Sun and Son

Meet the child

Iemitsu couldn't see, didn't see, but around the crying Tsunayoshi, the Sky flames danced and curled wildly as if to protect him from harm. They were too pure, Timoteo found, too vast for such a small child and they were bound to come out at some point if he was already so in sync with them.

Timoteo frowned. This wasn't good. He'd hoped Iemitsu's family could have a peaceful life but now... If left alone, Tsunayoshi could potentially activate his flames by accident, and if it happened in a public space, it could be troublesome.

It could put Tsunayoshi in danger.

"Something the matter?" Iemitsu asked, walking up to him with his boy still crying in his arms.

"This child has such power," he said carefully, eyes not once leaving his grandson as he thought about his next step. "But he's too young yet."

His subordinate frowned. "What?"

"Tsunayoshi-kun's flames, they're too strong and too in sync with his emotions," Timoteo explained, and he noticed the other man tensing. "I'm afraid he'll one day awaken them by accident and injure himself."

"He shouldn't be able to," Iemitsu said, rocking his child absentmindedly to try and calm him down. "Not without outside influences."

Timoteo looked at his subordinate with sympathy. This really wasn't a good situation to be in. "It has happened before, children accidentally activating their flames due to strong emotions or necessity. My own son did."

"And what if we sealed them?" Iemitsu offered, sounding a mix of desperate and hopeful. Timoteo understood why. The man didn't want his family to get involved in the mafia and the ability to use flames was like a dead giveaway of such involvement— not the mention the danger the flames themselves could pose to the child.

Still, he shook his head. "We can't just seal them, Iemitsu; it would cripple him," he finally said. 

"The best solution would be to teach Tsunayoshi-kun how to control them."

"But that would paint a target on his back," the other protested, voice rising slightly. Timoteo didn't comment on it, knowing how difficult this was for his subordinate. He was father too after all, and even if his kids were already grown and deep into the mafia world, he still would do anything in his power to keep them safe. "If people get wind of his ability to use Sky flames or if they make the connection with Vongola through me, Tsuna'll be in danger."

"I know. That's why we'll have to be very careful with whom we share this information with." Timoteo leveled Iemitsu with a look, and the man snapped his mouth shut. "We cannot turn a blind eye on this. Tsunayoshi-kun's flames are already incredibly in sync with his emotions, I can tell. And whether we like it or not, the only thing we can do now is move forward and act accordingly."

His eyes softened, looking at Iemitsu from the position of another parent rather than the one as his boss.

"I'll do everything in my power to keep Tsunayoshi-kun safe, Iemitsu. You have my word."

There was a long moment of silence, and then Iemitsu sighed, softly running a hand through his son's hair.

"I know you will, and I thank you for it, Nono," he finally said, voice resigned. "If I may ask, who do you have in mind to help Tsuna with his flames?"

Timoteo hummed, letting a small smile form in his face. There was only one person, aside from his own Guardians, who he would be willing to trust with such a task.

Now, if only he would accept.

✿

Tsuna stared wide eyed at the tiny boy in a fancy suit and with an even tinier green animal perched over his hat that stood in front of him.

"Ciaossu!" the boy exclaimed, and Tsuna blinked. Ciaossu...? "I'm Reborn, your new home tutor. And this is my partner, Leon."

"Uh..." Tsuna glanced at where Mama was busy preparing lunch in the kitchen and then back at the strange boy. Mama always said that he had to be polite and greet new people if they talked to him first, so nodding minutely to himself, he did his best. "Hi... I-I'm Tsuna."

The greeting sounded so much better in his head, Tsuna thought, but the boy— Reborn didn't seem to mind. What a strange name, Reborn, and what an even stranger friend, Leon. Was it... a chameleon? He thought he'd maybe heard of them in one of those documentaries Mama liked to watch sometimes.

"Nice to meet you, Tsuna," Reborn replied calmly, while Leon blinked at him as if in greeting. "Do you mind showing us to your room?"

Tsuna's eyes widened. He had never shown his room to anyone before! Glancing back at Mama again, who this time nodded encouragingly at him, Tsuna smiled nervously at Reborn and Leon.

"Okay! F-Follow me!" he said, starting to walk up the stairs and being very careful to not trip again. He'd fallen the other day and he still had a scrapped knee since.

He stopped for a second to see if Reborn as following him or if he was struggling with the stairs. He was smaller than him by about a head or so, after all. After checking that the boy was doing just fine, Tsuna turned around and climbed the rest of the way up.

He had lots of toys in his room; maybe Reborn would like to play with him. He said he was his new home tutor though... but weren't tutors supposed to be adults? All his teachers were adults!

"Why, I'm just really good at teaching so I became a tutor."

Tsuna didn't think he was lying, so he just nodded quietly. It made sense. Then he realized that he hadn't actually said anything aloud, so how did Reborn...?

"I can read minds, of course!" the boy chirped, and Tsuna stared in awe.

"That's so cool!"

"Of course, I'm the coolest."

Reborn would be so much fun to play with, Tsuna decided then.

✿

Reborn had only taken the mission because it was Nono who asked. If it had been anybody else, he would have refused right off the bat. He was a hitman, not a babysitter.

And what was Nono even thinking, assigning this mission to him of all people? Sure, Reborn had trained some brats before, but they were all at least teenagers. Sawada Tsunayoshi was five, not exactly old enough for Reborn to use half of his teaching methods on.

But if there was one thing Reborn prided himself on, it was his ability to do anything he put his mind to, be it murder or teaching. And if his old friend wanted him to teach the toddler descendant of Primo Vongola how to use his flames of Dying Will, then Reborn would do a damn good job at it.

Even if it meant he had to take a moment to play house with said child.

Heaven forbid anyone got word of this.