Pinkie's Part: Hey there, here's another. *puts up shield*

I needed to place the cliff hanger there in order to build emotion. So that if you were excited, you'd be able to level with Tsuna in a slight sense of anxiety. Gomen gomen, see there is a method to my madness. Tsuna and Reborn may be a little out of character here, I apologize, but I feel as though it may be needed to help the story along.

I hope this one if long enough for you guys. This will be my third update. The next one may be a day or two after this; maybe sooner if I get lucky and have a burst of energy!

I'll stop talking.

Onward.

xx

Chapter: More than Pretty Words

"I'm in the mafia. The Vongola is the famiglia that I work for. I need your help."

These words rang in a small brunette's ears. His amber eyes widened, and he stared. He felt a gentle smack to his cheek, he blinked and then made gestures with his mouth to try and speak. Then it all suddenly clicked. The realizations of the fedora wearing man's mannerisms just settled into Tsuna's brain, it hit him mentally like a ton of bricks. The pristine way Reborn dressed. The overwhelming confidence, the way he handled a gun. How he had been able to treat wounds without flinching. How he was always calculating, how he always had an escape route.. He scolded himself for being so stupid. He wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, but he should have been able to at least have seen the signs. They were flashing bright red.

"You.. brought me to Italy... to.. help you in the mafia?"

The words slipped out, and the tone that they held was one that Reborn would not tolerate. The words lifted to his ears with a slight undertone of shock, disbelief and the last one, one that Reborn absolutely hated, was fear. He snapped out of his disbelief when he felt a pinching sensation, and he wheeled his gaze up to see where the feeling was coming from.

Reborn pulled on Tsuna's face, harshly. He released the cheeks and let Tsuna rub out the slight tinge of pain. He cocked his head to the side, pulled his fedora off, and ran his free hand through his silky black locks. He watched the pout slip into a serious face and he sighed once more.

"Listen, Tsuna..."

"Is that why you taught me Italian..and..and.."

Reborn raised an eyebrow, surprised that the little cub was brave enough to cut him off. But since he weighed the situation, and the information in which the brunette had just received, he decided to let it go, only this once.

"Sedcution? Very good, Leone."

Tsuna blushed slightly at the praise, but then his enjoyment shattered as he thought back to the incident before he had even gotten on the plane.

"Then that woman.. Bianchi?"

He had an ikling now, and he just hoped that he was wrong. He really really hoped that he was wrong. His memories flashed back to the dangerous container of yogurt that woman had used to melt the handle on his bathroom door. He shuddered, his gaze drifting up to meet the full, unshielded eyes of onyx.

"A mafia assassin and one of my lovers." Reborn's voice didn't even falter as the words slid out effortlessly. Tsuna nodded his head and then stopped, eyebrows both raised as he stared at the raven haired mafia man before him. The mafia part made sense, it really did.

"L-lo.."

Tsuna stopped. His stammers and the realization hit him. He didn't understand why it hurt, but it did. It was the plural sense, not the singular. Which meant that this man, the one he felt quite attatched to, had been with many others. Reborn in turn had watched Tsuna carefully. The way his expression appeared crestfallen at the mention of the word, lovers. He tilted his head, and pulled Tsuna into him.

"Now, now, is the little cub, jealous?" Reborn cursed himself, the tone he had used had been bemused. He saw Tsuna tense and then try to escape. He tightened his grip just slightly, enough to keep the arm in place, but not enough for the other to notice.

Tsuna ripped his arm from Reborn's grasp, resulting in it being grabbed once more slightly harder. He did not flinch, he would not show weakness. The pange in his chest making him feel slightly clausterphobic, his breathing becoming shaky, though he hid it well from his expierience of being bullied.

"Don't be ridiculous." His voice trembled, and he looked at Reborn carefully. He saw a genuine concern swimming in those obsidian pools. Reborn had felt something tug deep in his chest when he was brushed off. He frowned, and then he straightened up. The roll of the tired came to a halt. He dusted his suit, and then glanced sideways out of the window.

The next minutes ticked by, a very uncomfortable silence settling between the two smartly dressed men. One bit his lip, while the other continued to twist the sideburns on the side of his face.

"We're here."

The voice broke the silence, but held a no tolerance, no bullshit allowed lilt. Reborn's tone was cold, distant. Tsuna blinked at the sudden hardness that met the coal black eyes when the gaze shifted to him. Reborn was quite angry, but he couldn't place with what. He slid out of the limo after Reborn, and stared in shameless awe at the scenery that was around him. He made to take a step away when he felt Reborn's hand pull his upper arm towards the limo. When he looked at the man in question, he dropped a pebble near the area Tsuna was headed towards. When the pebble hit, Reborn counted down from five, and a gunshot sounded off, richocheiting from the ground.

"This place is heavily gaurded.. we're barely in the safe zone. Follow in my footsteps, or you will get shot. Got it?"

Reborn turned on his heel and began to follow a woman dressed in a pencil skirt and a white dress shirt that was tucked in. Her aura held a no nonsense attitude, and Tsuna noticed her name tag said Oregano.

Tsuna nodded and unconciously clamped his hand down on Reborn's. He flinched when the hand withdrew swiftly from his arm, leaving him floundering not sure what to do with his hands. He opted to shoving them deep into the suit jacket's pockets as he followed Reborn closely to the gates of the large Italian estate.

He glanced around, taking in as much of the gorgeous Italian countryside that he could, the large metal gates opened. Their care shown when they did not creak as they opened. Other men in black suits bowed at Reborn as he passed. He shivered when he saw the respect these large men held in their eyes. He held in mutiple shreiks as he followed Reborn. These men were looking at him like he was a piece of meat. Reborn looked back to see how his student was farring, and he almsot groaned.

The sharpness he had helped the other gain, and maintian was replaced by the usual doe look. He's going to get himself raped looking like that.. Reborn shook his head, pushing his anger aside and looped his arm through the brunette's. He watched Tsuna physically relax and that hardened look return to his eyes as the spectators adverted their gaze. Smart move.

As the two men walked up the front steps of the estate, Tsuna saw a familiar glint of silver. Before he could stop himself, he detatched his arm from Reborn's and went running. Reborn made to reprimand the male, murmuring something along the lines of this visit not being a damn fieldtrip, but he relaxed when he saw where the male was headed. He then shrugged and headed off in the direction of thr brunette. Gesturing to their guide that he would be right back.

Tsuna ran, and then as his hand came down on the person's shoulder, did he say their name.

"Gokudera-kun! What are you doing here?"

The acid green eyes that greeted him softened as the other smiled.

"Well I'll be damned, he actually got you here. I work here, Tenth."

Upon hearing that word, that numerical marker, Tsuna's face fell. Just what did that number mean. Some part of him, that liked pain questioned if that was his place in line as Reborn's next plaything. He grimaced at that and then spoke before thinking.

"Tenth? What's that for.. just call me Tsuna.."

"No can do, you're the tenth canidate for the Vongola Throne."

Tsuna paled, and began to fall backward. Tenth canidate? Vongola throne? Someone expected him to take over the mafia? What the hell? His head was spinning as he felt his back come into contact with a broad chest. he peeked upwards and felt hands cover his shoulders. He saw that it was Reborn and an angry angle held his eyebrows, his gaze shifted back to Gokudera who was sweating bullets and apologizing.

"I-I didn't know you hadn't told him... I'm sorry Reborn-san! I'm sorr-"

"Get out of here. Now."

Without a second command, Gokudera sent an apologetic glance in Tsuna's direction before running off. Reborn sighed, he turned Tsuna around and looked him dead in the eye. The expression Tsuna held was one that asked for confirmation. A small hope in those amber eyes, as if asking for the joke to be called off. Reborn touched the male's cheek before rubbing small circles into it.

"Looks like my gattino is out of the bag.."

Tsuna fainted.