"So why are you seating next to me?" Gokudera grumbled.

Viviane shrugged, "Yamamoto sat next to Yoshi, and I refuse to sit next to that," she explained as she jerked her thumb towards Sasagawa Ryohei, who was sitting across the aisle next to the Tenth, excitedly talking about boxing, something the whole plane was going to be seriously knowledgable of by the end of the ride. Already some of the people in his vicinity were putting earplugs. At this rate, they were going to get kicked out of business class.

"Fair," Gokudera conceded, "what about the Tenth?"

Viviane gave him a disturbed look, "Are you mad? I don't want to have to have to end up raising the next president of Russia. And I still have nightmares about butter."

"What?"

"Nevermind," Viviane dismissed, taking out the magazine in the pouch in front of her and flipping through the list of movies on the flight, "do you have any embarrassing stories?"

"If I did, why the hell would I tell you?" Gokudera scowled.

"Fair," Viviane agreed with a tilt of the head, "well, at least I tried."

It had only been a few hours since Yoshi had agreed to their help and already the two Notteconto, Reborn, the Tenth, Gokudera, Yamamoto and Sasagawa were on a plane to France. Gokudera had trouble understanding why they were going so far for a small family that hardly mattered at all, but Reborn had told him something along the lines of 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer' and Gokudera had been hooked. The small hitman was always the wise one anyway, and he was glad he could study under such a great man.

Besides he was curious to know why the Tenth was so hung up on supporting them. Speaking for himself, Gokudera didn't trust them one bit. That Yoshi guy was too much like Xanxus and he wouldn't put it past him to try and murder the Tenth in his sleep to get the Vongola rings. It was a good thing both he and that Viviane girl were sitting next to Yamamoto and himself instead of the Tenth.

He had a harder time deciding what he thought of the Viviane girl. It was true she had saved the Tenth, but she was also Yoshi's subordinate, which made her liable of getting dangerous orders from the guy. Moreover, she wasn't just any subordinate. He could see it in the way Yoshi actually glanced at her before answering question, and in the way she always stood or sat close enough to him so that he knew she was there, supporting him.

Viviane was Yoshi's right-hand man. Or woman (Bianchi would kill him if he was being sexist even in his own head). And that made all the difference.

"You know, if you continue glaring at me like that I might break and tell you all our dirty secrets," Viviane deadpanned.

"Really?" Gokudera frowned.

"No. I hang around Yoshi. I'm immune to glares."

"Should you really say that about your own boss?" Gokudera asked, raising an eyebrow. He was a bit surprised at the mocking tone she had used - God knew he would never be able to talk down the Tenth that way, especially not behind his back. Was their relationship not as tight as his and the Tenth's?

"I have to," Viviane shrugged with a wicked grin, "otherwise his head might grow bigger, and then his girlfriend would kill me. It's self-preservation, really."

"He has a girlfriend?" Gokudera repeated, shocked. He tried imagining Xanxus with a woman but the thought perished just as quickly.

"I know right?" Viviane scoffed, "I had the same reaction!"

"You know I can hear everything you're saying, right?"

Gokudera startled as Yoshi's scowling head appeared over the seat in front of him, soon followed by Yamamoto's head.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Viviane smirked.

"Ah!" Yamamoto suddenly exclaimed, "Xanxus!"

"What?" Viviane and Yoshi asked simultaneously.

"I was wondering who you reminded me of, it's Xanxus!" Yamamoto cheerfully explained, "Haha, it's so obvious now!"

"It took you this long?" Gokudera grimaced, "You're an embarrassment to the Tenth's guardians, baseball-freak!"

"So, are you two related or someth-" Yamamoto started, ignoring Gokudera completely. Unfortunately, he was rudely interrupted by a snort.

Viviane suddenly burst out laughing, bending herself in half. She tried regaining control of herself but only ended up giggling more. "He does act like Xanxus, doesn't he?" she managed between breaths, "I am so telling the others!"

"Don't you dare!" Yoshi hissed, his face red. Gokudera had to blink a few times to make sure but it wasn't a trick of the light. That older guy who had done nothing but look down on them and scowl from the beginning actually looked… Human.

"You see," Viviane whispered loudly, "Ever since he was small, Yoshi had a thing for Xanxus."

"Shut it trash!" Yoshi ordered, throwing his pillow at her face.

"I thought he had a girlfriend," Yamamoto frowned.

"It's an illicit aff - ouch! Stop throwing stuff at me!" Viviane complained.

"Stop spouting nonsense then!" Yoshi snarled.

"He thinks it looks cool when he acts that way," Viviane continued with a straight face and a small sigh, "I don't know what to do with the poor boy."

"That's it," Yoshi growled, "Viviane watches magical girl anime in her free time."

…

What.

Gokudera had expected him to pull out his gun (which he knew Yoshi had gotten past security somehow) and instead what he got was… childish retaliation? What? Weren't they supposed to be eighteen years old and not, like, four?

"I do not!" Viviane protested.

"I saw your search history," Yoshi smirked, "And what was that about boy love fanfiction?"

Viviane turned red as well.

"I was curious!" Viviane pouted.

"Curious enough to start looking for doujinshi after?"

"Gokudera goes to cat shelters when he has free time and gives all the kittens there names," Yamamoto added to the conversation with a good-natured smile. The idiot probably thought it was some kind of contest about who knew the most embarrassing thing about the others.

Wait.

Waaaaaait.

"How the fuck do you know that?" Gokudera snapped.

"Eh?" Viviane exclaimed in mock shock, putting a hand in front of her mouth and turning to her boss, "he didn't even deny it."

"Take note," Yoshi advised.

"Yes boss," Viviane agreed, "Gokudera… cheats… on the Tenth… With cats… regularly."

"I do not cheat on the Tenth!" Gokudera spluttered, feeling his own face go red as well.

"But you do sleep with him," Yoshi confirmed, making both Viviane and Yamamoto snicker.

"Wha- No! I don't- we're not- I would never-"

"Is the Tenth not to your taste?" Viviane frowned, "I mean, maybe in the looks department he could use-"

"How dare you speak of the Tenth that way!" Gokudera growled, "I'll have you know that the Tenth is a smart, kind man with a great face and a great body!"

smash!

Gokudera froze as the three other teenagers' eyes grew wide.

A beet red Tenth was standing next to them, his glass of water having fallen from his hands and shattered on the floor as he stood there paralysed.

"Hey Tsuna!" Yamamoto cheered, "how's it going?"

"T-Tenth!" Gokudera stammered. Mortified didn't even begin to express what he was feeling. Had he really said that in front of the Tenth? "I didn't mean- This wasn't - I swear they tricked me into-"

And then Tsuna did the one thing no one expected him to do: he laughed. It was a simple laugh - nothing like the one that had Viviane struggling for air just before. It was the kind of laugh people made after a bad a bad pun, or when watching a young kid be clumsy.

"I-It's fine Gokudera," he smiled, "it's fine to just be a teenager every once in a while. I was just - surprised."

"Huh?" Gokudera frowned. The Tenth had shown great kindness as always but there was something there in his words that Gokudera couldn't quite decipher.

Tsuna returned to his seat, leaving a quiet quartet behind. Yoshi, whose mood had gone sour the second he had seen the Tenth, sat back down with an 'mph!' and decided to sleep. Yamamoto started chatting with Sasagawa across the aisle and Gokudera fell into his thoughts. What had the Tenth meant by those words? He had to figure it out, otherwise he was a failure of a right hand man! What was it about the situation that the Tenth wanted to highlight?

All they had done was jab at each other. Was the Tenth telling him to keep an aggressive approach towards the two Notteconto? It didn't really seem like the correct conclusion, but what else could it be? And what did being a teenager entail?

Did the Tenth perhaps approve of obtaining the enemy's secrets? That one was crushing on Xanxus and that the other was totally a closet fujoshi? Gokudera didn't think any of that was true. They were giving out each other's secrets too easily, surely they had to be lies. Besides, what kind of right-hand woman reveals her boss's weakness so flippantly? It had to be a ruse because - Because a boss and his right-hand man/woman/non-binary person did not act like that towards each other.

It was almost like they were… What was it?

A warm hand interrupted his thoughts and Gokudera turned to find Viviane ruffling his hair a bit.

"What do you think you're doing woman?" He asked, scooting away from his neighbour. Sure she was older, and a girl, but he didn't want any stranger acting like a big sister towards him. He already had one and his intestines would not be able to handle another.

"You're thinking too hard about it," Viviane laughed, "take his words at face-value."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Gokudera scowled, "I don't want advice from a right-hand woman who doesn't even respect her boss! You got me in this mess in the first place!"

Viviane's eyes widened for a split second before melting into a fond smile.

"You did call me his right-hand woman before…" she muttered with a slight smile.

"Huh?"

"Look, I don't know about being a right-hand woman or being a right-hand man," Viviane shrugged thoughtfully, "but I do know that what my boss needs at his side is not someone who will agree to his every whim without question. I was originally blackmailed to be his tutor anyway; my job is to make sure he walks on a path he won't regret; even if it means clashing with him at times."

"So you fight with him?" Gokudera asked, looking positively horrified at the prospect.

"I speak my mind when I disagree with his opinion," Viviane replied earnestly in a tone eerily similar to what the Tenth had used just before. There was something he needed to learn from her words, he knew it. "Don't do things simply because you think it's what a right-hand man does, Gokudera. Do things because they're right, because you believe in them - If you want to do something for the Tenth, do things for yourself, because God knows the top is a lonely place."

"That doesn't make any sense," Gokudera pointed out.

"No one is perfect, Gokudera," Viviane clarified, "the day the Tenth makes a wrong decision because he is too caught up in the situation, if not his right-hand man, who will be there to slap him awake? Will you stick to worshipping him so strongly that you would willingly let him walk into his own demise? He already respects you enough to hear you out - a few words from you are all it takes to make him reconsider his options. Reborn won't be there forever to do it for you."

"Do I really have that power?"

Viviane smiled mystically, before putting on her headphones and starting a movie, leaving Gokudera dumbstruck at her words.

Viviane stared at the paper in her hand incredulously.

"This is a joke, right?" She asked the two people sitting in front of her, eating their lunches.

"It wouldn't be a very funny one if it was," Eric pointed out, biting into his store-bought melon bread. For someone who dressed like a butler on his days off, Eric certainly had a strangely unhealthy diet consisting of instant noodles, sweets and other cheap things he could find. "Are you perhaps not free?"

"I don't think the problem is the schedule," Viviane scoffed, "Are you seriously telling me the mafia actually do proper internships? What's next, scholarships?"

"If it's scholarships you're interested in," Eric so helpfully filled in, "I would recommend sending your current achievements to the Proiettile Universita. If the Tenth writes you a recommendation letter-"

"I was kidding," Viviane interrupted, still trying to wrap her mind around the paper in front of her. But scholarships too? Really? What was the point of the mafia if it was so… official? "What even is the Varia anyway?"

"I don't believe it," Yoshi scowled, "You don't even know the Varia?"

"Is it a famous company? What do they do?"

"It's the independent assassination squad associated to the Vongola family," Eric explained.

Viviane choked on her sandwich.

"You want me to do an internship in the WHAT?"

"Yoshimune-sama has been trying to get a place in for years but unfortunately the placement requires at least two teammates." Eric elaborated.

"Why would you need teammates for an internship?" Viviane frowned.

"To make photocopies and coffee, of course," Eric replied.

"Why on Earth would you need three people to make coffee and photocopies?"

"Well, at the minimum, you need someone to look out for the killer cyborgs, and someone to run the operation behind a screen. You wouldn't send a man into enemy territory alone, would you?" Eric answered, as if it was common sense.

"For photocopies? I give up, this has got to be one giant cosmic joke," Viviane sighed.

Slam!

"Do not make fun of the Varia in my presence, trash," Sawada spat, bringing down his fist on her table, "And don't you dare make a fool out of me in front of their boss, you hear me?"

"Chill, I'm not signing the paper, I'm not going and thus I won't be there to make you look more like an idiot than usual," Viviane diplomatically replied.

"You're going," Sawada insisted with a snarl.

"Uhm… No."

"You don't have a choice."

"Yes I do and I say no."

"I already forged your signature."

"You what."

"And we've already been accepted."

It was the same thing all over again. Just like the Akari kidnapping incident a two weeks back where Sawada had simply dragged her into it regardless of her protests. Sawada just wasn't the type to listen to others. Hell, having grown up with his dad on top of the underworld probably had him develop some sort of superiority complex! Viviane wanted nothing more than to show him the world didn't bend itself to accommodate him.

One death defying situation was enough for her. And at least the last one had been an emergency. There was no way in Hell she would repeat the experience, especially not willingly and for the sake of some ass-noodle who probably couldn't even remember her name!

"I'm not going," she told him, "just take Akari with you instead."

"Izumi is a civilian, trash," Sawada growled, "I'm not bringing him there."

"I'm a civilian!" Viviane reminded him exhasperatly.

"Yes, but you're expandable," Sawada conceded.

"Yeah well let's see about that when you turn up without me," Viviane huffed as she stood up before storming out of the class.

Turn him into a great man her ass. Sawada was a desperate case; there was no one more rotten and disrespectful in the whole world. She really didn't know why his father still bothered with him. In fact it was probably because he had been spoiled to bits in his youth that he had come out with such a huge delusion of himself.

Viviane stopped short on her way to the bathroom. Very short. In fact, she had only taken a few steps out of the classroom after her dramatic exit that she noticed who was leaning against the wall.

"Akari-san," she found herself greeting him in surprise, "you're out of the hospital."

Akari Izumi was still using crutches to hobble around and Viviane didn't miss the bandages peeking out from under his uniform. He was by all means a rather unremarkable guy which made a great contrast with Sawada, who demanded attention with just his breath. Other than his chipped ear, he had that spiky black hairstyle so many Japanese boys shared, a few buttons on his face, a scrawny frame and eyes of the most common brown.

He smiled a lot when he was around Sawada. In fact, Viviane saw him as a rather cheerful person in general. But this time, his eyes were downcast and his smile flipped around.

Oh no. Drama alert.

"Are you alright?" Viviane asked despite her strong wish to ignore it and not get involved further.

"Ah," Akari said, as though he only just noticed she was there, "yes, I'm fine. I heard I owe you my life. Thank you, Pillars-san."

"That's a bit exaggerated," Viviane told him, "It was mostly that friend of yours who got you out."

"But you were there," Akari argued with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"I was dragged there by the skin of my neck," Viviane sighed, "Seriously, as much as I hate to admit it, Sawada should get your full gratitude."

It was the wrong thing to say apparently, as Izumi's eyes just skittered away once more under the shadow that hung on his face.

"Are you sure you're-"

"You should take the internship," Akari suddenly told her with a small smile, albeit not a very sincere one.

Viviane blinked.

"I've been hanging around Yoshi since elementary school, Pillars-san," Akari laughed as he looked at the shock on her face, "I'd need to be a particular brand of oblivious not to notice all the shady business around him. I'm obviously too weak to be any help to him but you… You can be by his side without hindering him. Hell, he wants you there instead of just pushing you away from that part of his life…"

"Whoa wait," Viviane interrupted, "You actually want to be part of this crap?"

"Isn't it natural to want to help a friend?" Akari asked her in return, "Not that I can do much. You have no idea how much I wish I was half as strong as you."

"I'm not strong at all," Viviane snorted, "Back at the factory it was mostly him yelling and acting like a hero and me hiding behind walls."

"Then what is that you have and I don't?" Akari snapped, making Viviane flinch. "Why am I too weak and you're not? Why was I the one to save and you the one saving? Why didn't Yoshi ever even bring up the internship with me when he wanted it so badly all along?"

Viviane didn't flinch when Yoshi had outbursts of anger, but that was because Yoshi was always angry. Akari was never angry, which meant that when he was, it raw and unpredictable and he certainly wasn't in control of himself.

"You're spacing out, trash."

Viviane looked up from the belt that was carrying all the suitcases to see Yoshi standing next to her. Behind them, Gokudera was profusely apologising to the Tenth for having received his bag before him, Yamamoto was laughing, Sasagawa was using a few strangers' bags as dumbbells and Reborn was keeping an eye on the two time travellers from a distance.

They had landed an hour ago already, after a long flight of movie marathons and bothering Gokudera. Okay, so maybe bothering Gokudera wasn't the smartest thing to do in their situation, but Viviane could hardly help herself when it had been so long since she had actually met him in a situation where he wasn't trying to rip her intestines apart.

"Where exactly is Izumi?" Viviane asked Yoshi.

"Where Il Corno was found about four years from now," Yoshi replied, "Somewhere about an hour away from Bordeaux. I've already told Reborn so he could arrange transportation to there from here."

"Izumi's there already?"

"Yes. He was already somewhere in Germany when I arrived," Yoshi shrugged, "he probably hitchhiked his way there through sheer will power."

Viviane snorted, "Sounds like him. I can definitely see him pestering Europeans with over-exaggerated gestures to get messages across."

"It's a miracle if he didn't get arrested," Yoshi grimaced.

"Oi!" Gokudera called, "Nottecontos! We need to talk!"

Viviane and Yoshi turned around to see the Tenth and his guardians huddled around Reborn, who seemed to be on the phone.

"What?" Yoshi scowled, probably irritated by how they were called over.

"We've just received a phone call from the Vongola HQ in Italy," Reborn explained, keeping the phone close to his ears, "two youngsters have shown up claiming to be Nottecontos and asking to see the Ninth."

"Really?" Viviane grinned. She knew Yoshi always could tell where the others were, or at least where those who had already arrived in the past were, but since she personally couldn't, it was a relief to hear from them, even through others.

"Probably Ryuu and Ren," Yoshi nodded, "They were in Italy last I checked and knowing them, it wouldn't be too hard for them to find each other."

"Still, the Vongola HQ?" Viviane sighed, "They're not starting small… but I guess Ryuu knows what she's doing."

"I take it they left a message?" Yoshi guessed.

"Yes," Reborn nodded, "It seems a girl with a black bob said to tell you 'to focus on finding Sunshine and Satan while your faithful servants handle all the superficial formalities'."

"Nice alliterations," Viviane laughed, "and very definitely Ryuu."

"So you confirm they are your men?" Reborn asked.

"And women," Gokudera added.

"Yes," Yoshi nodded, "They'll want to discuss a neutrality treaty with the Vongola family."

"Eh?" Tsuna frowned, "but I thought we were already allies."

"You're not the Tenth yet you fucking simpleton," Yoshi growled, making Tsuna cower, "you don't have the authority to speak for the Vongola family. What you say only applies to your guardians."

Viviane sighed. When it came to dysfunctional families, the Sawadas really were competing for the top. Even back in the past the drama was overwhelming and Viviane knew better than to expect Yoshi to play the bigger man.

Though to be honest, it was one of the things she never understood about the Tenth boss of the Vongola family, back in their time. Those very same eyes that seemed to see through everything appeared blind when it came to his sons. Did he really not notice that his very smile hurt Yoshi more than anything? Did he really not notice that his decision on the succession was what had started this whole mess?

Viviane had a lot of respect for the man and while she preferred having a few small countries like China or Russia between the two of them, she instinctively knew that he wouldn't want harm on anyone. It was only his sons he allowed himself to hurt.

It was no wonder Yoshi wanted to bash his head in even when he was only fifteen.

"Oi, what's your problem?" Gokudera defended his boss, stepping in front of the smaller boy.

"Nothing is his problem," Viviane intervened. Normally, Yoshi's rudeness was nothing to pull the emergency alarm for but when it came to the Tenth, his aggressive attitude was not just cosmetics. She shot Yoshi a warning glance, which he reciprocated in a way that clearly said 'I'll behave as long as he doesn't breathe wrong'.

Sigh. Yoshi was such a teenager. Was his rebel phase going to last a lifetime?

"I've given Ryuu the power to speak in my name," Yoshi added after a pause, "Her words are my words."

"Ryuu is the small woman with short black hair and an hourglass figure that makes straight girls and gay guys sexually confused," Viviane described, "In case you weren't sure. Yoshi doesn't always take in consideration that not everyone in the world knows the names of the lustrous members of our oh so great family."

"Very well," Reborn accepted, "I'll relay that information."

And so he did.

Unfortunately, the Tenth's bag had still not arrived yet and the group of teenagers found themselves waiting more. After twenty minutes, Sasagawa and Yamamoto had started a thumb wrestling tournament with just the two of them participating over and over again, Gokudera was complaining to an airline staff as he thought the Tenth shouldn't be made to wait and Reborn was bullying the Tenth into something Viviane was too far to hear.

Viviane and Yoshi had settled for getting warm drinks from the nearby cafe. Apparently Yoshi had figured that the one thing Viviane was not completely useless for was ordering food in France, due to her native tongue. Because obviously tinkering with a time travelling device and saving all their asses for a year on the run didn't count for much. It was nice to feel appreciated like that.

The eighteen year old girl took a sip from her hot chocolate thoughtfully.

Between all the running around, falling sick, being injured and keeping Yoshi from mutilating his teenage father, Viviane hadn't really taken the time to consider just how surreal their situation was. The Tenth and his guardians were actually younger than them - Hell, she had given advice to her own future mentor! It was a bit sad to see how little he trusted her in this time, but then again, they themselves had long stopped relying on the other Vongolas back in their time.

They were all so innocent and carefree. Viviane almost felt sorry for all the shit that was about to go down because of their presence in the past. Casually drinking hot chocolate in a cafe was not something any of them were going to be able to do soon enough.

"Something's wrong," Yoshi suddenly muttered as he stirred his pure black coffee.

"Intuition?" Viviane guessed.

"It's been bugging me since Reborn's call," Yoshi confirmed, "but I can't tell what."

"Is something happening to Ryuu and Ren maybe?" Viviane suggested, worried, "they're in a meeting with the most powerful Don in the world - anything can go wrong. Ryuu is a decent fighter, and so is Ren but-"

Viviane froze.

Yoshi froze.

"Fuck," he swore.

"Ren would never willingly walk into the Vongola HQ," Viviane realised, "not so openly. Even if he wanted to provide help for Ryuu, walking in with her is completely counter productive!"

"But Ren is the only other in Italy," Yoshi told her seriously. "Yuri is still unaccounted for but that's because she hasn't landed in the past yet. I wouldn't miss her flames."

"Ryuu called them 'your faithful servants'," Viviane remembered, "she sometimes calls us all that as a joke but often, it just refers to her and Eric to piss you off. Obviously she wouldn't want to outright give their names in the message in case it was intercepted along the way but she would still want any of us to recognise the sender in case we aren't with you. She's convinced she's with Eric and it takes more than good acting skills to fool her."

"But Eric is in Japan," Yoshi continued, his eyes turning murderous.

"Which means Hide is not the only bastard to have already landed in the past," Viviane paled.

"We need to fucking leave now," Yoshi concluded, "Whatever bastard number one is planning it will most certainly turn the Vongola against us again and the meeting has already been going on for long enough. It's only a matter of time before Reborn gets the order to capture us."

"They know where we're headed," Viviane bit her lip, "They know where Izumi is."

"Which means we have to get there before them," Yoshi agreed.

"What about Ryuu?" Viviane asked.

"She can persuade them to keep her alive; it's what she's good at," Yoshi told her confidently, "I should be able to send Ren the instruction to bust her out as soon as he can. In the meantime, get us out of here."

"No problem."

Viviane flicked her drink, making it topple all over her boss.

"Fuck!" Yoshi cried as he abruptly stood up, "what was that for?"

The immediate surrounding as well as the Vongola guardians turned to see what the commotion was, only to be met with a red-faced Yoshi whose immaculate white shirt had turned brown. Gokudera started laughing, much to Yoshi's dismay.

"Getting us out," Viviane whispered with a wicked grin, "and for buying new clothes when Hide was trying to decapitate me. Oops!" she added louder, "My bad! Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Viviane grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the bathroom, which was between the baggage retrieval and the exit. Of course, she knew Reborn wouldn't be fooled by such a textbook way of escaping. He wasn't one of the greatest hitmen in the world for no reason and there was no way he'd let them out of his sight so easily. However, it was enough to placate the other guardians, and that was all that mattered for now. If Reborn hadn't drastically changed his hunting habits in twenty five year, then he'd come after them alone.

"Prepare a stasis bullet," Viviane instructed her boss, "we'll stage an inside fight. Shoot me with it, then when Reborn comes around, shoot him with the cure, miss him, and revive me instead. I still have a bottle of sleeping gas from Ren that should work as long as he notices it too late. The sleeping gas will take care of any onlookers as well hopefully and the commotion that will follow should hold the others back long enough."

Yoshi nodded, already retrieving the correct bullets from his pockets. They had already quickened their pace and walked past the bathroom.

To her surprise though, it wasn't Reborn that intercepted them when they were about to leave the CDG airport.

"Viviane-san, Yoshi-san!"

It was the Tenth, who was running towards them calling their names.

Out of surprise, the two of them did stop and Viviane felt Yoshi tense next to her.

The Tenth grabbed her arm, almost desperately.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" He asked.

"Us? Leaving? Pfff!" Viviane nervously laughed, "Of course not!"

Yoshi facepalmed.

"We can help you," the Tenth insisted, "you don't have to do this on your own."

"D-Do what?" Viviane asked, forcing an unnatural smile and clearly avoiding those cursed mind-reading eyes, "we're not doing anything suspicious. We're normal law abiding citizens on a quest for a new shirt. Nothing illegal or mafia-ish about any of that. I'm technically not even part of the mafia. There's a suspicious person over there. Ask them. I saw them give chocolate to a dog."

"We don't need your help," Yoshi cut in rudely, "We got to France; you've outlived your usefulness brat."

"You don't mean that," the Tenth frowned, looking very much like a child who was told the holidays were cancelled, "I know you're not bad guys."

"And what if we are?" Yoshi challenged him, taking a step towards the fifteen year old to tower over him.

"Which we're not," Viviane stressed for clarification.

"What makes you so sure that we're on your side?" Yoshi insisted angrily, "and why should we believe you? Stop taking everyone for fools, Tenth. Heart-to-Hearts and sparkle friendships without basis have no place in this world. Grow up: The mafia works in trades and deals and there's strictly nothing for you to gain by helping us. At this rate, you'll just fall into deceit and get everyone you care about killed."

The Tenth, who had looked scared out of wits by Yoshi at the beginning of the conversation, was slowly melting into a different expression, one Viviane recognised very well from his future self. It was soft and yet full of a dim pain, of a bitter twist of the heart. It was that very same look Viviane always saw him give Yoshi, that look that had her boss smashing furniture for hours and punch walls until his knuckles bled.

Yoshi suddenly grabbed the front of his father's shirt and dragged him to a corner where no one was looking between a wall and a potted plant. He lifted the boy a few millimetres off the ground and slammed him against the wall.

The Tenth cringed in pain but to his credit, he didn't cry out.

"Don't you fucking pity me," Yoshi snarled, his eyes lighting up with ire, "don't you fucking dare pity me. You're always like that; looking down on others like you know everything, like you're worth more! But you know what? You're full of shit, Tenth. You speak of love and family and yet you can't even be bothered to look me in the eyes and speak your fucking mind. I'm sick and tired of your lies and half-assed words!"

"I-I'm not lying!" The Tenth squeaked, "I want to help you!"

"Bullshit." Yoshi spat as he released the younger mafioso, who crumbled to the ground, "your words mean nothing to me."

"Wha-" The Tenth coughed, "What about my actions then?"

Yoshi paused, looking down on his father who was defiantly looking up at him. It was a strange picture, a parody of the relationship between Sawada Yoshimune and Sawada Tsunayoshi where the roles were reversed.

"Reborn wanted to go after you," Tsuna told them, "but I convinced him to let me go instead. I said I'd bring you back no matter what - by force if need be."

"And?" Yoshi asked.

"I said it before didn't I?" the Tenth smiled hesitantly, "I trust you two."

"You're going to regret it," Yoshi replied cooly.

"I won't," the Tenth insisted, looking every bit as determined as he usually was terrified.

"Whoa, wait," Viviane paused their conversation, "you're just going to, let us go?"

"Is that a problem?" The Tenth frowned, turning to her.

"Yes!" Viviane quickly replied, "I mean no - yes, it's fine, no it's not a problem - but just… are you sure?"

"I…" the Tenth started, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure."

Those words weren't spoken lightly; they couldn't have been. It was clear the Tenth's relationship with Reborn was nowhere as balanced as Yoshi and Viviane's. Even in their own time there was a residue of hierarchy between the two - and that Tenth was at the top of the criminal underground of the whole world. This Tenth wasn't even subtle about lowering his head to the baby hitman. From the start he was being kicked around. Yes, he complained, but overall, the Tenth was a behaved child, a yes-man, when it came to Reborn.

This, however, was defiance. It was complete defiance.

And Yoshi understood defiance more than anyone.

"Why am I here?" Viviane asked, feeling uneasy walking in plain sight in the middle of the Vongola Headquarters. The last time she had set foot there, she'd end up blackmailed into the mafia, and her life had taken a dip into chaos.

"Having a subordinate with me during meetings makes a better impression," Sawada replied dryly, adjusting his tie.

"Of course," Viviane grimaced, "'Stand there and look pretty' is it?"

Sawada didn't deign respond but for once, Viviane knew it wasn't a jab at her. No matter how much of an angsty brat he was, Sawada held deep respect for honour and traditional values. It didn't take much to see how much he cared about the Vongola family and how seriously he played his part in its survival. To him, this was a place of business and no amount of fooling around would be accepted.

Hell, he hadn't even sent a single comment at the men escorting them to the meeting room, even though they were all clearly his father's.

"Isn't that what Eric's for anyway?" Viviane pointed out, still trying to adjust her walk to the tight skirt and heels she was forced to wear for the occasion.

"Eric isn't my subordinate," Sawada stated blankly, "he's my father's eyes."

"Aren't I technically also your father's subordinate?" Viviane frowned, "I mean he did sic me on you."

"Your mind is your own, that is enough," Sawada answered coldly, his distaste for Eric rolling off his skin in waves, "I do not need anyone who can't think for themselves, and least of all someone who just parrots my father's opinions and executes his orders like a trained monkey. Besides, the robot will have his own seat for this meeting. Now shut up and walk."

Viviane sighed.

Sawada wasn't wrong though, Eric did have his own seat in the meeting. He was apparently the substitute for the leader of his branch of the family, as the later was unavailable. He even had his own subordinate standing behind him, looking just as tired as Eric.

Viviane couldn't blame Eric for the bags under his eyes. Following Sawada around was a pain in the arse, and should probably be considered as a capital punishment. Sawada certainly didn't make it any easier for the red headed boy. On the contrary, he took any chance he had at hindering Eric's babysitting job, ditching him whenever he could and tying his shoelaces together to trip him. Very few people noticed it at school, but Eric had always been Sawada's primary target for bullying. And the worst was, Sawada was right. Eric never complained or did anything against the obvious attacks on his person. He just remained silent throughout the torture and never, ever retaliated. Even Viviane was disturbed at how he let himself be walked all over - only to offer a polite smile and his service to Sawada.

The meeting was done over dinner, oddly. About twenty head of branches were seating in front of a copious meal, and at the head of the table was the Tenth, whom Viviane was seeing again for the first time since the blackmail. To her surprise, he acknowledged her existence with a nod before starting the meeting.

It was a strange experience, attending a mafia meeting. The atmosphere was nowhere as tense as Viviane would have imagined, and the dinning room was nowhere as impressive as the rest of the mansion. The ceiling was low, and the room small and cramped. Whereas golden colours were favoured in other rooms, this one was dominated by bare wood, vintage posters and small trinkets that looked like they were acquired at a garage sale. The overall decoration was simply… noisy. There really were no other words for it.

It looked more like a bar than a luxurious dinning hall. It was warmer, and more familial.

Around the table, everyone save for Sawada looked comfortable. They seemed tired, sure, but no one was trying hard to look impressive, as if they were at ease with each other's judgements.

"I'm sure some of you are wondering why Eric is sitting at this table instead of Chrome," the Tenth started, his tone serious, "or rather, I'm sure most of you have guessed it."

"For the same reason Chrome was standing in for Mukuro?" A man guessed, a sombre shadow being cast over everyone.

The Tenth nodded, his jaw clenched in frustration, "As of yesterday, Chrome Dokuro is officially MIA."

"And we still have no words from Mukuro and Fran?" A young man with a striking resemblance to the Tenth asked. The whole table turned to Eric, who was keeping his usual impassive expression, despite the obvious pity everyone was offering him.

"None," he confirmed, "but the Kokuyo group is doubling its efforts to locate them. We're currently considering contacting other families' Mist divisions, if you were to allow us to. They haven't reported any missing members yet, but neither have we. If this were to have a bigger scale, it would perhaps help isolate possible threats."

The Tenth nodded, "It is a good idea, but you won't be carrying it out."

Eric frowned, "Is there a particular reason?"

"Whoever is responsible for this, they are clearly targeting the Kokuyo members from the top," the Tenth explained, "I cannot risk having you on the frontlines of this investigation where it will be easier to get to you."

"We could use Eric as bait," Sawada pointed out. Viviane was tempted to roll her eyes.

"No," the Tenth shot down coldly, "the Kokuyo group will stay out of this investigation."

"If it is out of concern for our wellbeing," Eric said, with more force than Viviane had ever heard him use, "please reconsider. We can defend ourselves - and I am not abject to Yoshimune-sama's idea."

"My decision is final," the Tenth replied, meeting Eric's eyes.

"Very well," Eric nodded, "I shall inform our men to stand down."

"Thank you, Eric," the Tenth smiled.

And the meeting droned on as food was slowly consumed. It was hard to keep up with all the information passed around as Viviane couldn't tell for her life who was who and what branch did what, not to mention all the Italian passed around. Sawada seemed absorbed in the conversation though, even if he grimaced every time his father opened his mouth.

The meeting finished on small details that were easily resolved, and Viviane only realised it was over when everyone stood up and started filing out of the room. Unsure what else to do, she followed Sawada outside, where the young man who looked like the Tenth awaited them.

"Yoshi!" The young man smiled, "I haven't seen you in months."

"Same," Sawada replied, surprisingly civil, even - dare she say it? Friendly. "How was Algeria?"

"Ugh. Business there is sooooooo hard," the man whined, before turning to Viviane, "And you must be Viviane. I'm really sorry you had to get involved in all this. Father's decisions are not always… clear."

Sawada raised an eyebrow, clearly unaware of the circumstances of Viviane's involvement with the Vongola.

"I'm Sawada Hidetada," the young man presented himself with an easy smile, "Yoshi's older brother. Please call me Hide."

"Nice to meet you," Viviane replied, shaking his hand, "Wait - you guys are related?"

Sawada rolled his eyes while Hide laughed.

"Shocking isn't it?" Hide winked, before turning to his brother and asking in a theatrical voice, "How goes the search for guardians, brother dearest?"

Sawada grimaced, "You know as well as I do that there is no search. Guardians are for the boss, and we both agreed you'd inherit the family."

"Father is going to force some on you if you continue to stall," Hide warned his brother with concern, "Eric and Viviane haven't been assigned to you by coincidence. If you don't hurry you'll be surrounded by people who are loyal to him."

Well, Viviane wouldn't exactly call herself loyal to the Tenth, but she could see what Hide meant. Not about the guardians and all, obviously. She had no idea who the guardians were. However, if his introduction was any indication, Hide knew that Viviane had been caught breaking into this very mansion, which meant he knew that she was essentially being blackmailed by the Tenth.

Was that what it was though? Was she just another chain to keep Sawada in line? To force him into his father's mould? It was no wonder Sawada hated Eric and her so much. Not that that gave him reason to be such an arse all the time.

"I don't need guardians," Sawada insisted with a growl.

"Father won't let either of us get out of this fight," Hide told him sadly, placing a hand on his shoulder. They were standing intimately close to one another, and Viviane was surprised to see Yoshi accept the affectionate gesture without protest. "Just - Just find six people. Rejecting the whole procedure out of principle isn't going to do anyone any good. All you need are six people who can say 'I surrender'. I know how much you hate dishonesty but - but Father is a hard man to work around… and you only have a year left."

Sawada's eyes flickered to the ground.

"Think on it," Hide advised, then, with a teasing grin, "besides, who knows? You might even make friends."

And just like that the storm of cheer that was Hide passed.

"So, home?" Viviane suggested.

"Yeah - No." Sawada suddenly decided, his head snapping around like a cat who had caught sign of a possible danger, "Something's wrong."

"Can this day get any longer? Everyone else already left!" Viviane groaned, "and what are you? Psychic?"

"I just… Had a feeling…" Sawada frowned, clearly too engrossed by this feeling to maintain his usual thorny image, "Come."

"Please tell me you're kidding," Viviane deadpanned, already very aware that she was going to get dragged in this anyway.

He wasn't kidding. Sawada took off, speed walking from one corridor to another. He had the place memorised obviously, but the way his eyes roamed around indicated he wasn't sure what he was looking for. If he was looking for anything that existed.

Call Viviane skeptical but a feeling wasn't exactly cause enough for concern in her opinion.

But walking around Vongola mansion alone? Where she could potentially bump into the Tenth? Hell no. Sawada was not leaving her behind.

Before she knew it, they were out of the luxurious castle-like part of the mansion and into the metallic, narrow corridors that reminded Viviane a bit too much of spy movies. There wasn't a single door which wasn't locked by three different systems, and Viviane knew, because she had had to break a few when she'd stalked her brother.

"There," Sawada said, pointing to a door as he came to a stop.

"Is it not supposed to be closed?" Viviane guessed.

"It's not supposed to be opened," Sawada replied.

"Then where's the problem?" Viviane huffed, "It's closed!"

"Someone's in there," Sawada snapped, clearly annoyed at Viviane's constant complaining.

"You have X-Ray vision or something?"

"Intuition."

"We are so not going to investigate things based on your intuition."

"I'm your boss, trash. We're doing as I say."

"You are not my boss! I'm not even part of this 'family'! Argh! You are so -! What is behind this door anyway?"

"Communication Archives. Don't you know anything you useless waste of space?"

Before she could reply, Sawada shut her up with a 'stop' gestured. He entered a combination, swiped a card and opened the door to the Communication Archives. As soon as the door swung open, Viviane felt a chill down her spine.

The Communication Archives were huge, and very dark. Viviane didn't think she'd see a place like this in this day and age. Rows of shelves of stacked paper stripped the room, all covered in vague and coded labels, for those she could read. Even with the light from the corridor spilling in the room, Viviane couldn't see its opposite wall, and it almost looked like the shelves were plunging straight into darkness.

Sawada stepped forward and walked, as if he knew exactly where he needed to go. Was he really psychic? Viviane followed a few steps behind.

They zigzagged amongst the quiet shelves for a while and then things went a bit too quickly for Viviane to process.

A large shape suddenly emerged from the darkness and tackled Sawada to the ground - all without making a sound save for Sawada's groan as he hit the floor. Now, Viviane had seen Sawada fight before, but it still amazed her to see him kick the figure upwards, sidestep a jab from… something, and then wipe out a knife like it was an extension of his own arm.

She had seen him take out a squadron of grown, trained men by himself. She knew Sawada was more than good when it came to fighting.

So why exactly was he losing?

It took a while for her to realise it, but the figure - who was definitely human now that her eyes were getting used to the dark - was effectively pushing Sawada back. In fact, it looked almost like Sawada was fighting drunk; his swings missing systematically and his balance challenged by every hit he took.

Finally, the figure pinned the fifteen year old down and pointed the peak of his spear to his neck. Sawada was out of breath, and the figure barely had a hair out of place.

By then, Viviane could make out a dark green trench coat, black gloves, a pale, freckled skin, polished shoes, and a shock of curly red hair.

"Do not get in my way, Yoshimune-sama," Eric told Sawada in a confident, calm voice, "I will harm you if I must."

And that was why acting nice with people around you was important.

"The top tier of the Kokuyo group is missing," Sawada sneered, "making you the boss of the branch. And now I catch you sneaking around Archives? Conveniant… and suspicious."

Viviane frowned. Was Eric a traitor? If he was, it probably was Sawada's fault for being an ass - but still.

"I have no patience for your games, Yoshimune-sama," Eric cooly declared, "you knew very well it was me before coming down here. If you've come just to hinder my-"

"Fifth shelf from the back, boxes labelled 'PAN'," Sawada interrupted.

Eric froze.

"Hide passed me the information after the meeting," Sawada added, raising his hand to show a crumpled note, "I just didn't think you'd be the one going after it until I felt your flames."

"My family is under attack, Yoshimune-sama," Eric growled, his eyes lighting up with a cold, controlled fire that just screamed 'dangerous', "I will not sit around while my mentors are in danger."

"My father told you to step down."

"The Tenth is hiding something about the disappearances," Eric retorted, "and I will find out what even if it means dragging the whole Vongola family to Hell. I do not hold any grudge against you, Yoshimune-sama, but do not doubt my ability to kill anyone who comes in my way."

"Get in your way?" Sawada chuckled, a recklessly gleeful smirk making its way on his face, "You must be fucking kidding me. This is great!"

"Pardon me?" Eric frowned, his spear lowering slightly.

"This. This you," Sawada elaborated, laughing, "this anger!" He sat up, startling Eric into leaning backwards and startling Viviane too through his twisted excitement, "the loyal soldier selling his country for his parents! This is fucking gold!"

"If you're stalling me," Eric warned, unable to finish his threat as Sawada cut him off.

"You said it yourself, Eric," Sawada grinned, the use of Eric's name not going unnoticed by anyone, "you know my Hyper Intuition and I know your skill. You know that If I wanted to stop you, I'd have brought someone who actually has a chance at beating you," he paused, "If someone like that actually exists. We're here to help."

"Excuse me? We?" Viviane spluttered, "I'm already on the Tenth's bad side, I'd rather not get caught snooping around again!"

"I mean no offence but it is not in your character to assist me," Eric pointed out, "and - Sorry, did you just say 'caught snooping around… again'?"

Viviane cringed as both Sawada and Eric turned to look at her with eyebrows raised.

"Uhm, yeah," she grimaced, "I was kind of caught breaking into this mansion a few months ago. That's why I'm stuck with you. It's my punishment."

"How far did you make it?" Sawada suddenly asked.

"Third floor. I got caught by that pervert who wants to bite people," Viviane answered, immediately becoming suspicious at his interested look. Her eyes narrowed, "…Why?"

"So you could get us in any door we don't know the code to?" Sawada elaborated.

"Oh no," Viviane strongly enunciated, pointing her finger at the two young mafiosi sitting on the floor in warning, "no, no, no. No."

Sawada smirked ominously, "That was one 'no' too many," he said, standing up and offering a hand to Eric as he reread the memo Hide had given him, "Let's go find out which door needs unlocking then."

"Are you really going to help me?" Eric asked skeptically as he pulled himself up.

"No, I'm making you a deal," Sawada corrected, "We help you with this investigation, and you never pretend in front of me again."

"I never-"

"You stop trying to be a fucking robot. You stop putting your duty to my father before your own selfish desires. You speak your mind. You speak it to my face and you speak it loudly. I do not like talking to facades of people."

Yoshi stared at his father in a calculated silence. He may not like the boy, but he had to respect the stand he was making against his tutor. It took courage and confidence, two things the young Tenth did not have in abundance.

"Do not expect thanks," he finally told the Tenth, his voice devoid of any emotions.

The young Tenth nodded, aware that a blank statement from Yoshi was as close as he would get to gratitude.