A.N: Thank you so much for stopping by and thank you MaTsuRi2308 and my anonymous guest for reviewing and all those lovely readers who have placed my story in their favourites and alerts.
WARNINGS: Creepy Mukuro— well I guess that's normal.
Disclaimer: I do not own the familiar characters.
For a flight planned at the last minute, the travel wasn't so bad, Iemitsu mused as he surfed through his agenda, taking a sip out of his cup of juice. He peered at the reddening sky through the window and checked his watch. Finally, we are almost there… He couldn't wait to see his sweet Nana, not to mention his brave tuna-fish, Iemitsu almost giggled in supressed glee. He could tell from Nana's voice on the phone that she was as excited as he was. After all, it's been almost thirteen years since she last saw Xanxus, and she used to absolutely adore him as a child. Hopefully they will warm up to each other soon…
He was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard a weak groan to his side, some shuffling, a few muttering and finally soft purring. Iemitsu couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips as he observed Xanxus who was fast asleep, curled up in the seat next to him. Ah…travelling for the first time after thirteen years…he must be severely jet-lagged…Iemitsu mused as he ran a gentle hand through the boy's spiky hair. His smile widened more when he felt Xanxus lean into the touch.
It was really amusing how Xanxus did all he could to ignore him when they first boarded the car from the mansion. He, however, did not miss the subtle look Xanxus sent Timoteo's way before settling in the car or the pleased and contented look on Timoteo's face as he and his guardians send them off. Timoteo, once he had settled his grievances with Xanxus in his room, had pulled all of his guardians to help him pack his son's luggage. The mansion, for the first time in ten years, was bustling with activities, with the maids running to the dryers and Xanxus sitting on the bed covering his face in embarrassment as Timoteo fussed over him.
Iemitsu sighed. He was yet to make up to the boy— Heck! He was yet to bury the hatchet with Tsuna after he left him alone with his mother for all those years. Iemitsu grimaced, "Man…I really did mess up a lot, didn't I?" he muttered to himself.
He perked up when he heard the familiar announcement for descent and checked his seatbelt. He turned over to Xanxus and slightly shook his shoulders, "Xanxus? Come on, child, we are almost there!" He saw the boy scowl in his sleep and shift over to lay a hand over the armrest, relaxing into the seat.
Iemitsu sighed. Definitely jet-lagged…he smiled in amusement. He reached over to fasten Xanxus' seatbelt and readjusted his seat back.
Finally, we are home!
Stepping into the shade of the Nagamura Bakery in Namimori Shopping District, Tsuna took a moment to relish the cool atmosphere, all the while wiping his brow with the back of his hand. He looked at the different assortment of sweets and smiled to himself. What to get? They all look so good… It was the last day of school before their summer vacation and Tsuna couldn't be any happier. His smile brightened when he heard footsteps stop behind him.
"Wow, Tsuna, you were really fast on your feet" Yamamoto complimented, walking up to his left.
"Whom do you take Juudaime for, ya moron?!" Gokudera growled at a laughing Yamamoto before turning to face Tsuna, smiling adoringly at him," What is it that you want to buy, Juudaime? I learned everything I can about Japanese desserts! I can choose the perfect gift for you!" Gokudera pumped his fist in excitement.
"Thank you, Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna chimed and looked around. Frankly, he still held mixed feelings when it came to his father coming over to stay, but whatever made his mother happy was enough to satisfy him. His mother always deserved the BEST!
"So Juudaime, what kinda food does he prefer?" Gokudera enquired, turning around to face him from the glass cases of sweets he was examining.
"Ah, Tsuna, you didn't tell me you were gonna gift something to your new houseguest" Yamamoto walked over to examine the bitter sweets.
"Ah well…I wanted him to feel comfortable so I thought, why not?" Tsuna smiled sheepishly, "But I don't know what he likes…well…I haven't even met him before. But mom was really excited at the prospect of hearing the news yesterday night"
Excited would be the understatement of the year…Tsuna smiled. She was practically bubbling with happiness, blabbering about how long it had been since 'Dan-kun' had last visited, and how much he must have grown, and how he was going to have so much fun here with Tsuna and his friends. Tsuna was gaping at her the whole time.
"Judging from what mom told me about Dan-kun, he seems to be a really sweet person" Tsuna looked at Yamamoto surveying the rack of Dorayaki. He sweat dropped, "Ano…Yamamoto…I don't think Squalo would appreciate any gifts from you"
"Huh! You think so?!" he blinked at Tsuna before turning to inspect another case, "Hmm…maybe I'll get him some Mochi then…and some instant Ramen—of course! Haha…!" he beamed at him and walked over to the counter to order some Mochi. Tsuna just stared… Giving Squalo-san a 'get well soon' present is akin to suicide! He could already imagine some worst case scenarios, well, the only best case he could imagine is Squalo screaming at the top of his lungs for Yamamoto to get away from him.
"Juudaime, how about some Sakura Mochi or perhaps some Coffee Jelly…" Gokudera pointed to the said desserts, thankfully breaking him from his train of unpleasant thoughts. Frankly, Gokudera felt a little wary of this so-called 'Dan-kun', especially since Juudaime seemed happy about this person residing with him. He was looking forward to spending the vacations with his precious Juudaime, with Yamamoto being called to assist with that shark bastard, but his plans were sky rocketed as usual. Nevertheless, he would visit him every day and make sure this Dan-kun knew his place.
After the purchase, the gang found themselves in a nearby ice cream shop, chattering happily about their vacation plans.
"Juudaime…You mentioned earlier that your mom was happy that this mystery house guest of yours was coming back to stay…Does that mean she he has stayed in your house before?" Tsuna looked up from his milkshake and nodded his head, "I may not remember him but mom told me that he used to visit often before I was born"
Taking another sip, Tsuna chuckled, "Seeing how I was completely lost in her frenzy to get a room ready for him, she sat down with me yesterday night and told me all sorts of stories about him." The best one so far was a ten-year old Dan-kun trying to drive a car to the hospital, when he could barely reach the steering wheel, when his mom was in labor and while his 'no-good' dad was not around. Tsuna laughed, taking a moment to bask in comfortable mood his friends created. God—he missed this so much!
A month ago, he was just 'Dame-Tsuna' to everyone, well….he still is, but the Ring Conflict had given him a whole new perspective of life. He may not love the prospect of leading a Mafia Family, but he sure as heck loved his friends he managed to make along the way! Speaking about the Ring Conflict…he turned to Yamamoto…
"Yamamoto, what did they ask of you anyway?" Tsuna asked casually. It couldn't be anything bad, considering the fact that the last time he saw Squalo; he was wrapped from head to toe in stitches. Surely, he hadn't gotten away or something.
"Oh, yeah…I never explained my cool mission, did I?" Yamamoto laughed; rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Tsuna sweat dropped. He still thinks it's a game…
" They want me and Hibari-san to babysit Squalo—isn't it exciting!" Yamamoto beamed innocently at them.
Unfortunately, Gokudera took the exact moment to take a mouthful of his milkshake, only to choke and spew it out in surprise, thankfully away from his other two friends. However, he composed himself quickly and waved of the waitress' concern before croaking out a shocked, 'what?!'
"Well…The report that I got explained that there was this doctor named Ritsu Alopa" he stopped when he heard a sharp gasp from Gokudera.
"Ano…is something wrong?" Tsuna asked meekly, noticing the absolutely constipated look on Gokudera's face.
"Ah…It's nothing Juudaime" he gave an assuring smile to Tsuna before motioning Yamamoto to continue.
"Ah! Yes…where was I? Then, the doc's report mentioned about…" here Tsuna noticed Yamamoto's brows furrowing, a distressed look engulfing his usually carefree face," all the injuries Squalo's body sustained" he grimaced, while muttering, "especially from the shark bite."
Tsuna turned away, unable to offer any sort of comfort to the guilt Yamamoto felt. Of course—they all held their fair share of regrets from the Ring battles—well…except Hibari and perhaps Mukuro, and Lambo must have already forgotten the whole ordeal—but there was something between Yamamoto and Squalo that Tsuna couldn't figure out. Squalo's name, as far as Yamamoto was concerned, was a taboo. He had even caught Yamamoto staring for hours at anything that was silver. Mentioning about Squalo also drew Tsuna's thoughts to Xanxus and his desperate stare, his broken soul, his betrayal hope, his abuse— Tsuna shook his head. I left him there…just like that…
"So…how did Hibari-san agree to this?" Tsuna smiled, desperately trying to change the subject. It had the desired effect as Yamamoto gave a hearty laugh, startling the near-by customers.
Once he composed himself, he smiled and threw a hand at the back of his chair, "Well…the circumstances that brought Hibari into this—"he stifled a giggle and continued," Well…he was tricked!" he laughed out loud.
"WHAT?!" Gokudera and Tsuna exclaimed simultaneously.
"I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it with my very eyes" Yamamoto smirked, his eyes twinkling with mirth," Reborn somehow managed to bring both Mukuro and Hibari together in the same room during mission briefing" At their horrified look he added, "They are still alive, of course."
Yamamoto stifled a laugh and continued. "Mukuro volunteered to take over Hibari's job, stating that he had no doubt whatsoever that Hibari will not stand for the naturally loud Squalo ,and as a merciless disciplinarian, would definitely mess up when it came to nursing someone to health." He laughed.
"So…Hibari-san took the bait, just to prove Mukuro wrong, and now he is stuck with you" Gokudera finished for him, "Damn, now that was sneaky…" he couldn't help but grin. Give it to Mukuro to rile Hibari up...
"Yup!" Yamamoto beamed, "Mukuro is really smart!" Tsuna and Gokudera couldn't help but hit their heads on the table. A dysfunctional psychopath would be more accurate…Gokudera muttered.
"Kufufufu…I would consider myself a HIGHLY dysfunctional sociopath, thank you very much" a voice echoed from behind them. The trio immediately got on their feet and looked around.
"You heard that too, didn't you?" Yamamoto enquired, checking around the corner.
"Of course we did, idiot!" Gokudera hissed. After a moment of silence, they relaxed and turned back to their table.
"Oh look! The bill's here" Tsuna made a reach for it only for Yamamoto to grab it away, muttering a sweet, 'my treat'. His smiled turned curious, when he noticed a note written at the back of the bill.
"What is it, Yamamoto?" Tsuna asked concerned, peering at the bill over his shoulders," Hmm...It says—'Hand this over to the waitress in counter 7'—Okaay…"
Yamamoto looked around and noticed a waitress leaning over the counter, her ebony bangs shadowing her face. Tsuna noticed that the shop was suspiciously quiet.
"Do we really have to give this to the waitress?" Tsuna squeaked out. She looked like a child he saw in a movie where the said child crawled out of a well. HIEEEEEE….!
"It's alright, Juudaime. I'll protect you" Gokudera stepped in front of him as Yamamoto walked up to the lady.
"Umm—I got this note along with my bill an—"Yamamoto was abruptly cut off when a bouquet of pink tulips were pushed on to his face, obscuring his view of the lady.
"Ano…" Yamamoto took the bouquet only to notice the lady missing. A plain white card by the counter caught his attention.
"That's it…" he heard Tsuna letting out a relieved sigh beside him, "Ara…Yamamoto, you have a secret admire—" Tsuna started to tease only to stop, noticing Yamamoto uncharacteristically gritting his teeth.
"It's not for me Tsuna" Yamamoto gave him a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Tsuna plucked the card from Yamamoto's hand and read out loud,
"Here's a bunch of feel-better hugs…
Get well soon, dear Squ-chan!
Love,
Your secret admirer…Kufufufu…!
Gokudera resisted the urge to face palm. He might as well stick Mukuro's name in neon lights, that idiot! Then again…I don't think Squalo was there for Mukuro's battle to hear his signature laugh.
He stiffened when he heard a clearly displeased voice beside him. It took a moment for him to realize the it was coming from Yamamoto.
"What do you think he wants from him?" Yamamoto's gruff voice enquired, eyeing the bouquet with barely supressed distaste. There it was again— the emotions that Yamamoto felt, that Tsuna couldn't place a finger on. It was unlike Yamamoto to feel any sort of enmity towards anyone—including those who wish harm up on him, but when it came to Squalo…
"If he tries something funny…" he heard Yamamoto mutter darkly, his voice holding so much threat that it made Tsuna shiver. Reborn's words chose that very moment to echo in his mind. He's got the instincts of a natural born hitmen… Tsuna was sure he'll never get used to this side of his best friend.
And just like that, he tucked the flowers ineptly in his bag and smiled at them as if nothing happened. "What do you say we walk you to your home Tsuna? Maybe we could meet Dan-kun if we are lucky!" Yamamoto laughed before heading towards Tsuna's house.
"May I come too, Juudaime? I wanna meet this kid too…He is, after all, residing with you" Gokudera grimaced.
"Sure!" Tsuna beamed and walked faster to catch up with Yamamoto. I wonder if Dan-kun likes me…Tsuna's eyes glimmered with hope. He could see the lights turned on in his room. Ah…they are already home. He gulped nervously. Oddly, his instincts were gnawing his senses, almost dancing in delight.
"Um…Tsuna? We are here..." he looked up to see that they were indeed near his door and gulped audibly.
"Are you alright, Juudaime?" he heard Gokudera's concerned voice. Frankly, he wasn't sure himself. Taking a deep breath, he threw open the door and walked inside, loudly announcing, "Kaa-san, I am h-h-ho—!" he choked and stood frozen at the doorway to the kitchen.
Standing near the stove, stirring a pan of god-knows-what, in a pair of mid-thigh pink lounge shorts and a grey tank top, regarding him with a poker face, was none other than—
"X-XA-XANXUS!" Tsuna squeaked in terror, tripping over and crawling backwards till his back hit the wall, closing his eyes and pointing his index finger at him in terror. This is all a messed up dream…yeah…that's right… He thought he heard the distant voice of Gokudera and Yamamoto. Perhaps he was still in class…
He opened his eyes to come face-to-face with none other than a crouched Xanxus, smirking at him in amusement, "Oi, Scum!" he called.
"Y-y-yes?" Tsuna stuttered. He was gonna die…!
"Boo!"
"HIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…!"
And that's all for today!
R&R everyone! Thank you for your time! 3
