Something random I just thought of - based off an ass load of light novel to manga/webtoon/manhua/manhwa adaptions and so on.

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.

…

In a world where people are divided into 'sects' classified by their race and skills, it's not hard to settle into a sect and belong to one. The most general sects that compile the majority of the population for the Elf, Beast, Demon, Angel and Human race were, respectively, the Forest Sect, Blood Sect, Hell Sect, Heaven Sect and the Sword Sect. Those who had ascended to higher powers and ranks arrived at the Flame Sect. A mix and match of races.

To the existing day, the Legendary Tutor was said to be a human, not that young but not that old, who continued to live to the present. He was known for having the confidence of an elf, tenacity of a beast, cruelty of a demon, guidance of an angel and, of course, the greed of a human. Such a combination had granted him powers that no human could ever achieve and allowed him and several others into the Flame Sect. Now, his title the Legendary Tutor, had arisen when he first took in a student, a young male who was at the bottom of the ranks in regards to powers. Within weeks of the man's tutelage, the young male had gone from the first domain to the fifth domain.

Domains were the core of powers, a pool of power that everyone had. Most people, regardless of race, were born into the first domain, the weakest, and those who were lucky, the second domain. In order to break through to the next domain, it required certain conditions in which were revealed to be different for all people. How one discovered the conditions were rather simple. It relied on a few beings who they all called 'Gods' whether they believed they existed or not. They were more like celestial entities or ghosts of the sorts who governed seven different 'flames.' Stories say that they were the first to inhibit the flames and so, were given the right to distribute them. Flames were the physical form of domains' powers. There are seven different flames which were bestowed to every being when they are born.

It's said that there are ten domains in which you can achieve. Those who had been accepted into the Flame Sect had broken through the tenth domain. No one but those in the Flame Sect knew if it was possible to ascend to a higher domain than the tenth one.

Now, although the focus had mainly been on the Legendary Tutor, this story starts with the disciple of this man. Not the first one, who had already been guided to the fifth domain and continued his own path from there on, but rather, the second disciple the Legendary Tutor had.

This disciple was the epitome of what everyone thought of as the weakest of the weak. Born without being bestowed any flames and identified to be the lowest ranking of those in the first domain. Of course, his parents had many complaints about this but accepted him as the existence that the two had brought into their lives.

Sawada Nana, a peaceful house wife, who settled at the fourth domain, and Sawada Iemitsu, a hardworking man, who was at the sixth domain, were the parents of Sawada Tsunayoshi, a boy who was at the lowest of the first domain. Someone who was already 14 years of age, should have been expected to have broken through to the second domain as a 'coming of age.' He was said to be weaker than kids who were half his age. And in all honesty, it had never been a bother to him at all.

Although he was bullied and mistreated, his mother continued to smile for him. His father was not often home, and it had been well over two years since he had last seen the man. He never really minded since the man would tear up every time he saw the pitiable son that he had. Such a presence wasn't really necessary for Tsunayoshi. Despite all this, Tsunayoshi remained optimistic that everything would change as soon as he was given a way to break through the second domain. He had heard of other teenagers who had broken through the second domain by defeating monsters. And so, he set off on a journey of self-improvement. He had farewelled his mother who had doubted his ability to travel by himself but allowed him to go after her son's desperate begging.

As soon as Tsunayoshi had left the place he once called home, he couldn't help but be refreshed from sympathetic and judging eyes. He powered on, ignoring the lack of oxygen from his haggard breathing and the pain from his feet that trod on uneven grounds and rocks. He ventured into the wild, stumbling across small animals like rabbits. The first monster in which he had encountered was a hare like creature. Monsters generally looked like normal animals albeit, they had no conscience or free will and were often larger, bearing some weapon like physicality and had enraged eyes. They emitted dark auras that most animals stayed away from. It was possible to see the dark auras but, either way, being around a monster sent shivers down your back.

The boy readied his short-sword as he stealthily approached it. He damned the crack that came from underneath his shoe as he accidentally stepped on a stick. The sound immediately alerted the monster and it glared at him with its bloody red eyes. Tsunayoshi braced himself as the monster charged at him. He side stepped, avoiding the talons of the animal and swerved his body as the monster attacked him again. He felt the adrenaline pump and the pain fade away. The feeling was almost blissful if it weren't the nagging in his head about how the monster hadn't done anything wrong and yet he was there to kill it.

Dragging his focus back onto the creature, he lunged and brought his sword down, slicing the monster's belly. The creature staggered and in a gallant effort, tried to make one last attack with its talons but failed when it bled out to its death. Tsunayoshi stared at it, tired out and huffing. He closed his eyes and murmured a small prayer for a better life for wherever it was now. It wasn't its fault for being born as a monster. He could empathise with it.

As he was about to leave, he felt something annoy him at the back of his head. Bending down, he picked up a small rock and threw it towards the direction in which he felt the disturbance from. The rock landed directly in front of him due to his bad aim and balance of power, but nonetheless, it did attract the attention of the disturbance, rather, the man who appeared from the bushes.

"You were able to detect me," the man said. Tsunayoshi looked up at the man, peering into the man's bitch black eyes that stared down at him from under his hat. A small green reptilian like creature sat on the ribboned hat. The teenager raised an eye but said nothing. "You know, you're meant to harvest the core of monsters. They add up as a material, ingredient or gem. They hold a lot of uses, so make sure to take what's left of the monster."

Tsunayoshi looked back at the corpse of the rabbit like monster he slew. A dark purple gem had come out from where he had cut it. He walked towards it and picked it up and brushed off any remaining blood. He mumbled a thanks to the man and proceeded to walk away. His thoughts were occupied by whether he had reached the second domain.

"If you want to reach the second domain, I'll help you," said the man.

"Wha- how did you know I- who are you?"

"My name is Reborn and I will be your tutor. I'm bored so you'll do as entertainment. It's a win win situation for both of us. You'll be at the second domain in no time and I won't be bored," he said. Tsunayoshi, obviously perplexed at the sudden offer of help, also suspected that this 'Reborn' wasn't lying about him being able to get to the second domain with the man's aid. But, he shook his head. He didn't need the man's help. He wanted to get to the second domain by himself.

"You can't get to the second domain by yourself. That's why you weren't able to all this time."

"Are you reading my mind?" questioned Tsunayoshi.

"No. Your body language is enough for me to know what you're thinking about." The teenager closed his gaping mouth and frowned. He wasn't that easy to read, was he? "You are, by the way."

Having enough of the man's nonsense, he stormed away, to return back 'home.'

"You're refusing an offer that only one person as ever gotten you know. I don't want you to regret it."

"I won't regret it, so leave me alone!" said Tsuna picking up his pace.

"Oh? But I don't think you get a choice in this. Now, die."

Bang.

...

When Tsunayoshi woke up, all he could feel was the pain that his entire body harboured – as though he had over exerted himself ten times over. He slowly turned over and almost shrieked when he was face to face with the man from before. He slowly rose from his previous laid down position. However, Reborn had woken up as soon as he did, so it wasn't really possible for him to escape.

"Your old town has been burnt down. Although, good on you for being the only survivor," said Reborn nonchalantly as he stretched his back.

"Wh-what do you mean my town burnt down? And I'm the only survivor?"

"You're loud aren't you, kinda like a girl squealing."

"I'm not like a girl squealing," said Tsuna. He returned back to his original questions. "S-so?"

"Some time after you left your town, someone had lit the town on fire after carefully trapping them in their own houses and the streets, preventing them to escape. I was sent to check for survivors, which there were none, but I sensed one person," explained Reborn, patting down the creases in his clothes.

"B-but I should have been far from the village. Surely… surely someone else survived?"

"Well if you underestimate my powers then you have a one in a hundredth of chance that someone had survived. But I'm sure you're smart enough to know I'm not lying, no?"

The teenager remained silent, unsure of what to say next. The man was speaking the truth. He knew because… he just knew. But then that would have meant that his mother was gone. The warm smiles that he received from her and only her were gone forever. No matter how much he wanted to cry, no tears came out. Rather, he was angry. But what for?

"Well, I'm just saying this for the record but I already killed the arsonist. You can rest easy." Tsunayoshi's eyes trailed from the floor to the man's face and then to his feet. It just didn't seem possible. He observed his surroundings of what seems to be a small make shift tent. It was still night time and, it was also about two or three days since he last left the town. He wasn't sure what to do if he had nothing to return to.

"If you have nothing better to do, then, become my disciple," said Reborn, "And you'll ascend to the second domain and protect the things you love better."

"How do I know that you can actually help me?" said Tsunayoshi.

"We'll just have to see since no one else seems to have ever offered help to you."

"O-oi, c'mon I've had a friend or two… before…" He trailed off and Reborn snorted at him which earned him a glare from the younger male.

"You know I'm Reborn, so what do I call you? Better answer me before I call you Useless."

"Tsunayoshi."

"I'll just call you Tsuna. Your name's too long. Useless Tsuna sounds good, no?" smirked the man.

"That's longer than Tsunayoshi!" exclaimed Tsuna. Reborn ignored him.

"The reason you haven't been able to get to the second domain is that you haven't identified your flame yet," started Reborn, "and seeing that you don't know it, are you actually flameless? I'm surprised there is anyone born like this."

"You don't need to tell me for me to know." Reborn felt the slightest of a guilt trip, as though he wasn't required to state the obvious. But he still had serious doubts about the boy being flameless, since, he had clearly seen his flames erupt uncontrollably when he shot him with his special bullet.

"Well no need. You should have already ascended to the second domain," said Reborn. Confused, Tsuna quickly tried to get into a state of calm, aka, meditation. He was promptly wacked by Reborn who said it was more efficient and faster to see by closing his eyes. Obeying the man, he closed his eyes and was immediately brought into a state of calm and say the light that emitted from a pool like thing in his head. It was filled with sparkling liquid, the power that everyone had that he had never seen before until that moment. He reached out and touched it, but backed away, scared that it was just a dream. However, it wasn't that important when he saw the distinct glow of what confirmed him to be in the second domain. The colour of it, as well, determined his flame.

"The flame's orange? And I'm actually in the second domain…" said Tsuna. Reborn smirked, already pleased with the results that the boy produced. The bullet he had shot him was a one in a tenth chance of forcing his flames out, which would automatically allow the boy into the second domain. But the rest, being the nine of ten, could have potentially killed him. But it wasn't like he would tell him that. The boy also being able to see his inner power just by closing his eyes was also impressive. Most failed since they were inexperienced, but the boy seemed to possess what seemed to be an impressive line of ancestors. Reborn was quite sure the boy knew little to nothing about that fact though. The man knew since he was always able to detect those sorts of little details that the people themselves didn't even knew.

"Sky flames. They are rare and little amongst many possess that flame," said Reborn.

"Wow…" He opened his eyes and smiled brightly at Reborn, almost dazzling the elder man. "Thank you!" Surprised at the sudden burst of gratitude, the man scratched his chin.

"Well, they don't call me legendary for nothing." The 'legendary' part completely went unnoticed in Tsuna's mind.

"You said that only one other person has ever been under your tutelage, right?" Impressed by the boy's memory, Reborn nodded. "What domain are they at right now?"

"He should be at the seventh domain. I guided him to the fifth since that was the extent of what I could do. The rest he had to figure out himself." The younger male's eyes seemed to widen at the fact. It was more surprising to Reborn that the boy seemed to have no idea just who he was. Either way, it really wouldn't matter. The boy had already accepted him as who he was, a trait of a sky that he had once felt a long time ago.

"You're really cool."

"Thank you."

"For a moment there, I thought you didn't have any manners," said Tsuna, chuckling to himself.

"You want to repeat that brat?" The teenager instantly shut up, avoiding the man's eye contact.

"W-well, it seems like it's time to go!" said Tsuna, exiting the tent.

"Where do you think you're going? You might-" Just as he was about to continue speaking, a shriek came from the boy whose top half of his body had already exited the tent.

"W-why are we floating?!"

"I don't know, maybe someone is doing this?" suggested Reborn, playing dumb.

"Y-you're the one doing this right? What domain are you at?" Reborn shrugged. The boy figured it out either way and he knew the right questions to ask. Although, he could have toned down his franticness. He was definitely still jittery from the whole thing about his town being burnt down.

"Yes and I'm at the ninth domain," said Reborn.

"You're lying."

"About the floating? No, I'm not."

"No, not that. You're the tenth domain right? I've never heard of a ninth domain person ever being able to float objects and other people besides themselves."

"Well you're right, at least you weren't as stupid as I initially thought."

"Oi!" Reborn tugged the boy back into the safe confinements of the tent. "You're really powerful, aren't you...?" Reborn remained silent. "Isn't it lonely?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," said Tsuna, avoiding the man's eyes, "there aren't a lot of people at the tenth domain. Is that why you said you were bored?"

"You can take it that way." The silence prolonged as Tsuna stopped speaking. Reborn lay back, resting up, only to hear the sniffling and snivels of the younger male. The boy had lost what was his home so he couldn't blame him for being upset. It really goes for show when, although you are one of the most powerful, you can't prevent everything from happening. Reborn sighed.

He wasn't quite sure what to make out of the boy. When he first noticed that the only survivor who was kilometres away from the town, he was sure that it was just a random adventurer. The boy further surprised him when he was able to kill the monster without the usage of his powers (flames). What amazed him more was that despite all the drawbacks of being human such as fatigue, hunger and lack of physical capabilities, the body had still been able to manoeuvre and dodge the monster's attacks. But then again, he knew a martial artist who could very well do the same thing and take out legions of people just with his bare hands.

The boy had even noticed his presence when he was no longer focused on the monster. Reborn had hid himself with what he thought to be a basic 'presence hiding' skill which required at least the eighth domain. So it was unpredicted that the boy would know that he was there. That fact alone had earned the boy Reborn's attention. If it weren't for that, Reborn would have most likely left the boy there.

The crying had died down but there was a sniffle here and there. Reborn looked at the boy and almost reached out to pat his back, as though to reassure him. He flinched as he started to reach out towards him and then quickly withdrew his arm. It was unlike him to act that way. Especially to a minor. He truly was foul minded like they said, huh.

"Hey Reborn…"

"Yes?"

"Am I going to be travelling around with you from now on?"

"I guess. Until I'm bored," he replied.

"Then it's my aim to not bore you then…" Reborn laughed, causing Tsuna to question him why he laughed.

"Let's just say, it's unlikely that you'll stop interesting me. The sky always had that knack."

"Really, huh…"

Reborn turned over, wracking his head. It was just so… not him to state what was actually on his mind. He vented internally and let his frustrations roam his thoughts. Leon, his partner, flickered his tongue at him as though to reassure him. Just as he calmed down, Tsuna spoke up again.

"Um Reborn, I feel like we're heading towards something really bad." The tent they were in had been aimlessly floating towards a direction since that was what Reborn had been doing when he had no specific place to go. Reborn closed his eyes and surveyed the surroundings and then noticed the forest that they were approaching. It was populated by elves. It didn't really matter to him but he was intrigued on how Tsuna would react.

Why the boy felt that the place they were heading was bad, he didn't know, but it seemed attractive to him at the very least.

…

Thanks for reading and I hope you've enjoyed. Tell me what you thought of it. ;)

Zaira Swift.