Power of Vongola Decimo

ONESHOT

...

This is basically about Tsuna's classmate who has a family problem with the mafia and Tsuna helps out without her knowing until the end, where—I should stop spoiling. The point is that Tsuna shows the Power of Vongola Decimo! He helps those in need like how the Vongola should.

Hope you like it!

Time: First year of High School.

A first year named Akira Miyuki, otherwise known as Yuki to her peers, walked to Namimori High School cautiously. Why? Simple. She owed the local Yakuza money. Well, she wasn't quite sure whether she should call them the Yakuza or the Mafia. They were clearly Japanese, but claimed that they were Mafia. Her father was sick in the hospital and their family was short on money. Her mother went to work the whole day, but the money earned from her job was barely enough to pay for their daily needs so Yuki had no choice but to take up a part-time job.

"Yo, Akira-saan!" Someone roughly grabbed her arm, bruising it in the process.

"Ite..." She winced and looked at her attacker. It was the gang, run by a man known as Shiki. His followers with him at the moment were Tim and Joe.

"You have any money now?"

"Eh… I'm not getting my pay check until the end of the month, Shiki-san…"

"So you're saying you have no money to pay up?" Tim glared at her.

"I-I'm really sorry! But we're working on it!"

"Oh, that's right… you live with your mother, don't you?" Shiki had a sly smile.

"P-Please… I have to go to school now! I can't be late." She twisted her arm, trying to break free. The grip only tightened.

"You know… you have a pretty face…" At that comment, she gasped and struggled more fiercely. Shiki laughed.

"I'm only joking!" He abruptly let go. "Make sure you have the money by the end of the month, sweetheart." The three of them left laughing. Yuki ran the rest of the way, clutching her injured arm.

...

"HIIIEEE! I'm going to be late!" Tsuna rushed out the door with a plain slice of bread in his mouth. "Bye mom!"

"Have a good day!" Was the reply.

"Reborn, you should've woken me up earlier," he complained to his tutor who sat on his head.

"Hmph. I tried to, but you won't wake up. Leon's one tonne hammer doesn't work on you anymore. I had to shoot you with three practice bullets before you stirred, hit you with a three-tonne hammer before your eyes open, and stick one of Lambo's grenades into your shirt before you realised what was going on and threw it out the window. Then, you turned to me and started yelling. Because you don't respect your tutor, I had to shoot you again. By that time, you were already wide awake. Then you trip over you own feet about a dozen times before you're fully dressed for school. You trip again down the stairs and hop into the kitchen with a bruised toe. Then you don't take a proper breakfast and leave the house at a run."

Tsuna didn't utter a sound.

"It's true. You are definitely my student, Dame-Tsuna, the Vongola Decimo. No doubt about it."

"Hai, hai..."

They arrived at school five minutes after the bell. Hibari was nowhere to be seen, thankfully, as he charged into his class in the middle of role call.

"Sorry I'm late!" The brunet gasped for breath with his hands on his knees.

"Juudaime! Good morning!"

"Yo, Tsuna!"

"Sorry I'm late!" a girl's voice called out behind Tsuna.

He turned around and saw Yuki. "Good…gasp…morning…gasp…Yuki-san."

She gave him a wave. Then her right sleeve caught his attention. The buttons that closed the cuff were unbuttoned and he saw a bruise forming.

"SAWADA!"

He flinched.

"Akira!"

"H-Hai!" they both said.

Their sensei glared at them. "Because you're both tardy, you will be partners for the next assignment. Sawada, you will go to the Disciplinary Committee to get your late slip. Because this is Akira's first time late this year, you will get her slip as well and stay there for detention after school."

Tsuna blanched. "Please sensei...spare my life!" he said with a groan, knowing it wouldn't happen. Hibari moved into High School with them and had taken control; Reborn had convinced him that with the Vongola Family in Namimori High, there would be more trouble here than in Namimori Middle.

"Go to your seats and start the project!"

Tsuna trudged to his seat and Yuki followed him. She sat at the table in front of him and turned the chair to face the front of his desk. She began to take out the things they needed and rolled up the sleeves of her shirt so they wouldn't get caught.

Tsuna asked her, "Yuki-san, what happened to your arm?"

Her hands twitched and she looked at her arm. She covered the bruise that was already forming.

"It's nothing. Dame-Tsuna, you better not make me fail." She used his nickname in an attempt to drop the subject, but he wasn't fazed.

"No," he said. He'd seen enough bruises on himself and others to know possible causes for them. This only had one cause. "Someone grabbed you. Those are bruises from a hand."

She looked into his confident, worried brown eyes and then at the table.

"You can tell me what's wrong," he said. "I'm Dame-Tsuna, right? I won't tell it to anyone who will bother you because of it."

Yuki sighed. I bet I can tell him the truth and he won't even believe me. "Alright, I'll tell you. It's the Yakuza. I owe a group of them money from helping my dad in the hospital." It felt better to have it said. She looked up to see his expression. He was surprised, but more like the surprise one felt when told that it started to rain in the morning instead of the afternoon.

"The Yakuza," she repeated, in case Tsuna might have heard wrong.

He nodded. "Which family are they from? And what are their names?"

"Family? Well… when I first met them… they said something like… Cavallone…?" She was startled when Tsuna's eyes flashed with recognition.

He sat back on his chair, thinking to himself. Cavallone Family? That Dino-san's family... Why would they do that? Unless Dino-san is in Italy, which makes it hard to look over every Mafioso in his family. Maybe they are doing whatever they want because Dino-san isn't here to stop them. Still, it's not what I would have expected from anyone in the Cavallone.

"…Tsuna? Tsuna!" Yuki repeated his name and finally got his attention. His head came up.

"What are their names?" There's a chance that I met them during the Inheritance Ceremony.

"Eto… Their names are Shiki, Tim, and Joe. They are the only ones I ever see," she said softly. She shuffled some papers around when the teacher walked past them. Then she snorted. "Why am I even telling this to you?"

He gave her a sunny smile. Did he always smile so brightly? She never noticed before because, well, he's Tsuna.

"Don't worry, Yuki-san. Everything will be fine soon." His eyes were so confident that she didn't have the heart to doubt him.

"Wait a second. You aren't going to tell this to the police are you?" she asked. His smile was replaced with a puzzled look. "Because if you tell them they abused me and everything, we might have to go to court, and then we'll need to hire a lawyer, possibly find witnesses, and he might go into jail for a few years, or community service and such. Once he comes back out, it might get worse. I don't want a lot of trouble."

Tsuna's eyes went slightly wide. "Do you read law books or something?"

She shifted in her seat. "Hm. You can say that. I want to be a lawyer one day."

"That's...wow. Don't worry. I won't go to the police. Ne, about this project…"

...

That night, he told Reborn about the problem Yuki had.

"Dino-san is a mafia Boss, not a Yakuza leader, but Yuki-san is having trouble with a family that's called Cavallone, in the Yazuka."

"Dino has a family branch that's in the Yakuza. It happens sometimes, to make better connections between the two criminal organisations."

Tsuna looked horrified at the thought of making better connections between those people. He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to worry about that. "I want to help her, but I'm not sure how..."

"You can talk to Dino about it to ask what you should do." Leon promptly turned into a cell phone. "Better make it quick, because Leon's long distance calling only lasts for five minutes." Reborn dialled the number and tossed the phone to Tsuna, who caught it one-handed, thanks to living with Reborn for over two years.

"Yo, Dino here."

"D-Dino-san?"

"Hey, lil' bro! What can I do for you?"

Tsuna told him exactly what he told Reborn.

"Hm. That's quite a problem. I strictly said no hurting the people they interact with unless they were attacked. They're not supposed to threaten the people they lend money to. This is worse, since they're bullying a friend of yours. Go ahead, Tsuna. Do whatever you want with them! You have my consent. If I were in Namimori right now, I'll teach them a lesson myself. But since I'm pretty busy, I'm not free to leave Italy until next month. I have meetings booked at every corner." Dino sighed.

"Oh... What do you want me to do, Dino-san?"

"Well, first off, you can tell them that you're on Vongola business, here to talk to Shiki, and you're my lil' bro, the famous Vonolga Decimo, then you can tell them to stop harassing little Yuki-chan. Tell them to wait patiently for the money. Knowing your friends, Tsuna, she'll definitely pay them given the time."

She's not really my friend, Tsuna thought. "O-Oh. Thanks, Dino-san!"

"It's my pleasure to help out my brother when he needs it—!" The line was cut.

"D-Dino-san? Hello?" Tsuna looked at the phone.

"Five minutes are up," Reborn said. Leon turned back into a green chameleon and wiggled in Tsuna's grasp.

"EEEP!" He let go. Leon fell onto his bed before jumping onto his partner's fedora.

"Get rid of those disgraceful sound effects of yours! If I hear another one during your meeting tomorrow..." Reborn's eyes glinted. He continued after his student got the hidden message. "After school, you're going to go and tell those guys what you want. Bring Gokudera with you."

"I can protect myself," the now sleepy boss said.

"That's not the point. It's tradition to bring your right-hand man or someone you really trust—like me—when dealing with other famiglias."

"Okay, whatever." He was asleep.

...

The next morning, Yuki came in late again. So did Tsuna, but that was no surprise.

"Akira Miyuki! What has gotten into you? Two lates in a row? The next one sends you to the Disciplinary Committee!"

"Sorry, sensei…"

This time, Tsuna saw marks on her other arm. I definitely have to do something about this, he thought, fuming.

Once the last bell rang, Tsuna and his friends left. They walked for a while until they reached the intersection where Dino said the gang nested. He stopped.

"Tsuna, what's up?" Yamamoto asked with a confused smile.

"O-Oh, it's nothing. It's just that Gokudera-kun and I have to go somewhere," Tsuna said.

"J-Juudaime?"

"Do you want us to go with you?" Ryohei asked.

Tsuna smiled and shook his head, laughing. "It's okay. I only need one Guardian, not all seven, haha!"

"Guardian?" the three present repeated.

"Sawada, are you doing something dangerous TO THE EXTREME?"

"No, it's nothing dangerous… I just…" I can't believe I'm going to say this! "…need my right-hand to help me out ahahaha..." They all stared at him.

"JUUDAIME!" Gokudera shone.

"If that's how it is," Yamamoto said grinning. It must have taken Tsuna a while to admit he had a right-hand man, which labelled him as their boss. "Then we'll wait at your house, okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks, everyone! Come on, Gokudera-kun." He waved and began walking, looking at the numbers on the buildings. He stopped in front of an old one and scanned the numbers on the wall for the floor and room number he needed.

"Juudaime, what do you need me for?" Gokudera asked. "Not that I'm not honoured, but I'm curious!"

Tsuna grinned sheepishly. "Well, we're going to be on some Vongola business."

"Vongola…business…? You mean, actual business, not fighting?"

"If it goes well, there shouldn't be a fight. But we should be ready for one. Be nice." By "being nice", Gokudera wasn't allowed to bring out his explosives to threaten anyone.

"Hai, Juudaime!"

"Then let's go!" Tsuna stepped inside and was instantly surrounded by three thugs.

"What do you two brats want? Don't you know this is owned by the Cavallone Family?" one of them demanded.

"What?" Gokudera looked at Tsuna. "Juudaime, you have to talk to Cavallone?"

"Yeah. We need to talk to Shiki."

The thugs looked at each other. "What business do you have with Shiki?" another asked.

Tsuna grinned. He was starting to like the two-worded answer that supposedly answered everything. "Vongola business."

"Vongola?" they murmured. There were no rival families in Namimori, so no one knew the name Vongola unless it was actually a Vongola looking for them. They let them through, much to Tsuna's relief. Inside, he was shaking. But knowing that this was Dino's family, even if they were acting wrongly, gave him comfort.

"He's waiting for you on the fourth floor, first room to your left."

"Thanks."

Once there, Tsuna steadied himself and rapped on the door. It opened to reveal a bulky man in a sleeveless blue shirt and baggy blue jeans. He was smoking a cigarette. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"We are the... Vongola. I would like to speak with Shiki-san," Tsuna said.

The man snorted. "Not everyone can see Shiki, you dolt. Now get outta here." He was about to close the door but Gokudera shoved his foot in and used his shoulder to force the door open again.

"Watch what you say, bastard!" He pointed to Juudaime. "Because this is the one and only Vongola Decimo!" Tsuna gritted his teeth. Did he have to have such a grand entrance?

"Tim. Let me see this guy."

Tim stepped away and a lanky looking man stepped forward. Tsuna noticed that Shiki was a head taller than both of them with plenty of fighting experience from the looks of it.

Shiki looked at the brunet. He remembered his higher up, Marcello, talking about the Decimo when he saw him at the Inheritance Ceremony.

"The Decimo is tiny!" he had said. "He has spiky brown hair that won't go down. He has the funniest voice if you hear him squeal. It's like, HIIIIEE!" Marcel demonstrated something he saw with dramatic expressions on his face and body movements. "But," he continued. "What I noticed, was that his eyes were filled with determination when he wasn't busy screaming. Other than that, he is powerful; powerful, but kind. He thinks of his friends and he trusts people at first glance. He can even forgive enemies that have tried to kill him. Have you heard of Rokudo Mukuro, the man who was held in Vindice's deepest prison? He is the Decimo's Mist Guardian. He's tried to possess Decimo's body and he still threatens to, but Decimo considers him an ally. With all those traits, the one you must always remember is that he will do anything to protect those he likes. You don't want to be on his bad side. Be glad we are part of the alliance."

Shiki saw all those traits in this boy—except for the "HIIIE!" and powerful side. His eyes and body were alert for sudden attacks, but they also showed trust and comfort. Shiki turned to look at the teenager who accompanied the Decimo. Short, silver hair and green emerald glaring eyes. He stood to the brunet's right, looking into every corner of the room. These two trusted each other with their lives, he realised.

"Of course we do," Tsuna said, looking into the man's eyes. Shiki took a step back.

"What?"

Tsuna gave him a small smile. Looks like some of Reborn's mind reading skills have rubbed off on him...but he thought it was mostly because of his Hyper Intuition.

"Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"And what can I do for you, Vongola?"

"You know Akira Miyuki, right?"

"The girl? Pfft, yeah I know her. She needed money for her dad's operation and now she and her mother owes us big time."

"But you didn't need to hurt her." Tsuna's eyes held a hint of anger.

"We weren't going to do anything to her," Tim said.

Gokudera sent him one of his glares. "You don't talk when the bosses are talking!"

"Gokudera-kun, calm down!" Tsuna said, a little anxious. He turned back to Shiki, who was now sitting behind his desk. Tsuna and Gokudera were standing in front of it with Tim behind Shiki. "You've done enough damage to her and her family. She came to school with bruises on her arms and face. Do you have anything to say to that?" Tsuna demanded. Shiki looked truly surprised. He turned to Tim.

"I didn't do it, Shiki!"

"Where's Joe?"

"Downstairs..."

"Get him up here," was said in a calm tone. Tim ran out. It was never a good sign when Shiki, the guy who was never calm, became calm.

"I admit I bruised her right forearm, but I don't know anything about the other bruises," Shiki said.

Gokudera stepped forward. "We won't know if you're telling the truth or not!"

"No, he's telling the truth," Tsuna said, "he already admitted doing the first injury, why deny the rest?" Besides, I don't feel him lying.

"Yes...Juudaime. That does make sense."

"Boss! You need something?" Joe barged through the door, almost knocking it off its hinges. Tsuna almost EEP'd but stopped himself. He did jump in surprise, though. Joe towered over all the occupants in the room by at least three feet.

"Did you go bother the Akiras without my say so?"

Joe shrugged. "I saw her on the street, working at a stall and just went up to her to talk. Then I told her that we can lessen the debt if she gives me a few hot buns for free. She said no, that it would be lying and stealing from the owner, which is against the law."

"Huh. Yuki-san would say something like that," Tsuna murmured to Gokudera.

He just grunted. "We don't need to deal with a law-obsessed maniac, Juudaime."

"Then I just got mad and," Joe shrugged. "I hit her."

"You hit her just because you were mad?" Tsuna blurted out.

Joe stared at him. "Who's the brat?"

Gokudera growled. Before he could say a word, Tsuna spoke for himself. "I am Vongola Decimo. Miyuki is one of my friends."

Joe snorted. "The Vongola Decimo is really a kid? I thought that was a rumour! How can a weakling like you control the Mafia? And so what? Yeah, I hit her. I even threatened to do more. What are you going to do about it, kid? Where are you, anyway?" Joe made a show of looking around for a person too small for him to see.

Gokudera, being one of Tsuna's closest friends, noticed his anger level rise like it never did before in the past year. But, Gokudera noticed, something was wrong. His boss was a bit too calm and composed.

He's gonna pop, Shiki thought. He rested his chin on his right palm. The brunet stepped forward. Joe pretended to finally notice him.

"Oh, there's the little pipsqueak. I was wondering where you went. You wanna fight me?"

"I never want to fight."

"Oh? Well, that's too bad, because I'm in the mood to fight." Joe charged and Gokudera had his dynamites out in a flash. Sometime during the conversation and his boss' anger, he had taken out his weapons. Shiki had a calm expression on his face. Tsuna stepped to the right and stuck a leg out. Joe almost tripped.

"Juudaime!"

Tsuna's eyes were slightly widened in surprise. It didn't hold any anger his aura around him said he had. He even let out a tiny "HIIEE," when the big fellow came at him. Now, he had his gloves in his hands, not sure whether he should use them or not. Joe was way bigger than him and had more speed despite his weight and size. Tsuna was at a disadvantage now. The next hit from Joe decided for him. He lit his flames.

"Hoho, so that's the Dying Will Flame, huh? Not much. Pretty for decoration though," Joe said.

Tsuna simply looked at him, his brows knitted together in worry.

"Joe," Shiki said in Italian. "I have the responsibility to warn you: back down and apologise."

"Shiki, you know I ain't gonna do that."

Shiki shrugged his shoulders and heaved out a sigh. A wolf's grin appeared on his face. "Your funeral," he said.

Joe scowled and turned back to his opponent who was not there anymore. He felt a hot slap land itself on his left cheek and searing pain. When he touched it, it stung. Tsuna had extinguished the flame on his glove, but his Vongola Ring scratched the face.

"That's for disgracing Dino-san's family with your foul talk." Joe elbowed Tsuna hard in the gut. Tsuna followed through the blow and kneed the man in the groin. The man groaned. "That's for bullying Yuki-san." Tsuna almost got a punch in the face as Joe stood up.

They fought, landing blows on one another as the other three cleared the area and stood by Shiki's desk, Gokudera included, although he wanted to help. Shiki had put a hand on Gokudera and said, "Let your boss fight his own battles."

A crowd gathered by the door to watch.

Tsuna kicked Joe to the far corner of the room. Stacks of paper and disorganised furniture toppled over and broke into pieces where he landed.

"That," Tsuna said, "is for everything else you did to her." With his flames, he was in front of Shiki in a heartbeat. Shiki had expected this. Tsuna's left hand came down to his face and Shiki blocked the painful karate chop with his right arm. Instead of backing away, Tsuna grabbed hold of the arm firmly.

Shiki grunted. For such a small guy, he's strong!

"This, is for the other pains she will have to live through; not just physically, but mentally. Do you know how hard it is to do part-time jobs, go to school, study, and finish school work, all on time to pass? She also has to worry about her father." He came out of his Hyper Dying Will Mode as he spoke.

"I want you to stop bothering her. Let her pay when she has enough money. She's not going to steal the money you lent her just because other people do. Yuki-san is honest and reliable. Please don't go looking for her." Shiki examined his arm. Then Tsuna did the unexpected. He moved to the window, forced it open and poked his head out.

"Onii-san! Yamamoto! I know you're down there!"

"Gak! They were following us?" Gokudera muttered curses and swear words at them. Shiki watched him. "Who is... Onii-san... and Yamamoto?"

"Che! They're Juudaime's other guardians. Juudaime told them to wait at his house but apparently, they didn't trust me to look after our boss."

Shiki raised an eyebrow. Then he heard laughter coming from outside.

"Senpai, looks like he knew we were down here all this time! Ahaha!"

"ARRGH! AND I THOUGHT THAT WE HID OURSELVES PERFECTLY TO THE EXTREME," Ryohei roared. Shiki's eyebrows went higher. Gokudera slammed his forehead with a hand.

"Shiki-san, I'm very sorry to have wrecked your office!" Tsuna said with two deep bows.

"Uh... that's fine." There wasn't much of an office to begin with anyways, he thought. Tsuna had an amused smile on his lips, but is disappeared when he turned to Joe. "Joe-san, you okay?" He reached out a hand to help the big man up but Joe pushed it aside.

"Oi!" Gokudera started. Tsuna waved him aside and waited for Joe to get up. Once he was up, Joe felt light-headed and would have fallen over if Tsuna hadn't grabbed one of his arms.

"Sorry, Joe-san, I went a little overboard," Tsuna said. Joe looked at the kid in disbelief. Once he felt alright, he shoved Decimo aside, but not as roughly this time.

"Whatever." He walked out the door, favouring his arm which got sprained on his fall. Shiki said, "Vongola, you don't have to be so nice. It was his fault, after all."

"But I injured him so much when he never had a chance to win," Tsuna said with a frown. Shiki looked at him, not believing his eyes. This small boy, about half the size of Joe, says that he never had a chance to win?

Gokudera saw the look on his face and snorted. He shoved his dynamites back to wherever he hides them and said, "I know what you must be thinking. But remember this, bastard. There's a reason why he's the boss, and we all follow him. Yes, I hate to say it, even that Pineapple-Head."

"...Who?"

"HEY, OCTOPUS-HEAD! WHY DOES SAWADA HAVE A BRUISE ON HIS FACE?" Ryohei shouted angrily when he saw Tsuna. "WE LEFT HIM WITH YOU AND THIS IS HOW IT TURNS OUT? YOU NEED PRACTICE TO THE EXTREME!"

"...Octopus-Head...?" Shiki glanced at Gokudera sideways, who had his head down, face red, hands shaking uncontrollably.

"OI SHUT UP, TURF-TOP! I'M ALREADY DEPRESSED THAT I DIDN'T GET TO FIGHT WITH JUUDAIME! YOU WANT A CRACKED SKULL FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE? BECAUSE I CAN GIVE YOU ONE," Gokudera roared out.

"Maa, maa!" Yamamoto laughed. He stood between the two hot-heads.

"Get out of my way, baseball freak!"

"Gokudera-kun! Onii-san!" Tsuna said. "Not here!"

Shiki watched with amusement. "So..." he said. Tsuna and Gokudera turned his way at the sound of his voice. It sounded mischievous. "I've heard that Tsuna has a nickname...Dame-Tsuna, huh?"

Tsuna reddened and gave a small chuckle. "Yeah... I've had it since preschool."

Shiki shook a finger. "Hold on..." He lifted a finger. "There's Dame-Tsuna..." He lifted another finger, "accompanied by his right-hand man, Storm Guardian, I presume, Octopus-Head..." Gokudera and Tsuna widened their eyes to the extreme. They knew what Shiki was getting at. "Then you have the..." he pointed to Ryohei, "Sun Guardian?"

"EXTREME! HE KNOWS WHICH GUARDIAN I AM!" Shiki nodded thoughtfully and continued. "Onii-san, Sun Guardian, as Turf-Top..."

"Or Lawn-Head, it's the same thing," Gokudera muttered. He shrugged when Tsuna raised his eyebrows. If Shiki was going to make fun of him, why not Ryohei as well?

"Yes..." Shiki held up three fingers. He used them to point at Yamamoto and lifted a fourth. Obviously, the median of the group, "Rain Guardian, Yamamoto, the Baseball Freak," he said.

"Ahaha! You got that right! I love baseball!" Yamamoto laughed, unbothered by the comment. That was how easygoing he was.

"Oi! You're just making fun of us!" Gokudera slapped Shiki's arm. Shiki hissed when it hit.

"Okay..." Shiki said. "From the profiles I've seen, I'm guessing that Pineapple-Head is Rokudo Mukuro..." A thumb rose. Tsuna's face visibly pales.

"Sh-Shiki-san! Don't say that out loud! He'll hear you," Tsuna squeaked. His face showed terror. Shiki cocked an eyebrow.

"I-I-It's true! He's most likely right here right now! In f-fact I th-think he was here from the start!"

Shiki looked around. "There are only us and my guys at the door," Shiki said.

"No..." Tsuna said ghostly, as if he was a victim in a horror movie. "He's definitely here..."

"Kufufufufu..." came an eerie voice from the shadows. "Vongola Decimo is just as clever as he was when I first fought him." A young man just a few years older than them with blue hair and eyes of red and blue watched them with a trident in his hand.

"Why are you here?" Gokudera demanded.

"Kufufufu. I thought that if Decimo got injured, I could possess him while he's weak and defenceless. I guess that won't happen now. I will take my leave. Until next time, Decimo." He disappeared into the mist and was gone.

"Shiki-san, do you think you can get your friends to lay off Yuki-san's back for a while?" Tsuna asked with a frown.

"Yes, yes, fine. I swear that I won't touch a single hair on her. I'll tell her she can relax a bit, but I'm telling you, Vongola, she has to return that money."

"Yuki-san borrowed money?" Yamamoto asked Tsuna. "But she... why?"

"Her father is in the hospital waiting for money to do an operation on his... I don't know. It was either his heart or his liver." Shiki shrugged. "Not my problem. But I heard that he needs the operation soon. That's what Akira tells us every time we chat.

"No way..." Tsuna said.

"Now, Vongola. Frowning doesn't suit your face," Shiki said. Suddenly, the brunet pitched forward.

"Reborn!" Tsuna grimaced without turning around. Only one person would kick him behind the neck.

"If you want to help her that much, pay for her father's operation," the hitman said. "Or you can force Shiki to do it."

Shiki was still trying to register the fact that the best hitman in the world was in his room when he said, "No way. I already paid for all their bills. They owe me that before they could even think to lend more money from me. I'm not obligated to help her." He turned his head to Tsuna. "You help her. She's your friend."

"Reborn...is it possible?"

Reborn looked at his stupid student. "I already told the Ninth what happened yesterday. He already offered to pay Yuki's debt and the hospital bill if you can teach Shiki a lesson."

"EHH?" Tsuna yelped.

Reborn grinned. "It was so I can see whether you finally admit that you're the Mafia Boss. I even have it on tape. Your father will be so pleased when he sees it. I sent him and the Ninth a copy. Vongola Nono told me that he believes the Vongola will be in good hands after he retires and when you graduate from university."

Tsuna collapsed onto his knees and heaved out a great sigh.

"Juudaime! Are you hurt!"

"Haha! Tsuna, you look depressed. Don't be! This is great news!"

"Sawada! I can't heal bruises, but I can help it stop hurting to the EXTREME," Ryohei offered.

"That would help," Tsuna said. "Thank you, Onii-san."

Shiki stood by and watched the scene in front of him. It looked like a warm family gathering.

"Well, Dame-Tsuna. It's time to go. You still have class work to finish, as well as preparation for the presentation you have to do with Yuki."

"Ahh! Now that you mention it... See you, Shiki-san! Gotta run!" Tsuna picked up his fallen school bag and ran for the exit. Gokudera gave Shiki a small glare and followed suit.

"It was nice meeting you, Shiki-san!" Yamamoto laughed. "I'm Yamamoto Takeshi. bye!"

"It was an EXTREME meeting!"

Shiki's office suddenly felt very empty.

"Boss, are you really going to leave her alone?" Tim asked.

Shiki shrugged. "I'm only doing this because I respect the Vongola Decimo. From what I've heard, Miyuki is just a classmate, which proves he does whatever he thinks is right for whoever he wants."

...

The next day on her way home, Yuki was stopped by Shiki, Tim, and an injured Joe. Like a doe in front of headlights, she froze. Shiki laughed.

"Yo, Akira-san. I have something I have to make clear to you," Shiki said. They walked closer. Yuki noticed that Joe looked beat up.

"Hello, Shiki-san..." she said slowly.

"First things first: we won't lay a hand on you again."

"...Huh?"

"We were told to not hurt a single pretty hair on that head of yours. You also don't have to pay us because he decided to do it for you when he heard your troubles. Your father is also scheduled for his operation this weekend, paid again, by his grandfather out of his own free will."

"...What?" Yuki was stunned. Then the words processed through her mind.

"Alright, on my count," Shiki said, "Now." The three of them bowed low. Yuki was terrified. Was this some kind of joke? She backed away. "We are sorry we scared you and hurt you so much," Shiki said. "You don't have to ever see me again." They turned to leave.

"W-wait!" Yuki cried. Shiki turned. She flinched, expecting a hit.

"Hn?" was the reply.

"W-Who helped me? Who is this guy?"

Shiki grinned. "Girl, you have some powerful friends." He jabbed a thumb at Joe's direction. He had a black eye, a bruised collarbone, a sprained arm, puffy cheeks with an ugly scratch, and probably a dozen more hidden by his clothes. Her eyes widened.

"But... who?"

"Your dear Vongola Juudaime did that to him when he heard what Joe did to his friend, meaning you." Shiki pointed a finger at Yuki.

"My...Von...go...la... Juudaime?" Yuki said. The word 'Vongola' sounded like that clam dish she liked to order when her family still had enough money to go to an Italian restaurant. "Who is that?"

"Huh? You don't know? Vongola Juudaime, the next boss to lead the most powerful and influential family in the last two hundred something years? He'll practically be in charge of the underworld."

"I don't know anyone like that!" Yuki yelped.

Shiki snorted. "You're kidding. Don't you know Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

"Tsuna?" Yuki said, shocked. How does Shiki know Tsuna?

"Yeah. Dame-Tsuna isn't so useless, is he?" Shiki snorted and waved his farewell, leaving a stunned Yuki in front of her door. After five minutes, she moved to go in. She entered her room and fell onto her bed.

"Tsuna is Vongola Juudaime? He's in the mafia?" Yuki pondered over this. "Hm. Well... he didn't look surprised when I mentioned Mafia... but he doesn't look like a boss. Hell, he doesn't look mean at all! How can he be the boss of such a big family?"

Anyhow... he did help me... a lot. I can't even repay him! He... Yuki sat up abruptly. "He beat up big JOE?" Yuki shouted out loud and her jaw hung loose. That is just not possible; she began to list the reasons why.

"Okay, middle school: he's a klutz. He trips over his own feet, drops simple things he has to carry, and gets beaten up by Hibari-san a lot. Bullies: he... he had bullies, but once Gokudera became his friend, they stopped bullying Tsuna that often and then they stopped entirely. Hm. How did Tsuna manage to become friends with such a delinquent? Then there's Yamamoto: the cool and easygoing baseball guy. Well, maybe it's because Tsuna saved his life. And then there are the Sasagawa siblings. They all hang around Tsuna. But that doesn't mean he is in the Mafia...hm..." Yuki looked thoughtful. If Tsuna was a boss... shouldn't they call him something like Vongola, or boss, or—

"Gokudera-kun...calls Tsuna...JuudAIME?" She was in for another shock. "How did I not see this earlier?" She raked her fingers through her short black hair until it stuck out at odd angles. "Gokudera-kun has been calling Tsuna Juudaime ever since the second day of middle school! Not only that... but the rest of them seem to look up to Tsuna. WHAT THE HELL HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?" she wailed. The points that she used to convince herself that he wasn't a boss did the exact opposite. There was knocking on her door.

"Yu-chan! Keep it down in there! I have to sleep!" her mother said. "I have the night shift."

"Oh! Mom! I forgot to tell you!" Yuki hurried to open the door to her room.

"What is it?"

"Eh... how do I say this... there's a friend of mine who heard about dad... his family is super rich and my friend told his grandpa about it... his grandpa sort of... paid for us...?"

"I know," her mother said with a soft smile.

"You do?"

"Timoteo-san, that's the grandfather, has business in Italy." Italy, where the mafia mobs usually are in the movies, Yuki thought, this sort of fits. "He called me this morning when you were in school. He told me everything that happened and that he has the hospital bill covered, as well as the money we needed to pay back." Yuki gaped. Her mother's eyes were beginning to tear up. "Make sure you thank that friend of yours good and proper! Never forget it when someone has saved a life."

"M-Mom..."

"I'm not telling you to marry him!" She laughed. "But we can never forget this friend of yours. He's the one who helped us when we needed it, although we aren't even related."

"Right. But I have no idea how to thank him." She received a pat from her mother.

"Yu-chan, you'll think of something. Timoteo-san says that his grandson is taking over the business after university. You can be his personal lawyer, with that scholarship of yours..."

"I don't have a scholarship!"

"You'll get one, my smart Yu-chan."

Yuki looked thoughtful as her mother closed the door. "A lawyer for a mafia boss...? That's like... siding with the bad guys." She shook her head. "I can't do that."

...

Tsuna was halfway to school when Yuki found him. "Tsuna!" He's not the Dame-Tsuna that everyone has been calling him since preschool... Shiki-san says that he's strong. He must be, if he could beat up Joe-san.

Tsuna turned around and smiled cheerfully. "Good morning, Yuki-san!"

Yuki stopped in her tracks. Tsuna sported a large blue-ish purple bruise on his face and a band-aid on his scalp.

"What happened to you?" she asked, horrified.

Tsuna cocked his head. She pointed to his face. He felt it and said, "Ah, that. I sort of..." Yuki thought that Shiki was lying, but it looks like Tsuna did get into a fight with someone.

"Yuki-san...?"

"Thanks. I want to thank you properly, and I will think of something, no matter how long it takes... but for now, I'll just say... thanks." She blabbered and bowed. He looked confused.

"I'm talking about my problem," Yuki waved at her own face and arms.

"Oh! Eh..." Tsuna didn't expect her to find out, so he wasn't prepared for thanks of any kind. "What are friends for?"

"...Friends?"

He reddened. "U-um, if you want, we can be... friends?" he said, still smiling.

"Juudaime! Good morning!"

"Yo, Tsuna! Nice day today for baseball!" Yamamoto and Gokudera showed up behind the two.

"Good morning!" Tsuna replied.

"SAWADA! JOIN THE BOXING CLUB TO THE EXTREME! LET'S GO THERE NOW!" Ryohei and Kyoko were with them.

"Morning, Tsuna-kun!"

"Ah! Morning, Kyoko-chan—Onii-san! I told you, I'm not joining the boxing club!" Tsuna began to back away.

"Tsuna!" Yuki said.

"Hai?" He still looked alert for Ryohei's sudden boxing fanatics.

"I'll be your friend."

"Che. What's with your sudden change of heart?" Gokudera growled at her.

"Gokudera-kun! Please stop! You're scaring her!"

Yuki looked at Gokudera through narrowed eyes. "He doesn't scare me!"

"What!" Gokudera yelled. "Look here..."

"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna said quickly, unsure of what was going to happen next.

"Sorry... Juudaime." Gokudera quickly stopped glaring. Yuki's eyebrows went up. "Anyways," Gokudera continued. "Are you going to join the family now? I'm warning you, I already took the position as Juudaime's right-hand man!" He was fired up again.

"What! I can't fight!" Yuki said. She had not noticed the brunet's worried gaze. No one told him that she knew.

"We can't get her involved! It's dangerous!" he said. A baby landed on his head.

"She doesn't have to fight if she joins the Vongola," Reborn said. "Although she should get herself familiarised with the firearms."

"A baby can talk?"

Reborn ignored her. "Look at Spanner and Irie Shouichi. They're your technicians and they don't fight."

Tsuna's brow twitched.

"I don't want to join the mafia," Yuki said slowly. "They're bad." Tsuna winced and shrank. He got a kick from the baby and fell to the floor. He got up and continued walking as if it was normal. "Dame-Tsuna, you better tell her about the Vongola."

He sighed. "Yuki-san, when the Vongola was first made, led by Giotto, or known as Vongola Primo, they weren't part of the mafia. They were just a group of friends who used their strength to help those without. Later on, joined the mafia, but their goal was still the same. They helped those who needed it and stopped most of the families from destroying each other. It was after the second boss that they became the family with the bloodiest history."

"How can you be the Vongola Juudaime?" Yuki asked. "You're just a teenager."

"That's... a long story. What I wanted to say is that the Vongola Family is supposed to be a vigilante group to help the weak."

"Dame-Tsuna will make that a reality when he takes control of the Vongola," Reborn said.

"Reborn! I'm not taking control!" Tsuna complained.

"Shut up. You already admitted that you're the Boss. There's no way I'm letting you out of this. And," Reborn said with a smirk, "It's on record."

"It is better that Tsuna's the boss," Yuki said, her thoughts towards the Vongola changing for the better. "If the Vongola is as powerful as you say it is, then there must be many people power hungry for the title."

Xanxus' face appeared in the Guardians' minds.

"But Tsuna is Tsuna. He will protect his friends, right?"

"Yeah, he'll definitely do that!" Yamamoto laughed.

"WE WILL PROTECT EVERYONE TO THE EXTREME!"

"Of course, Lawn-Head! Now be quiet!" Gokudera yelled.

Yuki paused for a moment, startled by their sudden outbursts.

Kyoko giggled. "Don't worry, Yuki-chan. They do this all the time."

"You crowd." Hibari, who was passing the school gate, glared at them. "Get to class."

"HIIE! Sorry!"

"Awe, come on, Hibari, lighten up!" Yamamoto said with a wave when he passed. Hibari tried to hit him with a tonfa. Ryohei walked away with a small greeting.

"Sorry Hibari-san!" Yuki bowed and ran after her new friends.

Reborn looked after the running figure of Yuki. "A potential ally," he said to himself. So it was a good idea for Tsuna to help her.

...

Two Years Later...

After the graduation ceremony, Yuki found Tsuna alone, which was a surprise. For the past year, girls had flocked around him. She still wasn't used to seeing this, because for as long as she knew him since elementary school, he'd been Dame-Tsuna, not someone girls would want to talk to. But something peculiar happened in the second year of high school. The kid grew. Not just height wise, but his brain as well. And not to mention his voice cracked and his facial features grew handsome.

"Tsuna," she called. He turned around and smiled with dancing eyes.

"Hey, Yuki-chan!"

"I..." She hesitated. How would she say it?

"Say, Yuki-chan, what are you doing after high school?" He always managed to start the conversation she wanted to talk to him about.

"I'm going to law school for a few years and gaining some experience after that, for I don't know, two years? Then..." Yuki straightened. "I'd like to work for you, Juudaime," she smirked as she called him by his title.

Tsuna looked around them to make sure no one heard. Then he took a step closer since she seemed to be getting onto a taboo topic. Yuki continued before she could back down, "But only if you are really innocent, Tsuna. If I get even a sniff that you are doing something extremely illegal, I'm ditching you. Got that?"

He grinned. "Got it." Then he frowned. "Going to law school is pretty expensive, Yuki-chan..."

She raised her eyebrows. "You're not going to believe what I'm going to tell you."

"And that is...?" he pondered.

"I can go to school with a full scholarship. I won't need to worry about money for a while as long as I continue to be the top of my class, and since my dad is healthy again, he got his job back, which means I won't need to work." The brunet was still gawking at her. That expression reminded her of their middle school years so much she had to laugh.

"Yu-chan!" her mother called for her.

"I have to go, Juudaime. See you in a few years!" she said his title teasingly and ran to her mother.

"Uh, Yuki-chan!" She turned around with a questioning look. "Good luck!"

"You bet!"

Reborn jumped onto Tsuna's shoulder.

"Well, Decimo. Nono wants you to go to some meetings with him to meet our business partners. It's scheduled in Italy in two days," Reborn said. He looked at Yuki and changed the topic. "I was right. Because you helped her, she's going to pay you back by becoming your personal lawyer. With her brains, she'll be the best in the business. I knew it was a good idea to help her."

Tsuna looked at his former tutor sceptically. "Reborn, I was going to help her anyway, whether you told me to or not. And what are you talking about? Did you know this would happen?"

He smirked. "Ever since your first year in high school and when she said that no matter what she would repay you."

"But I was just helping out a friend," Tsuna said.

"This is why you should always protect those you care for. You never know what they might do for you in return."

THE END

I hope you liked it! I really like knowing what you all think of my stories, so if you like it, or don't like it, please tell me what it is about it that you liked/didn't like! It will help me understand what makes a good story so that future ones would be better!

Thank you all for the support!

-LLM

Edited 2013-08-24th