6: stray bird

Back in Hell, Tsunayoshi used to bring home injured animals. His 'strays' as his family had taken to calling them fondly. Sometimes, some of them were too injured to survive and they'd die no matter how much he tried to save them. He'd cry and Giotto would go out and bring back bloodied hearts and dragon scales with bits of skin still stuck to them, or even drag in large tied up hell animals with their hissing tongues and sharp teeth to try to cheer him up. Which only made Tsuna cry harder to Giotto's immense confusion.

To be fair, the blond was only about a hundred years old at the time. A pre-teen in Hellish years, meaning… You know. Boys and their insensitivity.

It was worse when Tsuna's strays got better. 'Cause he named each. And. Every. Single. One. He'd beg to keep them, looking at his parents with droopy wings and clutching his tail like a security blanket. He'd gaze at them with watery eyes and even his hair seemed to give a sad little flop – Nana had to restrain Iemitsu from squeezing the poor child in his adoration and sternly said no, even though it pained her heart to do so.

Giotto had no such restraint.

When he took over Hell's throne, G was the only sane demon to become his voice of reason. And even he had a soft spot for Tsuna, yet he tried not show it.

So one day, Tsuna came home after a day playing outside, hiding something under his cloak. Under his brother's scrutiny, he shuffled around nervously before finally pulling it out. It was a little lion cub.

G had to stop Giotto from throwing Natsu out the window.

A fully grown lion in the human world is scary, but pretty lazy and tame when they're content and also kind of cute in that oh it's so dangerous and wild, yet so majestic and powerful kind of way. An adult hell lion, however…

They were big. About four or five times bigger than the Earth's equivalent. Their teeth were insanely sharp and long, and they had the ability to produce potent acid in their saliva. Their powerful legs enabled them to jump far distances and pounce on oblivious prey (they could hide in trees too), so you couldn't get away even if you were flying. Their manes and the tip of their tails were made up of hell fire and they had a certain bloodlust that made them chase after anything in relentless pursuit, not to mention how hard it was to fight them off. In other words, they were a Class S demon.

"Tsunayoshi, get away from it," Giotto had screeched with wide eyes. His hands were nervously flailing in a way that indicated at his confusion of whether to step forward and snatch his brother away or step back in case the animal tried to attack. Tsuna held the cub tighter to his chest protectively with an uncharacteristic glower at his brother.

"His name is Natsu, and I'm taking care of him," he had snapped back. G only scratched his head calmly. He looked at Tsuna's determined stance and at the cub who was making small whimpering noises and trying to hide his head in the arms holding him. It was kind of cute.

Giotto froze, stuttering, before he finally managed to compose himself. "As your older brother and your king, I forbid you from bringing that thing in here," he said with a commanding tone – a far cry from his previous flailing before. "I must keep in mind of the safety of everyone in here. Despite what it looks like now, it's going to grow up bloodthirsty and wild."

Tsuna's face fell and he shrank away, wings and hair drooping. "But Natsu is so little," he said softly. "When I found him, he was being bullied by his family and he was trying to hide from a grimalkin kitten."

Natsu mewled pathetically from his arms with a fearful look at the older two demons. Tsuna gazed at the king, the same look he used to give to their parents when asking if he could keep his strays.

"Okay," Giotto said without missing a beat. G jerked his head.

"Gio – Your Majesty," he had hissed with a glare to his king. And then he looked at Tsuna (and years later would finally manage to identify that expression as moe). "….Okay," he echoed dumbly.

Brightening with gratitude, Tsuna beamed at them with a smile that they had never seen before bounding away upstairs with a promise that he would take good care of Natsu and the animal would be well-behaved.

Still. It didn't mean that the lion was accepted. Giotto treated it with distrust and wariness – and the other top ranked demons were a mixture of annoyed/terrified/amused. But surprisingly for his species, Natsu was a little coward and a huge wimp. A little like Tsuna, actually. (Maybe that's why they get along so well, the others thought but did not say).

Natsu cowered away when Giotto glared at him. He whimpered when Alaude hunted him down when he made a mess. He shook when Daemon even got near him. And each time, Tsuna would scoop him up in his arms with a little kiss to his nose and a gentle smile. And a hesitant 'C-can you leave him alone please,' to the others. Honestly, the animal was pathetic and brought a bad name to his kind.

But Tsuna loved Natsu and Giotto loved Tsuna, so the little lion was tolerated but his presence not enjoyed. Until Tsuna got himself kidnapped one day, by some low-life demon scum who were stupidly trying to ransom him off.

Before Giotto could even fly to his brother's rescue, Natsu was out the window with a terrifying roar that shook the walls, chasing after the three demons that had Tsuna – bound and gagged – in a sack.

The younger Vongola was surprisingly calm when he managed to wiggle out of the bag and spit out the cloth in his mouth. He had frowned distastefully at all the blood, trying not to faint, and ignored Giotto's frantic questions of whether he was okay.

"Natsu," he said. The cub snarled, one of his kidnappers underneath him. All three demons were alive, but barely. They probably wished they weren't now. The two Vongolas had never seen Natsu like this before, and even Giotto was feeling a little trepidation but Tsuna was as accepting as always. "C'mere boy." Natsu's fiery-red eyes faded back to their soft orange color. He spat away a piece of bloodied cloth and bounded to Tsuna.

He pawed at the ropes still tying Tsuna's limbs together and licked his cheek. The ropes were burned away, courtesy of Giotto, and he purred lovingly.

Giotto hauled Tsuna to his chest, burying his face into his hair and breathing in deeply. Tsuna had looked quite uncertain and confused, but awkwardly patted him on the back.

"Brother…?" he murmured. "You're trembling." Giotto just hugged him tighter and peeked out from Tsuna's hair at Natsu.

"Thank you," he whispered to him with suspiciously wet eyes. Natsu gave a pleased mewl and licked a paw, cleaning off the blood.

He was still a little coward, but at least he wasn't hiding from Giotto anymore. The king graced him with warm smiles now. But when it came to Tsuna, he transformed from a wimp into a ferocious beast – a true hell lion.

But Tsuna had to stop trying to keep other animals. Natsu's jealousy tended to chase them off after they were all healed, much to the brunette's exasperation.

Fast forward a few hundred years, and Tsuna's habit of bringing home injured animals never stopped.

Grumpy cats, happy dogs, little birds – he brought them to Reborn and would watch fascinated as the angel fixed them up.

Today, they were sitting together on the rug in the living room. It was a bird with a broken wing, this time, in Reborn's lap.

"O Lord, heal this creature," Reborn said with a hand over the wound. Tsuna always had to lean away from the heavenly light or it would literally burn him. He learned this the hard way, the first time he brought an animal home. The little sparrow twittered and flew to Reborn's shoulders, who smiled unconsciously, and patted its little head. Leon snapped at it and it flew out the open window.

Tsuna sighed. "I'm so jealous," he whined, with a longing look at the angel's hands. Reborn thwacked him on the head, turning his mind elsewhere.

"This is starting to get troublesome," he grumbled, but his expression was amused. "It's especially troublesome when the strays decide to stick around."

He gave a very pointed look towards Takeshi and Hayato who were watching T.V. and arguing over the remote. Well, Hayato was trying to turn the channel back to Angels: Messengers of God or Ancient Aliens? on Discovery Channel. Takeshi was protesting, trying to convince Hayato that his baseball program was worth watching.

"They're not that bad," Tsuna defended quickly. He winced when the two boys leapt for the remote and knocked over the coffee table. Reborn looked at him with a raised eyebrow. I told you so, his face seemed to say.

"Give – it – to – me!" Hayato snarled as he leapt onto Takeshi's back. The baseball player grunted as he held the remote out of reach.

"You'll love baseball, I promise!" Takeshi yelled back with a wild grin, and twisted out of the exorcist's grip when he accidentally kicked him in the chest. In retaliation, Hayato grabbed his feet causing him to yelp and fall over. The remote flew out of his hand and hit Reborn in the head.

It bounced off with an ominous thunk.

Everyone froze.

"….merda," Hayato gulped.

The air grew colder and everyone in the room could have sworn seeing the air darken around Reborn. The angel, very slowly, turned his head to the two humans. He was smiling, eyes slitted.

"Ah, it seems Dame-Tsuna hasn't trained you two enough," he said with a cheerful tilt of his head. He stood up lazily, looming over them dangerously. "Shall I teach the both of you about Divine Punishment in his stead?"

Tsuna gave both his friends a pitying look and quietly stepped out of the room. The sound of mad cackles and gunshots, accompanied by terrified screaming followed after him.

(Of course, he too was punished later)

It was times like these that his friends would have been useful, Tsuna thought glumly. Reborn had been in the mood for Italian cuisine and gave him a long list of ingredients to buy that morning.

Italian ingredients. In Japan.

Tsuna resisted the urge to sob. He was given the time limit of dinner time, like that was helpful. So far, he had pretty much been all over town, hunting for certain products. Unfortunately, Takeshi had school and baseball and Hayato was still an emancipated teenager who had bills to pay (exorcist jobs could take place anywhere in the world). So their help was excluded.

By near evening, Tsuna had no choice but to get home now, but some of the items on Reborn's list were still missing. He hoped Reborn wouldn't notice, but he knew it was futile. The angel knew everything.

Laden with grocery bags, Tsuna struggled to walk home having to stop and rest a couple times. He had almost arrived at his destination when he took another short break under a tree. Mumbling about stupid angels, he stretched his aching arms out with a groan and almost didn't hear the rustle of leaves above him.

But he did.

He looked up.

Reborn sent Tsuna out that morning for a grocery hunt. Tsuna came back with the groceries – along with extra baggage.

The angel stared blankly at the thing clutching Tsuna's leg. It had a grocery bag hanging off one shoulder, the rest Tsuna had dropped on the floor earlier when he came in.

Tsuna rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I found him in a tree," he explained with a hand on the child's head. "He said his name is Hibari Kyoya."

The kid looked up at him with an intense narrow-eyed silver gaze and shuffled behind Tsuna's legs. He was a beat-up looking thing with small scrapes and bruises on his visible skin. He was also sort of on the scrawny side and looked to be around five or six years old. His whole appearance pretty much screamed bullied child!

Reborn looked at him and then at Tsuna several times. "…Oh hell no."

Kyoya – or Kyo-kun as Tsuna affectionately insisted on calling him – stayed over for dinner that night.

(They ended up eating ramen)

"O Lord, heal this… creature," Reborn muttered, holding the child's left arm. Kyoya watched, fascinated, as light enveloped the angel's hand and healed his wounds.

He blinked in surprise as his bruises faded and small cuts healed up. "That's not normal," he said bluntly. He glared at Reborn and snatched his arm back, scooting further away.

Reborn twitched. He reached out and pinched both cheeks and pulled hard. "You – little – bra-"

"Stop bullying Kyo-kun!" Tsuna snapped when he saw the scene. He gathered Kyoya into his arms protectively and pinned the angel with a very disappointed expression. "Honestly Reborn, I expected better from – HIEE!" Tsuna shrieked when he felt hands touching his back in a very uncomfortable way. "K-K-Kyo-kun?!"

Kyoya had a puzzled expression as his hand wandered up and down Tsuna's back. "Weird," he explained, patting Tsuna's shoulder blades.

Reborn narrowed his eyes. "Hm. Interesting," he said thoughtfully as his lips curled into a sort of smirk. He raised a finger and let out a burst of angelic Grace that had Tsuna wincing. Kyoya shuddered in his arms and his entranced eyes followed Reborn's hand.

"Wao," he whispered.

"I don't get it," Tsuna complained, holding Kyoya tighter.

Reborn shrugged. "Seems like the brat is spiritually sensitive." He suppressed his Grace and Tsuna relaxed again. "I bet he'd make a decent exorcist."

A small hand reached up to tug at Tsuna's hair harshly. Kyoya glared at him. "You people… what are you?"

The thing was, Hibari had a little bully problem. In the form of one Kusakabe Tetsuya.

Okay, so here's the deal. Children are children – they are either the sweetest angels in existence or the cruelest demons you could ever meet. Evil, evil children. Specifically, bullies. Bullying can take many shapes and forms and it's a given fact that most bullies are taking out their own stress and frustration in someone younger and smaller themselves. Sometimes, some bullies don't even know they are and are just following the crowd because they want to fit in or they think it's funny. Children (and adults) can be insecure like that. The point is, if there are bullies then there are victims.

And like a shark scenting blood in the water, the bullies sniff out that one person with a weakness they can exploit and raise their own status during the process.

Kyoya's family was filthy rich. Mixing that in with his rather eccentric personality, the seeds of jealousy were sowed amongst his peers and he was often called cold and snobby. Kyoya's family also didn't care very much for him, which suited him fine as he didn't care much for them either. His parents were prominent in the business world who only had him as that was what was expected for their station in life. As soon as he was birthed, he was dumped into the care of servants and educational television and they went on with their lives, barely seeing each other.

The boy was fine with that. The other children were not. Somehow, word got out that snobby Kyoya was unwanted and class bully Tetsuya took the chance to taunt him whenever he could, prompting others to join him.

"Loser-Kyoya!" Tetsuya followed after him after the elementary school's end-of-day bell rung. Most of the children were hanging out by the gate, waiting for their parents to come pick them up, except for kids like Kyoya who walked home. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

The child in question only ducked his head and hunched his shoulders in, walking faster. Tetsuya and a couple other boys followed him, sticks in hand. They were poking him with it.

Irked, he whirled around with a thunderous expression. "What do you want?" he spat out. He twitched when a boy kept poking him while giggling.

Tetsuya smirked. He was a tall child with long dark hair and looked older than his six years.

"Your allowance money," he held his hand out beseechingly. The other boys followed his example. "Not all of us are rich like you."

Kyoya stared at them, hands clenched tight on the straps of his backpack. "….You took it during lunch," he said blankly.

"Not all of it, now hand it over pipsqueak."

"Herbivores," Kyoya muttered under his breath. Before Tetsuya and his cronies could figure out what that meant, he swung his backpack at the boys' face and then took off running as the boys scrambled to get back up from where they were knocked down.

"Loser!" Tetsuya screamed at him as he rubbed the red mark on his nose. "Everyone knows nobody wants you, Hibari freak!"

"Kyo-kun!" Tsuna seemed surprised but pleased to see him. Kyoya, with an upset expression, stormed past him and into his house.

He supposed it was a bit rude considering they only met yesterday when he was up in the tree, hiding from bullies. But Tsuna said that he could come over whenever he wanted, as long as he had his parent's permission (yesterday had been a really weird day).

He went into the living room and plopped down on the couch, turning the TV on. "I hate school," he proclaimed to Tsuna who followed after him with a hesitant expression.

"I see….Do you want snacks and we can talk it over?" Tsuna offered. Kyoya sunk down even further into his spot with a remote in hand.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Reborn said when he came down the stairs. "Didn't I scare you off last night?"

(Referring to when Reborn had thrown him a sinister smile and said very seriously that he and Tsuna were practitioners of the dark arts and he was the Lord of Darkness. Tsuna had spluttered and Kyoya didn't know what to say back to these obviously crazy people. Suffice to say, it had been really awkward when Tsuna walked him home).

"I suppose you may be insane, but you're okay enough," Kyoya seethed as he pressed the channel button with rage. Insane people who felt really weird as if they had something unnatural about them (truth be told, Kyoya kind of believed Reborn).

Reborn raised a brow. "Aren't you a precocious brat," he said. Tsuna just sighed.

"I'll go get some tea and cookies," he said wearily.

"So you have a bully problem, eh?"

"The world is one giant food chain," Kyoya mourned. He bit savagely into a cookie.

"Pft. Where'd you hear that from?"

"Animal Planet."

Tsuna sighed, folding his hands under his chin. "I had a bully problem too," he said. He peered at Reborn. "I think I still do," he added quietly. Reborn heard him anyways and sent him a vicious grin.

Kyoya seemed interested. "How did you handle it?" he asked.

Tsuna thought of Natsu and his intimidating body-guards that couldn't protect his childhood or the whispers thrown at his back. "Oh, they just left me alone after I ignored them," he lied with an encouraging smile. He elbowed Reborn in the side when the angel snorted. His leg was pinched in return and Tsuna clenched his teeth together to prevent a squeal of pain from escaping.

"Already tried it, didn't work," Kyoya said monotonously.

"Stand up for yourself," Reborn suggested. He remembered hearing that from some program. Kids always backed down when confronted, right? He slapped away Tsuna's hand who was trying to pinch him back.

Obliviously, Kyoya stared down into his cup of tea with a frown. "I suppose I could try that," he said grudgingly.

"Pay the door fee, Loser-Kyoya." Tetsuya stood in front of the classroom door with a sneer.

"There is no door fee," Kyoya held his head up high and stared directly into the other's eyes. "Go away."

"…What was that?"

"Your idea was terrible," Kyoya informed Reborn when he shouldered his way into his house.

"….Is that a black eye?" Reborn actually felt kind of bad until the child kicked him in the shins. "Was that supposed to hurt?" He smirked.

Miffed, Kyoya stomped his way to the kitchen. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, where are my snacks?"

A silver-haired teenager was already sitting at the dining table, with an open mouth. "What the hell?!"

"Hayato, language!" Tsuna set a plate full of rice balls on the table. Kyoya snatched one before Hayato could take one. "This is Kyo-kun. Kyo-kun, this is Gokudera Hayato, my friend."

Kyoya kicked Hayato's chair when Tsuna wasn't looking. "Don't call me Kyo-kun," he hissed. The exorcist twitched.

"So you're the brat with the bullies," he said through gritted teeth. "Gee, with that bad attitude–"

"Hayato!"

"My sincerest apologies, Tsuna-sama!"

Later at the table, Reborn suggested training which Tsuna denied. "He's six," he had protested.

"Just tell an adult," Hayato threw in.

"Oh trust me, that never works," Tsuna muttered quietly with glazed eyes, lost in distant memories. Bullies were a universal thing.

Kyoya… never actually thought of that. He didn't have any trusted adults in his life, after all.

"I'll tell my teacher," he decided.

"You stupid herbivore!" Kyoya screeched the next day, and kicked Hayato as hard as he could. There was a notable bruise on one cheek.

"FUCK," Hayato howled and collapsed to the floor, clutching his leg.

Kyoya turned to an amused looking Reborn. "Heal me," he demanded.

Reborn obliged. "O Lord, heal this poor creature," he sniggered, patting his head. Tsuna slapped his arm, frowning at his amusement and also sighed at Hayato who was still rolling on the ground, cursing.

"So this is the kid?" Takeshi kneeled down to Kyoya's level. He grabbed his hand and shook it. "Yo! Call me Take-nii!"

"Never," Kyoya shot him down. Takeshi laughed and scratched his head, easily brushing off that rejection.

"I heard about your situation." He smiled kindly. The six year old glanced at Tsuna who held his hands up.

"He's the last person I told, really. Sorry," he said apologetically. The kid looked back at Takeshi.

"You know," the tall teen began. "I always thought just sitting down and talking it over always helps to smooth over any cracks in a relationship." He beamed.

"Kusakabe Tetsuya, I believe we should talk."

"Huh?"

"I know you believe yourself to be on the top of the food chain, but perhaps we should sit down and discuss any delusions you may have." A hand clasped onto a taller shoulder. "I worry for you Kusakabe. If you continue with these assumptions of your power, you will go down a hard road later in life." Kyoya smiled gently. Or tried to. It was more of a strange baring of teeth (he was not accustomed to smiling).

"You are all useless," Kyoya declared the next day. He looked frustrated. Reborn poked a cut on his knee which healed up instantly. "They're calling me a super freak now."

"I can't keep doing this," Reborn said with another poke. "It will look suspicious."

"Stop crowding!" Kyoya snapped at the others. Tsuna flinched back with an apology and a glare at Hayato who opened his mouth to yell. Takeshi looked at a loss of what to do.

Someone suggested an after-school protection program, but the child had his pride and shot that idea down. Reborn suggested scaring the bullies off/humiliating them/beating them up, but Tsuna denied this vehemently.

"They! Are! Kids!" he accented each word with a punch to his arm.

Kyoya stared at them all and determined that adults were useless.

"Alright kids! Now for the next carnivorous species – how scaaaary is this?"

Kyoya munched on some chips with a blanket over his shoulders. His bedroom was dark with the television being the only source of light. He leaned in interested when the screen changed and zoomed into a large bear crossing the river.

"This is the grizzly bear! They mainly live in North America! Do you remember where that is? That's right!"

The picture changed to a map of the world, a red circle over the western hemisphere.

"Now the grizzly bear is really strong. They are at the top of the food chain! They eat a lot of fruits and veggies, but also animals, mainly herbivores!"

Kyoya frowned in disappointment when it didn't show any hunting scenes. "Boring," he complained under his breath.

"Grizzly bears are fast. And dangerous! If you ever see a bear, never ever go near it, kids! Many careless people have gotten into accidents because they weren't careful!"

"You mean they died." The overly preppy voice on the screen was getting on Kyoya's nerves.

"Yes, bears are dangerous…. But nothing is more dangerous than a mother bear with cubs! That's right, kids. Grizzly bears are scary now, but they become even moredangerous when they have babies to protect! When something gets between a mother and her cubs, the mother will do anything to protect them! Just like your mommy! When you have something to protect, you will be strong too like this crazy carnivore here!"

"Something to protect huh," Kyoya muttered. He switched the TV off with a yawn. Tomorrow was a Sunday, which was a relief. One day away from bullies.

The full impact of these words didn't hit Kyoya until later the next day. When he arrived at Tsuna's house, he was greeted by a serious looking Hayato who was worriedly talking to Tsuna and Reborn about something. He caught the words 'demon' and 'dangerous' and 'escaped' and then decided it was probably just some freaky occult stuff.

"Tsunayoshi, snacks," he demanded, tugging on Tsuna's shirt. The brunette gave him a strained smile.

"Ah, of course," he said. Kyoya couldn't help but give everyone weird looks. The atmosphere seemed strangely tense. Hayato was even dressed out in full priest regalia.

Kyoya blinked. "Is that cosplay?" he asked, pointing at him. The silver haired teen growled.

"It's my job," he said with a reddened face. The tense atmosphere dissipated as Reborn threw back his head to laugh. With a huff, Hayato grabbed a briefcase, gave Tsuna a bow, and left the house with a warning to be careful. Careful of what? Kyoya thought to ask, but then forgot about it when Tsuna brought in some rice crackers.

"Do you want to spend the night?" he asked. Kyoya shook his head.

"I have school tomorrow," he replied. "And I don't have my stuff."

It was Reborn this time who spoke. "We can get your things and drop you off tomorrow." The boy looked at him in surprise, but the dark-eyed being was looking at Tsuna. Tsuna smiled back gratefully. "What's your parent's number?"

Kyoya shrugged. "It doesn't matter. They won't care," he said nonchalantly. Tsuna frowned at this and he reached over to pat him on the head in some vague comfort.

"Strange child," Reborn sighed. He grabbed Tsuna's arm. "Come on, we've got to…," he faltered, glancing at Kyoya, "….you know. Wards."

Tsuna's eyes widened. "Oh. Oh! Of course. Kyo-kun, can you stay in here and watch T.V.? Reborn and I will be outside. Don't step out of the house, okay?"

The kid shrugged. Honestly. Those two were so weird. And they called him strange! Shaking his head, he grabbed a handful of crackers, heading towards the living room. He was just about to turn the television on when he heard the small noise.

Turning his head towards the window, he curiously looked outside to the direction of the noise. He dropped the crackers in hand when he saw a small cat-like creature staring back at him with large red eyes.

Hibari Kyoya had a weakness. And that weakness was small and cute animals.

The cat pawed at the window with a mew, tilting its head. It walked off, looking over its shoulders.

"Wait!" Kyoya called out. Forgetting Tsuna's instructions, he opened the front door and ran outside, chasing the creature. The cat was right in front of the house's gate. It gave a cute twitch of its ears and the cute-o-meter inside his head promptly broke. "Here kitty kitty…"

Kyoya stepped forward slowly, hoping not to scare it off. The cat gave a very sharp grin. And then several things happened at once.

Tsuna came running out from the backyard with a yell, "Don't touch it!" and the cat bubbled into a dark mass that towered over the child. Its body reformed and took its final shape, looking like an abomination of different animals cobbled together.

It had large bat wings with a lion's body and a scorpion's tail, but the most terrifying was that it had a human face. Thin lips twisted into a large grin full of fangs and its small eyes were terrifyingly crinkled at the corners like it was smiling cheerfully. That bizarre dissonance the thing forced made the hairs on Kyoya's arm rise up.

For the first time in his life, he felt true fear. It made his knees shake and he choked back the bile that had risen to his throat. Frozen from fright, all he could do was stare at the monster that had introduced him to the idea of death.

The thing took a swipe at him and he forced himself to scramble back, but not quick enough as a sharp claw raked across his cheek, sending white-hot pain down his body. He cried out, hands over the wound.

Something grabbed him and Kyoya looked up to see Reborn, but he had large feathery-white wings over his shoulders and then they were suddenly on the roof. They landed, one wing curled protectively over the small boy, and Reborn quickly drew his gun into his hand, pointing it at the creature. But then his hands lowered. Reborn looked thunder-struck. Kyoya followed his gaze.

Tsuna looked… terrifying. At this point, Kyoya figured he and Reborn were not normal humans. Tsuna's own appearance specifically pointed out his inhumanity – leathery wings, tail, sharp claws, horns… but what sent shivers up his spine were his eyes.

Narrow eyes were burning a furious orange that actually glowed.

"I'm going to tear you to pieces," Tsuna (Tsuna…?) snarled in fury, and his voice carried with its deadly inflections. The other creature roared and charged at him – still with its weird creepy grin – but Tsuna flew over its head with impressive dexterity, grabbed its tail and actually ripped it off. The creature howled in pain. "You insolent animal. Do you know who I am? You have some nerve, crossing my territory and touching what's mine." He sneered, a strange sight on that usually gentle face.

And then Tsuna took that scorpion tail and stabbed the thing with it through its side, pinning it to the ground, splattering black blood. It clawed at the ground, gasping, and Tsuna put his hand on its head. Bright orange fire burst out from it, and the creature howled as it burned.

"Holy shit," Reborn said in amazement. It was almost funny with how uncharacteristically wide his eyes were.

"Wao," Kyoya agreed, stunned.

But nobody looked more stunned than Tsuna himself who blinked, eyes fading to a soft golden hue.

He looked at his bloodied hands, blanched, and then at the burning corpse several times. "…HIEEEEE," he finally shrieked and scrambled back. "Eh? EH? Did I…?" A slow grin crept onto his face as he took in the sight. His tail swaying furiously behind him, he whirled around to look up at the angel and child on the roof.

"And he's back," Reborn muttered.

"Did you see that? Reborn, did you see that?! I KILLED A MANTICORE. ME! KILLED A MANTICORE!" Tsuna jumped up and down, waving his arms excitedly. "I KILLED A MANTICORE! A CLASS S HELL ANIMAL!"

"I'm going to be sick now," Kyoya took the opportunity to announce. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed in dead faint, the wound on his cheek turning purple.

Reborn cursed. "I forgot about that."

"K-KYO-KUN?!"

"SHUT UP DAME-TSUNA! YOU'RE THE ONE TO EXPLAIN TO THE NEIGHBORS AND CLEAN UP THIS MESS."

Hayato was naturally horrified. "I-I can't believe I missed it," he whispered. He bowed on his knees to Kyoya who was lying on Tsuna's bed, recovering. "I apologize for my carelessness! To think my mistake could have killed a young child…." He burst into tears. "I'm so sorry, Kyo-kun!"

Kyoya threw an extra pillow at him. "Don't call me that!" Tsuna laughed and patted Hayato's back.

"Well, it's alright now, isn't it?" he soothed cheerfully. "A manticore is no small thing, Hayato. Even a demon wouldn't battle one."

Awe-struck eyes turned to him. Hayato grabbed Tsuna's hands. "And to think you have defeated one! As expected of you, Tsuna-sama!"

"Ugh." Kyoya rolled away from them, pulling a blanket over his head. "Noisy." Earlier, it was finally explained to him the truth about Tsuna and Reborn's nature. The demon looked a little down, afraid that the child would hate him. But Kyoya had rolled his eyes and muttered out thanks, patting his fluffy hair with a blush. It wasn't really fear that he had felt when Tsuna killed the thing.

He thought Tsuna looked kind of cool, actually.

"Hey Loser-Kyoya!"

Kyoya walked faster, trying to ignore the other. He wasn't in a good mood. Along with the manticore's venom that Reborn wasn't able to get out ("Just let it pass naturally," he had said), he had noticed small things that he had never noticed before.

Stuff like how he wasn't the only one that Tetsuya bullied. There were a couple kids in other classes where he stole money from and pushed to the ground. Also, there were graffiti on some of the elementary school's walls that he had never paid attention to. Not to mention how the other children carelessly left trash littering the ground and hallways.

It bothered him.

"Hey! Don't ignore us, you freak!" One of Tetsuya's followers grabbed his shoulders, and forcefully turned him around. There were about four boys in total. Kyoya glared at them.

"Go away," he gritted out. One kid picked up a stick and poked him with it with a sneer.

"Where's our toll money?" Tetsuya demanded.

Kyoya snapped.

There are three kinds of victims.

The first one becomes angry at the world and takes their weakness out on smaller and weaker people, thus they too become bullies – creating an endless cycle.

The second victim becomes shy and withdrawn with low self-confidence. They go throughout their lives not believing in themselves unless some divine intervention happens to them (in an alternate universe, a certain hitman tutor smirked at his mafia student).

The third victim is the most dangerous. Their experience strengthens them. They turn their frustration into their weapon. They swear to themselves that they will change things, protect others like them and in the process, they change their weakness for the better.

In Hibari Kyoya's case, he decided Namimori had too many delinquents and not enough rules. This town needs a protector, he thought with manic glee. Not enough is done about these budding criminals. Crimes run rampant in the streets. Litter these beautiful Namimori streets. There's not enough discipline. His eyes narrowed.

Namimori is my territory.

"I will bite you to death."

It was these infamous words that would begin a certain reign of terror.

"SENSEI! LOSER-KYOYA'S GONE NUTS!"

"MAMA!"

"I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SORRY KYO – gah"

"HOLY COW WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH –"

In the aftermath of his rampage, Hibari Kyoya looked down at his beaten ex-bullies, eyes cold as steel. Four boys were on their knees at his feet, clearly terrified.

"Let's try this again," Kyoya said. He was tapping a stick in his hand. It was the same stick that was used to poke him earlier. It was also the same stick he used to help beat his classmates up.

One boy bravely stuttered, "W-we w-won't ever d-d-do it again, Kyo-" Thwack. Thwack. "–H-h-Hibari-san! I mean, Hibari-san!"

Kyoya nodded. "That's right," he narrowed his eyes. "It's Hibari-san to you. Understand?"

The boys nodded, one letting out a tiny whimper.

The dark haired child slowly smirked. "Good. Starting today, I am forming a disciplinary committee." Thwack. "This town has too many herbivores crowding the streets, doing despicable things to its foundations." Thwack. "You four will help me." Thwack. "Reform yourselves for the better. Under my rule." Thwack. "Namimori is my territory and I won't let anyone desecrate it." Thwack. The stick suddenly pointed to them and the boys jumped.

"H-Hibari-san?"

Kyoya poked Tetsuya's hair. "I don't like it," he declared, eyes narrowing. "Today, all of you will get new haircuts."

"W-what? B-but!"

One look into his eyes and Tetsuya shut up. The next day, all four boys arrived to school with pompadours. (Incidentally – about a month later – Kusakabe Tetsuya and Hibari Kyoya became best friends, though the latter won't admit it)

And peeking from a nearby corner was a white-haired third year junior high student, wearing an awed expression. He had just witnessed everything. "Extreme," he whispered with fiery eyes.

Tsuna jumped in surprise. He was in the kitchen, preparing some snacks. "Kyo-kun? I didn't hear you come in."

"I came in through the window."

"What?!"

Kyoya strode in casually, a black jacket fluttering behind him. He looked pleased. Reborn, from where he was sitting at the dining table, snorted.

"Yo brat. Something good happen?"

The child was wearing a dark smile. It was the kind of smile that made one want to run far, far away. "Today, I have put myself at the top of the food chain," he said, arms crossing. Showing off a red armband around the jacket's arm.

"…Meaning…?"

Kyoya rolled his eyes. You're so stupid, that action expressed. "I beat some kids up. Formed a disciplinary committee – myself as leader." Tsuna dropped a plate and it shattered. "I'm going to take over Namimori," the kid added with a determined expression. This only made Tsuna go ghost-white.

"I see. Good job." Reborn ruffled his hair. He… was smirking. Proudly. He was actually proud. Tsuna's brain broke. Kyoya frowned at the frozen demon.

"Tsunayoshi, where are my snacks?"

"A-ah…"

EXTRA: the new parent's lifestyle

Tsuna dropped a pile of books in front of Reborn.

"What's this?" The angel sifted through them. Each title seemed to make his brow go higher up his head.

'So Your Child Has Violence Issues?'

'The Daddy Know How'

'A Happy Relationship is a Happy Child!'

'Parenting for Dummies'

'How to Nurture, How to Listen'

'Raising a Child Full of Spirit'

Reborn looked up at Tsuna for explanation. The demon was wringing his hands in distress. "I don't know where we went wrong," he quietly said in anguish.

"Hold on for a minute-"

"This is your entire fault!" Tsuna burst out, pointing at Reborn accusingly. "B-because you're always teasing me! Kyoya probably got the wrong idea on maintaining healthy relationships from us and – and – this is our fault!" The demon buried his head into his hands with a muffled sob.

"O-oi, Dame-Tsuna-"

"His teachers are afraid of him! His classmates are afraid of him! Gangs on the streets are afraid of him!"

"Calm down-!"

"Did you know he bought himself a pair of tonfa yesterday? The police won't do anything about it!"

"The kid's a natural fighter…" Reborn admitted.

Tsuna slapped his face. Hard. "He caught five criminals!" he shouted. "He could have gotten hurt!" His face twisted when he saw Reborn's expression. "O-oops."

The angel grabbed his hands and tugged him closer. There was a tick mark on his face. "Calm down and listen," he said through gritted teeth. Too close, too close, Tsuna's mind screamed and he tried to tug out of the other's grip discreetly.

The sound of someone coughing brought their attention towards the entrance of the room. Kyoya looked at them and slowly backed away.

"Didn't mean to interrupt," he mumbled. "I'll just go back on patrol. Yeah."

The two stared at his retreating figure blankly.