Yakuza Right Hand Tsuna

"He might be just my right hand man, but make no mistake, Sawada Tsunayoshi is more dangerous when harmed. You wouldn't want the Italian mafia to discover that you wanted to endanger one of their most iconic men, don't you?"

Looks, money and power: The essential assets of what makes a person dangerous and feared by all. Tsuna should know, after all, he's working for one of them. Sawada Tsunayoshi is the right hand of Asami Ryuuichi, and the only one who could butt heads with the man without getting killed. Despite the job description, his identity is not as it seemed.

"To you, I'm only Asami Ryuuichi's glorified right hand, but I have connections that can destroy your organization when I give the word. Don't test me."

Chapter 1 Acclimatize

"Ryuuichi-san, he's twenty-three." Tsuna pointed out as he looked at his boss-slash-friend who was perusing the files about a young photographer named Takaba Akihito. "Thirty-five years of accomplished women and men fawning over you, and you choose a young man twelve years your junior. I never thought I'd see the day when you are actually interested in someone whose occupation could be hazardous to our own." He said with a sigh.

Asami turned to Tsuna with a small smirk on his face. "That boy is interesting. It's like being provoked to chase him."

"Translation: you want to try and control a free-spirited young man." Tsuna said. "The only good that came out of this is the fact that we confirmed that we need to get rid of the manager at Sion upon allowing such a security breach. Takaba Akihito shouldn't have been that close in the first place." He muttered. "Upon initial background check, he seems to be connected with a detective, but it seems he's unaware of his…shadier dealings." Tsuna said, trying to change the subject. "About the operations at Sion, I'll look for a replacement manager as soon as possible."

Asami shook his head, "No." he declared.

Tsuna raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

Asami turned to look at Tsuna with a thoughtful glance, "Why don't you return and manage Sion again?"

"Ryuuichi-san, are you demoting me?" Tsuna wondered, but he knew that it wasn't the case.

"No. I'm just giving you more work on your plate." Asami said, "You seem to have some free time. Why not use it for Sion again? After all, you were the one who initially brought it to its fame."

It was at his compliment that Tsuna realized what his boss was planning to do. "Ryuuichi-san, I'm not going to give you the leeway for me to keep my eyes off you so that you could pursue Takaba Akihito without anyone stopping you from going too far."

At his reply, Asami smiled, albeit admitting defeat, "What gave it away?"

"The fact that you praised me regarding managing Sion, when at the time, I gave you a headache because I was having some issues with my family." He deduced.

"It was worth a shot." Asami said.

Sighing, Tsuna eyed him, "Ryuuichi-san, as a friend, I advise you to be careful. This kind of person, a photographer, no less, might end up exposing you and put you in danger."

"You're too strict sometimes, Tsunayoshi. Are you sure we went to high school and college together?" Asami teased.

"Are you sure you're right in the head?" Tsuna shot back. When Asami simply smirked at him, Tsuna raised his hands in defeat, "Fine, do what you want, but don't say I didn't warn you when you get into situations you do not want." Tsuna knew from Asami's smile, he was all for taking a chance. After all, if he wasn't a risk taker, he wouldn't have this much power, much less escape the clutches of the Vongola a few years ago by poaching their heir to become a 'glorified henchman' as his father had put it.

Tsuna figured, if he was going into the underground anyway, it was safer for him to be a follower, not the one being followed. "You're going to do it anyway, are you?"

"You know me so well." The other man returned.

Tsuna shuddered, "Don't remind me. I do not want to relive the day when I found that S&M equipment in your secret room." It was not a good experience, to say the least. "I need a vacation after this."

"Give me your desired itinerary and I'll give it some consideration."

"Watch it. I might take you up on that offer."

It was no surprise when days later, Tsuna had seen Kirishima and his team, who are the security details of Asami, had been dispatched to set-up and capture Takaba Akihito as he followed a false lead that brought him to the warehouse. He had to hand it to the people they were monitoring, they did a good job in framing Akihito, knowing that Asami would be there. It saved the time to even find an excuse to abduct him. Detective Yamazaki was doing them a favor while planning how to get rid of his accomplices in drug dealing without Asami's name being involved. If there was something that he and Asami detests despite being in the underground, it was drugs.

Tsuna had been in the office, doing some of Sion's management for a while, when he got the call from Kirishima that the last time he had seen the young man, he was left in one of his safe houses in Tokyo. Tsuna had a feeling that whatever Asami was planning, it was bound to be something he didn't want to know.

The morning after that, Tsuna was actually warned by Asami as he went to work, to not get in the safe house for two days.

Suffice to say, that warning worked for a while, until Tsuna's inside voice started nagging at him to go into the safe house to see what his friend and boss was hiding. As a result, Tsuna ended up going to the safe house a day early.

The moment Tsuna opened the condominium safe house located just a few miles from the harbor, he smelled a lot of cleaning chemicals all over the room. The intensity of the smell made Tsuna hold his breath for it. The realization of what might have happened in the place angered him to the point of slamming the door close in shock and in anger. "I can't believe he actually did it in the safe house!" he growled.

"Tsunayoshi-san, you seem to be early coming here…" Kirishima said as he crossed paths with Tsuna.

"Where's the inconsiderate idiot?!" he demanded.

At the tone of his voice, Kirishima knew that Tsuna was mad for the fact that their overall boss had done what he wanted without care again. "Ah…he's…he's at the harbor."

Tsuna raised a brow, "So you mean to tell me, that he fucked the photographer six ways to Sunday and held him captive for the past two days somewhere and now, he went on to the harbour to finish the job of getting rid of the problematic detective while saving the said photographer from getting killed?" he guessed.

The look of fear from Kirishima confirmed that his deductions were accurate. "Y-Yes…"

His anger dissipating, Tsuna did some small breathing exercises to keep his blood pressure down. "Of all the…!" Tsuna growled. "Does he have his detail with him?"

"Yes. Suoh is leading the team there right now. I was just on the way to this safe house to…air out the room." Kirishima replied, not wanting to rile up their second boss.

"It still reeks of it." Tsuna said with a tone of agreement, his anger sparing Kirishima.

Kirishima didn't need a psychic to tell that their boss was going to get an earful from an irate Sawada Tsunayoshi.

That evening, Kirishima and the rest of his team didn't even dare to rescue their boss from the irate second-in-command's words as they argued in the office.

That was one of the rare times that even the great Asami Ryuichi hadn't talked back or challenged him as he was lectured.

It was only in the wee hours of the morning, when Tsuna was half asleep in his apartment located just below Asami's, when Asami went down to see him at his living room (using his spare key might he add) so that he could take care of the backlogged paperwork he left behind that Tsuna brought home after saving the young man from Liu Fei Long.

Despite being in Asami's private life, Tsuna was yet to introduce himself to Akihito, fearing that showing himself might make things even worse. Another reason was that he was not really sure that the photographer would be a permanent setting in the private life of his friend, who tends to be stingy when it comes to letting people in. He wasn't sure if things were going to work for the two of them, but Tsuna had some little hope that it would. When he had heard from Kirishima that Asami and Akihito had been meeting more often than not (despite most of the time, it ends up with the young man acting like a tsundere), he knew that the boy was already ingraining himself in Asami's life.

That's why he left Asami's private life to his own devices for a while in order to get his much needed respite from the irritation.

"You're going back to Italy?" Asami asked in the middle of doing the paperwork at Tsuna's coffee table. He could have done it in his own apartment, but since Tsuna was going to check them anyway, they figured that it would be faster if he just does it at Tsuna's apartment instead.

Tsuna replied as he made coffee in the kitchen, "I'll be gone for two weeks to fix some things there, and then I'll head back here as soon as I can." He then took a glance at Asami, who was looking at him questioningly, as if expecting something. "What?"

Asami turned his head back to the last of the paperwork he has. "Nothing. I was expecting you to get started with your 'don't do anything stupid' spiel after your announcement of a leave of absence."

"It's supposed to be obvious that you shouldn't do stupid things in the first place!" Tsuna countered as he poured them coffee. "Two weeks is too long for me to take my eyes off you. I do hope you're not in mortal danger again, like when I left you on your own in Hong Kong seven years ago while I was fixing a family crisis, and ten years before that, you were also on the brink of death." He said with a crossed look on his face.

Again, Asami was reminded on how the other man was attached to every friend that he made, and he was glad that Tsuna had it in him to be considered as a friend of his. It certainly saved him from the gun barrel of Tsuna's dangerous hitman lover, and he knows that Tsuna would have his back if he is ever in any danger. In more ways than one, Asami was glad that he had Tsuna in his private and professional life, and trusts him with it and vice versa.

"The same thing will not happen again." Asami assured.

Tsuna, sensing his sincerity, decided to believe him.

Five days later, he received an international call from Kirishima again saying that Asami was injured for trying and failing to save Takaba Akihito from the clutches of Liu Fei Long. Tsuna was not happy. But still, as much as he wants to head back and hit Asami upside the head for getting hurt again, he had to stay put in Italy.

"I knew I shouldn't have left him for more than three days…" Tsuna said with a sigh as he sat on his office couch in a lavish office in Vongola Castle, located at the outskirts of Sicily.

"You seem to be too invested in Asami right now, Tsuna," Reborn, a man in a fedora mused as he looked at the frustrated look of his boss.

Tsuna shrugged, "I can't help it if the man needs looking after, now that he has been enamored by a photographer." He muttered. "So, how is Masa-kun doing with his own preparations?" he wondered.

"Surprisingly well. Your little brother is doing his best to meet your expectations." Reborn mused. "Unlike you who wanted to get out of it all for a year before you surrendered."

Snorting, Tsuna leaned on his chair, "Please. Unlike me, Masa-kun knows what is expected of him, and no baby in a fedora had appeared at his doorstep declaring that he is to be the next mafia boss without any warning." He stated. "Now, can we get back to arranging the Inheritance Ceremony? I need to head back to also deal with things in Japan when I'm done here."

"Tsuna…I know that you have said that you prefer to be working in Japan and at Asami's side…" the hitman started.

"Don't." Tsuna said. "In a few days, the Vongola will have their Vongola Undecimo. I would be free to live my life in Japan, still working for a man named Asami Ryuuichi. Seventeen years ago, I lost the right to call myself the Vongola Decimo despite the majority saying otherwise, and that will never change." He stated with a forlorn voice. "I made my bed, and I intend to lay on it. My time leading the Vongola ended when I was eighteen, and the years after that is just me filling up the space until Masa-kun is old enough. There will no longer be a Sawada Tsunayoshi leading the Vongola. Sawada Masayoshi will. Make no mistake."

And with a final statement from Tsuna, Reborn had let it end. There was no use in trying to change the mind of the Vongola Decimo once his mind has been made up.

Sensing that Tsuna was getting a bit worked up, Reborn stood behind Tsuna and embraced him from behind. The brunette stiffened for a second before relaxing into the arms of the hitman that he had fallen in love with for the past nineteen years. The flow of sun flames he was exuding from his touch was comforting, as if he was caressing him in apology. Tsuna liked and hated it at the same time, for the hitman knew every button he needed to push for Tsuna to become putty in his hands.

"I'm sorry." Reborn apologized, something that he only does to Tsuna. "I know that you're having a hard time processing all of this, and the others and I trying for years for you to reconsider abdicating was hurting you since you could no longer do what you could years ago."

Tsuna held Reborn's arm lovingly. "I'm sorry too. It's just…Masa-kun…I see a lot things in him that I could only wish I still have…" he admitted. "I know he would be a great boss once he inherits the family, but I can't help but feel like this is me saying goodbye to all of you."

In an instant, Reborn sat on the couch so that he could be face-to-face with the younger male. "Tsuna. You may be leaving your post as the Vongola Decimo, but you are still an important part of our lives." As he said that, Reborn cupped both of Tsuna's cheeks with his hands, "You are still important to me, Dino, your guardians, your parents, the friends that you made here, and most especially, to your little brother who owes so much to you." He assured him, "Besides, on the off-chance that you need help from any of us, we would always be happy to help. After all, you're the one who gave all of us happiness."

Smiling in return, Tsuna moved forward to embrace Reborn. "Thank you, Reborn,"

Reborn returned the embrace by bringing him closer to the point that he was almost sitting on his lap.

Before anyone of them could speak again, the door opened revealing a twenty year-old man with short spiky brown hair and blue eyes, who rolled his eyes at the sight. "Oh please, not the lovey-dovey thing in the afternoon, Nii-san, Reborn-san," he complained as he placed his hands on the sides of his hips. Despite his complaint though, there was a tinge of happiness and amusement upon seeing his brother and tutor be all affectionate.

Reborn frowned at Sawada Masayoshi at the interruption, "Once again, Masa-boke, you're bad at timing."

Tsuna simply chuckled, "That's my little brother."

The Inheritance Ceremony was a large affair. Of course, it was supposed to, as this was a rare occurrence for a mafia family to pass the title on in less than thirty years. While it is true that most mafia bosses don't get past the thirty-year mark of tenure before being killed, it was rarer that the previous boss wasn't dead or close to it by the inheritance ceremony.

It was also a spectacle as the Vongola Decimo, thirty-five year-old Sawada Tsunayoshi, will be passing on the family to his younger brother, twenty year-old Sawada Masayoshi.

Everyone knew that such a thing was inevitable, but still, it was a mark of history, what they were attempting to do.

"Tenth, the preparations at the hall is done." Gokudera informed Tsuna with a smile. They were currently in a room separate from the guests and Masayoshi and his guardians five minutes before the start of the ceremony.

Nodding, Tsuna looked at his guardians, "Well. This is it. The final step."

Yamamoto smiled. "The time for us to pass the baton."

"If you ask me, this is a bit too early, even for someone like me." Lambo commented.

"I have no qualms if it is a means to gain more freedom in movements." Hibari stated.

Mukuro chuckled at the statement, "My, my, don't tell me you won't miss being the Cloud Guardian? Because if you don't miss it, you're a liar."

"Takes one to know one, Pineapple." Hibari shot back.

"Hey! This is an extremely special day! We don't need any more things broken at our last day as guardians." Ryohei chided.

Chrome nodded in agreement, "Please, Mukuro-sama, Hibari-san, restrain yourselves at least for today."

They were about to retort when a laugh so gentle came from the direction of Tsuna. The said man looked at his guardians fondly, reminiscing all they have been through these past years. "I can't believe I'm saying this but…you guys never changed." He commented. "And I can't believe this is happening."

"Tsuna…" Yamamoto muttered. It took him a second to brush off his melancholic feeling and smiled, "Come on Tsuna, despite us leaving, we would always have each other's backs. Especially yours." He stated.

Gokudera nodded in agreement, "After all, with you working for that Asami Ryuuichi, we figured you will need all the help you could get in the coming years."

"And surprisingly, that carnivore is worthy being by your side, but if he even tries to harm you in any way, have no hesitation to call us." Hibari declared.

"Yeah! And besides, I'll still be here to supervise Masayoshi and the others, and I'll make sure that you'll be kept updated with all the happenings here alongside Gokudera." Lambo assured him.

"Boss, we may have had a short tenure in the mafia world, but our bonds will never be broken." Chrome added.

"My Chrome is right." Mukuro agreed.

Ryohei then pumped up his fist, "Great! We all agree that whenever Sawada needs help, we will extremely be there for him!"

At the declaration of his guardians and friends, Tsuna couldn't help but feel his chest loosen from all the stress that has built up for the past week, the assurances of his guardians telling him that everything will be alright for the Vongola even if they were no longer its main protectors eased him up.

And so, ten minutes later, as Tsuna stood at the end of the altar where he faces his little brother, Masayoshi with his guardians in a row behind him, Tsuna could definitely tell that the Vongola will be safe in their hands. "Sawada Masayoshi, you stand before me and all of our esteemed guests and allies of Vongola, to witness the passing of the title of the Boss of the Vongola Famiglia." He started his speech. "This is a grand ceremony that will define your future." He then motioned for the young man beside him, Fuuta to hand him what he has been holding since the start of the ceremony: the Vongola Gear of the Sky.

"The Vongola Gears, as the history of Vongola has told, are the tools that protected the wills and beliefs of the current Vongola Tenth Generation, which we are to pass on to the seven of you." He said as he eyed each of his guardians. "As my predecessor had once uttered to me, our time has been carved in these gears for us to bestow upon you the choice: to prosper or to ruin, the fate of the Vongola rests entirely in your hands. Do as you wish, as you are the inheritors of our wills." Tsuna declared. "I ask you this, Sawada Masayoshi, in front of all our family members and allies, do you accept your responsibility?"

It was a ceremonial question that is uttered by the past ten bosses, but it holds the speaker to its word. Tsuna knew that Masayoshi will uphold their wills. He could only smile when Masayoshi replied, "To prosper or to ruin, we accept the responsibility and the will of our predecessor to protect and uphold the values that makes the Vongola Famiglia one of the most powerful famiglias in the world upon the views of Giotto, our Vongola Primo. This, we swear." He said as he looked straight in Tsuna's eyes, showing his absolute resolve.

Tsuna could only smile at that. "Then, we bestow upon you, the Vongola Gears, which represents our will to bring Vongola, and the symbol of leadership and responsibility to Sawada Masayoshi and his company as the Vongola Undecimo and his Guardians." Gently, Tsuna handed Masayoshi his Vongola Gear, the Ring form of Natsu encased in an ornate glass box with the seal of the Vongola Famiglia.

As soon as Tsuna had bestowed the gear to Masayoshi, Gokudera and the others went ahead to their respective successors and handed them the Vongola Gears.

After handing it to them, Tsuna turned to their guests, "By the power vested in me by my ancestors, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Eleventh Generation of the Vongola Familgia!"

Everywhere in the hall, applause upon applause has been given to the old new leaders of the Vongola Famiglia. From that point on, everyone knew that this was the beginning of a new generation of mafia leaders.

Champagne flutes clinked at the balcony of the ballroom as the two brothers gazed at the night sky.

"Congratulations on not bumbling your words, Nii-san," Masayoshi teased.

"Hey. It took me three months to construct such a speech. You should be grateful." Tsuna shot back with a smile. The two brothers looked at each other in the eye, as if looking for some sort of message that would assure them on something. "So, from today onwards, you're now the Vongola Eleventh." He stated.

Masayoshi nodded. "Yes. It's a bit daunting, inheriting such a thing when you have written a lot of milestones in our family history from the moment you started training as a mafia boss until now." He confessed. "I've always wondered if I would ever be as good as you in being a boss, a friend, a son and a lover." He winked at Tsuna at his last word.

Smiling, Tsuna ruffled Masayoshi's hair, "Hey, I don't want you to match up to me, Masa-kun. I want you to be better than me and never make the same mistakes I did. I'd rather you make your own mistakes." He advised. "Besides, if you're looking for a lover, I'd advise you not to go with sadistic Spartan tutors who turned out to be a man cursed to become a baby for years before the said curse was removed and became an adult in a span of a year." He stated. "Believe me, such a man is hard to deal with."

"Don't let Reborn-san hear you say that." Masayoshi warned jokingly.

"Please. He already knows." Tsuna said with a roll of his eyes. "Here's to a prosperous life ahead of you, Masa-kun," Tsuna said as he raised his flute once more.

"And to you," Masayoshi replied and did the same before the two of them downed their champagne.

The two were about to make new conversations when they heard a familiar commotion inside the ballroom. No one needed to guess if the root cause of the ruckus were either the ex or the current guardians. Despite that, the two couldn't help but chuckle as they re-entered the ballroom to break up the fight, regardless of who started it.

When Tsuna returned to Japan via Fenice III (at Masayoshi's insistence), he found Asami sitting in his office, making preparations to head to Hong Kong. "I see despite being injured, you can still work." Tsuna commented as he entered his office two hours after arriving.

Asami looked back at Tsuna and said, "Shouldn't you be sleeping off the jet lag? By the way, congratulations on a successful inheritance ceremony."

"Thank you, and yes, I should have, but I needed to make sure that you're still able to move with that injury on your chest." Tsuna said as he pointed at Asami's chest, where he knew a lot of layers of bandages lay. "I can have a sun-flamed acquaintance check that over if you want.

The sour look on Asami's face was amusing. Even after years of friendship, and being involved with the Italian mafia, he was still distrustful of the usage of flames, especially when it means physical contact. "I'm fine." Asami said. "What I need to do now is to find out how to get back at Fei Long and to get Takaba back."

"Will wonders never cease." Tsuna said with a sigh. "You plan on going to Hong Kong to retrieve him, when?"

"Tomorrow." Asami replied without batting an eyelash. "Are you stopping me?"

Tsuna shook his head, "Not when you have that dead set look on your face." He replied. "Besides, I knew sooner or later, you will become attached to Takaba Akihito."

"Tsuna, this is not…" Asami started, but Tsuna beat him to it.

"This is not just a slight to your professional life. This is also a slight to your private life. I know, and I understand how you've come to actually care for Takaba Akihito. Deny it all you want, Asami Ryuuichi, but I know the truth just by looking at you." He declared with a knowing smile before turning to the door.

Asami raised a brow at his action, "Where are you going?"

"Home. As you said, I need to sleep off the jet lag. After all, someone needs to keep things here up running while you're in Hong Kong." Tsuna replied.

"If this is your plan to get a bonus, Tsunayoshi, it's working." Asami called out to him.

Before exiting, Tsuna turned back at Asami and the two shared a knowing smile, "Thank you very much!" he said and left.

As he did, at the lobby of Sion, he saw someone that he was not pleased to see at all.

"I need to see Asami-san. This is about Dracaena," a blond man insisted on the guards.

"Sorry about this, Sudou-san, but Asami-sama explicitly stated that he doesn't want to speak to anyone unless it is Tsunayoshi-san." Kirishima stated.

Sudou seemed to be angered by this. "Why?"

Tsuna decided to spare Kirishima the breath to explain why. "Because I am his right hand and will be managing things here in Japan while he's gone." He declared.

All men stood in attention as Tsuna, despite wearing casual clothing in the afternoon, went down to the lobby in a swift fashion—a skill he learned from Reborn.

"Sawada-san. I thought you were in Italy." Sudou said, trying to conceal his distaste.

To a normal person, his concealment might have worked, but to Tsuna, who has learned almost everything about body language, coupled by his hyper intuition, it was child's play. "I just arrived two hours ago. I have just spoken to Ryuuichi-san," Tsuna didn't also miss the slight gritting of teeth. It was Tsuna's intention to rile him up, as out of all Asami's employees and colleagues, it was only Tsuna who has the privilege of calling their boss by his first name. "And he said that he would be leaving the country for a while, leaving me in charge starting tomorrow."

"Leaving the country?" Sudou repeated.

"Is your hearing obstructed, Sudou? Yes. He's leaving the country. If you reason to want to speak to the boss is about Dracaena, you can tell me tomorrow." Tsuna said coldly, not liking the fact that he was prying into Asami's private matters as if he should be in the know—especially someone like him who seems to be working on something behind their backs. Brushing past Sudou, he left the lobby, but not before noticing the look of contempt made by Sudou. He smiled in satisfaction.

A rat does not deserve Tsuna's time, and by extension, Asami's time.

"He got away before you brought him here?" Tsuna complained, coffee in hand, now wide awake despite only having slept for a good four hours. Surprise night club inspections tend to mess with your internal clock. "And here I am, wanting to make myself known to him, and he goes off somewhere."

"I told him that I wanted to bring him somewhere before we landed. I told him someone wanted to meet him after we got back from our vacation." Asami stated, making himself comfortable at his couch. "I did expect him to bolt as soon as the plane hit pavement though."

"Which reminds me that was a vacation that you took on the pre-tense of recovering from your wounds." Tsuna grunted. "And I thought it would only take you a week to get back, it turns out it took you two and a half weeks, so I had to meet up with our clients in your stead…" he said with a groan.

"I thought you liked stepping in while I was gone," Asami said.

Tsuna raised a brow at him, "Make no mistake, I'm doing this for my substantial bonus."

"You'll get it, don't worry." Asami agreed. "After all, doing my job takes a lot on anyone, even you, so thanks."

"Uh huh, I'll welcome your thanks when I get my bonus." Tsuna muttered and downed the rest of his coffee. "By the way, you better update me on your interaction with your photographer. I don't want to discover that the next time you talk about him, you two are already living together." He joked. At least, it started at that, until Tsuna looked at Asami's thoughtful look.

"Not a bad idea." The other man agreed.

"Ryuuichi-san! That was a joke!" Tsuna chided. "You better not clear out his apartment and force him into freeloading in your place."

It seemed, his warning was going the wrong way, "Again, not a bad idea. He once refused me buying him an apartment, so I guess forced cohabitation is the key."

By now, Tsuna had all but given up. "Kudos to Kirishima-san and his team for complying with your every whim…" he commented. "So, I wager I have to plan on meeting your beau myself, since your plans in doing so always ends up with him escaping before you could even do so."

"Feel free to go see him at your earliest convenience." Asami insisted.

Tsuna was surprised that Asami was allowing him to do anything to get to know his widely rumored 'pet' as the others in their professional circle put it. He can thank Fei Long for that. "If I do meet him later, don't blame me if I tell him to keep away from you after this." He muttered as he leaned on the kitchen island as he sipped his coffee.

"If anything, I'd be surprised if he actually listens to you." Asami stated. "You seem to give me a lot of freedom on this."

It was true, as much as Tsuna hated to admit. The boy had no intention of ever mingling with Asami in the first place, unlike the other people who kept flocking his boss every single day. This was a private matter, an issue that is outside of the business. Asami was asking him to help him deal with Akihito as a part of his private life. It made him want to grin smugly at a certain manager who has had the hots for Asami but could never catch said man's attention.

"That boy. He's not involved in any of our dealings aside from being too free-willed to actually mindlessly go into things like this. You brought him into your private life, so the only concern I will ever give about this is not as your right hand, but as your friend who has stuck by you since high school." Tsuna replied. "Besides, I'll end up as a shoulder to cry on soon enough when you two have arguments. Better me than anyone else who would try to steal him away from you."

"True. Be sure that your hitman boyfriend will not kill him the moment he realizes that another person is beside you and being comforted."

Tsuna's face scrunched up at the thought, "Hearing you say that has a different meaning." He joked.

"Don't take me for a pervert." Asami said with an annoyed frown.

This time, it was Tsuna's turn to smirk, "I'll stop taking you for one if you get rid of your 'equipment' in your secret room."

"It's not like you didn't enjoy using it before. The hitman actually shone the morning after you two borrowed the stuff." Asami grinned at the sight of Tsuna turning beet red.

"RYUUICHI-SAN!" Tsuna screamed, followed by the sound of breaking porcelain mugs. Tsuna had to go shopping for new ones later that afternoon.

Meeting Takaba Akihito didn't take any planning at all, as Asami had told him once when Tsuna had questioned him about seeing the photographer too often for comfort prior to the Hong Kong debacle. Takaba Akihito would just spring up out of the blue, completely taking you off guard no matter what and where you are.

He was enjoying his day off shopping for groceries when he saw Akihito running from a group of burly men. Tsuna concluded that it was probably a group that the photographer was tailing, and the said group has caught him in the process, but one look from the men made him realize something. They were security from Sion.

He sighed. He pitied these lugs who got saddled with the legwork, and he didn't blame them if they didn't know the photographer was connected to their absolute boss.

As Akihito ran, Tsuna found himself intercepting him and grabbing him by the arm. "Whoa there." He said, is iron grip loosening to ensure the blond that he meant no harm. "Careful, you might run into someone dangerous one of these days." He joked.

Akihito, who was now in panic that he can't get away from him in fear of offending him or hurting him, looked at him pleadingly. "Can you let go of me? I'm in a bit of a chase…" he excused.

Tsuna turned to the approaching Sion security. "Oh, you mean them? Well then, let's fix that, shall we?" Tsuna asked as he put himself between Akihito and his pursuers, still not letting go of the other man's arm.

"Oi! What are you doing?!" Akihito asked in a panic.

Not minding on giving a reply, Tsuna locked his gaze at the suit-clad men and held up his hand in a sign to stop. "What is going on here?"

The men, upon registering in their heads that he was the right hand of their boss, instantly stopped and stiffened. "S-S-Sawada-sama!"

"Sion security, correct?" Tsuna asked, taking note of the flabbergasted look Akihito made at the corner of his eye.

"Yes." One of them replied. "This man has been found lurking around Sion property taking photos of some of our clients before they entered the premises. We were instructed to confiscate his camera and delete them." He stated.

Tsuna turned and eyed the photographer. He must be on to something. A specific something. He inwardly smiled at the situation. "No worries. I got him. Go back to the club and tell the manager that he's been taken care of." He instructed them.

"B-But…" one of them tried to protest.

Not wanting his orders disobeyed, he gave them a sharp glare. "Anything else he asks, you tell him nothing. Remember who writes your paychecks. I will know." He warned them in a nice way that it sent shivers down their spines.

"A-As you wish, Sawada-sama." They replied and excused themselves.

When they were gone, Tsuna looked back at Akihito, releasing his hold on him. "You need to be more careful. We hire security that has good noses attached to them. Don't get caught too much. It's troublesome especially to Ryuuichi-san if you get caught in the crossfire."

The dumbfounded look Akihito gave him was golden. "W-W-W-Wha…?!"

Tsuna chuckled as he motioned his head at a nearby café. "Why don't we talk while you accompany me back to my place? It's just below his, so we'd go the same way anyways." He said as he handed him one of the heavy bags. "As thanks for me saving you from those guys, help me with my groceries."

The photographer didn't have the chance to protest, or have the heart to even. He was simply drawn by Tsuna as they walked towards his flat in silence.

When they got to their building, Tsuna led him to the level just below Asami's penthouse, where he lived directly below him with the same size and layout.

"Whoa…" Akihito muttered as he looked at the homier atmosphere in Tsuna's place. The furniture were mostly high-class Italian furniture, as if someone brought an Italian suite right into the place.

Tsuna chuckled, "A far cry from Ryuuichi-san's minimalistic and modern interior, right?" Tsuna mused as he led them to his kitchen—which was admittedly larger than what Asami had right above them. Akihito was over the moon at the extra kitchen room.

Finding his words again, he spoke as he laid down the groceries, "Um…thank you for saving me from those guys…"

"No problem. Those guys can't really say no to me, unless they want to lose their jobs. I write their paychecks on behalf of Ryuuichi-san after all." He said in amusement.

"Who…sorry, but who are you? And how do you know me? Wait, a better question, how do you know Asami?" Tsuna felt him tense at the last question, as if every time he asks that to a person, it was usually him not getting a good answer.

Tsuna chuckled as he straightened up, "Where are my manners? Sorry. I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, and I'm Ryuuichi-san's common sense." He introduced.

"You work for Asami?!" Akihito exclaimed as he took a step back, which Tsuna didn't blame him for. It was rare for his friend to have reasonable employees, barring Kirishima and a select few in his security.

"Sadly, yes. But we were friends first, so you can rest assured that I'm not being paid to keep an eye on you." Tsuna shared. "Relax, I'm not going to nag you about sniffing into his businesses. Your work is a photographer, and I don't blame you if you tend to stumble on his deals. A lot of messy and tabloid-worthy things happen there after all."

Akihito huffed in annoyance. "I know. Ninety percent of my assignments always tends to involve him it's annoying."

"And yet, you stayed." Tsuna chuckled. "But come on, enough about Ryuuichi-san, I want to know more about you and your assignments! Being a photographer must be fun!"

And on that day, the two had shared a lot of interests, including, trashing Asami with food and drinks at their side.

"Well, you picked them right. Akihito-kun is very charming." Tsuna said out of the blue when he entered Asami's office the next day.

Asami didn't look up from his work, "So you've met. I suppose that's why he came back home late yesterday and told me he had a meeting with my 'common sense' as he put it?" he questioned.

Tsuna chuckled, "We had a blast roasting you. Don't worry. I didn't include your flaws that he didn't know."

"And that is not much." Asami muttered back.

The other man was a bit surprised at his reply. 'He really is very much attached to the kid…' he thought. For Akihito to know almost everything about his flaws as a man, it really spoke volumes on how he had grown to care for the young photographer. It was almost like he was…

Tsuna shook his head at the notion, not wanting to think ahead. "So, what happened with Sudou?" he asked seriously.

Taking cue about the ending of their banter, Asami replied. "Not good. Sudou screwed up and started dealing with dangerous people behind our backs, and they are a group who would do anything to complete the trade…" Tsuna noticed the tightening of Asami's grip on his paperwork. It was not good. Asami was mad.

"What are you planning to do about it?" Tsuna dared ask.

"I'll have him removed from controlling what he had damaged, that's what." He declared. "For now, we need more information on the screw-up and how that politician that Akihito caught wandering around with women is involved in this."

Tsuna nodded. "Say no more. I have the necessary contacts for that." He declared. "I'll just need a few days to do it. Give me a few days. I'll take the next flight out of Japan." he declared.

"Don't think this will not come out of your paycheck." Asami replied.

"Of course not. This will come out of the business trip expenses." Tsuna replied nonchalantly.

A small frown marred Asami's face, but a sense of softness was in them. "Remind me again why I have to rely on you?"

The other man simply chuckled as he made his way out of the office. "Because I'm your best weapon~!"

He said as the door to his office closed, and from the looks of things, Tsuna was using his phone to book the next flight to who knows where he will get the information he needed.

Sometimes, having an ex-Mafia Don as his friend and closest confidante had its perks.

TBC

Hey guys! You might have noticed a certain Many Verses of Tsuna disappeared, and I admit I did erase it due to reasons.

So now I have it replaced with Tsuna as Asami's right hand man!

This is set in the Finder Series verse, and I really loved the connection the mafia and the yakuza creates, and I just thought, if Tsuna can't lead, then he can assist someone who leads.

Don't worry, I'll hash out the plot holes and how they met soon enough.

See you next chapter~!

-Cathy Rin