Chapter 11

Tsuna was used to sleepless nights during his time as a researcher for Sibyl's development. He was used to looking at lines of code and engaging in machine learning, but not going through hundreds of terms for chemicals and medicines used in pharmacology and ensuring the formulas they were concocting were correct and would not kill instead of curing.

That was not his line of expertise, but he did understand that they were pressed for time in constructing the antidote to the Eustress drug. While the arrests and the seizing of existing batches had finished, the most important task was not at hand: awakening the victims.

The ones in the pods were not the only victims the drug had. There were at least twenty more families waiting for the antidote to be completed, and some of them didn't have much time.

"All of the heirs are now at the Vongola's medical wing as instructed, Boss Lion." One of the Robins informed him when they entered the lab.

That was the chance for Tsuna to escape the world of pharmacology. "I see. I should head on down then." Tsuna decided.

"You go on ahead and socialize. We should be fine here." Irie told him. "We should be getting the final results from the forensics team in a few minutes."

"I'll leave it to you then." Tsuna said and left the lab with his subordinate on his trail.

He had anticipated that all of the famiglias that wrote the letter would be bringing their children along to receive the cure faster, but it would still take a few testing hours for it to be deemed safe for consumption and distribution. Since it was only breakfast hour, the antidote, once approved by MFA to be distributed, would only be given by the afternoon or evening, if they were lucky.

The closer he got to the medical wing, the louder the voices became. There was either carnage or impromptu socializing from the parents. Once he opened the doors to the medical wing, he saw at least twenty unconscious teenagers and young adults along with one or two frantic parents ensuring their unconscious children were comfortable in their gurneys.

"Well. This is quite the scene." Tsuna commented. "How long had they been like this?" he asked the Robin behind him.

"Less than an hour. The lone doctor is losing his patience..."

"Who is the doctor in charge?" Tsuna wondered.

Before they could respond, a flamboyant middle-aged man in his boa laced white coat appeared, barking orders at his subordinates about the order of the medical wing.

"Oh, it's Lussuria." Tsuna said as he watched the man create order in the wing.

"All of the parents, out of the medical wing! We'll make sure the kids are comfortable, but give us the damned space!"

No one wanted to anger Lussuria any longer, especially when his peacock box weapon was all too ready to peck each and every one of the parents if it would make them clear the wing.

Once the parents were trickling out of the other exit, Tsuna approached a very overworked Lussuria.

"You must give them a bit of a leeway as concerned and hopeful parents." Tsuna suggested.

Lussuria's face brightened at the sight of him, "Ah, Sawada. It's been a while. You sure grew into a fine man." he complimented.

Tsuna laughed, "I don't think I aged that well with all the overtime I've been doing for the past two decades."

"I can tell from your fading eyebags that someone is at least ensuring you get proper rest." Lussuria commented. "Well, you've seen the carnage of the parents, now all that's left are the children." he gestured at the rows of occupied gurneys.

"I'd like to see which of them needed to be prioritized in receiving the antidote. Some of them may have been exposed to the drug at different time intervals and different doses."

Lussuria nodded."The parents had given their consent to do anything to ensure their children are cured. Here's the information they could give on each victim." he said as he handed him a tablet with the data. "Hand me the criteria you have and I'll help you do the other half." he offered.

Tsuna nodded in thanks and sent him the details. The two went to work immediately, and Tsuna got to know each child from families that he had heard before.

The victims ranged from being teenagers to young adults, and the length of their exposure went as far back as five years ago, exactly the time when Yasuhiro and his mother escaped arrest and fled to country-hop.

"All these victims because of inheritance greed." Tsuna commented.

"I know what you mean. Back in our day, those who want the position would just challenge the other to an all-out battle and be done with it. Now these little whelps are playing dirty." Lussuria reminisced.

Tsuna laughed, "And I remember to be at the receiving end of those challenges." he responded. "But you're right. These young ones are no longer relying on their strengths and improving them." Tsuna logged the data of the next victim. "I do worry for the future of these famiglias who resort to such dirty tactics."

"Well,that's a problem for the current and future parents to face. This incident will serve as a warning that using drugs to play dirty will not fly with their families and Vindice, not when some had already died from it or had gone brain dead."

"That's what Eustress Deficiency will do to you. Believe me when I say that those that have been heavily dosed for a long period of time may not regain their original mental faculties. Those who can survive though, will have a long way ahead of them, starting with therapy."

"You seem to know a lot about these things, Sawada." Lussuria pointed out.

Tsuna sighed, "When you had to consult with pharmacologists during the development of Sibyl, you would know a lot of things...especially the dangerous side effects of overmedication." he shared. "The thing is, we were only involved to give out the details on how the system brands a person as a latent criminal, and the rest are in their hands." Tsuna rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Should have known they would go to town with those types of data."

He then glanced at Lussuria who simply smiled at him with a hint of pity. "Just like what Boss keeps on saying to our dutiful Ira, you can't save everyone, so don't take up the burden for yourself."

"You make my dev work sound like a type of parenting."

"Same theory, in my opinion," Lussuria reasoned. "But don't forget to not stretch yourself too thin. Your flaw since your teenage years has always been that."

Tsuna laughed, quite glad that he had retained something of his youth, "I'll keep that in mind."

Not long after, Irie had called him on his wristlink.

The antidote has been completed.

…

The first thing Reborn felt when he woke up was uncomfortable soreness.

His head hurt like hell, and so did his arm where one of Martello's goons shot him with the drug.

That was the last time he was instinctively taking a shot for Ira. He didn't have to do that when he was with Dame Tsuna and Clumsy Dino. Though to be fair, those two didn't have any jealous and greedy siblings.

Ira...

What happened?

Slowly, Reborn opened his eyes to see the familiar ceiling of the medical ward within the Vongola Castle, if the golden railings and gaudy fluorescent lights were of any indication.

He tried to move his arms to get up, but he felt jelly-like from the neck down, hinting that he had been asleep for longer than a few days. He tried harder to move his limbs, but they weren't listening to what he wanted to do.

With no other appendage left to move, he tried his luck with his head. He turned to his left to see other people in gurneys, Cerise in particular. He also saw his own IV drip and other apparatus monitoring his vitals.

Gathering the rest of his strength, he turned to his right to see something surprising. Right beside him was a very familiar tuft of spiky brown hair with graying sideburns. Said man was on a plush chair, clearly comfortable in his sleep complete with a throw pillow at his back, ensuring proper back support.

He immediately knew who he was facing. From the back of his mind, a sense of pride coursed through him as he gave him the once-over. From his calloused hands to his bespoke suit and his weapon ready by his holster, Dame-Tsuna did well for himself.

Still, there was something that he wanted to confirm if it was still there.

"Dame-Tsuna, wake up with your dying will." he commanded, his voice feeling dry after months of non-usage.

Despite that, his words still had the same effect. In an instant, the man shot up in attention, brown eyes in a panic as he tried to make sense of himself, "I'm up!" he let out.

Reborn couldn't help it, he snickered.

Hearing this, Tsuna slowly got himself together and realized what happened. His former home tutor was awake, and he was smirking at him in satisfaction at the result of his little prank.

"Reborn!" Tsuna's voice almost broke as he spoke his name. "You're finally awake. Thank god. The antidote worked perfectly."

Ah. So a cure had been found during his sleep. "How long was I out?"

"A few months, according to the others. I've been here for the better part of the week." Tsuna shared.

"And just how did Ira manage to call on you?" Reborn asked. Clearly a lot had happened since he was in a coma, and he had the inkling feeling that there was something more as to why his former student–who is supposed to still be in Japan–was suddenly on Italian soil.

"We can talk about that later. Right now I need to call the doctors to do a check on you. I'll be back."

And just like that, Tsuna was out the door, leaving Reborn amused at his excitement that he had awakened.

...

Tsuna didn't appear again until after the doctors told him that everything was going fine. During his time away, he had notified everyone that Rebon was the first to wake, and soon after, the doctors were checking the others for their statuses.

For the good of everyone and for Reborn's peace, he was transported to his private quarters as soon as the doctors were done checking on him, and that was where Tsuna emerged a few hours later.

"Doctors told me you've survived the worst of the symptoms." Tsuna relayed. "It might take you a while to get back into the field though."

Reborn scoffed, "I don't need to be out and about to ensure Ira catches up on her lessons." he stated.

"I figured you'd say that." Tsuna mused.

"Now, tell me what has been happening since. Don't leave anything behind, I mean it, Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna didn't need to be told twice. He told him of what had been happening since he came to Italy, but Tsuna made sure to only include himself and the rest on how they got tangled up in the mess they thought was only isolated within the mafia.

Reborn, to his credit, didn't interrupt him in his narration. He listened and asked questions when he wanted to be filled in on the gaps that he had noticed. Though Reborn noted that he was leaving out the parts about what he and the rest of his former guardians were doing, he didn't pry further.

Once he was finished, Reborn could only sigh in defeat at knowing the fate of the second kids.

"So they ended up not just being imprisoned by Vindice, they ended up getting disowned as well." Reborn stated.

"It was the decision of the parents. There was nothing we could really do once the parents put their feet down when push became a shove." Tsuna commented.

Reborn leaned on his headboard, his back feeling a bit sore from sitting up for too long, but he didn't complain in front of Tsuna.

"Well then, there's one thing left for you to tell me," Reborn started, "What have you been up to since you went off my radar for three decades, hmm?"

Tsuna had the audacity to look away in hesitation. "Well…"

Reborn then looked pointedly at his right arm. "I know the look of a synthetic skin and a mechanical arm when I see one, Dame-Tsuna. While we all know how much of a clumsy brat you were, I for one, know that the thing on your right arm isn't a direct result of it."

Tsuna smiled at the opening, "That one carries a lot more stories than you think." Tsuna warned him.

But expected, Reborn liked a challenge.

"Try me."

...

Minister for Foreign Affairs Office, Japan

The news of the death of the last of the Sumitomo family and their dangerous drug coming to an end was a big relief for the ones who had been working on this case on and off for the past ten years.

There had never been any doubt that Tsunayoshi and his team would finish the job, but it was a surprising twist that a government team would need to team up with the Italian mafia just because they had a common enemy.

Saotome glanced at the report and could not be more proud of his sons and his team for working on this case for ten years on top of the short-term ones they had to take on the side.

The Sumitomo family had been a thorn in their side since they decided to go rogue and try to bleed their citizens dry of their money for their schemes. It was also a relief for Tsuna for exacting his revenge for his severed arm (they had to do a lot of explaining to Nana about what happened. It was not a good experience.)

While he was happy with the report, Saotome didn't know how to react to the messages that his sons had sent him in their group chat.

TSUNA: Otou-san, I don't think Kyouya intends to leave Italy at this point XD

KYOUYA: Shut up Tsunayoshi. I haven't even hashed it out with him yet. His daughter is still in recovery.

TSUNA: Not denying that it will happen eventually, huh?

KYOUYA: You're lucky you're my superior, herbivore.

Saotome, as amused as he is by their messages, was a bit upset at the fact that the Cavallone Decimo had once again charmed his eldest, though he could not blame the man.

What he disapproved of, however, was the intention of his son never returning to the homeland because of an impulsive decision.

Impulsive. Never in his life did he expect for Kyouya to do something impulsive that didn't involve cracking someone's skull.

Still! This was his precious son.

DAD: No one will be forsaking their homeland without the said foreigner showing himself here under my watch.

TSUNA: See? I told you he won't like the idea of you staying here for good.

KYOUYA: I never intended to, you little snitch.

TSUNA: BITE ME

KYOUYA: I'll give you five seconds to run.

DAD: Enough, you two. No killing because of this. Your mother will be very upset.

TSUNA: Yes Otou-san…

KYOUYA: Fine.

DAD: We'll talk about your Cavallone paramour when you get back here. He waited thirty years, he can wait a few more months.

KYOUYA: ...understood.

Saotome had to do a double take at the response of his eldest. To think he was considering staying after the mission because he was the one who could not wait a few months more.

This was getting amusing, but still, he also has an ulterior motive to this.

DAD: If he really is serious with you, Kyouya, have him face me here.

TSUNA: HAHAHA Otou-san, don't tell me you intend to give him the shovel talk?

DAD: It's thirty years overdue. Now get out of this channel and the two of you get some rest. It's evening there and morning here. No more late night shenanigans. I mean it, Tsunayoshi.

TSUNA: Roger that.

KYOUYA: I'll make sure he does.

TSUNA: Kyouya! LET ME OUT OF MY ROOM!

KYOUYA: No.

Saotome smiled as the two disconnected from their chat, knowing that they were going to be fighting over keeping Tsuna's sleep schedule well-managed.

Now that their personal issues in Italy had been settled, all Saotome had to do was to send in the report of the mission completion and expedite the opening of their borders for foreigners.

He promised himself he was going to make Dino's quest for his approval harder, but he had to ensure that he thinks he will get it smoothly when they ease up the border.

Besides, Yamamoto might also need a little opening for his own personal life.

...

Reborn hates being seen vulnerable, but if you've been in bed or in a medical pod for months, it takes your body a few weeks to bring it back to its normal strength. For Reborn, who was a seasoned hitman, it would take at least a month or two of rehabilitation to even return to half of what he was capable of, and that was considering his body is that of a thirty-five year-old.

It pisses him off.

"For the record, this is your fault, Ira." Reborn suddenly pointed out as Ira was pushing Reborn's wheelchair while Tsuna walked beside him, clearly amused that he had someone else be his caretaker: his current student.

"I've told myself that for two weeks after you got shot, so I agree." Ira returned without missing a beat.

"Good that you are aware." Reborn stated. "Because you will be pushing this thing until I can run after you again."

"Now, now, Reborn," Tsuna was amused at how petty Reborn was. "Cut her some slack."

"Is there any part in your memory that I went easy on you after every dangerous event that involved you, Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn asked sharply.

"None at all."

"Then what makes you think I'll go easy on her?"

"I had to try." Tsuna said with an apologetic look directed at Ira.

Ira simply shrugged, "I'm quite used to this kind of treatment, Tsunayoshi. It's just another day with Reborn."

"Sounds about right." Tsuna laughed, a bit happy that his former tutor never changed his treatment of his students. "So, I heard that your guardians have been taking care of their friends when they woke up," Tsuna brought up.

Ira nodded as they all went through the gardens, "Mamiko and Cerise woke up after Reborn, and the rest followed soon after. I escaped the carnage of the arrival of their parents, especially Donna Giegue and Kikyo." She scrunched her face at the memory of a barrage of vehicles racing down to the castle grounds. You would think they were being ambushed.

"Mamiko got out of the situation very fast, so Enma took her out of here and back to Simon island too, probably with a lecture or two on the way home." Tsuna said with a sigh, "And here I thought I could get more drinks with him until we leave…"

"When do you leave?" Reborn wondered.

"Flight is scheduled for tomorrow evening." Tsuna said, "Irie just informed us this morning, so we already packed last night."

"So soon?" Ira said in a disappointed tone. She was looking forward to asking him to give her some hand to hand combat pointers in the next few days.

"Yeah. Since everyone is awake and will only need some regular check-ups and physical and psychological therapies, there is no point in us staying here when there will be a mountain of reports the higher-ups will be asking us the moment our plane touches the pavement." Tsuna sighed, "This must be the only time I didn't look forward to paperwork and overtime."

"Hibari and Yamamoto had told me you overwork yourself to the bone to a point you're a hospital regular." Reborn said with a disapproving glance.

"Don't look at me like you didn't work me to the bone when I was thirteen, hypocrite."

"But not to the point where you need ER medical attention at a hospital every week." Reborn countered.

Tsuna just huffed.

Ira snorted a bit at the sight of their tutor-student dynamic. Now she was sure that Reborn indeed had his favorite student, and it wasn't her or Cavallone Decimo.

Reborn might deny it to hell and back, but there was no one he treated more like his own child than Tsuna, and if she was being honest, she also agrees that he was a better parent than the CEDEF boss. Of course, these were according to Gokudera, Fuuta and Lambo, who had been in Japan and had seen their family dynamics.

Surprisingly, Lambo recalled most of the things that had happened in the past despite it happening when he was five.

As the three continued on with their stroll, they ran into Cerise alongside her father and Gino.

"Oh, Tsuna!" Dino called out as he maneuvered Cerise's wheelchair to face them.

Tsuna got a good look at Dino's eldest daughter. She was a beautiful blond woman with piercing blue eyes. If he was being honest, she's Dino's female version, but her sharp eyes made her look more intimidating than her klutz of a father.

"Your men around you?" Tsuna asked.

"Lurking behind." Dino confirmed. "Cerise, this is Tsuna, he's my underclassman and the one who worked to get you all to wake up."

Cerise's eyes turned to Tsuna and smiled, "You have my thanks, Mr. Tsunayoshi."

"Tsuna is fine," Tsuna insisted. His smile then turned teasing, "Besides, you may end up calling me uncle if things go well with your Dad and Kyouya." he said with a wink.

Cerise and Gino gave their father a teasing smirk and looked in his immediate direction.

"Ah, so he finally got his 'beautiful skylark' back." Cerise teased.

"And I saw him do it from the northern roof deck from my room, too." Tsuna added.

"WHAT?" Dino's face reddened at Tsuna's words.

Ira couldn't help but to pile in, "Oh, so he's the one Uncle Hayato said that Cavallone Decimo enjoyed taking a beating from because he claims he looked good while in combat."

Gino then had an epiphany, "Ah! Now that you mention it, Romario used to tell us that Dad tended to act lovesick when he wasn't looking or was away from Japan when he needed to be a responsible boss."

"You can add the fact that he treats every hit from him as an act of affection." Reborn hit the final nail in the coffin.

Dino was beet red by this time, and everyone, especially his children, were smiling at him teasingly. He has a feeling that even his men who can hear them were also snickering, as some of them had been around during that time as well.

"Okay, can we please stop with the teasing?" Dino pleaded.

"No, I don't think we would." Tsuna teased further. "Though if you intend to be my new brother-in-law, you need to face our father first. He already didn't approve of you the first time because you dated behind his back." Tsuna shared, knowing Dino will be scared.

He should be, as Hibari Saotome was not someone to be trifled with. If he thought Kyouya was a handful, then he would be in for a surprise.

"How much should I have to worry about?" Dino dared ask.

"He's the Minister for Foreign Affairs. That should give you a hint of what he can do to you should you do the wrong thing."

At the realization, Dino's face turned paler than it already was when he first heard that the Hibari patriarch was already not happy with him.

Sometimes it's fun to mess with people like Dino. Tsuna gets why Reborn enjoyed it.

As if to save him from fainting, a flying tonfa zoomed towards their direction, specifically aimed at Tsuna's head, but the said man caught it when it was an inch away from a bull's eye.

Unfazed, Tsuna glanced at the direction it came from and raised his brow a bit disapprovingly. "Very mature, Kyouya." He shouted at where the tonfa came from.

Hibari appeared at the other side of the garden entrance, clearly annoyed. "You're scaring him too much. You know how much of a wimp he is."

"Scared he might make a run for it?" Reborn teased.

Dino, a bit insulted that they think he would run away at the challenge of gaining their father's approval, protested, "Who said I have any intention of backing down? Absolutely not!"

"That goes without saying." Hibari commented, "I'd be the one to finish you off should you do so."

"Ugh this is so sickly sweet." Tsuna said with a scrunched face. "In any case, just call me Uncle Tsuna, Cerise, Gino," he offered.

"Gladly, Uncle Tsuna," Gino said enthusiastically.

Cerise laughed, "Well, this is quite the improvement. Who knew we just needed to be a bunch of sleeping beauties to have this much of a development in Father's love life?"

"Your father is just as wimpy as the day I met him," Reborn said as he leaned to whisper to Cerise, "Though I'd like to believe that he would have taken the next flight to Italy as soon as it became available just to see him."

Such a confession from the hitman tutor pretty much convinced her that indeed, this was the man that their mother had been jealous of, and for good reason. For starters, Cerise could feel the pulsing sky flames that can be found on her great grandmother's engagement ring around the former Cloud Guardian's neck, which told her a lot about the seriousness of such a relationship.

Other than that, the man had also taken care of monitoring them to bring them back to an acceptable level of health, and that alone made Cerise grateful that such a man existed for his father.

She giggled at Reborn's revelation as she watched the adults argue and tease back and forth, with her father receiving the brunt of it.

Whatever her father will face, it would just mean that their family would get bigger in the next few months. Who knows, Cerise and Gino might tag along to meet their potential new stepfamily.

...

"Everything is already in order. I thank you for hosting us for the past few weeks, Vongola Decimo." Tsuna thanked Xanxus and his family.

Tsuna had Yamamoto and Hibari beside him early the next day, with everything they needed to bring back to Japan for proper disposal, including what was last of the Eustress drug. Japan had given extra resources to them during the antidote creation and implementation, so they were managing and carrying twice as much as they did when they arrived.

"We should be the ones who are grateful for saving our asses as fast as possible." Xanxus said with a tired sigh. "You should always remember this is your place too. Just give us a call when you want to wreak havoc here or save us from another troublesome chaos."

"I'd rather just visit for a vacation, and maybe additional tutoring for Ira." Tsuna glanced at his fellow student. "Besides, with how things will be developing in the future, we might see each other at family gatherings." he hinted at the plans of the country reopening to foreigners.

"Then safe travels." Xanxus said as the two shook hands.

In just a few minutes, Sawada Tsunayoshi once again left the Vongola Castle and its people. However, unlike thirty-two years ago, Tsuna is looking forward to returning in the future.

…

The moment the government plane hit the pavement, Tsuna and the others wasted no time and finished the formalities that came with the closing of their cases. Meetings, paperwork, validation of facts, and even submission of records of the Dominator and ensured that all SAD Enforcers were accounted for.

Tsuna did not get that much sleep, which he was used to, but with Yamamoto and Hibari being cranky when they experienced the same as he did, it was not a fun time halfway.

Only when their father had told them that the mission had been officially concluded and they were given two weeks off did they all call cabs (driving while sleepy is dangerous) to their homes.

Tsuna never thought he would miss his bachelor pad so much that he just flopped on his bed and slept for twelve straight hours.

When he woke up, it was already dark outside and there had been calls from his mother the first hour he came home, but ceased, knowing full well that he was fast asleep, and simply left a voicemail telling him to call once he woke up.

"Hey Mom," Tsuna greeted the moment the phone was picked up.

Nana simply laughed, used to the fact that her son's sleep schedule is erratic. "Good evening to you too, sleepyhead."

Tsuna rubbed the dust out of his eyes, "I'm sorry I didn't call when I got back. There was too much work for this particular case..."

"Not to worry, your father gave me the run-down." she assured him. "I knew something was up when even Kyouya was said to have been too busy. I ran into Hana-chan and Sugino-kun, complaining that Ryohei-kun and Kyoko-chan were spending the past few nights at the office in exchange for a two-week-long vacation."

"Oh, yeah. I do need to apologize to them for keeping the siblings from their spouses..." he yawned, "But right now, I'd prefer a day for myself, if that's okay, Mom."

"That's not a problem, Tsu-kun." There was silence on the other line, and that was something that his mother had never done unless there was something on her mind.

"Mom? What is it?"

He heard Nana take a deep breath before replying, "You met your father there, didn't you?"

There was no point in lying. "I did. I spoke to him for a while the first day I was there, but soon after, he just avoided me by leaving and dealing with external matters." he said. Good riddance too. He had said all he wanted to say to him the first day he was there.

"Are you okay?" Nana wondered.

"I'm just fine." Tsuna admitted, "I told him what I needed to, and that's that."

"Tsu-kun, I know you disobeyed me when I told you to let things go in the past, but don't let it get to you further now that you've spoken to him again. Do I make myself clear?"

"That's the very reason I decided to speak to him in the first place, Mom. Not to worry, your son no longer holds much of a grudge." he said. "I just wish I could have met my little brother while I was there. He seemed to be a good kid."

"Now that is something to think about in the future, not now." Nana told him. "I'd better go, Natsume needs help with the kids. I expect you and Kyou-kun to be here tomorrow night for dinner, do you hear me?"

Tsuna nodded and hummed in agreement. "I will. Good night Mom,"

"Good night Tsu-kun. Get some more rest." Nana said and ended the call.

Tsuna stood from his bed and removed the curtains from his window, looking over the city from the twenty-second floor of his flat. It was barely evening, so the lights outside were slowly being lit as the sun set.

The past few weeks had been hectic, and he was all too glad that it was all over.

He can finally rest.

For now, Tsuna can find temporary peace in his normal days.

...

The moment Tsuna's leave concluded, he was practically skipping towards his office, happy to be back. For the past two weeks, his access has been revoked to prevent him from working from home, and his father had ensured that.

Before his chair was warm though, he had received notification from his AI assistant that Hanashiro was back from wherever she was while he was gone, and with her was Kogami Shinya.

He had been looking forward to meeting the young man who had gotten the attention of one of his students, so he was more than happy to call them within the hour.

When he saw the young man in front of his office, obviously just dragged from the plane to his office, he realized how much he really resembled Kyouya and their father, though his features were a bit more rough than the elegance in the appearance and manners of the Hibari father and son. Talks about doing a lineage test to see if there was any relation did happen as a joke, but somehow their father was actually considering it.

"Kogami Shinya, I presume?" Tsuna leaned into his chair, sizing the young man up.

Kogami nodded and bowed towards him in respect, "It's an honor to meet you, Chief Officer Sawada."

Beside him, Hanashiro stood still, but was a bit proud that Kogami still knew to respect the man.

"I have seen your work history and how you had Chief Kasei and her people running like headless chickens to deal with you. From your days as an Inspector to an Enforcer, then to a fugitive, and then back here again, as part of Hanashiro's team is quite the working history." Tsuna mused.

Kogami was silent, but his eyes told him that he was nervous about meeting Tsuna who could put him down when he gave out the word. Tsuna can sense the wariness, holding his guard up. It amused him.

"Don't be too bothered by your fugitive status in the MWPSB. I had already settled it with Chief Kasei, and she will not touch even as much as one thread of your hair without having me as an opponent." he assured.

Sibyl does not answer to any government official in their current hierarchy, as they too, measure their competence through a strict criteria, but for Tsuna and the rest of his research team, Tsuna had the absolute right to override Sibyl's quest to pursue a single man who dared question their actions and decisions. It was quite a big responsibility and a bit hypocritical of them, but they all had to have a backup plan in every scenario. It just so happens that Tsuna is the most qualified to be a fixed variable in all of these scenarios.

Kogami Shinya was a threat to Sibyl, but he also had the potential to help it learn properly, and not with Bifrost or any other biological or technical entity they could find.

"Now, the reason I called for you is to test your prowess in actually making it out alive on your own through multiple countries. We do need capable people who could deal with domestic and foreign mites who would be audacious enough to prevent the proper opening of Japan's borders."

He then stood up and stretched his arms, "Come on, to the training room with you both!" he said enthusiastically as Tsuna intended on getting a workout from this young man both for work and for fun.

Things were just beginning to look up.

From his office, Tsuna's AI assistant automatically assessed the situation and had sent a notification to the clinic and the hospital for a possible trip to the ER, either through injury or overwork, CC'ing the Minster and his older brother in the process.

…

Chief Kasei glared at Kogami Shinya's amnesty report. She wanted to shred it to pieces. Of all the people they had to forgive the crimes of, it was the man who always questioned the will of Sibyl.

To top it off, it was approved by none other than their Creator.

Their Creator was kind to a fault, but he knew when not to show any mercy to any criminal that he comes across. The latent criminals, he treated like normal humans regardless of their crime coefficient while not giving them the wrong idea of loosening their leashes.

But why would he allow the forgiveness of the man who questioned if Sibyl itself had flaws? Did he not believe in their abilities as the protectors of the order?

As Chief Kasei debated this, the doors to her office opened, revealing the person she had been thinking about.

"This is a surprise. Chief Officer Sawada." Kasei said as she stood up to greet Tsuna with a handshake.

"Chief Kasei." Tsuna's voice was curt, but with a hint of amusement.

"What brings you here this evening?" Kasei wondered.

Tsuna simply walked through her and made his way to sit on her desk, face serious as he looked at the Sibyl avatar.

"Sibyl. I suppose you have some lingering questions about the recent amnesty?"

At that, Kasei's eyes widened and her entire form stiffened. Tsuna watched passively as her eyes showed binary numbers before settling in an icy blue hue set of eyes.

"Creator." Kasei's voice turned into Sibyl's feminine robotic voice.

"My dear Sibyl." Tsuna addressed. "I know there is something that you all wanted to discuss with me?"

"Indeed, we were surprised that you had given amnesty to one Kogami Shinya. You are aware of the disaster he had caused within the MWPSB."

"You have Kozaburo Toma to thank for that." Tsuna stated. "Had he not acted in such a way unbecoming of Sibyl's being, then we wouldn't have had this problem."

Tsuna knew that this was a partial fault. The fault also lies with the Makishima child, but ultimately, Kozaburo was responsible for allowing his emotions to reign over the logical choices they had to make. The desire of making Makishima part of Sibyl's collective allowed him to become careless. Even then, Tsuna would have ultimately refused the request from the reports he got alone about Makishima Shogo. While he fit the criteria he had set with Sibyl in regards to being included in the collective, his intuition is telling him it might do Sibyl more harm than good.

"We are ashamed to have entrusted this avatar to the former Sibyl member."

"As you should." Tsuna stated. "Had you continued the pursuit, then I would not have seen what a gem Kogami Shinya is to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is simply too valuable to be dragged back as an enforcer or in solitary confinement. Better pay, too." he said with amusement.

"What are we to do with this update of information?" Sibyl inquired.

"Just this. I know for a fact that you gave Hanashiro quite the red tape for this. Had she not experienced such a thing, she wouldn't have had to go through me for me to notice it." he stated.

He then stood from the chair and stood face to face with the Sibyl avatar. "Let this be a lesson, Sibyl." he stated, "The next time someone from Sibyl dared to put their personal agenda or desire above the law and order of Japan, or become an undeniable root cause of an adverse action against the said law and order, I would have no qualms to re-evaluate and eliminate every single offender myself if I have to. Sibyl can function even with just less than half of your current population. Do I make myself clear?"

The android was silent for a minute, conferring with each other about the directive of their Creator.

"Everyone has agreed on this, Creator."

Tsuna nodded. "Good. Now, I should be going. I feel like going home on time today." he mused. "Consider this conversation as an official meeting. Do not fail Japan again." he said one last time before leaving the office, leaving Sibyl to their own devices.

Tsuna knew that Sibyl wasn't perfect. That was why he was chosen as the one that Sibyl cannot touch. The people of Japan aren't perfect, but for the sake of law and order, this was essential in their survival built on desperation for order in the chaos the world had brought upon themselves. Only in recent years did they just start recovering from it, and Tsuna would be damned if they had to return to the life of survival mode.

Who knows, maybe someone, somewhere, another individual might be able to leverage Sibyl into actually doing its job properly?

...

As if jinxing it, Tsuna would soon come face to face with Tsunemori Akane.

But that is a story for another time.

END

And we are done! This has been a long-time coming, and thank you to those who have watched this story go through a long bout of hiatus. Things had been hectic in my personal life so my writing had to go into a brief pause.

Again, thank you for reading!

-Cathy Rin