[EDIT: Sept 9/2018. Fixed up the writing a bit, changed some things. Small things.]

THANK YOU TO: general zargon, Sceonn, sympatheticassassin, Demon Hound, XxShadowfangXx, and Miss Sexy Rain (x4), MoonStar1312, Guest, Gentle Snow, Kuroi Rin, shukkets, blueberry, Arashi -IV of VI, Akayuki Novak, and Natsu Yuuki. :)

TO EVERYONE WHO put this on favorites and follows thank you. To everyone who reviewed and did that too, sorry for not thanking you in my replies. I don't always go to my email to see if I have reviews and therefore I don't always know. :(

sympatheticassassin: As much as he hates Iemitsu and as much as he would never compliment the man to his face for any reason, Iemitsu is a good man at heart. Good enough to teach Tsuna to be nice and considerate to girls, as well as 'treat others the way you want to be treated' (which the future Decimo takes to heart... until Protective Mode! rears its head). Iemitsu is also just a moron and I'm certain the Vongola dodged one huge Bullet Bill when it came to him preferring the CEDEF to being the Vongola boss.

blueberry: Um... there are cute moments here and there, but... chapter 10 is where the first dose of physical Boys Love in a scene, so... I hope you enjoy the story until then?

whydothelinebreakshateme

"Children begin by loving their parents. As they grow up they judge them, sometimes they forgive them." ~ Oscar Wilde

whydothelinebreakshateme

Much later, sometime after gaining a certain home tutor, Tsuna would correctly place the blame of The Incident on Iemitsu and the damned letter he sent his dad years earlier.

It began on Tsuna's twelfth birthday, the day his blood-father appeared after a seven-or-so year long over-seas 'work trip' where he 'became a star'. The only reason Tsuna even recognized him is because he had a habit of making all the photos of the bastard face shelves and walls (and the fridge) that his mother patiently righted.

Just the sight of his father sitting at the kitchen table with a hearty, though not mountainous, breakfast before him, told Tsuna that his day was ruined before he'd set a single toe outside. His mother was in the kitchen, cheerful as ever but certainly no more than usual, and she was singing her favorite theme song from one of Tsuna's often watched anime. Iemitsu was out of his seat and crushing Tsuna in a hug before the boy had taken two steps into the kitchen and only the knowledge of his mother being in the room kept him from zapping Iemitsu into a hospital stay. Fortunately he had Piero defending him so Iemitsu backed off after a swipe of her paw slightly ripped through his heavy work overalls.

"Tsuna! You've gotten so big! How tall are you?"

Shaking off the painful absurdity of the moment, Tsuna replied monotonously, "Exactly 4'11". No need to say it, I know I'm impressive."

Iemitsu laughed aloud and clapped his son on the back. Tsuna bit his cheek to avoid grinding his teeth and he managed to eat half a plate of his mothers delicious cooking before he couldn't force down another bite. Madre fussed a bit and checked his temperature before getting him to at least have a small carton of chocolate milk. As he took little sips he watched with sharp eyes how his father hugged and kissed and interacted with his madre like he was never gone. Sure, according to his memory from back then Tsuna could see a difference in his mother's love for Iemitsu, how she was receiving affection instead of giving more than her usual bright smiles.

Perhaps it really was the young Sawada's wishful thinking but he thought she was truly less loving toward the No-Good husband. Rightly deserved. Over the last two years there have been a total of twelve letters split evenly between mother and son, a few sporadic gifts, and plenty of money, but very few phone calls. As in three short ones between mother and absentee.

Tsuna left the kitchen with his milk and went upstairs with his faithful cat shadowing his every step. Seeing Piero claw Iemitsu earlier after taking offense to that bear hug filled him with no small amount of delight. This was compounded by the look of irritation on his blood-father's face when his cat, not liking Iemitsu slapping his back, effectively made herself a living barrier by seating herself on Tsuna's lap and growling at the man if he came too close. Nana had merely giggled at this and fed a piece of fish to Piero since she was being an adorable guard-kitty, and made absolutely no move to separate cat from owner so Iemitsu could hug his son.

The day's plans had included a movie, to be specific it was supposed to an American Japanese dubbed action flick that Tsuna had been looking forward to for weeks. Even Kyoko had seemed excited and Hana was interested in learning what American monkey's found entertaining. Takeshi really wanted to see the alien action just like Tsuna. With great reluctance and that churning unease in his stomach stubbornly remaining, Tsuna dressed in comfortable slacks, a tank top, and an oversized (almost criminally comfortable) peace sign patterned hoodie his mother bought him.

Iemitsu pretty much pounced on Tsuna when the boy walked into the kitchen again, this time dressed and holding his good running shoes (unspoken rule, whoever tracks dirt into the house cleans the floor later, meaning 9/10 times it's Tsuna).

"You look adorable! Nana-chan you have such good taste!" Iemitsu went to hug Tsuna again when Piero nimbly hopped onto the boy's shoulders and easily curled around him like a living boa with a murderous stare. Iemitsu pouted. "I've gotta say, son, you have one interesting cat there."

"She's saved me from dogs and delinquents. I think the word you're looking for is awesome."

Tsuna ignored the odd shadow that crossed the No-Good man's face in favor of hugging Nana and giving her a kiss on the cheek. Attempting to flee the premises at a run with Piero only resulted in Iemitsu chasing him down the street in his dusty and oil stained overalls and gaudy construction hat.

"Shouldn't you be with madre, father?"

Iemitsu made a face at the cold address and tone, then grinned. "Ah, but I'll have all night! I just have my son for the day~!"

Don't punch him, don't punch him, don't even sic the cat on him, Tsuna switched that train of thought to reciting a poem he'd read in the library, an overseas one titled The Female of the Species.

Iemitsu chattered at Tsuna as he followed his son at a small distance as that cat insisted on keeping herself between them. Eventually Iemitsu managed to pry more than one word or grunted answers from his son and learned that Tsuna had been attacked by a large dog that landed him in the hospital. Without Piero Tsuna might have lost his arm, and he refused to lift his sleeve and show Iemitsu one part of his scars from that incident last year in the dead of summer.

Iemitsu learned that Tsuna was contemplating entering an art school someday, maybe becoming a writer (here the boy had quirked an eyebrow at Iemitsu, wondering if the man bothered to read the letter he never replied to) or a maybe becoming a paramedic since he's come to enjoy being able to fix up both himself and his friends. Iemitsu grinned and told his son that all of those career choices were admirable in their own way, especially the last, and that he was proud of him.

The smile that stretched across Tsuna's face in response could have flash frozen the No-Good man and Tsuna tried not to feel guilty that he didn't give a flying crap about his blood-father's opinion. He used anger and a simmering background sense of betrayal to ignore guilt that pecked at him when he saw Iemitsu wince at the fake expression.

Half an hour of walking and mostly one sided talking ended with both Sawada males meeting up with a group of three. Iemitsu observed his son interacting with them, how he smiled and it seemed as though the whole street grew a few shades brighter before the light in that expression went out like a candle.

"Guys, this is my father. I haven't see him in years, so imagine my surprise when I walk into the kitchen and see that- him, sitting there and eating like it's the most natural thing in the world." Tsuna felt himself pale a bit as his mouth spilled thoughts he preferred keeping private. It was a near thing not smacking his own forehead. "Um... y-yeah... Th-this is Takeshi-kun, Hana-chan and Kyoko-chan. They're three of my four best friends and we were planning to see a movie called The Avengers."

To Tsuna's immense vexation (something that showed on his face in a scowl before he thought of madre and his anger cleared) Iemitsu stepped forward and swept a cheesy bow, gaining a quiet giggle from Kyoko and a sharper You-Are-Suspicious-As-Heck squint from Hana. Takeshi, however, did something none of his more friends expected he could do, and with a deceptively carefree grin at that.

"So, Sawada-san, what's been keeping you from Tsuna and his mom all these years? You really should visit more!" Takeshi's smile grew a bit sharper as he stared into Iemitsu's eyes intently with a relaxed posture. "Who knows, maybe one day they won't be here when you decide to drop by on a whim. They'll have moved somewhere fun... like the beach! Or near an onsen!"

Hearing even Takeshi talk like this in his sort of dorky way, and seeing the look of surprised admiration on Tsuna's face, Hana discovered that, wonder of wonders, she could dislike the Sawada patriarch more. She had never pried into Tsuna's business and wrestled with why he was uncomfortable with father figures and himself in the same sentence, she never pestered when he grew a bit moody and bitter when clueless teachers threatened to call his father, but now she could understand. This was his father, this man dressed in dirty clothes supporting claims of where he works, and sporting a stupid grin that left her more appreciative of Takeshi. At least the baseball player looked innocent and kinda sweet. Tsuna had never had a proper father. Maybe that's why he took to Yamamoto-san so well, the man was warm and open and he was a bit like Nana-san in that way, and evidently Tsuna felt completely at ease with him.

Irritated by the odd threat she felt Iemitsu represented, Hana stepped forward to hug the young Sawada and ruffle his downy soft hair. "You call us later, okay? We can all gather at Kyoko-chan's house for a Miyazaki marathon. Takeshi can bring your favorite veggie sushi, and then we'll have cake."

"Oh, and Tsuna-kun, don't eat too much junk food!" Kyoko had her genuine angel smile going as she gave him a hug. "I made cupcakes and snacks we can eat while watching Kiki's Delivery Service!"

Tsuna's gloomy aura brightened considerably and he smiled happily, once more unknowingly shocking his father with the vibrancy of that simple expression. Iemitsu could both see and feel that his son possessed the Sky Magnetism, something that begins the process of finding Guardians and Connecting (Harmonizing) with them. That connection is strongly depended on the Sky's state of mind and (fortunately) only slightly on their self-perception. Obviously Timoteo could not completely seal the son of the Young Lion, and this was both a source of pride and future worry. Iemitsu did not envy his son the potential migraine that would come from the Sky Magnetism and subsequent problems that come with an unsealed flame of his probable power. Who knows who it could attract.

Without another word exhchanged, and practically ripping Tsuna from Kyoko's arms, Iemitsu was dragging Tsuna down the street and heading straight for the mall for a good wander. It took Piero launching herself at the man's back and clinging on with her claws for him to let go of Tsuna and let him walk alone, and that was an awkward silence only made worse by the twinge of guilt Tsuna felt. With reluctance he had his dad sit on a bench so he could clean up the bloody wounds and slap on some plasters.

After getting treated by his son Iemitsu was in a far cheerier mood and pestered his boy into talking. Tsuna thought about speaking in Italian with the man but that didn't feel right, that was sharing a part of himself that he still liked. So, feeling slightly vindictive for having his movie time with far more important people taken away, Tsuna went into detail about his life after Iemitsu all but disappeared off the face of the earth.

From the describing 176-plus broken bones he had gained, the pain he had gotten used to, and how lonely he'd been before making friends with Hana and Kyoko around seven months ago (bonding with Takeshi came three months after befriending the girls). Sure, he was still pushed to the ground hard enough to make him bleed, and a lot of students were often times cruel with words and actions when he wasn't backed up by a friend, but it did not change how he was sincerely happy.

Tsuna paused in his careful monologue and held his father's eyes with a sharp gaze. "It's thanks to them and madre that I'm happy. She smiles more too because she knows I'm not miserable anymore. Those three and Hibari-san, and even Ryo-Aniki, they're as much my world as her and Piero, and... and I'll protect them from as much as I can."

Knowing he wasn't important enough to his son to make that list was painful for the elder Sawada, and though he knew he really had no right to expect otherwise, he still wished he had his adorable Tsu-kun to cuddle. They'd never really gotten on well, probably due to the laten Sky Flames in his son, but he could and did miss what he lost and never really had.

That his son really did have Vongola worthy Sky Flames capable of being used outside the body meant that one day his sweet angel-boy could be forced to become the head of the blood-soaked mafia. Iemitsu had trouble looking his wife in the eye, and watching his son's young life fall apart by the loss of his flame, it was painful and the fact that Tsuna was so deeply affected spoke of how strongly that flame had been entrenched and connected with him well before puberty. He left because he couldn't take it, and much later on he received that particular letter and it was a fist through his chest. He'd had to, out of conscience and forewarning, show the letter to the Nono and the old man seemed to age several decades. It was then when they decided that should Tsuna become the lone candidate he would have to be tested some time before having Reborn go tutor him.

Thus the whole reason Iemitsu even returned. Everything was worse than before he left. His wife was so distant, his son did not value his praise, forget holding steady eye contact with him, and the boy's friends were even taking jabs at him. Had he really messed up that badly? Reborn would kick him in the head while saying, in the most disparaging voice an infant can manage, that yes he had.

Once at the mall Piero separated to go skulk somewhere to wait for their departure. Iemitsu was quick to bring Tsuna to an art store and wander with him for exactly 30 minutes, picking up anything his son showed enough interest in (which ended up being two a heavy baskets full), before he went and bought everything and declared that he had to make a call to his work place. The man left "Spicy Mochi's Art Emporium" and tried not to feel upset at how the simple blank sketchbook his son held minutes earlier had the boy smiling so happily when he had tried almost desperately for nearly two hours.

It was time to test whether Tsuna could be the man Nono wanted his successor to be.

Iemitsu got the confirmation that the targets had been caught and directed them to a distinct part of a ghost town-esque part of the city luckily not ten blocks away. Tsuna, judging from the more cool and normal feel to his body temp, obviously had no Sky draw on, but if the Sky Attraction still remains than he has enough Intuition for Iemitsu to have no choice but to play the game carefully. The CEDEF members were instructed to forget the taller girls cell and allow her to get a short call to Tsuna (something the elder Sawada was absolutely positive she would do against reason because he could sense her flame, Rain likely, strongly Harmonized with his son).

Tsuna had been picking through a selection of inking pens when he was hit with an unpleasant chill. While not as sharp to what he felt when Piero was in trouble, it was close enough to steal his air for a good few seconds before he put down the third basket of art stuff and left with a noticeable tremor in his arms. Right as he reached the public washroom he got a phone call from Hana.

"Ts-Tsuna! Call the police! Some psycho's g-grabbed the three of us. From the w-window I can see a creepy oak tree that looks like a hand reaching out of the ground. It has no leaves and l-looks like it was split by lightning."

Tsuna forced himself not to freak out and relied on the clarity of mind he gained from supercharging his brain. "Hana-chan. I'm going to get off the phone and call the-"

A door slammed open drawing two screams from Hana and Kyoko. Objects were thrown judging by the crashing, and evidently the kidnappers had been very displeased by her calling for help. Frozen as he was Tsuna heard Kyoko cry out "No! Leave Hana-chan alone!" before Takeshi's voice was yelling for them to back off. Then there came the sharp sound of a fist on flesh and Hana calling out Takeshi's name while Kyoko began to sob. The line went dead and Tsuna felt himself begin to crack along with the self-imposed block on the 'rotten' part of his heart. Tsuna shuddered and lashed out with a punch aimed at the wall. His fist buried in the plaster and cement and, breathing heavily, he pulled himself free with a growl that would be adorable under other circumstances.

Iemitsu watched from a distance, almost nervous and quite fascinated as he observed his son shake off his anger and go from No-Good to something he could one day admire. Tsuna did indeed call the police (or who he thought was the police) and inform them of a kidnapping, but he could not recall exact coordinates, only that it was a witchy looking house near Nagakusa park and right by a split tree looking like the hand of something reaching out of the earth. Tsuna cut the call and stared at his phone thoughtfully, deliberating on calling Ryohei and getting their friends back with their own power. His head said it was stupid, but his heart and Intuition insisted and he phoned Ryohei and told to meet up at the Eagle Beak Rock in the aforementioned park and to be there to the extreme because Kyoko, Hana and Takeshi needed them. Tsuna spent the minute it took to reach the mall exit at a run to decide on whether he would call Hibari. He did and the brutal boy sounded none too pleased that students of Namimori Elementary had been kidnapped.

With those calls done Tsuna took off with all the speed he could muster with his green static, making him a blur on his way to the park. Two minutes later Tsuna nearly smacked into Ryohei as they came hurtling in through the gate. Hibari's cool and wild presence already waiting there stopped Ryohei in his tracks until Tsuna spoke.

"Lets go to Demon Hand Road, Ryo-Aniki, Hibari-senpai. I'm 90 percent sure they're at the abandoned witch's house."

This meant nothing to the future Prefect but to Ryohei, who had poor memory and could only really identify by memorable places, what it meant was crystal clear. Tsuna and Ryohei both shared a look of grim determination before they took off, Hibari following two paces behind as he did not know where they were headed. While running Tsuna grabbed Ryohei to stop him from passing a construction site empty of people. He gestured for the boy to wait, ignoring Hibari who would do whatever he pleased, and quickly found a pair of dusty pipes five inches longer than his forearm. Despite being bigger they were the perfect thickness to use as tambo.

Hibari, if Tsuna's eyes did not deceive him, nodded in approval at the makeshift weapon before they made the rest of their way to an old and dilapitated house. Leaning on one side, with an overgrown garden and trees surrounding the house, it seemed to be the perfect spot for kidnappers to hold up in. Tsuna had to tackle Ryohei down to keep him quiet.

"Ryohei, don't talk or yell. You could get Hana, Kyoko and Takeshi hurt. You could get them dead. You don't want that, right? I just need you to be quiet. Do you think you can do that for me, Ryohei? Can you do that for them?"

Ryohei looked nervous under his "brother" before that faded and he nodded resolutely. Together Tsuna, Hibari and the boxer sneaked around the house, using the area to hide their movements. They found an opening and made it inside and Tsuna, after some exploring and noting that the baddies seemed to be in a single area, had Ryohei follow only because he'd promised not to say a word until the fight start, and to follow Tsuna's example.

Following his Intuition and the distant rumble of multiple voices, Tsuna quickly located the correct room and his stomach twisted. Takeshi had placed himself between the twelve kidnappers and the girls as best he could, and he looked a bit battered, covered in dust and sporting a swollen cheek and a bloodied nose. Despite what he'd gone through there was a rebellious and dark glare on his face. Seeing his friends tied up again and seeing Takeshi hurt, it made Tsuna want to maim and that anger came out in a wave of static that left the air smelling of ozone. Anyone sensitive to Flames, like Hibari and others in the room, felt his anger like a weight on their chest. Fortunately the kidnappers were under strict orders to act like a run of the mill battle capable baddie, not people trained to CEDEF quality.

Spurred on by protective instincts and the rage filling his head with dark thoughts, Tsuna infused more Static into his body and brain than usual, enough for little arcs of green to flicker and dance up and down his form (something Hibari watched with hidden fascination). This supercharge made the world shift into a level of clarity Tsuna had experienced only once before, and under a different sort of stress. Hibari tapped Tsuna's leg with his shoe and smirked, his handsome face promising a whole lot of pain to the adults in that room. Looking to Ryohei, the older boy's raised and bandaged hands were clenched and ready to go. Tsuna's answering expression, somewhere between bared teeth and a smirk, only stoked Hibari's mild obsession.

All three boys burst into the room. Tsuna's first move was to attack legs and extremities. Ryohei's heavy punches landed like sledgehammers, and Hibari was a force of nature all his own, his tonfa blurring much like Tsuna's makeshift tanbo. Static bit at enemies Tsuna fought, shocking them and making a number of them try to avoid him and the older kid with a bloodthirsty smirk. Ryohei may have been tertiary to their concerns, but that only meant they fell prey to his punches when they least expected it.

Three strong fighters in a confined room with three hostages and twelve enemies was not an easy fight contrary to how easy it had seemed at first. The baddies seemed to have found their rhythm and were harder to hit and harder to pin down.

As Hibari grew more aggressive and Ryohei's punches slammed through solid wooden objects like paper, Tsuna placed himself between those bound and those looking to take a meat shield. Using his Static to harden and boost his body's natural abilities ensured that, though he did not notice it himself at all, he fought down and defeated a few more kidnappers than Ryohei and one more than Hibari (luck of the draw).

By the end of those ten exhausting minutes there were a total of nineteen bodies to tie up and bound with rope and duct tape. Tsuna showed a bit of his vindictive side by purposely wrapping duct tape around mouths and heads to keep them quiet, and arms and calves made bare to allow direct skin contact. He didn't bother wondering where the extras came from because they were unconscious and that was all that mattered.

Hibari was on the phone as Tsuna sat by the freed trio and fixed Takeshi's face up. Once he had placed a cold patch on the baseball player's cheek and wrapped his and the girls wrists to protect tender, slightly bleeding rope burns, Tsuna felt the supercharge of Static recede back to wherever it came from, leaving him to begin shaking hard as the gravity of their situation hit.

He had really gathered two fight-capable companions and sneaked into a building with hostile kidnappers having nothing but fists and melee weapons. Him, Health-Hazard Tsuna, the loser nearly everyone likes to beat up on for not doing as well as them. His breathing quickened and he paled, fists curling tight and knuckles turning white. He... really saved them, him and his quick thinking? Nineteen adults with blunt weapons and quicker wit than he could ever hope to have, fell by his and both his senpai's attack?

No, that wasn't good, he could have gotten everyone killed because he listened to his instincts!

If it hadn't been for Hana and Kyoko settling beside him and sandwiching the boy in a hug Tsuna would have gone and fainted. He swallowed hard, embarrassed and aware that Hibari was still in the same room doing something because his inner forest critter insisted on being aware of that one's presence. He nearly went boneless in their gentle embrace, grateful to the both of them for helping to calm and clear his mind.

"I don't kn-know how this thing is going to go," Tsuna said, glancing at each friend-or-other [Hibari]. "But if we stay calm and don't try to run we'll be okay..."

Takeshi shifted closer to Tsuna and gently ruffled the boy's hair. "Don't worry! We'll stick with the truth and nothing more. They can't arrest us since we were taken and you, Hibari, and Ryohei saved us."

"EXTREME! We saved them! We really saved them!" The white haired boxer began bouncing around the room with slightly hysterical laughter. "We are so EXTREME, Otōto!"

Hana watched Ryohei for a moment, barely rolling her eyes when Hibari hit the boy for both bumping into him and being loud, and turned speculative eyes on Tsuna, the frail looking brunette that had just fought like a wild animal for their sakes. He had saved her and Kyoko again, risking himself again for others when he had full rights to flee and get the police to do an adults job. She couldn't stand that, she couldn't stand leaving it all to him when she knew he would keep on taking the burden of protecting his friends upon himself. Damn it, she's a girl. A strong and independent girl who will not leave it all to her fluffy haired fanged-bunny of a friend to keep fighting her battles. Besides, Kyoko is her responsibility too.

"This is stupid. You keep protecting us, you silly lion-monkey." Hana leaned her head against Tsuna's, not noticing that his face gained a neon-obvious blush. "I am not going to let you carry mine and Kyoko's weight alone... I'm going to get strong, I won't leave it all to you. It's unfair."

Kyoko ducked her head, pressing her cheek to Tsuna's shoulder. "I... I agree with Hana-chan. S-something like this could happen again, b-but I'm not much of a fighter, I don't have stamina and I don't think I could s-stand hurting anyone... I'm sorry, I can't be helpful, Tsuna-kun."

Tsuna looked like someone had just slapped him with a platypus. He glanced between Hana to Kyoko several times before shyly shifting to wrap his arms around their backs in a way he hoped was comforting.

"I would never dream of stopping Hana-chan from learning to fight, I'm a bit smarter than that." The dark haired girl chuckled and rubbed her cheek against his hair like he does to Piero's soft fur. "And Kyoko-chan... I don't think you have one bit of meanness in you, you're too sweet and gentle... I can't imagine you hurting anyone and if I can get strong enough you will never have to try."

Kyoko hiccupped and started crying into his shoulder. Tsuna twitched, nearly swallowing his tongue, and he slowly pulled his arm away from Hana to hold his blond friend close. Giving her loving attention, soothing her fear, was relaxing him and letting his previous composure return. He always did like taking care of others, he always felt like he was a bit more important than usual when he did so, and he even had a smile on his face as he helped her calm down.

"Hey, Kyoko-chan," he said, voice soft and soothing as he cradled with one hand and rubbed her back with the other. "You don't have to be a fighter to be strong. As long as you're fast enough you can get away and be safe while calling for help. No need to lift a fist."

Hana hummed in thought and tugged a lock of Tsuna's downy hair. "He's right, Kyoko. The lion-monkey has a point. You're already fast on the track, you really just need stamina before working on speed and reflexes."

A comfortable (almost) silence stretched on for a minute, with Tsuna still holding Kyoko for her comfort (and his, though he wouldn't admit that). He noticed that Ryohei had taken to going through the crates and playing with stuff, something Tsuna probably should have stopped but was too comfortable to spare the energy for. Takeshi had remained right in front of Tsuna while playing with the bandages on his wrists, and Hibari had even remained the room. In a far corner he'd claimed for himself where he sat perched on several bodies like a king. The sight was creepy and slightly amusing, but Tsuna's sensibility won out there. The semi-quiet, enforced by Hibari with tonfa and Tsuna by asking Ryohei to stay quiet in case something were to happen, stretched on, leaving Tsuna's mind to wander until he was hit by a most unpleasant thought: Is this my fault?

His Intuition, rarely wrong if occasionally slower than a turtle, was telling him he was the catalyst for this whole event. For Kyoko and Hana being traumatized again, for Takeshi getting punched in the face...

"I-I'm sorry, you three." He sounded as breathless as he was scared. "I think... I think you were taken because of me, and I have no idea why."

That drew attention, from Takeshi's concerned almost-smile to Ryohei's confused stare, and Hana simply frowning. Kyoko hugged him, not liking the pain or the raw fear in his voice. Hibari gave him an unimpressed stare as though saying it didn't matter. They had come, they had conquered, it shouldn't be an issue. Stop being such a herbivore.

"If you don't... want to be my frie-"

Hana yanked at his ear, ripping a yelp from him. "If you finish that sentence I WILL show the class pictures of you sleeping in bed and cuddling with your giant teddy. Then I will dismember and scatter the parts of Lady Panda throughout Namimori. I'll be nice and leave you the head to wake up to, though."

Tsuna made a "Hiiie!" sound and promptly hid his face in Kyoko's hair, making the girl giggle and start patting his head. Mortified doesn't begin to touch upon what Tsuna felt when Hibari made a sound suspiciously close to a laugh. Takeshi chuckled and poked Tsuna's visibly red cheek, saying he has a cute habit. Ryohei didn't look at all bothered ("I still sleep with Ru-Ru, you guys." "Ru-Ru is Onii-chan's wallaby stuffie."), and Hana was pretty much cackling as she watched Tsuna being all flustered. Ah, back to normal.

After the police came and got statements, investigated the scene and then dealt with Hibari's intense presence, Tsuna was almost tackled by his father who had come hurtling up the path. As it was Tsuna found himself smothered in a hug he struggled wildly to get out of until Hana sharply kicked the elder Sawada and got him to drop his son. Iemitsu didn't seem bothered by the assault, and didn't even blink as Piero swiped him with a paw as she ran up to her human, he only appeared amused by how Hana plainly pulled Tsuna away and behind her. Hibari walked over then and tapped Tsuna's head with a fist and the smirk on his face made Tsuna pale.

"You will spar with me next Tuesday. Be prepared, little Anaguma."

Hana and Tsuna, seemingly the only sane people of the group who were chilled by what was just said, watched with shocked faces as Hibari turned and, before leaving with his jacket billowing dramatically, regarded Iemitsu like a cockroach discovered outside and therefore not worth the effort of crushing. First off, Tsuna really liked the way Hibari looked at his father and contemplated practicing that expression in the mirror, secondly, he was shaking a bit at the rammifications of sparring with Hibari. Takeshi, predictably, laughed and clapped Tsuna on the back while congratulating him on making friends with the violent peace-keeper, then he walked off toward Kyoko as she was being talked to by a female officer. Iemitsu also laughed and walked away, muttering "Oh, to be young and silly again."

With a sigh Hana clapped her friend's back. "What kind of flowers do you want at your funeral?"

"Hiiee!? Wh-what!" Tsuna stared at his friend in horror before hanging his head. "Dog roses, hyacinths and dandelions."

"Okay... Now I'll be there for every fight, got it? Kyoko too. We'll have a first aid kit, milk tea, and food bars on hand."

"Uh...?"

Hana smirked and hooked her arm with Tsuna. "We can't very well leave you alone with a rabid gorilla like that, right? You're just one little lion-monkey, you need someone in your corner."

Tsuna leaned on his friend. "Have I ever said that you're a goddess among mortals, Hana-chan?"

She lightly pinched his cheek, dark eyes glittering. "You could say that more often, Tsuna-monkey."

OMAKE

When a dense boy stops being so, so dense.

Yamamoto Takeshi liked to keep things simple and find things to laugh at and smile about. In the first few months after his mother's death this had been especially difficult, but he felt like he'd healed as much as he could in the years since.

When he first realized Tsuna made his stomach feel fluttery and ticklish, and made his heart race a bit with that earnestly happy smile of his, the baseball player went to his father that day and explained what Tsuna made him feel, then he asked his dad if it meant anything because he was really confused. Tsuyoshi had floundered for an hour straight and hid behind sushi orders, but Takeshi was not to be deterred that way. He helped make more than half the sushi because his father was really nervous.

Entirely too soon for the man, Tsuyoshi sat Takeshi down and explained that when two people really care for each other they will spend a lot of time together, they will enjoy giving and receiving hugs to each other, maybe innocent kisses on the lips or cheek, and that means they like each other in a romantic sense.

Takeshi took this in and as he processed this he helped make more orders and by the end of the day he had come to the conclusion that he liked Tsuna the same way his father loved his mother. It didn't weird the boy out, in fact he was happy because he knew his parents were very happy together. If he and Tsuna got together he could make his fluffy-haired friend happy and smile all the time, and also he would get lots of Tsuna's hugs. Bonus. Takeshi thanked his dad for explaining things and life went on because the future swordsman saw no reason to rush things. He heard from his parents that they were friends for years before got together romantically, so Takeshi decided to be patient and get to know Tsuna a whole lot better, that way he could be sure to know what his friend likes, wants, and would appreciate best present wise. Aside from chocolate.

Since realizing that he liked Tsuna as more than a friend Takeshi took greater notice of how people looked at his small best friend. Some students eyes were interested, like Hibari only not possessive, and others looked at him with contempt and persisted in treating him like Health-Hazard Tsuna to be mostly avoided or insulted and jeered at. Those who didn't spurn the delicate looking boy were students who were saved by Tsuna drawing attention to himself to lead bullies right to Hibari. There was a part of Takeshi that wanted to shove those blind students (and especially the teachers) into walls, but Tsuna wasn't for that. He'd rather take it, ignore it, and be happy with his friends. So Takeshi did not retaliate, not unless he was right there when a student tried to hurt Tsuna.

Those were times when Takeshi pulled bullies into choke-holds and told them to back off with the fierce look he never realized he had when playing baseball. Bullies dwindled but did not disappear unfortunately, but Takeshi was determined to be as great a friend and future "husband" as he could by protecting Tsuna.

Watching his crush turn into a whirlwind of green-lightning colored movement (wielding pipes!) that sent heavy and tall looking men flying shook Takeshi, but not in a bad way. Knowing Tsuna could fight like a beast in order to protect his friends made Takeshi look at his own skills. He had baseball and becoming the type of delinquent who carries baseball bats to fight didn't bother him, but he could do a lot better than that.

And he did once he convinced his father he was dead serious about learning to use a sword so he could protect Tsuna and the rest of his own friends.

whydothelinebreakshatemei'mgoingtostopusingthem

When I uploaded this I was sure a few others would be interested in reading about a different Tsuna, enough for maybe three reviews a chapter if I was lucky, but to have 56 reviews JUST for four chapters? I'm still struggling a bit to believe that number. So thank you so much for reviewing the last chapter.

REVIEWS: I'm blown away by how well this story of mine is being accepted. I'm so happy! If (when) you spot any misspellings, typos or missing words, please feel free to tell me (as well as mention something you liked about the chapter maybe?).