Ok so someone (A guest reviewer) wanted to see an expanded thing for one of my Little Hints words (Beast) and since I like that particular drabble of mine I decided to give it a shot and expand on the idea. Bold- as it meant in the LH version of Beast is Tsuna speaking when the Beast is 'active'.
Also: KHR Is not my sandbox I just like building castles in it.

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Tsuna was a very calm person.

He had worked hard for that calm, especially after Reborn plowed into his life and threw everything Tsuna thought he knew about the world into a blender and chewed it all up before throwing him into the suddenly unrecognizable mess left behind.

Before he was calm though Tsuna was someone that took hit after hit after hit, someone who didn't really try for anything (because if Tsuna had learned one thing from years of Reborn it was that when Tsuna honestly tried it got done one way or another no matter who stood in his way) because he had never had a reason to truly try and apply himself.

Why should he?

Everyone already assumed he was a helpless idiot incapable of change, already expected it of him, already bullied him for it all and would bully him still if he improved, so Tsuna just…went through the motions of day to day life and never truly applied himself.

With every rule however, there existed an exception and Tsuna's only exception to his subpar performance in applying himself before Reborn had arrived had been when it came to the protection of his mother.

The first time Tsunayoshi discovered he could be one mean son of a bitch, had a side of himself that rose up like fire in response to a threat and took out that threat no matter what it was when some sleazy man in a crappy suit went after him and his mother got caught up in the mess.

It would take years before Tsuna would look back at that moment and figure out how he had done what he had.

He had sensed something was wrong long before anything had actually happened. Tsuna had always listened to that little almost-voice in his head, since it had saved him quite a few times, and so he had kept his eyes peeled. (Another thing most people didn't realize was that Tsuna was very, very observant. He had to be to survive when no one listened to him and tried to hurt him. He had to see to survive and so he had learned to watch and absorb.)

He had seen the man throughout the day in various places around his mother and himself, looking like he belonged. Nothing should have caught his attention when he looked at that man, but Tsuna had looked and he had seen.

Something was wrong, that man did not belong no matter how well he blended in and Tsuna had watched carefully following that almost-voice to avoid detection where his natural skills failed.

It didn't take long for Tsuna to realize what the man was stalking him and his mother was just caught in the crossfire. Didn't take him long to realize that the man was waiting to hurt him, didn't take him long to realize he needed to get rid of the threat if he wanted him mother to be okay.

The threat to his family-pack-pride-mine so very small, but so very cherished at the time, the threat to the only person in the world that truly cared for him had brought that ember raging up into a bonfire of focus and need.

He would not allow anything to hurt those he loved and protected.

So Tsunayoshi searched, he searched for a way to neutralize the threat to his mother (he didn't much care about the threat to himself when his mother was being put in the line of fire as well) all the while carefully and inconspicuously herding his mother so they stayed in the crowds and just out of what the almost-voice dubbed the 'danger-zone.' (It would be a few years before he would learn about the fabled Hyper Intuition and realize what that almost-voice actually was.)

It was through this careful search for a way to protect his mother from the man that Tsuna was able to find the other watchers, the ones that focused carefully on the man tailing them without appearing to carefully observe the man, allowed him to carefully shift the herding of his mother so that they casually passed by a flower shop by an alley that was being run by one of those careful watchers. The watcher managed to casually slip into the alley and Tsuna felt coolly satisfied when the sleazy man was pulled into the alley without a sound and the almost-voice told him everything was okay.

It hadn't dawned on Tsuna until later that the man was most likely dead, and it was sort-of Tsuna's fault since he had guided that man past the alley he had been pulled into.

Tsuna had been a bit horrified to discover that while the thought bothered him in the sense that he didn't like the idea of someone dying, he would do it again without thought. That he would carefully arrange it so his protective watchers could take care of anyone that threated his mother.

He had a bit of a breakdown after that realization while locked in his room. It was one thing to actually go through with something when his mother was threatened; it was another thing entirely to realize that he was capable of doing it again and was even at that moment carefully plotting different ways he could go through the motions again without letting anyone know what he was doing.

After that realization (and a long panic attack and a long hard look at himself and how he worked) Tsuna sat down and taught himself to collar the beast that rose up in him when his family was threatened. He taught himself careful painstaking control. Tsunayoshi may be willing to do whatever he had to do to protect his mother, but he never wanted to let that side of him rise without control or a collar. Without purpose and a trigger.

So Tsunayoshi focused all that dangerous mindset, that 'do it or die trying' feral focus, that willingness to use whatever he needed or could to do what was needed and he gave it a target, a trigger.

He focused all of that mindset on protecting his family. Protecting the people he considered to be his own.

He assured that the only way that wild, savage, nothing is forbidden, inner beast would ever rise up from within himself would be when he needed it to protect what was his.

At first this only meant his mother, and while the Beast rose up a few more times before Reborn it rarely happened since his watchers could usually catch anyone that meant to harm him.

Then Reborn came along.

Tsuna was initially very confused when his watchers seemed to disappear and relocate over the week before Reborn showed up, but the moment he had laughed at the hit man baby, he had known Reborn was the reason they all moved.

The Beast had almost risen up in his presence but the almost-voice had whispered 'He's dangerous, but he is not a threat to you or yours' and it had settled. (This was actually part of the reason he had laughed at the baby-not-baby's face. He was relieved the Beast had settled, he never wanted his mother to see that ruthless focus he was capable of on her behalf.)

O~O~O~

Tsuna hadn't actually realized Gokudera had joined that group of pack-pride-family-mine until his protective instincts had roared through his body during that Storm Ring battle where Gokudera had almost gotten himself killed on purpose.

The Beast had jerked at its restraints in his mind, the need to protect rising up so swiftly he almost choked on air.

No one was aware just how close Tsuna had been to storming into the school and destroying the blonde Storm and dragging his own Storm out by whatever he could grab first so he could give him a blistering lecture about acceptable courses of action and risks. (He did eventually give Gokudera that lecture afterward however.)

Yamamoto became his almost immediately after the roof incident when Tsuna realized Yamamoto didn't have anyone, not really, and he needed anchors and friends and Tsuna reached out and pulled him into the pack-pride-family-mine. He knew what it was like to have no one and he wouldn't allow Yamamoto to suffer the way he had before.

Reborn joined the pack-pride-family-mine on the sly. Tsuna didn't even realize he had accepted the hit man as one of his until long after it had happened. Tsuna supposed he actually realized when it dawned on him that he trusted Reborn to protect his mother when Tsuna wasn't there to do it. When Tsuna realized he trusted the man with the family he had claimed as his own. Trusted him with the very thing he cherished most in the world, more than his own life (Always more than his own life): his chosen family.

The children had been easy. I-Pin, Fuuta and Lambo had been claimed the moment Tsuna had realized none of them had had a family or a home or a childhood. When Tsuna realized they had all been fighting and killing and wandering from place to place their entire lives and that he could offer them all a stable, safe, home and correct some of the wrongs done to them, could give the children choices where no one else could.

(If the position of Tenth Vongola was good for one thing, Tsuna supposed it had to be his ability to declare something- no one can touch the children again , they're under my protection now- and have that something followed and obeyed by most of this Underworld.)

Ryohei and Kyoko kind of came as a package deal. Tsuna had been protective of Kyoko already since he liked the girl, but when Tsuna accepted Ryohei into his pack-pride-family-mine Kyoko joined the inner ranks of those Tsuna would protect the people he would protect first and most viciously.

Hibari was one of the surprises for Tsunayoshi, not because he had never seen himself accepting Hibari, but simply because he had never thought Hibari would accept a place in his pack-pride-family-mine and the protection and implications that came with that.

Hibari had always been such a free spirit, such a force it actually took a nudge from his Hyper Intuition (He may like his freedom and ability to wander where he likes, but you offer him stability and a home without chains or demands. He always comes back. And while he may glare and growl he allows you to guide his direction even if he takes his own path on the way. He has accepted you and the others as his Pack.) for him to realize Hibari was one of his to protect and care for. Even if he got growly when it was done.

Chrome roused quite a few protective instincts in Tsuna already just with her situation, but it takes the Beast a while to accept her into the pack-pride-family-mine simply because in the very back of his mind Tsuna was aware of the threat she presented to his little family. It takes him months to look at Chrome and not think of Mukuro and his ability to attack them all through her, but one day Tsuna accepts a hot chocolate from her and he realizes "She is one of mine."

Mukuro takes the longest for Tsuna to accept as pack-pride-family-mine. He's not sure when or even if the him in the future ever accepted Mukuro into that small circle of people that Tsuna would destroy the world for, but Tsuna has been observing Mukuro for a long while ever since that day they first fought each other and has come to relax a bit and trust him with more, but when Tsuna sees what Mukuro had done for him in the Not-Future Tsuna relents and Mukuro doesn't know it, but he has someone who would stare down the devil himself and any army in his way for him on his side.

O~O~O~O~

One on one encounters with the Beast are rare.

Tsuna is rarely pushed to the point that that part of him surfaces completely especially since Reborn has stepped in and forcibly made him better than he was. So Tsuna can usually deal with anything thrown at him and his cherished pack-pride-family-mine on his own without that part of him rising up, though it was possible to surprise him into it or piss him off so much that it just sort of happens.

Eventually, however, it does happen and each of his little pack-pride-family-mine triggers the Beast rising up to protect them.

The first person to actually see the Beast in Tsunayoshi is Fuuta.

He had gotten Tsuna away from the paperwork and talked him into going out for ice cream with him. Tsuna had all but jumped on a chance to leave the paperwork for a while and had gladly taken the 12 year old out.

Everything had been fine, they managed to get through the ice cream and pay as well as step out of the ice cream parlor before Fuuta was grabbed from Tsuna's side with a sharp cry of surprise and dragged into the nearby alley.

Tsuna had already been in the process of turning, sensing something was wrong, when Fuuta had been grabbed. It was only the hissed "Don't move or I kill the boy" along with the gun against Fuuta's temple and the knife already drawling a thin amount of blood against Fuuta's side that stopped Tsuna from lashing out.

He was fast, but he wasn't sure if he was fast enough in this case and he really didn't want to take the chance with Fuuta's life.

"Let him go." Tsuna warned darkly, his voice beginning to deepen the way it always had when the Beast reared up from inside Tsuna.

"Sorry Vongola. I've got a score to settle with you and I'm not stupid enough to give up my bargaining chip."

Tsuna nearly snarled at the man, his voice dropping into a dangerous hiss he had learned from Reborn and his eyes changing from warm chocolate to furious fire-orange. "And yet you are foolish enough to threaten what is mine?" his voice hissed from his mouth as he continued "I will only tell you this once. Release the boy."

Tsuna didn't fight as the Beast lashed violently at his control, instead focusing the anger at this upstart who was going after his little brother.

Fuuta's eyes were wide at the sight of his gentle kind older brother looking and sounding so much more dangerous than Fuuta had ever seen or heard before, but not once did that shock hint at fear. Fuuta knew his brother, knew deep down, no ranking planet needed, that Tsunayoshi was safe and caring and would never hurt him no matter how angry and dangerous he was.

Fuuta still made a note to rank this side of his brother simply because he was curious though.

The man's hands shook and his eyes were wide. "Look Vongola. You took out my Family earlier. I can't take you out and I know it but I will have my pound of flesh one way or another." The finger on the trigger tightened as he prepared to shoot Fuuta.

He never got the chance.

Tsuna snapped.

He watched that hand tighten towards pulling the trigger and Tsuna moved. He couldn't stop the gun being fired but he could redirect it and so he did.

He knocked the gun up and away from Fuuta's head ignoring the echoing gunshot and the bits of brick from the alley that peppered everyone, instead taking the long knife from their attacker and lashing out with the hilt of the knife and smashing it into the attacker's temple. The man crumbled and Tsuna lifted him and reached into an inside pocket of his suit. He pulled out a few zip ties and carefully tightened two over the man's wrists and ankles before lifting the man up and over his shoulder silently thankful for Reborn's hellish training and the boost in strength he got from the Beast even though he was furious someone had tried to attack his little brother. "Fuuta. Get the gun he dropped and follow me please."

"I got it Tsuna-nii."

The familiar address calmed him a bit as he picked up his phone with one hand while the other kept the man on his shoulder balanced and called Reborn.

"Dame-Tsuna-"

"Reborn."

Reborn went very, very still at the tone of his student. He had never heard it before, but he was not the Greatest Hit Man in the World for nothing. "What do you need?"

"I need someone to pick up Fuuta and myself as well as a tagalong that needs to visit Mukuro."

Reborn felt both eyebrows rise. "Oh-ho...Someone fucked up" "I'll send someone now. Where are you?"

Tsuna gave Reborn his location as he moved further along the alley, coming out of the opening opposite of the Ice Cream Parlor the two had visited and carefully arranging the body of their attacker to appear only as if he had fallen asleep before he turned to Fuuta. "Are you alright?"

"Yes Tsuna-nii. I'm fine."

Tsuna only calmed enough for the Beast to retreat after checking the boy over for himself. He went near-boneless with relief when he realized he hadn't frightened Fuuta at all, and Fuuta was actually curious. He shook his head but gave permission when Fuuta asked to rank the Beast.

O~O~O~

The second person to witness Tsuna surrender to the Beast is Mukuro.

Tsuna had fought and succeeded in getting Mukuro released to him, so when the Vindice try to take him back…well…Tsuna did not react well.

Mukuro had acknowledged that Tsunayoshi Sawada was different from the others, that he actually honestly welcomed Mukuro into his family, that Tsuna would protect him.

He knew these things, acknowledged their existence, but he had not understood what it meant for Tsunayoshi Sawada to take someone under his wing and protection.

When Vindice had appeared while he was reporting on his latest mission and demanded he come with them, that Tsunayoshi hand him over or have himself taken and his family destroyed…Mukuro had been willing to leave.

It was one thing to have a family killed before Tsunayoshi, when he had never gotten attached, had not placed names with faces and family and safety, but it was another thing entirely for Tsunayoshi and their family to be threatened when Mukuro could place names with faces and habits and was attached. When he cared about their wellbeing.

He would not place his family at the mercy of the Vindice and so was prepared to leave with them.

He was not prepared for Tsunayoshi's aura to explode from his person, for Tsuna to stand slowly and push Mukuro into the chair he had risen from to leave, for the soft-spoken, loving, calm Tsunayoshi to open his mouth and leave him with chills.

"You cannot have him."

Tsunayoshi had not expected the Vindice to go back on their word after handing Mukuro to him.

It had been agreed that with very few exceptions (trying to take over the Mafia through Tsuna, mass-killings, possession of high-ranking persons of interest) things Tsuna knew Mukuro had not committed, Mukuro would be left with Tsunayoshi.

So when they came for Mukuro, told him to hand over his Mist (pack-pride-family-mine) or have his family (pack-pride-family-mine) destroyed…the bindings on the Beast snapped near-instantly and Tsuna lost control of his carefully controlled flames as they exploded from his person as he carefully pushed his Mist, his pack-pride-family-mine, who was getting up to leave with them and protect the family that had taken him in, back into his chair and stood between the threat and his pack-pride-family-mine who needed him commanding in a near-whisper that instantly demanded attention and brought those that heard it to attention.

"You cannot have him."

Even the Vindice found themselves effected at the voice straightening and twitching at the sudden threat.

Bermuda stepped forward "Sawada Tsunayoshi. You agreed to our terms when we released your Mist Guardian into your custody. Are you now going back on your word?"

"No. I agreed to your terms, and now you are the ones going back on your word. If you take another step towards my Mist I will destroy all of you. He is mine and he is protected."

Mukuro shivered his eyes wide and darting between his Sky and the Law-Keepers of the Mafia.

He knew Tsunayoshi was protective, had used it to his advantage way back during their first meeting, but he had never expected Tsuna to step between him and a threat, had never expected to see such a dangerous person lurking in the caring man he had given his loyalty. (If there was one thing Mukuro knew it was when he was in the presence of dangerous people, and Tsunayoshi was very dangerous.)

In the midst of the stare-down happening in front of him, Tsuna's hand still pressed into his chest keeping him in his chair, Mukuro had the wild thought that Hibari would be thrilled to see the Carnivore that lurked in Tsuna's mind, almost snorting at himself as he focused on his Sky standing strong between him and the biggest name in Mafia history besides his own.

"We have not broken our word. We have been informed that your Mist has slaughtered a family without cause."

Mukuro twitched. He had done no such thing, and he opened his mouth to say so, but his Sky beat him to it.

"My Mist has done no such thing. These are false claims and I will destroy any who claim it to be truth."

Mukuro felt his mouth open in shock as he registered Tsunayoshi's promise. Tsunayoshi who so loathed killing and had just sworn to destroy any who threated Mukuro's place in his family by claiming Mukuro had killed indiscriminately. Tsunayoshi who meant every word. Tsunayoshi who had never doubted that Mukuro had kept the promise he had made so long ago when he learned of what Tsuna had promised the Vindice so he could pull him out of the water-tanks and take him home.

(I swear to you Tsunayoshi, that I will not be the cause of your placement in a Vindice Cell, I will give the Vindice no reason to collect on their promise to take you and I should I break the agreement between you. I swear it.)

His hand clenched on the arm of his seat as he realized his Sky truly trusted him, did not doubt his word when Mukuro had given and broken it before to others, trusted that when Mukuro gave his word to him it was truth and Mukuro would not break it.

Mukuro swore to himself the day he had accepted Tsunayoshi Sawada as his Sky that he would never break his word to the man that had always kept his promises to him, but in that moment Mukuro swore it again.

"Are you saying our information is wrong Vongola?"

"Yes. And I will prove it. You will not be taking my family from me."

Bermuda stared into the fire-orange eyes of the man who had earned his respect, who had sworn to follow his Mist into the Vindice Cells should his Mist break their agreement, into the eyes of the man that had earned the trust and loyalty of men the Mafia had forsaken and detested, into the eyes of the man who had looked into the face of the Vindice and told them 'no' the man who had sworn to destroy them if they tried, the man Bermuda believed may be able to live up to his promise, the man who told them they were wrong…and he demanded "Prove it."

And Tsunayoshi Sawada did. He proved the claims and evidence to be false, showed the Vindice to the truth and actual Law Breakers and Bermuda smiled beneath the bandages. "I apologize on behalf of the Vindice Vongola Decimo. It will not happen again."

"See that it does not."

Tsuna did not relax until the last of the Vindice left the room and the Portal had closed behind them.

Only then did his fall back into his chair and take a deep breath.

"Kufufufu…You are quite dangerous under all that fluff Young Vongola."

Tsuna's eyes snapped to his Mist.

Heterochromatic eyes stared into chocolate. "…Thank you Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna's eyes softened and warmed hearing- as he always did- the things Mukuro did not voice. "Always Mukuro."

And Mukuro allowed his eyes to warm in return, a small but genuine smile on his lips as he lowered his head in acknowledgement of the unspoken promise in Tsuna's 'Always.'

I will always stand between you and those you cannot face on your own.

It was a sentiment Mukuro silently returned.

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It was supposed to be a One Shot but I hit page 22 and decided to split it in half, so it is now a Two-Shot.