"Tsuna," Reborn called out.
"Yes, desu?" Tsuna replied, designing more clothes in her sketchbook; her necklace the green clover.
"What's with the mountain of clothes that look like they're only gathering dust and not being worn?" Reborn asked, pointing to the piles of clothes in Tsuna's closet.
"Oh, well. I've never found a reason to wear them, desu," Tsuna explained.
"What about these?" Reborn pointed to a bunch of clothing that's pink and frilly for children. "Don't tell me you wear them."
"Actually, those are Mom's hand-me-downs, desu," Tsuna explained. "Grandpa really liked dressing Mom in cute clothes."
"Hey, I thought you gave Kyoko her Chinese outfit," Reborn came across a Chinese outfit that looked identical to the one Tsuna handmade for Dying Will Kyoko.
"I did. But this is mine," Tsuna said. "See? This is embroidered with hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds."
"Then what about these clothes that look too big for you?"
"Those are for the boys, desu. But I'm too embarrassed to show them."
The next day
"Why did Reborn gather everyone today, desu?" Tsuna wondered after bringing snacks to her guests: the girls, the kids, and the boys.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Kyoko," Kyoko said to Haru.
"I'm Miura Haru, Hime-san's number 1 fan!"
"I'm Kurokawa Hana," Hana introduced herself.
"I'm Gokudera Hayato, Jyuudaimehime's right-hand man. Who are you, punk?" Hayato demanded from the shaking-in-fear Shouichi.
"I-irie Sho-ouichi," Shouichi managed to replied.
"I'm Yamamoto Takeshi. Which school do you go to, Irie?" Takeshi asked.
"Aka, the all boys' school," Shouichi answered.
"Wow, now we have two people from super elite schools. Miura-san attends Midori," he explained.
"Wow, Tsuna-chan, how do you know people from elite schools like Midori and Aka?" Kyoko asked, impressed with her friend.
"Uh, just lucky I guess, desu," Tsuna said.
"By the way, why did you call us here?" Hana asked.
"Uhh..."
"She wants you to try on her designs," Reborn answered, already wearing one of Tsuna's designs. He was wearing a clown costume that one would describe as a collage of weather: poofy pants with yellow designs that resemble the sunsetting sky, its light green collar cut out into different points and tipped in thunderbolt shapes, its red shirt has curled out ruffles as if to resemble a swirling tornado, pointed blue boots with tipped droplets, the hat is curved out and yellow to look similar to a sunrising sun. In Reborn's hand is a Leon-transformed cloud, seemingly wrapped in a purple cloth. Reborn's hair is sprinkled with small indigo spheres, like drops of dew left from a mist.
"That is...some outfit," Hana commented, surprisingly not having any hives.
"Reborn-chan looks so cute!" Haru exclaimed.
"He really does!" Kyoko added.
"Reborn! That's why you called everyone here, desu! I'm not ready to show everyone! Not even Mama knows, desu!" Tsuna cried. "And you altered the design! The colors were not supposed to be rainbow-colored!"
"I altered it because the colors suited me better this way," Reborn replied.
"Wait, Jyuudaimehime, you designed Reborn-san's outfit?" Hayato asked.
"Yeah, but Reborn changed the colors, desu," Tsuna pouted.
"Hahi! Hime-san designs clothes?" Haru exclaimed. "Haru-chan designs clothes, too! Tada, this is the Tokyo Tower costume Haru made for her school's culture festival." Haru brought out a costume of the Tokyo Tower. If Haru hadn't said that she made it, Tsuna would've assumed that it was one of those mascot costumes worn to promote the popularity of Tokyo Tower.
"Baka! That is nothing like Jyuudaimehime's superior clothing designs!" Hayato said. "And that's a costume, not clothing! Nobody would be caught wearing that in the open!"
"Hahi! Take that back!" And the two got into an argument.
"You design clothes? Is it only for kids or in general?" Hana asked.
"The clothes are for everyone. Tsuna-chan made me an outfit the other day I came to visit," Kyoko explained.
That caught the arguing duo's attention.
"Jyuudaimehime/Hime-san made you an outfit!?" the two exclaimed.
"Yes. It was a Chinese pink outfit. It's very cute," Kyoko said.
"I want Jyuudaimehime/Hime-san to make me an outfit!" the two cried enviously.
"Tsuna already made you two some clothes as well," Reborn said. "She's just embarrassed about having to show them to you."
"Woah, it's true!" Takeshi exclaimed from the closet's doorway. "Tsuna has a whole bunch of clothes in here!"
Haru and Hayato tried to get to the doorway, but Lambo blocked their way.
"Gahahaha! All these treasure clothes are mine!" cried Lambo, wearing a green thunder version of Reborn's outfit.
"Stupid cow, the clothes are for everyone!" Hayato shouted.
"Gokudera-san, don't shout at Lambo-chan!" Haru said to the boy. Turning to the child, "Lambo-chan looks so cute in Hime-san's designs."
"Hey, Gokudera. Here's your outfit," Takeshi said, holding out a outfit covered by a thin sheet of black plastic with a tag that says 'Gokudera Hayato'.
"Here's yours, Haru-chan," Kyoko said, holding out an identical one only with the tag saying 'Miura Haru'.
"Reborn! How dare you call everyone over to do this when I'm not ready for them to...to..." Tsuna angrily whispered to Reborn. Even though everyone is helping themselves to trying on her designs, she's still rather embarrassed that it's happening, hiding her red face in her hands.
"The Donna of the family shouldn't be embarrassed by something like this," Reborn explained. "Furthermore, the clothes were cluttering in your closet."
"Jyuudaimehime, how do I look?" Hayato asked. He was wearing a black vest with studs in place of the zipper with a white to gray tie-dyed shirt underneath, a band with loose strings on his upper left arm and a elbow-length leather glove on his right arm, and black jeans with two silver chains hanging off the silver studded belt on the left side. Hayato included a cross around his neck.
"It looks no different from what you usually wear," Hana commented. She was wearing one of Tsuna's outfits: a black pencil skirt, blue suit jacket with a black shirt underneath. She topped off the outfit by tying her hair into a bun. It was the typical outfit for a female lawyer about to go to trial.
"Hana-chan looks so smart," Kyoko commented. Kyoko donned an orange dress with a small boa around her neck. She wore white elbow-length gloves with large pom-poms in her hair.
"Hahi! Kyoko-san, we match!" Haru exclaimed. Haru wore the turquoise version of Kyoko's outfit; she even had the pom-poms in her hair.
"That's because Haru is as cute as Kyoko, so I matched your outfits. I hope you don't mind, desu," Tsuna explained.
"Anoo, Tsunahime-san, what's the meaning of this outfit?" Shouichi asked, wearing a military uniform with a cape.
"I thought if Shouichi-san wears it, you'll be more confident," Tsuna explained. "Kinda like those old-fashioned outfits shy little boys wear in their childhood."
"I'm pretty sure that those old-fashioned outfits shy little boys wear are for female," Hana said. "Something about gaining confidence as they grow if they wear female clothing."
"There's so much more outfits. Maybe we should have a fashion show?" Takeshi asked.
"What outfit are you wearing, Baka-yakyuu!" Hayato demanded. Takeshi was wearing a baseball outfit. However, his skin was green and he had a fake ax on his head with fake blood from the 'open' wound.
"This outfit is pretty interesting, isn't it?" Takeshi said.
"I thought Yamamoto-kun would like it because he would probably regret not playing enough baseball and come back to life to play some more, desu," Tsuna explained.
"What kind of clothes have you made for everyone? Fashion clothes or cosplay?" Reborn asked, now dressed in a collage of different patterned fabrics all sewn together.
"I guess if you really need an accurate answer, it's costume, but some of them could be worn as normal, desu," Tsuna answered. "And where did you get that? I don't remember making that, desu."
"I found your scrap pile, so I decided to sew everything together."
"How dare you do that, desu!" Tsuna exclaimed. "I was going to use the scraps to make fabric accessories!"
"Hey, Sawada. Do you mind if I take everything with my name on it?" Hana asked. "It seems like such a waste to keep the clothes locked away in your closet."
"Eh? But some of them are too flashy and really...really..."
"But they are all my style. Some of the clothes are even better than the ones you would find in stores. Plus, with the accessorizing you've already done, I wouldn't have to think too hard about what to wear with what," Hana said.
"That's true," Kyoko agreed.
"And besides, all these clothes are really well, and fit us, too," Takeshi added. "It really would be a waste to not wear them."
"Jyuudaimehime, I would be honored to wear your homemade clothes for the rest of my life," Hayato butted in.
"Haru-chan too, desu!" Haru chimed in.
"Hmm. Okay. Let me gather everything and put them in a bag, so you can take them home, desu," Tsuna said. "Since they get heavy, it's best to carry some of them home for today and the rest some other days."
"Oh, let us help, Tsunahime-san," Shouichi said.
"No, it's okay. Just change back into the clothes you were wearing earlier, desu," Tsuna replied. "I'll have finished gathering enough clothes for you guys to take home."
At that, Tsuna closed her closet door behind her, leaving everyone no choice but to change back into their clothes.
The boys changed in the living room while the girls had full rein of Tsuna's room.
"Um, excuse me?" Shouichi called out while the boys were changing.
"Yeah, what do you want, Irie?" Hayato said.
Shouichi recoiled back from Hayato's glare, but gathered up enough courage to ask a question that was bothering him ever since he got invited into the house. "Did Tsunahime-san always add 'desu' at the end of her sentences? When I first met her, she didn't have that habit."
Shouichi's question seemed to have dumbstruck the others. "Now that you mention it, Tsuna never added 'desu' at the end of her sentences before," Takeshi answered. "At least, not as much as she did today."
"What do you mean? Isn't 'desu' a normal part of everyday speech?" Hayato said, not understanding Shouichi's question since he's a foreigner.
"Not much people use 'desu' at the end of their sentences so much," Shouichi explained as the boys went back to Tsuna's room, having finished changing.
"What about 'desu'?" Haru asked.
Shouichi's courage deflated a bit as he saw that everyone's attention came to rest on him. "Um, I was just wondering if Tsunahime-san had always used 'desu' at the end of her sentences because she didn't have that verbal tic when I first met her."
"Come to think of it..." Hana started.
"What's wrong with using 'desu' at the end of your sentences, desu?" Haru inquired. "I do it, too, desu!"
"What I meant was it seemed rather strange because a few days ago, she didn't have that verbal tic, and today she has it," Shouichi explained. "I mean, Tsunahime-san probably had that verbal tic since a long time ago and I didn't know about it because we only met for the first time for about five minutes..."
"Actually, it is weird," Hana said. "Ever since Kyoko and I came to know Sawada, she didn't have that verbal tic at all. When you use 'desu' as a verbal tic, it's trying to make your personality seem cute and childish, like Miura here. But Sawada never did any of that."
Hana's explanation sunk in everyone's mind as a moment of silence passed.
"Could it be that Jyuudaimehime was infected by this woman's habit and then started it?" Hayato asked, gesturing to Haru's verbal tic.
"Hahi! How dare you accuse me!" Haru exclaimed. "Haru is innocent, desu!"
"What's everyone yelling about, desu?" Tsuna asked, coming out of her closet with large shopping bags.
"It's a mountain of treasure bags!" Lambo cried as he jumped onto the top of the bags that Tsuna had been taking out of her closet.
"Lambo, those aren't for you, desu. They're for everyone," Tsuna scolded.
"Stupid cow! That's my bag you're standing on!" Hayato exclaimed, getting Lambo off his bag.
"Gokudera-san, I've told you before not to bully kids!" Haru added.
"Keep that kid away from me," Hana said, shivering as small amounts of hives started to appear on her arms.
"Everyone seems so lively," Kyoko commented.
"Is this a new game now?" Takeshi asked.
Shouichi stood around, wondering if he should try to calm everyone down or leave.
"Excuse me, everyone," Nana called out, knocking on her daughter's open door. "Is there anyone who would like to stay for dinner?"
"Oh, I can't. I have to go home and help make dinner," Kyoko answered.
"Hahi! Same here!" Haru added.
"I'll be leaving," Hana said, grabbing her bag of clothes.
"There is no way I'm staying when there's a kid around," she muttered as she left. Hana made sure to pay her respects to Nana before she left.
"Um...I'll be leaving, too," Shouichi added, getting his bag of clothes, which was quite small compared to everyone's. "Thanks for having us over, Sawada-san."
"Sorry, Tsuna, I'll have to leave," Takeshi said to Tsuna. "I already promised Pops that I'd come home early to learn how to cut sushi from him."
"Jyuudaimehime, I'll stay!" Hayato declared.
"Oh, Hayato, you are?" Bianchi asked, coming in view of the doorway with Reborn in her arms.
"Sis!" Hayato exclaimed, grabbing his suddenly upset stomach. "I'm so sorry, Jyuudaimehime. I can't stay. I must go..."
Hayato managed to grab his bag of clothes before he left.
"Hey, wait up, Gokudera!" Takeshi called after the bomber, heaving his bag of clothes over his shoulder.
"What's wrong with Gokudera-san, desu?" Haru asked as she gathered her things.
"Could it be that he's on curfew?" Kyoko suggested.
"That child, he gets so excited so easily," Bianchi commented.
"Hahi! Hello, Bianchi-san," Haru greeted.
"Who is this beautiful lady?" Kyoko asked.
"This is Bianchi-san, Hayato-kun's sister," Tsuna explained.
"Nice to meet you," Kyoko greeted.
"Likewise," Bianchi replied.
"If you girls need to get home soon, now would be the time," Reborn said. "It's getting late."
"Wow, it's already so late. Good bye, Reborn-san. I'll see you at school, Tsuna," Kyoko said, leaving the house.
"Reborn-chan, I'll see you! Hime-san, see you tomorrow!" Haru added, leaving the opposite direction from Kyoko.
"Bye, girls," Tsuna said, waving goodbye.
Turning to Reborn, "I was wondering where you went, Reborn."
"Bianchi found me when I got downstairs. I was hoping to ask Maman for a cup of coffee," Reborn explained.
"Reborn looks so dreamy in this outfit," Bianchi cuddled Reborn in his outfit of scrap fabric.
'Bianchi-san has a weird definition of 'dreamy', desu,' Tsuna thought. "Mama, I'll help with dinner, desu."
"Why, thank you, Tsu-chan," Nana replied.
Seeing the mother-daughter duo together, Reborn frowned. It wasn't that the scene bothered him. In fact, it confused him. Shouichi and Hana had made a good point earlier. Tsuna never had that verbal tic before, even after she meet Haru. Come to think of it, she had that verbal tic when Kyoko visited the other day, and when Bianchi tried to teach Tsuna Poison Cooking II.
That verbal tic of hers appears every once in a while, not consistent like everyone else's. Verbal tics only disappear when someone gets excited or passionate about something. Same with Haru. It could be Tsuna trying out the verbal tic, but it doesn't seem that way.
Even though the others aren't bothered by Tsuna's new verbal tic as Reborn is, the seed of suspicion has already been planted.
So sorry for bringing this up so late. College, procrastination, college, procrastination, facebook games, procrastination, etc. On the bright side, this update shows that I'm not dead.
I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, so fingers crossed.