tHANK YOU ALL SO FUCKING MUCH FOR 70+ FOLLOWERS AND 10K VIEWS(pls excuz the cussin'). I GENUINELY NEVER, EVER, EVER THOUGHT IN MY WILDEST DREAMS I WOULD GET THIS FAR ;_; I HAVE NO ABSOLUTE IDEA HOW TO THANK YOU. BUT THANK YOU ALL (for the reads, for the votes, for the support, for everything). I HOPE YOURE NOT PISSED W/ ME FOR MY CONSTANT RANTS 

LOLOL

AND PLS EXCUSE M INFREQUENT AND BOTHERSOME UPDATES xD AASJKDJSJFFK 

Published:7/1/17 (damn, i havent updated in a month)

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私の話を聞いて下さい!  

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 Chrome was not the type of woman to trifle with.

True, she had a sadistic and deranged lunatic for a brother and a Mafioso slash workaholic for a father, but none of the aforementioned statements contributed to the fear and tremor she mercilessly evoked within several Mafioso's hearts after she got involved with the underground society.

From the moment of her birth, it was quite obvious that she was different, much like her older brother. Gifted, blessed . . . or so her predecessor once told her. And much like her older brother, Chrome was meant for the life of crime and violence, much like her father, and his father, and every single one of her ancestor who has ever been. Her measly and short-lived normal childhood was simply preparing her for this impending and dark fate.

Her overprotective brother once tried arguing with him, but only succeeded in angering their father, who had high and far-fetched expectations for them. His stubbornness led to their father slapping her brother in a fit of fury. That's where the fear struck her heart, embedding itself into her soul for the first time in her puny life because she knew there was no room for arguments.

Chrome was raised to hate and discriminate people. She was brought up to loath outsiders. Mukuro had pulled this off easily enough, but the younger took far longer to get used to it than expected of her. Omly when her father exuded his disappointment (which was normally accompanied with a hurtful censure or two) only then was Chrome able to pull this off. Much like other children, she aimed to please her father, a goal in which she seemed to be regularly failing at.

She had pulled it off, thankfully, and she learned to hate the people around her with more ease. (Innocent civilians and children alike possessed a trait that she didn't have . . . and this made the hating ten times more easier for her.)

All was well . . . until she met the brunet known as Sawada Tsunayoshi.

Her first impression of him was of a useless wimp who wouldn't survive a single day in the wild even if he tried. He was weak, pathetic, and hopelessly and unarguably stupid (his failing grades were enough of a proof for that). The student population thought this, heck, even the faculty members thought this. And they were grown adults. Both Chrome and her brother wanted nothing to do with the boy. Their father hadn't wanted them to befriend any of the kids in their school anyway, stated that it was unbefitting of them to associate a close relationship with weaklings that could stain their family name and hinder their training.

Mukuro had left the matter of the boy at that, but sweet little Chrome on the other hand, was intrigued. Nobody was as stupid and as approaching as the boy, who had made the foolish mistake of trying to befriend them. It was amusing and fun - in an evil kind of way (maybe she had spent too much time with her sadistic brother for her to think like this). Chrome secretly felt glad that someone at least wanted to befriend with her. None of the servants in her manor ever did pique her interest, and her brother's idea of 'fun' is to torture anyone within close vicinity without hearing their slightest consent to the sudden torment.

Mukuro was clearly displeased with her actions and made no effort to hide it. "Don't get too close with him, Chrome," her brother admonished Chrome when he caught her staring at the short brunet who miraculously tripped on thin air in the distance. "Remember what father told us. We mustn't get close. You know that."

She looked to her brother, but his face held no emotions. "I know, big brother," Chrome responded, whispering. "I'm only interested in him. That's all. I have no qualms of befriending him." Mukuro threw her a suspicious glance before shaking his head.

Chrome hadn't told her brother that she was planning to arrange a short meeting with the Sawada boy. In truth, she was disobeying him because she was very . . . lonely (she dared not voice this thought to a single living soul, not even to her older brethren). Mukuro infrequently played with her, choosing instead to attend the uncountable and endless meetings of their father. 

And she wanted something to rid of that loneliness.

She approached the boy during break time. Easily finding him - thanks to his untamable mane – perched on a lone swing, gazing longingly at the batch of children playing sports in the distance. Chrome followed his gaze and rolled her eyes. She never had much of a strong liking for sports.

Losing interest, Chrome took a few long strides towards the lonely boy until she was beside him, but he didn't seem to notice her. "Hello," she said, all timid and shy, and observed as the boy jolted in surprise and whipped his head at her in shock; eyes wide with tremor.

"Hii! Where did you come from Dokuro-chan!" he exclaimed, looking far smaller than his actual age, and was constantly looking back at the playground to see if her brother was somehow going to come out of the shadows and jump scare the life out of him; which honestly could happen even if Chrome knew that the idea alone was ridiculous and implausible (her brother was with a client today). But Sawada did have the right to be scared; it had happened before, and he probably just didn't want to risk it again.

Chrome was fidgeting. Talking to actual kids her age was a lot more nerve-wrecking than she had thought. "Umm . . . I always find you alone, Sawada-kun," Chrome replied, fidgeting. "And I'd like to know you better. You seem more approachable than others."

Sawada was looking at her in surprise, probably in shock that she wanted to befriend him. I'm not trying to befriend him, Chrome silently reprimanded herself. I seldom see Nii-sama anymore, and Sawada seems interesting. It's only for a limited period. Yes, only for a temporary short amount of time. This's only for now until Nii-sama gets bored with father's clients. Pleased with herself, she smiled, waiting for the other's reply.

For what seemed like an eternity, Sawada nodded coyly. A shy smile made its way to his face and he ducked his head down, embarrassed. Chrome found the action cute.

"Alright," he said, voice small. His hands outstretched in a handshake. "We're officially friends then, Chrome-chan!"

Chrome's face felt hot. She furtively wondered if she somehow caught a fever.

xXx

Chrome hated to admit it, but in the next three months of constant hanging around with Tsuna, she found herself quickly growing emotionally attached to the boy. Found that she has clung to him like a gum.

And she hated the fact that she got attached to the sweet brunet's kind and polite mother, who no human alive could possibly hate even if they were bribed or paid to.

Chrome found herself protective of the small brunet, even if they were only a year apart and the other was much older than she was. She certainly wasn't pleased at the harsh beating her dear friend got for being someone that didn't fit nor belonged in the chain of society. They'd beat him with punitive criticism and false claims until Chrome stepped forward and put an end to it.

Mukuro was not at all pleased with this revelation. "You swore Nagi. You swore you wouldn't get attached!" They were settled in their living room, both sat in their claimed seats when Mukuro suddenly slammed his fist on the coffee table in rage.

Chrome didn't even flinch. "It was . . . difficult not to, Nii-sama."

"'It was difficult not to'," Mukuro mimicked mockingly, raged. "Are you even hearing yourself, Chrome? You sound absolutely pathetic, latching yourself onto some weakling! It's unbecoming of you!" Chrome didn't look up.

Thick, suffocating silence engulfed the lounge area. "Do you want me to rid of him? A weakling of such does not deserve you." Chrome raised her head so quickly she swore she actually heard her neck crack. Her brother was subtly implying to kill Sawada. And she knew he wouldn't hesitate to do so. She's seen him do it before, and he could certainly do it again when he believes it is necessary.

Her brother rose from his seat, staring her down with his pair of hetero eyes as usual. Normally, Chrome would've backed down. She would've sank down into the mattress and admit defeat with her brother smugly towering over her in victory; she could never raise her voice against her brother.

But this time, Chrome glared back at him fiercely. "Boss is different, Nii-sama. He isn't like you or me, or even the kids in our school. He isn't stupid, isn't pathetic, and he certainly isn't a weakling. He's just far too kind for his own good, and people take advantage of that. He would never use me for his own benefits."

"And how could you be certain of this Nagi?" Mukuro snarled.

"Because I know him." Chrome's expression softened. "I've known him for three months, Mukuro-nii-sama. And I tell you this: he is no threat. Not to you, and certainly not to me. He is the sweetest and kindest boy I've ever met." She smiled. "He has a subtle aura of a mafia boss. I just know it."

"Hah?" Mukuro scoffed, crossing his arms. "I won't hear a word of it. Not a single word. You're growing to become a ridiculous woman, Nagi. Father would thoroughly be disappointed with you." He eyed her scornfully. She'd seen him direct that kind of look towards maids and feeble butlers. But never at her.

"And your stubbornness would prove to become a disadvantage for you in the future, Nii-sama." Chrome stood up, heading towards the threshold of the room. "I've enough of this. I'm visiting boss." She paused. "And don't bother picking me up. I'll head home myself." Not hearing for an answer, she closed the door.

xXx

"Are you alright Chrome-chan? You seem out of it lately . . ."

"Hmm, oh . . ." Chrome blinked, before looking down at the novel in hand. She mentally noted herself to keep her emotions in check. "Probably just the weather, boss, it's nothing to fuss about."

"Are you sure, Chrome-chan?" The fourteen year old teen was leaning towards her, eyebrows creased together worriedly. They were in his room, reading a couple of books that his mom bought for him. Over the course of their friendship, they both realize they had a strong liking towards reading and anything fantasy related. It was one of the things that strengthened their bond.

Chrome nodded reassuringly, smiling slightly as the other heaved a breath of relief. "For a second there, you had me seriously worried Chrome-chan." 

Tsuna eyed her carefully. "Say . . . please don't think I'm being rude or anything if I ask this . . . but is that brother of yours . . . err, bothering you again, Chrome?" The word 'bothering' clung to the air like the sudden burst of methane gas.

Chrome bolted upright. She hadn't mentioned her brother to the brunet after the heated quarrel (she refused to believe it was anything related to an argument) they had three days ago. What could've crossed his mind for it to occur to him so suddenly? "No," she answered blankly - immediately. She couldn't bear the thought of worrying the sweet boy after all he's done for her. Her heart clenched tightly within the confines of her chest whenever she sees those almost almond colored eyes softening in concern. For her.

"Alright then . . . if you say so . . ." He stood up, stretching, and yawned, leaving the matter of her brother at that, much to Chrome's utter relief. "Gosh, this heat is killing me! Why didn't I think of applying an electric fan to my room or something?" Laughing gleefully, he picked up the startled Chrome and threw her free hand around his neck.

"What about you, Chrome-chan?" Tsuna said, grinning. "Do you have a place in mind for us? Let's go somewhere! It's so boring here; all you do is read all day every day. It gets really lonely for me, you know?" Chrome blushed. She couldn't help it if the story she kept reading was interesting.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Hey, Chrome-chan." He leaned in towards her, a lopsided grin gracing his face. "Have you ever been to an amusement park before?"

xXx

In all complete honesty, Tsuna couldn't quite grasp on a reason as to why he was so eager to the meeting with Reborn.

"Maybe I should call and ask him where we should go." He sighed, feeling jittery all over. "I didn't thoroughly plan this . . . Now that I think about it, this whole thing just seems like a bad joke."

He groaned, flipping the mattress over his bed. His alarm clock was already enough of an indication that he needed to prepare for the da— the short rendezvous with his raven-haired companion. He stood there, letting this thought cross his mind, completely stone-faced.

Then, Tsuna shuffled over to his desk, and promptly slammed his head hard against the counter. The sound was so hard that his head rattled back with vibration.

He needed to pause. Yes, that's what he needed. He needed to pause, and allow his brain some space to breath and think. Because Jesus frickin' Christ, he needed to stop thinking like some kind of junior school girl fantasizing about going on a date with her first crush—

Again, he pummeled his head hard against the nightstand.

"Tsu-kun! Are you alright?" His mother's worried voice hung in the air like a heavy cloth, snapping him back to reality. "I heard a loud echo coming from your room!"

Tsuna felt stupid for worrying his mom. He very well can't just blurt back that he was busily slamming his fragile human skull against the edge of his desk. That was almost like giving her a heat stroke. So instead, he replied with, "Yes mama! I'm alright."

"Alright then – oh, and Tsu-kun." His mother's head popped out of nowhere, smiling widely at him. "I'm heading out again."

Tsuna frowned. "Where to?"

Nana smiled. She was wearing one of her Sunday pastel dresses, the bright, yellow one, accompanied by a sun hat to protect herself from getting barbecued from the sun. "To a friend of mine," she said, smiling. "I'm really sorry for leaving you alone most of the time, Tsu-kun. You must get terribly lonely having the house to yourself. Truthfully, I'm envious of you; I seldom get this house to myself." She sighed, placing a single palm to her cheeks in resignation.

Tsuna smiled. He didn't mention the fact that she had this house to herself most of the time or the fact that she wasn't seething anymore, which was actually a good thing. He didn't want his mother to unhinge her jaws at him anymore than he wanted her to maim him. "It's 'kay mama." The brunet staggered upright (I banged my head a little too hard against that desk, he noted) and flashed a smile. "It's a good thing that you're going out more often. And besides, I invite a few friends over—" more like they invite themselves over, Tsuna added mentally, eyes rolling. "—sometimes, and if anything, I like that you're spending more time with your colleagues."

"Aww~" Nana cooed. She walked towards Tsuna and planted a small, adoring kiss on his cheek. "That means so much to me, Tsu-kun~ Well, I'll be off then." Nana laughed good-naturedly, and skipped her way down the stairs. "And if you need anything, Tsu-kun, just holler to me!"

Tsuna smiled and waved a little. "Okay mama! Have fun!" She flashed him a grateful smile before closing the door of the entrance.

And with that, the brunet's smile fell and he sighed. He scratched his head in exasperation. "Tsk, now then . . ." He look over to his closet, before something vital just occurred to him and he face-palmed. "Wait a sec—shit . . ." he cursed, falling to the floor and shaking his head into his hands as realization struck him. "I didn't even ask for his number! Now how am I supposed to call him?!"

xXx

"Ne, Chrome-chan, have you ever been to an amusement park before?" Tsuna was ambling quickly down the busy streets of Namimori, dragging Chrome like some kind of ragged doll further down to God knows where.

Chrome blinked, adjusting her position for a better posture, and tilted her head. "No . . ." Chrome trailed, suddenly uncertain of herself. "Is it bad if I haven't?"

Instead of getting an adverse reaction, Tsuna laughed kindly and shook his head. "Of course not!" he exclaimed, grinning. "But it just means that I was right in leading you here! My family and I come here from time to time on special occasions. You're new here and busy most of the time, so you probably never heard of it. It's probably much smaller than the average amusement parks they have in the cities." He twisted his head to the front and quickly skidded to a stop, eyes lighting up with glee. "Chrome-chan!" He turned to her, beaming brightly. "We're here!"

xXx

" . . . And where do you think you're going, Dame-Tsuna, hmm?"

"A . . . ra? Re . . . born? How'd you get here?" Tsuna blinked. He was just about to leave the house, hoping that he'd arrive to the only near amusement park, ergo beating Reborn there, when he suddenly noticed that he was face to face with none other than the said fedora-wearing man, who was casually leaning against the door like some sort of princely character out of a manga. Tsuna secretly flushed at their close proximity. "How did you know I was about to leave . . ."

"I didn't." Reborn yawned, and turned to look at him, completely unruffled at Tsuna's confession. "I knew you were going to panic yourself to death. I also knew for a fact that you had no idea how to contact me, or—" he added, seeing the brunet's darkening face, "—the fact that you have no idea where we're going."

"Ehehe," Tsuna chuckled nervously, knowing he'd been caught. "You thought this through, didn't you, Reborn?" The other huffed. This single gesture quickly answered all of Tsuna's queries and he wisely left the case at that, resigned. Reborn really was too smart for his own good.

Reborn sighed. He wordlessly dished out something from his coat pocket and outstretched an unoccupied palm towards Tsuna, expectantly waiting. The other merely stared at it, dumbfounded, not knowing what the other was asking for. The black-haired man rolled his eyes disbelievingly at this. "Give me your phone, Dame-Tsuna. That way, you won't need to fear about how you're going to contact me. It's simple."

Tsuna blushed. He had been panicking about that certain matter for quite some time now. Could Reborn somehow read minds now?

"No." The other looked stumped between rolling his eyes or hitting the brunet with a blunt object. Tsuna suspected it was a little of both. "Reading your emotions was enough of an indication as it is. Now, the phone?" Tsuna had to admit, the older male sounded like an investigator of sort – which he probably was, judging from his day to day attire.

Tsuna laughed good-naturedly and fished out his phone without complaint. He handed it to Reborn, in which the other gratefully nodded at, and tapped his number into the brunet's phone. Once done, he gave it back to him.

"There." He smirked. "Now, if you feel stupid or somehow got yourself stuck into an inevitable problem in the near future – don't you dare whine, Dame-Tsuna, you know it's true – feel free to call me."

Tsuna frowned. "I'm not a kid, Reborn, so can you, for the love of God, stop treating me like one?" He made his way past the taller of the two, harrumphing, taking full offence of the ridiculous statement and crossed his arms. It was a huge blow to his pride, never mind the fact that he never had much of one to begin with.

Reborn merely followed suit, smirking. "Well you act like one." Tsuna whined and Reborn pointed at him in a matter-of-fact gesture. "That, right there, is my proof—" Reborn's smirk grew, knowing full well he'd won this battle and tossed the brunet a triumph look. "I rest my case."

Tsuna, although subconsciously, puffed his cheek in irritation. "Pointing is rude, you know . . ." He fumed when he didn't have a witty and valid comeback to say and just turned his back on the other, striding sulking down the pathway. "Hurry along now then," he admonished Reborn, frowning. "We have to get going."

Reborn freely rolled his eyes and trod towards him. "Don't boss me around, Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna poked his tongue out mockingly. Reborn threatened to hit his head with a giant green mallet.

(The fact that Reborn said this with utter conviction and seriousness with not a single hint of playfulness in his voice had Tsuna tumbling over, erupting with laughter.)

xXx

"Hmm . . . where would you like to go, Reborn?" Tsuna asked, questioning if they should go out of town since there wasn't much to explore in Namimori, considering how remote and secluded it was from the rest of the outside world.

Reborn shrugged. He wasn't wearing the signature fedora that he always seemed to carry around with him, so his surprisingly untamable (yet stylish - damn it, Tsuna thought depressingly, touching his own hair self-consciously) locks were wild and distinct, highlighting his pale foreign features. His little pet chameleon was visibly perched on his shoulder due to the absent of the hat, slithering that cute tongue of his. Tsuna stopped scrolling through his phone to giggle at the adorable creature's antics.

"Do you want to drop by the coffee shop?" Tsuna asked, smiling. "I haven't had lunch yet anyway."

Reborn snorted. "Figures."

Tsuna rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Reborn. It won't stall us. We have the whole day for ourselves." Tsuna laughed and tugged him, pointing at the usual place he dropped by from time to time. "Coffee?"

Reborn scoffed and shrugged his arm off. Tsuna simply laughed and kept walking. "For your information, Dame-Tsuna, I canceled two meetings with my clients for you. So don't go blabbing about saying we have all the time for ourselves." Tsuna halted in his tracks. "What?"

The brunet turned around, eyes wide. "You canceled two meeting for me?" Tsuna's jaw was ajar with shock. A meeting was an important thing, he knew that very well, considering that his rich and workaholic friend, Hayato, spent most of his time overseas to attend countless of business meetings. And Reborn, who he also considered a workaholic, had decided to cancel two of those important things for him. Why? He could've just said a simple no and explained it to him. Tsuna would've understood regardless of his needs.

Reborn rolled his eyes. "Don't misunderstand anything, Dame-Tsuna." The florist wailed indignantly at that. "You would've kept whining if I hadn't agreed to this pointless date the other day. So aren't you supposed to be thankful?" He walked past Tsuna, successfully snapping the other from his trance and the brunet scurried along after him.

"Hey, wait up!" Tsuna yelled, smiling a little bit. "How mean! Saying that this whole thing was pointless . . . I guess I never thanked you properly, huh? Guess that's why you're so grouchy." Tsuna laughed a little and smiled. "Thanks, Reborn. You know, for hanging out with me, despite your busy and overfilled schedule." The florist chuckled as the other rolled his eyes.

"Moron," Reborn murmured, sighing. He probably dubbed Tsuna as a nuisance already. Not that the brunet minded much. "Anyway, the café downtown, right?" Tsuna smiled and nodded, practically beaming.

What the clueless and oblivious brunet hadn't noticed, was that - before they had settled the argument and decided truce - his older and handsome black-haired companion had referred to this 'short rendezvous' as a date.

xXx

The familiar small tinkling sound of the café bell filled the air as Tsuna entered the modest place with Reborn in tow, smiling.

A kind looking waitress greets them, flashing a tender and polite smile. Tsuna felt a small pang of disappointment upon realizing that Kyoko was nowhere in sight. She was probably taking the day off, he deducted silently to himself, smiling slightly. This, of course, was a good thing since the poor thing was practically working herself to death.

"Hello," he greeted, being civil and polite, "a table for two please."

The waitress nodded, though, after she glanced at the other direction, probably curious as to who was accompanying the brunet, a small dash of crimson adorned her face and she hurriedly shuffled away, beckoning them to follow her. Tsuna secretly rolled his eyes, knowing the feeling.

He leaned in on Reborn, whispering, "If you actually had your fedora and clad yourself with your usually dark suit, you wouldn't attract this much attention to yourself." He frowned, uncomfortable with the stares that were directed at them. Specifically at Reborn.

Reborn smirked. "You're just jealous," he whispered back, arching an eyebrow.

Tsuna blushed, rolled his eyes, and looked away. He didn't know what the other meant by 'jealous', but he bet that it wasn't an indication of anything good.

Finally, the waitress led them to a secluded and almost isolated area, in which Tsuna quickly and mentally noted to himself to thank her in advance at, seeing as he couldn't handle the mental burden of all those hateful stares boring holes into the back of his head.

He settled down, smiling at his grouchy companion. He and Reborn stayed in a comfortable silence for some time and called the waitress over again after a few minutes of concreting their decisions. After she took their order, Tsuna smiled and gestured for her to come closer.

"Thank you," he whispered meaningfully to the waitress once he sat down, in which the other only smiled secretly at and leaned in to murmur back, "No problem . . . and take care of your date, will you? He looks like a real keeper." Tsuna swore if he was drinking a glass of water, it would've shot out of his nose from the uncountable number of wrongs in that on sentence.

Tsuna, for the life him, couldn't quite comprehend the allusive meaning behind those words and blushed and spluttered all over himself, but before he could explain to her that she was in the wrong, she had somehow disappeared, leaving him in a state of shock and embarrassment.

"Are you alright, Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn inquired, putting the menu down once he saw the brunet's reddening face.

Tsuna chuckled nervously and replied with a small and timid, 'it's nothing' and buried his crimson face into the menu, trying to calm his increasingly speeding heartbeat.

Reborn looked at him like he couldn't decide if he was joking or just being an idiot. "Sure," he trailed.

Tsuna eyed him, swinging his legs childishly under the table out of nervous apprehension. There wasn't much to talk about; just the typical chit-chat people do, much like the time in his house when he served the man a homemade espresso. He took out his phone and scrolled past any possible tourist sights and theme parks that were within their walking capability, but only managed to find a place that would've been a three hour walk away if they decided to trudge on foot, plus, it was closing soon. And that was the least of his worries; if they decided to head to Osaka now, that'd be a four hour drive away, which meant that it'd take a total of eight hours to travel back and forth between two prefectures. It was already two thirty; what the hell could he say to his mother if he arrived at around three o'clock something in the morning, if they spend far longer in the amusement park than planned?

He sighed in defeat and tucked his phone safety back into his pocket. He'll just figure it out later.

"Why are all the desserts here so sweet?" Tsuna jumped at that, not expecting such a question to come out from Reborn's mouth.

The brunet looked over to him; head tilted, and asked, "The . . . desserts?"

Reborn snorted and uncaringly tossed the menu back to the table and propped himself idly on the chair. "Yes. The desserts; delicacies. They're all so sweet and sickly saccharine, plus, they always leave a bad aftertaste in my mouth." Reborn made a face that made Tsuna laugh.

Tsuna giggled. "You can't hate sweets," the brunet teased, raising both eyebrows. "They're nice and sugary . . . and, well, sweet . . ."

"Which is exactly why I hate them," Reborn retorted and snorted once more. "Honestly, Dame-Tsuna, weren't you even paying any attention to what I just said?"

Tsuna shook his head, grinning playfully. "Sorry. Was too busy picturing you stubbornly insisting to throw three perfectly good and sweet éclairs into the gutter." Tsuna burst into peals of giggles at the mere and outrageous thought of it. Oh, imaging Reborn, a grown and full adult, childishly insisting to not eat a well-made delicacy was (apparently) too much for Tsuna to handle.

Reborn rolled his eyes and kicked him underneath the table, which caused Tsuna to momentarily stop laughing in the favor of grimacing in pain instead. "Arrogant brat," Reborn said.

Tsuna smiled apologetically. "Now, now . . . I'm sorry for laughing at you, Reborn." He chuckled and took a hold of his menu, whilst clucking his tongue. "Tsk, tsk, tsk . . . I think you misunderstood something, Reborn. Because, you see—" He practically shoved that entire menu all over Reborn's face, grinning. "—you weren't looking hard enough."

His eyes scanned over the page. "They're mostly chocolate though: Dark chocolate frosted yellow cake, dark chocolate almond butter, Mexican spiced dark chocolate tarts . . ." He grimaced. Chocolate was sweet, but at least it was dark chocolate. Regardless, Tsuna kept listing; immaturely insisting that there must be something that Reborn might find appealing.

"Dark chocolate orange pudding, dark chocolate sugar cookies . . ." Tsuna paused abruptly when he saw the word 'sugar'.

He could practically feel Reborn's smug smirk boring into his head. "Didn't I tell you?"

Tsuna groaned and flicked the menu away. "Alright, fine. You won." He sighed. "But have you at least tried them yet? You can't judge a dessert by their name and title, you know?"

"Are you quoting a book, Dame-Tsuna?"

"No." Tsuna laughed. "I'm just blurting out the truth. All you ordered was a cup of Espresso—" With a sudden burst of an idea, he called over the nearest waitress and whispered something into her ear.

"What the hell are you trying to prove, Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn voiced his thought and suspicions out loud once the waitress was out of sight and earshot. "Are you trying to pull my leg?"

Tsuna giggled and shook his head, patiently drinking the cup of water the waitress had offered them. "'Course not. I would never do anything of the sort." The brunet's eyes twinkled mischievously though, almost making Reborn uneasy. "I just requested for something . . . simple."

"And what would that be?" Reborn inquired, his curiosity practically gnawing his senses away.

The auburn-haired man laughed and put a finger to his mouth cryptically. "You'll find out soon enough." Reborn scowled at this, much to Tsuna's growing mirth.

After a while, Tsuna's phone rang. He excused himself to the loo, and walked towards the nearest men's room. Once there, he answered it, "Hello, this is Sawada Tsunayoshi speaking."

"Ah, boss." He smiled.

"Oh, what's up, Chrome, and wait – how do you have my number?" he asked, leaning against the wall. "Ah, never mind that, more importantly, what made you suddenly call me? Is there something wrong?"

Chrome chuckled. Her voice sounded deeper. More clear. "No, boss. I was just wondering where you were. I visited your house a few hours earlier and was wondering why it was empty. Didn't you tell me you didn't have work on Saturday's?" Tsuna nodded (before face palming at his own stupidity) and voiced his approval.

"Yeah I don't," Tsuna said. "I'm just with someone right now."

Chrome was obviously confused at this, because she remained silent for a period of time. "And who's that?"

"Ah." The brunet chuckled. "He's a man named 'Reborn'. I believe you know him; you've met him the first time you visited me." Chrome made a sound of recognition.

"Anyway," he said, looking at the time. "I have to go, Chrome, Reborn's not a man well known for his patience."

"Alright, boss. Sorry for bothering you." Tsuna smiled and said he didn't mind at all, and that if she needed help, she should contact him right away. "And if it's alright, could you call me again once you're finished with your date? I need to meet up with you to discuss about something important." Tsuna nodded before registering the full sentence. Tsuna's face turned extremely red.

"Chrome, it is not, I repeat, a date!" The brunet was almost incoherent. "Mou, why does everyone keep assuming that I am on one? And then there's that whole apron thing too . . ." Chrome giggled, not a single ounce of regret lingering in her voice.

"Whatever you say, boss. But friendly reminder: denial is not a good thing and is scientifically proven to be very, very bad for your health." Before Tsuna could tell Chrome that she was misunderstanding something very important and vital here, the line went dead, signaling her abrupt and dramatic leave.

"Ah, mou!" Tsuna moaned and shoved the phone back into his pocket. "What is wrong with adults these days? It's like I have to wear a customary and ordered shirt that says, 'I'm A Guy, Damn it' for them to fully recognize and distinguish the fact that I am, in no single and biological way, a female." He trudged his way back to his table, facial structures etched in a fierce expression.

He must've looked like a spoiled brat throwing a big tantrum because that's exactly what Reborn said once Tsuna angrily pulled out his chair out of the safe confines of the table. "You look like a spoiled brat throwing a big tantrum after he found out that he didn't receive any presents for Christmas," Reborn mused much to Tsuna's ire.

Tsuna puffed his cheeks. "Ha, ha, very funny Reborn." The florist heaved a dramatic sigh. "It's no fair! My mother's genes must've scrambled up my DNA for people to think of me as a girl." He poked the glass of water with a fork. "Genetic unfairness."

Reborn raised an amused brow. "I take it that the talk didn't go very well in the bathroom?"

"Of course it didn't!" Tsuna protested melodramatically. "God, first Mama, then Takeshi, then Kyoko, then stupid Mukuro, then that waitress, then Chrome . . ." A tearful sob ripped through his chest. "It's just so unfair. Just because I'm shorter than most guys and have longer hair doesn't give them the rights to put me off like that."

"Actually they do." Reborn smirked. "They weren't discouraging you. They were just giving you their honest opinion. Discouraging is hardly a word I'd dub it as."

"So?" Tsuna said dejectedly. "That doesn't change the fact that Chrome thinks of this as a date . . . or the fact that Takeshi and Mukuro thinks I'd make a good housewife someday . . ." From the other side, he heard the sound of a glass object cracking. Furrowing his brows, he looked at Reborn worriedly. "Reborn, are you okay?"

"Yes." Tsuna snorted.

"If you're 'okay'," Tsuna highlighted mockingly, "then why are you breaking that glass cup? You do know that's public property Reborn, right? You're going to be the one who pays for damage."

Reborn's dark aura had miraculously dissipated, much to the concerned and nearby customers relief. Tsuna quickly dismissed the matter, though. Reborn's constant and sudden burst of anger was a paradox that he didn't have the heart or the will to solve.

"U-Umm, excuse me." Both Tsuna and Reborn turned their heads in unison to look at the nervous and fidgeting waitress, who obviously witnessed Reborn's sudden angry outburst and looked like she wanted to bolt out of the area immediately.

Tsuna's discouraged air and state quickly left his form as he remembered the secret he was keeping. He smiled reassuringly at the poor and probably-scared-to-her-wits girl. "Don't worry about him, missy. He's always grouchy." Reborn kicked his leg and he responded by poking his tongue out.

The waitress released a breath of relief. "A-Ah, y-yes, of course." She smiled politely and placed a plateful of assorted and separated sweets onto the table carefully. After giving the cup of Espresso to Reborn, she bowed and excused herself, leaving them to attend to their own business.

Tsuna gratefully took the plate of cream-filled éclair (he laughed when he saw Reborn's expression. Worth the money he wasted) and pâte à choux and watched amusingly as Reborn stared at the piece of food in front of him like it was an unidentified species of sorts. He glared at Tsuna and harshly demanded why such a thing was presented to him. "What's the matter, Reborn?" The black-haired man pointed at the food. "What the hell is this?"

"It is a cake, Reborn," Tsuna answered airily, laughing as the expression on Reborn's face darkened considerably.

"I know it's a 'cake', Dame-Tsuna," Reborn snapped back angrily. "I'm just curious as to why you brought me this; having just heard my reason as to why, I repeat, hated sweets."

Tsuna rolled his eyes. "Don't be such a kid, Reborn. I'll be the one paying for it--there's a discount. And besides—" he took the nearest cutlery in hand and cut four even slices of the cake. Tsuna took a small piece of the delicious lump and urged Reborn to take a bite, smiling. "—how would you know that you don't like it if you don't try it?"

Reborn stayed silent. "I swear Tsuna . . . someday you're going to regret this."

Tsuna chuckled. "Yes, yes . . ." He took Reborn's calloused hands and encouraged him to take a bite. "C'mon then Reborn, you're wasting my money!"

"Well you shouldn't have bought it then if it was so expensive," Reborn countered fiercely. Almost hesitantly with a sharp and dangerous glare directed right at him (Tsuna swore to the moon that if he had a camera or if his phone wasn't running low on him right now, he'd use it to commemorate this moment, and take a shot of that doubtful face. It wasn't every day you see a nervous Reborn, you know), and shoved the piece of eating utensil into his mouth.

Tsuna waited eagerly for a reaction.

". . . Why does it taste like coffee?" Tsuna couldn't help himself; he erupted into a fit of laughter. Out of all the replies he listed carefully in his head, that was not one of them.

"That was the point," Tsuna said teasingly. "Do you think I would have ordered something so expensive if I hadn't known that you would like it? Since you like Espresso so much, I thought, 'why not make an Espresso cake?'." Tsuna laughed good-naturedly. "Although, I didn't know that you would like it this much. My plan didn't backfire on me, it seems."

Reborn snorted but didn't argue. He kept eating the cake, even going back for a second slice so he could hand a small portion for his pet. It was so cute that Tsuna had to physically restrain himself to resist the temptation to simply just fish out his phone and take a couple of pictures. (Damn, why didn't he bring his charger?)

"You seem to be enjoying yourself Reborn," Tsuna said as he pushed aside his empty plate of sweets. "If you'd like, I could make you some, someday."

"You better, Dame-Tsuna," Reborn replied, far too occupied with enjoying the assorted treat to notice the giggling brunet.

Once done, they both payed their respected bills and headed their merry way.

xXx

For the millionth time that day, Tsuna sighed. "I had remembered that there was an amusement park around here somewhere," the brunet muttered depressingly as he stared at the unrestricted building. "But who knew that it had already been abandoned for a long time now." He sighed once more as he looked at his phone, finally realizing why this place hadn't appeared on the map.

Reborn rolled his eyes and hit his head. Tsuna whined childishly. "And this is why I told you we should've taken the chance and hoped on the bus to Kyoto," he said tersely.

Tsuna whipped his head to him, eyes watering. "That's at least a four hour drive away!"

Reborn rolled his eyes. "Well, do you have a better solution, Dame-Tsuna?" The brunet paused, before reluctantly shaking his head.

Reborn shrugged and turned on his heels with Tsuna about to follow in tow, before he sighted something out of the corner of his left eye. Curious, he crouched down and gasped.

"Reborn," he whispered, but didn't seem to be heard. "Reborn!" he repeated, more urgently. He heard a huff of frustration and the heavy trudging of footsteps retracing its own steps. The ground beside him crunched under the weight of his companion. "What is it now?"

Tsuna, frantic with excitement, tugged at Reborn's sleeve. "It's a Yabutsubaki plant," Tsuna whispered excitedly, pointing at the pink blossom. Reborn snorted, aggravating the expert herbalist nerves. "Aren't you the least bit excited about this special little thing's existence?"

"Not in the slightest, no," Reborn idly responded, bored. Tsuna huffed and carefully plucked the delicate blossoms. "Well, these are rare plants that usually grow in Miyajima, sometimes known as camellia," Tsuna said, smiling. "I guess it isn't really all that rare, considering how incredibly close Namimori is to that area." Then, out of nowhere, Tsuna started cursing. "Argh—ahh, damn I didn't bring my messenger bag." Tsuna bemoan at the unfairness of it all.

Beside him, Reborn stood up. Tsuna, not knowing what was happening, also stood, but mostly gaped at the lime – almost a replica of his own – messenger bag in the man's grip. "What—h-how—since when did you—" Reborn shoved the bag into his chest and crossed his arms. "Well? Go on then. I even spotted a few Yamafuji somewhere over there." Tsuna's eyes brightened significantly at this, his inner child bubbling into the surface.

"Really?!" the brunet exclaimed, baffled at the mere thought of it. "It's almost the beginning of summer! Why would a plant from Omoto Park be growing here?" Not bothering to wait for an answer, he crossed over the rattling fence and sprinted, laughing as Reborn's incensed yell of curse words filled the air.

Racing past an unruly carousel ride that had longed stopped working, his eyes miraculously spotted the rare violet blooms and he knelt down, awing at the magnificent sight. He even spotted a Kobanomitsubatsutsuji, Yamazakura, and a Yamaguruma, and the latter was well known for its racheid and is a primivite cangiospermal. He was so absorbed with this universal activity that he didn't detect the seething Reborn closing in on him.

"Oi, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn grabbed his hair, Tsuna finally snapped out of it, howling loudly at the sudden pain his head brought to him. "Do you know how much time we wasted idling around here for the past decade?" He looked at his wrist watch and cussed. "Damn, we missed the bus."

An overwhelming feeling of guilt overtook Tsuna's senses and he bowed deeply to show how sorry he was. Reborn rolled his eyes at this. Tsuna was certainly at fault here, yes. But he didn't need to go through such extreme methods.

"You're not really wasting my time," Reborn said, huffing. "There are some pretty rare species of plants that grew in this dump over the years . . . I'm thinking you want to know just how many of them there are?" Tsuna blushed and ducked his head.

"Yes . . ." Tsuna whispered sheepishly, scratching his cheek. "It's not every day that I happen stumble upon something as rare as this." To prove his point, he carefully and expertly plucked the Yamafuji flower off the tree branch. "Look at it! Just look at this beautiful thing! I'm going to grow this in my flower shop once I get home." Tsuna laughed.

Reborn stared at him incredulously. "Do you even know how to grow a plant that only blossoms between the month of April and May? Last I check, you didn't control the seasons."

Tsuna sported a look of betrayal and hurt. "How cruel, of course I do! I'm a florist slash herbalist mind you!" He pointed the flower at Reborn, voicing his hurt thoughts.

Reborn yawned. "Then how are you going to carry those?" He pointed an index finger at the blooms the brunet was tightly clutching to his chest. "You don't have a jar or anything that could stop the plant from withering." Tsuna's eyes widen at this, realizing that he, in fact, did not think of that.

Reborn rolled his eyes and ventured further down the abandoned amusement park. "Come along now then. I don't have all day. Dame-Tsuna. I'll show you a trick an old friend of mine taught me in how to keep the flowers preserved." Tsuna rolled his eyes but forced and exasperated smile nonetheless. He shouted at Reborn to wait for him.

xXx

"—And done!" Tsuna wiped his sweat matted brow, smiling proudly at himself as he closed the messenger bag with gusto. Reborn was situated behind him, snorting at his childishness.

"Who knew I'd find this many!" Tsuna exclaimed excitedly, jingling the bag all over Reborn's face. "It almost feels like a scientific breakthrough for me!"

"Well good for you," Reborn said carelessly, yawning. Tsuna frowned at his free display of an uncaring attitude and huffed, jolting the heavy bag in his grip.

"Whatever, Reborn," the offended florist said, closing his eyes and poking his tongue out boyishly. "Sometimes, your uncaring attitude feels infinite and infectious and I'm afraid I would catch it someday." Reborn rolled his eyes at the stupidity the other mouthed, striding away.

"Today wasn't as eventful as I thought it would be," Reborn told the younger as he struggled to keep up.

Tsuna frowned, not understanding what he meant. "Are you saying you didn't have a great time?"

Reborn rolled his eyes, hands still tucked tightly in his pocket despite the warm summer heat. "I never said that. Stop misunderstanding things, Dame-Tsuna." He paused after that, suddenly smirking. "Or maybe not. I'm pretty sure your brain might just about implode in on itself at the mere prospects complexity." Tsuna made a sound akin to a whimper and a shout.

"How mean!" Reborn chuckled silently at that, but didn't disagree.

xXx

Chrome was fidgety all over. She'd been waiting for at least an hour or so and there was still no sign of her boss. Frankly, she was tempted to just call him or send him a simple text to demand for his immediate presence right here and right now; but that would interrupt his date. And she didn't want that to happen, no; so all Chrome did was patiently wait for Tsuna to come home. This was her last and desperate resort.

Finally, after concluding that she'll just come back tomorrow, Tsuna appeared in the front door steps of his house, carrying a, what she thought was, brown, leather and shockingly new messenger bag. Tsuna's messenger bag of old was crumply and rough around the edges and simply put, teared. Thank God he got a new one.

Chrome smiled, practically skipping towards Tsuna's direction. "Good afternoon, boss." The brunet soared and shrieked; dropping the dangling keys that were moments ago in his tight grip. Chrome giggled. Even after all these years, she still managed to scare the hell out of her kitten-like friend. It was almost pitiful.

Tsuna twirled to look at her, eyes hysterically wide. "Oh my God – Chrome! Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Chrome giggled and solemnly swore not to scare the living shit out of him again. "I feel like you're somehow double crossing me," Tsuna grumbled. He picked up the keys and opened the door, asking her to wait in the living room for a short while. Chrome obliged and sat comfortably down the many sofas in the Sawada's small living room.

"Just wait for me Chrome; it'll only take me a few minutes, ten or twenty at most!" Tsuna yelled from the kitchen, obviously doing some sort of sorcery cooking judging by the amount of noises he was creating. "I'll be making tea." Chrome groaned. "Don't worry, it's not Chamomile tea! Please wait patiently for me!" That shut Chrome up; now fiercely curious to what the brunet was up to. Maybe she should take a small peak?

But just as this thought crossed her mind, Tsuna's head popped out of nowhere and he looked at her in irritation. "That means no peaking Chrome." The blue-haired woman, disappointed, sat back down, feeling dejected.

Suddenly, she felt a sense of paranoia seize her and she opened her purse and heaved a long sigh of relief when she saw that the documents and files were placed exactly as she had set them. Thank God. The files, the proof, the evidence . . . they were there. Good. 

 Once again, she couldn't believe she was doing this. Her brother was going to be infuriated with her if he ever—no, once he finds out about this. Nothing gets pass her nii-sama; she knew this better than anyone else.

"Done!" Chrome jumped and was quickly bolted out of her thoughts. She looked at the source of the exclamation and saw her dear childhood friend balancing a tray in his arms with a sheepish grin. "Sorry it took me awhile."

Chrome felt confused. "Ten minutes have already passed?"

Tsuna nodded, unaware of her inner uproar. "Yep! Sorry for keeping you waiting!" He laughed. He gave her a cup of tea that smelled of exotic flowers. She wrinkled her nose at the smell. These must be the rare kind . . . because she has never got a whiff of them before.

She took a sip and it was surprisingly warm and filled her stomach with . . . something. She didn't know how to describe that feeling . . . but it brought her a sense of cordiality and peace. "Boss . . ." She placed her teacup down the coffee table, curious. "Where did you buy that?"

Tsuna laughed and poured himself a cup. "I made it." Chrome looked mystified. "Don't be so surprised. I'm a florist after all." The brunet laughed.

"But, they seem so," she trailed, eyes averting, "so . . . well, rare." The brunet smiled at this. Not in the least bit offended.

"I mixed a few herbal plants that I grew myself. You've heard of the camellia flower aka the Yabutsubaki plant, right?" Tsuna chuckled, raising the kettle. "More tea?" Chrome made a noise of approval and handed him her cup.

"Where'd you get the messenger bag, boss? It looks recently bought." At this sudden question, Tsuna blushed and choked on his tea. "Ahh, I see how it is." Chrome smiled knowingly, her eyes twinkling brightly with mischief. "This Reborn you told me about in the midst of your date, bought it for you, didn't he?" Tsuna chuckled nervously, but didn't protest. Chrome giggled, knowing she was right.

They chatted idly, catching up on things that they've missed, before Tsuna put his cup down and eyed her thoughtfully. "So . . . you wanted to tell me something?" Chrome froze.

Then, she sighed, knowing that it was inevitable, and put down her tea. She didn't want to ruin the good mood, but sadly, it seems that she was always entrusted with the title of being the bearer of the bad news. "Yes . . ." she looked at Tsuna solemnly, seriously. "Boss . . . how well do you know Gokudera Hayato?"