D C JoKeR H S: Right? He's strong, so he'll be alright.

Cartoon-Caity: Woah. That's a really strong opinion, and it doesn't come off as rude. I, personally, don't have strong feelings for Iemitsu, so this isn't going to be an Iemitsu bashing fic. Tsuna, however, does because he hurt Nana despite the facade she puts on, and decides to drink and sleep as a way to relieve stress when home. That's how he sees it, and I won't change that perspective until the Varia Arc when he returns. I won't emphasize it much past the next chapter, and briefly in the Varia Arc (if/when I get that far) if that helps. Thank you for your support, and I hope you continue to support this fanfic.

Bell2629: I hope you haven't waited too long! Thank you!

thecatleader: *Raises both hands in the air* ...Yes sir/ma'am.

DragonClanMaster: I'll be honest, I had no idea what you were talking about until I read this for myself. I should've been looking over my fan fiction and I won't give any excuses as to why I haven't been. As for Gokudera and crew...I've decided that as a writer, I'm going to mess with canon. I have a little bit of an issue with some of the scenarios (though it was interesting to watch), and some of them don't mix with where this story is going. I won't completely manipulate it though because that makes no sense to me...and it takes a lot of planning. Thank you for making this aware to me, and for your review. Hopefully this satisfies you to an extent.

As usual, another (late) chapter. I've made a tiny/little/minuscule change to this fanfic, so now there are five instead of six chapters. Thanks to everyone, no matter what specie, that have supported this fanfic and have stuck through it! It's one hundred and twenty percent appreciated!

The Dragon of the Vongola: Boss

Three Years Ago

October 9

Sawada Household

Five days before the marking of another successful year, a card from his father has shown up in the mail. At the time, a rosy-cheeked brunette was humming to herself in the kitchen as secretive glances were thrown at Tsuna. It ruined the suspense of a surprise, but it was the thought that counts. Flipping through each envelope or postcard were boring; taxes and bills brought no joy, and who would be sending messages to him?

With a swift kiss on her cheek, the teen ran upstairs to start on his own personal hell, otherwise known as homework. It wasn't until nighttime that he realized something was amiss. First off, his dragon began to feel restless, so in turn, he did too. A light sheen of sweat coated his body, followed by a nervous twitch of fingers (which, oddly enough, began morphing into claws), and a lack of concentration. It could have been a number of things wrong, and at the time, Tsuna had yet to go flying, so he shrugged it off.

The next warning came as a mood change. One minute the howling of the wolves were nothing but a slight distraction, and then there was nothing more he wanted to do than rip their throats out. At that point in time, the boy stopped attempting to finish work from hell and headed outside. The third and final warning was Mama's lack of response.

"Mama, I'm heading out for some fresh air!"

Wind caressed the hair of the earth with gentle nips as crickets started their chorus. Moonlight illuminated a pale face that lost its smile, slowly becoming more anxious as seconds flew by. Pivoting on his heel, the boy quickly ascended the stairs, the front door's bang drowned out by the slam of Nana's. A rosy-red woman greeted him with a wobbly smile, her eyes swollen and pink with a tissue pressed against her nose.

"Tsu-kun… Ah, I'm—"

"You can let it all out," he soothed, thin arms wrapping around the woman as a strong embrace. "Crying will help with all the stress."

A soft whimper escaped as a response.

"Please let me do this, Mama. Let me protect you." His dragon purred in agreement, yet something about it seemed to snap his mother right out of it.

"No," she stated firmly, a brief moment of shock passing over her features. Tsuna loosened his grip considerably offering a small, sheepish smile. "A mother is supposed to protect her child—"

"And you're doing amazing, Mama." He kissed her cheek. "But even guardians have their limits. You always protect me, so this time, in thanks, I want to protect you."

With a choked sob, Nana was pulled into another warm embrace as tears streamed down her face. "Arigatou, Tsu-kun… Arigatou..."

It wasn't until later, after Mama was tucked into warm covers and sound asleep, that the postcard was found. With a trembling hand, the brunette snatched it up and ran outside, flying down streets of houses until the forest was in sight. His dragon began to stir restlessly at the sight of looming trees and clear sky. The wind seemed to howl in agreement; gusts increasing in speed as the suspense grew. Even Tsuna felt better being outdoors! However, there was something that he needed to do first.

The postcard in his hand had grown slightly damp from sweat, but the writing was still legible. Taking a deep breath, Tsuna began to read:

My beloved Nana and Tsu-kun,

Papa has flown to be with the stars! ~ Today, our boss took us on a vacation to a very warm place (though it wasn't really a warm place). We now are building a place in the desert! Isn't that cool? I may get to see you two soon! Accept this gift as my apology for not returning sooner: for my beloved, new cooking ware and a necklace with a shining ruby to symbolize my yearning and your strength. For my Tuna Fish, a couple of Italian and Spanish dictionaries. He's shown an interest in learning foreign languages, so I thought he would appreciate them. Say Happy Birthday to him for me.

Iemitsu

Tsuna, at a loss for words, stared at the card. On one hand, burning it would soothe the rage bubbling within his chest. On the other, he had almost no clue what Mama would do if she found the postcard gone. Tsuna could count the times he had seen his father at home on one hand. The amount of hands doubled when dealing with phone conversations. Of course, he had read about the men who went on grand adventures, leaving their families behind in order to gain some sort of ultimate boon. To protect them, make money to support them, or to find someone. Once upon a time, Tsuna had not only believed in it, but had personified the image on to his father. Now, the more cynical side showed. Years of watching Mama cry and watch with eyes full of love and happiness stare at the wall as if Iemitsu would simply appear to embrace her.

Tsuna knew a few things to be certain: his father wasn't just a deadbeat. The taxes and bills of the house with his tuition were paid via that man's job. He wasn't dumb enough to believe the construction worker lie, but whatever the man did paid high wage. Mama never had to work outside of home…and maybe that was why she cried. He himself didn't like to go to school in the summer for cram after not having to in primary. That was change. Mama would have to go through a lot (because there was only so much a minor could do) by herself… He wouldn't allow it.

October 13

Present Time

Sawada Household

It wasn't that he disliked birthdays—presents, friends, Mama, and the most chocolate filled cake were like heaven on earth to him. The thought of more tears due to an absence of that man brought a heavy feeling in his stomach. Lately, Mama had been growing more into herself with a certain sushi chef's help. He couldn't restrain a bright smile recalling a moment of vivid clarity when the two had immersed in conversation the entire time Takeshi entertained him with lousy attempts at math homework.

Brown eyes suddenly snapped open as his body flung to the right. A mallet struck the pillow a second later and Tsuna breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good morning, Dame-Tsuna," the voice of Satan chirped, and Tsuna swore he heard the angels singing.

"Why do you always do this, Reborn?!"

A smirk found its way on to the toddler's face. "A mafia boss is always prepared."

"I already told you—!"

"Stop complaining. Hibari doesn't stop for fluffy brunettes."

This time it was Tsuna's turn to smirk. "I'm not going to school today."

Leon morphed into a mallet. "Oh? And why is that?"

He was treading on thin ice now, but there was no way he'd stop now. Seeing as Tsuna wouldn't be answering any time soon, the baby devil took to extracting them by force. With a startled shout, the brunette was sprinting for his life. Ten minutes later, Namimori Middle School's final bell signaling the beginning of first period rang. Reborn tsked in disappointment though nothing showed on his face. The question, however, was left unanswered. As Reborn went to do…whatever he did when left alone, Tsuna dressed quickly, snatched an apple and sprinted out the door. Mama was out visiting a friend giving him free reign to finish the plan. Up ahead, a certain baseball fanatic closed the restaurant behind him, turned around, and grinned at the fast-paced brunette.

"Takeshi!"

"Tsuna! We have to hurry. Dad's not going to be back until the evening, but I don't know exactly when."

"That's fine," he assured, slowing down slightly so his friend could match pace. "We don't need much, but the decorations are at the border of this district."

They had no money for cabs either, but it wasn't not a good day to run. For once, the sun wasn't completely covered by ominous looking clouds, and the breeze was cool enough to combat the heat (that was sure to rise by the afternoon). Since it was a school day, the amount of people in the market area was significantly less than on the weekdays, too. After a few minutes of weaving between merchants and people trying to get to work, the pair finally made it to their first destination: Miura's Design.

Ding

"Welcome to Miura's Design! Do you need anything specific?" A young woman chirped. She had brown hair pulled into a neat bun, wide brown eyes, and a delicate face. A dazzling smile was thrown their way, and Tsuna returned it in kind.

"If you don't mind. I want to create a romantic evening—"

The smile upon her face brightened considerably. "Hahi! A romantic evening? Complete with flowers, candles, and dinner on the beach before you depart on a long voyage never to return…"

"Ano…I think I'm a bit too young for that." Takeshi snickered. "It's actually for my kaa-san. I want it to be something casual, yet lasting. I know it's a bit vague, but—"

"Ah! I've got just the things! One moment please, and do look around just in case you find something you like!"

And with that she headed into the back of the store leaving the confused duo to wait. Not even two minutes later, she had returned with a big bag of plush animals holding red and purple hearts, and picture frames of assorted colors. "I can get balloons and flowers, too. If you put these animals around the room, hang these picture frames from the ceiling or on the walls, and then cook something delicious, I'm sure your okaa-san would love it."

It was perfect! Since sushi was the main course anyway, some aquatic animals would make for a good background. The pictures would bring up old memories, and then…hopefully, things would work out. There wouldn't be anymore tears shed because of him.

"This is awesome!" Takeshi laughed, voicing his opinion. "How much does it cost?"

"About five hundred yen."

The boys winced pulling out their wallets. Seeing their pitiful expressions, the young woman stated, "But since it's for your okaa-san, you can have a twenty percent discount! Only four hundred yen!"

Their wallets were significantly lighter than beforehand when they exited the shop, yet the grins upon the boys' faces never wavered.

"The only other thing we need are flowers. I can get them from the store next door, and you can head back to drop this stuff off and start preparing dinner. Is that alright?"

With a nod of approval, their purchases were given to Takeshi and their paths diverged. On the narrow street surrounded by giant trees and wild grass under a nearly cloudless sky of blue, he felt free. His dragon purred in approval when he took off on the narrow path like a plane clearing the runway, his already wide smile stretched to the point of looking maniacal, but no one could see him, and there was little else on his mind. The path inclined before abruptly declining, but that didn't deter the teen from taking a running leap and soaring through the air, landing on the flat area beside the steep hill, and continuing. He laughed with an excited shout, brown hair ruffled from the wind. Eventually, the path lead off to the city where myriads of people lingered for one reason or another.

Tsuna grinned coming to a slow jog while smoothing back his hair. Making sure his clothes were as unruffled as possible, he was about to step out into the public when the sound of heavy panted reached him. Mechanically, the Heir of the Vongola turned around to find a silver haired male bent over, face as red as the red carnations, and eyes closed tightly. They rested their hands upon their knees taking a huge breath before looking directly at Tsuna.

"You…" The guy started, swallowing a mouthful of air, "Are the tenth, right? That's what Reborn-san says, so I've been observing you. The only thing that really impressed me was your athleticism, but in reality, you're stuck in a fantasy! There are battles happening in Italy over the throne, people dying, and you're buying something for a romantic evening?"

Tsuna's eyes narrowed. "Though it's horrible, that doesn't concern me. I've never gone to Italy, and I'm not going to because I'm not becoming a mafia boss."

"Tch!" The brunette jumped out of the way as something was thrown and exploded right where he had been!

"Are you crazy?!" Tsuna cried, catching the dynamite and putting out the flame. "We're in the middle of the woods on the border of the city! You could start a fire with these and not only kill me, but kill the animals in here!"

"Like you're leaving the people of Vongola?!" This time, there were more dynamites thrown and he struggled to put out each one.

"It's none of my concern, but if you're going to continue to endanger my city…then I'll have to take you down with force."

The bomber grinned, preparing to light more dynamites but was startled by the amber tint practically glowing in normally mocha brown eyes. It reminded him of someone…but this wasn't the damn time to reminisce! Grabbing a handful of dynamites, he struck them quickly using the friction of his stiff fabric, intending to finish this with one last move! Even though the kid was at least fifty yards away from him, the moment he stepped about twenty percent of the distance was covered. There was a cold chill raking down his spine at the murderous look in their eyes. A light sheen of sweat coated his forehead and his hands trembled as he attempted to throw the bundle at the quick-paced brunette to no avail.

His fist cocked back and the assassin could only stare as his doom rushed towards him…only for a large gust of wind to replace the pain. There wasn't any heat on his hands and the sweat had mostly flown off. Green eyes stared into brown; an assassin to the boss; a cat to a dragon. The dynamite clattered to the ground followed by their owner.

"Why...?"

The Tenth glanced down at him with confusion, yet no arrogance or pride were seen. "Why didn't you end me when you had the chance?"

"Oh." They tugged a strand of their unruly hair and it was such a normal reaction that it hurt to watch but he needed to know why! "I just wanted you to stop before we killed the innocents within the woods, or yourself."

"Then let me ask you this…if these simple animals were something you cared for, why couldn't you care for the humans in Italy?"

"I do care. The difference between the people in Italy and the creatures here though is that this is my territory, and my home country. I'm honored to defend it more than anything else because this is where I belong and call home."

And everything just snapped into place. The silver haired teen looked towards the sky and laughed and laughed and laughed before propping himself upon one knee. Slender fingers took ahold of a burned hand.

"I apologize for my acts of endangerment to the place the Tenth holds dear! As the looser of this battle, I will serve you faithfully until the end!"

Tsuna stared. His dragon shifted restlessly and he couldn't tell if it was from irritation or pleasure. "That…really isn't necessary in all honesty."

"But I am going to, Tenth, or should it be Juudaime since I'm in Japan...Juudaime!"

His dragon cooed as the brunette shuddered at the determination in his tone. "Right. If you aren't hurt or anything, you could help me out with kaa-san's gift."

Tsuna offered a hand. With a grin, the bomber clasped it firmly and pulled himself up. Together, they walked to the flower shop.

It was only a few steps into their walk when he realized he never got the teen's name.