Collecting memories in a rainbow pot.

Title taken from the 31 Days theme for December 12, 2007. Set sometime in the future, before things start falling apart for the Vongola Family.


"Tenth!"

Tsuyanoshi Sawada turned at that familiar voice, taking his eyes away from the sky and returning to a vision of sunlit forest and lush grass. Hayato Gokudera's figure cut out a tall silhouette from the scenery, pasting black cotton, white flannel and leather against the blues and greens of summer.

"Everything is ready now, sir. Shall we return to the estate?"

"Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea."

Gokudera smiled; he stepped aside and bowed low, to let Tsuna move past him. Vongola's mid-range specialist was the quiet, reassuring presence just at Tsuna's shoulder as the young mafia boss followed the meandering forest path back to civilization. The past few years had had transformed him from a troubled youth with too much energy into the one Guardian of them all whom Tsuna could truly trust with everything. He had grown tall and proud in the service of the family, throwing himself into his tasks in a way that none of the other guardians came close to replicating, but some of his bad habits (smoking too much, prioritizing family and Tsuna over his own health) hadn't really changed.

"Well, there we go… we were just about to send a search party out for you two!"

"Are you implying that I'm incapable of protecting the Tenth?!"

"Come on, Hayato, you know I'd never think of it that way!"

The trashy glitz and dirty glory of the underworld had never managed to put a dent in Takeshi Yamamoto's spirit, preserving that same wide grin and infectious laugh that Tsuna remembered seeing and hearing throughout high school. He found it eerie sometimes, how Yamamoto could flirt with the pretty maids among the staff (or with the other Guardians) in one hour and decapitate enemies of the family in the next with nothing on the mind but the thought of coming home to a good dinner, but if there was anything that Tsuna had come to realize, it was that Yamamoto was on a league all on his own, inseparable from the team but always his own man in his own world.

"I still think that this is a complete waste of time."

"You're so cute when you're upset, Kyouya"

"Do not test my patience, Cavallone."

Dino Cavallone flashed Tsuna an apologetic smile as he came forward, trailed by the second drifter among Tsuna's six Guardians. Where others had grown up and filled out, Kyouya Hibari had bled down to the barest essentials in skill, grace and viciousness, retaining that same, supple and almost willowy build ideal for a fighter who specialized in lightning speed and quick, crushing blows. Hibari had been raw back then, Tsuna now realized, proud and uncompromising and utterly alone. Dino had stayed when others would have given up, and smoothed things out for Hibari, convincing him that perfection could not be found in complete solitude. Distance, however, was what Tsuna had promised Hibari in return for his services, and the Vongola Family head made sure to let the Cloud Guardian walk wherever he willed. That they crossed paths occasionally was enough for Tsuna to know that they were comrades fighting for the same ideals.

"OH! It's THAT time already?"

Ryohei Sasegawa came jogging over from the mansion; the boxer clasped hands with Yamamoto, grinned at Gokudera and nodded towards Hibari and Dino. He took up the other vacant spot at Tsuna's shoulder, and nearly sent his boss sprawling with a thump to his back. "You're a genius, little brother," he boomed with a hearty laugh, "getting us all together for a family picture and all! It's been a while since the last one!"

"Um, yeah…" Tsuna straightened up, trying not to wince. He wasn't sure when he would finally get used to Ryohei calling him 'brother' – it had only been a year since he and Kyoko had gotten engaged, but he had declared his intentions to marry Kyoko after high school. Ryohei, to his surprise, had taken the news with great joy, and had proceeded to treat Tsuna as family since that moment.

"Whoa. Almost everyone's here."

Lambo Bovino ambled over with his hands in his pockets and that glazed, almost bored look in his eyes that Tsuna knew him best for. The boy joined the group with a big yawn and an even bigger stretch, earning him a disapproving looks from Gokudera and Hibari. Getting up in the morning had only seemed more and more like an epic effort for the boy ever since he and Reborn had started sharing one bed. "I wanna go back to sleep," Lambo mumbled, squinting at nowhere in particular. His words drew Tsuna out of his thoughts, and away from some rather disturbing images of his former mentor and the toddler than he used to bathe and take to the bathroom doing strange things to each other. "Let's take the picture already…"

"Not yet!" Yamamoto cut in. "We're still waiting for—"

"Sorry for taking so long. I'm here now."

Chrome approached the group with a polite cough: the girl had, for once, taken a cue from the other guardians and worn the suit and tie and color of her ring rather than the military green and knee-high boots favored by her other half. She offered a small, nervous smile at Tsuna before joining Hibari – the pair proceeded to talk in low voices, with occasional, cheerful interjections from Dino. Tsuna had not been the first to question the strangeness of their relationship, given the fact that Hibari and Mukuro seemed interested in nothing beyond killing each other whenever they were in the same room. He wondered if Dino had something to do with it.

Lambo yawned again, drawing Tsuna's attention. "NOW can we take the picture, Futa?" the boy mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Okay, okay Tsuna-nii and company, look over here, please!"

Futa stood in front of the congregation, armed with a big, black and almost intimidating-looking camera: it was one of the few times where Tsuna had seen the younger man without his book of statistics close at hand. Futa fussed over the group for a good, long while, shuffling them into position with wild gestures of his hands and barked instructions. Five full minutes passed before he was completely satisfied, and he lifted the camera to his eyes.

"All right… smile, everyone!"