A/N:

I wasn't honestly gonna update cause I was planning on relaxing and focusing on the my drafts for my new story circulating around Eyeshield 21 manga. It won't shape in the way how I want its storyline to happen so it's taking its time, and I'm too much of a worrywart that it won't come out of how I wanted it to be cause I'm also a reader of my own works. Anyway, I'm generally okay, a little healthy, and mentally striving-surviving even. I'm just worrying about my subjects cause I'm retaking the last of my failed subjects two semesters ago. Cause if I don't give my all in this one repeated subject, I'm kissing my course goodbye. But that's besides the point.

ramamiss: Thank you for your review. I teared up after reading it quite a while. I'm grateful to your concern, so thank you. I'm really okay. Hahaha. I'll probably pop up every once in a while. And I want to dedicate these seven new chapters to you, cause you were able to make me edit some of the mistakes and courageously make me post them.

Anyway, go on.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

"Five years ago, the late Kurogane boss, Kurogane Shoji, had left me his will." Michimiya stated as he pulled his brief case close and started to open it. "On the day of twenty-second, I stand as witness when he put the papers inside this-" He waved a brown envelop in the air. "-envelop and put a seal on it with his own stamp. Now, on this day, we will open it and I will read it for you."

The room waited in bathed breaths as Michimiya closed his case and put it aside. He put the envelop on the table in front of him. Discreet brown eyes watched as those hands easily pulled the wax seal from being sealed, and rose a brow at the sign. The lawyer must have read it yesterday to be briefer. Regardless, he let it go, since he knew no one noticed it except for him. Well, sans for him, Ota and Miwa. Nor did anyone notice the lack of month with the given date. Tsuna has been in Kurogane since the nineteenth of the month, and Ota informed him that Michimiya went to meet Shoji.

Michimiya continued to shuffle the papers and started with the date then said the salutations with the opening paragraphs and stuffs. He went over the old man's reason in making his will and trusting it to Michimiya. Then he went over to the gifts. Firstly, he addressed the relatives. Tsuna covered his mouth with a finger between his lips, the rest of the fingers were cupping his chin, to stop himself from laughing whenever sarcastic words were read aloud, pointed to the said 'relatives' who would receive a case of money in every family.

The staffs were also mentioned with gratitude, well wishes, and compensation for the hardship he once put them into. The division leaders were assigned to split the money given to them from the old man's safe bank (which where all money would come from) evenly among their people. There was even a joke that the old man would haunt them if they didn't.

"I would like to address my youngest son, Kaen." Michimiya said, glancing at the youngest Kurogane. "My hotheaded iron, taking over his mother's personality. You've been by my side since your mother passed, and I've seen fear of losing me bloom in your eyes. And that protectiveness is what I know that will make your relationship with your siblings stronger. Thus, I grant you my Arcadia, my chambers, and half of my property. Same goes to the amount I have written on the cheque that is inside the envelop. Use if wisely, child. You are old enough to make decisions. I know you have dreams, Kaen. And I want you to pursue that to your heart's content. Do not make me visit you in O-bon after seeing you do something moronic."

Kaen bowed and nodded. Kind words that he never heard from his father must have hit his chest with regretful pangs.

"To my second daughter, Kanna; my fearless iron. You have never backed away from any challenges, and I admire that. I'm more worried of the fact that you may break your heart a million times with the wrong choices, but I know you will prosper and get stronger as those heartbreaks will shape you to be a fine lady I have seen in you. You are brilliant and genius in your own way. Now, I gift you the Fairy World, the technology part of our company, the library, and half of your mother's property, also the amount I have written on your cheque. Knowing you, you will bury yourself with the books. It is the reason why I banned you from the library. However, you are now free to buy, expand and make use of it. Not like any of your siblings love to read, except for Watusei who is in love with numbers."

Kanna's shoulders were tense, and it's noticeable how much effort she's making not to cry.

"My first daughter, the rose iron Seina. When I first held you in my arms, I knew I will do anything I could to protect you from any man that will give you pain. My daughter, you are the center of the star the five of you make. You are the tip that balances the four others. Your rationality is what makes things equal. Your beauty is unbounded, just like your mother's. I want you to have your mother's favorite garden, the Garden of Affection. I also want you to keep safe her office, and the other half of my property. The amount I will give you will never be enough to compensate the love I cannot show you back then. However, I know that you have always acknowledge that fact. It is the reason why you never voiced your wants for the position. And I thank you for that."

Seina smiled, relaxed even, after hearing those words.

"There are two sides of a blade. The blunt side and the sharp side. I have realized that regardless of how much I ask you, you never take the sharp side of the blade, Watusei. Hence, it makes you the gentle iron of the family. You have a knack of cracking puzzles, complicated problems, and solving numbers. You're practical, calculating, and careful. No wonder you admire Dosei's business-related works. Will it be okay for you to accept half of my power over the business part of our family? As well as the Secret of Dreams, and the other half of your mother's property? The numbers on your cheque are permanent. Please do accept my gift, Watusei. Knowing your capabilities, I trust you to keep an eye on your siblings' expenditures. They are quite handful in terms of spending money. Yours never cut out half of their expenses in a month. Sixth even."

Watusei huffed a small chuckled beside Tsuna. He's reeling in the trust his father has given to him, even in death.

"You must be feeling all the responsibility, Suoh. As the boss of Kurogane, you must step up as the sharp side of the blade, the pointed tip that can hurt people and be the holder of it. I take it you are surprised as well with the sudden decision?"

Tsuna didn't look up to meet Suoh's glance.

"It is as sudden as the lightning bolting from the sky. As sudden as the rain shower. But I knew the choice will be you. It will be an argument of age, experience, knowledge, and birthright, but the decision will only be based on the things you stand for. And you are a man of principles, Suoh. You have your own rules, standards, beliefs, and more that rivals mine and your siblings. They rival the Division leaders' and our ancestors'. You are set to make our family grow stronger and flourish beyond my expectations. I regret not seeing that future, but I know you'll make it a reality. To insure this, I would like to give you the whole compound of Kurogane den-"

This caused an uproar to the relatives, but the man continued to read on.

"-with the garden of Safe Haven, the other halves of power on technology and business sectors of the organization, the full power on other sectors, the whole vault of Kurogane family and the files you need for the future. I entrust you the family. Set your expectations to yourself high, but do not meet others' expectations. You must forge the strongest iron, because even in the darkest side of the world, the family is beside you."

Suoh nodded.

"Now, I want to address my last child, the Blessed Lucky Rope." Michimiya glanced at Tsuna who was hiding between Suoh's and Watusei's combined big bodies. "Any words of apology cannot erase the wound I have inflicted in your being for eight long years. I cannot say you understood why I needed to go when you were so young. But what I know is you're a battered soul who is too forgiving for his own good. You are a child with this will to survive, willing to live the life laid for him and promises to conquer any obstacles thrown to your way before throwing away the things people expected you to do. I have hidden you for years, I will gladly continue to do so if you wish. However, allow me to give you my properties in Tokyo, Kanagawa and Saitama, the Jungle Park of the compound, the money that is transferred to your account on the day I die, and the assistance of the family. I want to see you grow, watch you achieve what you want to reach, but maybe, it's not meant to be. I wish you the best, my child. May your power to create bonds strengthen the iron."

Even before Michimiya was able to say the ending remarks, the relatives exploded. Tsuna slicked away when Ota and Miwa opened the door for him. Ueda greeted him after closing the passage and led him away from the loud ruckus. Ota and Miwa are enough to kill anyone if they attack any of the siblings.

He was ushered to the corridors they walked through when he first came in the house. When he was by the patio, he got greeted with people lining up on both sides of the path he has to take to get to the car. Hariko is by the car, waiting for him.

"Come back again, Boss Tsunayoshi!" They all bid, bowing at waistline, a gesture that his counterpart's Gokudera does a lot.

Tsuna can't stop himself from smiling a little, an appreciative feeling blooming in his chest. "Someday." He said before walking on. "Keep your boss alive, literally and figuratively."

"Yes, Boss!"

Tsuna nodded at Hariko who smiled his usual sharp smile. The car's door was opened and he came in. He eyed the driver and the person at passenger's side. He brought his window down to see the men.

"I'll message you when I'm safe and sound." He promised.

"When you get to Tokyo, go to Lady Shouyo and ask her to send a message to us then send one to us personally. Got it?" Hariko said, his sharpened smile made Tsuna sweatdrop. "Knowing you, even if you are dying, you'll message us that you're fine and alive."

He prevented himself from pouting. "Alright."

Hariko bobbed his head then turned to the two at front. "Keep it safe, boys. Or your leaders will kill you."

"Yes, Sir!" The two chorused before laughing.

Tsuna rolled the windows up after a last look at Hariko and the others. He didn't dare look back and kept a straight look out of the window.

Finally, he's going back home.

Tsuna went off the car with a small grin on his lips. Inoue grinned at him from the driver's seat while Ikeda tried not to snicker while beaming at him. The two were representative of Dragon and Rabbit, respectfully. Other than both of them were incredibly funny and amazingly good conversationalists, they were the second in command of their divisions. No wonder the two were trusted to be his escorts to Tokyo, although on fifty-one percent—according to Ikeda—because Inoue has the tendency to go over the speed limit. Good thing the man didn't.

"We'll be staying at the headquarters here." Inoue informed. "See you tomorrow?"

Tsuna nodded.

"Come on, Boss. Give us another smile." Ikeda urged, arms on the window of the door. "A little energizer for us."

He sighed and pushed the Rabbit's head back. "Go and rest. I'm going to Lady Shouyo."

Inoue closed the window immediately and pressed on the accelerator before Ikeda could speak more. The brunet shook his head at their enthusiastic playfulness and walked away for the bookshop. As he trudged the streets of Tokyo, he raised his hands to the sky and stretched his tensed muscles.

The reason he's being sent to Lady Shouyo was not that he needs to register that he's back in the city. It was more of he was tasked to give a letter to the Lady and to tell her how he managed to put Suoh on the position without the other four objecting. Lady Shouyo was a longtime friend of Shoji. Everything that happens in each other's life was known by them. It's the kind of friendship that each couldn't let go of the other because they knew too much secrets, and it's either of the two die for those secrets to be buried. Eventually, the two became best of friends.

Lady Shouyo was unable to come because of the strain on the way of travelling. Her son represented her though, bowing to Tsuna just as the latter entered the room to join in greeting the guests. The man took him to the side, introduced himself, and expressed their whole family's condolences. Tsuna took the information in a stride, talked to Suoh about it, and then was given a mission to pass a letter to Lady Shouyo. The three heads knew about this, which was why Hariko passed him another task. Tsuna admitted that he does have the tendency to say he's okay when he's not.

He was going to enter an alleyway, a good shortcut for the bookstore, when his intuition told him to look up. He did. Just then, brown eyes connected to compass gold ones. The former widened in fraction as the owner of the latter was starting to come to the ground.

"Gravity!" He shouted.

Compass eyes blinked before they widened. Red flames erupted from Enma's forehead before rings of gravity formed around the teen's body and stopped him from falling on Tsuna.

Tsuna quickly took the redhead's hand to slowly support him in landing. "What happened?" He asked after the Hyper dying will snuffed out.

"I-I-"

He inspected the other in a quick manner, taking notes of the scratches, wounds and other bleeding matters. "Who did this? Was it Julie?"

"Huh? How did-"

"Your parents? Are they dead? Is Mami dead too?"

"Wha-"

"Enma."

Tsuna immediately pulled Enma behind him and faced Katou Julie.

"And you are...?" Katou Julie asked, frowning a little.

He wanted to keep quiet, but with how Enma was shaking, he couldn't help it. "You should introduce yourself first. It's a common sense."

"Ah. I'm sorry." The teen pulled his brown hat from his head and put it to his chest as he bowed a little. "I am Katou Julie, a friend of Enma. A pleasure to meet you."

"I am Sawada Tsunayoshi." He squeezed Enma's hand. "Were you the one who pushed Enma from that height?"

The teen smiled sheepishly apologetic. It almost felt real, if Tsuna's intuition didn't ring in alarm. "It's a misunderstanding. We were playing house as siblings, and chasing around. I slipped and got my body bumped into him. It was unfortunate that we were by the balcony by then."

"I-" He glanced at Enma who trembled terribly. "-see. Will it be bad if I take Enma somewhere he can relax? It was kinda traumatizing for him to be caught by me in such a height. Good thing he was light."

Suspicion flashed in those eyes. To what point, Tsuna didn't want to know. "I don't think so. But will it be alright if I come though? Our friends will kill me if I leave him alone. He's an important person to us." Katou requested, acting worried.

"Not at all." He answered as he started to caress Enma's wrist while he pulled the latter. "You look like you're new here in Tokyo. Have you tried the cafe by the corner? They make fantastic sweets."

"Oh? You're a local?" Katou queried as he fell in steps with Tsuna's pace.

"A frequent visitor actually." He answered as he put himself as a buffer between Kozato and Katou. He started to babble, putting a northern accent in his voice to make a believable lie. "A family of mine died just yesterday. We just did the procession this afternoon. My childhood friend asked me to eat somewhere to ease me up, but he got called and left me his bag, and asked me to meet him at the cafe I was talking about just now." Then he paused and smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. My accent gets thick when I continuously talk."

"It's alright." Katou assured, laughing. "It took me a while to get rid of my accent too."

"Eh? Really? I thought it could've been easy since you lived a long life." He said as he maneuvered them around the crowd of Shibuya. Katou tensed up. "I mean, you're twenty-plus, right?"

"What? No! I'm only sixteen!" The Dessert guardian, mist underneath, denied with a laugh. "Do I really look mature? Oh man!"

"It must have been the beard." He jabbed. "I mean, you did take over Vongola when you were young."

"Wha-"

"Woah-" Tsuna put a hand on Katou's chest as he put the other on the latter's arm that caught him. Brown eyes blinked before he smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I'm quite clumsy with my feet."

Katou watched him as he pulled way. "What did you mean?"

"Hm?" He feigned ignorance as he stood straighter, gripping the strap of his bag while he let the other fall to his side. "I mean it has been four hundred years, Spade Daemon-san. Shouldn't you drop the act now?"

Brown eyes turned dark purple as the mist laughed with Katou Julie's voice. "More persons to get rid of."

He tilted his head to the right. "Who says you can?"

Just then, the traffic lights of Shibuya Road went red, pulling all people around them to move forward. The moment people started to come between them, Tsuna instantly turned around, took Kozato's hand, and pulled him to cross the street. With his intuition, he quickly ducked low, to at least lose Spade and turned sharp left—to the direction of the bookstore.

He prompted Kozato to run faster for them to not get caught. Just as they entered an alleyway, the brunet pulled the redhead to another street and ran with all his might. His intuition buzzed at him that Spade was gaining speed. He quickly pulled the redhead to the direction of the park and told him to avoid the sand box as they ran. Just as he was about to dive, he noticed blue eyes watching him widely, completely in shock. He made a sharp curve, took Nagisa's hand, and pulled him along to jump on the bushes.

He signed both to keep quiet before pulling the panting Kozato to his chest to muffle his heavy breathing. He took deep breaths as well, through his nose and sitting very still. He only shifted when Nagisa raised his hand to sign.

'Status?' The teal-head signed.

He signed back. 'Chased.'

Blue eyes went to Kozato who was starting to regulate his breathing.

He signed. 'Need to save.'

'Where to?' Nagisa asked before laying his hand.

Tsuna wrote. 'Bookshop, five blocks away.'

His classmate nodded, understanding which bookshop he was talking about.

The three of them stilled when they heard someone running. Tsuna held Nagisa's hand and Kozato tighter to his body as all of them held their breaths. His intuition chirped at him that it was Spade who was pacing around, searching for them. As if counting the second they were going to be discovered, Tsuna wrote simultaneously on Nagisa's and Kozato's wrists of countdown numbers. It alerted the two. When his intuition screamed at him to run, he pulled the two and they ran away from Katou.

Tsuna didn't dare look back, and pulled Kozato to run beside him. The redhead gripped his hand like a lifeline as they followed Nagisa. They could hear Spade running just behind them, chasing them to oblivion. Although it's a pain, the brunet knew Spade couldn't outrun them. Nagisa even went to lengths of slowing down and taking Kozato's other hand to pull him too.

Two more blocks away when Tsuna's intuition called out to dodge. He reached out to put a hand on Nagisa's head and pushed his head down, taking Kozato's head too since his arm was bracing the latter's back of the head. Two bullets whizzed past the two's heads, causing them to squawk. He pulled them to an alleyway to get away from any flying bullets. The two trusted him to pull them anywhere safe, and he did. He led Katou in a maze of buildings. He muttered apologies to them as he pulled them to more alleyways.

He breathed loudly as they broke free from the little maze, and ran all the way to the bookstore. He slid the door open just as Katou came through the alleyway. He pushed Kozato and Nagisa inside before stepping in. He walked back, facing Katou who was approaching. The moment he stepped in the threshold, mist flames covered his whole body and changed to the body of Spade Daemon—the first generation Vongola Mist. All with the dark blue hair, purple eyes, the French military uniform, and the confidence of a noble man. He even materialized his scepter.

"Now I remember." The Mist chimed as he stood by the door. "You are the spawn of Sawada Iemitsu, the leader of Vongola's external branch, CEDEF."

Tsuna didn't let the man see how he gulped, backing the two more to the receiving area. "Good memory, Sir. I take it you haven't killed the line of Kozato family using his face."

"I was going to do it, but for some reason, that buffoon went here nine years ago; ruining my plans. Since then, I couldn't get a good chance to do so." The man flippantly replied.

Kozato's hand grasped Tsuna's shirt.

"Now, tell me how did you know I was possessing Katou Julie's body, Sawada Tsunayoshi? What gave you the hint?"

"Is it worth to know when you're going to kill us regardless?" He questioned, almost cheeky. "But then again, you just love Vongola, so you won't do such a thing."

"What are you talking about?" Spade demanded.

"He is saying that you can't kill anyone in this shop, Spade Daemon-san." Familiar old woman's voice rang out from the shelves of books at Tsuna's left. Lady Shouyo showed herself in her usual calm git, blue eyes darting from Tsuna to Spade. "This shop is owned by Ogawara Yakuza."

Silence. Tsuna slowly relaxed his stance. Ogawara Yakuza was known to regulate neutral lands. If mafia has Vindice, Yakuza has Ogawara.

"Clever." Spade applauded while his eyes fleeted from Tsuna to the old lady. "To pick a very good neutral ground. As expected to the Vongola heir."

"No offense, but please, don't associate me to that family." He said, stepping forward. "And I only guided you here because I want to talk."

"Talk?" The man asked.

"Yes." The brunet responded. "A neutral ground is the only place you won't touch me, Kozato, and Nagisa. Even Lady Shouyo. If you do, it will cause problem to Vongola's name. Knowing how persistent Yakuza is, they will seek a retribution against Vongola for soiling a neutral ground."

Deep purple eyes gazed at Tsuna with calculation. "Then what will be our talk about?"

"Mundane stuffs." The brunet shrugged and gave a small smile. "It won't hurt you if we talk about this," And he presented a round golden thing with a thin chain. The thing he took from Katou's chest when he pretended to trip before running away. "And who is Elena von Byron."

The man's free hand went to his chest before glaring at Tsuna. And the latter only widened his grin; a gesture he knew would infuriate the man more and give in to the blackmail.

"Hoho. Such feather light hands you have, Sawada-kun." Lady Shouyo said with an amused smile. "Well then, let's enter the receiving area. Nanami-chan must be done with the refreshments."

Tsuna turned to the two who looked uncertain as they eyed Spade. He smiled reassuringly as he asked them to follow Lady Shouyo. His eyes got drawn to Nagisa who was holding Kozato protectively. The teal-head looked tensed, but understood the weight of what had happened. If something happens, he needed to keep Kozato safe.

He glanced back at Spade who was waiting for them to pile in the receiving area. Purple eyes turned to him as well; assessing, calculating... Tsuna retained his smile.

"Don't do anything I won't dare do, Sir." He advised as he followed Nagisa, two steps behind. "You may know how to fool his hyper intuition, but do you know how to fool mine?"

If his counterpart never had a chance to enjoy Spade's astonished expression, Tsuna enjoyed it for him