AN: So, new chapter. Yea! NaNoWriMo is next month and I'll be more focused on my project for that than this fic. Boo! I might be putting some short pieces from this story on my tumblr, kaliade . .tumblr . com (remove the spaces), so be sure to check it out from time to time.
The Akatora HQ looked like an ant nest that had been knocked over. There wasn't any physical damage, but the sheer number of people hurrying about was impressive to Reborn, who had only seen bits and pieces of his student's empire. Everyone knew where to go and what was needed. He could see people being outfitted with weaponry in one room while in another they got body armor. It was an efficient system that reminded him of the heyday of the CEDEF before the imbecile took over. Lal was going to love Tsuna.
"Wha-what is going on?" Sawada Nana whispered as she looked around before stepping into the room Reborn had led them all to. Instinct pushed her to get as close to Reborn and Bianchi as possible. She shivered.
"Something I had hoped you'd never see," Tsuna stated. Nana's head snapped to her daughter.
The older woman froze at the sight of her child in that kind of clothing. Tsuna grinned sheepishly but made no move to hide herself. She hadn't had a chance to change her clothing from her evening outfit. She'd make time to get into more battle appropriate clothing later, but her people needed her at the helm now.
"Sawada Tsunami, what are you wearing?" Nana burst out.
Tsuna looked down at her clothes and back up at her mother. "Clothes? I was out at karaoke with Rumiko and some of the girls before all this happened. I'll change into something more suitable for the situation in a bit."
Nana stood there with a gaping mouth as she stared at her only child. "You look like a whore."
"Oh, thank you for that, mother," Tsuna drawled even as she hid her wince. "Considering I took fashion advice from a whore to pick this out, it makes sense."
"Tsu-chan," the older woman stuttered out. She had never heard such an acidic tone directed at her from her daughter before.
The yakuza boss sighed and ran a hand through her hair, mussing it further. "I didn't want you to find out about this, not this way at least."
"Tsu-chan, what?"
"Mom, sit down. Please."
"Tsunami, is this really the time?" Reborn asked as he peered up at her from under the brim of his fedora. Leon skittered about at the top. The chameleon obviously felt the tension in the air.
Tsuna glanced down at him and sighed again. "I'll make time for it. I can't leave Mom in the dark now."
"Iemitsu will not be happy. He doesn't want her to know."
"The bastard can kiss my ass."
"Tsunami, language," Nana chastised before realizing just what Reborn had said. "What do you mean my husband doesn't want me to know? Know what?"
Student and teacher exchanged glances. To Reborn's surprise, Tsuna's eyes then tracked over to I-Pin. The child frowned but nodded somberly. His curiosity piqued, the hitman shifted his body language to show he was not going to stop her. He agreed with the fact there was no hiding the secret of organized crime from the kind woman. The fact it would piss off the idiot just made it better.
Tsuna inhaled a long, slow breath. "Mom, you're going to want to sit down for this."
"Tsu-chan?" Nana said as Bianchi and I-Pin guided her to a nearby chair. Lambo, silent since they entered the place she could have sworn was a Love Motel, cuddled up next to her on the couch. I-Pin jumped up and sat at her right. Fuuta, having a good idea what was coming, went over to a free chair as far away from the drama as possible. He may appreciate Nana and care about her, but Tsuna was the member of the family he was closest to. Nana just seemed too air-headed and flighty. She made him uncomfortable when she fawned over him like she did the younger two children.
Tsuna started to pace from one side of the room to the other. "Well, do you remember when I was 9 and that man offered you money for me?"
"Tsu-chan, what are you talking about?"
"Right, you were having one of your spells. I forgot that," Tsuna muttered to herself before coming to a stop.
"Spell?" Reborn asked.
Tsuna ignored the questions and powered on. If she stopped she didn't think she could start again. "Well, you gave me to a man who paid you for me. He took me to a warehouse and I killed him and his boss and his men."
"Tsu-chan!" Nana looked horrified. Whether at her having sold her daughter or her daughter having killed when she was 9, Tsuna couldn't tell.
Tsuna shook her head. "I got out. Remember when that warehouse exploded? I was the one who did that. I thought I had gotten away unscathed. Then Yuusuke found me."
"Yuusuke?" Nana said in a hoarse voice. She was not handling the news well. I-Pin winced as Nana squeezed her little hand tighter. Lambo found himself smooshed up against the woman's side. He was having trouble breathing and his little arms waved about as he tried to find purchase to pull himself out of her grip.
"He was just a low level lieutenant at the time, but he's become my second now. He found me and, well, I've been the head of the Akatora ever since."
"Tsu-chan, who are the Akatora?" Nana's voice was steady and calm and the sound made ice form in Tsuna's veins.
"The Akatora-kai is a yakuza—"
"Yakuza?! Sawada Tsunami, please tell me you are not involved with the yakuza. Please!"
Tsuna bit her lip and looked away. "I can't do that, Mom. I'm sorry. The Akatora are my responsibility. I can't abandon them."
"I-how?" Nana's eyes were wide. She was shaking. Then she went still. Tsuna frowned and shared a look with I-Pin. The Chinese child broke out of Nana's suddenly loose grip to touch the woman's shoulder. Lambo, finally gathering up enough strength to break out of Nana's hold, which had loosened considerably, threw himself off the couch and onto the floor. He landed with a thud and let out a cheer that faded off as he turned around to look at Nana.
"Shit," Tsuna cursed as she stepped forward. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Reborn and Bianchi both tense and go pale. Reborn's eyes were locked on Tsuna.
"Reborn, she's…" Bianchi started to whisper to the hitman but fell silent at a gesture from him.
"I'll contact someone I know to come look at her and confirm it, but we need to focus on the here and now. Tsunami wouldn't have revealed this much to Nana without a reason."
Tsuna ignored the whispered conversation between the two hitmen and placed a hand on her mother's shoulder and gently shook her. Nana's eyes were wide and unfocused, almost glassy in appearance. Something inside Tsuna recoiled at the look. It made her stomach turn. Lambo crawled up onto the couch and poked Nana's arm repeatedly with his finger while begging her to come back. I-Pin was stroking the older woman's hand. Slowly Nana's consciousness returned. She blinked and the vacant stare vanished.
"Tsu-chan?"
"You had another spell."
"You were talking about yakuza and then, nothing."
"So you do remember that part? That I'm a yakuza boss." Tsuna leaned back and let out a sigh. "I never wanted you to find out like this, but the Fuuma-kai aren't going to let me do what I want."
Nana frowned and bit her lip. Her daughter was a yakuza boss. The teen had admitted it, but her Tsu-chan wasn't cruel or anything like how yakuza were supposed to be. It did explain the odd looks her daughter got from the police and the, ah, streetwalkers.
"Tsunami, you said that some civilians had been taken?" Reborn interrupted.
Tsuna took a step back from her mother and turned to her tutor. She nodded. "Hana and Kyoko have both been taken by Fuuma-kai hired punks. They also tried to take Ryohei, but they didn't get that chance. I ran across them being beaten up by Ryohei and intervened when one of them brought out a gun. They're the only reason we had a clue anything was going on."
The baby hitman nodded and frowned. "Hayato and Takeshi?"
"Safe. They're on their way here, actually, and should be here any second. I've made the call for everyone to come in. I've put calls out to allied families to take care of the Fuuma-kai presence in their areas. What information we've gotten from our captives had the head of the Fuuma-kai here in Namimori at a warehouse just on the edge of town. That's also where they've got the girls." Tsuna's frown turned into a bloodthirsty grin that scared her mother and Lambo. "As soon as everyone is armed, we'll be taking care of him. I'm sending most of my men into neighboring areas to take care of the Fuuma-kai presence there while my closest and myself take care of the leader."
"What do you need with us?" Bianchi asked and sat in one of the available seats.
"Keep an eye on the kids and mom for me. It's unlikely the Fuuma-kai will attack here, but better safe than sorry. Also, feel free to take care of the punks that were attacking Ryohei. Reborn, I'd appreciate it if you could go ahead and get into a sniping position just in case we need the backup, but please don't shoot unless it's necessary." Tsuna inhaled softly and turned so she couldn't see the horrified look on her mother's face. "This is something I need to do. The Fuuma-kai leader dies at either my hand or my men's."
Reborn nodded, his entire countenance serious. This wasn't his student asking for his help, a favor, but a proud yakuza boss. He'd willingly give it. He despised those who caused harm to civilians and the other information his contacts had dug up on the Fuuma-kai hadn't painted a much better picture. Scum like them did not deserve to exist. Still, it was something that Tsunami, as the leader of a yakuza family, needed to do herself or be seen as weak for bringing in outside help. Or to proof it was a matter of pride. The two girls taken were her civilian friends and had been targeted because of that. Her actions were as much revenge as anything else.
The door to the room opened and Takeshi and Hayato stumbled in. The two boys were flushed and breathing heavily. They had ran from their homes to HQ it seemed.
"Tsuna-hi—what the hell?" Hayato gaped at Tsuna's appearance before his skin flushed a bright red. Takeshi colored as well even though he had seen her in such outfits before.
The swordsman licked his lips. "You were out with the girls, weren't you?"
"Yes. Now I'm going to go get changed into something more practical. Go see Yahiko for some body armor. Hayato, you'll need to see Ikeda for a gun. I know you've been getting lessons and I'd rather you have one and your usual arsenal for when we do this."
"Yes, Tsuna-hime." Hayato was out the door. Tsuna took note of the blush on his face and made a mental note to wear her karaoke-outing outfits around the bomber. His reactions were just too cute. Really, the boy needed to learn he was allowed to touch and show affection. Maybe getting his hormones ramped up would help him break through his self imposed limitations in their relationship.
"Are you going to change, Tsuna?" Takeshi asked with a tilted head.
She snorted and nodded. "Now that I know you're both here and Mom and the kids are safe, I'll go get changed into something more appropriate. Now go get some body armor and check in with Yuusuke. He has the updated information on what we can expect."
"Sure, Tsuna." With a lazy wave, the swordsman walked out the door.
"Tsu-chan…" Nana whispered. Tsuna tensed and looked over her shoulder at her mother. "You really…you're going to kill…"
Tsuna winced and turned away so her mother couldn't see her face. Her hands clenched into fists at her side. Her shoulders rose and fell as she took a deep breath. "Yes. There's no choice, and it wouldn't be the first time."
With those words, she walked out the door to get changed. She never looked back. She didn't think she could handle her heart breaking at the horrified look that must have been on her mother's face.
Tsuna pulled her custom body armor over her chest and secured it. She tugged on it a bit to be certain it was secure. She paused and turned to look at the full length mirror on the wall of the room she had chosen to change in. The room was one of the more requested rooms in the hotel HQ used as a front. Tsuna really didn't understand the idea of watching yourself have sex. The entire wall the bed was shoved up against was lined with mirrors. Even the ceiling had mirrors. She really felt sorry for the person who had to clean all of them. A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts.
"Tsuna-hime?" Hayato's voice called from the other side of the door.
"Come in, Hayato. It's unlocked."
The door opened and both her boys walked in. Takeshi looked sleek in his form fitting body armor. It was less protecting than hers or Hayato's, but the swordsman needed to sacrifice protection for speed and maneuverability. His vest would still protect him from bullets, but there were no stab plates and there was a better than normal chance he'd end up with a broken rib if he was shot. Tsuna always worried when he went into a fight with it on.
Hayato on the other hand had a more tactical set of body armor that one would be more likely to find on a soldier rather than the sleeker version she wore. She knew the bomber had packed away his preferred weapons and creations he'd made himself. While the latter wouldn't see much use in this fight as they didn't have gas masks readily available, the explosives would be very welcome for the breeching she was certain was going to occur. Only an idiot wouldn't barricade the doors if they knew the enemy was after them.
"You two ready?" she asked. The boys shared a look she wouldn't have seen had it not been for the giant mirrors. "Hayato, Takeshi?"
"How are you dealing with this, Tsuna?" Takeshi asked as he came up to her side and wrapped an arm over her shoulders. "I know how hard you've worked to keep Nana out of this."
Tsuna's shoulders shook for a second. That seemed to be Hayato's cue to come up on her other side and wrap an arm around her waist. She blinked and looked over at him in surprise. The Italian was surprisingly shy and didn't usually initiate touch all that often. The faint blush on his face was cute, but the concerned look in his eyes made her breath freeze in her lungs. His jade eyes seemed to glow as he firmly met her own gaze.
"We're here for you, Tsuna-hime," he said. His fingers gently kneaded into her hip.
Takeshi hummed in agreement and placed his chin on her shoulder. Yes he had to lean over a bit to do it, but it was worth it to show her just how much he loved her. "We'll back you if Nana decides to do something stupid like throw you out."
Tsuna's eyes closed as she fought back the tears that wanted to flow. She didn't have time for tears, not when there were enemies in her territory and her civilian friends were in danger. She swallowed thickly. These were her boys, pieces of her heart. She inhaled and held it as she fought back the urge to just break down and cry in their arms. Everything was happening all at once and it was overwhelming. She had revealed the truth to her mother, her mother had had another attack, the Fuuma-kai had taken her friends, and then here were her boys offering their shoulders to her.
"Later," she said as she opened her eyes but didn't step out of their holds. "We need to take care of the Fuuma-kai first. Then…well then I'll deal."
"Boss," Yuusuke said as he appeared in the doorway and froze at the intimate sight in the room. Three sets of eyes looked up at him. "Um, right. The Hibari boy is in the front and demanding to see you. He looks ready to kill."
"Fuck. How did he know?"
"He's got the loud boxer with him. He's being surprisingly quiet and is unnerving some of the newer men."
"Ryohei? He must have gone to Hibari when he found Kyoko missing. The punks that took her probably weren't gentle and left evidence of a struggle. I'll be right there. Have someone show them to an empty room."
"Yes, boss," her second said and hurried off.
"Tsuna-hime," Hayato whispered in her ear. She shook her head and gently pulled herself out of the shared embrace. There was no time for it. She had a yakuza boss to slay, a Hibari to placate, and an older brother to calm.
Hibari was not prone to pacing. It was undignified and not proper carnivore behavior. That said, he had the strongest urge to get up from the seat in the room he and the oddly quiet loud mouthed herbivore had been brought to. He had never had reason to come to the omnivore's true den before even if he knew where it was located. She kept her not-so-legal business to herself and hidden away from where it could besmirch the Namimori name.
The door opened to reveal the omnivore stepping in with the foreign herbivore and the smiling herbivore flanking her. Both were visibly armed. Hibari's eyebrow shot up at the site. This was promising. The omnivore was showing her pack's fangs.
"Hibari," she greeted him with a nod before turning to the quiet herbivore. "Sasagawa, I'm sorry to hear Kyoko was kidnapped. I'll do every—"
"I'm coming with you, Sawada," the white haired boy stated in an uncharacteristically soft tone.
"I…you have no idea what is going on, Sasagawa. It's going to be dangerous."
The boxer snorted and shook his head before meeting her amber gaze with his own gray ones. "Sawada, I have a good idea what's going on. The people at the fights whisper your name in fear. Only yakuza could get a reaction like that from them."
Tsuna winced at his words and the very apparent lack of his trademark phrase. The boxer was obviously angry. His hands were curling and uncurling. Muscles tensed beneath tanned skin.
"It's going to be dangerous," she said with a sigh. Her shoulder slumped. It would be better for the boxer to come with her rather than go on his own like her Intuition told her he would. "If you are sure, I can lend you some armor and maybe a set of brass knuckles. You'll need them. We aren't taking prisoners."
"Omnivore," Hibari's voice broke through the conversation. His eyes had narrowed dangerously on those last words. "Explain."
"The Fuuma-kai have taken Sasagawa Kyoko and Kurokawa Hana because of their connection to me. I am getting them back and ending this. Intel says the Fuuma-kai Lear is in Namimori. We're likely walking right into a trap, but I don't think this idiot is taking me seriously or he would have just hired a sniper to take me out instead of an elaborate plot like this."
"Don't say that, Tsuna-hime," Hayato groaned and rubbed at his head. "Now I'm going to have nightmares about that scenario."
She turned her head to look back at her boys and smirked. "That's what Reborn is around for."
She ignored the grumbling coming from her bomber and turned back to the glaring prefect. "Look, if you want to come, Hibari, you'll obey my instructions."
"Omnivore," the teen growled at her. The other teens sucked air into their chests and took a step back at the hostile sight.
"I'm not backing down on this, Hibari. The Fuuma-kai are ruthless and we are dealing with hostages. A lone wolf, someone getting out of place in the plan, will end with someone dying. Either you agree to follow my lead or I knock you out and leave you tied up here. Your choice."
Hibari growled and took a threatening step forward. His hands went to his tonfa only to stop in place as the air pressed down on him. The omnivore hadn't moved, hadn't shifted, but the room felt so heavy. His mouth went dry. The tiny hairs on the back of his neck raised as his instincts screamed to back down from the dangerous predator. He swallowed dryly and reluctantly, hesitantly, stepped back. His heart thudded hard in his chest.
"Hn." He grunted and backed down.
Tsuna relaxed. Her Flame stopped filling the air. Shoulders dropped into a more relaxed stance as she turned to look at the wide eyed boxer. "That goes for you, too, Sasagawa. You follow my lead. You do as I say, and I will do everything in my power to get your sister home safe and sound."
Ryohei stared at Sawada Tsunami. He had no doubts she would do exactly as she said. Something deep in his gut told him so and he had long ago learned to listen to that voice. It usually led to him not getting hit in a fight.
"Yeah. I understand, Sawada."
"It's Tsuna," she stated blandly and turned to leave the room. "If you're going to fight with me, you can call me that. Takeshi, make sure they get some body armor and make sure Ryohei gets a set of knuckles."
"Sure, Tsuna."
"Hayato, with me. I want you to take a look at the info we've gathered."
"Yes, Tsuna-hime."
It was dark, nearly pitch black with only a handful of security lights attached to the warehouses providing any illumination. No one should have been in the industrial district so late at night. Usually the police would catch those who were up to no good. They had been called off by the Hibari clan. No one questioned it or the warning the youngest Hibari gave of having every available coroner come in and standby.
The bloodbath would be a legend in the Namimori police force for years to come.
Tsuna had placed herself with Hibari and Ryohei. She had the best chance of keeping the two from striking each other. They'd be the main fighters and the ones who would come in from the front. Team two, consisting of Takeshi and Hayato, would sneak in a back way and find the girls. As it was, team one was waiting for team two to signal that the girls had been found.
"Omnivore," Hibari grumbled but fell quiet upon seeing the look on her face. A chill ran down his spine at the cold look.
"We wait. I won't have our entrance threaten the girls."
Ryohei practically vibrated where he was waiting and watching. He had been told to keep his mouth shut. He knew his normal volume would attract attention. That attention could get his sister hurt or killed. His jaw clenched and teeth ground together as he adjusted the knuckles he had been given. Normally he hated using any weapons. His fists could do enough damage, but these bastards had taken his little sister. They deserved every bit of pain he could dish out.
"Calm, Ryohei," Tsuna said and laid a hand on his shoulder.
Whatever she opened her mouth to say next was lost to the explosion.
Tsuna's head snapped around to the warehouse and a feral grin curled over her lips. She made a motion to the two boys and took off running toward the flaming wreckage. Hibari, not one to be outdone, quickly caught up with her and sailed past. He leapt over a bit of flaming debris and slammed his tonfa into the first herbivore he found inside. There was a satisfying crunch of broken bone. His prey hit the ground and rolled to a stop, not that the demon prefect watched. He was already on another herbivore.
Ryohei entered next with a punch actually shattering a large piece of flaming debris. Tsuna eyed the tiny pieces that were left and gave the boxer's back an odd look. Now she knew the boxer was holding back during his fights. Her throat went dry as she watched him punch someone once and snap their neck. Her jaw opened slightly and then closed. Why the hell was everyone she knew a secret, or not-so-secret, badass?
Shaking her head, she stepped into the fray herself. The idiotic Fuuma-kai must have recognized her as they charged her. They made the unfortunate mistake of taking their eyes off the boys. Only two of the seven managed to get close to her. She snorted and ducked under the first sloppy knife thrust, twisted her body around the kick aimed at her ribs, and ended one of them with her favored method of crushing the larynx with a well placed punch. She moved out of the way of the falling body and grabbed the arm that reached out to grab her. Throwing the body attached to the arm over her shoulder, she followed up by removing one of her knives and stabbing the idiot in the throat while he was down.
Standing upright, she kicked at the newly made corpse with a sneer. She looked up at the emptiness of the warehouse and frowned. The fires had burned out as the sprinklers had come on and what little flammable bits there were had been mostly eaten up by the explosion itself. "This was too easy."
"So nice of you to notice," an older male voice called out from the darkness above. The three teens looked up. Tsuna frowned, peered into the shadows, and snorted as she recognized the person standing hidden.
"Mizushima Daichi." Her stance shifted and the bloody knife went back into its sheath. "So you actually came yourself? I thought you were too much of a coward for that."
"You bitch!" one of the men surrounding Mizushima snapped.
Tsuna smirked. The two boys next to her growled. She surpassed the urge to blink and stare at Hibari. That noise was not normal. Ryohei she could understand. The boxer was well known for having a dislike of certain words being used around women. Hibari had no such problem with coarse language.
"Tsuna, who's he?" Ryohei asked with a low growl in the back of his throat.
The tiny hairs on the back of Tsuna's arms stood on end. There was something in that tone that made her wary of the normally bright and happy boy. "Mizushima Daichi, the leader of the Fuuma-kai. He's the one who would have given the order to take Kyoko and Hana. He's a known Coward, preferring poison and blackmail over proper battle."
"I prefer that I'm am just more wiser than you little cretins," the man drawled and stepped properly into the light. He was old, in his 50s or 60s, with short graying hair that was receding fast. His suit was old and not of a quality Tsuna would have thought he'd wear. Her eyebrow twitched upward. That was telling. A picture started forming in her mind.
"Money problems, Mizushima? Is that why you've decided to come after my territory?" She snorted. "How droll. Well, you were stupid enough to do something as taboo as attack civilians."
The man's eyes narrowed into a glare. It did little to make his wrinkles look better. "And yet, you've walked right into my hands. I'd say they did the job. Right into my hands, Great Tiger."
The way he sneered her title made her hackles rise. Her lips pulled back in a silent snarl.
"Ah, ah." The man smirked down at her as his bodyguards clustered closer to the edge of the catwalk and looked down at her and the boys. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to those girls, would you?"
Tsuna's eyebrow twitched. Her hand flashed out to block Ryohei from moving forward. She looked over at him and shook her head. "You are scum."
"Then you are giving up?" He nodded. "How wise of you. I had thought you'd put up a greater fight."
The Akatora boss snorted and shook her head slightly. Her fingers caressed the pommel of her knives. Mizushima frowned before his eyes widened. He turned and opened his mouth to shout.
Bang!
The sound of a gunshot rang out. Mizushima fell to the ground with blood quickly appearing on his chest. Blood trickled out his mouth and nose before his body fell to the ground like a puppet with the strings cut. The bodyguards started to react, but it was too late.
The sound of a sword being unsheathed. A movement out the corner of the eye and that was it for them. A second later three headless bodies dropped to the ground and Takeshi stood in all his calm, chilling glory among them. Behind the swordsman, Hayato had the gun Tsuna had demanded he learn to use out. His hands were shaking, but she knew he'd get over the jitters running through his system at the moment.
"Wao," Hibari muttered as he stared at Takeshi. The prefect turned from the swordsman and down to Tsuna. She grinned. A shiver ran through Hibari at that look.
"Nicely done," Tsuna congratulated her boys. "The girls safe?"
"Yeah, is my sister safe to the extreme?" Ryohei shouted.
"Ah, yeah," Takeshi nodded as he sheathed his blade. "Rumiko got them away safely and took them to the hospital."
Tsuna frowned. "Hospital? Did they do something to them?"
Hayato shook his head as he holstered his gun. "Nothing more than bruises and chaffing from the rope they had them tied up with."
"So not extreme," Ryohei muttered. Tsuna felt something in her uncoil at the fact the boxer was using his trademark phrase again.
"What are we doing with the bodies? There's a bit too many for how we usually do it," Takeshi said as he frowned down at the headless corpses.
"My family will be taking care of it, herbivore," Hibari grumbled and met Tsuna's eyes in a battle of dominance. She refused to back down and squared her shoulders. He inclined his head slightly but didn't let up the stare.
"Thank your father for me, please," she said and turned to leave. "Ryohei, one of my girls will give you a ride to the hospital. Tell Kyoko and Hana I'll talk to them soon. I need to apologize for this."
"Tsuna-hime, wait up!" Hayato yelled and hurried back down the ladder he and Takeshi had used to get onto the catwalk unnoticed. The swordsman said nothing but followed after his partner. Tsuna chuckled in amusement but made her way through the broken warehouse back to the night air. Her boys hurried and caught up to her side moments later.
"Well done, Tsunami. You two as well," Reborn greeted them as they stepped outside. Tsuna was mildly surprised he hadn't chosen to sneak up on them, but figured he was giving them a break due to what they had just done.
"Thanks, Reborn," Tsuna said and yawned. Now that her adrenaline levels were falling, she was feeling the exhaustion that came with battle. "How about we head back to the office and get some sleep?"
Hayato frowned. "You're not going home?"
The edges of her lips bent into a frown. "I don't think I'm welcome at home at the moment and I'm not sure if it's safe to go back there just yet. Best to wait a day or two to mop up the stragglers and then let Mom and the kids go back home after."
"Tsunami, we need to talk about your mother," Reborn cut into their conversation. The serious tone and the serious body language caught her attention quickly. "I've seen issues like your mother's before. How long has she been having those episodes?"
She frowned. "Since I was 5 or so. I remember it was around the time that Bastard stopped coming home. The psychiatrists all said it had to do with her not coping with him being gone, but that never sounded right to me."
"Reborn, you don't think…" Hayato started to say but fell silent when the hitman looked at him.
"I am calling in Shamal to verify it, but if it is, Iemitsu has much to answer for."
"Reborn?" Tsuna's voice was cold and hard. "What is going on?"
The hitman frowned and shook his head. "Wait until Shamal gets here and can look over your mother. If it is what I think it is, Nono will have to be informed."
"Shamal?" Her eyebrows narrowed as she tried to think of why that name was so familiar. "Wait. You mean Trident Shamal? That letch?"
Hayato snorted. "He's a fantastic doctor, if you can stand his personality. He was my mentor for a while."
"When will he be here?" Takeshi asked as Tsuna tried to decide whether or not to press her boyfriend for more information.
"Within the week if he knows what's good for him. Tsunami, go get some sleep. You deserve it for this. A very well planned raid and execution, not to mention complete annihilation of your enemy."
Tsuna grinned, the smile shining radiantly in the night. "Why thank you, Reborn."