Castles in the Sky

Prologue

This chapter isn't edited in any way, shape, or form. So if you see a mistake, be a pal and tell me, please? ;a; I promise to fix it sooner or later!

Disclaimer: I don't own HP, KHR, or any of its' characters.

Warnings: Nonmagic AU, Sky!Harry. SLASH.

A/N: Revised with less cringy 17 year old writing, and more cringy 21 year old writing! :D I also revised this when I should be working on my finals projects, but bleh—I've been really getting into KHR again, and got a vigor to tackle some of own stories, and whip them into shape~

Enjoy!

Life, Tsuna decided, was unfair.

Especially when two sadistic babies were using him to one-up each other by using him as their personal punching bag. Tsuna's eyes stung, as he laid on the ground in a sprawl. Everything hurt, and he was pretty sure he heard a crunch when Colonello's foot connected with his face. Hiieee—all of this because he didn't pass a stupid mafioso test?

He didn't want to be involved in the mafia in the first place!

"Stop using me to one-up each other!" Tsuna complained, sitting up slowly. He winced when he heard something pop in his spine, while bringing up a hand to rub at his probably bruising face. The fact that his family and friends were probably all enjoying themselves at the amusement park while he was stuck suffering through this was also adding insult to injury. He wanted to enjoy his vacation too! Not to be stuck here with these two—

Weirdos!

Colonello then proceeded to tell him about his first 'test' in his training. He was supposed to jump into a raging whirlpool down at the bottom of the cavern. Tsuna firmly refused, knowing full well that might as well be signing his own death warrant. It was moot in the end, of course, because who ever listened to Tsuna when he refused or complained?

That's right, no one!

As if to reaffirm this, both Reborn and Colonello proceeded to kick Tsuna off the cliff.

Funny that both of them conveniently buddied up to do that together when before, all they did was antagonize each other. Tsuna screamed on the way down, his heart practically trying to leap out of his mouth because I hate this, I hate this, I'm going to die—

A horrifying realization jerked inside his chest, twisting him stomach.

"I can't swim!"

Splash!

The shock of being suddenly immersed in water made Tsuna clamp his teeth down, accidentally biting the inside of his cheek. The taste of blood mingled in with the salty water that he managed to inhale when he fell; he spat the taste out when he emerged, flailing against the strong currents that were almost overwhelming in their intensity. Oh god, he was going to die in one of the most painful ways possible.

When he envisioned a fun day at the beach, while on this vacation, he didn't mean this!

"I can't swim!" Tsuna reinstated hysterically, struggling to keep afloat. "Someone help me!" While he wasn't expecting much, especially when he knew that the only two around were the two babies observing him from the high cliff face, he was still disappointed when he heard Reborn reply.

"Get yourself out of this, dame-Tsuna," Reborn said, almost gleefully. Tsuna wanted to cry—though he was pretty sure he was already crying, his eyes stung painfully. Then again, that could just be the salt water being frothed into his eyes, as he bobbed dangerously in the whirlpool and flailing wildly.

Gritting his teeth, Tsuna tried not to panic because panicking usually just made things worse. Sadly, panicking was one of things that Tsuna was great at; it wasn't a good combination with the current situation.

It didn't help that he was starting to feel a cramp clenching up in his leg, which wasn't good, and I'm really starting to hate Reborn!

Minutes passed – or was it hours? Tsuna didn't know, all he knew was that he somehow managed to crawl up the rocky cliffside and was now gasping heavily for air on the ground. Despite surviving, he still felt like apart of him was dying a little on the inside. When was the last time he experienced normalcy? It was like Reborn went out his way to make his life miserable—

Wait, no. There was no like involved, it was! Reborn was a sadist!

"See? You did it," Reborn commented from beside him, which Tsuna groaned at. Gingerly scrambling forward to pick himself up, Tsuna lifted his head slightly and was met with cool blue eyes. Squawking in surprise, he flailed backwards and landed on his backside painfully. Ow, ow, ow—

Colonello looked unimpressed. "See? You did it, kora!"

"I already said that."

"Well, I said it better, kora!"

"Well, I said it like this—" Tsuna had managed to regain some sense of balance, if a bit wobbly, when he was soon sent crashing back down thanks to Reborn's kick.

"Ha! That's nothing, kora!" Colonello barked out a laugh. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going to happen next; Tsuna tried to squirm away, still reeling from his near death experience and Reborn's harsh kick to his head. Despite his best efforts, Colonello still managed a kick of his own that sent Tsuna flying backwards.

It sent him dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, making Tsuna's stomach drop. Biting a whine through his teeth, Tsuna's nails clawed into the ground and he used whatever strength he had to left to yank himself forward and away from the close call.

Reborn's reply was ominous, "I was just warming up." Leon's mallet form smashed into Tsuna's head, making him black out for a whole two seconds. Ignoring the dizzying rush of pain and lightheadedness, Tsuna sat up and rubbed at the aching knot that appeared. Geez—that hurt!

Instinctive tears from the pain welled up in his eyes, causing Tsuna to blink furiously. Why the hell was everything a competition for these two? It wasn't like there was a reward for being the most sadistic baby in the universe—… was there?

The thought was alarming as well as it was horrible.

"I was too, kora!"

Oh god, he was going to die an even more painful death than drowning in a whirlpool!

Luckily for Tsuna's wellbeing and sanity, he was saved by the sound of a train. His saviors! Tsuna could have cried in relief, shoulders slumping and letting out a breath. Colonello looked bemused, while Reborn appeared vaguely disappointed that their little contest of 'kick-the-Tsuna' was apparently ending.

That sadist!

"More students?" Colonello huffed, as they made their way to where both Tsuna and Reborn were first let off. While Tsuna was mostly relieved that he wasn't going to be alone, he did feel a bit apprehensive as the train slowly came to a stop.

It came as a surprise when both Gokudera and Yamamoto exited the train. "Tenth!" Gokudera lit up when he saw Tsuna, Tsuna gaping at his two friends because what?

"Yo, Tsuna!" Yamamoto chirped, carefree as ever. He observed their surroundings, easy-going smile lining his expression. Finally registering that his two friends were actually here, Tsuna snapped his mouth shut and swallowed dryly.

"Did you guys fail the mafioso test too?" Tsuna managed, feeling both conflicted and relieved. He decided to focus more on the latter, because he was allowed to indulge himself for a bit because the day he just had was hell.

"Mafioso test?" Yamamoto laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "No, no. We were worried where you were at; you were taking a really long time! So we talked to the receptionist, and she said we could come to where you were at. So now we're here, haha," he finished with nod.

Gokudera shot a stern glare at Yamamoto, before smiling at Tsuna in his usual fashion. Overly eager. "Tenth, are you okay? Are you hurt? Do you need me to kill anyone?" Tsuna sweat dropped, mind flashing back to the past few hours of near-death experiences and how sadistically competitive both Colonello and Reborn were.

"A-ah," Tsuna averted his eyes to the side, slumping slightly. "I'm fine," he weakly assured Gokudera, face probably pale. Gokudera didn't seem to notice, beaming at him.

"You can train these two as well," Reborn finally said, turning towards Colonello.

While Colonello was eying both Gokudera and Yamamoto up, Tsuna took this as his cue to convince both of his friends to leave. Both of them didn't deserve the torture that Colonello and Reborn made together—then again, come to think of it, Tsuna didn't deserve it either! Stuck between convincing his friends to leave and trying to think of a way to leave with them, Tsuna practically jumped when an alarm sounded.

"The island is under attack. Everyone, please evacuate to the safety zone. I repeat…"

What. "The island is under attack?" Tsuna paled. Take a simple vacation, Tsuna; enjoy time with your mother, Tsuna. It'll be fun and relaxing and—complete utter bullshit! Colonello and Reborn shared a glance between each other, while Yamamoto blinked and frowned. Gokudera wasn't doing much better, mouth pressed into a thin line.

"Ah, like an event?" Yamamoto finally concluded, snapping his fingers in realization. His easy-going grin only made Tsuna stare at him blandly, shocked and confused at why he even bothered being shocked in the first place. Gokudera sputtered, scowling furiously at the baseball player.

"An attack on the island, kora?" Colonello sounded incredibly put-off. "Another one?"

Tsuna's head snapped towards him. Another one!? Don't sound casual about it!

He was almost tempted to ask if this happened often when Gokudera spoke up, troubled. "Do you think it's the Carcassa Family?"

"Eh? Why would a mafia family attack Mafia island? Didn't they help fund it?" Tsuna tried to wrap his head around the concept, almost chalking it up to just dirty mafia politics. Reborn quickly, and literally, kicked that thought process out of head and landed on Tsuna's crumpled form a moment after. He then took his time to explain that the Carcassa Family was the enemy, and they didn't help fund the island because the families that did were centered on the Vongola Alliance.

Why was this happening at a resort?

Tsuna was let up, and he rubbed at his abused head.

"If it is the Carcassa Family, then I know just the idiot who is stupid enough to attempt this," Reborn announced, as the pacifier around his neck started to glow brighter. Tsuna stared at it, slightly perturbed because—it wasn't always glowing, was it? Colonello's own pacifier was glowing too, which Colonello frowned at. "And that idiot is—"

Colonello seemingly came to the same conclusion. "Skull, kora!"

"I was about to say that," Reborn commented idly, causing Colonello to scowl at him. Seemingly ignoring him for now, Colonello went to the cliff's edge and pulled out a pair of binoculars to peer at the fleet of ships that were approaching the island.

Tsuna stared at them, wondering how come no one seemingly noticed a whole fleet of ships approaching before it was far too late. He blanched when he suddenly heard explosions, and people started to scream, as faint as it was from their spot on the island.

He was this close to freaking out.

"This is bad," Colonello mused, putting away the binoculars and rubbing at his chin. "The family that works as security here on the island is away at the mainland to honor the anniversary of their boss's death." His words weren't helping things. "So, no one is here, kora."

"Are you just going to let them invade?" Tsuna asked, dismayed. Panic was creeping in, and he shifted restlessly. His friends were on the island—his mom was on the island! The worst possible outcome that Tsuna never even considered when accepting this stupid vacation was happening, and it was just terrible.

Colonello seemed affronted. "Of course not," he scoffed, which was quickly followed by a yawn. "But it is time for my nap…," he trailed off, falling asleep right on the spot. With his eyes open—it was eerily creepy to Reborn, and Tsuna shuddered. Falling asleep? Now, of all times?

Tsuna attempted a stern, "Hey—"

"Just ignore Colonello, dame-Tsuna," and of course, Reborn interrupted him. "I'm worried about mama and the others. Let's head back and—…" Reborn seemingly fell asleep too, causing Tsuna to gesture and flail wildly because why, why was this happening, why was this his life?

"You too!?" Tsuna snapped.

"Well, kids need their rest," Yamamoto mused easily, smiling. "It's too bad they're gonna miss out on the event, though." As with almost everything, Yamamoto looked unperturbed by the literal invasion of the island. Tsuna swallowed dryly, staring at the two sleeping babies in vain hopes that at least one of them will wake up.

They didn't.

Which was bad, because Tsuna really couldn't do much to defend others or himself—especially without Reborn's help via Dying Will Bullet.

"Hey, tenth," Gokudera looked grim. "Let's start heading back. We can walk along the subway tracks; the power looks like it was cut." Tsuna blanched before nodding, sighing. Great, just great.

"Oh, are we heading back to help with the event? It sounds fun, haha," Yamamoto enthused as they started their way back, much to Gokudera's consternation and Tsuna's eternal despair.

What he couldn't give to be oblivious in a time like this!

-0-0-0-

Tsuna was promptly horrified.

As various families argued over who should be in charge, he could only wonder how they all seemed so blasé about the invasion. In his head, the invasion should take priority over the question of who was in charge! Why couldn't everyone just work together instead of arguing?

"I think our boss is the best fit!" Gokudera suddenly exclaimed, causing Tsuna to slowly turn to stare at him. He felt the blood drain from his face, all while cursing the fact that Gokudera put him on such high of a pedestal. Nothing good can come from this!

Gokudera, for the most part, didn't seem to see anything wrong with his suggestion. He was sure and smug, smirking defiantly at the crowd.

The main three mafia bosses that were arguing turned towards them. They glared, and Tsuna vaguely wondered if the earth could open up and swallow him now. Just to save him from the scrutiny and hopefully before they sunk their antsy mafioso claws into him—"And who is this shrimp?" One of them sneered, causing Tsuna to flinch.

"What poor family is this whimp from?" Another laughed. Tsuna couldn't help but laugh on the inside, dead and dull. What family indeed, he thought vaguely.

Gokudera suddenly looked incensed. "You dare insult the Vongola Decimo, of the Vongola Family?"

And just like that, everyone quieted.

Tsuna wondered if there was a way to sink into the earth at this point, shooting a panicked look at his two friends when people started to mutter and exclaim in disbelief and awe. Gokudera was smirking meanly at everyone, back again at being smug. Yamamoto just tilted his head slightly, aimable as ever.

When Tsuna finally forced himself to risk a glance back at the crowd, he blanched when he saw that they were all bowing to him. At this rate, embarrassment will kill him before the mafia does. "We are honored to meet you, Vongola Decimo!" Talk about whiplash; Tsuna felt himself flush horribly, ears incredibly hot.

The reverence they suddenly emitted was very uncomfortable.

"And we will be honored to let you lead us!" One of them declared happily, causing Tsuna to choke on air. What? No, all of the no's in the universe— Tsuna wasn't even good at being the slacker in group projects, what made them think that he'd be good at leading? He was just dame-Tsuna!

Then again, it wasn't like they knew that.

"Yeah! The Vongola Decimo will lead us to victory!" Tsuna felt himself sweat, because didn't he get a say in this? Amidst the cheers and excited chattering between mafia families, Tsuna hunched in slightly on himself. His mind was whirling but kept on tittering back on one particular word:

No.

At this point, Tsuna's whole being practically embodied the word. Still, the world never listens to the one poor soul named Sawada Tsunayoshi, so his refusal was refused quite blatantly in the form of his friend's nudging and grinning at him.

"See? I told you that you're a natural leader!" Yamamoto grinned.

"Don't worry, tenth!" Gokudera butted in, smiling enthusiastically at him. "You'll do great!"

Tsuna could only shake his head blankly. His life was weird, has been weird ever since Reborn came into it—speaking of which, why did Reborn decide to take a nap!? The island was being invaded, and he just went peacefully into the night with no worries whatsoever!

It felt horribly unfair.

"What's the plan, little Vongola?" A childish voice startled Tsuna out of his desolate thoughts. He jerked, trying to find the source when his eyes inevitably trailed downwards. When met with striking green eyes, Tsuna's breath caught in his throat.

It was a baby.

Albeit, a very cute baby with a fluffy mess of dark hair and innocent smile—it was still a baby. But it was also no ordinary baby, with his crisp outfit and dark boots, with the faint scar trailing from his hairline; the way he carried himself was also a big tell. Even if Tsuna ignored his inner gut screaming at him, he couldn't deny anything when he noticed an overly large and orange pacifier dangling on his chest.

An—an Arcobaleno?

"Who—who are you?" Tsuna managed to say, watching as the baby observed the restless crowd around them with a trained eye. The baby's expression was open and honest, something that was already entirely different from the other two babies Tsuna had the unfortunate experience of meeting.

And there was something about him that felt incredibly— warm.

"My name is Harry," the baby replied easily, tilting his head at the crowd. At last, his eyes that were the color of sunlight burning through green leaves flickered towards him, his innocent smile widening a bit into something more genuine. "I wouldn't worry too much about having a plan or not, by the way. Everyone here is already trying to impress you on their own," he gestured to the scrambling crowd of mafioso around them.

Oh, that was a relief. It was also very flustering. "They don't need to do that," Tsuna mumbled, ignoring the heat creeping up onto his face. Impress him? The whimp? Still, it was a relief that he didn't need to do much of anything.

"Hah! They better try their best for the tenth!" Gokudera snapped, looking around with scrutiny. When he finally took a proper look at Harry, he blinked. "You're Harry!" The sudden transition into puppy levels of eagerness was a bit disconcerting, even as Tsuna pondered over Gokudera's exclamation. At the very least, Harry was well-known like Reborn. "Is it true that you're the one who stopped one of the biggest mafia wars from developing?" Mafia…wars?

Those were a thing? Tsuna blanched, before registering Gokudera's question. Wait, what?

Harry didn't seem all that pleased with the question, glancing away briefly. When he turned back towards them, his smile was strained. "I suppose you can say that. Nothing to be concerned about, however," the baby shrugged.

Nothing to be concerned about? The fact that Tsuna learned that even the mafia wasn't untouched by war, and the fact that this baby seemingly stopped one from happening—it didn't sound like nothing! Gokudera looked ready to agree, ready to rebuke Harry's seemingly humble opinion on the matter.

Yamamoto laughed amusedly. "That's impressive, considering you're still a kid!" He glanced at Tsuna and Gokudera with an indulgent smile. "Isn't it great that this mafia game can be played by everyone of all ages?"

Tsuna could only wince when Gokudera snapped at Yamamoto. "Idiot! Stop saying stupid shit like this!" Yamamoto only laughed in response, irking Gokudera even more. With a sigh, Tsuna glanced at Harry to gauge his reaction.

Harry had let out a bewildered laugh, glancing back at Tsuna with a bemused little grin. "Mafia game?"

With a small glance at his bickering friends, Tsuna sighed again and nodded. "Yamamoto-kun somehow thinks that this is all one huge game. Somehow." It was like Yamamoto literally ascended all laws of gravity and physics to remain so oblivious after what happened to them at this point.

The baby looked incredibly amused. "It can seem like that, at times," Harry admitted. With a few quick movements, Harry had suddenly jumped up onto Tsuna's shoulder. Tsuna withheld a reflective flinch, though he was used to being used as transport at this point by little sadistic children -not I-pin and Fuuta, both were angels in comparison-. "It looks like they're about to open the doors," Harry commented, loud enough for both Gokudera and Yamamoto to hear.

It caused them to straighten up, Gokudera bringing his shoulders back and jerking his chin up higher. With this new armor of bravado, he flanked Tsuna on one side quite eagerly. Yamamoto hummed, expression still easy-going though there was something serious lining through it. With both of his friends on either side of him, Tsuna couldn't help feeling something in him relax just a tiny bit.

And true to Harry's observation, the doors swung open. "They're sending men out!"

Stumbling along the sea of mafioso that burst forward, Tsuna struggled not to be swept too far out. Luckily for him, he managed to end up where the crowd was thinning gradually, and tried to regain his breath. Harry had managed to hang on through the whole thing, staring as enemy forces emerged from the surrounding tree line.

"Hm," Harry mused, even as Tsuna whimpered.

"Go to hell!" Gokudera snarled, whipping dynamite out with flourish. Uncaring for any potential fire dangers, he tossed them into the trees. He looked smug right before said dynamite threw themselves back at them from the tree line. With a choked yelp, Tsuna staggered backwards, arms instinctively swinging upwards to help defend from the impending pain and explosions.

Surprisingly, none came.

When Tsuna risked a curious peek, he saw a moderate shadow sweeping towards them. For a moment, Tsuna swore he felt like death themselves was heading towards him, heart practically stopping in his chest itself. His obituary better start with, 'This is the short, sad, and unfortunate life of Sawada Tsunayoshi'.

"Thank you, Hedwig." Harry's voice made Tsuna blink and straighten, just in time to see a snowy white owl flutter and land in Tsuna's hair. Tsuna hissed in a sharp breath, feeling the owl's talons gently graze against his scalp. Hedwig cooed in response to Harry's gratitude. "Hedwig, meet little Vongola. Little Vongola, this is my owl, Hedwig."

Hedwig made a chirping noise, nipping at Tsuna's hair in greeting. "H-hi. My name is Sawada Tsuna, actually," Tsuna rasped out, still shook from this hectic day. A bit of anxiousness fell away when Hedwig chirped again, taking the time to fly away; he felt relieved that their talons didn't hurt at all.

Looking around, Tsuna realized that all the dynamite that were sent flying back at them were all snuffed; they laid cluttered all over the ground.

Harry sent him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry too much, little Vongola. Nothing too bad will happen while I'm here," he laughed. Tsuna practically balked at how different Harry's attitude was compared to that sadist baby-who-shall-not-be-named.

Something akin to hope and relief sparked in Tsuna's chest; if someone like Harry was actually awake, and actually not sadistic, then this whole vacation might not be a total flop after all!

Of course, when they came across yet another baby— Tsuna wilted when Harry marched right up to the octopus-wielding maniac baby with a delighted laugh and open expression.

"Skull? What a coincidence to see you here!" Harry enthused, happily. His expression betrayed nothing but serenity and honesty. Suddenly, he frowned. "Ah, but is it really okay for you to be here? The island is under attack, ya' know?"

Tsuna twitched as how casual Harry suddenly sounded, despite the concern in his question.

The baby called Skull sputtered. "Harry-sama! What are you— the great Skull told you to get off the island!"

"Hm? I can't leave now, there's an attack happening," Harry huffed. He lightened up, then. "But hey, hey! You can help me defend against the attack," he enthused, grinning.

Tsuna sputtered in disbelief; he was the attack!

"Just get out of here!" Skull snapped, irritated. He crossed his arms petulantly. For some reason, the octopus behind him mimicked the gesture as well as it could. "The great Skull will not be interrupted in his invasion of the island!"

Harry tilted his head, curious. "Wait, you're invading the island?" Shaking his head, Harry gave Skull a stern frown. "You can't do that. Someone else is already invading the island. That's what we're doing out here, ya' know?" Tsuna gawked at Harry; how was he supposed to be helping at all!?

Skull gestured wildly, which in turn prompted the octopus behind him to copy him as well. The surrounding troops around them, seemingly Skull's backup, were hit by the flailing tentacles. Skull didn't seem to notice the invading mafioso behind him being sent flying. "The great Skull is the only one invading, Harry-sama! Just me!"

Blinking, Harry pointed slowly at Skull. "You?"

"Yes, me! Just me! The great Skull— gyah!"

Skull had pointed at himself rather violently, the octopus not missing a beat and trying to mimic it the best it could, even with it's own tangled tentacles. This resulted in Skull seemingly laid flat with a violent swat of his own octopus's tentacles.

The leather-clad baby groaned into the dirt. "Oodako, why?"

Oodako just made distressed octopus noises.

Everyone stared. The bewildered silence was broken by Yamamoto laughing, as per his tendency to not notice the atmosphere. "Kids and their playdays, huh? I wish I was that creative when I was younger, haha," he laughed. Gokudera looked like he had to restrain himself from lunging at the baseball player, expression mutinous while Tsuna just sighed, staring at Harry.

Was that planned?

It seemed it was, when Harry laughed and plopped himself onto Skull's back. Skull let out a choked whimper. "You know, when I said not to get in trouble—I think invading Mafia land was apart of that, ya' know?" Harry mused, grinning indulgently now. It was a different smile from before, more mischievous.

"Un—fair," Skull replied weakly, letting his head slam back onto the ground with a sense of finality.

"Ah, you passed out," Harry commented. "Though you're lucky I found you before Reborn did, huh? I doubt he would have been as generous." Tsuna didn't think that tricking someone's own pet into taking them down was considered generous, but then again—compared to Reborn, it might as well be. "Isn't that right, Reborn?"

Tsuna jerked, glancing around frantically. Of course that sadistic baby only shows up when things start to settle down!

Like a ghost, Reborn suddenly appeared beside the other two babies. To Harry's credit, he didn't even flinch. "I'll be sure to show my generosity to the idiot later," he idly commented, eyes trained intently on Harry. "I didn't know you were also visiting the island," Reborn mused, taking the time to also aim an accidental kick to Skull's helmet as he walked closer to the pair.

"Did Colonello not tell you?" Harry laughed, raising a slight eyebrow. "Huh. I was visiting him for a few days before I have to go back to Giglio Nero territory." Giglio Nero? Was that another mafia family? Harry didn't seem like the type, seemingly too noble and honest—but then again, Tsuna eyed Skull's sprawled form warily.

Harry also appeared too clever.

Reborn's dark eyes glinted ominously, "I see." Harry sent him a simple smile, eyes trailing towards the forest around them. "Don't worry about the rest, gattino. Colonello's on it," Reborn seemingly assured him, making Harry chuckle slightly. "Besides, did you get a chance to meet my dame student?"

Harry sent him an exasperated look, before getting off of Skull and glancing at Oodako. "Sorry, Oodako. When Skull gets up, I'll help untangle you, okay?" With that, he followed Reborn to stand in front of Tsuna yet again. Tsuna fidgeted, now awkward after seeing Harry casually interact with his torturer of a tutor.

Luckily for all of them, no one seemed to be paying attention. Everyone was gathering up various mafiosos, chattering amongst themselves jovially. It was like waking up from a surreal dream— Tsuna swallowed as he glanced between Reborn and Harry.

Harry sent him his innocuous smile. "It is a pleasure to properly meet you, little Vongola. My name is Harry— just Harry. I'm a friend of Reborn's—"

"This is my husband," Reborn interjected smoothly. Tsuna choked on air, eyes widening. That sounded a bit too serious to be a joke!

"And it's nice to meet you all, though I wish it could have been under better circumstances." Harry finished, seemingly ignoring Reborn's interjection. "It seems like all the excitement is over now," he mused, muffling a yawn with a hand. "In that case, I'll be dismissing myself."

"Oh— uh, okay," Tsuna scrambled to say, words falling out of his mouth. "It was nice to meet you, Harry-san!" Gokudera hurried to repeat his sentiments, though Yamamoto smiled wildly at Harry— if Yamamoto was anything, it was straightforward.

"Ah, is it your naptime?" Yamamoto questioned, making Gokudera froth at the mouth. Tsuna wanted to drag a hand down his face. Too straightforward, Tsuna lamented. Harry choked on a laugh, bewildered. He had walked back towards Skull, seemingly paused in picking him up.

"Sure," Harry managed to say, still smiling widely. "I hope to see you guys again."

And with that, with Skull hefted behind him, Harry disappeared.

It was a weird first meeting with Harry, Tsuna admitted.

Unable to really get over their brief interaction, Tsuna brought it up later while in one of the resort's room. "So, who is Harry exactly? He seemed pretty—" The only words Tsuna could think to describe him was strangely alluring, warm, and yet incredibly—disconnected from reality. "Important," Tsuna finished lamely.

Gokudera perked up, from his bunkbed that he was sharing with Yamamoto. "Harry is pretty well-known through the underworld, tenth," he sounded excited. "He managed to stop a huge misunderstanding of information that could have possibly ruined the whole infrastructure of the mafia itself! He managed to keep a war from forming, which is impressive considering that he was," at this, Gokudera wrinkled his nose in distaste. "A policeman in training."

Policeman…? Tsuna couldn't help but feel awed at that. Policemen turned mafioso sounded a bit counter-intuitive, but the fact that being a policeman was Harry's first choice of careers was somewhat comforting to Tsuna.

"Not that it matters, he's completely immersed in the mafia underworld now," Gokudera sighed, waving his hand flippantly. "He's practically a living legend, which probably explains why he is an Arcobaleno."

Tsuna turned to question the only other Arcobaleno in the room, curiously. "In that case, how exactly do you know him, Reborn?" This question was rewarded with a sharp kick in the face. Tsuna fell back into his bed, hands coming up to rub gingerly at his nose—ow! He wished Reborn stopped doing that!

"Don't be nosey," Reborn quipped coolly. What a sadistic baby, Tsuna thought spitefully. "And I know Harry because I was going to kill him." At this, Tsuna blinked in surprise, even as Gokudera let out a disbelieving scoff. Yamamoto tilted his head.

"Kill him? Aren't you two friends?" Yamamoto questioned, bemused.

"Back then, I was just a hitman and he was just a target," Reborn smirked. It was a bit of a callous thing to smirk at and to recall as fondly as he did. "It's a long story, actually. But I suppose it can come off like a bedtime story. Think of me like that wise old storyteller, traveling the lands, and being treated poorly by others," Reborn looked off into the distance with a sad expression, suddenly dressed up in what Tsuna assumed to be an old-fashioned storyteller getup. It was complete with faded old robes and a fake grey beard.

It was such a paper-thin disguise that Tsuna wondered how he always gets away with it. Though the speed he has when he changes was quite impressive, Tsuna sweated.

"Oh, a bedtime story?" Yamamoto appeared delighted, letting out a short laugh. "Sure, I haven't had one in a while. It'll be fun!"

Even Gokudera looked excited, his eyes glinted. "A first-hand account of Harry's origin? I need something to write with, just wait a moment—" he scrambled around the room looking for something suitable, somehow managing to dig out a pencil and a notepad from his carry-on bag that he didn't bother to unpack.

Tsuna sat glumly next to Reborn, mostly due to his nose still smarting from his earlier kick. In fact, his whole body hurt and he felt exhausted. But he wasn't going to complain, considering that he was actually interested in this part of mafia history.

Though he did feel a bit creepy, because Harry was still very much alive and well—he would probably feel uncomfortable being treated like nothing but a piece of history. Tsuna knew he would have.

"Everyone ready?" Reborn asked, smile hidden by his horrible beard.

The three boys nodded.

"It all started when— when..."

…

..

.

Reborn fell asleep.

"Reborn!"

Review, favorite, follow, or whatever you do on stories that you read.

Ah—when I said don't expect frequent updates on this one, I didn't mean to make everyone wait almost 3 years for this to even be vaguely touched. Sorry, sorry, haha~ ^^'

More to come soon. :v

-mms