The room was so quiet. The type of quiet where you held your breath, because you didn't want to be the one to break the silence.

You didn't want to be the one, to draw the attention of the dangerous predator that was in the room with you. Because if you did, and if you ran, there would be nothing left to find afterwards.

But Tsuna was kind. He was kind and dangerous in an of himself when his family was threatened, and right now, Tsuna's family was very much threatened. So he couldn't back down. He couldn't show weakness to the very man who had both seen and brought him to his lowest points. Not this time.

For once in his life, he had to be cruel.

Cruel to be kind

But god, he couldn't even picture what Reborn might look like right now, he couldn't think over all of the thick silence, so heavy it pooled around them like smog. He knows nothing good will come of this, can feel it all the way down to his bones, that the only thing left would be heartbreak. But he needed to do this, for his Family he would do this.

Cruel to be kind. Remember.

"What."

Oh, that tone was all Reborn at his most arrogant. It was the one he used on the neutral alliances, the Dons that everyone knew hated where Tsuna was taking the Vongola, but couldn't say anything, because he had The Strongest Arcobaleno on a leash.

And didn't that thought just burn. People talking about Reborn like he wasn't even a person. Just this Terrifying Thing, that Tsuna had somehow captured, a wild animal that he had leashed and muzzled and bound to himself.

(and when the tiny voice in his head whispered to him, almost constantly that yes, he was supposed to be mine. My Sun, My Guardian, and I was his but he wasn't mine and that was so wrong because what was a Sky without a Sun? What was a Sun without his Sky? He ignored it.)

"I said get out." His voice didn't shake like he half expected it to. It came out strong and sure, with a slice of bitterness that would have cut any of his 'Guardians' to ribbons if they'd heard it. But at least it hide the desolation he felt at this entire situation.

There was a moment of silence, then the sound of leather shoes moving across the carpeted floor, he heard a click, why not use Leon? and he felt cold metal come to rest on the back of his head.

"Try again, Dame-Student." Oh, and there was the Wrath. He had wondered when it would turn up, because nobody commanded anything of Reborn despite what the Mafia tried to convince themselves of.

Tsuna turned around with no resistance, the gun he could now see, resting against his forehead. A shot from this point would kill him, dying will bullet or not.

Reborn was so much taller than Tsuna. It always surprised him how much bigger he was now, compared to what his baby form used to be. How he physically towered over Tsuna instead of just mentally. Every inch the imposing Hitman he had always claimed to be. Tall, dark and so very handsome, the perfect stereotype of an Italian Mafia man.

Tsuna's breath caught as his warm, sunset eyes met Reborn's cold, void black ones. Black eyes that now held a ring of hawk yellow around the edges, showing just how very close Reborn was to Raging out of control.

Raging was something very few people knew about or could do. Most thought only Clouds could rage, when their territories were under attack, and while for the most part that was true, if you were strong enough, and angry enough you had the Potential to Rage. It wasn't common but seeing how Reborn was the Strongest Sun in the world, it was practically a given that he had the ability.

Tsuna wanted so badly to grit his teeth and close his eyes, just to get those biting ones away from him but couldn't. Reborn was already reading all of his thoughts and desires from his face and no matter how strong his flames got, it never changed how horrible he was at hiding anything from this man.

Don't forget. Cruel to be kind. Cruel to be kind.

"Leave. Go away. How many ways do you want me to say it? What about in Italian? Uscire dalla mia vita per sempre. Did that help at all?"

There was a hand at the nape of his neck now. It was squeezing so tight it hurt and he was going to have one hell of a black bruise, but he couldn't look away from Reborn's eyes. They seared into his own, as if his flames were burning him, scaring him, just through eye contact alone.

The gun was moved to the side as Reborn pushed his forehead against Tsuna's, the sneer on his face was hideous, it made Tsuna want to cower away. Just stop all of this.

Cruel to be kind!

Reborn's voice was harsh when he spoke. "You listen to me, il mio bambino cielo. If you think for even half a second, that I wouldn't burn the world to ash before I was forced from you, you don't know what kind of monster I am." Suddenly he was backed up against a wall, the hand on his nape moved, so fast, to his neck and squeezed mercilessly. He tried to get his own around the larger one but they were snatched away before he could do more then scratch at it.

Remember! Cruel to be Kind!

Through all of this Reborn kept talking. His burning, scorching eyes never leaving his own. "Did you think I was a child, Tsuna? Did you think I would curse at you, yell at you like all your little Guardians do then leave? That I wouldn't put a bullet in your head before I left because of what? Fondness? I am not kind, bambino cielo."

Oh god he was going to die. He was going to die being choked to death by his Sun. Not mine. He's mine!

"I am The World's Greatest Hitman, my hands are dyed in so much blood that you would be sick if you could see the way they stain everything I touch."

The hand squeezed pointedly around his throat, a mouth, his mouth stretched wide in a mockery of his normal, proud grin. His eyes were so very cold.

"And. I. Don't. Care."

No. No, stop this. I don't want to know, why are you telling me this. My Sun, my Sun,Your flames,

Reborn, I've never felt them, why are they here now, why do you want me now? When I don't have the

time, there's no time. Do you know somehow? Do you know what's happening to me?

Tsuna couldn't think, there was a hand around his neck, a forehead on his own, he couldn't look away and Reborn's flames were all over his own, pushing him and pulling him and dancing and WHY AREN'T YOU MINE.

Cruel to be Kind, Tsuna.

"I am selfish. I am possessive. I am a sadist and you are Mine, idiot-student, idiota bambino cielo. You have been Mine since you broke my Curse. You have been Mine since you refused to let me die in a gutter like a dog. You are Mine to protect, you are Mine to teach, and you are Mine to keep."

Reborns face was a truly terrifying thing to see. There was a dark love there in the curve of his mouth, devotion in the brand he was leaving on his skin. He hadn't ever seen this before. He'd never noticed how unstable Reborn was without a Guardian Bond to the Sky he saw as his.

Most of the time he forgot how very old Reborn was. How long he's gone without a Sky to give him a home, harmony. And when he'd thought he'd finally found it, it had been stolen from him by Betrayal and the knowledge that he wouldn't even be able to Bond, in such a fucked up body. Everyone had heard about what had happened to Luce after the Fated Day. Even though they'd all tried to hide it once he became Decimo, Tsuna had always known Reborn was not a man to be crossed. So he had no doubt Reborn was being completely truthful when he said he'd burn the world to ash before they were forced apart.

Even by choice.

And Reborn just wouldn't. Stop. Talking.

"I would have happily killed your Sun, your friend, if I knew you wouldn't run from me because of it. I would have killed him in the most painful way possible for daring to have his Sun, in my Sky." Tsuna gasped for air as Reborn stepped away, still as immaculate as ever. Face no longer twisted into someone he didn't know. Not a hair out of place and Leon just slightly poking his head out from underneath that signature fedora. He could still feel those eyes on him.

"Don't bring this up again, Dame-Tsuna. I won't be so kind next time." That smirk, oh god he'd seen that smirk across the table when they had just met, before everything. When Reborn was still just a baby that was contracted to raise him into a mafia boss. "You might find yourself out of an official Sun Guardian."

Reborn headed to the door after that. Leaving Tsuna on the floor of his own study, one hand holding him up, the other on the already purpling bruise around his neck, gasping in air. Reborn didn't turn around but he did pause before opening the door, and if there was a dark type of humor in his voice, Tsuna refused to acknowledge it.

"If you listen to anything I've said tonight, listen to this. I might be leashed to you like a dog, Stupid-Student of Mine." Tsuna flinched at that and glared at the back of his suit jacket. 'Was he reading his mind again!?'

"But I've never been the one wearing the collar. Don't overthink your place, il mio bambino cielo."

And he was gone.

Later that night Tsuna sat in his bathroom, staring into the mirror blankly. His eyes were absently focused on the bruise around his neck. He had been right when he thought it was going to turn black.

He had no idea where he'd gone wrong in their conversation. This was supposed to be a simple plan. With how often Reborn was off doing his own thing, he'd thought it would be easy to just convince him to not come back. To go back to freelancing. There was literally nothing holding him here! But Reborn was unpredictable at the best of times and this just showed that Tsuna couldn't read him as well as he thought he could. He didn't know what to do now.

Sullenly sitting on the cold floor, he brought out the stupid item that had started this all. There, sitting in his cupped hands was the Sky Pacifier. The object that cursed it's bearers with a short life. He was now the Sky Arcobaleno and had been for over 2 years.

Tsuna brought the cursed thing to his forehead and closed his eyes.

'Cruel to be Kind? What a load of bull.'

What was he going to do now?