Finally, my new story that I've been promising! Sorry it took me so long to post up, my life got hectic.

Please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR

Edit 1/28/15 - I got a beta! Everybody thank the lovely My Name is Alice for taking the time to help me go over this mess of a fic.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Sawada." The doctor said, as he gently picked up the newborn baby. "You have successfully given birth to a pair of healthy twins."

Sawada Nana gave a soft smile as she looked at her husband, Sawada Iemitsu, who looked like he could be the happiest man on earth. To tell the truth, Nana was furious when she found out she was having twins. Ever since she was a little girl, her dream had always been to marry a blond foreigner and give birth to his blond son. When she found out her dreams were being hampered by an extra, she nearly had a tantrum. But Iemitsu looked so happy when she told him they were having twins that Nana decided that she would have to just grin and bare it.

The doctor came closer and Nana's breathing escalated. It had finally happened, she was going to meet her little blond angel.

"Here's your eldest by ten minutes, Mrs. Sawada." The doctor extended his arms to show the babe to his mother. "Isn't he cute?"

Nana froze. This could not be happening. This could not be happening. "Excuse me," She said in a cold tone, "but that is not my son."

The doctor raised an eyebrow while frowning. "This is your son, Mrs. Sawada. I would know, I helped deliver him."

Iemitsu gave a hearty laugh. "I'm sorry sir, the medicine must be affecting her brain. That's our first born son, Nana. Don't you want to hold him?" He asked with a cheeky grin.

Nana scowled. "Shut up! That is not my son! I refuse to call that thing my son!"

After all, Nana's son had to be blond. She didn't know whose baby that little creature with the wild patch of brown hair was, but it wasn't hers. Her baby just had to be blond.

"Nana!" Iemitsu said in shock.

The doctor adopted a dark look as anger radiated from him. He had seen many things in his long career as a doctor, but this was the first time he had seen a mother outright refuse her child. It was disgusting and cruel. How dare she look upon this child who had taken his first breath only minutes ago as if he were nothing more than unwanted dirt. It made him physically sick.

The baby shifted in the doctor's arms, his eyes closed as he sighed with content. Soon he would wake up and begin to cry, his hungry wails begging for his mother's milk; and if that said mother denied her child the right to even eat, the doctor might just do something that would get him fired and banned from hospitals everywhere.

"That is our son!" Iemitsu growled at his wife before turning to the doctor. The man slowly transferred the babe into his father's arms. Iemitsu's angry face softened as he looked lovingly at his son. How could Nana say this wasn't their child? He was perfect. Large brown eyes blinked open and the baby looked up at his father in curiosity.

"He can be your son." Nana growled right back. "But I will not call him mine!"

Before Iemitsu or the doctor could say anything, the sound of a second baby's cry interrupted them. The nurse who had been silently watching the scene before her with horror looked down at the younger Sawada in surprise. She had almost forgotten the existence of the second twin.

"Mrs. Sawada." The nurse said quietly, her voice full of venom. "Here is your second son."

Nana's eyes lit up as the nurse brought her child. Here he was, finally! Her little blond angel! "Aw, hello there cutie." She cooed as she accepted the child into her arms. "Don't cry now, Mama's here. Aren't you just the most adorable thing ever?"

Iemitsu's face was shadowed as he silently handed his elder child back to the doctor. "Nana," He said as his limbs slightly trembled.

"Hm?" Nana smiled brightly at her husband. "What is it dear? Do you want to hold your cute son?"

"What is wrong with you?" Iemitsu spat, his face red. "How can you completely ignore our son?"

Nana cocked her head, her face full of innocent confusion. "What are you talking about dear? This is our son." She gently rocked the blond haired twin in her arms. Her smile vanished as her eyes darted towards the doctor. "Unless you're talking about that creature over there. I don't care what you do with him, as long as you get him out of my sight."

There was silence as Iemitsu, the doctor, and the nurse just stared at Nana. There were no words to describe this situation.

Iemitsu turned his back on the brown haired woman. "Goodbye Nana." He said stiffly, taking back his son from the doctor's arms. "We're getting a divorce."

Nana's jaw dropped open and tears filled her eyes. "Wh-what? You're leaving me? Why!"

Iemitsu glared at her, his eyes filled with disgust. "If you can't figure it out for yourself, then there's really nothing I can say. I thought I knew you. I thought wrong."

"You're terrible!" Nana spat. "You can't just leave me! You can't just leave our child!"

Smack!

The doctor waved his hand in the air as Nana slowly touched her burning cheek.

"That's going to get me fired." The doctor grunted. "But it was the most satisfying thing I've ever done in my life."

The nurse nodded vigorously, wishing that she had enough courage to do the same thing.

"Nurse Kiroza, can you instruct Mrs. Sawada on how to breastfeed?" The doctor asked the young nurse, but his tone was firm. "I'm going to prepare beds for the twins in the nursery."

As the doctor walked out the door, he gestured with his head for the young father to join him. Iemitsu followed the doctor without a second glance at his soon-to-be ex wife. Nana was bawling at the 'cruelty' she had been subjected to, clutching her beautiful blond son close to her chest.

"I am so sorry." The doctor said as he shut the door with a small click.

Iemitsu scowled. "For slapping her? Don't be. I would have if I didn't have my son in my arms."

The doctor shook his head. "Oh no, not for that. I don't regret that at all and certainly won't apologize for it. I'm sorry for your..." What exactly was he sorry for? Was he sorry that the man's wife turned out to be a demon in disguise? Was he sorry that she rejected his eldest? Or for his divorce? "I'm just sorry."

Iemitsu looked at him knowingly. "Thanks. I"m sorry for your job. If you want, I could find you a new one. The company I work for is always in need of good doctors."

The doctor flashed him a relieved grin. "That would be wonderful. To be honest, I was a little worried about that. I can't feed my wife and two kids on a non-existent salary."

Grief filled the eyes of the blond haired man. "I know with my connections I can get full custody of this little one." Iemitsu looked down at the bundle in his arms. The elder twin's doe eyes were roaming around the room, as if the little boy were examining his surroundings. He had not uttered a single sound since he came out of the womb, except the expected crying. "But I doubt I could with the other one. She is his mother after all, and I can't legally take them away from her."

The doctor rested a hand on Iemitsu's shoulder. The poor man. He had two sons, not just one, and he loved them equally. Unlike somebody else. It was cruel that he had to be separated from one of them all because of one woman's selfish actions.

"The babies have to be in the hospital for one full day before you bring them home." The doctor told the man. "So we can keep an eye on them and make sure that everything's okay."

Iemitsu nodded and brought up his child so they were eye to eye. "You're gonna come live in Italy with me. Do you like that? Huh, Tsunayoshi?"

The baby looked at his father and smiled, a happy gurgle coming out of his mouth.

Iemitsu bubbled with happiness and he laughed. "So you're talking now? Are you telling me you like that idea?"

"I need to take him now." The doctor held out his arms expectantly. "It's time for his check up."

Iemitsu grudgingly gave up his little Tuna-fish and watched as the doctor walked away with his son. With a sigh, he pulled out his cellphone. He needed to make a call. It rang a few times before the other person finally answered.

"Hello, Nono." Iemitsu said. There was a pause before he sighed again.

"Not good, sir. My wife's crazy and I'm getting a divorce." Iemitsu ran a hand through his hair. "She gave birth to twins and then refused to acknowledge the older one as her son."

A minute went by as Iemitsu listened to the other person on the end of the line.

"Yes sir, I'm coming back to Italy. My oldest son is coming with me. Do you think you can pull a few strings and get me complete custody of him? His name? Oh, it's Tsunayoshi." Iemitsu frowned. "No. I know I have a love for tuna fish, but that's not why I named him that. What? No, of course not! Sir, those accusations are completely outrageous."

Tears formed in his eyes. "I don't know what the second one's name is. I had to name Tsuna myself, Nana refused to even look at him. I doubt Nana will let me help pick out a name seeing as we're getting a divorce. But I will find out, and I will take good care of him even though I won't see him all the time."

Iemitsu began to pace as the other person talked. "I still don't want them involved in the mafia. I'll be bringing Tsuna back to Italy with me, but I want him to be kept secret. You're the only one who can know that my son's living with me in Italy. When he's old enough I'll let him know about my true job. I know because of their connection with me they'll never be free of the mafia, but I promise to keep them safe. Even Nana. People might get suspicious if I suddenly sever my connection with CEDEF, so I'll continue to be the boss of that. I'll just go on less missions and slowly transfer the lead over to Lal."

Iemitsu cracked a smile. "Thank you Nono."

The phone slipped out of his hand as Iemitsu slid down to the floor, resting his head in between his hands. A soft sob escaped his lips as his shoulders shook. One of the happiest days of his life had ended up the crummiest.

Three-year-old Tsuna blinked open his large brown eyes and looked around at the walls of his bedroom. For some reason he had woken up with an excited feeling in the bottom of his tummy, but he can't remember why today was an important day. He threw off his covers and padded into the kitchen of the small apartment his shared with his daddy. He saw his father's strong back working away at the stove and wondered why he was up so early. His daddy never got up early unless it was a special day, or he got a phone call from that one person.

"Good morning, daddy." Tsuna said in perfect Italian.

"Good morning, Tsuna." Iemitsu said back in Japanese. They used both languages in the house. While they lived in Italy, Tsuna was predominantly Japanese and Iemitsu didn't want him to forget his heritage. "Happy birthday! I've made your favorite breakfast!"

Oh, that's why Tsuna woke up feeling excited. He was four as of today!

"Have you called Toshihide?" Tsuna switched to Japanese as he hopped into his chair. He was a little small for a four-year-old, so he sat on a couple of large books. One of them was the Italian to English dictionary he had gotten for his birthday last year, and even though he couldn't read all the big words yet, he had fun looking at the pictures.

Iemitsu froze slightly at the mention of Tsuna's younger twin before he plastered a fake smile on his face. Turning around, he brought his son his plate of breakfast. "I haven't yet, but I will after we finish eating."

Tsuna's small face filled with hope. "Can I talk to my brother this year then?" He pleaded.

"We'll have to see." Iemitsu said before he bit into a strip of bacon. The letter he had gotten in the mail today felt like it weighed one hundred pounds in his pocket. It was from Nana.

Dear Iemitsu,

It's been nearly four years since our divorce, and to be honest I miss your company. I still love you. I'm still willing to take you back, no questions asked, if you ditch that creature. Come on, don't you want to come see our Toshihide?[1]

With much love,

Nana

A picture came with the letter, it was of Nana and their youngest child. Toshihide looked exactly like Tsuna, except he was a little taller and had spiky blond hair. Both of them had large bright smiles, and Toshihide had his arms wrapped around his mother's neck.

With something hard in his throat, Iemitsu reached into his pocket and pulled out the picture. "Hey Tsuna, do you want to see a picture of your brother?"

Tsuna's eyes lit up like today was Christmas morning and he nodded eagerly. Iemitsu handed him the picture and watched as his bright son studied it as if he were committing the faces to memory. A small smile adorned his small face, before it crinkled into a frown.

"Hey, daddy," Tsuna held the picture up. "is this my mommy?"

Iemitsu looked away. "Yes." He said hoarsely.

"She's pretty." Tsuna breathed out. "That's really my mommy? Do you think I can speak to her too? I want to meet her, daddy! Can I meet my mommy?"

After getting no answer, Tsuna looked up to see tears streaming down his father's face. Why was his daddy crying? Small hands reached up and touched the wetness on Iemitsu's cheeks. The leader of the CEDEF glanced down to see his little Tuna Fish staring up at him with worry.

"Ah, sorry." Iemitsu stood up hastily wiping the tears away, his breakfast forgotten. "I have to go to work today. One of my colleagues has offered to babysit you. He has a son your age."

"Colleagues?" Tsuna cocked his head, his daddy's tears forgotten with the prospect of meeting a new friend. For some reason, his daddy never let him out of the house that often. That reminded him of something he heard over the phone a couple of days ago. "Hey daddy, what's the mafia?"

Iemitsu froze and looked down at his son in shock. "Tsuna, where did you hear that?"

Tsuna shrugged. "I heard you talking to that one person you call Nono, and you said something about the mafia. I tried looking it up in the dictionary, but for some reason the page was gone."

Iemitsu's mind raced as he searched for the answer. He had purposely torn out the page in his son's dictionary just so that he could avoid this question. Apparently, he wasn't careful enough. What should he do? He didn't like lying to his son, those big brown eyes filled him with guilt each time he did it. He always felt like Tsuna could tell when he was lying. But at the same time, four-years-old was a bit too early to begin learning about Italy's darker side.

"I'll tell you when you're older." Iemitsu ruffled his son's gravity defying brown hair. "Go get dressed now, otherwise we'll be late."

"But I haven't finished eating!" Tsuna complained, his bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

Iemitsu melted at his son's adorable expression. "Finish eating first, then go get dressed. It'll be fine if we're late just this once."

"You should have woken me up earlier!" Tsuna said as he shoveled in his food.

"I was going to," Iemitsu said as he walked to his room to change his clothes. "but you looked so cute asleep that I couldn't bare to wake you!"

Tsuna just shook his head at his father's silly antics before finishing his food and rushing to change his clothes. Twenty minutes later they were in the car with Iemitsu grumbling about their lateness.

Tsuna was advance for a four year old, his mind was quicker and could easily perceive and decipher information. His daddy liked to call him a genius, even though he knew that his Tuna Fish didn't like it. Tsuna had no idea that he was smart, he thought it was completely normal for four-year-olds to be fluent in two languages on the way to learning a third. Or for four-year-olds to be studying 2nd grade math.

And that's why Tsuna thought it to be perfectly normal for him to know that his daddy was lying to him about his job. What kind of construction worker drove a corvette and hired private tutors for his son? But Tsuna never called him out on it, he believed that someday his dad would come out and tell him exactly what he did for a living. Even though he promised himself that he wouldn't push his daddy for information, he found himself getting excited to meet his daddy's colleague. Maybe he would be able to figure it out for himself what his daddy's job was. Perhaps it had something to do with that 'mafia' his daddy didn't want to talk about earlier?

"Listen up, Tuna Fish." Iemitsu said seriously as he neared the place. "You have to be careful not to tell anybody that you're my son."

Tsuna glanced up from the light novel he was reading in confusion. "What do you mean, daddy?"

Iemitsu briefly closed his eyes. "My line of business," He said after a pause. "is very dangerous. People might come and attack you if they know that you're my son. My colleague thinks that you're the son of my deceased sister and that I'm just taking care of you until we can find you a better home. That's the story you're suppose to tell if anyone asks."

Tsuna's eyebrows were furrowed as he frowned. Finally he nodded. "Is that why you keep a gun underneath your pillow?"

Iemitsu flinched in shock. "You knew about that?"

Tsuna just nodded. "The son of your sister... Does that mean I should call you uncle when other people are around?"

Thanking the heavens that his son was not a normal four-year-old, Iemitsu nodded. "You'll be staying at the house of my friend Gokudera-san. His son, Hayato, is around your age if I remember correctly. Maybe just a little older. They have a daughter too, Bianchi I think it was."

A minute later, a large castle came into view. Tsuna pressed his small hands against the glass, his lips parted in wonder. "Is this where they live?" He asked in a soft voice.

Iemitsu grimaced. "My colleague is rather wealthy."

No wonder his daddy drove an expensive car. There were two things Tsuna had learned about his father's job. It was dangerous, but the pay was good. Just what was this mafia?

After going up an unnecessarily long driveway, they finally came to a stop at a large iron fence. Iemitsu pulled up to a speaker built into a carefully designed marble column.

"Um, hello?" Iemitsu called out after he had rolled down his window.

There was a pause before a deep voice crackled out of the speaker. "You have ten seconds to state your name and your business." The voice said in Italian.

Iemitsu cursed the paranoia of the mafia and spared a glance at his befuddled son before answering back in Italian. "My name is Iemitsu Sawada. I'm here to see Mr. Gokudera. Strictly Vongola business."

Half a minute passed by. "I see." The voice said from the speaker. The gate shuddered and creaked open. "Please drive up to the drop off circle by the front doors. The master is waiting to see you."

Vongola. Tsuna thought as he daddy started to drive again. That sounds like another clue.

Tsuna was introduced to Gokudera-san, the owner of the large castle. His daddy spoke to the man in low tones for several minutes before Gokudera-san nodded carefully.

"Come this way, Tsunayoshi-kun." Gokudera-san said. "One of the maids will show you to Hayato."

"Okay." Tsuna skipped to the large front doors. He stopped and waved to his father. "Bye bye, Uncle Iemitsu!"

"I'll come pick you up at four, okay Tsuna?"

Tsuna nodded before disappearing into the castle. Iemitsu got back in his car and drove down the long stretch of driveway. He closed his eyes as a wave of sadness washed over him. It was only for one day. So why did hearing 'bye bye Uncle Iemitsu' instead of the usual 'bye bye daddy' hurt so much?

His phone rang. Without looking at it, Iemitsu flipped it open and held it up by his ear. "Hello, Nono." He said in an even voice. A second passed by and he scowled. "Another assassination attempt? Where is it? I'll be on my way. I'll be taking Lal and Oregano."

Back in the Gokudera castle, little Tsuna was in awe. The place was so big, so grand. Nothing at all like the little apartment he lived in with his daddy. Marble statues, large portraits of family members painted by famous artists, and expensive vases decorated the hallways. The people he passed by always had stern faces and an air of professionality about them. Most would find it intimidating, but Tsuna found it fascinating. This place was so different, and Tsuna was drinking it in greedily.

"Hayato-sama is this way, Tsunayoshi-sama." The maid led him to a room. As they neared it, Tsuna began to hear soft piano music. Peeking in, he saw a small silver haired boy his age playing the piano with a silver haired woman sitting next to him. When he blinked, the silver haired woman was gone. Tsuna cocked his head, did he imagine that?

"Hayato-sama," The maid called. Tsuna glanced up and noticed that her face was twisted up in disgust. He frowned slightly, why was she looking at Hayato like that?

The sound of the piano stopped and the silver haired boy turned around with a scowl on his face. "What do you want?"

"This is Tsunayoshi-sama. Your father has requested that you entertain him during his stay here." The maid gently pushed Tsuna in the room. Hayato tched and looked away, but not before Tsuna got a glimpse of his eyes. Hidden underneath a shield of anger was a layer of raw sadness and loneliness.

The maid left the two of them and Tsuna walked up to Hayato and stuck his hand out. "My name's Tsunayoshi, but call me Tsuna!"

Hayato looked at the small brunette and couldn't help but shake his hand. There was just something about the way he stared at you, like he was incredibly kind but wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Gokudera Hayato." He said.

Tsuna glanced back towards the piano. "Hey, did your mother teach you the piano?"

Hayato couldn't help but be taken aback by the boy's blunt curiosity. "No. I had a piano teacher, but she disappeared around a year ago."

Tsuan frowned. "Strange. Did she have silver hair like you?"

"Yeah, she did. Why?"

Tsuna shrugged. "No reason. What do you want to do?" He really wanted to ask Hayato why the maid looked at him in a mean way, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't get a straight answer. He really wanted the boy to open up to him and see why he was so sad.

"We can go to my room." Hayato reluctantly suggested. What was he doing? He wasn't this friendly with anyone! There was just something about this boy, something so welcoming. Hayato felt like he could trust him with his life. He was like the sky, cheerful and open, willing to accept anyone.

Tsuna nodded with a big smile. He was going to make Hayato his first friend. "Your house is so big!" He gushed as he skipped behind the silver haired boy.

"It's too big." Hayato muttered so softly that Tsuna wasn't sure he heard him correctly. "It's too big and empty and lonely."

Tsuna took this in. Maybe Hayato needed a friend just as much as Tsuna did.

"Hayato." A older feminine voice said from a doorway the two just passed. A terrible smell assaulted Tsuna's nose as Hayato stiffened and turned around.

"Ane-Aneki." He said with a hint of fear. So this was Hayato's sister? Oh yeah, his daddy mentioned something about that.

"You have a friend over?" The pink haired girl looked at Tsuna.

"Yup!" Tsuna answered before Hayato could. "I'm staying here while my uncle is at work. My name's Tsuna."

"Is your uncle in the same line of work as my father?" Bianchi asked in Italian. Hayato was about to intervene and say that the boy didn't know Italian when...

"Well, he called your father his colleague, so I suppose so." Tsuna replied in Italian. Hayato looked at his friend (could he call him that?) in wonder. There weren't many four-year-olds like him that could fluently speak two languages. His tutors had always praised him as a genius. Looking back, Hayato noticed that Tsuna didn't speak like most four-year-olds, he spoke like he did. Mature for his age and not littered with toddler grammar.

"Then you both can sample my new cookies." Bianchi said as she held up a tray of baked goods. Hayato's stomach twisted uncomfortably as he looked at the purple mist wafting off the cookies. A worm could be seen wiggle out of one of them.

"Um, no thanks." Tsuna blanched. "I have a feeling that those would give me a tummy ache."

Hayato grabbed Tsuna's wrist. "Run! That's the only way we can escape her!"

The two boys dashed through the hallways of the castle as the older girl chased them with her trays of poison cooking. Several unfortunate servants were caught in the chase and two of them had to go to the hospital due to food poisoning.

"Get in here." Hayato yanked Tsuna into a cupboard in one of their many kitchens. The two held their breaths as the sound of Bianchi's footsteps entered the kitchen.

Please don't find us. Please don't find us. Please don't find us. Hayato repeated his new mantra in his mind. He did not want another stomach ache, not today.

Tsuna's cheeks were slightly pink from all the running they had done. That was so much fun! He thought as he resisted the urge to giggle. Not once in his four years of existence had he had this much fun! Friends were amazing!

Two new footsteps entered the kitchen.

"Bianchi-sama!" One of the maids said. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing." Bianchi muttered. "Do you want a cookie?"

"No-no thanks." A second maid stuttered. A second later they heard Bianchi leave the room. Tsuna and Hayato both breathed a sigh of relief and were about to leave when one of the maids started speaking.

"Did you hear Hayato-sama play the piano today?" The first maid asked.

"Yeah, it was so pretty. It's too bad he had to learn it from that whore." The second one said with a sigh. Hayato froze, his hand inches from pushing the cupboard open. Were they talking about his piano teacher who had disappeared a year ago?

"Sh!" The first maid hissed. "Don't talk about Hayato-sama's mother that way! I liked her!"

His... His mother?

"She still had an affair with the master after he was already married." The second one said boredly.

"Well, I heard that the master spent years trying to convince Hayato-sama's mother to wed him, but she refused him every time."

"And why would she pass up the chance to marry into wealth?"

"Apparently she had a terminal disease and didn't want to leave the master all alone. She convinced him to find a new love, which is why he married the mistress. But he was still in love with Lavina-sama, which is why Hayato was born." The first maid said in hushed tones.

His mother... was the piano teacher?

"Well, she's dead now. There's nothing we can really do about it." The second maid yawned. A light smacking sound was heard.

"Hey, don't talk about the dead in that way! Lavina-sama died in a cruel accident, there was nothing that could have been done. What I find sad is that the master is still grieving her death and can't bare to tell Hayato-sama the truth yet."

She was dead. His mother was actually the pretty piano teacher, and the reason why she disappeared was because she was dead. Tears formed in Hayato's eyes and he began to shake. Tsuna put a comforting hand on Hayato's shoulder. His intuition had been right, Hayato's mother was the one who had taught him piano.

The two maids finally left and the two boys climbed out of the cupboard. As soon as they were out, Hayato sat on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest. Sobs racked his body.

"I always wondered why the servants never seemed to like me." Hayato said through his sobs, not caring that Tsuna was listening. He just needed to get it all out. "Or why my mom avoided me and always gave me a half smile, unlike the full smile she would give Bianchi. I know why now! It's because she's not my mom! My piano teacher was."

Tsuna patted his back, not quite sure what to do. He had seen his dad cry on occasion, but this was the first time he had seen someone outside of his family cry.

"She was so kind." The silver haired boy whispered. "She would always bring me presents on my birthday. Her smile was warmer than the sun and I always felt safe when I was around her. I only got to see her a couple days of the year, but I looked forward to those days. And now she's dead and she's not ever coming back. I miss her! I want her to come back!"

Tsuna looked down for a few minutes. "You know," He said in a whisper just like Hayato. "she sounds like a wonderful mother."

Hayato looked up at him bitterly. "How can you say that? Your mother must be so much better than mine! I don't want your pity."

"I've never met my mother."

Hayato took another look into Tsuna's big brown eyes and all he saw was honesty and understanding. Tsuna slowly put his arms around the slightly older boy and gave him a hug. "You don't have to be lonely anymore. You have your sister. I can tell that she loves you. You have your dad, I'm sure that he loves you. And you have me, and friends never let their friends be lonely."

Another sob choked out of Hayato's throat, but for a different reason. "Friends." He said as he hugged Tsuna back.

Tsuna let his friend empty his tears while he patted him on the back. His daddy always patted him on the back when he was sad. He hoped it made Hayato feel better just like it made him feel better.

"How do I know that my dad really loved my mom?" Hayato asked as he broke their embrace.

"Ask him." Tsuna said without missing a beat.

Hayato nodded and stood up. They walked through their maze of a castle with Tsuna trailing a few steps behind his friend. They didn't speak, Hayato was still sorting out his thoughts. After traveling through a maze that Tsuna was sure he was going to forget the moment he thought of something else, the pair came to a stop in front a grand door. Hayato paused and took a deep breath in, before pulling the door open without knocking.

"Hayato." Gokudera-san looked up from his paperwork. "Is there something wrong? If you want something, go talk to one of the maids, I'm sure she can help-"

"Father." Hayato interrupted in a grief-ridden voice. "Did you love my mother?"

With a frown, Gokudera-san put down the paper and crinkled his eyebrows together. "I'm not sure what you mean. Of course I do."

"No." Hayato sobbed. "I mean my real mother. Did you love my real mother?"

Gokudera-san's eyebrows took a moment to uncrinkle as he came to terms with what his son said. His hand shot up to his mouth and his eyes began brimming with tears. "Yes. Oh, yes. More than anything in this world."

Tsuna, the smart little kid that he is, wisely left father and son alone to sort things out. He sat himself down in the hallway, far enough that he wouldn't accidently hear their conversation, yet close enough that he wouldn't get lost.

Does my daddy love my mommy?

Tsuna blinked in shock at the sudden question that popped into his head. Of course his daddy loved his mommy, after all, he and Toshihide were born. Tsuna was old enough to know that a child was born when a man and a woman loved each other-and thankfully, that was all he knew about that process. If that was true, then why did daddy never speak about mommy? His father's eye always seemed distant and wet whenever the topic of his mother was brought up.

What was keeping them apart?

There must be some reason why Tsuna only knew what his mother looked like through picture. There must be some reason why he had never heard her voice before. His chest panged and tears stung his eyes as he realized that he wanted his mother. For the first time ever, he wanted the woman from the photographs to spring to life and embrace him. He wanted to feel her fingers thread through his hair as she whispered, telling him that she loved him.

I want my mommy.

But, what if my mommy doesn't want me?

What a ridiculous thought. Of course his mother loved him. What kind of mother didn't love their child? His mother loved him, and that was that.

Then, why couldn't he get rid of this feeling of heavy sadness?

A hour later, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching him. Lifting up his head, he saw Hayato with red-rimmed eyes, but who was smiling broadly nonetheless. Quickly, Tsuna wiped moisture away from his eyes and offered a bright smile in return.

"Sorry about that, Tsuna." Hayato offered the petite brunette a hand up. "I left you alone for too long."

Tsuna grabbed the hand and pulled himself to his feet. "That's alright, I don't mind."

Hayato shook his head. "No, it's my fault. Friends shouldn't keep friends waiting."

Tsuna couldn't stop the shock from showing up on his expressive face. Then a smile that challenged the sun with its brightness spread his mouth open wide. He may only be four years old, but Tsuna cherished his first friend more than anything.

It was later on that same day that Tsuna learned the truth. His father picked him up from Hayato's house so that they could go out to one of Tsuna's favorite restaurants for dinner. Tsuna didn't remember much about the dinner, except that it had been fun and the food was good. It was when they were on their way home that Tsuna started to get a funny feeling in his tummy. At first he blamed it on what he had eaten, after all, unhealthy food often caused him discomfort. But he quickly realized that wasn't the cause.

As they got closer to the apartment, Tsuna felt like he was going to throw up. Everything felt so wrong. Something bad was going to happen, he just knew it. Tears prickled in the corners of his eyes as he quickly glanced at his dad. Why was he feeling like this?

Iemitsu parked the car in their designated space and walked up the two flights of stairs with this son. Tsuna liked being active, so he prefered to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Iemitsu was just fine with that, he always hated elevators. They were so easily hacked, making them a perfect weapon for assassins.

They had just walked into their rooms when Tsuna flung off his backpack and fled into his bedroom. He had been strangely quiet during the car ride, but Iemitsu didn't call him out on it. His son always told him what was wrong in due time. But this time had been different, Tsuna looked like he was worried about something and Iemitsu heard him sniffling slightly.

"Tsuna?" Iemitsu knocked lightly on his son's door. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Came the curt reply back. Iemitsu raised his eyebrow, whenever Tsuna said he was fine, he really was hurting on the inside. It was a nasty habit his son had developed. He kept his emotions hidden deep inside him until the dam broke.

"What's wrong?" Iemitsu tried opening the door, only to find that it was locked. Slowly, so that Tsuna couldn't hear, Iemitsu pulled out his keys and began rifling for the right one.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You can tell me." Iemitsu said as he slid the key into the lock. It clicked and Iemitsu opened the door. Tsuna was lying face down on his bed, his small hands clutching the pillow tightly. He did not acknowledge his father's presence, instead choosing to just lie there.

After a minute, he shifted. "Don't feel good." He moaned.

Iemitsu sat down on Tsuna's bed and began running his fingers through his son's wild hair. "Was it the food?"

Tsuna shook his head into his pillow. "No. Something's going to happen. Something bad."

Iemitsu stiffened. They were descendants of the first Vongola Don, it was possible that Tsuna had inherited Primo's hyper intuition. But just as quickly as he stiffened, Iemitsu relaxed. Even if Tsuna did inherit they hyper intuition, there is no way it would develop this quickly.

"Everything's going to be okay." Iemitsu murmured. "Happy birthday, son."

Before Tsuna could reply, Iemitsu's cell began to ring. He answered it without glancing at the screen, positive it was Nono calling him.

"Hello, this is Iemitsu." He answered.

"Dad?" A young male voice said from the other line. "This is Toshihide!"

Iemitsu was frozen for a moment before a broad grin spread across his face. "Toshi-kun! Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me." The small boy on the other end of the line sounded breathless. "I wanted to call you because I've never heard your voice. Mom doesn't know though."

Iemitsu stood up. "Happy birthday, son. How are things going in Japan?"

Tsuna lifted his head off his bed. "Toshi? Son? Are you talking to my brother?"

Iemitsu nodded at his eldest.

"Things have been good, I guess." Toshihide mumbled. "How are things in Italy, dad?"

"They've been great." Iemitsu flashed Tsuna a grin. "Say, do you want to talk to your older twin brother?"

At this Tsuna perked up and jumped off his bed. Without a word, he grabbed his dad's cell phone and put it on speaker, that way they could both talk to Toshihide.

"Brother?" Toshihide sounded confused. "I have a brother? What are you talking about? Mom never mentioned him!"

Iemitsu's blood ran cold as Tsuna looked up at him, his four year old mind not comprehending what his twin had just said.

Iemitsu chose his next words carefully. "You mean, Nana never told you about your twin?"

"No. Are you sure I have a brother? Mom's never mentioned him, not even once."

Tsuna swallowed thickly. "Toshihide? This is Tsuna. I'm your older brother."

The other side of the line was silent for a moment, before Toshi whispered out a small. "Tsuna nii-chan?"

Tsuna's cheeks flushed with pleasure. "Yeah! I'm your nii-chan!"

Before either of the twins could respond to that, a strangled cry was heard on the other line. "To-chan, who are you speaking to?"

"My nii-chan, mom!" Toshihide said excitedly. "I'm talking to my nii-chan!"

"Give that phone to me, now!" There were a few muffled bumps heard and then heavy breathing. "Iemitsu, are you there? How dare you let that creature talk to my sweet little boy! I will not let him corrupt my son, do you hear me?"

"Nana." Iemitsu's voice was cold. "I was simply letting Tsuna talk to his little brother. Our sons need to be acquainted even though they live in different countries. Why didn't you tell Toshi that he had a twin?"

"That thing is not my son!" Nana screeched and the line went dead.

Tsuna slowly stood up and walked back to his bed. What just happened? His mind couldn't come to terms with it, it wasn't clicking. Maybe he was too young to understand what happened. Or maybe, he didn't want to understand.

Didn't... Didn't his mother love him?

He tried and tried again, but the only answer he could come up with was a chilling no.

His mother did not love him.

[1] Toshihide in Japanese meas prodigy. Nana in this letter is making another jab at Iemitsu saying 'Come home, don't you want to see out prodigy?'. But don't take this translation too literally. I got it off of google translate. I also thought it matched pretty well with Tsuna's name.