AN: Before we get started, I'd like to thank every single one of you! This is turning out to be a really popular story, and I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. By the way, I'm posting this next bit in all my other stories: if this story, and any other story I have posted on here, gets a hundred reviews, I will give a double chapter. And it's EVERY hundred reviews. 100, 200, 300 etc.

I think I have a solution for the Hibari-turning-into-an-animal thing. I can't wait for your reactions! (And yes, Tsuna is sealed in this story, but not for long!)

Chapter Three

Reborn raised an eyebrow as he observed his new student, black eyes narrowed in thought. The information he'd gotten from that idiot Iemitsu was wrong. Information about the man's own SON was wrong. Why was he the leader of the CEDEF if he could screw this up?

Tsuna was shy and gentle, like the report had said, but not to the extreme the baby hitman had feared. Tsuna was confident in a subtle, quiet way, and while gentle he was firm. Something has helped him. The only question was, what?

Well, at least Tsuna wasn't as hopeless as he'd first feared.

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Tsuna was confused. He knew Reborn wasn't an ordinary toddler, there was no way a real two-year old could speak that well or wear a suit with comfort and confidence, but really? The Mafia? And he was the only heir left? WHAT?! How was he even connected to the Mafia?

"I need to talk to Kyoya," Tsuna muttered to himself, not noticing Reborn's sudden interest.

He managed to get to the school on time (not noticing Reborn following) and raced up to the roof, where he knew Kyoya would be. The Demon Prefect of Namimori Middle always loved watching the clouds in the sky and preferred the roof to anywhere else in the city. "Omnivore," Kyoya greeted, not opening his eyes.

Tsuna smiled. "Good morning, Hibari."

"On time for once?"

Tsuna frowned. "I got a tutor today, named Reborn. He says he's a hitman, and he's going to train me to become the next leader of a Mafia family." He had Kyoya's attention now; the older boy was sitting up and looking at Tsuna with curiosity. "Do you think he's telling the truth? He looks like a two-year old, for crying out loud!"

Kyoya stiffened, eyes narrowing. "A two-year old? Did he have a pacifier around his neck?" Tsuna nodded, confused. "Was it glowing a specific color?" Another nod. Kyoya sighed. "I suppose that's one of my carnivore uncle's associates."

Tsuna was surprised; Kyoya had never mentioned he had an uncle. But then again, Kyoya was very private, even to his only friend. "You have an uncle?" (Reborn listened hard. Seeing Hibari Kyoya, his uncle could only be...)

Kyoya nodded. "Fon. Known as a skilled martial artist." Of course, something always bothered Kyoya about that; something always niggled in the back of his mind, whispering that Fon was more than that, that the pacifier around his neck was a warning. Of what, he wasn't sure. "And this Reborn is training you to be a Mafia boss?"

The young Sawada nodded. "D-do you think it's true?"

Hibari looked deep in thought for a few minutes. "I doubt it's a lie. And... your herbivore father's job always seemed suspicious." Kyoya nearly snorted when he remembered some of the absolutely asinine excuses the man used for why he was away so much. A highway in Antarctica? Seriously? "He must be the one with the Mafia ties."

(Reborn was impressed; the Skylark was very sharp. A good addition to Tsuna's Famiglia. But who knew that Fon, the World's Strongest Storm, would have a powerful Cloud nephew in Namimori? Had Viper even known of this?)

"Will you come over to my house later, then?" Tsuna asked. "He's living with us while he...tutors me."

Kyoya gave a "Hn." Which, when run through Tsuna's Hibari-to-Common-Speech Translator, meant, 'Might as well, since I might find a worthy opponent who isn't you'. Tsuna smiled. "Thank you, Kyoya!" With that, Tsuna rushed back down the stairs to get to his classes, leaving Kyoya on top of the roof.

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Kyoya did show up at Tsuna's house that night, just in time for Nana's cooking. He didn't call her 'Mama' like she'd asked, it was too painful, but he was very respectful to the, for all intents and purposes, single mother. And sitting at the table was the home tutor Tsuna had told him about, the one called Reborn. As soon as he saw him, all of Kyoya's instincts started screaming that this baby was dangerous. 'No, he definitely is not normal,' Kyoya thought.

"Ciaossu, Hibari," Reborn greeted.

"Carnivore," Kyoya replied. He looked at Tsuna. "Omnivore."

"I'm glad you came, Kyoya," Tsuna smiled. "Kaa-san's making hamburger steak and some Italian dishes for Reborn." Tsuna knew very well that Kyoya loved hamburger steak.

The dinner was delicious as usual but a little bit tense, not that Nana noticed. The woman chattered happily about how she hoped her little Tsu-kun could finally get his grades up and start succeeding in his life. When they all finished eating and Nana started cleaning the dishes, the three males just sat and stared at each other for a few minutes.

"So you are training the omnivore to be a mafia boss."

Reborn hid a smirk under his fedora. "Yes; Vongola Nono is getting on in years, and his sons all died under mysterious circumstances." And Xanxus had been involved in the Cradle Affair; he hadn't been seen since. "Tsuna, therefore, is the only heir left."

"How?" Tsuna asked. "How do I even have that right?"

"Through Iemitsu," Reborn stated, scowling at the thought of that imbecile. "He's descended from the Vongola's first Boss, said to be the strongest Boss the Family had ever seen: Vongola Primo. And you are a viable candidate due to that."

Tsuna worried at his bottom lip with his teeth, while Hibari's lips slightly dipped into a scowl. "And the omnivore has no choice in this?"

Reborn shook his head. "There are no other heirs; the family tree was checked, double-checked, and triple-checked. And it would create absolute havoc if the Vongola died off."

Tsuna looked curious and wary and disbelieving all at once, but the boy didn't immediately deny any of it. Kyoya had kept his expression carefully blank throughout the entire conversation; Reborn was completely sure that the wild, powerful Cloud will only tell his Sky what he thinks, and only when it's just them. As the two boys left (Kyoya dislikes staying in one place for too long and he wanted to talk to Tsuna anyway), Reborn hides a smirk underneath his fedora. Cloud Guardian acquired. It was a testament to Tsuna that he managed to find the Cloud Guardian first.

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One thing about Kyoya is that even though he could be cold and seemingly indifferent, he still cared for Tsuna. Tsuna was his first friend, the one that did his best to keep Kyoya from sliding completely into the ice he'd covered his heart with. The two friends stood outside the Sawada home, Kyoya adjusting the black gyakuran on his shoulders.

"Thank you for coming tonight, Kyoya," Tsuna said softly.

"Hn. You are a...friend, after all." Kyoya leveled Tsuna with a Look. "Learn everything you can from the Baby, Tsuna. I will never forgive you if you die due to not knowing everything you should." And with that, Kyoya stalked off, his jacket fluttering behind him like wings, melting into the darkness of the shadows very easily. Going back to the lonely and empty house that the 15 year old lived in. Tsuna watched him go, brown eyes starting to glimmer bright amber in the night.

'If this is to end in fire, then we will all burn together.'

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Despite their friendship, Kyoya and Tsuna didn't often have the chance to 'hang out', as it were. Tsuna had classes (as did Kyoya, to a lesser extent), Kyoya had his duties as the leader of the Disciplinary Committee, and now Tsuna was learning from Reborn on how to be a proper Mafia Don. The only times they could talk to each other was either when Tsuna helped out with the paperwork Kyoya had to do or when he accompanied Kyoya on his patrols around Namimori. (But with the second one, there was less talking and more biting herbivores to death. Tsuna mainly stood to the side half exasperated and half amused, watching his Cloud successfully beat up people that could be years older than him. Hibari Kyoya was a monster in battle, and he never let anyone forget it.)

However, due to this lack of contact between the Sky and Cloud, Kyoya didn't realize that things were starting to pick up around Tsuna. Gokudera Hayato, for example, and Yamamoto Takeshi's suicide attempt. He also missed the unofficial adoption of the little cow herbivore, and the arrival of his carnivore uncle's apprentice, I-Pin. Along with the young one with the book.

But once Kyoya had learned of all the changes occurring in Tsuna's life, he snorted and (to Gokudera and Yamamoto's surprise) ruffled the brown spiky hair. "I wonder what other trouble you'll find yourself in next, omnivore." He pinned the Storm and Rain with a chilling silver glare. "Protect him. If you don't and he gets hurt on your watch...I'll bite you to death."

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Of course, then everything went completely to shit.

It was well-known in the Mafia, those who knew about Dying Will Flames anyway, that Clouds were very possessive of those that they call their own. Whether it be territory or people, if they were threatened, no Cloud would let it stand. (It was why Clouds were the second-rarest Flame type, actually; fledgling Clouds often bit off more than they could chew and ended up dying for it.)

Hibari Kyoya was no exception.

When members of his Disciplinary Committee started turning up missing and injured, the Skylark's mood turned very dark and sour very quickly. And for one simple reason: they were his, his to lead and help, and yet he was powerless because he didn't know who was doing this or why. Hell, he didn't know where to even start looking!

But worse was that his instincts were going crazy, something in the back of his head pinging away that there was more to this than he could see, that something dangerous, life-threatening was going to happen to those that he protected. Tsuna took one look at him, his narrowed silver eyes burning with anger and bleeding a little bit purple, and promised that he would be careful when out in town, stepping up the lessons from Reborn as well. Gokudera and Yamamoto also pushed their training, knowing that whatever was coming was going to be bad.

Finally, Kyoya managed to narrow down where the attackers most likely made their base: Kokuyo Land. He scolded himself for such an oversight; it was so obvious when he thought about it. The amusement park had been abandoned for years, and no one even went near it once it fell into disrepair. Once he made sure that he had what he'd need (tonfas and cell phone), Kyoya called the omnivore and told him what he'd discovered. "I'm going over there to make sure I am right; if I don't call in an hour and a half, that means that I'll need backup. Be careful, Tsuna." He snapped his cell phone closed and headed out, making sure to keep his guard up. Sasagawa Ryohei had been attacked not too long ago, and that simply made his foreboding feeling worse. Why were they being attacked? What was the enemy's end goal here?

Kyoya shook his head, his hair falling into his eyes. It didn't matter why they were doing this; for hurting what was his, he would destroy them.

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As another body fell at his feet unconscious, Kyoya scoffed. He'd expected a fight, not a one-sided match. He almost hoped their leader would put up more of a fight; he was starting to get really bored. He walked into the main part of the building, looking around to see if anyone else would be foolish enough to rush him. All he found was rubble and dust; if other minions were there, they were hiding in the shadows either too scared or waiting for a chance to attack him from behind. Not that it would help.

Only one way led up to each floor, all others destroyed, and Kyoya felt a thrill of anticipation along his spine. The leader was so sure of his success that they cut off any chance of escape for themselves. He grinned. Finally, a challenge!

No one else approached him as he climbed through the levels of Kokuyo Land, so he managed to make his way into the room where the leader most likely was without any more interference.

And Kyoya could honestly admit that he wasn't expecting who he found. It was a teenager around his age, with indigo-colored hair that stuck up a little in the back, vaguely resembling a pineapple. Kyoya nearly snorted at the mental image. The other wore a school uniform, the one from Kokuyo if Kyoya wasn't mistaken, but altered a little bit. And when the teenager smiled, it was with mockery. His eyes opened, showing one of them to be red with the other blue, the red eye containing the kanji for 'six'. That red eye bothered Kyoya for some reason that he couldn't explain. A cackle echoed faintly in his mind, one that was high and cold.

"Kufufu. I never expected to receive a visit from Hibari Kyoya himself," the stranger laughed.

Kyoya simply raised an eyebrow. "You have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I must confess to not knowing yours."

A mocking smile and another odd laugh. "Ah, how rude of me. My name is Mukuro. Rokudo Mukuro, as it's said here in Japan." Mukuro pinned Kyoya with his hetechromatic eyes, the red one still giving Kyoya that odd feeling. That gaze seemed similar to another, if only he could remember where he'd seen it before...

Kyoya nodded, pushing away his reaction to that crimson color of Mukuro's eye until he could analyze it at a later time. "Why are you here in Namimori? Why attack those that I protect?"

"Kufufufu. That's right, Clouds are very protective of their territories. I'm after one simple thing, Kyoya-kun." Mukuro's lips twisted into a smirk. "The utter destruction of the Mafia and later to bathe the world in blood."

Now, Kyoya could care less about the second sentence that Mukuro uttered; however, the Italian said something that absolutely pissed Kyoya off. The ice that he had coated his heart in after losing his parents burnt off in the onslaught of rage that overwhelmed the young Skylark. Kyoya let out a roar of pain and hurt and loss and slipped his tonfas into his hands so quickly that Mukuro did not see the weapons slide from their containment; one moment Kyoya's hands were empty and the next they weren't. Then Kyoya leapt at Mukuro with a snarl.

"Don't call me that!"

Startled by the other teen's violent reaction (just what the hell had he said to piss off the Skylark this badly?!), Mukuro barely managed to get his trident up to block the precise and powerful strike of the silver tonfa.

Now, Mukuro prided himself on being able to fight physically with his trident along with being a prodigy with Illusions, but he could admit that Hibari Kyoya might just be unmatched in speed, power, and grace while fighting. However, Kyoya was consumed by hurt and rage, which meant that while he had more power, he also left openings that, in his right mind, he wouldn't have if thinking rationally. And that made all the difference.

Kyoya nearly won a few times during that fight, but Mukuro was a very sly and cunning person. (Quite the Slytherin, if Mukuro ever stepped foot in Hogwarts. The late Dark Lord Voldemort in his prime as Tom Riddle would have felt inferior in light of Rokudo Mukuro's superiority.) And the Italian Mist managed to knock Kyoya through a couple walls and down a couple of levels.

Kyoya laid there, covered in dust, rubble, and blood, and finally let the tears escape. Tears that he hadn't allowed himself to shed when his kaa-san and tou-san died.

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Miles away, bright amber eyes snapped open, filled with protective rage and determination.

I didn't think the chapter would turn out this long. Kind of got away from me.

I hope this chapter helped show some of the differences between canon Kyoya and this one, along with the changes in Tsuna. I cannot, just CANNOT, keep Tuna the same as canon when things definitely changed. Next chapter will see the seal on Tsuna completely breaking, and him actually kicking some ass. I can't wait to write it!

Apologies for any spelling or grammar mistakes; I have no beta, and while one of my best subjects is English, I can't catch all my errors.

Please make this poor, poor author very happy by giving her some reviews!