Welcome back! A little late, but I wish 2021 to be a year full of love, health & hope for everyone. Please, stay safe and take care. ❤️

Hope you enjoy the chapter. It's the last part of the mini-arc 'Dive the Sky', which was a little insight into Tsuna's thoughts on the matter. I wanted to delve more into her mind but the fights are coming up in the next chapter, so I'm going to focus properly on that.

*Also, someone in the review section reminded me about the tags. You are right! This fic started as a friend/family story of Tsuna meeting with everyone, but it has changed and will continue to change. One of the reasons why I shared the fic in AO3 is because of the infinite tags there, fanfiction only lets me put two so I guess I will rotate them as the story goes.*

Have a nice day~


The cover picture of the story seems to be glitching, can anyone see it?


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"Would you pass me the salt, dear?"

"Of course, my sweet Nana"

"But I don't want to eat veggies!"

"Lambo, good! Eat!"

"I don't want to!"

"Broccoli is ranked #1 in the scale of vegetables as a superfood for its nutrients and antioxidants"

"Just eat it, brat. Or I will feed you myself"

"No!"

"That goes for you too, Dame-Tsuna"

"I am eating" She mumbled while playing with a piece of broccoli on her own plate.

It has only been five minutes since she sat down and the kitchen was already like a war zone. From what was supposed to be a table of three submerged in an uncomfortable two-way conversion, eight chairs were added to the tiny table at the kitchen where yells, croons and threats were being thrown around like common pleasantries, as if they have always belonged there.

It was partly her fault for not being able to escape in time. Last night was very restful, she slept through it all with not a single dream or nightmare to bother her at odd hours. Her body and mind had finally aligned and let her sleep well past one in the afternoon, and by the time she woke up, she had no intentions of leaving the comfort of her bed.

Mammon was long gone and not a clue of the surprise visit remained for Reborn to question her, and seeing as he was busy writing a new training schedule for Yamamoto - probably -, she opted to stay in her room and worry about food later. But she made the grave mistake of not locking her door for privacy and it was only thanks to Lambo, who had entered her room to steal some comic books that they found out she was there.

And so, once her mother found out, Tsuna couldn't really go away and lock herself in her room for the rest of the day without breaking her heart. She hasn't seen her in days, and if she kept fleeing then her mother would probably think that she was just avoiding her. Not her husband. Although she probably already knew that.

How can there be so much drama in a family of three? She wondered as she walked downstairs like a convict walking to its sentence. She was willing to try and act nice so long as Iemitsu behaved, but if he was still the buffoon who played with his food and flirted with her mother, then she couldn't make any promises. Maybe her magical powers will burn his food?

She tried putting on a neutral face as she walked into the kitchen where the dreadful and inevitable family dinner was taking place, but she could already feel her shoulders tensing in annoyance the moment she sat down and prayed that this would end quickly.

They all thanked for the festin her mother had made - Lasagne with vegetables as side dishes and shrimp cream soup - and started to talk. Not eat. Or well, they were eating but they were also talking, a lot.

Tsuna didn't even last a minute and she already wanted to stab Iemitsu with her spoon. She must be spending a lot of time with Reborn for his mannerisms to transfer into her, because Leon knew what she was thinking and stole her spoonful of food, and before she could even scold him, the chameleon glued himself to her hand to stop her from committing murder at the table.

"So, Tsuna-fish. How's school doing?" Iemitsu asked, as if school was more important than a bloody Mafia scruffle.

"Fine" She mumbled as she batted Leon away from her hand, but the little guy only blinked at her and curled tighter. Traitor.

"Tsu-chan is doing great! She aced her last math exam, I'm so proud" Her mother gushed in happiness at her success, and it felt bitter and cold and she had to purse her lips to stop a frown from appearing on them because that success was accomplished by cheating with her intuition.

"Do you know what you want to study for college?" And the man kept asking useless questions while all she wanted was to avoid the uncomfortable conversation.

"I'm not even in high-school. I can't think about college" She almost scoffed, but she directed her attention to Leon and decided to surrender her right hand to the annoying little pest while she used a fork on her left one. A fork could get better results, anyway.

"It's good to be prepared. Set your mind on something" Iemitsu said, as if he hadn't sold her to a Mafia famiglia and taken her freedom from her. And just because she felt ire at his poor acting of a good and interested father, she leaned closer and stared at his eyes with a hard look.

"Art"

"That's more like a hobby, no? You'll need a good career to have a good future" He rubbed his neck awkwardly, dismissing her words as if they meant and mattered nothing. And Leon felt her tensing, because he flickered his tongue and wrapped her left wrist, immobilizing her hand and the fork she was gripping tightly.

"I don't need money or fame to be safe and happy" She bite back.

"Tsu-chan has taken to painting again. Did you see the sea canvas on the stairs? It's beautiful. It feels like I'm on the beach when I look at it" Nana sighed in delight, either not feeling the tension between her husband and daughter or trying to act like the pacifist that she was and interjecting into their conversation to soothe things.

"It's pretty" Bianchi added at her side, munching on her food without looking at anyone at the table. Tsuna was half sad she was wearing gloves, it would have wreaked havoc and ruined the dinner if she wasn't.

"What do you think, Reborn?" Why was Iemitsu pressuring the matter when it was obvious that either she would be stuck with the Mafia or she wouldn't survive to get a university degree?

"Hm?" The hitman had not engaged into the conversation and was quietly eating his dinner with grace, but at being addressed, he levelled Iemitsu with a blank uninterested stare "Your daughter is already selling her artwork to international companies. She can make good business out of it if she starts investing now"

Clearly, that wasn't the answer he was expecting, because Iemitsu looked baffled for a second before he composed himself with a carefree shrug.

"Well, if you want to. Then go for it"

I don't need your permission, Tsuna almost snarled, but by the frown on her face, her thoughts were obvious if the grimace Iemitsu tried to hide with a yawn was any indication.

Then Lambo yelled again about not wanting shrimps and broccoli for dinner, which made the other kids yell in disagreement, which in turn made Nana's and everyone's attention shift towards the kids and forget the previous conversation and eventually, among the new commotion someone finally dropped their glass of water and spilt its contents on the table.

Seeing her escape, she gave Leon a pleading look for him to release her, which he did and the slime he left on her hand and wrist gave her the perfect excuse to get up and lock herself in the bathroom to wash her hands.

That went good, she thought with a grimace. She survived and nothing else happened so that counted as good. And now that dinner was - officially - almost over, she can retire to her room and spend some time catching up with some comics or maybe drawing something. Oh wait, Kyoko mentioned homework. But Reborn didn't know that, so he wouldn't force her to do homework on a Saturday night. Probably...

As she braved herself to go out towards the kitchen again, she was glad to notice that most of them have already finished and were scattered around the house, so she finished what was left on her plate, washed it - because she didn't like her mother doing all the work - and went in search of the kids to talk with a certain troublemaker.

"Baka-Tsuna, let's play!" Lambo tugged at her clothes as he pulled her into the living room.

"Lambo, Tsuna-Jiějiě, rest!"

"Why are you kids so energetic?" She questioned as she sat on the floor and let them decide if they wanted to play a board game or a videogame.

"Kids under the age of 7 are ranked first on people that live in the present moment. They get less tired from worrying and burn a lot of energy as a sign of experiencing less anxiety"

"You aren't supposed to use your book" She chided Fuuta with good nature, not really scolding him for this wasn't the first time he ranked stuff on mundane things without his book at hand.

"I'm not, I have those facts memorized" he grinned at her and she shook her head at his cheekiness.

"Fon is back in Japan, have you met up with him?" She then asked I-pin, who had sat down next to her, surrendering the privilege of letting Lambo choose what to play.

"Master, morning. Talk!" I-pin nodded eagerly, happy that she got to meet his master after a couple of months of separation.

"I'm glad" She briefly wondered if Fon was going to take her back, but something told her that this was simply a short impromptu visit, and the expensive peppermint tea he gave them this time was surely an apology gift for taking care of his student for some more time.

With a happy yell, Lambo bounced towards them with a colourful board game that Tsuna didn't remember owning. As the kids settled on the floor and started to organize their pieces and cards, Tsuna leaned down, squinting her eyes as she saw something gleaming in that ridiculous afro.

"Lambo, we need to talk" She said quietly, not wanting to raise a commotion or disturb the other kids. Lambo blinked up at her and her words, innocent and confused, not understanding - or caring - what she had to say so she narrowed her eyes "The ring"

"No!" He shouted immediately as he jumped away from her, stepping on the board and tumbling the pieces there, making I-pin and Fuuta yell as they scrambled to pick them up before they ended under the couch.

"Lambo, give me back the ring!" She stood up and went to grab the ring, but the boy easily evaded her due to his stature and held his hands protectively over his head.

"No! It's Lambo-sama's! You can't take it!" He roared at her and Tsuna wanted to scream because it was just a broken ring that he didn't need. Why was he so protective of it?!

"Lambo!"

"No! Mama!"

"Don't get mom into this!" Tsuna screeched, running after him.

In the kitchen, already familiar with the loud noise of the living room, Nana was drying the plates, not worried at all by the yells and commotion the kids and her daughter were making. It was a common occurrence in the Sawada household nowadays, even the neighbours had long stopped complaining about the noise.

"See? I told you things were fine" Nana giggled to her husband, who was nursing a drink and staring at the wall that led to the main hall with wide eyes as he listened to the ruckus.

"There was a lot of crying and yelling in the background in our last call" He said, recalling how Nana had giggled over the sound, uncaring that her voice was almost swallowed over the phone by the background noises.

"Oh, that's just normal. Reborn-kun is quite the rowdy playmate"

"I see" And he grimaced, already imagining the torture the hitman must have placed his little fish through.

Tsuna… His Tsuna-fish didn't look fine. There was a hollowness in her face, heavy eyebags staining her pale face, a tremble in her fingers, not to mention the bruises and cuts on her arms and legs. He couldn't see beyond the oversized hoodies she was so fond of wearing, but Basil had reported that her body was in good shape to last 3 hours training and fighting nonstop.

He never doubted the greatest hitman's abilities to shape someone into a good fighter, to hone their hidden strengths and bring them to surface. Lal and Colonello had brought back great references of the time they saw her in Mafia Land, with Lal being her grumpy proud self at how the brunette carried herself and the little soldier singing praises left and right.

He knew Tsuna would be able to defend and protect herself with Reborn's training. But that didn't guarantee if it included her heart.

"How is she, really?" he asked.

"Tired" Nana sighed as she went to sit next to him "She's been having a hard time, but Tsu-chan is doing her best! She has very good friends too. They hang out after school or sometimes they come here. I'm really glad, although she sometimes returns home late and a little ruffled. They must be having a lot of fun"

That was one of the qualities he always loved about his darling wife. Her positive outlook even on a gloomy day, how much she worried and cared even though she didn't know the truth of how things have come to be. He was happy Tsuna had opened up and made friends, although they probably were her guardians too, and coming home late with dirty knees and scratches must be a result of hard training or getting into a fight.

It was obvious Tsuna had not mentioned anything to Nana, not about the Mafia, about Reborn's real purpose of coming here or what really happened in Italy. She wasn't aware of the risk or what was at stake, but she still worried and cared, because even if she was a civilian she was still a mother. And her mother's intuition of knowing things about her daughter was something not to take lightly.

"But you know, I thought she wouldn't return to painting again, not after…" They didn't need to fill the silence to know what that meant, and oh, how it hurt them both.

Tsuna was young and terrified at that time, so she really didn't know what had led to the decision of returning to Japan without him. She also probably wasn't aware of the constant phone calls between her parents about her shift of behaviour, of shielding herself from her classmates and stopping all things considered Art.

But as time went by, and one drawing became two, Tsuna went back to her creative days and started the process of healing and learning how to trust people again.

"I'm really happy" Nana smiled, sharing his thoughts.

And Iemitsu was blinded once more by the amazing and caring person that Nana was. How despite not knowing the ugly dark side that she had married, she still smiled and welcomed it with open arms. He knew his wife wasn't blind, she didn't eat up his ridiculous lies and played along all for the sake of maintaining a normality, of maintaining a place where anyone could feel safe and at home.

And it must have taken a lot of time and patience and care for Tsuna to break out of her shell and find the courage to start again, and Nana was everything if not that. It showed the strength she carried, and most importantly, the love she provided.

"Yeah" He grinned as he held her hand up to give it a kiss "She's strong. She takes after you, my beautiful Nana"

"Oh, stop it" She giggled sweetly.

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Upstairs in her room, Tsuna had given up on her pursuit and was planning instead of either stealing that ring when Lambo was asleep or lock the kid in the bathroom when his fight was due. Which if she remembers correctly, was going to be on Tuesday.

She recalled one of the cervello women mentioning the Lightning fight as the next on schedule while she was still busy feeling guilt over Ryohei, and having seen Lambo's half-ring porting a broken lightning bolt just now raised red flags on her mind. She couldn't let that fight happen, couldn't let Lambo endanger himself and get hurt over a piece of metal.

Because Levi was the Lightning guardian of the Varia, and he hated her. Which in turn will instantly make him hate Lambo and destroy him with no mercy like the brainless brute that he was.

No, she couldn't let that happen, nor her heart or her conscience will ever live it down if the snotty kid who steals her things gets hurt while under her name. She can always ask Fuuta for some rankings on how to stop the fights- but no, no! She swore she wasn't going to use him, so she wouldn't.

Huffing, she turned on her bed and reached for her phone to get some distraction and it was then when she realized she had an unread message notification from an unknown number. Gianinni had fixed her phone so that it wouldn't receive any spam messages, and she knew that it was bugged and enhanced too so that no outsiders could infiltrate her inbox.

So for an unknown number to be able to go through that encrypted wall was curious. But her curiosity turned into annoyance once she saw the actual message.

"I have something to show you. Shall we meet?"

What a creepy way to greet someone, she scoffed but didn't erase the message, for despite having no sender name she instantly knew who it was from.

"Tell him no" And apparently, so did Reborn.

"Are you spying on me!?" She sat on her bed and glared at the hitman who was busy drinking a cup of espresso by her desk.

"I'm not" He blinked back at her "Giannini is. He directs me your emails"

"That's still spying!" She complained in exasperation at her invasion of privacy.

She hasn't dare hack or search anything Mafia related so as to not raise suspicion, it was so annoying to be limited even on her own devices but there was one occasion where Kyoko wanted to see a romcom not available yet on their country streaming service and Haru suggested using a fake account with some legal app, and because her laptop was the most 'secured' they decided to see it there.

Reborn's insufferable sigh at that counted as a victory to her.

"How do you even know it's Verde? You blocked his previous number"

"Just a hunch" The hitman said and levelled her with a hard stare "What does he want?"

"I don't know. You won't let me talk to him and ask"

"Dame-Tsuna"

"We were in the middle of building a project when you arrived" She murmured as she closed her inbox and went to open the chatting app to see if she had any unread messages there. "He wants information, I want updates''

Like a wizard, Kyoko was reminding her about homework, at which she simply sent a thumbs-up emoji and replied to Haru's question of having a girls night out with a gif of someone shrugging. Dino had spammed long texts that she opted to read later and instead went to see the other chat groups.

She along with Gokudera and Yamamoto were in a group - courtesy of the ex-baseball star - currently titled the Three Amigos. The name changed every few days and it was just as ridiculous as to what was inside. It was mostly the guys arguing and wanting to up one another in meme wars with her only sending emojis or gifs when the situation called for it.

But it was kind of funny - she didn't dare to say endearing - that no matter which group they were in, they always said good morning & goodnight in each chat respectively.

Even now, when they are busy with their own thoughts and training.

"What kind of project?" Reborn's curiosity made her hum and lock her phone, only to unlock it again and start to fiddle with it as she tried to come up with an answer.

"Just… nothing dangerous, I promise"

"You aren't supposed to lie anymore"

"I'm not lying. I just don't want to tell you" She grimaced as soon as the words escaped her mouth and meekly turned to see the hitman with a pleading look "No offense?"

Reborn didn't sigh but Tsuna could feel his annoyance at her evading the question. If Verde kept pressuring her now that the hitman was aware of their 'association', she would have given him something to placate his curiosity.

"How did you even catch his attention?" The hitman asked instead, just as curious.

"It was Dino's fault, actually" She smiled "I gave him a painting that was later stolen and ended up in an auction house. Verde saw it, liked it and tracked me down. I knew he was an arcobaleno, but Mammon never talked bad of him so I saw no danger in indulging him. I needed information and he was willing to share as long as I could entertain him. So he started sponsoring my art in exchange for 'crazy ideas'"

"What exactly was on the painting?"

"Just a tiny robot controlling the aspects of human behaviour in the mundane world" She shrugged but her words advocate of blatant robotic manipulation so she tried to amend it. "It was meant to represent the changes and control technology has on society and human lives..." Reborn blinked back at her "It was a school assignment?"

"Uh-huh"

Pursing her lips, she did not tell Reborn about the result of that painting, even if the smart tiny robot that controls the lights of her room, the wifi, played music, read her books and provided real-life information was sitting innocently on her desk next to him.

"He's not blackmailing me" She had the need to reassure the hitman "I'm not that kind of an idiot. Quite the contrary, I think I have enough dirt on him in case he crosses me"

"Good"

"So, can I?" She tentatively asked.

"After the ring battle" The hitman said as he jumped towards his hammock, empty cup forgotten by the desk for her to pick up and wash "You need to focus on this first"

"Will you be mad at me if I give up the fight?" She asked timidly as she moved over so that her back was leaning against the wall and she could prop her legs up and hug her knees.

"Quite so, I can't let you ruin my pride"

"Hmm… but don't you wonder what will happen if I don't win?"

"Do you believe so?"

"Believing and knowing are two different things, but you can pretend to believe in something and make someone believe you know it"

"Tsuna"

"Sorry, it's just loud sometimes" She sighed as she rubbed her head tiredly. Maybe she should take a warm bath before going to bed to make the voices in her head relax and shut down.

"Let's keep your mind busy then"

"Huh?" She blinked and stared horrified as the hitman had not changed into his pyjamas, but was instead porting a smart suit with an ugly argyle vest and was holding her school bag with a devilish glint in his eyes.

"B-But it's Saturday! There's too much homework! Reborn, No!"

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One thing he discovered about training with his father was that he was as ruthless as any other baseball coach preparing for the big leagues.

There was no mercy or playing around, and when he opted to stay home instead of going to school, it meant training and dedication, no waking up late and fooling around the house. His father couldn't be with him the whole time due to the restaurant, but he was strict and didn't leave him unsupervised for too long.

He already knew he could wield a knife with all his sushi skills of cutting fish, but to actually see him wield a sword was a different experience. It made him wonder where his father gained the knowledge because there were no kendo trophies or medals showcased around. There were no talks about sportsmanships or even where he picked up such skill.

He moved with precision and deadly strikes of someone who has done this for years. If a little rusty by old age, but his father held the posture of an experienced swordsman.

It was a little scary, he has to admit but he also held a new source of admiration to his old man.

Still, just because he was his father, it didn't mean that he didn't comment on his mistakes and let him slack off. He never lost his patience, he waited and taught him, again and again, the same position until he could get it right, but there was something frustrating him whenever he stayed practicing late and didn't show up at dinner time.

His father had not asked the reason why he wanted to learn sword fighting all those months ago, he didn't encourage him either but he still gave him some hard stares when he thought he wasn't looking, as if searching for something he clearly had no idea of.

And it frustrated him, because whatever it was his father was looking for, he wouldn't advance in his teaching until he found it.

And so, here he was. Sneaking around the house and into the dojo at late hours of the night to try and catch up. Seeing Ryohei-senpai lose his fight had dampened his spirit. It was hard not to, the boxer was like an inspiration among school sportsmen, with all his records and championships and wins and never-ending energy, to see him lose despite giving his all was shocking.

It was a reminder of the level of strength they were facing, the risk and danger they will experience and most importantly, what was at stake if they didn't win. This wasn't just another playful fight in the schoolyard, he knew that.

And he knew that Tsuna knew that, which is why he was stressing so much over training and becoming better so that he could win.

He knew it was bad to train unsupervised with a sharp sword at night when he was already tired by today's training. Swordsmanship was so different from baseball that it was taking a toll on his sore muscles. His shoulders and arms ached and cried for a break, but he couldn't rest knowing that he could fight any coming day now and he had to be ready.

He didn't know what kind of person he will fight, but he was sure that their levels of strength were beyond crazy.

"At this rate, you're going to destroy yourself" A squeaky voice called in the middle of the dark, making him grip his sword and turn around to face the presence in the room that wasn't there before.

"Hey kid" he breathed out, recognizing the voice but still having trouble pinpointing the exact location of where it was coming "Is Tsuna with you?"

"She's sleeping" Reborn said at his side, and if it weren't for his tired muscles and the knowledge that the presence of the hitman meant no harm, he would have jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance of the hitman stepping next to him. "But she wanted to know how you're doing, and so here I am, a dream fairy to grant you one wish"

"Haha, what are you on about?" He lowered his sword and took a sweep of the room with his eyes. The dojo was dark and the walls cast a shadow towards the place where the moonlight couldn't reach from the sliding doors there. He didn't want to turn the light on in case his father discovered him. How rebellious of him, and how amusing, that instead of fearing a scolding for sneaking out of the house, he was more afraid of being found inside.

"Take the weekend to rest, that's an order" Reborn told him with a stern and neutral voice "If you don't, I'm telling your father"

"That's mean"

"Tsuna and Gokudera are going to rest too. You won't advance in skill if you burn yourself like this"

"I know" He huffed and then he sighed as he crouched down and let the sword rest on the wooden floor. Tsuna probably knew he was on the way to self-destruct for Reborn's presence to be here, and this was probably an intervention. "I know"

"Why are you training so hard?"

The answer was simple, wasn't it? And yet, he felt a struggle to put it in words. Maybe that was why his father refused to progress his training.

"I can't help but think that she will hate me more if I hurt myself than losing the fight"

"That's true"

"But I also need to win the fight for her sake"

"Also true, but what do you value more? Her feelings or her life?" Reborn asked the golden question.

It was Friday night, he was stressed and tired and if he kept training so late in the night then he would most probably lose an arm with all the sword swinging. Isn't that what had happened to his shoulder? He broke it because of the heavy pressure of his peers and wanting to be better, in wanting to win the next game and not let his teammates down.

And yet, after everything that has happened he was in the same situation as before, making the same mistake like an idiot.

Tsuna pulled his mind out of the dark clouds once, and she also was against him fighting and risking his life.

It made him wonder how Gokudera was doing. That guy was loyal to the bone and he knew that winning his fight meant everything to him, because it meant he could prove himself worthy or something like that. They haven't really talked about the fights or anything related, but he considered him his best friend to notice and know how much pressure it was putting him in even if he didn't acknowledge it out loud.

But what does that say about him? Why was he fighting? He told Tsuna that it was his choice - which it was - and that he wanted to protect her from her hurting. But was that really the right choice?

Her life and her feelings were both important, but if he fights and gets hurt, then Tsuna will feel guilty and sad, but if he doesn't fight then she will get hurt either way and it will make him feel like a coward for abandoning a friend.

No, he needed to fight. And he needed to be able to win with little injuries so as to not worry Tsuna - or his father - for the matter. What he needed was to find a balance that can help him fulfil his resolve. He couldn't ask his father for advice without divulging into uncertain territory, he trusted his old man with his life, but by the hard stares he had received, it was obvious this was something he needed to figure it out by himself.

And maybe with a little bit of help from the dream fairy.

"I choose both" He declared. "Tsuna's life and feelings both matter. I want to protect them both" Saying that, he nodded to the kid sitting next to him to convey his acceptance at needing guidance.

"Good. Then, let me grant you your wish"

He blinked in confusion at Reborn, taking in his pleased smirk and gleaming dark eyes that glow even in the darkness of the room. Staring at him, it kinda felt like he was making a deal with the devil.

Coming Monday, he will know why Tsuna was terrified of the little kid wearing the black suit.

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Sunday morning in the Sawada residence went as peacefully as it has been for the past couple of months.

This time, Tsuna did wake up in time to have breakfast with the kids. They had settled into the routine of watching a Hero cartoon on Sunday's mornings while eating cereal with either marshmallow, chocolate chips or gummies on top. It depended on who got to the kitchen first.

She didn't know why she kept indulging them, but here she was. Sprinkling chocolate chips and blueberries over her cereal and splashing cool milk over it. Dino had brought more blueberries from Italy and came to deliver them when she was hiding at Kyoko's house so she missed him. There were three boxes that should last her roughly for a month if she ate a handful every day.

But staring at them, eating them, it just brought bitter feelings down her throat.

Vongola summer house was surrounded by those little bushes, and remembering them just bought unwanted memories of the situation at hand. She and Bel used to pick them up, Lussuria was in charge of baking and even Squalo enjoyed squishing them before eating them. Was she just a blueberry ready to be squashed?

"It's starting!" Fuuta exclaimed with excitement as the cartoon finally aired.

Hero cartoons were nice because they always had the same theme. Where good and evil fought and where after the battle, the hero always managed to win. It brought messages of hope and endurance, of holding on and keep walking forward no matter what.

But life was more complicated than that, there wasn't just a good side and a bad side fighting for their ideals, there was a lot of crap in the middle, emotional baggage in one side and existential crisis in the other. The hero could easily turn into the villain while the enemy into the anti-hero, white and black combined created a grayscale, after all.

To Xanxus, she was the enemy for betraying him and claiming his right to become boss. And she could understand that, but it wasn't her fault that things had come this way. She didn't decide to become a candidate, she didn't choose her lineage to be considered a threat. She was not given a choice. Who was the real enemy of her story? Vongola? Fate?

"He won!" Ipin exclaimed alongside Lambo, who had maintained a distance from her ever since last night.

15 minutes into the show, and the hero had already won. Right, he always does.

Sighing, she started eating her cereal before it became an inedible mass of soggy food. Another fifteen minutes later and the episode was over, the kids had escaped to the backyard to play and leave her to wash the dishes.

She didn't mind, it gave her at least something to keep her busy.

Now that she was given this free day, she wondered what she should do. She didn't have the energy to hang out with Kyoko and Haru, and visiting Gokudera and Yamamoto will surely put pressure on them but staying inside the house was stressful.

Maybe she should do some gardening? If she remembers correctly, Verde had sent some seeds in his last parcel of Green&Peace so there should be some. She didn't have a green thumb exactly, but at least her bean plant never died when the school assigned it to her class. And there was a feeling of tranquillity of getting her fingers dirty by digging the soil and hiding away a little seed from view so that it could grow undisturbed from external harm. Was she projecting?

Shaking her head, she picked up the forgotten bowls and went to the kitchen to wash them. She shouldn't even be allowed into the kitchen because the plates can explode in her hands any second now, but her mother didn't seem to be anywhere near to kick her out, so she wouldn't take responsibility if something happened.

"Tsuna-fish"

Can something happen now? Please…

"It's Tsuna" She murmured without looking back and focused on cleaning the bowls thoroughly. "Where's mom?"

"She's next door. It's the neighbour's birthday so your sweet mother went to give her some matcha cookies"

She couldn't help but scrunch her nose at that, she didn't like the taste of matcha, even worse if it was in cookies. But maybe she should ask for some as a gift to Fon, if she was going to accept his offer as a therapist then she didn't want it to be for free.

"How are you?" Iemitsu asked.

"Fine"

"And Reborn? How is he treating you?"

"He's a hitman, what do you expect?"

"Tsuna, I'm trying-

"So am I!" The bowls clattered in the sink but didn't break when she let go of them to grip the counter instead. "I'm trying really hard"

"I know" Iemitsu sighed and moved somewhere behind her without coming any closer "I know, but Tsuna, I promise, things will get better soon"

"How can you say that? Do you even care about me?"

"I'm trying to protect you"

"By selling me to Vongola?!" She yelled as she turned to look at him "I thought you wanted to protect us! Isn't that why you send me here?! To Japan? To get away!? Why did you turn on your word?!"

"You won't understand now, but I promise, this is for your own good"

"My own good?!" She snarled as she shook her head "I'm not sleeping and I'm not resting! My mind has been in chaos since the Mafia came into our home, how is that any good for me?"

"I know its hard, believe me, I didn't want to put you into a difficult situation-

"Then don't make me fight!" She pleaded, tired of this constant fight in her mind and now in real life. "Don't make me fight him! Don't make me a Mafia boss!"

"It's not for you to decide" Iemitsu looked torn, shaking his head gravely as if her words didn't matter.

"It's my life! I don't want to be Vongola Decimo!"

"You have to"

"Why won't you let me decide?! It's the bloody Mafia! I can die!" And by this point, there were hot tears falling from her eyes by rage and anger and hurt at the blatant dismissal of her life "Don't you care?"

"I care, which is why you need to do this. Tsuna, listen to me-

But she wasn't listening. She didn't want to listen.

It was too early in the morning to have a discussion, she knew it was meant to happen sooner than later with how tense things had been since she returned home, but she wasn't ready to face him. Not when it meant disappointment and anguish and yelling.

For once, her head was quiet, as if not wanting to get involved with this mess and leaving her to solve it out by herself. She never thought she would feel so alone without those whispers or hurt by being abandoned by her own mind.

"I can't do this right now" She whispered tiredly as she whipped her tears and tried to walk out of the kitchen to escape this discussion, but Iemitsu followed her a few steps behind.

"Tsuna, we need to talk"

"Please, don't do this now" She begged, because right now she knew she wouldn't be able to control her emotions and either her actions or words could inflict damage beyond repair for the both of them. Worst thing that could happen was her burning the house, but her flames were picky and unpredictable, so that wasn't probable. Right?

"Tsuna-fish, I know you hate this, but right now there is no other choice than to fight and claim the title. You need to become Vongola Decimo, there is no other way"

"Other way for what?"

She was so tired of the 'do this and do that' conversation, why couldn't she get a straight answer out of anyone? Everyone either wanted her to become a Mafia boss or not, but they didn't seem to care about what she had to say about it. Did she even have a choice anymore or was there something else at play?

"You think you can control me if I become Decimo?" She had to ask.

"That has nothing to do with this!" Iemitsu responded, and even though her intuition was waking and assessing the truth, there was something nagging in the back of her mind.

"Then why are you forcing me!?" She yelled and begged her mind to come up with an answer but it kept quiet and her voice broke when she spoke next "I don't understand"

"It's not that simple" Iemitsu shook his head and Tsuna wanted to scream because it was simple, it was so simple but everyone was complicating things and getting in her way "This isn't what I wanted for you, believe me. But right now, you need to claim that title for your own sake, not mine"

Outside, the kids exclaimed at whatever it was that they were playing, and the extra noise was enough to remind her that her mom could come back at any moment. This wasn't the time or place to be having this conversation, and with every second that passes, she could feel her heartbeat rising in trepidation at feeling trapped.

"Well, I'm sorry I can't be what you wanted me to be" She sniffed and turned around, deeming the conversation over but Iemitsu was becoming just as stressed as her - and with her - because he huffed silently and reached out to grab her shoulders and force her to stay.

"Tsuna, I'm trying-

"Let go of me"

"You need to trust me"

"You're the last person that deserves my trust"

And she could see that her words hurt him, good, she wanted to convince her heart. But all she could feel was shame, anger and guilt. Emotions that he didn't deserve from her after what had happened in Italy and what he has done with her life, it just wasn't fair.

Taking the opportunity of his silence, Tsuna removed his hands from her shoulders and ducked underneath his arm to dash towards the front door to make her escape.

"Tsuna, the ring-

Snarling, she ripped the broken ring from her finger and threw it at Iemitsu's feet.

"There! Vongola, Vongola! That's all you care about!"

Iemitsu let her go, he waited until the door was closed before sighing deeply in his hands. This was just a disaster, he knew Tsuna was going to quarrel and disagree with him but not to what degree. He had hoped that things had mellowed down after being apart for so long, but it seemed to be the opposite if the anger and hurt in her orange eyes were any indication of it.

Rubbing his face tiredly, he bent down to pick the ring from the floor and considered putting a chain on it so that it wouldn't get lost.

"Don't give me that look" He gruffed as he bypassed the hitman at the stairs "When you have a daughter, you'll understand"

Reborn scoffed at that.

As if he wanted a daughter, dealing with Tsuna was already enough.

.

.

.

Tsuna ran out of the house, not knowing where to go, only that it had to be the farthest way possible. Having no destination in mind, she just let her legs pull her around town until it became impossible to breathe. The sun was blaring down and the summer heat was hot and humid that it really felt like she was having a mental breakdown.

She slowed down, feeling her chest burning and stopped to lean on a wall at an unfamiliar corner. She didn't know where she was, but at this point, it didn't matter. It was empty and quiet and she could hear her heart beating fast in her head.

Her eyes watered, and her lips trembled.

And she hid her face in her hands as her legs buckled and she slid down till she was sitting on the floor.

Was this puberty? If it was, then she didn't want it.

All her negative emotions seemed to be enhanced and she didn't know what to do with them. She wanted to scream and cry, there was fire burning in her fingers, ready to touch and destroy everything to ash. Everything she had bottled up until now - all the pain and hatred and fear- it all seemed to want to be unleashed, but her heart was too small, it couldn't process all emotions at once.

Iemitsu was an idiot that didn't deserve her tears.

But even so, the ache wouldn't stop, the tears wouldn't stop. And if she kept crying under the blasted summer sun, then she was going to dehydrate. With shoulders shaking with sobs and her chest constricted with intakes of breaths, she cursed her sudden inability to control her emotions.

She always knew seeing her father again would cause cross feelings between them both, it was something that has been building up since that night in Italy so many years ago. It would be a lie to say that she hadn't prepared herself for it to happen, she had thought so many nights on what she was going to say to him the next time they met.

But planning was useless, because the only thing she could do right now was cry.

Between her hitches of breaths, there was a little sound in front of her that seemed to be trying to get her attention. She didn't know if her intuition was still playing dead, but there was no feeling of danger approaching her, and she would have ignored it, if it weren't for the insistent noise mixing with her cries.

A soft meow called out, again and again until she finally looked up to see her stray cat staring back at her.

"Hey" she sniffed and whipped her tears with the back of her hand "Puru, what are you doing here?"

The cat blinked his only healthy eye and pawed closer to her, sniffing the air around her as it to gauge the reason for her distress before jumping into her lap, placing his paws on her shoulders to stand up and reach forward to lick the tears from her cheek.

She froze for a moment, not expecting the sudden rough tongue on her face, but the small action threatened to bring new tears again so she sniffled and hugged the car closer, not really caring if she spooks him and gets claws on her face instead, but the stray just purred and nuzzled closer to her.

Taking comfort in the little creature, she tried to stop thinking about anything other than breathing slowly to match the vibrations coming from the cat, and as she did so, there was something inside of her settling in, like water clearing her mind from depressive thoughts. There must be something therapeutic of petting a rumbling cat while feeling down.

It must be the purring.

"I feel like an idiot" She confessed, now that the tears had stopped and her body felt heavy with fatigue, she felt stupid for letting her emotions get the better of her. God, if this was her Sunday morning with her father, she didn't know what would happen when she actually faces Xanxus. He won't give her a moment to cry, that was for sure.

Sighing, she blinked her eyes clear from the moisture there and her shoulders shook slightly at a loud rumbling.

Wait, that wasn't purring.

Startled, she looked up only to see the sky darkening with thundering clouds.

"Seriously?!"

No wonder it was so humid! Summer storms were the worst.

She cursed her bad luck and her intuition for not warning her or even letting her grab an umbrella. Stupid thing, it must be broken or just toying to bring her more misery.

"We need to find a safer place" She told the cat as she stood up, and stared in dismay at the sight of her legs because she just had breakfast at her house on a Sunday morning when she ran away from home, meaning that she was still wearing her pyjamas. And they had to be the ones with dinosaur prints all over them.

God damn it.

Puru meowed at her and swished his tail to grab her attention, and the cat looked like it wanted to claw her leg when she looked down at him with a grimace.

"Lead on then"

Having grabbed her attention, the stray stretched comfortably before flickering his ears with one of his paws and turned around, not looking back to see if she followed. And Tsuna had no problem following a cat through the unfamiliar streets, only muffling a giggle at the cute action before yelping when the rain drizzle showered her.

They picked up their pace, it was dangerous to run while on the rain - and neither her mind nor her heart needed a reminder of what almost happened to Lambo and the car - so she was careful to watch where she was going and not panic when the rain started to fall more heavily over them.

She only did a double-take, however, when she realized the fact that the cat was leading her to the very familiar abandoned amusement park. It didn't feel like she was walking into a trap, but she didn't care at this point.

She jumped under the nearest roof for shelter and hugged her arms to bring warmth to her already cold skin. At her feet, Puru shook his body to get rid of the excess of water, with the droplets sprinkling on her already wet slippers. The walk back home was certainly going to be a walk of shame, that is if the rain let down. Maybe she should call Dino to pick her up, at least she had her phone on her when she ran without thinking.

Her stray meowed and when she looked at him, he was already sneaking inside the building through a broken door. To go in or not to go in, what a silly question. She could get sick again if she didn't find a proper refuge.

"Hello?" She called out loud as she carefully slipped through the door, making sure the broken shards of the door didn't tear her pyjamas or arms. "Ken? Chikusa?"

There was silence other than the rain falling outside. Contrary to her Friday quest of coming here to deliver some goodies, she didn't feel any source of pull or presence for the matter. Whatever it was that she felt that day was gone, as was the other company.

"No one's here?" She asked the cat, who gave her a long meow as an answer. Tsuna debated for a moment, before shivering slightly and ventured forwards into the room. "Well, I'm sure they won't mind"

She did bring them cookies as a peace offering after all, and by the way she and Gokudera were pushed to the door rather than being kicked out, she counted that as a win. Rubbing her arms, she walked all the way until she reached the room with the beaten red couch, where she proceeded to sit after deeming it clean from dust.

Puru jumped and curled next to her, licking his paws to start grooming his wet fur while she sat in silence, just breathing deeply and trying to untangle the mess inside her head. She tried to distract herself by squeezing the excess of water from her slippers and her hair, which she opted to pull in a messy braid. She was going to take a warm bath as soon as she returned home.

Or not? Maybe she can call in sick and not show up to the fight.

Her machiavellian plan was stopped, however, when the silence that had reign was broken when her phone rang.

It took him long.

Sighing, she fumbled with her phone to answer.

"Dame-Tsuna"

"I'm not sorry for running away" She said quietly, and leaned back into the couch to bring her legs up and prayed that Reborn hadn't overheard them "Sorry, I just…I can't stay at home."

"Where are you now?"

"I'm safe, I'm with someone, so don't worry, okay?" Her stray yawned at her side and started kneading the couch to get comfortable. Reborn has probably tracked her down by now and knew where she was, but he said she was supposed to rest for the weekend, so he couldn't force her to do things like walk back home under the rain.

"Don't do anything stupid. And come straight back home or I'm sending Baka-Dino to pick you up"

Was it funny that they thought of Dino in the same way?

"I won't run away, I promise" She murmured tiredly "I promise, just… just give time?"

"Okay"

The call disconnected, and she sighed, but her emotions stuck in her throat and she choked into another sob.

What was the deal with Reborn anyway? He treated her like a punching bag and his subject of amusement on most of the days, but on rare occasions, when certain incidents happened and she showed raw vulnerability, he treated like a glass doll. And she hated it.

Leaning down to hug her knees, she rested her head on them for a while and listened to the rain falling outside. At her side, the cat was now curled down and sleeping, and seeing him made her want to sleep too.

But her phone lit up again, signalling a new message had come.

Yamamoto was telling her that he was visited by the dream fairy on Friday's night, only that it seems like he made a deal with the boogeyman instead. Exactly her sentiments, she thought with a little laugh and sent him a 'ganbatte' emoticon because what else could she say? She didn't know what kind of training Reborn will make him do, but she already pities him.

He was going to need all the help he could get, Reborn told her yesterday the element of each of her guardians, so if her memory served right, then his opponent in the Rain battle was Squalo. Gokudera was going to fight Bel, and she could already imagine the violence in that battle. Neither was going to hold back, and if worse comes to worst, some blood will be shed.

Ugg, bad idea. Now wasn't the time to think about that. But think about that she did, and she couldn't help but question things beyond because she didn't have a Mist guardian and Varia was lacking a Cloud, so does that mean that those fights were an instant win for the other party? But Kyoya was her Cloud, and if he doesn't fight…

Then again, Varia must have forged a contact with another Cloud user, one that she didn't know about but could already feel creeps rising in her skin with just thinking about it.

It must be the cold, she told herself as she curled a little to seek warmth.

There really was no way out of this, was it?

If she fights Xanxus - when, her intuition whispers - whatever outcome may come, she was willing to try and reach a proposition with him. Being Decimo was his right, not hers. He was by far the best candidate out of the two of them to become a Mafia Boss. So- and maybe - but what if?... If Xanxus becomes Decimo, can she still keep the ring?

She didn't understand why her intuition was so obsessed with the ring, and it was so tiring just thinking about it when her inner thoughts wanted one thing while she wanted another. It gave her a headache, added to her guilt of getting people involved and in danger despite somehow needing them and her current fatigue after crying for fighting with her father, it made her feel like trash.

Her eyes started to drop and her grip over her cellphone weakened as a sudden wave of exhaustion hit her with the stuffy air from the rain and her self-deprecating thoughts.

She had told Reborn that she was selfish, had made it clear to Yamamoto that if the situation depended on it she wouldn't save him, just as she had told Fuuta that she wouldn't risk what she had to protect him. Bringing Gokudera to her side, playing school girl with Kyoko, making Ryohei fight, and even involving Kyoya.

Everything she has done and said, her actions and drive, it all has all been for a greater purpose. There was something worse at stake than becoming a Mafia Boss, something siniste̴͙͘r.

-...But was that the real reason or was she just trying to justify her actions?

Xanxus knew the truth. What had started this mess, he knew part of it, she was sure. Bel must have tattled her with Mammon when he hacked her search, so if they were aware of it, couldn't Xanxus just listen to her and then maybe work together to achieve the endgame and forget the battle?

-...She should just let the world burn so long as she gets to keep her little peace.

She knew she couldn't do it alone, it was the only reason why she took Reborn's training and was reluctantly fighting for the title. If she wins the battle and becomes Decimo, she will have a bigger arsenal and power to accomplish that and more, so much more.

There was a soft humming in the air, like an underwater lullaby whose words only she could hear. Where had she heard it again? Lost summer nights, so kind and gentle, like the wings of the butterfly fluttering in the breeze and- wait...

...Just now, what was she thinking about?

She blinked, but every time she did her eyelids became heavier and her mind foggier until she felt something pulling her in. It was terrifying, being aware that she was losing consciousness and didn't had the strength to snap out of it. Her body was numb and her mind had stopped whispering so there was nothing she could do but close her eyes and let go.

Shadows danced around her, cradling her gently into the streams of oblivion.

But was she dreaming or was she losing her mind?

Because the next thing she knew, she was waking up with fingers tangling in her hair.

"Hmm?"

"Buonasera, my lady"

She looked up to see heterochromatic eyes looking playfully back at her. A pause, and she blinked, and blinked again until she confirmed that what she was seeing wasn't a dream, and that her head was in fact resting over his lap where he had been playing with a strand of her hair.

"Mukuro" She called out with a raspy voice from all the crying she did and looked at the illusionist with confusion "What are you doing here?"

"Imagine my delight when I found you asleep in my couch"

"Blame your cat" She muttered and pushed herself up, although her body was tired and was very comfortable, she didn't want to have a conversation laying on a guy's lap like that. She was more exhausted to actually feel embarrassed, but Mukuro merely hummed in response and let her sit next to him with enough distance for things not to get awkward.

Puru was gone and in his place was the illusion of the boy. Tsuna knew he wasn't really here, but seeing him outside rather than her mental garden was nice, although to what purpose, that is yet to be known. A yawn escaped her lips and she stretched until her sore muscles stretched in comfort and she leaned back on the couch with a sigh.

Outside, the rain had stopped and by the way the stuffy humid air was suffocating her lungs, it meant that it was probably noon and she just slept for hours on an old beaten couch where to her it felt like seconds when in fact, half the day had passed.

"Ran away from home?" Mukuro asked, all lazy and unperturbed by the summer weather. Lucky him, she grouchily thought. At least she was smart enough to wrap her hair in a braid, she didn't want to walk home in her wet pyjamas and frizzy hair.

"You could say" She shrugged and looked around the room in search of more presences but they were alone. "Sorry to impose"

"I never said I didn't like it"

And she chose to ignore his smirk in exchange for bringing her knees up again towards her chest and asked a stupid question.

"How are you?"

"As fine as a vegetable in vinegar can be" Yeah, stupid question, she berated herself with a small grimace.

"You are not possessing a poor old lady, are you?"

"Kufufu, do you think so low of me?"

"Hmm" She shrugged again instead of taking the bait. While she had formed a strange understanding with the illusionist, Mukuro was still unpredictable at best and chaotic evil at worst, so she didn't know on what line she stood with him.

"What's all the ruckus going on in town?" He asked after a few minutes of silence, and she saw no harm in answering with the truth.

"An assassin squad declared war on me and my made-up team. Vongola is forcing us to fight them"

Well, they were forcing her. Everyone else decided to join for whatever reason and were giving her huge amounts of stress and guilt. But whatever, she had enough on her plate to be worrying about other people, she needed to be sane in mind and body to survive her own fight, anyone else will have to survive on their own too.

It was the reasonable thing to do, she couldn't pull them out of the fight nor will she fight their battle for them, so even if it hurt, she has to let it go and focus on her own psyche. That wasn't selfish right? She pondered again but stopped herself from falling into depressing thoughts when she realized that Mukuro was staring at her.

"What?" She asked, half-conscious that she was still wearing her cartoony pyjamas.

"I'm just waiting" He shrugged as he crossed his legs and leaned his head against one of his hands perched over the couch. "Are you not going to ask me to join the fight? It's in your name, isn't it?"

"You want to fight… for me?"

What is up with all these people wanting to fight on her name? She almost wanted to grip her hair and scream, but at that point she was tired and just couldn't fathom the reason why. She could understand a friend wanting to help another friend, but to risk their lives? Things like loyalty didn't mean much, not when they were kids themselves still learning how to live.

"It's easy to know you need strong people, but you are too proud to ask them yourself. Am I wrong?"

"It's not that I'm proud. I just don't want to drag anyone else into this" She shook her head, tired of the same speech.

"Hmm…" Mukuro tilted his head and blinked lazily "Then how about we make a deal?"

"Why do you want to fight so hard?" He has all the reasons not to get involved with the Mafia and Vongola, and yet, here he was. Wanting to chain himself, again, when he was already a prisoner.

"I'm bored, I need entertainment" He drawled, as if that was enough justification.

"So you will fight in exchange for something?" She moved her legs down and went to cross her arms over her chest as she stared down at his amused expression, trying to get her intuition to read his intentions. "Are you going to ask to get you out of prison?"

"You and I both know you don't have the power to do so, yet"

"What makes you so sure I will get you out?" She smiled, if only because what he said was a truth she has been brooding over for weeks. And because she wanted to tease him a little, sue her. After all, he still gave them a hard time a few months ago.

"Kufufu, what a cruel lady you are. Don't break my heart like that" And he held a hand playfully over his chest and acted hurt, knowing perfectly well that what he said was true. How ridiculous.

"Name your price"

"Have dinner with me"

She gaped at him in surprise. Was he… asking her out? No, Mukuro was all flirt and smirks to get what he wanted, and he wanted free food?

"But you are an illusion" She poked his shoulder to state the point and even though it was solid, the mist flames creating his body quivered under her touch like tiny ripples in a pond.

"I have my ways" He smirked at her with a secretive glint in his mismatched eyes.

Even though her intuition acted on its whim sometimes, it was still a part of her that has become enhanced over the last few weeks. It was strong enough to know when Reborn was plotting torturing schemes for her training and even though it had been silent in the morning, it was telling her now - almost singing - that there were no malicious intentions in making the deal.

"Okay" She whispered, knowing that this time, it was her agreeing for someone to fight into her battlefield.

And it's not like she could stop him, she had the suspicion that he was going to appear either way and create more chaos under her name. Reborn had said that he was her official guardian, but if Vongola had no plans to release him, then why name him hers? Was Mukuro even aware of what it would mean for him to fight as her guardian?

"What is the grand prize of this battle, anyway?"

"The winner takes over Vongola"

And he had the gall to look surprised for a second before his expression turned that of a fat cat that got both the canary and the cream.

Tsuna hopes he chokes.

"Oya, aren't this good news"

.

.

.

Monday, 8am.

She has officially decided to skip school until the whole ring-battle fiasco is over.

Reborn agreed with her, if only because he was actually sure that she would end up burning the school with her emotions running rampage, so they were making mornings kinda like therapy sessions before the real training began later at noon.

He was still going to make her do her homework, though. And if her grades drop, hell will follow.

Curiously enough, she and Mukuro ended up talking about her artwork for a good hour, and if it weren't for the constant afternoon humidity she would have stayed a bit more. Mukuro could have easily created a winter wonderland with real cold air and ice but he liked to see her suffer, so she didn't look behind as she started to make her way home.

But just as she rounded the corner, she surrendered to the heat and ended up calling Dino to pick her up from her walk of shame.

The poor blond didn't look any better, and through the whole drive home, he kept complaining about angry birds and how she must stay away from that violent boy. It was kinda funny, even Romario was a bit scared of Kyoya, but Dino was the one who suffered from direct contact.

She asked about their training, about what exactly Kyoya was supposed to learn from it, but Dino had no idea either. What a dummy.

He didn't ask about her red eyes or what she was even doing near Kokuyo land in her pyjamas, and he probably knew her better than anyone because he also didn't ask how she was holding up. He merely hugged her, commenting she smelt like a wet cat and dust and waited for her if she wanted to talk.

For a moment she considered it, what Fon had said and what Dino meant to her. He knew what happened in Italy and the disaster that followed, he knew what Xanxus meant to her and the hostility towards her father, so really, he was the best person to just vent her emotions without him asking for more questions. He will understand.

But maybe that was the thing holding her back. Because they have history and a friendship, she knew Dino will side with her, listen and console her, but not give her advice on how to move on. Because moving on will hurt and he didn't want to be the one to force her to do that. And she loved him and was grateful for everything he has done for her, but she wasn't going to treat him like her emotional punching bag.

When they arrived at her house, they threw an excuse about an abrupt lunch to her mother, who only expressed worry at their dirty appearances and ushered them inside. When Tsuna came out from her shower, Dino was engaged in a staring contest with Iemitsu. She quickly escaped to the kitchen to help her mother wash the vegetables for today's dinner.

The only good thing was that Dino and Romario stayed for dinner, so it wasn't as awkward as it was on Saturday, even though there wasn't any space left at the table.

She was exhausted by the time night fell, and without any homework left to do, she quickly fell asleep with the feeling of impending dread sinking into her bones. She knew enough was enough when she woke up shivering before the sun was up, so she didn't ponder a minute longer to grab her phone and ask for help.

"Will you be there?" She asked the hitman as she was getting ready to go out. Her mother was already awake, and leaving the house in joggers rather than her uniform will raise suspicion so she had to change to keep up appearances.

"Do you want me there?" It was weird for Reborn to ask permission, but then again...

"You'll spy either way"

And that was her way of accepting his presences into her path of self-healing.

And so, here she was.

"Just keep breathing, Tsunayuuki-san. And think of everything around you. The texture of the ground, the smelt of the grass, the beating of your heart. Listen to it and focus on just that"

It was easier said than done in the beginning, to focus on just one thing when there was a mess inside her mind, but it was better focusing on just something rather than nothing at all. Clearing her mind never worked with Reborn, there was just too much chaos going on, so enhancing her senses to occlude unwanted thoughts and shift her priorities seemed to be a great method to diminish her anxiety.

Breathing, and counting her breaths, feeling the ground on her fingers and listening to her heart beat slowly on her chest on par with the rise and fall of her chest. There was a serenity she hadn't been able to find before, even though the air was still hot from yesterday's rain, it was easier to breathe.

She didn't know how long it has been since she sat down to meditate, but by the time she felt ready, her body was relaxed and her mind quiet.

"Are you alright?" Fon asked her when she opened her eyes.

"I feel lighter"

"That means the meditation is working" He said with a pleased smile and handed her a cup of tea "Clearing your head will only make way for unwanted thoughts. The best way to focus on nothing, its to focus just on something"

She accepted the cup and the warm beverage added to the soothing sensation of comfort. She still felt sad and afraid, but it wasn't as intense as last night.

"Where's Reborn?"

"Sulking" She hid her smile over the cup, feeling and ignoring the glare at the back of her head from somewhere behind her "Thanks for doing this, Fon"

"It's my pleasure"

Tsuna needed therapy, but she couldn't exactly go to a town's clinic and talk about Mafia and voices and flames to a civilian psychologist, and finding one from the underworld was like signing her own life away so this was her safest choice.

Putting her faith in Fon was a huge step for her, but knowing that it was her decision and hers alone allowed her to open up to the arcobaleno who despite sharing a title of one of the Mafia's strongest, still cared for strangers in need and was willing to help without asking for things in return.

"There is something bothering you"

"You said it would be best to release my fears to someone I could trust rather than hide them"

"Am I that person? I'm honoured" He told her sincerely, perhaps not expecting for her to choose him as her confidant.

"I think I'm ready to talk" She muttered, suddenly feeling a cold fear grasping her chest but she tried to force the bubble of anxiety down.

"Just take your time" Fon didn't usher her, he simply continued to sit next to her and drink his tea, waiting for her to sort her thoughts and speak when she was ready.

It took her a while, there was just too much she wanted to say but didn't know how to start. And when she encouraged herself to speak, the words died in her throat and became lost, only for it to repeat again. It was hard and annoying, and the sudden need to cry overpowered her, but she breathed out and played with the grass underneath her to focus.

Knowing that Reborn was also listening wasn't helping with her nerves, but she did trust him and he was going to find out about this sooner than later, so it was all on her to just speak when she felt ready.

"Iemitsu didn't knew" She said "That I met Xanxus. For two years, he didn't knew"

She could feel the anxiety wanting to cripple her voice but she held on, pulling a grass leaf and started to play with it to distract her mind with something as she kept talking.

"He knew I was happy, but never asked for the names of my friends. So I never told him, just mom and he- uh.. he didn't…"

"It's alright, take a deep breath"

"He didn't knew I was kidnapped" She exhaled loudly and gripped the leaf until it bent in half "Not until it was too late. And he blamed Xanxus for that, when it was him who found me and brought me back"

It was somehow liberating to finally say this out loud, although this was just the surface of her thoughts and emotions, to be able to express them without succumbing to nightmarish thoughts felt good.

At her side, Fon had a shocked face. This was probably new to him, which made her feel good because at least not everyone knew about her past and was playing with her present. He will probably have questions without a doubt, but he wasn't going to ask, just listen.

Reborn, on the other hand, was soaking all the new information she was willingly sharing to add to his mental file and she knew that his curiosity will eventually make him question her in the future, but for now, it was her turn to talk. And she did.

"I don- I don't know what he told mom, but he convinced her to return to Japan without asking me. He sent me here… so that the Mafia couldn't get me again" And the anxiety she felt mixed with hot anger in her chest "But… but he still sold me out. He signed me to Vongola to become a Mafia Boss and I… I…" Her breath hitched but she scrunched her nose to prevent tears from falling "I'm angry and sad… I just… I don't understand why he did it"

She unclenched her hand and let the broken leaf drift in the air.

It was quiet for some time, but the silence didn't feel oppressive as she waited. That was all she could unravel for today, and even in doing so she still felt like wanting to puke, but what little she said was enough to get rid of negative forces to get her through today.

"I can't speak for your father, Tsunayuuki-san, for I do not know him. And it will be presumptuous of me to accuse him without facts, but one thing I know for sure, is that no father would ever condemn their child to a future of suffering, unless they were the filth of humanity, for in which case he is, then I withdraw my words"

"No" She whispered quietly "He isn't"

She knew he wasn't. And perhaps that's why his betrayal hurts more. He claims this was for her own good, as if becoming a bloody Mafia Boss was supposed to be something beneficial for a little girl scared of her own shadow.

"I just don't understand"

"And that resentment, you hold it against him, after all this time"

"I know its petty-

"It's not. Never dismiss your feelings as childish, you feel them for a reason, Tsunayuuki-san"

And she did feel childish for getting emotional about this, like she was exaggerating her mistrust and anger, but no one really told her how to feel if she ever faced pain and betrayal. No one really prepared her to face this sort of reality.

"Why did they lie?" She questioned what had been pestering for months, even if she knew she wouldn't get the real answer "Everyone was dead by the time I arrived in Japan. All the heirs were gone. So why? Why did he send me here for six years when Vongola could have kept me and groom me to their like?"

"Iemitsu had no way of knowing that Xanxus was going to attack Vongola right after you left" Reborn added, and his unexpected presence at her side didn't startle her as she thought it would. "They were told about the coup a day after and Federico was considered MIA a month later, six months after that and his remains were discovered and officially proclaimed dead"

"Oh" She breathed out and hugged her knees closer for comfort.

She knew the hitman was intrigued about this, but for him to have searched for the exact dates of the occurrences was a bit baffling. Although it shouldn't surprise her, it was Reborn after all.

"But Xanxus is still alive" She wanted to snarl, the anger she felt over Iemitsu shifted completely towards a new person "Nono, he told me Xanxus was dead but he's not. Reborn, you said I was a candidate, it's been plaguing my mind since you came. How could I be a candidate if supposedly there was no one else? Why is he alive? And why did they lie to me?"

"I don't have the answers yet. Vongola kept Xanxus death vague on the records and didn't confirm his rebirth until a week ago"

"Foul play, you suppose?" Fon asked, keeping up with the conversation despite not having all the facts.

"The one holding the key answer is Nono, but he is currently MIA"

"How intriguing" Murmured Fon. It was dangerous to share this classified information with an external party, a very dangerous external party but if Reborn was allowing it, then Tsuna didn't care. Maybe there was an Arcobanelo oath that bound them to secrecy between them. Should she breach this with Mammon? She could pay for answers using Iemitsu's credit card. Maybe try to bribe Colonnello with apple pie?

"Tsunayuuki-san, have you talked to him?" Fon asked her.

"Xanxus? No, I shot myself in the head"

"Your father, I mean"

"Oh" How silly of her, now she felt embarrassed at her slip and the memory of their argument. "Kinda. We had a fight. I don't think we can talk about it for now"

"Give it time. You both need to calm down, and when you're ready," He paused and made sure she was listening to him "When you're ready, Tsunayuuki-san, then you can ask him"

She breathed out, her heart was hammering and wanting to come out through her throat but she gripped her knees tight and concentrated on feeling the grass and the air around on her skin. There were still questions and feelings stuck in her heart, but for now, this was enough. She will search for the truth, but not now.

It felt nice knowing that she had that choice, however small it was.

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The day dragged on from then on.

Reborn didn't make any snide comments when they parted with Fon to make their way to their training grounds. He didn't press for more information than was given and let her prepare on her own. She changed into leggings and a sleeveless shirt to get her through the hot weather and waited for Basil to arrive while she stretched and warmed up.

While this morning meditation had cooled her nerves, she decided to focus on controlling her flames and not tomorrow's battle. It was easier said than done when training hadn't even begun, but that was her resolution for the day. It was better to have one, than go through with it blinded with too many thoughts.

Basil arrived shortly after, and after exchanging short greetings, he gave her a chain with her broken ring, along with a little present and a weird smile.

She was surprised, then confused and then flabbergasted when she opened it to reveal elbow and knee pads. They were bright pink with flowers, obviously made for a clumsy little girl learning how to ride a bike but she didn't have the heart to turn them down. Not after Thursday's debacle, she still feels bad for yelling at him when all he was trying to do was help.

So she thanked him and wore them, and she was so grateful because one hour after training and falling down, her knees had gained zero bruises. She still hadn't gotten the hang of it though, her flames were still pulling her around like a rag doll, although with less force than before, she still felt the strain in her bones.

Lunchtime arrived, and she shared her bento willingly. Meditation had left with space to think without succumbing to negativity, so she knew her treatment against the boy was merely an unfair projection of her hurt feelings.

"I'm sorry, Basil. For before" She told him once they finished eating and were getting ready to continue training. "I'm not mad at you and I don't hate you, it's just… I'm a little jealous of you"

"Jealous?" He gaped at her as if her words were ridiculous, and they were. "Signorina, I should be the one to be jealous of thou"

"Call me Tsuna" She shrugged, and waved his confusion with a smile.

In her eyes, Basil was the perfect son that held Iemitsu's attention while she rotted in her own misery across the ocean. She couldn't stop thinking about it, couldn't stop the jealousy from brewing in the pit of her stomach, even though it wasn't fair for the other boy who wasn't at fault and has done nothing but be kind and try to help her.

Her business was with Iemitsu only. She shouldn't let past afflictions govern her present actions, not when there were more important matters at hand, like surviving training.

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"Rolling skates?"

"They will add speed and strength to your ankles" Reborn explained "Your flames are going to pull you all over the place so get used to the feeling of gliding"

She stared unblinkingly at the neon green rolling skates Leon had morphed into with dismay.

Basil had left a few minutes ago, their training had finished with the same results as Friday without much improvement and now her private training with Reborn was commencing. Things shouldn't surprise her anymore, but here they were.

"Do you know how to skate?"

"I-

"Don't lie"

"No" She confessed in a meek voice that immediately became offended at his flat expression "It's not like I needed to! I like walking, walking is fine!"

"That's lame"

"Shut up! Not everyone needs to know how to skate!"

"Can you even ride a bike?"

"Of course I can!"

And so, they had to do a detour in their training.

Reborn wouldn't be able to teach her how to skate, not if it meant skating down the mountain on her first try so they had to go seek someone else with enough patience and empathy. It was noon, school time was over and Tsuna was willingly walking towards an ice rink to fall on her face repeatedly. At least the ice will feel fine in this blasted summer.

"Tsuna-san!" Haru waved excitedly as she approached "It's so good to see you again!"

"You too, Haru"

They didn't end up hanging on the weekend, so Haru agreed without prompting to meet up when she asked.

"First swimming, now skating. I'm happy that I'm becoming a lot of Tsuna-san's first experiences" She then gasped with a cheeky smile "Could it be, will I take your first kiss too?"

"Too late"

"No way! With who? Was it Hibari-san?"

"W-What? No!" Tsuna blushed with a stammer as she looked at Haru with wide eyes "Why would you say that?!"

"Kyoko and I have thought about it, I guess I own her a velvet cake"

"You betted on my love life?!"

"No" Haru's smile was just as fake as her excuse "It was just a passing comment. Anyway, let's skate!"

"Haru!"

A few minutes later of teaching her how to put and tie the ice skates correctly, Tsuna was wobbling on thin ice, literally and figuratively. Maybe meditation was a bad idea if it meant it would allow her to agree to put her life in embarrassing and dangerous situations.

"It will be fine!" Haru encouraged her in front of her as she held her hands and skated backwards to pull her along. "Once you master the ice, skating on the ground will feel just like walking. The elbow and knee protectors were a good idea! We have some padding shorts to protect your butt too, if you want"

"I think I'm fine" She muttered but her knees suddenly buckled and if it weren't for the other girl's quick reflex to pull up she would have fallen "On second thought…"

"Tsuna-san is like a baby deer!"

"P-Please take this seriously, my butt is at stake"

"No worries, no worries. I won't let go of your hand. Just bend your knees and lean forwards, you need to find balance in a centre so that you don't fall"

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It was illegal how fast it worked, but one hour in the ice rink and she had gained the ability to glide without falling to her butt. Her back hurt a lot though, but Haru told her to do stretches before going to bed and it will go away.

The cool air from the ice rink helped her cool down the heat from this morning training. It left tiny goosebumps in her skin as she left, but she knew they would disappear soon.

It was five in the afternoon, and there was nothing else to do but to resume training now that she had level up and gained a new skill Reborn was dying to try out.

Haru was right in saying that skating on ice was more difficult than doing so on the ground, she could already feel the difference with Leon having four wheels rather than a sharp blade. But that didn't mean she mastered it yet, she didn't have enough exp.

So, of course it wasn't easy, and of course she fell with all the grace of a baby duck. Should she wear a helmet too? Her chin already had a scar, she didn't want another one.

Grimacing in pain, she didn't wait for Reborn to tell her to get up. She gripped a tree to pull herself up and looked down at Leon and hoped that her expression could convey her wish for good teamwork. Wearing the magical lizard as skates instead of normal plastic ones guaranteed at least a bit more of security, but there wasn't much Leon could do for her own balance.

Running from side to side and stopping before she crossed past the tape mark had become a regular exercise, she had already calculated how fast to run and when to stop so as to not to slide past the mark. She didn't want to go to school dressed as a caterpillar, she will never live that embarrassment down.

Doing the exercise with her flames was different and more difficult. Sometimes they expelled more force that created a resistance when she tried to stop and other times the force was too low and soft, leaving her with not enough momentum.

Now that she was wearing skates, her speed was faster, not the same as when using the flames, but it held the same resistance in which if she stopped too soon, she will stumble down and if she uses more force in her legs, she will slip and fall down too. Her knee protectors were a gift sent from heaven, she will have to give Basil something in return as a proper thanks.

The sun was starting to set, and as it did, training seemed more like rolling in the park with Reborn watching and waiting for his children to stop playing around.

And she couldn't help it, once she got over her fear of falling to her face, skating and gliding around was kinda fun, even Leon seemed to be having fun too. The air rushed past her and when she moved to stop, it wrapped around her in a hug and pushed her when she rushed to the other side.

It felt kind of liberating, and for a moment it made her wonder what it would feel like to actually fly.

The air shifted, her world turned, and then there was a moment of silence. It took her two seconds to realize she was on the floor before the hot pain crawled up her right leg.

"Fuck!"

She was concentrating! How can she keep failing even when she gives it her all. She bit her lip, berating herself as she pushed herself up, but no sudden did she put her foot on the ground did her mind recognize the flare of pain it caused her as she stumbled down again in agony.

She breathed out, and moved so that she was sitting instead of laying face down to look over her feet. Leon had retracted from his transformation, leaving her feet free in only blue socks and she stared in horror at her swelling ankle as Reborn approached.

"Oh my god"

"It's not broken"

"It's broken!"

"It's not broken"

It wasn't, but just a little more force and it would have snapped her bone in half, he noted dimly but didn't tell her otherwise the brunette will be screaming bloody murder right now and they needed clear heads to fix this.

He let her fret over her foot for a while as he assessed the situation. Tsuna already injured this ankle on her fight with Mukuro, and although it wasn't as bad and healed up pretty well, having a second injury on the same area could affect the nerves and wear down the ligaments and bone.

He will talk with Shamal for the possibility of an ankle brace for daily use. Her ankles are going to be her achilles point until she learns how to move properly with her flames. That and her wrists. They haven't measured how the flames affect her articulations as she throws punches and used them to stop her momentum, but they could very well do damage to her growing body.

Another thing to keep in mind.

"What are we going to do? It hurts, oh my god, it's turning green! Reborn, can we call Dino? No, no, a car won't do, a helicopter? Do we own a helicopter?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Dame-Tsuna" Reborn sighed and batted her hands away from her swelling ankle. It was turning green, but as he prodded it with a finger despite Tsuna's startled yelp, there didn't seem to be any water there so it was probably a second-degree sprain.

"We really don't own helicopters?" Tsuna whimpered and tried to pull her leg away from his hand, but it only hurt her more so she stayed put.

"If you become Vongola Decimo, you can own many"

"Reborn"

"Mafia Bosses don't whimper, Dame-Tsuna. It's just a sprain"

"Okay, Okay" She nodded but then she hunched over as a new flare of pain hit her "Fuck, hurts!"

And Reborn sighed again.

He can knock her out and drag her body down the mountain to the closest hospital or he could even call Shamal up here, but Tsuna will start rambling in pain the more time passes so there was only one option left to deal with this as soon as possible, seeing as the aid-kit in the brunette's bag didn't contain the proper items.

He concentrated on calling over his inner core.

It has been years since he last did this, decades even. He was the greatest hitman of the world after all, it wasn't like him to get hurt to patch himself up or partner up with someone stupid that needed healing, he didn't partner with any one, period.

There was a little risk seeing as he hadn't tried it on another person, but Tsuna was the perfect guinea pig. And it's not like he was showing off his powers, not at all. Tsuna frantically trying to get her foot back and gasps of fear were just a plus.

For her part, Tsuna watched in astonishment as a yellowish flame surrounded her injured ankle. She was terrified for a moment that he was going to burn her foot, but the whispers in her head managed to grab a hold on her body so that she would stop struggling and let the hitman work.

"W-Wow" She watched in awe at how the pain and swelling disappeared as if it was magic "I didn't know you could do that"

"I'm the number one hitman, there are many awesome things I can do"

"Can you teach me?"

"I can't. Only Sun flame users can heal wounds"

"Oh" She muttered and moved her toes when the flames disappeared, leaving nothing but a pleasant sensation behind. "What… What can the Sky do?"

"That's for you to find out"

Figures. She pursed her lips and brought her foot for closer examination. It really seemed like a magic spell healed her ankle, there was no other explanation for how the flames actually worked. It was her first time seeing them being used in such a way, without counting Mukuro's ability to create solid illusions.

It made her wonder about their origin. If people were born with them or if a factor was at hand to develop them as they grew or if they could choose the attribute or even change it. She wanted Sky flames when she was little because of Xanxus, but she has to admit that wielding Sun flames to heal herself every time she stumbled would have been pretty neat.

"What about the others?" She questioned, seeing as Reborn wasn't pressuring training to resume so she stood up carefully to try her healed ankle and when there really wasn't any pain, she started searching for her shoes to start packing up.

"Sun flames boost energy. They can accelerate healing and increase your stamina. Storm breaks and degenerates matter, Rain calms and washes you in tranquillity, Lightning accumulates and misdirects energy, Mist solidifies and constructs reality with illusions and the Cloud havours the power of propagation, they feed on other's flames and enhancing matter or themselves"

Tsuna soaked all the new information and started drawing scenarios on them. She can totally see Kyoya using the Cloud flame to enhance himself to become stronger and Ryohei-senpai to pump more stamina into his battles.

Mukuro didn't need a scenario but the others? Will Gokudera be able to destroy with one touch? Will Yamamoto be able to soothe things down? And what about Lambo? Is he supposed to take everything in to then explode it?

Can they use it on themselves? Can it work on others?

She wondered that out loud as she finished packing and slid her bag on her shoulders as she waited for Reborn's next move. The sun was finally going down, painting the sky with twilight colours and opening space to the night to approach.

Reborn cradled Leon and set him on his fedora before approaching her and jumping on her shoulder, signalling it was time to head home.

"It can work both ways" He said once she started to walk to answer her previous question "They can use their attributes on themselves and to external parties. Most often than not, their element quirks can be reflected on your own bond with them too"

"Huh"

"What?"

"Its…" She paused before shaking her head "It's different from me, I think. I feel calm with Gokudera and nervous with Yamamoto. I'm safe with Kyoya, Lambo tires me and Ryohei-senpai, I feel sleepy, but in a good way? I don't know how to explain it"

"And Mukuro?"

"Warm" She breathed out "I feel warm"

The hitman didn't ask her to elaborate and left it at that. In all his time knowing Tsuna, he already knew she was a strange Sky that contradicted its nature. Not only were her own flames backfiring, but her harmonization factor seemed to be a one-way only.

He doesn't know if that was intentional or not yet, but with all the pushing and pulling Tsuna has been doing with her guardians, it was a little ironic that her only healthy bond at the moment was with the illusionist that tried to kill her first.

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Let's not forget the fact that Tsuna is only 13 years old. Her mind is not in a healthy place at the moment and she only has her own thoughts and knowledge to rely on. Sometimes her reasoning can be childish or even ridiculous, but it's because she is still growing as a person, not yet mature enough to see beyond what she already does. So be patient with her.

Also, we don't know the point of view from people like Iemitsu, Xanxus and even Lambo. So everything you know so far has come from Tsuna's own thoughts and speculations. Keep that in mind.

See you guys next chapter! Please let me know what you think! What are your theories?