Katekyo Hitman Reborn!: New Adventures In A New Era (ImaginaryMuse & Koibito)

ImaginaryMuse

ImaginaryMuse

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Jun 27, 2021
Location
West Coast, USA

July 25th
Namimori, Japan
14:28 PM GMT +9

It took two years but finally ... it seemed everything was back to a more 'normal' way of life. And for the now sixteen-year-old Tsukiko Sawada? This was perfectly fine with her. In fact, 'fine' was too generous of a word to use. It was a blessing, and she wasn't the only one who agreed on that view. Her twin brother, Tsunayoshi - often called simply Tsuna - concurred with that thought also, as did both of her parents. Her mother had been finally filled in and had everything revealed to after the last conflict, with the Vendice getting as close to harming her as they did. Iemitsu had no choice by then and had to reveal what was going on with Tsuna and, to the smallest of extents, Tsukiko.

Granted, Tsukiko had been kept away from all of the fights and ongoings precisely to avoid being dragged into any of these events. But unlike her mother, she'd known from the very first day that Reborn appeared what his true intentions were. She hadn't liked any of it, least of learning that her brother had to take over a mafia family. In fact, she had wanted to help out. And Reborn would have gladly let her ... except for one huge problem, particularly when the Ring Conflict rolled around. She had Sky Flames and, unfortunately, only one person per Flame was needed.

This further strengthened the idea to keep her hidden and in the background. It was, of course, much easier said than done ... particularly with Tsukiko having her own close calls as well as her mother, namely with the incidents involving not only the Vendice but even Byakuran. By what could only be described as a miracle ... she had managed to stay safe and, just as importantly, sane throughout everything that had happened over the two years.

"Tsukiko! Tsuna! Lunch is ready!"

... Is it really that time already? Tsukiko mused, lifting her head up and glancing at her clock. Indeed it was. She'd started on some her summer homework the moment she'd woken up and, out of habit more than much else, that had been since eight in the morning. Her arms stretched over her head before she paused her music, closed her textbook along with her notebook, and slipped out from her chair. "Coming!" she called back, still stretching while descending down the stairs.

"It is summer, you know? You have tons of time to finish all of that work up."

Tsukiko nodded, shrugging casually as she gave her mom a hug then a coy smile that just barely avoided a smirk. "True, but unlike a certain twin sibling of mine, I prefer avoiding waiting until the last second to get to work on that sorta thing."

The two shared a soft chuckle as Tsukiko grabbed some of the plates, barely managing to surpress a sigh as she counted three. The only thing that really could have made this summer perfect ... is if dad were back. Why shouldn't be here? As far as Tsukiko was concerned, Iemitsu was very overdue to use some vacation time. All truly was well enough ... or so it seemed that way as Tsukiko helped Nana set the table.

"I actually figured something for you two to do this summer."

That certainly grabbed Tsukiko's attention as she quirked an eyebrow. Nana playfully wagged a finger, already seeing she was about to ask what it was. "You'll find out when both your brother comes down. I wanted to tell you both simultaneously."

" ... Alrighty then."

This was certainly new. It wasn't yet their birthday, so that was an easy possibility to eliminate. Iemitsu's had been last month and Nana's in May, so ... it couldn't be linked to that. So ... what else was there? Sadly, it did seem the only thing she could do was wait. And so ... to help speed that up should Tsuna not be able to smell the food, Tsukiko licked her lips and let out a loud whistle.

While waiting for Tsuna to come down, both Nana and Tsukiko took their seats, the food upon the table waiting in addition to the women.
 
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"Coming, Mom!" Could be heard down the hall as Tsuyayoshi Sawada emerged from his room. The light brown haired boy yawned and stretched out, it was a decently lazy morning so far. Tsuna was dressed by now, a plain white tee and forest green cargo shorts, but he'd gotten to spend a sweet few hours doing nothing and now he was getting to have a relaxing lunch with his family, including his sister.

Tsuna barely caught sight of his twin as she ran down the stairs ahead of him. It brought a smile to his face to see her.

After the final battle he took part in it had been a long time since Tsuna had seen his twin sister Tsukiko. When Reborn first showed up in his life, she was already out and about preparing for a trip so she wasn't around and soon she was away for a while. It wasn't until later that Reborn informed him that the family had actually placed her in protective custody while maintaining her schooling and as normal a life as possible. At first Tsuna had a conniption fit but soon came to understand the danger and that it really would be best to keep her away and out of it, accepting not seeing his sister for a good while.

It had been two years since the Representative Battle of the Rainbow, where Tsunayoshi Sawada and the six guardians of the would be 10th leader of the Vongola Mafia Famiglia battled in the infamous hitman, Reborn's stead to remove the curse of the Arcobaleno. It had been two years since Tsuna declined for the hundredth time joining the mafia and becoming the 10th Vongola boss. It had been two years since Tsuna had returned to his no-good life at Reborn's departure, only for the home tutor to return once again with a new goal to make him into the so declared 'Neo Vongola Primo', and it had been two years since Tsuna returned to the life that had become his new, not so no-good hectic life.

Today was different however, as the start of summer had been so far, and here Tsukiko was, safe and happy it seemed. Watching her thin frame trot down the steps as she disappeared around the corner, Tsuna couldn't help but take an appreciative breath as for a moment he felt peace knowing that Tsukiko was home. Things were finally back to normal.

Perhaps a little too much like Tsuna's normal however...

"Eh?" Tsuna was snapped out by the loud whistle Tsukiko gave, "mh" he shook himself out of it with an affirming nod before heading downstairs.

Even though his presence wasn't known, by the time Tsuna got to the bottom of the stairs, Reborn was sitting at the table with the two girls. Of course everyone was used to this now, or at least Tsuna was the only one who ever reacted to it as if it were abnormal and he was used to it. Besides it wasn't as if he didn't expect Reborn to be there since he had come back to live with Tsuna still intent on making him into the boss of the Vongola Famiglia.

"Tsuna you're keeping everyone waiting" Reborn bluntly stated as he stated most things.

"H-hey!" Tsuna lightly protested but nodded, "sorry about that" he said rubbing the back of his head as he sat at the table with them.

"Mama has some news" Reborn clarified, bringing everyone's attention back to Nana, Tsukiko and Tsuna's mother.
 

Tsukiko shook her head reassuringly as Reborn attempted to scold her brother. "It's fine. We're at least out of school, so it's not like we need to rush or anything."

"Not rush, no," Nana confirmed, a very happy smile spreading over her lips. "But ... you both should get busy packing after finishing up."

Okay. If Tsukiko's attention hadn't been grabbed beforehand, it certainly was now. She kept an eyebrow quirked, staring at her mother while finishing up a bite of scrambled eggs, waiting for the shoe to drop as far as why packing was required. Thankfully, neither she nor Tsuna would need to wait very long. "We're gonna go to Italy for a bit of a vacation. I'm also going to see about trying to surprise your father and attempt to finally see him again."

That made Tsukiko grin. While it didn't take a rocket scientist to understand Nana's reasons for wanting to see Iemitsu, she also had her own. Just none that were intimate. But they were absolutely still valid in their own rights. Besides ... Tsukiko was, admittedly, curious about visiting other countries. This would most definitely be one of the best ways to get one of her wishes fulfilled.

"Awesome! Alrighty!"

"Get at least a few weeks worth of clothing ready. Reborn helped me get the tickets, so after we all finish up and clean the place up real fast, we can head out. I'll get the kitchen if you two take care of your rooms."

Tsukiko eagerly nodded, not seeming to mind or care enough about what Tsuna might be thinking about. It wasn't like Tsukiko had forgotten his old enemies were from there. But for one ... that was the keyword in her mind; old. She doubted Varia would try anything again. Two ... what were the honest to gods odds they'd even run into them? And finally, three .... they couldn't be that horrible. Right?

Despite hearing they were supposedly assassins, it didn't change the fact that no one had died during the Conflict. Lambo had the closest call, but no actual deaths occurred. Even if it hadn't been mercy, they still could have ended up dead. So even if it was a proverbial shot in the dark, some part of Tsukiko wanted to believe they were somewhat decent people. Sure, it was a bit risky to be so optimistic ... but that was how Tsukiko always tended to be. Until one gave her a reason not to trust a person, at least.

Shoving the thought away, knowing it didn't matter at the moment, Tsukiko finished her breakfast and jogged back up the stairs. It was clear at least one of the teenagers looked ecstatic about this set of news and would, hopefully, be a positive sight. Nana, meanwhile, would heed her words and begin collecting the dishes, then proceeding to wash them. Unbeknownst to Tsuna and Tsukiko, she had woken up earlier than usual, thus allowing her to get her packing done and out of the way. All she needed to do was clean up and get to the car with her children. From there, it'd be off to the airport and they would be flying to Italy in a matter of minutes.
 
Tsuna smiled to Tsukiko at his defense, it wasn't as if she had said anything overly praiseful of him but it was nice to have someone on his side for once. He sat down and started to eat with his family as their mom spoke up again.

"Hnn?" Tsuna paused with his mouth open over a piece of toast. "Packed?" He lowered the food from his face, "is everything okay?" Tsuna asked with a similar confused look as his sister before Nana answered them. Tsuna's eyes lit up as the news turned out to be quite the good kind, "wow, really?" He asked with an open smile in surprise. Tsuna nodded to his twin, "yeah, this'll be fun!" He agreed with her reaction before their mom went on.

"Right, will do after-" the spiky brown haired boy stopped himself. "Wait... Reborn got these tickets?" Tsuna asked cautiously as it then clicked to him. It wasn't that Tsunayoshi was afraid to go to Italy, but far more that Reborn getting them tickets to the homeland of the Mafia could only mean some Famiglia nonsense that he wanted no part of. Not to mention their mom being brought there, but there was no way Reborn was getting her involved in anything... Right?

"That's right I did" Reborn answered matter of factly, "but this was all Nana's idea, so you can rest easy" he assured Tsuna uncharacteristically. That was at least until he pulled out his handgun, aiming right for Tsuna's head, "you got a problem with me being so nice?" He challenged calmly.

"N-no! Put that away!" Tsuna protested, shaking his head as he waved his hands in front of him defensively. "I-it was really good of you to help, thank... You?" Tsuna peeked out from behind his own stance to see if the sucking up had worked. Reborn put his gun away and Tsuna breathed a heavy exhale of relief, "so..." Tsuna tried to change the subject, "Dad will be there?" He asked.

After breakfast, Tsuna followed suit of Tsukiko and went to pack. Stuffing extra clothes into a bag he felt something hard at the bottom. "Huh?" Not having packed anything yet it was weird for anything to be in there yet, had he used it recently and forgot to unpack? Digging through the clothes he'd just thrown in, Tsuna's eyes snapped wide open as his mouth went agape.

"Reborn! What the hell is this?!" Tsuna exclaimed, dumping out a mass of guns from his bag. Actual, live ammunitions were stashed in his bag, only one person could have and would have done something like this.

"Extra protection" Reborn stated from the doorway.

"I thought you said I could relax!" Retorted Tsuna.

"Of course, this is a normal vacation after all" Reborn once more assured.

"Then why the guns?!" The boy barked back.

"Well, you are a Famiglia Boss and are going to be in the homeland of the Mafia itself" Reborn explained.

"I told you I don't want to be a Mafiosoooooo!" Tsuna groaned in a frustrated growl.



Packed and in the car, the Sawada family was on their way to the airport. Tsuna wore his Vongola Ring of the Sky in exchange for Reborn not messing with his luggage any further. It was a brilliant set of twin rings; one covering down his middle finger with another more traditional ring on his pinky connected by a chain. At least it was easy to carry, and was admittedly a bit stylish, so he had little complaints about it.

"It's been a while since we've all traveled" Tsuna commented idly with short breaths as he looked around the large airport once they arrived. He was made to carry the biggest bags of everyone's until they checked their luggage where he was finally able to drop it all off and only worry about his carry on. "Where's the gate again?" Tsuna asked his mom.
 

It wouldn't be until Tsuna questioned Reborn obtaining the tickets that, admittedly, Tsukiko started silently pondering the same thing. Thankfully, she had her breakfast and a glass of orange juice to help keep a more composed poker face than her brother. She acknowledged that should anything happen ... she couldn't really stop it. But if possible, she really did want a genuine break. The past two years had been frustrating enough with Tsukiko knowing there was effectively nothing she could do to help her brother out. The separation, while necessary, had come with a series of tests on her mental health.

Given Tsukiko seldom, if ever, got horrible cases of anxiety, let alone depression? It spoke volumes of how bad both of those got during every trial Tsuna had to face, and it only was made worse knowing the best she could do ... was stay away and pray for the best possible outcome. Thankfully, she had gotten that much despite all of the trials that found her brother and his Guardians.

But she didn't want this to be another test .... although .....

If I'm able to come along .... not likely ...

Her head nodded as Tsukiko used that form of reassurance to keep herself from having any type of negative reaction. The moment she entered her room, her smile returned and Tsukiko's attention went back to what was asked of her. She grabbed several duffle bags and even a small purse to bring on as her carry on item. And then ... she began going through every inch of her room, grabbing any and everything she thought might be needed for the trip to Italy.


Every now and again, Tsukiko would sneak glances towards Tsuna. More specifically, his Sky Rings. She couldn't help but grin despite feeling a small bit jealous. The rings were really pretty and exotic looking in their own rights. And truthfully? Before being forced into hiding - a bit after Reborn gave his true intentions to be specific - Tsukiko had attempted to volunteer to take Tsuna's spot. Which made it both frustrating and simultaneously admirable, if not a bit laughable, that he insisted he become Juudaime.

And yet, he still fights against it, Tsukiko mused, fighting the urge to click her tongue. It was likely the 'lesser of two evils' in his mind, and he had repeatedly ensured she'd stayed safe throughout everything that'd happened over the past two years.

.... Still .... Tsukiko knew perfectly well he didn't really want this. She'd even heard him arguing with Reborn before they left. No, it didn't help that his room was across the way from hers, but that also wasn't the point.

"Yeah it has," Tsukiko muttered in agreement. In fact ... they'd never been outside of Japan. Namimori perhaps, but they otherwise would visit another city in Japan at most. As Tsukiko grabbed her bags, a concerned expression appeared on her face. "Umm ... hwo are we gonna communicate exactly? None of us know Italian."

"Now you know another reason I'm intending to meet up with your father. He does. He's worked there for so long, after all. I'm pretty sure he had to learn the language, and quickly too."

" ... Fair enough," Tsukiko replied, a smile replacing the otherwise worried look that had appeared mere moments ago. Their school allowed them to learn English ... though that was more so in terms of literature, though a bit of the language did come hand in hand. Aside from that, they only learned Japanese and weren't really given many options in learning other languages.

Maybe see about online classes for this sort of thing?

It was certainly something she'd see about. The thought was tucked away as she joined Tsuna and Nana in walking inside. Nana dug through her purse, produced the tickets and quickly scanned them. "Hmmm ... let's see. Near the back, it seems like. H-5!"

Well ... thank goodness Tsukiko was on the track team. She'd be able to endure the walk well enough. A sly smile was flashed towards Tsuna as she began to briskly walk beside her family.

It wouldn't be until they got closer that something odd was dawning on Tsukiko. The area they were heading towards seemed .... rather empty. Why? She'd walked by tons of other individuals beforehand. So what was different? Suddenly ... she was feeling just a bit nervous. Another glance was directed at Tsuna, wondering and silently inquiring if he'd also noticed the same thing she had.
 
The fact that this would be Tsuna's first time out of the country hadn't quite hit him yet. He was much more happy to be actually doing something together with the family, his family, namely with Tsukiko with them. Sure Tsuna was nervous, in suspicion of Reborn, but this really did seem like it would be a genuine getaway for the three of them. Maybe even all four if they could actually get ahold of their dad.

"Yeah she's right" Tsuna agreed with Tsukiko, questioning how they would get by without knowing a lick of Italian themselves. "Oh, makes sense..." he then answered as their mom clarified, it would surely be convenient if Iemitsu was there then it would seem. It made Tsuna wonder how well this trip was actually thought out.

The thought was interrupted when Tsuna noticed how fast they were walking and how tired it was making him. He was already breathing quicker, holding more securely onto his carry on. "C'mon guys it's not a race..." Tsuna complained before he noticed Tsukiko's side eye and smirk, and that she was the one setting the pace. Nana had no issue and didn't even notice as she kept up with her daughter, but Tsuna was lagging behind.

"Tsukikoooo c'mon" Tsuna pleaded as he power walked to keep up with his sister and mother's casual stride. Tsuna was panting by the time they slowed down, both he and Tsukiko noticing the lack of people around. "Why's it so quiet?" Tsuna asked aloud, "are we sure the gate's this way?" He wondered, guessing they could have gotten turned around and gone towards some employee area.

However there was a gate, and it did say H-5, Tsuna's first thought was to worry if Reborn had gotten them some beat up out of the way quick plane out. Not that he didn't mind a more humble accommodations but it smelled fishy to say the least. It was then though that something had caught Tsuna's eye.

"Woah... Look out the windows!" He gasped, pointing towards the glass wall that left open a view to the airfield where, connected to the gate they stood in front of, was an airliner that stood out from the others. It was the same size and model of plane, but black in color with silver edges around the doors and windows as well as the front of the engines.

"Surpriiiiiise!" a voice boomed out behind them causing Tsuna to spin around. Standing there was Iemitsu Sawada, Tsuna and Tsukiko's father and Nana's husband. He was dressed in a suit, a rare sight for the man, and standing next to him low to the ground was the unmistakable stature of Reborn.

"Ciaossu" Reborn greeted.

"Dad?! What are you doing here?" Tsuna asked in surprise.

"Don't sound too excited" the man let out a hearty laugh with that one, "I'm here to pick you guys up" he clarified, waving a hand towards the window and the black plane that was now clearly the one they would be taking.

Reborn looked to Tsuna, "you were just thinking I'd tossed you and Mama on some cheap flight, weren't you" Reborn asked as he pulled his gun on Tsuna.

"No! No! I promise!" Tsuna waved his hands in front of him defensively. "Put that away! We're in an airport!" Tsuna pleaded with Reborn.
 

Tsukiko turned long enough to stick her tongue out at her brother. "Oh, hush. You'll live. Besides ... I may not be able to practice my track while we're away. Swimming's more likely so ... this is my exercise of sorts." As she turned her head back and made sure to keep her gaze in front of her to avoid running into anything, Tsukiko nodded. Indeed, swimming was much, much more likely. That thought by itself made her grin. If she hadn't been excited before hand, now she really was.

The silence, however, quickly made Tsukiko nervous. On edge even.

Oh come the hell on. No stupid ambushes or some other bullshit like that, please ...

Ambushes? From who? she quipped back to herself. Tsukiko rolled her eyes, lowly scoffing before answering back.

I don't know! But that's how this feels, and it sure as hell isn't what I'd want, thanks. That's why the saying goes expect the worst but hope for the best.

Fortunately, everyone else was given confirmation this was indeed not an attack, but rather ... an arrival. Ironically, of the very same man that Nana had intended to find when they landed in Italy. Her eyes practically shined as she ran up and hugged him. "Oh, sweetheart! It's lovely to see you again! How long have you been in Japan, then? You sneaky, sneaky husband of mine."

" ... Dad!"

After double and triple checking she wasn't imagining things, Tsukiko ran beside her mom, joining in on the embrace. Nana chuckled softly as she nodded down towards their daughter, "Sixteen years young and, as you can see, still very much the daddy's girl she's always been."

" .... Hush," Tsukiko muttered lowly, though the grin on her face hinted she didn't really care. Nana had simply spoken the truth, not an exaggeration like it may have come off to anyone else. "Maybe I could begin growing out of the phase if he weren't gone for years."

"Oh, I doubt that. But it at least would be weakened a bit, I'll agree there."

Tsukiko's smile merely widened as she simply continuing hugging her dad alongside her mom. Only when she heard her brother utter the word 'gun' did her head lift .... and she grimaced slightly. "Oi ... please? Even if this weren't an airport, this really isn't the place or time for that. But the fact it is one? Yeah ... let's not get ourselves into unnecessary trouble, please."

Finally, both Nana and Tsukiko would pull away. "Let's go then!" Nana excitedly declared, "I bet the inside looks even more impressive than the outside!" No sooner than Nana uttered her words did both she and Tsukiko begin boarding the plane, anticipation practically stamped on their foreheads as they briskly walked towards the plane that would help them get to Italy.
 
"Nana!" The man's deep voice burst out happily at the sight of his wife running to him, the lovely sound of her voice. He threw his arms around her, lifting the woman off the ground and spinning in his embrace before letting her go. "We just got here to pick you all up" Iemitsu answered with a cheeky grin as he rested his hands lovingly on Nana's shoulders, rubbing them up and down subtly.

"Tsukiko!!!" Iemitsu then called in response as he pulled his daughter in with one arm while putting the other around Nana. Truth be told, he'd seen Tsukiko more than the rest of his family due to the maneuvering of the girl throughout Tsuna's adventures, but he was just as excited to see her anyway. "Tsuna!" He then called out to the boy who didn't exactly rush over to greet him.

"Hey... Dad" Tsuna said, not so much hesitantly but more taken off guard. After all, he'd known now why his father was so absent and had halfway come to terms with in after everything. Pushing aside his kneejerk reaction Tsuna nodded and stepped closer where Iemitsu placed his hand on Tsuna's head, holding all three of his closest family together. Reborn simply smiled at the scene.

"I'll go with them" Reborn followed Nana and Tsukiko through the gate, leaving Tsuna and Iemitsu alone.

"What's wrong son? You look glum" Iemitsu put his fists to his hips.

"Dad... You sure this isn't some Mafia thing?" He asked in a serious tone. "Mom's really looking forward to this" he told him simply.

Iemitsu nodded, "far as I know at least" he answered. "Reborn got this together, and he's not the type to con someone like your mom just to give you some sort of test again" defended the man.

Tsuna nodded, "you're right..." He sighed, trying to relax his shoulders. "Okay, let's have fun on this trip. Dad? I'm glad you came" Tsuna said with a soft smile which Iemitsu met with a grin and a thumbs up.

"That's my boy!" He said as he patted Tsuna on the back roughly while the two men made their way through the gate as well.



Through the hatch of the passenger airliner seemed as normal as any, but behind the little curtain to the actual passenger area made all the difference. The seats were more like couches up against the sides longways giving more room in the middle. Each seat was built into the side of the plane with wooden tables on each side. The carpets were fine and the windows trimmed with gold.

"Woah... This is amazing" Tsuna gaped at the private flight they would be taking, "this is really all for us?" He asked.

"Of course" Iemitsu replied, "the family spared no expense for the future Tenth Boss" he said with a hand on Tsuna's shoulder.

"I'm not gonna be the Tenth!" Tsuna protested as he pulled away.

"That's right" Reborn interjected surprisingly, "he's going to be the Neo Vongola Primo" the small baby corrected. There it was...

"Ah that's right I remember" Iemitsu nodded, far too casually for Tsuna's liking.

"No! I mean-!" However Tsuna was cut off before he could continue as the pilot came over the intercom asking everyone to take their seats.
 

Tsukiko hadn't forgotten that, indeed, she had seen Iemitsu quite a bit. However, that had all been during 'business trips', for a lack of better wording. This, though, was a family vacation and - in her honest opinion - very much overdue. It was for those reasons that she was more happy and even feeling just a bit more selfish than usual. As she walked alongside Nana, a sly grin appeared on her mom's face.

"Hm?" Tsukiko inquired.

"I need to be careful, I see. I've got competition, don't I?"

Tsukiko quickly shook her head as her face flushed. "N-no. Come on now, I'd never. Besides ... I do technically have someone. I just ... don't think they're seeing me in a similar enough light." In fact, Tsukiko would go so far as to say she probably wasn't known about to Hibari Kyoya. A crazy crush for certain ... and often times she'd convinced herself it was like a pipe, or at least impossible, dream.

And honestly? That was yet another thing that going to Italy might be able to help her out with. At least distracting her from dwelling too much on unrequited feelings. She wouldn't necessarily seek out a lover ... but she wouldn't oppose either. Assuming things worked out, at least.

"It's okay, sweetie," Nana teased, smiling as she took her seat. "But I give Tsuna enough jests. It's your turn."

"Fair enough," Tsukiko replied, her own grin appearing, "But it's not my fault he sets himself up so easily for those sorts of things." She'd sit across from her mother, who would eventually be joined by her dad soon enough. Tsukiko turned her head, having claimed the window seat as she gazed past the glass.

It was odd .. almost surreal even to think that they were really going to leave Japan.

But ... as Reborn and her father both spoke up .. she had to fight to hide a grimace.

Hopefully not just for that, she internally prayed, mentally noting the banter between the guys, but not saying anything about it just yet. She'd let them talk for now. It was an expect the worst but hope for the best type of situation. For now, her focus stayed on the scenery outside until it was time to get her seatbelt on. Soon, they would be up in the clouds .. and even the sky.

Funny how their Flames seemed to have the weirdest way of following them around wherever they went.

That helped earn a smile upon her face as Tsukiko closed her eyes. Whether it was because she was with everyone and was feeling relaxed or for another reason ... she rather swiftly fell asleep.



"Sweetie. We're about to land."

"Hmm?" Tsukiko sleepily replied, raising her arms and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Seriously? So soon? That was fast."

"Well, to be fair, this is an airplane. They're already a lot quicker than trains. But yes, yes we are. You were out like a light."

"Heh, yeah. I uhh ... felt as much." Tsukiko replied, briefly rubbing the back of her head before shifting in her seat and carefully stretching her arms over her head.
 
"Oh?" Tsuna couldn't help but wonder aloud in response as Tsukiko spoke of her mysterious admired. He had no clue it was Hibari, and to be completely honest he didn't even know the two had met. Not that Hibari Kyoya would know either but that was unbeknownst to the young Sawada twin as well.

"H-hey!" The brown haired boy replied to Tsukiko's comment as he sat next to her, though he couldn't do much to defend himself. He couldn't help but smile lightly after that at his mother acknowledging how much she joked with him. Then again the thought that their family was gathered like this only added to the content expression.


It took a while for Tsuna on the other hand, but about halfway into the trip he would find sleep too. After all he could only deal with both his father and Reborn's shenanigans for so long before wearing out both mentally and physically. So much so that when Tsukiko would stir awake, her brother would still be fast asleep, having unintentionally fallen against her shoulder in his sleep.

As such, Tsuna was bumped awake when Tsukiko raised her arms to stretch. "Mmm... Eh?" Tsuna was shaken awake before he noticed where he had fallen asleep. "Ah... Sorry about that" he said with a slight blush as he adjusted back over into his seat.

Soon the plane would come to a landing, Tsuna peered out the window to see the rushing ground meet the tires of the plane with a slight bump, slowing down as it drove up to the gate at the airport of their destination.

Coming out into the terminal, things were less quiet here. Despite assumedly also being a private gate for their plane, crowds of people were actually around this area. They moved swifter and more efficiently than a bumbling crowded place, but the family made their way from the terminal through the rest of the airport. Leaving that area, the scene shifted to a much more recognizable one, though Tsuna couldn't quite put his finger on it...

"Reborn... Were..." Before Tsuna could ask fully, Reborn nodded.

"Looks like you noticed" he said with a smirk, tugging his hat mysteriously over his eyes, "those gates were for Mafia only" he revealed softly.

"I knew it... Scary..." Tsuna grumbled, giving a look that seemed to convey keeping his eye on Reborn, but it wasn't as if that fact alone had pulled them into anything, so the boy just sighed as they left the airport.

From there they would drive to the hotel. It was a bit surreal, being in a whole other country. The buildings and signs were still buildings and signs, Tsuna didn't know if he thought they would be more alien or not, but the familiar scenery yet foreign language reminding him they weren't home, it was an interesting feeling to say the least. Of course along the way through the city, more of the colorful local architecture would pass by their view towards the hotel.
 

The atmosphere of the area they entered upon exiting the plane didn't go unnoticed by Tsukiko. She easily took note of it also. Although it would have been easy to dismiss with them now being in Italy which, in its own right, was an equally busy country like Japan ... no. Something else felt different. It was like there was something else fueling the crowds on. It was probably partially tourism, but it felt like there was a lot more than just that. And had Tsukiko not managed to hear the brief questioning between Reborn and Tsuna? She would have been able to ignore it better.

But now that the answer had been revealed ... Tsukiko let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd held in.

Scary indeed ... she mentally agreed, subconsciously moving closer to Nana.

"Nervous, sweetie?"

Thankfully, it wasn't like she was lying when she nodded. There were just a lot of other factors Tsukiko wasn't immediately relaying either. She managed to grin and nod as Nana giggled softly. "Well ... good thing your father's with us, huh? He'll definitely help us with the language barrier and everything fine."

"I ... also am not really used to standing out too much."

While it was true to note that black tended to be the most common hair color in Japan, she'd also gotten accustomed to seeing silver from Hayato, brown from her own sibling plus a few other classmates, and another handful of colors. But now? She found herself staring at a sea of Aryan-based colors. Numerous people with blonde hair and bright blue eyes were walking among them. Even her father at least partially fit the profile. His eyes, however, were a deep amber in place of the light blue.

"Oh!" Fortunately with her partaking in track and swimming, it offered Tsukiko certain traits. Quick reflexes, for example. So right before she zoned out and got too lost in her thoughts, she managed to avoid colliding head on with an incoming stranger. She bowed her head, a bit too embarrassed to look at them and properly apologize, before hurrying back beside her family.

After getting their luggage and leaving the airport, they would be led to a car. From there? They eventually arrived in front of what may as well be a large mansion. Tsukiko's jaw dropped as she looked over towards her father. Nana merely smiled, not seeming to mind the sight at all. Either she knew about this beforehand ... or was just her usual, accepting self.

"Ummm ... dad? What exactly is this? Aside from a really huge house and such? I guess the main question I'm getting at is .... are we really staying here?"

"Why wouldn't we be?" Nana quipped back.

"W-Well ... I figured and expected a hotel. Not that this is bad, just ... very unexpected."

No wonder the proverb encouraged people to expect the unexpected. This was a perfect example of that coming into play. Tsukiko managed to get rid of the shock etched on her face and nodded, seeming to accept it well enough for now also as she began grabbing her bags, draping them over her shoulders.
 
"Haha, that's right!" Iemitsu answered Nana to Tsukiko, "don't you worry, Dad will handle it all" he assured his daughter.

"Aha... I guess we do stick out a little huh" Tsuna rubbed the back of his head as he looked around to finally notice what Tsukiko was talking about.

"Ahaha that's no big deal here either it'll be fiiiine" Iemetsu comforted in his own, overly excited way as he patted both children on the shoulders.

He'd probably never had to experience standing out as much unless it was due to his own antics Tsuna figured. Though to be fair neither had either of them, not to this degree at least; out of their home country in a new and busy place with many people. It was a bit... Distracting to say the least.

So much so that only Tsukiko noticed when she barely missed running into someone... Quite unique. It was a surprise that Tsuna didn't seem to notice, even more that her father, or anyone really didn't seem to even acknowledge the young man dressed rather awkwardly that she nearly crashed into. Surely someone with a... Giant apple on their head? Stood out way more than any of their family. The figure swept by her so swiftly as well, merely waving a hand as a delicate "sorry..." danced about Tsukiko's ear before the boy dressed in a sort of black version of a school uniform disappeared into the crowd entirely.


Tsuna's expression mirrored Tsukiko's, truly twins in their reaction as from either side they turned to their dad in shock. "Y-yeah" Tsuna agreed with Tsukiko's question, merely rubbing the back of his head in silent agreement that he too expected a hotel or something not so incredibly extravagant.

As they entered, Tsuna looked around what seemed to be a short front lobby. Stairs led up to assumedly a floor of guest rooms towards a master bedroom at the end of the long hall. Other rooms could be seen through open archways such as the large kitchen and an immense living space.

"What is this place?" Tsuna gawked.

"Why, it's my home of course!" Iemitsu answered with a hearty laugh.

Tsuna's jaw dropped again. He knew now his dad had this secret life and might have been a bit more well off than they may have thought, but this?

"Of course the CEDEF is going to house it's members properly" Reborn cut in, already able to tell what Tsuna was thinking. It was clear as usual he reveled in the normality of extravagance, the kind befitting the Mafia world at least that he was so intent on having Tsuna catch up with.

"You guys pick any room you want" Iemitsu told his kids, "even bunk together if you want to, I know it's a pretty big place" he added. "That's why you'll be staying with me to keep your poor loving husband from being lonely in the night, right, Nana?~" Iemitsu chimed quite cheezily as he made his way over to his wife and took her hand, whisking her off towards the master bedroom upstairs.

"Bleh..." Tsuna watched his parents with an exhausted expression as they headed off.
 

"Huh? Oh, no! I was the one who almost ran into you, so ... "

But by the time Tsukiko lifted her head and tried to find where the source of the voice was ... it had seemed to vanish. Probably disappeared into the large crowd which ... fair. It would have been just as easy to achieve had they still been in Japan. Maybe she was overthinking ... in fact, Tsukiko likely was. But there was an odd tone to that apology. Almost ... ominous in its own rights.

Her head shook at the thought ... and very swiftly vanished as it was revealed they hadn't simply been led to any mere mansion. No, this was literally theirs. Primarily Iemitsu's, yes, but by default it also meant herself, her mom and Tsuna could all reside here if they wanted or needed to.

Hopefully just the aforementioned, she prayed, not really wanting to be coerced into another 'hiding away' situation for any rhyme or reason.

"Of course I'll accompany you. I'd be foolish not to." Nana replied in a sing-song voice. Right as Nana intertwined her hand with Iemitsu's and started to leave ... that was when she noticed an uncertain look in her daughter's eye. "Hmm? Something wrong?"

"Well ... what exactly do you expect us to do?"

"Shop, of course!"

"Well, great idea, but .... I don't think Italy uses yen."

"Oh!" Nana giggled, covering her mouth with one hand as she looked sheepishly at her husband. "Leave it to your daughter to bring up the good points. Well ... hmm. Did either of you bring any of your allowance or money we've given you as gifts?"

Tsukiko nodded which caused Nana to proudly grin. And depending on Tsuna's reaction, Tsukiko would either teasingly shake her head or offer a more genuine smile.

"Hmm .... " Nana gently tapped her fingernails against Iemitsu's shoulders before nodding. "Go on and give them a bit extra. Just in case the exchange rate doesn't translate to enough."

While Iemitsu was gathering funds, Tsukiko slid her carry on bag off her shoulder and opened it. She pulled her cell phone and wallet both out. The phone was opened up and Tsukiko easily went to a Google translate tab, having it ready to translate Japanese to Italian. Since their father was going to be 'busy', she and Tsuna were going to have to use a different type of translator. It wouldn't likely be perfect, but it'd be - hopefully - decent enough to aid them in getting around.

"Take your time!" Nana called back as Iemitsu finished handing some Euro to both her children. With that done and out of the way, Nana allowed herself to be fully, and literally, swept off her feet. The twins would see her give Iemitsu a passionate kiss on the lips before they disappeared completely from view.

Whereas Tsuna seemed 'bleh' with the display, Tsukiko was blushing a bit. "Alright umm ... yeah. Come on now."

And with that, the twins would exit the mansion and emerge back into the streets. Though her cheeks were still crimson, Tsukiko managed to give Tsuna a sly, knowing smile. "I mean .... they do deserve the time to be fair. Honestly, it's a bit of a miracle she hasn't gone insane from him being gone as long as he is. I dunno if I'd be nearly as patient as mom ... not unless I'm given a really good reason. Umm ... anyway ..."

A quick typing of the word 'bank' would reveal they needed to look for signs or ask about 'banca'. She then expanded it so it read 'Which way to the bank?' ... and grimaced as the results popped up.

"Good thing they have the ability to have an AI say it, because I'm definitely going to butcher most of these words until we get proper lessons."

Tsukiko then lowered the phone so it was beside her, eliciting a content sigh as she finally took a good look around and actually noted the new scenery. "It ... definitely is pretty here. A bit ... unnerving, but not horrible or anything. What do you think so far?"
 
Tsuna gulped and nodded at the prospect that they'd be without anything money wise here.

"I uh... I have a bit, yeah actually" it was pure circumstance. By now, he'd usually end up in some crazy shenanigans that required him to help compensate for but as they were here in Italy, assumedly away from everyone else, he for once had a little spending cash.

Iemitsu came back with a good bit of money, a rather thick wad of cash actually. "Here, take this and scram for just a little while huh?" He said, flashing a grin and thumbs up to his children. "Reborn, would you go with them to make sure they're safe?" He asked, his own little way of showing his care.

Tsuna flinched, "oh he doesn't have to I'm sure it'll be f-"

"I'd be happy to" Reborn said with a tip of his hat, cutting off Tsuna. "What, you don't want me along to help keep anything bad from happening to you?" He asked, looking up at Tsuna in an innocent manner yet with a tone that suggested extortion for his protection.

"N-n-n-n-no I think it'll be great to have you along of course!" Tsuna waved his hands assuringly, a sweat drop beading from his brow.



More disgusted at their cheesiness than anything, Tsuna hadn't had the chance to consider what they were doing explicitly until Tsukiko brought it up on the way out of the house. It was his turn to turn red, sharing a blushed face with his twin now. "Y-yeah I suppose you're right" he'd said before Tsukiko brought up not being nearly as patient. Tsuna's face went even redder, "you... Wouldn't?" Tsuna asked, not sure why he did exactly, it was more on reflex than anything but now the image was in his head.

Luckily Tsukiko quickly went to searching what they needed. Reborn walked alongside but let the two figure themselves out until they really needed. Besides, Iemitsu and Nana weren't the only two who needed some time together.

"It really is, now that you mention it" Tsuna replied as he took in the scenery upon Tsukiko's bringing it up. "I think... I think I'm still a little in culture shock?" He said with a soft chuckle, scratching the side of his head with a finger as he noted his slow reaction to really taking it all in. Perhaps it was as Tsukiko said, unnerving, and so he agreed as best he could express.

With Reborn's help, the trio headed to the nearest bank. It was politely quiet inside the spacious building and though it was averagely crowded, things seemed to move swiftly enough that they were seen quickly. Tsuna and Tsukiko walked up to a window with an elderly woman working behind it. She moved slow and seemed hard of sight but nonetheless leaned forward and spoke up enough for Tsukiko's translator app to pick up.

"Welcome to UniCredit Bank. You two are so cute, is this your child?" Was what she'd asked in Italian.

"Hmm?" Tsuna looked over Tsukiko's shoulder to read what was translated, his face going bright red again.

Before anything could be said in response however, Reborn spoke up. "Actually, just a withdrawal" he'd said in Italian.

Upon hearing his voice, the woman perked up. Somehow, instantly, with eyes wide open the woman quickly and eagerly pulled up the necessary records and exchanged the cash. "Thank you, we're so glad to have you here Mr. Reborn, if there's anything else we can help you with please do not hesitate to ask" she spoke swiftly and in a more upbeat tone than her appearance would suggest as she handed the money back to Tsukiko and Tsuna.

"Woah... That was fast" Tsuna said, "Reborn... What did you say to her?" He asked, looking between him and Tsukiko.

Reborn merely shrugged, "nothing in particular, but the Mafia does have it's benefits, you know" he said in a low tone in firm Japanese.

"A-anyway... Where do we head from here?" He asked his twin sister.
 

Tsukiko chuckled as an eyebrow rose. "Look here ... kudos to you for waiting as long as you have to properly confess to Kyoko, but then go on and assume things between you worked out. So if she had a job outside of Japan or wherever you end up living and stayed months or even years away ... are you really going to tell me you'd be as patient as a saint like mom is?"

No matter his reply, she'd shake her own head.

"Maybe I can be a bit patient, but definitely not even trying to do the secret approach like dad originally did with all of us. Nu-uh. It's already frustrating enough being technically in a lifestyle, yet unable to help. I don't feel like keeping things away from someone I'm supposed to be devoting myself to. And I doubt you would either."

And not just simply because her morale compass insisted on avoiding those sorts of events. The past two years truly had been irritating in their own rights. To think about reliving any of it over again? No, that was near the very bottom of her to-do list, thank you very much. Fortunately ... any tension Tsuna may have felt coming from her sister vanished as her smile not only returned, but widened. She nodded in agreement as the topic went back to Tsuna experiencing a bit of culture shock.

"I umm .... hmmm. It's not that I'm not feeling the same. It definitely hasn't hit me yet for sure, though. Don't get me wrong, Japan's always going to be home for me, but considering we've never had the chance to leave the country before? I'm definitely too excited to mind the differences at the moment."

When they arrived to the bank and were called up ... Tsukiko's face very quickly burned brightly as the woman asked if Reborn was their kid. Though she didn't type in 'definitely not', the sight of her head moving from side to side would give enough of a hint. Assuming she could see well enough. Fortunately ... there did seem to be another good reason for Reborn to be here aside from protecting them. Quicker than Tsukiko could type her response into her phone, Reborn gave ... a correct enough reply.

"Something that allowed us to get the money and leave with no issues. That's a good start."

And now ... the real question. Where to go indeed.

"Well ... since he was away for it, somewhere we can buy dad some late birthday stuff. And then I'll use some of my own for at least dye if nothing else."

With school being out for a whole month and a half, give or take, now was easily one of the best times for Tsukiko to get a bit adventurous. With her already feeling curious enough and noting their appearance, it seemed like one of the more tame things she could do. Knowing their mom, she wouldn't mind at all. In fact, she'd probably be ecstatic to see her trying something new. And her father would likely react the same.

"Maybe at least a few extra outfits," she muttered to herself. "But mainly .... I do wanna see about surprising dad somehow."
 
Tsuna blushed brighter as Tsukiko elaborated on her inability to wait that long on someone. Something Reborn noted with a smirk.

"Tsuna just had some dirty thoughts huh" he said in regards to thinking about Tsukiko eager for what their parents were doing right now, at least in a way that she would be eager if she was with someone.

Tsuna's face glowed at this, "wh-what? H-hey don't say weird stuff!" Was all he could fumble out. He couldn't rightly deny that fact, he was a terrible liar after all. Luckily Tsukiko only shook her head and continued on about how their father did enter their mother's life secretive of his own actual lifestyle.

The brown haired boy nodded more solemnly, Tsukiko was right about that. Even though he'd kept things about the Mafia from others before, he never liked to - or more he never liked being in this business in the first place. With his life how it was, and now that everyone knew everything, it was a huge relief that he didn't want to go through again or put anyone else through again.


After leaving the bank and getting over the short lived awe at Reborn's presence commanding efficiency here, Tsuna rubbed his chin as he thought over what Tsukiko said. She was right, they should do something for him. With everything going on, an extravagant trip so suddenly, he really hadn't thought of it. Tsuna figured it'd be nice, especially after all of this.

He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled hesitantly as Tsukiko already had a few things planned. "You're gonna dye your hair?" He asked in not unapproving surprise.

"What do you think we should get him?" Tsuna asked as the three of them walked down the street. "Reborn? How about you?" He asked.

"Maybe some weapons?" Reborn asked casually.

"I knew I shouldn't have asked..." Tsuna replied with a defeated expression.

Reborn shrugged, "really, as the future Neo Vongola Primo you should be able to come up with a gift for your own father" he told Tsuna.

Tsuna tensed up and flinched back comically, "I'm not gonna be a Mafia boss!" He protested before returning to a serious demeanor. "... You're right though, it should be something we think of" he nodded in agreement before looking to his sister. "Right, Tsukiko?" He asked with a soft smile.
 

"Hmmm? And what's my twin onii-san thinking about now?"

The expression that quickly appeared on her brother's face most definitely did not go unnoticed. Alas, that was the simultaneous blessing and curse of being twins - this applied to the both of them. It was always easy enough to tell when the other was thinking, and typically the emotions that went with it. And going off the crimson appearing on her brother's face? Well .... it was hard to think Reborn was wrong.

"I don't look that similar to Kyoko. Bad onii-san."

Tsukiko stuck her tongue out before taking a moment to lift her head and glance around at some nearby signs. Using her phone, she scanned some Italian words and translated them back to Japanese. Nodding after noting where the shopping district - and overall downtown area truthfully - both were, Tsukiko continued walking slowly beside her brother.

"Forget the fact that dad has weapons. Even if we wanted to, we're not old enough to buy that sorta thing. Same goes with alcohol ... and unless Italy is secretly known for having really good sake, that's out the proverbial window."

Fortunately, he wasn't a heavy drinker, nor one that went violent. But he had indulged enough times that Tsukiko remembered his love for the plum wine. Her fingers lightly tapped against the side of her jeans. While she was trying to figure something out for their father ... no sense in seeming like she didn't hear the other question regarding her hair. "Black or blonde. Blonde feels like it'd be easier in some respects. But I've been curious how I'd look if we took up the more traditional Japanese hair color. Alternatively, if something else completely grabs my attention ... why not? I'll probably figure it out while we're looking around."

Between Reborn's help and Tsukiko's thorough research, the two would arrive at the shopping districts, finding themselves looking right at a huge mall. Tsukiko tilted her head ... seeming to contemplate an idea that had entered it before nodding. "We can afford to split up briefly. You can have Reborn as your guide and ... I got my phone. But maybe one of will walk by something to help give us an idea. And ... well ... Reborn's insanely good at reappearing and disappearing so he can get a hold of me and lead me back to you that way. Unless ... you have your own phone with you, but I didn't see you grab it."

Of course, if he had the rare ability to prove her wrong .... he could do so sooner than later. Otherwise ... she gave Tsuna a soft chuckle as she ruffled his hair. "Gah, you're hopeless. Somedays, I feel like the older twin here."

Only after hearing confirmation from both Tsuna and Reborn about her idea would Tsukiko wave to them both, pivot on her feet, and begin walking around.
 
"N-Nothing!" Tsuna chirped embarrassedly and looked away, the thoughts racing more as she so cheekily addressed him endearingly with an innocent face. He did want to let Tsukiko drop it there before they had continued on but when she mentioned Kyoko - who he hadn't seen in a while admittedly - he couldn't help but blurt out his next words.

"I-I didn't say that was a bad thin-" Tsuna barely cut himself off but had said nearly the whole reactionary response anyway. His face only heating up when she called him a 'bad' Onii-San for his thoughts and stuck his tongue out. As her twin as well he knew that expression, knew that it meant she wasn't offended by his thought - it was one of her expressions that let on that she was teasing, something Tsuna was all too used to.

Luckily they were on the trek now and Tsuna could distract himself from those thoughts with the task at hand.

Reborn gave no reply, simply maintaining pace when Tsukiko mentioned no weapons. It was a thought Tsuna hadn't even figured to clarify yet and Tsukiko was still a step ahead of him there. "R-right... Yeah we wouldn't want to get anything like that" he reasoned aloud, almost more at Reborn than agreeing with Tsukiko.

"Oh? Wow yeah I didn't think of that" Tsuna ran his hand through his spiky brown hair as Tsukiko mentioned checking out herself in a more traditional, local style. He then tried to picture his twin being blonde as well, both were hard to imagine but he couldn't picture either of them not looking good on her. "I'm sure it'll look good" he complimented with a soft smile.

As the two arrived at the mall, Tsuna mirrored Tsukiko's head tilt and mildly overwhelmed expression. "Huh? Of course I have my-" Tsuna reached into his pocket but froze solid as he realized he hadn't grabbed it just as his twin sister had thought. "Geh..." Tsuna sounded as Tsukiko was right yet again. When she ruffled his hair he slumped down, a trail of blue over his head in defeat. "Yeah... Good plan..." He sighed.

"Alright, lets do it" Tsuna then agreed as Tsukiko waved to them both. He nodded and turned the other way. "Okay... What to look for...." Tsuna eyed all the different signs in Italian, all of it alien to him, he didn't even rightly know where to start looking!
 

"Ohhhhh. I see how it is. You sometimes think I'm her, huh?"

Fortunately, the teasing would be all Tsuna would hear. She wasn't mad or disgusted at the thought like he may have feared. On the contrary ... she was way more understanding. Similar to their mother ... and yet not. Because unlike Nana ... there were certain facts that Tsukiko could acknowledge and realize just a bit faster than her mother. One of them being that as beautiful as Kyoko was ... she was also incredibly air-headed. And while she would never dare try to make Tsuna give up on his feelings for Kyoko, she couldn't deny a secret part of her wished he'd do just that and try Chrome.

It seemed a lot easier and more sensible. She was part of the Family and one of his Guardians. Would it not be easier to have romantic feelings for someone already in a dangerous line of work like this?

But maybe that was just the logical side of Tsukiko working overtime as she tended to do.

Either way, it did make sense to her. And besides ... any thoughts or fantasies were simply remaining as those. Were he desperate enough to attempt forcing any of them on her? Then she would have been reacting differently about this topic. Instead ... she mere chuckled softly and gave Tsuna a reassuring smile.

The next time Tsukiko glanced down at her cell phone, a whole twenty minutes had already ticked by. She'd walked around the shopping district ... but found nothing. Well, nothing suitable as far as gifts for her father went. A click of her tongue plus a frustrated huff elicited as she sat down on a nearby bench, letting out a groan.

"Well ... no matter what, we're definitely giving them more than enough time," she muttered to herself.

Fortunately, she hadn't been completely lost. She had managed to find and buy some nice clothes. More ... bolder than usual ones. Nothing overly revealing, mind you, but they were more than simply cute or what she tended to purchase for herself. Some may say it was foolish, particularly given she wouldn't be able to try to show herself off to Hibari anytime soon, but Tsukiko thought otherwise.

The fact was ... for all of her strengths, she'd never mustered up the courage to even try something that was typically out of her comfort zone. So as far as she was concerned, this was a huge step. And with that out of the way ... she was able to start attempting to focus on her father. Except .... that really was a much easier said than done process.

"Kuso ...." she mumbled, a groan mingling in with another frustrated sigh. "God, are men always this hard to shop for?! I didn't think this would be such a huge chore!"

Alas, the mansion he had was proof enough that in his own rights ... Iemitsu had pretty much any and everything he could ever want. Which made the task even more difficult.

"Hmmmm .... maybe Tsuna's had better luck. I should probably try to rendezvous with him."

Of course, that would be a bit riskier than without Reborn's help. And even more so now that she saw with her own eyes Tsuna had forgotten his phone. But ... she had to at least try to find her twin. She nodded at the plan, standing up while keeping the bags firmly held in her hands. It was only two, luckily, and neither were nearly as heavy as one may have assumed. With a new goal and thought in mind ... she began trying to see about finding her brother and see if he'd been able to find something for their dad.
 
Clothes, utilities, food, none of it seemed to fit a good gift for Tsuna and Tsukiko's father. "Gaaahhh..." Tsuna scratched through his brown hair with both hands in frustrated thinking, "I don't know what to do, Reborn" complained the boy, "did you get him anything?" He asked.

"I did" Reborn answered, "but you wont be stealing my ideas Tsuna" he said snarkily.

"Baaahhh I shoulda known" Tsuna's expression dropped in defeat for a moment as the two walked before Tsuna continued on looking.

"Tenth? Tenth?! Is that you?!" a familiar voice called over the crowd.

"Ugh I'm so desperate for help it's like I hear Gokudera shouting for me..." Tsuna lamented obliviously as they continued walking.

"Teeeeeennnnnth!!!" The voice grew louder and more excited.

Tsuna pivoted instantly, elbows out as his arms hung down, jaw dropped in shock. "Hayato?!?!" Tsuna gasped.

"Ten- Oh! I mean, Neo Vongola Primo - I'm glad I finally found you!" Gokudera jogged up happily to Tsuna.

"What the heck are you doing here?!" Tsuna exclaimed.

Gokudera smiled wide, running his finger under his nose in a gesture of pride. "Well, when I'd heard you'd gone on vacation overseas, I knew I couldn't just sit by" he explained as if that were a completely normal thing to say.

"Sit by?!" Tsuna flinched back, "I'm just on vacation!" He insisted.

"Yeah! In Italy, the homeland of the Vongola!" He said with a more hushed yet nonetheless excited tone. "I couldn't let you be without your right hand!" He assured Tsunayoshi.

"Geh..." Tsuna looked concerned but sighed as he gave up. On the other hand, despite his reaction and Hayato's weirdness, it was a relief to see a familiar face. "Well... I guess we better find Tsukiko, so far everything here has been a bust" he commented with another groan.



As Tsukiko made up her mind with determined vigor to hurry back and regroup, it may have been that she was a bit too focused, or perhaps she simply wasn't paying attention. Whatever the reason may be, her stride nearly collided her with a large, imposing figure.

Quickly a firm hand pressed her shoulder to catch Tsukiko before she bumped into him. This tall man had black spiky hair that was shaved at the undersides, with a unique feathered adornment attached to the back of it. He wore a suit, though the coat he wore over his shoulders. Most strikingly, a large scar or mark covered part of the left side of his face.

The man's eyes burned with a ferocity that could kill, a harsh look as if he was about to attack Tsukiko for the mere trespass of almost getting in his way. However no killing intent came, only a firm, deeper voice who grumbled to her blandly.

"Watch where you're going" he said, though it came off more like advice than a threat despite his tone.

This man looked to the girl for a moment, for a long moment. She seemed familiar but it was more than that. He saw the resemblance of... Something from before, from the past, but he also saw something else, something coming. He didn't know what it was, but it felt like seeing an expectation of another, a... Potential of sorts. Something interesting, but ultimately a waste of his time.

A soft pat came to her shoulder before the man brushed passed her, walking off into the crowd with that immense presence of his.
 

.... Seriously? Am I the one cursed today?

To be fair, she could afford that for one day. It usually ended up being Tsuna, and lord knew there were more than enough days when she would have been fine taking his place. But ... could it not be in such an embarrassing way like almost running into all of these strangers? Her head lifted as she quickly began to apologize.

"G-Gomen, watashi .... "

But as quickly as she'd started to speak, the words just as swiftly got lost in her throat.

... Does Hibari have a brother or something?

It wouldn't amaze her if that was a possibility. Regardless, this man most definitely had the same commanding presence ... which made her not only intimidated, but a small bit aroused. Enough for a few tinges of crimson to appear on her face.

Shut up, body. Definitely not the time.

Hey ... is ... he staring at us?

It certainly seemed that way. Tsukiko felt herself tense up, wanting to move the man's arm off her shoulder. But her body refused to move, as if he'd cast a spell keeping her stuck in place. She hadn't pissed him off that bad, had she? Was he looking for anything in particular, or .... ??

Even though they only remained looking at one another for about a minute, if not a bit less, it felt like a lot more time ticked by before finally .... he left. But not before .... patting her shoulder? Well ..... that definitely hadn't been expected. But compared to the many other ways this could have gone? She'd accept the gentler response with that pat to her shoulder.

Who was he?

Handsome.

.... I said who, not what.

Still, she couldn't argue with her mind about that. But as Tsukiko looked around and realized she was still standing in the middle of the shopping center, she remembered what she had originally been in the midst of doing before nearly running into the second person today. Thankfully, she'd remembered the area where she and her brother had been near before splitting up. And not only did she find the very out-of-place brown locks to help locate her brother ... but a familiar set of silver in the form of Hayato.

"Hey Tsuna! Hey Hayato! Oi, Tsuna ... did you smuggle him aboard the plane or something?"

She knew the answer was a no. She also hadn't forgotten something that Tsuna may have, and that came in the fact that Hayato was part Italian to start with. Granted, he didn't look it and Tsukiko wouldn't completely blame anyone for not thinking he had ties to Italy. More than much else, however, this was a way to make it not overly obvious about the encounter she just had and somewhat unfortunately, that meant poking fun at her twin.

"So .. figure anything out? I ... errr, well none of this is for dad, somewhat annoyingly," she replied, nodding to the bags in her hands to indicate what she was referring to.
 
Luckily Reborn was there to know where they and Tsukiko had parted. "We should get back, check with Tsukiko" he'd suggested as he started down the way, it being up to Tsuna and Gokudera to follow him.

"Tsukiko!" Tsuna waved down his sister as she approached.

"Hey, Tsukiko!" Hayato raised a hand in greeting.

"Y-yeah... I found Hayato, haha..." Tsuna slumped, rubbing the back of his head when he perked up at Tsukiko's comment. "What? No! Of course I didn't!" Protested Tsuna but let it drop as it was just more obvious teasing from his twin.

"Er... Yeah not exactly either..." Tsuna then replied as he thought back to the options he'd stumbled into while Tsukiko had her run in. This included ending up in an underwear specialty store holding up an absurdly huge pair of boxers just in time for a couple of cute Italian girls to giggle as they walked by, somehow finding and passing by the only bootleg DVD cart out of all the kiosks with an all too pushy salesman, and a dinky giftshop where for a shameful moment he considered a cheap little keychain he eyed with hesitation before putting it back in a slump. They had even found their way to a black market gun store by 'accident' that Tsuna could swear was Reborn's fault, where Tsuna promptly and sharply protested the idea of a rocket launcher Reborn was touting at him.

"Ah... Yeah..." Tsuna stopped there instead of going further into detail about his misadventures. Nor did he bother pulling out the crappy keychain, bootleg copy of some older film on a theater camera, or the new boxers he'd purchased to hastily look like he was buying something normal leaving that store.

"Tsuna was useless yet again" Reborn commented.

"Hey!" Tsuna protested, though he couldn't deny that he hadn't made any progress at all.

Gokudera rubbed his chin, "they filled me in on the way" he noted to Tsukiko. "So... A gift for your dad huh?" He reiterated the situation, "I can see why that'd be a hard call..." Said Hayato in thought. Tsuna hadn't thought to ask Hayato, Reborn's insistence not to help having cut off the option in his mind, but Reborn didn't say that no one could help him after all.

"You guys could get him some jewelry; like a chain necklace, some rings or something" suggested Gokudera, idly flashing the basic rings on his hand. They weren't super expensive as one might think when thinking 'jewelry' as a present, but they were still a nice sensible, wearable token of care that didn't have to be too expensive or gaudy.

"Hey... That's not a bad idea!" Tsuna exclaimed, "Tsukiko, what do you think?" Tsuna turned to his sister.
 

" .... Damn."

That was the only immediate response Tsukiko could offer as Tsuna admitted he'd had as much trouble as she did. But ... she ignored Reborn's words. Were this just about any other task, she'd have half a mind to agree, though she certainly wouldn't say 'useless', either. Another word, but not that one. Still ... it was exactly as Hayato flat out admitted. This was a difficult task to even start with. Something she would quietly nod in agreement with the silver-haired male on.

"Doubly so when he seems to have just about anything he'd want or ask for, yeah. It really is tough."

Finally .... something clicked the moment Hayato offered a suggestion that didn't include weaponry or anything mafia-related. "Rings ... " she repeated, glancing quickly back towards the ones Tsuna was waring before smiling and nodding. "Actually ... yeah. We can base them off yours, Tsuna. I say we do this. I guess the biggest concern coming to my head ... is his size. I'm not even sure what that would be and ... guessing is kinda risky. So unless any of you guys know .... should we buy it another day, or .... ??"

Even with all of the obstacles seeming to pop up, Tsukiko was smiling nonetheless. It was progress, and that was something she'd be content with them finding. It most certainly made up for coming here, damn well nearly running into two strangers, and failing at finding anything for her father on the first try.
 
"Mine?" Tsuna looked to his hand, the double ring fit to his fingers glinting in the sunlight. For a moment, Tsuna tried to picture his dad wearing rings exactly like his and chuckled nervously, "Are you sure he'd go for something like that?" He asked. It was a rather... 'rebellious' looking style after all that Tsuna wasn't too sure Iemitsu would fit.

"No, no, Neo Vongola Primo, something with the same symbols and stuff!" Gokudera excitedly corrected.

"Er... Tenth is fin- I mean..." Tsuna sighed, it was just like it was back when Hayato first had acknowledged him as the Tenth Vongola Boss and started calling him by title. For that, 'Tenth' was simple enough that he eventually just got used to it. This on the other hand, this was a bit much. Ether way Hayato seemed oblivious to the plight as always.

"You're right..." Tsuna nodded, "maybe mom would know?" He suggested after a moment of thought.

"Let's head back for the day" Reborn suggested, "you guys at least figured out something. Time to eat!" He declared in his usual paradoxically demanding yet sometimes kind way about things.



By the time they had gotten back to the house, it was already sundown. "Mom, we're back! Gokudera-Kun found us on the way he's here too!" Tsuna called into the house. Though he still wasn't used to just how big the place was.

Though Tsuna did flinch after saying so, covering his mouth with both hands. "Oh- Wait, do you think they're still messing around?" Tsuna asked in a hushed voice to Tsukiko.

"O-oh" Hayato kept quiet for once, though his face reddened a bit at the thought.
 

Tsukiko shrugged as Tsuna seemed uncertain about using his own ring to help create Iemitsu's. "I mean ... I personally don't think it'd be the absolute worst choice. But like I said, we can use it as a base. A source for inspiration." Her head nodded as Hayato chimed in with some more ideas. "Exactly! Even if just the symbolism and stuff, that can work as well. Now this way though .... we got options."

Indeed, the idea of lunch sounded amazing right about now. After the trip they'd had? Oh yeah. Tsukiko had definitely worked up an appetite.

Hopefully they'll be finished when we return ...

When Tsuna opened the door, Tsukiko mentally prepared herself in case the more erotic noises rang out. So when they didn't ... her head shook from side to side. "Should be clear enough. They're not good at being quiet."

The words did indeed mean exactly as they'd implied. There had been a small handful of times Tsukiko had overheard her parents. It had most definitely not been intentional. It'd also been a few years ago, when she was younger and still a bit naïve. The screams had sounded like her mom was in trouble at first, so she naturally went to go check and try to help her. Fortunately, she hadn't barged in. The door had been open enough that she got a good enough glimpse on why Nana had been so loud that she left to her room, mortified at almost walking in on the sight.

From the kitchen, Nana would call back, "Welcome back! Hayato-kun, feel free to take a seat! I'll be done soon enough. Tsukiko, sweetie? Help me get everything plated."

"Sure. Give me a few seconds to put my bags away and choose a room first though."

Slipping out of her shoes - more out of habit than necessity - Tsukiko hurried up the stairs, sneaking peeks through the numerous doors adorning the halls and looking into each room. Partly to see if it was empty, and also to see if any grabbed her attention. Eventually, she did find a room that called out to her. And she couldn't help but grin as she walked inside and found a very comfortable looking queen sized bed.

Should sleep pretty well, she mused. Her bed back home wasn't necessarily small or anything, but it definitely wasn't this spacious either. Tsukiko would take but a few more moments to admire her new room before descending the stairs and soon stand beside her mother.

"Am I really that loud?" Nana whispered, wearing a mischievous grin on her face. Poor Tsukiko damn well nearly dropped the plate from hearing the implication her mom had overhead her voicing her thoughts to her brother and his best friend. Her face turned a bright red, but she merely nodded and shrugged.

"When you're occupied like that, yeah. You really are."

Nana giggled, placing one hand over her mouth as if to say 'Oops'. "Well," she stated, "You'll understand if, or when, rather, you find someone. Especially if they're half as wild as your father."

"Mom ..." Tsukiko muttered, feeling her face burn even brighter.

Nana chuckled, looking back towards all of the plates as the two finished getting them ready. "Okay ... you set them down on the table. I'll go get your father. Don't worry - he'll be decent."

With that, Nana left the kitchen. Tsukiko, meanwhile, grabbed two plates ... seeing about adding and balancing a third to make it so she only needed to take two trips. Slowly, she began walking out while keeping the servings held in each of her hands.
 
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