Trigger Warning: Abuse, Sexuality Bashing, and Offensive Language (censored)

~Three Months Earlier~

"Tsu-kun why don't you spend time with me anymore?" Kyoko looked up at him with her golden hazel eyes, glittering with tears. Tsuna couldn't bear to look in them any long and brought his eyes down to the ground.

"I'm sorry, I just am busy," That was the truth, but not the entire truth. There was more to it, like the nights lying awake next to his girlfriend with his stomach churning in guilt and disgust. He couldn't help but not be attracted to her. Yet he stayed with her, if only to hold his family together, to keep Ryohei happy. The truth of the matter though was that he had finally begun to see past Kyoko's angelic features and see just how manipulative she truly was.

"Are you hiding things from me again?" she hitched her voice low, making the notes vibrate with whimpers. To anyone else, they would immediately fall for Kyoko's faux misery much like they would cave under the large eyes of a puppy. But Tsuna had long gotten used to her tactics, her ploys to make him cave and fall into her trap.

"I just want to protect you," was his reply, long rehearsed from the many times he said it in the past and actually meant it. Now it was little more than a hollow excuse, something only Reborn could really spot, at least normally. But for once it seems as if Kyoko caught on to the dullness of his tone, if the fire in her eyes meant anything.

"I'm already in danger! Dating you puts me in danger! So stop making excuses and just admit that you are cheating on me!" the caramel haired woman screamed, one hand cocked back to smack him.

Tsuna didn't flinch as she slapped him, her manicured nails poised in claws and leaving four bleeding scratches across his cheeks. In the back of his mind, Natsu bristled and growled, but the Mafia Heir refused to hit her back.

The Mafia had changed Kyoko. What was once a radiant and sweet girl who reminded him of sunflowers had become like an orange lily, beautiful but poisonous. Her kindness was double-edged, laying small traps that she could trigger to guilt and pain the receiver. In the wake of growing skill with manipulation, her confidence had also dropped, making her more prone to fits of jealousy and rage.

Maybe it was because she was now the weakest person around, with Tsuna no longer the Dame he was in Middleschool. Puberty had been kind to him, chiseling his features. As many had suspected, he had come to greatly resemble Primo and as such got much attention from members of both sexes, though the ones Kyoko was more worried about was female's naturally. Even if men held just as much attraction to the young Mafia Heir as women.

"You are right, I am cheating on your," the lie tasted bitter on his tongue, but it was worth it. He just was so tired, of pretending this was okay. That he was happy with any of this. If it took a lie to get Kyoko to break up with him, then so be it. So long as Tsuna never had to fake adoration for someone who was a shell of the girl he knew.

Some say you never really know a person until you live with them. Tsuna could agree to that statement. If he never brought her with him to Italy, he likely would have never found out just how dark the girl was inside, how merciless. Like a real Mafia Wife, he thought darkly.

"Who is she!? Who is the c*** who has been taking your attention from me!?"

Tsuna tuned back into the conversation, finally paying attention to Kyoko's yells. The lovely woman was practically frothing at the mouth as she spit cuss words that would have made Reborn frown.

"Kyoya. I've been cheating on you with Kyoya," Tsuna continued his lie without a second thought. In some ways it was true. He would often go to his Cloud Guardian after a fight, to cool down and relax. The other man didn't ask questions and would let Tsuna vent without repeating it to the other Guardians. In all this, Kyoya had been his greatest friend, treating him with no judgement and giving him a distraction to escape the many thoughts boiling in his mind.

But that didn't mean the other Guardians were completely in the dark. Tsuna had a hunch that Mukuro had found out and passed in onto Chrome. Whenever in Kyoko's presence the Mist Guardian's lip would curl and Chrome herself had began to distance herself from Kyoko. Hayato and Takeshi might have also somewhat caught on, at least that there was something going on with the two. They would often come up with ways to get Tsuna out of spending time alone with Kyoko. Reborn though, Reborn knew everything without Tsuna saying a word. Something that made Tsuna both grateful and ashamed.

He was torn from his thoughts as his Hyper Intuition prickled.

Kyoko, for her part, seemed to have realized he wasn't listening and decided to up her game. With a feral scream she ran at him, jumping at the Mafia Heir and wrapping her thin fingers around his neck.

"A man! You would jeopardize what we have for a man! They were always right about you! I should have listened! You really are nothing but a disgusting 'No Good' f**!" She spit in his face as he stared calmly up at her, ignoring the pressure around his neck that wasn't hard or proper enough to choke him. That didn't change the fact that her nails were starting to dig into his throat though.

"Yes. I have always liked men. I just like women as well. Sadly I have been dating neither," Tsuna answered distantly despite the breathe beginning to catch. Everything felt duller, as if all emotions had washed away into the sea of calm logic. He was almost certain his pure orange flame was dancing above his head, the light from it reflecting off the twisted face above him.

Kyoko's hands tightened, sending rivulets of blood down his throat. But before any real damage could be done, a shadow fell over the couple and she was pulled off of him. Suit clad hands pinned her to the wall, as the hitman rested a gun to her hand, Leon hissing from his perch on the fedora's brim.

"I thought I told you to take care of it Idiot Apprentice," Reborn growled under his breathe, but his anger was more directed at the panting female under his grip.

"That is what I was doing. It didn't exactly go as planned,"

"I can see that,"

Kyoko went lax in the Hitman's hands, completely awake but boneless. The only thing that kept her against the wall was his hands. That was the sight Ryohei was greeted with when he and the rest of the Guardians when to investigate the noise. And as usual he didn't think twice before launching at Reborn, screaming at the other man to release his sister. Reborn did so with pleasure and all seemed to be well enough, as Tsuna was swarmed by the rest of the Guardians who spotted the scratches.

That was until Kyoko decided to open her mouth and use her greatest weapon, words.

"Onii-chan, Tsuna… he…" That's all it took, punctuated with a few sniffles, before Ryohei gently placed his sister on the ground and turned to launch at Tsuna with rage in his eyes.

Kyoya intercepted him with a low tche of annoyance, batting the boxer away with a tonfa.

"Don't believe everything you hear, boxing herbivore,"

"Kyoya," Tsuna breathed out, somewhere between relief and agitation, "Thank you for stepping in, but it is time I handle this once and for all,"

Tsuna rose to his feet, brushing off the hands of Chrome which were hovering over him in worry. He knew he likely looked like a wreck, his eyes tired and bruised from lack of sleep and his clothes ruffled from being worn all day and his previous tumble. But he felt strong, like he could finally face all this without fear.

Kyoya dipped his head in consent and backed off, leaving Ryohei a straight path to Tsuna.

"Ryohei, hate me. Leave if you want, relinquish your place as my Guardian, I honestly don't care anymore. I've been keeping it in because I didn't want to jeopardize the Famiglia, but I can't tolerate it any more. Your sister hasn't been the woman I loved for a long time and I can't handle playing along with her games of dating," Tsuna spoke plainly, without any flare to his words. Each note rung with honesty, but the tightening around Ryohei's eyes said that it wasn't appreciated. I figured as much. I always knew if it came down to it, he would chose his sister over the Famiglia. He has always been blind when it comes to Kyoko.

No sooner did he think that was Ryohei storming forward. No matter how much Tsuna grew, his eyes were still barely level with his Sun Guardian's jaw. Hot wet breathe blasted him in the face as Ryohei's nostrils flared in agitation. All the while Kyoko's cries were in the background, the girl finally having regained enough of her energy to play victim.

"Onii-chan he's lying. Tsu-kun is the one who changed. I see how he looks at all those girls. Guys too. He has been cheating on me, with a guy no less," the caramel haired girl sniffled, earning many glares from the Guardians, the strongest of which belonged to Reborn. Reborn may be incredibly conventional and tough, having been from the 1950s, but he was open-minded enough to accept differentiating sexualities. Something Kyoko obviously wasn't.

Apparently Ryohei wasn't entirely either, if the way he growled lowly in his throat was any indication. Or perhaps it was her claims of Tsuna cheating on her. Granted it was him who told her that lie, but still, semantics never mattered when it came to the heart.

"Tsunayoshi Sawada, you have heart my sister and dishonored her. Whatever friendship we had is over. I want to kill you, but I know that if I did your Guardians would kill me," the blonde spat the word as if he himself wasn't one. And it was likely he wouldn't be.

Tsuna's assumption came true as Ryohei stepped back, pulling off his bengal and throwing it at his former boss's face. The brunette caught it with ease, the bengal turning back into two rings in his hand. Garyuu's burn as it came in contact with his skin, prompting a small hiss from Tsuna before he pitched the animal ring back to Ryohei's feet.

"It's your animal ring. I doubt it will respond to anyone else,"

Ryohei nodded, pocketed the ring, and turned to lift up his sister.

"I will leave peacefully this time. But the next time we meet, I won't be,"

And then the ex-Sun Guardian was gone, leaving only his ring and their memories of friendship behind. Something that Tsuna couldn't help but be responsible for. Yet at the same time, he also felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. As much as he would do anything for his Famiglia, the lie had long started to wear on him.

A warm hand enclosed his shoulder, bringing the nineteen year old's attention to Reborn. Despite the situation, his mentor seemed to radiate pride.

"Takes a lot of courage to stand up for yourself. You did well. As important as Famiglia is, if a boss betrays himself then he is more than likely to betray others," Reborn spoke, before raising a brow as something dawned on him, "Who did you supposedly cheat on her with anyway?"

Tsuna's cheeks tinted pink.

"Um… well… I said Kyoya because I figured he would careless if he was used in a lie…"

His words, sheepish and just the right bit of dame, brought smiles and soft laughter to the Guardian's faces. Even Kyoya had a smirk, like he enjoyed the idea of being used to mess with the Nobody Woman.

Somehow, in the middle of his Guardians, Tsuna felt like everything would be okay. Even if he was down a Guardian, and under the most horrible of circumstances, so long as he had everyone else standing behind him things would be okay.

And for the first time in months he was genuinely happy.

||Author's Note||

Sorry for those who like Kyoko but I needed a reason for her and Tsuna's relationship to not work out for one. And for two, I kinda don't really like her anyway... *rubs neck self-consciously* That doesn't mean I have anything against people who do like her and Tsuna, I just personally don't. So that may have kinda shown through when I was setting up this chapter and reason.

As for Ryohei leaving, it is obvious that his loyalty is to Kyoko above all else. Meaning if it came between her and Tsuna, he would likely chose her. After all she is who he was fight for the entire time anyway. So that is why Ryohei is left his position as Sun Guardian.

I apologize for anything out of character with anyone other than Kyoko. Her OOC was intentional.

The next chapter will likely be another set staging, but one revolving around Homura. Hopefully after that one I can really get into the story. I am just trying to set up everything and give everyone an idea of what has been going on and their current problems going into this.

Anyway let me know what you think. I eager await your reviews. Until next time..

~Aureux