A/N:

@MichiruLeIdiotah: Thanks. But that's not the end of Lust though. I'll think about uploading in AO3, but maybe after I finish this here? I'm gonna navigate how to operate there first before posting anything. The order of contracts are yet to be finished. Mwahaha! You got it partially right on Colonnello and Lal order. And Viper and Tsuna's contract will be two chapters away. You'll see. And good. Just be careful though.

@michiko-chan27: She's a jealous prick. Haha. She's angry cause she can't go in Ira's pants.

@RedB: I wonder. Haven't thought of what will happen once those two get a hold of this information (I'm sure Ira will burn her though).

Thanks for the other reviews! I'm going slow for next week, I think. Either post one chapter or take a break? Dunno. I'm having another block (why oh why, universe). But I'm good. And safe. Be safe there too.

Anyway, onwards.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Shouldn't you be worried though?"

"Nah. As long as I know who they are, I won't be."

"Tsuna. They're the sins. They're the strongest who works directly under Belial." Viper pointed out.

"And I'm a human. I give no care. And besides, Arcobaleno are the strongest on my list. Ira probably on the second." Tsuna responded as he hugged Yoshi closer. "How's Tsu-kun?"

"Certainly pacing in worry."

The older brunet winced. "I have a lot to apologize."

"And explain." The Mist added, earning another grimace. "You could've explained it to him."

"I'm not that good with children." Tsuna reasoned out, which Yoshi seconded with a nod.

Not that Viper could argue with that reason. He went on ahead of the two and opened the door for them. Tsu-kun, who was reading something on the couch, snapped his head to their direction. His eyes widened when his two companions went inside. He closed his book, hopped off from his seat and run towards the two. He almost tripped on his feet out of hurry, but Tsuna parted from his teen self and caught the child before Tsu-kun could even meet the floor.

"Hey there."

"Tsuna-nii!" Tsu-kun wailed as he cried, hands on the older brunet's face. "You made me worried! You're so thin and out of energy and- and-"

"Shhh..." Tsuna hushed as he cradled the little brunet. "I'm sorry, Tsu-kun."

Tsu-kun sniffed as he wiped away the tears. "Where is Mammon?"

"Mammon?" Tsuna asked, brows raised.

Viper huffed. "I'm here, Tsu-kun."

The little adorable human looked at him and smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

"Now should we see Mammon off?" Yoshi asked.

"Yeah." Viper responded with a glare on the teen who flashed a peace sign on his way. "I'd rather give you a time to rest, Tsuna. You need it after a long time of being deprived from it."

"Thanks." The brunet expressed as he stood up, Tsu-kun still in his arms. "Yoshi, lead the way please?"

Viper watched the three interact. The teen and the young man explained what happened to the child. Amazingly, Tsu-kun took it pretty well. It's as if this kind of occurrence is normal within their scape. Well, it is a scape. The things that happened here and outside are just in Tsuna's mind. These three are Tsunayoshi Sawada's helpers as a whole. They keep him sane. One gone, he'll lose himself.

Viper wonders what will happen if Tsuna does lose one. Imagining it, he can't find the right picture. Regardless, he still wants to know the human more. If he was able to attract Lust's anger, then he must have done something incredible again.

"Ah. It's good to be back." Tsuna sighed as they shuffled inside the library.

True to Tsu-kun's words, the library became a colorful disarray. The shelves aren't in color coding order, the books ranges from many colors in the rainbow and there are more pictures everywhere. It's like the room was splashed with paints of colors everywhere.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Tsu-kun nudged as he stared at the scenery in front of him.

Viper nodded.

"You're the only one who was able to see this." Yoshi informed as he leads them to the center of the library, just the spot where Viper found himself standing.

"I'm surprised you didn't let Reborn see this." He teased as he stood on the center.

The three saddened before Tsuna chuckled lightly. "You just love to rub insult to the injury, don't you?"

"Tell him." The Mist encouraged. "Cause if he doesn't want you, I'll push my contract on you with or without his consent."

"You're really insistent." Yoshi mused as he put all his weight on one leg.

"Bye bye, Mammon!" Tsu-kun bid with a sunny smile. Just how come a child like him gets bullied when he's so adorable. "Visit sometimes!"

"I'll try." The arcobaleno responded with a small smile to the child.

Viper nodded to the two who nodded back. With a little concentration after closing his eyes, he willed himself to go out of the mindscape. When he opened his eyes, he saw himself in the lake, sitting beside Tsuna. He looked down to see a box of ash in his hand. He set it aside and looked at the human who is sleeping soundly beside him. Sighing quietly, he closed his eyes and meditated. He'll just wait for Tsuna to wake up.

Tsuna stretched like a cat. He smiled pleasantly when he heard a good pop from all around his body. Even though he fought that morning, his limbs still felt stiff. Probably a good more hours of sleep will make them relax.

He put his attention to Viper who was silent. Sneakily, he laid on his stomach and crawled slowly towards the Mist. When he was three hands away, he tried to peer under the hood to see the arcobaleno's face. He leaned in more to get a better angle, only to yelp when the demon shifted. His hand slipped out of surprise and he found himself catching his fall.

"You're pretty bad with stealth." Viper commented, fixing his hood on.

Tsuna pouted. "I was trying to see your face."

"Accept my contract, I'll give you a peek."

The brunet sat up and shook his head. "Reborn's consent is needed."

"How will you get it if he doesn't even talk to you?"

"Don't rub salt on my wound."

Viper scoffed. "If he doesn't talk to you this week, I'm forcing my contract to you."

"Viper."

"Then are you okay being treated this way?"

"It's just a misunderstanding." The brunet averred.

"Don't defend Reborn, Tsunayoshi. Be reasonable. Don't entertain your feelings when you're being treated like a crap." The demon scolded.

The brunet almost choke. "Y-You know?"

"I'm the one who took out the incubus."

Tsuna spluttered while hiding his face with a hand, flushing hard.

The arcobaleno smiled mentally. Who knew the two were mutual? "You like Reborn."

"But he doesn't feel the same way." The child murmured gloomily before laying down on his back. His blush is now nowhere to be seen. "It hurts, you know. Having him near, but he felt so far."

"Confess."

"Are you hearing yourself, Mammon?" Viper huffed at the nickname. It stuck. "A human confessing his feelings to a demon? That's impossible!"

"Not impossible. You're forgetting Giotto de Vongola."

Tsuna's head snapped to him. "No way."

"Yes way."

The brunet hyped up a little before depleting. "I'm not as great as Giotto. Reborn is... You know how hard he is to please. How hard to make him stay." Tsuna breathed out in dismay. "Everything is just too different."

Viper watched the emotions of hurt and sadness flicker brightly in the brown eyes. It was unusual to see the human look so depressed. It was probably the reason why the incubus stayed and latched on him strongly.

"You know, I really like their love story." Tsuna chirped while staring straight at the sky. "How Giotto stayed true to his love even though a lot of humans and demons were against them. How he stayed strong when the demon he loved doubted if they'll be able to change their races mind about their relationship. Story books always twisted it to a happy ending."

"But it was more than that." Viper supplied.

Tsuna nodded. "How can love be so beautiful yet tragic at the same time?"

Love varies from person to person, demon to demon. Love at first sight isn't about just appearance, it's about how open you are to the world. Attraction between opposite personalities includes how the two were able to accept the positivity and negativity of their partners. Feelings ain't about how the other makes you feel special or flattered, it's about how you are able to stay when all of those special feelings disappear and calmness settled. It's not about falling in love, it's about expressing love.

Giotto de Vongola, a son of a witch and a warlock and the greatest sorcerer of all time, created a contract with a female demon. The two never had a great relationship to start off. They never speak to each other, not unless one addresses the other. The only things that they have in mutual was the feeling of they rather have each other as summoner and contractor than have other people from respective races contract them. That kind of professional relationship stayed for five years with two hundred contracts made.

But that changed when Giotto's father died. The demon provided solace, and the human accepted. They became acquaintances, then friends. Until to the extent that they started to feel something more. And it made the demon conflicted.

The great sorcerer saw the reaction, and instead of stalling, he confessed. The demon tried to hide, not answering for his calls, refusing any contract. But that didn't deter Giotto. He pursued the demon, calling for her symbol, asserting a contract, even to the point that he went to the demon world with his own powers. The demons heard the human who seeks his love, and when the two were reunited and had a mutual understanding, the two races protested. Objected all their might to the point that Giotto and his lover went from place to place to hide from their hunters who wants to tear them apart.

Eventually, those who hide will be found. They were caught. When they were threatened to part, the sorcerer showed how powerful he is. No one could even harm the one he loves when the demon showed how equally dangerous she is. They threatened the world for abomination if the two races try to part them again. And with that they were left alone.

So much for a happy ending.

Yet, the story didn't end there. They were able to form a family. But right when his child was born, Giotto sacrificed himself for the sake of his family's future. And the infant didn't knew who was his father until he died.

Tsuna rubbed a hand on his face before standing up. The people inside the room looked at him. He didn't give them any attention, collected his book and walked out of the room without looking back. The prof and the students could only stare at the brunet's back until he disappeared.

The story of the sorcerer and the demon strayed in his mind for three days straight. Blame it on Viper for comparing his unrequited love to the story that happened five millennia ago. It's not even helping that Reborn hadn't talk to him. God. He can't even concentrate on the book he is reading, but he did took Ira's advice of writing what he wanted to say to Reborn. He already has five essays ready. If he finishes the book he has today, it will be the sixth essay.

He walked through the empty hallways, not minding the patrolling DC members. Some even gave him nods of acknowledgement, which he didn't return. They're used to that response and his antics. It was classes hours, but no one stops him from cutting classes. When he arrived in front of his room, he sighed. Adjusting the book in his hand before taking out his key, inserting it to the keyhole and opening the door after, he stared at a woman standing in the middle of his room as he stepped inside. Based on the attire consisting of cropped shirt and shorts with a lot of bandages wrapped around her body, it was Lal.

"Fancy seeing you here, Lal." He greeted as he closed his door behind him.

The lady demon turned to him and nodded. "Tsuna."

"How are you?" He asked as he went for his desk and put his book down there.

"Pretty fine."

Tsuna smiled as he slid the swivel chair towards her. "Others? How was Bermuda's first mission?"

"They're fine. Bermuda did a good job. He wanted to see you and tell you, but he was pulled in another mission." The lady replied as she sat on the chair with a sigh.

The brunet nodded in appreciation. "Tell him I can't wait to know what happened."

"Sure."

"So what can I do for you? I won't believe you if you tell me that you wanted to visit me."

Lal smiled a little. "What if I do want to visit you?"

"Nah. Impassable." Tsuna jokingly answered.

"Impassable?" Lal queried, looking at him funnily.

"Impassable. Unable to get through. Your reason is invalid for the question."

Lal chuckled. "You're silly, kid."

"I never tried to be, but okay." The human answered positively. "So...?"

"Reborn forgot this on our mission's site yesterday." The Arcobaleno informed as she displayed a familiar hat to view. "It was pretty damaged."

Tsuna stared at the almost tattered hat, mind locating Luce since she started to be included in Reborn's memoried. "You want me to fix it?"

Lal shrugged. "Yeah. A little. If you know how to sew."

"I do know how to sew. The problem is will Reborn let me touch it or even repair it?"

"He should be appreciative then."

"Where is he anyway? Is he safe?" He asked discreetly.

"He's fine. Sleeping his butt off after taking a lot of enemies yesterday. No need to worry about your contractor."

'If I can call him my contractor.' A voice inside Tsuna's head whispered but the brunet dismissed it as he nodded externally. "Okay. It will take three days, I think? I need to find a good fabric with the same quality as what was used to make that hat."

"That will be okay. Honestly, why can't he just buy a new one?" Lal grumbled as she handed the hat.

The brunet laughed lightly at her grumbling. "Don't be like that. It's probably sentimental."

The Mist-rain demon's expression softened. "Probably."

"Go now. I know you have a lot of things to work on."

Lal stood up and pushed the chair to him. "Good luck with that. I'll pick it up when you're done."

"Thanks." Tsuna expressed as he put the hat beside his book.

Just as Lal disappeared, Tsuna dropped on the chair while memories of Reborn with Luce plagued his mind.

Tsuna stood by the shadows, watching Reborn and Luce interact with each other as other Arcobaleno do as well. They're inside the newly built Arcobaleno house. They got close as years passed by before Skull suggested that they live in a single house. Although they did consider Luce's job as a ruler of Noerim, they still pushed it through because they want to be together.

But the way and situation Reborn met the others were interesting, and Tsuna attests to it.

Skull was the first of the Arcobaleno Reborn met. The Cloud was about to do some stunts for a show when the hitman arranged his bike for the sake of it. Apparently, the demon in suit liked how the stuntman do dangerous moves in midair. Of course, with that attitude of his, Skull pledged himself to help Reborn when he needs it. That's where the nickname 'lackey' was produced. It was only a joke since the Cloud always does things the Sun wants, but it stuck as time passed by.

Fon came next. The two had the same target and they fought off to see who can kill the human. In the end, both killed the target. Reborn bagged the torso while Fon took the head. The hitman considered the Chinese assassin because he had mixed emotion about Chinese Triad and Italian Mafia. Tsuna can remember how much he laughed when Fon asked Reborn what happened after the latter presented the torso as an evidence to his employer. The hitman only smirked in answer (the employer threw up before making his men dispose the body. Reborn was given a dozen of expensive black suits that day as an exchange).

Under some undesirable circumstances, Reborn met Lal. Apparently, police can't stop the murders the hitman has been conducting in the same city (he was contracted for thirty times by different people, so he can't help it), so they asked for more force. That's where the Mist-rain met the Sun. The hitman already know that the highest ranking military woman, Lal, was a demon because she was pretty famous back then, so he struck a deal with her. The military will turn a blind eye on his works, while he does it in a way that no one will ever give attention (he resorted to burning the carcass or abandoning it on a deserted building), Lal was hesitant at first. She even tried to capture him (no one catches the greatest hitman, okay? Okay.), but she accepted it anyway. (Lal contacted him several times for hits too, and he didn't complain. The woman offered the infinite connection she has to compensate his reward. Just imagine the beautiful guns he can have, much more gorgeous than Lal's weapons.)

Reborn was accompanying his child contractor when he met Colonnello. He was going to ignore the Rain if only the other didn't take the little summoner as a hostage. Colonnello was hungry at that time and searching for a way to get back to his sister he lost for a millennium. The Rain was pretty annoying (endearing for Tsuna) at first, but nice to be with because he was quite competitive for the sake of the young summoner. Just picture out how surprised he was when Lal punched Colonnello the moment they stepped in her office (he was called for another hit after the contract and the annoying Rain tagged along) and the latter introduced the woman as his sister. Yeah. Happily ever after (Or not).

The contract was a heist when he met Viper. Viper was contracted by the other party to protect this stone (it was expensive, but stupid in Tsuna's opinion, cause it was too small to be that precious and it looked fake. (oh how right he was)). For Reborn's part, he admitted that it was hard to trick a mist demon. It's like tricking someone who is doing the same thing to you. It was pretty annoying and frustrating. Eventually, the two realized the stone was fake (Tsuna made a happy dance after watching the memory), and threw off the contract after making a silent truce that the heist never happened (pride is a good thing to hide humiliation).

Then there was little Verde. It was when Reborn swore to never trust demon prostitutes in town (Tsuna cringed at it honestly, because they drugged the hitman and shipped him off to somewhere until Verde got him). Seemingly, Verde was about to conduct an experiment on the black clad demon when Reborn woke up. The awakening fascinated the lightning demon because Reborn was sedated with the strongest narcotic in the Demon world. Since the hitman got how the scientist's brain works, he helped Verde in some projects and get some body to experiment on (now Tsuna knows why Iguchi's demon admitted defeat before he can even fight Verde in the annual meeting).

When Tsuna was about to watch the memory with Luce, he was thrown out of Reborn's physique and started to see the interaction in a third person point of view. But still, he could feel the hitman's feelings regarding each situation. And he concluded that Reborn likes how caring Luce was.

Luce was a powerful demon. She loves to take care of her subordinates and those people who seek her help. But Reborn wasn't any of those. The hitman was invited to the Giglio Nero to have a chat with the boss. Accordingly, Luce had a premonition that she will meet seven fellow demons with different affinities each. Reborn was one of them. She told them that they'll be part of a group and the sky will be her. At first, the Sun didn't believe her and stalked her. But when the others' were gathered, and they got closer as they interacted daily, he believed her.

Tsuna doesn't know how to describe Reborn's feelings about Luce. But he can say that the sky demon will always have a special place on the Sun's heart. A thing that the brunet will never be able to replace or match in terms of significance.

"Thanks for the gift yesterday, Luce." Verde expressed as he adjusted his glasses. "It fits nicely."

"What was her gift?" Skull asked while sitting comfortably between Viper and Lal.

"This tie." The Lightning answered, caressing the clothe.

"Woah. We all had our own gifts from Luce." Colonnello commented.

Tsuna winced. Reborn didn't receive any.

The brunet was transported and landed in a threshold. In front of him is the balcony where Reborn is leaning on the railings with his arms resting on the steel. Tsuna sidestepped just as Luce went out from the mansion. The young man smiled when he saw the box the sky demon had in her hands. So it's time for Reborn's gift.

"Reborn?"

"Yeah?" The hitman responded before straightening up and facing his sky.

"Here." Luce presented the box. "I contemplated what to give you since you seem to have everything already, so I thought of that after I saw Colonnello's bandana."

Reborn's expression went sour. "Of all people to get an inspiration."

The Sky giggled. "Don't be like that."

Reborn muttered incoherent words under his breath as he opened the box. Tsuna saw how the hitman froze, and a strong wave of shock flooded his system. Before long, the sun demon took out the item from the box and held it up for the world to see. Tsuna took a deep breath to relax himself as his heart thumped strongly inside its cage. Too strong for his liking.

It was the black fedora Reborn adores so much.

"Since you like black, I took a black colored one." Luce explained.

Reborn put it on and traced the brim of the hat. "How do I look?"

The Sky scrunched her face in a thinking manner. "You look handsome and dangerous."

Reborn hummed. "You probably mean I look more gorgeous and pretty powerful."

That line made Luce laugh and Reborn just stared at the sky demon in front of him with a small smile on his lips. Just then, the young man's heart throbbed with mix emotions from him and from his demon's hearts.

Tsuna jerked back to reality with a sob. He covered his face with both hands and started to cry his heart out. As he did, his mind and heart kept reminding him of Reborn's feelings before he went back to his world.

Six millennia ago, Reborn, the hitman met Luce Giglio Nero, the ruler of Noerim.

And a long time ago, the sun arcobaleno Reborn fell in love with Luce Giglio Nero, the sky arcobaleno.