Who has the Compatibility for Marriage?!

Part 10

Tsuna heard a sigh from the other end of the phone.

"We'll talk when I get home tomorrow. There's something I want to tell you. About me and your mom."

Tsuna narrowed his eyes in confusion but didn't ask any questions. "Alright, see you tomorrow."

Tsuna sat in a small cafe sipping on a piping hot green tea, his dark brown overcoat and red checkered scarf hung on the back of his chair leaving him in his black turtleneck and dark jeans. It was the perfect day for a warm drink and an extra warm jacket. He sat in utter bliss as he waited for his father to join him from whatever dark hole he'd been in recently. He turned his head to see his father finally entering with a wide smile on his face. Tsuna stood up and bowed to the well-dressed man before him then sat.

Sawada Iemitsu was a tall, domineering man with a disarming smile and sharp eyes. As much as Tsuna resented the man for his absenteeism in his youth, he held great respect for Vongola's Young Lion. The man was a legend and Tsuna found many comparing him to the tall blonde before him, sometimes too often. While Tsuna had inherited his mother's soft brown eyes and hair, he'd gotten his strong jaw and wide shoulders from his father. It was something he found he admired most about himself, how well his parents' features had combined in his own. He noticed several pairs of eyes had joined with the other several pairs to stare at the two men and sighed in exasperation. He hoped none of them could hear them, but his father smiled his charming smile and Tsuna felt himself relax.

"And how is my adorable son doing on this fine day?" Iemitsu leaned forward on the table and waved over a waitress and ordered a coffee. When she left, he looked a bit more serious at Tsuna. "So, who's the young lady Nono is shoving down your throat this time?"

Tsuna scoffed and passed a folder to his father. "Matsumoto Yuko," he said as Iemitsu opened the file and frowned at the contents.

"Yeah, I know her. Pretty, but dumber than a bag of rocks." Iemitsu made a face at the file and closed it.

Tsuna sighed again, this time almost defeated. "Grandpa said she fit my requirements. 'Dumber than a bag of rocks' was one thing I definitely did not want," he put his tea down and sadly stared at the tabletop. "I don't get it, I mean I do, but I'm only going to be twenty this year, why do I need to find a wife now?"

The CEDEF boss looked at his son sadly. "If you think about it, it'll take at least three years until you even get engaged then another year or two before the actual marriage. Objectively speaking, you would be no younger than twenty-five when you married. At least that's the aim." Iemitsu got his coffee and thanked the waitress before turning back to Tsuna. "Do you know why I took the role of External Advisor rather than Ninth Boss?"

Tsuna looked up in shock. He'd never heard such a thing, he always thought Timoteo was going to be Boss, he'd never considered his father may have been a candidate as well. Now that he thought about it, it made sense as Iemitsu was also a direct descendant of Primo. "I never knew you were even considered," Tsuna admitted shyly. Iemitsu grinned in that disarming way of his and Tsuna knew he wasn't being made fun of.

Iemitsu leaned back in his seat and had a faraway look in his eyes, as though he were looking at a past only he could see. He still smiled, but this time it was softer, full of love. "Your mother was the reason."

Tsuna sipped on his tea with raised brows. "Mom was?"

Iemitsu nodded. "Yeah. I first laid eyes on her and I knew, just knew, I would give up everything for her. She was so beautiful. I would be damned if I ever let another man get her before I could and I did everything in my power to win her over. Took me a solid month before she even agreed to a date. I think I spent a few hundred thousand yen on flowers just to land that date and I don't regret it one bit."

Tsuna smiled at his father as the man laughed at himself.

"I loved her the moment she looked at me, she had a little spoon of ice cream in her mouth and somehow she'd gotten it on her nose." Iemitsu blushed and began playing with the hem of his jacket. "After that, it was just me constantly chasing her and then Daniela asked if I wanted to be Boss." He took a deep breath and just nodded to himself silently. "When I said yes, she shoved a stack of papers into my hand and told me to pick the one I liked best. It was a stack of wife candidates from other families. I told her I already had someone in mind and she wanted to know from which family."

Tsuna knew where this was going and swallowed. "The Eighth Boss wasn't happy you wanted to marry a civilian?"

Iemitsu shook his head. "Ah no, that wasn't it. She was happy I fell in love, but to be Boss I needed to also build ties with other families and a marriage with a mafia woman would be the best way to do it. So when she told me that I said I'd rather marry the love of my life over being Boss." Iemitsu smiled sadly. "She was happy for me and gave her blessings. Six years later, there you were." He smiled at Tsuna with so much endearment the boy blushed. "I have never regretted my decision. You and your mother, regardless of my actions during your childhood, have always been my greatest happiness."

Tsuna spun his empty cup with one hand and rubbed his fingers together with the other. "So, I'm screwed?" He felt his heart slowly die in his chest.

"I wouldn't say that," Iemitsu looked thoughtful. "If you really think about it, it's surprising the Ninth has let you go on like this for so long. His boys were wed by the time they were your age, though none ended up with children. So, all the cards are in your deck. You're the last available heir, keeping you happy is key. So really, you're the one with all the power here." Iemitsu rubbed at his mustache. "You should try kicking that habit of yours though."

Tsuna tilted his head in confusion. "What habit?"

Iemitsu pointed at Tsuna's fingers as they rubbed together. "That's a nervous habit. It'll be the first thing to give away your feelings."

Tsuna immediately put his hand in his lap. "Right, sorry."

Iemitsu laughed. "Don't apologize. We all have tells, yours is just a bit more obvious."

"You're not the first to point it out. Gokudera and Yamamoto also did, I apparently do it whenever I'm thinking." Tsuna smiled to himself at the memory. "I guess I do a lot of thinking." The waitress came over and refilled his tea and he smiled gratefully. She blushed and rushed off making Tsuna feel self-conscious.

"Oh, she likes you," Iemitsu joked lightly, making Tsuna blush.

"Yeah, okay Dad. Stop it," Tsuna ruffled his own hair in frustration. "What can I do? About Nono and this whole marriage thing."

Iemitsu shrugged. "Get a girlfriend."

Tsuna slouched in exaggerated exacerbation at his father's simple words. "Gee, thanks, Dad. That helps so much," he said sarcastically.

Iemitsu seemingly ignored him. "Don't you have someone you like? Or maybe someone who you might like?"

Tsuna thought a moment then nodded. "There is one, but I'm not sure she would be up for it." Tsuna watched his father stare at him, waiting for the younger Sawada to continue. "We called her 'Dorm Mom'," he laughed and averted his eyes shyly. "She was a great person, took care of all of us at the academy and was really just," he couldn't find the right word. "You would like her a lot, to say the least. I kind of think I'm subconsciously comparing her to every woman I meet. She just meets all of my criteria for the perfect Boss Wife." Tsuna laughed at himself, feeling like he sounded absolutely ridiculous.

Iemitsu nodded in understanding. "I get it, so what makes her so perfect?"

"Ah, well," Tsuna trailed off and shrugged. "Intelligent, honest, really down to earth, understanding, compassionate, kind. I could probably go on all day," he laughed at himself again and took a nervous sip of his tea.

Iemitsu just smiled knowingly. "And how long have you been pinning after this one?"

Tsuna gaped at his father. "I have not been pinning," he grumpily replied. "It's just, she left a really strong impression."

"Uhuh," his father replied with a smirk.

Tsuna felt panic bubbling up in his chest. "She was also really scary, like super scary!" His dame side was coming back out at his father's pressuring smile.

"Scary?" Iemitsu looked confused. "How can a girl be scary?" He laughed loudly making several in the cafe look at them annoyed.

Tsuna sunk lower into his seat, embarrassed by his father's gregarious personality. "She could get angry and it wasn't like with others where they would yell and throw things and you knew it was coming. She would get quiet and stare at you like she was looking into your soul and seeing all the bad stuff and then the room would go cold. Everyone knew when she was mad, but it was always hard to figure out what she might do. Sometimes she walked away, other times she would just dead punch you without so much as a twitch for a warning."

"Oh damn, that's nerve-wracking," Iemitsu said with a look of wary understanding and slight humor.

"One time though, I saw her get really angry and it gave me nightmares for a week straight," Tsuna shivered. "But her anger was understandable too, so it made me respect her more."

"What happened?" Iemitsu finally took a drink of his coffee, looking at Tsuna over the rim.

"She had two Rains in her group, one was a non-combatant who was kind of childish but really sweet." Tsuna took a deep breath and stared at his hands. "We were all in the library just hanging out and doing homework together when one of her Suns came running in crying. Her rain had been attacked and was bleeding really badly. The attackers were there recording the whole thing still and I saw her whole body just," he paused to gather his thoughts and looked Iemitsu in the eye. "She just stopped. Stopped moving, breathing, blinking. Like her mind froze and her body didn't know what to do. We all jumped up, ready to go back up her friend, but she stopped us." Tsuna swallowed.

"She said, 'stay here and don't come no matter what you hear' and she left. We didn't listen and went and she was so slow about it. It was like she just," another breath, "mentally checked out and she tortured them right there. I watched her smile, this cold and empty smile while they bled out and died at her feet. We got her rain out of there and she didn't move from that spot for a long time." Tsuna took a sip of his tea, his hand slightly shaking. "It was the first time I've seen it. That thing people call 'going cold with anger' and on her, it was the single most terrifying thing I've ever seen."

Iemitsu looked uncomfortable. "What happened to her friend and her?"

Tsuna shook his head. "Her friend ended up dying from her wounds and she left the school. I never saw her again." He looked at his father sadly. "It's the one reason why I'm afraid to reach out to her."

"What was her name?"

Tsuna thought it odd his father would want to know but shook off the feeling. "The friend was Elain Clare and her full name was Faye Ross."

Iemitsu paused and looked at his son with mild confusion. "I think you've got that wrong. Faye Ross is the daughter of Donna Caroline, the Lady Boss of the Hidden Valley Kings in the American South."

Tsuna nodded. "I think?"

"Faye Ross died eight years ago. She was killed by a rival gang."

Tsuna felt a confusion bubble up in his chest. "She told me her name and my intuition didn't pick up anything." His mind was racing and he thought back to when they met, but it was all blurry.

"What did she look like?" Iemitsu took out his phone and began to scroll across the screen.

"Ah, short, curvy but not like she was chubby, just," he made an hourglass shape motion with his hands, "she had dark brown hair and a light tan. Big brown eyes and a cute nose."

"You spent a lot of time staring at her, didn't you?" Iemitsu winked and smiled as Tsuna turned bright red.

"I stare at a lot of people!" Tsuna shrieked. He looked around feeling afraid someone had heard him. "Anyway! She looked mixed, but I couldn't place it. And she had a slight accent, like something from Spain or Portugal."

"Well, that puts the Hidden Valley Kings out of the question. If she was from somewhere like Spain or Portugal, she wouldn't be a part of the Kings." Iemitsu stared at his phone then smiled. "Ah, is this her?" He asked as he turned his phone to Tsuna.

"Yeah! That's definitely her," Tsuna said and stared at the photo.

Iemitsu laughed. "I bet she gave her real name, but you got confused with someone else. Her name is Faleene Ramos."

Tsuna blinked then dropped his head into his hands. "I feel so stupid."

Iemitsu patted Tsuna on the head. "It happens to the best of us. It can be hard when so many people share similar names. But," Iemitsu pulled his phone away and looked through the file. "I'm not sure pursuing her is a good idea. Raised as a civilian, her mother was the mistress of the Boss's henchman, and she's from a rival family." He shook his head and turned off his phone.

Tsuna shifted uncomfortably at the new information. "I see, so that's how it is."

Iemitsu nodded sadly. "I'm afraid you'll need to find another option."

Tsuna sat back completely frustrated but understood. He still wanted to reach out to her, he'd always admired her for her strength and resilience while maintaining her compassion for others. 'Oh well,' he thought, melancholy and went back to sipping his cold tea. "Any ideas?" He asked his father as he smiled at the waitress when she returned with their check.

"Go visit your mother, she misses you," was all Iemitsu said with a small smile as he paid for the check and went on his way.

Tsuna sat there for another few minutes as he thought over his options before he gave up and got ready to leave. A woman came to his table as he gathered his things. She was cute with her black hair cut into a bob style. Sporting pink cheeks and a shy smile she bowed to Tsuna and introduced herself. He only half-listened as she told him how attractive he was and asked if he had a girlfriend. "Ah, no girlfriend."

She clutched her hands to her chest with a bright grin and looked at him with wide hope-filled grey eyes. "Would you like to get lunch sometime?"

Tsuna felt bad. She was cute, but he wasn't interested at the moment. "I'm sorry. I'm only in the country for a short while." He laughed lightly and scratched the back of his head, faking sincerity. He saw her face fall before she recovered.

"Oh, I'm sorry to bother you," she said and bowed.

Tsuna gave his own bow and shrugged on his coat. "Ah, it's no problem. I hope you have a good day." She gave a reply he didn't hear and made his way back home. He'd have to get started on his pile of paperwork. Sighing to himself he slowly walked back to his car and returned to the rented castle.

When he saw Gokudera walking into his office later that day and scrubbing at his eyes with a disbelieving look on his face, Tsuna began to worry. Walking up to his longtime friend he placed a hand on the taller male's shoulder and looked behind him. A pretty young Italian woman looked at him with a blush and a look of wonder. She bowed and Tsuna dipped his head at her with a smile making her blush spread and darken. "How can we help you, Miss?" He asked while casually adjusting his jacket. He'd somehow wrinkled it.

"Ah, well," she diverted her gaze then shyly peeked at Gokudera.

His friend flushed and dipped his head. "Tenth, I wanted to introduce you to her, my girlfriend!" Gokudera blushed a bright red and hid his face in his hands. "There was a mishap and so, uh, we thought." He stopped when he couldn't form a coherent sentence.

Tsuna just smiled at his Storm and waited patiently for him to get his thoughts in order.

Taking a deep breath he tried again. "We've been together a few months but never got the chance to talk about it and well, I'm sorry!" He threw himself to the ground and began bowing and scraping at Tsuna's feet.

Tsuna smiled at the woman who smiled back prettily. "What's your name?"

"Alessa, sir," she smiled at Tsuna then back at Gokudera. "He's my treasure."

Tsuna nodded and waved Gokudera to his feet. "Gokudera," the mentioned man blushed in embarrassment. "Be careful, okay?"

Gokudera nodded aggressively. "Of course, Tenth!"

Tsuna blinked and nodded slowly. "She has my approval," he looked at her hard in the eyes. "As long as you're both happy."

"Yes, sir," she bowed again.

"No need for the 'sir', we might be family someday. Just call me Tsuna," Tsuna smiled brightly at her, no longer reserved.

She beamed back at him and turned to Gokudera with the same, but a slightly softer, smile.

Tsuna knew they'd be just fine. Turning away as his phone rang, he left the couple to talk and answered his phone.

"IT'S NOT MINE!" The voice on the other end screamed into his ear before Tsuna could so much as say hello.

"Mukuro?" He questioned.

There was a pause then, "no."

Tsuna chuckled quietly. "Then who is this?"

"... Ken. Wait, what's wrong with Mukuro-sama?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM, BASTARD?!"

Tsuna was sure Mukuro's subordinate was drunk, or at least tipsy. "I didn't do anything, but a young woman is claiming he fathered her unborn child. I assumed he was calling to proclaim his innocence." It was quiet on the other end then a loud laugh.

"Of course that kid isn't his! Mukuro-sama can't have children. Those damn Estreanos sterilized him!"

Tsuna took a minute to absorb this new bit of information and sat back down at his desk. "Do you have proof?" There was a scoff and an 'of course not, Idiot' from the young man. Tsuna sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was already so tired. "Can you try to reach out to him. I can have some of his, uh," he paused with a cough to cover his embarrassment, "samples looked at by a doctor. They'll be able to tell." There was no reply, just a click as Ken hung up the phone on him. Tsuna leaned back in his seat and looked over at Gokudera smiling brightly as he held his Alessa's hand. He smiled to himself as he wondered why Ken had even called. Looking down at his paperwork, Tsuna felt his earlier motivations sink like the Titanic. His phone rang again and this time he actually looked at the caller ID.

"Hello?" He said confused by the unknown number.

"It's Reborn," was the simple reply.

Tsuna blinked at the husky sound of Reborn's voice. "Reborn? This is a new number. Are you okay? You sound weird."

A chuckle on the other end of the line. "Yeah, was running."

"Running?!" Tsuna screeched, now worried for his tutor's safety. "What's going on?" Tsuna felt panic building and waved over Gokudera who was watching him tensely from the hall. His girlfriend quickly left after seeing the seriousness on both their faces.

"Nothing to worry about, Useless Tsuna." Reborn swallowed to try to soothe his dry throat. "I had a bad run-in with another hitman. I'm not hurt, just out of breath."

Tsuna narrowed his eyes at the nickname then sighed at the man's reassurances. "We share a target with someone?"

"Seems like it. He's from the Valtero Family."

The name sounded familiar to tsuna but he couldn't place it. "Ally or enemy?"

"Enemy. Sometimes."

"Sometimes?" Tsuna questioned. "Doesn't matter, get back here and tell me directly. I don't know what happened to your phone but this line isn't secure. Be quick."

"You're a million years too early to be commanding me, Useless Tsuna. I'll be back by dawn."

Tsuna sighed and hung up. He opened his laptop and began to organize his papers off to the side while speaking to Gokudera. "Look into the Valtero Family. I want as much info as we can get on them before Reborn gets here."

Gokudera nodded and ran from the room.

Tsuna sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. This was already a long day and now it felt like it was going to get longer. "Will I ever get a break?" He said to no one and went back to finishing his paperwork.

A/N: I made a typo on the title for the last chapter. It's supposed to be Part 9 but I put Part 10. I'm sorry, but I'm too lazy to go back and fix it. So here's the real Part 10.

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mide1718: I certainly hope so, but knowing him the answer's no lol

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