INTERLUDE: ANOTHER WRONGLY ACCUSED

Whereas Tsuna had been arrested in Cielo with no one to turn to, Iemitsu had come across some problems of his own. Only this time; people believed in him.

—

It was on that very night that everything had changed for the Sawadas. Iemitsu had wished Tsuna goodnight, along with his little friends and slept as usual with the love of his life, Nana. How things ended up like they were now, he couldn't even fathom. At first, when he had seen Tsuna pulled into his closet he thought he was just having a horrible, horrible hallucination. But insanity is only caused if you were stressed, sad, or angry, right? He had felt nothing of the sort as of late, no reason to be stressed or angry. There was no reason for him to have such delusions. But upon realizing that he actually was awake and sober, Iemitsu felt his good life was finally burning back at him with vengeance. Too much luck and goodness in one's life was bad. There was bound to be a drawback somewhere along the lines.

He could hardly think right, with all this crazy running he was doing. His old, barely worn air walkers clattered along the road loudly in the silent night. And he could hear them. The police sirens. He was attempting the impossible. But to find his son—save him from that thing, hold close him again, he would do anything. Iemitsu skidded along the road as he turned a sharp corner. He dropped to his side and nearly broke his hip-bone before he stubbornly got up and limped hurriedly along.

That was when he met him. The man named Hibari.

—

Iemitsu rolled in his bed, Nana mumbled, but didn't seem to stir anymore before she fell once again, unconscious. Today was a good day, he thought with a smile to the ceiling, Tsuna looked like he had a lot of fun. Iemitsu couldn't help but swell with pride at the thought of the boy when he invited Gokudera to keep him company. He has such good senses, the father thought, unable to hold back his grin, he knew when a friend was in trouble. Iemitsu put a hand to his chin. He vaguely wondered if Tsuna knew about his little power. The power to see the good in people and immediately know their weaknesses and inner selves. He realized, with a quiet snort of laughter, probably not. The boy was far too dense and close-minded in every way to notice things within himself.

He could hear his son now, chatting with his friends in the nearby bathroom. It was just barely muffled, but he could hear Yamamoto's ecstatic voice interrupting his son every now and listened to Gokudera's muffled grumpy repies, Yamamoto said, "Ok, that's good! I'll be right back! Stay here! I'll get some equipment from him!" and Yamamoto ran past their bedroom quietly and bumble down the stairs. Ah. He must be talking about Ryohei. Speaking of which, he had quite a chat with the exuberant young man just earlier at the wedding. Said something about getting new accouterments just recently. Yamamoto will be thrilled.

Now, enough of staying up and listening to the kids, he thought, stretching one last time. Iemitsu rolled in his bed, petting his wife's hair. Nana was completely oblivious to the world, just sleeping there. She leaned into his touch, as if sensing it.

Slowly he closed his eyes. Somewhere along the lines he had dozed off, but was once again jerked awake by Gokudera's voice. "Tenth. Are you ready yet?" Gokudera whispered, rapping lightly on Tsuna's bedroom. Iemitsu grunted, and turned his head warily at the door.

Clearing his throat, Tsuna croaked, "I'll be right there."

"Okay. I'll pop some popcorn!" Gokudera said cheerfully and quietly as he could so he wouldn't disturb the sleeping Sawadas.

He groaned, looking at the clock. Barely fifteen minutes passed! He contemplated on going out and telling them to quiet down, but thought against it. If Tsuna knew of this small insomnia, he would most definitely put Yamamoto and Gokudera to bed. And knowing his two friends, they would agree amicably. He didn't know what to do with his son sometimes. He put the pillow over his head, and looked at Nana in jealousy. Really, his girl can sleep through a battlefield if she wanted to. Maybe he was exaggerating, but Nana was a heavy sleeper. He was about to reach for his phone on the bedstand before he heard it.

Tsuna's terrified screaming.

Out of pure adrenaline and the instinctive parental urge, Iemitsu kicked furiously at the covers. He pulled his legs out of the warmth, and began running to the door. Behind him, he could hear Nana calling out his name sleepily. His head felt dizzy at the sudden pull of gravity, but it didn't stop him. He yanked at the door and ran down the hall towards his son's room. As he approached it, he could hear his cries, even more louder and more real than it had been down the hall.

His son screamed again, "Gokudera-kun! No!" Gokudera? Iemitsu thought vaguely but at the moment he didn't quite care. He knocked loudly at Tsuna's door. He waited a bit, arms crossed. No answer.

"Tsuna?" Iemitsu asked, jiggling the doorknob. Locked. "Is everything okay?"

"No!" For a moment, Iemitsu thought that he was talking to him before the boy repeated himself, more hysterically, "No!"

"Tsuna?" Iemitsu jerked violently at the doorknob, as if he expected it to unlock magically. Surely, they were just tickling eachother or something. But his instincts told him otherwise. Something was really wrong here. "Tsuna?" He called more loudly.

When the boy didn't answer, his cries and whimpers became more insistent, Iemitsu's blood begun to pump louder and grow cold underneath his skin. He made a fist, slamming it against the wood, "Tsuna!"

He banged his fists against it before back away slowly and slamming his shoulder against the door. He grimaced when his bones ached in reply. Something was really wrong here. Backing up again, Iemitsu threw his whole body force onto the door. The pain shot up his arm to all the joints and his ears rang from the adrenaline. He paid it no mind. But the door still didn't budge. "Tsuna! Open the door! Tsuna!"

There was a whimper that sounded similar to his name. A reaction!

Iemitsu took one large step back and retracted his foot. "Get away from the door," He commanded, his voice bordering on panic, "I'll be right there!" Like a snake coiling and recoiling, Iemitsu's foot shot out and its force ripped the wood off its hinges. Shreds of wood flew around the room inside, and the door landed facedown with a thud that would've waken the dead. The sound was deafening, but he wasted no time; Iemitsu jumped onto the fallen door and looked around, forgetting how to breathe when he didn't see his son upon first glance. He swung his head to the bed, to the desk, to the door at his feet, looking for any signs of his son.

"Tsuna!

"Dad!" Tsuna cried, andIemitsu looked to his left and saw him. His son, staring back wide-eyed with a hand outstretched towards him. He only had a split second look at it. And that thing it grasped his son around his elbows, his knees, and wrists. It was too dim but he could make out the shade of the offender was a dark-purple color. it was rather obvious upon first glance that Tsuna couldn't escape, no matter how much he struggled against it. It was…a hole in his closet. Something he didn't know exist, he didn't even know there was a hole in the floor of his son's closet. There were many things that had occurred in Iemitsu's mind at that moment, but there was only one word that could describe it. Disbelief.

Then just like that, the closet door shut with a click.

Iemitsu stood there, dumbfounded. He laughed, actually laughed, and went towards the closet, "Geez Tsuna!" Iemitsu put a hand behind his head and put a hand on the doorknob. "Don't scare me like that!" He jerked it open, expecting to see Gokudera and Tsuna in there, grinning up at him but was absolutely horrified to see that there was no one in there.

Iemitsu backed away, almost tripping over Tsuna's array of stray clothes on the floor. "No…No, that's impossible." The dad shook his head, taking a step into the closet and he looked around. He looked down. That's strange. Iemitsu bended down, picking up the forgotten flashlight that laid on top of a pile of dirty clothes. The electronic light source was still on and stared fixedly at the floor as the father held it. He decided to put it to good use, "Tsuna, come out, this isn't funny anymore." He pointed the flashlight into the closet, into every crevice and into every corner.

One thing he did notice though, was the bareness of his son's closet. He was sure that there were clothes hanging on here. He was sure of it because he was the one that had put some clean jackets in here just yesterday. Then he remembered. The hole! Maybe that's where they were hiding! Grinning, Iemitsu bended down and looked at the floor. Clever. It looked like a normal floor! Pointing the flashlight directly at the spot where he had seen his son disappear, Iemitsu took his free hand at slapped at the flat surface.

What?

Iemitsu tried again and laughed, almost hysterically, stood up. "Tsuna come out now! T—It's not good to trick your dad, now!" Iemitsu tried a different tactic, "Gokudera! Your sister is here to pick you up!" It was a rather ridiculous lie. Since Bianchi was still at her honeymoon, even he wouldn't have bought it. "Boys, really, this isn't funny!" Realizing that he was just simply hitting the floor and nothing more, Iemitsu stumbled out of the closet in a daze. The father dropped down on all fours and looked under the bed. No kids here. The blond-haired man shook his head. He moved the desk, peeping around it. No kids there either. This had to be a trick. Turning off the flashlight and throwing it over his shoulder. He gave the room one last look over before stepping over the destroyed door and walked out into the hallway.

"Tsuna?" He called out, but was only met with silence. Then without a word he went straight downstairs, giving the place a good look-over too. It smelled of fresh popcorn. He recalled, Gokudera said he would pop some popcorn when Tsuna was ready to go downstairs. He went to the microwave and opened it. He touched the bag of treats. Still very hot. It wasn't too long ago then. It couldn't have been. Something was very wrong. Not because of new popcorn either. There was something in Iemitsu's gut that was telling him how incredibly wrong this was. He thought about it really. Was he dreaming? Because people do not get sucked into their closets like that. Then somewhere deep in his mind he remembered. It was such a long time ago, but when it came to his son he had a memory of an elephant.

Tsuna shook his head, tears spilling, "But I told you, mama, papa! It's the boogie man! I swear it is!"

Tsuna gripped Iemitsu's shirt, "There is! There is! He's always there! He's always watching me!"

"Will you scare him away if he ever comes again, papa?"

Something crawled up his spine. Was...that boogie man business Tsuna kept going on and on about real? As much as he kept denying it, he couldn't get it out of his head. What if it had been? What if all this time Iemitsu was just too stubborn to believe it and in truth someone really was with Tsuna every night? Tsuna begged and begged him to not let him sleep in his room all those nights. But he wouldn't listen.

But then, why did all of a sudden Tsuna stop talking about it? Iemitsu had believed that his son was just over that phase. But the boy never spoke of it again. But he had seen it. He saw it grab his son. Without a second thought, he picked up the phone and dialed the local police station's number. One last time he called out to the quiet house, "Boys! I'm calling the police!" He had hoped it would scare them enough to jump out of hiding, but no one jumped out, no one replied. His hands shook, and his voice trembled, something that rarely ever happened. It was a bit ridiculous to bring the police into something like this, if it really was a trick, just it was better to be safe than sorry.

"This is the emergency hotline, what is your emergency?"

"I—my son. And his friend. I can't find them. They disappeared. I think my son was taken away." He could barely talk, but the woman coaxed him into continuing.

"Did you see someone take him?"

Iemitsu nodded, unable to trust his voice then he realized that she was still waiting for an answer, "Yes, but I think it was a something, not someone."

"Did it look like an animal, sir?" She urged him on.

"No, it looked nothing like an animal. Please. Please bring some police over here. I'm at loss on what to do."

"Right away, sir. Can you please tell me your address?"

After quickly muttering their residence's location, Iemitsu hung up. He looked up just in time to see Nana running down the stairs wrenching her nightgown in her hands, "Dear!" Nana gasped, reaching for him.

"Nana!" Iemitsu gathered her in his arms, "I called the police. Tsuna. Nana, you won't believe what just happened."

"The police?" She shook her head, "I heard you two!" Nana nearly shrieked at his face, "I heard his screaming and you yelling his name! Then this loud bang! Was that the door? What's going on?"

"Nana, listen." It was ridiculous how he was trying to calm her down when he himself wasn't even close to tranquil, "I...I saw Tsuna taken away."

"What?" Nana wailed, tears in her eyes, "Who did it? Where did they go?" Letting go of her gown, she gripped Iemitsu's shoulders when he didn't answer right away, "Dear! What happened?"

For a moment, Iemitsu was quiet, "Nana you have to believe me. Just say you will before I tell you."

Nana nodded fearfully, eyes suspicious at his behavior.

"I saw Tsuna's closet take him." Iemitsu was surprised by her reaction. Instead of slapping him and telling him to stop joking around, she looked sincerely hysterical, but waited patiently for him to finish. He continued. "There…were black, no, a kinda dark-purple things…I saw them grab here," Iemitsu pointed to his elbows, "Here," Iemitsu pointed to his knees, "And here," He finished, pointing at his ankles. "I couldn't stop it. I almost didn't believe it Nana. I know how crazy I sound, but you need to believe me."

There was a moment of silence and she shook her head. Her husband wouldn't lie about this. Nana inhaled shakily, nodding, barely trusting her voice, "I believe you. Now tell me, did you look in the closet?"

Iemitsu nodded, frustrated at himself, "I did. It was just an ordinary closet, as it usually was. But all the clothes inside it was gone. Just empty."

Nana shivered, rubbing her arms to control her blood flow. "Iemitsu, surely, he's still in this house. People just…don't disappear like that. It's impossible."

Iemitsu opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the doorbell. He looked to Nana, hugging her, "That was fast. Must be the police. Go upstairs and get dressed. I'll have a word with them."

"No," She said resolutely, forcefully taking his arm in hers, "I'm coming with you."

He nodded, sighing. Together, they slowly made their way to the door. Nana had beaten him to it, yanking the door with more force then he thought the woman had. The police car outside blinded them temporarily with its flashes of red and blue. The officer had his mouth open, but shut it, seeing the panicked look in their eyes. Nodding sympathetically at the crazed woman, the officer said softly, "Your husband called us. Is something wrong?"

Iemitsu snatched their attention with a step forward, "My son has been taken away. I can't find his friend that was sleeping over either."

Nana added, "I-I heard his screaming from my bedroom."

"I see." The officer nodded, "Then, if it's alright with you ma'am, we need to question you and get a written testimony."

She nodded, tears leaking out again.

The officer looked at Iemitsu, "You too, sir."

He nodded too, hugging his wife closer with one arm.

—

The questioning was far from over. Iemitsu and Nana sat on the couch, their posture was every definition of being tired and worried at the same time. Nana had stayed quiet the entire time, glancing at her husband and her grip on his hand was firm and strong. Iemitsu's one free hand was wrapped around his face, and he stared at it, as if it wasn't there. They were worried sick, and that was an understatement. Nana still never stopped crying. And once her husband thought she had finally calmed down, she'd burst into tears all over again.

The police were grueling. They tore the house apart looking for Tsuna. Especially after Iemitsu had told them that he had last seen Tsuna in his closet, or more like, sucked in, they made a immediate strip-down of the closet and ripped the floorboards off at his claim of a 'hole' in the closet. There was nothing that had matched up to Iemitsu's line of testimony. They often called them back in questioning again and again. And each time Iemitsu had given his side of the story, the police kept getting angrier and increasingly irritated.

They told him to tell the truth and he gave it to them! No one but Nana—he gripped her hand harder—believed him!

"Mr. Sawada!" Iemitsu pulled his hand away to see Yamamoto at the entrance, being pushed back by police. He stood up, and Nana looked a bit disappointed at his leave, but didn't say anything against his decision.

"Takeshi-kun!" Iemitsu yelled, but there wasn't any gusto in it. He turned to the police, "Can I have a word with him?"

The officer holding Yamamoto's arm shrugged, "The gag order. You can't tell him about the case…"

"No," Iemitsu shook his head, "He was sleeping over at this house along with my son too. He left to the house across from ours to visit a neighbor during their disappearance. He deserves to know."

For a moment, the officer was silent. He looked at the detective, who was watching the scene. The detective nodded. The officer sighed in resignment, "Alright. But this kid can't tell anyone about what happened here either. Like I said, gag order."

Immediately, once Yamamoto was free, he rushed up to Iemitsu, "Mr. Sawada! What's happening? What's going on? The Sasagawas are worried sick! When they saw the police—we panicked! Where is Tsuna? Gokudera?"

"Yamamoto," Iemitsu began, putting a hand to his face, "I saw…I saw Tsuna getting taken away. And we can't find Gokudera anywhere."

"Taken?" Yamamoto repeated in a higher octave, "But who? Who took Tsuna?"

The father only stared blankly in air. He had told this story many times before. Using the same tactic as he did with Nana, the older man turned to Yamamoto, "You have to believe me before I tell you what I saw. Please say you will, Takeshi-kun."

He nodded, and the boy looked like he almost didn't want to find out.

Iemitsu's voice lowered into a hushed tone, "I saw Tsuna getting sucked into his closet. There were things…grabbing at him. I couldn't stop it. Whatever it was…Tsuna is with it right now."

After his explanation, Iemitsu took a step away to get a good measure at his son's friend's face. Yamamoto, like him earlier, was staring blankly at nothing, almost disbelievingly. It was completely out of character for him and his wife held out a hand to the younger male's shoulder to snap him out of the quick daze, "Please believe me." Iemitsu said simply. "I'm telling the truth."

Yamamoto blinked once, then twice. He looked up at Iemitsu. There must've been something on his face because Yamamoto believed him instantly, "I don't think you're lying, Mr. Sawada. You have no reason to lie, and you love Tsuna very much. I know you're telling the truth."

Iemitsu settled with a true, relieved smile, "Thank you, Takeshi-kun. The police aren't buying it. I'm starting to regret calling them in the first place. Maybe we would've found him by now. They're not letting us leave."

Yamamoto leaned in, "I'm going to call the Sasagawas. They're waiting for me to tell them what happened. We'll look for Tsuna and Gokudera while we're at it."

Iemitsu nodded, "Good idea." Although it was going against their promise, it would be for the better. Forget the gag order. Iemitsu thought bitterly, he would have to use inside connections to really find his son if the police won't do anything right. Almost like a real shadow, Yamamoto skillfully slipped past the sentries on guard and back to the free outside. Satisfied that they were making progress, Iemitsu returned to Nana. He approached her with a wide smile, ready to tell her the good news but was frozen in place by her terrified expression. She had his cellphone, he hadn't realized she brought it from upstairs, to her ear and her hands gripped it so hard it looked like it was going to break. Her voice cracked as he approached her. "Dear...it's Bianchi on the phone."

—

Ryohei stood standing in front of his porch hollering at the police, complaining loudly of the suppression order. Kyoko stood next to him, staying deathly quiet, eyes scanning the crowd in hopes to see Yamamoto, Gokudera, any of the Sawadas, and most especially, Tsuna. It caused quite a commotion too because spectators from nearby houses began to loiter around the Sawada's and Sasagawa's houses, hoping to catch some wind of what had occurred. Some were their friends, truly worried for the Sawadas and some were complete strangers they've never met that were simply curious rubber necks. It was complete chaos in the quiet neighborhood in tiny Namimori during the dead of the night.

Yamamoto approached the two young Sasagawas. It wasn't hard to escape the police either, he just blended into the crowd. He remembered something interesting with a bitter laugh to himself. His friend had talked on and on about the beautiful sister and monstrous brother across the street several times when he asked. He had met Ryohei one day because of Tsuna. He only met Kyoko on a few occasions since then, and boy, Yamamoto believed in every word Tsuna had said the moment he saw her; was she extremely pretty. "Ryohei!" He called out to Ryohei and waved a hand high at him, silencing his hollers momentarily.

"Yamamoto!" Ryohei greeted back, more loudly and Yamamoto looked at the police behind him paranoidly, "What's going on? It looks something extreme just happened!" Yamamoto pointed wordlessly at their house. Kyoko nodded, much faster on getting the hint than her bumbling brother. She opened the door and spectators watched in curious fascination as Yamamoto pushed the-overly-indiscreet-Ryohei through the door and Kyoko closed it quietly behind them, shutting out the peering eyes. Yamamoto sat himself at the dining table near the entrance. The other two followed.

"It seems…Tsuna has gone missing." Yamamoto said. He didn't know what expression he had on his face then, but it was enough to make Kyoko choke.

"Missing?" The white-haired man hollered, "But who in the world would want Sawada?"

Yamamoto put a finger to his chin in serious thought. Who in the world would take Tsuna? His parents were normal people, not even close to rich. He doubted Tsuna was actually a prince in disguise and their income was normal, from what he assumed. No one would want him for ransom. And Tsuna was a nice guy, there was no reason to cause this commotion. "Onii-chan," Kyoko put a finger to her lips, reprimanding him. Ryohei settled back into his chair, grumbling thoughtfully to himself.

She turned to Yamamoto, "Who took him? What about Gokudera-kun?"

"I don't know who took him…and Gokudera is missing…The police are looking for him now."

Kyoko gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Ryohei's eyebrows shot to his hairline. Again he boisterous asked, almost to himself, "Who would want to take octopus-head? He has a bad temper! And he's always hanging off of Sawada! This is too extremely complicated!"

Yamamoto blinked. For a really blunt guy, he sure thought pretty smart, "You have a good point. There is no reason to take Gokudera and Tsuna. So why are they gone?"

Ryohei spoke up, "Well maybe octopus-head went to find Sawada himself."

"That's a good idea." Yamamoto said, forcing a smile. Knowing Gokudera, he would just do that. He wouldn't rest until he knew for sure that their friend was safe and sound. He wished that for once his brain would help him. He can't think of any ideas in the most crucial moment!

They sat around the table in silence until Kyoko excused herself, "I have to call Haru-chan about this. Maybe they're at her house."

Yamamoto doubted it. Haru's house was on the other side of town. He would bet the world that Kyoko knew this too but it didn't hurt to try. She pulled out her cellphone, quickly dialing Haru's number. But before she could press the dial button, Kyoko's cellphone rang. She jumped, shocked, then took at quick peek at the caller ID before answering, "Haru-chan?" She called, shakily.

"Kyoko-chan! It's terrible! Bianchi-san called me just now!"

The brightly-colored haired girl blinked, "Bianchi-san?" But why would she call Haru? "Haru-chan, isn't she at her honeymoon with Reborn-san? Is there something wrong?" Yamamoto and Ryohei, leaned towards Kyoko, listening in on the conversation.

"Bianchi-san…." Haru stopped to let out a stifled sob, "Reborn-san…left her."

—

Iemitsu couldn't believe his ears. "What?" Not trusting her voice, Nana thrusted the phone at him. He grabbed it and held it to his ear, "Bianchi! What happened?"

What met his ears though, was incredibly saddening. Bianchi was crying. She struggled to breathe. "R—Reborn…He's gone…and the police…called…" She breathed in deep shakily, then out, "Hayato is gone too…What's going on?"

"Oh Bianchi," Iemitsu's gasped, nearly to tears himself. So much was happening. And worse of all; he felt partly responsible. Gokudera just disappeared in their house so he couldn't exactly blame Bianchi if she sort of resented him at the moment. "What happened? He just left? Just like that? Did he say anything?"

"He said that…he was going away to take care of something important…and that he might not come back…but he didn't take away the ring…he said not to worry about him, that he loved me, and that he was so sorry…I don't understand…It's right after the wedding…I…"

"Bianchi…" He began blindly, his mind spinning, "I'm so…so sorry. If only—if only I had…"

"No." She said firmly, her sniffling stopping just temporarily. "It wasn't your fault. The police told me your side of the story. You tried."

"Bianchi, the police won't believe me. Heck, I don't believe myself. What if I was hallucinating at that time? What if Tsuna just outside playing with Gokudera right now and I called the police for no reason at all—"

"Stop that." Bianchi said icily, and he complied, stopping his self-rebuttal, "If you're a man, than you should know when you're right or wrong. Just because the police doesn't believe you doesn't mean you should change what you saw." She said simply, then hung up deftly after.

Iemitsu and Nana sat there on the couch, staring at the phone as it blasted its busy-ringtone. Slowly, Iemitsu turned it off. Nana hugged him around the waist, burying her face in his shoulder. Before he could kiss her hair in comfort, the police called him over once again.

"Mr. Sawada." The detective drawled from the dining table, "We need another word with you." Her anxiety was killing her. Iemitsu patted her head once, and got up. He had to pry Nana's hand from his before he sluggishly collapsed onto the dining table across from the detective.

"What do you need, detective." Iemitsu glared at him tiredly, no longer putting up a show on pretending to respect the detective. If he was damned to tell his story again then he'd do it again and again. Bianchi was right. He saw what he saw. Now it was up to them to believe it.

"Mr. Sawada, we've made three ideas and one of which we'd like to share with you."

"Oh?" Iemitsu sat up straighter, looking as serious as he could in his pajamas. They're finally letting him in? Do they believe him?

The detective scratched his chin once and held up a finger, "Our first idea was that your son, Tsunayoshi is out there somewhere playing with Gokudera Hayato." Iemitsu shook his head to himself. Impossible. Tsuna knows better than to wander off in the middle of the night, even if Gokudera was with him. He held up another finger, "Two, we made a conclusion that Gokudera murdered your son and he is on the loose now."

At this, Iemitsu's face burned in rage and his blood boiled under his skin. He stood up, slamming his hands on the table. The sound caught the attention of the busy room and it slowly quieted down to listen in on the action. "Gokudera would never do that! He adores Tsuna!"

The detective only ignored him, holding up a third finger, "Third, is that you killed both Gokudera Hayato and your son, Sawada Tsunayoshi and made up that silly story of holes in closets to throw us off." Iemitsu stopped his bellowing to stare at the detective incredulously. Around the room, there was silence. Nana was so shocked that she couldn't even cry anymore. Then murmurs, all the officers stared accusingly at the blond-haired man, who stood clammed up, palms still flat on the table. The detective smirked, absolutely gleeful at Iemitsu's reaction. He leaned in his chair, hands folded under his chin.

When Iemitsu failed to reply, the detective stood up, his hands up in the air, gallantly gesturing towards Iemitsu, "You see gentlemen," He turned to Nana, smiling wryly, "And lady, this man is the only one that can be the killer. Think about his wife's testimony; 'I heard Tsuna screaming Hayato-kun's and my husband's name'." The detective laughed through his nose, "Tsunayoshi Sawada was sleeping quietly in his bed, without a care in the world and his father comes in and kills him. Proof is the broken bedroom door. Iemitsu had fully intended to kill his son with such mad determination. Gokudera Hayato heard this commotion, as Nana had said during her questioning, 'I heard Hayato-kun yelling, but I was asleep so I don't know when that was,' had witnessed the cruel murder and tried to stop Iemitsu but the man," The detective held up Iemitsu's beefy limp arm, "As you can see, has a advantage in strength. He easily overtook the child."

"That isn't all…" He continued, "It couldn't have been Yamamoto, the other child that had slept over tonight either; He went to the Sasagawas during the moment of the crime, who are the neighbors across the street. He and the family has an airtight alibi."

The detective craned himself in front of Iemitsu to look at his expression. He smiled catfully up at the father, "Well, Sawada? Do you plan on blaming your wife? She doesn't have an alibi after all; she was just sleeping beauty in the next room. Now tell us, where are the bodies?"

In desperation, Iemitsu shook his head.

"We have to take you in for further questioning, sir. Come quietly if you will." The detective ordered as he sat up, jabbing a finger at the heavily-breathing Iemitsu.

Immediately, the officers descended on him, and Iemitsu roared angrily as they pushed him roughly to the floor and handcuffed him. "No!" Nana cried and she started running towards her restrained husband, "Iemitsu would never do this! Please!"

Nana screamed as two officers held her back before she could even touch her husband. "No!" She slapped them both hard on the arms, like bad children, and they released her. Nana sobbed as she pushed the other dumbstruck officers away and wrapped her arms around Iemitsu, she turned towards the police, who watched the scene with surprised looks. "Please, I'm begging you!" She pleaded, "Please give us time! He—My dear would never do this—This can't happen—he's not that sort of person! He'll tell you the real story! I swear it!" It was a loss cause, and she knew it.

"Nana, please," Iemitsu whispered into her ear, "I know what I saw. B—" He took his moment to breathe in then out, "But I know…I'll bring him back. Okay?"

The young mother looked like she was going to faint, "No, you don't have to do anything. Let them take care of this."

"Look around us, Nana," Iemitsu commanded. Nana complied, and stared up like a small child at the faces watching them apathetically. He continued, his voice going even lower, "No one here believes us. They think I'm the killer now. I need you to cause a distraction. Anything will do. Make sure you do it before they put me in the car. I'll find him. And I'll bring him back safe and sound. I promise." Even Iemitsu didn't believe he could keep that, but he sure as hell would die trying.

Nana, calmed herself down, looking at him with so passionate eyes, Iemitsu really wondered how he got so lucky to have married such a beautiful girl. She kissed him hard, and Iemitsu kissed her back with equal force as he could handcuffed. "I love you." She stated, almost angrily, "And I want you to bring my son back."

Iemitsu smiled into her neck, "I love you more than you can imagine, Nana. My one and only princess."

The same officers that Nana had slapped away retrieved her once again, wary of her hands. This time, Nana didn't struggle, only crying silently. She eyed defiantly at the people around them. Iemitsu closed his eyes as three officers pulled him up by the cuff of his pajama shirt and proceeded to drag him towards the entrance. But they paused a bit, letting Iemitsu slip on his old walkers. Nana stared, then nodded, slowly at him, letting him silently know that she was going to do something. Knowing Nana, Iemitsu thought with a quiet sigh, she probably knows what to do from now on. The officers opened the door. Then fresh air. The neighbors yelled at them when they stepped into view.

The voices of his co-workers, his friends, his neighbors met his ears. Everyone believed in him. How was he so damn lucky? He grinned at his friends, almost afraid to look at them in the eye. They shoved him towards the desolate police car near the Sasagawa residence.

Yamamoto came running out, and stopped, looking at the policemen pleadingly, "Mr. Sawada! Wait! Let him go!"

Ryohei and Kyoko came running out after him, gasping at the sight of the cuffed Iemitsu in his pajamas. Ryohei's face grew angry, a rare sight to behold, "Hey! You got the wrong guy!" Before he could open his mouth to speak and tell them everything would be all right, there was a roar behind them. Iemitsu, Yamamoto, and the Sasagawa siblings craned their heads to look behind the convicted man, eyes wide.

"Fire!" One officer cried, and within seconds the crowd dispersed, screaming frightfully, all running in scattered directions. The window next to them, where the kitchen area was, exploded and glass shards flew in all directions. They ducked, but unfortunately for Iemitsu he could not put his arms over his head to protect himself from the heat. It burned his face a bit, and he winced away. It was absolutely chaotic. Disruptive, even. It was enough. Iemitsu twisted in the officers' arms, who stared dumbfounded at the ablaze house. The young father slammed his head into one officer's and immediately he stumbled back, disorientated. The next officer was more aware but wasn't expecting Iemitsu's knee shot to his stomach. The guard wheezed, gripping his stomach and fell to his side.

Kyoko screamed, shocking all near her, "Run, Mr. Sawada!"

And Iemitsu ran. He never thought it was so difficult running in handcuffs until he tried, but this was ridiculous. It was awkward to say in the least. He grinned though, when he heard the officers' attempt to run after him but was lost in the disarray crowd. He took one last glance at his house, burning with vengeance at the tiny accommodation. Nana must've turned the stove on and spread the fire with the curtains or something. Geez that woman…Now what were they going to do about the house later? As thankful as he was, he'd be the one to clean it all up when he came back.

—

Before long, he completely lost the police on his trail. But he could still hear the distant sirens of their cars not too far off. He would have to be careful and use his ears. He pranced across a lonely lawn, muttering apologies all the while. Now that he was free…what should he do now? First he would have to get these handcuffs off. But no sane person would help him if he asked and he didn't have money on him to go to locksmith. Even if there was one, what locksmith would be open at this time of night? He sighed, wishing he could put his hand in front of his chin in thought. He usually did that to help him think straight. He stared fixedly at the floor as he walked.

Then he heard it. Dogs. Shit, Iemitsu cursed, his mind reeling, how in the world do you escape police dogs handcuffed? Jumping through a bush, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard loud barking behind him.

The dog immediately sprinted after him, making Iemitsu yelp in fright. God he hated dogs. "There he goes!" A policeman cried and began rushing to him. The dog growled and snarled and Iemitsu jumped through another bush and into another clearing. He followed the road, and his ears picked up the sound of sirens approaching him. He was cornered. He made a sharp turn to the right and his right sneaker slipped, and bended his ankle in a strange position. Before he could stop himself, Iemitsu grunted loudly as he met the asphalt floor, signaling the dog and the policemen of his location. Pain shot up his hip, and he knew that he may as well as crushed it with the sudden impact. Damn he was getting too old for this.

"I heard something! Over that corner!"

Iemitsu writhed on the ground, struggling to get up. His cuffed wrists were raw from his instinctive struggles as they scraped against the silver metal. Using his knee and abdomen power, Iemitsu lifted himself up. Next using his legs one by one, he was on both feet. Just as he was about to run again, Iemitsu looked up to see a man standing in front of him.

For a moment they stared at eachother. Hoping to god the man wouldn't stop him, Iemitsu laughed nervously and whispered, "Sorry you had to see that." Avoiding the other's gaze, Iemitsu had fully intended to go around this man and take off running before he spoke. But he couldn't. The man's reply had caught him off guard.

His voice was low, deep, and positively hard to ignore. "Sawada Iemitsu."

At the call of his name, Iemitsu looked at this man's face, meeting his eyes. He blinked. Now that Iemitsu had a good look at his face, he was instantly alarmed. The man looked horrible. His hair was mussed, as if he combed his hand through it many times. His tie was undone, and the offending cloth flapped against the wrinkled black suit. The first thing that came in mind was that he was a drunk. But his fierce, stern almost-permanent look remained, too focused to be influenced by intoxication and he didn't smell any alcohol on him. He was wearing a suit and he did know his name. Maybe this was a new guy at his work? "Do I know you?" He shook his head. Even if he was a new intern, he was running for his life here! Now wasn't the time to be socializing! "Sorry, I can't talk. I'm kinda busy—"

"There he is!" Iemitsu gasped, looking to his right to see two police officers making a beeline towards him. He turned, but too fast, he slipped and once again, and fell to the cement floor.

"Shit!" He cursed, and tried to crawl away, but was pushed down by the police. They pushed his face down and Iemitsu coughed out the dust that he breathed in. He struggled against them by all the tricks in the book. He pushed his back up like a camel, kicked his legs like a newborn baby, and wriggled against them like a worm.

"You have the right—" The man grunted as Iemitsu kicked his knee, "You have the right to remain sil—" He stopped again when Iemitsu headbutted him. "Damn it all!" The officer punched Iemitsu, and shook him. The father had no choice but to take the blow. His right temple stung, and he knew instantly that there was going to be a bruise there later.

"Hey you. Herbivores. I was talking to him."

They glanced up. Despite the bizzareness of calling someone a herbivore at this situation at the moment he honestly didn't care. It was the same man that Iemitsu had tried to ignore. He didn't leave yet? The officer grunted grumpily, "Listen, thanks for catching the criminal and all that. You can leave now."

"Criminal?" Hibari repeated dully. "Why has this man been convicted?"

"He is charged for the murder of his son, Sawada Tsunayoshi and Gokudera Hayato. He's a dangerous one, so stay back."

"I told you the truth already, I didn't do it!" Iemitsu growled before he was pushed into the ground again.

"Yes, yes. You told us a million times." The officer began to pull him up by the collar, "Now get up. You're in a world of trouble—" There was a sickening crack of a tonfa meeting a skull. The officer immediately crumpled, eyes rolling. Iemitsu gasped loudly, eyes widening at the sight of the stranger, the apathetic-looking man, helping him. The other officer choked backing up against the wall. Iemitsu realized, that both of the men were completely unarmed. "What are you doing? You just hit a police officer! You can go to jail for that you know!" When Hibari didn't reply, the officer begged, "Wait, please, don't hurt me. I know, you want a reward right? It was because we brushed you off, right? If you just follow me then I'll talk to my superior and he'll—"

"I hate deals." Hibari said darkly. Before the officer could say anymore, a tonfa connected with his temple. The man in blue made a mid-gasp and then fell to the floor, bleeding and unconscious. Iemitsu stared at them, absolutely mortified.

He looked up to his mysterious savior, wondering briefly if the man was going temporarily insane. Was he next? Was he going to get him next? "Who are you?"

Hibari looked at him briefly then away to kick at the unconscious forms. "Hibari Kyoya. You may call me Hibari."

"Why did you save me?"

Instantly reminded of his objective, Hibari turned to Iemitsu. With a silent spin of his tonfa, he held it to the older man's chin and the dark-haired man glared down at the young father. Iemitsu shuddered. The glare was so amazingly...dark and murderous. It was, at the same time; unreadable yet menacing. "Speak. Did you kill those boys?"

He stood his ground, but only figuratively since he was the one kneeling. Iemitsu looked up at him defiantly. "No." He said simply, daring the man in front of him to say otherwise.

There was a moment of silence before Hibari opened his mouth again. "I believe you."

Iemitsu blinked up at the tall dark-haired man. He…believed him? The thought was hard to grasp. But true to his words, Hibari walked around Iemitsu and with a quick stroke of his steel tonfa, Hibari made a clean cut at the chain holding his wrists together. His hands fell limply to his sides and the blond-haired man stared at his palms in disbelief.

"Follow." Hibari ordered. With one hand, Hibari began to tie his wrinkled silk tie and he closed his suit. Now that he looked pristine, Iemitsu thought, he looked very much like...like mafia, actually. Tall and intimidating, and just scary when he got down to business in all honesty. "First, you are to tell me what you witnessed. Where is Sawada Tsunayoshi right now?"

Hibari walked on ahead, grunting at the older man to follow him. Iemitsu grinned, putting his hands behind his head, "Wait up, Kyo-kun!" He ran until he was walking at a steady pace next to the man as he told his side of the story, once again. Hibari was deathly quiet during his testimony, somtimes twitching, as if he was angry and upset. After he was done, Hibari only looked at the floor. His expression was somewhat inscrutable, but Iemitsu could see. In Hibari's eyes; was questionable self-disgust, bright realization, slight horror, and finally, unwavering determination.

"We have much to do." The younger-looking man said carefully, but not directed at Iemitsu, but at himself, "I will assist you on your search for your son." They walked on in silence before he spoke again, "That hole in his closet. Are you absolutely sure that it took him?" For a moment Iemitsu was suspicious. Why the sudden change in heart? Why did he look so sure when he said he would help him? He studied Hibari's face, searching for an answer but could not find one. Why would such a uncaring-looking man help a stranger find a missing son? Especially depending on the circumstances; his crazy story and the fact that he never met this person before. Any normal human being would recoil from him.

But Hibari did not in any means look normal. To him, on that night, Hibari was like an angel sent from god himself. A complete stranger. Not only did he believe him, but he was willing to help him find his son? It felt completely surreal and unbelievable, but he accepted it with open arms. He decided on that night that he really liked this Hibari Kyoya. Sure he looked scary sometimes, but he knew something for sure; maybe he was just one big softie that liked to help people. Iemitsu grinned at Hibari, who only blinked blankly at the smile. He opened his mouth to confirm the younger-man's answer. And like he had said before; he'd repeat it over and over if that meant getting his son back.

AN: Hibari finally makes another appearance and Iemitsu teams up with our boogie man on the quest to find Tsuna! Now that's all for the interlude. Back to Tsuna and his mission next chapter! :D

MANGA SPOILERS: There is none! Oh Chapter 288, where are you? So let's make this a prediction thing, okay? You know, I've been thinking. Most likely, we'll definitely see Xanxus again in this arc. Do you think that the Varia changed? Probably not. But I can hope. I do like Xanxus in the future. Because hot MESS he is smoking. Maybe a younger Fran will come and that'll be the start of Mukuro's apprenticeship. ONE MORE THING; We didn't get exactly who was the 'third' illusionist that could trick the Vendicare, after all! Do you think this is the final arc of KHR? The whole point of Reborn was for Tsuna to become the Tenth Boss of Vongola. *sigh* I'm at loss what to do if it is...