Sasagawa Ryohei absolutely abhorred Sawada Iemitsu.

If someone were to ask him to pick the one person that he hated most in the entire world, he would, without hesitation, name the Sawada patriarch.

Of course, he never acted on his feelings toward the man.

After all, no matter how horrible he was, he was still Tsuna's father, and Ryohei would be damned if he ever intentionally hurt his precious little brother.

So Ryohei did his best to keep his head down, and avoid all contact with the man.

But there were times like now, when the sun guardian had no choice but to tolerate the man's presence.

At least he was getting some enjoyment from it, though.

Ryohei had to admit to getting some kind of perverse satisfaction from seeing Iemitsu's shocked expression as he realized that everything he had worked for in his life, the position he had taken for himself at the expense of his family life, was being taken from him.

Just like that.

"You can't do this, Tsunayoshi!" protested the older man, taking a step forward.

Eyes narrowing, Ryohei stepped away from his boss's side and around the desk, so that he was standing in front of the Young Lion.

"Please step away from the desk, Signor Sawada," ordered Ryohei, locking gazes with him.

Iemitsu threw him an absolutely venemous look that Ryohei returned with just as much hostility.

There was the faint reek of alcohol on his breath, and it made Ryohei's stomach churn. It brought to mind childhood memories of hiding in his bedroom with his sister, the door locked, as their father clattered around in the living room in a drunken stupor.

But at least his little Kyoko had had him to protect her.

Tsuna had had no one.

And Ryohei knew, for a fact, that Iemitsu had been ten times worse than his own father. He had learned it the day he had gone to visit Tsuna, and had seen Iemitsu for the first time, passed out drunk on the living room sofa.

Tsuna had been in his room, with poor little Fuuta sitting in his lap, with his head resting against Tsuna's shoulder.

The child had been moaning about having a headache, and when Ryohei had asked what was EXTREMELY wrong, Tsuna had looked him dead in the eyes and mouthed, 'hangover.'

Instantly, the facts had clicked into place, and Ryohei had felt an all-consuming rage well up within him.

There had been nothing he could do at the time.

But now, there was. So there was no way he could back down.

They were locked in a standstill for a full twenty seconds before Iemitsu stepped back and looked at the other people in the room.

Tsuna was there to represent the Vongola, with Ryohei as his guard, more as a formality rather than out of genuine fear for his boss's safety.

Lal Mirch and Basil were there to represent CEDEF.

And finally, Iemitsu's replacement for the position of External Advisor and leader of CEDEF was standing to Tsuna's other side, smirking smugly at the man.

"And you approve of this?" demanded Iemitsu angrily, turning to Lal Mirch.

The former arcobaleno nodded grimly.

"You have done enough, Iemitsu. It is time for you to retire, and live your life. CEDEF will be in good hands."

"GOOD HANDS!?" demanded the blond, gesturing towards the man standing beside Tsuna. "HE is considered good hands? Don't make me laugh. He's a fucking hitman! He'll sooner stab you in the back than help you out!"

The rest of the occupants in the room bristled at his words, with Tsuna being the most irritated of all of them, even the man in question.

"Signor Sawada!" snapped Tsuna. "I will not have you talking that way about my External Advisor!"

Now, Iemitsu turned on his son.

"What the hell, Tsuna? Are you really going to choose him over your own father?" he demanded, slamming his hands on the table.

Ryohei stepped forward, deciding it was time for him to interfere again.

Grabbing Iemitsu's shoulder, Ryohei roughly pulled him away, moving to stand between him and his Boss.

"Careful with your words, Signor Sawada," said Ryohei, a warning tone in his voice. "You are not talking to your son right now. You are talking to Vongola Decimo. And any disrespect towards him will absolutely not be tolerated."

Gritting his teeth, Iemitsu swept his eyes around the room once more, before turning and stomping off when it became evident he would not be finding any support from any of its occupants.

Not even from Basil.

Just before he exited the office, his replacement spoke up from his place beside Tsunyoshi.

"Ciao, Iemitsu," replied the world's greatest hitman, a smug smirk on his face. "I'll be sure to take care of the family in your place."

SkyGem: The End! Hope you enjoyed! This idea has actually been in my mind for quite a while, and I'm glad I finally got it down! I really do think that Tsuna would choose him as his External Advisor. After all, the External Advisor becomes his second-in-command in times of war. Tsuna would have to trust him at least as much as his guardians, if not even more. And tbh there really was only one person that fits that description, don't you think? Anyways, please do leave a review and let me know if you loved reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I really ought to write from Ryohei's pov more often. It's really very interesting. Anyways, see you all next time!

P.S. Since some people were confused, I'd just like to mention that the part about Fuuta's hangover is in reference to the end of chapter 84 in the manga, when Tsuna comes home and finds Lambo, I-Pin, and Fuuta completely drunk because, in Fuuta's words, "Nuuu papan said it's water so drink...hic!"