To Be A Normal Kid DISCONTINUED REWRITING

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten: Day Two: Self Defence

"Self defence is an important skill to learn," Vongola Nono had said to the class after breakfast the next morning. Frankly, it gave Tsuna a really bad sense of dread about what was to follow. Was what Xanxus had implied last night right? "I've invited a friend of mine to teach you all self defence over the course of your stay here." Oh. Oh.That, Tsuna decided, definitely did not bode well.

"Why would we need to learn self defence here?" one of the girls in the class - she was one of the louder ones that Tsuna avoided as much as was socially acceptable - asked.

There was a gleam in the eyes of the Ninth Vongola leader and his Guardian's that had Tsuna shrinking back. Chrome, who was across from him and next to Sawada-san, was looking at him as though she was worried. Was he being obvious? Maybe. His unease wasn't even a part of the character he was playing! It was all genuine this time, if not played up a bit. Not by much, though.

"Who-" Sawada Ieyasu gulped subtly, "who's gonna teach us?"

'Definitely not a good move, Sawada-san.' A pang of something hit Tsuna's chest. 'Sun-chan isn't going to like that stutter or the informal way you just asked.'

"That'd be me," and there was Sun-chan in all his glory. None of his classmates seemed bothered by the fact that there was a toddler standing on the table in a suit, speaking fluently, and claiming to be a teacher. "You can call me Reborn."

The lack of an alias had Tsuna raising an eyebrow in suspicion. Which was a bad move, in retrospect, because every one of the mafioso in the room that was older than twenty caught the slip in expression. It only added another thing to their list about this kid.

"Your first lesson," Reborn said, "starts now. Run."

Sawada-san, Yamamoto-san, and Gokudera-san were the first to leave. Ryohei followed with the rest of the class. Hibari disappeared off somewhere, and Chrome and Tsuna found themselves left behind. The toddler-sized hitman walked across the table to stand between them.

"Why aren't you two joining in?" he, of course, knew why Chrome wasn't, but it wouldn't do to single out the brunet.

Chrome said, "I can't." which was perfectly acceptable. A majority of her internal organs were made of Mist Flames that weren't quite solid. Too much strain on them would put her at risk of dying.

Reborn turned to Tsuna. "And you?"

He gulped, his real fear overpowering the character he was playing. "I-I, um. I can't run." That was a lie. He'd been running for almost as long as he could remember. The activity brought up unpleasant memories, especially since he was in mafia territory.

"Oh?" Everyone in the room was listening in, "And why is that?"

He didn't meet anyone's eyes, not liking eye contact anyway. "I-I don't feel com-comfortable answering that."

"Why not?" The eyes looking at him started to feel like knives.

"Personal, um, matters."

Thankfully, Chrome came to his rescue. "Could we, um, do something else, Reborn-san?"

A sigh was barely heard from the hitman. "Alright, we'll get you two started on defence. Come on."

The two, very quietly and slightly reluctant, followed Reborn from the dining hall. Not a word was spoken between the three as they walked. Idle chit-chat was not a good way to break this particular brand of silence, so they let it linger. It was only once they reached the back gardens that the air around them was disturbed.