Chapter 9

"What? What's it got to do with the headmistress?" Ienari wondered out loud as he looked at Tsuna with disbelieving eyes.

Tsuna leaned on the wall, "Apparently she and Mom go way back. Mom was a training officer under her in her early days before she retired after her husband died in a shooting incident here in Namimori. To care for Kyouya, she retired and built a school for reforming delinquents and curing teenagers whose rehab times didn't help with their problems." He informed. "That was ten years ago."

"Ah." Was the only thing Ienari could say after hearing it.

"So, when March came, Mom told me to look for a school that I want to go to, regardless of the tuition, where there were anti-bullying policies in their school, and she would choose what was near her budget. But earlier after I was discharged from the rehab center, my first psychiatrist gave me an application to the institute. You see, to enter there in middle school, you have to be given the application by a psychiatric professional or a social worker if you are a delinquent. In my case, my former psychiatrist did it. Mom sent my application just in case the other schools I chose didn't come through."

"And it went smoothly, seeing as you're now a student of theirs," Ienari concluded.

Tsuna smiled, "Well, there was the thing about meeting Kyouya in an awkward situation…"

"This I want to hear," Ienari coaxed.

"No! That was embarrassing! And we're here to discuss Mom's love life, right?"

"So you're saying you have one?"

"Nice try, but that's a story for another time." Tsuna dismissed, inwardly patting himself in the back for averting any questions regarding his own love life where Ienari cannot know until further notice. The last thing he wanted was questions about his sexuality being asked. "Now, back to Mom. After my acceptance letter came from the school, I threw a tantrum."

Ienari looked at Tsuna with disbelief, "What? You threw a tantrum?"

"I didn't want to go there at first. I felt like she was going to send me to an isolated hospital disguised as a school." He explained. "Turns out it was a school maintained by the Hibari family, particularly the matriarch, which is the headmistress." He shrugged, "So, after my tantrum, Reborn put me to rights. And somehow, to my knowledge, they were flirting."

…

"I have to hand it to you, Reborn-san, you know your way in Tsu-kun's head," Nana commented as she looked at the dejected Tsuna sulking in the living room by the kotatsu.

Reborn was there too, sipping espresso from the dining room table, unaware that Tsuna was listening in, despite him sulking.

"What can I say? Knowing you, I know your son as well. He takes after you after all."

"Meaning I can be talked out of throwing a tantrum?" Nana asked with a teasing lift of her brow.

Reborn smirked, "It means I know you enough to predict how your son thinks. You did raise him on your own. He has most of your qualities that interests me."

"Enlighten me on that subject," she coaxed as she sat across from him with her own cup of coffee.

"I'd like to keep it for myself, thank you,"

Tsuna couldn't bear it. Their flattery exchange has been going on for weeks now. The flirting has got to stop! "Here I am, sulking, and my Mom and my tutor are flirting…" he muttered. "Woe is me…" Tsuna was aware of the look that Reborn was giving him, and Nana was too shocked to reprimand her son.

Her exchange of words with Reborn had never given anyone the signals before, but to be told by her only son that she was flirting was a bit troubling.

Reborn, on the other hand, was quite surprised that the boy's intuition was right on the mark. He would applaud him that, but the fact that he used it unconsciously to trace the flirting that has been happening between him and Nana so naturally, it was a bit irritating.

"You've become snarky, aren't you?"

"I'm going to do my homework," the boy said as he stood from his seat and made a beeline to his room, knowing what will happen if he stays there any longer.

…

"And after that, I noticed them becoming even closer. The next thing I knew, they were dating." Tsuna concluded.

"That's it?" Ienari said, unsatisfied about Tsuna's story.

The brunette raised his brow, "Do you really want me to share to you what happened when I walked in on them once?"

"NO!" Ienari blanched. "But I thought you knew how Mom fell for Reborn!"

"I said I know when Mom and Papa fell in love. Not how. Although I think it had something to do with me being too good in reading the atmosphere and destroying it with my 'childhood insensitivity' that they realized that they were actually attracted to each other."

"Huh?" Ienari tilted his head in wonder. But he guessed it must have been their hyper intuition, a bloodline ability that Reborn had told him so much about. The only reference he could pick up was Vongola Primo's.

"I may be a troubled kid, but I can read the atmosphere. I talked to Mom about it first, and then to Reborn—separately, of course—and then by the time I entered the institute, they were already an item." Tsuna sighed, "You could imagine the questions my classmates asks me on who was the tall Italian helping out at the restaurant on a weekly basis. It took me three months to realize that my tutor and my mom are dating. And I always had to flinch when I say to them: Oh, that's my Mom's boyfriend. And all that. When they got married though, I happily say: Oh that's my Papa!"

"Must be hard for Mom, having women ogle at Reborn at the restaurant when he appears." Ienari stated.

"Actually, Mom would be worried if women aren't looking at Papa." Tsuna said. "As long as Papa only has eyes on her, the women can look at her with envy."

The brothers shared a laugh, knowing that it was true.

"Boys. It's time for bed." Reborn interrupted as he barged into Ienari's room again, now dressed in pajamas, his spiky black hair now revealed for everyone to see. Ienari blanched as he saw the familiar pink pajamas with white spots. He always did question his bad taste in nightclothes.

"Really?" the Tsuna asked as they looked at Ienari's wall clock and saw that it was almost midnight. Tsuna's story must have taken too long for them to notice it.

Reborn rolled his eyes, "Yes. Really. We still have an early day for tomorrow, and we have to cater to a party at the Makishima residence." He informed. "Now go to bed. Tsuna, to your room,"

"Yes," Tsuna said as he got off Ienari's bed. "We'll continue this some other time, Ienari." He assured.

"Sure. Goodnight." Ienari bid the two as his door closed.

As the footsteps disappeared, Ienari had the chance to think about what Tsuna had managed to tell him. Clearly Tsuna and their mother went through a lot before Reborn came in their lives, and as much as he hated to admit it, he came at the right time to save his older brother.

…

Gesso Villa, Italy

Byakuran was packing his stuff when one of the maids knocked on his bedroom door. Turning to the door, he called out, "Come in!"

The door opened revealing one of his personal maids, Thelma, "Pardon me, Young Master Byakuran, but someone is waiting for you at the foyer," she then looked at the suitcase of her master, "And please, Young Master, don't sneak in marshmallows in your suitcase. Border security will give you a bad time." She scolded lightly.

The white haired boy pouted. "But I want marshmallows on the plane!" he whined.

"No, Young Master. The last thing your father wants is for you to gain attention at the airport just because you have un-declared bags of marshmallows," she chided. "I'm sure you would ignore these bags once you see how the Japanese sell their own marshmallow merchandise." She tried to convince him.

If there was something that the head butler of the Gesso Famiglia, Vino Garducci, had taught all of them, it was to convince their young master to not do something outrageous.

"But still!" Byakuran protested.

And Thelma learned that if all else fails, call for Irie Shoichi—or at least, threaten him with the red head. "If you won't cease and desist, Young Master, I will have to call Signorino Shoichi,"

Byakuran gawked. Vino was doing everything he can to keep him in line. "Geh! Fine, I'll take them out. Sho-chan is already mad at me as it is…" he said, completely backing off. "So, who is the visitor in the foyer?"

Now comes the hard part. "It's the woman of the Simon Famiglia."

A frown marred the features of their young master. If there were people that can make him mad, some of them are members of the Simon Famiglia.

"Is she with someone else?"

Thelma shook her head. "No, Young Master. Although she came at our gates threatening to kill security if she doesn't see you," she informed.

With a raised brow, Byakuran turned to his bed where his suitcase was at. "Tell her I'll be there in a few minutes." He ordered.

Thelma bowed, "As you wish, Young Master," she said and left his room.

If there was another thing that Byakuran hated, it was people threatening to kill security, or any of the family staff. With a frown, he got out of his room, and headed to the foyer, not really telling his red headed companion of their unwanted visitor.

When he arrived at the foyer, he put on his poker face, which consisted of a foxy smile, and a look that would make a normal person run for the hills in fright. "So, it was you who threatened my gate security team." he started as he descended the stairs that connected the second room to the foyer. "Suzuki Adelheid. What, pray tell, do you have to say for yourself, threatening my security?" he asked, not wanting to waste any time with the woman in front of him.

Adelheid looked back at Byakuran with cold eyes. "I heard from the vine that you were on your way to Japan?" she inquired.

Byakuran reined in his annoyance. If he didn't, then he would order the lurking snipers to pull their triggers. "The only ones who has business on where I go to are my father, the house staff, and Shoichi. You have no right to inquire where I am going. Unless…" Byakuran smirked, "Unless you think that I would go and find Ienari, wherever he is?"

The woman's red eyes sharpened at the mention of Ienari. Byakuran smirked, "Hit a nerve, didn't I?"

"Never speak the name of that bastard in front of me!" Adelheid growled.

"And never order me to do anything in my own home." Byakuran returned. "I know how you managed to get my booking records, and the reason why you barged in here hours before my flight to Japan. You think that I would use that as an excuse to scour the entirety of Europe for the Vongola Decimo who is now being hidden."

Byakuran almost wanted to laugh a week ago when the other mafia families found out that the Decimo to-be was no longer attending their mafia academy. It had brought an influx of spies to know where Ienari would have been hidden. Many had even theorized that the Decimo had only locked himself up in the Vongola Castle, or its other residences in Italy to get away from everything.

But the only ones who knew the whereabouts of the young Decimo were the Vongola Nono, CEDEF Boss, his home tutor, and now, Byakuran and Irie, and they have no intention of sharing the knowledge to anyone.

"What are you planning by going to Japan?" She demanded.

"I'm not required to indulge you, am I? What is so wrong about going with my friend to Japan to see his parents?" Byakuran defended. "And besides, I told my guards that anyone associated with Simon is now banned from ever stepping on my property because of your stunt a month ago. Whatever concerns you want to say to me, you can do it on neutral ground, not in a place where you could be turned to Swiss cheese should you harm a hair on my head." He said with the foxy smile that every enemies he had hated, for it showed that he always has the upper hand in things. How, they would never live to tell.

With that, Adelheid turned to leave, rage emanating from her form as she exited the Gesso Villa.

Byakuran watched as Adelheid disappeared with the closing of the main doors. When she disappeared, his eyes turned serious. There was a mole in the villa, and he knew just who it is. As he turned to leave for his room, the light captured the orange gem of his ring with open wings.

Shoichi was waiting in his room, taking out the last of his marshmallow stash off the suitcase when he arrived back inside. "So, what did Suzuki want?" he asked.

Byakuran sat on the side of his bed, just beside his suitcase. "What all of them want. The location of the Vongola Decimo." He informed. "She 'heard' that we were going to Japan, and she suspected that I might just use that excuse to scour Europe to find out where the Vongola have 'hidden' their heir."

"And then they turn to us, the ones whom Sawada Iemitsu had told his son to avoid associating with if he knew what was good for him." Shoichi added. "Sometimes I don't know what goes through their heads."

"But Suzuki's guess is not that far from the truth." Byakuran replied. "It would be good if we get rid of the mole before we go anywhere. I don't want to risk exposing Nari-chan's location if I could help it."

"You don't have to worry about that," Shoichi assured. "I asked Vino-san to take care of it with his methods."

Very few could make Byakuran's spine shiver. And Vino were one of those people. He could still remember when he was kid, someone tried to kidnap him, and Vino had shown up with murderous intent and annihilated twenty armed people all by himself. He was basically a second father to him, just has his father was to Vino's predecessor. And he could be very protective of him when he needs to, and very cross if he does things that displeases him.

"Ah…then we can rest easy knowing Vino."

"And we can protect the location of the Vongola Decimo."

Byakuran nodded, "I can't wait to see Nari-chan's face when we get there!"

The red head smiled. "Yeah." He then held up a bag full of marshmallows, "Now, what did I say about smuggling food in the country by stuffing it in your suitcase?"

Shoichi's smile turned sinister, and Byakuran shivered in cold sweat at the face. "Uhm…"

TBC

The good news is, my trip was cancelled, and I can stay at home writing.

The bad news is, my plot bunny took a vacation without me.

Maybe it's because of the super duper heat that has been frying me, my new dyed hair, and laptop. Ahaha…probably shouldn't have mentioned the hair, but it was the first time for me to dye it (with disastrous results)!

The heat has been killing me for a week now. Last I checked, it was 33 degrees Celsius.

So! Back to the story, well, Tsuna is not the best storyteller there is, but I intend to keep the sweet moments of R77 in their point of view when the time comes.

Suzuki Adelheid appears! The transferring of Ienari to Japan is a closely guarded secret of the inner circles of the Vongola, and Byakuran just found out because he's Byakuran. Almost everyone is wondering where Reborn hid him.

Next chapter will take a while, since I remembered I still have that HP fic in my Ao3 account to update…hehe, talk about forgetful, not to mention the Ghosts of the Past update is on next month.

June is nearing…

And I want to cry because while you guys in the west are enjoying your summer vacation, mine is ending!

Well, see you guys~!