AN: So my Nano idea this year blew up in my face. I decided to write this instead. Enjoy!


Tsuna sipped at her coffee. Mentally she blessed Bianchi and Reborn's addiction to the dark substance and the fact that due to said addiction there was always coffee in the house. Personally, the yakuza boss preferred tea. Tea wouldn't make a dent in the sheer exhaustion she was feeling though. Her eyes ached. Her muscles ached. She would swear even her teeth ached. She'd gotten less than 10 hours of sleep in the last four days. She and the Akatora had been far too busy taking care of the stragglers of the Fuuma-kai. As of two hours ago, Tsuna had completely taken over all the old Fuuma-kai properties and businesses. Yuusuke was already buried in paperwork.

It would be good practice for when she had to leave for Italy.

Tsuna sipped at her sweetened drink again. The drink burned hot and bitter across her tongue. Clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, she sighed and set the mug on the table. Her eyes drifted to her watch and her lips pursed together. Hayato and Takeshi should be back soon. It couldn't have taken them that long to do what she had asked.

The sound of the door opening caught her attention. She looked up from where she had been studying the dark liquid in her mug and smiled slightly as her boys entered the dining room. They nodded to her and took their places at her sides. Behind them, the Sasagawa siblings and Hana stood in the doorway.

"Come in and have a seat," she invited them and motioned to the chairs in front of her desk. She turned to Hayato. "Please go get the tea from the kitchen. Mom prepared it before she took the kids out to the park."

"Yes, Tsuna-hime," Hayato said and went to get the tea. Tsuna turned back to her guests and frowned at the appearance of the two girls. They had both been pretty roughed up by their captors. Bruises marred their wrists, and presumably their arms, though their long sleeves hid those. Makeup was expertly applied to their faces. Tsuna may have no talent in putting it on, but she could spot when someone was trying to cover a bruise with concealer and foundation. She had beaten more than one of her girls' boyfriends when she discovered what they were trying to hide.

"Tsuna, what is this about? You sent the monkeys to get us and now you're playing hostess," Hana stated blandly. "We all know you aren't yamato nadeshiko material like your mother. So what is going on?"

Tsuna sighed as Hayato appeared from the kitchen and carried the tea service to the table. Sitting it down, he took his place at his boss's right side once more. She glanced over at Takeshi from the corner of her eye and nodded slightly. Her swordsman leaned forward and began to pour tea for everyone present. Hana frowned, her eyes narrowed at the action. Her lips pursed together tightly into a line as her brows furrowed in confusion. Even Kyoko look like a confused puppy. The only one who had any inkling of what was going on outside of Tsuna and her boys was Ryohei. He would never expect a yakuza boss to serve anyone. It wasn't something that happened outside of what he knew about their initiation ceremonies he had learned from old movies.

He sincerely hoped those movies were as accurate as they could be.

Tsuna blew gently on the hot green tea as she lifted it to her mouth. Inhaling the aroma, she kept her gaze locked on her civilian friends as they sipped at their tea. Taking a sip for herself, and seeing her boys do the same in her peripheral vision, she decided the next course of action.

"I am sorry for whatever pains you have suffered from knowing me."

"Eh? Tsuna, what do you mean?" Kyoko asked as she set her tea down and absently rubbed at one of the purple bruises circling her wrist. "You haven't done anything."

"You're right. I haven't done anything, but those injuries—" here she made a vague motion with one hand to encompass all of them— "are my fault."

"Explain, Sawada," Hana growled. Her grip tightened on the delicate cup. Her eyes narrowed darkly as her mind began to put pieces of the puzzle she didn't know she was trying to solve together. Her blood chilled.

Tsuna's lips curled up into a sad smile. "Those punks that took you, they were hired by someone who wanted to use you to get to me." She sipped her tea. "Tell me, did an old man in a bad suit talk to either of you while you were tied up? Did he threaten you? Say anything?"

"He-he said something about making the tiger pay," Kyoko stuttered out with wide eyes. Her hands shook. Hot tea sloshed over the lip of the cup and dripped over her hands. Ryohei, seeing his sister's nerves, placed his tea down and wrapped his hands around hers.

"The Great Tiger?" Tsuna asked as her eyes slid shut. A soft breath came out her nose.

"Yes," Hana's voice was soft but filled with steel. Tsuna opened her eyes and looked toward her. Hana's skin had gone pale and a sort of understanding had formed in her eyes.

Tsuna hummed. She inhaled and exhaled slowly. "The Great Tiger is the leader of the Akatora-kai. That is who he wanted to hurt by taking you."

"You," Hana whispered. "You're this Great Tiger."

Kyoko's eyes were wide and scared. Ryohei shared a somber look with Tsuna over his sister's head as he put her cup on the table and wrapped his arms protectively around his petite sister. She was trembling. It made Tsuna sick to her stomach that someone would hurt the kind girl.

"Yes." Tsuna lowered her cup to the table. Beside her, her boys tensed. They could read her body language, could see how uncomfortable she was talking about this with her civilian friends. Still, it was her fault they had been targeted. She was forcing herself to look relaxed. Her boys just knew her too well. It made her heart flutter a bit that they could communicate nonverbally so well, and she wondered if their Flame Bond had something to do with it.

"But, why?" Kyoko whimpered.

"Because he wants my territory. The Akatora-kai have a rather nice amount of capital. The old man has had issues with me since I took over. Sexist asshole." Tsuna grumbled to herself and sighed. "The Fuuma-kai-that's who took you—wanted to force me to surrender. You don't want to know what they would have done to you had I done so."

Ryohei let out a low growl. Kyoko jumped in her brother's arms and stared up at him. She swallowed hard at the dark look in her brother's eyes. His arms tightened around her in an effort to reassure himself that she was safe. She turned her attention back to her cooling tea.

"So this was all due to yakuza? Because we're friends with you?" Hana stated in a cold, emotionless tone. Her teeth grit together as Tsuna gave her a bland stare and simply nodded.

"Yes," the yakuza boss said. "I'll understand if you want nothing to do with me now."

"I…" Kyoko started but fell silent. Her head tucked down, her chin resting against her chest as she refused to meet Tsuna's eyes.

"Sawada, thank you," Ryohei said as the girl's silence fell long. Tsuna's eyes shot to his own. "You promised me you would keep my sister safe and get her back from those men, to the extreme. You did. Thank you to the extreme."

"Sasagawa," Tsuna started but fell quiet at his look. He wasn't finished.

"I owe you to the extreme."

"No, you don't." She shook her head. The tiny knot of power in her chest she associated with her Flames began to curl and unfold. It vibrated and sang in a way she was not familiar with. She had a sinking feeling as she stared at the boxer.

"Yes, I do, Tsuna. You risked everything to the extreme for my sister. You kept those fighters from injuring me to the extreme and taking me with you to that warehouse." He let out a deep breath and untangled himself from his stunned sister. She had never heard that tone from him before. It was respectful but there was something else, something deeper.

"Monkey, what did you do?" Hana broke into the conversation. She was confused.

Tsuna picked her tea back up and took another mouthful of the now tepid liquid. "The Fuuma-kai sent a group of punks after Sasagawa. I happened across their attempt at taking him, but they weren't exactly expecting someone as good at fighting as him. Then one of them pulled out a gun. I intervened."

The boxer nodded. "She kept me from being shot to the extreme."

"Thank you, Tsuna," Kyoko whispered. "Thank you for saving my brother."

"Kyoko."

The normally cheery girl had tears in her eyes as she gave Tsuna a smile. "Thank you, Tsuna. None of this was your fault and you protected us as best you could. You saved big brother. You saved us."

Hana looked at her friend and sighed. The happy-go-lucky girl was right. None of this was Tsuna's fault. She had come after them. If she was reading the situation right, she had even taken down a criminal family for harming them. That was…something. She wasn't sure how to deal with that.

"She's right." Hana met Tsuna's eyes which were wise in surprise. "None of this was your fault, Tsuna. I wish we had known about this before, but I'm guessing you couldn't say anything."

Tsuna smiled, the first real smile since the girls had sat down, and shook her head lightly. Her hair swished around her face. "The fewer that know, the less likely I am to deal with the national police."

The group finished off their drinks. Tsuna grimaced at the cold tea, but finished it off anyway. Any caffeine was useful. Her coffee, now very cold, wouldn't be that good and she needed the caffeine to fight off the yawn that wanted to come out. Kyoko and Hana left the base. They waved to Tsuna. Everything wasn't perfect between them, but her civilian friends knew and they accepted her.

"Tsuna," Ryohei paused in the doorway before he followed after his sister, "I was serious to the extreme about oweing you."

"You don't want to do that, Sasagawa. There's no getting out once you're in."

"I know. Still, I owe you, to the extreme, because you protected my sister." He turned and met her gaze. A shiver ran up her spine. She could feel her Flames quiver and reach for something just out of grasp. "Your option isn't nearly as bad as you might think."

With those words, the boxer walked through the door after his sister. Tsuna sat at her desk in shock. An arm dropped over her shoulders. She looked up at Takeshi. A hand reached out and grabbed her hand. Hayato smiled as he lifted the hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

"Not as bad as you thought it would be, eh Tsuna?" Takeshi laughed and he squeezed her shoulder. She leaned into his touch even as she pulled Hayato's hand to her own lips and pressed a kiss to his fingers in gratitude. A blush broke out that became even deeper as Takeshi gave into the temptation and laid a quick kiss to his lips. Tsuna giggled at the Italian went red and flailed like crazy before he eventually calmed and gave both of them a shy smile that made their hearts warm.


"So, when is Trident Shamal supposed to get here?" Tsuna asked Reborn as she finished up the last bit of her paperwork. She was so glad school was on break. She doubted she would have been able to come up with a decent excuse for her absence as well as her boys. She'd likely have had to rely on Hibari for one. He'd have demanded another spar from her.

Reborn looked up from where he was taking care of his weapons. Yes, he usually used Leon, but he did have others. Only a fool didn't and he was no fool.

"Today."

Tsuna stopped in the middle of signing and looked up at him. "What? Wait, who's going to meet him?"

"He'll eventually make himself known, Tsunami."

"Before or after he pisses off Hibari? I kind of need him in one piece to treat Mom."

Reborn let out a sort of snorting noise. "Shamal has been an assassin for longer than you've been a crime boss. Hibari Kyoya is a good fighter, but not on Shamal's level yet. Shamal is tricky. He prefers subterfuge and striking from the shadows than brute forcing anything. He's also a master of diseases."

Tsuna groaned and rubbed at the bridge of her nose. She stood up foam her paperwork and headed for the door. Reborn watched her go and smirked as she shut the door behind her. Hook, line and sinker. He was still able to manipulate his student.

Tsuna hurried down the hall. A few of her men who had recovered from the long fighting waved as she passed. Rumiko, hunched over paperwork of her own concerning the sex shops that had been owned by the Fuuma-kai, looked up and grinned as she passed. Tsuna waved to her and sped up. She was so glad she had managed to get some sleep the night before. The fact that she had Hana and Kyoko's forgiveness and still had their friendship had made going to sleep far easier than it had been in the past few days. At least she didn't have a headache anymore.

"Need anything, Tsuna-hime?" the head prostitute chirped.

Tsuna frowned. "Have any of the girls reported anything odd to you? Reborn said Trident Shamal should be in the city sometime today. I want to find him before Hibari does."

Rumiko blinked and then chuckled. "Nope. Nothing from the Grails but I'm going to expect something now. That man has a reputation."

"Yeah, I know. Hayato's got some stories."

"How is your Italian bombshell, by the way? Is your relationship still going good?"

Tsuna smiled and felt her cheeks flush ever so slightly. "It's good. He's getting a bit less touch shy and letting Takeshi and I kiss him without freaking out too badly. He isn't truly insulting Takeshi anymore and he is initiating touch."

Rumiko smiled at her boss. The girl was obviously happy with how her relationship was going. Good. She deserved some happiness in her life. "I'm happy for you, boss."

"Thank, Rumiko," Tsuna said and turned to leave the room. "Make sure to warn the girls about Trident Shamal. I have a feeling we may need to blacklist him."

She stepped out into the hall and was immediately run over. She and whoever had walked into her fell into a heap of tangled limbs. She squirmed for a second but didn't fight as her intuition didn't flare up. Whoever had fallen on her wasn't dangerous. Her head lifted and she found herself face to face with Mochida Kensuke. The kendo captain and newest recruit was a bright red as he tried to scramble off of

her without touching anywhere inappropriate.

"Sorry. Sorry," the boy stuttered out as he scrambled backwards. Tsuna leaned up on her elbows and shook her head at him. Her head turned slightly to the side as she heard something odd and saw Rumiko trying, and failing, to suppress her laughter.

"It's fine, Mochida," Tsuna said as she pulled herself upright. She offered a hand to the other teen and pulled him up. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Still, sorry." He ducked his head.

Tsuna hummed before an idea shot through her head. A smirk curled around her lips and quickly vanished. There was no reason to scare the other off before she managed to get him to agree. "Can you help me with something?"

"Yes, ma'am," Mochida snapped to attention. The men who had been teaching him had explained, very carefully, that if the boss asked you to do anything, you did it.

Tsuna's lips twitched and a mischievous light shone in her eyes. It made the boy nervous.

"Come with me. I'm trying to find someone, a guest my tutor invited. Then, I need you to watch the kids." She motioned for him to follow as she headed off down the hall.

"Kids?"

She nodded and looked over her shoulder at him as she continued to walk toward the exit. "Yeah. I've adopted three. There's I-Pin. She's five and a trained assassin. Her master, who I have the utmost respect for after seeing him lay waste to a group of Triad operatives, asked me to watch over her and keep her out of the Triad's hands until she's old enough to make the decision on whether she wants to be an assassin or not. Then there's Lambo. He's a brat, fair warning. He'll give you the most trouble. Fuuta is quiet and shy and I know he was abused before I took him in but he's good kid all 'round."

Mochida growled. "I hope whoever he was with was taught how wrong their actions were."

"Yes, they were. Very much so." Her voice was vindictive. She turned her head forward and pushed open the external door. "How are you integrating with us, by the way? You've had one of the most hectic initiation periods in recent memory."

"Ah, well, it's different." He looked around furtively. "I wasn't expecting yakuza to be, well, like you guys are."

"Yeah, we're a bit odd even by yakuza standards. I know I get a lot of looks from my fellow family heads. I'm more laid back, but my temper is legendary enough that they don't dare try to capitalize on it."

"Oh," Mochida muttered and fell silent. He didn't know how to talk to this girl. He had thought she was just Hibari's secretary, a scarily efficient one who knew how to fight, but still just a secretary. That she had turned out to be a yakuza boss, and one who was willing to help him, was surprising. She only asked for his loyalty in return.

"How are your siblings?"

"Saya doesn't know how to deal with having her own room, but the girls are helping her with decorating. Kenichi's just happy to be away from Dad."

"Has your father tried anything? Or your mother?"

"I saw Mom at the store a few days ago, but she just ignored me. I haven't seen him around at all. If we're lucky, he's drunk himself to death."

"That's good. Just let me know if either of them give you any trouble." She nodded and smiled at the other teen. "Do you have any questions for me?"

Mochida frowned and bit his lip. He did have one question, but he didn't know if it was a good idea to ask. "No."

"Don't lie, Mochida."

He winced at her tone and the sideways look she gave him. He sighed and looked away. "It's personal, something from before I knew you were yakuza."

"So ask." She looked over at him and frowned. What could he want to know?

Inhaling, he looked ahead so he didn't have to look at her when he asked his question. "Why were you so pissed at me for having multiple girlfriends when you have two boyfriends?"

Tsuna stopped and stared at him. There was a moment of silence before she snorted and broke into laughter. "Oh, Mochida. I was not expecting that, of all things." She regained control of herself and smiled at him. "My issue wasn't that you had multiple girlfriends, it was that they didn't know about each other. They all thought you were with them and only them. Hayato, Takeshi and I, we know about each other and choose to stay together because that's how we feel."

"Huh?"

She smirked and started to walk again. "I started dating Takeshi years ago. We agreed to an open relationship so long as the other was told about any new partner. We hadn't really done it before we met Hayato, but we both agreed we really liked him. We approached him and, well, you can see the result."

Mochida opened his mouth and then shut it as he tried to run that through his head. "So it wasn't about how many but that they didn't know about each other?"

She nodded. "Yes, it was dishonest and unfair to them to think your heart belonged to one of them when it didn't belong to any of them."

Thankfully Mochida didn't have time to respond to her words. Her phone rang. She pulled it out and read a text message. A predatory smirk curled her lips and sent chills down his spine. She put her phone back in her pocket and gave him a wide grin.

"Well, I know where the guy I'm looking for is. Try to keep up."

The yakuza boss ran at a steady pace. She could hear her subordinate running behind her. He was at least keeping pace. All that kendo practice must have paid off for his fitness level. She led him on a merry run through the city toward a commercial area near the school. As she rounded the corner, she came to a complete stop.

"Fuck," she muttered as she caught site of Hibari Kyoya bearing down on a dark haired foreigner in a white coat. He fit the description of Trident Shamal that Hayato had given her. She turned to Mochida as she heard him run up behind her. "I'm going to do something very stupid. Don't interfere."

With that warning, Tsuna charged into the fray. Her hand reached out and grabbed Hibari's arm. Planting her feet firmly, she pulled him off balance. His eyes went wide for just a moment before turning an acidic glare on her. She smiled and dodged out of the way of a tonfa swipe. Ducking around the hit, she put herself between the prefect and the foreigner.

"Ah, please don't kill the doctor Reborn brought in before he's done his job," she stated blandly. The prefect rose from his crouch. His hands tightened around his tonfa before backing down.

"He was bothering females."

Tsuna sighed and shook her head. She looked over her shoulder at the wide eyed man before turning back to Hibari. "I know. He's a bit a lech, but he's a very good doctor since Reborn called him here. You can beat him up after he sees Mom."

"Hn." The prefect frowned but nodded. He, like most who had regular contact with the yakuza boss, knew Sawada Nana had issues. If this doctor could do anything to help her, he would hold off his punishment for the time being. Lowering his weapons he turned and stalked off.

"Ah, thank you pretty lad—" Shamal started to thank the girl. His hands reached out to grab her own only to be stopped by a hand shooting out and gripping his throat. There was a warning pressure pressing against his wind pipe. He stilled.

"I'm really beginning to get annoyed with you Gaijin not having any proper manners," Tsuna said as she met his eyes. Her own were hard and staring deep into his own before dropping her hand. "Come on. Reborn wanted you to look at my mother. The sooner you do that, the quicker Hibari can slake his blood lust."

She stepped back and stared at him. A bead of cold sweat dripped down the side of his face. He swallowed and shivered. He could feel the Sky Flame that pressed on him. Her touch had sent his Flames into retreat. There were few people who had ever managed to get that reaction from him. All of them had been Skies.

"Who are you?"

"Sawada Tsunami."

"Iemitsu's kid?"

"Don't mention that Bastard, but yes. Now, I believe you have a patient, doctor."

"Ah, well, I see," he stuttered out and straightened. He gave her a smile she could only classify as smarmy. It wasn't impressive.

"Right." She pulled out her phone and sent a message off to her boys. "Come on. Mom'll be waiting for us at home. Reborn will too if I know him."


The Sawada household was quiet. Tsuna had sent the children out with Mochida as soon as she had walked Dr. Shamal into the house. Reborn sat at the dining room table with a steaming Hayato and a deceivingly relaxed Takeshi. The boys waved to her as she entered. Reborn simply sipped at his espresso. She could hear her mother in the kitchen.

"Mom, can you come here?" she called as she motioned for the doctor to enter and take a seat.

"Shamal," Hayato greeted him coldly. Tsuna suppressed a smile at the jerk the doctor made at the bomber's tone. She sat in the space her boys had left for her and reached out to curl her hand around his. The doctor's eyes darted right to the clasped hands and a smug smile appeared on his face as he gave Hayato an emotion laden glance.

Takeshi, noticing the look, bit his lip. Tsuna tilted her head ever so slightly as she saw his actions in the corner of her eye. His smile became wider. Nana entering the room made him put his thoughts on the back burner.

"Tsu-chan, who is this?" the older woman asked. Shamal smiled flirtatiously at the woman. She didn't notice.

"This is Doctor Shamal," Reborn introduced the doctor. "When I saw your episode in the office that night, I knew I had to call him here. Please, let him look you over."

Nana jerked up and stared at the infant hitman in surprise before turning a cautious look on the suave man's face. She looked at her daughter, who nodded. She bit her lip and nodded her assent. "OK. What do you need me to do?"

"We can do this in the living room. I'll need some room to move," Shamal suggested as he rose to his feet.

Tsuna stood, her boys quickly following her. She made eye contact with the doctor. "Reborn, you will be watching him. Right? He tries anything sketchy and I get to take out my frustrations on him."

"I promise, Tsunami." Reborn inclined his head. He hopped to the floor and walked toward the living room. "Well, are you coming, Shamal?"

The three wandered out of the room. Nana sent a concerned look to her daughter but held her head high. Tsuna kept a strong, encouraging smile on her face until her mother was out of sight. Then she leaned against Hayato. Her lips turned down into a frown.

"Tsuna?" Takeshi whispered as she placed his hand on her shoulder. She tilted her head to look up at him and looked up at him.

"I had to rescue him from Hibari."

"Ooh," both boys muttered and winced. Hayato's hands reached for her arms and ran his fingers across her bare skin as if he was looking for injuries. Her skin prickled into gooseflesh. She swallowed thickly as heat rushed through her at the touch. She had become so sensitive to the bomber's touch as little as he initiated it. She could see Takeshi's lips pull into a smirk at her reaction.

"So what's Hibari want in exchange?" the swordsman asked.

"Shamal gets to deal with him later. He agreed to back off for Mom's sake."

Hayato's lips twitched. "I should feel sorry for Shamal, but I don't. He was probably bothering women when Hibari found him anyway."

"What did Shamal teach you, anyway? You've never actually explained it." Takeshi leaned against the bombers back and thread his fingers through the bomber's free hand.

"Tsunami, get in here," Reborn said as he reappeared in the doorway. He looked over all three of them and smirked as he saw their intertwined hands. He'd have to remember to tell Bianchi about that. The woman had asked him to keep her updated on her brother's relationship.

"You're already done?" Tsuna asked as she walked forward and out of the boys' grips. They followed behind her.

"We need you to test something," Reborn's voice turned serious and his fedora tilted over his eyes. A chill ran up the spines of all three teens. Takeshi grabbed Hayato's shoulder and whispered something in Hayato's ear, a warning or maybe a plan if this was bad news.

Her mother was sitting on the sofa. Shamal was standing upright in front of her. The grim look on his face was not encouraging and made Tsuna's stomach drop. He looked up at her as she entered the room and inclined his head slightly in greeting.

"You are capable of controlling your Flames, correct?" Shamal asked. Nana looked at him in confusion. Though her mother had been told about her and her father's connection to organized crime, Tsuna hadn't had the time nor inclination to introduce the concept of Dying Will Flames to her.

Tsuna nodded and came to stand within reach. "Yes."

"And you are a Sky, correct?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then flare your Flames. Start off low and then build it up. You other brats try to stay out of the way."

Hayato humphed and crossed his arms even as he obeyed. He had spent enough time around the hated doctor to know when he was in serious work mode. Whatever was wrong with the Sawada matriarch had to be bad. The doctor was rarely that serious. At Takeshi's glance, he nodded and the swordsman mimicked him, coming to rest beside him.

Tsuna glanced over at Reborn, who nodded, and closed her eyes. She reached deep for that ball of bubbling energy that was her Sky Flames just as Reborn had taught her when she was trying to activate Hyper Dying Will Mode. Pulling a tiny tendril of the Flame upward, she felt the energy expend from her body. Shamal inhaled sharply at the feeling, causing her to open her eyes to see what was wrong. The doctor was staring at her in slight awe before he covered his reaction. She mentally shrugged. She didn't know what that was about and had the feeling she didn't want to know.

She knew from her boys' descriptions that her power, the feeling of harmony that her Flames exuded when she was calm, would be filling the air around her. Slowly she began to add more and more power to her Flames. Tiny motes of fire sparked on her fingertips. Her eyesight sharpened and her mind ran faster and clearer. Her mother was staring at her and her hand where the Flame was growing in its physical form.

As if a switch had been hit, Nana's eyes went blank and glassy. Shamal began cursing under his breath. Reborn and Hayato both had the same reaction, inhaling sharply. Hayato went so far as to reach out and grab Takeshi's hand tightly, as if what he was seeing was frightening on a level the two Japanese teens didn't get.

"That's enough. Stop. Bring your Flame back in," the doctor commanded even as he knelt in front of the blank eyed woman. He waved his hand in front of her eyes as his other hand pulled out a pen light. Using it, he tested her pupil dilation and hissed when he got none.

"Do you know what's wrong?" Tsuna asked as as she pulled her Flames back under her control.

"Reborn, you were right," Shamal growled out, seemingly ignoring her question. "Damn it all."

"Dr. Shamal?" Nana asked as she came out of her fugue state. She blinked and jerked backward at the closeness of the doctor. She hadn't seen him move.

"When was the last time you saw your husband in person?" the doctor asked as he stood up and stepped away from her.

Nana frowned. "Not since Tsu-chan was four, so about 12 years or so now."

"That would explain it." Shamal nodded to himself before turning to Tsuna. His tongue-as dry as his mouth but he needed to figure out how he was going to tell the scarily powerful Sky just what was wrong— flicked out to wet his lips. He inhaled slowly. "How much do you know about Sky Flames, Vongola?"

Tsuna blinked at being called Vongola but got over the title quickly. "As much as Reborn has taught me. Skies are the rarest of the Flame types and typically great leaders of whatever family they are in. They pull the other Flame types to them because of their component of harmony."

"So the basics," he nodded to himself and sighed. "What is wrong with your mother has to do with your father's Flames. We call it Sky Infection or more commonly called Sky Hypnotism."

Hayato cursed loudly in Italian. His hand squeezed Takeshi's tighter and his lips curled up into a snarl. Tsuna spun around to stare at him. Even Nana stared at his outburst.

"The brat's got the right idea. Sawada Iemitsu is a fucking idiot." Shamal dropped into one of the chairs and rubbed at his eyes. "A Sky Bond forms naturally between a Sky and compatible Elements. You've reached that with those two. However, a Sky can force a bond to happen as well. This never ends well, especially for the Element forced to bond to the Sky. Generally, the only Skies that do this are the ones who can't attract Elements normally. There's usually something wrong with them, and this suddenly explains why Iemitsu, for all his strength, doesn't have a full set of Elements."

"Doctor Shamal, what are you saying?" Tsuna breathed as she took a seat next to her mother and held the older woman's hands lightly in a show of comfort.

Reborn stepped forward and shook his head slightly. There was a look of pity in his eyes that made Tsuna's hair stand on end. The hitman could hide his emotions very well. The fact he was actually letting her see them…this was not going to be good.

"A bond is meant to happen naturally. A Sky courts their Elements and vice versa. That is how the bond forms. Some Elements reject a Sky's advances due to several factors. The Sky should then back off as they aren't wanted," the hitman explained. "That isn't what Iemitsu did from what we can tell. He instead, knowingly or not, forced a bond that had the effect of forcing whoever was on the other end to obey him and his will. By forcing this bond, he has, in essence, overrode Nana's own thought processes and replaced it with something appealing to him. Your Flame is likely helping your mother override the programming and that is causing her issues."

Nana let out a small choke before a sob forced its way out of her as Tsuna's stomach churned. She knew her mother didn't understand what was being said, but her mother wasn't an idiot. She had to understand that her husband, who she had loved for years, had in essence drugged her and forced her to love him, without her ever knowing. Tsuna's arms wrapped around her mother and pulled her in tight.

The boys stepped away from the wall only to stop at Tsuna's look. She shook her head slightly and motioned with her chin for them to leave. As much as she wanted them to stay and support her, she needed this time with her mother. She needed to come to terms with the reality she was, in essence, a child of rape. Her stomach lurched and she swallowed thickly. When Reborn motioned for Shamal to follow him out of the room, she sent a grateful look to him.

"Tsunami, I'll make certain Iemitsu pays for what he's done," Reborn stated.

Tsuna frowned, glanced down at her mother, and looked up at him with steel in her eyes. Her lips pressed into a tight line. "No, you won't, Reborn. Iemitsu is mine to take care of."

"Tsunami, you have enough to worry about. Trust me to take care of this."

She snorted roughly. "Trust you? No, I don't trust you to do this. It's also not yours to deal with."

"Tsunami…"

"This is a matter of honor," she hissed as she rubbed her mother's back.

"And just how are you going to deal with him? He's in Italy." The hitman's brow twitched. Why was his student so stubborn?

"He'll come here eventually. Then he'll be taken care of. My honor is at stake with this, Reborn," she attempted to explain. Takeshi, who understood what she meant, nodded. Hayato glanced up at him and backed down from where he was going to say something about how difficult it would be to kill the man.

"Tsunami," the hitman repeated her name, this time in a lower register. He was getting annoyed.

"When have you ever tried to understand anything the yakuza hold important, Reborn? Iemitsu is my blood family. That he has done something so dishonorable as this means I need to take care of this myself or I will lose face with the other families." She held her mother tighter as the woman clung to her and shook. "Mom, let's get you to bed. I think you need some rest."

"This isn't over, Tsunami," Reborn said but backed off in deference to the Sawada Matriarch's emotional state.

"Yes, it is," Tsuna snapped as she helped her mother upright. "Takeshi, Hayato, make sure the doctor doesn't cause any problems. Escort him to his lodgings. And Shamal, one word from me and every sex shop and prostitute in this town will black list you. Don't. Tempt. Me."

The doctor swallowed thickly at the sheer murderous intent bearing into him from the young Vongola heiress's eyes. He nodded and made a rapid clip out of there. He knew when to run when a woman was angry. Reborn's eyes narrowed at his student but he walked out. He did not want to upset Nana any more than she already was. He'd speak with his student later.


Tsuna stepped out of the house and closed the door behind her. Her hand shook as she finally let what Doctor Shamal had said sunk in. Yes, she had understood most of what he had been saying at the time, but it just hit her in the gut that she was the child of what could conceivably be called rape. Her stomach churned. She didn't feel like she could keep anything down. She'd grab something somewhere for the kids, but she doubted she'd eat anything for the rest of the day.

She shook her head. She really needed to clear her head if her thoughts were running as wild as they were. Normally she was focused, but this new development had sent her for a spin. First, she needed to get the kids from Mochida and get them fed. Then she could worry about what she was going to do about this new information. Little steps.

Her phone buzzed, breaking her out of her thoughts. She pulled it out of her pocket and smiled. Her boys were checking up on her. She typed out a quick reassurance and promise to see them at the office the next day. She also sent a message to Mochida that she was going to come to the park to pick up the kids. She'd need to figure out how to tell them what was going on, but she doubted any of them would have problems understanding. Two were mafia brats and I-Pin was a smart girl.

She broke into a light jog. The exercise would help with calming her boiling emotions. Her anger and the more nasty edge of her temper hovered close to the surface and was ready to be ignited at the slightest provocation. The repetitive, steady motion of her feet on the pavement brought a stillness to her thoughts that helped calm those turbulent emotions and let her rational mind take hold. As she rounded the corner to get to the park, she had to think fast as a red head stepped right into her line of sight.

"Watch out!" she called as she ducked into a roll to the side. The red headed teen let out a noise Tsuna couldn't classify and stumbled to the side. His eyes went wide as he fought to steady the box in his hands.

"Sorry!" the boy apologized and shifted the weight in his hands.

"No, I wasn't watching where I was going," she replied as she stood from the ground and brushed off her pants. "You OK?"

"Um, yeah. Sorry." He ducked his head.

"I'm sorry too. I should have been careful in case someone was coming around the corner. I'm Sawada Tsunami, by the way. I don't think I've seen you at Namimori High. Are you new here?"

"Ah, no. I go to Sakuramo High in Tokyo. I'm back home for break," the boy said before realizing he hadn't give his name. He bowed as best he could while still gingerly holding his box. "I'm Irie Shoichi."

"I see." She eyed the box. Something was telling her that box was dangerous. Her tongue pressed against the roof of her mouth, but she couldn't deny her curiosity. "What's with the box?"

Irie went pale and looked from the box to her and back. He swallowed and looked at the ground. "It was sent to my house by mistake. I'm trying to return it to its rightful owner."

Tsuna smiled. "Maybe I can help? I'm a member of the Discipline Committee. I know a lot of people in Namimori."

"Ah, well…" the red head was suddenly more nervous. His face twisted in pain as he bent a little at the waist. "Um, I'm looking for a kid dressed in cow pajamas."

"Lambo." Tsuna sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "What has he done now?"

"You know him?"

"My family's taken him in after what his own did to him."

He perked up at that and thrust the box in her direction. "Take it, please. You can give it to him."

Tsuna took the package from him and gave into her curiosity. She peeled back the lid. Her eyes went wide. He mouth opened slightly before she shut the lid. She gave the red head a hard stare.

"You will not be telling anyone about this."

He whimpered and doubled over. "I'm not about to say anything since his family found out about him blasting into our house even when we didn't tell anyone."

"Tsuna-nee!" a childish voice called before a weight slammed into her legs. She looked down to meet Lambo's bright eyes as he attempted to climb to her shoulders. He turned to see who she was talking to and flinched. He gave the red headed teen a tense smile before turning a concerned and guilty look at his big sister.

"Lambo, I take it you know Irie-san?"

"Um, no?"

"Was that a question or an answer?" She stared down at him. He stared up at her. The silence went for several seconds before the child broke down into tears.

"I'm sorry, Tsuna-nee! I'm sorry! Don't be angry!"

"Broccoli-head loud again," I-Pin complained as she, Fuuta and Mochida walked sedately down the path. Fuuta walked as far away from the other teen as he could and still remain close to I-Pin.

"Lambo, you're grounded and when we get home, I'll be taking your weapons, again."

"No! Lambo-sama is a good boy!"

"Lambo blasted into a stranger's house, which means he was playing with his bazooka again. Lambo knows messing with the bazooka means being grounded." Tsuna turned her attention to the stunned Irie Shoichi. She bowed deeply and apologetically to him. "I am so sorry for my ward's actions. If there is anything I can do for your family, please let me know. Any member of the Discipline Committee knows how to get in contact with me or your family can send a message through one of the pink salons in town."

"Tsuna-sama, is something wrong?" Mochida asked and went slightly defensive. He eyed the red headed teen contemplatively.

"Lambo did something wrong and inconvenienced Irie-san's family. Nothing more. Let's head home kids. Mochida, thank you. If you wouldn't mind, could you watch the kids from now on? As much as I trust the others, you actually have experience with young kids from your siblings."

"Ah, sure, Tsuna-sama."

Tsuna reached out and squeezed his upper arm before gathering the children and walking toward home. Lambo continued to cling to her leg and wail like someone had tried to kill him. I-pin was shouting at him and clearly beyond exasperated. Fuuta was silent and staying within arm's reach of Tsuna. Both male teens watched them go.

"What?" Irie asked.

Mochida shrugged. "I have no idea. I just find going with the flow tends to break the brain a lot less than fighting it."