mizuki73 said:

Not a sky!Tsuna finds his sky or young!tsuna ends up with the 10yr bazooka

It hurt. Tsuna gently touched his face; it was already beginning to swell. He whimpered at the pain, but slowly soldiered on back home. A fierce breeze blew and Tsuna shivered, drawing his damp clothes closer to protect him.

Just another day at Namimori Middle. Another day of bullying and tormenting, of being dunked into the toilet, of being pushed around and punched in the face. Another day of teasing and mocking laughter and open ridicule from his teachers.

Tsuna hunched his shoulders, feeling the weariness settle deep in his bones. It was never ending cycle and sometimes he didn't even know why he tried, what he was waiting for. All he could do was return home, shower and sleep, returning to do this all over again tomorrow.

Black spots danced in his eyes, vision splintering. He wavered, feeling lightheaded.

"Hey, kid."

The last thing Tsuna knew was everlasting warmth.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The most well known fact in the mafia was that the World's Greatest Hitman, Reborn, never used Dying Will Flames.

Most people whispered that it was because he was so powerful that there was no man worthy enough, strong enough to warrant him to use it. Others scoffed, saying it was more likely that he never awoken any sort of Flame, Flameless they sneered. Regardless, no one dared to bring it up to Reborn's face.

The greatest secret in the mafia was that the World's Greatest Hitman, Reborn was a Sky.

Due to the rarity of Skies, normally people would have scrambling to recruit Reborn left and right. Skies were powerful and came with equally powerful allies, their Elements. Reborn, who wasn't born into any famiglia and was unattached, was a prime candidate and easy boost to a famiglia's reputation.

But to his greatest shame, Reborn had never, in the thirty five years he had been alive, called a single Element to his side. Most Skies, especially active ones like Reborn, found at least one Element by the time they were eighteen. Yet, Reborn traveled all over the world, going straight into the heart of dark communities with thousands of Flame users and never once left with an Element.

There was a term for that: Empty Sky. Empty Skies were failures, weak and unable to draw anyone in.

So he buried his Flames deep, wrapped them up with his fine control and never told anyone what Flame he had, if he had any Flame at all. Leave them to their preconceptions, let them draw their own conclusions. He would become so strong that no one would doubt him. When he finally became known as the World's Greatest Hitman, no one had even an inkling that he was an Empty Sky.

So Reborn came, he saw, he conquered and he didn't need any Elements to prove his worth.

That all changed when he was passing through a small town in Japan.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A bedraggled kitten was Reborn's first thought. He had spotted the kid out of the corner of his eye, limping down the street and soaked. The growing bruise and hunched stature showed signs of neglect and abuse and the few people in the street quickly avoided the child.

Something urged him forward, a long buried instinct that had him reaching for the kid. "Hey, kid," Reborn said.

Said kid buckled, collapsing. Reborn darted forward to catch him.

What happened next, knocked his breath away. For the first time in years, his Sky Flames reacted, slipping out of his control… and Sun Flames responded back. Reborn stared down at the kid, watching as yellow and orange Flames danced, intertwining before the yellow Flame sunk in skin deep, healing the kid's large bruise.

Reborn drew in a shaky breath, unable to wrap his mind over what had happened. This child was his? His Element? Impossible.

Completely and utterly impossible.

But his Flames sang, humming with harmonization, bursting with joy. Even though the Sun Flames had faded from view, Reborn could still feel them, just lingering on the edge, timid and wavering. It was easy to reach out with his Flames, coaxing the Sun Flames back.

The kid shifted in his arms, relaxing even further.

Impossible. Impossible. What were the odds that Reborn would have found his Element in this backwater town? His grip curled a little tighter, not wanting to let the child go.

He didn't know this child, didn't know who he was. Could be a plant to get him to lower his guard. (He doubted it, there was no one left alive that knew he had Sky Flames. Reborn hadn't used his Flames since he was eighteen and majority of what he knew was self-taught or learned from his information gathering.) Even if that wasn't the case, the child was a civilian at the very least and Reborn made it a point not involve civilians if he could avoid it.

(He had been dragged into the underworld just by virtue of having nowhere to go and he couldn't leave it even if he wanted to. It should always be a choice.)

'But,' his mind whispered traitorously to him, 'Look at him. Even if he has someone to look after him, they aren't treating him well.'

His Element. His Sun. It was Reborn's duty as a Sky to look after him. Especially because his Sun was hurting.

Mind made up, Reborn took the child with him. It would still be the child's choice to stay or go, but the meantime, Reborn can at least look after him. He rubbed his face, feeling weary for once.

Utterly impossible.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was warm. Not hot, but a comforting warmth, the kind that was cozy, made you drowsy like wrapped up in a blanket on a cold night or curling your cold hands around a hot cup of tea. Tsuna shifted, feeling the soft bed beneath him, not wanting to open his eyes.

"Are you going to get up?" asked a voice. It was a deep and rich timber, painted with amusement and tint of exasperation.

Tsuna shook his head, burying himself into the pillow. No, it was too comfortable. This was the best feeling Tsuna had in years and he didn't want to give it up. He felt safe here.

A hand reached out, brushing through his hair. That bubbly joyous feeling that Tsuna had felt tingling under his skin returned stronger.

"Impossible child," the voice said, even more amused.

That was the last thing Tsuna heard before he drifted back off to sleep.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Tsuna woke feeling not quite refresh, but at least well rested. The exhaustion that always clung to him lingered in the background, the weariness was not so deep in his bones and the pain was gone.

A chill went down his spine as he realized this wasn't his room. Sunlight poured in from the nearby window, the morning sun already high in the sky. Tsuna slipped out of bed in horror, wondering where he was and how he had slept so long. He looked outside, sighing in relief that at least he still recognized Namimori's skyline. He hadn't gone far.

"I see you're finally awake."

Tsuna turned around to see a tall foreign man standing in the doorway. Dark hair and tanned skin and dressed in a black suit. He looked dangerous. Tsuna threw his guard up, unsure how to handle him.

The man merely smirked, clearly amused . "Do you want breakfast?" he asked. "You've been asleep since yesterday afternoon."

"Who are you?" Tsuna asked.

"Reborn," the man answered. "And you are?"

Tsuna bit his lip, hesitating. Reborn merely waited for his response. "Tsuna…" Tsuna finally introduced himself.

Reborn nodded curtly and headed back into the small kitchenette. "I hope you like eggs and toast, because that's all I have," Reborn said.

Tsuna gave a meek sound of agreement and shuffled after him. He stopped as he passed the the mirror, leaning forward to examine his reflection. Gingerly he touched his face, marveling that the large bruise from yesterday had completely faded from view.

"How?" Tsuna muttered to himself. A bruise that large should have lasted for days.

"Sun Flames," Reborn called out.

"What?" Tsuna asked, whirling around in surprise.

"Sun Flames," Reborn patiently repeated. "Sun Flames are one of seven Dying Will Flames. Its characteristic is activation, best known for its ability to augment and stimulate. It is the best Flame type for healing."

"What?" Tsuna said faintly. What did that mean?

"Come eat first," Reborn said.

Tsuna shuffled to the table, taking a seat. Reborn set out a dish of eggs and toast in front of him. He then pour a cup of hot steaming coffee, sliding the white mug over. Reborn took his own plate and mug, taking a seat. Tsuna meekly picked at his food, sneaking glance at the stranger.

He didn't understand why he was here or who Reborn was. What was this about Sun Flames?

"Do you have anyone you need to call?" Reborn asked.

Tsuna flinched before violently shaking his head. "N-no." No one would notice he was missing. No one could care.

Reborn sighed softly. "Impossible child," he whispered.

Tsuna's head shot up, recognizing that fond address. Wait, had that warmth come from Reborn?

"There is an ability called Dying Will Flames," Reborn explained. "They are rainbow colored Flames. Red is Storm Flames, orange is Sky, yellow is Sun, green is Lightning, blue is Rain, purple is Cloud, and indigo is Mist.

"Each Flame has a different characteristic. As I said, Sun is activation. Storm is disintegration, Sky is Harmony, Lightning is Hardening, Rain is Tranquility, Cloud is Propagation, Mist is Construction."

Tsuna frowned. "S-so, you have Sun Flames?" he asked.

Reborn was silence for a second. "No. You do."

Impossible. "No, I don't. I'm, I'm not special."

"You are," Reborn said, in almost kind manner.

Tsuna couldn't believe his ears. How could he special? He was Dame-Tsuna. Forever clumsy and unwanted, a jinx, a curse, and completely alone.

Reborn put down his fork, reaching over to Tsuna's hand. He laid his hand over Tsuna's, a deep bone piercing warmth instantly flooding Tsuna.

Tsuna looked at Reborn in marvel. "How are you doing that?" Tsuna asked.

"Dying Will Flames," Reborn repeated. He withdrew his hand. "Try find that same warmth within yourself."

Tsuna gave him a skeptical look, but closed his eyes. He focused on that warmth, reaching deep inside. There was a ball of warmth in his chest, playfully greeting him. Tsuna pushed at it, extending that warmth out to the tips of his fingers.

"Congratulations. You have Sun Flames," Reborn said.

Tsuna opened his eyes to see yellow flames dancing on his fingertips. "Wha-" The flames vanished.

"If you keep practicing you'll be able to keep them materialized longer," Reborn explained. He cleaned up his dishes, placing them in sink. He poured himself another cup of coffee before returning to his seat.

Tsuna stared down at the eggs he had barely touched. "What does it mean?" Tsuna asked. Why did he have that ability?

"Nothing really. If you wanted, you can continue on with your life, just with this special ability," Reborn said. "It's fairly common if you know where to look. Though, if you want to keep your relatively normal life, it isn't something you should advertise. Normal people won't understand and those in the know will want to use your ability for other more dangerous means."

"More dangerous means?" Tsuna asked.

"Dying Will Flames are common in the mafia."

Tsuna felt his heart drop and his throat constrict. He licked his lips. "And you…?"

"I am a freelance hitman," Reborn said.

He stood, gesturing to Tsuna's food. "Finish eating and then you can decide what you want to do next. I am going to run to the store to buy more food. If you have any more questions, I will answer them when I return. If you want to leave and not look back, I won't stop you either." He pulled out a small slip of paper. "And if you want to leave but have questions later, this is my private number."

Reborn left Tsuna to his thoughts.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Reborn tugged the brim of his hat down to shadow his face even more. No one had ever mentioned how hard it was. It took everything in his considerable control to not want to tie Tsuna up in a thick blanket and not let him leave. His Element was hurting and Reborn was utterly pissed at the thought.

But Tsuna was a civilian. He had to take this slow or Reborn would lost all contact with his only Element.

That actually might be for the best, but Reborn was selfish enough that he didn't care.

He leisurely walked to the nearest convenience store, forcing him to walk normally. Hopefully, Tsuna would still be there when he returned.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Tsuna quickly finished his breakfast, washing the dishes and left them on the dish rack to dry. He scurried back to the bedroom. There he saw his school and uniform already washed and dried.

"I don't understand," Tsuna said aloud. He touched his uniform. Reborn had… found him, brought him home and washed his clothes.

Tsuna wasn't used to that level of kindness. No one would have given him a second look in this town. Yet… Reborn was a stranger who cared enough for him? Why?

Then that warmth. There was something special about that warmth. It felt different, even from the one that Tsuna managed to summon forth.

He wavered. There was a decision to make. He could put on his uniform and leave, just like Reborn said. No worries about the mafia or the nerve wracking idea of sharing another conversation with a dangerous hitman. He could continue on with his life.

But…

Mind set, Tsuna reached out.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Reborn opened the door, hand full of groceries. He may have overbought, especially if Tsuna was gone. Forcing himself not to check, he quietly and quickly put everything away. Once it was all put in place, he turned around… and spotted thick bundle sitting on his couch.

"Tsuna?"

Tsuna's head poke out from under the covers. "W-Welcome back."

"Is… there a particular reason why you're wrapped in a blanket?" Reborn asked. He was delighted over the fact that Tsuna hadn't run out the door at the first chance.

"Felt safe," Tsuna answered, not looking Reborn in the eye.

Odd… but alright. "I see. Do you have any other questions?" Reborn asked.

"What are your Flames?" Tsuna asked.

Reborn lit his Flames. "Sky," he said.

Tsuna reached out to touch them. Reborn marveled at the trust in the action. Tsuna didn't even think, already knowing subconsciously that Reborn's Flames would never burn him.

"It… feels different," Tsuna said, scrunching his nose in thought. "Really safe."

Reborn paused for a brief second. This was the perfect segue. "Sky Flames are a bit different than the other Dying Will Flames. They are rare, exceeding so. Skies are natural leaders; nearly every Don and Donna of the mafia is a Sky. What makes Skies so powerful though, is that they harmonize with other Elements. It creates a strong, unbreakable bond. Where the Sky goes, their Elements follows."

Tsuna looked up at Reborn. "Did I harmonize with you?"

There was no sense in hiding it. "Yes."

"Oh." Tsuna bit his lip. "What does that mean? For me?"

"Nothing really," Reborn said. "If you want to stay here, that's fine."

"And… and if I want to go with you?" Tsuna asked.

"I'm a hitman," Reborn reiterated. "I kill people. People will target you just for associating with me. There's no going back if you join the mafia. It will be your life, your coffin, your grave."

"I know," Tsuna whispered. "But there's nothing for me in this town. So- so, if you want me, Dame-Tsuna, No-Good Tsuna. If- if I'm useful to you even though I'm really clumsy, slow and stupid." He pulled the blanket back over his head. "I wouldn't mind going with you."

Reborn ruthlessly squashed the urge to hunt down every single person who made his Element feel like that. Instead, he focused on the fact that he had a Sun, his Sun. His to protect and care for.

He tugged down on blanket, revealing Tsuna from underneath. "Let's give it a trial run," Reborn said. Reborn was secure enough financially that he didn't need to take on hits any time soon. It would be easy enough to just remain in Japan, until Tsuna was fully comfortable, perhaps teach Tsuna some self defense. (And if he was going to stick around to hunt down the people hurting Tsuna, well that was now his prerogative.)

If, Tsuna really was comfortable with the idea of the mafia, then they would return to Italy. Reborn was confident he could protect him.

Tsuna smiled up at him.

Reborn felt his Flames hum. He had finally found one of his Elements. His Sky was no longer empty. A Sun now glowed, lighting up against the soft blue hues.

You know, to be completely honest, I actually don't like Not-a-Sky!Tsuna. But when I looked it from the perspective of Reborn being a Sky, suddenly I'm looking a multi-chapter fic. -stares up at the ceiling-

This is going to be updated very, very, very slowly and sporadically. Like really, just expect snippets going forward okay? I have no idea what's going on in this story other than a desire to explore this verse and write scene a, b, and c (and that might be all you get really.)

Please leave a review on your way out.