A/N: Finally, we've reached Iemitsu's homecoming. Too bad the only person to give him a warm reception will be Nana. Ghosts can hold grudges for a VERY long time.

To Hati: Yeah, she is like a kid. And technically she doesn't have a tracker on her, Verde had a radar that can track down active flame users. With the data he's collecting on her, he's able to to recognize her flames at a glance.

Unwelcome Guests

The reception that Iemitsu received at home wasn't as warm as he expected. From what his agents had reported his wife had taken in three children, none of them were in the house when he arrived. Nana was talking to a girl that had a striking resemblance to his son, eating cake and chatting over tea. Whoever the girl was, she was radiating a mix of Mist and Sky flames. That solved the problem of finding Tsuna a Mist guardian at least.

Nana looked up and gave Iemitsu a bright smile. He returned the gesture, not noticing the dark scowl that Shizuka had. "I'm home sweetheart. And who's our guest?" Iemitsu asks, Nana smiled so brightly that Shizuka had to avert her gaze. The woman really was too good for Iemitsu. "This is Shizuka, you know, the friend that Tsuna wanted a phone to text with."

Iemitsu gave her a cheesy grin and Shizuka felt a shiver run down her spine. She watched enough people to know when a smile was genuine and when it was being used for manipulation. And she didn't trust the booze hound any further than she could throw him. Thankfully he hadn't gotten to any alcohol yet and the kids wouldn't be anywhere near him. "Nice to meet you, I'm Tsuna's father."

Inwardly Shizuka fumed, what made that man think he had any right to be called a father? She could count the amount of times that Iemitsu visited on both hands. Of course, patricide is frowned upon so she faked a smile. "Oh? I've known Tsuna for quite a few years. He thought you were dead." She enjoyed the pained expression on the man's face. It wasn't anywhere near her idea of revenge but it was a start.

"And just how do you know my son?" Iemitsu asks, subtly trying to use his flames to coax her into cooperating. Shizuka glared, her own flames flared defensively. She stood from her chair abruptly, looking to Nana apologetically. "Sorry Sawada, I just remembered that mom wanted me to check in with her. Can we continue this later?" She asks. "Of course! And tell your sister she can visit whenever she likes." "I'll pass it on."

XoXoXoXoXo

"Daichi, does the temple sell any charms that ward off unwanted pests?" Shizuka asks irritably. "You mean bug repellant?" "No, I mean the human kind of pest!" She snapped, her flames reflecting her foul mood. "If the temple had something like that, we could actually afford renovations." Daichi comments, pointing to several holes in the wooden flooring.

Shizuka hummed in agreement, Daichi's rain flames calming her. "He's back, Nana's husband." She finally explained, fidgeting. Shizuka never liked the man, her opinion only worsened when she learned Iemitsu was part of the mafia. He also threw a terrified Tsuna into the air when he was a child and tried giving him sake. The man was more irresponsible than she was.

"Does he still have all his limbs?" Daichi asks. "Unfortunately." Shizuka grumbles. "If this is the first time he's visited in years, he probably has a reason." Daichi says thoughtfully, Shizuka's face paled. "We need to find Tsuna, fast!" She exclaims, dust trailing after her as she ran. He just sighed. That girl was always in a rush.

XoXoXoXoXo

"Damn it, you'd think the fact I'm related to one of the old geezer's guardians they'd ease up on trying to kill me." Natsumi growled. It wasn't like she had the real rings anyways. Honestly she was starting to think the mafia was filled with morons. She reached into her bag and, thinking she had nothing to lose, fired a shot from her flare gun at the bloodthirsty swordsman. It wasn't like she could use her flames out in the open, and weren't assassins supposed to dispose of their targets from the shadows?!

As Natsumi went around a corner, she ran face first into somone's stomach. "Are you alright Daichi? That looked like it hurt." A familiar voice chimed in, sounding concerned. The red head looked up to see a teen that towered over her and a girl beside him that had a striking resemblance to the Decimo candidate. There was nothing in the files about Iemitsu having more than one child, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Listen, I don't know you but I need to draw an assassin as far away from Tsunayoshi Sawada as possible." The girl froze, her eyes darkening. "Daichi, warn Reborn and the others to keep an eye out. I'll meet you back at the shrine."

"VOIII! Just give up the rings and I'll leave you in one piece!" Shizuka deadpanned. "He isn't very subtle is he?" Natsumi gave an exasperated sigh. "Unfortunately the rest of the Varia are just as crazy as him. Got a plan?" Natsumi asks, Shizuka grinned. "Yep, all we need is to find a Hibari. Clouds are always possessive bastards." She says, mentally going through Kyoya's patrolling routes. Shizuka grabbed Natsumi's hand, ignoring how she flinched at the contact.

XoXoXoXoXo

Thanks to Shizuka's quick thinking, the loud swordsman never ran into Tsuna. He did, however, get beaten to a pulp by an enthusiastic Kyoya. "Explain tanuki." He demands, pointing his bloody tonfa at Shizuka. "Assassins that want to disrupt the peace. They should be worthy opponents, right?" Shizuka asks, Kyoya's eyes narrowed. "This won't make me forgive you for the bathroom incident." He says bluntly, Shizuka blushed. "It wasn't like I did it on purpose!" She squeaked. If she knew exactly how much Kyoya enjoyed watching her squirm, she would've hit the Cloud by now.

Shizuka sighed. "You might as well stay with-" "Absolutely not." Kyoya growled, Shizuka raised an eyebrow. "I believe the Hibari estate is Meifeng's property, not yours. It isn't like they'll purposely try to crowd you." Natsumi looked between the two and deadpanned. "Are you two an item or something?" There was an awkward silence. "Nope, he's just forced to put up with me since his family likes me." Shizuka comments. "I don't date tanukis." "Stop calling me that!"

Now I Remember!

When Shizuka lead Natsumi through Namimori, the inventor wondered why the girl looked so familiar. When they approached the shrine, it finally dawned on her. "How the hell did you get a body Shizuka?!" Natsumi exclaims, Shizuka grinned. "I was wondering when you'd recognize me. I think Shamal and Verde would be able to explain better than I can." Shizuka admits, Natsumi's grip on her wrist had tightened. "You know Verde? Do you know how long Vongola has been trying to recruit him?"

Shizuka shrugged. "We both dislike Reborn and he wanted to examine a dying will ghost. Tsuna and I even started giving him ideas for inventions from the manga we've read. He's been embracing Japanese culture wholeheartedly." She snickers. The cursed man still refused to be her guardian but she'd wear him down eventually. Honestly she just wanted to scoop him into her arms and carry him like a doll.

"You just want someone to make your pranks more creative don't you?" Natsumi asks, sitting between Daichi and Shizuka. Being with her Sky and her fellow guardian was worth getting chased down by that sword obsessed moron. She then pulled at Shizuka's ear, making her yelp in pain. "If I see you putting yourself in danger like that again, I'm putting you in a containment field!"

"Psh, there's no way you have something like that." Shizuka says nervously, not liking the smirk on Natsumi's face. "You don't, right? Right?"