Hello~ I hope that you enjoy the story! :D

A huge thanks to RainbowMaze for beta-ing this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn ;-; I wish I did though

Prologue: The Escape

Tsuna readied his fits as his opponent circled around him. He began to sweat slightly as he felt Nono's piercing gaze on his back. His slight distraction gave the other man an opening and he attacked. Tsuna tripped in his attempt to run away and ended up dodging the blow. As he stood up, his head smacked the guy in the chin, sending him crashing to the ground.

His grandfather clapped his hands. "Very well done Tsuna! Finish him off!" He tossed Tsuna a knife, the blade glinted in the air. Fumbling the knife with his hands, it was by pure luck that he caught it by the hilt. Nono smiled approvingly.

Tsuna looked down at the knife in one of his hands before turning back to stare at Nono. "I don't want to do it."

Nono narrowed his eyes before they unclouded. "Not feeling bloodthirsty today? What a shame."

Tsuna nodded in response. Not that he was ever bloodthirsty.

His grandfather reached into his breast pocket and pulled out another knife that was quickly embedded into the man's neck. Tsuna felt the blood splash onto his face and resisted the urge to throw up then and there. There would be time for that later when he would be alone in his room with no one to judge. He stood up on unsteady legs and tried his best to hide his body shivers.

"You are very honourable Tsuna. I understand that you didn't want to kill that man with a weapon because he didn't have one. Yes, that would be unfair to him, but that man was another famiglia's spy. If the roles were reversed, and he was in your position, he would have killed you."

Tsuna nodded going along with the story even though it wasn't true. He just didn't want to kill anyone. Wasn't there a way to do things without killing?

Nono began to walk away, using his hand to beckon Tsuna, who quickly scrambled after him, to follow. "There is something important that I've been meaning to discuss with you that I wasn't sure about, until I saw your fight. Now that I know you can look after yourself, that will make things a lot easier."

They approached Nono's office, and the man outside—who was wearing a suit—opened the door for them. Tsuna took a seat opposite his grandfather as he continued speaking. "I am old. I do not think that I will live for many more years. All of my sons have already passed away, and you are my only heir since Iemitsu is part of CEDEF."

Tsuna suddenly realised the direction the conversation was going, but he kept silent, praying that he was wrong. "Next week you turn sixteen. I have the best coming-of-age present for you. How would you like your very own mafia famiglia?"

Tsuna was speechless. The first emotion that filled him was dread. He didn't want to run a mafia famiglia! In fact, if he wasn't born into it, he wouldn't want anything to do with the mafia! His grandfather chuckled at his reaction. "You're so shocked you don't know what to say!"

"B-but I don't think-"

Nono's eyes sharpened. "Don't stutter. It's unbecoming of a mafia boss. I know that there's a lot of preparation to be done, but I'm sure that everyone will be thrilled, especially your father."

Tsuna did his best to swallow his emotions as he gritted his teeth and bowed his head, forcing a smile onto his face. "Thank you grandfather. I'm honoured that you chose me." Not that there was anyone else to choose.

Nono smiled joyously, thrilled to see that Tsuna was happy. Nono reached over the desk and clapped his hand onto Tsuna's shoulder. "Glad to see you're so eager and already warming up to the idea."

Far from it. Tsuna raised his face and watched as a look of disgust flashed across his grandfather's face. "Go wash your face. There's blood all over it."

Tsuna felt his stomach move again. "Yes grandfather." He stood up and walked to the door. He casted a glance at his grandfather, but Nono had already begun signing the paperwork situated in front of him.

Tsuna ducked out of the room, quietly closing the door before quickly making his way to his room. He didn't want the blood to remain on his face. He locked his bedroom door and then moved to the adjacent bathroom, locking the door to the bathroom as well. He staggered to the toilet and retched, clutching the sides of the rim for support. When there wasn't anything left inside for him to throw up, he staggered to the sink.

He looked in the mirror and grimaced. The blood had dried on his face and the putrid scent of vomit filled the air. He turned on the tap and ran his fingers under the cold water before splashing it onto his face. He wiped away the crusted blood clinging to his skin and rinsed his mouth. He let out a sigh before closing the tap.

Tsuna looked at his reflection. This was not who he wanted to be.

~O~OO~OOoOO~OO~O~

Tsuna sat on his bed, drying his hair. His pet cat, Natsu, snuggled up against his side, flames licking at Tsuna. The fluffy mess on his head seemed to puff out even more as Tsuna switched from drying it to attempting to run a brush through it. The brush effectively got stuck in his hair, and as soon as he noticed it he sighed, lying on his bed. "I hate my hair," he groaned.

Natsu licked Tsuna's fingers encouragingly before turning his head to face the door. Tsuna stared at the door as well before sighing again and pulling out the brush, wincing as it pulled a clump of his hair with it. He got his hair to vaguely resemble what it normally looked like before he opened the door. "Can I help you?"

The man standing outside the door smiled, fist raised to knock on the door. "As expected of Tsuna-sama! You were able to tell that I was here before I even knocked!"

Tsuna inwardly cried. Even his pet had more skills then him. He tried to keep a neutral tone as he spoke. "And? Was there something you needed?"

"Nono would like the to-be Decimo to accompany him to dinner. He wished to discuss a few things with you."

Tsuna stiffened before forcing a smile onto his face. He was already being called Decimo . . . "Tell grandfather that I'll be right there." Tsuna shut the door before the other man could have a chance to respond. He let out a quiet moan since he knew what was going to happen.

"Natsuuuuuuuuu. Kill me nowwwwwwwwww." Natsu looked up at his master who suddenly collapsed rather pathetically on the floor. He jumped off the bed and padded to Tsuna who looked at him through half-lidded eyes. Natsu placed a paw on Tsuna's face before petting it gently.

Tsuna considered what Natsu was doing. "The roles have been reversed . . ." he whispered. He let out a groan before getting up and walking to his wardrobe, picking something more formal to wear that his grandfather would approve of.

"Why do I do this to myself?"

~O~OO~OOoOO~OO~O~

Dinner was surprisingly a quiet affair, but Tsuna knew that it was after dinner that his grandfather would talk. Thus, he ate slowly.

His grandfather regarded him silently. "I've only just noticed this but, Tsuna, you eat like a rabbit."

Tsuna paused, fork halfway to his mouth. What was the response that Nono wanted? It didn't sound like a compliment nor a criticism. He opted for the safe option. "I'm not really hungry."

"That's a shame." Nono swirled a glass of red wine in his hand. "I had the chefs prepare this meal especially for you."

Tsuna looked at his plate, feeling a little bit guilty, before putting his fork down.

Nono took this as a sign that he could start the conversation. "The ascendtion will be held on your birthday, as you already know. Therefore, for the days leading up to that, you will be helping me with all of the Don's duties."

Tsuna felt his stomach drop.

"And as such, I'll be leaving a bodyguard with you at all times. There will be more attempts on your life now that people know you're my heir."

Tsuna frowned. "That impacts on my freedom. I don't want someone to follow me everywhere."

Nono set down the wine glass and clasped his hands together. "Tsuna. There are many things that we must sacrifice for the greater picture. There will be many things that you will have to give up, whether it be money, lives, or other things."

He swallowed hard before he spoke. "So you want me to give up my freedom and the lives of those who will be close to me."

Nono made a circular motion with his hands. "Well yes."

Tsuna straightened up more. He was tired of all this. He was tired of always following orders. He was tired of living a lie. And, most of all, he was afraid of what was going to happen. His grandfather was honestly telling him what he'd have to give up, so he was going to answer honestly as well. "If that's the case, then I refuse the title of Decimo."

Nono's eyes flashed. "Pardon? I must be having hearing problems. Would you mind repeating what you just said?"

"I refuse the title of Decimo."

Nono pinched the bridge of his nose. He had hoped he had heard wrong.

"I want to decide what I do with my future for myself. I don't want to feel like I'm forced to be someone I'm not and do things I don't want to."

"You're future was decided the moment you were born! You will be the Vongola Decimo; there is no other way around it!" Nono raised his voice.

Tsuna looked down at his hands, tears brimming, but he rapidly blinked them away. Nono ran a hand over his face. "Now look what you've done. You made me raise my voice. I don't want to talk to you anymore. I'll give you tomorrow off for you to enjoy the last bit of your freedom. By then your attitude will change." Nono raised a hand and made a dismissing gesture.

Tsuna stood up and left the room, his unruly bangs covering his eyes.

~O~OO~OOoOO~OO~O~

Tsuna closed the door behind him and sunk to the floor of his bedroom. One knee fell to the floor and the other he rested his hands on. Natsu came closer, sensing something wrong with his master.

"Hey, Natsu . . . let's run away." Tsuna's voice was quiet but steady. He looked up, eyes full of determination. "I don't think I can do this anymore. I'm tired of pretending to be something I'm not."

He stood up and made his way to his wardrobe, Natsu trailing after. He grabbed a bag and began to packed casual clothes—like the ones he saw people outside of the house wearing—and a set of formal clothes.

He grasped his wallet and opened it. There were a few Euros inside as well as some cards. He took out the card that gave him access to the Vongola cash kept in the vault. It was traceable. Several years earlier, Tsuna had made a fake account under the name Natsu Sawada where he secretly transferred the funds that should have gone to his Vongola account whilst making it untraceable. It was his best kept secret. He didn't even know why he had done it, but now he was thankful that he had. He emptied his wallet of everything but the cash and the credit card, as well as a fake identity card and passport that showed his alias as Natsu Sawada.

He left the bag by the door before winking to Natsu. "I'll be borrowing your name for a while."

He was going to do it. He was going to leave. He was going to create his own future where everything happens because of his own actions and not the orders of another. Tsuna turned to Natsu and let the cat climb upon his shoulder. He opened his window and looked at the drop below before moving back to get his bag.

The drop itself wasn't very far, but the chance of being found was very high. In the books that he read, there should be a tree nearby to aid him in his escape. He rolled his eyes, though, at the idea. There would be no trees near the windows because that was dangerous for a mafia family. Rope it would be then.

Tsuna grabbed rope from his closet that Nono made him keep in the case of an attack so that he'd be able to escape. "I bet you he didn't think that we'd use it against him."

Tsuna wrapped the rope around his bed post and tested it to see if it would hold before throwing it out of the window. He gripped it tightly in his hands and began to make his way down the side of the mansion.

Halfway down and no one had noticed him yet. When he dropped onto the ground, he stayed still just in case. Tsuna gave the rope a flick and watched as it all came down. He bundled the rope and stuffed it into the bag with everything else before making his way to the gate. He walked casually and as confidently as he could. A guard checking the perimeter bowed at Tsuna as he passed, and Tsuna gave him a slight tilt of his head. It was surprisingly easy to exit since the guards posted at the front gate let him pass without question. Tsuna began to wonder why he didn't think of leaving earlier.

When he was well away from the Vongola mansion and sure that no one was following him did he accept that he had successfully escaped. He turned to Natsu and he felt his lips curving into a smile. A real smile. God he couldn't even begin to remember the last time he had done that!

"We did it Natsu!" A high pitched laugh forced its way out of his throat. Tsuna couldn't tell if it was from excitement, fear or adrenaline, maybe all three? "Merde, I can't believe we actually did it.

Natsu gave a small 'gao' in response before turning itself into pure flames and returning to Tsuna's ring.

"We have to keep going. We can't get caught yet." Tsuna said as he began to running along the perimeter of the Vongola estate until he reached the public roads.

He slowed down and hailed a cab. The taxi pulled over and Tsuna opened the door and sat down, placing his bag and Natsu onto his lap.

The driver regarded Tsuna's expensive looking outfit and put on his best smile. "Where to sir?"

"The airport, please, if you know how to get there."

The man let out a chuckle. "You bet I do! Right away sir!"

Tsuna paid the taxi driver before entering the airport. He made a beeline to the ticket counter where a lady welcomed him with a smile. Tsuna scanned the outgoing flights before picking one at random. "Hi, I'd like the flight to Namimori, Japan. The one that leaves in two hours."

The lady typed away on her computer keyboard. "Sir, would that be Economy Class, Business Class or First Class?"

Tsuna smiled back at her before handing over his credit card and passport. "Economy please."

Even he had enough common sense to avoid flying conspicuously if he didn't want to be caught right away.

If the lady was surprised she didn't show it. "That'll be $1,300." She swiped his credit card on the payment terminal. "Savings or credit?"

"Savings."

She typed a bit more on the keyboard before handing back his card and passport with a slip of paper, signalling the end of the transaction. "Boarding begins in an hour and a half at Gate 12F. I hope you have a pleasant flight Mr. Sawada."

Tsuna smiled as well. "Thank you. I'm sure I will."

He began to make his way towards F Terminal and arrived at Gate 12 where he sat down on a chair. He began to regret not taking a book with him after waiting for a while. Before long, though, there was an announcement that informed the waiting passengers that they could board the flight to Namimori Tsuna soon found himself on a twelve and a half hour flight to Japan.

~O~OO~OOoOO~OO~O~

He arrived in Namimori around five in the morning, and he let out a yawn as he exited the plane. He had slept for most of the trip despite the uncomfortable conditions and felt wide awake now as he glanced at his surroundings. He stretched as he made his way out of the airport and joined the line of people waiting for taxis.

When he finally settled down in the front seat of the taxi he signalled, he gave a smile to the driver. "Where to?" Tsuna was asked.

"Any descent hotel."

The driver raised an eyebrow at the vague reply, but a quick scan of Tsuna's expensive-looking outfit and ticket from Italy sticking out of his breast pocket told him all that he needed to know. "I'll take you to the Sky Hotel. It's good for travellers that prefer to be more incognito."

Tsuna gave him a regarding look before responding. "Much obliged."

The driver nodded as he turned the steering wheel. "Namimori is small town. We don't get many visitors. What made you want to come here? Most people, when they think of holidays, think of a tropical place like Hawaii or Bali or something."

"It was a spur of the moment type of thing."

The driver spared Tsuna another glance. "You're not Italian are you?"

Tsuna shrugged. "I don't know. My dad is Italian for sure but I have no idea about my mom's side of the family."

The driver tapped the wheel with his finger. "So you've decided to follow in your family trade?"

"What?" Tsuna blurted out in surprise.

The driver used a hand to gesture to Tsuna's business suit, which Tsuna himself had forgot he'd been wearing. "I know the business types like you do."

Tsuna made no comment, letting the driver's misconception remain.

Sensing the delicate topic, the driver quickly changed the subject. "Your Japanese is pretty good for a foreigner."

"My grandfather made me learn several languages when I was young. Japanese was one of them."

The driver pulled into the driveway of a mediocre looking hotel. It appeared not to be a fairly new hotel if the paint chips on the outside were anything to go by.

Tsuna turned towards the driver, ready to pay his fee, when the driver interrupted him.

"If anything happens in Namimori that is someone concerning, it's best to contact the Hibaris."

"...Right. I'll be sure to do that." Tsuna didn't let the confusion show on his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite get your name."

"Kusakabe Shun." The driver-Kusakabe- reached out his hand.

Tsuna grasped it in his own, shaking it. "Sawada Natsu."

If Kusakabe had shown any recognition at the name, he hid it.

~O~OO~OOoOO~OO~O~

A/N

Hi again! Now, I know that I have a bad habit of starting stories and not finishing them, but I feel pretty confident that for this one I'll be able to!

So, since the pairings are undecided yet, I'll be a having a vote about who you want Tsuna to end up with! Anyone counts as an option, even if they haven't appeared in the story yet, such as Gokudera or Enma.

Normally, my chapters are around six pages each, so I surprised myself when I wrote twenty-two pages for this one. I'll try to keep them around the same length, but it'll probably be more inconsistent and the time it takes to write a chapter would be a lot longer than it normally is.

Anyway follow, favourite and review please!

~ Limina

Edit (21/04/20): For those who did not know, this used to be a song fic but I've edited out the songs. Some places may remain a bit choppy though but I promise I'll try to go back and fix them up. The story was also moving too fast for my liking, with even more OCness than there was in this chapter, so I decided to delete some scenes. This led to my decision to split the chapter in half. Apologies if you're reading this again and going wtf. Another one of my editing decisions was to remove Ryohei's role in A27 because it didn't fit my liking, how I had written it previously. Instead, he will play the role of judging Yamamoto's motives AHAHAHAHHA. The reason I still have Yamamoto kind of flirty with Tsuna off the bat, is due to what think flame attraction is. We'll see how it turns out though.