In which Reborn adds 2+2 and gets 3 because he's missing part of the equation. And Xanxus learns something very interesting...

Once again Betaed by BeyondMyReach.

Ten days later, the door to Xanxus's office slams open.

"You are the biggest ass I've ever met in any life. And trust me, that's an accomplishment!"

Xanxus doesn't even look up from his paperwork, though he does allow himself a smirk. "Hey, Tsuna-Trash, feeling better?"

He can feel the man's flames bristling, and lets himself look up just enough to see him scowl and throw himself into a seat.

"Fine," he says. "All things considered. Our target got away, but my main goal was achieved. The Shimon were located and are now under protection."

"Shimon… should that mean anything to me?" Xanxus asks.

It sounds familiar, but he can't put a finger on why. Tsuna shakes his head.

"Old allies of the Vongola. There was a threat that would come round to be an issue for us if left unchecked, but everything should be good now. Though it does mean Daemon Spade is out there without a plan."

"Daemon Spade?" Xanxus repeats. Isn't that the Mist of the first and second bosses? What the fuck could a dead man have to do with anything?

Before he can ask, there's a soft, childish chuckle from the doorway. "I'm still quite fascinated by that myself."

Tsuna tenses, but Xanxus jerks his head up to see Reborn leaning into the doorway. He's only a few inches taller than Mammon, but still evidently a child. He raises a hand in a mock salute. "Chaos, Varia Commander. Thank you for your assistance."

Xanxus smirks back. "Reborn. See you brought this Sky-Trash back in one piece. Enjoy the trip?"

"It was very informative," Reborn replies.

"He. Won't. Leave," Tsuna whines, looking slightly manic, and Xanxus raises an eyebrow. He can honestly say he hadn't seen that one coming.

On his end, Reborn merely tips his hat. "Apologies, Commander Xanxus, but I would be grateful if you would be willing to extend your hospitality for a few days. I still have a few things I'd like to clear up."

Tsuna mumbles something unintelligible and drops his head in his hands.

"Oh, what was that, Nobody-Tsuna?" Reborn asks. Xanxus feels his Sky's flames flare, clearly agitated.

"I said, there's nothing left to clear up!" he whines, lifting his head up, but refusing to look at either of them. "We have nothing to discuss, so please go ."

Xanxus barely even registers he's leaning over his desk until his chest hits the wood. This is interesting… "Making friends, Nobody-Tsuna?"

Tsuna stiffens, and stands up. "You know what, I don't have to take this," he says. "You deal with it."

He vaguely points at Reborn as he walks through the door. Xanxus is a little surprised Reborn lets him go – the Hitman's head turns to follow him down the hall, an unreadable look in his eye.

"What exactly are you getting out of this?" Xanxus decides to ask, bringing Reborn's attention back to him.

"Answers," is what he offers. "Though how deserving of them I am is hard to say."

It's Tsuna levels of cryptic, but before he can pry, Reborn is walking in and removing his hat. "Now, shall we discuss my short stay?"

Xanxus raises an eyebrow. "Short?"

The Hitman gives a mild shrug. "I am still committed to training Dino Cavallone, so I can only spare three days. But that's acceptable to start. Harmonisation takes time."

Xanxus is suddenly very grateful he's sitting down. As it is, his hand slips off the edge of the desk, and he only just manages to hide that wasn't intentional.

"Harmonisation?" he repeats. "With Tsuna-Trash?"

Just, what? How? Why…

"What the hell happened in Japan?"

If he was less shocked, he might have been pissed at the slightly condescending chuckle that follows, before Reborn gives him an answer.

"It's less what happened there, and more about what happened before."

Xanxus leans back in confusion. His intuition is starting to spike, and he's not entirely sure if it's a good or bad thing. Reborn clearly sees it, and his face sobers up.

"How much do you know about your Sky before he met you?"

"Next to nothing," Xanxus admits. "He was mafia, though not willingly. He had a full set – one related to the Estrano - but they're all gone. Wasn't a good student. That's literally it."

"Hmm, pity," Reborn says. "But not surprising. My sources haven't found anything concrete either."

He leans forward, staring straight at the teen. "Your Sky," he says. "He knows me."

"Well...yeah, Trash," Xanxus replies. Of course he does. He broke the damn curse, but that can't just be it.

"Don't misunderstand," Reborn bites. "He knows me. I've met him twice, but he's aware of me in a way only a handful of people are, and I don't know why. How I drink my coffee, the way I enter a room, my preferences for food, even dozens of my identities, some of which even my closest contacts don't know. And then there's his flames."

"What about them?" Xanxus asks, and Reborn turns to look at him, eyes dark.

"When I was trying to heal him, my flames nearly fell into a full harmony instantaneously. He's the one who had to hold his flames back."

Xanxus nearly chokes on air.

What? That doesn't happen!

...Well, it can , but usually the candidates have to both be children or teenagers. Adults don't give that much of their trust and intimacy in a second – flames don't do love at first sight.

Reborn's expression lights up at his, and grins at his shock. "I was stunned too. I've never come that close, not even with Skies I have friendly relations with. It was as if his body had gone through a near full courting with my flames without me ever knowing."

"How would that even be possible?"

Reborn eyes him up for a moment, and then continues. "I'm sure you've heard the story. After I became an Arcobaleno, I had trouble adjusting. In the end, I took a shortcut and had my memories erased. Made it easier to look in a mirror, but did cause some issues with non-vital alliances and enemies. A lot of people were forgotten."

Xanxus nods. It's fairly common knowledge in the upper Mafia echelons - a popular tale used as proof of Reborn's devotion to his title.

Reborn leans back in his seat, arms folded as he continues.

"The transformation process also burned out any and all full or forming flame bonds I had with anyone outside the Arcobaleno. The only positive out of it was that none of us were harmonised to Luce – the early death of Sky Arcobaleno's means they don't risk harmonising. But I had to build up any friendly bonds again from scratch. Thankfully, given that nothing on their end was damaged, it didn't take much time."

Xanxus is starting to piece it together. "You think you knew him before you were an Arcobaleno," he says. "You think he was courting you."

Christ… is this why Tsuna didn't want to be anywhere near Reborn? Is Reborn the missing Sun Flame in his harmony?

...No, no, Reborn would recognise the fragments of the shattered flame bond. But maybe the Hitman was an earlier choice… something went wrong with the courtship and left him scarred, or was the rejection just too painful to deal with?

It would also explain why Tsuna was so determined to save the Arcobaleno too, despite not wanting to be anywhere near them. Loyal to an element even when they didn't choose him – Tsuna is empathetic enough to do it.

"Clearly he was doing a good job of it too, given how easily my flames fit with him," Reborn admits, oblivious to the breakthrough Xanxus is having. "They've never taken to anyone that quickly in all the years I remember. But given his age… I'm guessing he would have been a young teen at the oldest when we met. If I was between him and the Luce I thought I knew – I can see why I'd reject him for her back then."

"Dumbest decision you ever made, Trash."

Reborn barks out a laugh. "Oh, I can't disagree. Especially since whoever he replaced me with clearly wasn't a good substitute if they went and died."

He goes a little sombre at that. "Maybe if I'd been there, he wouldn't be so broken now."

It's a dark thought. As much as Xanxus wants his Sky to move on from the past he never speaks of, he never would have met him if he hadn't. His Storm flames war between possessive and protective at the idea.

"Has he admitted any of this?" Xanxus asks, already knowing the answer.

"Not exactly," Reborn replies. "I had to trick him into admitting he knew me before, but he clammed up after that. He's been frustratingly obstinate – I'm almost proud. All he's willing to say is-"

Xanxus grins and interrupts. "Let me guess. It's complicated ."

Reborn smirks, and stands up.

"I'm not backing down," he says. "I don't know what I did or said to him once, and there's no way for me to remember. But his flames are too good a match for mine, so I'll just have to make it up to him. Even if he doesn't tell me our history, barring some unexpected revelation, I intend to complete the harmonisation this time."

Then he grins again. "Well, first I'll court him on my end. Whatever our relationship was, it has been some years, and I need to learn exactly who he is now. I'm sure he feels the same."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure his opinion is for the two of you to remain strangers," Xanxus jokes. Reborn just shrugs.

"I'll change his mind."

Xanxus scoffs. "Well, I don't know if you're looking for my blessings or something, but feel free to try. He's a fucking nightmare to convince."

"I'm the World's Greatest Hitman," Reborn reminds him. "I don't fail."

He turns and walks towards the door, a hand sending a lazy wave backwards. "I'll take one of the guest rooms you have on the third floor. You'll hardly even know I'm here, this trip is mostly reconnaissance."

"Wait-"

Reborn pauses at the entrance.

"Do you know Tsuna is so determined to keep me out of Japan?" Xanxus asks. The Hitman's shoulders rise – then drop as he turns, hiding a smirk behind a hand.

"I have some idea," he admits. "But he swore not to actively kick me out if I kept quiet, so-"

Xanxus snorts. "Right. Get out of my sight, Trash."

The Hitman cackles, but complies.

Mammon is not elated that Reborn has decided to hunker down at their new building, and charges Xanxus a significant fee for the inconvenience. Lussuria mistakes his arrival as a threat to his position and tries to challenge him – and gets sent to the medical ward for his troubles. Though given the grin on the martial artist's face when Xanxus checked in on him, he doesn't regret it one bit.

Tsuna, however, decides to be a ghost. While Xanxus has managed to shift his bedroom into the Varia Mansion, and the man is sleeping here, he has it on good authority that Tsuna is exiting via the window rather than risk the halls. Oddly enough, Reborn doesn't seem too bothered, meandering the halls, ticking off Mammon, terrifying the Sun division, introducing Bel to the phrase 'biting off more than you can chew' with a physical demonstration, solidifying Squalo's quite significant not-crush, and – the one time he ran into Zelos – proceeded to wipe out most of the Varia's available liquor as they reminisced over the Vongola 8th.

Xanxus does eventually track his Sky down in the Estrano base, where Reborn has been warned not to set foot. It takes three attempts to locate them – Karasu's office and the science lab were busts, but he eventually strikes gold in a study room near her office. Mukuro and Nagi are to the side, writing what is probably homework, while Karasu and his wayward Sky share coffee at a low table. He intends to just storm in and toss something at Tsuna's head for the inconvenience he's causing, but he slows when he hears Tsuna and Karasu having a conversation, and hesitates at the door.

"-Occur to you that staying quiet is what's causing every problem you have?" he catches Karasu asking, and Tsuna's disgruntled scoff is probably audible another floor up.

"It wouldn't be such an issue if people would keep their noses out of my business," he snaps. "It's been years since anyone's tried to press me."

"You told me," Karasu offers. "Would it really be so hard t-"

"I was honest with you because I had to be," Tsuna interrupts. "Because harmonisation was clearly going to happen and you needed to know beforehand or it would have felt non-consensual."

"And Reborn doesn't get the same treatment?"

"Not even remotely," Tsuna tells her. "He wasn't related, so he wouldn't notice anything whe- if , he overwrote the bond with my previous Sun."

In her chair, Karasu leans back. "Well then, you're going to have a problem, because Reborn isn't going to back off. Even if you told him, I don't think it would deter him."

"Yeah, I know it wouldn't," Tsuna sighs. "The man's never met a 'no' he couldn't willingly turn into a yes."

"Then why fight a lost battle?"

For several moments, Tsuna is silent, before-

"It's mine," Tsuna eventually says, head down. "My story, my history, my life. No matter what else, nobody can take that from me unless I give it. Those memories, that life – I don't want it being common knowledge. Reborn is part of a life I don't have any more, and I'm not ready to change that. He's-"

Tsuna stops, and Xanxus jerks back behind the door frame. Too late.

"Don't pretend you're not listening," Tsuna calls. "Get in here."

Xanxus snorts, and strides in like he hasn't just been caught red handed. Both Mukuro and Nagi look up from their work and give him short waves, which he returns before slipping into an empty chair and eyes up his Sky. "So, you and Reborn do have a history, huh? Care to fill me in Trash?"

"Not particularly," Tsuna replies, to nobody's surprise. Xanxus snickers and leans over the table.

"First Varia, then Estrano, now an Arcobaleno, you do have quality taste in elements."

"No, I attract strong personalities that have never accepted a refusal in their lives," Tsuna snaps back. "Something that remains the same over two lifetimes."

"Huh?"

"... Forget it."

Karasu's eyes flit between the two, amusement clear. "In Tsuna's defence, he does have valid reasons for not wanting to harmonise with Reborn right now," she offers. "Outside of his usual spiel anyway."

"Oh?" Xanxus says.

Tsuna sighs. "Look, he's still training Dino, so he's hardly a free agent. Harmonising with someone outside the Cavallone, especially after the Squalo incident, will cause a scandal."

He looks up and gives Xanxus a disapproving glare. Xanxus brushes it off – Tsuna knows damn well Squalo belongs with Xanxus, and he refuses to be upset about how that all started. But he will admit it is a valid point.

"Fine, you're trying to be diplomatic," Xanxus says. "But you're not even willing to be in the same room with him, Trash. Things might go easier if you offer him a time you're willing to start courting."

Tsuna smiles. It's not a particularly happy expression. "But if we did harmonise, we then have to worry about social expectations. Harmonising with the No. 1 Hitman, who has been extremely vocal about his independence even during the Arcobaleno era, while being chained to the Vongola requires serious consideration. Especially since my leash is so loose."

Karasu is already nodding. "The brothers like you well enough, but the Ninth is still pretty suspicious. Reborn is a powerful piece to bring on the board when you're trying to keep your head down. And stop eavesdropping Mukuro."

Xanxus glances over just in time to see the boys head dart back down to his papers, face slightly red, and snickers to himself.

Tsuna just nods at her earlier comment. "Until one of them inherits, I'm better off keeping Reborn at a distance, for both our sakes."

Well, at least this time he isn't saying 'no' entirely – although he doubts Reborn is the type to care about the scandal of his actions. He's not jealous of Tsuna-Trash one bit, if he's going to try and keep him at bay for several years.

Seeing that Xanxus doesn't have any more questions, Tsuna stands, stretching as he does. "Did you have a reason for tracking me down, or was this just general curiosity?" he asks.

Xanxus shrugs. "It's irritating when I can't find you, and Reborn's made himself at home. Can't even enjoy the firing range when he's in there crushing every record I make." He looks at Tsuna with a burgeoning grin on his face. "Interested in a spar? Some of the men want to see exactly what's got an Arcobaleno so interested, and we haven't gone at it in a while."

Tsuna makes a low, grumbling sound. "Not today. That'll draw you-know-who's attention. When the Cavallone drag him back, you can try and beat me up all you like."

Xanxus grins like the Cheshire cat. "I'll hold you to that, Trash."

"You always do," Tsuna mumbles, rolling his eyes. "Karasu, can we speak privately? Like to talk about what I actually came here for."

The woman is immediately on her feet, sending Xanxus a quick smile. "Sure. Xanxus, watch the kids till I get someone else in here?"

Xanxus protests immediately – but the two of them are out the door and probably on a beeline to her office before he even sits up, and he scowls, crossing his arms and looking at the mini Karasu's in frustration. Nagi looks up for a moment before biting her lip and dropping her head back down, but Mukuro is looking at him with great joy.

( Years from now, Tsuna will admit to Xanxus that what happens next is entirely his fault. He was so preoccupied in getting off the topic of Reborn, he forgot that leaving Xanxus in the company of the youngest Estrano was equally as dangerous to his secrets ).

"What are you brats working on?" he asks, mostly out of boredom. "Homework?"

Mukuro laughs, resting his chin on his hands as he stares back. "Nope. Finished all that. Just wanted to look busy so Mama wouldn't kick us out. Uncle Tsuna's stories are always interesting."

Xanxus smirks back. This kid's gonna be a career criminal, Xanxus is calling it now.

"You're gonna go far, Brat," he offers, and leans over the table, curious to look at what he's been doing. It mostly appears to just be random doodles, with a rather macabre twist. He's pretty sure that's Tsuna, and his mother, and the one with the hat is probably Reborn. There's also another figure he doesn't recognise, a little black haired person, about the size of the Mukuro drawing – fighting another Tsuna doodle.

"Whose that?" he asks, and Mukuro smiles.

"That's Hibari. He lives in Namimori, and he's a lot of fun," Mukuro explains. "He really likes Uncle Tsuna, but I'm not sure Uncle Tsuna likes him. They were always fighting when we were there. He bites ."

Xanxus raises his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Really," Mukuro insists. "It's funny. He wants to harmonise but Uncle Tsuna keeps telling him no, and then Hibari knocks down a wall, so Uncle Tsuna beats him up, and then they'd do the same thing the next day."

That has Nagi looking up from her own drawings. "When he found out Uncle Tsuna was leaving, he tried to smuggle himself away in the luggage. Didn't figure it out until the airport – Uncle Tsuna was maaad ."

Yeah, Xanxus can imagine.

"So, Tsuna-Trash has a baby Cloud in Namimori, huh?" Xanxus muses. Is that why he doesn't want Xanxus there? In case he poaches the runt? Not likely, he has enough trouble with the Prince in his ranks – even if Ottavio is irritating enough to replace with a kid.

"Yup. Met him when we went to go get Nagi," Mukuro continues. "Hibari hated Uncle Tsuna then though. Mama says they both got territorial because of their flames. Then Uncle Tsuna fought him, and accidentally let his Sky flames out, and boom! Hibari wouldn't leave him alone at all."

Xanxus bursts into laughter. Holy crap, it almost sounds like how he met Tsuna. Between that and Reborn's size, does Tsuna just attract kid flames or something? That's two kids and an Arcobaleno under his thrall.

"Tsuna-Trash must have been so damn frustrated," he snickers. "One more brat that he couldn't shake no matter what he did. Wonder if 'Hibari' will pin him down and harmonise him by force in the future?"

Nagi giggles. "I drew a picture," she says. "Look-"

She pushes a few colourful pictures to the side and pulls out a paper with two figures in the centre, and a bunch of happy smiling people to the side. It's clearly Nagi, Mukuro and Karasu judging from their hair, but the two main subjects consist of a spiky haired brunette, and a black haired boy half his size carrying sticks in his hands and fangs drawn in his mouth. But something about the drawing doesn't look quite right.

Specifically, both of them have bright purple hands, as if both of them…

"What, you run out of orange?" Xanxus asks, voice curious as he lifts the paper up. "Tsuna's flames should be orange or red."

Nagi pouts. "They were purple in Namimori."

Xanxus freezes.

What?

"Tsuna doesn't have Clo- doesn't have purple flames."

"No," Nagi whines. "They were purple! Like Hibari's. They matched. Mama said that's why Hibari got mad."

Slowly, Xanxus sucks in a breath. "You...are you sure ?"

The girl nods with the assurance only a child can have. "Yup. I asked if he could make them navy too, but he said the purple ones were special, and they were secret."

Suddenly, her eyes go wide. "Oh, I wasn't supposed to say anything!"

"That's okay, Sis," Mukuro quickly adds, an unreadable look on his face. "Mama said Xanxus was always going to find out."

"Right..." Xanxus says, pasting on what he hopes is a harmless smile. "I was. You didn't do anything wrong, Nagi. Not at all."

The girl's shoulders drop in relief, and when Xanxus hears footsteps heading towards the door, he quickly gives them his goodbyes before rushing past whoever Karasu sent to watch them, and heading back towards the Varia compound, his brain reeling from this new information.

God, everything suddenly makes so much more sense . Tsuna's reluctance to get too close. His refusal to flare his flames unless he had no choice. How their harmony just seems off in a way Xanxus can't explain. The almost instinctual need to run whenever something tried to tie him down. The puzzle pieces suddenly fell into place with just one word.

Cloud.

Tsuna's Night flames had mutated into Storm flames thanks to Xanxus's influence, but the man never said those were the only ones he obtained. And Lal Mirch, the only other corrupted flame user Xanxus knows, ended up with two additional flames.

Xanxus doesn't even try to hide the smirk that crawls over his face, this new information opening up a world of opportunities.

Well, isn't that interesting…

Now that Xanxus knows, it's absolute agony not to confront him, but given that Tsuna's still jumping at shadows and hiding from Reborn, Xanxus has to hold back until the Hitman leaves. When he does - having managed to interrogate just about anyone who had ever even met Tsuna - his Sky immediately slips back into his meandering around the mansion, pretending he hasn't spent the last several days hiding from a guest that didn't even come up to his waist.

The perfect opportunity actually comes up less than a day after Reborn leaves, and Tsuna is in his office. Lussuria's bond is getting stronger by the day, and Mammon will be harmonising within the week if things continue as is. But the biggest advancement is Bel, who has gone from interesting to a genuine candidate, now that Xanxus knows Tsuna has another qualification.

"Congratulations on your new Storm," Tsuna says, after knocking on his door. Xanxus tosses a scrunched up paper ball his way when he walks in.

"He's not my Storm yet," Xanxus tells him. "We just started courting."

"Still, you were so determined to ignore him, I'm proud of you," Tsuna continues, stopping at the edge of his desk and half sitting on it. "He'll be a good fit, I think."

Xanxus can't help but agree. The little brat is arrogant and entitled, but damn if he can't put his money where his mouth is. He's terrifying in a fight, and he's studied etiquette on a level Xanxus will never understand – the Prince has already been shoved onto the shortlist of Varia members that should attend any of the more high level meetings, just in case there's some upper-class strategic ministrations Xanxus doesn't catch.

And more importantly, for all his blue blood, Belphegor understands survival of the fittest and submission to the bigger badder predator with the same comprehension as a slumdog. He'll follow Xanxus to his grave, so long as Xanxus gives him good reason to.

"What about Lightning and Cloud?" Tsuna asks, and Xanxus only just hides a shiver of anticipation.

"Zelos is too fucking old, and one hundred percent uninterested in harmonising," Xanxus says. "Couple of possible candidates, but nothing quality yet."

Tsuna nods. "Guess he's not here yet..."

Xanxus frowns. "Who?"

Tsuna acts as if he hasn't heard him, one hand folding the edge of a paper report on the desk.

"So all you're really looking for is a Cloud," Tsuna notes, glancing at the records. Xanxus snaps his head down to hide the wide grin, busying himself with signing forms. "You rejected Ottavio?"

"My flames rejected Ottavio" Xanxus snapped back, signing another mission request. "He felt wrong."

Tsuna sighs, leaving the papers alone and just gripping the wooden edge. "I wish I could help, but I can't think of any Cloud's that aren't too young or harmonised already. There is a possible I know in Japan-"

Oh, Xanxus just bets he does. One with teething problems apparently.

"-But probably best we wait a few years – he's a little young, and you have your hands full with Bel. If you've already rejected everyone in the Varia, you'll probably just have to wait.

"… Not necessarily."

Tsuna frowns, turning his head, and freezes when he realises Xanxus is staring at him intently.

"You're a Cloudy Sky, Tsunayoshi."

Watching Tsuna react to that news is some of the best entertainment he's has in years. First it's shock, Tsuna wondering how the hell Xanxus figured it out. A second later, self-deprecating for thinking the teen wouldn't have figured it out by now, quickly followed by panic as he gets where this is going almost instantly.

"OhwaitisthatSqualoIhearI'dbetterbegoing-" he squeaks out, jumping up and quickly spinning on his heels for the door. He doesn't get more than three paces before Xanxus vaults over his desk and slams into his back, tanned arms pinning the smaller man's own down to the side. Shoulders sag under the hold, and Xanxus drops his head on Tsuna's spiky locks, grinning like a madman.

"You're so good at making me forget you were mafia even before we met," Xanxus chuckles. "You let everyone see your Storm flames because you knew they couldn't harmonise. Tricked the old man's intuition by letting him come to his own assumptions – a lie by omission and you fooled everyone. Nobody even thought to look any deeper."

"Xanxus…"

"But my flames knew even before I did," Xanxus all but purrs. "Now I know why they kept getting frustrated round you. Why our harmony just didn't feel right. And why despite having a dozen decent Cloud candidates, I couldn't harmonise. Every single damn one of them feels like a betrayal because I was already courting my perfect Cloud."

Now they know what to look for, his Sky flames flare with purpose, ignoring the familiar orange and replicant red to dig for the hidden prize, and he grins in triumph as Tsuna's orange and red flames make way for purple, emerging without protest, fascinated by the call, the man squawking at their arrival.

"And we both know the feeling's mutual."

He gets a brief moment to taste just how right Tsuna's Cloud flames feel mixed in with his Sky before Tsuna slams the brakes on that plan, breaking out of the hold and punching Xanxus square in the face. The teen jerks back – he can already feel the blood dripping from his nose – while Tsuna's Cloud retreats in the wake of a very agitated Sky flame.

"Xanxus…" he growls, the way one would at a misbehaving dog. "No."

One hand on his nose, Xanxus scowls, digging for his elements and cursing when he still feels the Cloud empty. He might have been able to carve a place for himself in Tsuna's Sky, but his Cloud flames had to come to him. The man is far too powerful to overwhelm, no matter how used he is to the Varia boss's flames, or how much his own might want to follow through.

The Cloud flames gone, Tsuna's Sky flame has started to calm him, and the man recovers quickly, walking over and inspecting Xanxus's nose with a wince.

"Shall I call Lussuria?"

Xanxus just brushes him off. "Keh, forget it. Your punches aren't that bad," he snaps. "It's not even bleeding any more."

Tsuna drops his hand, and narrows his eyes. "How did you find out?" he asks. "I know Karasu and Reborn didn't spill."

"Why don't you figure that out yourself?" Xanxus parries, still feeling bitter. "What I want to know is why the fuck you hid it from me."

"To avoid this exact situation," Tsuna mutters under his breath, and Xanxus growls.

"Well sorry, but cat's out of the bag," he says. "You're my Cloud. No one else will do, and I'm putting you in the Cloud Officer role the second I can pry the ring off Ottavio's finger!"

"Try it and I will never set foot in Italy again!" Tsuna warns, his face going pale. "I am not Varia."

"You'd rather leave me with a Cloud you know I can't trust?" Xanxus asks. Tsuna just crosses his arms and looks away.

"I told you my limits years ago Xanxus, and you were fine with them then. What happened to 'resident-bum-and-occasional-informant?'"

"The bum developed Cloud flames and can still take out just about everyone in the building if he put his mind to it," Xanxus snaps. "You'd be perfect for the Cloud Officer. All the Trash want to do is wander around at their own pace anyway!"

"You may have forgotten Xanxus, but I. Am. Not. An. Assassin!" Tsuna warns. "Exactly how can I be an officer of an assassination squad if I don't kill?"

He holds up a hand at Xanxus's obvious reply. "I'm not pretending I don't have a body count, but never in the name of Vongola."

"Delegate," is Xanxus's reply. "They're Varia, they're hardly going to complain if they get a few extra jobs. Officers are mostly in charge of training and allocating missions. Nothing says you have to have to take point yourself – sure Ottavio will be happy to keep some control as your Vice Captain."

The Sky however, doesn't seem happy with that answer.

"Xanxus, find someone else," Tsuna warns, eyes glowing orange with a hint of red. "That's my final word on this."

"But-"

"Xanxus. I reject you as a Sky."

The Varia Commander flinches as if he's been shot. Tsuna looks almost as if he wants to take it back, but there's a flicker of purple in his eye, and he's walking out the door without hesitation.

When the door closes, Xanxus grabs a whisky glass and throws it at the wood. The glass shattering is more than a little cathartic, but doesn't stop the yell that follows.

"This isn't over Trash!"

Since I know people are going to ask – yes, in the other world, Tsuna and Reborn were very close to harmonising, and Reborn was the one keeping it from happening. Not because he didn't want Tsuna as a Sky, but because he's extremely prideful and wasn't willing to be a 'second' Sun. He doesn't share. However, he also couldn't get rid of Ryohei, because he approved him as a Guardian candidate, and even if he COULD convince Tsuna to reject him, that would suggest that Reborn was wrong to suggest him, and that's as bad as coming second. Tsuna just thought he wanted to remain independent.

(In the other world, Reborn's plan was to shove as many dangerous missions Ryohei's way once Tsuna inherited, in the hopes that he might die or choose to 'vanish' so Reborn could swoop in and take his place).