Thanks so much for every favourite and alert guys. As I write this I have 69 alerts, which makes me feel incredibly loved. That many stalkers also makes me laugh my drink out of my nose, like a cool kid =w= I'll try and keep it up!
iEXIST: I have read Ouran, it was pretty good. I'd rather not be that kind of twin though... that'd be awkward. We look pretty different, clothing and hairstyle-wise, since he never takes care of his appearance XD I'll see what I can do with the TYL stuff, maybe a new omake. Lulu-ichigo: Thank you! There wouldn't be a point bringing them in if I wasn't going to shoot at least one *hint hint* Toratoro: Hahaha, brilliant XD I might use part of that! Hope no one else reads these ^^;; Nichi Koneko: Your review made my day~ I was wondering about shooting someone with both earlier, originally planned on shooting Dino like that. Then he'd be stuck as a girl, but for longer and with much more awkwardness. Still, I think people are happier I let Gokudera get shot that time, and it wouldn't be enough of a difference for me. As for Tsuna, we can only wait and see, although the word 'smex' made me laugh. Boo i scare you: Wow, that was a good review, glad I could help. I worried about him being OOC, but the idea was worth a shot. Yes, you did~ SniperKingSogeking0341: Bore you? O.O Sorry! I have a mini-arc focussing on the boxer later, but it's a fair while away. You can tell I have a focus on two characters in particular this chapter, hope they work for you for now. I box weekly myself, hopefully you trust me enough to be patient~ doodle808: That's pretty much the main problem, yeah XD If you think about it, getting a horny lizard to do it really shouldn't be such a big deal, but he's too wrapped up in his problems to see the lighter side in all this. I-Kill-U-For-Yaoi: XD Your reviews are always very... enthusiastic. I hope my updates are worthy of that praise! Ezcap1st: Yeah, this is sorta the start of a 2nd arc. Tsuna's going to be a lot more active in trying to solve this, although he's still Tsuna. Yukirin-Sama: I love that you love it~
"Adelheid?" Tsuna hoped she couldn't hear the gulp from his side of the phone, or the stammering. If only Enma's phone had been older; the top half flipped out, and it shined. She would hear him as well as if they were standing next to each other.
"...What is it?" Straight to the point, as always. Her voice was cold, the other side of the phone completely silent when she didn't speak. Tsuna looked up at the clouds sweeping past the sky, trying to focus on the deep shade of blue.
"We- We need to talk. About those lizards again."
"There is nothing else to consider."
"Yes there is!" Tsuna felt himself jump a little as he yelled- had he really just done that? He could picture the girl on the other side of the line raising one thin eyebrow, curious maybe but not intimidated. "Adelheid... my family needs to find a cure, er, a lizard for Leon. This is important."
"Are there no other lizards in the area?" She sounded like she was about to yawn, bored of him. Considering the lack of background noise, she was probably at home already, lying on a couch or bed.
"We haven't found any yet," Tsuna said evenly. He didn't mention that the sole person who'd been looking for other families with lizards for him had just turned into a girl- one that could only be described with words like perky or bubbly- and had refused all contact with her original family since. This had halted the search for other lizards.
"I understand you want to keep a bullet for a while longer, for some reason," Tsuna opened his mouth again, trying to keep the conversation going. "But you already have one leftover from the first week of the mating season, right? What harm would it do if your lizard met Leon now?"
"It's extremely unlikely a pet as refined as the one the Shimon Famaglia care for would settle for a perverted creature like yours."
"We're perverted? There's TWO Gokudera-kuns, and Chrome can't bend over without blushing!"
Well, Tsuna nearly said that. But no matter how obviously horny the little purple lizard was, he couldn't just aggravate Adelheid for no reason. Had to play this carefully...
"Well, we won't know until they meet. But if you're so sure she won't like Leon, you have nothing to be afraid of, right?"
"...Hm." Tsuna looked at the phone, exasperated. She was making this as hard as she could, wasn't she?
"So we'll come over and bring Leon sometime and see? It wouldn't hurt if the, erm, Vongola and Shimon strengthened ties by cross-breeding their lizards, right?" Fingers crossed as his free hand fidgeted. The Mafia card usually worked on people like Adelheid, didn't it?
"Fine," conceded the dark-haired middle school girl. Tsuna felt like jumping for joy, breath exploding out as he sighed in relief. He hadn't even noticed he was holding in his breath.
"I will see you and all of your guardians at the Shimon residence on Sunday evening. If- and only if- the lizards are attracted to each other, I will consider what to do then. Is that agreeable?" Adelheid's tone made it obvious that was all he'd get, as far as compromises went.
"Sure, thanks!" Tsuna's smile was shot as he heard the dial tone- she hadn't even waited to hear his response. Man, he was on thin ice with her.
He shut the phone with one hand, pressing it against his forehead as he knelt down. It was Wednesday, but at least he'd managed to make sure their lizards could meet eventually. He knew why she'd chosen that time, of course- Sunday was the earliest time for a new Sexy Bullet to come, so there was a chance she could shoot someone else his family. Adelheid seemed to be having fun with that.
"So... we were the ones shooting your family?" Enma looked up at him, expression wide.
Oh shi-
"Ah, Enma-kun!" Tsuna's hands waved frantically as he realised what he'd done. He'd just had that entire conversation in front of the diminutive red-head, despite promising to keep the Shimon's hormonal lizard a secret to their leader. "Ah, well, you see, Adelheid said to keep it a secret from you..." Enma said nothing at this, turning and staring across the rooftop. Tsuna couldn't tell if the wind was making his shirt ruffle like that, or if he was shaking slightly.
"Enma-kun?"
"She always does that." The boy's voice was subdued, almost a mumble.
"Does... what?"
"Hides things. Protects me." Tsuna wondered what he could say to that, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
"Well, she means well... Um, here," he gave Enma the phone back, fumbling it slightly. The boys shared a silence, looking out across the rooftop.
"I didn't mean to hide what she was doing from you, really," Tsuna apologised, but Enma remained silent. He usually was, but the brunet had prided himself on his ability to draw the shyer boy out of his shell. The two looked at each other, at a loss for words.
"I'll... make it up to you," he promised. "But I need to get moving if I want to start fixing things. With my friends, I mean." Enma nodded, but didn't say anything.
"Um..." Tsuna wondered what he could say. This awkward tension... He'd hidden what Adelheid had been doing from the boy, and lied to him, yet he wasn't angry or sad. Enma-kun didn't seem to be feeling anything much, like he expected this...
"I'll see you tomorrow, maybe we can work on our homework, yeah?" Tsuna suggested, heading downstairs. Boy, he wished Enma had said something. They had only known each other for a little while, and already he'd let him down... ah.
But he had other problems as well.
Tsuna quickly made some calls on his way out of school. Gokudera (whichever one answered his phone) agreed to look into other Mafia families, asking and calling any of them if they had a spare shape-shifting lizard they could borrow. Dino had made it sound like the few lizards in the world had all been snapped up by rival Famaglias, for making weapons and things like the Dying Will Bullets. However, he wondered about that... surely a few were in the wild, or owned by people outside the scary world of the Mafia? Something else to look into.
Then, he quickly made two more calls, agreeing to meet people as he stepped onto the train. Normally he walked home, but today he had something else to take care of. The cold female voice announced the next stops as he sunk into his chair, resolve and weariness battling in his heart.
"Next stop, Kokuyo Land".
"Wait, so you only eat snacks and sweets for meals?" Diana lowered the top in her hands, inspecting Chrome with a thoughtful expression. Chrome turned red, trying to answer.
"Well, we don't have much gas to cook with, and Ken likes gum and lollies, and that sort of thing, so a lot of the time-"
"I'm so jealous!" Diana interrupted, smiling as she did so. "Even without the Bullet, you're really cute Chrome-chan! How come you're not fat with all those sweets?"
"Eh? Um, how should I know..." She just ate chocolate when she felt like it. It... it wasn't something Chrome had ever needed to worry about. Thinking for a moment, she realised some girls would call her very lucky for her powerful metabolism.
"Oh, try this one next," insisted the blonde, pushing Chrome out of her thoughts and into the changing rooms. They were still out shopping, the wealthy Mafia leader newly awoken to the joys of clothes shopping. Sure, Dino had enjoyed getting tailored suits that looked cool, but that was nothing compared to the range of shoes and handbags the mall offered.
Eyeing the clothing in her arms with suspicion, Chrome wondered if it was worth the trouble. Still, at least this stuff fit, and Diana seemed to enjoy making the violet-haired girl her own personal dress-up doll.
"But..." she opened her mouth to talk, unable to finish. The latest shirt was a deep shade of lavender, to go nicely with her hair. It also revealed about 4 inches more cleavage then Chrome usually had to show off, and did some funky frilly thing at the hem that was all weird.
"Hahaha! You're as red as a tomato!" Diana laughed as she watched, head suddenly through the curtains of the change room.
"G- get out!" Chrome shut her eyes, blushing furiously as she realised she'd been seen like that. Of course, this only encouraged the blonde, leaping in so she could pinch Chrome's cheeks.
"You're so shy I can't stand it," declared the Italian, smirking as Chrome tried to wriggle away.
Chrome was saved when the phone went off, ringtone snapping Diana out of her fun. She answered in a sudden business-like tone, efficiently short and to the point.
"Diana here." Chrome waited patiently, ears perking when she heard the next outburst. "Ooh! Tsuna-kun! What's up?" Diana began fiddling with her hair as she spoke, worryingly. "Uh-huh. Yeah, she's right here. I'll bring here right away!"
Was Boss after her? Chrome didn't have her own phone- she had never seen the point.
"Alrighty then, we'll meet you at-" the blonde turned quickly on her heel, pacing as she talked. Chrome idly wondered if she knew her hips were swaying like that as she walked- Dino made a better girl then her, it seemed.
"No? Aww. Okay, I'll be back at the house." Diana pouted for a second, before her usual infectious grin was back. Some things never changed, male or female.
"Okay, you have to go to Kokuyo Land now Chrome-chan!"
"Ehh? Why?" One thought of Ken and Chikusa seeing her like she was... Chrome wanted to sit down.
"I dunno. But your shy little Tsuna-kun wants to meet you and Mukuro there later tonight, so we'd better finish up here."
"Finish up?" They hadn't decided on anything she was comfortable with, and her borrowed clothes felt tighter than ever now that she'd tried things made for her new figure- which happened to be Hourglass, otherwise known as the measurements 37-21-33".
"Let's get going!" Diana pulled Chrome by the arm, as she wondered what Boss had planned.
Outside Tsuna's house. Yamamoto was going through swings and motions- some light baseball exercises. His bat weighed nothing, almost a part of him. It was an extension of his own body, not a mere tool in his hands. Sudden tension in his fists; the boy tightened his grip and swung, an audible echo wavering through the air as the metal flew across with speed.
"You have until Sunday." A high-pitched voice chided him. "Go practice somewhere else." Yamamoto turned, grinning back at the suited baby watching him.
"Ah, but you lied with the dates before, so the last bullet came early, right?"
"You saw it come yesterday, on Tuesday." Reborn pointed out, gesturing with his gun towards Yamamoto. He didn't deny he'd tricked them then? "So you know a Moe Bullet won't appear until Sunday the earliest."
"Be that as it may, I'd rather one of was watching you at all times. You've done the impossible before, after all." He turned and lifted his bat off his shoulder, preparing to practice again.
Tsuna's backyard was rather small for practising in, but Reborn couldn't be allowed to do whatever he felt like. This lizard business was tricky stuff, he mused.
"Where's the Tenth!" an irritating voice suddenly broke the peace, stomping through the house and shoving the back door open with a clack. "Tenth?"
"He hasn't come back- it's just us", Yamamoto smiled warmly at Gokudera, setting him off.
"Well, where is he? I can't even find anyone reliable, since you and that stupid cow are the only ones here," grumbled the Strom Guardian, crossing his arms as he headed out onto the porch, scowling against the sun when it hit his eyes.
"Chrome and Dino, or Diana as she insists, are still out shopping. Tsuna called Mukuro out somewhere a little while ago, when school finished," the taller teen explained. Gokudera merely scowled at his helpfulness, lighting up a cigarette.
"Listen, this is important. He got me- as his right-hand man- to call around and check who else had lizards in the Mafia."
"Oh?" Yamamoto found himself leaning forward, curious what he had to say. "You found one?"
"No! Most of their leaders weren't even answering." The silver-haired teen said this as if it were obvious. "But guess who's arriving early in town for the ceremony?"
"Um...," The baseballer rested his chin on the end of his bat, thinking hard.
"The Varia?"
"Geh- don't ruin my surprise!"
"But they're one of the only Mafia groups we know," he pointed out innocently.
"Baseball idiot. When they're here we can use them to help get rid of this lizard problem, since they answer to the Tenth! Problem solved!"
"I'm not sure that's how it'll work out..."
"Pfft, you're just being weak. Do you have any better ideas?" Yamamoto looked him in the eye, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Well... I wonder if I could shoot Squalo in a fair match..."
"This isn't just some training game! Damn it, you should care more about protecting the family from getting shot." Yamamoto laughed at this.
"So I should get shot like you to make sure Tsuna isn't hit?"
"I'm saying you should take this seriously!"
A small cough interrupted their fight, both boys turning to Reborn. He was sitting on the steps, drinking a coffee with a smirk on his lips.
"What day do the Varia get here? Answer when spoken to," he added, prompting Gokudera to talk.
"They were already on their way, so they'll be here by the weekend, Reborn-san!" Gokudera looked mildly panicked as he spoke to the homicidal Arcobaleno.
"Interesting..." The baby looked down into the swirling darkness of his coffee for a moment. It was black, like he always took it.
"You can go back to bickering now," he mentioned, hopping up as he made his way inside.
"Damn... it feels like he has something up his sleeve." Gokudera looked suspiciously towards the hitman's retreating back.
"I know what you mean. Think the Varia have a lizard?"
"Of course not!" Gokudera retorted.
"Alright, alright, just an idea," Yamamoto laughed him off. He wondered if Xanxus and the others would want to use any of the Moe and Sexy Bullets? Someone like Mammon would have found a way to make money out of them, but it was hard to see some of the others turned 'cute' or 'sexy'. Just like Reborn had said, interesting...
Tsuna gulped. The entrance to Kokuyo Land loomed threateningly across his vision. He'd been the only one to get off the train, the abandoned amusement park the end of the line. It was one of the few places Tsuna had ever seen that actually warranted use of the word 'derelict'. Wilderness and empty land surrounded the large structure, broken windows and crumbling stairways a testament to the ravages of time.
Or to Ken's housekeeping skills, possibly. Either way, waiting out the front of the place was a scary prospect. He had to mentally remind himself of his Mama, and how much they needed to return his house to normal for her sake. If a home could physically burst from overcrowding, his had hit that point a week ago.
Tsuna gulped again, trying not to jump when what might have been a mouse scurried past. How does Chrome live here? Obviously she wasn't as pampered as he was, although he wondered what her upbringing was like. She didn't look like she'd lived as a runaway before, although her childhood obviously hadn't been as cushy as his own.
Another rustling sound; was this place filled with mice? Man, he already wanted a shower, and he hadn't even stepped inside. But it probably wasn't that bad-
"Mrrf!" Tsuna felt a clammy hand close over his mouth- someone was behind him! He tried to yell, but it was no good. He was violently pushed to the ground, his captor taller and stronger. What was going to happen to him?
Chrome thanked the taxi driver, grateful for Diana's kindness. She'd rather have caught a train to Kokuyo, and not wasted any more of the blonde's money then she had to, but she'd been insistent. Diana had put her hands on her hips, looking ever the part of a twenty-two year-old woman as her scarf rolled behind her shoulder in the wind. As she'd pointed out- multiple times- her figure might not be as large as Chrome's had suddenly become, but she still turned a head or two while they were out.
"I made you late- it's really no big deal. Now take the money and hail a cab."
"That's not it... I, I don't feel that comfortable-" Chrome had mumbled, head down.
"It's fine; I'd be insulted if you didn't take the money." Diana patted her on the back, missing her point. "Just think of it as a gift to Tsuna-kun, so you don't keep him waiting. We both owe him, after all."
Chrome hadn't been able to tell the Chiavarone boss the real reason for her discomfort, meekly accepting the wad of bills into her purse. How did you avoid sounding ungrateful while complaining about something just bought for you? But the thought of being alone in a car with a strange person (Indian man, if what she'd heard about taxis held true in Japan) was a little frightening. Worse was the thought of being alone while dressed in her new clothes- a tight denim mini-skirt, white blouse with frills, a half-jacket in deep shades of blue and pumps that were surprisingly easy to walk in, despite making her feel like she was going to fall twenty feet to the ground if she tripped. It was hard to say she looked bad exactly, but Diana was a lot more casual about wearing revealing clothes then she was. Typical guy.
And so, thanks to the blonde, she had been driven late to see Boss at Kokuyo land. Would Chikusa and Ken see her like this? The sudden thought made her blush. Oh god, Ken! The violet-haired girl stepped out of the taxi, handing the surprisingly female taxi driver the amount, looking around idly. Boss said he'd wait outside, right? As she walked her hair swished behind her, tickling her back. She hadn't realised it was so long since the Sexy Bullet, but then it was hardly a major aspect of her transformation. Diana had insisted she wear it down, giving her white ribbons that tied it back nicely. That irked her, actually.
Chrome sat down on the stairs that led up to the building she called home, changing her hair as she waited. The rest she could live with, but Chrome really preferred it when her hair matched Mukuro-sama's, tied back in a cute little pineapple shape. Not that he would refer to it as such. But to have it down... was far too close to how 'Nagi' had looked, before. Before she risked her life for that kitten, and was hit by traffic. Before a tragedy that turned into a blessing in disguise, leading to her new life. She wondered how different things would be, if she hadn't been naive enough to run out and try to rescue that kitty... Or was it strong of her, to try and save it when no one else would? Thinking like that hurt her head. She looked up at the setting sun, wondering how long she had to herself before Boss arrived. Would he bring Mukuro-sama, as well?
Mukuro-sama... how long could he stay a butler? As great as it was seeing him around, he'd probably be taken back to prison the moment he returned to normal. Reborn really was strange, breaking into such a powerful prison just to do something like that- how powerful was the baby, exactly? Surely breaking into the Vendicare prison and escaping with a high-class captive would have resulted in massive damage, resulting in the death of dozens of guards or allowing other prisoners the chance to escape. Reborn would probably be blacklisted immediately for committing such a crime against the Mafia, his Arcobaleno status- and position with the Vongola- in peril.
Chrome pulled her legs closer together, shivering. She could picture the suited Arcobaleno doing all of that with a smile, just so he could shoot Mukuro with a Moe Bullet. But no. That was insane. She was just scaring herself- there had to be a different way he'd accomplished such a miracle. Right? She was missing something; Chrome would just have to ask Reborn later if he had negotiated a deal with the guards. Please let that be it. Her fear heightened her senses- she could practically hear her beloved illusionist talking right now.
Wait.
"Mukuro-sama?" Chrome was up before she knew what she was doing, climbing two stairs for every beat of her racing heart. She looked side-to-side frantically- where was that coming from? She headed past the main entrance, towards the bushes that lined the path.
"Mukuro-sama!" What was going on here? Boss was lying on the ground, brown hair messed up even more than usual. The older teen was hunched over him, watching him sleep with a deep smile on his handsome features. "Um..."
"Ah, my Chrome, there you are." The other Mist Guardian glanced towards her, gesturing towards Tsuna. "Do you think the master will be pleased?" Chrome tilted her head in confusion, before realising Tsuna was trapped in an illusion. He was twitching and mumbling, and the grin on his face was somewhere between 'goofy' and 'perverted'.
"Um, did Boss ask for an illusion?"
"Sharp girl. Not at all, although he'll thank me for it in the morning."
"M-morning?" Chrome looked on, wondering what kind of illusion he'd used. The man was barely looking at her, obviously more interested in Tsuna.
"I'll give him a perfect night with my 'real' illusions. The young master will surely be pleased, and will give me anything I want after that, even his body." He said this calmly with a smile, eyes shut, as if it were a perfectly normal request. Just what was in that illusion!
"Ahh...," Tsuna rolled over strangely, hands grabbing the ground as he faced it. "Kyoko-chan..." Oh. Chrome watched awkwardly, really glad the vision wasn't shown to anyone beyond Tsuna.
"And Haru too... and Lal-Mirch-san, you look so nice when you smile like that..." His relaxed voice sounded perfectly at bliss, as if Tsuna were having an amazing dream.
"I don't think this is why Boss called us out here, Mu-Mukuro-san."
"But he seems to be okay with it, no?" Rokudo Mukuro winked with his lone eye, affectionately rubbing the boy's cheek with a gloved hand. Should she stop it?
Tsuna rolled over again, a small bead of drool hanging from his lip.
"Oh, Chrome-chaaaaan..."
"Eek!" Chrome jumped, skin crawling. A gleaming metal trident was in her hands in an instant, her own illusions surrounding the brunet. In a moment Tsuna was sitting up, blinking wearily as reality restored itself around him.
"Now why would you do such a thing?" Mukuro turned towards Chrome, looking directly at her for the first time.
"Um... Sorry, Mukuro-sama," Chrome felt like crawling away and hiding. Had she just stopped Mukuro- the man who saved her life?
"Uh! I, I tripped and fell asleep. Sorry!" Tsuna hurriedly got to his feet, not noticing the exchange between the two in his panic. "I was having such a strange dream... what was it again?" The young Vongola leader shook his head, a curious gaze in his eyes. Mukuro's Cheshire smile grew even larger at that, as Chrome stiffened next to them on the path. "Anyway, I called you both here, because things need to change at home."
"Whatever the master requires," Mukuro bowed as they spoke, his tone suggesting he meant the opposite. Change? Chrome found herself holding her breath, wondering what he was about to say. If Tsuna and Mukuro both agreed on something, there was no doubt in Chrome's mind she would do as they said.
"I need," Tsuna paused as he took a breath, his nervousness spreading to the thirteen-year-old girl. "For you both to-"
"Mukuro-sama?" A rough voice interrupted, as two figures leaped down from a window to join them. A tall boy with glasses and a beanie, as well as one with wild blonde hair and a grin too big for his mouth; Chikusa and Ken, Mukuro's main followers since childhood. "When did you get back-byon!" Ken ran up to Mukuro, as if he didn't believe he was real.
"And Chrome..." Chikusa's colder voice trailed off as he appraised the two, his eyebrows narrowing as he saw them.
"Wait, I can explain!" Tsuna tried to sound confident in front of the two boys. Holding up his hands, he began, "Mukuro's only out for a little while, while the Moe Bullet Reborn used is in effect."
"...Moe Bullet?" Chikusa eyed Tsuna over his glasses, intrigued. Ken was slightly less rational.
"Mukuro, are we going to attack anyone? When did you get here? What's with the suit? Hey, want me to take care of the shorty here for you?" Chrome giggled at his enthusiasm, a smile on her lips.
"Oh, hey Chro- WOAH." Ken's head swivelled towards the girl, mouth hanging open. Tsuna gulped. Looks like he'd noticed what had happened.
"Well, see, Chrome was also shot the day after, with th- the Sexy Bullet. It shouldn't last too long, but well, as you can see..." Tsuna's voice slowly died as the tension increased. The horizontal scar above Ken's nose was perfectly still as he continued to stare, gone into shock as he faced the now much more curvaceous girl. Chikusa was stoic and silent as he often was, and Mukuro was merely smiling that usual predator smile as he watched. Chrome herself was fidgeting, her blush a more vibrant red then the last of the sun behind her. Tsuna's voice wimbled on quietly, desperately trying to break the silence.
"See, um, these lizards are ready to mate, so I guess the bullets are like Viagra, to help them find a mate, or maybe that makes it more like wearing a short skirt to get attention, except Leon's a guy lizard, so he probably wouldn't wear one to find a girl lizard, well I guess they don't wear anything at all... lizards..."
Tsuna's voice died out. A breeze ruffled Ken's spiked hair, startling him out of his stupor.
"Chrome..." The violet-haired girl jumped at his words, suddenly stiff.
"Ye-yes!"
"You... look..." Ken suddenly realised his nose was bleeding from the effect, turning and wiping it furiously on Chikusa's shirt.
"Get off of me!" the boys struggled for a moment, Ken falling onto the taller boy in his panic. Chrome stuttered, arms folded across her chest as she struggled to react. It was exactly at this moment when the Sexy Bullet wore off.
Poof!
Tsuna's instantly turned away, hoping his tiny back was enough to shield Chrome from the other two teens. Chrome's skirt had snugly fit her wider hips- it had just fallen to her knees, her blouse suddenly noticeably open around the chest.
"Chrome-chan!" Tsuna's face was pale, his sympathies out to the poor girl. Chikusa and Tsuna struggled between them, supporting a still-shocked Ken as they stopped him turning from turning around. The boy was practically in heat for her as it was- the last thing he needed was to see her panties. Tsuna listened behind him carefully, wondering what was happening. He was pretty sure Chrome had tripped in her new shoes at this point, but Mukuro still seemed to be back there.
"Chrome? Tell me if Mukuro's there! I... I fought him once! I'll do it again if I have to!" Tsuna squeaked, panic rising through his very male hormones.
"I'll... I'll help if I have to!" Cried Chikusa, surprising him.
"Kakipi, let go! What the hell was with that explosion? And, Chrome... woah..." Ken struggled, barely contained as they wrested his sights away from the girl.
But she still hadn't answered Tsuna... was she okay? Tsuna risked a tiny peek, face up towards the sky as he looked over his shoulder. From the corner of his eye, he could see Chrome and Mukuro together. What the?
Chrome was pressed tightly against Mukuro's frame, her slender body hidden from view thanks to him. His suit jacket was over her shoulders, covering her mercifully down to mid-thigh. This was the Mukuro-sama she knew... The others all thought she was following someone who planned to kill her, someone who saw her as a mere tool. But Mukuro was no different to her- she'd risked her life to save that stray kitten, and he was doing the same right now. No matter the evidence he was using her, or the claims Rokudo Mukuro himself had made about wanting to destroy the Mafia, Chrome had faith in the man. On these steps Ken, Chikusa and herself- strays the world didn't need- had been gathered, saved.
"Mukuro-sama..." she whispered, tears welling in her eyes.
"Hush, Nagi," the navy-haired man smiled at her as he spoke, a smile that reached his eyes.
"Chrome!" Chikusa's voice pierced the mood, shattering the ethereal silence she had been wrapped in. "Are you an illusionist or not? Hurry up and clothe yourself before this mutt humps your leg!"
"Ehhh?" Tsuna smiled sheepishly; how come he hadn't thought of that? The boys turned to see a relieved Chrome, back in her Kokuyo uniform- or so it seemed to their senses.
"Um... good idea, Chikusa-kun," she bowed as she spoke. "So, Boss, you ah, wanted to say something?"
"I- I just wanted to see if you and Mukuro could live here, and help Mama relax a little, that's all!" Tsuna was having trouble looking at her.
"Young Master, I could not abandon my post as your ward," Mukuro began to protest gently, before the others spoke up.
"Like hell you're going anywhere! You haven't even explained what's going on!" Ken roared as well as one of the animals he transformed into during battle.
"Boss, really? Now that I'm normal, that'd be amazing! Mukuro-sama, you could live here for now!" Chrome's grip on his arm tightened.
"Well, let us know if anything happens, you can have fun explaining to them what's been going on." Tsuna started waving, walking quickly away from the four remaining members of the Kokuyo gang, squinting as he turned to face the sun. "I'll see you on Sunday, Chrome! We have another meeting with Adelheid then!" Chrome blinked, puzzled as he hurried away, but happy enough not to worry as Tsuna practically ran.
The boy paused, loosening his school uniform as he breathed in deeply, now back at the bus stop near Kokuyo Land. He'd properly settle things with Chrome later, when he was less... flustered. That scene back there had been so awkward, he wasn't sure he could cope.
"Still," he panted, a small smile on his lips. "Two down in one day. Things are going back to normal." Tsuna's moment of peace lasted an entire minute, before a small beeping sound alerted him to a test message.
The message read:
Tsuna-chan! It's been ages, we should catch up! ^.^ Oh, I got your message about the lizards, how awesome. I have one too! We should totally introduce them, it's made life fun around here for us XD Text me back, 'kay?
-Longchamp
Tsuna stared at the display, eyes wide. Another lizard in town... and another chance for them to get shot. Things were far from over!
Written while wearing: the Sun Ring, to match the moods I was in writing this.
A/N: Ah, nearly 2 weeks since my last update, no omake this time, and no oneshot in the chapter, I fail at life. Why is Kokuyo so hard to spell for me? Hopefully the turns in the plot please some of you, please let me know if the Varia coming, the upcoming meeting with Adelheid, Longchamp's intro, or anything else pleased you. At least this one was my longest chapter yet~ Huge thanks go out to Midi, for beta work on a monster written at 5am. I'll try to update next week, but university life and a new Pokémon game conspire against us all. Thanks for reading!