Summary: Tsunayoshi Sawada, older twin of Tamaki Sawada. Twins who were forced to separate at age two. One whisked away to Italy, where he was raised as the next boss of the Vongola Famiglia. The other left in Japan to live a life as an ordinary citizen. When the official heir returns to his homeland with a baby hit man as his tutor, they thought they knew what to expect. They were wrong.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything from Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn. This fanfic is purely for amusement, and not profit.
WARNINGS: FemTsuna Story. Possible pairing: 18xFem27. Profanity.
Kusakabe is Kousabe! SORRY FOR MY MISTAKE!

Tsuna left the school with Kyoya, ignoring both the subtle and blatant stares coming from the faculty and remaining students. To her surprise, Kyoya had not attempted to run off after Tamaki. If she didn't know him so well, she wouldn't have considered the fact that he was simply bidding his time until he could attack Reborn or Tamaki.

"Herbivore," Tsuna stopped and looked up at Kyoya. Kyoya continued, "I will eat with you and your mother tonight."

"Good," nodded Tsuna. "My mom's going to be making a storm of food now that Tamaki's back. We could use some help eating her dishes."

Kyoya didn't bother replying. Soon, they were right in front of the Sawada household. Tsuna took out her keys, but paused at the threshold. She looked up at Kyoya sternly, "No fights, okay? I mean it, Kyoya. My mom will say its fine, but I'll refuse to spar with you for the next two months."

With a side-way glance at Kyoya, Tsuna opened the door. Sooner than Kyoya would have thought possible, his herbivore slammed the door back and grabbed his arm, leading him away from the house. Kyoya frowned and halted at the gate. Tsuna tried in vain to pull him away, but finally stopped and looked at him.

She gazed at him with wide eyes. "I'm fairly certain that my mom bought new clothes for me. Let's come back in an hour."

Kyoya blinked. In a swift movement, Tsuna felt her feet leave the floor as Kyoya quickly lifted her up and head towards the nearby park. Normally, Tsuna would have protested being in Kyoya's arms, but in these types of situations, she knew that speed was the key factor. Her mother would have found Kyoya as her collaborator, if she didn't make him be the audience to her daughter's one girl fashion show. Kyoya wanted her to be comfortable with her body, but even he couldn't handle her mom when she was using her camera every five seconds, gushing over her, and demanding Kyoya to say something.

Eventually, Kyoya put her down. Recognizing the park, Tsuna's eyes landed on the tunnel. She walked over there, while Kyoya followed her at his own pace. Tsuna allowed her fingers to trail daintily on the cold metal and a soft sigh escaped her lips, before she paused midway the tunnel. Kyoya raised an eyebrow as he watched his herbivore go to one end and crouch down. After a few muttered words, she stood up with a child with wild curly hair and a cow suit. She caught his eye and gave a small shrug as her hands adjusted to better support the child.

"This is my friend Kyoya. Can you say hi, Lambo?"

Kyoya forced himself to not bite the child to death. Instead of greeting him properly, the cow child peeked at him through the mass that he called hair and clutched at Tsuna. He said something and his high-pitched squeaky voice nearly doubled his irritation.

"Scary!"

Tsuna gave another shrug to Kyoya, who narrowed his eyes. She looked down at the child. "Lambo; my friend Kyoya might be scary but he only bites people who broke his rules. You're a good boy, right?"

"LAMBO-SAMA is the BEST...WAIT." In an instant, the toddler dropped his hands to his side and slumped against Tsuna. "Lambo's family will only see him as the best once he becomes the super number one hit man."

"I'm sure that you don't have to be the number one hit man right away." Tsuna said soothingly as she lightly bounced. "You need to grow a little more, Lambo."

"But Lambo doesn't want to wait. He wants to beat that stupid Reborn, right now! Once Lambo beats Reborn, Italy won't stand a chance against me and my family."

Tsuna's jaw dropped, while Kyoya felt a smirk growing on his face.

"Baby Cow," said Kyoya. Lambo unconsciously straightened and look at the scary man. He sniffled, but he didn't dare cry. Kyoya continued, "Leave the biting to carnivores. Once you get stronger, you can face the baby."

"How?" inquired Lambo.

Kyoya grinned savagely, but he tamed it once he sensed Lambo's fear and Tsuna's glare. "When you're bigger, I'll help you train. For now, eat right, sleep well, and learn."

Lambo's green eyes looked into Kyoya's dark eyes, and for the first time in his life, he knew that someone was taking his goal seriously. Big sis's friend might be scary, but he was strong too…

Tsuna huffed at the gleam at Kyoya's eyes and raised a hand to gently turn Lambo's face towards her. "Lambo, if you really do want to beat Reborn one day, then choosing Kyoya would be a good idea. He's wild, scary, tough, devilish…" Tsuna had to pause as she caught a glimpse of Kyoya's face. "But he's also dependable, clever, strong, and a great chief. I'll also be with you every step of the way. I won't let him get out of hand."

Lambo blinked bright green eyes at her. He held out a pinky and asked, "Promise?"

Tsuna grinned and wrapped her pinky around Lambo's much smaller finger. "I promise."

Kyoya huffed quietly, but said nothing.

"Lambo, where is your guardian? Do you know where your home is? Or do you have a phone number?"

Lambo fell slightly and looked down. He avoided everyone's eyes. An awful idea sprouted in Tsuna's mind, but it was Kyoya who voiced it.

"You are a native of Italy, yet you come to Japan without a guardian and a permanent address," said Kyoya bluntly.

Tsuna felt bad for Lambo as he began to cry. She hugged him and looked at Kyoya. He looked coolly back at her.

"Lambo, how about you stay with me?" Tsuna asked. "I can ask my mom, and she'll probably say yes."

"Why?" Lambo asked quietly.

Tsuna beamed. "She has a soft spot for children."

"Lambo will have a bed and warm food too?"

Tsuna nodded. Lambo wiped his nose with his sleeve and cackled happily. "Lambo-sama will gladly take your offer."

Nana's giddiness couldn't be expressed in words as she ushered Lambo into the bathroom for a bubble bath. Tsuna giggled at her mother's silliness as she left Lambo's cow suit with the laundry machine. As she walked towards her room, Tsuna caught sight of Tamaki leaving his room. Her brother saw her as well, but Tamaki turned red and quickly walked passed her. Tsuna took a deep breath as she realized that Tamaki still had affronted feelings about her gender. She understood that Tamaki had probably gotten influenced in a bad way, but her feelings of resentment couldn't be stopped…no matter how much she wanted it to happen.

Tsuna shook her head to banish her thoughts. She opened the door to her room and her eyes caught Kyoya. Kyoya merely held her eyes for a moment before he closed them again. Tsuna snorted but moved towards her desk, away from the prefect who casually used her bed as his nap spot. She opened her book bag and took out her homework. An hour past, and she wasn't even halfway done.

She glared at the numbers, before slouching and resting her head on the table. She could use a break. The sensation of cold hands gracing her neck caused Tsuna to jump in her seat. The hands pressed harder on her shoulders, and Tsuna gradually relaxed as she realized that Kyoya was just doing one of the health exercises that Fon taught them.

"Italian mafia, hit men toddler-sized, the Vongola…" said Tsuna. "How did things come to this?"

"Does it matter?" Kyoya replied bluntly. "You should really be asking what you want to do."

"What do you mean?"

"The baby won't stay quiet forever, and your father, if not the twin, will cause trouble." Kyoya said. "What are your goals?"

Tsuna was quiet for a long moment. Kyoya suppressed his irritation and finished the exercise. Finally, Tsuna turned around and looked at him.

"I don't want to be a mafia boss, but I refused to be left in the dark." Said Tsuna, "I won't look for trouble, but I won't let them do things their way. I hope we can settle things without fighting…"

Kyoya looked at her coolly and said nothing. Tsuna turned back to her homework, ignoring the sinking feeling deep in her stomach. Things were stirring, and Tsuna knew deep in her bones that it wasn't possible to stop it.

Sicily, Italy

Hands gripped tightly on the white shirt as the owner threw the adolescent to the dark and foul alley through the backdoor. The owner spat at the teen and loomed over him. Bright emerald eyes gleamed with anger and hatred.

The man growled. "Enter our territory again and you'll be losing more than your pride, boy. Go back to your ma and drink milk."

Young but calloused hands with unusually elegant long finders seized the collar of the shirt and smashed the man against the wall. Before he could catch his breath, a fist slammed into his gut. The attack was sharper due to the variety of rings on the hand. A second fist got his chin, before he caught the fists and jerked the teen toward him before shoving him with his full strength. The teenager hit the wall and fell on his stomach. The man slammed his foot on the teen's back twice, before he was satisfied and went back into the building.

The sound of the door closing seemed to echo in the alley. The teen clenched his fists and slammed his knuckles against the ground.

Why am I so weak? I trained with Shamal. I'm a fucking genius. I know how to use dynamite. But it's never enough… The familias don't want a half-breed, and the new ones don't want an ex-pianist. I'll be dead soon if I don't get in a family. Shit, even the half-decent ones are dwindling into single digits.

A vibration startled the teenager. He had completely forgotten about the phone he swiped. Stiffly, he answered the phon. Any response that would have come out died once he heard the speaker.

"Ciaossu, Hayato Gokudera."

"Reborn," Hayoto breathed out. "What does the legendary hit man want with me?"

"I have information that would surely interest you. As I'm sure all of Italy have heard, Nono has lived a long life. One of the candidates to be his heir is in Japan continuing his training. He's the same age as you."

Hayato clenched his jaw. Just by being in Lady Luck's grace, a kid like him is going to become the next boss of one of the most infamous mafia families in Italy.

"How would you like to test him yourself? Come to Japan and test him. The Vongola need a strong leader. If he isn't suitable, then…" Reborn trailed off.

Hayato hesitated. If the heir was competent, then Reborn wouldn't have asked him to test the heir, right? What if it was a trap though? Reborn could have been hired to take him out, but he hasn't done anything to warrant such aggression. Well, there was that place at Venice…But none of the bastards could have gotten enough money to hire Reborn. It would have been big news underground.

"You swear? I will not suffer any consequences?" bit out Hayato harshly.

"My word; why you might even find yourself leading a family..."

Hayato look up at the night sky and stared at the pale lights. "I don't want to be the leader, but I'll do a better job than some halfwit. I'll go to Japan."

Tsuna felt like a rock was sitting on her chest. Interestingly, she didn't open her eyes. The 'rock' felt soft and she could breathe comfortably. Her eyebrow twitched as she felt something warm fade in and out against her neck. Dimly, she thought she heard a clank. In a few moments, the 'rock' was gone.

"Herbivore," growled a familiar voice.

Tsuna grumbled and buried deeper into her pillow. The sharp cold air whipped across her skin as her blanket was suddenly pulled away. Rubbing her arms, Tsuna rolled her eyes up and met Kyoya's grey eyes unflinchingly.

"This is the third time the cow sneaked into your room." Kyoya resisted the temptation to shake the brat for all the trouble he brought.

"He's lonely," defended Tsuna as she got up and walked over to her closet to get her uniform. "It's been four days days. Besides, he's just a kid, Kyoya. I'll remind him to not prick the lock."

"He keeps coming back in here," stated Kyoya as he opened the door and settled Lambo on the floor. The pathetic cow was still sucking his thumb as he clutched the old stuffed cow that Tsuna found.

Tsuna snapped, "Kyoya! You can't just leave him out there again. Put him back in my bed. I can change in the bathroom."

Kyoya grunted but picked up the cow. This time, the cow opened his eyes and started screaming at him. Irked by the loud noise, Kyoya released the brat. He was tough; he would survive. Tsuna barely caught Lambo, who was inches away from the floor. As she held him against her thigh, she glared at Kyoya. Kyoya glared back.

"This is the third time you've done that Kyoya," said Tsuna sternly. "Stop dropping him."

Kyoya narrowed. "Prevent him from going into your room."

Tsuna eyed him darkly, but looked down at Lambo. Seeing his downward eyes and sullen expression, Tsuna knew that there was something more to the matter. She lifted him up and gave him a hug. A second later, Lambo hugged her back.

Ignoring the digging into her back, Tsuna asked softly. "Lambo, why don't you want to stay with Mama? I thought you liked your new room?"

Nana had initially consider placing Lambo in Tamaki's room to create a friendship between him and Reborn, but Tsuna quickly suggested that Lambo should be with a mother, since he was young enough to remember and crave for such warmth. Reborn's nod approval and Lambo's admittance that his mother was gone sold the deal. Yet each night, Lambo found some way to sneak into Tsuna's room. Nana was more amused by it than sad and teased Tsuna over her motherly potential. If Kyoya was in the room, then Nana would have this strange glint in her eyes and the sound of Tamaki grinding his teeth would be magnified.

"Lambo's the greatest, most amazing, super person in the whole wide world. There's nothing he's afraid of," Declared Lambo. He wilted slightly as Tsuna's face didn't change. He mumbled. "…didn't want to hurt Mama. Everyone around Lambo gets hurt."

"I'm not hurt," Tsuna said gently.

Lambo shook his head. "Big sis not everyone. Everyone don't have a Kyo. Only Big Sis has a Kyo, so she won't get hurt if Lambo stays near her. Lambo being near Big Sis keeps everyone safe."

Tsuna didn't quite know what to feel. She was both amused and embarrassed that Lambo saw Kyoya as her bodyguard or knight. It was also saddening to hear Lambo state that his presence was bothersome. Feeling Kyoya's eyes on her, Tsuna continued the conversation before she dwelled on Lambo's words too much.

"Lambo, I promise you that we'll do our best to make sure that everyone in our family is safe."

Lambo's face looked dubious, but Kyoya silenced his worries.

"Carnivores and herbivores protect their pack— the young are important to the pack." Kyoya bared his teeth, but strangely Lambo didn't cringe away from it. "The pack will protect you until your…'horns' are grown."

Lambo tentatively touched his horns and scrunched up his face, obviously attempting to imagine himself with amazing horns. Tsuna nodded reassuringly as Lambo looked up at her with hesitant green eyes. Slowly, a small spread across his face. His grip on Tsuna's shirt relaxed and he snuggled more calmly against her. Tsuna sighed and headed towards her bed. She settled Lambo on the soft mattress and tucked in the child.

Kyoya hovered behind her throughout the whole act. After she closed her door and pushed the clothes against her chest, she looked back at Kyoya with a frown.

"Lambo's scared," stated Tsuna, her eyes incensed. "If I ever meet the Don of the Bovino Family, I'll—"

"Be dragged away as a lunatic," snapped Kyoya. "He is under the impression that the cow is under the protection of the baby's student. You cannot meet a Don without a plan."

Tsuna scowled as she looked at the ground. "Don't you think I know that? But it makes me sick to know that Lambo was ignored by his family. They didn't even properly explain to him about his mother!" Tsuna hugged her clothes to herself. "Lambo traveled all the way to Japan by himself, but he's only five…"

Kyoya sighed. Sometimes, his secretary was far too caught up in her emotions. "I highly doubt that the Bovino would not have some family members in Japan. They are small, but Lambo is their heir."

Before Tsuna could interrupt, a voice said, "Ciaossu."

Tsuna and Kyoya looked at the little hit man and barely glanced at Tamaki.

"Morning Reborn," greeted Tsuna as Kyoya narrowed his eyes at the new carnivore.

"What are you two doing up this early?" Reborn's face was deceptively innocent. "Did you have a meeting today?"

Tamaki jumped into the conversation without warning and growled. "I supposed it was just something that had to be done in your bedroom, huh? I guess Dad's absence really took their toll on you if you took up such habits…cretino."

Tsuna felt her back stiffen at the insinuation that she and Kyoya were doing naughty things. They weren't even adults yet! Kyoya, himself, felt like ripping into the…boy but he muffled his ire. After all, Nana was still asleep and there wasn't enough time to hide the body…

Reborn grabbed his student's collar and nodded in farewell to the other teenagers as he dragged his stupidly chauvinistic student downstairs. He had some words to say to his pupil—one of the rules that were honored by all worthy mafioso included respect to their women, which included sisters, mothers, girlfriends, and wives. If Tamaki could imply that his own twin sister was behaving foolishly and call her an idiot right in front of him, then years under Iemitsu's tutelage had truly taught him some wrong things.

Tsuna went to the bathroom silently. Once she closed the door, Tsuna leaned back against it and slid to the floor. She had dreamed for so long that Tamaki would be someone who she could trust and confide in, someone who cared about their mom just as much as she did, and someone who would talk to her. When she was younger, she would imagine a world where her father had never taken Tamaki and he lived with her and mom. Or maybe a place, where her father was someone like Takeshi's dad who always encouraged his son. If Takeshi had a sister, then she doubted that his father would have ignored one over the other.

Tsuna drew her knees together and her thoughts darken with her early memories of girls cutting her hair, boys pushing her in the sandbox, and even the teacher scowling at her for her marks. She squeezed her arms tightly, but a new thought nestled through the gloom and she remembered. Tsuna wasn't five anymore. She had Hana, Irie, mom, Kusakabe, and…Kyoya.

Tsuna got up and prepared for the day. She wasn't alone anymore and she would fight back Iemitsu's influence on her brother. Looking at the mirror, a ghost of a smile crept up to her face as she could see the amber light in her eyes.

Kyoya was about to go downstairs to bite the boy to death, when the door to Tsuna's room opened and the cow child stepped out of the bed. Unusually, he had a frown on his face as he looked up. Lambo's green eyes were solemn as he regarded Kyoya.

"Lambo heard the meanie. Is Tsuna okay?"

Kyoya huffed at the thought that he couldn't have handled the boy. "Tsuna's fine. Go back to bed."

"No!" Lambo stomped his foot and glared at Kyoya. "You're supposed to be Tsuna's eroe! People shouldn't say bad things about her!"

Kyoya crouched so that he could look at the child in the eye. Without mercy, he let the cow glimpse at the unruliness in him. The cow flinched and looked down. Feeling his conscious softened slightly, Kyoya mentally snapped at his herbivore for stirring pathetic emotions in him.

"Lambo," Lambo's head snapped up. Kyoya continued. "The one you heard being mean is Tsuna's brother. If I hurt him for calling her names, who do you think she would get mad at?"

"You," grumbled Lambo. Even he knew by now that Tsuna didn't really care about herself—only her friends and family. He sighed and his entire body seemed to sag. "Tsuna's going to get hurt and Lambo can't protect her from herself."

Lambo felt a cool hand rest on his head for a moment and a few muttered words caught his ears. He was still gaping long after the hand left and Tsuna picked him up to tuck him back in bed. The words echoed in his mind as he clutched his toy cow.

"Leave it to me."

Kyo was pretty strong, but Lambo also wanted all the crimes against Tsuna to be brought to justice. Besides, they needed friends. Reborn was scary and Tsuna was too nice. Kyoya was like rock. If he got strong enough, then he can help Tsuna find friends without worrying about him! Satisfied with his conclusion, Lambo finally let himself get lured by the sweat smell of grape candies from dreamland.

Reborn could kill practically anyone by now. Tamaki was being an idiot and at this rate, Gokudera should be given the helm of the Vongola if Tsuna wasn't available. Reborn now had proof to support his claim that each visit Iemitsu paid his son discredited his teachings by eighty percent. Reborn may have had the brat for the last two years, but Tamaki was nowhere near his expectations. He had accepted the decision to leave for Japan out of necessity— Nono's heart wasn't getting stronger and gradually he would be completely unable to function as a don full time.

"I don't understand what I did wrong," muttered Tamaki again as he tried to back away from the Lyon-gun.

Reborn cocked the gun. "You call your sister stupid, but you don't find anything wrong with it? Has your father taught you nothing?"

"My father taught me lots of things," snapped Tamaki. "He said that good mafia men—"

"Honorable mafiosos do not disrespect their sisters!"

Tamaki shook his head in exasperation. "Dad said that they don't disrespect their female members. I don't see how this is related to Tsuna, since Dad said that he was supposed to be cut out of it completely."

"For the love of…" Reborn muttered as he used his gun to his the back of Tamaki's head. He pulled on the hair and inwardly sneered at the frighten look in his student's eyes. Hell, even Dino was better than this. "Tsuna is a girl. Your father is a fool. You are supposed to respect all females, you brat! It's common sense."

Tamaki sullenly looked away and Reborn knew that he had to get away before he could put a bullet through somewhere that couldn't be healed. Reborn ordered Tamaki to go to school. Ignoring his protests and demands to heal him, Reborn leapt out of the house and headed to the forest to clear his head.

A few hours later and a call came from his phone.

"What?"

The voice of Gokudera was hesitant, "…Reborn?"

Reborn breathed more evenly now that it wasn't Nono, or God forbid Iemitsu. "What is it Gokudera?"

"I've arrived and settled in Japan. Shall I attend the school tomorrow as we agreed upon before?"

Reborn glanced at the sun. He could still make it for the afternoon classes. "Change of plans: go now. Before you make contact, I want you to observe Tamaki Sawada and Tsunayoshi Sawada."

"Tsunayoshi?"

"The sister of Tamaki Sawada," commented Reborn as he started his way to the school.

"Sister?"

Reborn stated flatly, "Sister."

"…I thought that Nono banned women from assuming leadership in the Vongola after the assassination of his wife."

Reborn felt his lips curl in distaste at the memory of that affair. The Ninth's wife had been co-leader at the height of their marriage, but retired shortly before Xansus came into the picture. It was clear that she was content to allow her husband to handle the business while she made sure that their personal family was close. Not even a year later and some upstarts thought she was the weak link in the most prominent mafia famiglia in Italy. No one bothered to tell them about her lance skills. To fight outnumbered and win by herself should have made her a legend. But her death…broke something in a lot of people.

"It was never made official; more of an unspoken understanding than anything else."

"Why her?" questioned Gokudera doubtfully. "The file you sent me told me practically nothing."

"Gokudera, observe the siblings first. Then we'll talk." Reborn hanged up and jumped up to a branch. Let's see how Tamaki has behaved himself.

Tamaki hated school, especially Namimori Middle. No one respected him or listened to him. In this school, he was a nobody. Ironically, his sister was the known one here. From his desk, he watched as she did her work silently, disappeared at lunch, and came back late without a single reprimand. He was hiding behind his textbook, moody over this sudden turn in his life, when he caught sight of the pale-haired and green-eyed teenager standing in front of his class. Tamaki frowned as he straightened; he looked familiar.

The teacher had a cold, so she gestured for Tsuna to continue the introduction before running out of the room with her face an ill green shade. Tsuna stood up and gazed at the new student. White hair and green eyes but Japanese features… Tsuna felt her curiousity dwindle as she took in his outfit and mentally winced. If Kyoya found him tomorrow like this, then detention was the least of this guy's concerns.

"I'm Tsuna. Sawada, Tsuna. Pleased to meet you," said Tsuna as she bowed in greeting.

The transfer student hesitated but mimicked the gesture. "Gokudera, Hayato."

Tsuna nodded and looked around the class for an empty seat. Frowning, Tsuna noticed that the only one left was the one next to hers.

Shrugging, Tsuna announced to the class. "Everyone, please welcome Gokudera, Hayato. Is there anything else you would like to say?"

Gokudera shook his head and sneered at the eyes of some of the girls. Detecting trouble brewing, Tsuna quickly pointed out his seat. For a moment, she could have sworn that would have to make him move. Then it vanished as he rigidly took his seat. Tsuna returned to her seat as well. They only had to wait for a few more minutes before the new teacher arrived.

Tamaki was excited. He recognized that accent. It was Italian, and Gokudera Hayoto was one of the names that he found after he 'accidently' used Basil's computer to look up certain information that may or may not have been considered classified to him. Gokudera was just a punk and he was probably hired to do something horrible. People like him were willing to do anything for money. Tamaki grinned as he realized that he could restore his position on Reborn's good side by defeating the punk.

Tamaki was considerably cheered up; he didn't notice Yamamoto's eyes narrow or his smile flicker. However, Reborn caught it, and it intrigued him. He watched as Yamamoto settled his eyes on Tsuna and it flashed with regret, before a note landed on his desk. He glanced at it before he stiffened. The athletic teen casually swept it to the side and practically no one saw him swiftly stomp on it and rip it into strips with his feet sweeping the floor akin to a bored student. It was so casual, so calm that Reborn knew that this boy was born with the ability to be noticed and unnoticed like rain.

Everyone noticed when it rain, but most paid no mind to it until it was well underway and by then it was too late. After all, it wasn't conspicuous like the bright sun or even turbulent storm. Frankly, it was like the clouds— only louder and more expressive. With some tuning, the kid could be a great assassin. He already had the physical advantage and the charming personality with carefully concealed deadliness.

Despite himself, Reborn felt a smirk grow on his face. The older Sawadwa, Tsuna, had unknowingly gotten her candidates for the lighting and cloud guardians. From the glances of Yamamoto and Gokudera, it seems that even they could subconsciously sense the call of a sky with a pure heart. Tamaki had sky flames, but his heart…There was something wrong with him, but until Reborn could identify it as unfixable the kid might still have a chance and turn out to be an asset. He was still a brat, though.

Gokudera Hayato ignored his classmates and the teachers. He just placed his head on the desk and glared at anyone who dared protest. The male Sawada at the back gave him the creeps. There was something in his eyes that seemed deceptive as though he would listen to everything you would say with a kind face and then laugh at you once your back was turned. From everything he's heard about the Ninth, the Vongola's character must be going downhill if their male candidates were anything like this guy.

The female Sawada, on the other hand, was unusual. The prudes who minded his actions were looking at the female Sawada as though she had all the solutions or at least knew how to proceed. She had a leader's presence, but she didn't seem aware of it. He wasn't sexist, racists, or a bigot, but it didn't mean that he was unaware of their views. If she was going to lead the Vongola, then there should be something about her that makes her stand out way above the other candidates. If he was completely honest with himself, Hayato would admit that she had kind eyes. Unfortunately for her, he had seen enough people with kind eyes and a backstabbing hand.

Reborn was right, he thought, he needed to observe more before he could act. He might have not held any qualms about hitting the guy, but the girl…he had morals and he was going to stick by it. Until she proved that she can handle anything that he can throw at her, Hayato was going to treat her like the civilian females.

The last bell of the day rang and Hayoto watched with mild amusement as the Japanese teenagers scattered off into their little groups and either chatted to each other or left right away. A hand slammed against his desk and Hayoto looked up to meet flashing brown eyes. He raised an eyebrow at the male Sawada but waited. Reborn strictly ordered him to control his temper or he might be going back to Italy with a new bullet scar.

"Metà -breed; cerchiamo di andare sul tetto e hanno un duello. Sei nel mio territorio, che non ha bisogno di stronzi come a rimanere," said Tamaki with an oily tone in his voice.

Hayato saw red and curled his fists. His body shook with fury, but Sawada mistook it for fear and kept going.

Tamaki taunted, "Credo Fumatori Bomb Hayoto è solo pieno di aria calda. Io capisco perché hai paura però. Scommetto che non si vuole spiegare a tua madre circa le vostre ferite. Non è vero, Mezzosangue?"

Tamaki's body was tensed and he was ready for the punch that was coming. He braced himself and smiled wider at the teen's snarl. Out of the corner of his eyes, he thought he saw something move but he ignored it. The next thing he knew, he was roughly tugged back and the punk hit empty air. He sharply pulled his elbow away from his twin's hands and glared at her.

"What are you doing?"

"That's my question!" Tsuna's voice was tightly controlled. "What are you doing, Tamaki?"

"Stay out of this sis." Tamaki hissed. "This is between men."

Tsuna's eyes widened. "You're just a teenager, Tamaki."

Tamaki didn't bother to reply. He stared at her with a mixed haughty and smug expression on his face as though he knew something that she didn't. He grabbed her wrists and practically shoved her to Hana, who clumsily caught her. Tamaki turned his back to her. Tsuna felt a cold hand grip her heart as her brother adjusted his school bag strap, walked over to the door, and called something in Italian that made Gokudera follow him angrily.

Tsuna flinched at the bang of the door. Soon, the only people remaining in the classroom were Tsuna and Hana. Takashi had been dragged away to baseball practice long before Tamaki confronted Gokudera. Kyoya had left around the same time with a few other girls. Their other classmates were early leavers or awkwardly left after Tamaki.

Hana drawled, "I've been learning Italian from my mom's brother-in-law. Tamaki and the transfer student are up on the roof." Hana patted Tsuna's shoulder. "Shouldn't you go up? I don't care if your dumbass of a brother gets hurt, but they'll piss off Hibari."

Tsuna gaped at Hana, before she hugged her tightly. Tsuna quickly grabbed her school bag and rushed out of the room. Hana waved at her retreating figure and waited for a moment. Then, she reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out her phone. She moved down her contact list and texted a certain someone about the showdown. Hana closed the phone with a predatory flourish and stalked back into the classroom.

Reborn smirked at the message that the Leon-Computer had traced and hacked. Kurogawa was a pretty smart student. Unsuitable for the front line, but she wouldn't be bad at recon and intelligence. Reborn moved her file to potential members, before he gathered his belongings and started for the roof.

Tsuna sprinted up the steps and barely missed tripping over a body. She looked down and felt strange once she realized that it wasn't Tamaki. She crouched down next to the transfer student and reached for his wrist to detect his pulse. Unexpectantly, Gokudera stood back up. He swayed, but he grinded his teeth and pulled out a cigarette and sticks of…explosives?

"Woman," hissed Gokudera. "Get away unless you want to be blown to bits."

He lit his cigarette and took a drag, before he lit the other explosives and threw them across the roof. Tsuna dashed to the side and raised an arm to block her eyes from the smoke. She could dimly see a figure jump through the vapor and launch a flying kick at Gokudera, who went down. She clenched her fingers and came closer to the duo. Tsuna thought she was prepared for the sight, but Tamaki with his flames were still a shock to her. His flames were orange tainted by tendrils of black. Her own flames were much more pure, and she allowed herself a moment of pride to satisfy the small part of her that was vain.

Gokudera's moan of pain soon drew her attention. Tamaki raised his foot and stomped on the stomach ago.

"Is that all you got, Smokin' Bomb Hayato?!" Tamaki grabbed Gokudera's collar and raised him up from the floor. "For an assassin, you sure are a weakling!"

"Tamaki!"

Tamaki narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Tsuna stepped closer to her twin, eyes flashing. "Let him go. He hasn't done a single thing to you that warrats this."

"Clearly, you are confused." Tamaki said casually. "This guy is famous in Italy for being an assassin. I'm just using my self-defense skills to immobilize him."

"Let him go," snapped Tsuna. "You're going to kill him."

Tamaki clicked his tongue at her and threw Gokudera at her feet. "This is a duel, sis. Kindly, butt out. If you follow us, then I won't hold back anymore on the half-breed."

Gokudera struggled to get back up. Tsuna tried to help him stand, but he pulled away from her. Growling, Gokudera moved away from Tsuna. Tamaki lazily followed the mixed teenager. Tsuna moved to follow them, but a bullet landed near her feet. She stumbled as something heavy landed on her head.

"Tamaki won't kill Gokudera," said Reborn. "I'll kill him before he can do it."

Tsuna plucked the baby off of her head. She looked into his eyes. "You and I both know that Tamaki is going out of line." As right on cue, Tamaki began laughing and his eyes showed bloodlust. Reborn's dark eyes clashed with her brown eyes, and a silent battle of wills waged.

Finally, he said. "I'm forbidden from directly interring." But you aren't.

Tsuna nodded at the unspoken words and hurriedly placed Reborn on the floor. She ran after the fighters and caught a glimpse of Tamaki jumping back with a knowing smirk on his face. The look on his face drew dread within her and Tsuna forced her legs to move faster. Tamaki casually picked up a rock.

"TRIPLE BOMBS!"

Before Gokudera could launch his dynamite, Tamaki had thrown the rock straight at his forehead. Gokudera cursed but he couldn't prevent a couple of dynamites from falling from his hands. Panicked, Gokudera tried to catch the dynamite but only succeeded in dropping more. He saw the male Sawada grin at him, before he sighed in resignation to his face. Gokudera blanched as an unexpected force tackled him to the side. The bombs exploded and a great mass of vapor covered the roof.

Hesistantly, Gokudera found himself looking up at the female Sawada's face. She gave him a small smile, despite the worry in her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

He was saved. Someone actually thought that his life mattered enough to save him from an explosion— of his own making no less. He took a deep breath and the faint smell of citrus assured him that it wasn't a dream. With Tsuna blocking his vision, he didn't notice as a furious Tamaki grabbed a handful of rocks and threw it at his sister before Reborn jumped in front of him.

Gokudera eyes widen as he noticed how slim his savior's arms were and how they gave slight trembles. He's met at least three people who would hardly break a sweat as they snapped such arms. Dimly, he could hear Reborn forcibly remove the male Sawada from the battle field. But it didn't matter. The girl in front of him took priority.

"Why—"He coughed to get the smoke out of his lungs. "Why did you save me?"

Her eyes were warm, and her voice was sincere. Gokudera almost felt like crying as he could hear the trust, faith, and fucking integrity that had always been denied to him by his blood or his piano skills.

"You don't deserve to die," whispered Tsuna before her eyes rolled back and bliss darkness took over.

Gokudera swallowed back the lump in his throat as the girl slumped against him. Carefully, he got up. The first thing he noticed was the trail of blood that came from her temple and the scorched marks on her uniform. Resolved to get her treated first, Gokudera moved his limbs so he could pick her up without hurting her even more. A shadow fell on him and emerald eyes looked up to meet slanted grey eyes that looked more suitable on a beast than a student.

The teenager in black scanned the girl in his arms from the top of her head to the soles of his feet, and Gokudera tensed his body. He was ready to shield her with his own body if it came to it. The Japanese teenager reached for Tsuna and a sharp glare made Gokudera release his savior's body due to instincts. Gokudera clenched his hands and stood up, despite the protests of his body.

"Who are you?"

He scrutinized him, and Gokudera felt his back stiffen.

"…Hibari." The teenager ordered. "Herbivore, follow."

Swiftly, he turned around his arms around his savior. Gokudera bite back his retorts and decided to silently follow him. It didn't escape his attention, how the female Sawada relaxed after Hibari's arms were wrapped around her and the slight softening in the beastly eyes. The girl saved his life, so he would follow her to heaven or hell.