Tsuna was frowning. He was sitting inside his office, staring at the letter his mother sent him. He should have expected something like this would happen sooner or later. He narrowed his eyebrows, put the letter down and sighed, feeling an oncoming headache.
"Boss?" A female voice called out and Tsuna looked at his Mist Guardian. "Everything alright?" Chrome tilted her head slightly to the side, her gaze worried, but still curious.
"Ah," Tsuna wasn't sure if he should nod or shake his head. "Mom sent me a letter, saying she and dad are going on a trip next week. It was about time…" he murmured the last sentence under his breath.
Chrome widened her eyes. "Are you worried?"
"Not for them," Tsuna murmured and stood up. "Although Bianchi and Hibari are in Japan, I don't expect them to watch over Fūta, Lambo and I-Pin. They have other things to take care of." He sweat dropped, making Chrome smile.
"Should we prepare for departure?"
Tsuna walked around his table with a small smile mirroring Chrome's. "A little bit of break won't do anyone any harm."
Tsuna knew he should have expected anything when he decided to go back to Namimori. Calling for his Guardians wasn't exactly an easy job since they've been on missions or out of the reach, but then again he expected Reborn to be against the idea. Much to his surprise, he agreed with it. With Ryohei and Mukuro on their missions, Gokudera was making sure everything would go to a T. And for some miracle, it did.
Standing in front of his house in Namimori, Tsuna stared at it. He blinked and tilted his head, confused. Something was missing. He wasn't sure what exactly, but something was missing. It was too quiet for his liking.
"Tsuna-nii!" Voices called out.
Tsuna turned and smiled. "Fūta, I-Pin," he called for the teens. "Done with classes for the week?" he asked.
"Yes," Fūta nodded. "I wanted to wait for Lambo as well, but I only met I-Pin." He frowned and both turned to I-Pin, who averted her gaze. "We've searched for Lambo, but he was nowhere to be found."
"Hm," Tsuna hummed. "What can I say? Four months was already long enough." He chuckled, shaking his head only to sweat drop a moment later. He didn't like this, whatever this was.
The three walked inside, but not before Tsuna looked down the street feeling worried.
It passed an hour until the doors opened only to be slammed shut that made Tsuna raise an eyebrow. He was sitting in the living room, facing towards the hallway so he clearly saw Lambo in distress, his hair much messier than usual with dirt on his face. Tsuna frowned and was about to call for Lambo, but the teen stomped his way upstairs and shut the doors behind. Looking towards I-Pin, who was sitting by the table, working on her homework, she was biting on her lower lip, nervous. Fūta was sitting across from her, focused on his laptop, but even he didn't miss the ruckus that was going on.
"Did something happen at school?" Tsuna's curiosity beat him and I-Pin flinched.
It was all the answer he needed.
Letting out a sigh, Tsuna massaged his head when his phone rang. He took it from the table and looked at the caller before picking it up. "Gokudera," he greeted his right-hand man. "Did Lambo contact you since school started?"
Fūta and I-Pin looked at each other. Not a moment later, Chrome was standing in the living room as Tsuna talked with Gokudera on the phone. His voice was quiet, but Fūta and I-Pin heard him clearly. They soon moved from talking about Lambo on other matters, frowning when Chrome handed him a paper with a crooked smile on her lips. Tsuna sighed when he read it.
"Everything alright Jūdaime?" Gokudera asked.
"Yes," he murmured. "I'm worried about Lambo, nothing else."
"What did he do now?" Gokudera sighed.
"You should be asking who's their homeroom teacher." Tsuna leaned on his knees.
"Ah," Gokudera grumbled, having an idea. "I never liked that man. 's there a chance he could miraculously get fired?"
"No." The young boss exasperated. "It's just three years. I'm sure everything will be alright."
Chrome was standing in front of the Sawada house. She stared at the last name on the gates before she heard the door open. Raising her gaze, a smile spread across her lips when she saw I-Pin, Lambo and Tsuna behind them. There was a pout on Lambo's lips and her expression softened.
"It's not my fault, Tsuna-nii!" Lambo opposed.
"I know, Lambo." Tsuna sighed. "Nezu-sensei is … old and he's not fond of students who get bad marks or students who are aloof but still get best scores."
"Sounds like you and Bakadera." Lambo grumbled, kicking a stone and Tsuna closed his eyes. Lambo gave a small smile and waved when he spotted Chrome, adding; "Good morning, Chrome." I-Pin followed right behind, smiling widely.
"Good morning, Lambo, I-Pin." Chrome greeted back. She stepped aside to give Tsuna and Lambo space, walking towards the car. "Boss," she greeted the latter.
"Chrome," Tsuna nodded with his head before he opened the door on the backseat, watching I-Pin and Lambo sit in. "What do you think Reborn will do when he hears you ended in a fight at school? In the third month since it began."
"Probably ask if I won?" Lambo tried and grinned when Tsuna laughed. He shrugged a moment later. "It's not my fault I'm the magnet for trouble. I mean, I'm a Lightning Guardian for a reason, y'know."
Tsuna shook his head, a smile on his lips. "Try not to get into more fights at school. Especially with Nezu-sensei." He closed the door and opened the ones for Chrome. He smiled at her before he walked on the driver's side and sat in, looking at Lambo in the rear view mirror. "I talked to Gokudera, so if you have any kind of trouble, you can always call him, Chrome or me."
Lambo's arms were crossed over his chest, eyes focused outside instead.
"Lambo …" Tsuna called.
I-Pin looked at Lambo and secretly elbowed him.
"Yes, yes," the teen sighed. "I get it, I get it. Call any of you if something happens. As usual." He rolled his eyes and I-Pin shot him a glare.
Tsuna's lips twitched, but didn't say a word. The rest of the drive to school was quiet except for I-Pin and Lambo talking to each other. Tsuna eyed Lambo once in a while, but said nothing. Stopping near the gates, Lambo's eyebrows narrowed. Tsuna quietly stared at him and before he could say a word, the teen was already out of the car. A sigh was the only thing heard in the car until Chrome spoke;
"I'll look after Lambo."
Tsuna looked at her and smiled. "Thank you." Chrome returned the smile and went to open the door. "Call me once you're done talking to Nezu-sensei."
"I will," Chrome nodded. Before she closed the door, she looked back at her boss. "Mukuro-sama will arrive in a couple of days."
"Ah," Tsuna nodded. "Thank you," he added and watched Chrome tell something to the young guardian because in the next moment his shoulders slumped and nodded with his head. Biting the inner of his cheek, he remained there for a while more, feeling more and more worried.
"I do hope it won't get worse." He sighed. "The last thing I need is Reborn on my back and demanding answers."
The children's laughter and teachers' voices surrounded Chrome while she was sitting on a chair. She closed her eye, immediately sensing I-Pin's and Lambo's presence in their classrooms, surrounded by their classmates. A small smile spread across her lips before she opened her eye again and focused her attention on a man in early sixties that walked inside. He walked towards her and widened his eyes when he spotted her.
"I'm sorry for arriving right before classes start, but I'm not available in the afternoon." Chrome spoke, her smile sweet and gentle.
"It's-it's alright." Nezu stuttered and sat down. "Are you here for … Lambo?" he questioned warily.
"Yes," she nodded.
"Oh," Nezu murmured. "I didn't know he had such a young mother." He frowned.
"Sister," Chrome corrected and Nezu's eyes widened. "Mother won't be available for a couple of days, so our brother asked me to come."
"Brother?"
The only answer Nezu received was a smile even sweeter. A chill ran down his spine, but was quick to shake his head. He reached for a drawer in his desk, opened it and took a couple of papers out. He placed them in front of Chrome, gaze hard. Chrome looked down, exams displayed and managed to remain expressionless as she caught the grade. She almost averted her gaze to the side, already hearing Gokudera throwing a fit on Lambo's low score. She didn't need to hear what Nezu was talking about, because it certainly wasn't anything good. But she could handle it.
"I have never in my whole career had a student as bad as Lambo is." Nezu shook his head disapprovingly. "He always gets into arguments, fights, always wants attention. And his grades?" he narrowed his eyebrows. "He's a no-good student, that is what he is."
"I see."
Nezu blinked with his eyes and looked at Chrome. She was smiling and he wondered if it was just him or did the whole office become colder.
"I'll talk to my brother and mother when she comes home."
All Nezu managed was a nod and a rather silent; "Please do." before he continued to talk about Lambo's bad qualities as a student.
Chrome's smile softened before she let out a silent sigh. Boss won't be happy… She thought to herself and looked at the exam results. She could already hear Gokudera arguing with Lambo while Yamamoto is trying to calm them down with Tsuna having another headache.
But then again … maybe she could make an illusion? Just one? After all, no one would know.
No, Chrome shook her head, but Nezu didn't seem to see it. I cannot disappoint my boss.
But a harmless illusion won't be too much, would it? she wondered and an almost invisible smile spread across her lips. A small harmless illusion indeed.
Lambo was walking towards the gates of school with I-Pin beside. His hands were in his pocket, a frown on his face when he spotted a familiar face. A smile spread across his and I-Pin's lips and they rushed towards Chrome, who was waiting for them. She smiled and greeted them before they began walking down the street.
"How was school?" she asked and looked at the two teens.
"Manageable," Lambo answered while I-Pin said; "Okay."
Chrome nodded.
"Is Tsuna-nii at home?" Lambo looked at Chrome, who shook her head. He pouted while I-Pin looked at her feet, sadness and disappointment visible on their faces.
"Reborn-san called and asked him to look over some things. He left an hour ago, but should be back by dinner time." She explained before adding; "Did Nezu-sensei give you a hard time today?"
Lambo's eyes widened, his head snapping to look at Chrome, who was staring ahead instead. "I knew something was off! It was like he didn't see me no matter what I did today. And when he did look at me he just looked away instead." he exclaimed and she smiled. "What did you do?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." She replied, but both Lambo and I-Pin knew better. "I may have … played just a bit. Don't tell the boss though." Placing a finger on her lips, the two teens nodded with much more excitement, promising not to tell anyone.
There was laughter as they walked. They stopped by the store to get ice-cream – to which both Lambo and I-Pin were happy to get – until they finally arrived at Sawada house. Like Chrome said, Tsuna wasn't home and neither was Fūta. Being alone was something they weren't used to, since Nana was always home, so when they walked inside their hearts missed a beat at how quiet it was. It didn't go unnoticed by Chrome, whose expression turned sadder.
"Why don't you go upstairs and change clothes before you eat?"
Lambo didn't say anything, while I-Pin agreed, but both disappeared upstairs. Chrome followed them with her gaze before she walked into the kitchen, where a pot was on the cooking stove. She smiled, knowing Tsuna made sure they would have something to eat.
With the house too quiet, every footstep was heard. Soon the three were sitting by the table, eating and talking. Yet no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't make the quietness disappear like every time before. It wasn't the same and Chrome knew they missed Tsuna—especially Lambo even if he tried to hide it.
Chrome only hoped Tsuna would come soon.
Opening the doors, Tsuna let out a sigh as he walked inside with Fūta behind. "I didn't think it would take this long. If I did, I'd immediately refuse." He hissed when he stretched his arm. Fūta chuckled behind, but Tsuna soon looked towards the living room when he spotted light was still on. His eyes widened when he spotted Chrome sitting on the couch, her head tilted to the side.
Tsuna and Fūta looked at each other. The first one to move closer was the young boss, whose smile was quick to spread across his lips. Chrome was sitting on the couch, eye closed while on one side was lying Lambo with his head on her lap and on the other I-pin, leaning on Chrome's side.
"They must have been waiting for us." Fūta quietly commented.
Tsuna checked the time and frowned when he saw it was already past one in the morning. Shaking with his head he moved forward and leaned down to shake Lambo, who didn't budge at all. All he received was a grumble, followed by a mumble and arm stretching with a punch landing on Tsuna's cheek. Fūta's eyes widened and quickly covered his mouth to prevent himself from laughing out loud at Tsuna's expression.
"I'm going too easy on him…" Tsuna grumbled, but lifted the teen in his arms.
Lambo whined at the action, but surprisingly he still hasn't woken up.
"Do you need help?" asked Fūta.
"Could you carry I-Pin to her room please?" Tsuna looked at the teen.
Fūta smiled and lifted I-Pin from her position. Neither of them woke up as Tsuna and Fūta carried the two upstairs. Walking inside Lambo's room, Tsuna managed to hold back a sigh when he saw what state it was in. Clothes were everywhere except in a closet, his bag in the corner of the room, textbooks forgotten on the table. Shaking his head, Tsuna walked over to Lambo's bed and relaxed when at least his bed seemed cleaner. He laid Lambo on the bed and looked at him.
"What will I do with you?" Tsuna couldn't help the sigh.
"Baka Tsuna…" Lambo murmured in his sleep. "…'ways in Italy…"
Tsuna winced. He grabbed the blanket and covered the teen with it. "Sorry for not being here, Lambo." His voice was quiet. He squatted down and brushed hair off his forehead. He frowned when he spotted an already healed cut that was completely hidden beneath his bangs. Gritting his teeth, Tsuna closed his eyes and took in a deep breath to calm down the anger he felt rising. Knowing Lambo won't tell him anything about it, he had to make sure to get him off guard.
Massaging his temples, Tsuna could already hear Reborn making a comment on it with Gokudera in the background. Standing straight, Tsuna looked at Lambo one last time before he left the room. He shut the door behind the moment he received a text message. Pulling out the phone, he unlocked it and frowned at the message.
"Everything okay, boss?" Chrome's voice made Tsuna look down the hallway at his Mist Guardian.
"Chrome," he called surprised. "Sorry, were we too loud?" he sweat dropped.
Chrome shook her head. "I thought they woke up and went to their bedrooms. I didn't know you were already home." she shortly explained and Tsuna smiled.
"Ah, yes," he nodded. "Things got…long." He murmured before he looked back at his phone. "It seems Gokudera's plane has some kind of problems."
Chrome frowned. There were footsteps and Fūta walked onto the hallway. His eyes widened when he spotted Chrome, but greeted her with a warm smile that she returned.
"Why don't you stay the night here?" Tsuna looked back at Chrome. "It's already late and not quite safe outside."
"I don't want to intrude." She shook her head.
"Nonsense," Tsuna waved with a hand. "We have rooms free from all those ten years back, it's time someone uses them again." he chuckled and Fūta was quick to agree. "I insist." He added when he saw her hesitate.
"A-alright," she nodded after a moment, her cheeks rosy.
Tsuna's smile grew.
"Oh, Chrome," Tsuna called when she reached for the doorknob.
"Yes, boss?" she looked at him.
"Next time, you can make the illusion a bit scarier."
Chrome and Fūta's eyes widened before a smile spread across her lips. "Understood."
Fūta looked from Tsuna to Chrome, confusion visible on his face. "What do you mean?" he blurted out as he looked back at Tsuna.
The only answer he received was a smile that sent shivers down his spine.
Note: I know it's been a while since I posted anything, but I have to get this one out of my chest. It's one of the ideas that's been in my drafts and head for so many years and right now seems to be the best time to share it with you. I've been going through some writer's block (which is, unfortunately, still on-going), to work, it just happens that I became a personal assisstant to my mom, who broke her knee.
At the moment I have 10 chapters in plan for this story and I hope you'll like it as much as I like the idea.
