Though this wasn't his first time meeting the Ninth, Tsuna was no less awed by everything the old man had at his disposal. First, it had been the dozens of men that had been sent to pick him up, then the large limousine, and now – a private jet. Seeing the extravagant aircraft had nearly been the point where Tsuna simply turned around and left. Honestly, he hadn't even left Japan yet and he already felt way in over his head.

Clearly, his companions didn't find the extravagance nearly as intimidating. Watching his three core guardians board the plane ahead of him with barely contained excitement, Tsuna couldn't help but smile a bit. Still, he could feel his stomach clenching involuntarily as he reconsidered his decision for the hundredth time that morning. He didn't just have butterflies in his stomach – it was more like an angry swarm of wasps.

"Are you thinking of turning back, Tsuna?" Reborn asked, hopping out of the limo beside him. He was careful to use a neutral tone of voice, so Tsuna wouldn't be swayed by his opinions. He wanted the boy to make this particular decision for himself.

Sure enough, Tsuna was unable to determine whether Reborn was disapproving or not. It was simply a question that happened to leave the option of running away wide open. Tsuna swallowed heavily, thinking back to the day before. He hadn't been kidding when he said there were calls to be made. He had spent the entire day on the phone, calling one person after another, storing away each opinion as if they were precious jewels. Interestingly, the first number he had dialed belonged to his father.

It had been clear that the man was surprised to be hearing from his son, though he refrained from allowing his emotions to corrupt his advice.

"So, you're actually considering accepting the Ninth's offer." The man said. "I honestly didn't expect that of you…but I'm glad to hear it."

"Well, I haven't officially accepted it yet, or even made a decision…" Tsuna had been quick to interrupt, although his words were halfhearted.

"So, you want me to help you decide?"

"I was hoping, maybe, since you've been part of the mafia for so long, that you could tell me what I should do."

"I can't do that."

"Aren't you the external advisor, or whatever? Isn't that your job?"

"Giving advice isn't the same thing as making the decision for you."

"Then go ahead and advise me!" At this point, frustration and anger had made Tsuna's voice start quivering. "Do you think I'm right for this?"

His father had been silent for a moment, before sighing heavily.

"Tsuna, you're my son. The last thing I want is to see you in a position of danger. But my job is to give advice, like you said, impartially. So, if I were to answer your question from a completely unbiased point of view…yes, Tsuna. I believe you're the man for the job. Just a year ago, I wouldn't have been saying this, but you've grown considerably since then, in many more ways than one." There was a significant pause as Tsuna waited quietly, holding his breath. "I'm proud of you, son."

The air rushed out of his lungs as his heart gave a curious tug. He never would have imagined that five words from his no good father would have had such an impact on him.

"O-okay…" He had responded awkwardly, preparing to hang up. Before he did so, though, he decided to try and end things on a positive note. "Um, Dad?"

"Hm?"

"…T-thanks." The man simply hummed softly in response.

"Let me know when you reach a decision." He had said before hanging up, leaving Tsuna to chew on his lip thoughtfully in silence.

It was unbearable. Though there were still several hours before school would let out, he had a hunch one of his friends wouldn't have felt the need to stay. He dialed the next number without hesitating.

"Tenth!" The bomber's jubilant voice greeted him before the phone had even rung twice. "Is something wrong?"

Considering Tsuna rarely called the young man, he couldn't blame Gokudera for immediately assuming so.

"No, Gokudera, I'm fine. I just wanted to ask a quick question."

"Anything!" It took Tsuna a few seconds to figure out how to phrase it properly.

"Why…why do you have so much faith in me, as the…Tenth?" Just saying the title out loud felt odd and unnatural to him, as though it were a word that didn't yet belong to him.

"Why…?" Tsuna could tell he had taken the other boy off guard. "That's…well…where do I start…?"

It was unsurprising that Gokudera was struggling, not because he didn't know how to answer the question, but because he had too many answers. Despite that, Tsuna still felt amazed to know that someone could view him so highly.

"The Tenth is incredible! You're strong, and you fight well, and you know exactly what to do when things are bad. Those are all very good qualities for a leader, but…let's see, why I have faith in the Tenth…" Tsuna suppressed a snicker. In his head, he could see Gokudera trying to count off reasons on his fingers. "I guess it's because…well, because you care, Tenth."

"…Because I…care?" Tsuna had repeated, blinking in confusion. That was one response that he hadn't expected to come from the gruff young man.

"Yes! Many leaders don't care for their subordinates, and they don't care about who might get hurt. But you worry about everyone you meet, even people that don't properly respect you." Gokudera's voice had begun to take on a notably different tone at that point, which Tsuna eventually determined to be embarrassment. "You, ah…you changed my life. I'm able to live for the right reasons now, and…I-I honestly don't think I would even still be alive today if it weren't for you, Tenth."

Tsuna's jaw had practically fallen open, and he struggled to find the words to express himself. His first instinct had been to vehemently deny every word the bomber spouted, but he ended up forcing himself to remain silent. His silence dragged on for longer than he intended it to.

"T-tenth?" Slowly closing his jaw, Tsuna simply closed his eyes and smiled softly.

"Thank you, Gokudera."

"O-of course, Tenth!" Though he had only made two calls at that point, Tsuna had begun to feel the reality of his current situation. The mafia was not a game, and he had a very serious decision to make. So he dedicated the rest of the day to discussing the matter with his friends and family, both directly and indirectly, and each member had something important to say in his eyes.

"There's a summer program I've found," He had told his mother, making up a story on the fly. "If I decide to join it, I'll be spending the break overseas. It might create a good job opportunity for me, too."

"Well, that sounds wonderful, Tsu-kun!"

"It's a lot of responsibility, though, and I'm not sure I'm right for that sort of thing…"

"Well, you won't know if you don't try! If you think it would make you happy, just go for it!" Though she didn't know the entire story, he still found her words calming. If he so much as mentioned the danger involved, she would have never allowed it, but it was clear that she supported him regardless of his "No-Good" nature. It turned out to be a theme that spanned across all of his friends.

"Whatever you do, I'll tag along. I don't feel like I ever have to worry when you're around. You're a lot of fun, Tsuna!" Yamamoto had replied lightheartedly when Tsuna asked whether or not he would follow someone like him, while Ryohei had yelled something along the lines of "EVERYTHING SAWADA DOES IS EXTREME!"

"Tsuna-san must become a mafia boss, because Haru is going to be a mafia boss's wife!" was Haru's enthusiastic reply to his worries, while Kyoko displayed a gentle sort of concern.

"Just be careful, whatever you do. And make sure my brother stays out of trouble, alright?" The two girls' loving gazes had been enough to melt Tsuna's heart, and he had practically collapsed on the spot. Every single person he spoke to had given nothing less than their full support.

With each conversation he had, Tsuna realized again and again that he had surrounded himself with people that cared about him. As each conversation ended, his resolve strengthened just a little bit more. By the end of the evening, Tsuna found himself contacting the Ninth without so much as a tremor in his fingers. These people were his family, he told the Ninth resolutely, and he wanted to live up to the person that they believed in. He wanted to be strong enough to protect them, and remain their friend, through whatever trials they might face.

"I'm not making any promises yet," He had said resolutely. "I'm just going to see, like you said. I want to see what the rest of the Vongola family looks like."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Tsunayoshi-kun." The old man had replied cheerfully. "You'll be picked up tomorrow morning."

"Well, Tsuna? Your friends are waiting." Reborn's impatient voice pulled Tsuna out of his daze. Looking up, Tsuna found his three friends standing by the steps of the plane, patiently waiting for him to join them. "Are you changing your mind?"

Tsuna smiled tensely, although his expression was growing more relaxed by the minute. Having reviewed the conversations from the previous day and seeing his friends in front of him now, Tsuna was only able to shake his head in response.

"No. I'm going." He answered Reborn with a grin as he walked briskly towards his friends. This was a decision he had made for himself, hopefully the first of many, and he intended to stick to it. "Let's see what Italy has in store for me."

A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews so far! I really hope to continue this story for a good amount of time, and there is no better inspiration than a bit of feedback! Since I'm juggling this with college courses, it's going to be a bit tricky to upload regularly, but I'll be trying to do so at least once a week. This chapter was a bit shorter, but I felt the need to delve just a little bit deeper into Tsuna's decision. I'm hoping things will begin to pick up in the next chapter, where they'll actually be in Italy. I hope you'll stick around to see what's in store for them there! Thank you for reading!