Oh, dear Jeebus, I go missing for a few months (sorry about that ;=;) and return to… this...I love you all so, so much.

And to answer some questions real quick:

Tetsuya Dragneel: I'm still considering what I might do, so nothing is confirmed as of now.

KaguyaAmaterasu: Sorry but no spoilers! c;

Enjoy

Disclaimer: Don't and won't own KHR

The day Iemitsu got a call from his lovely wife, Nana, he knew in his gut something was wrong - hyper intuition or not. Whether it was the faint veil of panic or the breathlessness in her voice over the phone, he just knew something was terribly wrong.

"What do you mean, Tsuna's missing?" He failed to mask the rapidly building emotions in his tone at the thought of his precious, adorable, wonderful, son missing. He couldn't help it as his heart practically stopped at her words.

"I-I went to make dinner and- and he was g-gone! I-I called for him all over the house b-but he wa-wasn't there. I w-was going to c-call the police but I-I knew you t-told me to call y-you in emergencies," her blubbering was almost incoherent and there was something about it that rubbed Iemitsu the wrong way. Something itched under his skin about her words but he brushed it off.

"When was the last time you saw him?" He demanded as gently as possible, not wanting to scare his wife any more than she already was. Patiently waiting in bated breaths, the blonde waved off the glance Lal had shot at him, nearly a glare at his lack of progress in his paperwork.

"Th-this morning when I took him shopping," this was when Iemitsu knew something wasn't right. She left my son alone since the morning? It was nearly eight and all things considered, the CEDEF leader began to feel a spark of suspicion in his muddled thoughts.

"And?"

"A-And I thought he had gone off t-to play like he normally does-"

"What do you mean, 'normally does'?" Iemitsu couldn't help the snap and tried to temper the sharpness in his tone.

The sniffles from Nana weren't helping one bit with his barely reigned in anger.

"T-Tsuna likes to go off on his own a lot, so I l-let him…"

You let our son - our five-year-old son - out, alone, on his own. Iemitsu didn't speak what he was thinking but recognizing the danger in this situation, he knew this was an emergency. "I'll head to Namimori as soon as I can," and he hung up without a word more to Nana. His head flicking to Lal who had an eyebrow raised but continued to look elsewhere. "I'm taking leave, it's an emergency." At his unusually serious voice, the woman nodded without hesitation and waved him off to book the flight.

Iemitsu was no idiot, he knew there was a foul sense about the situation, and he would find out what and get his son back.

It was hours later as the leader of the CEDEF arrived at Namimori, Japan, that the Vindice leader and his partner had proceeded to take little Tsunayoshi to a local market - one that Bermuda had to be convinced wasn't a black market. In his defense, he never goes to the outside anymore.

"Tsunayoshi, do you understand the procedure you must perform?" Blinking up at Bermuda, the child hesitantly nodded, shuffling slightly. "Good. Jager and I shall be waiting." Of course, they would not be waiting in plain sight, lest they scare some poor civilian out of their wits. The Vendice members had enough experience with the outside world to understand this. Practically melding with the shadows in an alleyway next to the market, they waited for the child to complete his odd shopping rituals.

Strolling through the market, Tsuna thought back to what Mommy usually brought home. He didn't particularly know what these items were called but he knew what they looked like and that was good enough for him. Standing on his tiptoes, he examined some apples and other various fruits in the large containers. He didn't notice the worried looks from the multiple women and occasional man around him who were also shopping. The small brunette gathered the apples with no particular scrutiny because they all look so good. He continued throughout the market, pulling food he thought would satisfy him and finally - with much hesitation on the young cashier's part - bought the food.

Packing away the cans of soup and other easily prepared packaged foods, Tsuna let a bright smile curl on his lips as he hauled the bag of groceries with him. Mommy would be so proud of me for buying my own- His train of thought halted when the memories of his mother floated wishfully in and out of his mind. His small head shook at the thoughts, attempting to make them fly away from him. He was with Bermuda now, Mommy didn't want him anymore, and if that was really how Mommy felt, he would respect that. Maybe Mommy thought he was weird too. The other kids always did say he was weird, that's why they never wanted to play with him. No. No thinking about that anymore.

"Bermuda?" His small voice was barely audible in the hustle of daily life near the market of Namimori but the Vindice leader would hear it anywhere. His form seemed to materialize in an alleyway Tsuna was anxiously standing near. "I-I finished," the small stutter in his voice was not unheard. Bermuda simply held out a bandaged hand and with moments hesitation, Tsuna took hold of it tightly, the heavy thoughts that flitted his brain soon filtered out from his contentment at holding the older man's hand.

Tsuna liked this.

There was no place left in Namimori to scour, and Iemitsu was at a loss. Where is he, where is he, where is he. He had to find his son or else there was no excuse to go back to the house to his wife. Even so, through all the sloppy tears and whimpers from her, something nudged him the wrong way. Whether it be how she had left her child alone for a good part of the day, or be it the fact that she did so every day.

He raked a hand through his short hair, tugging at it in frustration. He had to find his son, and for all he knew, this could be something more than simply a lost child. Someone from the underground could have found out about Tsuna's relation to the mafia and his potential to be a candidate for the boss of the Vongola. If that was the case, then finding his son became even more important.

The thoughts and plans in his head that were spinning came to a sudden halt at the familiar voice that he knew almost right away. He could pick it out even in the loudest of crowds. Brown eyes instantly darted to the sound and the blood in his veins froze when the image finally registered. His darling son was right there, right there in front of him. Right in his grasp and all Iemitsu had to do was reach out and grab him and everything would be okay. But his son wasn't alone.

Those sons of bitches. Venom coated his inner ramblings and a snarl came over Iemitsu's lips when he saw the Vendice - the fucking Vendice - coaxing his son into an alleyway. And the boy wasn't even afraid, taking the hand of none other than Bermuda von Veckenschtein and following him into the darkness.

The blonde broke out into a sprint and skid into the alley only to see nothing was left except for a faint wind rushing past him, slightly ruffling his hair. "They think they can just get away with kidnapping my son," he growled lowly, teeth grinding harshly; rage was flowing off him in waves, and any bystanders wisely avoided him.

Fine then. If the Vendice wanted a battle, he'd give them a battle. He'd give them a fucking war.

When Tsunayoshi and himself returned to the main base of the Vendice, Bermuda amused himself in watching the small child bumble around the maze of a base, following behind him like a shadow.

"Um… Bermuda, where can I put these?" His quiet voice inquired lightly, his eyes on his shuffling feet. The very question did raise the thought, where would he put the things that he needed to survive? The ex-arcobaleno would have to sort that out very soon if the child was going to be staying with them for an indefinite amount of time. Believe it or not, the Vendice headquarters did include many of the necessities for a normal human, despite the fact that they were rarely used by the members themselves - who were rarely around, to begin with.

As Bermuda was contemplating his inner musings, Tsuna was letting his eyes roam over every door around him, every surface, every pathway he could see. His curiosity peaked at a door that was cracked open, revealing a set of stairs that led downwards. Something inside of him tugged towards the stairs and the brunette began to unconsciously drift towards the door. A sudden hand on his head snapped Tsuna out of whatever trance he was in, and when the boy looked up to meet the ex-arcobaleno's eye, he nearly flinched from the ice that was in it.

"Do not ever go past that door, Tsunayoshi." His word was law, and with the tone that coated it, it was even more obvious to Tsuna that it should never be broken. The small something inside of him whined as Bermuda guided the boy away from the door after shutting it and uttering a small curse towards Jager for potentially leaving it open. The Vendice would have to begin to make precautions to protect the small child from the dangers of the Vendicare because it was everything but child-friendly. Bermuda simply continued to lead Tsunayoshi to the next room where he could finally relinquish his hold on the bags of food, his thoughts, however, were elsewhere.

Timoteo was flipping through multiple loads of paperwork that needed his signature of approval, sipping a cup of tea while skimming over the fine print, when his door was slammed open. Barely surprised eyes spared a glance towards Iemitsu who was panting slightly, an air about him that was of obvious anger. A sigh tumbled from his lips, and Vongola boss set down his cup before folding his hands and facing the blonde in his office. "What can I do for you Iemitsu?"

"The Vindice," just those first two words made the hair on Timoteo's neck stand straight up and suddenly he was all ears for what the leader of the CEDEF had to say. "Have kidnapped my son, Tsunayoshi."

Ah. Timoteo could see why the man was so stressed, so angry, the policemen of the mafia - known to be ever cruel and inhuman - had taken his son to some unknown place. After waving for Iemitsu to take a seat in front of his desk, he breathed deeply, mind running over all possibilities for a possible explanation. "Are you sure what you saw was what happened? This is something very crucial that cannot be taken lightly. If there's anything you're leaving out you need to tell me." His voice was professional as he gave the order to the blonde, the look in his eyes solemn.

There was a small pause as Iemitsu recalled the events to the head Vongola, his brows furrowed at the minuscule detail that shone in his memory. "He wasn't scared," and the very thought of his son not being frightened by the leader of the Vendice was baffling. He son was a clutz, had no friends, and could be scared by a measly mouse the last time he saw him - which wasn't that long ago now that Iemitsu thinks about it. How much can change in just a year or so? Maybe he had been away for too long. He tore away from that thought, as the conversation in present time was more important than to be regretting his life decisions.

The frown on Timoteo's face was not a reassuring sign, and Iemitsu knew well enough that the Vendice were not to be trifled with. The very fact that they were some of the most dangerous people alive was enough for him to consider the fact that he might not see his son again. But he refused to believe that, Iemitsu was anything if not stubborn when it came to his family. He may not have been there when they needed him, he may not have been there for his son for the past five years, but he would be now. He would get his son back even if it meant his own life was on the line.

Iemitsu was not a family man by any stretch of the imagination, but he still loved his son.

"Timoteo, please. Is there anything you can do? He's only five years old, and whatever the Vendice have in store for him can't be good. We have to do something," the fact that he was practically begging brought up no qualms in his head, he had to find someway to get his precious little Tuna-fish back from the policemen of the mafia.

A thoughtful look crossed over the mafia boss, and he thought for a moment. "I might have someone who can potentially find your son, Iemitsu. But if he's with the Vendice, I can offer no promises," he offered the man in front of him, a look of relief crossing his face at the proclamation. "Still though," Timoteo murmured to himself more than anything, "why would the Vendice want to kidnap your son." He had met the small boy known as Tsunayoshi once or twice, and Timoteo knew that there was nothing the boy could do that would usher attention from the Vendice. He was a sweet boy if nothing else with a heart too big for his own good, and that very fact was faintly worrying to the Vongola Nono.

There was only one person he knew that might have a chance to find the boy, even in the clutches of Vendicare. It was highly unlikely, but if there was anyone who would have a chance, it was the world's best hitman. "If there's anyone that can find Tsunayoshi, it's Reborn."

Tsuna silently strolled behind the ex-arcobaleno, his tiny hand dwarfed in comparison to Bermuda's. A minuscule smile curled on his lips at the warmth that filled his chest at the contact between the two. The little brunette couldn't remember the last time he had been this content to simply hold someone's hand. Mommy didn't let him hold onto her that often, so when Tsuna struggled to get close to the striding man and gently took hold of his large hand, an overwhelming sense of joy filled him when the larger hand curled around his own.

Tsuna really liked this.