Dino flourished under Reborn...even if he was traumatized by the gleeful man. Fortunately, that's why Iris often joined them to soften the blow.

Ciel was such an adorable kid, even if it was debatable which side he got that horrible pranking gene from.

(He would later realize that the boy came by it honestly from his mother's side, of all things.)

On the plus side, Reborn's reputation as a tutor took off. He took a wimpy brat like Dino and in less than five years turned him into something close to a respectable boss, even if he was still a little clumsy.

It did not help that Iris more or less trained some coordination in a well known klutz like Dino.

It says a lot of their parenting skills that Ciel is the one who has final say in his schooling when he's old enough to understand what it is they're asking him. And that he can drop a school when he's fifteen and join something new.

Hogwarts is not on that list, for obvious reasons.

Dino has learned some very important lessons by the time Reborn is given an emergency job with the Vongola to train their last remaining viable heir before the boy is too old to learn how to use his Flames.

One, Reborn is a complete and utter asshole, especially when he senses the perfect opportunity to troll someone for his own amusement.

Two, Iris was the go-to for sympathy unless she thought you were being unreasonably whiny about something stupid, like a scrapped knee or a broken nose. She was the lone reason he escaped Reborn's "tender" mercies as the number one Sadistic Tutor from Hell with his sanity still more or less intact.

Three, Ciel was adorable, but had inherited the worst traits of his parents and worse, was rarely told off for causing chaos with accidental magic or just random trouble with his childish pranks.

Iris and Reborn didn't actually care if their son was a hellion who left chaos in his wake. They were more likely to cheer him on or correct him on what he did wrong and how to escape next time. And if that wasn't bad enough, his 'grandfather' Sirius was right there beside them, cheering the kid on!

Dino openly pitied any authority figure who got on the kid's List of People to Troll. They were doomed to early retirement or gray hairs, if they were lucky, and the funny farm if they weren't. Especially since Reborn had no issue with teaching his five-year-old son how to shoot with a potato gun and the kid was small enough that he could aim for the balls every time.

Thank god the kid found him funny and was more likely to make a spectacle of his klutzy nature than shoot him. His Guardians, on the other hand...

"You know I find it's a sad, sad thing that you're giving me a week with this kid alone while you take Ciel to Mafia Land so Colonello can pretend he's not cooing at him and teaching him how to be a bigger menace with a gun," said Reborn, almost with a straight face.

Didn't stop him from snickering though.

Iris beamed at her husband.

"I still find it hilarious people give us odd looks when they find out every one of the Arcebelano is wrapped around the finger of a five-year-old kid, especially since we let them teach him whatever they like within reason."

Verde taught Ciel science and how to ask intelligent questions...in exchange for small experiments approved by Iris first. It meant he got two magicals for the price of one to play with.

Fon taught Iris (and by a lesser extension Ranma) how to fight, and would teach Ciel when he finished the basics from her Lighting Guardian.

Mammon (aka Viper) would teach Ciel how to manipulate others and to recognize when someone was trying to swindle him into doing something he had no business in. Iris had gotten a similar lesson and was still kicking herself for missing most of the subtle signals Dumbledore let off about his manipulative nature. She had to learn them all the hard way.

Skull was their impromptu babysitter and the one who would teach Ciel how to drive when he was big enough to handle a proper bike. The fact the kid was already learning how to juggle from him meant that Skull thought Iris was the best person ever, especially since she got Reborn to leave him alone. He wasn't a lackey dammit!

Colonello and Lal were Ciel's godparents, to their own shock. Well, theirs and pretty much everyone else who would have lined up for the role.

They were the ONLY ones Iris trusted not to have an agenda, and if not for the curse would have ended up together anyway. They made a good team and both of them liked kids. Besides, the looks on everyone's face when she told them who the godparents would be had been totally worth it.

"You know you love it, and it means I get to head off Bianchi before she finds out we intend to send her brother in the kid's path."

Hayato was a total sweetheart and one of her many "strays". Like many he gravitated to her many safe houses to avoid a bad home life, and in return she set them up with a Family that would find their skills useful.

Iris Sinclair was not above matching the unattached Flames to families that would be good for them, despite only having half her guardians. There was a reason her official title was the Mediator, and it wasn't because of her ability to get the Dons to behave or else.

Hayato Gokudera was the bastard son of a rather rich and influential family...and the unfortunate victim of her husband's rather annoying stalker.

Iris had put her foot down the second Bianchi started bringing poison cooking. She was not risking their son's health because a little girl had an infatuation with her Guardian!

Needless to say the fact Bianchi wasn't allowed around Iris or her "stray houses" had been a big selling point. He started carrying bezoars around everywhere he went after Iris found out he was staying with them.

Poor kid.

"I'll see you in a week?" said Reborn, kissing his wife on the cheek.

"Don't break him before I get a chance to see how much work we have ahead of us. I'll bring Hayato with me."

On Mafia Land...

Colonello heard the sound of something squealing, then barely braced himself for the clumsy hug from Ciel.

Why did Reborn's brat have to be so damn cute?!

Better yet, why did Iris have to be a Sky who could wrap damn near anyone around her finger to do things they'd never do for anyone else, like be the godfather of a kid with Sky flames?

Lal had been thrilled, once she got over the shock, and went to every opportunity to spoil the kid rotten. And once the kid was big enough to handle a small gun, he wormed his way in Colonello's good side too.

Besides, Falco adored him.

"Unca Cole!"

Colonello melted when he looked into those adorable green eyes.

"Hello little hawk," he said cheerfully, patting Ciel's head. It was going to be damn near impossible in a few short years, so he enjoyed it while it lasted.

"Hello Colonello, Falco. I came to pick up Hayato, is he available?"

"Thought the klutz already has a Storm?" asked Colonello, listening to Ciel's babble.

"Emergency job for the Vongola. They want us to train their last candidate for Decimo since that idiot got killed."

"...You let Reborn loose on an uninformed kid alone?"

"I'm giving him a week to find out how much work we have ahead of us, before I establish myself as the go-to for any sympathy he's likely to get."

Iris was a Sky, but one of her main aspects was a Mist. She could be damn sneaky when she wanted to be.

He was very, very glad she liked him enough not to turn her little games on him.

"Hayato should be available by tomorrow."

"Which gives you plenty of time to take a break and spend some quality time with your godson," said Iris cheerfully. Colonello grinned.

"I have paintball guns and rookies who have yet to impress me," he informed Ciel.

Seeing the familiar grin of Reborn spelled a lot of pain for the newest recruits. Ciel could be quite intelligent when it came to spreading chaos.

Colonello had yet to figure out which side he got it from more... Reborn and his trolling habit, or Iris and her prankster genes.

With Hayato...

"Really?! The Decimo candidate for the Vongola needs a Storm guardian?" said Hayato excitedly.

"You were the first person that we considered. You're the right age, the right mindset once you settle down, and you can help him with his schoolwork since apparently he's not very good. Just remember, Skies are more likely than not to be bullied even when their flame isn't active, and he was raised civilian. That means you'll have better luck if you come at him trying to be his friend, rather than his right hand man off the bat."

Hayato nodded eagerly.

Reborn would have made him test the kid and then allowed him to try and integrate himself as the right hand man. Iris was considerably nicer and gave useful advice.

It would be nice to have a friend his own age.

"Now, you can either use an apartment...which I will be warding against her the second you're settled in and confirmed as his Storm, by the way...or I can get a home nearby and we can commute to and from the house."

"Home, that way I can babysit for you and Reborn in the event I can't find a job," said Hayate immediately.

Iris beamed at him.

"And that right there is something a right hand would think of. Good boy."

There was a pause.

"Now, shall we go make things interesting for the rookies or do you want to spend time with Ciel instead?"

Hayato's grin says volumes of the fact that Reborn and Iris have officially corrupted him. Mostly Iris though.

There were louder pleas for mercy, and Iris cackling.

Colonello patted Ciel on the head, who was currently enjoying a sippy cup full of his favorite drink.

"That, little hawk, is why your mother is known as the Chaos Queen. And why it's considered a crime against humanity to unleash her when she's bored."

"Yes, Unca Cole," replied Ciel, eyes glimmering with madness. It was the good kind. The sort that got you noticed by the Varia and earned you a proper name.

It was also the reason why the Ripper Prince didn't mind acting as babysitter whenever they were in Florence, since Ciel was a cheerful conspirator in causing chaos around Varia Headquarters.

Ciel was very much Reborn's son in that respect.

Colonello chuckled evilly, watching Iris put the noobs through their paces. Either they survived and learned good coping mechanisms beyond getting drunk off their ass, or they washed out. A bit of absolute chaos was good for the soul, in small doses anyway.

Besides, it meant they got to take pot shots at those who weren't pulling their weight with the modified sniper rifle filled with prank potions. Ciel cackled every time Colonello hit one of the rookies while he called out their next victim with his binoculars.

It was good stress relief and the most amusing way of bonding with the kid.

And best of all it gave him plenty of reason to make their lives hell for the next month if they didn't meet his standards. Good times.

Tsuna's first thought upon hearing his evil tutor had a wife and son was that they were just as bad as he was. He lost quite a bit of sleep imagining them when Reborn casually mentioned they were coming after his wife had to pick someone up from training.

And that they had secured a house within a stone's throw of his own. It was not doing good for his mellow.

Then he is introduced to Gokudera in a very roundabout way (the guy is enthusiastic about being his right hand man, but thankfully didn't try to immediately crowd him) and when he returns home he finds his mother chatting with a very pretty woman with bright red hair, green eyes and a five-year-old in a cheerful Godzilla costume.

And then Reborn kissed her, which made his brain stall.

This was his evil tutor's wife?

She was...nice. More importantly her very existence in the house caused Reborn to tone down the painful cram sessions, even if he was mostly making Gokudera help him with his homework.

A week later he's introduced to a five-year-old hitman named Lambo from the Bovino family, and then he recognizes the same spark of madness Reborn has in his wife and son. Mostly Ciel though, with Iris giving him cheerful pointers on how to disable Lambo without hurting him.

Normal mothers do not give their toddler children advice on how to use pressure points without hurting other kids. No wonder Ciel wasn't in school!

However... where Reborn was a bit of a jerk and liked to torment him for his own twisted amusement, Iris was the kind of person who always knew just what to say in order to bolster even the weakest person's confidence.

Like when she heard how he had dove off the roof trying to protect Takeshi because the guy had been really depressed from his arm being injured, despite not having any idea how to stop their descent.

Iris had hugged him good and hard for that, and it had felt nice.

"That, little lion, is what real courage is."

Tsuna blinked.

"But I'm not brave at all!" he whined. He barely winced at the light bop to the head she gave him with a rolled up newspaper.

"I said courage, not bravery. Bravery is just a kinder word for being Stupid to the point of idiocy. Courage is something that even the most timid heart can cultivate if they're willing to try."

Tsuna blinked slowly. Weren't they the same thing?

Iris sighed, and gave Lambo and Ciel some juice to enjoy while they played with their toys. She had more or less adopted the "baby Bovino" when she realized he was an orphan.

Having a friend to play with that actually listened to him and a mothering influence that cared did a lot for his erratic behavior, even if Reborn had reluctantly sighed when he found out Lambo didn't have parents and muttered something about "strays". Apparently she did this a lot.

"I'll explain the difference between courage and bravery. Tell me, were you scared when you went to save Takeshi-kun from falling?"

"I was terrified! If Reborn hadn't..."

"And that right there is the difference. A brave person wouldn't have the sense to be scared in the first place, they'd jump right in without thinking of the consequence. However a courageous person would acknowledge the danger and would act in spite of their fear to do what was necessary."

Tsuna still didn't get it, so she used an easier example.

"Would you say Gokudera-kun is brave or courageous?"

"Brave," said Tsuna immediately. Then he got it. Gokudera wouldn't have hesitated to jump or worry about the landing. However Tsuna had been terrified to death, and had gone after Takashi anyway despite that fact. "Oh."

"Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acknowledging you are afraid enough to remember your life is important too, and to act in spite of the fear. And you, little lion, are very courageous. Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality. That's one of the things Reborn is trying to teach you, and why Shamal refuses to train Gokudera until he realizes his life is important too."

Tsuna blinked.

"I think that's a good enough lesson for today. I'll let you think on that and tell Reborn to leave you alone while you consider the lesson," she said cheerfully.

In other words she was going to ask Gokudera to watch the kids while she had some fun with her husband. Upon learning of the hassle it would be to ward against Bianchi in a flat, she had given it up as a bad job and simply given the bomber his own room, complete with some major silencing wards. He could hear Ciel if he was crying, but not the master bedroom. Good thing too, because he was also very aware that the two love birds were trying for a girl this time.

Tsuna would remember the lesson on the difference between courage and bravery, and it would hold him through most of Reborn's Spartan teachings whenever he balked at doing something that was dangerous.

On the plus side, being told by Iris that it was alright to be afraid so long as he had the courage to move past it and get things done anyway had done wonders for the whining problem. Reborn had despaired of having to listen to Tsuna bitch and moan about everything he was trying to impart before he got shoved headfirst into the shark-infested waters.