Tough Decision

Iemitsu stared at the two innocent sleeping babies near an unconscious young woman, not knowing what to think of the current situation. This wasn't what he had expected for his wife's first labor. An unexpected twin, meaning two Skies of equal claim.

The issue about Xanxus' true heritage was bad enough. Having two other candidates to be the Vongola Decimo was worse. It didn't matter if his sons were the last in line. The blond Mafioso knew Xanxus since the Ninth had adopter the child.

The black-haired pre-teen had this urge for power that would destroy the whole famiglia and the CEDEF leader desired nothing to do with that kind of people. He feared the consequence if ever the boy would try to claim something that wasn't his.

Xanxus would do anything−would kill−to become the Vongola Decimo and his sons would be forced to join the mafia to prevent it. The twins might have to fight one another after that. Either way, the newly born babies had their lives in stake.

Iemitsu, at least, wanted to make it better in a way.

"Doctor, does my wife knew about the second child?" the determined man asked seriously, not one to act goofy at times like this. He smiled bitterly at the slumbering twins, regret and grief reflected in his eyes. He had no say for being a Mafioso but he clearly regretted how it affected his civilian family.

Hardened and jaded eyes closed for mere seconds at the answer. No one knew about the existence of another child. Nono had known about Nana's labor but they had only been told of one child. The decision was all his.

"May I ask for orphanage files?"

Facts were that reality could be bitch and that not all decisions were better.

Unexpected Outcome

"You know, you're not what I'd expect from someone who was born in an orphanage," the dark-haired boy commented airily, content to observing his roommate's reaction. "For one thing, you look like you can't hit a fly yet you're beating people twice your height."

Mukuro was fairly new, having lost his family from a sudden car accident but he decided to be smart about it and watched how things worked in the orphanage. One thing that caught his attention was the strange brown-haired that everyone seemed to be avoiding.

It was weird. Tsuna−the name of the boy−appeared to be like the average kid playing outside, though a bit smaller. He didn't seem like he's one of the disobedient and violet type but most people showed fear when he came out of his−theirs, now−room.

A few days after his first day, Mukuro found out the reason. Or rather Tsuna showed him the reason.

The curious child followed the younger one subtly. He thought that since he was silent and all, it would be easy. He was caught off guard when no sooner than he started trailing the other, some children tried to attack him.

The skinny brunet abolished them. Then, he suddenly glanced at his side−at where Mukuro was standing−and grinned a little.

Mukuro realized that the other had known from the start that he was following and that Tsuna decided to answer the unspoken question. He really should have been afraid. This person could beat him if angered or bored without effort at that.

Danger was what would describe the caramel-eyed boy. His mind wanted to do with the guy.

…but his heart insisted of following the other.

"You're a puzzle," he continued amusedly, not bothered by the lack of comment from the other. For the past months of staying the guy, that really was an understatement of the year. The latter was simply a contradicting enigma. "I don't how to properly label you. One minute, you're the silent and watching type and then, the next minute, you're violent and fighting type."

"You don't even pretend like a good boy to be adopted and leave this place when you clearly hated being here."

"What about you?" Tsuna countered, lacking any life in them and stared at a distance. "You don't pretend either."

The dark-haired boy almost snapped, "That's different and you know it."

In another world, things might not be the same but they lived in the world where the two of them bonded, reluctantly. It didn't matter if Mukuro was a liar that pretended nor if Tsuna was a loner that fought. The fact was they both knew each other's story well.

The brunet might not talk and Mukuro might always say lies but for the past years of sharing a room, they noticed the slight slip ups of one another.

Tsuna found out of the older boy's interest in illusions while Mukuro saw the former's hacking skills first hand. Tsuna's parents abandoned him to the orphanage and he's apathetic about the fact even if he found out that he had a twin brother. Mukuro hated his family for being so forceful about his life but he had missed them when they died. Tsuna was bullied in the past and no one stood up for him so he trained himself to be stronger. Mukuro had a weak body before but he worked hard to become stronger.

They never really talked about it much. It was just sometimes, they would have days where they babbled about random stuffs, not caring if someone was with them. They never did comment if one was talking. They simply listened.

No one really said anything about needing to interact so they could understand one another.

The younger boy shook his head. "No, it's not that different," he replied with the ever emotionless tone, breaking the other's thoughts. "You're just overthinking this. Even if we get a family, it's not really real since it's an act. No one will happy in it."

Mukuro nearly smiled at those words. Seriously, Tsuna was unusually kind despite being violence. He almost wished that the other would be cruel because it's making the situation much harder.

"That's why I'm staying here, Mukuro."

The two of them were chosen to be adopted by the Estraneo Famiglia or whatever family that was. It sounded foreign to the two Japanese. Tsuna mentioned about it being a mafia family in Italy. Mukuro decided to try it out, already sick of their current orphanage while Tsuna just shrugged the offer.

"Even if I beg you to join me?"

So Mukuro was in the process of trying to change the mind of his I-don't-know-what-the-heck-is-are-relationship-I-just-want-him-with-me-slash-it's-complicated 'friend'. He didn't want the only person he got along with to leave him. That and he just wanted the other to be with him.

The smaller boy gave me a look that practically showed his disbelief at him begging.

"I'm not going to go back, you know," the orphanage was beginning to be hat unbearable, especially with how Tsuna looked thinner than normal. "You're not looking good as well."

"I can take care of myself," Tsuna stared with impassive glance at their room. "And even if I can't, I still want to stay here."

'Because this was the place my father left me,' was left unsaid.

Apathetic, the boy might be. This was still somehow important to him and his intuition told him to stay so he would.

Dark blue orbs stared at the bearer of such a determined caramel orbs and dimmed ever so slightly. Mukuro had seen the resolve. He knew a lost cause when he saw one. It didn't help make him feel better. Tsuna was the first person he had opened up to. He didn't want to leave the other behind.

"Fine."

He was defeated. Not that he had thought he could change the other's mind in the first place. A mist covered the sky to protect him, not to oppose.

The future Mist smirked faintly, "You better live for me to say 'I told you so,' Tsuna."

"I should be saying that to you," the hidden Sky smiled brightly.

That was probably the first time Mukuro saw Tsuna smile like that and he promised himself that it was a smile he never would allow to disappear. He would return, stronger, for this Sky that was his.

Fleeting Dreams

He used to be an ordinary boy, who was unfortunate to be left in an orphanage. He lived in the orphanage all his life but it was bearable. He was polite and well-liked by the adults and he once was friends with everyone in his new home. He was like the beaming sunflower in a dark forest.

However, jealousy was an ugly beast. His friends began to envy his likable character and took their frustrations of not being picked by a family on Tsuna. They picked on him, called him names, insulted his name and even hurt him both physically and emotionally. No one realized it until it was too late to stop. Adults were useless. The place that he had once called his home was now his nightmare and prison.

The smiling boy then turned into the sometimes violent and sometimes quiet boy that Mukuro had managed to be friendly with.

Tsuna also used to dream about a mysterious man who claimed to be his father and a beautiful woman who held him with love and care. These dreams made him happy. He forgot all his worries and pain of the bullies in the orphanage. They made him feel like he wasn't one of the unwanted orphans.

But dreams never stopped the agony of reality and he was so tired of everything. He stopped believing of those sweet dreams and began to adapt to his harsh life.

Fighting bullies never pleased him. In fact, he hated fighting but he needed to survive. He didn't want die like a pathetic waste. He outgrew his reluctance and fighting became second nature.

His hunger for knowledge also granted him the skills of hacking and stealing. His caretaker's laptop was stolen by him without anyone realizing it and he even stole money and other stuffs. As for hacking, he used his caretaker's laptop but there was a lock so desperate times called for desperate measures. He practically cracked the lock by luck-mostly intuition-and he decided to study hacking, finding it very easy.

He used to dream but now, he didn't. As dreams became merely memories of his past self, Tsuna became the boy Mukuro met.

Hidden Guilt

Nana was not as oblivious as people thought of her. In fact, she had been especially gifted with hyper intuition that could almost see through all lies and might even predict the future. She was not stupid as well, having finished her college as a top graduate. She simply waited for Iemitsu to tell her what's bothering him.

Ignorance was bliss as well.

She had long realized that the man she had married was not an average one. Despite the goofy character, there was always something dangerous lucking in her husband's glance but she loved the man too much to say anything.

She feared it would end the peaceful and loving façade that they were used to so she muttered nothing but now, looking at their lonely son, she wondered if she made the right choice to stay quiet.

Sawada Ieyetsu had always shown a distant look as if longing for something. He acted like he had someone to take care of. There were times when he stared at siblings, especially twins, with jealousy. He grew faster than most children as well, already capable of understanding common problem. He was such a polite and mature boy that no child wanted to be friends with him.

There was also the feeling of something missing in their house.

If her intuition was right, then they were really losing something and that Iemitsu might be the cause of it. Nana loved the man endlessly but she could still see the latter's flaws. The guilt in his eyes also gave her all the evidence she needed.

A twin, it was a possibility that she could imagine with how Ieyetsu was acting.

Really, if Iemitu thought he could get away with that kind of information, then he had another thing coming. It didn't matter if he stayed home more and took care of their child attentively like a good father. If there was really a twin, the man would need a beating.

Everyone knew that separating twins was the worst idea.

"Baka-Iemitsu," she muttered with a frown, hoping that she was very wrong and that she was merely overthinking their situation. "I always told him to stop doing stupid stuffs. It's like high school all over again."

Birthday Not-birthday

Iemitsu never missed Ieyetsu's birthday. He would miss any other occasion but he would never miss hat birthday. He actually arrived early, a day before the occasion. It's a wonder why the man already had the gifts he bought with him. He also gave them immediately, not waiting for the next day.

The quiet boy never said anything about it but he had a feeling that it was not his birthday the man was celebrating. There was always guilt in his father's eyes for it to be considered his. He never really dwelled on it, just content to spending time with the man before he leave.

His mother was always happy when the blond visited so it was a win-win thing.

Jin and Rein told him to stop being paranoid and enjoy time with his family. Those two had been his friends for a year now and they were in synch with each other that they talked about anything. They always gave him the advice he needed.

Ieyetsu smiled brightly. He really had a good life.

"The sun is setting," he muttered after a while, looking at his surroundings. "I should get back home before Okaa-san calls Jin and Rein to pick me up. I wonder what kind of party we'll be having."

"How pathetic," an unfamiliar voice echoed in the park he was in, making him fully aware of how the park had turned dark and no one was in sight. "I was hoping you would be more interesting considering your relationship with that guy but I guess I was wrong. You're ordinary."

The yellow-haired boy became alert and shouted, "Who's there?!"

There was a snort. "No one you needed to know," the mysterious being said smugly with a hint of anger. "There's no way I'll introduce myself to someone who doesn't remember his twin."

"Twin?"

No one answered back and almost like a ghost, the unknown person disappeared. Ieyetsu found himself staring at the setting sun then at the many people around. He had no idea what just happened.

A shout of his name nearly freaked him out, "There you are, Ieyetsu!"

Seeing his two friends, he relaxed. "I think I just saw a ghost," he said seriously.

Jin, the red-haired boy, raised an eyebrow and wondered if he was sick while Rein, the black-haired boy, just laughed, "It might be your birthday tomorrow, Ieyetsu but you can't joke like that. It's hilarious, coming from you!"

After being embarrassed and not taken seriously, the three children went to the Sawada Residence to prepare for Ieyetsu's birthday but in the end, the blue-eyed boy couldn't forget the mysterious encounter, especially the twin part.

Meanwhile, in an orphanage across the area, a blue-haired boy was being scolded by a smaller boy. "What were you thinking?" Tsuna almost hissed out. "You almost got caught! If you're sneaking out, do it at night, not daylight!"

Mukuro just smirked, "Yeah, but it's your fault for not telling me your birthday in advance. I mean, I had to see your files to know our birthday when you already knew mine."

"Huh?"

Caramel eyes blinked in confusion as they focused on the older boy who took out a small box in his pocket. "Finding a present is hard, you know?" he said softly, his smirk turning to the tiniest smile. "Let me, at least, do this since I'll be leaving."

"Happy birthday, Tsuna."

For his part, the brunet felt extremely touched. He had never celebrated his birthday since he became bullied but this guy, who he only knew for two years-more or less, wanted to rejoice at his birthday. A part of him doubted everything while the other just wanted to thank the other.

Of course, he chose something entirely different.

"Of course, you should do this! I did give you gifts in your birthday!" he practically pointed at the other before his face flushed red when he realized what he had said. The devilish smirk on Mukuro's face made him blush harder. "You didn't hear anything, okay?! I-didn't-say-anything-so-just-stop-smirking-you-idiot!"

"Heh, so those gifts were really from you. How cute~!"

"I TOLD YOU I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!"

Sudden Encounter

Tsuna noticed how listless life was without Mukuro. He didn't want to admit it but he missed the older boy. Sometimes, he would just glance far away, lost in thought before he shook his head, realizing that he was being an idiot. He didn't need anyone nor did he miss anyone.

Friends were just troublesome and backstabber. Wanting friends would just lead him to pain just like in the past. He didn't want that to happen the second time.

He had only interacted with the blue-haired boy because there was something interesting about him. That was all there was to it. Those gifts he had given were nothing. Absolutely nothing, no matter how much they cost or how long it took to find them.

"You!" the loud call snapped him from his thoughts and his caramel eyes stared at the tall teens pointing at him with lack of interest. "You're that brat, who gave away our secret hideout to the police!"

The seven-year-old brunet raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, so what?" he asked, not really in the mood for pointless bullies. He had decided to stood up for himself but fighting was never a fun thing to do...unless he was sparing with the future illusionist. Mukuro knew his stuffs well and made the spar fun.

The leader growled angrily, "I lost half of my gang, you little shit! I'll make you pay for that!"

Tsuna sighed heavily before his glance turned menacing, taking an offensive form. Five against one was hardly fair but he could take them on. He had trained to be stronger to protect himself.

He won the fight but he was heavily injured. The pale child frowned in pain. So maybe fighting five teenagers was a bad thing. He would note that in a memo. He sighed, "This is so not my day."

A snort came from behind, causing him to freeze. "Not bad, trash," a black-haired young man commented, slightly impressed. "For a skinny trash, you have Varia material. Guess staying in Japan did have benefits."

"Who are you?" the younger boy ignored the complement if it was one and glared at the stranger with narrowed orange eyes.

The man smirked, "You don't need to know that yet. The only thing you need to know is that you're going to be my Cloud Guardian."

Note: Iemitsu does know it was a wishful thinking that an orphanage is a good thing but it's either that or Xanxus kills Tsuna and Ieyetsu. I don't think that I'm bashing anyone in this fic that much. I'm more in the exploration of character development that didn't happen in canon. Meaning a somehow bad-good-technically-bad father Iemitsu, a violent and quiet like a Cloud but still canon Tsuna, a very perceptive but patient Nana, a humane and expressive Mukuro, etc.

In canon, Mukuro was born in Estraneo Famiglia but here, he was adopted by them. Tsuna and Mukuro have a complicated relationship but they're really close to each other. I may or may not write their life together in the orphanage. You guys choose if you're interested or not.

Tsuna is violent but he doesn't look for one. And as to why Mukuro thought he was kind, Tsuna doesn't like hurting people and he knew that words and pretends hurt more than physical injuries so he thinks it was better if he fought rather than say anything.

Nana and Iemitsu will be having a story at how they met. It's a special thing and I just really wanted to write an idiotic transfer student Iemitsu and a highly respected class president Nana! It's a classic thing and I want to have fun with it!

Ieyetsu is no bastard or anything like that. This also won't be the usual violent twin thing. In fact, Ieyetsu's actually Giotto or in other worlds, Vongola Primo. His friends are the First Generation with different names or stuffs. Technically, they're OC but their attitudes are based on the First Generation. Anyway, Ieyetsu will know the Tenth Generation like how Tsuna did but with differences. As to who will fight in the Varia Arc, I'll making you guys guess.

Tsundere-Tsuna…it's a thing or I'm making it a thing. Just imagining this kind of Tsuna in the Varia makes me laugh and shriek! I'm gonna be honest…the whole plot came from the idea of a tsundere-Tsuna with the violent but protective Varia, especially Xanxus!

Tsuna didn't know that the Estraneo are a bad famiglia that experiments on people so he didn't stop Mukuro. He may be a hacker but he's rather relaxed and only hacked files that include him and interest him. So no, he didn't know about the whole experimenting thing.

Oh yeah, Xanxus is ten-years older than Tsuna and Ieyetsu. Mukuro and Tsuna were six (turning seven) and five years old when they met in the orphanage. Ieyetsu met Mukuro when he turned six. Tsuna is older than Ieyetsu, having the same birthday as Reborn actually. Tsuna met the Varia at age seven.