A.N: Thank you so much for stopping by and I appreciate seryuTammi and my anonymous guest for your lovely review and all those readers who have placed my story in their favourites and alerts. Sweet kisses! 3

WARNINGS: Dark past, a little gore and mentions of CP.

Disclaimer: I do not own the familiar characters.


"Dan-kun, you have to tell me where you learned to cook like this!" Nana beamed from her seat beside Iemitsu; "These taste absolutely divine, right Tsu-kun?" she smiled expectantly at him.

Tsuna, who had the unfortunate pleasure of sitting beside a passive- aggressive Xanxus— well…at least to him, took a huge bite of the delicious eggs in purgatory and smiled back at his mother. He didn't even have to hesitate to answer. The food was amazing and so was the dessert that followed. As Tsuna dug happily into his ramekin of chocolate panna cotta, he took a moment to revaluate his once arch-nemesis. Who would have thought that Xanxus could cook this good?! No—scratch that! Who would have thought Xanxus knew anything besides burning things to crisp. Another note to add to his growing list of things he had to figure out about the Vongola Family—the mystery of Xanxus, Tsuna pondered.

"Nana dear, I think you should let the child rest now" Iemitsu smiled sweetly at his wife, who was busy nagging Xanxus about one thing or the other, "It's already past his bed time. He is usually asleep by now, right?" Tsuna noticed his dad casting a meaningful look at Xanxus. Another mystery. The way his dad kept calling Xanxus as either child or boy…sounded as if he'd known him for years!

"Ah! By the by, Dan-kun, your room isn't ready yet" his mom smiled sheepishly, "I promise to get it done by the end of next week" she walked over to Xanxus and held his hands, "I hope you don't mind rooming with my Tsu-kun!"

Tsuna choked on his bite while Iemitsu snorted. A deadly silence engulfed the room, the chatter of his mom sounded distant as Tsuna felt dread take over him. Surely his mother didn't suggest that he share his room with Xanxus, right? Tsuna could hear the church bells ringing, his mother crying over his grave as the entire Varia congratulated a smug Xanxu—

"Is it alright, Tsu-kun?" his mom's sweet voice broke him out of his one-way trip to hysteria. Tsuna looked past his mother to notice Xanxus looking pointedly at him. Was that a pout?

"Tsu-kun?" he glanced back at his mother. Noticing both his parents giving him concerned looks; Tsuna cleared his throat and gave his mom a reassuring smile, "If it's okay with him…" Tsuna gave a shy smile, "I don't mind at all…"

"Well Xanxus…?" he heard his dad enquire Xanxus. Tsuna felt waves of killing intent ooze out of his dad as he gave Xanxus a tight-lipped smile. He gaped at his dad. It's not like he's giving him a choice…

Miraculously, Xanxus agreed and politely asked Tsuna to lead the way, all the while wishing his mom and dad, a pleasant night. Even more surprising was when his mom walked over to Xanxus and gave him a peck on his forehead, letting him know that he could always call her if he had nightmares. Nightmares? Really…?! Tsuna gave his mom a wry look. Xanxus is an epitome of living nightmare…if only his mom knew…

His room—or what used to be his room—seemed to have a complete makeover, the most obvious being the lack of resident dust bunnies. Besides the addition of a large collapsible wardrobe, the walls were painted a rich tangerine and the furniture, a rich mahogany. Two king-size beds were lined against the wall on either side of the room beside which two mahogany study tables and a pair of high-seated chairs were placed. A solid-wood side table stood by the window between the two beds on which an orange shaded table lamp stood, dully illuminating the room. All in all, the room looked fantastic!

"Ano…" Tsuna turned towards Xanxus, only to find him walk over to the bed on the extreme right and plopping on it. Tsuna decided to take the hit and sat meekly on the bed to his left. He had no homework to do and was tired to the bone but Tsuna felt a little apprehensive of falling asleep before Xanxus.

"Eto…Xanxus…" Tsuna gulped and tried to calm his frazzled nerves, "How are you?" he squeaked. Real smooth, Tsuna! He felt like kicking himself. Here he was making a fool out of himself in front of Xanxus who for his part turned towards Tsuna and sat cross-legged on his bed.

"Listen scum…" Xanxus sneered at him, "Unless you want me to make a permanent imprint of you on the wall, I suggest you man up for the sake of the Family." He looked at Tsuna from head to toe, "God knows why that crazy old geezer chose you, I mean…" Xanxus threw up his hand in exasperation, "Even that Horse would be a better choice—when he's not tripping and killing everyone within a mile radius due to his inhuman clumsiness!" he spat.

Tsuna felt himself shrink and feeling more dame than before under Xanxus' penetrating glare. Luckily, Xanxus' rant was cut short by a knock on the door.

"Giving Tsuna a hard time, are we?" Iemitsu walked in with a glass of water and a small box. Before Xanxus could reply and get into trouble, Tsuna butted in and shook his head.

"We were just talking" Tsuna narrowed his eyes at his dad, "Don't you know it's impolite to eavesdrop, Tou-san?" He heard Xanxus let out a soft breath. Was he scared of his dad or something?

"I was just checking on you two" Iemitsu smiled easily and sat down beside Xanxus, "Now…" he turned towards Xanxus and pulled out something that looked like a prescription note from his pocket. Tsuna gaped at his dad as Iemitsu popped half a dozen pills from the box onto Xanxus' hand and gave him the glass of water, "Drink up, two at a time, take deep breaths and try not to puke"

Tsuna saw Xanxus almost retch on the last two and struggle with the cap of syrup. Why does he take so many medicines? Add to ever-growing list… He spotted his dad whispering something into Xanxus' ear and then with a gentle pat to his head, turning towards him with an innocent smile.

"If you don't mind, Tsuna…" he smiled at Tsuna and gestured towards the door.

"Not at all…" Tsuna smiled wryly. He had a few questions on his own…

"So…" Tsuna started, once they were outside, "Care to tell me why you suddenly decided that it was such a good idea to bring Xanxus here while he is still plotting 101 WAYS TO MURDER ME?!" Tsuna felt anger boil within him, "Didn't you ever think this would harm Kaa-san or the kids?!"

"Tsuna…" his dad started tiredly, "Xanxus would never hurt Nana. Besides your Kaa-san already knows him well…"

"And how is that?" Tsuna tapped his foot impatiently. This man did not deserve his sympathy…

"Well, where should I start…?" Iemitsu mused, "When Xanxus was adopted at the tender age of six, and there were so many threats to the Vongola, especially when word got out that he possessed the unique Flame of Secondo"

"A unique Flame?" Tsuna looked at him curiously.

"Yes…the Flame of Wrath" his dad replied gravely. Tsuna nodded his head in understanding and gestured for his dad to continue.

"It took months for the whole Family to accept Xanxus. Xanxus, for his part, was quite timid back then" he heard Tsuna choke, "Hard to believe, I know…" Iemitsu snorted, "He still is, if you take your time to observe him once in a while…" he smiled endearingly at Tsuna.

Sighing, Iemitsu continued in a lazy stroll, "I used to bring him here often. Nana loved him and nurtured him as if he were her own" he smiled fondly, "We hoped the conflicts between the Families would settle down and it did…but at a great expense" Iemitsu grimaced. "Xanxus lost his two brothers who were the world to him. Nono tried his best on peaceful negotiations with the other Families and in his hectic schedule, failed to see his withdrawn son and his conflicts. Xanxus went as far as to attempt suicide for his dad to notice him."

Tsuna felt his Will moan in agony as Iemitsu took in a shuddering breath. "And then…when his third and most loved brother died, Xanxus snapped" Iemitsu bowed his head in sorrow. "He lost control of his Flame and wrecked brutal carnage. A month later, Xanxus was a changed boy. He locked himself in the Varia headquarters and proclaimed himself as a Decimo candidate. The rumours that it was him who killed his brothers for the title drove him into further insanity. He was sixteen when he attempted the coup." Tsuna gasped. Sixteen?! Then the rest of the Varia must have been…?

"A lot of incidents surrounding the Cradle Affair are still a puzzle which is being looked into now." Iemitsu turned to look at Tsuna, "The things we discovered so far are quite…disturbing…"

Tsuna looked at his dad in anticipation. "Xanxus never wanted to become the Decimo, Tsuna…"

"WHAT?!" Tsuna exclaimed in shock. This…he did not expect something like his….

"Rather…he was trying use the title of Decimo to draw someone, a particular Family to be exact, towards him…" Iemitsu whispered under the dim light of the hallway, "Someone whom he believes to have murdered his brothers…"

"Do-does it mean they are after me now?" Tsuna squeaked out. He was being hunted down, Hieeeeeee….!

"No, Tsuna" his dad smiled at him. "They are after a particular person who exhibits defined characteristics of their Family: Bold, Murderous, Savage, a lust for war and high intelligence—which thankfully does not describe you" Did his dad even realise that he's just insulted him…

"So…what's this Family anyway?" Tsuna asked casually. Never thought being Dame had its perks…

Iemitsu shook his head. "I can't tell you their name, Tsuna…At least, not now. Even knowing their name has consequences. Their endless prodding stopped at the news of the death of the three brothers and the imprisonment of Xanxus for eight years" Don't tell me…"However…the Ring Conflict has drawn their attention back to the Family. They are looking for Nono's heir…"

"But…why? What do they want with the head of the Vongola and didn't you tell me they were not after me?!" Tsuna urged him to continue. No, no, no…he did not want to die…period.

"This Family is known for their war craft, Tsuna. They fight and kill for the thrill. Once they die, they become visible spectres. However, even they have very low life expectancy. After a few years, the spectres disappear" Tsuna couldn't help but smile at this. "But…" his dad continued, making his smile drop, "they have found a way around this…" he muttered.

"The most distinguishing trait of the Family is their ocular power—The Scarlet Eye..." he whispered softly. "Eyes that are capable of seeing and sensing supernatural entities, eyes that reflects the owners' intense grief or joy by beaming like the centre of the sun's core….If these eyes were to be obtained by the spectres, they would be brought back to life with their powers exponentially multiplied." Iemitsu scowled in disgust. "The Family elders killed their own young ones to obtain these valuable eyes in their thirst for power —especially the royal bloodline."

"What does that have to do anything with the Vongola?" Tsuna asked, visibly disturbed by the revelation.

"Twenty four years ago, the last child of the Family's royal bloodline went missing, the very day after his birth. Reports say that the king killed his son but news came out that the queen had the child taken away. The ocular ability of the royal bloodline, especially the young ones, is almost boundless. The Family has been searching for the child ever since."

"So, let me get this straight…A family of blood thirsty murders are searching for their son so they could take his eyes?!" Tsuna wanted to puke! Poor child…to have his eyes gor—No! Tsuna shook his head.

"Another peculiarity is their Flame which greatly resembles our Dying Will" Iemitsu walked up to the open balcony.

"So that's why they came over to the Vongola!" Tsuna chimed in understanding, "They must have thought one of the Ninth's sons to be their son! But their assumption was proved wrong after their demise and so they quit their search"

"Yes…and no…" Iemitsu grimaced.

"The Vongola was left undisturbed before Xanxus was adopted into the Family—Xanxus, whose Dying Will was similar to our own" Tsuna felt dread engulf him as Iemitsu continued in a grim tone, "Xanxus, whose eyes blazes scarlet when he is bubbling with happiness or struck with unexplainable sorrow. Xanxus, who always gets himself drunk so that he didn't have to 'see or listen to the dead' as he puts it mildly. Xanxus, who was frozen for eight years, is twenty four now… "

"Xanxus…" Tsuna muttered in stupefied fear, "It's him…It's him they are out to kill... "

"He does not know any of this, Tsuna" Iemitsu sadly shook his head, "If he did, then he would go after them and an all-out war would break between the Families. Vongola does not stand a chance. We are hiding Xanxus within the Italian mafia…not exposing him to the World mafia yet…"

"World mafia?" Tsuna enquired.

"I'll take the both of you to CEDEF headquarters tomorrow" Iemitsu smiled, "For now, don't tell any of these to the child…It was also said that knowing one's Family heritage would bring out their buried subconscious characteristics. It will become harder to hide him then"

"Ano…? Why do you call him that? And did you threaten Xanxus or something?" Tsuna asked, desperate to change the topic, anything to calm his mind!

Iemitsu laughed out loud. "He is a child. He hasn't physically aged for eight years so technically he's is still a child to me and to be honest, I don't think he's aged mentally too" Iemitsu grinned. "But what makes you think I terrorized him, Tsuna?"

"Well, for starters…" Tsuna replied lamely, "I am alive and the house is intact for once…He's better behaved than Lambo will ever be…So , what is it?"

"Well…If you must know…" Iemitsu grinned impishly at him, "I threatened to spank him if he gets out of line!"

"WHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT?!" Tsuna promptly fainted.


Tsuna peered outside the window, wondering what had woken him up in the middle of the night—He glanced at the clock—3 A.M in the morning. He sighed, dragging his sleep deprived body back to bed. Letting out a jaw-breaking yawn, Tsuna threw himself on his soft bed and squirmed around, trying to find a cosy position. After fifteen minutes of thrashing around, he gave up any chance of getting some sleep and frowned at the darkened ceiling.

"Maa…" Tsuna mused out loud, "Why can't I sleep?!" he moaned, scratching his messy hair in agitation. Of course he knew why he couldn't sleep—His Will was practically trembling with a sense of despair, as if he missed something very important.

"What do I have to do to turn my own intuition off?" Tsuna wondered lamely. If only there was a convenient way to summon his Will as he pleased without the aid of Reborn or the pill. Tsuna imagined a chibi version of himself playing with a switch marked as the Will. Off, on, off on—Tsuna sweat dropped. I am definitely losing my mind…

A soft grunt from the bed beside him stopped Tsuna from his meaningless assessment of his already lost sanity. Tsuna stiffened and audibly gulped, praying to whatever deity out there that he didn't accidently wake up his notorious roommate. He heard the rustle of the crisp sheet and through the dark he could make out the silhouette of his said roommate pulling the sheets over his head, murmuring something unintelligible under his breath. Tsuna took a moment to test the water before letting out a soft sigh and pulled his own sheet over his head, recalling the conversation he had with his dad after dinner.

So…The Ninth made me candidate so that this 'Mystery Family's' attention would be diverted from Xanxus… Tsuna mused lazily. And since I was too dame, they never took me into consideration to be the one they were looking for…Great…His Will was still restless, almost as if it was on guard. Tsuna became instantly alert when a soft whisper reached his ears.

"Freddy-nii…" he heard Xanxus breath out in a clearly pained moan. He felt his Will yearning to comfort him. Oh well…Finally, in what seemed to be eternity, Tsuna made up his mind and crossed the room towards Xanxus' bed.

"Xanxus…" he whispered softly. However, he became spellbound by the sight before him.


My…now what could that be? O_O

R&R everyone! Thank you for the read!