Disclaimer: KHReborn belongs to Akira Amano.

Pairings: slight RebornXLambo and 8027

WARNING: OOCness (especially on Tsuna's part) and slight AU

Sawada Tsunayoshi, aged fifteen, yawned as the bell rang, signaling the start of class. There was chaos around him. There were boys tearing out hair in attempt to squeeze in some last-minute studying, girls promising to help each other out during the test if they knew the answers, and several hooligans in the back who just didn't care and were having a spitball competition. Tsuna was none of them. He had studied properly the night before and was confident there was nothing in the syllabus that he didn't understand. Too bad he needed to fail this paper.

Contrary to popular belief, No Good Tsuna wasn't actually all that no good. If he tried, he could give some of the smart kids a run for their money and all that clumsiness during gym class was all for show. It wasn't that Tsuna liked the name-calling and negative attention that came with acting useless. He had a reason to make everyone believe he was No Good.

It began three years ago when Timoteo stopped by his house during summer vacation. The old Italian man was Tsuna's grandfather figure growing up. It was no secret that Timoteo was the boss of a powerful mafia family in Italy and that Tsuna's father was sort of his right-hand man. But Tsuna never thought that he would be pulled into their world until Timoteo made that request.

"You are a clever boy, Tsuna," Timoteo had said. "You are kind, understanding and loyal; so much like your father. That is why I think you would be suitable to lead the next generation of Vongola. The mafia world needs someone as compassionate as you to change them. Will you grant this old man's wish, Tsuna?"

The answer had been a resounding no. Even when his father joined in to back up Timoteo, it was a no. Tsuna wanted nothing to do with their dark world. He didn't care if Timoteo would hate him for his decision but Tsuna was not changing his mind. Timoteo had other candidates, didn't he?

After that, Tsuna had cut off all ties with Timoteo. He was noticeably grieved by his choice - his appetite didn't come back until return and even sleep didn't come easy - and was even further surprised when he found out that Timoteo had not taken back his offer. That was when Tsuna began to give up at school. He still studied, but proceeded to fail exams and acted like he was bad at everything - all to convince his surrogate grandfather that he was unfit to lead to Vongola.

He thought he had achieved it when the moniker No Good Tsuna was given to him at school. But his father assured him that Timoteo was annoyingly faithful in Tsuna's abilities. "In my opinion, better you than Xanxus."

Tsuna couldn't bring himself to disagree with that one.

If he could, Tsuna would like to blame his father. For generations, the Sawada Family had remained ignorant of their illustrious ancestor, Ieyasu, who had been the founder and first boss of the Vongola, and had stayed clear of any mafia activity with relative ease. That was until Iemitsu, in his selfishness, offered his services to Vongola Nono. His capabilities, loyalty and integrity had ensured his escalation to become the head of the CEDEF as well as endeared him to Timoteo. Thus, making Tsuna's life that much more complicated.

"Pass the papers to the back."

Tsuna broke out of his reverie. He hadn't noticed the teacher coming in. Hadn't even noticed the chaos around him settling. He retrieved the papers from his classmate in front, took one, and passed it behind. He flipped to the first page and scanned the numbers. Equations and answers jumping out to him unbidden.

Math was actually his best subject. He was sure that if Nezu-sensei ever found out, he would have a heart attack.

"Before you start, have any of you seen Gokudera Hayato? He just transferred here and is supposed to join us today," said the gangly teacher.

As if on cue, the door slid open and a boy with silver hair walked in. Tsuna noted the multiple rings that decorated his hands and the metal skull buckle on his belt. Both were direct violations of the school dress code. Tsuna was a little surprised this boy made it through the Hibari without getting hurt. "Sorry," the boy called Gokudera muttered with a disagreeable expression on his face that showed he wasn't sorry at all. "It took a while to find this class."

Nezu-sensei practically twitched when he saw Gokudera's inappropriate attire but pushed his thin glassed further up his nose and refrained from lashing out since the exam was about to start. "Class, this is Gokudera Hayato," he said stiffly. "Starting today, he will be studying with us. Gokudera-kun just came from Italy so some Japanese customs might be foreign to him. Please give him due guidance."

"Italy? Wow!"

"Why did he move here?"

"Hey, he's pretty handsome, right?"

"Gokudera-kun, what are your hobbies?"

"Silence!" yelled Nezu-sensei. "Gokudera-kun, find a seat. We're about to have an exam."

The Italian boy shuffled towards the back of the class and to the only empty seat. Tsuna watched his progress, only turning away when Gokudera met his gaze and proceeded to glare daggers at him. After all these years, he hadn't expected Timoteo to take action now. But what did he hope to achieve by sending Smokin' Bomb Hayato here?

Saluta Morte de Parte Mia

2 August 2009

"Time's up! Everyone put your pencils down and pass your paper to the front."

Tsuna handed his paper to the person in front and sighed. All throughout the test, he felt the piercing gaze of the new transfer student on his back. To his knowledge, Smokin' Bomb Hayato had yet to pledge his allegiance to any mafia family after running away from home at the age of 10. So what was he doing here?

"Tsuna-kun?" Tsuna looked up and saw Sasagawa Kyoko smiling kindly at him. "Howas was the paper, Tsuna-kun?"

Sasagawa Kyoko was adorable, soft-spoken and acknowledged as the prettiest girl in Namimori Junior High. All the boys wanted a chance with her. Even some teachers (perverts like Nezu-sensei, thought Tsuna) were enamoured by her. Oddly enough, Tsuna was the only boy Kyoko ever approached. Maybe it's because she somehow knew that Tsuna's the only boy who had no intention of putting a hand up her skirt.

Tsuna returned her smile with some sheepishness. "It's no good. I don't think I can pass this one."

Kyoko frowned concernedly. "I hope you will. At least you tried your best, right?" she said consolingly.

Actually, I didn't. Tsuna smiled nonetheless.

Everyone was getting up to discuss the paper and from the corner of his eye, Tsuna could see Gokudera approaching. What did he want? He wasn't going to talk about mafia stuff in front of a roomful of civilians, was he? But then again, the mafia was full of unbalanced types. Who's the say Gokudera wasn't one of them?

"Hello, Gokudera-kun," said Kyoko pleasantly when she saw Gokudera approaching and gasped loudly when Gokudera kicked the leg of Tsuna's table so roughly, the table rocked.

Tsuna eeped shrilly, just for show, as he scrambled to keep his things from falling over. "What was that for?" he demanded.

"I can't believe a pipsqueak like you is going to be the next Vongola boss," growled the Italian. "I don't accept it!"

Oh yes, he was unbalanced alright. Tsuna swallowed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Gokudera scoffed and walked away, ignoring the attention his commotion had caused. Tsuna watched him leave with slight apprehension. If this was the attitude Gokudera was going to take with him, Tsuna needed to get rid of them before anyone found out about his mafia connections. He wondered if Lambo had any good ideas.

X

There were two other people, aside from Tsuna, who were related to the Italian mafia, who attended Namimori Middle School. One was Naito Longchamp, an excitable redhead, who was the 8th successor of the Tomaso family. Tsuna wouldn't go near him with a six-foot stick because frankly, he was an idiot. As were the bodyguards who followed him around constantly.

The other one was Lambo of the Bovino family. He was a hitman, like Gokudera, but used electrical attacks instead of explosives. He was a year above Tsuna and had a relatively large following of fangirls. Unfortunately, he was also a bit of an idiot and was the clumsiest person Tsuna ever had the fortune to meet.

The funniest thing about him, though, was the fact that he was hopelessly infatuated with Vongola's cruelest and most accomplished assassin, Reborn.

During break, Tsuna escaped to the rooftop, where Lambo liked to snack. Since Lambo had one foot in the mafia world, he knew all about Tsuna's situation as well as his faked uselessness. If Tsuna wanted any updates, Lambo was usually the guy he went to since anyone else would misinterpret his curiosity as a positive step towards him become the next Vongola boss.

Lambo was already on the rooftop when Tsuna arrived. He waved his fork in greeting, sending some stray strands of pasta flying. "Hello, young Vongola. Were my eyes deceiving me or was that Smokin' Bomb Hayato I saw prowling the corridors today?"

"Stop calling me that," scowled Tsuna as he took a seat next to Lambo and opened his lunch box. "And I'm surprised you didn't know about his arrival here. Not much goes on without you knowing about it."

Lambo shrugged. "Things have been quiet on the Vongola front. I suspect a ripple in the waters." Tsuna's eyes flitted towards him suspiciously. "No, no. I don't think it's the Varia," said Lambo quickly. "Not this time. No, it's something else."

"Still, I didn't expect Timoteo to actually send someone to have direct contact with me," admitted Tsuna. "I guess he is finally getting impatient."

"That, or he's dying."

Tsuna froze and glared at Lambo. "That's not funny."

"It wasn't supposed to be," replied the older boy. "Vongola Nono's illness is ailing him. And I'm not surprised. He is an old man. He would have to choose a successor soon or the Vongola will be torn in war after his death. You know, you are his favourite."

"He is a smart man. Even if he sees past my act, the rest of Vongola won't. They will not approve of him selecting a useless teen as his successor. He will have to choose someone else," said Tsuna. Admittedly, he was trying to convince himself as much as Lambo. He had not heard about his surrogate grandfather's illness. His heart clenched in guilt.

Lambo considered his pasta. "I still think it is better for you to be boss rather than Xanxus."

To that, Tsuna had no comment. Unlike Lambo, he has never met Timoteo's son but his reputation preceded him. Nearly all of Vongola held him in fear and esteem. If Xanxus were made Decimo, the Vongola would face a generation ruled by an iron fist. That, and the Varia would be unstoppable.

"Just so you know, it doesn't work that way," continued Lambo. "One does not become the next Vongola boss by winning votes from the whole family. Of course, acceptance is preferable but all one needs is the approval of the current boss and the Vongola's external advisor, Sawada Iemitsu. You already have both."

Tsuna gritted his teeth. He didn't need to be reminded of his disadvantageous position. He only needed a solution. There was nothing he could do for the Vongola. He had made that decision a long time ago. He forced on a smile and forced the conversation to take an easier direction. "By the way, I've heard news that Reborn is coming to Japan."

Lambo smiled wistfully. "And what do you expect me to do about it?"

Tsuna smiled mirthfully. "Send him roses and a card that sings of your love for him maybe?" Both of them broke out in guffawed laughter as they recounted all the foolish ways Lambo had once tried to capture Reborn's thorny heart.

Unbeknownst to them, a wind of change had come to Namimori.

Not far away, Namimori's baseball star, Yamamoto Takeshi was entertaining a tall, blond guest, who introduced himself as Dino. "Yes, I know Sawada," he said, nodding. "We're classmates. Why?"

Dino Cavallone, 10th boss of the Cavallone family, smiled. "Do you know where I can find him right now?"

Even further away, a blue-haired boy nodded to his companions. "Ken, Chikusa, this would make a lovely hideout."

Back home in Italy, several Vongola men in black suits plotted the discreet assassination of Sawada Tsunayoshi.

Meanwhile, a plane landed outside Narita airport; its large tires screeching to a halt on the asphalt runway. It was too small for a commercial vehicle and too large for a private jet. Stamped upon its side was the symbol of the Vongola. A tall man stepped out, one hand carrying a suitcase and the other keeping the fedora on his head.

"How long are you planning to stay in Japan, Mr. Reborn?" asked the pilot in Italian.

"As long as it takes," the assassin replied ambiguously and nodded a farewell. Giappone smelled different. Several guests have arrives early. Reborn smirked and descended the steps. A new arc was beginning.

X

"Tsuna!"

Tsuna stopped just shy of the school gates and looked over his shoulder, bewildered. Aside from Lambo and Kyoko, nobody else bothered with him, much less called him out. He wondered who it could be when he saw his classmates, Yamamoto running towards him in complete baseball garb.

"Hey, Tsuna, wait up! I have to ask you something!"

Ask him something? Yamamoto never spoke to him before. What's got him started now?

"Oi, Yamamoto!" yelled one of the baseball team members from the field. "Where are you going? You're not thinking about skipping practice, are you?"

"I'm not skipping!" retorted Yamamoto loudly. "I just need to speak with Tsuna for a little while!"

"No Good Tsuna? What for?"

"Mind your own business!"

Unamused by the shouting match, Tsuna turned to leave but was halted by Yamamoto's hand on his wrist. "Hold up, I said I need to talk to you, didn't I?" When Yamamoto saw Tsuna staring at the hand that was still touching him, Yamamoto quickly released Tsuna. "I meant to speak to you after class but you left so quickly and the guys dragged me to the locker room before I could get you."

"It's okay," said Tsuna. "What do you need me for?"

Yamamoto fidgeted a little. He hadn't dared approach Tsuna before this, unsure of how he would react around the other boy. Yamamoto had always been sort of attracted to Tsuna; had always thought that Tsuna looked too cute to be a boy. He'd thought that if he tried talking to Tsuna, he might actually blurt out something stupid like 'please go out with me!' But Yamamoto had no choice this time. He had to tell him.

"There is someone looking for you."

"Eh? Who?"

"He's a foreigner. About my height, blond, has tons of bodyguards. He calls himself Dino Cavallone. Is it someone you know?"

"I don't think so. I've never head that name before," lied Tsuna. Of course, he's heard that name. Who in the mafia world hasn't heard of the prodigious boss of the Cavallone family? "Did he ask you for me?"

Yamamoto nodded, slightly relieved that Tsuna didn't know the man. Dino was undeniably good-looking and Yamamoto didn't like the idea of Tsuna getting close to a man like that, even if he wasn't sure that Tsuna even swung that way. "In any case, I was a bit suspicious of him so I sent him in the wrong direction. Since you don't know him, I have nothing to worry about, right?"

Tsuna didn't assent. He had a bad feeling about this. "I don't know. He might be a friend of a friend. Where did you send him to?"

"Kokuyo Middle School. I told him you had a girlfriend in Kokuyo and usually go there after school."

Tsuna sighed inwardly in relief. There was no threat in the Kokuyo area. None that he knew of anyway. But he should go and check with his father just in case. "Thanks for telling me, Yamamoto-san. See you tomorrow."

Yamamoto flushed a little and nodded. "See you." After Tsuna was gone, he slapped himself. "Snap out of it."

X

Tsuna's walk home took more time than usual as he walked slower to sort out his thoughts. What in the world could Bucking Horse Dino of the Cavallone family want with him? Sure, that family was part of the alliance as well, but that was no reason for their boss to go around searching for some no-name candidate like Tsuna. Unless Timoteo had told Dino otherwise. That old man had better not have convinced Dino that Tsuna was his true successor or something equally ridiculous.

Perhaps Timoteo sent him to Japan to persuade Tsuna to become a boss as well. That was completely plausible since DIno was a known ally of the Vongola. But Gokudera wasn't. Come to think of it, he couldn't be completely sure that Gokudera was here on Vongola orders.

Maybe Gokudera Hayato was, in actual fact, an assassin hired to finish him off before he could think of succeeding the Vongola throne. Tsuna could think of several people who would prefer him dead. Other candidates to be the next Vongola boss, for instance. Not to mention, Gokudera would be an excellent choice of an assassin because he was Tsuna's age and could get close to him without suspicion.

Tsuna scoffed with displeasure. This was exactly the kind of thing he wanted to avoid when he turned down Timoteo's offer. He was an average kid. He didn't need all this cloak and dagger bullshit in his life. He jammed his hands in his pocket in a decidedly bad mood.

He didn't even see the person in front of him before he walked straight into the person's back. "Oof!" He rubbed the area on his rump where he fell. He couldn't believe he just did that. "Sorry," he said. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Obviously."

Tsuna looked up and against the evening sunlight, saw the dark silhouette of a tall man with a fedora and distinctive sideburns that ended in a curl. Tsuna swallowed. It couldn't be. There was no way he would have luck so bad that he would run into so many members of the Italian mafia in one day. Yet, Tsuna could come up with no other probable answer regarding who this person might be.

Reborn. Vongola Nono's most trusted hitman. The rumours were true. But what was he doing here? Tsuna stood up, a little nervously. Did Reborn know who he was? Did Timoteo tell?

Reborn spared him a brief glance before walking away without another word. Tsuna stared after him, speechless. That was it? He had expected some sort of confrontation. An acknowledgement of who he was, at the very least.

Tsuna calmed himself. No, this was good. Maybe Reborn didn't recognise him. He gathered himself and continued his trek home.

When he arrived, the kitchen and living room were empty, which probably meant his mum was out grocery shopping and his father had left the country without prior warning again. Trying to predict Iemitsu's coming and goings were like trying to keep sand from falling through your fingers. But it wasn't totally his fault. Being the head of the CEDEF had its disadvantages.

He put his things in his room, changed into his gym uniform and went for a run. Acting useless was more exhausting that it once was - since he was starting to get tired of it himself - and he needed to unwind. He wished Timoteo would just give in already so he didn't having to act like an idiot anymore.

By the time he came back from his run and showered. his mother had returned with the ingredients for dinner, but they were sitting untouched on the kitchen counter, while his mother was slurping cup noodles on the living room couch while watching television. "Kaa-san, why are you eating in here?" asked Tsuna worriedly.

Nana sighed disappointedly. "I went out to buy groceries to make a big dinner for your papa, but he flew off without telling me again, so I've got no mood to make dinner any more. Sorry, Tsu-kun. Your ramen is in the kitchen. Why don't you join mama, here?"

Tsuna hated how his father managed to depress his mother every time he left. But it's not like he could do anything about it. He took his bowl of instant noodles and sat beside his mother.

The news was on.

Tsuna watched, half-interested, as the anchorman announced an earthquake in North America, snowstorms that choked up the streets of London and a group of Italian fugitives whom Interpol believed were in Japan. Tsuna choked on his noodles on that last piece of news.

"The ringleader is believed to be a person called Rokudo Mukuro," said the anchorman. "Not much is known about his person as the Italian government hasn't seen fit to divulge the specifics of this man's crime or profile."

A scene from an interview with a member of the Italian police force was played, his words dubbed in Japanese. "We do not know the motives behind Rokudo Mukuro's actions. But we have strong reason to believe that Mukuro and his friends are headed towards Giappone in search of a certain individual."

Tsuna froze in his seat. There were several people in Japan who were prominent in the Italian underworld. There was Gokudera, of course, and Dino Cavallone, Vongola's own Reborn and him, the reluctant candidate to the Vongola family. But Tsuna had no beef with any Italian fugitive whatsoever.

Wait a minute. Could this be the reason his father left? Were the Italian fugitives looking for him?

Tsuna glanced at his mother, grateful that she was so ignorant towards all that was happening. Nana had an inkling, of course, regarding what her husband did for a living but never saw the need to probe. It was best she didn't know about this either.

X

That night, Tsuna had a strange dream. He was sitting in a small room with no windows, no bed, no anything, really, save for one white, nondescript door. Tsuna himself was knitting. It was an odd thing to do, but at the time, it seemed to make the most perfect sense to be knitting a pair of mittens.

Then, someone entered the room without knocking. It was a boy. He was tall with dark prussian blue hair done up in an odd style. He had a set of menacing eyes with different colours - one blue, and one a curious red - and was wearing a Kokuyo Middle School uniform.

Tsuna stared at the boy. There was something terribly important that he should know about that boy, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember what.

The boy scanned the room before finally locking in on Tsuna. He took in Tsuna's small stature and the half-done mittens in his hands. He scowled darkly. "Not this one either." He went out of the room without so much as a goodbye or an apology and closed the door behind him.

When Tsuna woke up, he could only remember snatched of the dream. He kept having this nagging feeling that he had forgotten all the important part but knew that frowning wouldn't make him remember any better.

To make things worse, the bad feeling from yesterday had doubled and manifested physically as a slight stomachache. He thought about calling in sick but he was one sick day away from failing middle school. So with great reluctance, he put on his school things and started the slow journey to school.

As he walked through the school gates, he heard a loud and obnoxious voice calling him. "SAWADA!" It was Naito Longchamp.

Tsuna instinctively quickened his strides to avoid the redhead. But one of Naito's bodyguard, who was perched on the rooftop with a rifle, started shooting bullets at him and in the time Tsuna took to dodge the dangerous projectiles, Naito caught up to him.

"Yo, Sawada!" he said energetically. "I want to invite you over to my place today! I just finished my mustard packet collection and you're the only one I can think of who'd be interested to see it!"

Tsuna really had no interest in mustard packets but he said yes all the same because Naito's bodyguard still had a long-range rifle trained on him and nothing Tsuna had one was thick enough to deflect bullets. Naito looked as if he was going to launch into a tirade of how he managed to collect a thousand a one different types of mustard packets when the Hibari interrupted them with a tonfa to Tsuna's head.

Tsuna had seen the blow coming and it had taken much of his willpower not to duck and avoid the pain. Naito jumped back, surprised. His bodyguard started shooting but Hibari Kyoya managed to knock away all oncoming bullets without even moving a facial muscle. As expected of the much fear Head of the Disciplinary Committee.

"You two are late for class. Get going," he ordered.

Naito saluted him stupidly and scrambled to his class. Tsuna remained on the ground for a while, making sure that the blow hadn't impaired his eyesight in any way before standing up and running to class. Jarred by the pain, Tsuna forgot his farce for a while and leveled an annoyed glare at Hibari.

Hibari smirked, raising one tonfa. "You look like you've got something to say to me."

I hate your violent guts. But Tsuna merely shook his head and walked towards his class, thinking that if there was anyone truly suited to join the mafia, it would be Hibari, were it not for his irrational dislike for crowding. In fact, Hibari's aggressiveness and tyrannic character somewhat reminded Tsuna of Xanxus.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna scowled. What was it now?

He turned around and saw Gokudera standing three feet away from him in the empty corridor. Everyone else have already retreated to their respective classrooms and by the steady staccato of chalk, Tsuna surmised that class had begun. What did Gokudera want?

"I've spent the whole of yesterday investigating you. Your friends, your hobbies, your personality. I'm done evaluating," said the Italian calmly. He lit the cigarette between his lips and withdrew several sticks of dynamites from his pockets. "I've come to the conclusion that you are no fit to be the next Vongola boss."

Evaluating? What?

Wait, Gokudera wasn't going to light those in the school, was he? He'd destroy the building! No idiot would want to attract that sort of attention. Then, Tsuna remembered that Gokudera was one of those unbalanced types and cursed his luck. "Wait! Who sent you?" Tsuna asked in attempt to distract him.

Several people looked out into the corridors when they heard Tsuna but no one came to his aid. To his credit. Gokudera was completely unperturbed by the unwanted attention. "Reborn-san sent me to evaluate Vongola Nono's favourite candidate in Japan. And now that I've deemed you unworthy, you may die."

Gokudera lit the dynamites in his hand and threw them at Tsuna. Tsuna panicked. He snatched the dynamites out of the air and tossed them out the window, where nothing but ear drums would be harmed. Gokudera gaped a little.

According to the reports from gym class, Sawada Tsunayoshi should have the worst reflexes in his grade. How did he managed to catch the explosives and throw them out in time?

The arsonist growled. "Maybe this will kill you. Double Bomb!"

"Save your ammo, Gokudera."

Gokudera quickly extinguished his explosives and looked around. "That voice...Reborn-san?"

Strangely enough, the voice was coming from inside Tsuna's bag. Tsuna unzipped it and gave a soft cry of surprise when a green chameleon crawled out of it. When did that thing get inside his bag?

"Yes, it's me. Good catch, Gokudera. As expected of the Smokin' Bomb." The voice indeed came from the chameleon. Was there a mic installed in the creature or something?

"Reborn-san, why is your pet with that weakling?" asked Gokudera, his tone strangely subservient in contrast to his earlier stance.

Tsuna considered the small chameleon. It must've happened yesterday when he ran into Reborn. The man acted like he didn't know who Tsuna was and had snuck his pet into Tsuna's bag. Tsuna sighed. How he hated the mafia types.

"I am observing Sawada Tsunayoshi myself. But now is not the time for explanations. Around two hours ago, I lost contact with Dino. He's been engage in battle with people, whom I believe are Rokudo Mukuro and his fellow escapees. You and No Good Tsuna are to locate the Bucking Horse and aid him in whatever way you can."

"The pipsqueak as well?" asked Gokudera with disbelief.

"This would be a good chance to evaluate him properly, Gokudera," said Reborn.

Gokudera flashed an angry look at Tsuna that screamed dissatisfaction. Tsuna felt a bloom of pride at having acted well enough to fool Gokudera but that wasn't the most pressing issue at hand. "I'm not going," he said. "Why would I want to go and save some stranger?"

"Because it was you who allowed him to walk into Rokudo Mukuro's hideout unawares, Stupid Tsuna," said Reborn.

What? He did no such... Tsuna froze and that ominous feeling in his gut returned threefold. "No way. Rokudo Mukuro was hiding in Kokuyo?"

"That's right. So go and help Useless Dino, No Good Tsuna. And while you're at it, try to apprehend Mukuro and his pals."

"I will not fail you, Reborn-san! I will prove to you that I am better suited to be Decimo!" said Gokudera.

"We shall see."

Tsuna stared at Gokudera. The silver-haired Italian growled and snapped, "Well, you heard Reborn-san. Let's go!" He started walking out of school, completely indifferent to the stares their little scuffle had attracted. Tsuna stayed put, the wheels in his head turning.

This Italian wanted to be Vongola Decimo? Fine. Then, Tsuna would help him wholeheartedly.

Tsuzuku...

(To be continued...)

Next chapter:

"Yea, I came here searching for you Tsuna," said Dino. "One of your classmates said you have a girlfriend who goes to Kokuyo. So, where is she?"

Tsuna raised an eyebrow at this ridiculous person. Did he really expect Tsuna to produce a girl amidst the ruins of an abandoned theme park? Additionally, that girlfriend was a lie made up by Yamamoto!

"I'm afraid, it is I!" said Mukuro, suddenly stepping into the frenzy, "I am Tsunayoshi's intended."

"...I have to say I didn't see that coming," said Shamal.

"It's not true," said Tsuna patiently.

"As expected of the person who is to succeed the Vongola. You have unique tastes, Tsuna-kun," said Dino.

"I told you IT'S NOT TRUE!"