Guest: I'm happy you like him so far!

trolollol: First, I like the guest name. Second, nope. No relation to Mammon, though oddly enough I did consider it at one point. No, the "psychic" power are just Flames of the Sky, Nana just didn't know until she learned of them from Reborn.

NOTE: Babysat all day, was totally side-tracked and my friend reminded to upload. Still going to work my way through the reviews. With longer ones it's going to take some time since I think harder and takes me time to weigh my answers. I'm a turtle, what can I say? (totally have not been watching TMNT 2012 all day) ALSO... 22 CHAPTERS!? Holy cheeze nips, I'm in shock. I actually wrote that much and lasted that long with a fic. (ch 23 done, 24... not even started D: )

WARNING: Some gratuitous swearing. It IS the Varia. And Tuna gets a potty mouth sometimes.

"The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance." ~ Nathaniel Branden.

Same Night As The Attack on Basil and Group

Tsuna watched the half Sky Ring glow in the light of his Sky-Lightning fist. Part of him was tempted to see if he could light the ring up, but Reborn had cautioned everyone against that because, without the other halves, they could damage priceless heirlooms and not even the gods would be able to save them all from his bullets.

Earlier that evening everyone gathered to listen to Basil and Dino. It was learned that Basil was unknowingly playing distraction to protect what that the Chiavarone boss held: the real half rings. (Dino said, when he took the job of delivering the rings to him, that he punched Iemitsu in the face for being such a negligent father. This has risen the Chiavarone boss up to god-status in Tsuna's mind.) The Decimo did not need to be told that this was Iemitsu's idea and he was the most outwardly bothered by it. Basil had not been critically hurt, he said it was expected of him to take such risks. He wasn't as valuable as the rings, they were priceless.

Learning the function of the rings, and the fact that the other halves are being given to six strangers capable of protecting Tsuna, lit a fire under nearly everyone's butts. Nana was in the backyard with the children and Lancia, however, so she did not hear the arguing over who held the rings. Reborn let the din continue for five minutes before declaring it would all be decided on a lottery depending on the power of the Flames put into quartz marbles. These stones were then put in a tumbler and marbles with the most Flames were supposed to jump out.

Tsuna had been irritated that Reborn insisted on Lambo joining in on the "fun" but did not believe anything would come of it. Hibari stated Tsuna owed him (for both his taking the ring and charging a rock with his Cloud), and in the end these nine were chosen: Hibari, Gokudera, Takeshi and Hana, Ryohei and Kyoko, Chrome, and worst of all, Lambo and Spanner were chosen to be the Lightnings.

Lambo actually being chosen started a massive argument and Hibari headed into the backyard. With Nana's permission he continued the children's Carnivore Training* while everyone, including Gokudera, argued against a child being the Lightning Guardian. Reborn sat there on the table, sipping his espresso, for ten minutes before he shot toy gun-Leon to shock everyone into silence.

"Spanner and his robot will be the official Guardian of Lightning until the cow-brat is old enough to become joint Guardian." Reborn leveled a sharp look on Tsuna and the Decimo's glare did not relent. "And until the cow-brat is old enough to understand anything, he will be protected and carefully trained."

Spanner agreed and said he had a few more ideas to put into his Sarubūto to make it strong enough to fight reasonably well.

For the next five days (give or take some incidences), everyone trained hard to gain power as much for each other as for Tsuna. Of course, a certain Guardian did not make the conscious decision to grow stronger for anyone, he did so with acknowledging it at all.

Once everyone left Reborn told Tsuna that he would get intensive training as well. The start of it would be mainly working on two "tricks" the Primo knew, but he would be fighting Basil while both utilized a true Hyper-Dying-Will in battle. Reborn took the three children into the mountains for the extended camping and training trip, casually saying that he'd have in-his-face motivation morning to night. Primary goal: Flight with gloves. Secondary, further hone the duration and power of his HPD, and Third; work on the Petrification ability of Sky. Lambo and the other kids were given Flame exercises and firm commands to be quiet or spend time as a rope mummy while going without candy and having only vegetables for food.

Hibari trained with his mother, but it wasn't "normal" training. Hibari had always pushed himself when sparring with his living goal in life and parent, but her hearing of his going against a particular group, which she kept quiet about, prompted a new level of training her son relished.

Ryohei was learning under Colonello, and the Rain Arcobaleno had not expected an extra when he arrived to train one. He remembered Kyoko and after getting an example of her control over Sun Flames in terms of manipulating the power of her punches, and their affects on the environment, the problem was how Ryohei did not exhibit the same level of control*. What he did have, however, was remarkable resilience, an "elasticity" to his cells that, when combined with his subconscious reliance on Sun flooding his body in a low-level of constant Dying Will, gave him incredible potential that Colonello saw fit to grace with a Spiritual Bullet carrying knowledge of a technique. This move was practiced while Kyoko received a lesson of her own from Colonello.

Takeshi worked on his speed and strength while wearing weighted training clothes gifted by Nobu. He consumed a handful of Soleggiato/Sunny Pills daily to facilitate recovery. As his father had taken it easy on him for years (relatively easy, anyway), Takeshi was determined to make up for that oversight.

Gokudera's training was under Fon, the Storm Arcobaleno himself. His accuracy, physical limits, and his Storm Flames control was put through the ringer. Making bombs to hold Storm Flames is different from Sky, because Gokudera knew his boss had the skill and then some to keep from burning the entire structure before the bomb could explode ten seconds after infusion. Storm would eat away unless he could come up with a proper shell to contain the Flames... And then there was his accuracy to work on, as well as his strategy. Fon was blunt and told him to incorporate that large brain of his and plan attacks, and this was the first and only time the Arcobaleno would spell it out. As the Storm of Tsuna's group he needed to be careful and brilliant in his plans because his Flames spelled the most potential disaster. After all, Storm Flames won't hurt the originator, but they will take minutes or an hour to "burn out", leaving horrible devastation in its wake.

(Fon and Shamal had a little chat about differing teaching methods and Fon ended it by saying he preferred to skip wasted time in favor of breaking Gokudera to help him improve. The boy can take his time after there is no longer a psychotic prince waiting to eviscerate and dismember him.)

And finally Chrome trained with Nobu himself. Being new to the strain of physical training, she mainly used Rain-type Soleggiato Pills to soothe the muscle pain. Her goal was to wield a bladed staff weapon. Nobu had shown her a number of polearms from his collection, and the one she took a liking to was called Fang Tian Hua Ji, a Chinese double-sided Halberd with a spear. Hers was shorter than normal and stood at exactly her height of five feet because it was collapsible and adjustable. Both ends are made of pale precious-steel of extremely durable hardness on the Rockwell scale, with the top having double-crescents and the other end having a three inch sharp blade. For the Mist half of her training Nana and Mukuro would, though the former did not know it, work together to guide Chrome through improving on her Real Illusions and learning less painful experiences as "ammo". Half the training she went through was learning to break illusions, the strongest (though non-lethal) Nana could muster.

Nobu's favorite brand of crazy was toned down a bit for Chrome. He did still bring a cute pink and purple smiley-cloud patterned martial arts outfit for her to wear during physical training.

For the first four days the Sawada home was occupied only by Nana, Bianchi, Chrome, Nobu (live-in tutor) and the clever Piero. The cat's tendency to "boot" Mukuro out of her body whenever she was hungry amused Chrome. It seemed she was the only one who could see a very slight "echo" of Mukuro's form as a spirit, especially when he appeared disgruntled at abrupt bootings.

She was of the private opinion that he had a pout. Somehow dignified and prideful, but a pout none the less, and she found herself becoming rather fond of him.

o o o

Nana had been waiting for Iemitsu to visit properly.

Three days after everyone's training started, Nana called him up, speaking in her usual gentle voice, and asked him to come by. She only had the nanny, Chrome-chan, Lancia-kun, and Piero as company while the kids were out with others on an extended "camping trip". She wanted to show Iemitsu pictures and tell him about some things he'd missed.

It was a late afternoon. Chrome had left with Lancia three minutes prior, the both of them carrying food, non-perishable snacks, and vitamin waters in a Mist-endowed backpacks for the two boys Mukuro had told her and Tsuna about. Spanner was driving her to Kokuyo land at Nana's request. Tsuna already dropped off a care-package of a kind before he disappeared to train in the mountains, and now she gave Nana space while she left to go give the boys food. Without Mukuro they could not easily steal what they needed.

When Iemitsu arrived he was dressed less like a construction worker and more like someone on their day off. As he unlocked the front door he still considered partly his and entered, he was hit with a slight shudder of dread. He headed to the kitchen and paused at the door to watch his beautiful wife. She was seated, her side facing him, and in front of her was a black book and a thick brown leather folder with a silk rope wrapped around to keep it closed. Tea, freshly made and smelling of fruit and spice, filled kitchen with a foreign scent.

"Nana-chan~! " Iemitsu swept into the room and planted a kiss on her head before he sat beside her. "How are you doing?"

She hummed slightly and smiled blandly, then slid toward him the small book that he realized was an album, going by the word stamped in small silver letters in a corner. Mystified, he opened to a page a little past* the middle and paled. It was a photo of Tsuna, years younger and so much more frail looking, heavily bandaged and intubated. Dark bruises covered his pale skin like a child's painting brought to life horrifically, and stitches were visible through shaved patches of hair. Opposite this one was another photo, this one of Tsuna covered in more bandages and with stitches on his face covered by clear bandages. Had he... had he fallen through glass? Hit by a car? The second, that note was written in small, shaky letters beneath the photo.

"N-Nana-chan..."

"There are pictures of my son's worst accidents, Iemitsu, and more of him clearly feeling at his worst." There was a trembling in her voice that made him look up and he drew back at the tears trailing down her cheeks, but the hard stare she aimed at him was worse. "There's something very important we must agree upon..."

Iemitsu felt a cold sweat begin. "What is it?"

She reached into a dark bookbag sized shoulder purse to pull out papers and his stomach dropped. She slapped them down and slid them over - divorce papers.

He went pale and began shaking as his eyes traced each letter. He opened his mouth, made a small choking noise, and his teeth clacked as he snapped his mouth shut. She was patient, sipping her tea with trembling hands, and eyeing a crack in the wall that happened when Lambo set off a bomb he took from Gokudera. She remembered waving Reborn away while cheerfully saying the mark was like a memory.

When Iemitsu's tongue worked again he closed the album and looked at her, eyes begging no matter how the smarter, mafia life hardened side of him said don't bother. "Nana-chan, please, I'll change. I'll compromise with my work, I'll find more time to visit, I'll help more with Tsuna!"

Nana shivered and palmed her eyes, silently praying for strength. "No. You abandoned us after allowing our son to be crippled." She didn't see him flinch and force a blank expression as guilt gnawed at him. "A silly part of me still loves you, but the mother part of me says I should beat your head in with my rolling pin and call in Hibari-kun to deal with the body."

Iemitsu stared at her and clutched at his chest as shock and fear combined to make his heart beat painfully fast. "Wh-what did you just say?"

Nana took one very deep breath and folded her hands on the table as she glared at him. "You are no good. You aren't worth thinking or worrying about," her words hit him sharply as she stood and leaned over him. "You let Timoteo seal Tsuna's Sky Flames and because of that my son nearly killed me numerous times!"

Nana curled one delicate hand into a fist and slammed it on her polished dining table as her voice rose in volume. "Nearly dying never bothered me because it didn't matter if I was hurt, all that mattered was my boy. You never saw the utter loathing Tsu-kun had for himself. You were never there to wipe away his tears, or patch him up after a simple day at school! You never saw how broken he was even with Piero!"

Emotional agony had been something Iemitsu buried away and never allowed himself to feel until he had a family of his own to mess up, and now that pain was digging through his chest like shards of glass. That she knew of the Flames of the Sky was inconsequential, that didn't mean she knew anything important. Lovely as she is, he knew she wasn't the sharpest, but she was the kindest, and his beloved had drifted on and left him behind. She had became a fierce, wonderful person who could so easily yell at him and and glare with such a protective, heartbroken rage in her lovely, blue tinted eyes...

Wait.

Iemitsu straightened nearly swallowed his tongue as he realized the blue in her chocolate brown eyes could only be the light of a Mist Flame rising up in response to her emotional turmoil. How had she come to awaken a Flame this late in her life? Tsuna's birth, if anything, should have awoken it since Iemitsu's own had not done so even after Harmonizing with her.

Nana hung her head and took several deep, slow breaths as she regained her self-control. When she raised her head the deep blue glow was brighter and her face was calm, fierce, and made his heart twinge with regret and loss.

"So, you know about the Flames, Nana-chan? How?" He hoped she didn't know about the mafia. It would break her, he was sure.

Nana sat down with a grace he didn't realize she had. "I'm sure you never found out, but Tsuna and I were attacked years ago. I used my Mist for the first time that evening, incapacitated some men through terror, and... it has come in handy ever since Tsuna and I took in Fuuta."

"R-Reborn told me about the attack. Now, do you mean de la Stella Fuuta?"

He really should have done more research before coming down.

"Yes. Tsu-kun saved him and months later Fuuta-kun became my boy's unofficial son." Nana's calm, unemotional face broke with a tender smile. "Fuuta-kun has been great for Tsu-kun, and so has Lambo-kun and I-Pin-chan, two other children who really took to him. He cares for them so much, my Tsu-kun... he's taken care of them and reads to them, and he disciplines them with all the love of a parent."

Nana's lovely expression turned dark as she settled her attention on him once more. "I can forgive you for being in the mafia. You should have realized that I loved you enough to take you into my heart and soul regardless of your profession... but I will not forgive you or Timoteo for putting such hate, both for you two and for himself, into my son's heart. It took so long to break him of that even slightly, and it's taken all his friends and Reborn-kun to continue fixing him."

Iemitsu could feel himself going pale, and wasn't that such an old and familiar sensation. "You..."

"Fuuta-kun was on every monster's kidnapping list." There was an honest-to-Kami look of exasperation on her sweet face. "They were quite chatty before I knocked them out with Mist and rolling pin. I know I'm not particularly sharp, but it wasn't much of a leap after hearing how many of them feared and hated a group called the Vongola when I heard that name again several times after Reborn-kun started tutoring... It was Takeshi-kun who gave me the last piece of the puzzle by mentioning playing a mafia game with Tsu-kun as the leader being trained for heading the Vongola."

The air cooled as Iemitsu's emotions spiked and raged. He was torn between pride for how powerful his beloved must be to show the Flames in her eyes, and a sudden violent hate toward the cheerful boy he recalled. How dare he tell Nana. It should have been him if anything, and at best it should never have happened.

Nana paled at the sensation curling around her, tightening and stealing all the heat from her body. This reminded her of the times Tsuna grew emotional and lost control of his Sky just enough to raise the heat. Only recently had his temper taken to dropping temperatures, and it was never a bother to anyone but enemies she was sure. Now a very real fear crawled up her spine with prickly, terrifying relentlessness, and she knew this anger was directed at sweet, caring and protective Takeshi-kun. Nana did not know her husband, never really did, and she was seized with a terrible thought: Could he kill adorable, silly Takeshi?

She stood and this move went unnoticed by the man struggling to keep down his bloodlust, and she withdrew her black marble Vongola Rolling Pin. The density of Mist that filled and wreathed it was almost blinding, and she put everything into creating a Real Illusion, filling the kitchen with dangerous floating blades directed at him. Their numbers neared a thousand and all carrying a full-force illusion of quadriplegia. Despite her fear she put on her best Cyanide Honey Smile and slammed her rolling pin down, cracking the table more than she thought possible for herself. In the quiet it was akin to a crack of thunder.

When Iemitsu snapped out of his fugue he looked up and nearly pissed himself. There, filling the kitchen and blocking out most of the sunlight even while reflecting some of it, were hundreds of scalpels glowing with Mist, and seeing an expression more at home on a female assassin's face on his beloved turned him positively ashen. As he sat frozen in his chair the scalpels shifted closer, bumping into one another and clinking much like wind chimes.

"You aren't thinking of hurting Takeshi-kun, are you Iemitsu? Tsu-kun and I wouldn't need to ask Reborn, he would just shoot you if you dared to even try." Iemitsu nodded slowly as he came to the conclusion that his world turned inside out in the time he's been away. "Sign the papers, keep sending child-support, and if Tsu-kun, for some unfathomable reason, desires to see you, I will send you a message."

Five minutes later Iemitsu left her the house and every single object inside. He signed papers for mutual separation and his lawyers would ensure he would never have to set foot into Namimori ever again after the Ring Battles unless he was wanted or needed, and there was a greater chance of the latter.

When Chrome and Lancia returned from their (somewhat awkward) trip it was to find Nana crying into a mug of tea with a trembling smile. Neither asked about the Real Illusion they could covering the table top. It ended up being Lancia who helped the older woman smile again when he started relaying some of his experiences in looking after children from an old partner mafia that still existed today.

o o o

Day Five of Training

Hibari Mitsuko sat in a room connected to the master bedroom. Three walls were full of computer screens showing images from surveillance around Namimori. Everyone allowed into the town through the legal way is included in a list connected to the massive system memory, and there are a number of faces from a mafia database included on the Red-Alert List that makes her cellphone give off an obnoxiously loud and cheerful song to bring her opening up a laptop she carried everywhere nowadays.

Levi. A. Than, Belphegor the "Bloody Prince", Mammon the Mist Arcobaleno, Lussuria, and the thing they have as their "Cloud". All were officers, the captains, of their divisions. Lovely. The first one Mitsuko actually felt was a bit of a joke, but that was just her pride as a Cloud free from desperation for someone felt. Now, knowing about the battle for the rings, and how there are only a few who would steal one half for their own gains, Mitsuko figured out the situation and decided it was definitely the best idea to inform those relevant of incoming enemies. Especially Tsuna, who would tackle the Varia office of Lightning on his own if he felt he had to. Knowing the boy, and she felt she did after that one meeting, he would keep the children nearby in his protective reach. She called Reborn.

"Yes, signora?"

"Varia officers in Namimori. Rain, Lightning, Storm, Sun, Mist, and that Cloud abomination they've been using."

"... Thank you for informing me." Click.

Mitsuko stretched lazily and returned to the reinforced "Flame" Room she had built in the attic, which is exactly where her son was. He stood in the middle of a dark and empty room lined with thick metal, and was attacking phantom foes with blazing tonfa moving at a respectable speed considering he was wearing around two hundred extra pounds altogether with the training weight suit.

"What sent you out of the room, mother?"

The woman gave an exasperated sigh. "A few rabid dogs are on their way to kill Tsuna-kun and the rest of his... was it Pride, you called it? There are two Arcobaleno willing to fight, however, so they will be fine."

Hibari stood still for a moment before he pumped more Cloud into his training clothes to up the weight. He supposed he wasn't needed yet and besides that, his mother would not let him leave until he finished this part of the training and went on to spar with her, which was not something he intended to skip. Mothers aside, his Anaguma's Pride would be there. If they failed he would have to teach them not to be lax around honey badgers who could bite at more than they could take.

Thick skinned and vicious as they are, a honey badger like his Sky was also someone with a big heart, and that tended to push even intelligent people like his mother into bad situations.

. . .

Tsuna's training consisted of being thrown off of high places by Reborn to begin him instinctively flying. Day four and five marked when Tsuna began working on flying without high altitudes, as well as the speed of his flight. For those five days Basil would take Lightning-type Soleggiato Pills to increase his energy, endurance, and thought processes to give Tsuna a good friendly spar. During the days Basil took to practicing with his Flames much like the children and he'd achieved a good layer of Rain without his Dying Will Pills or a bullet as a medium.

Earlier that day Tsuna had been bothered by a need to go back to Namimori. Maybe it was his having to use Sky alone for the flight, but his Intuition seemed to be a bit sharper, and it was giving him a kick-in-the-butt nudge toward home. As soon as Reborn told him his flight training was done at seven PM he practically dove for the large family tent everyone had been using (with Tsuna being a human pillow for the children) and brought the kids in to help him take it down and clean up the campsite.

While Tsuna asked Basil to help them, Reborn recieved a phone call from Mitsuko and learned of impending trouble. The hitman looked up and took in the deepening orange and red sky and decided they had a chance. It would take an hour for the older teens to hike back to town, and half the time the children would be getting piggy back rides...

"Tsuna, enemies in the same league as Squalo in strength are on their way to take all the rings and possibly kill your other Guardian potentials. We have two hours to make it back to town and meet up with your Famiglia."

The boy huffed angrily. "Fēi zhū (flying pigs)! I knew something was up..."

In three minutes the camp was cleaned, Tsuna had changed out of his weighted clothes and into a casual t-shirt and jean shorts since he found August nights comfortable. They were on their way, with Tsuna making a deal with the children: walk on their own for thirty minutes and they can get nearly anything they want, which worked out pretty well considering neither I-Pin or Lambo (the latter more likely) asked to be picked up. After that first half hour Fuuta gave I-Pin a piggy back and Tsuna carried Lambo on his shoulder as they hurried the hike into a swift jog that Fuuta managed to keep going steady in for over half an hour more before Tsuna had Basil take Lambo and I-Pin so he could carry the boy on his back.

"Basil..."

"Yes, Tsuna-dono?"

"Can I trust you to protect the kids with Reborn if it comes to that?"

The other's blue eyes narrowed in determination. "Believe me, Tsuna-dono, heads will fly if any Varia member tries to touch one of the children."

"Thank you."

. . .

10:15 PM

Assassins work best in the dark of night time, and this is when the Varia decided to strike.

"106 meters south, 222 meters to the east," said Mammon.

"Hmph. Too easy," grumbled Levi. He turned to his minions. "From here the Levi Thunder Unit will go and retrieve the Ring of Lightning*. The wielder of the ring, along with anyone who interrupts, eliminate them."

Mammon kept Squalo's warning in mind. The boy named Tsuna and the girl called Kyoko, they seemed to be the most dangerous. It was best to assume all the brats had some tricks up their sleeves at least.

. . .

It seems the Varia were expected.

This was normally not a bother, but when Belphegor, Squalo and Lussuria reported that none of the possible candidates were at home, Mammon did another thoughtography reading and found that "most" were in a plain area called Nagakusa Park.

The boy Squalo described was sitting on a beak-shaped rock with the target, both of them watching the stars*. When Levi sent in his three men to surround him the would-be Decimo lit up like a mini sun right as they appeared, displaying a Flame as pure as their boss, possibly more so. The gloves he wore transformed into handsome gauntlets of black and silver scales with golden X's on the backs. He moved skillfully, twisting and grabbing and throwing the three men like they were dolls. When one managed to get near the target their attack missed by inches when the cow-kid suddenly started rolling around and groaning about being bored. A single swipe of Lightning imbued steel cleaved the earth and only inflamed the would-be Decimo's anger.

It was heavy, cold, and carried a respectable level bloodlust.

Sky Flames grew brighter, turned a darker orange, and within a minute the three attackers were laid out and unable to move due to the shattered bones in their arms and legs, as well as a few well-placed strikes to the chest. The boy's touch had easily burned through clothing with each hit as well, which spoke of his affinity for the heat aspect of his Flames. Fight done, the would-be Decimo forced down his rage and calmed his cold Presence by kicking the three men twelve yards away. He had been unaffected by Lightning Flames the four times they managed a direct graze, and spoke of a latent Secondary Flame.

Done with this beat down, the boy turned his cold-burning eyes on several large oaks in the distance. Exactly where the gathered Varia stood to watch.

Xanxus wasn't sure whether he should be amused or irritated that the wannabe trash was Varia Quality. As boss he had to choose men to allow on missions, and those three were the strongest and fastest in the Lightning Division, and not only that they were the most sadistic and skilled in killing.

The target, a snot-nosed afro sporting piece of trash, glowed with Mist and Sun and showed himself to be the Arcobaleno hitman. That reveal was obviously a signal because a whole slew of walking trash stepped out of trees and bushes as if they weren't there, and surrounded the boy at his back. Xanxus quickly picked out the Mist user among them, a tiny wisp of a girl holding a Fang Tian Ji weapon sized to match her. Behind the Varia boss's mostly real mask of cold rage he fought the desire to smirk in dark amusement.

That old bastard had at least made an interesting choice once all his sons died.

Xanxus jumped through the trees, disturbing not one leaf, and dropped down in front of the boy fifteen feet away. Not a hint of a flinch, and in fact his posture straightened and his eyes seemed to glow brighter. Xanxus could feel Sky Presence coming off the brat, and it was lukewarm, growing steadily and spreading over the entire park like a hungry forest fire. Normally Xanxus felt Dissonance with every Sky, the exception being Dino of the Chiavarone, who inspired normal Must Kill desires for being so disgustingly human. For a Varia soul at least. This Sawada whelp inspired far more interest than Dino's weaker Flames ever did.

That fact alone would make crushing the boy all the more satisfying. Xanxus had never fought a Sky who threatened to Synchronize with his Flames.

Both bosses held each other's eyes for a long, heavy moment before a pickaxe pierced the ground in front of Tsuna. The boy's demeanor quickly went from composed fighter to mildly murderous as he eyed the offending tool like a piece of maggot infested meat found in his bed. He knelt, ripped it out of the earth, and took a deep breath before the Sky Flames on one of his hands melted through the tools rubber and metal like ice dropped in a fire.

"Son of a..." Xanxus lifted an eyebrow as the boy stepped back while muttering an impressive number of native and foreign obscenities under his breath, then he looked at the stars like he'd rather be eaten alive by scarabs than deal with whoever that belonged to.

"Hold it, Xanxus, this isn't the way things go. As the leader of CEDEF I'll take it from here."

Ah. The brat's father. Ice spread around the boy's feet and that lukewarm presence covering the entire park turned cold enough to cause everyone's breath to fog thickly. That wasn't normal hate, Xanxus knew all kinds of anger and hate, and what the Sawada boy felt was a bit more than the urge to maim. From the would-be Decimo Xanxus could see a range of expressions on others faces, most being displeased, disgusted, or the kind of thoughtful someone contemplating murder might wear.

How amusing. The number one most irritating thing in existence happens to be loathed by his own flesh and blood and holds the enmity of his brat's subordinates.

o o o

Direct orders from the Nono.

"My apologies to those reading this, I have made a mistake. Until now I felt that Iemitsu's son, Sawada Tsunayoshi, was meant to be my heir, but my years are coming to an end and my intuitions have sharpened. I've decided to select a more worthy heir in my son, Xanxus. Unfortunately there will be people who aren't satisfied with this change, loudest among them being the head of CEDEF, who refused to hand the other half-rings over to my son.

As such I have no choice but follow tradition and declare a Ring Battle to satisfy everyone's doubts. This means, for anyone understandaby ignorant, that those with matching Flames will fight for the right to hold the rings. Battles are to be one-on-one."

. . .

When Tsuna awoke the morning after that potentially harrowing encounter with the Varia, he was asleep on the floor in the middle of a big futon with three children snuggling into him.

"You look like a mama-lion with her cubs, Baka-Tsuna."

The boy sighed and suppressed what would have been a tender smile as he stretched and then pulled the kids close in a hug that felt nice.

"What would you do to protect them?"

Tsuna was quiet for a long moment, then he tilted his head up a bit to see Reborn sitting on one of his bookshelves.

"I don't want to be a killer... but..."

The hitman nodded. "Human beings are evolved mammals, it's only natural that you'd feel capable of doing anything to keep them alive."

"Mm... What do you know about the Cervello's, Reborn?"

"It's said they're as old as the Vongola and Giglio Nero Famiglia's, and they're an all female organization. They work for the mafia with the greatest power and they tend to oversee mafia events and keep the rules of such things in place."

"Um, Reborn... something's been bothering me... the Varia are a group of assassins right? Do they have have problem killing anyone or anything in their way?"

"For the most part, no. They're a very bloodthirsty group, but some of their insanity is them putting on an act to keep others from killing them."

"Okay. Didn't the old man want someone to change the Vongola for the better?"

"That's the impression I got, from the man himself and his Guardians."

"It seems weird that he would change his mind like this... but I'm just assuming here. If he first chooses a kid like me over his son, that says something. Now that he changed his mind so suddenly, I think that really says something. L-like... did he lose his mind? What if... what if he's been attacked, or he's been drugged?"

"That's almost scary."

"What, Reborn?"

"That we thought alike."

Tsuna snorted and nodded. "Yeah. It is freaky. So, are we going back to the mountains to train?"

"You are going to signora Mitsuko's house, Baka-Tsuna. Her home is far enough away from Naminori that you'll be able go there after school with Hibari, continue practicing your sloppy flying, and make it back on your own power at night."

Tsuna groaned quietly and nodded. He didn't want to bother Mitsuko-san, she had her son to train! A scrawny boy flying might be a distraction.

"By the way. Wear your heaviest training suit for flight. Aota will show me your progress."

From her perch on the windowsill the baby marmoset bot turned and squeaked an affirmative.

Tsuna quickly dressed and noticed, with a grimace, that he was shaking throughout his morning habits. How could he be what his friends and family need if he's so scared he's shaking?

. . .

Breakfast was a cheerful affair, with colorful and sweet breakfast foods and a table centerpiece of Sun-Lion Blooms resembling a many-petaled chrysanthemum of glowing white and deep yellow.

The house was also very crowded. The kids sat at one end of the table near his mother, and the "official" Guardians (minus Hibari) were scattered around the living room and kitchen. On his left sat Hana, pestering him to eat a bit more along with Kyoko, and a worried-for-his-Juudaime's-health Gokudera who sat on his right, and across from the Decimo was Takeshi, Kyoko, and Chrome. Talk started with training and how things were going, and this progressed into a funny book Hana read. The Techies (Spanner, Shoichi, Haru) were in the living room with Ryohei, Nobu, and Colonello. Fon was at the kitchen table with Reborn and were talking in Russian, probably to mess with anyone listening in. Lancia seemed to be doing his best to keep the racket in the living room down, but Nobu was determined to let everyone hear his ridiculous stories about his adventures in the wilderness, which consisted of teaching a few bears to dance ballet with some bigfoots at one point.

By the time Tsuna was half-way to school with Kyoko hugging one of his arms and Takeshi pretty much hugging him from behind, his shaking had stopped. Even Gokudera's grumbling and glaring at Takeshi for daring to touch was making the boy smile a bit. It was familiar and comforting...

And Tsuna would protect moments like this. The times he spends with his Famiglia, smiling and laughing and breaking up half-hearted fights and smoothing ruffled feathers and tempers, he would fight for it. He would give everything for it.

. . .

NIGHT: Same Day. Battle for the Sun Ring

Kyoko and Hana were waiting with Takeshi, Ryohei and Gokudera when Tsuna ran up with Aota clinging to one shoulder, and Lambo on the other. Behind him Chrome was following with "Piero" following at her side, while Reborn perched on his shoulder.

"Sorry if we're late, we had to find Lambo. He decided it was time to play hide and seek."

Gokudera grabbed Lambo from Tsuna's shoulder and held him like a football. "Stupid cow, stop troubling the Juudaime!"

"Bakadera!" The boy wriggled and flailed his little arms. "Papa needed fun!"

Takeshi laughed while the silver-head paused in surprise. "That's right, little man!" He plucked Lambo from Gokudera's hold and set him on his shoulder. "Good job, you helped your dad!"

"Tch! He did not."

Tsuna looked at each one of his friends and locked away his fear. It had taken more than a day for him to pin point exactly why he was scared besides his friends facing possible doom; he was so out of whack because of Xanxus and his Sky Presence. It did not unsettle him like Iemitsu's, in fact it was the opposite, a part of him had been drawn to the older man's Presence and since he was going to have to fight tooth and nail, that wasn't going to make things any easier.

"Hey, I need to say something to all of you," Tsuna said as he looked at the ground and tugged his gloves.

What he was about to say wouldn't be happily recieved after all.

"I want you all to forfeit if things become too tough."

"But! J-Juudaime, you need the ring!"

"Tsuna, I promise I won't lose again." Takeshi stepped close and gave the boy's shoulder a squeeze. "There's still time to train, and hey, I'm still training right now! We'll win."

"Tsuna-sama..." Chrome hugged herself and gave her head a sharp shake. "No, I-I won't give up. You never g-give up, so how can I do that?"

"Lion-monkey, you really don't have to say that." Hana rubbed the back of her neck and sighed heavily. "Besides, the guy with Rain on their side has a sword, and I know when I don't have a chance. I'll have to fix that..."

Kyoko gave Hana a side hug and then stepped up beside her brother. She tugged him down and whispered something, and for several seconds he looked very reluctant, but then she said, "I'm like Sakura-chan, remember?" with a smile and he sighed with a grumble of agreement. Tsuna eyed the siblings worriedly and this only increased when Kyoko stepped forward with the same face she wore in that fight with Squalo.

Crap. That's not a look to argue with.

"Tsuna-kun, onii-chan and I have similar skill sets and differing abilities. Whoever gets to fight the Varia's Sun potential... that's up to chance."

The boy swayed on the spot and only regained his composure when Mukuro, called Romu in Piero, gave his leg a harsh scratch. This was obviously a delicate situation and Tsuna was only aware of it because of understanding Hana. He would not say Kyoko couldn't fight the Varia because she's a girl, since he knew gender has nothing to do with ability to fight, and he couldn't say no for any good reason other than she could be killed and that applied to ALL his Guardians and he really, really just wanted to gather the kids, his mother, and all his Guardians (even Hibari) and hide in the center of the earth and ride dinosaurs and run from giant millipedes. Or, more sensibly, a bunker in the Marianas Trench (with what he's seen, he's reasonable sure such a ridiculous thing could be possible). And Kami, he wasn't sure how to articulate how he felt right then! He opened his mouth to say "please don't fight", made a choking sound, and then turned to Reborn only for Kyoko quickly to turn his face back toward her.

"I won't ask for your permission to do this, Tsuna-kun..." She patted his cheek with a terribly gentle expression of understanding. "I'm scared, I won't deny that, but if I get the chance then I'm doing this for onii-chan and you, and our entire Family."

Tsuna put his hand over hers and squeezed. "Okay... but I'll stop the fight if I feel like I need to, for any of you."

Kyoko stepped back and cheerfully smiled at him. "That's no problem, but hopefully that won't be necessary."

"VOOOOIII! Enough of this sappy shit!"

All the teens on ground level jumped, though Tsuna's reaction was more of a muffled squeak of alarm with his paranoia on high, and turned their attention to the roof of the school. Ah, right, he was trying not to think of how Hibari would react to Namimori-chuu being used as a battle ground. If he didn't go on a rampage he'd probably sue the group for everything they've got. Beside a pair of Cervello stood the silhouettes of the Varia.

"Battle-cards for the traditional scramble battle have been decided for tonight," said one Cervello. "And the first match is the battle between the Guardians of the Sun."

As the Varia and overseers jumped down, Ryohei and Kyoko, both sporting similar expressions of adamant determination, turned to each other and lifted fists, and Tsuna, along with Hana, did their best to look confident in the Sun's they cared about. Tsuna found that he couldn't watch and turned his eyes to the moon, so Reborn kept track of who won the five round game of Rock-Paper-Scissors.

"Baka-Tsuna..." Tiny fingers tugged on his ear, the action bordering dangerously close to gentle. "Ryohei won."

AM I THIS MEAN? Yes, yes I am. Also, my Muses like to regularly smack me with rotten frozen fruit and tease me with ideas that refuse to work. Like the ending there. Ch 23 refused to work and adgafgafoiaugfoafg. I wanted Kyoko to fight, but at the same time I wanted to give Ryohei time to shine and I think that second desire culminated in nothing feeling right for Kyoko. SO... You'll definitely see some awesomeness in the Auture Arc, along with the other two girls (Hana and Chrome, just to clarify).

** Carnivore Training: I will totally get to that. Someday. Have patience, lovely readers?

** Past or Passed: How stupid is it that this still trips me up? Which works better for "opened the book a little past/passed the middle"? I would really, really appreciate feedback. *nervous smile*

** Going through the manga. Finds "Ring of Thunder" and because I'm a doofus I panic and dive for the Reborn wiki to make sure I haven't been horrendously stupid for months and no one took pity. *heavy sigh of relief*

** REBORN... wanted to see how his student faired against some Varia subordinates. Of course he had to be close to bail him out just in case.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED. Normally I take the time to note them down but I'm short on time right now, with my upload time being late, so... I'm sorry!

If you enjoyed the chapter please drop a line! I love hearing what you liked or disliked, or when readers offers constructive critique!