A/N: Just a warning guys, this is my first attempt at R27. It's a prompt that's been in my head for a while now. Takes place before Reborn is cursed.

Edit: Did some minor tweaking with the grammar, nothing major. Currently working on a sequel that will be added sometime after this update.

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Thank god or it would have had a lot of hiatuses.

Don't Fear the Reaper

Renato Sinclair wasn't born a killer, as much as he'd like people to believe. His first kill was when he was a teenager and had been in self-defense. His widowed mother, god rest her soul, had gone back into the dating world so that Renato could have a father figure. At first Demitri was the perfect gentleman, something that Renato strove to be. He was always wearing tailor made suits and women seemed to fall at his feet.

Unfortunately his personality completely changed when the couple was married. The man was a mafioso and showed his true colors. Demitri only wanted Renato for his potential as a Sun and was willing to kill his mother to activate these flames. Demetri hadn't anticipated the teen's violent reaction to his mother's murder and was overwhelmed by Sun flames, his cells accelerating to the point that the coroner's report deemed that the man died of old age.

As Renato grieved there was a bright flash of light and he searched for some sort of weapon to defend himself. The intruder was a young man with spiky brown hair and amber eyes. He bent down to Renato's mother, his hand reaching towards the woman's face. "Don't touch her!" Renato snarled, startling the intruder. "Renato Sinclair, I am sorry for your loss." Tsunayoshi says sincerely, closing the eyes of the woman in reverence.

He gently pressed his thumb to her forehead, her body glowing as it released the woman's soul. Renato watched in awe as her spirit looked towards the man, her eyes determined. "Before you sent me and that bastard off, may I say something to my son?" She inquired, Tsunayoshi smiled softly. "Of course, just don't speak of this to anyone. My boss would kill me if he knew I was giving anyone special treatment." He says, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Maria was solemn as she faced her son. Her hand reached up to his cheeks, cheeks that were stained with tears. She couldn't physically touch him but there was a warmth radiating from her, a stark contrast to what Renato expected. "I want you to live on my dear Renato, don't give in to despair. Find something to live for." She says, then her eyes took on a mischievous gleam. "And find a nice girl, or boy if you'd prefer." She says, looking amused as Tsunayoshi blushed.

Demitri had received a sending off that sounded painful. The shinigami's eyes narrowed in anger as his hand slammed on the man's chest, his soul letting out an inhuman wail as it was engulfed in flames. "I hate dealing with those type of bastards." Tsuna says coldly, adjusting his sleeves. And just as suddenly as he appeared, the shinigami disappeared in a flash of light.

XoXoXoXoXo

After this incident Renato was a wanted man, the police incorrectly assuming that he had been the one to kill his mother. He lived on the streets and was forced to join the underworld that Demitri had been a part of. Many families had tried recruiting him, sometimes forcefully, only to be executed for their troubles. He took it upon himself to kill scum like Demitri and fell into the role of a hitman for hire. There was one more thing that motivated his killings, apparently the shinigami that had taken his mother and Demitri was in charge of mafia related deaths.

Tsunayoshi sighed, feeling haggard by the amount of murders taking place. And the cause of them was Renato Sinclair, the only human able to see him. As the human aged, he became more and more handsome. The bastard knew it if the smug look Renato gave him was any indication. "You're making my job much more difficult Renato." He says irritably, the Italian smirked. "I thought that you'd like a repeat customer that could actually see you. And it's Reborn now."

Tsuna deadpanned. "I don't care if you're Mother Teresa, you're being a pain in the ass. Is this some sick way of getting a date with me?" Reborn raised an eyebrow. "Are you volunteering?" He asks smoothly, Tsuna groaned. "If you haven't noticed I'm not like those humans that have been eyeing you like a piece of meat." Reborn just shrugged. "That wasn't a no." He says, Tsuna glared. "Fine! Just stop killing so many people!" Tsuna snapped.

Their first date was, of course, at a coffee shop. Not surprising since Reborn was obsessed with espressos and he was currently threatening to kill the barista if they messed up their orders. Tsuna gave them an apologetic look before dragging Reborn away. "Why not announce that you're part of the mafia while you're at it? The poor man looked like he was going to soil himself." Tsuna states, noticing Reborn watch the man like a hawk. He winced when the barista knocked over a stack of disposable cups and nearly burned his hand.

"For a shinigami involved with the mafia, you'd think that your disposition would be more... apathetic." Reborn says, watching the display in amusement. "I guide criminals and the innocent civilians they killed into the afterlife. Some of those innocents are children." Tsuna states, his eyes downcast. There were many families that were willing to experiment on children and harvest their organs. It pained him, not being able to do a thing about it.

"You're nothing more than a child yourself." Reborn says as their orders were placed on the counter. Tsuna huffed. "It's not like I can age like you humans."

XoXoXoXoXo

To ensure Reborn wouldn't go on another killing spree, Tsuna agreed to have coffee with the hitman once a week. It was a welcome reprieve from all the death he was surrounded by. When Reborn wasn't being difficult he could be very charming and insightful. He sighed, it was only a matter of time for Reborn to realize that a relationship with a shinigami would be fruitless. The man would eventually settle down with a family or, Tsuna's heart ached when he thought this, Reborn would die on a job.

The next time Tsuna met Reborn, the man was already in a gunfight with several dead bodies at his feet. The blood slowly dripped into one of the hitman's eyes and his exhausted appearance had Tsunayoshi seeing red. Orange flames engulfed the men, Tsuna's eyes widened in horror when he realized he just broke one of the taboos of being a shinigami. He was not allowed to interfere with the lives of the living, especially if it was their fated time to die.

"You're much stronger than you look." Reborn states, Tsuna looked at him incredulously and laughed. "You have no idea how many laws I just broke." He says, running a hand through his hair. It was going to take a lot of effort to convince his boss not to erase him from existence. Even if the man was a relative of his. He showed no signs of resistance as two enforcers took him into custody. Tsuna should have been terrified but at that moment he couldn't bring himself to care.

After Tsuna's disappearance, Reborn tried seeing the shinigami again. It was a fruitless effort, the shinigami had no clue where his predecessor had gone. One of the few constants in his life vanished and it only went downhill from there.

XoXoXoXoXo

Decades later, Reborn would be assigned to train the next heir of Vongola. The baby couldn't stop the surprised laugh that escaped when he looked at the photo. His eyes were now brown and the boy was shadow of his former self but he'd recognize the former shinigami anywhere. Timoteo sat patiently in front of his, trying to hide his unease. "Well Reborn? Will you accept this job?" Reborn smirked. "He'll be the greatest Vongola don the family has ever had."