Next week, I can't post anything. Hope this chapter is good enough for this week and next week~!

Another Eleventh

Target 5: See You Later

For the past few days, Pearl had a new schedule. She would get up, eat breakfast in Akito's room, go to her room to get changed, go to work, come back, change into her sleeping gown, go eat dinner with Akito and then sleep with him. Of course, they would talk about her schedules, she would have midnight practice with him and even have him help her write a song.

"So, you're going on tour?" Akito asked as he watched the girl prance around his room. "What about Japan?"

Right now, the two had finished dinner and Pearl was practicing her new dance for a song she wrote as her graduating song. The public didn't know that she was retiring, but preparations were made to announce it at her last concert. To be honest, it made her a bit sad.

"It was the agency's idea, so it can't be helped." Pearl closed her eyes and then looked at her fiance. Extending her hand, she smiled. "Come and dance with me~!"

Akito got off the bed and walked over to the girl, holding her close as they swayed to the music. "I'm leaving tomorrow for Japan." He started as he spun the girl around. "Are you staying here?"

She shook her head. "They got a traveling bus for me so I'm staying there." She caressed his cheek and smiled when he nuzzled into her palm. "You can fly back for my last concert, right?"

"Yeah, anything for you." He mumbled with his eyes closed, enjoying her warmth.

It had been a long five days and Pearl was the only person Akito saw during those days. She was shocked to see him act so childish at first, but in a way, she found it cute. Her staying by his side this whole time has earned her his trust. And, she did report that to her mother.

"Make sure to invite the others as well." She told him as the music stopped and she let the boy hug her. "They were also excited about my concert."

Akito nodded his head as he kissed her hand and slowly kissed up her arm. When he arrived at her neck, she rolled her head back so he could continue to kiss her body. "Pearl, can I eat you tonight?" he whispered against her skin, making her shiver.

The blonde girl blushed as he pulled away to press his forehead gently against hers. "I-I'm fine with kissing, but no more than that." She told him and gasped when he lifted her up. "A-Akito?"

The boy carried Pearl to the bed and laid her down. Once he put her down, he got on top of her, using his arms and legs to lift himself up. "Just kissing, right?" He asked and smiled when she nodded. "Then, thank you." He lowered himself on top of her and kissed her lips.

Holding her close, the boy held her tightly as if she was going to run away. But she wasn't. Even though she said that kissing was the limit, she wanted more. She opened her eyes slightly to see his face as he kissed her. Opening her mouth made him do the same and their tongues played with each other.

/"He's being clingy because I'm the only one here."/ Pearl thought to herself as she wrapped her arms around his neck to play with his hair. /"Coming here every day was a good idea. Not only am I his only outlet to the outside world, but I'm also his stress reliever. He can't use his flames, work out, or anything. Sitting in this room and reading without anyone to talk to is driving him mad. Loving me is the only way for him to relieve stress. This can be a drug for him… and maybe for me?"/

/knock, knock/

The teens looked up at the door. Who was interrupting them? Akito got off the girl and walked towards the door, leaving her to hug a pillow and hide her face from their guest.

When he opened the door, Akito blinked at who it was. "What are you doing here, Yuuma?" He asked, looking very annoyed.

The blonde only chuckled. "I'm here to see my best friend! What's wrong? You seem a bit more annoyed than usual." He peered into the room and saw Pearl on the bed. "Huh? Pearl-chan, what are you doing here… Hm?"

She gasped at his grin and blushed. "N-No! Wait! Stop thinking weird things!"

Yuuma looked at Akito, who was still annoyed. "Having fun with your youth, Aki?" He joked.

As if a spell had been released, Akito finally blushed at his memories. "A-Ah! Tomorrow, you have to wake up early, right, Pearl? Go ahead and head back while I entertain my guest!" He pulled Yuuma into the room and looked away from the girl.

"Eh?" No… No way… he was annoyed that they had stopped just a moment ago. She spent this whole time trying to get close to Akito but now he wouldn't even come over to help her down from the bed that HE PUT HER ON?! A week's worth of work just went down the drain?! She stared at the two boys and then rushed out of the room. "Curse you, Stupid Simon!"

Meanwhile, in Akito's room, after the girl left, Simon was laughing at the poor Vongola. "So you were starting some nasties! Ahaha!" He sat on the couch and stared at his friend. "Dude, you seriously lost composure! I thought you were gay for a couple of years too!"

"It can't be helped!" Akito yelled. "I'm locked in here and no one but her comes to see me! I felt starved for human attention!"

"Oh right, your mom used to come to see you, but she left with your siblings the day Pearl came here," Yuuma smirked. "But still, it's not even that bad."

"You don't get it." Akito sighed. "When I get locked away, this collar makes it so I can't leave this room. And…" He remembered his past and sat on a chair, hugging one leg. "... Even if something happens, Father shouldn't need to do anything."

"Hey," Yumma called out, in a serious tone, "you better not be saying that you want servants to come in here again. Your dad got rid of those servants that used to abuse you! Don't say that he was wrong to help you!"

"That's not what I meant!" Akito sighed. "It's best to stay in here and bare with it all. I just wish that he could come see me too since he knows Mom isn't here. But I can't ask for that. It would make me seem weak in front of the family."

Yuuma slumped into his seat and sighed. This was the kind of person Akito was. He was kind to everyone and cared more about the Vongola image than his own happiness. Back when the servants would take advantage of him and beat him, the one to rat them out was Yuuma who saw what was happening. When young Yuuma told Akito to tell his father about the beatings, Akito refused.

"They said that Father sent them to punish me… If I cry about it, Father will be disappointed and the whole family will know that I'm weak…. If that happens, I can't be the next boss…"

Yuuma snapped back into reality, leaving his memories alone. "That's why you didn't fight the arranged marriage." Yuuma sighed. "Listen, I get it. It's hard not being able to see other people, but you can talk to your father about it. Maybe in Japan, your father can find another way to punish you?"

"Yeah…" Akito sighed. "Thanks, Man."

"That's what friends are for." Yuuma grinned. "So, want me to cuddle with you in your sleep since I drove Pearl-chan away?"

"I'll kill you if you stay."

"Then, good night~!"

Once Akito was alone in the room, he looked at the bed and sighed. "Ah, I shouldn't make excuses… I totally tried to feel her up." He walked over and laid down. "This bed… was it always this big and lonely…" He rolled to his side and smiled. "It smells like her."

Tsuna looked at his paperwork as he let out another sigh. "This is endless." He said as he looked at the window to reveal the morning sky. "After this meeting, I'll head home." He smiled as he looked at his papers.

"Tenth, you deserve a bit of rest." Hayato smiled at the brunette as he got up from the stack of books on the floor. "A lot has happened these past few days, it's no wonder you wish to see your family."

"I guess you're right. Did Reborn let Akito out?" Tsuna asked as he looked at his right-hand man.

"Yes, he was let out at dawn. He's currently eating breakfast with my son and Eiichi." He sighed. "I let him know that you wanted to see all three of them once they were done."

"Good work." Tsuna yawned and then blinked when he heard a knock at the door. "Oh, they're here. Come in!"

"Excuse us!" The door opened and revealed the three boys that were to be assigned a new mission. Akito, Eichi, and Raph stood next to each other, in that order, waiting for their orders. They all wore casual clothing and looked a bit happy. Looks like they caught up and had a blast during breakfast.

"Good morning, Father," Akito spoke up, breaking the silence with a cheerful greeting. "Before I tell you my request, can I know why you called us here?"

"I got a job for you three." Tsuna started as Hayato showed them a photo of a girl with short light brown hair that had two pigtails. She seemed to be looking in another direction, meaning this photo was taken without her consent.

"This is Biyori Kishimoto. She's your age and lives in Namimori, Japan." Hayato spoke up. "She has below average grades in school and no athletic abilities at all, however, she is being targeted because she is a part of the Vongola Family."

"Why do we have someone like that in the famiglia?" Raph asked, confused.

"Pathetic," Eichi spoke, making everyone stare at him.

"Hey, you two. Let's be a bit nicer to her." Akito sighed at the two who didn't even flinch at Akito's words.

"She's very important for the Vongola Family," Tsuna spoke up, making them all blink. "You three are to go to Japan and protect her. She also needs to know of her situation as a mafia member, so I'm leaving that to you three as well."

"Eh? What the heck?" Raph blinked, a bit confused. "We have to tell her?"

Akito stared at his father, completely confused. "She's important, huh? Why?"

"Her father used to work for us, however, he passed away during a mission," Tsuna explained, a dark shadow covering his eyes. "That girl has been kept at a safe distance from the family in order for her to live a normal life. Her mother has been raising her, but she's currently staying at a hospital from overworking herself."

"Father…" Akito took a step forward but stopped when Tsuna turned his chair around. Now with his father facing away from them, he pulled back his words.

"You three are already heading to Japan today, so please find that girl by tonight." Hayato smiled as he looked at the three. "Protect her and tell her everything. You three are the only ones who can do it."

"Right!" The three boys agreed together. They looked at each other and nodded as they headed towards the door.

"Akito."

The said boy stopped and looked back to see the back of the chair. "Y-Yes?"

"You wanted to talk to me?" Tsuna spoke, making Akito blush.

"Yes, but I wish to speak to you alone." Akito looked at Hayato and he began to walk out the door with Eichi and Raph behind him.

When the door closed, Tsuna turned around to show his tired face. "Let's hear it." He weakly smiled.

Akito smiled at his father and shrugged. "It's about my punishment…" He looked away. "I was wondering if you had plans for it in Japan."

"Ah, I see." Tsuna smiled. "This is the last time I'm using this method."

"Really?" Akito smiled. "Then in Japan, what kind of punishment will I have?"

"Why are you excited about punishments?" Tsuna chuckled. "An old friend of mine will be giving you training lessons instead of this. Look forward to it."

"Oh, I see." Akito looked at the ground and remembered the girl from the picture. "That girl… Is she Basil's daughter?"

"You remember him?" Tsuna asked and saw his son nod. "Well, he was your teacher when you were a child. Do you remember the girl?"

"A little." Akito looked away. "She was my childhood crush, right?"

Tsuna let out a chuckle. "When we visited her in Japan, you were five. The two of you got along very well and you even said that you liked her and wanted to be her future husband~! Oh how cute you two were~!"

"Eh? I don't remember that!" Akito stated, already blushing. "Besides we were kids, right? She probably doesn't remember."

"Oh? But she remembers you and that promise." Tsuna chuckled. "I called your mother and Kyoko said that Biyori remembers you and your promise."

Meanwhile, as his father spoke, Akato's face grew redder. "Eh? But I'm engaged to Pearl…"

"Oh?" Tsuna blinked. "Didn't you say that you weren't going to be working hard at that engagement?"

"That's not what I meant." Akito sighed. "I mean, won't that family look down on us for breaking that engagement?"

"She's your guardian so it doesn't matter." Tsuna smiled. "If you want to marry Pearl-san, I'll be fine with it. If you want to marry Biyori-chan, then go for it. Seek your own happiness."

Akito blinked and smiled. "Thank you, Father, but I'll keep my promise to Pearl. Even though I can get out of this marriage, I don't want to act too rash or it'll scare everyone."

"Yeah…" Tsuna hung his head. "I know what you mean. I was rushed into it when I first spoke to your mother."

"Eh?" Akito blinked. Now that he mentioned it, Akito never heard of how his parents got together. He knows how they got married and who proposed, but how did they meet? "How did you meet Mom?"

Tsuna flinched at the question. "We were in the same middle school… I admired it from afar… And then Reborn shot with a Dying Will Bullet…" He looked away. "I confessed my feelings to Kyoko in my underpants… in front of the school… in front of a lot of students… in my Dying Will Mode…"

Akito stared at his father with an emotionless expression. "I-Is that so…?" He spoke, trying not to laugh at the mental image. "I didn't know that about you, Father."

"I used to be really useless then." Tsuna sighed. "Well, I still am when it comes to a few things, but it's fine."

"Eh?" Akito blinked. "But Father, I think you're perfect."

"Thanks." Tsuna laughed. "But, that's in your eyes." Seeing his son pout, he laughed. "In my eyes, no one is perfect. Perfect isn't perfect either. You might think I'm perfect while others think the opposite."

"They're wrong!" Akito argued. "You're the best boss that Vongola has ever had!"

"Really?" Tsuna smiled. "But that's your opinion. Perfection is a lie people use to control others. A lot of people are bound to that lie and try to use it as an excuse for their mistakes." He looked at his son. "You aren't perfect, but to me, you are fine just the way you are, Akito."

The boy felt a warmth engulfing his whole body and looked at the ground. "Okay… I won't marry the perfect girl…" He smiled. "I'll marry the girl that makes me happy!"

And that's all for this chapter! Sorry, but no chapter next week. Life got really busy~!