physical plane with barely any energy use. Now to find that old monk Giotto saw the last time he was here or maybe that young girl that helped here during the summers.

"TSU-KUN!"

A girl with golden eyes and a long brown braid of hair flying behind her came running out of the forest looking haggard. She ran up to Giotto and began poking and prodding Tsu-kun in his arms. "Where did you go?" she asked, slightly hysterical. "I was so worried!"

"Neesan!" Tsu-kun said.

Oh. Apparently Tsu-kun did come from this shrine. That made things much easier. Now all Giotto had to do was hand over Tsu-kun to his Neesan and Giotto could fade back to the spirit world.

As if realizing that her Tsu-kun was being held by a person, the teenage girl paused to look up at Giotto. Her golden eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

Before Giotto could answer, Tsu-kun spoke up again. "Don't be mad, Neesan! I didn't mean to go far. I was just following the pretty shiny thing. And when I couldn't get back, I met Giotto-nii and he helped me back here. Giotto-nii can fly! He used those same orange flames that I can!"

"What?!"

Giotto laughed nervously. He wasn't sure if the girl would believe Tsu-kun's words. It was pretty farfetched if one didn't have existing knowledge of Dying Will Flames.

"You know what those flames are?" the girl asked Giotto.

Okay, she apparently believed in the flames.

Neesan waved her hand dismissively. "No, wait. Don't answer that yet." She turned her attention back to Tsu-kun. "What pretty shiny thing, Tsu-kun?"

A large shadow flew overhead.

Tsu-kun pointed up at the sky. "That pretty shiny thing!"

Giotto pulled Tsu-kun closer to his chest protectively, paling. "That's… a very big shiny thing," he said faintly.

Neesan made a strangled noise and promptly buried her face into her hands. "Of course that would happen. Of course."

And so Giotto met Tsuna and Ayame.

Son

Four years later and Giotto looked down at the brunet fondly. Tsuna had become all but another son to Giotto, just as Yoshimune and Hidetada had been a long time ago. If it was something Giotto had missed, it was being a father.

He reached out to thread a hand through Tsuna's soft brown hair. The last of Tsuna's shuddering stopped as Tsuna leaned into Giotto's touch.

"How?" Reborn asked from Tsuna's lap.

"Tsuna and I met four years ago," Giotto said. "When I discovered how we were related, I simply… stuck around. Ienari can't see me, but Tsuna can. And when Tsuna asked me to teach him how to control his Dying Will Flames, I did so."

His gaze sharpened. "Not a word about Tsuna's Dying Will Flames to Nono, Reborn."

Reborn frowned. "Given Ienari's response to the Dying Will Bullet, he is not fit to be Decimo! He just tried to kill Tsuna!"

Tsuna hugged Reborn closer. "Please Reborn. I don't want to be Decimo. I don't want to be a mafia boss."

"And what's another generation of blood and violence?" Giotto said bitterly. "I won't make Tsuna inherit Vongola's sins. Ienari will be fine as Decimo. His only trigger is Tsuna here, but now you know why all of Tsuna's friends keep the two of them as far apart as possible."

"But why? What happened between you and Ienari?" Reborn asked Tsuna; his voice raw and ragged.

Tsuna paled once more and shook.

Giotto made soft cooing noises, comforting him. "Don't ask that, Reborn. Not now," Giotto said. He rubbed small circles on Tsuna's back.

"Fine," Reborn said, conceding. He leant back against Tsuna.

After a moment of silence, Reborn spoke up again. "Primo, you were at the park too, weren't you? And Hibari could see you as well? You're the reason why he was staring into space."

"Yes," Giotto said.

"How?"

"Not my secret to tell."

"How can I see you now when I couldn't at the park?"

"A larger quantity of energy is required to do this. I normally wouldn't bother, but I knew you weren't going to leave it alone, if I didn't show myself," Giotto explained. He paused, thinking. "I suppose in this state, Ienari could see me as well, but I've never felt the need to show myself to him."

Tsuna had fallen asleep, lulled by their words. The tension finally leaving his body. Giotto maneuvered him into his bed, pulling up at the covers.

"Best to let him sleep," Giotto said. He looked down at Reborn, standing to the side on Tsuna's bed. "You should get some rest too, Reborn. It has been a long morning. I will go check on Kyoya for Ienari's status."

He vanished in a burst of flames.

Now what?

Once Primo had left (and given the shift in the air with his disappearance, Reborn was certain the former Don was gone and not just invisible), Reborn sat down next to Tsuna's slumbering body. The hitman removed his fedora and ran a hand through his hair. Leon crawled over to Tsuna's hair, nestling himself in the soft locks. He was exhausted. Everything about this day had been horrible.

This answered some questions, why Tsuna's Hyper Intuition seemed to be so powerful, confirmed that Ienari hated Tsuna to the point of wanting to kill him, but still hadn't explained why. What was Reborn supposed to do now? At both Primo and Tsuna's request, he wouldn't inform Nono about Tsuna's Sky Flames (it was the least Reborn could do since this particular mess started because he shot a Dying Will Bullet at Ienari). But, well, what to do with Ienari? Could Reborn still train him? Was he willing to?

His feelings aside, even if Reborn was willing to train Ienari, how was he supposed to? Reborn was not firing another Dying Will Bullet at Ienari. But by doing that, it meant Ienari would not build up resistance from it, would never be able to enter Hyper Dying Will Mode and possibly never awaken his Hyper Intuition. Said Hyper Intuition was the trademark of every Vongola Boss. The only possible bright side was, well, Nono didn't have Hyper Dying Will Mode, so it wasn't a requirement that Ienari had to learn it.

(And given the way his instincts hissed at the thought of Ienari learning Hyper Intuition, Reborn was going to listen to them like he should have this morning and not worry about it).

He supposed he could teach Ienari to harness his flames the same way Reborn (and most of the mafia world) learned how to: channeling it through a weapon of some sort and/or through rings. It would take longer, but well Reborn wasn't feeling very generous.

Reborn took a deep breath, staring intently at the rise and fall of Tsuna's chest. The implications of his choice from this morning finally hitting him. He had chosen Tsuna. When it came down to Ienari or Tsuna, Reborn had chosen Tsuna. That was…

He had sworn to never find another Sky after Luce.

Trust Tsuna to break that promise, three weeks after Reborn met him. Reborn didn't even warm up to Luce that fast.

What was it about Namimori that took all of Reborn's rules, morals, ideals and shake them up, stirring up feelings, fears, doubts and thoughts Reborn had long sealed away? There was a small part of him that Reborn that was insanely glad that Tsuna didn't want to be Decimo, that Primo ordered him not to inform Nono. The more Reborn got to learn about Tsuna, the more it became clear that despite all the mysteries and secrets surrounding the older twin, he was a rare bright soul that didn't deserve to be tainted by the dark world of the mafia. Not that Ienari wasn't either, but the comparison still stood. Compare to Tsuna, Ienari was just so small and as evident from this morning, Reborn was going to choose Ienari to suffer in the darkness instead of Tsuna.

Save one, damn the other.

Reborn would train Ienari the best he could, train him in his Dying Will Flames and gather his guardians. Join the 'Run Interference between Sawada Twins' club, listen to his instincts about what not to teach Ienari, and once his contract with Nono was up… go back to freelancing and watching Tsuna from the shadows.

Keeping Tsuna away from the mafia, meant not touching Tsuna with his bloodstained hands after all.

Tsuna let out a low pitched whimper. Reborn reached out to pat Tsuna on the head, letting peace return to the brunet's expression.

Just for today, though, Reborn will stay by Tsuna's side.

Stuffed Animals

"You wanna keep warm when you're chilled but you don't want to raise your heating bill! Blankets are okay, but they slip and slide and when you need to reach for something, your hands are trapped inside. Now there's the Snuggie! From Kinga Corporation, it's the blanket that has sleeves!"

The first thought Ayame had upon waking was, 'That was a terrible commercial. Someone needs to be fired.'

The second was the realization that she was covered by a myriad of stuffed animals.

Ayame went crossed eyed, staring at the giant pink cat that was sitting on her chest. She tilted her head back, staring up at the white ceiling and wondered where she was and how she had gotten here.

EXTREMEEEE!

Ah, right. She had run into Ryohei while he was on his morning run. Surprisingly by himself. But either way, the boxer had taken one look at her and then dragged her off back to his house where both he and Kyoko had manhandled her onto the couch. Somewhere along the way Ayame must have fallen asleep. Which, given that she hadn't slept much in the last 48 hours due to her insomnia, was probably the whole point of the Sasagawa siblings' actions.

"Such mother hens," Ayame muttered to herself. "I'm the oldest here. Aren't I supposed to be taking care of them?"

She glanced at the clock just above the tv. It read 12:23pm. Given she had run into Ryohei at about 5 this morning, she had slept for just a little over 7 hours. Huh. Guess she was tired. It was rare for her to get that long of a sleep so undisturbed.

"Neesan! Did you sleep extremely well?"

And Ryohei appeared.

"Yes, thank you Ryohei. I needed that," Ayame said, sitting up. The stuffed animals fell off her and to the ground. "Why am I covered in stuffed animals?" she asked, picking up the orange dog off the ground and placing it back on the black couch.

"Kyoko thought you would be less lonely with them!"

"Fair enough. It was pretty comfortable," Ayame conceded.

She caught the serious expression on Ryohei's face. Letting out a heavy sigh, she glumly asked, "Do I want to know?"

Ryohei gave her a shaky smile. "Probably not, Neesan."

"Alright," Ayame said, standing up. "Feed me and then tell me all about it. Let's see what we have to do today."

Ryohei punched the air. "Extreme! Kyoko is making curry today for lunch!"

Outcast

The sun was beginning to set when Reborn woke. Tsuna was still asleep, the even rise and fall of his chest was still reassuring to see for Reborn. The hitman pulled the covers up, tucking Tsuna in.

Stomach growling, Reborn then headed downstairs in search of food.

Surreal didn't even begin to cover when he walked into the kitchen to find Primo and Nana chatting.

"Ah, Reborn-san," Nana exclaimed. "Did you sleep well?" She placed a green cup of coffee in front of the hitman as he took a seat next to Primo.

"Yes, thank you Mamma." After a beat of silence, Reborn added, "I'm sorry." For this morning. For setting off Ienari. For nearly letting Tsuna get killed. Nana may not know how rare it was for Reborn to ask for forgiveness, but it didn't mean he didn't mean it.

Nana smiled guilelessly, forgiving Reborn. "It's alright, Reborn-san," she said. "Giotto already explained it. You didn't know."

But Reborn should have.

Nana's smile wavered slightly, twisting into something slightly self-deprecating. "Plus in the end you picked Tsuna."

Something akin to pity awoke in Reborn. At first glance, it looked like Tsuna was the outcast in the family; being the clumsy and useless one. Nana loved both her sons equally. She told them every day she loved them, carefully packed their lunches and offered her unconditional love. However Ienari had always demanded her attention more, leaving it to look like Tsuna was neglected by her. But the more Reborn learned, the clearer it became that Ienari was the outcast in the family, not Tsuna.

By Giotto's words, he favored Tsuna over Ienari. By Nana's actions, her cold fury at Ienari when Tsuna hadn't come home that one night. Iemitsu picked Ienari over Tsuna, as evident by his choice of Decimo candidate, but the man was never home.

As if sensing his thoughts, Nana continued talking. "I love my sons dearly. Ienari is a sweet boy, but Tsuna has always been his weak point. I had long ago made my decision that if I ever had to choose between them, I would pick Tsuna over Ienari because Tsuna needed that from me. I think Ienari knows that subconsciously and resents Tsuna even more for that." She let out a soft sigh, resting her cheek in her hand. "I once had asked Iemitsu if I could send Ienari to him because I had known even then that only distance would help my boys. He had refused."

Reborn paused at the bitter smile on Nana's face. "Mamma," he asked, slowly. He had always known that she knew about the mafia, about the true nature of her husband's job, but he didn't know how much she knew. "How much do you know?"

Nana looked at him. For once, Reborn saw past the knowing look in Nana's eyes and saw the bitterness and weariness that lurked within. 'Iemitsu, you fool. You've made your own wife resent you.'

"Enough," Nana said, closing her eyes. "I know enough that when the boys were born and Iemitsu said 'one for you, one for me' that he meant it literally. He had been holding Ienari when he said that."

Then, as if she had just wiped the atmosphere clean, Nana smiled, clearing the air. "The cookies are done," she said cheerfully. She pulled the cookies off the cooling rack and onto the plate. After she put them on the table, she came back with a pot of tea, filling the gray cup with a stylish K logo in front of Primo.

"We should get you your own cup, Giotto," Nana remarked brightly.

"There really isn't any point," Primo responded. "I normally can't eat."

"Yes, yes. But when you do expend the energy to physically interact with this plane, it would be better! I don't get to normally feed you," Nana said.

Reborn froze at Primo's words. The warm chocolate chip cookie he had taken was halfway to his mouth.

"One doesn't eat and three can take care of themselves and the last doesn't always live with us."

"I simply… stuck around."

"Primo," Reborn said.

"Hm?"

"Are you one of the nine people who live here?" Reborn asked.

Primo had the nerve to simply laugh.

Report I

Nono,

Training is progressing well. Ran into trouble when Ienari had a bad reaction to the Dying Will Bullet. Am not willing to test it out again. It was destructive enough and nearly killed a civilian bystander. Hyper Dying Will Mode out of the question. Will train Ienari in the standard way of using Dying Will Flames.

Reborn

-looks up at chapter- On some levels I'm not very happy with this chapter. Oh, it covered exactly what I wanted, but I feel like I'm not sure. Like I rushed into giving you guys the information in this chapter (and that I should have held onto the information much longer). Granted, this is only the tip, but ehhh. –chews on plunny- I do hope you guys like it regardless?

Guest Review Response

Re: Numpty

Reborn isn't exactly powerless? I mean in a straight fight against Tsuna or Hibari, Reborn would still win because the sheer gap of experience between the them is wide. But the thing to remember is that he's human. He's missing a lot of information, still is, -this chapter is just the tip of the iceberg- and this town is throwing off his senses. To the average person, absolutely nothing is wrong with Namimori. However Reborn is observant and smart enough to know that something is wrong; he just doesn't know what. He stressed and tired of not knowing because in his line of work not knowing liable to get people killed. I've basically dropped him into a world where the sky is orange, people walk backwards and laws change at 7: 34 every Tuesday. People who live there don't notice anything wrong because they lived there their whole lives. But Reborn who is used to blue skies, people walking forward and laws that don't change at a drop of a hat, this is offsetting. Remember, until this chapter, he only suspects the abuse between the twins, but no proof. This chapter proved the depth of Ienari's hate.