A/N: You can't imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to see the positive feedback on this! Thank you very much for showing interest in this writing project of mine! It really did put a smile on my lips to see your reviews!

I had some time and motivation so here's a new chapter for your enjoyment!


Nanbanzuke: Nanbanzuke is marinated fried fish in vinegar sauce with vegetables. It is a deep-fried dish but because of the vinegar in the sauce, this has a rather refreshing flavor.


In the next couple of weeks, his days blurred by like how it usually does. Get up, go to work, get back home and sleep. Makoto, one of his coworkers, had commented that he looked unusually chirpy yesterday, but Tsuna waved it off with a soft laugh.

"I'm just how I usually am, Makoto-san. Now, how about lending me a hand in moving those boxes?" He didn't want to admit that his good mood had been attributed to Gokudera's visit yesterday. True to his word, the teen came to his home on Wednesday evening, looking a little shy yet eager.

While Tsuna had offered, it still came as a pleasant surprise to see him actually visiting. He brought a liveliness to the usual quiet nights, something that Tsuna had missed. While he could never get a greeting upon returning home, it did felt nice to greet Gokudera at the door.

That night, Tsuna made rice, vegetable soup instead of miso, a simple radish salad and teriyaki beef. Since he knew that he'd be having a guest for dinner, he had prepared ahead of time so by the time he actually got to cook the beef, he can be assured of its tenderness and flavor.

Just like their first time, Gokudera heartily ate his food. That warm feeling curled in his stomach like a content feline as he listened to the teen talk more on his project. He was about halfway done, needing more materials before he could move on to the next step. He also mentioned on how he was trying to make more effort in remembering to eat meals at a decent time.

Tsuna couldn't understand as to why he felt ridiculously proud for a brief moment. He didn't voice any of it out, merely giving Gokudera a pudding cup for dessert afterwards. They chatted some more as they washed the dishes before the teen went home for the night, having promised to come by again next Wednesday.

With that promise weighing at the back of his mind, Tsuna tried to decide on what sort of dish to do. During the two times he had cooked for Gokudera, the silverette pretty much eat anything on the plate. It looked like he preferred strong flavors, having liked the teriyaki beef a little more than the chicken karaage. Perhaps next week, he could work on a pork stew? Something to consider when he'd check what sort of deals were in store.

The brunette had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he failed to notice the half opened manhole cover. Just before an incident could occur, Tsuna blinked when he felt an arm wrapped around his torso, pulling him back.

"Woah there, you could've fell in or something!" A cheery voice told him. When the arm dropped, Tsuna turned around to see a young black haired teen. He didn't know how to put it, but it felt like he had seen that face before.

"Ah—" He looked down, finally spotting what could've been a nasty accident. Warmth flooded his cheeks. Oh dear, that was embarrassing to be so zoned out that he didn't pay attention to his surroundings. Tsuna dipped his body slightly. "Thank you so much for saving me. I wasn't looking where I was walking…"

The teen laughed, a sound that felt like a gentle afternoon shower. "That's fine! I'm just happy that you're alright." He adjusted his bag, and that was when Tsuna noticed the handle of a baseball bat peeking out from his back. Upon closer inspection, while he was wearing a relatively clean school uniform, his dirt dusted shoes told another story. Oh, so he played baseball?

"Well, that's all thanks to you." He flashed him a friendly smile. "While it is embarrassing, my name is Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Nice to meet you Tsuna-san!" Eh, straight for his first name? Well, it wasn't like he was too particular on it. "I'm Yamamoto Takeshi! My father owns the—"

"Ah! You're Yamamoto-san's son!" Tsuna blurted out, cutting off his introduction, furthering his embarrassment. "Sorry about that! It's just, I've ate at TakeSushi a few times before, and had talks with your dad. He did mention once that he had a son who plays baseball, but I didn't make the connection until you told me your name."

Just like his dad, Yamamoto had an easygoing air about him as he waved it off. "It's fine! I've been busy with baseball after school, so I haven't been able to help out my old man as often as I used to." He scratched his cheek. "But what a coincidence that you know him!"

"He makes some of the best sushi in town, and his prices are affordable. I can't say enough good things about it."

Yamamoto laughed at that. "I'm sure he'd appreciate to hear that! He works really hard to make good food!" At the mention of it, the teen's stomach suddenly growled, silencing them both.

"Whoops, guess I forgot to eat lunch earlier!" Tsuna wished he had his confidence to just laugh off everything. Though, he zeroed in on that particular comment, the gears in his mind churning. He hadn't eaten since lunch? Well, that wouldn't do in Tsuna's book.

"Say Yamamoto-kun… do you want to join me for dinner?" Tsuna felt comfortable with him, so it wasn't difficult to put out the offer. "Consider it as a way for me to repay you for saving me earlier."

"I was just there at the right place and time. You don't have to repay me or anything!"

"But I want to. I was about to make dinner anyway. It won't trouble me to prepare an extra serving. Besides—" Tsuna stifled a giggle at the sounds emitting from Yamamoto's stomach. "-it seemed your body says otherwise."

Yamamoto looked a little bashful at that, gripping at his stomach. A few seconds of silence passed before:

"Ah… well, I guess if you don't mind having me!"


After they entered his home, he instructed Yamamoto to wash up as Tsuna reviewed the ingredients that he had in the fridge. He wanted to make something filling and delicious for Yamamoto. Given that he was an athlete, something that both simulated the appetite and would give him the proper nutrients to help him grow would be ideal.

"Hmm… I think I still had some mackerel… right, let's go with that."

Whenever he cooked for himself, Tsuna only made two side dishes to accompany his rice and soup. With a hungry teenager though, he will increase it to three. He took out the mackerel fish from the fridge, as well as some leftover chicken.

The process of preparing the ingredients never failed to make him feel relaxed. Others might have their own stress relief methods, but for Tsuna, merely the act of slicing brought on a sense of calmness that eased the ache in his heart.

"Oooh… what are you making?" Yamamoto asked, having wandered into the kitchen to see what he was preparing.

"I'll be making nanbanzuke, stir fried chicken and a simple cucumber salad," he replied, not once taking his eyes away from making sizable fillets out of the mackerel. The marinated fish should help stimulate the appetite, with the stir fry giving him the protein to supplement. Rounding it off with some crunchy cucumbers for a texture contrast, Tsuna felt quite confident that this would be a hit.

After salting the fillet, he left it aside as he worked on julienning the carrots. He set that aside with the thinly sliced green onions before moving onto the stir fry ingredients.

"Nanbanzuke…" Tsuna might have imagined it, but he swore he heard Yamamoto swallow audibly. "Wow, I'm really looking forward to this!"

Just hearing the eagerness in his voice made Tsuna smile. Having someone wait for his meals…

"Mama! I told you that I'm almost done! No peeking!"

A giggle. "I'm sorry Tsu-kun. I'm just really looking forward to it."

He continued to chop the chicken into small bites, letting the memory wash over him like a summer breeze. Soon, the sound of the mackerel lightly frying in the oil filled the kitchen. In another pot, he had the sauce bubbling away. Tsuna had long since mastered the ability to multitask in the kitchen, so he had no trouble starting up the stir-fry immediately after the sauce came to a boil and he removed the pot from the heat.

Unaware, Yamamoto-kun was watching him. He marveled at the way his hands moved so seamlessly from one thing to the next. It was like watching his old man preparing sushi, only there was an elegance to Tsuna's movements that was mesmerizing. Perhaps it was the additional stimulant to the senses that gave him this impression but for now, he had no problem just watching him dance in his element.

Tsuna threw in the shallots and garlic, then the pieces of chicken. He added in the vegetables at the end to maintain its crunchiness before coating all of it in a light splashing of sweet soy sauce. He tasted a piece of chicken, smiling at the taste. He finished up the side dishes with the simple cucumber salad.

"Yamamoto-kun, could you please grab the plates from the counter?" The teenager did just that and soon, they had a nice spread on the table. Tsuna placed a small platter that had a dollop of mustard in front of Yamamoto's bowl.

"You can add that, if you want to make the stir fry a bit spicier," he suggested. With a prayer, they dug into their meal.

"Woah~ this is really tasty!" Yamamoto commented after pairing a piece of the mackerel with his rice. "I really like the sauce you used!"

Tsuna simply smiled as he ate a bit of the stir fry. "It's not that hard to make. Soy sauce, sugar, mirin—those three can help you make a solid base for most sauces. With the mackerel tossed in with the vinegar before the sauce, there's also a taste of sourness, right?"

Yamamoto shoveled in a few more mouthfuls of rice. "There is! It's just like a bwaah explosion of umami! Kinda like baseball, there's a bit of a pheww feeling and then boom! It's a homerun!"

The brunette laughed softly at that explanation. He might have not fully understand but Tsuna understood that it was his earnest way of describing how he felt.

"Well, I'm glad that you liked it, Yamamoto-kun. I was hoping that this would be a familiar taste to you…"

The youth paused at that, blinking at Tsuna's words. "Eh? What do you mean by that?"

He chewed thoughtfully, mentally arranging his words. "It might have been presumptuous but Yamamoto-kun lives in a sushi restaurant, right? I imagined that you would have eaten a lot of sushi, so when it comes to fish, you might like the taste of something a bit sour pairing with it, because sushi rice is often mixed with a little vinegar, right?"

A stretch of silence descended briefly, making Tsuna feel a bit nervous. Was that a bit too forward of him? Did he make Yamamoto uncomfortable?

"Wow… you guessed all of that? You're pretty awesome, you know that Tsuna-san?" Yamamato finally spoke up, flashing him a wide smile that eased his nerves and made his cheeks warm up a little.

"Well—thank you, Yamamoto-kun," he replied bashfully, tucking a loose lock of hair behind his ear. He resumed his meal, pausing once to refill Yamamoto's bowl. Just like the other day with Gokudera, the food tasted better. It was a quick, simple preparation and he knew that if he had more time, the mackerel would have marinated even longer. There were plenty of ways to tweak the recipe to make it even tastier.

And yet, with what he prepared, it tasted better than he remembered in a long while. Seeing Yamamoto eat so heartily whilst he chatted up a storm… was that the special ingredient, he wondered?

Nonetheless, dinner came to an end. Yamamoto had insisted on helping him wash up. Knowing the song and dance after his first refusal was met with resistance, he let him dry up dishes. Tsuna imagined the way he handled them was similar to how he handled a baseball—firm yet gentle.

They talked a little while longer, mostly on how Yamamoto's team was working hard to qualify for the spring tournament. It wasn't surprising that his dream would be to step on the Koshien field one day.

"Everyone expects a lot from me, so I have to do my best to not let them down!" Yamamoto exclaimed as his hands carefully wiped one of the plates. Tsuna eyed him for a moment. He was smiling as he said that, but for some reason, it felt like it didn't quite reached his eyes.

"Well… you can certainly give it your all, but don't overdo it, alright?" Tsuna piped up after awhile. He wiped his hands with a kitchen towel, then turned to face the silent teen.

"I can tell from your hands that you worked really hard." At that, Yamamoto looked at his hand. True, they were rough and calloused from the hundreds of hours that he spent holding the ball but it was surprising that Tsuna was capable of telling from a glance.

"And while that's admirable, there is such a thing as working too hard…" Tsuna fell strangely silent, expression pained for a split second before he offered Yamamoto a small smile. "I'm confident that you'll go far Yamamoto-kun, but don't forget that life is precious…"

Tsuna suddenly realized how preachy he sounded. "Ah—I apologize for that. I didn't mean to put down your effort," he apologized, giving a slight bow.

"No, no. It's alright, Tsuna-san." Straightening, he saw Yamamoto flashing him a grin, scratching his cheek. "I understand. Thank you for the advice. I'll try not to overdo it."

Hearing that, he felt more relieved than he expected. "Thank you, Yamamoto-kun."

With that, they continued with their task until all of the dishes have been stored away. Glancing at the clock, they realized that it was getting pretty late. Just like the other day, he offered to walk Yamamoto back to his home, but the teen politely refused.

"It's fine, Tsuna-san! I usually come home late because of practice, anyway."

Oh, if he often returned around this time, he wondered what sort of meal would await him. His dad was a sushi chef but surely that wasn't the only thing he ate, was it?

A thought crossed his mind, one that he didn't take long to make a decision on. It didn't feel odd, and it should have but—

The expression of someone genuinely enjoying his cooking… Tsuna wanted to see more of it.

"Say Yamamoto-kun, if you're finishing up late, and if you'd want… I can cook dinner for you." The offer came out smoother, a lot more confident. Yamamoto seemed surprised, blinking.

"Eh? Are you sure?"

He hoped his smile showcased his intention well enough. "I'm sure."

Unlike Gokudera, the teen decided right away. "If that's the case, I'd love to!"

Tsuna went through the process of adding another contact to his phone list, so new after the last one. He accompanied Yamamoto down the block until he disappeared around a corner with a wave.

He watched the empty street for a while longer before returning back home. While some memories resurfaced and struck a stake through his heart, it felt like it wasn't pressing on him as it used to. He could still feel it, but it was dulled. Or more specifically, buffered by the good feelings that he got all evening.

While the pain probably won't ever go away, he was able to make it more manageable. Focus on the good rather than the bad.

Tsuna breathed in the cool night air. He did this several times until he felt better.

Right, focus on the future. Yamamoto mentioned that he could swing by on Friday evenings or if he managed to finish up early. Tsuna had given him the instruction to text him a day before if he wanted to drop by. This way, he'd have even more time to prepare Yamamoto a better dish.

Just the mental image of seeing him eat his food with gusto tugged a smile to his lips. Dare he say it, he was getting a little excited for next week. He'd be having two guests over—people that he could share his mom's cooking to.

Only the stars witnessed his soft smile tonight.


A/N: Yamamoto is one of my favorites, so it wasn't too difficult to write his chapter. I want to say this would be the same with the rest of the cast, but that'd be wishful thinking on my end! I have started on the next chapter, but I'm not sure the direction I'm taking that in just yet but it involves my next favorite character behind Tsuna! Hopefully it would come as easy-ish as this one!

Thank you for reading, and I hope if you have the time, to drop a review on what you think! It's inspiring for me to see that my writing pieces are enjoyable to others, since English isn't my first language. It makes me even more determined to practice on writing through something that I love!