Hey everyone! //waves// Decided to update really early since spring break's about to end, anyway, here you go!

Also, you probably realized it by now, but I'm not good at describing things. So this is just gonna be horrible, please forgive me ;-; 

*** I shall edit this chapter tomorrow. I didn't revise it, so prepare for a lot of errors. 

Published: 4/5/17

Enjoy!

   。  

私たちはやめなければなりません。 。 。  

   。  

A brunet haired boy walked through the forest with relative ease. His legs strode with a certain grace and elegance to it, his hands inside his grey hoodie. His brown orbs flickered over the surroundings; searching for any intruder within the local vicinity before sighting quietly in relief when he found none. 

Suddenly, the boy walked towards a dead end - a place covered with leaves and trees. 

That was, before the boy pushed those leaves away to reveal a hole - a large gaping hole, enough for the boy to fit in. He crawled his way inside and covered the entrance with the leaves once more. 

The boy kept crawling until he stopped in front of another entrance made of dried and brittle leaves. Smiling, he pushed a few away to reveal another forest - a beautiful clearing with a flowing stream and different kinds of flowers and mysterious other plants growing in. The boy's smile stretched. He squirmed his way out of the hole; dusting his dirty messenger bag. 

He heaved a relieved sigh. He turned left and walked towards a patch of flowers. Crouching down, he smiled and admired their beauty. His eyes scanned over them before his eyes landed on a patch of pink blooms. Smiling once more, he plucked a few and stared at them. 

"The Echinacea flowering plant . . ."  he muttered absentmindedly to himself as he took out a jar from his messenger bag and added seven of the pink blossoms in it. "If suffering from a cold or the flu, I can try this medicinal herb to ease the severity of the symptoms because it helps provide relief to the immune system . . ." He sniffed a few and grinned at it. 

"Simmer eight oz of water in a small pot over a medium heat," he said as he added more, "add the fresh or dried Echinacea . . . cover and simmer for fifteen minutes . . . strain tea into a mug and add honey . . . " 

He smiled as he closed the jar. "Mama would be needing this . . . " He stood up and stretched before walking towards another patch of flowers and carefully plucking a few before placing them in a jar. Much like the first batch. 

"Basil . . . Chamomile . . . Lavender . . . " he counted the jars before he scratched his head in confusion, "Uh . . . I know I'm forgetting something . . . but what was it again? It was something like Lemon . . . uh, Lemon . . ." 

"Lemon Balm," someone supplied helpfully. The boy bonk his head in an "oh yea!" gesture before laughing. 

"Of course!" he chided himself as he walked towards another patch, kneeling down and gathering the herbal plants. "A relative of mint, lemon balm is a versatile medicinal herb that helps relieve anxiety, insomnia . . ." He shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe I forgot about this . . ." 

He stood up as he sealed the jar, and placed it carefully into his messenger bag. "Oh." He grinned when he raised his head, "thank you so much for  the help . . . I really owe you . . . one . . . " His sentence slowly faded away when he realized who he was talking to. 

"Ah." He sighed. "It's only you, Ren-kun . . ." Ren lifted an eyebrow. 

"Glad to see you here again, Dame-Tsuna." The said person blushed. "I never knew you were so knowledgeable when it comes to herbal plants . . ." Ren strode forward, his hands in his trouser pocket, and leaned in to take a closer inspection of the jar in Tsuna's hand. 

"Well . . . " Tsuna laughed as he put the jar in his bag. " . . . I never told you." Ren stood straight before rolling his eyes. His fedora casted shadows over his facial features. "From the looks of it though . . ." he trailed as he opened Tsuna's bag to see about a dozens of jar in them, containing all sorts of different medical plants. "You only gathered the ones for illness and colds," Ren stated as he looked up to meet Tsuna's eyes. "Are you ill, or something?"

Tsuna shook his head. "I'm not ill," he laughed gently as he settled himself on the ground. "But my mother is . . ." The grass near the brunet crunched, alerting him that his companion decided to sit as well. The grass was rather comfortable after all. "She's been very, very sick these past few days, but I didn't want to buy cold medicines for her. We don't have the money to buy it." 

"Why? And you could've asked me you know."

Tsuna looked at Ren like he was some kind of idiot and gravely shook his head. "No thanks Ren, I can handle our situation just fine. And besides, even if medicine is made out of medical herbs and plants, chemicals are mixed into them. Sometimes, the chemicals are so strong, that the healthy property of the plants . . . well, vanish, I guess." Tsuna made a gesture with his hands. 

He turned his head to look at the flowing stream. "It's just a cold, really, but I didn't want my mother to swallow pills . . . to me, those stuff are extremely unhealthy . . . and dangerous. That's why I decided to make some of my own homemade remedy. All I needed were ingredients." 

"Is that why you often come here?" The young brunet stayed silent. "I see." 

A calming and comfortable silence fell upon them. In a sudden but graceful movement, Tsuna's companion stood up. Curiously, the brunet turned his head to see Ren squatting in front a patch of . . . Tsuna couldn't tell since the man was blocking the view. The brunet took off his messenger bag, tip-toed silently behind Ren and stared incredulously at what he was holding. 

"Rubus Fruticosus . . ." Tsuna muttered in awe. The man turned his head to look at him. The brunet flinched. "Or . . . uh . . . in other words . . . Blackberries . . ." Tsuna's companion stood up and headed towards the stream. Tsuna scrambled after him.  

Crouching, the older male washed the blackberries with ease. Tsuna watched him do this in fascination. 

"What are you planning on doing, Ren -" the eager question died when his raven-haired companion chose to shove a blackberry into the brunet's mouth. Tsuna's nose scrunched in a funny way and his mouth chewed slowly - savoring the blackberry's deep taste.

Tsuna had heard once that berries burst into your mouth when you bite them. He heard that they were citrus-like, but sweeter. Tsuna researched that the primary difference comes from the texture of the fruits rather than the taste itself. 

And now, chewing slowly and savoring each and every bite of it, he could tell that the fruit tasted almost like a . . .

"Raspberry . . . " Tsuna mumbled as he chewed some more. "They have a similar mouth feel since both are clumpberries with multiple seeds . . . it also isn't as sweet as a blueberry, nor is it as acidic." 

Tsuna could tell that the person beside him was smirking. "That's a detailed way to describe it," Tsuna opened his eyes to see Ren laying down in the grass beside him. "But yeah." He shrugged as he shoved two more blackberries into his mouth. "It's a lot more bitter than a blueberry, but also a lot more healthier."  Tsuna nodded his head agreement. 

After a long, pregnant silence, Ren sat down. "You should bring some to your mother,"  he said. "Make a tart berry for her." Tsuna laughed and shook his head. 

"I . . . I don't know how to bake." Ren snorted. 

"Figures." Tsuna chuckled. They stayed like that for a while, peaceful and simply just enjoying each other's presence, before Ren decided to plop his head on Tsuna's lap. This earned a very large blush to appear on the person's face. 

"Uh . . .  err, Ren-kun." Ren merely opened one eye at this. 

"Mhmm?" Tsuna blushed even more when Ren decided to take off his fedora and place it on Tsuna's head. "C-Can you p-please kindly . . . get off my lap?" 

Ren huffed in annoyance and stared at the blushing brunet with irritated eyes. "Honestly, boy . . . We've known each other for a month now, and yet you're still not use to my presence?" The brunet couldn't do anything but blush harder. Ren scowled and flickered the brunet's nose. This earned him an indignant cry in response. 

"And this is why," he trailed off, chuckling as he retracted his hand, "I call you 'Dame-Tsuna' . . . Dame-Tsuna." The shorter male blinked the pain away and threw an annoyed glare at Ren. 

"Ren-kun!" he whined. "Please don't call me that! It's bad enough when other people call me that way . . . but it's worse when you say it . . . you sardonic man!" Tsuna crossed his arms and frowned deeply at him. 

Ren smirked at him, before closing his eyes. His arms were linked around his head. 

Eventually, the brunet simply settled for a frustrated sigh and smiled at the rare sight of a sleeping Ren. Such a peaceful look plastered on his face. Tsuna couldn't even believe that the cocky and impassive Ren could sport such a face. Tsuna felt glad and flattered that he was able to see it. The man trusted him enough to actually relax in his presence. 

It was kind of . . . wonderful. 

Chuckling, he grabbed some more of the blackberries and looked at the sky. Smiling happily, Tsu-

Rinngg!

xXx 

Rinngg! 

Tsuna's sweet dream got interrupted by the annoying sound of his alarm clock. Groaning, the florist hit it a few times but it didn't stop. It's seemed that the damn thing seemed persistent in making its master wake the hell up from his peaceful slumber. 

Letting out an irritated cry, Tsuna shot up from his bed and banged the alarm clock so hard, the desk rattled and the stupid mechanical thing had shut down. Nodding in approval, Tsuna yawned and cracked his neck, with a satisfying pop! to their rightful position. 

Tsuna sat there, staring off into space, before his mind pondered on the dream he just had. Nothing . . . Zhe thought, irritated, I don't remember anything . . . 

"Tsu-kun!" someone from downstairs called him, successfully snapping him out of his train of thoughts. "Ah, Tsu-kun! I see you're awake! Please come down the stairs so you could eat your breakfast!"

Tsuna smiled. "Coming mama!" Slipping out of his bed, he stretched his arms out and yawned loudly. He walked towards his wardrobe, opening it and took out a pair of casual clothes. Finishing his get up, he walked towards the bathroom before stopping.

"Huh?" Tsuna questioned as he stopped. "Why . . . is there a distinct taste of blackberry in my mouth?" Tsuna stood there, puzzled, before shrugging and opening the bathroom door. 

"Well I guess," Tsuna said to himself, "it isn't so important if I don't remember it. Probably something I ate yesterday." And with that, he closed the bathroom door. 

xXx 

"So how was your night, Tsu-kun? Did you sleep well?" 

"Yes mama. I slept well."

"Good." Nana smiled as she placed a bowl of rice with sausages in front of Tsuna. "Because I don't like it when I hear you screaming out loud in the middle of the night. It disturbs our neighbors." Instead of flushing and stammering all over himself, Tsuna stopped eating and looked into Nana's eyes. 

"Did it happen again?" Nana shook her head. Tsuna sighed in relief before grabbing his chopsticks and eating once more. Nana settled on the other side of the table, muttered a silent 'thank you for the food', and eating her share of food. "Did something good happen Tsu-kun? You haven't had any nightmares this past week. In fact, you've stopped having horrid nightmares a long time ago, Tsu-kun . . . before you met that Yamamoto boy." Tsuna paused. He stared at his mother in disbelief. 

"Seriously, mama?" Tsuna sighed. "Are we going over this again? Takeshi-kun isn't all bad, he's changed for good now." 

His mother shook her head. "I don't believe it, Tsu-kun. He not only hurt you once, but twice." Nana looked at him firmly. "There's only how many times a mother could forgive." 

Tsuna was speechless. Nana rarely showed this dark side of hers, but when she does, she was honest and brutal. Tsuna remembered how he cried to his mother once when he was young about being bullied and the people who pestered him stopped attending school for a week. Not a week later, Tsuna found out that they were in the hospital, injured, probably to the point where they won't be going to school for a month. There was no real evidence that his mom was the one who caused the injuries, but he could just feel Nana's smug aura when the news was announced to the public. This was partly the reason why he never complained to his mother again. That's why Nana was a person to be feared. The woman could get away with murder and nobody would suspect a thing. She acted kind. It was practically her second nature, her second skin. 

Tsuna heaved a sigh before standing up and placing his dirty dishes in the sink. He walked towards his mother and gave her a light kiss in the cheek. "I'm leaving, mama. I'll be back home this afternoon."  

Nana stared at him curiously. "Where to, Tsu-kun?"

 Tsuna chuckled. "To my shop mama." The brunet was at the doorway, his mother behind him. "I need to go check on it." 

His mother nodded understandingly, before heading back to her kitchen. Her territory, as Tsuna humorously put it. 

Tsuna had wore his shoes and was prepared to leave. "I'll be leaving!"

"Have a safe trip!" Tsuna smiled at his mother's tone. Life wouldn't be the same without that kind and understanding voice vibrating throughout the house. Tsuna smiled. It's true that his mother was an overprotective person sometimes, and despite all her flaws and faults, she really was a kind and pious woman. 

Chuckling, he closed the door and headed his merry way.  

xXx 

Tsuna breathed in the smell of fresh air. Ah, how I truly love to be one with nature, he thought to himself. At least I wouldn't be truly alone, because I have mother nature with me. Tsuna chuckled.

 On the way, he met a stray dog. Smiling, Tsuna gave it carrots that just so happened to be inside his messenger bag, because he was going to use it as natural fertilizer. Carrots aren't poisonous to dogs and research say that they quite like it, so therefor, the brunet gave the poor thing a carrot. 

As the dog was satisfied he barked at Tsuna happily before running back to wherever he came from. Tsuna smiled. 

As the brunet slowly neared the shop, he noticed a blue-haired figure (with hair that suspiciously looked like a pineapple) standing in front of it. Squinting his eyes, he walked faster before slowing to a stop and gasping in surprise. 

The blue-haired man noticed this, turned around and smirked at him. "Oya, oya . . . if it isn't my favorite Tsunayoshi-kun." 

The brunet sniffled and covered his mouth in happiness. His eyes slowly doing the waterworks. He couldn't believe what was in front of him. That person was really here? "I-Is it really you? A-After all these years?" The blue-haired man with a pair of hetero eyes grinned in approval. "O-Oh . . . oh how I've missed you . . . " He ran towards the tall figure. His arms were open, ready for an embrace. His brown eyes teary. 

The man smiled at his actions approvingly, he opened his arms to catch the brunet, ready for a hug when suddenly, the young brunet hugged the smaller figure beside the blue-haired man instead. 

"Oh, Chrome! Chrome! Its been so long!" the brunet cried out as he squeezed the girl tighter to his chest. "How I've missed you, Chrome! So, so much!"

The timid and violet-haired girl blinked her large eyes in surprise before returning the warm gesture. Only feebly. "I missed you too, boss . . ." Tsuna laughed before he gently put his hands on Chrome's cheek and looking at her with gentleness. "Ma . . . Haven't I told you to call me Tsuna? Boss seems so formal . . . And look at yourself! You grew so splendidly!" He grinned. 

Indeed she did. Chrome's hair was still styled in that weird pineapple way (a questionable subject in which Tsuna might never even find the answer for), but it grew beautifully. She was slim and stately, pale and beautiful under the sun. She was wearing a a pair of jeans and a white shirt. It complemented her wonderfully even if the outfit was so simple. 

Tsuna's eyes watered again. "Oh, if mama could only see you now-" 

"Ahem." 

Chrome froze, but Tsuna only turned his head and raised an eyebrow. Oh, right. There was another person here aside from him and his beloved younger sister-like Chrome. 

"Oh," Tsuna said monotonously. His expression was deadpanned. "You're still here."

"Oya, oya what's that supposed to mean?" 

Beside him, Chrome's shoulder shook and Tsuna realized she was laughing. Blinking, Tsuna turned his head to look at Chrome curiously. 

 "Chrome?" Tsuna asked. "What's so funny?" Suddenly, the tall man leaned in on them and stared at Chrome in annoyance. "Oya? Chrome," he said slowly, dangerously, "are you laughing at me?"

Chrome covered her mouth and looked at her relative with laughing eyes. "N-no, Mukuro-nii-sama," she said, "I was just thinking . . . of how much the both of you haven't changed . . . you still act the same way whenever you see each other." 

"Oya?" Tsuna felt a hand on his waist. The brunet realize, mortified, that the disgusting and repulsive insect had dared touch him. "What makes you say that, my dear Chrome? As you can see, me and Tsunayoshi-kun here are quite close-" Mukuro was cut off mid-sentence when the brunet slapped him hard in the face.

 The man howled in pain. But that wasn't enough for Tsuna. He kneed the man in the groin, earning a pained cry in return. 

"That," Tsuna hissed, "is what you get for touching me, you abhorrent bastard." 

Tsuna turned around, and immediately, his personality took a whole 180-degree change. He smiled kindly at Chrome.  

"Come along now, Chrome," he said, ushering the girl inside. "I'll prepare you some Chamomile tea." 

Chrome stared worriedly at her older brother's pathetic figure. "But Mukuro-nii-"

"Can take care of himself." Tsuna sighed. "Honestly, Chrome, your brother's a grown man. He can take care of himself just fine. No use wasting your life worrying bout him."  

Like the dead, the voice of said older brother appeared behind him. "Kufufu~ . . . I didn't think Tsunayoshi-kun thought so highly of me. Want to know how much of a man I truly am, Tsunayoshi-" The brunet slammed the door close. A vein mark on his forehead. The man on the other side howled painfully once more. Sighting, he smiled angelically at Chrome. 

"Now-" Tsuna's smile stretched as he ushered Chrome in. "-Time to brew you some tea."

xXx

"Thank you for the tea, boss."

"Anything for you Chrome - and it's Tsuna, not boss."

"Sorry, boss." Tsuna sighed and plopped his back on the sofa. Ah, he gives up. There's no way he could stop the woman from addressing him so formally. Despite knowing each other for ten years, the brunet still didn't understand nor bothered to ask why she called him boss. They weren't in some kind of mafia game play. It was sort of confusing. But if she was comfortable in calling him that, then he wasn't going to let the matter bother him.

Tsuna sighed, pouring himself some tea. "It's probably a little late for me to ask you this, but why are you here, Chrome? Aren't you supposed to be in Italy? Both you and Mukuro-kun?" 

Chrome paused before shaking her head. "We're adults now, boss," she said in a matter-of-fact way as she drank her tea. "I'm twenty two, Mukuro-nii is twenty five. We're old enough to travel on our own."

"And of all places you chose to travel to," Tsuna said, exasperated, "you chose Japan? You're rich and most likely already familiar with this country. There are other countries you could've traveled in. Like Paris- Oh God." Tsuna leaned in on his hand, sighing dramatically. "What I would give to be able to travel to Paris."

Chrome gave him a weird look before she shook her head. She gently placed her teacup on the table. "Nothing is more nostalgic," she said, " than being in your childhood home. We might be able to travel to other countries, but we wanted to visit Japan before that." Chrome smiled as she looked at Tsuna. 

The brunet sighed. "I guess so," he said. "But I wonder why you had to bring your brother with you, Chrome. You know how much we don't get along-"

"Kufufu~ Tsunayoshi-kun~" Tsuna's brow twitched. Speaking of the devil . . . 

"What now you walking perverted fruit." 

"Oya, ouch. I am hurt." 

"Because it's the truth," Tsuna snarled. He rubbed his aching forehead. Dear God, his head was going to burst. Chrome stared at the pair with amused eyes. (That little devil Tsuna thought)

 At that moment, at the exact moment when he wanted to choke that execrable bastard and eviscerate him with nearest utensil at hand, (which happened to be a fork. Tsuna grinned evilly) someone knocked on the door. 

"Coming," Tsuna said faintly. He stood up from his seat. 

 As he closed the door to the guest area, he walked towards the main door and opened it.  

"Oh," Tsuna said, smiling slightly, "Reborn-san." 

Reborn raised an eyebrow. Much like the time while he was still dripping wet in the rain. "Don't you sound thrilled to see me, Dame-Tsuna." 

"Ah . . . well . . . " Tsuna scratched his cheek. "I'm afraid you've . . ." come at a time when I wanted to disembowel a deplorable man right in front of his sister. In other words, You've come at a really bad time, sir. 

Tsuna smiled kindly. "I'm afraid . . . I have visitors. So the shop won't be open for some time."  

Reborn stood there for a while, before he eventually entered the slightly agape door without even the brunet's consent. Tsuna squeaked in surprise. His brown orbs stared at the entering figure in disbelief. 

"Hii! Reborn-san," he said, shocked at the man's bold actions. "W-Wait! P-Please listen to me, Reborn-san-"

"Say yes, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn turned and looked at him. The florist stared, utterly bewildered. The only logical word going through his mind and was obviously helping him with his current crisis was a Huh?  What was the man on about? Moreover, what did he mean by Tsuna saying yes? Will Tsuna win some sort of prize by doing so? (How the hell did I arrive to that conclusion, he cried) 

"P-Pardon?" Tsuna questioned. "I can't quite keep up with you . . . " 

Reborn heaved an annoyed sigh. As if he had the right to do so. The word cocky bastard echoed repeatedly in his mind, like a mantra. "I'll stay here for now, Dame-Tsuna. As a guest." There was a pause. "I do hope that's alright with you." 

Tsuna blinked. "O-Of course!" The young adult mentally sighted in relief when the menacing aura around the taller male vanished. Reborn nodded approvingly, as if Tsuna just passed a difficult trial. 

Well it sure feels like it, Tsuna thought, exasperated. His legs felt like they were about to give out. Note to self, Tsuna thought. Never deny this man access inside my shop. 

Tsuna tried for a smile. "Right . . . Okay, you do remember the last time you visited, right?" Reborn gave him a dark look, looking like him like he was an idiot. "A-Alright, so you do remember." Tsuna gestured to two doors a few meters away. "The left one is for visitors - that's where you stayed last time - and the right one leads out to the garden." Tsuna strode forward while explaining, Reborn trailing behind him. 

"My childhood friends, were born here in Japan, but they were sent to Italy for . . . uh, family matters." Tsuna caught himself. "They're half siblings. Different mothers. The name of my visitors are:  Nagi Dokuro  - though we prefer to call her Chrome - and Rokudo-" He opened the door only to step right into a broad chest. 

Tsuna stumbled. "Oya, oya." Tsuna felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist, alerting him that someone was hugging him intimately. "What a pleasant surprise, Tsunayoshi-kun. I didn't knew you wanted a hug so badly."

"Mukuro . . . let me go . . . " Tsuna groaned, though it was muffled since he had his head buried into the man's chest. The pineapple bastard only purred like a cat and proceeded to stroke his head. Tsuna was too tired to push him away. The headache too much for him to bear. 

Mukuro chuckled before he leaned near Tsuna's ear, his hot breath sent shivers running up and down the brunet's spine, "Kufufu~ . . . Is the little bunny tired? Why don't I take you home with me and-" 

Click. Click.

Tsuna's eyes flew open. Was it him, or did he just here the sound of a cocking gun? No, no, no, no . . . That can't be it, Tsuna was sure as hell the pineapple-haired siblings didn't go around with a gun strapped to their sides. But then it hit him . . . 

They weren't there alone.  

"You've got a lot of nerves." The sound of the gun cocking again was heard. "Showing such PDA in front of me . . ." Slowly, Tsuna turned around and his eyes widen when he saw a really nasty and dark aura around Reborn. And was that . . . 

Was that a gun?! Tsuna internally shrieked. What was Reborn doing walking around with a gun with him? A goddamn military weapon, for crying out loud. 

Oddly enough though, in the midst of Tsuna's inner frenzy, Mukuro wasn't the least bit bothered with a gun pointed directly in front his head. In fact, he smirked tauntingly at Reborn. As if challenging him.  

"Oya." The arm around Tsuna tightened. "I didn't think I would meet you here . . . Reborn-kun." 

The dark aura around Reborn turned freezing cold. 

"Hii! Ah . . . Reborn-san!" Tsuna separated himself from Mukuro to look at Reborn with teary doe eyes. "Please don't mind him! T-This is Rokudo Mukuro. He was only doing that because-"  

"Because I am his future husband, kufufu." The aura turned even darker in response to the other male's statement. Tsuna threw a hot glare at Mukuro. 

You're not helping! Mukuro shrugged. Tsuna's eye twitched violently. That bastard was finding this situation amusing. 

Click. Tsuna was officially terrified at this point. He stared at the handgun in the angered man's grip and slowly felt his soul leaving his body. He didn't even know what caused the man to be so raged in the first place! It was a mystery to be solved for another time though, because the gun was now loaded and directly pointed at Tsuna's blue-haired companion. 

Oh dear Lord almighty Tsuna wanted to faint. Truth be told, he was just about to when a green blur appeared out of nowhere and started licking Reborn's face. Tsuna stared at it. 

The aura slowly, but surely, disappeared making Tsuna sigh. Absolutely relieved that the man wasn't going to brutally murder someone inside his shop; or surge forward to fill a certain blue-haired man's body with bullets. He glared accusingly at Mukuro while thinking this. The man averted his eyes. His shoulders shook. The cheeky bastard was laughing.   

Chrome chose that moment to pop out of nowhere and smack her brother in the head. She turned to look at Tsuna and nodded - most likely realizing the situation. Chrome switched her gaze to her groaning brother, and proceeded to drag him inside by the ear. 

To appease the still raged man, Tsuna hesitantly turned his head to smile at him, although shaking badly. "Uh Reborn-san . . ." The man stopped stroking his green companion to look at Tsuna with piercing orbs. The brunet tried hard not to flinch. "Would you like me to . . . umm . . ." Tsuna's eyes wandered everywhere, never landing on the person he was talking to before his orbs landed on a patch of berries. As an idea slowly formed in his head, he looked straight into Reborn's eyes and gave him a bright smile. 

"Would you like me to bake you some mixed berry tarts?"

xXx 

" . . . I never knew you could bake, boss." 

"You could say I practiced." Tsuna chuckled as he read the recipe book. His slightly long hair was tied back in a lower ponytail. "A few times I ended up burning the kitchen in our house, though. As a result, Mama chased me out. Literally."  

". . . Just how bad are you at cooking, Dame-Tsuna?" The brunet's ear perked at this and he turned around to pout at Reborn. "That was a long, long time ago, Reborn. I was only eighteen." 

Reborn scoffed. "You should've been old enough to know how to cook a decent meal, Dame-Tsuna."

"Excuse you, but I did know how to cook a decent meal." Tsuna huffed as he turned his attention back to the recipe book. "I burned the kitchen because I was trying to learn how to bake. Since I was banned and forbidden to cook anything there - well, if my mother's around that is, but that's beside the point - I decided to add one here in my shop. Hayato-kun was more than happy to help me." Tsuna went over to the oven and preheated it to 220C .   

"I didn't know if blackberries grew here in Japan," Tsuna continued as he opened a cupboard to retrieve a rolling pin, a knife, and two baking trays, "but luckily, they grew here in Namimori. Can you believe that?" He turned to look at them. "The climate here is fine for them, I think. But I guess it's sort of rare to find blackberries here in this country." 

Tsuna rolled up his sleeves and washed the cooking utensils. "I heard they mostly grow in Europe." The busy florist opened another cupboard to retrieve of, what seemed like, cornflour. 

Grinning slightly, he placed it on the counter. He walked over to the sink and carefully held the two baking trays. Gliding, he strode back to the counter and placed the trays over it while also placing non-stick baking paper over the item carefully, gracefully. The female of the group watched him work with a mixture of wonder and awe. The others however, just stared; amused. 

While this happened, Tsuna had already began making the pastry and proceeded to cut it into four equal squares and placing it on the trays. He grabbed the knife that was near him and started to cut a two centimeter border around the edge of each pastry square. He didn't cut It all the way though, not wanting to ruin the treat and making sure that his clumsiness didn't get in the way. 

Chrome continued to stare in awe. "You've been practicing a lot more than you let on, boss." 

"Hmm?" Tsuna tilted his head to look at his female companion. He was already combining the berries, sugar and cornflour in a bowl. "What makes you say that, Chrome?" The young woman shook her head, smiling ever so softly.  

"I know you're no prodigy, boss." Tsuna chuckled at this while he spooned the mixture among the center of the pastry squares. "And you even told us yourself that you practiced more often ever since the incident you failed in baking. Determination like that . . ." Chrome looked at Tsuna with sparkling amethyst eyes. "That is why I call you boss, boss." Tsuna smiled softly at Chrome. Mukuro frowned at his sister. 

Now I do wonder why he gets so horribly flustered (we all know flustered is a very big understatement) when teased by a person with the same sex, but doesn't react the same way when faced with a beautiful and genuine female like Chrome here. But I do suppose, we all are not alike in a way.  

Finishing the procedure, he placed the trays in the oven and set the timer to eight minutes. Sighing, he took off his apron. "That," he walked towards the sofa and plopped beside Chrome, "is how you make mixed berry tarts in twenty minutes tops." 

Reborn merely looked at him, amused. Mukuro wasn't beside him -  the male had excused himself to go to the restroom. "I've gotta admit, Dame-Tsuna. Even I'm impressed with the way you did it. Guess you're not so 'Dame' after all." Tsuna whirled his head to glare tiredly at Reborn. (He didn't have the energy to deal with Reborn's offensive bullshit) 

"Stop calling me that." Tsuna sighed, tired. "Nobody has called me that nickname in, what? Six years. It'd be bad if someone brought it up again." Reborn shook his head as he poured himself some Chamomile tea. 

"I'm just saying." Reborn shrugged. "You're still 'Dame-Tsuna' in my eyes." The brunet blinked slowly.  

"'Still'? Excuse me, but we've only familiarize with each other for only a week. And even before that, you called me 'useless'. And I'm reminding you, that was upon our first meeting." Tsuna crossed his arms. "I'd like to know why you call me by my old nickname." 

For a moment, there was a tense silence. It only lasted a moment though; Reborn sipped his tea, not at all bothered by the question. That or he acted incredibly well in pretending that it didn't bother him. 

"No particular reason," he finally said as he settled the cup on the table. "Just felt like calling you so." Tsuna furrowed his eyebrows. Reborn was lying. His intuition told him so. He just didn't know why.  

The sound of the oven going off startled the brunet out of his thoughts. Hurriedly, Tsuna sprinted towards the oven with a pair of oven gloves on, and took out his masterpiece. The smell of the baked berries washed over the guest room. The exquisite scent of the dough and berries made his guests eye the trays with hungry orbs. The brunet chuckled at their faces.   

The brunet set the trays aside to cool slightly. He took off the gloves and opened another cupboard so as to get the stacks of plates. 

As the brunet was preparing, Mukuro decided to grace the room with his existence. The delicious smell of the baked treats made him lick his lips. 

"Kufufu~" Mukuro chuckled as he sat down. "I didn't know you had such skillful hands, Tsunayoshi-kun. I wonder what would happen if those hands -" he was cut off shortly by a gun aiming at his face. 

The startled man blinked slowly before his eyes landed on the other male - he was sipping his Chamomile tea silently. He looked so relaxed - if it weren't for the gun that was pointed at Mukuro's head. 

The brunet was too busy humming and preparing their treat to notice the scene happening behind his back. Chrome stared indifferently and shrugged. Mukuro looked at her in disbelief, a sense of betrayal taking over him. She walked towards Tsuna and offered her help. The brunet was more than delighted with her assistance. 

Reborn opened one eye to look at the blue-haired man. Mukuro heard his message loud and clear. Like the man was just speaking to him directly: Want to continue that sentence? 

Mukuro didn't respond for some time before he chuckled and raised his arm in defeat. Showing that he wasn't looking for a fight. Pleased, Reborn lowered his gun.  

"Alright guys!" The dark atmosphere around them was broken by the sound of the cheerful yell. "Dig in!" 

Reborn and Mukuro alike both stared at the prepared dessert in front of them. Without any hesitation, Mukuro muttered a quick 'thank you for the meal' before eating the treat with gusto. The man chewed with utter bliss and delight. The raven-haired man was a lot more hesitant than the first, but chose to eat it anyway. It would've been rude not to. He too, muttered a quiet, 'thank you for the meal'.

The brunet chuckled at the men's antics before he switched his gaze to Chrome expectantly. The female smiled back before she also started eating. Complementing Tsuna's baking skills every now and then. Tsuna, pleased, also ate his share. 

They all just stayed like that for the remaining time they had with each other. Eating without a care in the world. 

xXx

"Goodbye guys." Tsuna waved and smiled as his guests stood outside in the doorway. It was already afternoon. "Thank you for coming."

Chrome bowed politely. "Thank you for having us, boss." 

Tsuna laughed and patted the woman's shoulder. "Maa, maa . . . No need to be so polite Chrome." He winced at this. He sounded just like Takeshi.

Tsuna told them to wait for a minute before coming back with two plastic bags in his hands. "I know it's a little too much." Tsuna laughed. "But if you'd like, you could take some. I baked more." Chrome smiled and shook her head. 

"No need, boss." Chrome quickly tried denying the offer, blushing. "But thank you for the-"

"Kufu~ we'd be more than happy, thank you Tsunayoshi-kun." At the next moment, the first plastic bag wasn't in the brunet's clutches anymore. Blinking in surprise, he stared at Mukuro who was grinning happily. 

"Mukuro, I was giving it to Chrome, not you," Tsuna deadpanned. 

The man looked utterly crestfallen. "How cruel, Tsunayoshi-kun!" The exasperated brunet ignored him and turned around to smile at Reborn next. Mukuro made the sound of a strangled deer.  "Here," Tsuna offered, grinning, "take some with you." Reborn stared at the bag. 

"No thanks, Dame-Tsuna-"

"But I insist." Tsuna's smile widen. His left arm shot out to take Reborn's hands, and he placed the plastic bag on top of it. Reborn raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Fine then." Tsuna chuckled. 

The Pineapple-haired siblings were the first to leave, leaving Tsuna alone with Reborn. Before Reborn went off though, Tsuna felt something crawling on his back. Curiously, he touched his shoulder and looked at his open palm. His eyes widen. 

"Reborn-san." The man turned around. "I believe this is yours - quite an adorable little fellow he is, if I had to be honest." Tsuna grinned as he handed the little chameleon. But the thing suddenly jumped back to Tsuna and started licking his face. It made Tsuna laugh in glee. 

Reborn eyed the pair with something unreadable in his eyes. "A friend gave him to me," Reborn said. "But that was a long time ago."  Tsuna stopped laughing before he started stroking the tiny creature with his fingers. "He must've been pretty important to you then," Tsuna said, "if you decided to keep his present for you." 

Reborn stared. "Yeah . . ." Reborn said, barely audible. "He was very important to me . . . But . . ." He stopped himself. His eyes grew unreadable. Clouded. As if it was a personal topic he didn't want to talk about. 

Finally, Reborn outstretched his hand. The chameleon jumped back into his palm. "His name is Leon." Reborn turned to walk away. "That friend who gave him to me also named him that." 

Tsuna stared at his retreating figure. "I see . . . " Tsuna smiled. "Well, goodbye Reborn-san." The man halted. 

"Ciao." Tsuna smiled. The man was gone now.

After some time, he locked the door of his shop and headed home. Smiling at the events that occurred today. 

xXx 

It wasn't dramatic enough? Sorry ;-; My dad was rushing me. He said I shouldn't spend too much time in the internet. 

Okay, anyway, that note was yesterday //points to the: 'It wasn't dramatic enough? Sorry ;-;'// and I edited it! Sorry I had to erase the Reborn's POV, but it needed to be done. I tried to make it more dramatic //shrugs// Whelp, till next time! Adios!