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6.

Tsuna coughed awkwardly as he tried to regain his already tattered dignity from his suited tutor. "I'm a loyal man, Reborn."

Reborn executed once again his unnatural nimbleness as he jumped on Tsuna's hair - stepping on it for a good measure, in the process because he was a bastard like that. "You're going to be a mafia boss, Tsuna." The baby crooned softly - numbing Tsuna's ears. "What's with a few more women?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Reborn," Tsuna replied, feigning annoyance as his back prickled in cold sweat. "I'm reserved for Kyoko."

Reborn kicked his head in reprimand. "You're too naive, Dame-Tsuna." He smirked wickedly. "Imagine, a Kyoko on your right, a Haru on your left and a...Hibari Kei right behind you."

Hibari Kei?

Tsuna winced, hoping to Kami that please please please let this not get to Hibari-san. For the love of Kami and all good in the world, please.

He gulped - paling as hoped to hell that comfort room's walls didn't have ears. "Don't be ridiculous, Reborn."

"Ah," Reborn commented casually. "Dame-Tsuna, you're getting courageous."

His intuition was faintly ringing in warning at Reborn's statement, but little Tsuna at that time wasn't very good at heeding his power yet and well-

Tsuna couldn't stop himself from snapping back - surrendering from his fear that rose inexplicably during the last few seconds in the conversation. "Maybe you're the one who's interested in her Reborn, because you- you couldn't stop yapping about it." He stammered with false bravado. "It would fit since at least your partner wouldn't rob your cradle like Bianchi's doing right now."

"I'm not interested in lolis," Reborn replied calmly.

Tsuna stiffened and let himself get beat up within an inch of his life.

That was one of the most painful memories - right up there near the top in Tsuna top ten list of worst beat-downs ever in the history of beat-downs.

Tsuna wondered after that time, why he was that damn impulsive and mouthy and even ten years later, he still wasn't quite sure about the cause.

...He eventually chalked it up to Hibari-san's sister complex surpassing space, time and dimension which automatically kicked up the range and potency of the demon's killing intent and thereby influencing his thoughts and actions toward Hibari Kei from hereon.

(He wasn't wrong.)

(Although Tsuna didn't know about it, a certain demon-prefect was actually patrolling near the area and overheard that bit about his sister. If not for Reborn's subsequent beatdown, Tsuna would have suffered a lot more.)

(He was almost lucky, in a sense.)

(Because at least, Reborn knew how to hold back.)

(If it was Kyoya-)

(Well, let's just say Tsuna got off easily despite the pain.)