Hello my family! ((If I can call you that!?)) I know it's been a while, but here is the new chapter for you. I know it's late, but I seriously couldn't have gotten it out faster than this. I'm so sorry. So please enjoy!

Sorry about how pathetic this chapter is. I didn't have much time and muse for it. But I promise the next should be better.

Beta'd by the ever patient Pure Red Cane.

Definition of Family

Eleven months old: Developing trust; but not with the parents.

Tsuna had wondered off, which was a feat in and of itself. To manage to get into living rooms where guests meet with Nono and his guardians without being noticed, was an almost impossibility all on its own, which was why Tsuna wasn't exactly sure who these people in front of him, with these huge smiles and soft faces, were. He didn't know them, and he didn't know why they knew his name or why they were tempting him with a stuffed toy that looked a lot like the fox doll his Nono got him.

"Hey, Tsunayoshi. Look what I got you, come here, boy, and let me see you."

Tsuna had been taught by his Papa Xan and Papa Reborn not to go near people he didn't know. So when the man reached out for him, and the woman made a sharp sound, Tsuna was terrified and quickly made sure everyone knew.

Eleven months or not, Tsuna could run, but he didn't know where anyone was and there were strangers everywhere, so instead of running, Tsuna let out an ungodly shout that carried throughout the place, even though it was low in volume and pitched for pain.

"Strang'rs!"

And the first person to respond was Xanxus, which meant that Reborn wasn't far behind and soon enough, the hall was filled with maids and butlers. Tsuna was very quickly scooped into into Xanxus' arms with the man and Reborn's gun trained on these 'strangers'.

Though the temperamental teen was usually pretty angry when the baby clung to him, it only took that shout and a sign of danger to have him turning over and becoming the big bad papa that Tsuna thought he was.

Tsuna looked around, terrified and confused, but he was safe, but now there were strangers all around his family, and he wanted to protect them. So he needed to know who these people thought they were.

"Who?"

Big brown eyes blinked and then teared up. "Tsu-kun, don't you know Mama?"

"Oh Fuck." Xanxus looked between Tsuna and the two before them, one looking like they were going to cry, and the other looking about ready to slaughter someone.

Tsunayoshi's parents were back, and neither of them looked happy with the state of their almost one year old.

Iemitsu was furious the moment he arrived. First, no one had come to greet him or his wife. They had been away for almost six months. He thought that at least his boss would be at the entrance. Instead, he was only greeted with silence.

So as not to be put out, he grinned at his wife and started walking through the mansion. He had been extremely surprised when a small body appeared through the left entrance. If Nana's screeches of happiness were anything to go by, it was their son.

Immediately of course they had grabbed him and snuggled him. It had been a while since they last saw him. Boy had he grown. Iemitsu was so proud, after all it must be his genes making the boy grow so quickly. Though in reality Tsuna was rather small for his age, but had just gotten over the illnesses that plagued him after his birth. Iemitsu had wanted to throw his boy in the air, to spin him around and tell him all about his trip. But then the screaming started. Tsunayoshi would not stop, he screamed and cried, and almost instantaneously the silent mansion was roaring with activity.

What had started out like a fucking nightmare, had become more of a nightmare as the day went on. Not only had Iemitsu been ignored when he arrived home, but Nana was sobbing her eyes out, there were guns pointed right at his head, and his son apparently didn't know who they were. Worse than that though was the fact that his child was snuggled up and tucked away in Xanxus' hands and behind Reborn, as is they were his fathers.

It was a fucking mess.

"Why doesn't Tsunayoshi call me Papa?" Iemitsu growled. He looked around at all the people who had gathered to protect his boy. "Have you not been teaching him who his father is?"

The Ninth had the righteous indignation to glare at Iemitsu, but he also had the mind to stay calm, otherwise he would have signaled (no matter how unintentionally) the others to attack the man and get him out of his house. "You have been away, Iemitsu. No matter how much we teach him, he cannot recognize someone who hasn't met before."

Xanxus heard the fury behind the words. But as usual, the oh so intelligent CEDEF leader didn't.

"Then I'll just have to spend every moment with my little Tsu-bear!" Iemitsu barked, grinning as if he wasn't talking about his son not recognizing him.

With that, an unperturbed by the sudden hysterical screaming, Iemitsu swung Tsuna over his shoulder and walked off. Nana smiled and followed after him, talking soothingly to Tsuna as if he wasn't screeching.

It took all of his self-control not to charge after the ape and kidnap Tsuna. It took all of his strength not to obey those begging, terrified eyes as Tsuna was taken from him.

But both Reborn and Xanxus just kept chanting the same thing over and over in their heads.

"You aren't his real father. It's better this way."

The first day had been horrifying for the people of the mansion. Not only had Tsuna been constantly crying, but Iemitsu and his wife had grown more and more frustrated by the minute.

"It's like he doesn't want to know us." Iemitsu complained to the Ninth, glaring at his son as he sat on the floor, listlessly rolling a block around.

"I said it was going to be hard earlier. You've been away for a while."

"Still." Iemitsu was adamant, and it just made him more serious about not letting anyone interfere in the time with his son, "He should instinctively know who his father is." With that, the CEDEF boss left to take his son somewhere to spend time alone. He didn't hear a frustrated old man's sass.

"He already does, they just aren't you."

"Come on, Tsu-chan, walk to Kaa-sama!" Nana seemed so happy, but when Tsuna just plopped on his bottom and cried, she grew angrier. "Now Tsu-chan, that's not what I asked."

"NO!" Tsuna sobbed, "Wan Papa!" the warbled voice grew less intelligible.

For the first three days, every interaction between Tsuna and his parents went much the same. Like every time before it, once Tsuna's sobs asked for his papa, Reborn was summoned to his side and was quick to have Tsuna close.

As soon as Reborn had Tsuna safely tucked away in his arms, the baby settled, whimpering and clinging on with all his strength until the next time Iemitsu took him. This time he made it very clear, with a tearful Nana in the background that Reborn was not to interfere.

"You will be ordered out of the mansion if you ever interfere again, Reborn. He is my son, not yours."

It took all of Reborn's training to not pound Iemitsu into the ground. Firstly, Reborn wasn't his to order around. He was only at the Vongola HQ because the Ninth had begged him to stay and watch over the child. Secondly, the child was Reborn's.

That thought startled the hitman, but though he hated it, he loved the thought. It was a weakness, yes. It was something that could be exploited should it be found out, but it was also proof of Tsuna's bond with him.

Yet here he was, watching as Tsuna cried for hours. He watched his birth parents tried to play house with him, not understanding their child, and he did nothing.

It was wrong. It made no sense.

But Reborn couldn't risk Iemitsu complaining. He couldn't bear it if he were forced out, away from Tsuna.

Reborn couldn't hold his child for the next week and he would slaughter someone if he wasn't even allowed to see him. It was all so overwhelming to feel this way.

"But you have accepted him as yours, Reborn." Luce explained softly when Reborn had arrived at her house. Of course she had foreseen his arrival, and could tell that there were only a few things to rile the hitman so much. "Once that happens, it is difficult to do anything but worry."

Reborn looked at the woman, curiosity filling as to how she knew this when she wasn't a mother herself.

"I will be one day, Reborn. Your boy, well, he is precious to me also."

"What can I do?" Reborn would never admit under torture just how desperate he had sounded.

"Be there for him."

Not even twenty-four hours after Reborn stopped coming to his calls, Tsuna grew quiet, somber even. The rest of the week played out predictably, Tsuna barely moved if he didn't have to. It became the most stressful thing the mansion had ever had to be a part of. Maids and butlers ran around with crazed eyes, the Ninth tried to convince Iemitsu that perhaps Tsuna should see Shamal or someone of the like (ANYONE familiar). But the father just brushed it off and said Tsuna was tired.

Except he didn't do anything to warrant him being perpetually tired.

He didn't play with Nana, even when the woman brought his favourite toys. Tsuna barely ate anything, and when he looked up his eyes were in a perpetual state of shock and pain.

What was worst, for all his famiglia, was Tsuna's refusal to talk to them.

"Come, Tsunayoshi, you and I are going to train." Iemitsu stood and laughed that abusive laughter of his and patted Tsuna on his shoulder. When his boy stood, he threw him onto his shoulders.

But Tsuna didn't make a sound, or a protest.

He went through his training perfectly, talking and learning to hold things. Building up strength in the only way a baby could. He watched, blankly, as Iemitsu showed him all the things he would do one day. He understood nothing, and Iemitsu understood less. At eleven months old, Tsuna was shutting down, confused, and terrified. His intuition played along, did as told, made Tsuna move, but Tsuna was locked away.

Iemitsu grinned and played with his boy, and Nana swayed and soothed him to sleep.

But Tsuna felt nothing. He felt like he was with strangers. He couldn't understand their smiles. He didn't know what their words meant. He couldn't read them.

It made him cry.

He cried and cried. Nana and Iemitsu took it with fond exasperation. They par him, fed him, changed him and bathed him. He didn't stop crying, even if he did externally. He wanted his family back.

He felt, though he didn't know what it meant, almost kidnapped.

The strangers, "Come on, Tsuna, say Tou-sama!" and "Tsu-chan, say Kaa-sama, you can do it!", were with him all the time. He didn't see his Papa, or his Mama, or anyone else. They played with him. They yelled at him. They made him stay alone in a room when he cried too much.

Tsuna didn't like it. He hated being screamed at. They weren't warm enough. They didn't know he liked his milk warmer than most.

He hated it.

He missed his family.

But he remained silent, because otherwise the man, Tou-sama, would yell loud, otherwise the woman, Kaa-sama, would make him sit alone.

And then, they were gone.

Suddenly, as if Tsuna meant nothing to them after all, the two kissed him gently, rocked him and left. They just sat Tsuna on the stairs, not making sure if he was with someone first, kissed his head, and left through the front doors.

"We're leaving! Come get Tsunayoshi! Bye, Tsuna-bear, we'll be back soon."

And the strangers were gone. Tsuna felt like screaming. He was left alone again. There was no one now. Instead, he just remained on the floor. He just kept staring at the door, wondering if those people would come back. They had taken everything else from the child. They were parents, a tou-sama and a kaa-sama. Tsuna didn't know what it meant, but he did know that when they came, everyone else left.

Then a shadow fell over him, but he didn't scream. Maybe more strangers were coming.

Except it wasn't. It was his Papa. He was frowning at Tsuna's blank stare, and Tsuna could see the worry inside those eyes.

"Tsunayoshi, come along. They will be gone for a while."

Tsuna blinked, as if he couldn't believe it. Reborn crouched down and Xanxus shifted uncomfortably under the gaze.

"Tsunayoshi?"

Then Reborn had an arm full of sobbing, full of writhing child whose skin was heating up as his flames reacted to his torment. Reborn held him tightly, surprised at the sudden assault.

"Dun wan Tsu!"

It was warbled and made no sense. Tsuna repeated it more four times before Reborn understood, and from the smoking, burning scent behind him, Xanxus understood too.

"Never, never." Reborn chanted in Tsuna's ear. "We'll always want you. Always."

Soon after, Tsuna fell asleep, completely and utterly exhausted. His fists were still synched into Reborn's shirt, and though he could have moved them, he didn't. Tsuna would remain with Reborn all night, just to prove that he wanted him. That he would always want him.

Xanxus, standing off to the side, started boiling with raging flames. Tsuna shifted and whimpered in response, gripping tighter, though not out of fear.

"You're never making him do that again, and unlike this time, if you try to tell me to fucking leave him alone, I'll shoot and bury you myself. I'm never watching that happen again, Old man." With that, Xanxus had Tsuna in his arms and was stalking out of the room, growling all the way. It was obvious that the man was bringing Tsuna somewhere safe and surrounded to make him whole again.

Reborn hated being ordered around, but this time, he agreed with Xanxus. In fact, if the thought of making Tsuna spend more time with his parents ever cropped up in his head again, Reborn would shoot himself.

For now though, he knew that Tsuna was safe with the Varia –and what a fucking paradox– so he could distract Iemitsu and Nana.

He needed them to think that Tsuna was perfectly fine and loved them, so that they would leave happily.

Reborn couldn't risk Tsuna being taken away so he could 'get to know his parents better'. Tsuna already knew his parents. It just so happened that Nana and Iemitsu weren't them.

HINT::

"What you doing?" Tsuna asked, looking over the scattered materials in his Papa Verde's lab. Usually he wasn't allowed to play with anything, but there was someone already playing with them.

There were wires everywhere along with some tiny versions of Papa's tools.

Tsuna was very confused.

"Why?" he asked again.

Blond hair popped out and Tsuna smiled at the familiar friend.

"We're building a tower, Tsunayoshi." the voice replied. "It's going to light up, and help us get the candy from the shelf."

Tsuna gasped, "But not allowed!"

Another head popped out of the mess of boxes and blocks, "I know." the voice whined, "But he doesn't listen."

Tsuna giggled. These two always disagreed, but went along with their amazing plans anyway. "Can Tsu help?"

Both boys grinned widely, "Of course, you can help up build it!"

Tsuna danced and laughed, jumping up and down. He loved helping his friends build their strange things.

And this is a SUPER short chapter, I'm so sorry about that. I couldn't for the life of me make it longer, I've been working on it for weeks. Hopefully the next chapter is a little better. But even though this is a pivotal chapter I just wasn't into it.

So your hint: Three years old: Let's build a tower with…..

Please review, I love you all!

~~Bleach-ed-Na-tsu :3