I don't own KHR.

"Hey, what do you guys think about this shirt?" Takeshi, who had been eyeing some polo shirts, switched his attention over to Tsuna. His slightly younger brother in question was currently holding up a white shirt that had a large face of a lion on the center of it.

"I love it Tsuna!" Hayato exclaimed instantly.

"Yeah, it would look cute on you!" Takeshi supported with a smile and a thumbs up. Not too surprisingly, Hayato's smile quickly changed into a scowl.

"Cute? Cute?" Hayato repeated like the compliment Takeshi gave Tsuna was in fact one of the most offensive things a person could say. "It's not cute! It's...it's majestic! It wouldn't make him look cute, it would make him look more majestic than he already is!"

While Tsuna blushed, Takeshi took another look at the cartoony lion's smiling face on the shirt.

"I dunno, it still looks pretty cute to me," Takeshi defended with a smile that might or might not have been a teasing smirk.

"Why you..." Hayato all but growled as he glared at Takeshi. "Are...are you blind?! There is clearly a lion on the shirt, and lions are nothing but majestic!"

Takeshi tried to stifle his laughter but in the end he couldn't help but heartily laugh out loud.

Man has he missed this.

"Is this funny to you?!" Hayato cried, obviously very indignant. Before Takeshi could retort to that, someone else spoke up.

"Why can't they be both?"

Hayato and Takeshi turned their full attention back to Tsuna, who actually looked contemplative instead of embarrassed or flustered like he usually would be in this kind of situation.

"What can't be both Tsuna?" Hayato asked, his tone of voice suddenly much more kinder and softer.

"Lions," Tsuna explained. "I mean, adult lions are definitely majestic but what about baby lions? They're cute because well, they're babies, but since they're lions too, why can't they be both cute and majestic? Like cutely majestic?"

Neither Hayato or Takeshi responded for a few seconds as they pondered on Tsuna's question.

Huh...he's got a point.

"There's no reason at all," Hayato admitted.

"Yeah, I can't think of any reason why they can't be both either," Takeshi added.

"Good," Tsuna accepted with a nod as he pulled the topic of their conversation closer to his chest. "Then the lion on my shirt is cutely majestic. And I said mine because I'm picking it."

"Great choice Tsuna!" Hayato said with a firm nod, always supportive of the brother that was the closest to him in age.

"Are you guys doing okay?" Takeshi and his brothers turned around to see that Asari was standing a few feet away from them with a warm smile on his face.

"Yep!" Takeshi confirmed with a smile of his own. "Tsuna just found a shirt he likes. Now he just needs pants to go with it!"

"Yeah, we need to find some," Hayato stated as he looked around for said pieces of clothing. "Oh, I see them, they're over there!"

"Wait, what about shirts for you guys?" Tsuna asked as he trailed after a determined looking Hayato who was already booking it towards several racks of pants in the distance.

Well...maybe booking it was a bit of an overstatment. Hayato still couldn't really walk at a normal pace, let alone at a fast one.

Not that Takeshi was going to point that out.

"Oh, don't worry about me, I'll just pick out a red shirt or something," Hayato assured him. Takeshi opened his mouth to add his opinion when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Hey, um...can I talk to you for a sec?" Asari asked, his warm smile from before now replaced with a nervous grin.

"Um..." Takeshi began as he took a quick glance at his brothers, who apparently hadn't noticed that he had stayed behind because they were still walking towards the pants. Not that Takeshi minded, he should be able to join them again pretty soon. Unless Asari had something bad in store for him.

Not that Takeshi really felt like that was going to happen.

"Yeah, sure," Takeshi granted him, wondering what had changed Asari's mood so quickly. "What is it?"

Asari sighed as he took his hand off of Takeshi's shoulder and instead used it to scratch the back of his head.

"I...don't think I actually apologized to you in person about what happened a few nights ago. I'm sorry that I had a hand in terrorizing you, in making you think that we were taking your brothers away from you."

While Takeshi didn't widen his brown eyes, he was surprised. For some reason, he didn't think that he might get an apology from Asari.

"It's...not your fault," Takeshi told him truthfully with a uncontrollable small wince as he remembered that night. That was not a fun time. "I mean, I do remember you telling me that you guys were gonna take us all back to the house with you. I just didn't listen."

"Because you were too panicked and scared of us to be able to," Asari countered with a sigh. "Which is why I decided to put you to sleep with my flames which I...also regret doing. Granted, at the time I didn't really see another option and perhaps I was still right but looking back...I could've tried harder to calm you down without quickly resorting to forcing you to go to sleep. I'm sorry."

For a moment, Takeshi just looked at Asari's face, a bit amazed at the guilt that he could see there.

Does he really feel that bad?

"It worked out didn't it?"

"Excuse me?" Asari asked, his dark eyes blinking with surprise.

"I'm okay now aren't I?" Takeshi explained. "And so is Tsuna, Lambo, Hayato, and the others. And not only that, we're all still altogether too. So, it's okay. I'm over it."

And Takeshi really was over it. Granted, it wasn't a great memory and it probably never would be but Takeshi wasn't holding a grudge over what had happened.

He was never the type to stubbornly hold onto a grudge anyway.

Asari, for his part, looked shocked before letting a smile adorn his face that was full of an emotion that Takeshi couldn't quite name.

In any case, Asari didn't look like he was racked with guilt anymore so Takeshi considered it a win.

"You have a good heart Takeshi," Asari finally replied. "Not many would forgive others so quickly."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Takeshi accepted with a light-hearted chuckle and a shrug. "I once knew a kid who would get angry and hate people over the smallest thing. He never seemed to be happy so I guess I decided that I would never be like that. Especially when Pops said that the kid's behavior was horrible and not the way to live at all."

As soon as Takeshi mentioned Pops, Asari's face blanched as his body became as stiff as an ironing board. Both a bit startled and confused, Takeshi tried to figure out what could cause this change when suddenly, he remembered.

"I'm going to protect you in your father's stead. I swear it."

Takeshi had been almost out of it at that point so when he woke up the next morning, he couldn't help but wonder if he had dreamt or imagined that. But now...

Maybe it really had been real.

But, before Takeshi could ask, a phone rang. The shrill sound instantly brought Asari out of his funk as he quickly reached into his pocket and brought out said ringing device.

"Hello, Asari here," Asari greeted as soon as he answered the phone. Takeshi just stood there quietly, willing to be patient no matter how long this call took. Then, not even a few seconds later, an emotion took over the adult's face, an emotion that Takeshi was no stranger to.

Fear.

"What? How...I understand Alaude. You can count on me," Asari continued before he ended the call, determination quickly replacing his earlier fear. Then, with all the grace of a swan, he put his phone back into his pocket and strode forward and grabbed Takeshi's hand.

Despite his growing alarm, the way Asari was gripping his hand especially tightly did not escape Takeshi's notice.

In fact, this action only added to it.

"I'm sorry Takeshi but I'm afraid that this shopping trip has to be cut short," Asari apologized as he pulled the ten-year-old after him. "We have to find your siblings and leave town. Now."

So...something is happening. I wonder if an ice cream truck is coming around the block! ;)

In any case, how did you guys like the chapter? What do you guys think Asari is hiding? What do you guys think is gonna happen next? Please let me know your thoughts in a review and I will update later this month!

Till then, see ya and have a good day/night!