Running his callous fingers through his thick curly tresses, Lambo used his other hand to cover mouth when he let out a yawn. Tilting his head to the side to get a get a better look, he eyed the digital clock placed on the night stand. Several seconds later, he eventually pushed off the covers, initiating the start of a new day in his young life. After stretching and loosening up his muscles and limbs, the Bovino male sluggishly walked to his bathroom, staring into the mirror with minor annoyance.

His eyes were still swollen around the edges from crying the night before. He gave up at the idea of using facial products to conceal it. He did not care if they were made to be waterproof or whatever. He had no knowledge of how to use the product or removing it, so with one mistake, he would be screwed. Plus, he heard how those products can ruin the skin and he did not need anything ruining this handsome face of his. It was better to be mocked about crying rather than be caught wearing some female product; he had his pride to protect. Picking up the toothpaste in one hand and his toothbrush in the other, he started his daily routine.

Tossing his cow-printed pajamas into a laundry basket, Lambo slipped on a pair of traditional white slacks. He was about to throw on his usual cow-printed shirt but decided to wear something else for a change. After his crying session with Tsuna, he could not help but feel like he was acting so immature, so incompetent, ignorant of what was going on around him.

The teen knew that Tsuna was hesitant about putting him in the front lines, even though it was his duty as her Lightning Guardian. Even Reborn had to scold as well as mockingly torturing her that it was Lambo's place to be out there. It was something he took for granted; had had always thought Tsuna would always keep him out of danger, out of harm's way. But after hearing from her, that she did not want to lose anyone, she would rather risk her own life to keep them alive, he felt like trash. He was fifteen now, fifteen… Ten years really flew by. To normal people, it must have been long, but to him, it was short, terribly short with all events surrounding his family. Taking the thought seriously, he looked down at his hand that slowly curled into a fist with a newfound confidence. He would start acting more mature, taking one step at a time.

He rummaged through his unkempt closet, making a mental note to remember to clean it soon, and found a forest green vest Mama had sent him for his birthday awhile back along with a black long-sleeved dress shirt. Putting the two together, he looked into the full length mirror hanging on the closet door, straightening his collar up before propping on a white tie. Tying it all together with a loose tie tucked beneath his vest and a few undone buttons at the top, Lambo strolled out of his room, a bit nervous to meet his boss but at the same time excited.


When the young Bovino entered the meeting room, he found himself smiling widely at the face no had arrived except for Tsuna. The rest of the Guardians should be getting ready or barely waking up by now as well as for everyone else. He had originally thought only Tsuna and Reborn would be here, since the brunette had to set up for the meeting while the Sun Arcobaleno was, well, being himself. He considered himself lucky to catch his boss alone. He had one chance to do this right and he did not want other people to listening in or interrupting it.

Spotting Tsuna across the room, Lambo quickly turned around and closed the door behind him. He slowly tiptoed to where she was sitting from behind, tapping her on the shoulder. When she turned around, he greeted her with an awkward smile and a 'good morning'. Noticing that he had her full attention, he started to feel more nervous, but he planted his feet firmly on the ground. There was no way he was going to back down now.

The brunette was surprised to see that it was Lambo who arrived first. Usually, the teen came in much later. She noticed that there was something different about him. It was not just his outfit, but it seemed like the air around him was definitely different. There was a certain bounce to it, but it has something that she could not quite put her finger on it. If she could portray it right, then it felt like the teen had matured and moving forward with resolve. She noticed that he was trying to tell her something but it would not come out. "Lambo?"

He took a deep breath and looked straight in to her eyes. Getting down on one knee, he took her hand into his, placing a delicate kiss on the Vongola ring and then on the back of her hand. "I, Bovino Lambo, pledge myself to Sawada Tsunayoshi." He looked up at her, revealing his determined devotion to her in his fern green eyes.

Tsuna's eyes widened to a certain degree. This was really a shock. Kissing the ring meant that he has swore his loyalty and his life to her. Pledging was something not be taken lightly. She had told many people, especially her Guardians, that they should only do so when they really wanted to, not out of obligation. However, Lambo's pledge shocked her the most. He was not pledging himself to the Vongola, not to the Vongola boss, not to the Vongola Decimo, but to her.

Lambo's expression faltered for a bit and sighed. His eyes narrowed at her shocked expression, a bit annoyed that she was taking him lightly. Not letting go of her hand, he flicked her in the forehead with his free hand. "Is it that hard to believe?"

The brunette, still awestruck, slowly nodded as she watched Lambo placing himself in a seat next to her. "I-I mean, we're about you, Lambo. You should already know how everyone sees you." She stopped talking for a moment. Her eyes widened when she came to a realization. "L-Lambo, if this is about yesterday, if I somehow made you feel like you had to do this, I c-can just act like this nev–"

Lambo tightened his grip around her hand, signaling her to stop talking. "No, I did this on my own. No one pushed me to do this, nor did I feel like I had to do this. I… I just came to a conclusion that I need to grow up and I have to act my part, as your Guardian and as your family… Not that I'm going to stop being immature all the time, but at least I'm willing to act." His grip on her hand tightened as his body moved forward, trying to hide his embarrassed expression from her eyes as he looked down at the ground. "And I just want to see you smile more…"

Tsuna's eyes widened once more before smiling. Taking her free hand, she pinched the boy's cheek, laughing as he squirmed in her hold.

Lambo looked at her confused and then glared as he rubbed his red cheek. "What was that for? I was being serious, you know." He immediately let go of her hand when he realized that she might pinch his other cheek, this covering his cheeks with both hands, allowing the brunette to laugh at his actions once more.

She smiled and got out of her seat. Slowly, removing his hand from his cheek, the brunette caressed the red cheek. "I know." She bended down to meet his eyes with a smile he was familiar with. She moved closer to whisper into his ear. "Thank you, Lambo. Hearing you say that makes me very happy, thank you." When she moved away, she ran her fingers through his hair, smiling as the blushing Bovino looked away in embarrassment and content.


Seconds later, the door opened, revealing Reborn with a cup of espresso in his hand. He noticed that there was a blushing cow sitting next to his student while the latter herself seemed to be proud about something. Whatever that was making her smile made him slightly curious, but he would not pry into his student's private affairs unless it was good blackmail. Taking a sip of his drink, he placed himself in a seat, eyeing the two before speaking. "What's with you two this morning?"

"N-Nothing." Lambo straightened his sitting position and reverted to his almighty pose, making Reborn roll his eyes.

"You know that's not your seat, right?" Reborn leaned on his hand, using his elbow as support on the table. Moving his cup toward his lips once again, he took a quick glance at his student, a bit interested in why she had that content smile on her face.

Lambo glared at Reborn. "No one's here yet, so I can sit in any seat I like. There's no rule stating that I can't."

Reborn placed his cup down and coyly smiled at the Lightning Guardian. "Oh? You obey the rules now? Does that mean you've gotten smarter?" Reborn stopped for moment, his eyes looking over the Bovino male for a moment, taking in the changes in how the boy looked, sat, and spoke. "Or is it because you want to change yourself?"

Lambo let out a small growl, his hand itching to grab at Reborn for insulting him. He knew that it was hard to change, especially his bad habits, such as talking down at others and whatnot, but that did not meant Reborn could play him like a puppet. "Stop insulting me."

Reborn let a smirk spread on his face. "Insulting? I'm only telling the truth. You're not going to cry, are you? Then again, this is you we're talking about. You, the pathetic one, the useless one, the immature one, the annoying one, the unnee–"

Tsuna had enough of Reborn's taunting, sending a glare at him. Without looking at Lambo, she told him to get himself together. The teen was about to object, stating that he was okay, but seeing how Tsuna and Reborn had a tense atmosphere around them; he slowly excused himself out of the room.

Reborn looked up at his student from his seat, a bit impressed that she had grown some backbone over the decade. "Why did you stop me?"

Tsuna glared at her tutor. "You were taking it too far, Reborn."

Reborn shrugged as he took another sip. "He's practically an adult now. He's not a child that always needs to be protect, Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna bit back her words. She knew that Reborn was right, but still. "You were going to say that he was unneeded. You know that it is not true, Reborn. Lambo is needed. If you or anyone else thinks that he's not needed, then you and those people are wrong. Lambo is someone I need as well as someone he needs."

Reborn placed his cup on the table. He leaned back in his chair, looking directly at his student. "You are the one who is needed. The cow could be replaced, but not you. You are the person at the center who holds everyone together. This is the Mafia, Tsuna. You cannot protect everyone and everything precious to you."

Tsuna grinded her teeth against each other. "I know that, but…"

"There are no but's. I've taught you many times about how a boss should act and how he or she should treat his or her subordinates. You are making the line between boss and subordinate blurry." He picked up his cup, blowing on it a bit before drinking and then placing it back then. "This is one of your bad traits, Dame-Tsuna. Fix it or I'll fix it for you." He looked at her with cold eyes.

Tsuna continued to glare at Reborn, her anger slowly dispersing, replacing itself with self-regret. "I don't care if I'm blurring the line. There are people I want to protect and nothing is going change that, not even you, Reborn. I'm the person to change how this family works, not you, Reborn. I don't care if lines are becoming blurred. I don't care if I'm the center of everything. Those people you picked to be near me, I'm sincerely glad for that. But now, you're acting as if they threaten my very existence. Make up your mind, Reborn." She noticed that Reborn still had that look on his face, making her groan. "You know what? I'm done talking. If you're going to be like that, so be it. But know this; if someone says that you're unneeded, they're wrong. You are also someone I need." She dropped the conversation as she walked past him and exited the doors.

Confirming that she had left and the doors were closed, Reborn dropped his mask and let out a low growl. He took his fedora off his head and ran his finer angrily through his locks of hair. He perfectly understood what she said and what it meant. Looking down at Leon, he sighed. Maybe he did take it too far, but still that girl still did not realize how precious she was to others as well to himself. He was not kidding when he said that she was the center. The way the family was changing, the way the people change due to meeting her, the way how she carried everything, she was the support that holding everything up. However, fate was cruel, tossing her into this world, this world of bloodshed and corruption.

He let out a sigh as he leaned back on his seat, looking up at the ceiling. He was losing his cool around her too easily. Mending this was not going to be easy. It was not like back then. The brunette had suddenly grown up to be excellent boss and companion. She was no longer alone. He provided that to her, so it must have hurt when he said that they could easily be replaced. Be told that someone you cared about could be easily replaced by someone else was not easy to adapt to. Honestly, he had seen so many people fall before him, people he swore to protect when he was young. Due to those experiences, he told himself that he would not let anyone get near, but even he could do that... Stubbornly, Reborn finally came to a conclusion; he was afraid of losing her to the hands of death.


Xanxus's hand hovered on top of the door knob, but a certain redhead caught his eye, preventing him from going any farther. Taking a step away and a turn on his heels, he walked over to where the Shimon head was standing. His eyebrow rose when the redhead let out a sigh. "What's with you?"

Enma weakly smiled. "The usual… and that Reborn got her mad…" Enma rubbed his temples as he remembered the memory about when Tsuna came out of that room, looking angry and sad at the same time. Once he heard Reborn's name, he knew what to do right away as he tried to comfort her. When the brunette finally settled down, she told him to go on ahead since she needed to find Lambo.

Xanxus really wanted to smack the male in front of him. And to think, he finally convinced himself that the redhead could be considered a companion, not a friend. He was be damned if he ever used that word. He could not believe that he was still worried about that brat. Then again, he was too, but it was tiring and it just pissed him even more when the woman would strain her smile in front of everyone. It was so annoying that he wanted to smash her face into the wall to get rid of that stupid look on her face. The people he wastes his time with… "Would it kill you if you stopped thinking about her?"

Enma's eyes widened but they soon softened. "If I stopped thinking about her, I would lose my reason to being alive. Sure, life is something I should not throw away, but she was the one who picked me up. If she hadn't, I would have kicked the bucket years ago with that ordeal with Daemon Spade. She's the only one who I'm willing to lay down my life for. I'm even willing to use underhanded methods to help her, but that would make her sad, so I won't." He noticed that Xanxus was silent and smiled. He walked passed Xanxus, placing a hand on the older male's shoulder. "Yeah, it would kill me." Not being able to take it anymore, he let out a small chuckle that knocked Xanxus out of his daze. "I'm kidding. If I got myself killed or even dared to kill myself, it would hurt her. I wouldn't dare cause her anymore unneeded pain.

Xanxus frowned as he watched the redhead walk away in the opposite direction of the meeting room. That brat was a force to be reckoned with. He was no longer a good-for-nothing boss. Considering what happened at the inheritance ceremony back then, the brat did not hold back when he beat up all those girl's guardians to a pulp. If he was asked who the brat resembled the most, he would bluntly answer that marshmallow freak. They both hide a mask on their face, not many knew what lurked underneath. Over the years, he managed to learn that appearances were not to be taken seriously, but idiots were always going to be idiots.


Tsuna had slumped back into her seat, muttering about Nii-san missing the meeting once again. When she came back with Lambo, Reborn was no longer in the room much to her relief. Since it was just the two of them alone and they did not know what to do to pass the time, they resorted to having a staring contest. Only a few seconds into the game, Lambo had tears falling from his face, making Tsuna laugh, earning a glare from the young male. She was glad that their relationship was not as strained as she originally thought. She noticed Enma and Xanxus taking their seats, as the former let out a sigh and the latter growling. "Did something happen?"

Enma looked at Tsuna and tried to wave the nervous air around him. Maybe he messed with Xanxus too much. "Nothing too serious. Just a small talk, right, Xanxus?" He looked over to the older male, who scoffed at him, making the redhead awkwardly laugh. Turning his attention back to Tsuna, Enma smiled. "From the way you and Lambo were acting earlier, I take it not all your Guardians as are clueless as I originally thought. And I take it that you told Lambo." He chuckled when Tsuna lightly punch him in the arm.

"From what I heard, someone told Chrome?" Tsuna looked at Enma with a smug look as her friend looked away. "Don't regret telling her."

"I won't." Enma smiled in return as he proceeded to talk to Tsuna about Lambo's swollen eyes, earning a glare from the Lightening Guardian. He inwardly sighed to himself as he messed with Tsuna a bit more before the meeting. The days to come might not end with so much laughter.

When everyone had arrived including Reborn, who stood against the window sill, Tsuna was about to start the meeting but Lussaria and Fran came walking into the room with scratches and mud on their uniforms with a stack of disarrayed papers. Tsuna excused herself from the meeting for a moment, pushing the two out of the room, fretting over the males like a mother. She took the stack from them and ushered them to go take a quick shower and to get some rest. Before they could argue, she told them that she would get someone to fill them in on the meeting later, much to their dismay. Seeing how intent she was, made the two go on their way.

Tsuna liked it when her family was healthy. People who were sick and weak had no use in the battlefield and a higher chance of dying, something that she did not want. After that, Tsuna returned to the room and started the meeting with doors closed and windows shut.


Before the brunette could adjourn the meeting, Reborn covered his mouth with his fedora, pulling her back into her seat with another hand. Leon looked at his master and then at his student with apologetic eyes.

Pushing the fedora out of her face, she glared at Reborn. "Reborn, if you had something to say, then you should have told me." Tsuna sank her in her seat, diverting her eyes away from her tutor. She was not ready to forgive him. She had to reflect on his words as well as her own. He had a reason for saying those things, she knew that. It was just that, right now, she was not ready, that was it.

"You would have ignored me." Reborn looked at his student out the corner of his eye, a bit hurt that she was still angry. This was not going to be easy, he thought. Slowly pushing aside his argument with Tsuna, Reborn looked at the occupants in the room, confirming that he had their attention before continuing. "Anyway, from the looks of it, it appears to be that the failed negotiation Yamamoto and Dame-Tsuna went to are linked to the Estraneo. Yamamoto, continue from there."

Yamamoto nodded and looked at the three family heads. "Using the information Reborn and I obtained from the prisoner; it appears to be that he was supposed to meet with one of the higher-ups to report on his mission at a casual restaurant in a couple weeks in Italy. Apparently, they both waited so they can move without looking so suspicious."

"Then it would mean that someone has to go undercover, huh…" Gokudera looked at Reborn, who nodded.

"If the prince may speak, then I have a proposal." Bel lazily waved his hand in the air. "I nominate the Decimo and the tonfa wielder to undergo the mission."

"You should know that the boss does not need to go on missions that does not require her assistance unless under dire situations." Reborn eyed the blonde. "No one may know what might happen to her if she gets out there."

Bel waved his finger at Reborn. "Uishishishi, there are plenty of reasons why the Decimo should go. First off, she's a woman. Women are not known to be in a controlling position in the Mafia besides a few, so Decimo here would not be easily recognized. Plus, from what I've heard, she has trained in the art of seduction, yes?" He looked at Tsuna, who awkwardly smiled.

Reborn looked down at his student with his eyebrow raised. When did she learn that? He shook his head of the possibility. It was just not possible.

"Besides, be it mafia or normal people, they would be able to recognize her as a mafia boss. Plus, it looks like she can get out of this stuffy building and experience something else for a change. As for the tonfa wielder, even though he's recognizable, he has yet to be seen with his boss due to him being detached and yada, yada, yada. If we let any of her other Guardians close to Decimo, people would recognize her since it seems like she'll be the only person they're willing to go out with. So with the tonfa wielder, they won't be able to make the link. And since she's with him, she's bound to get some sort of attention, eventually capturing the attention of the man who could possibly be linked to the Estraneo." Bel looked at Tsuna, smirking as he pointed his dagger at her. "Seduce, capture, and then interrogate. It's that easy."

Tsuna dropped her cool and gaped at the grinning prince. He really thought it was easy to seduce? No, it was not. She really wanted to bang her head against the wall. Of all the people he could have choose from, it had to be Hibari-san. She looked over to the mentioned male, hoping that he would say no in this discussion due to his disliking of crowding. "Hibari-san, what do you think?"

"Hn, I have nothing better to do." Hibari looked at the brunette with hidden annoyance when the brunette groaned. Was he really that bad with other people?

The Vongola Decimo really did not want to go on a mission with Hibari. She knew that they had to act like a couple and she was not mentally ready. She had already dealt with three people. She did not know if she could handle Hibari. "Can't I just go in alone…?"

Reborn rolled his eyes and smacked her behind the head, getting a yelp out of the female. "Idiot, if you went in a lone, no one would be able to get close to you if you actually let something slip and become a hostage. At least, Hibari has some experience in doing these kinds of missions."

Tsuna grabbed the back of her head, diverting her eyes towards the ground instead of glaring at Reborn. She hated when he was right. She hated that she could not fight back. "Fine…"

Hibari watched the scene play out in front of him, taking note that the female omnivore appeared to be in some of fight with the carnivore since she would not meet his eyes. "When is the appointed date?" He did not need to see any needless drama.

"Meet her in front of the mansion at 5:00 PM in two weeks on Thursday. Two other people will be joining you as well, but they would be arriving in separate cars. That's all."

With the sound of the doorknob turning and the wooden door closing behind him, Hibari Kyouya had exited the room.

Seeing that the meeting was finally finished, Tsuna adjourned the meeting, watching as everyone left the room, meaning the Varia members except for Xanxus. Everyone else remained in the room. "From the looks of it, you all want to say something to me?"

Gokudera locked eyes with his boss. His words, at first, did not come out at first due to her gaze making his mouth go dry, but he pulled himself out of it. "J-Jyuudaime, may I be honest with you?"

Tsuna tilted her head to the side, confused at her Storm Guardian's strange behavior. If he wanted to say something, then he would have said it already. Nonetheless, she motioned him to continue. "What is it?"

"A-Are you hiding something from us?"

Lambo felt his body go tense, looking out the corner of his eye to see Chrome's fingers fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

Tsuna looked at Gokudera with an unreadable expression despite the smile on her lips. "Why would you say that?"

Yamamoto noticed that Gokudera looked defeated so he spoke up for his friend. "Tsuna, you've been isolating yourself in your office. We haven't been able to talk to you or meet you. Barely any of us has had contact with you." Yamamoto glanced at his fellow Guardians, who nodded except for Mukuro, who had his eyes closed.

The brunette's eyes widened for a moment before a small mysterious smile slipped on her lips. "Yes, I am hiding something from you."

Gokudera blinked a couple of times, trying to swallow what she said. "Then, why can't you te–"

"Gokudera, everyone has a secret to hide, even you. It's well known that everyone has secrets. I'm sure that everyone is hiding something from me. The same goes for me. I'm okay with that. As for locking myself in my office, I just got busier, that's all."

Chrome tried to stop herself from crying. She wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. She could not bear to see that fake smile on her boss's face. It made her very uncomfortable. She could say that the same thing was happening to Lambo. With him sitting next to her, she could see that the teen wanted to smack Gokudera and Yamamoto for saying something so careless. But that was the problem. Because the rest of them did not what was truly going on, they could not move.

"Bossu, I'll be excusing myself. Lambo, let's go." She pulled the Bovino up by his arm, seeing the shock etched in his eyes before realizing what she meant.

Tsuna's smile faltered for a moment but she waved at them as they got up. "Chrome, meet me out in the backyard around sunset. I want to talk to you."

Chrome stopped walking for a moment before turning to see her boss's face. She took a deep breath and bowed to her. "Until then."


EXTRA NOTES:

First off, I would like to say that I would not be updating in awhile. School is coming up in about two weeks and I still have a pile of books to read before then... And calculus to do... Ugh... I will try to get this story updated in September, no promises though.

I had such a writer's block. I actually came up with like six scenarios on how this chapter could have played out. Not to mention, I rewrote Lambo's part five times... Also, I had to write about Reborn... He's such a difficult character to write. I'm not even quite sure if I've caught his character or not. Since I won't be updating for awhile, I will working on how to develop Chrome since it's her chapter next and some of Hibari. Two very difficult characters to write about since they don't get much character exposure in the manga, mainly Chrome, sadly.

Anyways, I would like to thank those who reviewed. I tried my hardest to make this chapter work and I would like to hear what you have to say. Once again, thank you for reviewing. I hope my writing has not faltered and if it did, well, that's just something extra I have to work on.