I do not Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

This will be a collection of ten Christmas-themed one-shots. For those who follow Forever Family, Forever Vongola, that will pick up again after the holidays.

Hope you enjoy!

The Perfect Tree

"Christmas tree! Christmas tree! Christmas tree!"

An amused smile flitting across his lips, Futa looked up from the newspaper at the sound of the excited chanting. The noise grew louder until Lambo and I-Pin rushed into the living room, where they stopped upon spotting the fifteen-year-old sprawled on the deep blue couch.

"Futa, when are we leaving?" asked Lambo anxiously, bouncing from foot to foot.

"Did you have breakfast?"

I-Pin nodded. "Kyoko-chan and Haru-chan made us scrambled eggs. We're fed and ready to go!"

"We'll head out as soon as Chrome-nee and Mukuro-nii are here," replied Futa.

The pair of Mist Guardians had been assigned the task of bringing the youngest members of the household to a Christmas tree lot to find the perfect tree to sit proudly in the middle of the drawing room. Mukuro was not initially enthused by the idea but his female counterpart managed to convince him to come along.

"I hope they don't take too long." Lambo pouted. "We have to get there before all the good ones are gone."

"I'm pretty sure we won't have any problems with that," assured Futa. "We'll get a tree one way or another. Hopefully the not-chaotic way."

With nothing left to do but wait, the pair of twelve-year-olds settled in front of the television and flicked through the channels until they found a cartoon they both enjoyed. Chrome appeared when the episode was half-over, dressed in a pair of slim dark jeans and a light purple sweater.

"Chrome-nee! Can we go now?" asked Lambo eagerly.

Chrome smiled apologetically. "Well, Mukuro-sama is still sleeping. I tried waking him up but he's refusing to get out of bed."

"But we're ready to go!" protested Lambo.

I-Pin patted his shoulder. "The tree lot will still be there when we do decide to leave. We just have to wait."

"I hate waiting," the Lightning Guardian grumbled. He looked to Chrome hopefully. "Can I try waking him up?"

"Be my guest," invited Chrome. "But keep alert. He might try to use illusions to propel you out."

"I'm prepared to be traumatized for the sake of getting this family a Christmas tree."

Lambo hurried out of the living room, into the hall and reached the grand staircase. He rushed up a flight and went straight for Mukuro's room. He opened the door and peeked into the dark space. He could see a large lump underneath the blankets.

Creeping across the carpeted floor, he paused by the edge of the bed for a moment before diving onto his elder brother. "Wake up!" he cried. "We have to go get a Christmas tree!"

Mukuro growled softly. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Chrome. It's nine in the morning. I am not getting out of this bed until at least eleven. That is when we'll get your forsaken tree."

"But Mukuro-nii, I don't wanna wait that long!" he whined, bouncing insistently on the man's back.

Grunting at the knees digging into his bare skin, Mukuro abruptly rolled over, causing Lambo to tumble beside him. Wrapping his arms around the boy's waist, he held him firmly against his side, not once lifting his face from the pillow it was buried in.

"You will be silent for the next two hours. If you manage not to make a sound, I may not accidently smother you in my sleep."

Lambo pouted, but only slightly. It was not often he got to cuddle close to the male Mist Guardian and he certainly wasn't going to pass up this opportunity. He curled his arms around a pillow and snuggled close. The warmth of the covers and shared body heat caused him to doze off in no time.

Mukuro tilted his head slightly to stare at the softly-snoring boy. "Annoying cow child," he grumbled. He shifted his position before falling back into slumber.

Chrome checked in on the pair ten minutes later, curious as to why Lambo had not returned yet. She smiled softly at the sight of her companion holding the twelve-year-old close to him, arms wrapped snugly around the child's waist.

She stepped quietly out, easing the door shut behind her. It always made her happy to see Mukuro showing his softer side. He was not an emotional person, so showing anything resembling affection and love was difficult for him to express to the rest of the family members. After spending a life abused and mistreated, he was still adjusting to being part of a family who genuinely cared for him (in their own little ways, of course).

"As usual, you win, Mukuro-sama," she said with a slight smile. "Guess we're leaving later after all."

…

The group set out at eleven-thirty, bundled up in their winter gear. Mukuro wrapped his scarf around his neck to guard his flesh against the chill. "I cannot believe I agreed to this," he muttered, boots crunching in the snow as they walked to the entrance of the Christmas tree lot.

Chrome smiled up at him, cheeks already turning red from the frigid air. "This will be fun."

"I fail to see how shopping for a tree to stick in the middle of a room is fun."

"You said the same thing last year. As I recall, you enjoyed yourself."

Mukuro pointed sternly at her. "The difference is that last year I was warm in my room drinking hot chocolate. What I enjoyed was decorating the tree, not hunting for one."

They entered the tree lot, where they were surrounded by magnificent pines on every side. "Pick one."

Lambo sent Mukuro a look. "It's not that simple."

"We have to make sure that the tree isn't crooked, too short or too tall and doesn't have many brown needles," explained I-Pin.

"It's a very delicate process," said Futa seriously.

"Don't encourage them," grumbled Mukuro. "Alright, go and find your stupid tree."

With cheers, the kids took off with the fifteen-year-old close behind them. Mukuro and Chrome followed at a slower pace, the latter breathing deeply to savour the scent of pine. "Isn't this nice?"

"No," replied Mukuro. "It's cold."

Chrome shook her head in fond exasperation. "You're impossible."

Mukuro smirked, reaching over and linking hands. "You're just figuring this out now?"

"I've never commented on it until now," she returned with a teasing smile.

"Ouch! Ow! Help me, Futa!"

The sudden cry sounded from the lane of trees next to them. Mukuro was quicker to react than Chrome, his body disappearing in a swarm of Mist waves and reappearing to where the kids had ended up. It was a relief to see that the matter was nothing serious-Lambo had somehow gotten caught on a branch of a tree.

"Prickly! It's prickly!" the boy whined as Futa attempted to remove the hem of his coat from where it was caught.

Chrome appeared next to Mukuro and she frowned in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Its fine," Futa assured. "He just had a little incident."

"As he tends to have," said I-Pin with a giggle.

Eventually Lambo was freed and the boy moved as far away as possible. "That one is evil."

I-Pin studied it thoughtfully. "Actually, it's perfect."

It was of a decent height, full of healthy green needles and standing pin-straight. Futa gave a nod of agreement. "I like it. It'll look really nice in the drawing room."

"We're taking it," said Mukuro instantly. "Let's pay for this thing and get going."

Lambo frowned. "Wait, so we're paying for the tree that tried to kill me?"

"Dramatic, much?" asked I-Pin.

"We'll wait here while you find the salesperson," offered Chrome.

"Don't let anyone snag it. Stab them with your trident if you have too," ordered Mukuro. He started off in search of the owner of the tree lot, Futa walking beside him.

"Mukuro-nii, I just had a thought."

The male illusionist glanced at the teen. "Oh really?"

"We brought the truck and Chrome-nee's car. Is the tree going to be okay on the trip home?"

Mukuro furrowed his brow. Well, that was certainly something they didn't particularly think through. The tree would have to be tied down and half of it would be hanging off into the bed of the truck. It wouldn't be straight or properly tied down, which meant risk of the delicate instrument of nature being snapped into pieces. The car wasn't the ideal choice, for it was quite small and would not be able to support the Christmas tree at all.

"We'll figure it out," he said determinedly. "My feet are cold and I want to go back to the mansion and irritate the Skylark."

They found the owner and brought him over to the tree they wanted. Mukuro handed over the cash and the owner cut off the ropes holding it to the ground. "It's all yours, folks. Have a Merry Christmas."

Mukuro took one end of the tree while Futa and Lambo took the other. The girls followed behind the boys as they went back to the parking lot. Chrome suddenly remembered which vehicle they had taken and her eye widened.

"Um-"

"Futa and I have already figured that out," cut in Mukuro, already knowing what his female companion was going to say. "We're just going to have to problem-solve."

Reaching the black truck, Futa helped Mukuro tie the front of the tree to the cab of the truck. The back end hung down into the cab, as anticipated. Lambo tilted his head to the side. "Isn't it gonna thrash a bit if it's not tied down properly?"

"Yes," answered Mukuro. "I have the solution. You and Futa are going to ride in the bed of the truck and keep it supported."

Lambo whooped while Futa looked far less enthused. Chrome bit her lip. "I don't think it's a good idea…"

"It'll be fine," dismissed Mukuro. "Boys, in the truck. We're moving out."

Lambo eagerly clambered into the bed with Futa following behind. They crouched on opposite sides of the bed, taking hold of the back end of the tree and hefting it up so that it was level with the rest.

"Don't drive fast," pleaded Chrome.

Mukuro smiled and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry. They'll be alright."

"Be steady, guys!" I-Pin cautioned before following Chrome to the car.

Mukuro climbed into the driver's seat and started the truck. He pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, starting the journey home. Lambo gripped the tree as he swayed back and forth with the movement of the truck. The sharp wind chill stung the bare flesh on his face and he ducked his head as best he could.

"Second thoughts! I'm having second thoughts!"

"I'm already on my third thoughts," yelped Futa, bracing his back against the wall of the bed. A chunk of snow that hadn't been cleared from the roof of the truck flew off and struck the teen in the face. Coughing and spluttering, Futa shook his head wildly to rid himself of the snow. "Ouch."

Chrome's car trailed behind them and I-Pin was torn between pity and amusement as she watched her friends struggle against the motion and the cold. "I don't think they're having fun."

"I should have been sterner," said Chrome in dismay. "This is dangerous business. Bossu is going to kill me."

I-Pin could not help but laugh when Lambo's hat was whipped off his head and went flying down the road. "Oh, poor Lambo."

It was a relief when they arrived at Vongola Mansion. Rolling up the long driveway, Mukuro parked the truck and turned it off. Chrome moved her car beside him and jumped out to check on the two shivering boys. "Are you okay?" she exclaimed.

"Just a mild case of frostbite," said Futa through chattering teeth.

"Go inside and warm up. We'll bring the tree inside."

"That was actually awesome," cheered Lambo as he and his friends hurried to go inside the warm mansion.

"Now we just have to bring this thing inside," said Mukuro, untying the ropes.

"We could materialize it in," suggested Chrome. "In fact, we probably could have materialized the tree here in the first place."

"Then we would have had to make two trips. That's a lot of effort." He grinned at the exasperated look she sent him. "But we can certainly materialize the tree to the drawing room."

Chrome climbed into the bed of the truck and took the back end of the tree while Mukuro took the front end. Together they materialized the tree into the mansion, appearing in a swarm of indigo and black. Gokudera, who had been sitting on the couch reading, jumped at their sudden presence.

"Don't do that," he snapped.

Mukuro smirked. "Did we scare you?"

"You just popped out of nowhere. So yes, I was startled." Gokudera set his book down. "I see the tree, but not the kids."

"We left them there," quipped Mukuro.

Chrome shook her head. "They're probably getting hot chocolate."

The pair of illusionists leaned the tree against the wall, where it would stay until the Christmas decorations and the tree stand would be brought down from the attic. Gokudera studied it. "It's a pretty nice tree."

"Better be. It took forever to find it."

"It took five minutes to find it," said Chrome patiently. "The kids found it when Lambo got stuck on its branches."

Gokudera blinked. "So you selected the tree that attacked ahoshi?"

Mukuro stretched his arms over his head with a lazy smile. "Logical reasoning, I say."

The Storm Guardian smiled rather deviously. "I can agree with that. A tree that assaulted ahoshi is the perfect tree to me."