The woods were frequently ventured since they held most of the paths to the villages near Vongola Kingdom.

But that didn't mean they held secrets no one had unearthed yet.

Some had said that they'd seen apparitions of large hellhounds running through the trees, hunting for malevolent spirits for their master, the Grim Reaper, while others had said that they'd hear giggling voices of nearby fairies and dryads. Few had actually met them face-to-face, clear in daylight, but even fewer had encountered the mysterious man who was rumored to live in the woods.

A miracle-worker they said, blessed by the gods themselves, with hands and strange concoctions that could heal any ailment, whether it be a grave illness or a broken heart. His kind amber eyes and gentle smile would put you at ease, they said, after a long day of travel on the forest's convoluted paths and hills. But what you'd leave with was not a vial of potions or bags of unique herbs—you'd leave with a part of his warmth that had encompassed you the moment you entered his abode.

Enma didn't deny any of these things, but he also didn't believe that they did the man justice either. Tsuna was more than a miracle-worker, more than a man with a heart too big for anyone to fathom.

And only Enma would know; he'd keep Tsuna's secrets to himself, because that was what good friends do.

They'd meet at night twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays. Enma didn't know why those days in particular or why it had to be at night—since their friendship was still tentative at best and had only started two months ago, he was hesitant to ask—but he understood that there were things Tsuna would like to keep to himself. Enma was the same.

"Hello, Yamamoto," he said, when he found the canine at the end of a footpath. Yamamoto's coat was dark gray, almost black, that blended in easily with the shadows. His eyes were a startling shade of blue that reminded Enma of the sea jewels his sister would find near the ocean. "Thank you for meeting me here."

Tsuna had told him that it was obligatory to greet Yamamoto before and after the creature led him to Tsuna's cottage. He didn't go into detail about it if he didn't, but Enma could guess. Not too long after, a succession of trills greeted them down the path before a black sparrow flew down and perched on top of Yamamoto's head. They were a pair, Yamamoto and Asari, and one would not be without the other. Enma thought it was poetic, sweet even. Tsuna had chuckled and just let him believe what he wanted.

The moon was out in full tonight, surrounded by a sea of stars that glimmered and faded against the night sky. Enma's gaze didn't linger for too long. Yamamoto and Asari would walk on ahead without him if they wanted to. It never happened before, but Enma knew intuitively. They only acted as his guides because Tsuna asked them to. No one could say no to Tsuna.

"Thank you for bringing me here," Enma said with a small bow.

Huffing, Yamamoto just turned back to the woods and melted into the shadows. Asari's chirps of farewell echoed almost ominously in the crisp air, even when they had gone. Enma turned to see a small cottage at the far end of the clearing. It was a modest house, with large windows that didn't allow anyone to see the inside. Instead, the glass was pure white, and had swirls of pale colors moving around like wisps of threads.

The wooden door opened, and the bell above it sweetly jingled. Tsuna, clad in dark orange robes and fresh clothes, smiled warmly. "Enma, it's good to see you. Come in. Make yourself comfortable. I'm just finishing some work."

Enma loved Tsuna's home. It smelled of calming herbs, fresh water, and morning dew, a wonderful fragrance of everything good in the outside world. There were no fireplace or candles, but the cottage was always warm and welcoming. Small, floating orbs provided the light as they moved languidly in the air. Tsuna had said that they were a gift from someone named Viper. Enma had touched the orbs once; they hadn't burned. Rows of shelves hung on the brown walls filled with jars of different herbs that he had never seen before, ranging from pretty ones to the most bizarre. There was a separate shelf for books with ancient inscription and languages Enma couldn't read, but they were kept in mint condition.

After making himself comfortable on the couch, Enma took the moment to watch Tsuna work in the kitchen, which was the only messy place in the one-story house. It was Tsuna's own little world, where he'd create unimaginable things beyond human understanding and capabilities. Several mortars and pestles with different-colored mush rested on the long table; some colorful powder streaked along the wooden surface. Two thick books hovered in the air for Tsuna to read, their pages turning whenever he politely asked, as if they were sentient beings. Enma had never seen anyone perform that kind of magic before. The most he'd seen was Julie levitating a pebble, and that was nothing compared to what Tsuna could do.

Humming a soft tune, Tsuna poured the liquids in a round bottle with a long glass stem, then let it float by his head while he read the books. He perked up. "Ah, I'm sorry, Enma. Would you like some tea? Water?"

Enma smiled and shook his head. "It's alright." He ran a hand through his red hair, pondering. "Could I get a sweet drink, if that's not too much to ask?" Tsuna's food was to die for. Whatever he charmed them with, it didn't matter. They always tasted divine.

"It'd be an honor," Tsuna said teasingly. A silver tray with a cup and pitcher glided across the air until it reached the small table in front of the couch. "Please, help yourself. I just made them this morning. It has some mangoes, cherry, and dragon fruit. I hope you like it."

Enma watched in awe when the pitcher poured some red liquid with black seeds inside the cup. "Dragon fruit? And mangoes? Where were you able to get those?"

Tsuna inserted a cork inside the bottle. He faced Enma with a little smile and a finger placed against his lips. "A secret. And how is your sister?"

"She's doing well, thank you." After Enma stumbled upon Tsuna's cottage by pure chance, he owed the man his life for healing his sister's illness with a magical concoction of things he didn't know existed.

Tsuna beamed. "I'm glad to hear that." He tensed slightly and looked towards the door.

Enma brought the cup towards his lips. The smell was heavenly but he didn't drink. "Is there something wrong?"

Tsuna raised a hand, silencing him. He looked resigned, but there was a tinge of fondness in his eyes that made Enma shift in his seat. "No," Tsuna said slowly.

"There's a but there," Enma couldn't help but say.

Some tension rolled off Tsuna's shoulders before the man headed for the door. "Yes, well, brace yourself."

Enma eyed him warily when his hand rested on the knob. "For what, exactly?" He flinched when a chorus of howls sounded faintly in the distance. "W—What was that?"

Tsuna smiled faintly. "Company."

He flung the door open, ignoring Enma's confused yelp. The ground slightly shook underneath them. Enma nearly fell off the couch, more out of surprise than from the tremor. He watched, wide-eyed, when the howls drew closer. Tsuna never moved from his spot.

"Tsuna!" a small voice called out.

"Tsuna, look, I found your charms!"

"I found more!"

"No, I did!"

"No, me!"

Enma blinked when a pack of large black dogs with red eyes bounded onto the clearing with two children squabbling on their backs. He reached out for Tsuna when the man stepped out. "W—Wait!"

"Children," he heard Tsuna say, "what brings you here?"

Enma's jaw dropped when he walked to the doorway. The dogs were huge, bigger than Yamamoto. They were about the size of small horses, with gleaming fur and sharp claws; yet, they carried themselves with poise, contrary to the way they had dashed towards Tsuna like excited puppies. And the children—Enma had never seen them before or anyone the likes of them. One was a little girl, who wore some strange red and white garb, with long black hair and two white fox tails. The other was a little boy about the same age with small bull horns growing from his head.

The girl leapt soundlessly to the ground and bounded towards Tsuna with a small, stuffed pouch in her hands. She opened it with a wide grin. "Look, Tsuna! I found this many!"

Enma flinched when the three dogs turned to him, their gazes piercing and much too intelligent for animals, if that was what they were. Tsuna smiled as the children fought for his attention and beckoned Enma over. "It's alright," he said. "I won't let them hurt you."

Gulping, Enma squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. He wouldn't be afraid. No. He wasn't afraid of children or big dogs, not even when they were something extraordinary. He was a Simon, damn it, a defender of his village and a warrior. This was nothing.

He yelped when the biggest dog snapped his teeth at him as a warning. Tsuna clicked his tongue. "Down, Jaeger," he said sternly, not caving in when the dog whined and laid down on his belly in apology. "He is my guest, and he will be treated as such with courtesy."

The little girl sniffed the air, the slit in her now red eyes dilating. "It's a human." She clapped her hands. "Is he my prize, Tsuna? I like roasted meat."

The boy brightened up. "Can I have his leg? Hey, wait, I found the most charms, you dumb fox!"

"No, I did, you stupid cow!"

Enma paled as Tsuna tried to calm them down. "No, he is not the prize and we won't eat him, understand?"

The fox ears on the girl's head drooped and the boy's tail thumped lifelessly on the ground. "Yes, Tsuna," they said, looking like kicked puppies. "We're sorry."

Enma wondered if they really were, or if they were sorry that they couldn't eat him.

"His name is Enma," Tsuna said, patting their heads. "He's a good friend of mine, so treat him nicely, alright?"

"Yes, Tsuna."

"Ah, right. Enma, this here is I-pin and this one is Lambo." Tsuna smiled sheepishly. "I apologize. They don't come over until after you leave. I usually keep them distracted with finding some trinkets I hid."

Enma tried to find the words to speak. "Oh, that's alright, really. Um, hello, my name is Enma, Enma Simon. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Lambo sniffed haughtily and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, you don't carry much meat on your bones. Not tasty."

"H—Hey!" Enma was a little bit on the scrawny side for a warrior but he never pulled his weight.

"Lambo," Tsuna said, "that was inappropriate. Apologize." Lambo mumbled his apologies while I-pin snickered. "And pray do tell—why were you riding on Alejandro and Jack?"

At the mention of their names, the two other dogs wagged their tails and came forward to nuzzle Tsuna's face, making him laugh.

"Mr. Bermuda said they could come with us to look for your charms!" I-pin said.

Lambo nodded. "Yeah, and they helped a lot!" He held up his own pouch. "See? I found this one near Ms. Elena's tree and Jack helped me get it before I-pin did!"

I-pin huffed. "Well, I found this near Miss Bluebell's cove."

"Just because you entered that crazy woman's lair doesn't mean anything!"

"I'm not the one who woke up Mr. Byakuran from his sleep!"

As the children bickered, Enma stole a glimpse of their pouches' contents. There were piles and piles of shimmering, different-colored shards that resembled jewels unlike anything Enma had ever seen. They emitted a beautiful blend of soft light, like a rainbow.

"Wait, I never left a charm near Bluebell's cove," Tsuna said. "Or near Byakuran's lair."

The children shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, um, that's what we thought, too," Lambo said. "It was really weird because, you know, they're a little crazy."

I-pin snorted. Tsuna pursed his lips. "Then what…" His face turned blank, frightening Enma along with the others. He had never seen Tsuna do anything but smile and be kind. "Alright, children, this will be a different sort of hunt from now on."

They looked a little too eager at the prospect. Even the dogs bounced on their paws, Jaeger recovering a little from his slump. Tsuna lifted the kids onto Jack's back, laughing when they held onto one of his hands with starry eyes. Enma had a feeling that they really didn't need it but took comfort in Tsuna's touch. For a brief moment, it reminded him of when he helped Mami on her horse for the first time and the way she squealed with delight after they took off.

Tsuna turned towards him with a mischievous smile. "As a warrior yourself, would you like to join us?"

"I'd say yes if I knew what I was going for," Enma said warily.

"Oh, it'll be quite the experience. Have you hunted phoenixes before?"

Enma choked on his spit. "P—Phoenixes? They exist? Wait—"

The children cheered from Jack's back as the dogs howled in unison, a haunting sound that rattled Enma's bones. This seemed less like a friendly hunt by the second; they were out for blood. Tsuna reached out towards Enma. "I assure you that you will be in safe hands. I won't let any harm come to you."

Enma could hardly believe what he was hearing, but he couldn't deny the thrum of adrenaline seeping into his veins. His heart thumped hard against his chest at the prospect of an exciting adventure. Besides, who had ever seen a phoenix and lived to tell the tale? Hell, he didn't even know that they actually existed. Granted, he kept his meetings with Tsuna a secret from everyone, this was just something he couldn't pass up.

Against his better judgement, Enma accepted Tsuna's hand. "Alright. I'm trusting you on this."

He yelped when Tsuna lifted him easily onto Alejandro's back like he weighed nothing, before the man himself leapt onto Jaeger with graceful ease. Trembling, Enma gripped Alejandro's thick fur with tight fists. The dog merely huffed in annoyance but didn't throw him off.

"And now we hunt!" Tsuna said in a jesting manner.

The children cheered. Then, they were off. Enma found himself laughing along with them as the wind rushed against his face.

He had never felt so alive.

A/N My Easter Secret Santa Gift for assasin8! I hope you liked it… :'^)

Little hints here and there about who's who but not really. Yamamoto and Asari are based on the yokai, okuri inu and yosuzume, respectively. And yes, Reborn better be ready or else Tsuna and the kids will be cooking chicken for dinner and Enma's going to get the first taste and probably get addicted. Whatevs. Should've known better than to mess with the kids' scavenger hunt (and the kids in general). Also, Tsuna may or not be an OP being himself. I'll leave that up to you. ;^)

Thank you for reading!

Have a lovely day and a Happy Easter~

Little Miss Bunny