Tsuna came down the stairs, still nervous about the plans he had set in motion but firm in his resolve. Nagi needed help. She was adrift in a deep, dark sea, and staying in those turbulent waves would only consume her.
She was safer here, she would be happy here, she would truly be alive here.
If he needed to manipulate her parents and break the already fragile tie between them to accomplish that, then he would. This spark of indigo pulsing weakly in his chest demanded it.
He just hoped she never found out his part in it.
When he entered the dining room, he was greeted with the familiar sight of Reborn sitting at his table snacking. Tsuna snorted at that thought. He had only known the toddler for a day, but it almost felt like he knew that guy inside and out.
Tsuna strode forward and frowned at Reborn.
The small creature looked the same as always, the same smug aura and cocky demeanour he always seemed to radiate, but there was something off about him. There were thoughts brewing in his head, and none of them were pleasant ones.
"Are you always going to mooch food off of us? I know you are my tutor, but people don't typically feed those." Tsuna shot out lightly.
He had noticed the mood brewing in the baby, and while things were not perfect between them, the creature was starting to grow on him. The fact that Reborn had dragged him back from the brink of death meant a lot.
His words seemed to break the mood brewing in Reborn as the smug asshole smirked at him.
"Yup, all my food and board are covered by your family. Part of the contract, kid." Reborn spoke out with an air of superiority.
Tsuna snorted.
"So is being a bum and a mooch just a part of the mafia lifestyle?" Tsuna shot back.
Iemitsu had not painted a flattering picture of the Vongola family, and Reborn was not exactly helping that image, stupid smug prick.
"No, the mafia is rather organized, but there are always outliers. Power lets you do whatever you want, kid." Reborn spoke out with a small shrug.
That had Tsuna clenching his fists briefly. Apparently, his father had a certain level of power if he was allowed to act like the deadbeat he was. It was not like Reborn said his father was busy with work, and it was their safety that kept the moron away.
Reborn's thoughts on his father were crystal clear; the man was an idiot, and judging from the tone used, he was an incompetent one.
Probably only kept around as a big stick to scare people instead of his actual ability.
"That only works as long as you don't piss off a guy with a bigger stick," Tsuna spoke out darkly.
Reborn once more snorted and gave him a flat look.
"There is not a bigger stick in the world in regards to me, punk."
Tsuna rolled his eyes and ignored the toddler's pride. He was talking about the smug prick, but it was more aimed at his father. Tsuna needed answers, and he was going to beat them out of the bum the next time he saw him.
He took a look at the kitchen. His mother was busy working on a too-big feast as always, but she usually kept leftovers for lunches and to share with neighbours. She just liked cooking and keeping their home picture perfect.
Nagi stood nearby, shuffling nervously in a bright pink apron his mother had absolutely forced on her. She held the knife awkwardly, slowly cutting potatoes with painstaking care to keep every piece the same size.
His mother would occasionally say a few words to her and guide her hands between her own tasks, but appeared satisfied with leaving her to slowly work her way through.
Which told him his mother thought she was competent if slow. She would never let a subpar dish appear in her feast after all.
"Looks like we got some time before dinner. You okay with starting my training? Or are you going to stay here and gobble down more of my snacks?"
Tsuna looked over at Reborn with an expectant look.
The toddler froze and gave him a look that screamed he was an idiot.
"Kid, your insides might as well have been paste an hour ago. You really want to start training right now?" Reborn asked, doubt clear and ready.
Tsuna shrugged and stretched lightly.
He felt like shit, his body still aching far more than he wanted, but his resilience was a far cry from what it was before.
"Time waits for no one. If I want to grow strong enough to deck you, I can't waste time on debilitating injuries."
Tsuna also felt an intense need to improve himself, both for his own self-esteem and because it just felt so goddamn good to push himself.
Reborn took a good, long look at Tsuna before he snorted and let out an amused laugh.
"Well, you're not wrong. Fine, we can start." Reborn simply stated and started to walk out of the house.
Tsuna took one last look at his mother and Nagi and followed. They should be good and busy for a while, and Nagi's thoughts looked like they were in a better place.
Reborn led him towards his backyard. He frowned briefly as he expected to go somewhere further, but it looked like the toddler was not planning any sparring for now. Probably taking into account Tsuna's current state.
A waste, but he had other things he needed to learn anyway.
Tsuna took a look at the tall tree that grew in his backyard. At the sight of it, he felt a shudder run down his spine, and a feeling of revulsion seeped into him.
He looked away from the thing and took a couple of steps away from it, not wanting to get close to it.
Reborn gave him an odd look but settled in a position that was away from the tree.
"You are lacking in almost everything, kid. Your fighting style is garbage, control over your fighting intent is non-existent, and your tactical awareness is a mess. You rely purely on your instincts, and while they are good ones, a smart man is better than a sharp beast."
Reborn started his lecture, clearly looking down on Tsuna and his current state.
Tsuna gritted his teeth but nodded solemnly. He hated being looked down on like this, but the baby was right. He had only truly started to change yesterday; it was bound to be that way.
"Normally, I would beat tactical awareness into you, but that is not going to be an option today." Reborn continued with a disappointed frown on his face.
"So, what are we doing then?" Tsuna asked with a frown of his own.
"Something equally important," Reborn spoke out with a small shrug. "Sit down and settle. I don't care what position you choose, but try to be comfortable."
Reborn commanded, and Tsuna sat on the ground and gave the baby an odd look.
"All that I said before would sharpen the blade in your hands, but the most important aspect for people like us is Flames. I've seen idiots who do nothing but rely on their overwhelming will to overpower reality around them."
Hearing Reborn's words, Tsuna frowned deeply. He understood what he was talking about, but Tsuna was quite literally not capable of using his Flames under his own direction. That infuriating Seal was blocking him from fully reaching out.
"Luckily, you are a step above most people in talent. You can manifest your Flames with just a small nudge, and your Flames seem to rush out of you in states of extreme emotions. You also seemed to be using your flames in those odd moves of yours."
Reborn spoke out with an approving nod, but the more he talked, the more Tsuna frowned. He was giving the baby a chance to explain before he cut in, as he might have more information.
"Being able to manifest your Flames under your own direction is our first step. Once you have a handle on that valve, the potential slumbering within you will finally start to bloom. So our first step is meditation. We need you to form a deep understanding of your Flames and have them answer your call consciously."
Tsuna looked at Reborn for a good long moment, waiting to see if there was anything more. The baby in question just stared blankly at him as if waiting for him to start meditating or question what he needed to learn to do so.
"I can't," Tsuna spoke out simply, but there was a hint of dark, bitter feelings filling his tone.
Reborn blinked at him and frowned at his student.
"I did not take you for a quitter."
The toddler spoke leadingly, not satisfied with that simple statement, but giving Tsuna enough credit to explain himself.
"I'm not. I just can't do what you are asking me. I can feel my Flames; they boil underneath my skin. I don't even have to concentrate to feel their state at all times, but I can't call them out." Tsuna started and gave Reborn a good, long look.
He needed to know if the baby knew about the Seal. If he took any part in his crippling. Reborn was frowning, and there seemed to be some idea boiling in his mind, but there was also a hint of doubt and confusion radiating off of him.
Reborn suspected something, but he had no idea if his thoughts were about the situation at hand. Meaning it was unlikely Reborn himself was involved, even if it was likely the Vongola Family was.
Seeing that, Tsuna relaxed and decided to talk about it.
"Something is stopping me. It is a deep icy feeling; it feeds on my flames to support a Seal blocking me from calling on those flames. My Flames managed to finally push past it, but it is still stubbornly clinging onto me despite the cracks my Flames have created."
He spoke out between gritted teeth and watched Reborn. The small creature watched him impassively as he explained, but his emotions were running rampant. Understanding, anger, contempt, sadness, and sheer disappointment, which almost felt tangible.
Reborn knew exactly what happened to him; the killing intent that he managed to seal started to seep outwards. Not directed at anyone, but rising at an alarming rate.
"Timoteo, you fucking idiot."
Reborn muttered to himself in Italian, likely thinking his words would be kept to himself. He watched Tsuna with some worry. He could see that Tsuna was reacting to him despite Reborn not showing any signs.
Timoteo might have sealed away the boy, but it was clear that the Vongola Hyper Intuition was incredibly strong in the boy.
"Who is it!? You know who did this to me!? Who made me a fucking cripple, who decided killing me slowly was a better option than having the balls to just fucking end it!"
Tsuna shouted out, the anger reaching a boiling point. A snarl stretched across his face, and the Flames boiling underneath his skin flickered to the surface, Storm and Sky mixing into the flames of Wrath without hesitation.
Flames burst around him, consuming the patch of grass around him, devouring it quickly.
Reborn watched it impassively, idly handling the pet lizard he kept on his hat. He did not say a word, knowing that his student was completely and utterly justified with the wrath boiling off of him.
Tsuna gave him a desperate look that was near mad. He needed to know, to have a target, to finally have something to blame for his miserable life.
Reborn could see that. He lowered his fedora to hide his gaze and gritted his teeth.
"I can't," Reborn spat out.
The emotions from Tsuna reached a boiling point as the Flames coming from Tsuna started to pour out like a river. Even Reborn had to take a step back despite the distance between them.
"I've taken oaths, kid. I quite literally can't tell you something like this. But I promise you. I will find out the answers you want. I'll do everything in my power to make sure the justice you seek arrives, but you've got to trust me for now."
Reborn spoke out with bitter feelings; he hated being put in this position. He knew exactly how vile an act Timoteo had done. At least with Xanxus, it could be justified as the boy had killed the main family line, and Xanxus was at least old enough for his Flames to settle properly.
Tsuna was a completely different story. Considering the reports he got about the boy, he should have died with a Seal blocking his Flames. It was frankly a miracle the boy was not in a coma when Reborn arrived; he could only assume the purity of his Sky Flames managed to keep his heart beating. Then when the Storm started to develop, his Flames finally saw a way to escape from the net.
Tsuna gritted his teeth and wanted to scream. To rage against the world, to unleash the wrath boiling in his gut. But he held back, he contained it, but he did not forget it. He looked at Reborn with bright, burning eyes and held that burning wrath into a cold resolve.
"You got a week." Tsuna spat out and walked back into his home.
Reborn watched Tsuna's back as he left and let out a quiet curse. He needed to make some calls.