THE SECOND COMING

Warnings: Violence and language; hidden genius yet lazy Tsuna; very overprotective guardians; maybe some OOCness

Genre: Family/Friendship/Humor/Hurt/Comfort

Disclaimer: Reborn doesn't belong to me and neither does any of its characters. I only own the OC's that appear in this fic.

Note: This story will follow the manga plot, NOT the anime.

I-pin liked her elder cousins.

They played with her, got rid of anyone trying to bully her, and bought her little trinkets and toys whenever they went out shopping or out of town. Pretty much, she was spoiled like a pampered princess, but she still retained her humbleness despite all the attention she received from them. It did not feel the same way with her guardians. Her uncle was too busy with the clan to spend any real time with her, and although her aunt would coo and fawn over her sometimes, her attention was always on talking with her female friends about the latest gossip and fashion. Though her cousins showered her with things only of the finest quality, to be honest, I-pin was never completely happy.

How much doting the three gave her, they were hardly around due to being the clan heirs. They had a duty to train themselves to make sure that their clan would continue to prosper for more generations to come. Uncle had not really wanted to take her in after her parents were killed, but he did so out of practicality and honor of his sibling's last will, and she would still be useful to him anyways, that she had heard him say a couple of times, though I-pin had not understood what he meant by that. She also did not understand her aunt's words when she said that she would not bother teaching her to be a girl until I-pin looked like one. Although she did not understand, I-pin could not help but feel hurt by their callousness towards her.

It was not until the Storm Arcobaleno, Fon, came into the picture that her life truly started to change. He was called upon to further tutor her cousins in the martial arts, and I-pin grew interested. She kept it from others that she wanted to learn how to fight, and practiced in the dead of night in her room all the moves Fon taught them. What she never knew was that the infant had been watching her in her personal training.

888

Fon was not blind.

He had noticed the young niece of his contractor always watching her cousins' training sessions with him. He had been amused and curious in the beginning of the little one gazing at them with awed wonder. However, when he managed to see her performing all the moves he taught her cousins with practiced ease, that was when Fon grew interested. So he watched her in secret, studying her moves closely and mentally analyzing her strengths and weaknesses. When he had finished gathering all the information he needed, that was when he decided that she would make a fine pupil.

It had been difficult at first to convince the clan leader - not to mention the male cousins - to let him teach I-pin, even more so when he wanted her as his disciple. Being an Arcobaleno had its perks, but still, a condition was made before she was officially his long-term student. Should she prove her worth until she turns 10, then she would be released from any future political marriages with the other Triad clans, and be allowed to do as she pleases with her life under his wing. Fon had taken it as a personal challenge. He would train I-pin to be the finest of assassins and pass on his knowledge of the Gyoza-Kempo to her.

And maybe, during all this, he can give her life a sense of purpose.

Chapter 8: Exploudings of Ramen

Dear Journal,

Yeah, it's been awhile. A lot of crazy things have happened since I got knocked unconscious during the Pole Knocking. It seemed one of Mochida-Sempai's lackey was still upset by my win over his 'idol', that he thought he would take revenge by being the one to knock me down the pole. Big mistake. I was told by the girls that Kyoya was furious that someone dared to use his own weapon against me, and that resulted into a near death lackey. Well, he would have probably died if Tatsuda-san didn't stop Kyoya from literally 'biting the herbivore to death'.

I was kinda disappointed for not being able to watch that particular fight, but I heard it became the 'encore' performance of the festival since it lasted an hour long and ended in a tie. Kyoya wasn't happy about that. As for when I finally woke up, it seemed I had a concussion. I was semi-aware on what was going on around me, but at the same time, I felt like being in a dream.

No no, it WAS a dream. I mean, why would I 'glomp' Reborn and declare him my new 'favorite' subordinate, even if his terrified expression looked absolutely hilarious? Nope. Kyoya can hope, and Mukuro can dream, but my Cloud Guardian will ALWAYS be my favorite, even in the afterlife. 'Dream' Reborn whacked me on the head with his Leon Mallet after that, and even after I woke up, my head was pounding. Sheesh, talk about further injuring the already injured, even if it was all just a DREAM. Call it denial all you want, but I'm right and you're wrong.

The next crazy event was that 'first time killing' thing with Moretti-san. Though, I ended up threatening to actually kill him for waking me up so god - sorry Oniisan - damn early in the morning when he snuck into my room. Everyone in the future Vongola eventually learned how cranky I could get if I didn't get enough shuteye, so no one ever blamed me for threatening bodily harm or committing homicide. Especially since more than half of the assassins sent to kill me during my sleep wound up burned extra crispy or frozen to death - Kyoya's words not mine - on their employers' doorsteps. Needless to say, no more assassination attempts were made during the night.

The 'eat and run' incident - something I suddenly recalled while eating some sushi - didn't happen thank goodness. Maybe it's due to Reborn being more considerate towards me and that I really know Takeshi's dad pretty well this time around. Reborn tried to do a babysitting contest just for the heck of it - did that happen before? Lambo had looked affronted at the idea, and told Reborn that he refused to be babysat by anyone except for those he already trusted. Raiga-san hasn't been added yet, but no doubt he'll make the list in a few more encounters or so, since he was warming up to the guy quite fast.

Hm, now that I think about it, I-Pin should be making her appearance pretty soon, which should make Lambo much happier and less bored in the house. Now all that we need is Fuuta, and I'll have all three of my adopted siblings again under one room. I could make it easier on myself and ask our resident hacker and spy to find out where Fuuta was at the moment, but I think I should just let our meeting happen the same way as it did last time. Plus I don't want to make Reborn any more suspicious than he already is. Yes, Reborn has been suspicious of us even since back then when he interrogated my Guardians, he's just not saying anything until he gets fed up.

Reborn's managed to witness the couple of episodes Lambo's past memories have caused him. His sporadic temper tantrums greatly irked the hitman, and I can tell that it took a lot out of him just to not hit the child over and over again. There was also times when Lambo's headaches hurt so much that he let off large amount of sparks of his lighting flames, and I even had to ask the others to help out. Reborn had suggested about sending him to the hospital to get him checked, but my Guardians and I vehemently opposed the idea. We knew that the doctors could do nothing, same thing with therapists, and often times it did more harm than good.

Kyoya had bit every one of his doctors and therapists to death, Hayato had ended up giving threats and curses to his own, and I heard Mukuro mentally scarred his own with gruesome illusions when his irritation reached its peak. Even Oniisan left some mental and physical damage in his EXTREME wake. Takeshi and I acted more emotional about our own doctors and therapists. We would cry all the time like babies to be honest, and we refused to be taken away from our parents' side for more than a few seconds. Yeah, all of us were real hellions during Lambo's age.

And speaking about episodes, it looks like Lambo's having another one. I better go and handle it before Reborn starts kicking him again.

This is Decimo signing out and -

"No Reborn, you're not allowed to throw him out of the window!"

*Somwhere in Namimori*

Tsuna had always thought of himself as a cat person. Despite their not so stellar first meetings, maybe that was one of the reasons why he had been so drawn to Reborn, Kyoya, and Mukuro. Sure, he did worry about their health and well-being a lot, but they were very much self-sufficient in the long run. They were capable of surviving on their own with no help from others, but Tsuna had known that deep down they had craved for some form of affection, whether they realized it or not. Ignoring the many times they had pushed him aside, Tsuna had answered their wish, and slowly they came to him like - excuse for his un-originality - moths to a flame.

It had always been his other guardians who needed most of his attention and care, because they did everything poorly if he ignored them for too long. They thrived on the amount of affection he gave them, and he was always reminded of a litter of young enthusiastic pups who decided to follow him after he save them from life-threatening experiences. Although, Hayato could be considered a hybrid between the two, as he 'hissed' at strangers, unworthy adults, and rowdy comrades alike, but when it came to him, he acted like a loyal dog who heeded his master's every word.

Thankfully, his 'fanboy-ish' nature on his precious 'Jyuudaime' had been greatly tempered as he got older. Unfortunately, there had been young mafiosi who had idolized Tsuna so much that they created a not so secret Vongola Decimo fan club, and thus, the birth of many 'mini Hayatos'.

And on the subject of 'man's best friend', this one neighbor's new dog was being too loud. He was not scared of it anymore unlike his past life, as he encountered more frightening canines in the mafia - ones whom happen to be able to make use of very destructive flames. Tsuna stared at the dog as it continued to bark at him for standing so close in its territory. He then lowered himself down to eye level and continued to stare at it without any sign of hostility, until he gave a small smile. It wasn't long before the dog's barking began to lower into a light whimper.

"That's a good boy," Tsuna said softly as he went to pet the dog through the gate. The dog inched forward and nudged his nose to the hand, before fully allowing the teen to scratch behind his ears. "You shouldn't be so loud this early in the morning, unless others start to complain about you. Be good okay." It was an order if the dog ever heard one, but he nonetheless obeyed, as he felt compelled to listen. Tsuna gave a final pat on the head before walking on his way to school.

"So, should I add 'Animal Tamer Tsuna' on your ever growing list of titles?"

"Please don't Reborn," the brunet sighed as he turned to his tutor sitting on top of the wall, and paused at the bizarre sight of many dragonflies covering Reborn's face. Now where had he seen this before again?

"Too bad, already did. Besides, it's a good skill for a boss to have just incase you have animal problems in the future. Oh, and these are my henchmen of the fall season who gather news for me," the infant remarked, inwardly smirking at his student's momentarily startled look.

"So, these are the insects that come to you during the fall. What about the spring season? Which insect relative visits- OW! Sheesh Reborn, I was just kidding."

"For that alone, you get an extra hour of parkour practice. 'Miss Dragon' might have a limited amount of time to train you and your Guardians, but I have more than enough time on my hands to have each of you perfect her lessons."

Actually, Tsuna did not mind the extra practice, since he did have to admit that it was fun doing parkour, despite him gaining a lot of cuts, bruises, and a couple twisted wrists or ankle here and there. He was most happy that Kyoya thought joining in on this certain training was worth his time, though he refused to call it a 'bonding session' of any sort. Tatsuda-san had also been estatic, having her former charge become her (unwilling) assistant in demonstrating some of the more difficult maneuvers they would be learning later on.

Her training wasn't as spartan as Reborn's, not by a long shot. But Tsuna's intuition - as well as Kyoya's frequent 'sympathetic' looks towards them - had felt that these lessons were merely the calming before the storm. When the storm finally hits, he wonders if he and his Guardians would be able to survive its ferocity.

"So, what did they say?"

"According to them, I-Pin just came to town." Tsuna almost smiled. Almost.

"I-Pin?" the brunet inquired as Reborn jumped on his shoulder as he resumed his walk to school.

"The assassin from Hong Kong, also known as 'The Human Bomb'."

"Like 'Hurricane Bomb Hayato'? Are they another bomb user?" A grin.

"You can say that."

It was then they heard the cry of a distressed animal. Both looked up to see a small cat looking down below hesitantly. Poor thing, it looked like it climbed up either in curiosity or was being chased by a dog, but was unable to climb back down. Feeling sorry for it, Tsuna decided to go and lend a hand, but before he was able to start climbing the tree, a moving shadow jumped up on the branch that the cat was crouching on. A small figure with a large egg shaped head began to coax the cat towards them with little mutterings of Chinese.

I-Pin.

The cat would not budge though, and would swipe its claws whenever the child tried to get close. As the child began to look uncertain and hesitant on what to do, Tsuna found this as a good opportunity to help out, and he began climbing the tree. I-Pin looked surprised at his arrival, though he ignored her for a moment and turned his attention to the cat. It hissed at him in warning, but he did nothing more than smile gently at it and tilted his head to the side. Cats were always harder to train than dogs, as he's come to learn in the past.

Kyoya was the best example of a cat in human form; solitary (for the most part), whimsical, independant, slept for most of the day, easily bored of things that were not interesting to him, and did not like being forced to do things he did not want to do. Since Tsuna started to learn how to handle Kyoya (with tips from Dino), it made it easier for him how to handle other kinds of felines and not just ones that were box animals. The cat continued hissing at him, and he just did repeatedly what he had done with the dog. The cat soon stopped its hissing fit at him and gave him a curious 'meow'? Tsuna then extended a hand out and let it sniff its fingers.

I-Pin watched in fascinated awe as the small cat nuzzled the other's hand and began to purr. The boy then cautiously and slowly brought the feline into his arms and scratched under its chin. It then pressed into the other's neck, causing the other to chuckle at the ticklish feeling. She became more in awe at the beautiful smile that graced the boy's face, and she could not help but feel warm inside. Even more so when his eyes met hers in a soft gaze, causing a small blush on her face.

"Thank you for being considerate of this little one. It's very kind of you."

The boy's gratitute was enough for I-Pin's shyness to completely grab a hold of her, though, it wasn't enough to activate her power. She made a move to leave, but paused abruptly when she was scooped up in the other's arms. The boy dropped down from the tree branch and landed on the ground in a graceful crouch. She was then released, as well as the cat who gave one last 'meow' and demanded one last scratch, before scampering off under a bush.

"I haven't seen you around before, are you new? What's your name?" I-Pin did not know how to respond. She may understand Japanese, but she was not very good in speaking it. If she could reply back, she would answer the first question, but not the second one since she was taught to never give out her real name to strangers.

"Sorry, don't speak Japanese." Maybe she would get lucky and the older boy would at least get the gist of the circumstance? She perked up when a glint of understanding shone in the brunet's eyes. Though, she was surprised when he responded to her in her native tongue.

"You're Chinese then? It's alright, I can speak Chinese too. It's nice to meet you 'Little One'. I asked earlier if you were new here." The boy didn't seem to be offended with her not giving him her name, and I-Pin was greatful for that. But it looked like he didn't give her his name in return, maybe in retaliation? Whether that was the case or not, he was smart not to give out his real name to a complete stranger, especially to an assassin.

"First time in Namimori." She had been to Japan once, but only for an assignment. She left immdediately afterwards.

"Are you looking for someone or something? You seem a bit lost." I-Pin looked down, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"Sorry, can't say anything." A smile of understanding and another small blush in return.

"That's fine, I'm a stranger after all."

"Oi, Lazy Tsuna, at this rate you'll be late for school," rebuked a voice, cutting into their conversation. I-Pin was shocked to be face to face with the one known as 'The World's Strongest Hitman'. She wondered what her master's acquaintance was doing here, but then remembered him saying how Reborn was going to be training the new upcoming boss of the Vongola famiglia, who ever that was. She looked towards the brunet teen who paused in momentary shock.

"I almost forgot! I hope Kyoya doesn't bite me to death too hard today. Bye 'Little One', I hope we meet each other again!" And with that, I-Pin watched the stange boy run down the pavement.

"You're here on an assasination mission correct?" I-Pin immediately straightened and nodded, but then gasped. She took a picture from her small pack and squinted her eyes at it, and then looked at the direction the boy went. What, that boy was her target? Her face fell at the thought of killing such a kind and warm person. Although, she didn't know why she was told to silence him, she was only told to do it and nothing more. I-Pin hesitated for a moment, but then found her resolve.

"I-Pin didn't realize that he was my target. I-Pin must go kill him!" In her rush to catch up to Tsuna, she did not notice when the photo of her target fell to the floor.

Reborn picked it up and studied it for a moment. He wondered if he should interfere and tell her that she had the wrong person. Hm. Nah. It had been awhile since anything significant had happened in the past few days. Plus, he wanted to see how Tsuna could handle himself against the Gyoza-Ken. Pocketing the picture, he willed Leon to change into a handglider and flew himself towards the school.

*Namimori-Chuu *

Tsuna knew that I-Pin had followed him and was observing from outside his class's window. Last time she had mistaken him for her assasination target due to her near-sightedness. Was the same thing going to happen again? Well, he should not have been surprised, it was like Reborn to ignore I-Pin's mistake surrounding her target and allowing her to come after him. It was all for the infants personal enjoyment after all, since not much of anything exciting had occured for the past couple of days, and he may have wanted to see how he'd fare against the Gyoza-Ken.

Now that was a bit of a problem. He had only been subjected to it twice, but not for very long. Still, he didn't even want to repeat such an incident, so he should think of a way to prevent her from using it. Hm, would Gokudera's glasses work?

"Jyuudaime, have you noticed..."

"Yeah, don't worry about it. Although, let me borrow your glasses later. I don't feel like being hit with a cloud of garlic again, so I want to nip this in the bud quickly," Tsuna replied quietly as the bell rang for lunch. Once again, the brunet quickly left the room with his two Guardians, bento in hand, and the girls left behind only looked on in disappointment. At least they weren't wailing anymore about it. Once the trio reached the rooftop, they found I-Pin already there and already eating a Gyoza bun.

"I-Pin didn't realize that you were my target earlier so I-Pin let you go, but now I-Pin will kill you." Both his Rain and Storm tensed at the girls words (both knew Chinese, although Takeshi would still have problems speaking the language), but it was more of a reflexed response than anything else.

"Kill me? Is that why you're in Japan?" he feigned a small surprise.

"This is I-Pin, the assassin I told you about," a familiar voice spoke up from behind him. Lo and behold, there stood the infant on top of the fence, a photo in hand. Did I-Pin drop her target's picture? Tsuna narrowed his eyes.

"When you told me I-Pin was an assassin, I taught she would be at least Hayato's age. You didn't tell me she's a kid," he snapped. Though him snapping was supposed to be a ruse, the idea of the mafia teaching little kids to become assassins had always left him with a bitter taste of resentment. Just bringing that feeling up to the surface to power up his words actually made it look very convincing to the hitman, as Reborn's face became stony.

"Would it have made any difference if I did? She came here to kill you for an assignment. Tsuna, even street kids can kill people just by throwing rocks at them, and not just in the mafia world. Are you telling me that just because she's a kid, that you won't be able to land a hand on her, and instead would let her kill you?"

"Of course not!" He almost missed the way I-Pin suddenly flinched at his sharp tone, and that caused his gaze to soften. "I know that this world has its rotten side, and that includes using children to do evil things. I've hated such thoughts for a long time, but I know that doing such horrid sins are the only way children of the mafia, yakuza, war, and poverty, can survive. It took me a long time, but I've accepted it. And now that I'll soon inherit the 'strongest Famiglia' in the world, I hope to use my influence to do something about that."

"Hmph, quite a speech you have there. It's true you can do just about anything when you take over the Vongola Famiglia, but there will be oppositions," Reborn replied as he smirked. Tsuna just smirked back.

"So? It's merely just using the right words to sweet talk them into my favor, without them knowing of course." Both Hayato and Takeshi chuckled at that, and the hitman wondered if that response triggered some kind of inside joke "Anyways, I-Pin? I don't really know why you were told to kill me, but is there a chance that I'm not really your target, and that this is all a huge misunderstanding?" I-Pin furiously shook her head.

"I-Pin was given this mission straight from my master! He doesn't make mistakes when it comes to my targets!"

"I'm not talking about your master making a mistake - although he might be - , I'm talking about you I-Pin. Look, do you have a photo or something of your target? If it really is me in the picture or whatever proof you have, then I'll concede and allow you continue with you trying to kill me. Know though, that I WILL fight back as a means of self defense."

Well, this was turning out to be the wierdest assasination attempt for I-Pin. Her target was trying to talk her out of killing him, not through pathetic pleadings for thier lives or making the mistake by waving her off due to her age, but through sensible logic. And then she blinked. True, she had near-sightedness, and there were a lot of times she had to ask around for her targets, so why did this time made any difference? Well, she had just arrived a couple hours ago and had yet to start gathering intel, but after finding her supposed target by pure coincidence, she considered herself lucky.

Dropping her guard down, but only just a bit, she went to check in her pack for the photo she had. When she realized she didn't have it on her, she began to panic as she tried to recall where she might have dropped it. It could have been outside the class window, but she had stood there for a while so she'd know if it fell there. The only other time she knew she might have lost it was earlier in the morning when she met both the boy and mister Reborn.

Wait, mister Reborn? Could it be possible?

Tsuna and the others patiently watched as the young assassin frantically searched her bag for her needed proof. No longer wanting to upset the poor girl - c'mon it's I-Pin - Tsuna gave Reborn a look. The infant raised an eyebrow in challenge which just made the brunet narrow his eyes in warning. If this was any person who was not a child, not a woman who wanted to either send him into a mental institute or wanted to kill him, or someone like Shouichi-kun and Yuri-san that was not an overall nice guy, then he would have found great amusement in this. Reborn just had the nerve to smirk at him as he 'gave up' the photo.

"Ruin my fun Tsuna, why don't you, but I digress." The hitman then turned to the girl. "If you were told to kill the one in the photograph, then you've got the wront guy, this isn't Tsuna." The girl started at that and became nervous. It finally seemed to dawn on her on whom she almost attempted to kill off. No doubt that the famed 'Greatest Hitman in the World' would actually let any assassin kill off the Vongola's next potential heir.

"You got that right," Hayato snorted as he absentmindely started to ruffle the brunet's hair. "This ugly bastard doesn't even hold a candle to Jyuudaime's cute looks."

"Ha ha, I agree. Tsuna's cuteness is beyond comparison," Takeshi added, smiling that stupid yet heart melting smile of his. Tsuna merely gave both of them a deadpan look.

"As much as I'm very flattered that my 'cuteness' is unmatched by your guys' standards, I feel highly insulted that you're even comparing me with a man who has a pear for a head. Who is he anyways? Another crime lord that loves flaunting his money?"

"Master said he tried to swindle a high ranking member of the Chinese Triad, so I-Pin was told to kill him," I-Pin answered timidly. Tsuna's gaze turned to the young assassin and saw her tense in anticipation.

"If you can't even tell the huge difference between me and the person in that photo, then you must be extremely near-sighted." He then held out a hand to Hayato who immediately knew what he wanted, and handed Tsuna his reading glasses. "Here, put these on, they should help." The girl hesitated for moment, but took the glasses when he gave her a small smile in encouragement. Holding the glasses in front of her eyes, she then looked at her photo and compared it to him.

"You're right, I-Pin made a grave mistake." Seeing the girl wilt at the misunderstanding, Tsuna rubbed her head in confort. That seemed to perk her up a bit, but she started when he picked her up. She flushed again when he gave her another small smile.

"It's fine. Maybe it's not right to say such things when it comes to assassination, but you're lucky it was me you made a mistake on. Who knows what others would do if they found out a kid was the one who killed their boss. Aside from that I-Pin-chan, what do you plan to do now? We can help you track this person down, but the rest would be up to you."

"But Tsuna-san, I-Pin thought you didn't like the idea of me killing."

"I hate it, but I'm not stupid I-Pin-chan. Everyone, even normal civilians, know that anything involving the Chinese Triad means bad news for those who cross them. Unfortunately, that also includes members of their own. I-Pin-chan, would it be wrong to say that you would be punished for failing any tasks given to you? "

I-Pin winced at the dead on statement. While it was true she would be punished, it would always be her master who would willingly take the full brunt of her failures. She was told she had the great makings of an assassin, and since she was the apprentice of an Arcobaleno as renowned as her master, she was given even more pressure. Failure meant looking bad for her master. Failure meant her master being a failure of a teacher. She had to improve quickly for his sake.

"Tsuna-san, I-Pin would appreciate help finding him, but I-Pin can do the rest."

"Of course, and I know just the person for the job," Tsuna smirked as he looked up towards his Cloud who had been watching everything from his perch. Takeshi greeted him with a wave of his hand, while Hayato just gave a 'hmp'. Kyoya just gave them a look before taking out his cellphone and typing a message to their resident hacker. A few moments past before the Cloud put the contraption away.

"It is done. I should have the information by this evening at the earliest, or first thing in the morning."

"Thanks Kyoya. By the way, say hi to I-Pin-chan. I-Pin-chan, this is Kyoya, my chosen Cloud Guardian." Silence was his only answer and he quirked an eyebrow up in confusion. "I-Pin-chan?"

Kyoya seemed to be the first one to finally remember something, since the next thing Tsuna saw was the prefect tossing the young assassin far into the air. A loud explosion resonated through the sky and those watching were treated to a huge light show. Tsuna's, Hayato's, and Takeshi's blank faces soon came into one of realization as something clicked at the back of their minds.

Oh, they had forgotten about I-Pin's crush.

*Sawada Household*

"So you're saying the Gyoza-Ken involves dumpling buns, huge vapors of garlic, and the ability to control a garlic infected body?"

"Correct."

"Sounds neat, but pretty wierd, eh..no offense I-Pin-chan," Tsuna hurridly added as he saw the girl immediately tense as she paused in her card game with Lambo. The girl tentively offered a shy smile before going back to her cards and dropping down a pair of cards in the discard pile. After all that fiasco on the roof, Tsuna told I-Pin that she could stay at his place for the duration of her mission, or how ever long she decided to stay in Namimori.

One thing was for sure though, her presence in the Sawada residence would bring a bit more load off his back when it concerned a certain Lighting guardian of his. He may not mind hanging out with Lambo most of the time, but he couldn't deal with that much energy almost 24/7 in conjunction with Tatsuda-san and Reborn's training. After bringing her home with him and introducing her to his mother, Lambo - who conveniently woke up from his nap on time - took one look at I-Pin and practically shouted in glee. Tsuna smiled softly when he saw a light of joy in the young cow's eyes as he began begging to play straight away with the Chinese girl. I-Pin like in their past life, once again called him a 'Broccoli Monster' and made to attack Lambo, who happily evaded and ran away, laughing.

Thus, began a game of chase around the house. It was harmless in the beginning, and Tsuna continued to watch and smile in nostalgia, before quickly rushing to save a vase full of flowers from falling. Not like the vase would have been important since it was made of plastic, but not only did he want to ruin the flowers, he didn't want any of the water to spill out on the floor and accidently make someone slip, most especially himself. After putting the vase safetly back on the counter shelf, he caught both of the kids from their mid-air jump - ignoring their protests - and hastily walked up towards his room after excusing himself from his mother's presence.

After a couple more scuffles between the two kids, Tsuna told Lambo to stop teasing I-Pin and play a quiet game for right now, maybe teach a board or card game to his new playmate. That, or do some coloring while he did his school work. After reassuring her that Lambo was really a human and definitely not a mutant vegetable, I-Pin started to settle down and listen to Lambo's explanations with the game he was going to teach her. He took his math homework out and quickly tackled threw it with ease before starting his English essay assignment. It was then he started asking Reborn more information on I-Pin, wondering if there were any changes to her profile in this lifetime.

"And what about that explosion? If Kyoya didn't throw her before she explouded, all of us on the roof might have needed serious medical attention." Like really, how did they even manage to survive the times her bomb did activate? Wait, was it several times or just that one time the first time they found out I-Pin was a girl?

"It's call the 'Pinzu-Timed Super Explosion'. Whenever I-Pin's shyness is at an extreme level and reaches the peak, the nine-pin appears on her forehead. The number of pinzu on the head deacreases with time, and once it hits zero, the dumpling gas contained her body pores is released and creates a massive explosion."

"That explains her title of the 'Human Bomb then. Such power coming from such a small body, it's a wonder why she doesn't get a single scratch from her own attack."

"There's also another thing she does during 'Countdown'. I-Pin gets drawn to other people due to that overwhelming shyness that starts the countdown. You were already holding her, so you wouldn't have noticed her latching tightly on you."

"I...really didn't," Tsuna confessed, He then lowered his voice so I-Pin wouldn't hear what he was about to say. "But of all the things she could end up being shy about, I didn't think she'd get a crush on Kyoya. That's surprisingly cute," he chuckled softly at such nostalgia. In the end though, those feelings did disappear overtime and she was able to talk to his Cloud without stuttering.

"Thinking about your own old puppy love?" The brunet went along with that and nodded. "You still haven't told me who you had a crush on before." A deadpanned look.

"Like I would willingly give you any more reasons for teasing me." A smirk.

"Of course, it's my job as your tutor to know everything about my students; their abilities, embarrassing moments throughout their lives, what makes them tick, and even...their most well guarded secrets."

No, Tsuna will not let Reborn bait him so easily to spill the beans. His only respones was to smile brightly back at the hitman - a little too brightly for Reborn to think it was anything but fake, and no, he was not starting to feel uncomfortable - although there was a certain sharp edge behind it.

*Namimori - ?*

Red eyes narrowed as they surveyed the people below.

Hibari Kyoya had contacted him once again for another job, and he was grateful for it. It was always so tedius having to tend to a dissatisfied customer, especially one who was quite vocal and loud in a place of quietness. Everyone in the library had been glaring holes into the noisy man, but the guy seemed incredibly stupid to not have noticed them. He himself was nearly at his last shred of patience before he would have done something drastic to the man, but when Hibari-san had texted him his new assignment, he knew he had found a better way out of the problem.

When he had decided to answer the message, the man had the nerve to immediately grab his cellphone from him in a fit of anger for trying to ignore him. However, when the man saw who the text was from, the guy paled a deadly white, allowing him to take back his cellphone. Quickly the man had stuttered an apology and hastily made his way out of the library, completely forgetting about his borrowed books and library card.

After hacking into the systems to find the person who he was looking for - really, how was it even possible for a man to have a pear-shaped head? - he had been mildly surprised on the - clan being one of the guy's regular contacts. Hibari-san would no doubt have a field day with that tidbit. He had taken out his phone and began to message back the prefect with the answer he needed, but then a thought made him pause.

The - clan knew the pact they made with Hibari-san was absolute and they wouldn't be given another chance if they broke it once more. They would deny their involvement with the man and make him out as a scapegoat, and the man may or may not know that - most likely the latter given his recent actions. So the clan wouldn't dare keep a man like that in their headquarters if they knew the chance that Hibari-san would manage to find out somehow.

Thus, he decided a little recon was in order. Within a few hours, he found himself at a rather familiar place; the broken down building of Kokuyo Land. It was the place Mukuro-sama had asked him to keep an eye on and to deal away with any unwelcome party, aside from Hibari-san and his 'wolf pack', ASAP. And right now it seemed that pear-shaped head man, Bob - as cliche as that name was - and his henchmen were intruding on his master's future domain.

Usually he would have been the one to deal with them, but Hibari-san had only wanted the location of this man and to not do anything himself. This was also Sawada-san's orders, someone who he knew he couldn't defy. Finally knowing what he needed to know, he melded himself into the shadows and silently slipped out of sight.

*Hibari Residence*

When the sounding of the kettle whistled throughout the kitchen, Kyoya turned off the stove and began to make tea for him and his guest. Waiting in his room sat an infant with long braided black hair wearing a red chángshān. He bore a red colored pacifier on his chest, and next to him napping was his faithful animal companion, Lichi. Fon brushed his hand over his monkey's head, but then glanced towards the inner sliding doors as his nephew came in, a tray of tea and snacks in hand.

"I apologize for coming here at such short notice, Kyoya. I hope I haven't troubled you in any way."

"If I found your presence here troubling, you would have known immediately," the teen responded as he set the tray down and started to pour their tea. Fon graciously recieved his cup and took a hearty sip and sighed. Kyoya always made the best oolong teas for him that he sometimes stays in his home for a couple of days. The last time he drank any of his nephew's homemade teas was nearly three months ago; he sure missed it dearly. And combined with Kyoya's favorite brand of scones, ah, heaven.

"So, you have finally met I-Pin."

"Yes, it had been rather...an explosive one."

"Of all the reasons for the 'Countdown' to initiate, I never would have thought it was due to her gaining a school girl crush. What is more amusing is that it is with you," Fon chuckled as Kyoya's eye twiched in annoyance.

"Excuse me, 'Uncle', but isn't the real reason why she chose me as her crush, is because I remind her of you? Oedipus complex, maybe?"

"Is it not quite a normal thing for young children her age? You yourself acted no different when it came to your mother." The infant watched again in amusement when the teen nearly choked on his tea. "Ah yes, I quite remember fondly all the times you glared at your father as you clung possesively to your dear mother."

"I was three!" Kyoya growled back.

"It was indeed fun while it lasted. You then began to become so independant a year later that you managed to scare away all your caretakers."

"Because they persisted in acting like herbivorous idiots. They would have been half as decent if they didn't try to pinch my cheeks or calling me 'cute' every 5 seconds!"

"Well, it was tough for your father to find a capable caretaker that was up to your tastes. Good thing I suggested Tatsuda-san to be your new caretaker, and how nice that it worked out well in the end," Fon smirked as he took in another sip of tea, "for most of us at least." All he recieved was a death glare that would have broken any 'normal' man to tears.

Yes, it was his 'dear' uncle's fault he gained such a crazy girl for a caretaker, all because Fon believed that Kyoya's tastes in a maid should be one who could put up a fight and yet still be efficient in the work she was given - which was actually true. It also didn't hurt if they had his mother's strong will, and he had to admit Hikari had it, but of course he would never say that to the woman herself. He didn't need her glomping all over him again.

"Putting my 'teasing Kyoya time' aside..." He recieved another glare which he easily ignored, "I would like to ask you and Tsunayoshi-kun for a...favor." Kyoya stared at him for a moment with knowing eyes.

"About I-Pin." Fon nodded, not surprised that Kyoya could guess what he wanted to talk about. Even as a child, the boy's ability to read others very easily was astounding. Although, he did tell him that Sawada Tsunayoshi was probably the only person he had difficult reading very well if the younger boy didn't want him to know what he was thinking.

"I've made a deal with the higher ups. This will be I-Pin's last assassination mission for quite awhile. They find her to have great potential so they have given her 3 more years to train before her missions become even harder; no longer targeting lowly fishes, but much higher sharks," Fon spoke calmly, but with a noticeable undertone of bitterness. Kyoya gave out another growl.

"Are they trying to produce a miracle worker? She's not an Arcobaleno, she's a 5 year old girl!"

"I've told you before Kyoya, there is nothing you can do to oppose them. Even the Vongola are on thin ice with the Triad. What I want to ask, no, PLEAD, is for you and your friends to teach I-Pin the meaning of life and how precious it is. Potential she may have, but she has a very kind heart. I do not want it to be lost amidst the many kills she would be forced to do in the coming years."

Even if it is for my sake. I'm so sorry for dragging you into this, I-Pin.

*Sawada Residence*

He could feel the angry beast crawl up his spine and latch on to him to take control, but Tsuna had long ago learned to control that anger and transform it into fuel for his punches as well as his resolve. Still, he couldn't help but hate those people who planned I-Pin to become the very thing Tsuna had always feared that he would end up as. If there had been no one to support him through his hard times as the Vongola boss, he didn't think he'd be able to keep that kind heart that drew others to him in the first place. What would have happened if he became as cruel as most of those mafia men who ruled only based on power? How they cared not for any of their subordinates and only viewed them as 'tools' instead of human beings?

No, he didn't want I-Pin to become so heartless that she'd view the world as only dark black and never witnessing and finding the light that lay hidden in such a messed up world. Hayato had once experienced that and almost gave up. Takeshi had once given up before and accepted to end it all on the school roof. Mukuro himself definitely had seen such darkness throughout many reincarnations, over and over again. Kyoya in the past had relished himself in the Mafia's dark world because he got to fight to his heart's content, but he had to rely on his famiglia to keep him grounded, to make sure that he didn't become a mindless monster.

Tsuna himself at times had almost let himself fall into the depths of the Mafia life's clutches of pain and violence. Insanity always crept close to when the pressure of the title of 'Vongola Boss' weighed heavily on him. It was his famiglia who held him up from losing his sense of morality and his unlimited kindness.

He was roused from his dark thoughts when he heard his bedroom door creak open. He slowly sat up and saw I-Pin poke her head inside in uncertainty.

"What's wrong, I-Pin-chan, can't sleep?" he inquired the child as Tsuna motion her in.

"Lambo kicked me off the bed in his sleep..." She trailed off at that, but the brunette could tell there was another reason. Nonetheless, he lifted his blanket and silently patted the area next to him. Taking the hint, she rushed to his bed and laid down on the pillow. She instantly felt herself fall into dreamland as the warmth of the boy's presence lulled her to sleep.

"Oyasumi, I-Pin-chan." It was then his door creaked open again to show Lambo yawning as he rubbed his eyes. "Lambo? Are you going to sleep here too? Though, I don't think I-Pin-chan will appreciate it if you kick her off the bed again," he lightly chided him.

"Sorry Nii-chan. Lambo-san is making sure I-Pin was alright. She had a bad dream." So he guessed right. Must be the thought of failing her mission for tomorrow.

"It's alright now Lambo, she's fine now. So, are you going to sleep here?"

"No," the cow child shook his head negatively. "Lambo-san thinks it's best I-Pin stays with you tonight, and Lambo-san doesn't want to leave Mama feeling lonely. Oyasumi, Nii-chan."

"Oyasumi, Lambo." With that, his Lightning Guardian left his room and shut the door. Tsuna took a few more minutes watching the door, though his mind was thinking about how much Lambo had to endure in the past.

Being the youngest, Lambo had the most to prove of his worthiness to being his Lightning Guardian. He had to rise against the pressure of others always questioning his abilities and motives. Was he strong enough? Was he taking his responsibilities seriously? Did he even understand what everyone was half saying in all the meetings he's been in? Of course the other members of the famiglia would question the worthiness of his Guardians all the time, but Tsuna in the long run knew the true question behind each inquiry. Did Tsuna himself even choose the right people to be his Guardians?

His Storm was a run away child who became a delinquent; his Rain was a clueless civilian who tried to commit suicide; his Sun was a very loud individual with the memory span of a goldfish; his Lightning was naught but a child from a lessor known famiglia; his Cloud was a violent unknown who half the time fought against his fellow Guardians then his enemies; and his Mist was a convict of the highest degree who managed to lure an abandoned girl into his fold and used her as his proxy.

Yeah, in the beginning, maybe they had caused him many problems, especially giving him many headaches and piles upon piles of paperwork, but in the end, they were HIS. HIS Guardians. HIS friends. HIS family. HIS saviours. And that extended to those he came to know and care for. HIS Reborn. HIS CEDEF. HIS Varia squad. HIS Kokuyo gang. HIS Cavellone. All of them were HIS. Anyone who dared to take them away from him would end up wishing that they had never lived.

*Kokuyo Land*

No one expected for I-Pin's job to be a walk in the park, especially where her target decided to locate himself in, yet they thought she wouldn't have too tough of a time either. They had created multiple distractions to get most of 'Bob's' henchmen out of the way so I-Pin would have at least an easier time dealing with the rest.

From his perch, Fon quietly watched the proceedings as his student quickly and quietly traversed through the ruined building and entered the master room. The remaining guards were caught off guard by the little girl's appearance and were quickly dealt with with a cloud of garlic. 'Bob' had yelled out for some of the others to come back and protect him, but soon found out that the rest were incapacitated.

Taking matters into his own hands, he took out a gun and started firing in random shots. I-Pin ducked for cover as the bullets flew passed her head and hid behind a large piece of concrete. She knew that she was not yet experienced enough to dodge bullets so she decided to wait until her target wasted all his bullets while playing a game of hide and seek. What happened next would later lead to Gokudera denying how he almost busted a couple of blood vessels.

Lambo had burst into the room with a loud declaration of his arrival to save the day with the 10 year bazooka held up high in his hands. 'Bob' seemed to have found a new target to vent his frustrations on and aimed his gun at the child. I-Pin wasted no time in running from her hiding spot and body tackle her friend out of the way, In doing so, the 10-year bazooka flew up from Lambo's hands and landed on top of the duo.

A loud pop and pink smoke filled the air.

When the smoke finally cleared, two teens stood in the middle of the room and looked around in mild confusion.

"Oh, this is the past. Lambo, your younger self used the bazooka again!" exclaimed the shorter of the two. Fon knew immediately that this beautiful young girl was I-Pin. Though, judging from her outfit, she looked like she had been in the middle of training, or worse, in an assignment.

"Ah, how bothersome, sorry I-Pin," replied the teenage Lambo in a lazy, yet apologetic voice. It was a bit surreal to both Fon and Reborn that the young and boisterous Bovino child would soon grow up to be such a lazy and laid back individual. But both were able to see how much power the boy was keeping under wraps. To have so much power yet know how to keep it under control, was a really great feat for his age.

"Well, at least it wasn't during my part-time job. I'm still not doing a good job from keeping Kawahira-san's ramen from getting soggy."

"If you ask me, he lives too far away from the ramen shop you're working in. He could have just as easily gone to any of the ones closer to his house. And people call me lazy."

"It's not that, he just likes our ramen better than the other places. I can't really do anything about it since he's one of our best customers, so..."

"HEY! Who the hell are you kids, and where'd the little brats go!?" Bob' demanded as he stared at the two teens with both a flabbergasted and angry expression, his gun positioned and ready to shoot.

Oh, everyone had almost forgotten about why they were here in the first place.

"Hm? Don't we know this person from somewhere? He looks familiar," older Lambo inquired as he scrutinized 'Bob' and his pear-shaped head with a deep frown.

I-Pin however, didn't take very long to remember who was in front of them. Not bothering to answer her friend, she quickly covered the distance between herself and her target, kicked away 'Bob's' gun and landed another kick straight to the guy's face that sent him flying to the wall with a very loud crack.

And just like that it was all over in less than 10 seconds.

How so anticlimactic.

Once everything was done, Tsuna and the others rushed in the room to surround the two teens. After 'clarifying' their identities, Gokudera locked the older Lambo's head in a choke hold and proceeded to berate the teen about causing trouble with the damn bazooka ("But it wasn't my fault, it was my younger self!" "He's still YOU, you stupid cow! Now pay the consequences!" "Maa maa, Hayato, he'll pass out if you continue doing that.").

Tsuna smiled and commented on how pretty I-Pin grew up to be, causing the girl to both flush pink and laugh off at her 'older brother's attempt to 'flirt', though they both knew he really wasn't. She then noticed a familiar baby just standing off to the side, a form she hadn't quite seen in such a long time. He looked...dejected, and I-Pin knew exactly why.

"Master," the young girl called out to the Storm Arcobaleno as she ran to him and picked him up. Fon became shocked when his student gave him a hug, one so warm and comforting. She then gave him a bright smile.

But why? It seemed that even after 10 years, I-Pin had not managed to escape from her predetermined future. It was all his fault that he led I-Pin into the life of an assassin. If it weren't for him, if he wasn't so blind with his fascination and eagerness in developing her raw talent, she would have continued to live comfortably and peacefully with her family instead of always wondering if her next mission would end up being her last.

"Master", he heard her speak again, and looked up to see her eyes shine with understanding. "I have Tsuna-Nii, Lambo, you, and everyone here to protect me and to keep me grounded, to be there for me when all I want to do is cry. So Master, don't blame yourself and don't worry about my younger self's future. As long as I have my family and friends, everything will be alright. So please, believe in that."

Fon continued to stare at her gentle expression even as she and older Lambo began to disappear right in front of them. With a loud pop the two teens were engulfed in pink smoke,causing Fon to drop to the floor with his feet on the ground. Leaving behind in thier stead, two 5 year olds looked warily around before sighing in relief when they found themselves back in a familiar room fiilled with familiar people.

"Welcome back you two," Tsuna greeted them with a small smile. It then turned to a frown. "As much as I'm glad how well things turned out, Lambo, I'm still grounding you for using the bazooka without permission." The brunette ignored the way his Storm's expression took on a gleeful look. He'll make sure to bring this up in the future as a form of blackmail somehow.

"Eh? Niichan's being unfair," younger Lambo grumbled, but complied. It was worth it if he ended up helping out I-Pin. Her nightmare last night seemed to have taken a toll on her, as she had been very quiet during breakfast. She didn't even retaliate against him when he stole a bit of her eggs. He thought that maybe older I-Pin should take over her younger self's place with this one since she'd probably be more in a good state of mind. He had been right, so there would be no need for him to feel any regrets with getting grounded. It still sucked though.

As for I-Pin, she turned a deaf ear to Lambo's current problem - she'll thank him later for his consideration though - as her attention focused on her master, the person she really wanted to talk to right now and reassure. She had learned many things about her master in the last 5 minutes she had been in the future - it was so bizarre seeing a grown up version of her teacher. I-Pin offered him a smile that shone more brightly than it had in years, a smile that also caused a great deal of emotion to rise up through Fon.

"I-Pin, I - " he didn't get a chance to continue as he became startled when his young charge grabbed his tiny hands.

"Master don't worry, 'cause everything will be alright!"Fon's eyes widened.

"How-!?"

"So please believe in that! No more worries and no more blaming yourself! I-Pin chose to go with Master, and I-Pin will keep being your student, so please!" Fon stared at her for a few moments before he slowly began to smile a true smile, his heart now a bit more at ease. That was something he had always wanted, no, NEEDED to hear. He had just been too much of a coward to talk about it with her directly.

"Thank you, I-Pin." Both you and your older self.

To Be Continued...

Back then, the boy was pure and untainted by the dark side of the world. No one could deny that Sawada Tsunayoshi had the best smiles of anyone they've met. It brought reassurance to those who were scared or uncertain; it brought a sense of peace and serenity to those who were feeling frustrated or stressed; it brought warmth to one's heart when one was feeling sad, depressed, or lonely, and could even break through the coldest of people. The best comparison they could describe his smiles, was they were like the sky; open, beautiful, and welcoming.

He would laugh freely at things that he loved; the neighbors who treated him to cookies and candies, the little chihuahua that would sometimes come to visit his home to play, the sunny weather that shone happily upon the area, the other kids that were his playmates, but most of all, his family; his loving and caring mother and father. Life seemingly was perfect then; the boy had everything he ever wanted, and in return, Nana and Iemitsu's life were illuminated by the presence of their child and his angelic smiles.

It came to no surprise that there were those who would get envious and jealous of the Sawada parents. In their eyes they had the perfect child any parent would ask for; obedient, charming, a good listener, and one who never threw temper tantrums. And those smiles, those gorgeous, breathtaking smiles of his. Many wanted them for themselves; they wanted the child who seemed to be blessed favorly by the gods, but no one had the guts nor the heart to tear the happy boy from his parents.

And then it happened; the boy was taken away from his loving home at the eve of his 3rd birthday, with his mother left almost half dead and the toddler himself bearing witness.

Because 'they' were desperate to have the perfect child, desperate to finally have one of their very own because the wife was infertile, and desperate to always be around such a gift of radiance so 'they' wouldn't have to live in such a cold house every again. 'They' were too out of it in their desperation to acquire the Sawada's beautiful treasure, that they never thought of the repercussions of their actions.

The Young Lion of Vongola, enraged by what 'they' dared to do to his precious family, gave no mercy when he finally had his hands on 'them'. 'They' became obsolete, disappering from the world in silence; no one cared, no one wept, because to everone's eyes, 'they' had committed one of the greatest sins one could possible do. They took away the light and buried it far from their reach.

Sawada Tsunayoshi had been traumatized beyond repair, and from then on, he stopped smiling.

Omake 1 - Concussion

Reborn was holding himself back from hitting his student.

His wide awake and concussion induced student who was currently trapping him in his arms and spouting out nonsense about him being his new favorite subordinate since Kyoya 'hated' hanging out with him anymore. He wondered if a large blow to the brunet's head with his Leon mallet can somehow undo the boy's condition. It's not like losing a couple of brain cells will make him any dumber. And so he did just that.

Of course that action had caused the guardians to voice out their distress on the futher injured brunet, but they didn't reprimend him for what he did. Maybe it's because they understood what prompted him to hit his student in the first place.

After all, no one in their right mind would ever want to be Sawada Tsunayoshi's most 'favorite' subordinate. They would have to be some sort of masochist for that.

Far away in the southern part of a boot-shaped country during an eerie filled night, a certain illusionist with a 'pineapple-shaped' hair cut suddenly sneezed, loudly.

And got him and his group's covers blown when their targets made a run for it. Unless it was dear Tsunayoshi being tsundare again about changing his favorite subordinate to himself, then he was going to kill whomever caused him to loose their prey.

Omake 2 - Let Sleeping Lion's Lie

The mafioso smirked as he managed to successfully enter the Decimo's bedroom from his open window. Seriously, either the man was confident that no one would try to sneak into his room to kill him, or he was still as careless as his past teenager self from the reports. And what the heck kind of security did the Vongola mansion have if someone like him managed to easily scale the building undetected? Even a 5 year old could easily walk past the back door with no one the wiser. Oh well, not his problem.

Creeping closer to the young slumbering Vongola boss, the assassin took a moment to marvel the expensive decor of the room before taking out a long dagger. Lifting it high about, he silently counted to 3 before plunging the weapon down on his target. When no blood began to stain the bed, he pulled off the sheets to see to his horror, his knifed stabbed into a dummy doll made in the image of the Decimo. But if he wasn't here...

A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder and he stopped cold. Literally. The last things he remembered were the sound of his own voice screaming and the vision of a pair of 'demonic' orange eyes.

When a familiar 'Zero Point Breakthrough: First Edition' rang throughout the mansion in the dead of night and then followed by a man's scream, you would think that the first thing everyone would do is run to their Decimo's room to make sure he was alright. Instead, the so called 'guardians' didn't even bother to get out of their soft and warm beds;

Lambo just turned in his sleep while dreaming of candy; Kyoya glared at the direction of the noise before yawning and closing his eyes; Mukuro only smirked before hugging Chrome closer who gave out a content sigh; Ryohei abruptly woke up, gave a loud 'EXTREME', before just as abruptly passed out cold next to an ear-plugged Hana; Takeshi mumbled out a 'not again' before he went back to snoring; and Hayato paused in his reading of a really good book before shaking his head and turning to the next page.

It became a daily occurrance for their Decimo to have to freeze his late night visitors, so it just became too bothersome to check on their boss's health when they knew that he had everything under control, and that they would be waking up for nothing.

As for Reborn, he began to make the preparations for transporting yet another 'poor' soul back to their famiglia. Yup, just another normal night here in the Vongola mansion.

Author's Notes: I have no excuse for not updating other than real life kicking in. I won't go into details though, it'll only end with me ranting about many insignificant and childish things.

Anyways, did the ending insert and the first insert from Ch.1 seem contradicting in a way? It's not really. You can compare Tsuna to a celebrity; one day they're popular, the next day they're hated due to a single mistake. Tsuna was popular and loved by all because of his bright smiles and cheery personality, but the kidnapping changed him and he was soon viewed as just another child with mental problems.

That aside, now we have more stuff for me to mention.

First of all, as I've said in the previous chapter - if you remember - I have drawings of the OC's that have appeared in the story so far, not full bodies though. Tell me what you think of them and don't be afraid to voice your opinions as I'm rather curious.

links(remove spaces ; it's pretty small since I have this on photobucket)

sketch version: rs73. pbsrc albums/ i231/ eevetta/ Mobile%20Uploads/ TSC_OC1. png? w=480& h=480&fit =clip

base colored version: rs73. pbsrc albums/ i231/ eevetta/ Mobile%20Uploads/ TSC_OC_1. png? w=480& h=480&fit= clip

Secondly, more changes to the story plot and their reasons;

1) We don't know of I-Pin's past at all except being trained by Fon, so I decided to expand my version of it. I-Pin comes from a prestigous clan that has close ties to the Chinese Triad. Her parents died due to an accident or maybe it was murder? *shrugs* Didn't really think much about that. Her uncle didn't really want to take her in at first, but did so out of family obligation, and thought she'd be useful later in forging a close tie with another clan through marriage.

Her aunt is just as callous, with the way she saw I-Pin as not being feminine looking at all, but she has her moments of affection. It's her older cousins though that dote and spoil her rotten. It's a wonder to everyone and Fon that she didn't grow up to act like a spoiled and demanding child. You also got to see my version on why Fon decided to take her under his wing.

2) We don't know what Fon's full back story is also, but we know he's known as the strongest martial artist in the world and that he's related to Kyouya somehow. Although I haven't made a complete back story for him, I wanted for him to have more screen time. Did it ever mention of him having ties to the Chinese Triad? Even if it wasn't mentioned, it's highly possible that he would be part of it, especially since his Martial Arts is legendary, and it wouldn't surprise me if they called on his service occasionally.

I had wondered if there had been times he felt any worry about taking in I-Pin as his apprentice. Of course, for all we know I-Pin could have been an orphan, but since that's not the case for this story, I decided to expand on this particular topic a bit.

And lastly, a question:

1) Beware, for the next chapter will be an angst filled one, probably the most angst filled one in the whole Daily Life Arc. Are you ready for it?

Yeah Dino is finally going to appear next! How will he handle this new Tsuna? How will he be able to handle a certain prefect who wants to start biting him to death again?

Please Read and Review!

Next: My Beloved Brother