Disclaimer: I do not own.

Tsuna wiped her brow with a hand. Her hair clung to her skin. Her chest heaved but she felt fantastic, like she usually did during a run. A wide grin spread across her face as her feet hit the ground in an even stride. Sunlight beating down on her, a breeze blowing through her hair, this was the closest she had been to content for a long while. Running always made her feel good.

"Sawada!" she heard a loud voice bellow behind her. She stopped and turned to look at her caller.

"Sasagawa-senpai, enjoying your run?"

The white haired teen gave her a wide grin and a thumbs up. "It's Extreme! Yours? I don't usually see your Extreme self out running this late."

She gave the loud teen a strained smile "I needed to destress. My tutor's previous student is in town and is more than a bit clumsy. Spending any amount of time with him is an exercise in patience."

"Sounds Extreme."

"Extremely annoying, maybe."

The white haired teen laughed loudly. He must have thought she was joking, but unfortunately that wasn't true. In Tsuna's opinion, Dino Cavallone was a menace. Unless he had his men within sight, the man tripped over his own two feet and ended up in the oddest situation. She had already had to pull Hayato off the mafia Don three times. Perhaps the most interesting incident involved Dino managing to catch her with his whip and somehow tying them together front-to-front. Hayato had foamed at the mouth before trying to rip the two of them apart.

"Well, would you like to join me on my Extreme run?" the boxer asked with a wide grin.

Tsuna snorted and shook her head. "I've seen you run. It's a bit too much for me. I prefer my more relaxed pace."

The boxer laughed and scratched the back of his head. He knew his extreme workout wasn't for everyone. Most of the members of his boxing club couldn't keep up with him when he went all out. It was kind of depressing. His lips tried to twitch downward into a frown, but he forced the smile to stay on his face. It wouldn't be extreme to worry his sister's friend with his thoughts.

Tsuna let a tiny smile form on her lips. Sasagawa-senpai was thinking heavy thoughts again. Why most people thought the teen was stupid, she didn't know. The boxer had great knowledge of the body and how it worked. He wouldn't have been able to train as he did otherwise. She bet he was going to become a doctor or take a job in the medical field one day if he decided that boxing didn't interest him anymore. She'd lay money on it.

"What…?" the boxer began to stay and fell silent as a young, foreign boy—the pale skin and light colored hair were obvious indicators of that—came barreling down the street toward them.

Tsuna turned and frowned as she took in the boy's appearance. He looked well kept, so likely not a run away. He was rather dirty, but that was mostly superficial. Light colored hair was clean cut and his clothing, while rather rumpled, looked to be of good or better-than-good quality. The large, bright red book in his hands made his running awkward, but the boy seemed used to it with how fast he was covering ground. It was the look of fear and terror on the boy's face that made Tsuna's instincts rear up and screech in alarm. The way the boy's eyes lit up in hope made the yakuza boss freeze in place. She could tell where this was going. Looking out the corner of her eye at the confused boxer, she mentally cursed. She did not want to bring a civilian to a fight. She wouldn't be able to go all out without questions being asked.

The boy's eyes widened as he saw Tsuna and made a beeline for her. The child threw himself into her legs and began speaking in a language she didn't recognize. She had the vague idea it was Italian, but even that didn't sound quite right.

"Sawada?"

Tsuna looked over at the boxer and shook her head before kneeling before the terrified boy. "Japanese, please. I can't understand you otherwise."

The boy looked up at her with wide brown eyes on the verge of crying. Tears started to gather at the edges of his eyes as he sniffled. "Please, please help me. Sawada Tsunami is ranked number one in being unable to refuse a request from a child in need. Also ranked number 5 in most powerful people in Namimori and in the top 100 of the strongest people in the mafia."

Tsuna blinked. The kid knew about the mafia, and what was with this ranking…Her eyes widened as she got a better look at the boy. Anyone who was serious about dealing in the underworld knew about the Ranking Prince. Word was that the title had been passed on a few years back.

"Shit." Tsuna cursed and pushed the boy back behind her. Eyes instantly began to scan the area. If the Ranking Prince was asking for her help, there would be a fight coming up.

"What's going on, Sawada?" Sasagawa-senpai asked in an uncharacteristically serious tone.

"Sasagawa-senpai, I need you to go find a member of the Discipline Committee and tell them Code 5 Red." she said in a voice that brooked no questions.

Ryohei frowned and looked at the trembling child and back at the girl standing protectively in front of him like an extreme mother bear. A shiver ran down his spine at the extremely fierce look on her face. At that moment, Sawada reminded him of his mother that one time a gang of delinquents had tried to gang up on him. They hadn't stood a chance to his mother's extreme protectiveness, and he doubted anyone would be able to hurt the kid with Sawada around him. She was so extreme.

"Sasagawa-senpai, please!" Tsuna hurried. He nodded and ran toward an area he knew the Discipline Committee members tended to watch at that time of the day. He'd gotten in trouble with them enough to know their general schedule.

"Stay close." Tsuna said to the boy and readied for a fight. The boy whimpered. She hoped he wouldn't go running off. It would be much harder to protect him if he ran.

A group of men dressed in black suits came thundering down the road. They stopped upon seeing Tsuna and the child she was standing in front of. One of them, Tsuna assumed he was the leader, barked out something in a language she didn't recognize. It was harsh and staccato. It definitely wasn't Japanese, Chinese or Korean. She would have recognized Italian and French as well considering how often she heard Reborn use those languages. The assumed leader stepped forward and glared down his nose at the teenager standing protectively in front of their prey.

"Give us the kid, girl."

Tsuna smirked. Her eyes flashed in anticipation. "I think not. The boy obviously does not want to go with you and has, in fact, requested protection from me."

"You really think you can take us all on, girl?" The man snorted and shook his head before yelling something back to his men. They all laughed and grinned lasciviously at her.

Tsuna rolled her eyes and shook her head. They wouldn't be the first nor the last to think her weak due to her sex. "Yes, I can. I've dealt with worse than a handful of rent-a-thugs."

The lead man growled and snarled at the insult before ordering his men forward. They would show the little bitch just who was in charge. It was only once he got within hitting distance that he realized he had been played.

Tsuna moved. Her hand flashed upward and caught one of the attackers hard in the throat. She felt his trachea collapse beneath the hard edge of her hand. Turning to avoid a hit, she lashed out with a kick and managed to hit one of the men's knees. His leg went in two directions and he fell to the floor with a cry of pain echoing from his mouth. The three slower men skidded to a stop before they got within her reach and took a step back. Her eyes bore into them. The brightest of them cursed under his breath as he noticed one detail the others missed.

The girl's eyes had turned from brown into a bright orange he had only seen once: when the Vongola head had killed those who had killed his eldest son.

The thug, sadly, did not have enough time to tell his fellows of his discovery as he was struck from behind. He fell bonelessly to the ground. His two comrades turned to see who had interfered and got a face full of metal tonfa for their troubles. They, too, joined their fellows on the ground in various states of consciousness.

"Hibari-senpai. Where's Sasagawa-senpai?" Tsuna inclined her head. The prefect looked like an avenging angel with his jacket fluttering about him as it was. Her lips twitched as she fought the urge to smirk at the thought. Few people would call Hibari an angel in any way, shape or form. Demon was a far more accurate term for the carnivorous teen.

"He was too loud. Omnivore, explain this."

Tsuna held up one hand and turned around to the Ranking Prince. She knelt down to his level and looked him over more closely. He was dirty, but she could see no obvious injuries. "Are you alright, little one?"

"Y-yes. Thank you. Thank you." the boy sniffled and reached up to cling to her. Tears leaked out of his eyes and left dirty trails down his face.

Tsuna gently ran a hand through his hair. "Let me take care of this, and I'll take you somewhere safe. OK?"

The child just nodded without saying anything. He released the handfuls of clothing he had clung to and held his book close to his chest.

"Omnivore." Hibari shifted his stance into a more relaxed one. He had a good idea why the omnivore had attacked common gangsters.

"They were after the boy." Tsuna explained as she rose and faced him. "He came to me for protection."

"Hn. Mother bear."

Tsuna snorted and smiled brightly at him. "I've been called that before. Can you take care of these guys? I want to get the boy somewhere safe. I doubt these idiots will be the only ones after him."

"He's important?"

Tsuna frowned and looked at the boy before looking back to Hibari. "The Ranking Prince can change the political landscape of the underworld. The ones who control him have an instant way to know the strength of those they are against or how trustworthy an ally is."

Hibari frowned. He knew what the omnivore was implying. There would be others after the child. Though the omnivore would likely never let them get a hold of the cub while she breathed. The worried looks she kept sending the hunched over child definitely told him she had already adopted the boy. His lips twitched. The omnivore got so vicious when children became involved in her world.

He licked his lips and turned his attention on the men who had tried to harm the child. A thrill ran down his spine at the carnage her simple attacks had caused. The man she had hit in the throat was dead, his eye bulging out of his sockets and bloody scratches around his throat where instinct had told him to claw. The one with a dislocated and/or broken leg writhed on the ground in pain.

"Get the cub out of here, omnivore."

"Thank you, Hibari-senpai." Tsuna turned to the child and reached out a hand. "Come on. Let's go somewhere a bit safer, OK?"

Tsuna leaned back in her chair as the Ranking Prince settled onto her overly stuffed couch. The few scrapes and scratches he had accumulated during his flight from his captors had been addressed and the tiny white bandages just made her temper flare. Children were sacred. Period. They should not become involved in the darkness of the underworld whether they were born into it or not. Her jaw clenched but she shook her head and sighed. There was no need to get angry when there was no one around she could let her anger out on. She'd also scared the skittish boy, and she refused to scare him anymore than he already was.

"So, you know my name. What is yours, young prince?"

The boy curled slightly around his book at the acknowledgment of his title. "Fuuta de la Stella."

"Well, Fuuta, you're safe here. I will not allow anyone to hurt you."

"I know." the boy stated firmly. "My rankings said you'd protect me."

Tsuna gave the boy a sad smile. "I do not let children come to harm in my territory. It's one of the few things that I have gone to war with other families over."

"O-oh."

The boy began to uncurl. Tsuna's smile turned brighter. The tightness that had formed in her gut began to unfurl. He was beginning to trust her, or trust her more than he had. It took guts to just run up to a random person you've never met before and beg for protection, especially when you knew that person was involved in organized crime. Fuuta de la Stella was a very brave boy.

"Tsuna-hime!" Hayato shouted as he threw the door open. Fuuta let out a tiny yelp and curled up into a tiny ball around his book. Her stomach felt as if someone had dropped a stone of ice in it. That was a learned action. Her leg tensed and fists curled at her sides. Hayato blinked in surprise at Fuuta's presence.

"Hey, Tsuna." Takeshi said as he entered the office and shut the door behind him. His grin slipped ever so slightly as he saw the child. His eyes instantly tracked over to his boss. His lips pressed into a tight line. She inclined her head ever so slightly and allowed a grim smile to form on her lips for a moment. Takeshi snorted lightly but relaxed.

Hayato bit his lower lip at the silent conversation between the two before turning his attention to the kid.

"I take it Rumiko or Yuusuke called you when I got in?" Tsuna drawled and stood from her seat. She crossed to the front of her desk and sat on the edge. She looked over at Fuuta and smiled. "It's OK, Fuuta. These two are mine. They won't hurt you."

"Yeah, we won't hurt a kid, kid." Takeshi gave the boy one of his blinding smiles as he placed a hand behind his head.

Hayato huffed and crossed his arms but nodded in agreement. "Wouldn't be right to hurt a kid."

"You yell and verbally threaten Lambo enough."

"That's Lambo. He makes himself as annoying as possible and doesn't listen."

"True, but he is getting better."

"Only because you keep tying him up and putting him in a corner when he misbehaves."

Tsuna laughed, though it came out more as a snort. She shook her head and glanced over at Fuuta. He had begun to uncurl and had a small smile on his face. She gave a grateful smile to the silver haired Italian. That was just what was needed to get the jumpy child to relax.

"So, who's the kid?" Hayato pointed a thumb at the kid.

"Fuuta de la Stella."

Hayato inhaled sharply and looked closer at the boy. "The Ranking Prince?"

Tsuna hummed and leaned back against her desk. "He came to me for protection."

"Sawada Tsunami is ranked number one in being unable to refuse a child. Fifth most powerful in Namimori and 23rd strongest in the mafia." the boy repeated his rankings and a shy smile. "I knew she could - would - protect me."

"So, you can see we need to prepare for the coming storm." Tsuna stated and waved a hand at the boy.

Hayato hummed and frowned. His hand came up to cradle his chin in a familiar thinker's pose. His brows drew together and his nose wrinkled. Tsuna and Takeshi both had to resist the urge to coo over the cute sight.

"Who was holding you?" Hayato asked the boy.

Fuuta gripped the edges of his Ranking Book tightly. "The Cordova Famiglia."

The bomber snorted and shook his head. "The Cordova are weak. Tsuna-hime, we can take care of them without many - if any - problems."

Tsuna quirked and eyebrow. "You know of them, then?"

He nodded. "They're mainly information brokers. Them having the Ranking Prince certainly explains why."

Tsuna hummed and gave Fuuta a sad smile. She inhaled and squared her shoulders. Her boys shifted into a more ready stance themselves. Even Fuuta felt a change in the air.

"Takeshi, go warn Yuusuke. I want our men to be on the look-out. Hayato, go get Rumiko. I know you don't like her, but I need her here now. She keeps tabs on foreigners at the local hotels. She'll know where they're going to be coming from."

"Yes, Tsuna-hime." both of her boys chimed together, giving rough salutes, before hurrying out the door.

Fuuta blinked at the speedy response. "Wow, I didn't think Sawada-san was that…well that."

Tsuna chuckled and picked up her cellphone. "I've been in charge of the Akatora for six years now. I know when and how to turn the whole boss aura off and on."

"Oh." Fuuta frowned and put his book flat in his lap as he looked up at Tsuna with large, wary eyes. He had never had much luck when it came to organized crime and Akatora sounded a lot like a yakuza family. "What's going to happen to me?"

Tsuna's finger hovered over the call button on her phone. She looked over and smiled at him. "I'm going to take you home with me. Mom already loves the other two kids I've taken in. She won't mind me bringing you home, too."

"Then… then you don't…?" the boy mumbled and looked down at the ground even as his fingers curled protectively around the cover of his book.

Tsuna frowned and moved over by the boy. She sat beside him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He flinched and ducked his head downward. Her lips pressed into a tight line as she pulled her hand back.

"No, I won't. You will never need to worry about me asking you to give me rankings in exchange for anything." In a calculated move, she placed her hand on his head and ruffled his hair. "Just worry about being a kid, Fuuta."

Fuuta looked up at her through his bangs. He hesitated for a second. He bit his lip and then nodded to himself. Letting go of his book, he moved fast and hugged her waist. His face pressed into her side as a few tiny tears leaked from his eyes. Tsuna smiled softly and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Thank you, Sawada-san."

"You can call me Tsuna, Fuuta."

"Thank you, Tsuna-nee."

It had been a week since Fuuta had joined the Sawada household. Tsuna, in an effort to maintain peace in the household, was taking all three of her kids out to the park. Bianchi had agreed to stay at home with Nana. The poison specialist hadn't seen one of Nana's attacks, so she didn't understand why Tsuna and I-Pin both insisted she stay close to Nana, but had seen the value in keeping the Sawada matriarch protected with a mafia famiglia after one of the children under her roof. Tsuna only hoped her mother didn't have an attack in front of the assassin. I-Pin she could trust. She was still iffy on Bianchi.

"Nee-san, Lambo-sama wants grape candy!" the cow print wearing child shouted at the top of his lungs. Tsuna inhaled deeply, counted to ten, and stared down at him with a frown on her face. The day she met the Bovino family was the day she was committing mass slaughter.

"You will get your grape candy at the end of the day if you are good." she stated. Lambo continued to whine to the point Tsuna had her hands clenched tightly at her sides. With smooth, quick movements, she pulled her backpack off her shoulder and pulled out a length of rope. He fell silent almost instantly at the sight of the object.

"Already threatening the brat with the rope, Tsuna-hime?" Hayato humphed and crossed his arms over his chest. The bomber did not get along with the Bovino child, and it was only the Bovino child he didn't get along with. I-Pin and Fuuta didn't bother him like the loud mouthed, undisciplined child. He wouldn't strike the boy—he had seen how Tsuna reacted to that—but tying the boy up was acceptable.

"Broccoli monster loud." I-Pin complained as she strolled along Tsuna's left side.

"Ah," Fuuta opened his mouth to speak but closed it. He looked away and clutched his book tightly in his hands. He hadn't let the precious book of rankings out of his sight since. He may trust Tsuna, but years of conditioning kept him from wanting to separate from it. The one time he had tried, he had dropped into a panic attack, much to Tsuna's horror.

The yakuza boss sighed and put the rope back in the backpack. The boy got the idea. "Lambo, jus-just go. Go run off that energy. Play. Have fun."

The Bovino child let out a shrill laugh and took off far faster than he should have been. At least the Bovino had trained the child enough to survive traveling on his own. Tsuna still wasn't feeling merciful toward them, though.

"I-Pin keep eye on Broccoli Monster. No get in trouble." I-Pin stated and wandered off in the direction the cow child had ran off. Tsuna looked in that direction and watched as the boy seemed to bend space-time in order to be in three places simultaneously. She stared blankly before turning away. She would just ignore that.

"Fuuta, go have some fun. It's not right for you to be inside all day." she said and gently pushed the eldest of her three children's shoulder. He looked up at her with wide eyes for a second before looking down at his book. Looking over at the other two children playing on the equipment, he felt the pull to go have fun, something that was still new and exciting to him. He'd never gotten the chance to act like a kid before. He bit his lip and nodded to himself.

"Tsuna-nee, will you keep my book safe?"

Tsuna's lips twitched upwards into a smile as she held out her hands to take the precious book. Fuuta placed it into her hands and ran off, but not before sending one last worried look at the book. He hadn't been willingly separated from it in so long, but he could trust Tsuna-nee. He hoped so at least.

"I'm still amazed at your luck." Hayato observed as he watched the kids play. "I know of many famiglie who would give up all their riches just to have possession of the Ranking Prince for one day."

"His name's Fuuta." Tsuna growled and clutched the book tightly. "I refuse to call him by that title. He needs a chance to be a kid, not some pawn to be used by the underworld."

Takeshi sighed and placed a gentle hand on his boss's shoulder. Hayato, seeing how aggressive she had become, didn't puff up as much as he usually did when the swordsman touched her.

"He will so long as you're here for him, Tsuna-hime." Takeshi stated and removed his hand as her tenseness began to vanish.

None of them were expecting the first shot.

It said something about Reborn's training that all three of them were moving before they realized that they had even been shot at. Thankfully the shooter had an aim comparable to an Imperial Storm Trooper and missed everyone by a large degree.

Tsuna's eyes widened and everything began to slow down for her. She had no idea how the legion of black suited thugs had been able to hide from her presence, but the soft cursing of "Mist Flame" coming from Hayato gave her one clue. So whoever it was had at least one Flame Active person. More than likely these people were after Fuuta. The way they had arrayed their people told her that. Most of the thugs stood as a barrier between her and her Guardians and the children, not that they would succeed at keeping them separated. I-Pin had already pulled out her Gyoza buns and had taken out three of the idiots. Lambo's seemingly infinite supply of weapons and afro that bent space-time caught a few of them off guard and gave the boy a chance to take them out. Even Fuuta, who seemed the least physically inclined of the three, had managed to leave one of the attackers rolling on the ground and calling for his mommy.

The boy had taken her lesson on dirty fighting well. Nut shots always hurt.

Tsuna dropped Fuuta's book and put herself into a fighting stance. The men grinned widely at her and pulled out weapons. Thankfully none of the closest ones were armed with guns. She only had to worry about one shooter, at least so far. That was good. Gunshots in Namimori never went unreported for long. Hibari would be on the scene soon. All she had to do was stall for time.

"You have no idea who you're dealing with." she stated with a low growl. The lead man laughed. The grating noise made her teeth ache. She'd shut him up first.

"Look at this bitch." the man practically crowed to his amused companions. "She actually thinks she can take us on."

"Hayato?" Her voice was tense. Thankfully the bomber understood what she wanted.

"Yeah, they're Cordova."

A hunter's grin, the grin of the Great Tiger, spread across her face. "No mercy then."

"Yes, Tsuna-hime." both of her boys chimed as one. The thugs weren't expecting that, nor were they expecting the pain that soon followed.

Takeshi struck out fast as he pulled his blade free from where it had been resting on his back. The metal sang as it cut through limbs and drank the blood of his enemies. His eyes remained calm as he wove a swath of death and destruction around him. No movement was unnecessary. No momentum lost. The Cordova thugs didn't have a chance standing up against the natural hitman that he could become for his boss.

Hayato started off his bit of the fight with some disorienting explosions. With Tsuna so close, he couldn't risk using his more impressive arsenal, but the smaller explosives were effective in causing chaos among the ranks. His fingers trailed up to his neck and released the catch on the garrote he kept hidden among the various necklaces he wore. Yes, he was known for explosives, but that wasn't the only weapon in his arsenal. To specialize so narrowly would wind up with an assassin dead, and Shamal was just a bit too afraid of his family to not teach him some tricks. In the confusion at least five Cordova thugs fell to either his garrote or the poisoned darts he disguised as regular pendants. He was the little brother of the Poison Scorpion after all.

Tsuna moved. The battlefield flowed around her. She struck in quick movements. Bone broke beneath her hits. Joints popped and moved in ways they were not supposed to. Hits applied to the weak points of the head took out men twice as large as she and put them down permanently. These men were after her children. There would be no mercy. Only death awaited them. Her teeth glittered dangerously in the mid-afternoon light at the thought. Her Sky Flame roared within her as she stood on the knife edge of entering Hyper Dying Will Mode without the use of one of Reborn's special bullets.

The training the baby hitman had put her through since the incident at the bridge made her more aware of her own Flame and what she was doing with it. A few sparring sessions with Dino made her realize how much effort it took to pull her Flames out of her body. That still left her weak. However, using the power of her Flame internally, that was a whole different matter. Reborn had been pleasantly surprised by the speed at which she picked up those tricks that allowed her to move faster, to see the enemy's attacks coming and dodge. The laughter from the baby hitman terrified the Cavallone Don.

"Tsuna-hime!" Hayato shouted. A moment later a body slammed into hers. She spun on her heel and stared with wide eyes as the silver haired bomber was stabbed by an idiot with a knife.

Everyone felt the air turn to ice in an instant.

Red blood dripped down from the wound on his arm. His opponent wasn't paying any attention to him, however. All attention turned toward the Sky who was leaking sheer want of violence. The thug who had managed to get lucky scrambled back, but it wasn't fast enough. Hayato had an up close and personal view of just how his boss struck out with enough force to rip out the man's throat. Hayato swallowed tightly at the sight. On one hand the amount of blood in the air and on his boss was unacceptable. On the other, Tsuna had never looked as arousing to him as she did in that moment. Every bit of her presence screamed command and practically forced all there to kneel before her and obey.

The Cordova were screwed.

"Wao." Hibari murmured as he took in the scene of utter carnage. The omnivore had really let loose before. Blood and bodies lay on the ground. Three children huddled close to the sword herbivore who always hung around her. The omnivore herself tended to the explosive herbivore. He looked to have been injured, a stab wound from what he could see, and was getting it wrapped up tightly. The omnivore herself was quiet. A heavy air of rage and aggression as well as the tiniest bit of fear hung over her like a cloud. Every time the explosive herbivore opened his mouth to speak, she'd pin him with a glare and he'd fall silent and bow his head in submission. Obviously he had done something beyond getting injured to gain the omnivore's ire.

"Get the bodies." he commanded his men. Without a word, they went about cleaning up the carnage. His lips twitched as he walked over to the omnivore. He knew she probably had a good reason for letting her predatory side free, but it still wouldn't hurt to see if she was still in the mood to fight. He might actually get a challenge from her should that be the case.

"Omni-" he started.

"I'm not in the mood, Hibari." she snapped at him without looking from her subordinate's injury. The prefect's eyes widened slightly before narrowing. He reached down to grab her shoulder and demand an explanation.

A second later he found himself flat on his back with the omnivore pinning him to the ground. She snarled and bared her teeth like an enraged beast. The blood in his veins sang at the potential for violence. He shifted ever so slightly to test out her grip and froze as he realized exactly where her knee was poised to strike. His lips pressed together into a thin line, but he backed down and went limp in her grasp. He was not risking getting a knee to that sensitive an area just to fight her. Obviously her predatory instincts had been forced into overdrive. Best to let her cool off a bit before demanding a spar.

"They're the Cordova. They were after one of the children." she ground out as she stood up. The prefect remained flat on the ground. He was dealing with an enraged mother bear. Do not provoke. His eye darted to a nearby corpse and back to her bloody hands. Had she really torn the man's throat out with her bare hands? Yes, best to let her rage die down a bit before demanding what he wanted.

"I'm going to take mine back to the office." She went silent and turned a frosty glare on the Italian herbivore. "I need to have a discussion with some of them."

"Hn." Hibari grunted and cautiously sat up. She stepped back and eyed him warily before going to check on the children. The loud afro brat cried and begged for candy while the Chinese girl bowed respectfully and kept her guard up. The newest addition to her gaggle of children clutched at a worn, red leather bound book with one hand while wiping tears from his face with the other. Though the boy was obviously scared, he did not shake. There was steel there. A smirk ghosted over the prefect's lips. The omnivore kept such interesting company.

"Hibari-senpai." the sword herbivore greeted him as he sheathed his newly cleaned blade.

"Herbivore."

"Get up, Gokudera. We'll get you looked at properly." the swordsman cajoled the wide eyed Italian.

Tsuna took a moment to survey the battlefield. The Cordova would be hurting or possibly all out destroyed due to her actions. They deserved it. One of her own had been injured by them and they were after her children. Still, something settled uneasily in her stomach. There had been a shooter at the beginning of the fight, yet they had not found anyone with a gun. Also, whoever the Mist Flame was had vanished or been killed early on. Her instinct told her it was the former option rather than the latter. A sinking suspicion formed in her gut, but she didn't have any proof. She inclined her head ever so slightly toward the prefect and ushered the children off to the office.

She needed to have a talk with Hayato.

The office was silent for once. Every member of the Akatora could feel the tension in the air and see the anger on their boss's face. The fact that Hayato was walking behind her with his head bowed and cringing every time he looked at her told everyone who exactly the Great Tiger was angry at this time. Takeshi's pitying and concerned looks were just icing on the cake and confirmed everyone's suspicions.

The children had been left in one of the rooms with one of Rumiko's girls who had younger siblings. The children were shaken but recovering. Violence like what they had seen was, sadly, not new to any of them. Fuuta seemed to be the most distressed of all of them, but Tsuna had a feeling it was because of who had come after him rather than the fact they had been attacked at all. The signs were there that the Cordova hadn't been the kindest hosts for the Ranking Prince. He flinched at loud noises, refused to be far from his book, and made himself small and meek to avoid attention.

"In." Tsuna demanded as she held the door to her office open. Her boys flinched at the cold tone her voice had taken. While Hayato had no experience with Tsuna when she spoke in that tone, Takeshi did. The last time he had heard it, he had nearly jumped off the middle school's roof due to his baseball obsession and an arm injury. She had grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hauled him away from the edge before sliding straight into a lecture about how much of an idiot he was and 'did he want his father to go through the pain of burying him'? The swordsman had took her words to heart and had followed her ever since.

She strode into the center of the room and pointed at the couch. "Hayato, sit. Takeshi, door."

"Yes, Tsunami-sama." Takeshi stated formally and bowed before going to man the door.

Hayato, still not looking up or speaking, sat down where told. He sent a nervous glance at Tsuna and then a side glance to Takeshi, who had taken to staring blankly at the far wall like a statue. So, this was it. This was where she was going to tell him to get lost, that he was worthless, that he didn't deserve to be beside her, that he…

"Hayato! Breathe." Tsuna commanded. Her hand came up to the back of his head and pushed it down between his knees. It was strange. He hadn't noticed his chest tightening or his breath coming in short, rapid puffs or the tears running down his face. His hand shook even as they clutched tightly to his pant legs. He felt Tsuna card her fingers through his hair, but that just made thing worse. She was going to be all gentle and soft and she was going to get rid of him because he was weak and stupid and got injured.

"Hayato? ... Hayato?" Her voice sounded muffled to his ears. "Hatato, I said breathe!"

Her voice twisted into her commanding tone. Hayato instantly obeyed as something in his subconscious recognized the tone. His breathing, still shaking and weak, started to smooth out. His eyes remained wide and unseeing. Another set of hands, these larger than Tsuna's and more powerful, ran down his back in an effort to soothe him. The Italian had no idea how much time had passed before he came back to his senses. He blearily lifted his head and looked up at the two who had been trying to calm him.

"Fuck! That was scary." Takeshi said. It was one of the few times the bomber had heard the swordsman curse and just made him feel worse than he already felt.

"Panic attacks usually are when you don't know what to do." Tsuna agreed, her head nodding gravely and stood up from where she had sat down next to the Italian. "Why does this not surprise me?"

Again the tight feeling compressed around his chest and the air rushed from his lungs. Hayato's fingers spasmed as he tried to fend off another attack. A second later, a soothing hand ran through his hair and down his neck. The bomber froze and looked to the side where Takeshi was watching him with those eyes that missed nothing, the eyes of a hitman watching his prey.

Really, that look shouldn't have been as arousing as it was, but he blamed that on the hotheadedness caused by his panic attack.

"Hayato." Tsuna said softly to catch his attention.

"I'm sorry, Tsuna-hime!" the Italian bowed from his sitting position. "I'm sorry. I promise I'll get stronger, get better. I promise."

Tsuna lifted a hand to stop the rapidly streaming words. She sent a loaded glance to Takeshi. He nodded and backed off slightly. She came to stand in front of the rapidly paling Italian, not that his already pale skin had much color to lose. Then she did something Hayato hadn't expected a crime boss to do: she knelt down in front of him. She lifted one hand and ran it through his hair. A faint blush formed on his face as he felt the gentle motion and saw the sadness in her eyes.

"The mafia really fucked you up, didn't it?" She sighed and continued to run her fingers through his hair. It was a soothing motion and was soon joined by Takeshi running a hand firmly but not painfully down his back. "Hayato, do you know why I'm mad?"

"Because I was weak and got injured." he recounted and tried to avoid her eyes. Those eyes made him hurt. Tsuna shouldn't have that kind of sadness. He vaguely heard the sword-idiot inhale sharply.

"No." She shook her head and leaned back. "That's not true. You are not weak. Highly specialized in your combat area, yes, but not weak. Your over specialization can be changed. Maybe get you some shooting lessons if you favor mid to long distance fighting as much as I think you do. I have plenty of men who can help you develop that skill. No, I don't think you're weak."

"But-but then...?" he stuttered and lifted his gaze to hers.

"You got hurt for my sake." A heavy silence filled the office. Hayato could see flecks of orange start to form in her chocolate brown eyes. The soft feeling of her flame began to thrum through him. He felt like sobbing as that feeling of belonging, the Harmony of his Sky, curled protectively around him. He wobbled for a second before giving into his urges and falling forward. His forehead rested against her shoulder as his entire body relaxed into that feeling of belonging.

"Oh, Hayato." she murmured and rubbed at his back. Looking over the Italian's shoulder, she met Takeshi's gaze. He nodded. Scooting forward, the swordsman joined in the comforting as he wrapped his arms around the Italian. Hayato didn't even twitch.

"I'm not going to abandon you, Hayato. Never!" she stated firmly but gently as she continued to rub his back. His shoulders began to shake and she felt wetness begin to form on her shoulder. She inhaled sharply. He was crying. Her Flame curled protectively around both of her boys.

"Neither of us will." Takeshi said as he leaned his head on Hayato's neck. That's when the bomber realized what the swordsman was doing.

Sitting up as if he had been burned, the Italian pulled himself out of both their grasps and stared at the other boy in shock. A bright flush covered his cheeks and flowed down his neck beneath his clothes. Green eyes went impossibly wide. His mouth opened and shut like a fish. A tiny squeak came from his throat, and that was it for Tsuna. She began to laugh.

"Your face!" she gasped out as she tried to get control of her laughter. Takeshi gave her an annoyed looked but she continued to chuckle. Taking a few deep breaths, she slowly calmed herself.

"But you - but she - but…!" the Italian choked out. At least he hadn't scrambled further away from Takeshi. There was enough room on the couch for him to do so. It made the swordsman's heart leap into his throat. Maybe he had a chance?

"Did you really not know?" Tsuna asked. "I mean, Takeshi hasn't exactly been quiet about his appreciation of you. There's a reason he likes walking a step or two behind you."

"But-but aren't you two…?" Hayato swung his pointing finger between them in confusion, his eyes wide.

Takeshi grinned that mindless, far too happy grin of his. "We are."

"You're intentionally confusing him." Tsuna reached up and playfully smacked his thigh before turning back to Hayato. "We are together but it's not exactly an exclusive relationship. Remember the lesson Reborn gave on Vongola Ottava?"

"Yeah..." Hayato said with a frown. His eyebrows drew together as he thought about what had been said in that lesson. A moment later his eyes grew wide and mouth dropped open.

"Yeah, female Skies, especially strong female Skies, tend to have harems." She shrugged. "Even before we knew about the Sky thing, we agreed an open relationship fit us rather well. We've both gone out with a few other people, but it never really amounted to anything."

Hayato sat there and just stared at the two before dropping his head into his hands. Takeshi and Tsuna shared a look before Tsuna reached out to touch the bomber's shoulder. His shoulders began to shake.

"Hayato?" Tsuna whispered. The bomber let out a small sob. The sound forced Tsuna and Takeshi into action. Their arms wrapped around Italian. Fingers carded through silver locks. The swordsman and the yakuza boss shared a look over the sobbing teen's head. Tsuna frowned and looked down at the bomber and sighed.

"Why are you crying, Hayato?"

"You-you can't…I'm not," he stuttered out. Sucking in a breath between his clenched teeth, he pushed both of them away and shook his head. "You can't want me."

"And why not?" Tsuna frowned but gave him the space he wanted. Takeshi backed up as reluctantly as she did as well. "You're sweet, caring, tenacious, and attractive as hell. Why wouldn't we want you?"

"No one wants me," he said softly. He kept his head bowed and the line of his shoulders slumped further. The boy really believed those words. It made her heart ache but not nearly as hard as the next words out of his mouth did. "They always push me away. I'm not good enough for them. Never good enough. Just a pianist's bastard son."

Tsuna pressed her lips together and tongue pressed against the roof of her mouth. She heard Takeshi inhale sharply through his nose. Yeah, she knew the mafia had screwed up the bomber, but she hadn't expected it to be that bad. Her hands shook, but she shoved the anger into a corner of her mind to be dealt with later. Hayato needed her in a calm frame of mind, not bubbling over with rage at those she could not reach at the moment.

"We want you, Hayato, if you'll let us have you. We can prove it to you." she said softly and brushed a hand along his cheek. "You deserve love, Hayato. Let us love you. Please?"

"Yeah, Hayato." Takeshi joined and ran a hand over the top of the Italian's head. Green eyes peered up from underneath silver fringe. "Let us prove how much we care about you. Let us love you."

"I-I," Hayato stuttered before bowing his head, his voice choking into silence. His heart beat hard and fast in his chest. A distinct warmth he barely remembered from his childhood spread through him. No one had really cared since his real mother died. His mouth was dry and his head hurt, a consequence of his panic attacks and crying. The wound on his arm throbbed. Still, he felt better than he had in a long while. He looked out up at his boss. She and the sword-idiot were looking at him with such care and hope in their eyes. His tongue flashed out and wet his lips. They both cared so much, that was obvious, but could-could they really…? He lifted his head and pushed back the dark thoughts running rampant in his head.

"Please, just let us try?" Takeshi begged and Hayato really thought the look did not fit on the normally happy-go-lucky boy's face. It was that look and the one on Tsuna's face that made him break.

"I-I... al-alright." he whispered. Smiles slowly formed on Tsuna and Takeshi's faces. They shared a look between them and gave a barely there nod at one another. Both of them wanted to kiss the Italian but decided that would be too much for him at that point in time.

"You're still having gun lessons." Tsuna stated blandly as she looked back at the silveret but grinned wider. Hayato stared at her, blinked, and let out a rough laugh. The smiles on Tsuna and Takeshi's face grew. They could work with this. Now they just had to make the Italian believe them when they said they cared, that they loved him.

It would be a hard road, but the reward at the end had beautiful eyes and an amazing smile.

AN:So, the relationship marches forward. Hayato's panic attack is akin to me in the middle of one. My brain latches onto one thought and loops around it until I'm shaking and crying. It's hard on me physically, and after a fight where he's been stabbed, I imagine a panic attack would be on Hayato. Hope everyone is still enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it!