When asked to reflect on his actions that day, Iemitsu would simply smile like an idiot and claim that everything had gone just as planned.
Of course, he, like everyone else, knew that it couldn't be further from the truth.
Sawada Tsunayoshi was the sole person to blame for the events that transpired on that day.
(Un)fortunately.
…
Contrary to popular belief, Iemitsu actually had a plan. He even made it with Lal.
The plan was to search up a perfect replacement as the head of CEDEF, do thorough research on the potential external adviser and present his case to Vongola Nono. Iemitsu was going to do this professionally. By the book. Just like how the founder of CEDEF dictated.
The first hitch in the plan came in the form of Tsuna's needs.
Having accepted the reality that he was a dad and that he will become the best dad in the world, Iemitsu refused to leave him alone when Nana was busy or asleep. The man played with the baby day and night.
He even gave himself self-induced jetlag to match Nana's sleeping schedule.
(The young lion of Vongola called it dedication towards his goal as #1 Dad. Lal Mirch called it unnecessary stupidity.)
Since Iemitsu was basically useless, the role of seeking a perfect replacement fell to the hands of Lal Mirch.
The failed arcobaleno was never known for doing anything halfheartedly. Within a week, she came back to Iemitsu with three names in a folder, along with each of their life histories.
All Iemitsu had to do was choose one and memorize the basic information.
…
The second hitch in the plan came in the form of Tsuna's cuteness.
This one is the easiest to explain.
To put simply, Iemitsu was so distracted that he wasn't able to even read properly, much less memorize.
(Actually, it was also probably due to his poor sleeping habits which hindered his cognitive ability, but blaming it on Tsuna's cuteness was easier to explain and much more relatable.)
And so, the head of CEDEF (somewhat) read through the files and (arbitrarily) chose one.
He may or may not have used a random number generator.
…
The third hitch in the plan came in the form of Tsuna's (undiscovered) intuition. To be more accurate, his survival instinct.
Food is leaving again! Must hold onto shirt! Zzzz!
The above basically summed up the events that happened on the morning that Iemitsu was planning to go meet Nono.
Not one to stray from the plan, Iemitsu decided to take his sleeping son with him. Not that he had much of a choice.
Aside from the fact that the young lion didn't want to leave his son in the first place, Tsuna had become well acquainted with the CEDEF boss ring hung on a chain around Iemitsu's neck.
It had become his makeshift pacifier.
(This was the same ring that Alaude commissioned for during the founding of CEDEF.
The prominent ring was now being sucked on and slobbered all over with baby drool.)
Anyways, that was the state of the young lion of Vongola as he drew near the Vongola mansion.
Sawada Iemitsu isn't mindless or impulsive. He was very aware of the danger he would put his son in if he simply strolled through the main gates like he owned the place.
There could be spies anywhere.
And so, the External adviser strolled to an area not covered by the security cameras and broke in.
The details of how he broke into the house of the strongest mafia famiglia in the world would never be told to anyone. All people knew was that it might have involved a complicated process that had flames and some cultish ritual.
Since Iemitsu knew the Vongola mansion just as well as the CEDEF buildings, he strategically twisted and turned through the secret passages until he reached the private quarters. Nono should be in his office at this time, which is connected to a hidden hallway from the closet of a certain private guestroom (details will remain undisclosed).
This is the best way to get to Nono with as few witnesses as possible. The only people who frequented the private quarters at this time were Nono's sons and their closest servants and maids.
It would be fine if they saw Tsuna. The external adviser knew the names and families of these people by heart. He could easily silence them if he had to.
So the plan was simple. Head to Timeteo, announce his successor and then retire.
…
The fourth hitch in the plan came in the form of Tsuna's curiosity.
(This was the only part where it was actually the child's fault and not because of his obsessed father.)
The baby had long awoken while his father was climbing around the tunnels. He stared at the whizzing scenery quietly. Tsuna wasn't hungry and this priceless artifact he was sucking on was distracting his mouth from making any noise. All in all, life's good. Even when his father stopped suddenly in front of three boys.
"External adviser."
Iemitsu waved with his free hand. "Hey Enrico, Massimo, and Federico. Back from school?"
"It's Sunday." The eldest boy stepped forward and stared at the bundle in Iemitsu's arms. "Where did you kidnap that from?"
"Haha, this is my son." The young father held his son next to his face. "Can't you see the resemblance?"
No, not at all. However, Enrico politely smiled and nodded. Behind him, Massimo followed the eldest and nodded as well while Federico looked genuinely uncertain.
Tsuna blinked once and continued munching the ring.
"Well work hard on your training, young men. I need to meet with your father. Ciao."
The walls then continued to fly by. The same mahogany colour with sporadic lights catching Tsuna's attention and — oh my gosh what was that?
Iemitsu stopped and stared in his arms as he heard his son suddenly make a sound. The baby was staring to the side of the hall, hands outstretched as if in attempts to grab ahold of something. The man followed his child's gaze.
"Oh hey, Xanxus."
The boy was alone. He was trying to make himself unnoticeable when he saw the lion charge down the hallway. That idea was ruined by the baby.
"External adviser." Xanxus frowned. He wanted to spend the rest of his day alone in peace. (Un)fortunately for him, Tsuna had other plans.
The child was fixated on the colourful feathers hung around Xanxus' neck, which the older boy wore as part of his voyage for self-discovery.
(The feathers were actually there less as a fashion statement and more of a childish attempt to rebel against his teachers and family. Either way, no one was brave enough to tell Xanxus how ridiculous he looked with the oversized feathers hung all over himself.)
Iemitsu knelt down to the boy, following his son's demanding gestures. "Tsunayoshi, this is Xanxus. Xanxus, this is my son."
Tsuna continued to reach towards the boy. Not wanting his son to fall out of his arms by accident, Iemitsu lowered his son until he was in arm's reach of Xanxus' face.
Xanxus froze, unsure what to do when the baby began patting his face with tiny soft hands. Normally, he would flee, but the aura Iemitsu was giving him promised death if his son didn't get what he wanted.
As for the baby, he only had a few thoughts in mind.
Oooooh colourful. Oooooh soft. Oooooh.
Tsuna gurgled happily, historical artifact still in his mouth and hands still all over Xanxus' face.
Just when the confused boy thought his day couldn't get stranger, the man began cooing. "Awwww Tsuna likes you."
Then Xanxus did something he never thought he would do in his entire life.
He flushed in embarrassment.
Which only made Iemitsu coo even louder.
(In Xanxus' defense, it was natural that he would flush. He had never been told that he was liked before.
His mother was too concerned with surviving.
His father was too busy with his work.
His brothers were threatened by his mere presence.
His servants were all jealous of his status.
All in all, this was basically the first time Xanxus was told that he was wanted. Even if it by was simply mere speculation of a child's actions.
...This feeling was kind of nice.)
While Xanxus was doing an internal analysis of his current feelings, Iemitsu was quickly reminded of his mission via text message from Lal.
"Sorry Tsuna, daddy is in a hurry. You can play with Xanxus later." He looked at Xanxus and smiled. "Come visit Tsuna anytime. He likes you a lot."
The whine and hand reaching towards Xanxus' face even as Iemitsu pulls the child away made the lion's offhand comment seem almost believable.
Meanwhile, Tsuna was unhappy that he couldn't touch the feathers anymore. He cried out. (Finally letting go of Alaude's pride and joy.)
The son's cry made the father cry. "Tuna-fish! I'm sorry! You can play with Xanxus a bit longer. Papa can wait. Don't cry, Tsuna..."
Iemitsu wasn't one to deny his son.
Xanxus wasn't one to deny someone who clearly likes him.
(In his excitement, the boss of the CEDEF completely forgot about everything he read about his potential successors. Including their names.
(Un)fortunately.)
.
(In a world where Tsuna did not aggressively interfere with Iemitsu's plan, Xanxus would have developed daddy issues and turned delinquent.)
.
Bond #4
.
.
.
Timeteo was peacefully signing documents when Iemitsu suddenly waltzed in from the secret passage behind a painting, cradling a pouting Tsunayoshi.
(The young lion of Vongola entered the battlefield against Vongola Nono without any plan. Well, he technically had one, but it was no longer salvageable.
(Un)fortunately.)
"Nono, I'm retiring."
The Vongola don actually dropped his pen. "My, that took me by surprise." Regaining his composure, Timoteo picked his pen up and put it back into place. "And that would be your new child, I presume?"
Iemitsu's smile glowed like a beacon. "This is Tsunayoshi, my adorable little Tuna-fish. Isn't he the cutest?" Walking over to the father and baby, Nono smiled at the tiny bundle of life. "Yes, he is adorable." Looking up, he met Iemitsu's eyes with a very serious expression. "It's wonderful that you would want to spend more time with your family, but you mustn't forget about your position-"
"That's why I'm retiring." Iemitsu cut him off, eyes shining a low glow of orange. "I will not endanger my family. It is either cutting contact with them or with the mafia. It is obvious what I would choose."
"..." Nono sighed. The young lion of Vongola had always been known for his stubbornness. If he made a decision, he would stick with it until the very end, no matter what the consequences were. "Iemitsu... you can't just abandon CEDEF. Who would lead it after you?"
Iemitsu shrugged, the orange in his eyes fading away. "We can get one of your sons to lead it. How about Xanxus? Xanxus is very promising. Even my son likes him. Let's go ask Xanxus."
"Xanxus is only 11."
"It's fine. I'll train him until he becomes an adult. Perfect! It's time to tell Xanxus." He promptly turned around and went back through the painting. "Xanxus!"
Nono gave a defeated sigh. While he couldn't deny that it was a good idea to get Xanxus into CEDEF, that idea itself seems so farfetched that it was downright bizarre. Seriously, what are the chances that the stubborn boy would even agree?
...
Being born in the slums, Xanxus had the intelligence to take full advantage of his benefits as a son of Vongola Nono.
The boy studied. Hard.
He was by no means a child genius. However, he was intuitive and was determined to be successful in life. Hence his dedicated efforts in studying, taking in everything his tutors said.
Timeteo should have had these traits in mind when he let Iemitsu talk to the boy.
Especially since his fourth child was in the middle of his rebellious phase.
"Sure."
Nono blinked twice. "Are you certain, Xanxus?"
Xanxus rolled his eyes. "Old man, I can make my own decisions by now."
"But you would need to leave home and stay with Iemitsu."
"How old do you think I am?" Fathers are so annoying. "And leaving this place sounds like a terrific idea. Anything to get away from the jerk and the idiot."
"Xanxus, respect your brothers."
"Whatever." The boy shrugged. "Besides, if I don't take this opportunity I would remain as a pawn for the rest of my life." He snorted. "That is unless something unfortunate happens to those three."
Timoteo narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice to a warning tone. "Xanxus."
"Sorry. Either way, I wouldn't want to join a blood feud to kill my own brothers and I definitely do not want to be ordered around by any of them. So being the next boss of CEDEF sounds like the best alternative to me."
"But Xanxus-"
"Old man. I believe this is a decision between the lion and myself. Unless Vongola has jurisdiction over the next leader of CEDEF, your opinions are irrelevant."
Xanxus was very promising indeed.
.
(In a world where the plan was actually followed, Timoteo would have wholeheartedly supported Iemitsu's decision.)
.
.
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AN: Well that came up longer than expected. Welp.
Thank you for reading~
Next up: Xanxus becomes the Sawada babysitter. Interlude.