Thank you to the following reviewers! Cielo-Caelum, MetalGodlv66, Riomi-senpai, animatronic 2.9, Haraguroi Yukirin, Blazin'Blue, Crucifix Hime, thor94, lovelydragonfly, YamamotoAna, VandQ, one guest, Foxluna, treannawilliams, and Hinatauchiha1.
Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.
"Tsuna, could you come here for a sec?" Tsuna glanced back at the table and nodded, turning the stove down before walking over. "Did anything happen after I left?" Natsu asked.
Tsuna blinked. Well, something happened but it wasn't anything bad which is what he guessed his brother meant. He shook his head. Though he did hear those girls talking to Gokudera, but he supposed his brother wouldn't really care since the two of them didn't really seem to like each other very much. "Ok. And, um, Gio and I will help you with your homework after we're done eating, ok?"
"Natsu, I didn't-"
"Right. Gio?" Natsu gave a small, strained smile to his older brother who sighed and nodded. "Great. That's all, Tsuna." Tsuna nodded once before going back to cooking.
Natsu watched as his brother cooked dinner. When he first heard he was completely shocked and a little put off at how well he could cook. It's not like he didn't expect him to be able to, he was just surprised that he could do it so well. Like a professional almost, like the ones on the cooking shows his mother watches. He had expected him to be a little clumsy at least while in the kitchen but he was completely graceful and everything was flawless. The way it looked, the smell, how it tasted. Everything. So, he's wondering how he never noticed when Tsuna was practicing his cooking. After all, he must have done it at some point.
And to get as good as he is now, it must've taken a lot so he had to have been doing it frequently. So how did he miss it? Unless...He went somewhere else to practice. But that wouldn't make any sense. He didn't have any friends back then and no one really liked him all that much. So it's not like he could just ask to-... "Tsuna." Tsuna glanced back at Natsu and nodded. "You have a part time job, right?"
Tsuna nodded, and Natsu noticed his eye color lighten before dying back down. The mention of his job made him that happy that it was noticeable? "When's the next time you're supposed to go?" Tsuna thought for a moment as he turned off the stove, getting out the plates.
"This...This weekend?" he murmured unsurely as he took out an equal amount of food for two of the plates then set them down in front of Giotto and Natsu. "I think."
"I'm coming with you." Tsuna immediately stiffened at the proclamation and shook his head. "Why not?"
"M-my boss," he whispered. "H-he doesn't really...like it wh-when we b-bring in family, u-unless they're going to w-work. S-so it'd be best i-if you, um, d-didn't come." Giotto stared at Tsuna in shock at the complete rejection of the idea while Natsu looked up with wide eyes at the fact that Tsuna had spoken more than a five to six word sentence. He held back a grin at the fact that he had gotten him to talk so much at one time.
"O-oh, um...Ok. Maybe another time then. What about when you're free and we can go in as customers? That would be ok, wouldn't it?"
Tsuna thought for a moment before giving a small nod, setting Reborn's plate down in front of him while he sat in the open seat next to him, his own plate in front of him. "That would be...nice," he mumbled. He was never allowed to go out with his brothers before. He was always told to either stay at home or in the car by himself while they went out. And if - on the off chance that he was allowed to go out with them, he wouldn't get a say in anything and had to do what they wanted instead.
He remembered, when he was eight, that they had gone to a carnival that had come to town for Natsu's birthday present. He had said that he wanted to use the bathroom and, though he didn't expect them to, his parents had said yes. He found it strange but didn't voice it as he went to do his business. When he came back out, they were nowhere in sight. He nearly slapped himself for being so stupid. Of course his parents would try to leave him there.
Even though he knew the way home, he had stayed at the entrance of the park waiting for them, since he didn't want to walk in the dark. Plus they probably wouldn't even let him inside if he did, and he didn't want to spend the night outside. He waited for at least an hour before they came out. He didn't say anything as he followed them to the car, knowing that it would only make his situation worse if he did.
Tsuna sighed softly. Maybe he should've taken that chance. Even an orphanage would've been better than how he was living now. Though...Tsuna lifted his head to looked up at his brothers. He didn't want that negative attention to shift to them. So, he'll put up with it best he can. Tsuna looked back down and stared at his food. He wasn't all that hungry right now. He was still mostly full from lunch today. He had a small breakfast today too. Didn't really feel the need to eat all that much, lately.
"Tsuna." He looked up at his name and turned to Reborn, who was frowning as he looked at his full plate. "Eat. I don't care if you're not hungry, you won't get better if you skip meals."
Tsuna stared blankly at Reborn for a moment before nodding. He would eat, if Reborn told him to. Reborn had been the first one to accept him, despite his clumsiness and stupidity. He had been nice to him when others weren't, protected him when no one else would. Loved him...when they pushed him away. He owed Reborn so much from when they were younger, and even for what he's done now. But he had no idea how to repay him for all of that.
He sighed again, this time a little harder with a pout. Maybe he was thinking too much about this. After all, Reborn would only say that he didn't need to and to take care of himself instead. Like he always did. Tsuna's thoughts paused when he yawned and he glanced down to see that he had eaten most of his dinner. He set his chopsticks down and looked over at Reborn who sighed and nodded.
He scraped the remainder of his food in the trash then washed his dishes off, setting them on the drying wrack. He planned to put them away later. Alright, he thought as he dried his hands, time to start on the homework while his brothers were finishing up. He didn't want them to have to help him with everything, or he'd only feel like a burden.
Truth is, he wasn't a dumb as people thought he was. Sure, he may lack some street smarts but he could manage when it came to books. It's just that the teachers never actually looked at his tests when grading them. They skipped over a lot of problems and only marked a few as right. He usually got pretty good grades on his homework. But since the tests are worth more, it drops his grade considerably.
Though he never says anything about it since it would only get his parents agitated, along with his teachers. And that would be a double hell for him, and he didn't have the energy to deal with that. And he didn't want to go to Hibari with his problems, since he wasn't sure if he would actually be able to do anything. Plus, he was always really busy and he didn't want to push his problems onto him.
After a couple minutes of doing problems he heard a knock on his door, his brothers and Reborn stepping in right after. "You've already started?" Natsu asked as he walked over to him. Natsu stood on his left while Giotto stood on his right, Reborn leaning over him from behind as they all looked over his problems. He ignored the fact that Reborn was slightly closer than normal, and the negative aura he felt coming from Natsu when Reborn rested his chin on his head. "You've only got two wrong and you've already done six of them...Tsuna, can you show me some of your past tests?"
"Why?" he mumbled as he glanced over at his twin.
"You're doing well on the homework so I wanted to know why you failed the tests, since you seem to know what you're doing."
"O-oh. T-top l-left drawer."
Natsu walked over to Tsuna's dresser and opened the drawer specified, pulling out at least ten sheets of paper and setting them down on the table. He glanced over a few of them, frowning deeply by the fourth one. "Something wrong, Natsu?" Giotto asked as he moved over next to the other.
"All the ones he got wrong are marked as right, and all the ones he got right are marked as wrong."
"What?"
"I know these three are right, because I got them right when I did the test. And this one here is wrong, because I had a different answer, and it was right. This one was right too, and all of the bottom ones too. This is..." Natsu sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ok, so this is a math test. and one from awhile back meaning Nezu was the one to check it." He set the paper down and picked up another one and went through it.
"This one here is different. The ones he got wrong are clearly marked, but then the others are just randomly marked right and wrong, even though he got them all right."
"What test is it?" Reborn asked as he went through one.
"Science test from a month ago."
"Here's an English test. It's not even marked all the way through, but it's been failed."
"Wait, let me see that." Reborn handed the paper to Giotto and he frowned as he looked at the ones that had been marked. "These are all right, everything. He didn't miss a single one. What..."
"That's why."
"Natsu?"
"Tsuna, how many problems have you done so far?" Tsuna held up the sheet to show that he had completed the entire front of the worksheet. Natsu looked over the problems and nodded. "Numbers 2, 5, 13 and 16 are wrong, but other than that, he's got it all right."
"I'll deal with this tomorrow, I'll have a chat with Hibari."
"Make sure not to blow up the school," Natsu muttered as he let Tsuna get back to work.
"Very funny, gaki." Natsu snorted as he put Tsuna's tests away.
"Right, Tsunayoshi obviously doesn't need any help so I'll just be on my wa-"
"Sit your ass down and start acting like the older brother you claim to be," Natsu hissed as he glared at Giotto. Giotto sighed in annoyance and sat back down, pouting as he rested his head on the table. "Don't be a dick, Gio. You said you'd try, so I expect you to."
"But there's nothing to do. He doesn't need any help so there'd be no point in just sitting here and wasting time?"
"Do you have homework to do?"
"No."
"Do you have Student Council work to work on?"
"Not today."
"Then stop whining. You don't have anything important to do, so you'd be wasting time even if you weren't in here."
"A-ano..." The two turned to Tsuna who had Reborn draped over him, arms wrapped around his waist as he stared at the two of them. Natsu glared at the older man who smirked and hugged Tsuna closer, resting his chin on the brunette's head. "I-I'm not good at history..." Tsuna mumbled as he gazed over at his brothers, his irises shining slightly.
"Ah, right. We're studying the Anglo-Satsuma War right now, right? What do you need help with?" Natsu asked as he sat back down on Tsuna's left.
Giotto huffed as he watched the three of them work. He still didn't understand why he was here. It's not like he actually planned on helping with anything, since Natsu could handle that himself. And if Natsu didn't know, then they could ask Reborn for help. He wasn't needed! Sure, he said he would start trying. But that was kinda hard to do when the person you're trying with doesn't respond, never looks you in the eye, hardly even talks, and a bunch of other things that he couldn't name at the moment.
"Gio, stop pouting. Your face is really annoying right now."
"'m not pouting," he muttered as his pout increased.
"Gio..." Natsu held back from facepalming. "Fine, go then. But you'll only be proving that you don't care, that you never cared, and that you never will care. And that you agree with mom and dad's opinions."
"I...Fine, I'll stay." Giotto sighed as he sat a little closer, glancing up when he felt a gaze. Tsuna was looking at him with his head tilted slightly to the side, his eyes blank and unblinking.
"Giotto-san doesn't have to," he said softly.
"Tsunayoshi..." Giotto shook his head and smiled softly, "No, it's fine. I'll stay."
(Three Days Later)
"You want to what?" Yamamoto asked as he glanced over at Natsu.
"I want to follow him. I don't know what his job is, mom and dad probably wouldn't tell me if they knew so I'm not going to bother asking. I don't think Reborn knows, and if he does he'd tell me to find out by myself just to piss me off."
"So you want to stalk him to find out what it is? Since he won't tell you," Yamamoto concluded with a sigh.
"Right. He goes this weekend, so I'll ask him what time he leaves so I know when to go."
"So, why are you telling me?" he asked, turning to look at the other.
"Because you're coming with me. I'm not good at making up excuses, so I'll have you do it if he catches us. Plus he seems pretty lax when you're around so..."
"So? What does that have to do with anything?"
"He might panic if I'm the only one there since he worries about stuff that I couldn't even begin to understand, whenever I'm around. Plus, you promised you'd do something with me this weekend and that's what I want to do."
"Stalk your brother," Yamamoto said dryly.
"Stop saying it like that will you? I'm just...watching...over...him?"
"Natsu, you know for a fact that's stalking, and invading his privacy. He said he'd like to go with you on one of his days off, right? Why can't you wait until then? Then you'll get to see it yourself without being an over obsessive, brother complexive stalker."
"I'm not obsessive, and I do not have a brother complex. I'm just...worried that something may happen on his way to work. You never know," Natsu shrugged as he said it, avoiding eye contact.
"He's been fine up until now. Why would something happen this time?"
"Because I'm paranoid, that's why. Now are you coming or not?" Natsu asked, stretching his feet out in Yamamoto's lap as he laid on the couch.
"You know, sometimes I feel like it's too much work being your boyfriend."
"Aren't you sweet," Natsu mumbled as he flipped to a different station. "Yes or no?"
"Yeah yeah, I'll come. If I didn't, you'd blow your cover not even two minutes in. You aren't the best at sneaking around."
"H-hey! That was one time, alright?"
"We've known each other since we were kids, Natsu. It's happened at least a hundred times by now."
Natsu blushed in embarrassment as he pouted. "Sh-shut up, baka." Yamamoto laughed as he reached over to ruffle his boyfriend's hair, causing him to blush more.
"Oh my god, Natsu, really?" Giotto asked in exasperation, a hand running through his hair.
"Well, you can either come or not. I've already talked to Reborn and he had planned on doing it before I asked so he's joining." Natsu shrugged as he spoke, sitting down on Giotto's bed without a thought. He wouldn't force his brother to come, but what he said a couple days ago could easily be brought up again and he wasn't afraid to use it to his advantage, even if that was like cheating.
"Well...If G goes then I'll go."
"Good, cause he's coming. I knew you'd say that, that's why I didn't mention him. But I've already asked and he was planning to go with Reborn."
"You already had all of this planned out, didn't you?" Giotto deadpanned.
"Of course. Anyway, we can't go like normal so we need disguises. I've already got mine down and you'll probably have the same one as me since it's the only thing we can actually do with our hair, without...you know, cause of how it spikes. Takeshi said he had his planned out, and Reborn has his own too. G hasn't said anything about it yet so I'm not sure, but yeah."
"I really feel like you're going too far with this."
"Hey, Gio?"
"Yes, Natsu?"
"...Why did you separate me and Tsuna in the first place? Even though we were so happy together?"
"Well...I always noticed the way mom and dad looked at him. So, I thought that if I kept you two apart, then they wouldn't look at you that way. I was doing it to protect you."
"But, you never once thought of how Tsuna might feel because of it. Or why they were looking at him like that in the first place, and what it meant for Tsuna."
"I was eight, alright? I didn't really think things through back then. I was acting on impulse."
"Yes, yes you were," Natsu agreed with a frown, "And now we're in this situation because of it."
"You're at as much fault as I am since you actually listened to me, you know."
"Because you're my older brother, Gio. You know that back then, I listened to every single word you would say since I didn't like getting you upset or angry."
"So? I didn't want you to go through whatever Tsuna was going through back then, I just wanted to protect you."
"Without protecting him at all, like he didn't even matter."
"Natsu, I'm not going to have this conversation with you again. If this is all you're going to talk about right now, we might as well stop."
Natsu's frowned deepened before he scowled, standing up. "Fine then, don't talk about why you never even thought of what Tsuna might have been going through from the moment of his birth, and how you feel no guilt for all the extra pain you put him through because of your stupidly selfish actions. Whatever. Just have a disguise ready by tomorrow so we can leave on time. We leave a little after he does so around seven in the morning. If you're late we aren't waiting." Natsu stormed out before Giotto could respond and the latter sighed as his room door was slammed shut, Natsu's harsh footsteps echoing as he went down the stairs.
Giotto sluggishly made his way over to his bed and flopped face down onto the mattress, letting out a groan of frustration. He felt like everything he did was wrong. Every tiny little move he'd make would set Natsu off. Hell, he felt like breathing too loud was enough to anger the boy now. He honestly didn't know what to do anymore.
"I feel like you're putting too much effort into this," Yamamoto whispered as they watched Tsuna leave.
"That's funny, because I feel like you aren't putting enough effort into this. You don't look any different!" Natsu whispered harshly.
"I have a hat on," he mumbled as he averted his eyes with an awkward smile. Natsu facepalmed with a sigh. He really should've expected as much.
He turned to look over at his brother and rose an eyebrow. "What did you do to your hair?" he mumbled.
"I didn't want to coat it in gel like you did with yours so I straightened it out and combed it down, then curled my bangs to the side."
"They'd look better to the right instead of to the left, but whatever."
"Good thing it's my hair and not yours. And G and Reborn don't look any different so I don't get why we have to be in disguise while they don't."
"Because Tsuna will probably freeze up if he sees us, as much as I hate to admit it. But he's used to their presence, so he might not mind as much." Natsu frowned as he said it, ignoring the smug smirk he got from Reborn as he did. "So, if we're done we should get moving." Natsu didn't wait for a response as he followed behind Reborn and G who had already started following behind Tsuna.
Giotto sighed and rolled his eyes as he and Yamamoto followed after them.
Tsuna held back a sigh as he pulled up his hood, his head down as he walked. He could feel them following him, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly where they were, but he could tell there were close. He didn't know why they were following him, or why they thought they had to. His thoughts paused and he pouted slightly, he wasn't that reckless was he? It's not like he got into trouble everywhere he went. Or got hurt with every step he took.
He wasn't that accident prone...Well, there was that one time when he accidentally tripped over a rock and fell face first into a mass of cherry blossom petals that had gathered. Which then led to them getting scattered everywhere, revealing the ants' nest underneath. He had been paranoid for a week after.
There was another time when he had zoned out and accidentally bumped into a foreigner and spilled their groceries everywhere. He helped him pick them up, of course. But then he was late getting home because of it and ended up getting punished since dinner wasn't made in time.
There was also that one time when - Tsuna's thoughts were cut off as he bumped into someone just as he turned the corner, wincing as his butt hit the ground. "G-gomen," he mumbled as he stood with the help of the person he bumped into, brushing his pants off after.
"Kufufufu." Tsuna looked up at the strange laugh and held back from screaming like a little girl when the stranger's face right in front of his, mismatched red and blue eyes staring into his own. He backed up a little and the stranger smiled as he did the same. "No need to apologize, it was partially my fault after all," the stranger said in a smooth, slightly deep voice.
"Although..." Tsuna looked down when he realized that he had spilled the man's coffee all over the pavement and blushed in embarrassment.
"S-sorry, I-I'll pay you b-back," he stuttered as he reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet. He didn't really have that much left because of the two weekends he was off of work but he should have enough to buy this guy a cup of coffee, at least.
He stopped when the stranger's hands rested over his own, smile still on his face. "Don't trouble yourself about it, it was only an accident. Anyway, I'm Rokudo Mukuro, you can call me Mukuro. And your name is?"
His blush increased and he looked away, removing his hands from Mukuro's hold and putting his wallet back in his pocket. "S-Sawada Tsunayoshi, b-but you can call me Ts-Tsuna. I-if you want to!"
The person chuckled, "I think I'd prefer Tsunayoshi-kun. You wouldn't mind, would you?" Tsuna shook his head, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.
"I-it's fine. A-anyway, I have to g-go. I-I'm running a l-little behind, for work."
"Kufufu, then how about I walk you? As compensation for the coffee, and incase you get in trouble so you'll have a valid explanation."
"I-I...I guess?" he answered unsurely. He knew he shouldn't just accept the offer like that, but he felt bad about spilling the coffee and he wanted to make it up to him. And it's not like he'd kidnap him or anything. He wouldn't gain anything by kidnapping someone like him. Though...No, he'll be fine.
"Great, then let's go." Tsuna didn't have time to respond as Mukuro grabbed his hand and pulled him along in the direction he was originally heading. He didn't say anything, didn't even give an indication of notice, when he felt killer intent leaking from the house to his right as he walked. It's not as if it'll help anything if he does.
Natsu and G ground their teeth as they watched Mukuro drag Tsuna away, Reborn glaring in silent envy. Tsuna hadn't talked that much to any of them in the last week and he's managed to get that much out of him in less than five minutes. And he was a total stranger!
Natsu followed behind them, letting out a low growl when Tsuna blushed because their hands were still intertwined and Mukuro refused to let go. He didn't know why he felt so jealous because of that fact...Maybe because Tsuna used to flinch everytime he got near, before he got like this. Or the fact that he avoided him with all his might whenever he tried to get close. And maybe because the guilt for ignoring Tsuna in the first place which caused him to act like that is hitting him hard right now. Seeing how his younger twin is getting along with a random guy on the street way more than he has with him for the past nine years.
He scowled when Tsuna giggle softly, practically leaking an aura of death as he watched the two of them. He glanced to his left to see that G wasn't taking it any better than he was.
G's aura was at least ten times worse than his as he death glared at the pineapple head. He couldn't believe this. Normally Tsuna came to him for almost everything but lately he's been so cut off and distant, so he hasn't gotten anything out of him. And then this...this freaky weirdo looking guy here can get Tsuna to laugh on the first meeting! Plus he's still blushing and the guy is smiling like there's no tomorrow! Like, the hell?
He felt a spike in killing intent and turned to see that the aura around Reborn looked plain murderous as he watched the two exchange, though his face was blank. He felt bad for the poor guy if Reborn ever got his hands on him. He looked back when he heard a sigh to see Giotto facepalming, shaking his head in a 'you're all idiots' kind of way. "If you all keep leaking deadly auras like that, he'll find out we're here," he whispered with a roll of his eyes.
"He probably already knows by now," Yamamoto supplied with a small smile, shifting his hat slightly. "He's been looking back at us since you guys started glaring." Yamamoto chuckled at the looks he was given and G and Natsu crouched down lower, trying to hide their presence while Reborn only pulled back his killing intent, his shoulders relaxing a small amount as he tried to contain himself. He couldn't get worked up over something like this, it was silly.
It's not as if Tsuna would end up meeting the guy again after this so it wouldn't matter after today. Though he couldn't help but feel there was something wrong with that thought. Very, very wrong.
Tsuna smiled awkwardly up at Mukuro as the other refused to let go of his hand, making a small joke about him attempting to escape. He didn't understand why this person was so friendly to him. Normally those that were new in town were immediately alerted of his status and were told to avoid him at all costs, he's seen the moms in the neighborhood talk about it before to a new neighbor that moved in a year ago, so he knows it happens.
Though, looking up at the boy, that was only one year older than him apparently, he couldn't help but think that he seemed a little familiar. He knows he's never met him before, though he looks like someone he knows. But for the life of him, he couldn't seem to remember. He'll probably feel bad when he does though.
He let out a small sigh of relief when he saw the familiar building of his job come into view. "U-um, we're h-here now. So it's a-alright right if you-"
"You work at a foreign restaurant?" Mukuro asked with a small smirk, ignoring the tug Tsuna gave on his hand. "Well, then you wouldn't mind if I stayed for a meal, would you?"
"W-well, I'm not sure if-" Tsuna was cut off again when Mukuro chuckled, bringing his hands to his lips.
"It's only for one meal, Tsunayoshi-kun. It's not a problem, is it?" Tsuna blushed brightly, ignoring the three spikes of killing intent from the trees behind him.
"I...guess not." he mumbled.
"That's good. But, what do you do for work here?"
Tsuna's eyes brightened and he gave a shy smile as he scratched his cheek with his free hand as he blushed softly. "I-I'm the chef here."
"Not the assistant chef?"
Tsuna shook his head. "I've been the chef here for four years now, and the manager said that ever since I started working here, business has gotten better. Though I've been off for a bit so I'm not sure if she'll be too happy when I see her."
"I'm sure it'll be fine. Now, let's go in, shall we? I'd love to try your cooking."
"Oh, s-sure." Mukuro chuckled as he opened the door, allowing Tsuna to step in first and walking in after him. He cast a glance over at the trees to the left of the restaurant and smirked in smugness, just before the door closed.
Mukuro looked around the interior of the restaurant. Square tables on each side with pale orange table cloth on the top, a small vase of light orange and white roses in the middle, lounge chairs that were a light brown on each side. In the center of the tables there's a path that leads up to the bar counter that had white and grey stools around it. IN the corners were tables for two and he guessed they were placed there for privacy. Further in the back there were longer tables with regular chairs and he guessed those were for get together customers that had more than the normal amount of people. Well, they certainly weren't bad at decorating.
"Sawada Tsunayoshi." Mukuro held back a chuckle when he saw Tsuna jump at the sudden call of his name, hand still held in his. "Where have you been for the past two weekends? The restaurant has been a wreck without you in the kitchen." Mukuro examined the woman that had walked up in front of them with hands on her hips.
She was at least six feet tall with slightly tanned skin, straight, dark brown -nearly black- hair that reached a little past her shoulders with her bangs pulled to the left with a white hair clip. She had light brown eyes with a small touch of dark blue eyeshadow on her eyelids. She wore what he guessed was the uniform. A white, long sleeved dress shirt with a pale orange suit jacket over it, along with a pale orange pencil skirt that stop just above her knees, her shoes being two inch heels with white as the base color with orange around the edges. On the right side of her chest was a pin that read, "Manager: Usami Akiya".
"G-gomen, kantoku. I've been, sick for a while. A-and I haven't been able to call. Gomen." Tsuna bowed as he said it, finally getting Mukuro to release his hand.
She frowned before sighing, motioning for him to straighten up. "It's fine, Tsuna. Just make sure to call next time, alright? And who's this? I hope it's not one of your bu-"
"N-no!" Tsuna exclaimed before she could finish, waving his hands in denial. "No, he's not, I promise. I-I met him on the way, a-and accidentally spilled his coffee. S-so I wanted to make it up to him. Please don't kick him out." Tsuna gave a hesitant smile when she raised an eyebrow.
"Alright, I won't. Just make sure he doesn't cause any trouble. Now get going, a few of your regulars have been waiting for you to get back."
"H-hai! Um, Mukuro. You can sit at one of the corner tables, if you like. People that come here tend to ignore the rules of personal space and sit with anyone that's at the table they normally sit at. I-I'll be in the back, and a waiter should be up soon to take your order."
"Kufufu, thank you for your hospitality, Tsunayoshi-kun." Tsuna blushed at the smile he was given as he nodded before quickly making his way into the back, putting on his apron and tying a plain white bandanna around his head to keep his hair back, since the chef's hat could never fit. He waved to the two that were already in as he made his way over to the sink to wash his hands, smiling slightly when they greeted him back.
He let out a small sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing. He was finally back in his sanctuary.
"You guys saw that too, right?" They all nodded at Natsu's question and he sighed. "Working here must be a safe haven for him if he gets that happy when he talks about it. So, who wants to go in first?"
"You're going in first, Natsu. This was your idea so you be the leader." Natsu stared at his brother for a moment before rolling his eyes with a huff and standing up.
"Fine, fine. I'll go in first, you guys can come in after."
"Wait but G and Reborn don't-" Giotto stopped when he turned to the two of them to see that they had changed outfits. G's hair was pulled back into a messy pony tail and he had put in blue contacts and put on a pair of red-rimmed glasses. He also changed his shirt -when did that even happen?- to a plain green T-shirt with a black jacket over it and a pair of ripped, black jeans.
Reborn's fedora had disappeared in favor of just leaving his hair out and he had changed his suit to...another suit. This suit, however, consisted of a white, long sleeved, button up shirt with a dark brown vest over that and pair of brown dress pants. Apparently both had done their changes when no one was looking...in less than a minute. "Ok, nevermind. Let's get going then." It'd be better if he didn't question it.
Natsu rolled his eyes as he walked out of their hiding place with the others slowly following behind him. "I don't see why I have to be in front. It's not like it's my place. Plus I'm the youngest so the oldest should be the one in front, not the youngest."
"Natsu, stop grumbling and just open the door."
"Guys? What excuse are we gonna use if Tsuna finds out it's us?" Yamamoto asked, hands in his pockets. Natsu paused just before opening the door.
"Shit...Didn't think of that. Anyone got any ideas?" he asked as he turned to them.
"Tell him that his twin is stalking him and we somehow got dragged into it?" G suggested in a slight deadpanned tone, fishing out a pack of cigarettes. Giotto snatched it away before he could pull one out and threw them in the trash bin by the front. G sighed dejectedly and shoved his hands in his pockets. "That last my pack for this week too."
"Good. Anyway, why don't we say we're here for a congratulations party or something? Natsu just made captain of the basketball team, right? We could say that."
"That reminds me, we can't use our real names or it'll give us away."
"You say this now?" Giotto groaned out, massaging the space between his eyebrows with a sigh. "Did you even think this through?"
"...I was worried. You don't think things through when you're worried."
"Why were you even worried? He's only going to work."
"I didn't know what he did for work and I was worried that it might have been something bad. We've come this far already, if anything negative happened we'd be going right back to square one and I didn't want that to happen."
"Because you-"
"No, because I want my brother back, unlike you. Anyway, I'll be Kai. You, Gio, will be Kiitsu. Takeshi you'll be Yamato. G you'll be..."
"Gretel," Giotto mumbled under his breath. He flinched when G smacked him in the back of the head and chuckled, smirking up at the redhead. "What? That's your name isn't it?"
"That's not-"
"Ok, G will be Gretel. And Reborn can be...Renato."
"What?"
"Renato. It means Reborn in another language, doesn't it? So there, you're Renato."
"Do you even know what language that is, brat?"
"Nope, heard it somewhere, don't care either way. Now let's go, we're wasting time." Natsu didn't wait for a response as he pushed open the door, smirking when the saw the glares Reborn and G were giving him. Natsu gave a polite smile when a waitress came up to them.
She wore a white button up shirt with a pale orange skirt that stopped mid-thigh and a black apron with two large pockets on the front, along with a pair of white sneakers with orange outlines. "Good afternoon, my name is Kamura Kana and I'll be your waitress for today. Table for five?" she asked with a bright smile, her tone extremely peppy. Natsu nodded. "Alright then, please follow me." As they passed by the counter she grabbed five menus and led them to the back, giving them a table closer to the window.
"Our original chef came back today after a while of absence so please order whatever you like, no matter the amount - as long as you can pay for it of course. He'd be willing to make anything. I'll be back in a couple minutes to take your orders." She grinned again with a small bow before walking back to the front counter to wait for any others that might come in.
"Ok so...Anyone bring their wallets?" Natsu asked with a hopeful looked. Yes, he had brung his own but he doubted he had enough on him at the moment. He normally only carried a little over ¥6000 whenever he went out and he's sure it's going to cost more than that when he's done. He grinned in sedated glee when everyone else pulled out their own wallets and started looking through the menu. "We're gonna buy so much," he mumbled when he glanced up and saw them doing the same.
"Tsu-chan~!" Kana said as she entered the kitchen, ignoring the looks of annoyance she got from the two assistants.
"Hai, Kana-chan?" Tsuna asked as he turned to look at her with a small smile.
"You've got a boat load to make, table for five and they've all got large appetites. He's the list." She handed him a two slips of paper both written on completely, back and front, with a small smile. "Two of them kinda looked like you two, mostly the one with brown hair. Anyway, you might want to hury up. They all looked starved for some reason."
Tsuna chuckled softly as he nodded, taking the two slips of paper. "I'll get it done quick, kay? But please don't scare them off like you did that last new customers that came."
"Well, they were your bullies and they deserved to be punished," she mumbled darkly. "Anyway, we have a few regulars coming in now. Tables five, three, and fifteen."
"Yes, yes. Now go on, you aren't even supposed to be back here, Kana-chan. Kantoku will get angry with you."
"Sure, but you owe me you know."
"I know." He laughed softly when she ruffled his hair then walked out, the kitchen doors swinging closed behind her. He retied the bandana and sighed as he looked over the orders. Really, couldn't they have ordered things that didn't take as long to make?
"Tsuna-san?" He glanced over at Mika, who had begun working as an assistant chef a few months ago, and nodded for her to continue. "Are we really going to be able to make all of this in time? It's...really a lot."
"Yeah, Tsuna-san," he turned to look over at Mitsu, her brother had started two months before her. "We've never made this much at once before. Are you sure..."
Tsuna smiled softly and reached over to ruffle their hair, "Don't worry, you too. I'm experienced with making tons and with you two to help me, we'll get done in no time. Plus, this well be your time to try and make your own meals."
"B-but are you sure we can-"
Tsuna shook his head and Mika stopped her thought. "You've been practicing for a long time now, and it's time to see how much you two have grown. Now, let's get out and wash the ingredients, ok?"
"Hai!"
"...Do you think we ordered too much?" Natsu asked as he played with his fork.
"She said any amount and she was smiling the entire time she was writing it down. I'm sure it's fine," G reassured, doing the same.
"But it's been twenty minutes," he mumbled with a sigh, resting his head down the table.
"And half that stuff takes half an hour so shut up, you little whiner. I'm pretty sure if we ordered too much, she would've said something by now," Reborn snapped, tired of the kid's whining. He had been asking the same thing since ten minutes ago and it was really grating on his nerves.
"Yeah but, we didn't order any appetizers. So he might be rushing to get them done." Natsu sunk further into his seat with a sigh.
Giotto sighed and rolled his eyes. "Natsu, your whining is getting really annoying. Stop worrying about it, will you? Tsuna's already used to making a lot of food since he feeds all of us on a daily basis. This will be no different."
Natsu pouted as he turned his head to face his brother. "But he's not making all the same thing for all of us. He's making a bunch of different things at once."
"Natsu, it's fine. Just relax and wait, alright? I'm sure Kamura will be out here soon with the food. Just calm down." Giotto felt his eye twitch at the look his younger brother was giving him.
Natsu's pout increased and he rolled his eyes, turning to face Yamamoto who had been silent the entire talk. "Takeshi, do you think I'm worrying too much about this?"
Yamamoto stayed silent for a moment before shrugging. "I'm kinda worried about it too since it is kind of a lot, even if he does make a lot normally. Because everyone got something different for the main course, and those normally take a while. Plus, it's Tsuna, and he's not gonna wanna disappoint, so he's going to try and make it the best he can."
"See~! Takeshi agrees with me."
The other three groaned in annoyance. "Natsu, shut up." Natsu shrunk back in his seat, still pouting up at the three of the three of them as they waited.
"Ano...Tsuna-san?" Mika mumbled as she opened the kitchen exit.
"Yes?" Tsuna asked as he glanced back at her, whisk in hand.
"There's...something you should see." Tsuna paused before turning down all the burners that he was using and setting down the bowl of eggs he had been whisking, wiping his hands off on his apron.
"What is it?" he mumbled as he walked over to her, Mitsu following behind him. The three stared blankly at the black and white blob on the other side of the alleyway and Tsuna tilted his head to the side when he saw it shiver. "Well, we obviously have a situation here. One of you go get kantou while the other continues cooking. I'll...see what it is."
"A-are you sure? What if it's something dangerous? Like a bomb or something?"
"Mika, you're too paranoid. Maybe you should stop watching those spy shows of yours. And what bomb would be cow print?"
Mika blushed as he turned her head. "Shut up, Mitsu." She quickly exited the kitchen to go and find the manager while Mitsu went back to cooking.
"You two," Tsuna mumbled with an exasperated sigh as he stepped out. He stopped in front of the blob and stooped down, slowly reaching out a hand to poke the top. It shifted at the action and raised an eyebrow when he saw some green underneath. So...it was a kid. "Ano...Are you alright?" he asked as he reached out to pick the kid up.
The kid sniffed and raised it's head and Tsuna stared at the large, tear filled, green eyes on the little boy. "W-who are you?" he mumbled.
"A-ah, I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. But you can call me Tsuna, if you want to. Let's get you inside and I'll get you cleaned up, ok? And you can tell me your name after." The little boy nodded as he shivered again, rubbing the tears from his eyes. Tsuna smiled softly and ruffled his hair -this was the first time he had ever seen a kid with an afro- as he walked back into the kitchen, closing the door behind him. For some reason he felt like this was the start of a chain reaction, mostly having to do with his brothers. He shrugged as he stepped over to one of the big sinks, turning on the hot water and waiting for it to warm.
It couldn't possible be that bad.
Translations:
Gaki: Brat
Baka: Idiot/Fool/Stupid
Gomen: Sorry
Kantoku: Manager/Director/Coach, and many other things.
Conversions:
¥6000: Around $50
I'm soooooooooo sorry that this is so late. But since school has started there's homework (curse that stuff for ever being invented) and I've been put in...advanced classes, this year. I don't know why though. So it's increased by like 20. And I have babysitting most nights and by the time someone gets home, it's already time for me to go to bed (so like, midnight). I'm sorry. But I tried to make this longer than the last one but it was mostly stalling and Natsu being paranoid. And Mukuro has finally appeared! Hooray~! He will have a bigger part in the next chapter, I swear (don't trust me with that) and it's easy to guess who the second person is. I'm really truly sorry for it being so late. I hope you like it and if I forgot a translation, could you tell me? I feel like I did. I can't find it though so. *shrug*
Um, that's it for this one. This will probably be my update schedule from now on, once/twice a month. I might have little intervals with random chapters in there to make up for late chapters. Or have an author's note put in to explain a few things people might be confused on, if you want me to. And to animatronic 2.9 - the first chapter was from the original story, other than that, the rest is a rewrite. I plan on redoing it at some point so it fits but I'm not sure when that'll happen since I've been so busy.
Thank you to all those that have followed and favorited and to those that have kept up with the story till now. I hope this chapter didn't bore you and I'm sorry if certain characters were OOC. Thanks for reading. BYE-BEE MY LOVELIES! ;D