It was official.

The "Niwa" home was far more well defended than any other home he had been in of this size, save for the fact that they didn't bother to have anyone man the monitors.

And after seeing even a fraction of the "lethal" traps, which could be activated from a single phone and could only be deactivated by one of the two people living in the home...Hayato had yet to "earn" that particular code, because one had to make it past the traps that lead to the keypad which even Reborn would admit would give him far too much trouble as simply shooting it was not an option and would turn all the traps instantly lethal... he was able to sleep far more soundly at night than he normally did.

It only made sense that a family of thieves who had centuries of experience in dealing with traps would make sure their homes were very well defended.

And the basement was just the last resort escape, which could be accessed from almost every room in the house. The entryways were all different, and not a place one would expect...like Tsuna's bed for instance, or inside the master closet in a just-barely big enough crawl space behind a false wall near the floor.

He could get into it no problem, but for an adult male it would have been a difficult squeeze. For someone of Nana's size, it was just a little tight.

He quickly found his own trap skills lacking when Tsuna was able to get past them while half asleep in the middle of the night without even noticing they were there or setting them off once.

After seeing the "morning routine" that Nana set up, which changed daily at no real set pattern, he figured out why. He heartily approved, since it kept Tsuna's evading skills sharp, even if it was hilarious to watch Hayato attempt to do the same at a much slower pace.

The boy made an excellent thief, though he only ever targeted those who really pissed him off with his pickpocketing skills.

It wouldn't do for him to target someone and get caught at it. That would lead to the cops noticing him, which was something they didn't want.

Reborn also approved of the way Tsuna and Hayato had to sneak into the school, past the increasingly competent members of the Disciplinary Committee and Tsuna's Cloud without getting caught. The teens and the Cloud were all far more competent than most mafioso, to say nothing of ordinary cops.

Honestly, Reborn was just waiting for the right moment to hit Tsuna with one of his special bullets. The boy had yet to give him a reason to see exactly how strong his Dying Will was.

Rather than spring it on him, his instincts told him to be upfront about what he was planning to do.

That turned out to be a good thing, he found out later.

"So basically these bullets force Flames out into the open, even if a seal is in place. We're going to need to take this outside the city then," said Tsuna.

"What makes you say that?"

"Niwa genetics," said Tsuna simply. "You'll understand once it's used, but there's no way in hell I'm doing this in a populated area where I could be seen."

Reborn took a spot on Tsuna's shoulder, and let the boy lead the way to an out of the way area he would have passed by without a second thought. It was a good place to train at least.

He also noticed the Hibari boy nearby.

Without giving Tsuna much warning, Reborn used Leon to shoot the bullet.

And the second he did, he found out why Tsuna said that he would need this to take place outside of areas where they would be seen. Great wings sprang from his back, in a rainbow of colors with orange and some purple being the predominant ones.

He'd recognize those feathers anywhere.

Though he was a bit baffled when he saw what Tsuna's last regret was.

That was a pretty thorough kiss between boys, though the fact Tsuna managed to dodge the irate tonfa strikes from the Cloud was pretty impressive.

"Omnivore! Prepare to die!"

Tsuna, when the effects of the bullet wore off, quickly took to the sky. It was abundantly clear he at least knew how to use his wings at least.

Reborn stared for all of ten seconds before he said "What the hell?!"

Tsuna blinked and noticed Reborn below. And the irate Hibari.

"...I am not coming down until Hibari calms down."

"I will make you suffer for that, omnivore," growled Hibari.

"I will take you out to a restaurant of your choice outside Namimori, as well as your choice of entertainment," said Tsuna.

Hibari blinked.

"How far outside Namimori?" she asked seriously.

"As far as Europe or Mafia Land."

The tonfas slid back into wherever Hibari hid them.

"Acceptable, omnivore."

Reborn was very confused by that.

"Explain."

Tsuna looked at Reborn, his eyes a brilliant amber as opposed to the usual brown color, before he saw something and chuckled.

"So you're the one who Fon gave the other feather to. The one who turned it into a bracelet of sorts."

Reborn blinked.

"You mean to tell me this is yours?" he said, pulling out the odd bracelet.

One of the wings flexed a bit, and suddenly a rain of feathers fell around Reborn in a perfect circle.

"You tell me."

Reborn picked up a single orange feather and compared them. The feeling was identical, though the new one naturally had far less tear and was actively being kept solid by the wings.

Tsuna landed and dispersed the wings, only for every feather save for the one in Reborn's hands to vanish into oddly colored particles.

Quite fascinating really. And ten minutes after he dropped the new feather, it disappeared too.

"Why wings?"

"I like you as a person, Reborn, but until I know exactly where your loyalty lies I'm not going to go into too many specifics. Just know it's a unique quirk on my mother's side," said Tsuna flatly.

Reborn looked at him shrewdly.

"And what would it take to earn that sort of regard?"

"Absolute proof you won't go blabbing to the Ninth or that jackass. I know you can keep a secret, but until I can trust you when it comes to an active contract you're not going to get the full story," said Tsuna without hesitation.

Reborn blinked.

That... was actually a very good reason for secrecy, one he heartily approved of sadly. Keeping a secret because he didn't want to say anything that would force him to report to the Ninth was a valid excuse for not talking.

And it kept Reborn from having to make a difficult decision about his professional pride.

"So you're a Sky primary with Cloud secondary?" he asked finally.

"I've been getting a lot of training when it comes to the Sky aspect from someone who knows what they're doing and can keep their mouth shut. He's allied to the Vongola, which is all I'm going to say about him."

Reborn nodded. He could live with that.

Tsuna heard his 'special' phone vibrate and looked at the text. Since Reborn was "training" him, it was better for all involved if he only used text.

Special mission. Need distraction at...

Tsuna read the details, then went searching online. He hacked into several museums near the area, and found one close to the location indicated.

With Dark distracting the cops and most of the people in the area, it made missions much easier for the strike team when it came to taking out targets. The trick would be getting past Reborn.

Actually he might as well bring Reborn into this secret. If he invoked Omerta, it was unlikely the Sun would tell the Ninth.

It wasn't like it went against his contract.

"So let me get this straight. You're Phantom Dark."

Tsuna concentrated, and shifted seamlessly with Dark. Reborn stared for a few moments, before muttering something under his breath.

"Why tell me this now?"

"Got a request from a client to cause a distraction. Figured it was easier to bring you in so you can watch Hayato then it was to try and sneak past you. You'd likely follow us anyway and could jeopardize the entire thing or cause me no end of trouble anyway," said Dark simply.

"Do I know the client?"

"Yes, but you aren't getting their names. All you need to know is that they're closely related to the Vongola and won't go against your contract. They mostly hire me out on a case-by-case basis, so for the most part we stay in Namimori."

Reborn didn't like this much. There was far too much that was unsaid, but he clearly hadn't earned any points towards Tsuna's trust.

"What exactly will you be doing?" he asked finally.

"Same thing Dark always does. Steal from the museums and cause a big fuss with the cops. It's well known I have an aversion to lethal maneuvers and will go out of my way to prevent any deaths during my heists, so the cops tend to reciprocate in that regard. I might humiliate, but I have never killed during one of my missions. While everyone's watching Phantom Dark, the other party can act with a bit more leeway than normal. Though my cut of the mission will be a bit smaller."

Reborn frowned. He didn't like it, but it was clear that his student was on the clock.

He found himself sitting next to Hayato, mostly discussing minor mafia matters with code. Hayato even had a tablet so he could watch Dark work.

The phantom thief was a professional. He slipped past every trap, disabled the ones he couldn't, and stole the piece he had indicated before making a very flashy exit. He even tossed what was clearly a tracker onto a nearby cop car before anyone noticed.

With how flashy his exit was, all eyes were on the thief.

Hayato picked up his phone the second he got a text. He nodded and began to drive at a sedate pace, so as not to arouse suspicion. There was a slight thump from the roof of the truck, followed by an agreed series of taps.

The door at the back opened to reveal Tsuna, looking rather pleased with himself. He was already checking his phone.

"Mission accomplished. They got their job done and are heading back to base."

"Do I want to know what the other mission was?"

Tsuna's smile was somewhat odd.

"Really Reborn, do I really need to elaborate what sort of mission would only benefit from a very public distraction like the one we just caused?"

Reborn blinked.

"Not infiltration or theft, because you would have gone directly, likely without a notice for the first. A hit?" he asked.

"A contracted hit with a party I'm allied to. They don't hire me directly because it would only alert the idiot and the Ninth that I'm not a civilian anymore, at least until I'm eighteen," said Tsuna. "In exchange for causing a distraction when they need it, I get a third of the pay."

Reborn looked at Hayato.

"Don't ask me. They only hired the Boss, I'm just his assistant. Though Tsuna's usually good about splitting the sale of whatever he steals with me for my help."

"And how are you planning to sell it?"

"Same party that hires me does me a solid by selling the art work, so long as it's not an active threat. They get a cut of the commission and everyone's happy. Of course I usually dole out most of the cash I get from the sales to the slums. A good rep with people who know how to slip around unnoticed is worth more than the actual cash."

Reborn nodded. It was actually a good quality in a proper mafia boss. Sharing the wealth was a good way to earn the favor of people who would only be of use when you really needed it. They would also divert the cops without asking.

"Of course I will be saving a good amount for the date I have planned with Hibari. Odds are they'll pick someplace expensive just to annoy me," said Tsuna amused.

Hayato snorted.

"You're the one who suggested Hibari use you as a way to deflect the worst of what they would have to deal with."

Reborn blinked. Somehow he had the feeling he was missing something obvious.

Third POV

"Well?" asked Xanxus.

"The mission went out a lot smoother with the distraction," said Squalo. "They didn't even see us coming, and the kid drew everyone's attention to him with that exit."

"I'm already preparing the sale of the painting," said Mammon.

They were happy to do so, since Tsuna agreed to let them have a twenty-percent off the actual price as a "commission". He wasn't doing this for the money, but the adrenaline rush. However getting rid of the painting was always a headache and a half, which is why they were happy to have a working relationship with Mammon. Even if it meant having to share a sizable chunk of the sales, it was a headache they no longer had to deal with.

"And the rest?"

"Voi. The kid at least does the paperwork promptly and his course has been weeding out the ones who wouldn't have lasted long anyway."

So what if their "Cloud" wasn't exactly in the mansion all the time. That's what teleconference was for, and the kid was at least more competent and loyal than Ottabio ever had been.

Tsuna was loyal to the Vongola, though not to the current generation, and he detested CEDEF almost as much as the Boss himself did.

Probably why Xanxus liked him so much.