As he sat against a bench, watching the clouds moving along the blue sky, Ienobu mused on how he missed the good old days. He missed the days when life in the Sawada household was easy and simple compared to the chaos it has since become.

The Sawada household never had much complicated décor or design. Two bedrooms and one guest bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and a backyard was all there was to the place. It wasn't too big or too small. There was enough room if each member of the family wanted to keep to themselves. The walls were thick enough so private conversations couldn't be heard, but thin enough so people can be heard throughout the house if they shouted.

The homestead was rarely packed or crowded. Day-to-day routines and sanitation ensured the halls were kept clear and no junk blocked the residents' paths. The local matriarch and her children each had only a small group of friends. Relatives, if any, never visited. So, celebrations at the house generally gave enough leg room to stem any inklings of claustrophobia.

Ienobu and Tsuna slept in opposite twin beds for as long as they can remember. Over the years, they've built a basic system for when who gets proprietary over the room, how much noise they can make when one of them is studying or sleeping, who has control of the family computer, and so on. Even unconsciously, they wordlessly follow that system. A light slap on the shoulder from Ienobu meant that he wanted to lazy about the couch and watch his favorite shows. A simple offer of hard candy from Tsuna indicated that he wanted an undisturbed nice, soothing nap. No fuss and no complications.

When Reborn moved in, that system was naturally tossed out the window. For one thing, he set up a hammock in the corner of the bedroom where Tsuna kept his secret stash of sweets. It was a journey in itself to recover that stash, but with all of Reborn's "training," it was a miracle that Tsuna or Ienobu even found time to themselves anymore.

At 5 a.m. before sunrise, it was either the dogs or the dynamite or whatever traps or trials Reborn set up for the boys. It was literally an obstacle course of death. Then came school, which was the same tasteless, boring chore it always was. Only the incentive to get better grades was amped up by gazillion with what Reborn demanded. When they finally got home, it was ace the homework and the practice tests and study material Reborn provided, or learn what it's like to have every single bone in the human body be dislocated and relocated. At least, that's what Reborn had threatened the twins with.

Granted, the twins' tolerance of these advanced tutoring lessons was steadily growing. Steadily. Very steadily. As steadily as sedimentary rock sets and hardens. Just don't get the twins started on their thoughts on their mother's apparent obliviousness to all the damage and pandemonium done to the house ever since Reborn had arrived.

Despite Ienobu's promise to repress his rebelliousness, his patience was wearing thin. Tsuna had informally and unofficially accepted that Gokudera hack as his right-hand man. Hayato was annoying, like a cute puppy that follows you around, except without the cuteness. And his sister, Bianchi – she's apparently staying in the Sawada household from now on.

It wasn't enough for Reborn to shake things up. No, when Bianchi had to move in so she could be "closer" to Reborn, it was like Ienobu was living in a warzone, forced to constantly take shelter and avoid firefights breaking out in the streets. Every time Ienobu would walk through the house, he could see her at the corner of his eyes. She unblinkingly stared, and it was somehow even worse than when a certain star-struck fangirl of Tsuna's laid siege to the Sawada house last year.

So, when Ienobu came home from school to be greeted by a little boy in some sort of cow outfit and a little girl in a martial artist getup being chased by Hayato through the house with the smell of Bianchi's poison cooking permeating from the kitchen, and Tsuna at the front door offering nothing but a nervous smile, Ienobu was at his breaking point.

"Otouto, where are you going?" Tsuna called out helplessly as his brother dropped his backpack in the living room and was on his way out the door.

"Out," Ienobu shouted back without turning around. "I'll be back when our house stops taking in every damn stray that gives a pretty smile and finally becomes livable again."

And so Ienobu found himself in the park, spending the rest of his day looking at the clouds rather than training to beat Ryohei for the next fighting game tournament, merely because Ienobu desperately needed some breathing room for himself.

Ienobu could hear that one Chihuahua that Tsuna's deathly scared of barking nearby. He didn't know what his brother's problem was. The dog was wasn't one of Reborn's hounds. It was harmless.

Letting his head drop back onto the top rail of the bench, Ienobu looked behind him to catch a glimpse of the dog. Though everything in Ienobu's vision was upside down, he still had to tilt his head at the odd scene in the distance.

In a small expanse of grass, the Chihuahua was barking as expected. However, it seemed to be floating in midair about a foot away from the ground. A kid no less than nine or ten was levitating next to the dog. His eyes were all foggy, the tips of his light brown air suspended and wavering along with the scarf around his neck.

"Tsuna-nii's sprinting ability is ranked 86,100 out of 86,202 people," Ienobu could hear the kid mutter. "Running ability is ranked 85,900 out of 86,202 people. Stamina is ranked 86,182 out of 86,202 people."

The kid gently landed, his hair falling over his forehead. The dog stopped floating and ran away while the kid revealed a… gigantic book, almost half his size out of nowhere.

It was another Italian Mafioso weirdo, Ienobu decided. The smart thing to do would probably be to walk away and avoid whatever trials Reborn has planned for the twins and this newcomer.

Yet, as Ienobu watched the boy open up his book and scribble lines on the massive pages, he had a sudden realization. There was… something to be gained from here, something Reborn had been giving to Tsuna since the beginning of the tutorship and had neglected for Ienobu.

"Punching strength, kicking strength, and running ability are all nearly last place," the distracted boy muttered as Ienobu approached. "I wish Tsuna-nii would try harder."

"He's trying harder now," Ienobu spoke, startling the kid. He jumped, closed his book, and hugged it close. "Tsuna's gotten a little stronger. He can run for a good bit so long as he remembers to time his breathing right." Ienobu smirked lightly as he glanced wistfully to the side. "Aniki still can't swim, though. We're still working on that."

"A-Aniki?" the kid stuttered, so much like Ienobu's own brother. "I thought you were Tsuna-nii…"

"I'm Tsuna's otouto. The name's Ienobu."

The kid's eyes lit up. A wide grin spread across his face. "Oh, you're Ienobu-nii! I finally get to meet Ienobu-nii!" He stood up, dusting the turf off his jeans before giving Ienobu an excited yet nervous look. "I… I've been calling you Ienobu-nii and your aniki Tsuna-nii! Can I keep calling you that?"

Ienobu-nii, huh? There was a ring to it that sounded quite gratifying.

"I am Fuuta de la Stella," Fuuta bowed respectfully, "but you can call me Fuuta."

Stella? Didn't that mean "star" or something? It probably had something to do with that weird floating ability. "So, Fuuta, how do you know about me and Tsuna?"

Fuuta's cheeks lit up with embarrassment. "Uh, I've been meaning to ask you and Tsuna-nii if you would… well..." Fuuta clasped his hands together as he fell to his knees. "Please help me, Ienobu-nii! I need your assistance!"

Ienobu gave a generous smile, ruffling Fuuta's hair the same way he's seen Yamamoto-sama ruffle Takeshi's when they were younger. "What is that you need Ienobu-nii to help you with?"

Fuuta seemed to brighten up further at Ienobu's show of affection. "The mafia is after me. They're trying to take my book." He appropriately held the behemoth up. "It's very valuable, and I need to keep it safe."

"The mafia are after you?" Ienobu lost his smile. How could this kid say something like that so simply and upbeat? "What's so important with that book?"

"It lists all of the rankings I've made about the mafia." Fuuta, still with that tenacious shine of his, opened the book. "For example, the Todd Family is ranked seventh for bloodlust of all the mafia families. Paolo Todd is very powerful and 55th among 86,000 people in terms of attack strength, and –"

"Is that what you were doing with that floating thing earlier?"

An enthusiastic nod was Ienobu's answer. "I've been watching you and Tsuna-nii to rank you appropriately. Tsuna-nii is placed last in both overall combat ability and intelligence out of 872 mafia bosses, and Ienobu-nii is ranked 107 out of 83,646 delinquents of the most unreasonably violent."

The rankings didn't sound too far off, Ienobu had to admit. "With scores like that, why do you think Tsuna-nii and me can help you?"

"Well," Fuuta said matter-of-factly, "Tsuna-nii's lack of ambition is also placed first among all bosses, so I won't have to worry about him taking my book and abusing it. You're ranked number three in 80,262 mafia members who care deeply about their brother, so you should be able to help Tsuna-nii with his low combat rankings."

The smile on Fuuta's face was soon reflected back by Ienobu. The kid seemed pretty smart for his age. Most kids in the mafia probably had to get smart real fast to survive long, especially if they were alone and on the run like Fuuta appeared to be.

The twinkle in Fuuta's eyes faded abruptly, peering at something behind Ienobu. When Ienobu turned his head, he spotted three masked individuals walking down a dirt path near the border of the park.

"That's them," Fuuta, nearly panicking, pointed toward them. He slid his book to his back. "Trad 6. Even though they're a group that started only recently, they're ranked 86th of most ambitious mafia families in the world, and my Papa always says that ambitious people are too dangerous for their own good."

So the NDC's most recent pest problem was also related to the mafia? Ienobu would have frowned, contemplating ways to inquire Reborn of this new development, but Ienobu was too excited at the opportunity Fuuta presented. Ienobu lowered himself to his knees.

"Hop on," Ienobu told Fuuta, gesturing for him to climb onto Ienobu's back. He obliged, and Ienobu moved towards the stretch of trees not far away.

It was the last day of school for the week. Students, along with NDC patrols, would probably be wandering the neighborhood by this hour. With Fuuta in tow, Ienobu decided to slip out of the park and head toward the market. There might be a decently sized crowd for Ienobu and Fuuta to use as cover until they find a patrol and get Fuuta out of sight and in a more secure location.

As Ienobu jogged through the streets, he could hear Fuuta whisper excitedly, "This is great! Ienobu-nii is going to save me from the mobsters! And a person with Vongola blood has a high ranking in the chances of accidentally going on an amazing adventure!" Fuuta went on to mention various other rankings that he's made about the mafia. Ienobu ignored him for the most part. There would be time to interrogate him later. Right now, Ienobu had to focus on getting the kid to safety.

"BASTARD IENOBU!"

Ienobu nearly tripped from the shock of the scream, but he regained his balance quickly. As Fuuta muttered his own woes on his ears, Ienobu turned around to meet the angry, stomping girl coming their way. She was in the Midori Middle School uniform with a book bag slung over her shoulder. The furious look in her eyes was hardly a surprise for the Sawada twin, sadly.

"Bastard Ienobu," Haru repeated, growling. "What are you doing with such an innocent-looking child! Are you going to teach him your delinquent ways and corrupt his lovely pureness with your rotten heart, just like you try to do with Tsuna-kun?!"

This was partly why Ienobu held a dislike for Hayato; he can come across as a male version of Haru Miura. "I'm not –"

"Someone as cold and dastardly doesn't deserve to have the same face and fluffy hair as Tsuna-kun," Haru continued to rant. The red in her face from her rage lightened, likely from being reminded of her infatuation with Ienobu's brother. "Oh, why did Kyoko have to win Tsuna-kun's heart before Haru! I shouldn't be surprised. They go to the same school, but Haru didn't want to come across as too clingy! If only I…"

Fuuta, slowly recovering from his deafened ears, moaned to Ienobu, "Who is that?" Ienobu hushed him, turned his back to Haru, and attempted to walk away from the girl with no interruption.

"… but Haru still cherishes her friendship with Kyoko-chan." Oh. Haru was trailing after them now, still ranting. Great. "I should stop avoiding her. With Tsuna-kun's birthday coming soon, Haru needs to go to the bakery to get his cake. If I run into Kyoko-chan, then I will have to be honest. Haru is a good and honest person, just like Kyoko-chan. It's not like she didn't really 'steal' Tsuna-kun's heart to begin with anyway. It has to be Haru's fault, or maybe…"

Finally, they entered the Namimori marketplace. Stands were lined down the streets alongside open shop doors. Customers were wandering throughout. The indiscernible noise of random conversations filled the air. Ienobu recognized some classmates passing by, but he could see no Disciplinary Committee members in sight.

"… which is why Haru has decided Haru will make sure Tsuna-kun's and Kyoko-kun's relationship lasts long and blossoms! Their love will never waver so long as Haru watches over them!"

Still walking forward, Ienobu whipped his head around. He let out a snort at Haru's blush prancing across her cheeks and her enthusiastic fist punching the air. "You couldn't convince Tsuna to go out with you. I bet you'll just end up breaking Tsuna and Kyoko apart with your shenanigans."

Haru hardened her face and readied a punch that looked a lot like something Hana would do, but Ienobu had Fuuta on his back, so Haru wouldn't risk hurting the kid.

Speaking of Fuuta, he was pulling on the ends of Ienobu's collar. "Ienobu-nii," he said, pointing toward a stand near the end of the street. People were ambling away from the stand and the three individuals harassing the vendor. Ienobu could see the bats in their hands and the straps around their heads where their masks were kept secure.

The smart thing to do would probably be to turn around and discreetly walk in another direction, but instead, Ienobu tossed a surprised Fuuta into a disgruntled Haru's arms. Hands free, Ienobu came behind one of the Trad 6 gangsters and struck his leg out, caving the gangster's knee in. As he fell, Ienobu grabbed his bat and swung hard, knocking some teeth out of another thug. The last hoodlum lifted his bat and tried to bring it down over Ienobu's head. Ienobu sidestepped the swing and delivered his own, sending the robber sprawled on the floor.

The shopkeeper gave his weary thanks, but Ienobu was focused on scanning the staring crowd for any more Trad 6 members or any NDC patrols taking notice of the scuffle.

"Ienobu!" Haru stomped toward him with Fuuta now residing on her back. "What are you doing? Are you still getting into fights?"

"I'm with the Disciplinary Committee! I'm allowed to get into fights!" Granted, Ienobu's armband wasn't quite yet a valid excuse for beating up just anyone, but Haru shouldn't know that. "This isn't even any of your business anyway."

"Haru lives in this neighborhood! Of course it's Haru's business!" Before Ienobu could say something back, Haru turned his back to him and stomped away. "Someone like you should be locked far away from innocent children like this one! Stay away from him!"

Struck dumbfounded for a half second, Ienobu jogged after her. "Hey, wait a second! I'm supposed to be the one watching out for the Fuuta, not you!" They soon left the market area and entered empty streets devoid of shoppers. "He – He's under the protection of the NDC!"

"I don't believe you!"

Fuuta, unsure and a tad confused, looked back at Ienobu and then to Haru. "Uh, Haru-nee, Ienobu-nii is telling the truth. The Namimori Disciplinary Committee is –"

"Haru is sure Ienobu is not telling the truth," Haru fiercely reaffirmed as she stepped onto the familiar bridge hanging over a section of the Namimori River. "Haru will take Fuuta to Hana-chan or Kusakabe-san and have them take care of you. A true, true delinquent like Ienobu shouldn't be taking care of you, especially since he's the one who puts Tsuna at risk every day! He –"

Haru shrieked as she was shoved over the railing of the bridge. She plummeted toward the river. Ienobu pulled Fuuta and his book from her grasp before he was dragged down with her. The boys watched as she flailed in the water, screeching, "Bastard Ienobu, wait until I tell Tsuna-kun about this!"

"If you love Tsuna so much," Ienobu, cupping his hands around his mouth, yelled back, "why don't you teach him how to swim? Maybe then he'll get a little wet for you!"

Ienobu felt a weak kick hit his lower leg. Fuuta had his head held low, pouting. "You shouldn't say things like that, Ienobu-nii."

"Why? Do you… Do you know what I mean by –"

"My Papa used to say things like that. I hear it a lot from mafia members and gangsters, and I know that they're not very nice things to say."

Ienobu wanted to burst out in laughter. Fuuta was starting to look a lot like Tsuna when the Sawada twins were younger and Ienobu said something Tsuna disapproved of. Instead, Ienobu ruffled Fuuta's hair again. "Alright. If it bothers you so much, Ienobu-nii will watch what he says while he takes care of you."

Fuuta's pout shifted to brief astonishment before his bright smile returned. Ienobu assumed Fuuta had a rough time running away from the mafia all the time, so making nice with the kid would probably win some more points for Ienobu, even if it meant reining in his language.

"Ahem."

At the indiscreet cough, the two boys spun around and faced a scowling Hana, dressed in the Namimori uniform with an NDC armband equipped. She had her arms folded across her chest. "What are you up to, Ienobu?" Unlike Haru's show of distaste, which was loud and obnoxious, Hana's was direct and frank.

Ienobu raised his arms in mocking surrender, indignantly announcing, "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"You just pushed Haru into the river. She nearly drowned last time."

"She knows how to swim now!"

"You know she only learned recently."

"Oh, like hell I'm going to save her instead of her 'precious Tsuna-kun.'" Ienobu raised the pitch of his voice as he finished his sentence, dropping his arms and digging his hands into his pockets. "Besides, I don't see you jumping in to save her."

"No, but that's because you seem to have gotten a homeless boy under your care." She nodded toward Fuuta, the boy in his scruffy, ragged clothes shrinking slightly under her gaze. "As annoying as Haru might be, she's right to be worried. You aren't the most ideal role model for children."

Before Ienobu could counter Hana's statement, Fuuta spoke first. "It's true. Ienobu-nii is ranked 27th in most likely delinquents to be sentenced to life in prison before he turns eighteen, and my Papa always told me to never trust delinquents."

Ienobu raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Fuuta. "Then why did you ask for my help?" Fuuta shied away again, embarrassed.

"I had a good feeling about Tsuna-nii and you, Ienobu-nii, and my Papa always told me to trust my good feelings when I really believe in them."

"Ienobu-nii," Hana muttered suspiciously, testing the sound against her tongue. Ignoring the oddly big book lying on the floor for the moment, she looked directly at Fuuta when he straightened his back and reflected her gaze with his own. "What's your name?"

"My name is Fuuta de la Stella." He bowed, showing the same shine he had given Ienobu when they first exchanged words. "Ienobu-nii seems to like you more than Haru-san, so you must know about the Vongo– " Fuuta's mouth was covered by Ienobu's hand, the older boy flashing a nervous grin at Hana.

"The kid's just, uh, y'know, got himself lost," Ienobu forced an excuse. "As a member of the NDC, and what with the gang fights breaking out, I thought I'd bring him home and give him a warm meal. He looks like he's been through a lot, so –"

"Ienobu," Hana said firmly, uncrossing her arms and standing tall, "you might not be as bad as Tsuna when he's lying, but you're still not very good at it. Now, tell me the truth or I'll –"

An indiscriminant shout caught all three minors' attention. Another collection of Trad 6 members were charging toward them from both ends of the bridge. Ienobu gave a curse before pulling out his swords. "Can we, uh, talk later, Hana… please? Pretty please?"

Hana scoffed, turning toward the gang members coming to her side of the bridge. While Ienobu readied his swords, Hana reached into a jacket pocket and pulled out a compact, cylindrical grip for a baton. Unlike the tonfas Hibari uses, Hana's weapon of choice extended from the grip to form the entire baton. The concealability was also an added bonus, hence why Hana preferred to use the baton to begin with.

She immediately swung across, blindsiding the first thug to get too close. Hana kicked his back, and he fell over and into the river. The next goon tried to hit her with his long bokken, missing as she ducked under it. Hana struck at his leg, stunning him, before swinging at another approaching hoodlum's abdomen.

One of them tried to bash her head in, only succeeding in hitting his companion. Hana slammed her weapon against one of the thug's neck, causing him to drop his crowbar and drop to his knees. The bokken wielder couldn't compose himself before Hana kneed his stomach. She shoved the both of them forward so they rolled down along the bridge.

Hana whipped her head around, watching Ienobu repeatedly punch a downed Trad 6 gangster with a few others, cradling their bruised bodies, surrounding them. Fuuta was also watching, almost with what Hana hoped wasn't a morbid fascination.

"He's done and down, Ienobu," Hana called to her coworker. Finally, Ienobu pulled back, still grinning like a madman as she looked back at her. "Honestly, if you weren't friends with Kyoko or Tsuna…"

"Hey, they attacked us! I think I deserve a little restitution for the trouble they're giving us!"

"The Namimori Disciplinary Committee doesn't work for 'restitution.' It works to keep the peace, but the reason the police distrust us so much is because you and Hibari keep brutalizing every single two-bit hoodlum you run across."

"Oh, don't get me started on the police! Those guys always –"

Fuuta suddenly gasped loudly, sprinting behind Ienobu and hiding behind his legs. He leaned around to point a shaky finger toward the other side of the bridge. "Ienobu-nii, Hana-nee, he's the leader, the Trad 6 boss."

One last gangster, dressed with a smiling theatre mask and a green pinstripe vest, was strolling toward the three. His black hair was slicked back, lined with hair gel similar to what many NDC members tend to use. He held his head high with his hands held behind his back. Stepping over his fallen comrades, he stopped short about six feet away from Ienobu and Hana, the two NDC officers getting into defensive stances.

"You're supposed to be the ringleader?" Hana asked. She eyed the newcomer from head to toe. The shade of green in his slacks seemed different from what the other members in his gang wore. Perhaps it was merely an aesthetic preference.

The masked man gave a slow nod, but aside from that he ignored Hana in favor of staring at the anxious Fuuta.

"Be careful," Fuuta said. Ienobu could feel him shaking. "Antonio is ranked as 50th of the most cruel mob bosses in the world."

Antonio nodded slowly, speaking in a young, confident tone. "That's right. I take good pride in my work, as you should know, Fuuta."

Ienobu narrowed his eyes, giving Antonio a dirty look. "How do you know Fuuta?"

"He's under my protection," the Trad 6 leader announced, treading the line between professional and snappish. "He's the sole reason my crew and I are in this city."

Hana perked up at this. "Why are you after him? Why have your 'crew' extort the local shops and attack police and NDC patrols when all you wanted was the kid?"

Antonio tilted his head at Hana. "We needed information. The Disciplinary Committee was our best lead, and it looks like our plan worked out. The NDC's most senior members found our target for us."

Without pause, Antonio stepped forward. As he began to say something else, Hana moved, aiming her baton for his side. Antonio jumped, higher than what could be done by the average person, and over Hana. He spread his arms, revealing a thin, long blade in his hand. The grip had large pommel at the end of it with a fancy, curvy guard around it. Ienobu, who had been learning more about swords and bladed weapons in general from Yamamoto-sama's lectures and his own Internet research, recognized the design of a rapier.

With Antonio's landing, he deflected a few of Hana's attacks. He pushed her back, arching his sword over to face Ienobu. Ienobu, swords pointed straight at Antoni, tried rushing him, only to be forced back a step with all the slashes and cuts the rapier made against his dao. A pattern began, where Antonio kept switching between confronting Ienobu and Hana, forcing one back to attack the other.

"We don't need to fight," Antonio said between attacks. "Just give up the Ranking Prince and Trad 6 will disappear from Namimori. All we want is him."

"So he's a prince?" Hana said under her breath curiously as she swung her weapon upward, Antonio's sword bouncing off it. Hana brought her baton around. Metal collided against his thigh. While blocking another one of Ienobu's thrusts, Antonio tried to punch Hana with his free hand. She swerved around it, capturing his arm between hers. Antonio moved to slice her shoulder, but Ienobu knocked the rapier out of his fingers and grabbed Antonio's other arm. Together, Hana and Ienobu nearly pulled Antonio's limbs out of their sockets, flipping him over so his masked face hit the concrete.

Keeping Antonio pinned to the floor with Ienobu's help, Hana taunted, "Are you ready to turn yourself in?"

"That's right asshole," Ienobu sneered. "We've got you now."

Antonio's response was to stretch his legs and spin them around, almost inhumanly twisting them so his heels smashed into Hana and Ienobu's chins. As they fell back, Antonio placed his palms on the ground and flipped over Ienobu, heading right for Fuuta.

"Ranking Prince," he greeted the terrified, shivering boy. Antonio put forth a hand, inches away from grabbing from the paralyzed Italian.

Then a blur appeared in front of Fuuta. It was a giant, muscly man in black. He had his fist lodged firmly inside Antonio's gut. The gang leader could be heard choking on air. In a split-second, he was sent flying off the bridge. He flailed across the skyline before plunging into the river.

Ienobu, rubbing his chin, lifted his head to look at Kusakabe taking a deep breath and relaxing his fighting pose. "Thanks for the help," Ienobu groaned, "Kusakabe-senpai."

"Of course," Kusakabe nodded. He briefly glanced a Fuuta before making eye contact with the team of NDC members he had brought with him. Kusakabe made the designated hand motions to get them to round up the groveling Trad 6 gangsters still on the floor. Then he faced a now standing Ienobu and Hana, the pair sporting few visible injuries aside from the bruises at the bottom of their faces. "Who was that? He seemed different from the others in the gang."

"He's their leader, apparently," Hana answered, fixing her infamous glare back on Ienobu. When all he gave in return was a pair of defiant lazy eyes, Hana walked pass him and Kusakabe and loomed over Fuuta. "So, Trad 6 wants you, the 'Ranking Prince.' Fuuta, right? Why do they want you?"

Ienobu tried to step between them. "Hey! I can explain everything –"

"Yes," Fuuta interrupted, smiling and giving a bow before Hana, "as I said, my name is Fuuta de la stella. Trad 6 originally brought me here from Italy."

"Italy?" Kusakabe whispered in suspicion. "Why would such a pitiful gang come all the way from Italy to Japan?" He glanced at Ienobu, who only gave an unhelpful shrug.

"They're an international gang," Fuuta explained. "Most of the people you've fought here are local recruits. They have been trying to expand their business enterprise. I was supposed to be sold to a buyer in Namimori, but I managed to escape."

While Kusakabe and Hana visibly paled, Ienobu's face scrunched up in thought. Fuuta's story sounded believable. So long as he didn't mention the Vongola or much else about the mafia, things should be able to go on smoothly.

"Then I ran into Ienobu-nii." Reaching into his pocket, Fuuta pulled out the familiar NDC armband. Ienobu checked his own person to double check that the armband was his own. Fuuta must have pickpocketed it off him earlier. "I found this on Ienobu-nii, so I thought he could help me. I know things about Trad 6, so if I helped the NDC get rid of them, Ienobu-nii and his friends would help me."

Ienobu's grin widened tenfold. He was liking Fuuta more and more and more with every passing minute.

"That can be arranged," Kusakabe agreed, but Hana gave him an odd look. She pulled him a few feet away from Fuuta and spoke in a hushed tone.

"We made a deal with the police. Shouldn't we be bringing him to them?"

"We said we would turn in gang members, not prisoners."

"We didn't even know Trad 6 had prisoners." She looked to Fuuta warily before looking back to Kusakabe. "Even we don't have the resources to send him all the way back to Italy safe and sound."

Kusakabe grimaced. "You'd be surprised by what Hibari and his family connections can do."

Ienobu stepped in. "Hey, I promised to take care of Fuuta. I say we help him out ourselves. I'll take full responsibility." Kusakabe frowned at Ienobu.

"With what's going on in your personal life, Ienobu, I don't think it's a good idea for him to be your responsibility. Besides, someone more… child-friendly should be the one to both take care of Fuuta and get any useful information out of him." When Ienobu opened his mouth, Kusakabe held up a hand to stop him from speaking. "Don't argue, Ienobu. Be smart about this."

With a dejected sigh, Ienobu turned away. He couldn't win an argument with Kusakabe-senpai when he was this serious. Kusakabe probably didn't want Reborn or any other mafia business getting mixed up with Fuuta or getting too involved with NDC matters just yet.

Honestly, all Ienobu wanted was a little, devoted follower trailing after him every day, just like Tsuna has. Tsuna had Hayato, and maybe even those two weird kids Ienobu met earlier today. Ienobu wanted a junior mafioso on his side for himself, and a smart, endearing one like Fuuta. Was that too much to ask for?

"I can take care of him," Hana spoke up. There was a small quiver in her lips, but she composed herself in an instant. "My parents are out of town still. They won't be back until… maybe until next year. That should be plenty of time for us to get Fuuta comfortable and get rid of Trad 6."

Hana made eye contact with Ienobu, daring him to say otherwise. Ienobu didn't say anything back to her. He had his own problems with his own parents, and Hana had hers.

Instead, Ienobu hopped over to Fuuta, who was back to protectively holding his book close. Ienobu draped his arms around him, returning his gentle smile. "Well, Fuuta, it looks like Hana-nee is going to be looking after you instead of me or Tsuna."

Fuuta's face showed his downtrodden reaction. "What? But I've only ranked you and Tsuna-nii! I don't know any of Hana-nee's rankings."

"Hey, don't worry about that. I know Hana. She'll do a good job in protecting you, and I'll still be helping. Besides, as long as you help the NDC with the Trad 6 problem and keep the Vongola and mafia stuff on the down-low, then we'll all be fine. Hell, if things go right, I'll be paying you and Hana visits. You'll even get to introduce yourself to Tsuna."

Ienobu pushed Fuuta closer Hana. Hana held her chin high as she contemplated Fuuta. Fuuta only smiled on, optimistic to the end, with Ienobu forcing a matching grin.

"Otouto!"

Fuuta, Hana, Kusakabe, and Ienobu turned to see Tsuna jogging toward them. He was gasping for air, but once he was close enough, he had enough breath to say, "Ienobu, Haru said you got into trouble again."

Ienobu's smile grew smirky as he motioned to Fuuta. "Tsuna! Meet my new little brother!"

"Wh-What?!"

"Tsuna-nii!" Fuuta bowed and blushed once more.

Yes, Ienobu told himself, Fuuta seemed a lot like a younger yet more energetic Tsuna when the Swada twins were the Italian' boy's age. No matter what Reborn or Kusakabe-senpai or anyone else says, Ienobu was going to be keeping a close eye on Fuuta. As a potential heir to the Vongola name, Ienobu was going to need his own motley crew of followers, too.