Letter 03

Dear Papa, Dear Grandpa:

Tsuna looked out of the small window by her side and admired the beautiful city from the skies.

Sicily, Italy. We are finally here...

The aircraft approached at a fast rate the infamous city. She had thought they would arrive at the metropolis, however, she was rather surprised when the jet passed the city at a fast speed. Curious, Tsuna continued to look down, wondering where they were going to land. The luxurious aircraft was heading towards the outskirts of the city; where trees and meadows grew. She caught the glimpse of an isolated highway and she instantly knew it was for the exclusive landing of, well, the Vongola Family. Tsuna huffed upon remembering the ridiculous fact of her owning a private plane. She was barely out of high school and had under her possession a big, luxurious aircraft. Glaring—she tried to, at least. Her glares always resembled the cute pouts of a little child; or so, Dino had told her— she patiently waited for the plane to land; so she can get off of the contraption and stretch her legs. Reborn didn't actually allow her to stand up very often, telling her it would be best if she stood up between certain periods of time (every three hours or so,) so her infamous clumsiness wouldn't come out. She sneered upon remembering the mocking the small sized Hitman had clearly made towards her. Taking a deep breath, Tsuna opted to calm herself down; it wouldn't do good for her and her tot. The brunette decided to distract herself by looking out of the window to successfully take out of her mind the ridicule her Tutor usually made when something involved her.

The brunette blinked when she noticed the aircraft was now flying under the clouds. She gazed up at said objects with a remorseful gaze. From her view, the lone clouds seemed to be accompanying the large sky. But she was probably looking into it too much; perhaps the clouds were only drifting towards their own destination and it was a mere coincidence they were in the same location of the sky. After all, they couldn't get too away from the skies; they were always bound to the vast heavens. Or maybe they were truly accompanying the skies so it wouldn't be alone on its' journey. The future Boss gave a bittersweet smile at her own preposterous thoughts.

So the sky wouldn't be alone…

Shaking her head to the sides to forget such thinking, Tsuna focused in standing up the moment the aircraft landed safely on the private highway. Unfortunately, the rather sudden effort on standing only caused her to feel lightheaded. She lost her balance and she swayed back and forth. Her hands attempted to get a hold of the seat to regain her stability, but regrettably, she wasn't quick enough.

"Wow there!"

Just as she was about to held out her hands to soften the fall, a swift, large and strong hand caught her gently by the waist. Looking up, Tsuna found herself staring into a pair of familiar dark brown eyes. Well… Who would've known? Reborn was right. Her sweat dropped almost comically at her next thoughts: He is always right… Smiling up in gratitude at Shamal, she placed her hands on the arm holding her up and used it as leverage to help her stand up properly. Gradually, she accomplished the feat. She felt the unexpected wave of dizziness pass after a couple of seconds of standing on her somewhat weak ankles. The same hand that prevented her fall, had actually helped her stand, but she won't admit that out loud.

"Thank you, Shamal…" Tsuna expressed her gratitude to the Doctor rather jadedly. On the other hand, the smile on her face remained completely unaffected. She received a nod and a small smile in response.

"No problem."

However, the perverted Doctor didn't remove the hand from her waist. She was about to reprimand Shamal about the grasp he still held on her but he turned around and graciously directed them towards the gateway of the private jet. Shrugging, she decided to let him have his way… For the time being, of course; she didn't want him to get too touchy feeling with her.

As they approached the gate, she noticed the small form of her Tutor standing by the gateway. He was observing her and Shamal, taking in every detail; from their stance to the actions towards one and other. Tsuna felt a cold shiver run down and up her spine when the stare roamed over her being. Her body began to get rigid with each step she took towards her Tutor. The reason was simple: his gaze had suddenly turned dangerous. But thankfully, the hand resting softly on her waist tightened its' hold slightly. She took the action as a reassurance; the act was almost telling her nothing bad was going to happen to her and her tot as long as the owner of said hand (Shamal) was there with her. At the support of her Doctor, Tsunas' body slowly began to relax and returned to its' previous loosened up posture. She smiled up at the Doctor yet once again and saw him returning her a grin of his own.

Unbeknownst to the petite Boss, the number one Hitman only stared at the exchange of the two with large beady eyes, calculating their every move.

Walking down the movable set of stairs resting against the gate of the aircraft, Tsuna looked up at the blue skies and stared at the lonesome clouds moving along with the wind. Those billows again, made her think about her lonesome Cloud Guardian. She didn't understand why she had been thinking of Hibari so much; she then came to the conclusion of him being the last of her friends she saw. A bitter smile formed on her lips. Not only that, but the not so amiable encounter with him left her a little bit shaken; well he was bleeding, of course she would fear the health of her Guardian.

The sun brought her out of her thoughts when the vividness of it suddenly intensified. She shielded her eyes from the sunlight with her hand and lowered her head to protect her now watery amber eyes. Her bitter smile turned to a radiant one at a ridiculous notion that came to her at the intensified brightness of the sun. Perhaps it knew she was sad, so it tried to take her out of her depressing thoughts? Chuckling, Tsuna thanked the sun. Maybe it was the pregnancy which was making her think foolish things now.

Suddenly, a dark shadow overshadowed her form as a black, thin material curved downwards intervened in her line of vision of the skies. Tsuna glanced back, only to see Shamal standing behind her with a black umbrella in his hand. He had the intention of saving her from the intensity of the sunbeams just as he had previously saved her from her clumsy fall back at the jet.

Almost like a Super Hero… A perverted Super Hero, that is.

Tsuna giggled at her silly thought and thanked the perverted Doctor right after her small laugh ended. However, what she received in exchange was a wink and a flattering remark from him. His action only made her giggle again, but this time, it was slightly strained.

"Hurry up and move No Good Tsuna, you're holding the traffic back here." The high-pitched voice of her Tutor chided her from behind Shamal. A small yelp escaped her plum lips and began to go down the stairs in a hurry; trying to save herself from the extensive rebukes she usually got by the actions she made and the small smacks of her Tutor.

Shamal chuckled at the high-speed getaway the petite brunette made to escape the clutches of Reborn. It was funny, since the Hitman hadn't even placed a finger on her and she was already running away from him. The fear she had of him was something outstanding, but he couldn't blame her. After all, having the number one Hitman for a Tutor… Just the thought of it made him shudder. The Physician snapped out of his thoughts when he remembered the brunette wasn't supposed to run in her condition. His eyes widened as he lowered the stairs in a hurry just as she had previously done.

"T-Tsu-chan! You're not supposed to run!" He informed her as he continued to follow her down the stairs.

"Don't call me that!" Was the answer he received; nevertheless, Tsuna did as she was told and walked off the last stair in a much more composed way, completely different from before.

"Also, try not to be too much in the sun. It's bad for you." Shamal educated the inexperienced Boss as he stepped out of the movable stairs and approached her with the umbrella held up to cover her form. "Since in Italy the sun is a little bit more intense than it is in Japan, you should try to use as many sunscreen as possible when you decide to go out." His hand went into the inner pocket of his coat and took out a small bottle of said gooey substance. The former opened the container and squeezed a fair amount in his hand to apply it on the shoulders of the petite Boss. A part of her wondered if the physician usually worries over such small things like a certain someone she knew. Not to mention the weird fact of him taking out a small bottle of sunscreen from his pocket as something totally normal disturbed her a bit. Tsuna began to wonder if he tended to carry sunscreen with him or something of the like; since normal people didn't usually do that, since it was a bit strange. Blinking, she made a mental note of asking him later.

"All right," Tsuna graciously removed the hand of the physician from her shoulder and smiled at him. "I can do it Shamal, thank you for worrying." She started to rub the substance all over her shoulders and waited for Reborn to approach them to head towards the Base of Vongola. From the corner of her eye, Tsuna noticed Shamal putting away the small bottle of sunscreen in the place where he took it out from.

Just as she finished applying the viscous sunscreen, Reborn approached them with two large men in suits behind him. Her eyes widened at the rough looking men and almost took a step back. Unfortunately for her, Reborn had noticed the expression on his students' face and decided to tease her about it; but first, he gave a very brief introduction of the two.

"These two were sent by the Ninth to escort us to the Base. He informed me they were very capable of taking care of his little granddaughter." He smirked as he saw the blush appear on the fair cheeks of the soon-to-be Boss, "So try not to freak out more than you already are, No Good Tsuna. They don't bite." But the blush on said female, only intensified tenfold at his spoken words. It got even worse when the three men chuckled at her expression, or at the speech the infant gave, probably both; she wasn't sure.

"Enough chatter, let's get moving." Reborn ordered. He headed towards the black limousine that was half hidden by the end of the fuselage and the horizontal stabilizer of the jet. Weird, she thought, since she couldn't recall it being there after they got down of the aircraft; she shrugged and followed her Tutor and the two large men. Shamal walked besides her and continued to give her shade with the black parasol to protect her skin from the solar radiation.

He is so overzealous…

Her thoughts paused at that. She covered her lips with her hand and tried not to laugh at a thought that crossed her mind.

And here I thought Gokudera was in Japan.

A small giggle escaped her lips at her own bad pun. She detected the eyes of Shamal on her, but she ignored the questioning look he sent her way. After calming down from laughing at her own horrible pun, she finally noticed the silence among the five of them. It was—

A pregnant silence.

She choked on her own saliva when she attempted to not laugh out loud.

"Tsu-chan, are you alright?" She waved the concern Shamal had over her and coughed a couple of times to ease the pain. Once the aching and burning in her throat ceased, she decided to stop her dangerous thoughts and opted to pay attention at— But seriously, why is it so quiet? Tsuna looked up from where she stared at the floor. No one even attempted to break the silence; they just walked towards the limousine. The young Boss was starting to feel the tension in the air and was about to make idle chatter with Shamal and the two large men; but they were already so close to the vehicle, so she saw no point in starting a conversation. I could always try on the way to the Base… She hopefully thought. While shortening the distance, Tsuna noticed more men in black suits going from the small luggage cabin at the end of the aircraft to retrieve their belongings, to the trunk of the limousine to place them in. Tsuna continued to follow Reborn to the vehicle like a good little slave— I mean, student.

Tsuna continued to stare at the group of Mafiosi doing the task. She began to wonder how many bags there were; since she only brought three, four at most, but considering that Reborn had a large section of weapons… She blinked. Now she knew why they took multiple trips. However, when she was about to look elsewhere, a pair of Mafiosi caught her attention. They were squatting, distracted themselves with something. Clearly, it wasn't their luggage, but she couldn't help but to innocently wonder what the object was. Apparently said object was on the floor, but she couldn't see it very well from where she stood.

Curiosity got the best of her. She slowed her pace just slightly and her auburn eyes were solely focused on them. Her patience was awarded when one of them leaped from his place, holding his hand and felling out of the cabin as he yelped. Tsuna had noticed something red dripping down the appendage of the fallen Mafiosi; as if wounded or even attacked by something. She slowed even more so when the other jumped out from the luggage cabin and crouched next to his fallen companion. Not long passed when the rest of the Mafiosi group approached them and asked questions, some were at least. The remaining Mafiosi who didn't were rebuking them from not doing their duties; telling them they'll end up being seen as worthless people to the future Decima. Tsuna's sweat almost dropped at that sentence; it reminded her of a certain self-proclaimed Right-Handed Man.

Somewhere, in the bushes of Namimori High, a male with silver hair sneezed for the second time in the last five minutes. He wondered if he was going to catch a cold soon or if someone was talking about him behind his back. He snorted at the thought. No one would even dare to talk behind his back; he'll blow them up before they—

Unfortunately, his sneezes had caught the attention of the person he was so fervently trying to hide from.

"Hayato, you can't hide from me." The voice of his older female sibling said from behind him.

"Shit!"

The two Mafiosi getting attacked by questions and getting scolded by the rest of the group looked somewhat panicked; answering the inquiries from the others and explaining their actions to who she thought were in charge of the group. Tsuna somehow heard the words of the wounded one from the hand when he answered a question directed to him.

"—llow canary!"

She stopped.

"Tsu-chan…?" Shamal called her, but she ignored him. Seeing as she had her attention elsewhere, he followed the direction her eyes were directed at; just to see the group of Mafiosi gathered around two other men in the floor. He narrowed his eyes and almost sneered at the sight of the rowdy males. "What are they doing over there?" But Tsuna wasn't paying attention to him, clearly focused in watching the group. Not too long after, the Hitman trapped inside the body of an infant noticed his other two companions had stopped walking. With the idea of reprimanding the two individuals, he turned around; but he saw them watching the commotion happening near the luggage compartment.

"A yellow canary…?"

The small Tutor also started to observe the disorder the Mafioso men were making in pure curiosity. He had caught them saying canary in Japanese, a yellow one at that. The Hitman truly began to wonder if it was the same bird he was thinking of.

"What do you mean a yellow canary?"

"He's probably getting delirious from not eating anything before we came here…"

"We told him to eat… but he just didn't want to."

"I'm not delirious!"

"Then you're hungry."

"Ye— WRONG!" The large group snickered at the one who was wounded.

"Okay, I am hungry but I'm not delirious! There was a yellow canary; it said 'Herbivore' over and over again!"

"It was almost as it was calling us Herbivores…" The one crouched next to the wounded Mafiosi thought out loud; which brought laughter from the others.

"Right? And it suddenly poked me! I was just trying to get it out from where it was trapped! And it poked me!"

"Yeah yeah, we got it the first time. It poked you." A few chuckled at that.

"It probably got scared from your face and saw you as a Carnivore who was out to eat it."

The crowd laughed.

"So? What happened to the canary?" An older Mafiosi asked as he crossed his arms over his chest; he didn't look a bit amused from this whole ordeal. "If there even is one…" He murmured.

"It flew away!"

Out of nowhere, an object fell on top of the head of Tsuna; making her squeak in surprise at the light weighted mass resting on her head. The unknown item then revealed itself as a bird when it chirped and made itself comfortable on her hair; ruining the pretty hairdo, the stylist had made for her, in the process. But Tsuna didn't care about that. In fact, she could care less if it ruined her hair or not. However, what she did get bothered at was the familiar high-pitched chirp. It sounded like a certain yellow canary she usually heard when she was at school or when she was near Hibari. The same yellow canary, that became possession of the infamous Hibari Kyouya ever since the whole ordeal of the Kokuyo incident. But it couldn't be the same canary. She was half around the world. It couldn't have followed—

"Herbivore! Herbivore!"

Well, that answered her inquiry.

"H-Hibird?"

Tsuna petted the small canary resting in her hands. She cooed at the adorableness it displayed when it chirped her name. Her coos and the chirping of Hibird were the only things that were heard in the large limousine. The male accompanying her were still silent, and it seemed they wanted to keep it that way. Their short answers and gruff words told her that. So, for her own good, she decided to stop trying to make conversation with them. Besides, Hibird kept her quite entertained and amused. She brought closer the hand where Hibird was resting on and stared into its' black beady eyes.

"Who needs those old boring men, right Hibird?" She whispered to the small being. It chirped back, as if saying her they didn't need them. Once again, Tsuna cooed at the cuteness displayed by the yellow canary and cuddled it.

"Oh Hibird, you are so cute." She stated. Her free hand stroked the small head of Hibird, "It's amazing you're the pet of the fearsome Hibari Kyouya," Tsuna started a one-sided conversation with the small canary for the umpteenth time. She had lost count of how much conversations she's had with the bird, but what she did know was the fact of them being a lot. "Maybe Hibari-san has a soft spot for small cute animals?" She wondered out loud. Tsuna giggled when Hibird chirped at her query, almost as if telling her that her words were absolutely true.

The young female continued the soft petting she was doing to Hibird as her thoughts drift away. She wondered how much more it'll be until they reach the Vongola Head Quarters. Her expression fell slightly. Tsuna just wanted to get this over with. It was too tiring. All the shock, anger and disappointment were wearing to hear and see. She wishes she wouldn't come out of the meeting more emotionally harmed. The action of her leaving her hometown, Namimori, and her friends, without a single word, had wounded her very much.

Tsuna can already see it. The faces of disgust they're going to make as soon as they hear the news. The gestures which will show their disappointment and the tensing of their bodies will illustrate the anger they feel deep in them. She saw it in Shamal; the shock. She saw it in her mother; the surprise and disappointment. And last but not least… Reborn. His anger was frightening, it seemed as he wanted to slash out on anything or everything. It scared her when the astonishment turned to a dark fury mixed with frustration. She almost thought he was going to beat her black and blue, to teach her what she did was the greatest mistake she has ever committed in her whole life.

But…

After the Rain, comes in the Sun.

Tsuna could only hope that the Rain would truly stop showering her with sorrow and helplessness for once and for all. All her life had been filled with misery and frailty… And she thinks the rainstorm must move on and downpour on someone else. She was sure that after every Rainstorm, the Sun would always make its' appearance to enlighten everything. The Sun will dry her up from the Rain that drenched her and cover her with its' buoyancy as it lights her way in the misty shadows clouding her path.

But for now, she could only stand in the rain, hoping it will pass soon, so the sun can come and help her.

"So, this is Vongolas' Head Quarters…"

Tsuna stared up at the colossal Victorian Castle towering over her form. As mentioned before, it was huge, and it gave a slight sinister feel from its' enormous size. However, the painting realized on the bulky walls with vast windows, almost deleted the disturbing appearance the castle gave. The coat of the fortress was a light peach color, or it could be a warm champagne color; it was to hard tell. Unlike Millefiores' hide out, Vongola was hidden in the forest, hidden from society and all kinds of human contact. There was a large fountain placed right in front of her; said object rested a couple of feet away from the large double doors which lead inside of the out sized Castle. On the top of the fountain, the crest of the Vongola Family was standing out at in its' golden glory and the streams of the fountain at the back gave the whole structure a breathtaking beauty. Beyond the fountain were bushes on the sides of three broad stairs which, of course, lead to the wooden-like pair of doors.

The high pitched tweeting of Hibird brought her out of the contemplation she was doing to the property of the powerful Family she will lead in the near future. Snapping her attention to where she heard the yellow canary, Tsuna wasn't so surprised to see it hopping on the crest of the Family made with gold on top of the fountain. Tsuna giggled when she saw the reason the little bird was twittering in contentment. It was bathing its' self with the streams that leaked upwards from the wellspring. It was adorable the way Hibirds' tiny body fluffed when it shook its' wings. However, the water seemed too cold for the little bird; since it shivered a bit after bathing itself and dipped his head between its' wings to bring some kind of warmth from its' feathers. Once again, Tsuna found herself charmed by the bird.

"Hibird," Tsuna cooed at the small bird, "If the water is too cold, you should stop bathing yourself with it." She lightly reprimanded it. The brunette held her hands out, as if offering them to the canary. "I wouldn't want Hibari-san to bite me to death for allowing you to get sick from something as a cold bath, so…" She moved them a bit forward. "…Please." Gladly, the pet of said fearsome leader didn't think two times at her petition and flew without hesitation towards her extended hands. Hibird made itself comfortable in her soft hands before said silky appendages covered it, giving soothing warmth to the canary. The warmth was so relaxing, it actually made it drowsy; but he couldn't sleep yet. Its' mission hasn't ended quite yet, that it knew.

Its' Master had made it clear he was to protect this good-looking herbivore since he couldn't do it himself, since that meant Namimori would be left unprotected and its' Master couldn't do that to it. It was clear its' Master held some kind of attraction towards this lovely herbivore. It knew it from the moment its' Master returned from his strangely long trip—Hibird couldn't be fooled by something as silly as a time machine. The pretty herbivores' clan dubbed the trip as the Ten Year Incident. Hibird didn't truly understand what it meant, but it could tell it meant a lot for them. It knew it from the way they all looked at the female herbivore as she was going to disappear from their lives one day. Almost as if she was so fragile she could be beaten by something so inane that could easily cut short the time of her life.

Then, the foreign Shimon humans came along. That was when Hibird knew its' Master held affection towards this cute human. Probably it was something much deeper than that, but Hibird couldn't be entirely sure it. Its' Master never truly talked to it about those kind of things. The problem resolved itself not too long after; it appeared as if a melon haired herbivore was the one responsible for the almost death of the nice looking female herbivore yet again. The Arcoballeno Representative Battle occurred not too long after, where the Female was once again almost killed by those creepy looking cape wearing thugs that dared to not only destroy Namimori, but its' master as well. Many of its' masters Allies were an inch from death. But that too got resolved quite nicely as well.

After that, almost everything turned to normal.

Almost.

Multiple assassins had gone to Namimori to kill the nice female herbivore. She had also gotten into many accidents; be it from enemy Mafiosos or over angered, hormonal females. Luckily, the herbivore didn't have to worry about them. Her rowdy clan spent most of the time with her and protected her from them. Unfortunately there weren't always with her. Hibird remembered that one time when it saw the hormonal female herbivores crowding— as its' Master liked to put it— around her. They were screeching at her, bashing her name and her looks. Calling her a slut— Hibird didn't know what that meant, but it could tell it wasn't something nice— and a female that whored herself with the most handsome and popular male of the school. They laughed at her too, telling her that no matter how much she did whore herself, they won't ever truly like her and other mean things. Luckily, before things got too out of control, its' Master, along with it, will appear to defeat the evildoers and protect the female herbivore in distress; almost like saving a small bunny from a pack of hungry and raving wolves. It was amusing to see them all freeze together in fright. Hibird would then rest on the hair of the nice-looking female as its' Master bite them all to death.

It was all peacefulness; biting to death all wicked humans from the path of this beautiful human and those who dared to disrupt Namimori.

But then, that fated day came—

Hibird blinked its' eyes open and look around the cramped space it was in. Its' body fluffed up in anger— almost like a kitten would. It felt disappointed with itself, since he had unconsciously fallen asleep in the warm hands of the nice-looking human. Its' Master would feel disappointed with yellow canary was brought out if its' slight anger with itself when it felt the appealing human was walking inside, what appeared to be, the fortress. Her hesitant steps resounded inside the marble walls and wooden floors along with the fast paced steps of the human tot and the relaxed ones of the perverted human. It too heard the steps of others humans, but Hibird couldn't guess who they belonged to.

Hibird chirped to get the attention of the nice-looking human to get it out of the compartment which held him prisoner. Its' thoughtfulness was rewarded when the human who was owner of the care of its' Master, opened the small object where he was in. It was a small white purse, it noted. Hibird twittered in gratitude as he flew out of the small purse and made itself comfortable on the shoulder of the human who went by the name Sawada Tsunayuki. It heard the good-looking human cooing at him and slightly rubbing the top of its' head at its' adorable actions— like she had said it before.

"Did you sleep well, Hibird?" She had whispered. Said chick cheeped in response. Tsuna giggled at the answer she had been given and once again petted the head of bird. "I'm glad you rested Hibird," she, once again, said in a low voice, "The trip was tough on you, right? You slept right as soon as you landed on my hands." It only chirped. She gave it a soft smile. "Well, you won't have to worry anymore or tire yourself out. I'll take care of you."

Hibird could only stare at her with its' beady eyes as she turned her attention forward. Hibird knew it couldn't allow the human to do what she had claimed, to take of it. It was his mission to take care of her, not the other way around. It would be irresponsible and it would be breaking yet another rule, and one was enough for Hibird. Not only that, but its' master would find out and scold him. As if he didn't found out already. Hibird would've thought. The soft expression she held when she was looking at it, tensing with uneasiness and worry as soon as her eyes rested forward. It also felt the tensing of her body and the dread coming out of her like a cascade.

And that look on her face, told it its' mission was far from over.

The Ninths' Rain and Storm Guardians were walking ahead of Tsuna and the others, with Lighting Guardian walking behind them. They had been given the request of the Ninth, of leading them towards said persons' office where Iemitsu also awaited for her. Tsuna shivered at the thought of informing them at the same time; it would surely end up terribly. When she questioned if she could have a private audience with the Ninth and the Outside Advisor— it felt strange calling her own father by that title— after the greetings were done, the Lighting Guardian answered her. He told her with a grin that the Ninth would most likely accept her petition, since he couldn't say no to his own Granddaughter figure. Tsuna blushed at his comment in embarrassment. If that was true, then that would be the only chance she'll get to have the Ninth and her father in the same room. She trembled at the dire anticipation.

Shaking her head to the sides, Tsuna began to take deep and steady breaths. The brunette couldn't get herself distracted at the possible outcome of the meeting now; she might get herself lost in this huge Victorian Castle. Tsunas' eyes wandered from right and forth in the vast gorgeous hallway; observing the maroon colored wallpaper with thin golden strips with interest. The dark wooden floors and the red outsized carpet gave the hallway the typical look of an enchanted castle. A couple of paintings were placed here and there; probably from famous painters of past centuries. She didn't know. But what she did know was that they looked absolutely spectacular. And let's not forget the tall and bulky shimmering armors with swords resting on small platforms that were separated every four or five feet from each other.

The Head Quarters of Vongola was absolutely stunning. She loved it. It was almost as if it was brought out of a fairytale or something.

Tsuna was brought out of her thoughts when she heard the small chirp of Hibird. Looking up at the canary, she noticed it hopping off of her shoulder and flying over her head. It began to fly in circles over her, as if telling her something. Confused, Tsuna began to look around her, and that was when she noticed the group had made a turn to the right while she had continued walking for a couple of feet more. Hiee-ing, Tsuna turned on her heels and followed them hurriedly. Clutching the front of her dress in relief, the Heir of the Mob Family closely followed the others; scolding herself for getting distracted so easily. She felt Hibird landing on her shoulder again and got itself comfortable. Tsuna petted Hibirds' fluffy head as a sign of gratitude, and almost giggled to herself when the canary chirped in happiness at the attention.

A pair of eyes had fallen on her form, watching her every move and chuckling slightly at her strange but amusing actions.

Her ears perked up at the sound. Looking around her, Tsuna was surprised when she found herself meeting the eyes of the Ninth's Lighting Guardian. His name is Ganauche III, if she wasn't mistaken. He was a young man, younger than the rest of the Ninth's Guardians; except for the Sun Guardian, they appeared to be the same age. His hair was… different from normal; just like Mukuros' strange hairstyle and Gokuderas' unique hair color. It was blonde from the front, and the rest was black. He had stubble on his chin, almost like the one Shamal had grown over the short years. He wore a black suit with a dark green dress shirt. No tie.

Tsuna turned her head sideways and gave him a questioning look; silently asking him if something was the matter. Clearly, she didn't thought he was staring at her in hilarity or in a teasing way from her almost getting lost; which he wasn't. Ganauche knew the Head Quarters of Vongola was big enough to actually make him get lost as well— when he was distracted, of course. So he wouldn't actually make fun of her if she were to get lost. After all, she wouldn't be lost for hours— as he had been, one time. The Ninth would surely send his Guardians and every single Mafiosi of Vongola in the premises to find his Granddaughter figure also known as the future Tenth Boss. He was sure of that. He observed as her hair fell graciously onto her heart shaped face and her eyes widened just slightly in wonder; sparkling with the light of the sun coming in from the large windows. Ganauche would've blushed if he was a hormonal teenager. But since he was a mature yet young, healthy male adult, he did whatever healthy young male adult did.

He winked at her.

In other words, he flirted with her.

Tsuna blinked rapidly at his actions, confusion was clearly written on her face, as if she didn't understand the meaning behind the playful wink. As if realization came to her hard, her face started to get red; almost crimson. A very deep crimson. Ganauche wondered if it truly was healthy to turn that red in the matter of seconds. Tsuna then snapped her head forward, almost making Hibird fall off her shoulder. It chirped indignantly at her actions, but it soon realized it wasn't her fault. Clearly, it was from the human walking at the side of the pretty herbivore since the herbivore wouldn't do it in purpose; since that meant Hibird wounding itself or something of the like. The yellow canary would've hissed if it were a cat; but since it was a bird, he could only peep huffily at the human.

The angry chirping of the canary seemed to catch the attention of the others, since they glanced back at them. Seeing a blushing Tsuna, a Lighting Guardian who seemed too pleased with himself and a bird who seemed to chirping profanities at the latter… They seemed to realize what had happened in the last minute between them. Shamal huffed when he noticed the strong blush on Tsunas' face, and gave a small glare at the male. The physician knew he was acting like a certain silver haired student of his, but he couldn't help it; for he now had to take care of the small soon-to-be Boss and mother. Reborn quickly turned his attention forward and ignored the brunette playing with her curled hair; trying to hide the obvious blush she had on her face with it but was clearly failing. The action had only made her look more innocent and cuter than she usually did. Schnitten Brabanters, the holder of the title of Rain Guardian of the Ninth, only chuckled very lightly at the scene; as if finding it amusing.

But the one leading the group, Coyote Naught, the Guardian who held the title of the furious Storm, was not amused at all by this. He glared with all his might at young Lightning Guardian; almost telling him to keep himself in line and to not mess with the future Tenth Boss. But the man just didn't hear to reason as he showed him the tip of his tongue; almost telling him to not mess with his fun. The fearsome Coyote, growled in warning, but they went to deaf ears. Sighing in defeat, he gave one last warning glare at Ganauche before turning his head forwards once again.

After the small display of public flirtation between the two— involuntary made by the female one—, Coyote continued to lead the group down the hallway as he made another turn to the right in the nearest corner. At the end of the hallway they just stepped into, they saw the figure of a tall tanned man with long hair tied into a low ponytail, standing in front of two elegant and tall wooden doors. They effortlessly approached the male, which revealed to be the Mist Guardian of the Ninth, Bouche Croquant. Bouche had a dark scowl of disapproval on his face and Coyote couldn't help but to wonder the reason for it. But when he caught the direction his eyes were staring at, he understood his scowl. It seemed Bouche had seen the unacceptable actions displayed by Ganauche. How? Coyote didn't know, but nothing could escape from his comrade.

Bouche exchanged friendly hand signals with Coyote as he removed himself from guarding the large wooden doors and passed by him. The Mist user walked a small distance from the doors, before suddenly stopping next to the wall. He leaned against the wallpapered concrete and folded his arms in front of his chest; closing his eyes at the progress. The experienced Storm Guardian approached the doors as soon as Bouche stepped out of the way. He stared at the door for a second, before knocking lightly on one of them. The sound echoed against the walls inside the large hallway. The former patiently waited for the confirmation of his Boss before he proceeded.

"Enter."

Upon hearing the aged voice of the Ninth, Coyote took hold of the two silver knobs and at the same time, he gave a quick flick of his wrist. He pushed with slight effort the double doors before taking in the light from the office. There, sitting behind an ancient oak desk across from these magnificent and large doors, was the Ninth. His elbows were resting on the edge of the desk with his fingers entwined together, a soft and small smile greeting him.

"Ninth—" Coyote gave a short bow at his Boss, before noticing the elder Vongola Boss wasn't alone. He saw the External Advisor standing on the near left side of the dark oak desk of his Boss. His fellow Guardian comrades, the Sun and Cloud, were on different sides of the room, opposite to each other and away from each other. They haven't been arguing lately, so he thought it was just an automatic action they normally did. Brow Nie Jr, the positive Sun Guardian with a tattooed lizard on his left cheek, was on the same side of the room as Iemitsu; but he was amusing himself with a piece of ironstone he must've found on the tall table he was resting against. Visconti, the lonesome Cloud Guardian, was near the corner of the other side of the room; leaning against the vast and bullet proofed windows behind the Ninths' desk. He was also keeping himself entertained with the long and darker maroon silk curtains being held together by a golden-like tether.

Coyote gave them all a nod of salutation. The comrade of his standing behind him, Schnitten, also gave a nod as a greeting to all. Bouche, however, didn't. He kept the stance he had; but he did straighten his posture slightly upon seeing his Boss. Coyote thought the lack of greeting was because he had been with them a moments before they had arrived. And Ganauche waved at the Ninth from behind Tsuna, proudly smiling at something he probably did. Timoteo heard Bouche and Coyote growl at his actions. His small smile grew slightly. Timoteo instantly found out the reason of his triumphant smile. His wrinkled eyes filled with wisdom fell on the blushing brunette who attempted to get herself distracted with her hair but was failing miserably. He had vaguely heard Ganauche chuckling lightly behind her, which only caused her adorable granddaughter (figure, of course) to flush even deeper and him to grin cheekier.

"Ninth," Coyote called again. Said male, stopped observing the interactions between his Granddaughter and his Lighting Guardian to give his full attention to his Right Hand Man. "We have brought them, Boss." Coyote stated the obvious.

The Ninth chuckled, "Good, good. Let them in." Flushing slightly, Coyote fully opened the double doors and entered the office. He held the right door to keep it open as Schnitten held the left one. Reborn was the first one to enter the room he was so familiar with. Shamal entered after him, whistling at the expensive decorations and the maroon wallpaper on the walls of the room; not to mention the leather couches resting parallel from the desk seemed very comfy and very inviting with that low table between them.

Hibird flew into the large office and rested in one of the black couches. The yellow canary chirped at Tsuna, as if telling her to hurry up and get the seat he was reserving her before someone else won. Tsuna almost laughed at the unique actions of the canary, but she decided to amuse it. But, before Tsuna could even properly step into the room, a fast creature with blond hair had suddenly tackled her. This creature, it went by the name of—

Dad.

Tsuna gave a high pitched squeal at the sudden action made by her father, which had scared the wits out of her. The brunette felt her body falling down at a fast pace, shocking her. She was always mentally prepared for this type of hugs when encountering her father; but no matter how many types she received them, they would always startle her. She looked towards the ceiling. She didn't have to worry about her or her tot growing inside of her. When her father usually gave her this kind of bear hugs, he would make sure she came out of it unwound-ed— ah, there it is. Tsuna felt the arm of her father embracing tightly her waist, so she wouldn't receive any harm as a hand at the same time took a hold of the back of her head; as if acting like a pillow of some kind.

He has always done that.

Tsuna brought her hands up and wrapped them around the back of Iemitsu. Yes, she was returning the hug. She did miss her dad. The brunette hadn't seen him since the Arcoballeno Representative Incident. Almost four years. She clutched the black suit jacket of his nonchalantly, vaguely afraid from getting wounded. But she trusted her father. Even if he did left her mother and her years ago to work in the Mafia—Think of good things. He had helper her… through the fight against the Varia for the rings…? Close enough. Besides, he was still her father. Sighing mentally, she truly hoped her Intuition wasn't lying to her when it flared at her that she wasn't going to suffer any kind of harm from this incident.

Fortunately, it was right.

Ganauche, who was standing behind her since the whole ordeal started, came forward at a fast pace and held her by the shoulders. She grunted when her back bumped against his chest with force. The body of her father—which now appeared to be made of titanium, must I add— came crashing against them. Luckily, Ganauche had enough strength to hold them both without too much trouble. He did, however, took a step back to use it as a leverage to help him hold out much better with the weight of them. Tsuna heard a couple sighs of relief; but she only recognized two, one of coming from Shamal and the other from the Ninth.

"Tsuna!" Her father called, "My little baby girl!" He cooed as he removed the hands resting on her shoulders to replace them with his own large and rough ones, "How have you been?"

The torture began.

He continuously shot her questions; from how was her health and how was his dear Nana (every time he mentioned her mother, she flinched involuntary; it was mostly out of guilt from leaving abandoning her mother the way she did) to questions regarding her sudden decision of coming to Italy and how she was finding Italy so far. Honestly, Tsuna was starting to feel faint from so many questions being thrown at her, but luckily, someone saved her from the overzealous father of hers.

"Iemitsu," Timoteo called softly at his External Adviser between his chuckles, "I think you'll make her faint in any moment with those countless questions of yours." Iemitsu chuckled wholeheartedly at the comment of his Boss. He leaned away from her daughter and future Tenth Boss of the Family to look into the eyes she had inherited from her mother. Those big, round and beautiful caramel eyes that always seemed to shine away his problems; just like her mothers' did.

"Sorry about that, Tsuna," He smiled down at her, "But it's been years since I last saw you, almost four." Iemitsu affirmed what she had been wondering about for quite some time. The bulky man with muscles gave his daughter a soft squeeze on her right shoulder before withdrawing his hands. "So?" He had placed his hands on his waist, with that infamous grin of his appearing on his face, rolling up to his eyes; making them close from the width of said smile, "How has my baby girl been?" Tsuna giggled slightly at the pet name. Upon hearing her laughter, he lifted his eyelids and looked down at her with eyes filled of love. "You've grown…" He said remorsefully yet content.

"Dad…" Hearing the regret coming out in form of those words, Tsuna snapped her head up and stared at her father surprised. He seemed distraught. Probably by the fact he couldn't have seen her grow and he wasn't with her to help her with her romance dramas and the like. But… It seemed strange to her that she knew how to react accordingly when something threatening came at her. Like trials, training even assassins and unexpected fights or bombs. Unfortunately she certainly did not know how to react to this. Should she feel angered? Embarrassed? Saddened? She truly didn't know.

"Now, now! Don't put on a face like that!" The lament was wiped off his face in a flash as his trademark grin came back into his face. He patted her back lightly; and if she wasn't the strong upcoming Tenth Boss she was, that seemingly light slap on her back would've probably knocked her out of her feet and onto the ground face first. But, like I previously said, if she wasn't, yet she was, so that scene doesn't apply to this story. "What would your mother say if she saw such expression on your face?" He scolded lightly. The blond chuckled when the thought of his darling Nana telling their only daughter to remove that look since she didn't seem cute enough with it on. Iemitsu sighed mentally at his own memory. The man with a good physique, even if he had a slight alcohol problem and ate a lot, had expected his own offspring to retort with something of the same grade before laughing with him at their own silly words. But a few moments passed, and what he had expected for, did not occur at all. The opposite happened. Tsunas' body was tense with nervousness; as if something was bothering her. He worried a bit and wondered at the possible cause that made her edgy. As if lighting came striking down at him, he figured out the cause. He remembered feeling her flinching every single time he mentioned his dear wife; as if scared of her appearing or something. Iemitsu stared down at his daughter in wonder. He lowered himself slightly so he could see directly into the eyes of his baby girl and ask her, if she had a fight with her mother. But what he saw surprised him greatly; her face, filled with dread. His chocolate eyes widened.

"Tsuna?"

The color quickly returned to her face and her eyes returned to their normal size. Tsuna snapped her head up and was truly surprised to find herself, staring right into the usually composed and blissful eyes of her father whose eyes were now gazing at her apprehensively and distressingly.

"Y…" Words wouldn't come out of her throat, no matter how hard she tried. Tsuna gulped and cleared her throat quietly; hoping that did the trick, "Yes?" She was relieved when it did and relaxed just a tiny bit; before tensing once again at the following question made by his father.

"Is everything alright?" Her overly protective father asked, worried about his little baby girl and her problems; wondering, if something dreadful had happened between the only two women who lit his whole life. He waited expectantly, for some kind of reply.

But for the second time that day, Tsuna didn't say anything back at Iemitsu.

"So," The Ninth started, "Now that everyone has left, are you willing to tell us what has been troubling you, Tsunayuki?" He asked with concern at the young maiden sitting from across of him.

Tsuna played with the end of her salmon colored dress and stared uncertainly at the two older men sitting on the black leather couch across from her. She bit into her inner cheek, trying to suppress her nerves. The brunette gazed at the other two for a little longer, before turning to stare at the wooden floor beneath them. She had been thinking on a way of telling them, without them freaking out too much… but that was clearly impossible. So Tsuna was now sitting there, staring at the floor as she tried to ease her anxiousness with something. Staring at objects didn't help her; thinking didn't either. So she could only sit there, waiting for what she could hope was the right time to tell them.

"Tsuna?" Her father had called her out this time.

Tsuna looked up at him.

"There is something troubling me."

The other two men inside the room stared at her with worry. Her father parted his lips to question her something, but she beat him to it.

"I-I will tell you what is the matter with me and what is happening to me right now. It'll be difficult for me to say it… but…" She took in a deep breath. Her father began fearing the worst; thinking his little daughter was in some kind of danger. Timoteo, however, did not. He was calm. He knew the Tenth wasn't in any kind of jeopardy. Sure she encountered a few assassins who wanted her head as some kind of trophy in the past, but he knew Reborn wouldn't allow them to do that. Besides, the future Tenth was someone very powerful who shouldn't be taken lightly. He knew of all the attempts against her, Reborn efficiently reported to him every day or so about the upcoming of the Tenth. But what did trouble the wisdom male, was the thought of her being unwell. At least that's what he picked up from her posture and speeches.

"It involves your mother?" Iemitsu had questioned her carefully, but then worried when he noticed her flinching for the umpteenth time at the sole mention of his dear Nana. Tsuna gazed at him in sadness before nodding slowly.

"Not entirely, but… y-yes." Tsuna affirmed his fears. "My… m-mother knows of my… current condition. I told her before I l-le…" Her eyebrows furrowed, "…before I left Namimori. It was a bit sudden—" She was babbling. Shaking her head to the sides, Tsuna reordered her words and sentences to truly make sense… But she gave up and decided to just tell them just as she had told her mother and Reborn. Well, not that blunt. She had to put a little effort from her part.

Tsuna took a deep breath—

Here it goes…

"I am…" She paused momentarily to search for the right words inside of her brain,"…Y-You could say I am not in my best condition now…" She lowered her head, embarrassment drenching over her form as anxiousness began to pile up on her stomach. "And i-it'll be that way for a c-couple… of months." She stared at the wooden floor. "For eight months… if I'm not mistaken…" She whispered under her breath the last part of her sentence; obviously, not entirely sure of when exactly the small one would be born. Her voice had lost its' previous confidence and was now a trembling mess as she said the last sentences. Tsuna could now only wait for them to take in the information—

Clenched hands fell on top of the wooden table with a thin crystal glass on the center of it, resounded inside the office. The ancient teacups and teapot resting on the surface of said furniture, quivered at the force the table had been hit with as the tea flew out of the border of the teacup and fell into the low table.

"Y-You mean to say…" Iemitsu was the one responsible for the previous act, "…that you're… you're—"

"Y…Yes."

The father of the soon-to-be mother stood up from his seat. He threw the table that rested in front of him out of his way, clearly being an eyesore seeing as it stood in the trail towards his destination. They all heard the unmistakable sound of glass shattering against the large wooden doors. Probably even the two Guardians, who stood outside of his office with the mission of guarding his working place, had heard it. But Timoteo doubted they did, since they didn't barged into the room to search the reason of the screeching sound. The ancient teacups and teapot, as did the glass in the center of the table had been crushed by the wooden table; leaving the pieces of the fine china as the only thing of its' existence. The different sizes of the shattered glass acted like a trap with its' pointy ends. Unfortunately, the delicious and rather expensive clear liquid that had been served in the containers had made a mess in the floor, walls—on anything that stood on its way.

Tsuna flinched at the horrendous sound as she unconsciously shrink away from where the low table once was. The brunette trembled in fear with her eyes clenched tightly as she wondered what was going to come next. Never in her life had she heard of (or seen) her father reacting like this, no matter how gravely the situation became, he never did. Sure, she had see him mad—furious is more like it, in the Ring Conflict against the Varia. Not even in the Shimon Incident did he reacted this way when she almost got kidnapped by Enma and his Guardians.

"Iemitsu."

But said person didn't hear the call coming from his Boss. He was too drowned in his thoughts to even hear what occurred in the outside world. Clearly, his thoughts were in the seventeen aged girl who keep quivering in fear, shame— everything, in her seat. Now that the table had been disposed of, he stalked up to her with his eyes shadowed. His hand shot out forward—

Tsuna cringed at the sound and waited for her punishment. The brunette couldn't run from this as she had did with her mother. Shame filled her being at her reminiscences. She truly felt guilty at her cowardly actions, running off like she did, leaving her lovely mother behind—The brunette clenched her eyes even more so when she remembered the form of her mother, standing in the middle of the dark street, calling out for her to return; before she began to chase the black car she was on barefooted— Tsuna mentally shook her head to the sides and returned to the present. The brunette began to wonder what would her father do to her. Perhaps a slap? Maybe two? Accompanied with curses? But painful words that told her she was truly a good for nothing woman by getting herself pregnant at the age of seventeen sounded like a keeper—

Her eyes widened.

But…

The tears she had been so fervently trying to contain, had finally began rolling down her cheeks.

This wasn't what I had expected.

Warm arms embraced her tightly.

I truly appreciate your support and understanding. Your comprehension and composed reactions of the situation helped me, it really did.

With love, Tsuna.