Hello, minna-san, I'm back!
Sorry for the delay, it was my fault, my dear beta already taken care of this chapter a long time and I did not post it for lack of time though.
I want to thanks all those who are reading and commenting Cielo, you are my joy!
Again, a big thanks to Tora-chan83 by beta-ed another chapter, without her help I would not be continuing this story here on the site!
Enjoy!

Disclaimer: KHR belongs to Akira Amano-sensei, only the plot is mine!

Apprehension - Part 2

Primo's era, three weeks before the invasion...

A man wearing a long black cassock ran across the corridor with a speed and agility that was somewhat uncommon to find in a celibate. He had short, turf like black hair, dark honey colored eyes and, curiously, a white bandage over his nose. Without bothering to knock on the door, he barged into the room, immediately attracting the attention of the six individuals present there.

"Primo! Bad news!" - He screamed at the top of his lungs, making all of them cringe away.

Giotto, who had his eyes fixed on his noisy Guardian of the Sun, instantly shuddered. His Hyper Intuition had been bothering him since he woke up that morning. Something bad was about to happen, and Knuckle's abrupt entry only confirmed what he was already feeling. This fact did nothing to improve his mood and growing migraine.

"Calm down, Knuckle." - the tranquil rain advised with a quiet tone, although he wanted to find out more about the situation, he didn't want to go deaf in the process.

"Tch! It must be really bad for you invade the room screaming like that." - G grumbled while watching Lampo get up the ground, when the priest had entered so suddenly and loudly, he had frightened the boy so much that he fell off the chair, which also toppled.

"If you continue to be noisy-"

"In town a pile of bodies was abandoned close to Church!" - Knuckle continued to inform them, interrupting Alaude - "May God watch over them as they rest peacefully." - he clasped his hands in prayer, quickly praying for the dead.

A chorus of "What?" was voiced by several bewildered people inside the room. The only exceptions were Alaude and Lampo, who fell off the chair again with a groan. The platinum blond, on the other hand, just narrowed his eyes, while a pair of handcuffs suddenly appeared in his grasp.

"Explain." - was all that Giotto could say.

"I went to church to pray, but on the way, I saw a pile of corpses lying on the ground, killed and displayed as if they were not even human beings. They were in the empty field that you donated to the church to build the school." - the priest said, his words containing a slight bitterness.

"What cruelty." - mumbled Ugetsu, who had stopped playing his flute at the time that his friend had entered the room yelling.

"Scary..." - Lampo whimpered once he was seated.

"And also... I am sure that many of the bodies belong to the residents who had disappeared the month before last. Among them, I recognized Enrico the shoe shop's owner's son and the sister of Fazio, of the pension located at the entrance of the city." "Nufufufu, it seems that someone is challenging us." - Daemon commented with his signature laugh.

"Tch! Those bastards! Primo!" - G exclaimed; he turned his gaze to his childhood friend, who was sitting at the edge of the table, his orange orbs hidden by his golden hair, and a serious expression on his handsome face.

"Ah. We must put an end to this situation." - Giotto said, looking up and finding the same look on his guardians' faces.

~~~ І ~~~

The meeting had started about thirty minutes ago, and since then, Tsuna had more than enough time to analyze the man before him. Guiseppe Galhardoni II, who was the head of the promising Galhardoni Famiglia of Verona, one of the countless famiglias that were formed after Primo's reign. They in particular possess a military power already well developed despite their size, which was about seven hundred members. Not bad for a small Famiglia who had graduated in less than three decades. Although Galhardoni was very recent in comparison to the Vongola, the second boss was a good ten years older than Tsuna, but that didn't intimidate the Tenth Vongola. After all, when you are under the Spartan coaching of the world's best Hitman, and having to face real death threats on a daily basis, few things and people in the world could really shake your confidence and tranquility. This was, without taking into account the other members in his family. Mainly the three men known and feared throughout the underworld; Xanxus, who, despite the rivalry declared against the legitimate successor of the Vongola, still counts as an active member of Famiglia, Rokudo Mukuro, the powerful and sadistic illusionist who managed to escape the dreaded Vendicare twice, and finally, Hibari Kyoya, the strongest guardian in the Vongola, whose thirst for blood and passion for fights precede wherever he goes.

Tsuna looked staunchly at Guiseppe, while the man intently read all the terms to form the alliance between Vongola and Galhardoni. His short hair was between blond and brown, in a somewhat curious mixture, but it highlighted his copper eyes. But unlike Tsuna, whose body mysteriously remains somewhat slim - not that he doesn't have strong and developed muscles, his body just doesn't have any unnecessary surplus of muscle mass, despite the horrifying endless hours of torture in the training with Reborn - he could tell that Guiseppe's physique was clearly worked, the arm muscles were barely disguised by the black suit and white shirt. He also had on a light blue satin tie, something that seemed quite out of place on the Italian's corpulent figure.

But, putting aside the strange fashion sense for a mob boss like Guiseppe, Tsuna liked what he found in the man before his eyes, the man seemed to have a strong sense of justice, something quite rare to find in the underworld. Another point that Tsuna liked was the fact that, in all this time, the heir Galhardoni never showed hostility or tried to claim some kind of status within the great Vongola. All he asked was that the Vongola protect their subordinates as if they were part of the Famiglia. This actually sounded like music to the Tenth's ears. In the past six years of meetings, and most likely many more to come, there had been a few failed attempts with other Famiglias to form alliances.

This was mainly because they started making unreasonable demands, like wanting a privileged place in the center of the main Alliance, which currently consisted of the Vongola, Cavallone, Shimon, Giglio Nero and finally the Gesso Famiglias. Others had wanted possessions, and there were even those who had inadvertently come to the Tenth wanting a free way to do obscure business - the latter managed to irritate Tsuna so much that very few of those kinds of people still exist the underworld, courtesy of his overprotective guardians who took Tsuna's wrath as their own. Yes, Sawada Tsunayoshi kindly accept anyone in his family with open heart and a warm smile on his lips, as long as they have the desire to protect him. For Sky is above all who are fair and is unable to embrace those whose hearts and souls have become too obscure and refuse to change.

Looking away from Guiseppe, he rapidly took in the meeting room, which was located in the hotel where the boss of Galhardoni and his entourage were staying at. It was in the center of Palermo - Tsuna's personal choice - since Guiseppe had been displaced from his hometown in order to establish the new covenant. Tsuna shifted the meeting place so that it was closer for the sake the guests, instead of making them come to the mansion, which was considerably far away from the city's center, in a region surrounded by dense forest.

In the room, which the hotel manager, and a member of the Vongola, had gladly yielded to his gentle boss, there was a mahogany table with the capacity for up to ten people. Yet, only two people were seated around the table . One of which, was Tsuna, who was sitting at one end with Gokudera standing back a little to his right side with his typical expression. While Yamamoto, who stubbornly rejected his boss' suggestion to stay at the mansion to rest, was waiting outside the door, along with five other Galhardoni bodyguards. In turn, occupying the other end, was Guiseppe and his right hand man, named Francesco Adami, who had also been the right hand of his father, the founder of Galhardoni and now a man in his fifties. The right hand man had a look in his gray orbs that belonged to a bird of prey.

"Tenth, I believe that all the terms are in line with our expectations and we accept them with full assurance." - Guiseppe's raspy voice rang throughout the silent room, making a gentle smile appear on Tsuna's lips.

"I'm glad to know that the Vongola and Galhardoni, from now on are a single Family." - informed Tsuna, his smile broadening.

While both sides signed the papers that validate the alliance, Guiseppe threw one last look at the already legendary figure, apparently imperturbable, sitting across from him. The young man, who had less than a decade of life compared to himself, was known by all in the mafia.

It was common knowledge that Sawada Tsunayoshi, the Tenth Boss of the largest and most powerful Famiglia in the Mafia, the Vongola, had not grown up in the underworld. He was a normal boy until he reached fourteen year, when he was dragged into this world of darkness without the option to escape. However, once he took his place as chief, it was like a refreshing wave flooded away all the horrors of this world, and in a short time his figure gained prominence. The young boss, who seemed to emanate a powerful aura naturally, endeavored to reduce inequities, disagreements and pointless bloodshed within the Mafia, and in a few years, things in the underworld calmed down considerably. And this same Tenth, known for his kind heart, and who prefers to solve his problems on a daily basis with dialogue and negotiations, is also, always willing to forgive.

Ironically, the young Don is also the strongest person that the mafia has ever seen. They say that looking into his hazel-brown eyes, which not infrequently hinted soft shades of orange from time to time, was about the same as having your soul read like an open book, such is the depth of his gaze. Added to all this, have the much-talked Hyper Intuition that flowed through the blood of all the bosses of the Vongola since its founder.

"Well, since we finished signing, I fear that I have to go. I apologize, but there are still some commitments that require my attention." - Tsuna announced, closing the folder with copy of the newly-made alliance in it.

"There is no need to apologize, Tenth. We understand perfectly well that deals with a Famiglia as large as the Vongola would require much of your time as a boss." - replied Giuseppe, feeling comfortable with the aura emanating from the warm sweet smile that other boss had in his face.

"Ah, I'm so grateful. Until we meet again." - Tsuna said, while holding tightly onto Giuseppe's hand - "And I hope that your stay in Palermo is very enjoyable."

"Thank you, Tenth. Until we meet again."

"You seem much more relaxed than I thought you would be." - Francesco commented, noting the determined expression on the face of his boss, after leaving the Vongola boss in the room.

"The Tenth Vongola is an amazing person, you do not agree, Francesco?" - he asked, still looking with obvious admiration on his face at the door where Tsuna and Gokudera had come out.

"Oh, no doubt." - the sharp right hand man agreed with a nod.

~~~Ҳ~~~

"Tsuna, was everything okay with the Galhardoni? The meeting was much quicker than I expected." - Yamamoto asked, looking into the rear view mirror of the car he was currently driving, he watched his boss, who was staring out of the dark glass window, which was, of course, bullet proof.

"Ah, everything went fine. Guiseppe Galhardoni is an interesting boss. It will be good to have him on our side."

"Tch. Those two seem like amateurs. That boss was very scared when Jyuudaime entered the room, and his right hand was staring at Jyuudaime almost the whole entire meeting." - Gokudera snarled, he was seated in the passenger seat with his arms crossed, and a furious scowl on his face.

"Maa, maa, Gokudera. If Tsuna liked him then it doesn't matter that much. Moreover, I talked with his bodyguards, Galhardoni seems to be a really good boss. But of course, he doesn't even come close to ours." - Yamamoto said, grinning, he looked back at Tsuna, who just sighed and shook his head at his closest friends' comments.

"Of course he does not equate Jyuudaime, Yakyū baka! Jyuudaime is unique and incomparable!" - Gokudera exclaimed, launching one of his rare smiles at Tsuna.

"You two keep giving me all the credit." - Tsuna joked, leaning his head back on the seat and letting his mind wander, slowly blanking out.

"Tsuna seems more tired than usual." - Yamamoto said, in a tone that only Gokudera could hear, showing his serious side, as he finds his precious friend snoring quietly in the back seat.

"Ah. Jyuudaime doesn't seem to be fully recovered yet. Reborn-san asked me to keep an eye on Jyuudaime's behavior. Since he has such a high resistance to pain, he could claim that he is fine, when in fact, he is at the verge of another collapse." - Gokudera replied, he was reminded of the serious expression on the Hitman's face, two days before Yamamoto's return, when Reborn had left the mansion to full fill a request from the Ninth, he tried to focus on other things, rather than the incident a few weeks before.

While both assimilate Gokudera's words, the heavy the weight they carried seemed more prominent, and soon silence fell between the car's occupants. Both Gokudera and Yamamoto were so immersed in their own thoughts, that they awakened only when they saw the great gate of the Vongola mansion.

~~~Ҳ~~~

"EXTREME!" - the familiar shout sounded outside of the castle, while a certain gray-haired boxer, with a bandage over his nose, ran around the property. He was being followed by about eighteen men gasping and appearing to be on the verge of collapse. All this fatigue was due to the fact that they were completing their third lap around the enormous plot of land that belonged to Varia - the unit of assassins regardless of the Vongola, who were led by the ruthless Xanxus - before that, they have done 800 abdominal exercises, followed by an hour and a half of wrestling. The five laps around the property was a way to relax the body, according to boxer extremist.

"...I'm sending one of my Guardians to continue the training of the Varia's new recruits, as Lussuria had requested since he will be absent for an indefinite period of time. I assure you that his subordinates are in good hands... "

"Damn trash! That damn kid sent me another f***ing noisy trash!" - Xanxus growled, recalling the connection that he received from the trash a damn week ago, he threw another wine glass to the nearest wall.

"VOOOOIIIIIII! Damn boss, why did you call me?!"

"Shut up, trash." - he growled again, this time throwing the bottle millimeters away from Squalo's head, breaking it against the wall next to Levi, who was in charge of finding another glass, and now another bottle of wine for his precious, and hot tempered boss.

"VOOOOOOIIIIIII! What do you think you're doing you retarded boss?!"- Squalo screamed angrily, haphazardly swinging the sword that was connected to his left arm.

"Trash, what's that damn noisy guardian of the other damn trash doing this time? He hasn't shut up since five in the morning!" - despite the almost moderate tone in Xanxus' voice, his words embedded the clear threat of bloodshed, this, coupled with his red eyes which glowed threateningly, and the murderous and predatory aura, they could definitely tell that he was anything other than calm.

"VOOOOOIIIIIII! How the heck do I know! Did you even asked him to replace Lussuria in the training for the beginners!" - the long haired man yelled again, this time unable to deviate from the new cup full of wine which Xanxus threw in his direction, bursting on contact with his forehead, which immediately began to bleed - "VOOOOOOIIIIIIII! Stop it you damn retarded boss!"

"Shishishishi. It seems that the boss is on the verge of killing the guardian the Tenth sent to replace Lussuria while he's away on a mission." - Bel commented, his signature laugh ringing out as he threw knives at the pineapple-shaped hat that was Fran's head.

"Bel-Senpai." - Fran's bored and slightly slurred voice complained - "Could you refrain from creating holes in my new hat?" - he removed, one by one, the many knives that were stuck in his hat, throwing them behind him.

"Don't want to, and stop throwing my knives! The Prince forces you pick them up. Since Mammon is not here and we have no new missions, you will have to serve as my target to pass the time. Also, why are you wearing that ridiculous pineapple hat?"

"Ah, this is a tribute to my dear teacher who let me take back my place in the Varia while he is busy with Tenth-senpai. And why would you want such cheap knives back? I'm doing you a favor by throwing them away." - Fran explained in his monotone voice.

A vein popped out from Bel's forehead.

"Shishishishi. I'm sure Rokudo Mukuro will not be happy to know your wearing that." - Bel grinned forcefully, throwing more knives at Fran's head again, a satisfying 'thump' and a fake cry of pain, told him that he had hit his mark - "How would a peasant know quality knives when he sees it anyway?"

Back and forth they went on like this, while outside the castle, another cry of 'extreme'could be heard.

~~~Ҳ~~~

Feeling his whole body comfortably relax, Tsuna resisted the idea of awakening. His body had started to ache during the meeting that morning and it took a lot of energy to stay firm and not let his inner discomfort show on his face, which, Tsuna knows has been very pale ever since three weeks ago. After all, even Tsuna finds time to look in the mirror sometimes – because, according to Reborn, 'a boss who does not take care of their appearance is a disgrace'. A strange and yet familiar warm feeling filled his body, and the weight of something settling on his abdomen woke him up more. Still, Tsuna complained about a little more sleep, before opening his eyes. He found himself face to face with an orange flaming mane gently rubbing in his neck.

"Natsu, haven't I already told you not to leave the ring without being called?" - he murmured stroking the sky lion's head, as a domestic cat lying on the chest of his master.

The feline, who had grown considerably over the last ten years, was now equivalent to the height of a sheepdog. The same phenomenon occurred with Uri, Gokudera's box animal, now closely resembling a leopard. Not to mention, he seemed to have finally understood his master a little more, since, Gokudera rarely appears with his face scratched anymore. Perhaps the fact that the Guardian of the Storm learned to control his temper helped Uri to move closer to his master - who was an undeclared lover of cats.

Stopping the rhythmic strokes, while Natsu muttered a 'gao' of disappointment to his master, Tsuna finally observed his surroundings. Obviously he was not in the car with Yamamoto and Gokudera, and Natsu usually only leaves his Vongola Gear when they were in a safe place, moreover, his Hyper Intuition was not crying out 'danger' to the environment. It took no more than a few seconds for Tsuna to perceive where he was. The walls were painted a soft shade of orange, the Vongola crest was above the bed and the carpet in the center of the spacious living room had the same symbol as his new X-Gloves, undoubtedly, this was his room in the Vongola mansion. Looking at himself, he realized that he was still wearing his suit except for the tie and coat. Whoever had brought him to the room had taken them off and put them on the back of a chair, which was near the large window that lit up the room, and had arranged his shoes on the floor beside the bed.

A single thought arose in his mind - My pain is gone... But I didn't take one of the pills that Shamal gave me. So... - turning his gaze downward, Tsuna met Natsu's eyes as he purred at him and let out another 'gao'. - Could it be that the harmony of the Shinu Ki no Honoo of the Sky contained in Natsu's flames stopped my pain...?

"Ah. Thank you, Natsu. I feel much better." - he said smiling as he stroking the head of the cat again, who, with an ultimate 'gao' to his master, returned to the Vongola Gear in Tsuna's ring.

Now the question is: why didn't anyone wake me when we arrived...?

"You can enter, Chrome." - Tsuna said, sitting up and putting on his shoes.

Under the invitation, the beautiful figure of the Guardian of the Mist appeared timidly from the small hidden opening next to the door. She was wearing a purple skirt with delicate white ruffles on the edge, and an indigo blouse with small pink bows on the sleeves.

It was not news to any of the Guardians that the fact that their beloved boss, due to his Hyper Intuition, could feel the presence of everyone around him. It was something that began with Mukuro, then the bloodthirsty ex-prefect and soon later, it ended up covering all of them. For that reason, Tsuna was always the first to detect when a very hostile intent approached the mansion. Even before the surveillance cameras recorded the presence of the invaders, the inhabitants of the property were already on alert. Therefore, the fact that the Tenth Vongola lives in the mansion is more than enough to make everyone feel safe. It was this ability, which only the Primo was known to have, that made Tsuna's Intuition incredibly strong, even Timoteo had not possessed it despite his successful reign. The thought of such power made him even more legendary in the underworld, causing many rival Famiglias to think twice about sending assassins or spies to the Vongola headquarters.

"Boss, I came to warn you about lunch."

"It's that late?" - he murmured with a sigh - "Chrome, why did no one wake me up earlier?"

"Because Boss looked tired. So, Gokudera-san brought you to your room and Yamamoto-san said not to wake you up until right before lunch. This was to stop Boss from working without stopping again." - she informed him with a determined look, despite the hint of the signature red on her cheeks.

In the recent years, Tsuna took more note of Chrome's history. It cost him a few hours listening to nonsense, and two and a half bottles of expensive wine that Mukuro preferred, to make him even answer the questions the Young Tenth had, but it was worth it. Tsuna devoted a part of his time for the sole purpose of getting closer to Chrome, and have her enter the family even more, something that Mukuro had not opposed - It was particularly after Tsuna gently informed him that he knew his drunk side was more talkative, after all Tsuna is a student of Reborn, after this Mukuro had started to ardently avoid drinking in the presence of his boss.

Having been rejected once already, Chrome more than anyone, deserved to feel the love and affection from a true family. Tsuna fought a great deal to make her refer to the other members by their names, and not by their position, since it referred to the climate they were representing. For example, before, Gokudera was simply referred to as Storm-san. These small changes in the behavior of the young girl, and the fact that she was now able to maintain a dialogue that lasts more than two or three sentences, gave joy to Tsuna - though, no matter how hard he tried, he could not convince her to call him Tsuna instead of 'Boss'.

"Okay. But hopefully this little plot of yours will not be repeated often, otherwise Reborn really will kill me for leaving my job and having late paperwork." - Tsuna said with a fake nervous smile.

"It's all right, Boss. Gokudera-san and Yamamoto-san hastened to go through your work in the office." - the illusionist said, slightly deflecting Tsuna's gaze to look at the white curtain on the window.

"Oh, that was unexpected. But I could get used to it." - Tsuna commented, with a warm smile - "Well, shall we go down for lunch?"

"Hai, Boss."

~~~Ҳ~~~

Mealtime is a kind of sacred time in the Vongola mansion, a fact which was known to all of the employees. Chef Luigi Pizio, who was responsible for all meals and also for the wonderful banquets the Tenth offered to his guests, had, with a great joy, worked for 36 years in the kitchen in the Vongola headquarters. The fact that working for 'Cielo' and his family, which is how he refers to Tsuna and his guardians, brought him the most happiness was not a secret.

Even having worked for the Ninth, who was a kind hearted person, he idolizes the brunet. When the small 'Cielo' moved to Italy with his guardians, the mansion had become so much brighter - one of the most surprising things about the move, was that Hibari had actually come along, accompanied by Kusakabe of course. When questioned, all the aloof guardian said was, 'I came to find out how disciplined the country was, not to obey the wimpy omnivore. Now stop crowding around or I'll bite you to death.' After that one time, no one asked Hibari again.

After changing in his school years, Tsuna was, and still is, reportedly his most precious Boss. This was especially true after Tsuna had told him that after his mother's foods, Pizio's cooking was the best he'd ever experienced. Needless to say that after this comment, the chef devoted himself wholeheartedly into learning the delicacies of the Japanese cuisine. He even went to ask Yamamoto to give him some tips. The swordsman and baseball lover happily used one of his days off, after a mission, to teach the chef and tell him all their favorite dishes. Since then, three times a month, the table of the Vongola Famiglia is covered with food of only Japanese origin. One time, Pizio went so far as to order fish directly from the Japanese coast - a feat that Tsuna asked him not to repeat without warning him first. Interestingly, these days are the same as the ones when Hibari usually joined the Famiglia for meals, since when in the mansion, he would generally eat in his room.

"Cielo-sama I hope the lunch today is to your liking." - Pizio said, signaling to the employees put all the tasty food in the best Japanese style, on the table.

"Ah, I'm sure it's tasty as always." - Tsuna replied, throwing an amused look at his eccentric chef, who was wearing a bandanna on his forehead with the kanji for Cielo, which was Italian for Oozora or Sora, meaning sky, the nickname, like that of Chrome's and Gokudera's, was not able to revoked.

While the employees put the dishes in front of their beloved master and family, one already well known pink smoke immersed Lambo, who was sitting right next to Gokudera. A barely audible 'not again', was all that could be heard before the smoke engulfed it completely, following it was a well-known cry.

"Waaaaaah! Reborn!"

"Lambo."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, the five year old boy, mumbling some nonsense about 'Hitman idiot kicked me' and ' Lambo-san was not guilty of dame-Tsuna being blown along with Ahodera', jumped into the arms of his nii-san, completely ignoring the reproachful gaze of an angry and coughing Gokudera.

Tsuna patted Lambo's back, while the boy was distracted with eating his plate of tamagoyaki unceremoniously. These sudden appearances of the Lambo from ten years ago, were almost a routine in the family. To prevent embarrassing situations, Tsuna, and everyone else began to carry grape flavored candy in their pockets, as the younger version of his Lightening Guardian often appeared in tears and at inopportune moments. The idea arose after Tsuna's fight with the Shimon Famiglia, when Gokudera appeared to save the day with six different types of sweet grape flavored candy from around the world. After taking over as Vongola the Tenth, Tsuna began, not only carrying around candy, but recommending all his guardians to do the same. Provided that this simple action was taken whenever Lambo came from the past upset, he would soon calm down.

"Tch! Ahoushi is causing trouble for Jyuudaime again."

"Maa, maa, Gokudera. Lambo is just a kid, I'm sure he didn't do any harm. Furthermore, we're all already used to it." - Yamamoto pointed out, calmly eating, to the left of Tsuna and in front of Gokudera.

"Even without the candy, the simple presence of Tsuna-nii is enough to calm Lambo down." - commented Fuuta, sitting next to Chrome, who shook her head in agreement.

"Tsuna is incredible. He manages to keep Lambo quiet without much effort. On the other hand, Gokudera-"

"What is Yakyū baka?" - Gokudera grumbled, interrupting Yamamoto.

"It's just that you and Lambo of this time get along much better than in the past."

"Tch, that's because he is no longer a super annoying brat who goes around throwing grenades in all directions whenever he wants. But tell him that, and I'll blow up you and your dojo." - Gokudera's eyes shined threateningly.

"Hahaha. Maa, maa, what's wrong with admitting that you like the boy?"

"Yakyū baka-"

"Neh, neh. Why does nii-san looks so pale? Mama says that when we're like that it means that we're sick. So is nii-san sick?"

Lambo's innocent comment brought a strange tension, taking away the cheerful atmosphere of dining room. The angry expression on the right hand man of the Tenth, turned into one of apprehension. The smile on Yamamoto's face while he talked nonsense with Gokudera, disappeared. A sad air overwhelmed Chrome, while Fuuta became serious. Noticing the strange silence of his guardians, Tsuna smiled at Lambo.

"Mama is right, Lambo. But I'm feeling much better now, thank you, and you do not need worry." - Tsuna reassured him, moving his eyes of the boy dressed in cow print, to the table with the other beloved family members - "Now, Lambo, can you sit in the place where you were before? It's about time you returned. And remember what you promised me."

"Gyahahahaha. The great Lambo-san will never forget the promise he made to nii-san." - the boy said while taking a small jump to the empty chair next to Gokudera.

Within seconds, a pink smoke replaced a five year old boy with a fifteen year old.

"Yare, yare... At least I got to see Mama again..." - grumbled Lambo, immediately noticing the tense atmosphere which had not completely disappeared - "Vongola, did the younger me do something stupid again?"

"You just asked the question that everyone is afraid to." - Tsuna said with a gentle expression toward the teenager, who, slides down his chair, feeling somehow guilty.

"Tsuna..."

"Jyuudaime..."

"Boss..."

"Tsuna-nii..."

"Relax. What I said to Lambo is purely true. I'm feeling great now." - Tsuna assured, while offering them his sweetest smile that could temporarily disarm everyone, whether it was a mob boss or even your Spartan tutor, which always forces him to hide his face with his fedora hat.

There was a collective sigh around the table, and everyone returned to their habitual actions, eating, discussing, laughing and continuing to discuss.

Yes, I did not lie to Lambo, I'm fine now, but nothing assures me that will remain for much longer... Anyway, as long as Lambo keeps the promise not to tell the others what he sees in the future, then everything is fine.- and with this last thought, Tsuna asked Pizio to bring him more tamagoyaki, since his, is now in the past, ten years before, resting in the stomach of a five years old Lambo.

~~~Ҳ~~~

"Tsuna, you finally decided to call me! I thought you'd forgotten about me!" - exclaimed a man about the age as Tsuna, in tone between a rebuke and joke, on the computer screen, a young man with bright red hair and ruby eyes watches the pale brunet.

Tsuna was back in his office, and outside, the sun was lowering in the horizon, indicating that in about two hours the sun was going to set.

"Hello to you too, Enma!" - he greeted back with a laugh - "Sorry for the delay in returning your calls, I've been pretty busy lately."

"How are you? Any new news?" - asked the Tenth leader of the Shimon Famiglia, sitting in his own office. He was on the island that belonged to the Family, now almost completely inhabited by members who had joined the Famiglia in recent years. - "You can talk, I'm alone." the red head added, realizing his friend's hesitation.

"I had another wave of pain this morning during a meeting." - Tsuna confessed, anticipating his friend's reaction.

"Tsuna!" -Enma said alarmed. He was the only other person that Tsuna revealed his situation to. Even though that was not his original idea, the thought that only Shamal, someone who does not have much freedom, and especially intimacy to vent, knew of his condition, made his uneasy. He found that the himself going through all of this alone, frightened him more than the chance of dying before completing his twenty-fifth birthday.

"I'm fine now. It seems that somehow Natsu's flames function as an analgesic or an anesthetic, because the pain was gone after he used them on me. But I feel that the problem is still here, only temporarily stopped." - Tsuna said, while resting his right hand on his chest.

"Tsuna..."

"I'm sorry Enma. I dragged you into my problem and let you worry-"

"Idiot! I would be furious with you if you didn't say anything and try to endure it alone! We're friends! You saved me from a cruel fate full of useless hate and revenge! I hear him and try to help with everything I can, it's the least I can do!"

Without realizing it, Tsuna's eyes began to moisten. Yes, Tsuna always knew that Enma was that rare kind of friend who would do anything to protect those precious to him - like himself. Sometimes though, he forgot about this side of his closest friend.

"You know you can count on me, Tsuna. If you want me to drop everything here and go to Italy today, you need only ask. I have Adelheid to take care of things here. She'll get a little angry, but she will understand." - concluded Enma with a little laugh, imagining his right hand's reaction.

Tsuna looked at the image of his friend on the computer screen, it was not just his appearance that had changed over the years - which had also made him look like an exact copy of Shimon Cozart, the creator of Shimon Famiglia. His personality, like that of Tsuna, had become more determined and yet smooth, being able to remain calm in practically any situation. So different from the boy who used to be the target of bullies and chased by dogs. Enma was now a great leader, inspiring confidence and being respected and feared in the underworld as the boss of a one of major Famiglias that formed the main Vongola Alliance, as it should have been from the beginning, if only Daemon had not precipitated and betrayed Primo.

"It's alright Enma. Moreover, we do not want to irritate Adelheid, we both know how scary she can be when angry." - with that comment from Tsuna, both started to laugh, however, it was a bit strained by the memory.

Yes, they knew how the strongest guardian of the Shimon Famiglia could be as scary as hell when angry. Even though Enma had known Adelheid for many years, he only saw her really mad three times. And the worst of all, was precisely in the company of Tsuna, five years ago during the his penultimate visit to Japan, where the Tenth Vongola decided to pay a little visit to Enma, since they had made little connect since he moved definitively to the island belonging to Shimon Famiglia.

Adelheid had - and still has - a resentment against Tsuna's Cloud Guardian - something that went unresolved during the times of struggle between the disciplinary committee, aka Hibari Kyoya, and the liquidation committee, aka Suzuki Adelheid. She had found out about Tsuna's visiting, and the slippery guardian curiously accompanied the Don Vongola - something that earned Tsuna, who was still having some difficulties in controlling the temper of the aloof cloud, some headaches. Adelheid had thought it was the best opportunity to clarify the situation. Unfortunately for her, Hibari just turned around and put the blame of not being interested in fighting, on Tsuna, saying something along the lines of 'the annoying omnivore promised me a fight more interesting.' Fact is that, this had immediately made Adelheid turn her wrath on the young Tenth, who was in a cold sweat in front of her. It was then that Enma decided to take action and try to calm things down - the key word is try, because everything that the boy could do just added more fuel to the fire. Frustrated and feeling undervalued by her biggest rival, her patience, the little that remained, had snapped when the two bosses proposed she should 'leave the foolish quarrels behind.' After that, both leaders had to run for their lives.

"Ah, I decided to follow his suggestion. All that remains now is to wait." - Tsuna informed, his smile fading.

"What about the other matter?" - Enma resumed his firm and serious posture.

"Last night I was talking about it with Shoichi, he is still working with Spanner and Giannini at the base in Japan, but he is still keeping an eye on everything that happens here in Italy."

"As expected from the strategist leader of the Tenth Vongola. I wonder how he's doing with his stomach pains." - said the redhead, in an amused tone.

"About that, I cannot do anything. When I sent Yamamoto to Japan, I asked him to keep an eye on the three, especially Shoichi. He tends to forget even to eat when he's concentrating on one task. But now that Yamamoto has returned to Italy, I will have to rely on the good sense of Spanner and the laziness of Giannini." - Tsuna replied with a sigh followed by a look of concern, that Reborn had dubbed "Hyper Protection Version Tenth Vongola."

"What about Hibari-san?"

"Nothing." - Tsuna said, while shaking his head - "And it has been a month since he received the mission and disappeared. I am sure that it has something to do with that thing though."

"What will you do? You cannot ignore the disappearance of the most powerful guardian for much longer. Especially since this is Hibari-san we're talking about."

Tsuna massaged his temples in a vain attempt to prevent the headache from forming in his brain. In a short time, without any pity, the problems had begun to pile up on his body, which, currently seemed to be near collapse.

"I decided to wait for any news until tomorrow, and if there isn't any, then I'll send onii-san and maybe Yamamoto, who offered to go look for him. However, I believe that is no longer necessary. But, it doesn't mean that the problems have decreased, in fact I think they've increased." - with that last sentence, a flash of orange crossed Tsuna's brown-hazel eyes.

"It that what your Hyper Intuition is saying?" - Enma asked, his eyes narrowing slightly at his friend.

"Ah. Enma, I'm sorry, but I really have to go. Once things calm down I will contact you again. Also ... I think the time to pay him another visit has arrived."

"Ah. I understand. See you, Tsuna." - Enma ended, parting with a somewhat grim expression on his handsome features.

Once the image of Enma disappeared from the computer screen, Gokudera invaded Tsuna's office, panting slightly with a look of sheer amazement on his face.

"Jyuudaime! Hibari has returned and he's hurt!"

Outside, the sky began to darken into night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minna-san, let me know what you are thinking about the story. Questions, suggestions, opinions, everything is welcome!
Ah, among my readers Brazilians there even a bet to see who discovers the mysteries of Cielo first, if anyone wants to join them, tell me your theories, I'll be very happy to read them!
And Tora-chan83, thanks for all your work beta-ing Cielo!

Ciao, ciao!