Who has the Compatibility for Marriage?!

A/N: I have come to the realization that I suck at humor, but I'm trying. Give me feedback guys, it helps me improve my writing. :D

Part 4

Miura Haru was a long time friend of Tsuna's and was well known to have been in love with him for a majority of their youth. He'd hardly returned the feeling, but being pursued by a pretty young woman had improved his confidence greatly. Even while being chased by girls in Italy, Tsuna had felt more genuine affection from Haru than from any other girl. So seeing her standing in front of him with short hair and a huge grin sent his heart skittering.

"Ah! Tsuna-san! I heard from Kyoko you were back. When were you planning on stopping by?" She asked him while placing her finger to her chin and tilting her head at him like a curious puppy. Her smile softened to a simple curve of her lips as she looked at him affectionately.

"Ah, well, I've been busy since I got back. Sorry for not reaching out," Tsuna replied with a slight blush.

Haru shook her head. "Don't apologize. I get being a big-time Mafia boss must be a lot of work."

Tsuna smiled at her understanding and scratched the back of his head. "So, are you free right now? I have time to catch up if you do." He glanced shyly at her and she laughed at him.

"Sorry, Tsuna-san, I actually have a date. But if you have time later in the week we can."

A date? Tsuna wondered with a slight pang of jealousy. "Oh, I see. Sorry to bother." He was about to turn away when he remembered the ball. "Oh, Haru!" He called out to her to make her turn to face him once more. "There's a ball being thrown in my honor prior to the inheritance ceremony, would you like to come?"

Haru thought for all of a second before breaking out into another wide grin. "I would love to! Here," she said, handing him her phone. "Give me your number and I'll text you later for the details."

Tsuna gratefully did just that and waved as she went on her way. His jealousy momentarily forgotten, he returned to his initial task at hand. Kyoko had called him out, saying she needed to speak with him about something. He was meeting her at a small diner on the other side of town and needed to hurry to make it on time. He was so shocked by Haru's appearance he had almost completely forgotten. It was a good thing she was busy.

While walking quickly down the road, his thoughts kept going to Haru. It wasn't far-fetched to think she might have moved on after his almost four-year absence. But, as he looked inside, he realized he was slightly hurt. He hadn't really developed feelings for her in his time away, but he almost felt as though she might always be chasing him. He realized he may have actually been looking forward to it. Her genuine way of expressing her feelings for him was a breath of fresh air compared to the suffocating forced affection he received from other women.

Taking a deep breath, he paused for a moment and looked at the sky full of puffy white clouds. He should have expected Haru to be over him already. He was over Kyoko after all, so why wouldn't she move on? He took a few more deep breathes and closed his eyes as the crowds slowly drifted past him. He let his jealousy and disappointment wash away and when he opened his eyes again, he was lighter. He smiled to himself as he began walking again, still looking up. He would be happy for Haru. She was his friend first and foremost and he would treasure her regardless of how she felt for him.

He spotted the diner just ahead and quickened his pace once more. Rushing inside right on time, he caught sight of the petite young woman sitting in a small booth in the far corner. She looked up at the sound of the bell and saw him walking towards her. She stood and greeted him, the two bowing slightly to each other. They sat then, Kyoko fidgeting with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"So, you wanted to talk about something?" Tsuna questioned her. He saw her take a deep breath before looking at him. Her blush exploded as he smiled at her warmly.

Kyoko was sure her heart was about to explode. Tsuna was no longer the scrawny timid boy she once knew. He was easily just under 180 centimeters (6 feet) and was built like a tank. Pure, lithe muscle lined his arms, his shoulders were wide, his jaw stronger than she remembered and his style was no longer baggy. His long legs were clad in tight, but not too tight, dark jeans and his orange long sleeve shirt hung snugly to his chest and torso. He was no boy, no now he was a man.

She swallowed and tucked some stray hairs behind her ear. "I was worried about the ball, to be honest," she took a chance to glance at him as he leaned back. She saw his shirt cling to him tighter showing he was at least thicker in the middle than before. She wondered what he would look like shirtless.

"What exactly are you worried about?" He questioned. His arm was slung back over the chair next to him, his hand hanging down with his forefinger and middle rubbing against one another. A nervous habit he had developed in Italy.

"Well," she started and looked at his fingers. The movement helped her calm down as she had something to focus on that wasn't his face. "I'm not sure how to act. I don't want to embarrass you."

Tsuna thought for a moment but frowned. "The only thing you should really be aware of, that I can think of, is to just make sure you're not away from any of us. A lot of mafioso will be there and I trust them about as far as I can collectively throw them."

Kyoko smiled at the comical image that popped into her head. "Okay, anything else I should be aware of?"

"One thing that is important, is to not be too nice to everyone there. Go ahead and smile and introduce yourself, but don't go beyond that. A lot of mafioso will see that as an invitation for something more intimate and I don't want you to be inappropriately propositioned."

Kyoko blushed like mad and looked at Tsuna's face. He was frowning and giving her a hard stare. He was clearly serious.

"So, what do I do?" She asked holding clasped hands to her chest in apprehension.

He looked at her hands, "just stay close."

She swallowed thickly and nodded. Their eyes met and she found herself staring intently at the hardness there. This new Tsuna was older in mind, not just his body, and it was beginning to show. She began to realize how naive she was to believe that he would forever be the little boy she knew. She began to open her mouth to say something further when a hand grabbed Tsuna by the left shoulder and gave him a firm shake. He barely reacted as he turned around to see a tall, dark-haired young man she knew.

"No way! Sawada Taunayoshi?" Tsuna nodded at the young man with a small smile. "Don't you recognize me? It's me, Mochida, from middle school!"

Tsuna finally recognized the dark-haired boy before him and gave a more genuine smile. "Ah, I barely recognized you with your hair back!" Tsuna said to him jokingly.

Mochida spluttered in embarrassment. "Oh, right. I'm sorry for bullying you in middle school. I hope you'll forgive me."

Tsuna stood up then and bowed to his senior who in returned it. "Don't worry about it," he said standing straight again.

Mochida saw then that Tsuna was no longer the kid he once knew and stared with wide eyes. "What the hell, Sawada? What happened to you?"

"Huh?" Tsuna looked down at himself with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"What happened to that cowardly kid I used to know?" Mochida questioned while giving him an appreciative once over. "You're huge and it's obvious you work out! I'm surprised! So, what changed?"

There was no way Tsuna was gonna tell his former upperclassman about the mafia so he just laughed. "My grandpa got me a good tutor and then sent me to an academy overseas to toughen me up. I think it worked," he laughed again while Mochida gaped at him openly.

"Seriously? That's cool!" Mochida bowed again to him and Kyoko and waved. "Well, I'm off then. Good seeing you both, Sawada, Kyoko." Then he was gone.

Tsuna sat back down and was leaning again in his chair. Kyoko watched him relax with a small smile on his lips. It was obvious the exchange had lifted some kind of unknown weight from his shoulders. Kyoko noticed a couple of girls nearby staring at Tsuna and gave them a small glare as they tittered over his looks.

"Tsu-kun," she said unexpectedly.

Tsuna's ears perked up at her use of his mother's nickname for him. He looked her over curiously, noticing her eyes were on a couple of women standing at the counter nearby. He realized they were subtly trying to get his attention as they gawked at him. He smiled as he realized she must be feeling possessive of him. He stood up then and extended his hand for her to take. He knew he shouldn't, but he didn't want her to think his attention might be taken from her by some other pretty girl. She tentatively took his hand and he led her from the small diner, the ogling girls glaring in jealousy at their backs.

Tsuna walked hand in hand with Kyoko for the rest of the afternoon and she was on cloud nine. Her heart was racing the whole time as Tsuna expertly led her around the small shopping district and talked with her about mundane things. His every fiber was laced with confidence and it had her staring in open appreciation.

"You know, I feel I should confess something to you," he said making her heart skip a beat.

"What is it?" She asked as his fingers squeezed hers gently.

"For all of middle school, I had a huge crush on you." She watched him wince as the words escaped his mouth. He was embarrassed to reveal something so personal to her, especially his old love for her. "I used to imagine I would marry you one day."

"Used to?" Kyoko felt her heart contract painfully in her chest.

"Yeah, after we moved to Italy I kind of grew out of it." He paused and looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry if I've led you on today," he added in almost a whisper.

Kyoko felt her chest seize painfully at his words and tried not to cry. "So those times you confessed in middle school, they weren't a joke." It was spoken as a question, but it was truly meant as a statement. "I feel horrible. How could I ignore your feelings like that? I'm so sorry, Tsu-kun, ah, I mean Tsuna-kun!" She tripped over her words bashfully.

"You can call me Tsu-kun. If it's you, I don't mind." He looked at her with a wry smile.

"And you don't need to apologize to me. It's my fault for getting ahead of myself," Kyoko was smiling even though her heart was shattering into a million pieces. "We were friends first, so I hope we can stay friends?"

Tsuna nodded enthusiastically at her. "I just want you to know," he said looking away shyly. "If you ever need anything, I'll be there. You'll always have me, no matter what."

She smiled and nodded at him. Reluctantly, she released his hand and clasped her palms together in front of her. "So, why is everyone on your case about a wife?" She needed to change the subject, or she might break down into tears right there.

Tsuna groaned and rolled his neck. "I am the last living heir of Vongola Primo, so I guess to them that means I need to get married and have kids asap. It's so annoying, I wish they would let me take my time and find the right partner. Grandpa, ah I mean the Ninth, is being the pushiest about it. I guess he wants to see me married at least before he dies. He's old, but not that old, but he acts like he could die tomorrow. He keeps introducing me to these girls from other families and wants me to be flirty with them so he can get something out of it rather than for me to meet a nice girl. They're all so clingy and greedy, they make me feel gross." He shuddered before realizing he was ranting to a girl he had just more or less rejected.

Kyoko's lips twitched as she tried not to laugh. "Ah ah, poor Tsu-kun. Must be hard being introduced to beautiful, single women all the time."

"Hah ha," he said and they giggled together. "But really, it can be exhausting. They're all so desperate to improve their own status they don't care what kind of person I am. I'm to be Vongola Decimo, so I'm a prized catch. King of the Underworld, richest and most powerful man alive. Bleh," he faked a gag making Kyoko laugh again.

"But you know, maybe one of them will be the girl of your dreams," Kyoko smiled at him and he shrugged.

"I doubt it. I made a bet with Gokudera that I'll marry someone outside of the mafia, much to Grandpa's displeasure," he chuckled to himself at the surefire rant the old man would go on if that happened. Not marrying a girl to improve Vongola's power or status was basically a mortal sin to his predecessor. It was almost comical how he reacted when Tsuna had asked for a waitress's phone number while they were out to lunch once.

Kyoko laughed so hard her sides began to hurt. "Oh no, he would really be upset about it?"

Tsuna smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he's super devoted to making the family as big and powerful as possible."

"And you're not," she questioned with a sideways glance.

"Not as much," he confessed. " What we have is good already. I just want to use this platform for good now. Not to increase my power or wealth, but to help people. And I think that's what's got everyone so worked up. It puts a target on my back."

"Wait, why?" Kyoko was completely floored. Why would Tsuna be targeted for doing good?

"Because it looks like I'm weak, soft. and inexperienced. Not things found in a boss suitable to lead the world's most powerful and deadly underground family." His focus shifted to something far away as his thought drifted.

"Well, I think it makes you more dangerous." Tsuna looked at her curiously. Kyoko continued to speak, her voice growing with her confidence in him. "You have something worth fighting for that's more tangible, longer-lasting, and makes people more devoted to you than they do. With what you'll do for the world, you'll be loved for it while they'll be mocked and turned on. Hope does that, makes you strong."

Tsuna was left flabbergasted by her words and shook his head with a disbelieving smile. "You amaze me sometimes. How do you always know what to say?" He laughed while she blushed.

"I don't know what to say, I just know what's true. I won't lie to you, Tsu-kun, not ever." Kyoko smiled at him and they both looked away in nervous embarrassment.

"Thank you, Kyoko-chan. I appreciate it, more than you know," Tsuna smiled thoughtfully to himself. "Well, that should be the end of this afternoon. I have meetings and paperwork waiting for me at the castle."

She nodded in understanding. "One more stop before you go?" She asked with a warm smile.

"With you? Always," he said and followed her down the street.

Eventually, they ended the afternoon with some ice cream and quick goodbyes before Tsuna found himself alone in his room. He changed into his formal wear, the high priced suit hugging his every curve as he prepared for a meeting with the representatives from an allied family. He looked at himself in the mirror and for the first time in a long while he noticed the change in himself. His shoulders no longer slumped and his eyes downcast instead, his reflection showed a strong, confident, determined young man who exuded power and status. He looked at himself for a long moment until a knock was heard at his bedroom door. Turning away, he smiled to himself as he felt shameless pride in his growth.

He wasn't No Good Tsuna anymore. He was Sawada Tsunayoshi, heir to the largest and most powerful mafia family in the world, the future Vongola Decimo. He would bear the title with pride.

A/N: There is a very short clip of an older Tsuna speaking on youtube. Link is without spaces

www . youtube watch ?v= wRD0 32gA - wc

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