Oki: Hi~ We are finally back, barely alive. :( (Many things happen:D)
Yama: As usual, we don't own KHR, so do enjoy! :))
A/N: To everyone who supported us, mentally or physically, a BIG thank you to all of you! ^^ Okiyama's really thankful and touched! .
To (confused) readers, (precious) reviewers and dear Yumi-san:
As we have mentioned, we are having no pairings in this story, one of the reasons being that Okiyama do not think that she can portray such relationships well enough. :) (We try and learn and practice, but now's not the time.) *sobs*
We believe that at different places and situations, people's way of dealing with certain things changes accordingly. Life is unpredictable~ Of course we try to keep the characters in character and are sorry if they are a little OOC! . (Sighs, can only blame that we are not too skillful of a writer and need improvement... T.T)
Things will change for dear Tsuna soon, so do keep supporting us and giving us comments! :)
Once again, thanking everyone who gave us advice! (Special thanks to Yumi who gave Okiyama food for thought.)
Enjoy~
P.S. Sry for long A/N :(
Tsuna gulped as he stood stiffly on the packed train, trying to avoid possible eye contact. It was not actually a good idea to insist on taking a public transport with such eye-catching people as company.
Reborn had initially suggested taking a private transport, like a taxi or even their cars. Tsuna, on the other hand, was against the idea of being travelling alone with the four men. It would be awkward for the brunette throughout the whole journey.
Only now, thinking back, Tsuna felt stupid for even suggesting the idea.
He had firstly thought that he might be able to get rid of these seemingly spoilt men. They did not look like people who would take a public transport on a regular basis.
Tsuna had not expected Mukuro, Reborn, Xanxus and Gokudera to accept his opinion that easily.
This in turn led to such a helpless situation for Tsuna himself, which he could only blame himself for.
Trying to pretend that he did not know or recognize any of his friends, Tsuna sneaked a side glance at the four obviously-out-of-place men. They were catching the attention of old and young passengers alike. People were whispering around them, their stares making Tsuna a little uncomfortable.
Having a sudden adrenaline rush and feeling fearless on a bright stage was one thing, but having self-confidence every second was another. After all, the brown-haired designer was no longer dealing with SkyZ clothing that he was familiar and confident in.
Slightly hunching his back to make himself look less noticeable, Tsuna caught sight of Mukuro's smirk and looked down, a little frustrated.
The words that Mukuro had smoothly mused into his ear before they stepped into the station bothered Tsuna.
"You should start standing up and face the world. You are too self-conscious, especially to others' glances and views of you."
The brown-haired man had to admit that what the photographer pointed out made sense, but it was not something that Tsuna think he could cure in a day or two.
"You are a grown man after all."
Frowning when he recalled the mocking sentence, Tsuna shot Mukuro a glare, which the latter caught and smiled 'innocently' back.
Mukuro smiled when he caught Tsuna glaring at him.
He after all, knew the reason for the brunette's frustration and 'anger' at him.
However, what Mukuro had stated was true. Tsuna was too self-conscious about his looks, about himself. Sometimes he was shy and timid, but sometimes the brunette amazed Mukuro with his unexpected confidence and skill.
It would be interesting to tease the brown-haired man.
Yet, it was annoying, Mukuro had to say. Tsuna's behavior of stepping back and hesitating when people expected more from him was annoying at times. For Mukuro, as a photographer, it was just so hard to capture the true Tsuna with his camera.
The brunette might have some skill and potential, but without change, he could only stay at that level and never improve. The society would not be so kind, to continue to give Tsuna the opportunity for him to expand, if the shorter man refuse to stand up for himself.
Somehow, the photographer could sense that the brunette's looks was not the only thing that Tsuna had hid.
More trouble would soon come, after Mochida, Mukuro was certain.
His eyes narrowed, Mukuro broke out of his thoughts as he realized that Gokudera, Reborn and Xanxus fell silent beside him. Turning his gaze to Tsuna, Mukuro understood the reason for the other three's concentration on Tsuna.
The brunette was suddenly grinning widely, talking into a phone that he held in his hand.
It was obvious, what all of them were doing. They were trying to eavesdrop on Tsuna's phone call.
Tsuna was still glaring silently at Mukuro, when his phone suddenly vibrated. Smiling when he saw who the caller was, he held the phone close to his ear and answered.
"Hello, it has been a while!" Tsuna beamed when he heard his caller's familiar reply.
"It has been a while, boss."
"You are back in Italy? How did it go?" Tsuna tried hard to contain his excitement, his focus on the phone call as he ignored the four men standing around him, his free hand shielding his grin from the other four.
"All is well and good, dear boss. How does a drink sound?"
"Thank you for the great work, Lambo! Sure, at around 5pm?" Tsuna grinned, now oblivious to his surroundings, not noticing that people were staring at his glowing face. It had been a long time since he last saw his close friend, and Tsuna would not miss the chance to meet his dear friend as soon as possible.
"No problem, I will come get you later. See you, boss!"
Holding the phone tightly in his hand, Tsuna sighed happily when he finally realized the stares.
Looking pointedly at the four people accompanying him, Tsuna held his phone closer to his chest.
"What?"
The four of them blinked and shook their head slowly, as if nothing happened.
"Nothing at all."
Yeah right. Of course there was something all four of them wanted to know. Who was the caller that could actually make the brunette smile so easily?
They were definitely keeping a lookout for that Lambo guy.
Definitely.
Tsuna slapped a hand on his forehead as he stood by the side of the entrance, no idea what Xanxus, Gokudera and Reborn would want to buy so suddenly, from the shopping mall. It was surprisingly peaceful, no one screaming over the well-known models, no one dashing towards them.
They did get a few looks on their way, but nothing else.
Since he was there at his usual mall, Tsuna as well just get what he needed in his everyday life and for his designing, no questions asked.
Well, a tablet was required when he was to draw his designs in digital form, so Tsuna bought one, one of the cheapest one of course, to replace his old one.
However, it did not make sense to him why the usual grumpy shopkeeper who always ignored him would suddenly be so friendly. The said shopkeeper even attempted to introduce new brands of tablet to him…
Shrugging, Tsuna sighed as he leaned against the wall, waiting at a corner with Mukuro, who was toying with his newly-bought camera.
It did not occur to him what other his friends would want to buy from the mall. After all, they seemed like people who would just carelessly spend their money around or just order someone to run errands for them.
Oh well, at least that gave Tsuna enough time to purchase a few disguises as the others were running around.
Thud.
Pain registered in Tsuna's mind when a small paper bag was slapped into his face.
"What?" Tsuna gasped in surprised when he felt the light weight of the paper bag in his arms.
"What's this?" the designer turned to Xanxus, confused by the black-haired man's action.
"It's the newest phone model, trash." Xanxus smirked, amused by Tsuna's growing dark look.
"I have a phone, and I'm not planning to change it any time." Tsuna snorted but held onto the paper bag.
Was Xanxus looking down at him?
Tsuna was rather satisfied with his current keypad phone; it had after all, stayed with him for several years. Even though his buddy phone did not have those cool or new functions like others (new models), Tsuna was content with its basic functions.
However, if Xanxus did not want his newly-bought phone back, Tsuna would gladly keep it and maybe sell if for some money.
"Tsuna-san, we are back!" Gokudera announced as he stood beside Tsuna, after Reborn tossed Tsuna a large bag.
"Here's more clothing for your poor wardrobe. You have pathetic taste in fashion so we picked a few for you. You better wear them." Reborn snickered, his eyes promising punishment if the shorter man rejects the gift.
"If you liked the previous clothing that I bought, I'm sure you will like these too, Tsuna-san!" Gokudera continued. That was when Tsuna realized that the previous clothing was too, bought by Gokudera.
That cunning Reborn had not spent a single cent at all.
Glancing at the mall clock, Tsuna grew more and more wary as he started to make his escape.
Right now, he was more concerned about meeting his trusted friend, Lambo, than to waste time dealing with rich people who spend their money like water.
Lambo's arrival meant two things.
A good chat with a close friend, as well as serious matters regarding SkyZ. Lambo could be said to be the only one to know of Tsuna's real identity as the SkyZ's designer.
As such, Lambo was the 'face' of SkyZ. He meets up with bosses of other companies to discuss contracts and deals. Without Lambo's help and expertise, Tsuna was not sure if the company would get that much attention, or even work well in the industry.
Time apparently passed quickly and it was nearly 5pm. Lambo should be at the mall soon.
His brain tuning out Gokudera's exclamation, Xanxus's snickering, Mukuro's laughter and Reborn's calculating stare, Tsuna bade his friends a half-hearted farewell as he rushed out of the place, not giving the others enough time to react.
Tsuna inwardly cheered as people abruptly filled the mall, crowds quickly forming a wall between the brunette and the four men. What perfect timing.
Grinning widely when Lambo informed him that he would be waiting outside of the mall, Tsuna did not bother to look back as he skipped towards the exit.
Who cares about famous models or photographers? Close friends were more important.
Reborn was straining his eyes, stretching his neck, trying to get a good look of the man that was right beside Tsuna. The crowd made it quite hard for any of them to move forward, and Tsuna had slipped away fast, taking advantage of the situation.
The last thing the manager saw was the back view of a tall man with black hair, before he lost sight of Tsuna in the crowd.
The others too, did manage to get a good look at the man's face, with his arms around Tsuna's shoulder, before Tsuna was gone, the crowd swallowing him.
"You really made my day, Lambo. You wouldn't believe my hectic life this few weeks." Tsuna sighed as they settled down in Tsuna's apartment.
"I'm quite informed of the situation in Italy, you know. You can't imagine the shock I had when I found out that you are a new and upcoming model!" Lambo chuckled as he made himself comfortable on Tsuna's couch.
"It hadn't occur to me before that you would actually be willing to show your face like that!" the spokesman continued as Tsuna just smiled in embarrassment.
The designer had not expected his own actions too. Life was after all, unpredictable.
"Jokes aside, I actually have some bad news for you, Tsuna." Lambo suddenly narrowed his eyes, his expression serious.
He hated to break the bad news to his friend at their long-awaited meeting, but the matter was grave and pressing.
Lambo was sure Tsuna would want to hear about it, even if the black-haired man knew the latter would not like it. The news would be officially released a few days later, but Lambo wanted Tsuna to know of it earlier.
Locking his eyes with Tsuna's concerned ones, Lambo took a deep breath.
"My sources said that the director of SkyZ is going to hold a press conference at the Cloud Studio next week, to show his true identity and discuss his future plans."
Huh?
Tsuna gaped and pointed at himself, eyes full of disbelief. Are you serious?
"Me?"
Oki: Whooo, finally another chapter done! .
Yama: Hope you all enjoyed it! :DDD
Oki: See ya~~~