xXx

"Giotto-nii is coming home?" Tsuna echoed numbly, caught between the transition of worry about Reborn's latest batch of bad news and now this. He must have misheard. His mom didn't just say what he thought she said because that would mean - or rather it could mean - something he'd rather not think about. Besides, Reborn hadn't exactly said who the people looking for Tsuna were yet. And just because he had a sadistic hitman for a home tutor, several assassination attempts on his life per a week, and even more near-death experiences unrelated to said attempts (but completely related to said hitman), didn't mean the whole world was out to get Tsuna.

It just meant the worst possible people to be out to get him were out to get him like the mafia and the vigilantes who didn't necessarily include the man Tsuna really hoped they didn't include.

"Mhmm," hummed his mom, cheerfully oblivious to her son's dilemma. She gave him one last, tight hug before letting him go. "I got off the line with one of his friends just now, and he said Ieyasu-kun will be arriving later tonight! Isn't it wonderful?"

Everything was happening so fast. He barely caught himself answering, 'No, that's horrible!' and instead stuttered out, "Y-yeah, that's great. But later tonight? Isn't this all a bit last minute?"

His mom's smile faltered at that, he eyebrows furrowing in concern as she began to catch on. "What's wrong, Tsu-kun? Are you not feeling well?" she asked, moving forward to check his temperature.

But Tsuna only shook his head and took a step back before she could. "No, it's just-" He cut himself off. What could he say when he was an unwilling mafia boss-to-be expecting to be the unwilling victim-to-be of fratricide?

"Well, this isn't like you at all!" declared his mom, hands on hips. "Where's the little boy who'd spend all day waiting in the front yard waiting for his brother to come home until he passed out? Or the boy who wouldn't even step one foot out on the sidewalk if his brother wasn't there to scare away neighbors dog." For the record, Kibbles was a craggy old chihuahua with the wickedest set of teeth Tsuna had ever seen on any dog and whose rage against the world (namely Tsuna) was only matched by his age. "I remember you two got along so well."

"Mom..."

"You used to run crying to your 'Gio-nii-chan' all the time! Whenever you had to go for shots-"

"Mom," Tsuna said again, face reddening now as he realized where she was going with this.

But his mom acted as if she hadn't heard him and continued ticking off points. "Whenever you got scared by a moth, when you got a bean stuck in your nose and we had to take you to the hospital. Then there was that time in elementary when your teacher asked you what's the difference between a ham and a sausage, and all the other children made fun of you because you didn't know the-"

"Mom! I get it already! Can you please stop with the stories?"

"Why stop? Maman was just getting to the interesting part," said Reborn, joining the conversation as he hopped onto and balanced himself atop a bedpost.

Because Tsuna didn't want to give Reborn anymore blackmail material than he already had was the answer, but he knew better than to say that aloud. Knowing Reborn, the hitman might take it as a slight against his information gather skills, or worse, a challenge. Though Tsuna suspected Reborn already had enough blackmail on him to have Tsuna waiting on the tutor hand-and-foot for several lifetimes.

"Spoiling my fun, Tsu-kun!" His mom pouted with crossed arms. Which one them was the adult here?

But she was right about him and Giotto. Unlike with his father who always fumbled tossing him in the air and catching him when Tsuna was a little kid and made up romantic stories of riding off into the stars whenever he left, Tsuna always looked forward to his brother's visits. This time was no exception. But..

"It's just," he trailed off. Giotto coming now combined with what Reborn had informed him of earlier. Tsuna shook his head. No. Surely his luck wasn't that bad, was it? Yeah and someday Gokudera would be able to look Bianchi straight in the face for five seconds without gagging. "It's just a surprise, that's all," he said at last, settling for a half truth.

It really had been a long time since his brother's last visit. A little over two years to be exact. Coincidentally coinciding with the week just before Reborn had barged into Tsuna's life and which was now starting to look a lot less 'coincidental' and a lot more like 'deliberately planned' as yet another part of Reborn's grand plan that had Tsuna on a one way track for a career in criminal overlording. Though Tsuna couldn't think of a reason for Reborn avoiding Giotto. Tsuna's brother was great and all, but even he didn't stand a chance against the mafia, let alone the world's strongest hitman.

Tsuna pointedly ignored the mounting pressure in his that pulsed as if to say now he really was just being stupid.

"It has been awhile," said his mom, nodding along. "Let's see what else." His mom hummed in thought. "Oh right! Your brother also called this morning to check up on you, but you were still sleeping. I'm so proud of you by the way, Tsu-kun! Staying out late to study with Reborn and your friends." More like running for his life as Reborn quizzed him over his Italian. Unfortunately, neither 'Erm, it's-' or 'HIIEEEEE!' counted as Italian for anything, and Reborn had had Tsuna running for the hills for the rest of the day. But however his mom wanted to see it. "But to the point where you can't even wake up on time to go to school the next day, that's going a bit too far."

"Don't worry about it, Maman," said Reborn. "He didn't miss much anyways. Classes were canceled today."

Since when? "They were?" Tsuna asked. He hadn't heard anything about it in the school bulletin at least. Then again, in between Gokudera's verbally exploding at substitute teacher who'd been insulting Tsuna and then literally exploding said substitute teacher, there wasn't much else he had heard. Though it explained why Reborn hadn't been too concerned about sending Tsuna off to school today. Sending him off to the afterlife on the other hand was a completely different story.

"For school-wide inspection and staff questioning," explained Reborn. "Recently the local authorities caught wind of a delinquent group that's made Namimori its main base of operation, and they're worried that some of the students may have gotten involved with them."

Tsuna's mom gasped. "That's terrible!"

"That it is," agreed Reborn. Though by his tone he could have been commenting on the weather. "Especially if the reports are true and these no-good delinquents have taken to smuggling incendiary weapons into the school. Who knows what sort of trouble the could bring packing that sort of heat." Reborn let that sink in a little before he added, "But, of course, that's got nothing to do with Tsuna."

Tsuna's first thought was: Great. Another group of scary people have arrived.

But then he thought about it a bit more. Incendiary weapons and a delinquent group that made Namimori its home? Incendiary involved fire and delinquents tended to be young people. Tsuna and his friends fought with Dying-Will Flames and also happened to be young. So that meant these 'scary people' were actually - It struck Tsuna like a blow, and he nearly bent double over his revelation. Then it has everything to do with me!

His mom gave a huff at that. "I should hope not, Sawada Tsunayoshi, or I'd have to call your father back home to give you a stern talking to. He'll tell you what life is like in the prisons he's visited for work."

'Prison's he's visited for work'? Had his father finally spilled the beans about the mafia? Tsuna couldn't help but tentatively ask, "Err, dad's work? What sort of work?" Bailing someone out? Interrogating a prisoner?

Tsuna should have seen the left hook from Reborn coming.

The hitman shook his head in disappointment. "No wonder you only scored a thirty-five on your English quiz. You can't even remember how your father's been making a living for the past decade. Since he's a construction worker, he's obviously working on expanding them. With the world becoming more and more lawless with each passing day, we need more room to house reprobates like the ones invading your school."

It wasn't Tsuna's fault that he couldn't keep track of his father's half-assed cover stories! In fact, just the other month Tsuna caught Iemitsu telling Nana he'd quit his old job to become an astronaut, and that she wouldn't be able to reach him for awhile since he'd be in outer space.

"Well anyways, no need to call dad!" said Tsuna returning to the original topic. Besides, his father was half the reason Tsuna was even in this mess in the first place, having been the one to nominate Tsuna as Decimo. And rather than give Tsuna a lecture, his father would probably say something more along the lines of, 'Great job, Tsuna! You're starting to make a real name for yourself' or 'You're growing up to be a fine mafia don!'. Going to jail on the other hand was looking to be a very real and very imminent possibility. Tsuna went on. "Why would I want join a gang anyways?" Reborn holding him at gunpoint was one very good reason, but his mom didn't know that.

"Well just so you know, mister. We'd all be very disappointed in you, especially your brother."

"Yeah, yeah I get it already."

"Speaking of Giotto, Maman, what does he nowadays? Last I heard, he quit the police force," asked Reborn, bringing up the topic Tsuna had been trying to avoid until now.

Tsuna's mom propped a hand under her chin as she thought about it. "You know, now that you mention it, I'm not really sure what Yasu-kun's up to lately," she said. "I know for sure he was a detective for awhile before he quit. But after that I'm not too sure. Ieyasu never really talked about it too much whenever he called. I know it's still something to do with law enforcement though." She frowned at her own lack of knowledge.

So Giotto had a job he wouldn't mention but dealt with law enforcement. If that didn't sound suspiciously like a career in vigilantism, Tsuna didn't know what did. Did that mean his brother was one of the men after him - or rather, after the Decimo? He'd have to ask Reborn about it. For now though, Tsuna had to focus on the more pertinent issue: getting his mom out of the room before she brought out the photo album like she always did when talking about the 'son she didn't necessarily like more than Tsuna, but oh there was just so much about him to talk about'.

"So when's dinner?" asked Tsuna, hoping to divert her from the topic of Giotto and his shared childhood (mostly Giotto's).

"I completely forgot! The oven!" It was a relief to know the burning smell was the family's failed dinner rather than another one of Bianchi's love stews for Reborn. Tsuna's mother hurriedly explained the situation. "Well your brother should be arrive soon so we'll be eating together. In the meanwhile, clean up this room and the guest room because some of your brother's friends will be staying with us too."

"We got it covered. We promise," assured Reborn.

"I want these rooms spotless by the time everyone arrives!"

"Of course, Maman." With that, Tsuna's mom left the room and just as soon as she did, Reborn spun on a heal and pulled out a shotgun. "Well, what are you waiting for, dame-Tsuna? Get to it?"

"What was that 'we' business'?!" Don't you mean just 'me'? Besides, most of the reason the room was a mess was because of Reborn's antics.

"A mafia boss should always keep his promises."

There were several things that came to Tsuna's mind to say to that. For one, Tsuna hadn't been the one to make the promise in the first place. Two, why should a criminal overlord keep his words when his 'subordinates' refused to pay their restaurant bills? But arguing with Reborn was like arguing with a brick wall and one hundred percent more likely to get him shot, so he didn't. Although, Tsuna had to ask anyways, "Can't we talk about this?" Because Tsuna really didn't want to take the chance of his brother and his brother's friends running into him in his Dying-Will mode in nothing but his underwear.

Reborn returned Tsuna's question with one of his own. "Depends. Do you think you can clean up all this mess without a dying will?"

Tsuna took one long look around his room. A thick layer of dust collecting over the wardrobe drawers. Even more behind the bookshelf. Lambo's old grenade pins sticking out from under a carpet mat which was either a poor attempt at cleaning up or an even poorer attempt at hiding the evidence. And then there was that strange purple substance that had somehow overtaken half the east wall without Tsuna noticing earlier and was now well on its way to conquer the south.

Well.

xXx

When Tsuna came to for the second time that evening he noticed three things: 1) his walls weren't supposed to be fuchsia colored after all but a very light beige (he'd forgotten what they'd looked like before Bianchi came along), 2) while he was indeed half-naked with just his boxers as he predicted, there was a barely scorched set of clothes waiting for him on his bed, and 3) there was a scary looking man with white hair and a pair of cuffs in one hand towering over him. His brain stalled for a second. Then he ran the last thought through his head again. There's a man that looks kind of like Hibari in my room who looks like he wants to kill me!

"HIIIEEEEEEEEE!"

"So you're the Decimo." The white haired man looked him up and down with a critical eye. He frowned. "You're weaker looking than I expected you to be."

"Er-!" Tsuna mentally scrambled something, anything, to say to get him out of this mess, as his senses kept screaming 'danger'. He backed up a few steps hoping to get some distance to think and get away from the man, but other matched him step for step until eventually Tsuna backed himself into the wall and blurted the first thing that came to mind, "Th-That's because you've got the wrong guy!"

"Is that so?" asked the man, lazily twirling the cuffs with one finger.

"Y-yeah, that's right!" said Tsuna hoping he didn't look too guilty letting his gaze slip back to the rotating cuffs. "Who is this Vongola Decimo person anyways? I don't know any Decimo!" He also 'didn't know' any baby hitman, a poison-using hitman with a crush on said baby hitman, or a baseball player who had a natural disposition for being a hitman.

"Are you saying my sources are wrong?"

Why did it feel like the room temperature suddenly dropped? "Yes?" said Tsuna after a long moment, feeling as if we were digging his own grave.

The man just gave him a look, and as Tsuna began planning out what to write on his will (assuming he had enough bones in hands left after whatever happened next), the tension in the room left as soon as it came. The man seemed to draw back into himself and stowed the cuff away in his coat. "I suppose it is possible," conceded the man, "in which case I'll have to discipline my subordinates." In other words, against all odds, Tsuna would live to see another day. That was a relief. Or so he thought. "But unfortunately for you, my sources are never wrong. I don't recall ever mentioning a Vongola Decimo."

"Eh?" Tsuna's brain hadn't quite caught up with the situation. Since when did 'live to see another day' involve 'folding up sleeves threateningly'?

"I'll have to take you in for questioning, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Whether you are the Decimo or not, you are most definitely involved with him, and it's about time him and his lot have been brought to justice." The man closed the rest of the distance between them and raised a fist which spoke his intentions clearer than anything else.

Tsuna cringed away. "Wait! Don't hurt me! I'll turn myself in! I swear!"

But the man was heedless of his pleas. "If anyone asks, say you resisted arrest. Not that anyone will ask." And then fist came down.

Resist arrest? So not only did Tsuna have to worry about mafia and vigilantes but dirty cops?! What kind of situation is this?! He closed his eyes and put his arms over his head, bracing for the blow. He stayed in that position for five seconds. Ten. It still didn't come. Maybe the man was just waiting until he opened his eyes again? At that thought, Tsuna clenched his eye shut even tighter. A whole minute went by before Reborn finally spoke up.

"You can open your eyes, Tsuna. This was just a simulation."

And Tsuna did, hesitantly, only be greeted with a fist inches away from his face and screamed.

And screamed.

And kept screaming until he realized the fist inches away from his face wasn't getting any inches closer and stopped. "Wha-?" He looked at the clenched hand in front of him. It flickered. Against his better judgment, Tsuna poked a finger at it just to be sure. And surely, it went through the fist without resistance. A fake as Reborn said then. Although the heat the hologram gave off seemed real enough - just a few degrees shy of an actual human's body temperature. Tsuna took a guess. "Another one of Giannini's inventions?" At least Giannini was the one who provided the Vongola hologram technology in the future.

The hologram finally fizzled out of existence as Reborn stepped through the place the man once stood. "Shouichi had a hand in it too. It might not look like much, but it's much easier to mass produce than the robot decoys we used on the Vindici while achieving almost the same effect.

"And what was the point of using that guy?" asked Tsuna referring to the white-haired man from the hologram. Why use that guy when Reborn could have uploaded an image of Hibari instead if he wanted to get his kicks terrifying Tsuna while showing off yet another one of the Vongola's inane inventions.

"In case you got any funny ideas like turning yourself in to the cops. A preview of what you have to look forward to if you do."

"That's ridiculous, Re-" The chill from earlier returned but this time Tsuna knew exactly where it was coming from. "I-I mean, that's just ridiculous. Why would I go out of my way to turn myself in? I don't want to go to jail!"

"I'm sure by now you can think of one good reason."

Tsuna could. But what were the chances? Okay, so maybe Giotto was doing some sort of 'law enforcement'. That didn't necessarily mean he was one of the vigilantes after Tsuna. Besides, Reborn was probably messing with him anyways. It certainly wouldn't be the first time and definitely wouldn't be the last time. His mom was right. Giotto coming home should be good news. There was no way his brother was-

"I suppose I have to spell it out for you. Your brother is one of the vigilantes after your life," said Reborn bluntly.

-totally going to kill him. Hold on. His brother was going to kill him? "Now you're just exaggerating," scoffed Tsuna as he turned to his bed to slip on his clothes. "I can see the vigilantes going after me but Giotto-nii would never go out of his way to kill someone even if they were a mafia boss." He tugged up his pants before going on. "Plus why would Giotto become a vigilante? Maybe he decided to quit and be a consultant or something?"

"Not if he found out the Italian police for was already bought out by the Vongola."

That made Tsuna pause putting his arms through his sleeves. "The Vongola own the police?"

"Your famiglia is in possession of many businesses, law enforcement being the least of them."

Now there was a scary thought. Tsuna was beginning to see why the vigilantes were so concerned about him. "But killing?" asked Tsuna finally pulling pulling the shirt all the way on. Surely his brother wasn't willing to go that far. Giotto didn't even know who the Vongola Decimo was!

Reborn lowered his head, fedora tipping over to mask his face in shadows. "I'll admit, it's speculation on my part but considering mafia bosses buy their way out of jail all the time and the fact the Vongola defeated the Vendici, the only stable form of law enforcement the mafia had, the sensible thing to do would be to kill you. You wouldn't be their first victim either."

That was...that was something Tsuna would think about later. Much later. "And the thing about us being watched?"

"No doubt observers sent ahead by your brother for your protection since he's unaware of your position. As the leader of a highly distinguished vigilante group, he's made a lot of dangerous enemies."

At this point, Tsuna didn't even feel like questioning the 'leader' part and threw himself on the bed instead. He had enough revelations for one night. Though Giotto saying he couldn't visit very often because the "big bad men" might chase him home all those years ago suddenly made a horrifying amount of sense.