Puddles and Riddles

Japan, Namimori, 'Grand Clam Palace' Hotel

"You're the worst…" bemoaned the lithe brunette as he was relaxing in the hot-bath. The hot water was soothing to his sore muscles, and primarily his backside, that he was tempted to submerge in it and not come up for a long time. Though, if he thinks about it, it wasn't the best idea…not with him baring his nude body all day long when his lover was in such close proximity. Opening his eyes to mere slits, he threw the stink-eye to the ravenette beside him. Narrow obsidian eyes met his own for a few precious seconds before Reborn threw his head back and let loose a low baritone laugh. "Hah! And who was the one begging for more a little while ago~?" A smug grin spread across his face as, following his statement, a dark blush adorned Tsuna's face with a glare replacing his previous grimace.

Huffing, Tsuna used his crossed arms atop the wooden tab's walls as a pillow again and pouted (though he will eternally deny it). "S-shut up!" A set of deep chuckles followed his outburst and he was hard-pressed to contain the excited shivers wanting to overtake him. Luckily for his lower region a hand playfully swatted his head, pulling his thoughts away from what that deep voice was uttering earlier. "Ittee… What was that for?"

"Don't stutter, idiotta."

"Hai~ hai~...Now could you please continue running your fingers through my hair? It feels nice."

"Heh, spoiled brat." Despite his comment though Reborn continued petting the brunette, who was letting out sounds suspiciously resembling purrs. 'He's done that before too…'

The two remained like that, basking in each other's presence and enjoying the companionable and relaxing lull. That was until the brunette let out a gasp and made to stand up from his position. Reborn surprised recoiled and pulled his hand away with his senses getting back on high alert automatically. He watched with attentiveness as Tsuna rushed out of the water and started drying himself. In his haste though he didn't noticed a small puddle of soapy water and promptly slipped on it. Reborn having stepped out of the water himself quickly moved and caught the falling boss.

"È goffo idiotta! Do you want to split your head open?!"

"Mi dispiace…I'll be more careful…" Tsuna barely kept his stutter at bay; though the angry and desperate look in Reborn's eyes might have been a factor too. He was slightly surprised that his intuition hadn't alerted him about the slippery spot, but it did tell him to not fall on his stomach. He wasn't sure why though.

"What got you in such a rash you wouldn't notice your surroundings?" Asked the ravenette as he steadied the other on his feet before grabbing a towel to dry himself.

"Yeah well, remember Rikuo? I need to inform him that we will be at his house soon." Tsuna explained as he resumed drying in a more sedated pace.

"We're going there tomorrow and you still haven't informed him." Though it wasn't a question Tsuna felt the need to nod. That only rewarded him with another swat on his head. "Get on it then, dame-Tsuna." Reborn practically growled out making the brunette squeak and quickly rush outside, a beige towel around his waist the only thing covering him. Sighing the hitman shook his head and listened to the other rushing about trying to locate his phone. An exasperated but fond chuckle escaped him as he slowly dried his hair. 'I swear he still is as clumsy as back then…he just got better at hiding it somehow.'

After nearly tripping in every step he took, Tsuna took a deep breath before he started questioning both his abilities and sanity…'Though the last one is always up for debate…' Shaking his head he steadied the towel around his waist which had started slipping and reached for his cell-phone, which he just noticed was beside him all along. Unlocking the screen he searched his contacts until he found the mansion's number. Checking once behind him and noticing that Reborn had just started getting dressed, he made the call. Just as he was about to make his way to the window to look outside while waiting for someone to pick up he was stopped by a fully dressed hitman. Raising an eyebrow he gave the other an inquiring look. Reborn for his part only rolled his eyes and presented the clothes he was holding to the brunette before unwrapping the towel from said brunette. The young mafia boss blushed but stayed relatively still as he let the other to dress him up. Just as Reborn had finished bottoming up his shirt the line connected.

"Hello~ Nura residence, Wakana speaking." A melodic and mature voice greeted Tsuna; one he hadn't heard for quite some time.

"Wakana-san! It's good to hear you again. I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, how have you been doing?" A warm smile spread across the young boss's face. He always thought of the Nura matriarch as a second mother.

"Ara~ Tsu-kun! It's been so long~! I'm doing perfectly fine dear, how about you? Nana has been quite secretive when it came to you."

"Haha sorry for that. I've told Okasan to keep quiet about my job…it's a bit embarrassing to have her boast sometimes." Tsuna smiled a little awkwardly and swatted at Reborn when the other chuckled from his position beside him on the couch they now sat.

"Ah I understand~! Rikuo gets embarrassed too when I do the same. Muuh~ you boys grow up way too fast~!" Tsuna could only sweat-drop at the comment and laugh awkwardly. "Ah~ ah~! You should have stayed as children… Anyway~! You wanted to speak to Rikuo am I right? I'm going to get him so wait a bit alright?"

Before he could even say goodbye to her, he already heard her calling Rikuo to come at the phone. He also heard a familiar squeal and an angry shout from somewhere in the background before his little brother picked up with a tired sigh. "Yes?"

"Tough day?" A smirk took its place on his lips as he heard the sharp intake of breath from the younger brunette. Reborn continued observing his lover's reactions with the people he was talking.

"Tsuna-nii!" After the excited shout came another tired sigh and groan. "That's the understatement of the year…the clan is surely striving to drive me crazy…" The mafia boss could just about imagine crocodile tears running down his brother's face after that and felt immense sympathy for the other. He didn't say anything though and waited for the other to stop of his pity part. Soon a small cough followed and Rikuo continued. "But I doubt you simply called to hear me complain and whine. What do you need?"

"While I wouldn't mind to hear about your problems Otouto, I'm afraid I'm calling for business reasons strictly. Remember about the offer you made of taking lodging in your house for some time?"

"Hmm…Ah! Yes! Is it time?"

"Yes. If the offer is still open I would like to request rooms for my friends and I."

"Of course and the offer's still up. How many rooms will you need and for how many people?"

"Mhm… six rooms sound about right. In total we'll be nine. If it's not too much of a trouble, can two of those rooms be for couples? Also it would put my mind at ease if another two were interconnected." Reborn had narrowed his eyes at the brunette's words. One of the couples was obviously the Mists and he would have guessed that another guardian would bring their lover with them for the second one, but the number then didn't match. So the only logical conclusion would be the two of them. Wouldn't that though blow their 'cover'?

"Already noted~! So when should we expect you?"

"By tomorrow night. We should be there for dinner; if there's not much traffic." Tsuna, noticing the questioning semi-glare from the hitman he brought his finger to his lips in the universal sign to keep quiet. He was awarded with a deadpanned look and the hitman rolling his eyes.

"Got it. I'll make sure everything is prepared by then. Well I guess I'm lucky that you're coming tomorrow. It'll be Friday so I won't have to leave the hall earlier than the rest!" The underlined message was passed clearly to the mafia boss. They'd be able to talk more and prevent any 'accidents'.

"Hahaha~! Yes you're right! Well, I don't want to occupy you any longer. Go take care of things and I'll see you soon."

"You aren't bothering, but you're right. I should go before the guys decide to destroy the other half of the mansion… Well, see you tomorrow~!" And with that the line disconnected but not before Tsuna heard the telltale sound of Rikuo's angry voice yelling at a couple of yōkai. Exiting the contacts list, Tsuna locked the phone and left it on the coffee table in front of him before changing positions so he could lie on Reborn's lap. The hitman shifted his position into a more comfortable one before settling again and started playing with the honey-brown locks.

"Your little brother sounds interesting." Was the offhand comment from the hitman as he brushed the locks with a Leon-brush. He had picked up a few of the words exchanged between the two and from what he could gather the other - Rikuo wasn't it? - ought to be at his early teens. His tone of voice held some sort of maturity he had first heard from his brunette when they were at the future. He remembered Tsuna saying that he was from an old traditional Japanese family so maybe that was the reason, but he couldn't make any conclusions for the time being. He would do that tomorrow when he met Rikuo himself.

"And he is. At least we both question our sanity quite a lot with our families." Letting out a chuckle he continued talking at the hitman's raised eyebrow. "I told you he's from an old family right? Well that automatically makes him sort of like an heir of the family as the first born and only son. It sounds weird and a lot like the mafia inheritance-thingy I know. Though he isn't in line for inheriting anything like that. He's just going to be named head of the family, or clan as it's mostly referred to, when he comes off age."

"Mhm, that sounds awfully traditional. What was his last name again?"

"Nura…why are you making that face?"

"…That's the last name of the leaders of one of the yakuza groups that once roamed around here. So that's why the name Ukiyoe sounded familiar…" Reborn could only sigh at his ex-students expense. "Honestly…you were involved with the mafia even before I came? Only you Tsuna, only you."

Said brunette could only blush at the comment and cross his arms while glaring up at the ravenette. "I realized that myself when I remembered one of the stories his grandfather had told us as children. I know and can confirm that they were indeed a yakuza group, but they haven't been one since the end of Meiji period. I'm not aware of the details but I know they only continue to call themselves a clan for traditional reasons and because all the houses that once stood under Nura's banner, still socialize with the main family." Luckily Reborn didn't caught up to the disclosed information Tsuna could provide; though the brunette had his suspicions that the raven knew he was withholding info but didn't question him.

"Mhm, is that so?" Yes, he definitely knew… "Ah well, I guess I'll have to confirm that on my own tomorrow." With that he hitman leaned his head back to the couch's back and resumed petting the now combed locks. "Now lie down and relax dame-Tsuna. I don't need intuition to tell that tomorrow will be chaotic."

Tsuna let out, unknowingly, a long purr and cuddled closer to Reborn's lap. He slightly grimaced at the confirmation his intuition signaled but pushed at the back of his head for now. For the time being the only thing that mattered to him was the fuzzy feeling he got from Reborn grooming his hair and generally being so close to his mate.

Japan, en-route to Ukiyoe

It had been quite a hassle to get everyone fully situated in the jeeps. Three of the guardians were as grumpy as they could get for not being able to bring their girlfriends with them. Kana, Haru and Kyoko were still needed, to overlook the finishing touches of the new headquarters so they couldn't tag along. Reborn had thrown a knowing look at the young boss at that. Tsuna had simply chuckled and send a simple shrug at his advisor. After that came the problem of deciding the seating arrangements. For obvious reasons they couldn't travel with public transportations so they would go there on their own cars; and there lied the problem. Tsuna, being the only one who knew the way to Ukiyoe and, most importantly, the Nura mansion, had insisted to be the driver for one of the cars. He had won that argument and everyone knew that with him as a driver Reborn would certainly be on the same car, for multiple reasons the hitman refused to acknowledge; even if Tsuna knew that one of them was that he was the most 'sane' driver in their group. Takeshi and Hayato were more or less in much better terms than they were in their younger years so those two would be together in another car. Then had come the decision of where to put the Mist and the Cloud. While Hibari could stay in an enclosed space with the family, as shown in earlier events, he wouldn't stand of being in so close proximity to the 'pineapple' carnivore. The fact that he had entitled Mukuro as carnivore was a leap from his teenage years, but his patience was still as short as ever when around him; and of course the male Mist was as happy as ever to rile up the other. Tsuna was aware that Chrome could keep them at bay if the need arise but he couldn't subject her in babysitting the two guardians for the whole journey.

He also needed someone to entertain Lambo while he was driving. The 11-year-old, while significantly more mature than 7 years ago, could still kick up a fuss if he got extremely bored. He wanted Lambo to be in the same car as him so he chose Ryohei, as his caretaker, to join him. With that, one of the cars was ready. For the other, the decision was quickly made afterwards as Hibari refused to ride with Mukuro and 'stole' Tsuna's bike keys. His boss had looked at him in surprise at that but had let out a long-suffering sigh and made him swear to not let even a single scratch appear at his bike. The Cloud had thrown him an amused look before nodding and throwing on a leather jacket and putting on his own helmet. Tsuna wanted to question him why he didn't his own bike, which was waiting in the private garage, but he relented on that for the same reason as to why his intuition had told him to bring his keys with him. So with the 'seating' arrangements settled and their luggage in the cars, they made their way to Ukiyoe.

The trip had been pretty smooth so far. The traffic hadn't slowed them down like Tsuna had initially feared and everyone were relatively contented with their car mates. At some point, they had turned on the communication devices between the jeeps and Hibari's helmet. That had initiated a riddle competition of sorts. Chrome had initially suggested it with Mukuro, Reborn and Hayato shortly after agreeing with her. At first it was just the four of them, but soon the rest were dragged into it too. Tsuna could guess the answers of a few using his intuition, but luckily, he had played the game with a bored Chrome and Reborn before, so he knew a few of the answers already. At some point, Reborn and Hayato had started throwing in riddles from other languages and cultures, which spiced up the things when it had started becoming dull, and the other had to use their knowledge in other languages to solve them or even understand them. By the time, they had reached the interconnecting road for Ukiyoe the hardest of riddles belonged to Hibari with his Chinese and Reborn with his Greek ones.

As they entered the town, Tsuna immediately noticed the change in the air since the last time he visited. While it had been after midnight then and most residents were fast asleep, he had felt the warm and welcoming aura of the small town. Now though, there was something sinister in the air; almost like a great predator was watching their every move and planning their demise. It didn't bide well with him and made him feel more agitated than ever. He could also feel Natsu, his not-so-little-anymore Sky Lion, bristle its fiery mane in response to his feelings from inside his ring. He tried to keep from tensing up too much but the hitman easily noticed the subtly, yet stronger grip, of the brunette on the steering wheel. Luckily, for Tsuna he didn't say anything, but he did had taken ahold of Leon, who was roaming his shoulders and placed him on his lap; a sure sign that the hitman was prepared to shoot anything suspicious and potentially dangerous in a moment's notice.

If the lack of outbursts and loud conversations and arguments from the communication was anything to go by, Tsuna figured that the rest had somewhat felt the disturbance. Even Lambo's whining had toned down. Now, you could only hear the standard complaints he used on a regular basis to annoy the others or fill up the silence.

The two silver jeeps and the sports-bike soon pulled down a quiet street until they reached a certain mansion. To say that the guardians were impressed would be the understatement of the year, number two. Lambo and Chrome had let out excited and childish squeals of their own while the athletic duo with Hibari let out whistles and Hayato started muttering under his breath about the construction and what not. Reborn and Mukuro were by far the more subtle ones. The hitman had just raised an eyebrow before nodding approvingly, while the male Mist had patted his other half's head and chuckled. Tsuna simply smiled at their reactions and parked his car at the side, with the others following suit. As soon as he stepped out of the car he felt the other yōkai inside. Still a bit disappointed with the unresponsiveness from his sealed blood, he sent out a small amount of his Sky flames. The others sensing the wave turned questionably at the brunette before returning to unloading the cars.

Not soon after they finished securing everything and made their way to the entrance they heard voices from inside calling out to someone before a young teenager burst out. The teen had chin length dark brown hair with the top being a lighter tone of caramel brown. Wide and intelligent burgundy-brown eyes looked at them behind a pair of oval-shaped glasses with an excited grin matching the glee on the face of the bouncing brunette. He wore a simple red t-shirt with a thick woolen brown jacket and beige cargo pants. When his eyes settled on the older brunette he waved them over and called. "Tsuna-nii! Welcome back!"

"Rikuo! It's good to be back!" A matching grin stretched across the mafia boss's face. The others could only watch as their boss practically skipped ahead of them and engulfed the younger boy in a hug as he reached him. By the easy interaction between the two they wouldn't be able to guess that those two had to see each other for almost 7 years if they didn't know already. They acted so natural and by the time they had reached their boss the two had already struck a conversation so fast pace that they looked like children on sugar rush. Reborn had to cuff the other on the head to get them to pay attention, which cause both of them to promptly blush and look sheepish.

"If I didn't know better I would say you two were brothers by blood too. Now, introductions dame-Tsuna?" Reborn's monotonous voice had the two snapping at attention. Rikuo turned to face Tsuna's famiglia and spoke first.

"Ah yes! How rude of me. I'm Nura Rikuo and the little brother in all but blood of Tsuna-nii here. I presume you must be the family he was referring so fondly to last time we talked." Cue to one of the cutest smiles the guardians had seen after their boss's. "Come on let me show you to the dining hall. You must be tired from the trip. Mother made sure to prepare a full feast haha!" He was about to show them the way when he turned to them again. "You can leave your belongings here. We'll make sure to place them in your rooms." Getting nods from everyone he smiled again and resumed his trek with the others following.

They soon reached the double rice paper panels leading to the hall. A beautiful female wearing a dark pink kimono with lighter pink sakura-petal pattern and ridiculously long chocolate brown locks tied in a high ponytail bowed in front the panels and opened them for them. The sight that greeted them had even the elusive Cloud widening his eyes in approval…

Sort of cliffhanger...? Ah well not the best chapter I've written so far...

Anyway, on to more important matters *ahem* Shout out to lovely k505 from AO3 for agreeing to be my beta and proof reader! This story finally got a beta folks~! No more awkward and random appearances of pastries~!

As you might've noticed I still haven't written much of that 'fated' meeting. I needed some fluff (cue to the first part of the story) and I wanted to show, however brief, the famiglia's interactions. I also couldn't resist throwing in some random and quite vague foreshadowing...If you spot them then good for you, if you don't, well no reason to be disparate~! None of the things I foreshadowed will play any role for quite some time~!

Thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter! However few they were, it was nice seeing that people appreciated my story enough to review on it~! So to everyone who reviewed, followed and added this story to their favorites...ARIGATO GOZAIMASU~!

Please leave a review before closing this page, ne? See you on the next chapter~!