AN: K*H*R belongs to the ever-gifted Amano Akira and no amount of supplication to the gods would, could or should change that fact.

I. Some Things are Sacred.

In the Vongola Decimo's house there is one room kept under a specialized lock and key. It is placed in the most easily accessible location in the lowest floor of the expansive mansion and could be reached from any direction from all the wings. This room has an access pad and a security code that is only known to a handful of people. Any non-authorized personnel who find themselves in need of the room would have to secure a passcode and a one-time keycard from the House Manager, the Decimo's Right-hand Man or the Decimo himself.

The room is akin to a small storage unit. Inside this chamber are two separate sections. One is a climate controlled box where as close to 1000lbs. of premium grade Robusta, Jamaica and Arabica coffee beans are kept at prime conditions at all times. Adjacent to this is a stack of boxes piled one of top of the other reaching all the way to the ceiling. Half of the boxes is clearly marked by the manufacturer and contain only one specific product—a top of the line, no assembly required, fully automated espresso machine. The remaining column of boxes contain an array of French presses, miniature coffee pots and electric pots.

When someone truly brave, curious or new ventures to ask why such a room exists—those in the know would only say that it's the mansion's fail-safe and that it is necessary for the wellbeing of everyone in the vicinity.

Reborn has no weakness. No flaws, no openings for enemies to exploit or others to use against him. He is a well-honed, seasoned, highly skilled professional that never allowed himself to lose his self-possession in the face of any challenge or hardship. It has been the topic of constant speculation in certain circles whether the famed Hitman and one-time Arcobaleno even possessed any discernible weakness. Many argued that a man of his particular caliber shouldn't even be called a man any more.

In a fair fight he will always win hands down. In an unfair fight he will most certainly win and then if you're the fool that tried to betray, cheat or play him for a fool, you'd be lucky to keep your hands if you're quick enough to ensure that your head is already acquainted with the floor intimately. His reputation is as solid as gold and his record set in unforgiving, unyielding stone.

But he is still human and therefore still subject to his body's whims and fancies.

It has been the unfortunate circumstance of the now defunct Testarossa Famiglia that they decided to send assassins on a particular morning when Tsuna and the rest of his famiglia were just about to sit down for the first meal of the day. With his mother planning a tour of the local vineyards in search for suitable wines for their upcoming party, the famiglia decided to start earlier than they normally would have. It was the assassins' ill-fated choice to storm the mansion through the kitchen, spraying everyone in a hail of bullets and thereby destroying most of the delicious repast that their kitchen staff had labored hours before to prepare, including a truly decadent trifle that Decimo specifically requested in behalf of his beloved Tutor.

It is also this unfortunate family's luck that Reborn had just returned from a particularly aggravating meeting with an irate allied family that was insisting that Vongola's pay remuneration for the damages they had accrued during a brawl instigated by another rival famiglia—a meeting that had lasted all night, well unto the early hours of the morning and the famed hitman had barely stepped into the mansions dining room, sat on his usual spot and lifted a cup of his favorite brew to his lips when the sound of breaking china echoed all around. Shrapnel flew out of the kitchen and unfortunately hit the delicate bone china that the hitman just happened to be holding.

Had they chosen any other day except that one, they would have probably been spared the utter destruction that descended on their ranks. Had they chosen any other route except the kitchen, they might have survived long enough to beg forgiveness and retained what little they could have salvaged from the debacle. Had they not squished and riddled the delicate dessert with gunpowder and empty shell casings they might have been left with their dignity intact and their leaders free from the horrors that would descend upon them like the wrath of the Gods.

Unfortunately the sight of the destroyed dessert caused Reborn to take leave of his senses for all of two minutes. That was all it took for him to single handedly incapacitate, beat up and tie up the entire 50-man squadron of assassins set out to get the famiglia. But it was the sight of the spilled brew and the bullet ridden espresso machine that finally tipped the scale and Reborn went on the war path. It took the Vongola underlings five minutes to get a truck out into the front yard and haul all the bodies into the truck's hold. It took him 15 minutes to find the rival Famiglia's stronghold, beat up the rest of its remaining members, toss the mangled, beaten bloody bodies from the failed assassination off the truck and destroy their headquarters. He then proceeded to get a signed confession of the attack and a bankdraft from the Boss of the Testarossa and return home. It took the Vongola workmen and artisans two months to repair the human shaped holes in the four adjacent walls that lead from the kitchen into the dining room.

When the rest of the allied famiglias saw the extent of the damage and heard what occurred with the Testarossa Famiglia, they had to ask what made the seasoned hitman snap. To this, Tsuna simply replied that the assassins came before Reborn could have his morning shot of caffeine and that the lack made him a trifle cranky. He assured them that everything was fine and that he understands Reborn's actions since he has learned long ago how temperamental his tutor was without caffeine. He then proceeded to continue discussing the plans to reinforce the structure of the mansion in case such a situation ever arise again.

The next day, every famiglia that claimed allegiance with the Vongola sent them deliveries after deliveries of exquisite antique bone china, espresso machines, French presses and a year's supply of the finest coffee beans money could buy.

They also learned never to call on the Vongola mansion during any foreseeable time frame when caffeine has yet to be served.