A/N: I'm SO excited in having this done. Thank you for giving this fic a chance! I really love to see ALL Vongola boss meet together and share stories you know? Haha, but still I love Giotto and Tsuna's bond the best. Hehe, so knowing that, I'm certainly giving the two a special scene here! Hohoho, enjoy! XD

IMPORTANT: ALL the Vongola bosses will appear that includes (please read and remember as well XD): Primo (the first), Secondo (the second), Terzo (the third: one who use knife), Quarto(the fourth: one who use fork), Quinto (the fifth: one who wear white cap and katar as a weapon), Sesto (the sixth: one wearing monocle and use boomerang), Settimo (the seventh: one who use gun and fedora), Ottavo (the eighth: the only female Vongola Boss), Nono (the ninth), and Decimo (the tenth).

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR

Summary: Tsuna's going to be officially called "Vongola Decimo" by the next dawn! He's still hesitant of the choice, but he never expected that he'd meet all the Vongola bosses right before his eyes—and even more, them giving him advices and their most fragile memories! What on earth happened? Well, it's because of a certain blond boss' idea… 1st-10th gen Vongola bosses.

Warning: 18 y.o. Tsuna, varied ages of the Vongola bosses, TsunaxKyoko (if you squint HARD, to the extreme), err angst and perhaps… violence?

A Journey in the History

"God gives the hardest battles to His strongest soldiers."
- Unknown

Sawada Tsunayoshi was restless. The room was dark and the ceiling looked as if about to fall on him. Tomorrow was such a big day, not only for him but also his friends, family, and the whole Vongola.

Yes, tomorrow he's officially crowned the Tenth Vongola Boss.

He's now eighteen years old and had made a decision. Reborn had left to prepare things for the ceremony since the afternoon and he has been locking himself in his room since then. He never knew he has so many thoughts to think about. How this would change his life. How it would change his friends' life.

The next path gonna be dangerous and… what come after is going to be life-betting. It won't be just about chances or flame battle anymore. And not only him, or his friends that gonna be involved with the ongoing survival, but also noncombatants like Kyoko, Haru, or his mom. Which he never sure could successfully protect when something goes wrong—what if he makes a mistake and someone has to pay for it?

He closed his eyes and turned his back to the walls. Maybe he's not ready. Maybe he just needed some more time. Were the others also thinking of the same thing? Gokudera has always dreamed of this; Yamamoto has to give up his baseball; Ryohei will have to let his sister in danger too; Lambo was simply clueless; Mukuro and Chrome could've got many plans; while he just didn't sure if Hibari's in this or not.

Tsuna sighed. But nonetheless, they have to be ready. Tomorrow, they have to.

The brown orbs met with another ceiling than his. It was dark red, almost brownish. The chandelier hung in the middle of the square and it lit low. And, he notice it, he's not laying down on his bed neither. There's no blanket, no pillow. But instead he saw himself resting on a sofa, almost similar to one of those that Ninth has.

Now why is that…

"Good morning."

'Morning?' Tsuna's head turned to the female voice. It belonged to a strangely unfamiliar figure, but he knew that he's seen her somewhere. She has dark hair with a red ribbon tied it into a high ponytail. What caught his attention most is the pink drawing of flowers on her cheek. She sat behind the big desk in a neat posture.

Remembering not to lose his cool – as Reborn always reminded him – Tsuna slowly sat too, "Who… who are you?"

The woman, despite having a serious bringing on her face, smiled a bit, "It's funny that you don't recognize your predecessor, Decimo."

Tsuna raised an eyebrow before he looked around. The place was familiar but on the same time, not. The closer he looked, the more he's reminded of the rooms in the Vongola HQ. Yes, he has ever visited the place before, once. His eyes returned to the only other human being in the room, "This is the Vongola HQ?"

The smile remained, although she looked kinda amused. "Not entirely wrong," she said as she stood up. In silence, she walked to a door; a big, white door like a French window in fact. That, he never saw existed in the Vongola HQ he knew. Her head beckoned him to follow, "Come."

The brunet, not knowing what else to do, complied and stood up himself. He followed the woman with a strange feeling. His hyper intuition told him to trust her and so he did. He just stayed silent and more focused on observing the surrounding as they walked.

The door, in fact, was connected to the outdoors. It was a thick forest with big, humongous trees. The atmosphere was chilling and very quiet. Tsuna was quickly reminded of the hunters in the television shows. But the woman, walking in front of him, looked settled with it and walked almost as if nothing happened.

It was not long before they came to a clearing, o-shaped with a white gazebo in the middle of it. It looked as if the place was the center of the forest, with a clear sighting of the sky and the sun ray. Tsuna's lips parted in amazement.

"It's amazing isn't it?" she asked beside him as they stopped walking. Tsuna smiled and nodded.

"Yeah… where are we anyway?" Tsuna asked and heard her drew a sharp breath.

"This is my favorite place—which is the reason you're here," she said with longing. "Although originally this place never existed."

"…Why?"

"Because for safety, the boss' personal office always built at least on the second floor," she explained. "I always loved to be in the forests where… anything could happen. Attacks, challenges, nature— they're all here. Maybe that's why they gave me the crossbow as my primary weapon."

"… You are…" Tsuna paused. "Vongola Ottavo."

"That's right, Decimo," she said, facing him. "I see you're a tad slow in figuring that out."

"Wow…" Tsuna gasped breathlessly. Why in the world he's dreaming about the eighth Vongola boss? "So… is this real?"

"No," she said after a momentary silence. "It's in your consciousness. But you're certainly here for a reason."

"What?" Tsuna got another pause instead of an answer. But she did continue.

"Right now you're having a hesitation, and by one of… the other bosses' suggestion," she smiled. "We're here to help you out."

"How?"

"I'm here to tell you something," she said before she walked towards him. Her hand touched his forehead softly. He about to question what she's doing when suddenly he felt like being sucked—not unlike when he's travelling with the ten-years bazooka. And when he opened his eyes again, he saw the same scene, only this time there's no Ottavo in sight.

Tsuna looked around him and found that he's all alone, but the forest and everything's similar with the one he just saw a few seconds ago. So, clearly, something's gonna happen. Being on guard, he started to walk wherever his instinct told him to.

That's when he heard the rustle.

He turned on his heels, hard, to the direction of the sound. He's ready for anything—well, not really. He didn't know what to expect, actually. So he's certainly surprised when he saw a small girl came out of the bushes not far from him. She was panting, with several wounds and bruises, particularly on her knees, and she kept turning her head back. The gesture was obvious that she's being chased by someone.

Tsuna wanted to ask her what happened when another noise came in the same direction. His eyes widened to see the familiar figure revealing herself from the bushes, "Ottavo…!"

Things were strange enough, but it was even stranger to realize that they're not noticing his presence. Whatever he's doing or in, they clearly see him as invisible. The Ottavo in front of him also looked younger—like she's just turning twenties compared to the one he met earlier.

Tsuna watched carefully, and also with a pounding heart, when the little girl gasp and fell at the sight of the female Vongola boss. Ottavo was panting lightly as well but did nothing. Tsuna was wondering what would happen next… and to his bewilderment, she aimed her crossbow at the little girl, who shriek and began to cry.

"… I… I don't know!" the little girl pleaded in Italian. Tsuna gulped; he has to do something—this is not right! What's the Ottavo doing anyway?

But the young Ottavo didn't retreat. In fact, her eyes narrowed and steeled. The conflicted expression now vanished and turned cold. It was then that Tsuna realized—she's trying to kill her emotions.

Then the arrow struck the little girl's chest. Tsuna's eyes widened; blood—

"This was my first on-field mission as an official Vongola boss," a female voice said behind him. The still completely-horrified Decimo turned his head and once again found the Ottavo he knew, instead of the younger version. Tsuna stared disbelievingly.

"… You killed the girl…" Tsuna said breathlessly before his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why?"

"… She's a messenger," Ottavo explained almost too calmly. "Or rather, she's being used by an enemy family to send some explosive materials."

"What?" Tsuna faced the woman. "You killed her because of that? When she herself didn't know what she's doing?"

Ottavo sighed softly, "They put some kind of device to the girl. Despite she didn't know what she's doing, an order is still an order and she's obeying it. If I didn't kill her that time, and she obeyed her boss to say some password to set the bomb off… then the whole town will be annihilated."

"…" Tsuna bit his lips. Despite the reasoning, the logic, nor the condition, killing the girl was just… "There are other ways to stop it."

"Not at that time," Ottavo replied sharply. It succeeded in silencing the younger Vongola boss. He realized that the young Ottavo didn't want to do it herself. Many around him usually comment how girls were more sensitive… but tougher when the hard time comes. This must be it— the hardest trial she ever faced with. And Tsuna understand why.

Ottavo smiled understandingly as she walked to him. Putting her hand on his tense shoulder, she said, "Sometimes… you have to think the best way to solve things—even if it meant hurting yourself. Sacrifices are not always necessary but it's inevitable."

"…" Tsuna only watched her as she nodded.

"The first time was hard but I got allies that I have to protect—my guardians, my family, my town…" she paused. "I know well that you also have these responsibilities on your shoulders, so I'll left you a message, as our ancestor has told me to."

"A message?" Tsuna half-whisper.

She nodded. "Being a boss… is not easy. You have many things to protect, so you have to toughen yourself for them… and for yourself." She continued with a small smile, "But remember that you're not alone, Decimo; you have your guardians, friends, and family… And besides, my son's still available for advices."

"Son… Ah! You mean the Ninth," she nodded and her smile broadened.

"Understand, Decimo?"

Tsuna nodded with resolute. Now he knew who's responsible for Ninth's wonderful character. Tsuna about to reply when another whirl of wind attacked him. Trying to be defensive, he shielded his head with his arms. Strangely, Ottavo didn't do the same. Instead, she smiled and stood firm where she was.

"This is where I stop," she said. "I wish you the best of luck, Decimo."

"…!" Tsuna gasped before everything swiveled and—white…

"Hmph, you're finally awake?"

Tsuna snapped his eyes open when he heard the cold voice. Now it's not a female voice, but instead a stiff male's voice. And clearly this was not in a forest he's in earlier, but instead it's… where's he anyway?

"This is the Vongola's secret training room," Tsuna turned to the other presence in the room. There, in front of him, stood a man with black fedora, black suit, and red tie. He has sharp eyes and mustache. In his hand was a gun while the other hand in his trousers' pocket.

Tsuna stood up slowly, still not letting his guard down although he already suspected who he's facing with, "You're… Settimo, right?"

"Precisely," he smirked. "Hmph, you figure that faster than when with Ottavo."

Tsuna tilted an eyebrow, "So you know?"

"That's one of the benefits of being a will instead of having a real vessel," Settimo, the seventh, said. His footsteps echoed in the big room. It was not so different with the one Tsuna's training in on the future world. Only this one was bigger, as if it's even possible. The older Vongola boss stopped at the middle of the room. Tsuna watched in silence as he aimed his gun to, Tsuna squinted hard to barely notice, tiny dot-like targets on the wall.

In a split second, he pulled the trigger, followed by a huge explosion, and what were left were only small pieces of thick concretes. Tsuna's lips formed an 'o'. Reborn has ever told him about the Seventh's weak dying will flame and how he make it big by the bullet—which gained him a famous reputation as great destructive power.

"That's amazing," Tsuna remarked. His reply was only a scoff.

"That was still nothing. That's only a part of my real power," Settimo smirked. "Can't have the training room gone can we?"

Tsuna chose to stay silent. Although he sound bragging, but with the power show just now, it might not be a lie. Tsuna smiled, "So… are you going to show me some… memories like Ottavo did?"

"You're quick to the point are you?" he put his gun low. "But well, that's the best way I guess."

He walked toward Tsuna, who's readied himself for anything that's gonna thrown into his way. He put his big hand on top of Tsuna's head and then, like the first time, he's sucked into somewhat a fragment of the past. And this time, he arrived at a familiar place—too familiar in fact. Turning on his ground, Tsuna saw the big practice room that belonged to the one and only Vongola. Wait a minute—it's the same place seconds ago!

Tsuna about to mumble a protest when he saw an arrow—yes, a very-sharp-pointed arrow coming straight to his head. He was frozen in spot, and in a blink of an eye, the arrow was already on his forehead, and fly pass through his head, as if not hitting anything, and struck the wall, creating cracks. Tsuna shrieked a second late. Thank goodness he's only a consciousness instead of a real body. 'Settimo's right—being a will instead of a real vessel definitely has many benefits!'

After finally regained his composure, and attempt to save his own heart from any shock, he looked around and scanned for dangers; any flying arrows or bullets. When he did that, a bullet—bypassed him just by inches from his cheek. His hair even followed the rush of wind it pulled. Gulping, he saw the bullet now disappeared to the ceilings.

"Hiiii…!" Tsuna felt shivers crawled up his back. Exactly what's going on?

Then he saw his answer—a young Vongola Ottavo and Settimo were in a fight. Yes, a fight. Tsuna gawked, 'What are they doing?'

"Have you given up yet, Daniela?" Tsuna's head perked up. That name, if he's not mistaken it's Ottavo's name. True to his thought, he saw Ottavo scoffed.

"Never."

She lunged at the senior boss, which evaded swiftly. This battle went for a while, still with Tsuna trying to figure out what they're doing. Honestly, he couldn't think up a reason.

"Heh, this goes on for three days, so I'll just tell you the grand finale directly," Tsuna recognized Settimo's voice, who approached him from behind. Tsuna tilted an eyebrow, and wondered why they kept appearing from behind him, as he watched the exchange of hits and attacks.

"What are you doing in this past, Settimo?" Tsuna asked to the Vongola boss beside him. Settimo snorted amusedly.

"Arguing with my daughter." Tsuna looked at him in disbelief.

"Really?" Tsuna shook his head slightly. "But all I see is you two fighting."

"Yeah; my daughter's a stubborn one," Settimo smirked. "She said that she's going to be the next Vongola Boss no matter what, but I told her that she's not befitting for the role."

"So… what did she say?"

"She challenged me. She said that if she could win from me, then she'll take the throne after all," Settimo said with amusement on his tone. Clearly, this was a pleasant memory apart from Ottavo's.

"So, she won?"

"No. I won," Settimo answer matter-of-fact. "But I acknowledged her power and will from the start, so I let her."

"Oooh…" Tsuna nodded slowly. Ottavo's the complete opposite of him. He'd rather give the position to someone else if he could, in fact. The only reason he accepted was the long process—and how he's grateful for everything in his life. His comrades and family— he could never let them go. Which brought him to a question, "Why did she want the boss position so much?"

"Well… she probably did it for her brother," Settimo answered, bringing Tsuna to another wide-eyes again. "Her brother was, well, weaker than her in combat abilities. She must've thought that if he was the one to take the position, it'd be instant death."

'Gloomy…' Tsuna sweat dropped.

"But she's doing a fine job eh? Guess I make the right choice after all," Settimo said. Tsuna could only nod although he really has no picture of otherwise. "This is the message I want to deliver to you, Decimo."

"Eh?"

"One day you'll gonna have children too. No doubt they gonna inherit your position as the next boss," Settimo started and Tsuna's listening with full attention. He brushed off the thought of a certain Sasagawa girl though. "By that time, you have to be ready to hear about their decisions and worst, their deaths."

Tsuna's eyes widened—

"And to prevent that, and to make sure your children gonna be a fine boss," Settimo paused and smirked at the brunet. "You have to train them even harder than your tutor did."

Tsuna almost shrieked spontaneously. Harder than Reborn's teaching? He's practically going to kill his own child! But nevertheless, he nodded, "I'll do my best… as a father."

"Good." He heard Settimo said before he's sent somewhere else…

The third travel… now he came to a place, almost old-looking, and smelled like papers. Well, of course, since he found himself staring at the big and many racks of books. Each book was thick and each was thicker than the previous one. Wow, he never expected he'd be here…

"Do you found any books to your interest, Decimo?"

Tsuna tilted his head and was greeted with a sight of an older man wearing a monocle, and a book on his hand. Tsuna shook his head and chuckled politely, "I rarely read thick books."

Sesto, the sixth Vongola boss, chuckled similarly before he put the book to one of the empty space on the rack closest to him. "I see. Well, that's fine either way."

Tsuna started to walk when Sesto beckoned him to follow. Walking around the big shelves, he found a corner with finally no big racks. It has a few couches, just like a living room, a coffee table, and a fireplace. Oh, and also a lamp beside one of the single couch. Sesto sat and his hand showed Tsuna that he's allowed to do the same. He sat on the opposite of his senior.

Tsuna observed the man in front of him; he has grayish hair and neat clothes, of course. Now that Tsuna able to see more freely, he saw his weapon on the end table—a boomerang.

"How do you like it here, Decimo?" Tsuna straightened his posture when he heard the voice. The other occupant looked expectant in his answer. Tsuna looked around and saw books, books, and books. There were only books here, and to be truthful, he didn't really favor them.

"Umm…"

Sesto put on a small, kind smile, as if knew he'll respond as such. "There aren't many people that love books as much as I do."

Tsuna smiled too despite his eyes glancing to a side, "I can see that."

"I personally think that books are an essential thing to us—they teach and tell; speak and dream," he sighed lightly. "They gave us a lot of things; even from our ancestors."

Tsuna only nodded. Well… that's undeniable…

"To be truthful, I'd just give an advice for you to read more books," he chuckled. "But I see that I can't do that."

Tsuna chuckled lightly too, thinking how unbefitting that was for him. Whilst that, the sixth walked from his seat to Tsuna's. He patted his head and Tsuna spontaneously closed his eyes.

Now, he's transferred to a white room. It smelled medicine strongly—even stronger than the infirmary at school. Tsuna looked around, trying to find why Sesto, the sixth, brought him here. Then he arrived at the answer. It just took a swirl of steps. There, in a bed, a little girl around ten lay. Her body covered in blood and fresh wounds. She hardly breathes and the doctors around her were in a pandemonium; no matter what they do, she's still dying.

Without warning, the door slammed open, revealing none other than Vongola Sesto—only younger version. Tsuna took in the scene warily. He has a heavy hunch about what's happening and he just didn't want that happen. Sesto take the girl's right hand, "Mia… can you hear me?"

"Pa… pa?" the girl weakly replied. She didn't open her eyes; didn't move a single muscle. Sesto himself, perhaps already knew by his hyper intuition of what's gonna happen. His hands wrapped the smaller hand tight.

"Yes, papa's here, darling…" Sesto repeated. And this time, the girl smiled faintly—

Then nothing.

The machine stopped beating, and her skin gone completely cold. Tsuna tried not to gasp nor shed a tear. He couldn't contain his trembling fists though. A few feet from him was Vongola Sesto, who hide his face on the white sheets.

Tsuna jumped when he heard footsteps behind him. "She was my youngest daughter."

"Sesto…" Tsuna's eyes clouded with empathy. A sad smile crept on his face.

"It was the first time I regretted the fact that I have a hyper intuition," he said with a small sigh. "I failed, as a boss and a father; I could've saved her… but instead I screwed up and killing her like this."

"… You're not at fault, Sesto!" Tsuna said with hard effort. Sesto replied with the same smile.

"As a boss, I've got nothing to say but accept that it's entirely my fault—our plan goes wrong and she's targeted by the enemies," he sighed as he also watched the recollection of memory. "They succeeded."

"…" Tsuna felt his heart being swept away. He's now feeling what Sesto's feeling—and it's painful. He hasn't got a child, so he didn't know fully what Sesto felt… but it's painful. The sorrow was visible in the thin air. Tsuna looked up when he felt the big hand on his shoulder.

"Decimo… the scene you see here, was because of our mistake," Sesto started and he got Tsuna's full attention. "If only we're more cautious… more attention… then it wouldn't happen."

"… But… you couldn't have known," Tsuna said weakly.

"We should've able to do something… The only thing we're grateful of was all of the guardians' and guests' safety," Sesto then smiled after a gloomy pause. "We, especially Vongola, are professionals. But you're also right that we often face situations impossible to us. That's why…"

There was another silence as Tsuna waited for his next words. His hand tightened around Tsuna's shoulder.

"That's why when those times come, trust your instincts. Remember that we have responsibilities—and have to be professional about it," Sesto continued. Something stabbed Tsuna's chest when he heard the message from his predecessor.

"I…"

Tsuna stopped when he felt a pat on his head, "And to keep those responsibilities, there's no other way but get stronger… wiser. You understand, right?"

The young Vongola boss struck silent for a few seconds. Images were overflowing his thoughts, even without him trying to. He remembered… and he agreed. He smiled and nodded, "Yes!"

"Alright," Sesto said, pulling his hand away. "This covers most of what I wanted to say. The Vongola's strong; but don't forget that problems always evolve into something bigger and we have to face it one way or another—be a good boss."

"Okay," Tsuna answered determinedly before the picture slowly faded into the white.

The brown orbs finally awaken from its short sleep. The heavy feeling was still lingering on his chest, so when he saw green, he's a bit grateful of the light they brought. Looking around, the place was not so different with the place Ottavo in, only this time, there's no forest in sight.

"Over here, Decimo," a gentle male voice called. Tsuna glanced to his left and saw a gazebo in the midst of the humongous garden with golden decorations, albeit not so bold, but still make a nice addition to the white painting. Tsuna walked to it when he saw a man, with white clothing, sat there while sipping tea. The man smiled as soon as Tsuna stood by the doorway, "Welcome, Decimo."

"Quinto," Tsuna acknowledge before he looked around him. "Umm…"

"Don't worry; there aren't any traps around here," he smiled and chuckled softly. Tsuna shook his head furiously.

"N-no, it's not that!" Tsuna said. "It's just that… you look much relaxed than the other bosses I met with."

He was greeted with another laugh from the older Vongola boss. "Well, because this is my favorite place—peace."

"Ah… of course," Tsuna took a seat opposite of him. Quinto, the fifth, sipped his tea again while Tsuna watched him meticulously. His weapon, a katar, rest by the small plate. After ten, fifteen seconds, he put down the half-empty cup.

"You ready for the next lesson, Decimo?" Quinto sipped his little drink. Tsuna's back straightened before he nodded reluctantly. Oh, how he wanted to say no…!

The Fifth closed his eyes and sigh, but with a smile on his face. Standing up from his seat, he walked around the table to Tsuna. By the way he moved, Tsuna knew that he must be a noble, which he shook in the next second. Should he really be thinking about something so trivial? Finally right in front of the brunet, he put his hand on the brown locks. "Here it comes."

When Tsuna opened his eyes, he took in the sight of a young woman. She's around early twenties or late teens perhaps, with long caramel-colored hair and white dress, she looked beautiful. Beside her, were other three girls. And these girls wear dresses similarly, one colored red, the other green, and the last one blue. Differently, the three looked like twins, with similar balloon-dress and curly hairs.

Tsuna watched them with undivided attention, waiting for something to happen. He expected Quinto or one of the members of Vongola will barge to the scene and do something, so he's absolutely shocked when he saw the girl in white dress fall out of the blue—right after a shot came through her head. The other girls looked around frantically before they started to run, leaving the other girl lay lifelessly on the dusty road.

Tsuna blinked in disbelief—he didn't understand! Just when he himself looked around the alleys and top of the buildings to find the sniper, he heard Quinto's voice from behind him. "The sniper's already gone, Decimo."

"Q-Quinto!" Tsuna gulped. "I-I don't understand; the girls were just talking when suddenly she saw shot and then-"

"Calm down Decimo," Quinto said with a small smile. Tsuna immediately silenced when he saw the smile—it wasn't reassuring or casual, but it's… sad. Tsuna sighed and regained his composure. Whatever happened must've been painful for Quinto. Just like what he saw with the Ottavo and Sesto—the eighth and sixth.

"I'm sorry Quinto," Tsuna whispered and received a nod. Tsuna looked at the lifeless girl again before he whispered, "So, what happened?"

Quinto also looked at the girl. With a soft voice, he said, "She's my sister."

"…!" Tsuna's eyes widened and tried not to gasp. Sister…

"She breaks the omerta, and… well, you know it," Quinto looked at the top of one of the buildings. Tsuna also followed his eyes and nodded. He remembered Reborn explained something about it. That if you break it, you could be killed.

"…" Tsuna's eyes filled with empathy. Quinto sighed and shook his head softly.

"Decimo," Quinto suddenly called him. "You may not have any siblings or children yet, but remember that mafia will affect almost every connection you have. Of course, your mother and friends as well."

Tsuna's eyes widened again, in horror. Earlier he saw Sesto's daughter, now it's Quinto's sister. And although it's not a bad memory, but Settimo's also having problem with his children. He never pay attention much of how mafia will affect his life—now he's concerned about his mother, since his father already involved with the Vongola longer than he ever knew. Not to mention his friends like Kyoko, Haru, I-pin, and the others…

Tsuna nodded bitterly. "Yeah…"

Quinto smiled, "Well, you don't need to worry so much. After all, it's not just us, bosses, who protect them—all of the Vongola are protecting each other."

This time, Tsuna smiled and nodded. Of course, he would never forget when Gokudera saved Lambo from Levi; when Yamamoto protected them in the future; when Mukuro helped save the girls; when Ryohei fought with everything at risk; when Hibari helped Chrome when her organs gone; or when Lambo and I-pin rescued Haru from the bloody twins.

Tsuna couldn't help but chuckle when he remembered. Yes, he's really fortunate to have such friends and allies. And by now he's already reconfirmed times and times again that he's not alone. Quinto too… Tsuna smiled at his predecessor, "Thank you Quinto; I've learnt many things."

"You're welcome. Good luck, Decimo," Quinto nodded and Tsuna's vision started to swirl again.

'Now where to…?' Tsuna wondered for the umpteenth time. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by an old room. It was dark because of the scarce light—the only source of light was the fireplace, which produced sounds of burning woods. Tsuna was so captured by it; he didn't realize a man on the single-couch.

"Welcome Decimo," a rough voice was heard. It was heavy, so it didn't really surprise Tsuna to see an old man with stern expression. But, well, at least he smiled. "You're finally here."

"Yeah… it's been a long day," Tsuna said, trying to make… himself less tense. The room was big, and decorated vintage-style, which clearly seen by the bookshelves and the desk that were made of pure wood. The rug was also old-designed, not to mention the pictures and decorations…

"Are you scared?" Tsuna snapped his attention back at the man when he heard the question. Tsuna shook his head.

"No, it's just that it's the first time I've been to a place like this," Tsuna explained honestly. The man nodded in acceptance.

"Alright… how about we skip the bits and jump straight at point?" he asked which answered with a nod from Tsuna. Truthfully, he wanted to talk with him first before the memory. He has known the other bosses much better when they talked at the visits. But well, it would be impolite to refuse the offer right? So he just let the man pat his head once again. Previously, he received bad memories, but this time Tsuna's hyper intuition kept tingling—like telling him something's really bad gonna be next.

When he opened them in the next second, he found himself in a dark place. He could barely make out where he was, in fact. There's no light and no sound. The only clue was the water that flowed on ankle-level. His anxiousness aside, Tsuna tried to concentrate and filtered the clues of his surrounding. The situation didn't wait for Tsuna's answer, however, when he finally saw a light by the end of the place. He then realized he's in tunnel, or what seemed like it. Then some panting, some water splashes, shouts—before someone pulled the trigger.

Mustering his courage and curiosity, he walked to the source of light. There's still no one in sight, but as he drew closer, he's getting anxious. Before he reached the turn in the tunnel, another person already ran into him, almost bumping him. He's only a consciousness of course—a ghost, somewhat, so people wouldn't notice nor able to touch him. But he spontaneously stepped to the side, letting the person escaped.

Tilting an eyebrow, he already got the bare picture of what's going on. As he expected, the next person to come out from the turn is Sesto. Some people, who Tsuna thought to be his guardians, were behind him, also running. But Tsuna's devastated when he saw them passed, counting by his fingers, there's only five followed behind the Sixth. Which meant—

The brown orbs widened when he heard an ear-piercing scream. Without a second thought, he quickly entered his hyper dying will mode and went to the scene. But what greeted him was something he never imagined; corpse in pool of blood. Tsuna saw the cloud flame slowly fading away from him—but there's no Vongola ring.

One of the supposed enemy shot another bullet at him, "Che, the trash has actually done his work. He even let his boss take his ring away."

"As expected of the Vongola," Tsuna turned to a deep sound. Maybe he's the boss, he didn't know. With his big built and thug-like looks, he could've hurt anyone. An amused, or dare he say it, a mocking-happy smile pursed on his lips. "Always ready to sacrifice himself for the sake of others."

The man pulled his fists behind, before Tsuna saw it aimed straight to the cloud guardian's head. Tsuna screamed at the top of his lungs, "STOOOP!"

Click.

"You better not see any more of it, Decimo," Tsuna looked at Quarto behind him. Everywhere around them was white; perhaps Quarto was the one who moved them. Or rather, its memories. He has a grim look as well, and Tsuna didn't dare to ask anything. That might be the worst thing he ever saw. And he's more than thankful when Quarto stopped the memory.

"Quarto…" Tsuna tried to regain his composure, barely succeeding, as he still mumbled between breathless pants. "What… what happened… just now?"

The older Vongola boss sighed as he closed his eyes, "Our mission went bad; things didn't go as plan, and all they're thinking was to steal the Vongola rings. The organization was still, well, young for them, but was strong. Just like how you face the Mare boy."

"…!" Tsuna's eyes widened before he nodded in agreement. Byakuran has also chased after the rings, so Tsuna knew how important they were. And how hard to maintain them. Tsuna gulped, "Then…?"

"They have incredible powers, and through experience, I know that there's no other way but escape," Quarto sighed deeply once again and immediately brought Tsuna's sympathy. It must've taken a lot of him—to lose one of his guardians in such a gruesome state. Tsuna knew he would never able to do or face the same. "Anyway, we have only one priority; the safety of the rings. My guardians knew this as well, and were ready to sacrifice themselves."

"But…" Tsuna shut his mouth as soon as it parted. He has no right to say anything. The Fourth has thought it through and the sacrifice has been made. Tsuna knew that there'll come where they're cornered and there's no other way but to make sacrifice, but he didn't want to—he wouldn't let anyone sacrificed. Tsuna chewed on his lips; but what if it's inevitable…?

"When missions went badly, you have to think of the best ways to your priority," Quarto suddenly said, freezing his train of thoughts. Tsuna looked at his serious eyes. "You can't learn it by books and procedures; you have to adapt and trust your instinct."

"…" Tsuna's eyes turned glassy. No—by books, internets, or experience, he wouldn't be able to do that. He couldn't sacrifice anyone…!

"I know by experience that I'm doing the right thing," Tsuna jerked his head in disbelief when Quarto continued. The elder sighed, "But perhaps, it's not the best choice there is."

"Quarto…" looking down at his feet, he has recovered another fact of the mafia. And honestly, he didn't know if he could live with it. A hand patted his head.

"Learn my experience Decimo," Quarto smiled. "I believe it'll be useful one day."

Tsuna's eyes widened and before he could say anything, everything started to leap away…

Tsuna snapped open his eyes with breathless pants. The memories were still fresh and he knew his hands were shaking. Aside from that, however, he started to sat.

"This is…" Tsuna's eyes widened in shock as he looked his surroundings. This place is so familiar—no, too familiar in fact. "This is the Vongola HQ!"

Tsuna noticed the pictures hanging on the walls and how they're similar with the one he saw the other day. The curtains and windows too. Even some vases were standing in the exact same place! So he really…

"Come inside, Decimo," Tsuna jumped slightly at the voice. It's coming behind him but the only thing he found was a door. Tsuna recognized the crafts on the door knob, not to mention the voice. Tsuna opened the door with the quietest manner he could make. Peeking inside, he saw a man sitting behind his desk. He has stern face and weird hair style. He's not really looking cold, scary, or something like that, but he just smelled so… professional.

Tsuna stepped inside the room, which Tsuna noticed, the boss' office. The place didn't look different by a lot, perhaps there's some changes in the tables and furniture but nothing major. "This is… the Vongola's HQ isn't it?"

The boss in front of him nodded. "Yes, it is; I reckon there are barely any changes with the one in your era huh?"

"Well… yeah," Tsuna answered, a little bit confusedly.

"Can't blame that; it's been tradition after all," the man stood up from his place. Tsuna watched him meticulously as he walked round his desk to Tsuna. Without another word, he patted Tsuna's head and off he went to yet another past memory.

And this time, he'd braced himself properly. He didn't want to break like he did when Quarto sent his past. So when he opened his eyes, he has prepared for the worst; corpse, blood, storm, volcano erupt… well, the point was everything scary. Gulping, he moved his head side to side, trying to find a shred of clue. Honestly if he's not trained by the Spartan tutor, Reborn, he would've never stayed calm every time the Vongola bosses sent him somewhere alone, clueless, and without any precaution of what to come.

Tsuna's eyes darted to the voice behind him. It was a natural instinct, because he heard someone cut the air so fact it produced loud swishing sounds. His eyes widened as far as it could go—so he was in the tops of some building ruins. There, in front of him, were three people, fighting. One of them was a woman and one was a well-build man similar to the Third himself. But Tsuna noticed; the two were attacking the Third together.

Why?

Before he knew the answer, the Third's knife already pierced through the man's chest, finally. The man groaned before he fell, with blood flowing from his deep wound. Tsuna's eyes widened but it returned to the other two who was resuming their battle. The girl, Tsuna recognized, was somehow similar to Terzo. What could that meant?

Tsuna gulped and froze when Terzo thrust his sky-flame-coated knife into the woman's chest. The image was similar with what he did with the falling man earlier. But this time, she didn't drop immediately. Tsuna's hyper intuition tingling when he saw her smiled. The brunet was confused of all this and gaped in disbelief. He saw her lips moved and blood flowed from the corner of her mouth.

With a final cough of blood, she collapsed. Tsuna's breath was held deep in as he watched Terzo hung his head low, unhappy for what happened. Then, much to his bewilderment, he saw the defeated man earlier, has a similar smile on his face. It was neither a threat nor a mock, it was… grateful. The image slowly fading and he heard footsteps behind him.

"You know who they were, Decimo?" Terzo asked. Tsuna slowly turned his body around and saw Terzo with his arms crossed. That same man who just killed two person—who apparently happy being killed.

"I… don't know…" Tsuna whispered. Terzo breathed in as he approached the young Decimo.

"They were my guardians," Tsuna's head jerked up, his eyes showed disbelief and refusal. But Terzo's eyes were equally serious. "There was an enemy family at that time, who has invented a kind of toxic—it'd make them killed their most precious people."

"…" Tsuna's eyes half closing already. He didn't want to hear more…

"Four of my guardians were infected. I sent the last uninfected two to stop their friends from doing any harm to civilians," Terzo paused. "… While the other two infected guardians attacked me."

"… What happened to your other guardians?" Tsuna mustered up all his courage to ask. He wanted to know, but at the same time, he just wanted to shut himself off the world from hearing the answer. Terzo sighed and shrugged.

"We're able to catch the two infected guardians," Terzo answered, not looking at the brunet as he recalled. "The doctors examined my two infected guardians' dead bodies to check the virus and its treatment—it was my best friend and my sister's corpses."

Tsuna's eyes started to water and his furrowed eyebrows make his face looked much more conflicted than ever. Terzo scoffed softly at the reaction. He continued with a small smile, "Anyway, thanks to the great resource and medics, they succeeded by the next morning and my guardians returned normal."

"… Oh…" Tsuna commented half-heartedly. It was not good—even if, only one of them died. Not. Good. Tsuna sighed. "I guess that's your advice—be professional?"

"No," Terzo said simply. Now he looked at the brown locks intently. "I want to advice you more into… preparation."

Tsuna about to question what he meant when he continued, "Be prepared of the worst to come; worst of the worst. The Vongola was big and still improving, and there were families that lived just for the sake of destroying the Vongola. And to do that, they have to be smarter… more cunning than any of the Vongola. You understand that right?"

His lips turned into a thin line but nevertheless, he nodded. Terzo knew by more than a hyper intuition that the younger one still need some time to think. So he patted his brown locks again. "Good luck, Decimo."

Then everything blurred again.

After a few leaps, Tsuna has found the perfect way to accommodate himself. Now he's already standing firm on his ground, even when he arrived at unexpected places. But this time, not so… unexpected. Looking around, he looked at a 'normal' room. Well, if you say that the Vongola's HQ or the Varia's HQ or their hotels were normal… then yes, this room was normal. Tsuna looked up and saw a big chandelier, at his left, lot rows of windows, and his right was who-know-how-expensive furniture.

Still in his gawking, Tsuna spotted a man, in his twenties, slept on a luxurious chair. Wait a minute… that certain person looked a lot like… 'Xanxus!' Tsuna almost sent panic at the revelation. 'Even his posture is the same!'

"Hmph, you're here at last huh Decimo?" the man said, without opening his eyes. Tsuna involuntarily gulped. His tone was different from the previous bosses—it was stern and… somewhat cold and frightening. Even more like Xanxus, Tsuna mentally remarked. Finally, he opened his eyes and a sharp look was sent to the brunet. Tsuna also tried to toughen his expression, so as to not being underestimated.

"You're…"

"Secondo." He simply said before sighing loudly. "And unfortunately for you, I've got nothing to show you."

Tsuna blinked. "… Eh?"

"Differently, the previous bosses you visited were giving you memories of their biggest regrets and failures—but I don't have one," Secondo explained almost matter-of-fact. And worse, Tsuna didn't know what to respond.

"Umm… really?" Tsuna, almost stupidly, said. "But… aren't you gonna give me any message or advice?"

Secondo glared. "Why do I have to do that?"

"Because…" Tsuna's eyebrows twitched. "… I think that's what the other bosses meant by sending those memories."

"…" for a moment, there was a tense pause between the two. Until, to Tsuna's relief, a smirk pursed on the senior boss' lips, "Well said, Decimo. I'm glad that you're not just a brainless and spineless brat that I thought you are."

A vein popped on Tsuna's temple but in reality, he just laughed weakly. "W-well… haha… thankfully…"

"Then let's just cut the chase," Secondo beckoned Tsuna to come nearer, which he quickly comply. Something told him that it's better to obey what he said… otherwise, there'd be a very similar scenario with a certain Varia boss he knew—cursing and some glass flying.

While Tsuna's thinking about the probability, Secondo's hand already on the top of his head, and on the next second, he's already standing in a different ground. It was not the grand room anymore, but it's… Tsuna looked around, where is he again?

Suddenly a man, almost in a panic manner, ran pass and through Tsuna. Feeling odd, and certainly positive that the man just now's a member of the Vongola, he followed the man. Whatever the man's involvement was, Tsuna didn't spot anyone else, so this was his only clue.

After running for approximately twenty seconds, he started to hear something. It was noisy, and all in Italian, which make him even further confused. Then he saw it—the fire that covered the Vongola HQ he knew. His eyes widened in shock as the fire grew bigger and bigger, almost burning the whole third and second floor.

He watched as the men and woman of the Vongola try to put the fire out by any means. It worked little by little, but Tsuna have to wonder when it'll really disappear. Then a horror sent through his veins when he thought there's a possibility a subordinate still in the burning building. The memory didn't take more than three minutes before he heard the same voice again.

"Quite the simple memory isn't it?" Tsuna saw Secondo who also watched the scene. The brunet looked between the Vongola HQ and the second boss of the family.

"What about the members that were left inside? Aren't you gonna save them?" he asked but received only a scoff.

"By doing that futile thing you're just gonna produce more victims," Secondo explained matter-of-fact. Something stirred inside Tsuna's chest.

"B-but… you can't just… leave them!" Tsuna said with hard effort.

"That's what makes people like you to be so easily manipulated in this world," Secondo said, facing the brunet with his sharp eyes. "In this world, kindness can't solve everything."

"Yeah, but at least it'll save people," Tsuna said firmly and knew that a killing glare was sent his way. "That's the purpose of the Vongola right?"

Secondo's eyes narrowed before he snorted. "What the Vongola needed is a powerful boss—who can do what's expected of him. With power, enemies won't even dare to touch a hand into our people, and besides, people of the Vongola were strong enough to take care of themselves."

Tsuna's eyebrows furrowed uneasily. He didn't like the theory, but it's right at some points. The mafia world consisted nothing but strong people, or soon-to-be ones, and that's why they're surviving and could hang on for themselves. He has heard times and times that the kinder and naïve ones were usually the first to die, but still… it felt so wrong.

"But-!"

"Geez, you're so like Giotto," Secondo almost growled. Tsuna raised an eyebrow; 'Giotto?' He watched Secondo muttered something under his breath, "That's why I told him it's useless to show these to this brat."

"… Eh?" Tsuna's brown orbs widened again. So Primo's the one who suggest this trip?

"Anyway," Secondo faced him again. "That's my advice for you—and so you know, that's what made the Vongola as strong as it is now."

Tsuna parted his lips, about to say something, but before he did, everything started to fade and turned white…

Opening his eyes for perhaps the last time on this trip, he saw blue sky and green meadows. Some birds were chirping in distant and Tsuna found himself sighing in relief. At least, let him hope that this one will be good. He turned his body to his left side before standing up on his feet. Turning his head to either side, he found nothing to be suspicious of.

That's when it clicked.

Wait a minute… he's been travelling from the latest Vongola boss to the earlier ones… That meant after Secondo, it's…!

"So, have you decided, Decimo?" a clear, and absolutely not a stranger, asked bringing Tsuna to turn his body around to the different direction. His eyes widened when he saw the blond; with a white shirt and trouser, without all the official essentials, and in no hyper dying will mode, he looked slightly different.

A smile break on his face almost immediately, "P-Primo!"

"You're here already," Vongola Primo said with a smile himself. "I do trust you know what we're going to do now."

The brunet paused uneasily, "I've known how you decided to build the Vongola, Primo."

Primo chuckled at his gesture, "I'm well aware of that—you did well with the Tenth Shimon Boss."

Tsuna couldn't help but smile. He's suddenly feeling so lucky to be his descendant. Yes, even if it's because of the blond that he has to choose the toughest decision in his life—mafia's no joke! But when he recalled how Primo handled his bonds through the memories, and how his resolve and own feelings were, Tsuna couldn't help but feel grateful. Maybe that's why he trusted the blond so much.

The brunet saw Primo beckoned his head and obeyed. He immediately went beside the creator of the Vongola itself and they both started to walk, to where Tsuna has no clue. The Primo also hasn't spoken a word about their destination…

"You must've been through a lot of things, Decimo," Tsuna saw him smiled kindly at him. "Especially with my cousin, Ricardo. I mean, Secondo."

'So he's your cousin?' Tsuna's inner-chibi mentally exclaimed. The question, however, created a sudden politeness in him.

"N-no, not really," Tsuna laughed sheepishly, although he has been thinking otherwise the whole time. Nevertheless, he's relieved when he heard Primo chuckled.

"It's okay; I knew what you've been feeling the whole time," he pointed out and Tsuna's face turned red. Of course—they're the wills of the Vongola ring! He has mentioned it before too right? They knew what he's thinking and feeling through the rings…

Sighing for his own carelessness, Tsuna watched the road they're heading to. "So, where are we going Primo?"

The blue eyes lit up at the question. If anyone could see the two walk side by side like this, they would've thought they were twins. But, well, with Primo's being slightly taller and all… But aside from that, the way their eyes mirrored their feelings, their kind features, and their personalities—they were an exact match!

"Well, since you've got a lot of lessons today," Primo paused for a moment. Tsuna waited in anticipation for his next words. "I want to show you—what's the meaning behind those lessons."

"…?" Tsuna raised an eyebrow but nevertheless nodded. Whatever it was, Primo was different from the other Vongola bosses he met earlier, so he could expect something good, no? They walked for a little while, until Tsuna saw some old buildings. Yes, those vintage-types Italian building. As they got closer, Tsuna gradually remembered the memories of Primo's past. If he's not mistaken this place was where Primo and the first Shimon boss met…

Primo hasn't rested on their walk and so did Tsuna. The brunet just took in the image of the town. It was small, yes, and similarly to the memories he'd received from the Vendice, this town was poor. Or probably already too old in age. Meanwhile, he stayed a little behind Primo, taking more time in observing than walking. He almost bumped into his senior, when he didn't saw Primo stopped.

"We're here." Primo confirmed. Tsuna looked around and saw a lot more bunch of people, working on their own thing. And they're in the middle of a circle-like formation of buildings and workers. Tsuna reckoned they're right in the center of the town. But what had Primo meant by getting him here…?

Then an unexpected voice of laughter caught his attention. All he saw were adults, but this wasn't sound like an adult's. Tsuna didn't notice the knowing smile on Primo's face as he kept searching for the voice. That's when he saw it—a group of children, around four perhaps, came running with ball on their hands. There were five of them, with a dog joined the party. And soon, the atmosphere changed.

Tsuna saw the smiles that pursed on the adults' lips as they take a break and watched the children. Some told them to be careful while some remind them about coming home for dinner on time. Some adults started to joke around with one another, before they all laughed together. Now's the air was friendly and even, fun. Unconsciously, Tsuna chuckled at the sight.

"This is a great town isn't it?" Primo suddenly questioned. That brought him back to earth.

"Yes," Tsuna agreed wholeheartedly. "This is where you met Cozart-san right?"

Primo nodded, "Yup—and also the place of the first base of the Vongola."

Tsuna looked at him in surprise; he didn't know that. So technically speaking, this is the birth place of the soon-to-be-the-greatest-mafia Vongola Family. Tsuna watched the sight in amazement; now one of them pulled out some simple music instruments, some sang along while others laughed at the joyous song. It made him wonder in anxiousness when he thought of never seeing a town around the Vongola HQ—not that he knew of. The town couldn't possibly be destroyed or something right…?

Then he heard Primo sighed and have this distant look on his eyes. "This is what we're fighting for—these people."

"…" Tsuna nodded. Watching them, he knew he'd do anything to ensure their safety. Just like he did with Kyoko, Haru, and the others. But Primo has done a lot more than him, even though Primo's just as young as he was when he started. He glanced at the blond and smiled, 'As expected of Primo…'

"Where were they now, I mean, in my era?" Tsuna asked with worried eyes. He was instantly free breathing when Primo smiled.

"Don't worry; the Vongola may have started here, but that doesn't meant its building," Primo explained. "We have a small office around here initially, but later moved to a more lone and clear area to settle as a HQ."

"Oooh…" Tsuna smiled, already knowing that Primo wouldn't let these people harmed.

After a period of silence, Tsuna heard Primo again.

"We, the Vongola, has always aimed to protect the people—their laughter and their safety," Primo smiled. "It was not going to be easy. You might stray or wanted to give up… but it should be worth it right? To see their smiles at the end of that hard work."

"If their smile was the reward of the sweat and hard work…" Tsuna smiled at his predecessor. "It'd be more than worth it."

The blonde's smile broadened at the answer. Clearly, he's not making a fault at entrusting the whole Vongola to this brunet's hand. His hand ruffled the younger soon-to-be boss, although by their appearance they should be around two years apart. Tsuna, however, didn't mind the touch. He always has a bond with the infamous Primo, and truthfully he has always wanted to meet him and talk casually like this. If only they'd be given more time…

"I think you've got all the answers you're seeking for, Decimo," Primo suddenly said and Tsuna felt disappointment descended when he realized it's time to go. But he still smile and nodded.

"Yeah; I've known about the true meaning of having a Vongola blood now," Tsuna said resolutely. "And I also knew what it meant by being a 'boss'—it's not just about ordering around and have subordinates."

Primo nodded before his image wavered in Tsuna's sight. His brown eyes widened but then realized it was time. Tsuna smiled when he heard the last few words before everything he saw slowly became white.

"You've way passed as a Vongola boss… Tsunayoshi."

"-daime… Juudaime! Please wake up, Juudaime!"

Tsuna cringed when he felt the hard shook on his shoulders. As expected, it was none other than his storm guardian, Gokudera Hayato. Beside his head, Tsuna saw his rain guardian, Yamamoto Takeshi, also looked at him with a frown that quickly switched to a smile.

"You're finally awake, Tsuna!"

Tsuna groaned, holding his head in pain. It felt… aching and dizzy. Slowly sat up, he realized everyone's here. When his eyes darted to the last boss he hasn't personally asked yet, his brown orbs widened almost involuntarily.

"Ninth…!"

Said boss approached him with worried but yet relieved expression. "Are you okay, Tsunayoshi? You haven't opened your eyes since yesterday evening."

"Eh?" Tsuna tried to find a clock—true, it's around eight in the morning. No wonder his head felt heavy.

"Oi, Baka-Tsuna, are you listening?" He jerked at the caller. His tutor, Reborn, looked at him intently with his arms crossed. Clearly he's not pleased with, err, Tsuna's reactions. Tsuna nodded absentmindedly.

"I'm fine; I'm sorry that I made you worried," Tsuna said to everyone present there, who answered with a nod, mostly.

"Is it because you're worrying about the inheritance ceremony?" Tsuna saw deep concern on the old man's tired eyes. "You know we could always postpone it until you have made up your mind completely."

Tsuna's back straightened—yes, he has a chance to slow things down. It's been accelerating too fast and he's trying to protest it, but to who? Tsuna would've said 'yes' to the offer, if only he hadn't met the previous Vongola bosses—their experiences, their trauma, their regrets, their joy… The lessons he learned and the message he got from Primo was more than enough to make an answer. Oh yeah, he hasn't thanked the blond yet for his help…

The brunet smiled, nonetheless, touching the hand belonged to his grandpa figure. "I've made up my mind Ninth."

Everyone looked uneasy and apprehensive of the boss candidate's answer. They've known all too well how he wanted to avoid the boss position. So, clearly, they never thought that they'd hear it straight from his mouth—

"I'll become the Tenth Vongola Boss."

A/N: This is probably one of the longest story I've written yet! I hope it'd turn out fine… haha. It's hard to match each of the Vongola bosses to their "maybe" traumatic past, since there's little info of them. But nevertheless, it's fun to write and I'm so happy it's finally done. When writing Primo's part, I just wanted to fan-girl; they're really cute as brothers! Oh, how I wanted to find a time (in this fic of course) for Tsuna to call Primo, "Giotto", since he has called Tsuna as "Tsunayoshi" instead of "Decimo" right?

Anyway, what do you think? Please review and subscribe, THANKS for reading and for your support! *glomp*

P.S. sorry if I make any of the Vongola bosses not fitting to what you like. Especially Secondo… he looked so bad here haha. Although I'm sure that he's somewhat like Xanxus; they have a sweet spot somewhere hehe.

P.P.S. AUTHOR'S UPDATE: As stated in "the Bond Called Brother" fic, I'm planning to end/complete my stories that, well, can be concluded as finished. Including this fic. So, this fic is marked as "completed", any further omake and other related one-shot, I guess it'll be under a different post hehe. Thanks for understanding (sorry if this notification is not really important LOL)! XD

Questions frequently asked by readers or I will if I'm one:

Q: Is this fic inspired by, let's say, some other stories or novel?
A: Hmm… actually I just have this question popped into my mind (kinda reminded with a novel that connect with memory-giving as well) when I wrote the "P.P.S." so perhaps no. The thing that makes me start writing this is the wanting to see Tsuna meet the entire Vongola bosses personally and see them as a senior and perhaps, guidance— especially Giotto hahahaha. Because usually it'd be the guardians or Tsuna's friends that convince him right? Hehe, this way's interesting too; I've had this idea for a while but just write it now.

Q: So, Tsuna got sent into the past?
A: Not really; he's actually in his dream, but with the power of the Sky Vongola Ring, the wills of his predecessor appeared and show him their memories. For every place Tsuna dropped in (ex. Ottavo, forest— Settimo, training room— Sesto, library— Quinto, garden and gazebo – etc) is the Vongola bosses' own favorite place. They create the image by their own likings (like, say, illusions), so yeah. Like Ottavo said, the Vongola would've never build the boss office in the first floor connecting closely with the forest.

Q: Eeeeh, what about the Ninth's? Doesn't he have a trauma as well?
A: Sorry, it'll be a little weird for Tsuna to ask that at the ending huh? But I already think about it and perhaps it's when the cradle affair or when his family died (his wife and three sons). Well, we already know him pretty much huh? LOL

Q: So, Giotto's the one who suggest this memory-travel after all?
A: Yup, Giotto has sense that Tsuna's troubled and wanted to help. Therefore, he suggest to all the other wills of the Vongola bosses to give messages to Tsuna. Hence, this trip. And yes, it's just as Ottavo said; "By one of the Vongola's bosses' suggestion…" and as Ricardo has said as well hehe.