"The art of pleasing is the art of deception." – Luc de Clapiers

While Hibari went to the nearby construction site to "bite some incompetent herbivores to death", Kusakabe led Tsuna and Lal Mirch inside Rokudo Trading Corporation. The well-lit lobby was large and smelled like lavender and chamomile. A few of the workers were already being questioned by detectives, looking pale. Tsuna gave them a sympathetic glance before following Kusakabe to the elevators.

"Is there anything you can tell me about Ashida-san?" he said.

Lal Mirch studied the enclosed space quietly while sticking close to Tsuna's side. He wouldn't voice it out loud but he was a little relieved to have her here. He would've been dead minutes ago if she hadn't saved him. Okay, that still didn't warrant her any trust. There were too many holes in her story, if it could count as one.

"For now, we've gathered that she worked here as an analyst for three years," Kusakabe said, pressing a button. "We got in touch with her fiancée and he'll be soon arriving at the station. My detectives are questioning her coworkers right now but there doesn't seem to be any red flags about her."

The elevator doors dinged open. Kusakabe stepped out first, then Lal Mirch. They arrived at one of the employee's floors. Large glass windows overlooked Midori, providing an aesthetic view of the city, and several potted plants decorated the space. Clusters of desks with computers and corded phones indicated which team was which easily enough. Several employees were brought to the side and being questioned by Hibari's own detectives. Some were in tears, barely getting their words out. Kusakabe led the two towards Ashida's desk.

The computer was off and there was a neatly-marked calendar with notes about meeting times written over some dates, but what caught Tsuna's eye were the two portraits behind the keyboard. There was one with Ashida and her fiancée, smiling radiantly at the camera under a grove of cherry blossom trees. The other portrait showed her standing behind her seated parents, the perfect picture of a happy family. What was even more interesting was that Ashida was beautiful, stunning really. She could've passed on for a model if she could, with her long brown hair and bright eyes.

Lal Mirch scoffed lightly under her breath but didn't say anything. Ignoring her, Tsuna reached out to brush his hand against the family portrait before everything vanished. He saw through Ashida's eyes as she typed something on the computer. It looked like a spreadsheet with import prices from England. The screen was the only source of light in the dark space, but there was faint sunlight from his right. No one else was around until a whisper cut through the buzzing silence, "Megumi-chan…"

Tsuna gasped sharply, his mind suddenly sucked back into the present. He swayed on his feet when Lal Mirch steadied him by the shoulder. Head pounding, Tsuna tried to regain his bearings. That voice he heard, or Ashida had heard, didn't sound inhuman—it sounded like a child.

"Are you okay?" Lal Mirch said. "What did you see?" She glanced at Kusakabe. "Make yourself useful and get him some water."

Snapping out of his stupor, Kusakabe nodded. "Erm, right. I'll be back soon."

After the man left, Tsuna took a shuddering breath and unconsciously leaned onto Lal Mirch for support. Whenever he received any past memories of the deceased, it usually left him disoriented for a few minutes while he tried to make sense of it.

"She…She was here this morning," he said, straightening himself. "I think—I think she stayed here all night. Someone called her name. I think it was a little girl."

Lal Mirch raised a brow. "Little girl?" She scanned the workplace with calculating eyes. Tsuna wasn't sure what she was looking for but she seemed to have found it when she pointed at the staircase. "There. Do you see it, Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna furrowed his brows. All he saw was the door to the stairwell, a long hallway, and some conference rooms. "I'm not sure what you're talking about," he said. "That door leads to the stairs, if that's what you mean."

He jumped when Lal Mirch propped her arm on his shoulder and leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "This will be your first lesson so listen up, alright? You can see much more than spirits in their original form. I can see Asura—"

"Ashida," Tsuna corrected.

"Whatever. I can see her trail go through the doors."

Trail? That was what Lal Mirch had said before. "I followed your trail and broke down your door."

"But there's another one," Lal Mirch said, pointing a little bit to the right. "Someone went up with her."

Tsuna blinked. "Someone else? I don't remember seeing anyone else around. She was alone last night." He frowned as the pieces slowly drew together. "But that voice. Could that have lured her out to the roof?"

Still, he swore that the voice sounded like a little girl, and if it was a child spirit, he doubted that she was the one who killed Ashida. Dead children rarely disturbed the living so they could kill them. They mostly stayed on earth out of confusion over their deaths or wanting attention. His stomach dropped. It could be another creature like yesterday, too, like what Lal Mirch had said…

Lal Mirch pulled away a little. "Who knows? You might find your answer on the roof. That's where the trails lead."

Tsuna nodded. "Okay. Then let's go."

It took three flights of stairs before they reached the rooftop. Lal Mirch pushed the door open and Tsuna followed her out. The sky was less gray now but the lingering scent of rain still permeated the damp air. The wind wasn't too severe and Tsuna could hear cars distantly from below. Lal Mirch walked ahead a couple of steps before stopping right before the edge.

"Ashida's trail ends down there," she said, pointing down. Then she gestured to where Tsuna was standing a few feet away. "The other trail stops there before heading south."

Tilting his head, Tsuna gazed at the edge of the roof. "What could've made Ashida-san come all the way out there?"

Lal Mirch shrugged. "Whatever it was, it got her."

Nothing made sense. Ashida seemed happy and was engaged, too. There shouldn't be any reason for her to try to commit suicide. Her missing head had already ruled that out and Tsuna wasn't quite sure how the bodiless voice was involved in this.

"Lal Mirch," he said, catching the woman's attention almost immediately, "you said something about the Butcher before, that it liked…eating souls."

"Yeah," Lal Mirch said, placing a hand on her hip. "In our language, they are what you humans would call 'demons', but they're worse. They're remnants of the guilt and anger of spirits that remained on this plane longer than they should have. They turn into thoughtless creatures, like your Butcher, that eat souls. Their methods vary but their sole purpose is to eat souls with the notion that they could turn human again."

Tsuna felt as if someone dunked him in ice cold water. He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and looked anywhere but Lal Mirch. "Oh…"

"In most cases, the souls can be freed. Your Butcher wasn't strong enough to keep them. It happens."

Tsuna licked his lips nervously. "What about…this one?"

"I'm not sure, but since it took a part of the physical remains, that could mean that its motive is more complex. I won't know anything until it strikes again."

Tsuna paled. "It—It can't. We can't let it."

Lal Mirch met his gaze then and the indifference in her red eyes made Tsuna tense. "We?"

"Oh, um…"

Tsuna stepped back when Lal Mirch suddenly appeared in front of him. Her voice was soft, almost too quiet for him to hear. "Do you trust me now?"

The question froze Tsuna in place. It was strange how most of him, the rational side, told him that Lal Mirch was danger, someone he shouldn't go near to, but a very small part of him, the deeper one that he was scared to touch upon, said she was safe, his—and that terrified him the most because it somehow made sense to him, to trust Lal Mirch with every part of his being despite his denials.

Balling his hands into fists, Tsuna took a deep breath. "No," he said, "but after what happened, I kind of believe you, even if I don't understand what you mean. You still owe me a proper explanation, but right now I have to help Ashida-san. You seem to know what you're talking about, so"—he suddenly stuck out his hand, making Lal Mirch blink—"I'm making a temporary pact."

"A pact?"

Tsuna nodded. "Yes. For now, we focus on this case. If you help us, me, I'll help you with…whatever you're dealing with. I can't guarantee anything but I'll try."

A beat of silence passed. Lal Mirch studied his face curiously before looking down at his hand. For a moment, Tsuna felt like he just dug his own grave, and the feeling lingered when Lal Mirch shook his hand with her own. He shivered when she pulled him in close, her hot breath brushing his ear. "You owe me, Tsunayoshi," she said.

It was a promise that Tsuna didn't want to acknowledge.

Suddenly, the door behind them slammed open, prompting Lal Mirch to snarl and push Tsuna behind her. He gasped from the sudden movement but held fast onto Lal Mirch's arm when he saw that it was Kusakabe.

"Sawada-san," the man said, his eyes wide, "thank goodness I found you! We need to leave! Another murder just happened on Block 38!"

The street was a mess. Reporters, cops, and civilians clamored around the crime scene. Shouts and camera flashes broke through the humid air, making Tsuna feel a little dizzy. Lal Mirch pushed through the crowd with Kusakabe, keeping a firm hand on his arm, not that he protested.

"What happened?" Kusakabe said to a pale officer.

The other man stuttered something unintelligible under his breath before pointing a shaky finger towards the alleyway. Tsuna's breath hitched when he saw a glimpse of a woman's corpse hanging limply over the fire escape. Blood dripped from her shoulders onto the floor. Her arms were missing.

"K—Kusakabe-san!" a detective said, rushing over. "You came!"

Kusakabe narrowed his eyes. "What happened?"

"The person who called it in said that he only saw her fall from her window, sir. She lived on the 6th floor and the coroner says that her…arms were removed pre-mortem."

Kusakabe clicked his tongue. "Is it the same perp?"

"We don't know but…" The detective furrowed his brows in concern. "Isn't this too sudden?"

"No," Kusakabe said firmly. "We have to be prepared no matter what for sudden deviances. Do we have ID?"

"Well, her neighbors identified her—Tachibana Chisa. She's 28-years-old and a teacher's assistant at Kokuyo Community College. No records or priors so far. We're getting in touch with her parents right now."

Tsuna stepped aside as the paramedics wheeled the body bag to the corner's van. Two bodies in one day—even he thought it was bold for the killer to attack in such a quick amount of time. Before he could step forward, Lal Mirch suddenly held him back. "Don't," she whispered in his ear. "It's still here."

Tsuna flinched. His eyes darted around the apartment buildings, trying to find what Lal Mirch was talking about, when a voice shouted, "Hey! You!"

Lal Mirch pulled Tsuna to her side, shielding him from what looks to be another young woman. Sighing under his breath, he muttered, "Christ, you don't have to keep doing that."

"I can see you, you know," the woman said.

Tsuna peered around Lal Mirch's arm—why was she taller than him?—to see who was talking to him. It was woman with short, wavy black hair and sharp gray eyes. She wore a long coat over a white-collared shirt and black slacks. A notepad and pen were in her hands. Tsuna blinked. Was she a reporter? There were no cameras following her though.

"Are you talking…to me?" he said.

The woman scoffed. "Who else, monkey? Kurokawa Hana, Namimori Times. Do you happen to know what's going on? This is the second murder to occur after Ashida Megumi's alleged suicide this morning. Are there any connections?"

Tsuna furrowed his brows. "Suicide? Ashida-san didn't kill herself."

He realized too late that he just gave the wrong answer. A hungry gleam glinted in Hana's eyes as she quickly scribbled it down. "So it is true," she said. "Do you have any other information about it? What's your relationship to the police?" She clicked her pen. "Now that I think about, you're a familiar monkey."

"Hey," Lal Mirch said, almost baring her teeth, "go bother someone else. And stop calling him monkey, you snake."

Hana raised a brow. "And who are you?"

Thankfully, Kusakabe came over before things became worse. "Kurokawa-san," he said, "this is a crime scene."

Hana didn't bat an eye. "Yes, and I came to learn and inform. What's going on? Is this murder related to Ashida Megumi?"

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to postpone this," Kusakabe said, sounding almost weary. Tsuna had a feeling that they probably had a couple of run-ins before. "Put a call through the station."

Hana crossed her arms over her chest. "You never return my calls." She narrowed her eyes. "The people have the right to know what's going on. Also, what happened with the Butcher case? Any more word on that?"

"Again," Kusakabe said, louder this time, "I have an investigation to run—"

"Two, actually, three with the Butcher."

"—so if you could please evacuate the premises, everyone, thank you. Hibari-san would appreciate it."

At the mention of the demonic detective, most of the people got the message, scurrying off. Hana still looked unimpressed. Tsuna had to give it to her though; she seemed like a tough woman.

"Did you know that something similar happened a few years ago?" Hana said, pocketing her pen.

Kusakabe blinked but quickly schooled his features. "Everyone includes you, Kurokawa-san. I highly doubt you want to meet Hibari-san again."

Hana just waved him off, already walking away. "I'll find out eventually, Kusakabe."

After she turned around the corner, Kusakabe breathed a small sigh of relief. He smiled slightly when he met Tsuna's eyes. "That's Kurokawa Hana," he said. "She writes the crime columns in Namimori Times. I apologize that you had to meet her like that. I'll try to make sure she doesn't come into contact with you but I can't guarantee anything." He grimaced. "She can be very…thorough."

Lal Mirch pursed her lips. "I don't like her."

Kusakabe shook his head. "She's not the nicest person you'll meet, but she's great at what she does. Sawada-san, I'll have to let you go for now."

Tsuna blinked. "What? Why? I can still help."

Lal Mirch gripped his wrist. "Finally, something I can agree with. Come on, Tsunayoshi."

Kusakabe furrowed his brows. "Is it possible for you to tell me what you saw earlier over the phone later?"

"Oh, yeah, but…"

"I'll have a new phone sent to your apartment before evening."

"Ah, that's fine, I guess. You didn't have to."

"I advise to lay low for now, Sawada-san. Kyo-san and I have done our due diligence to keep you out of the public eye but Kurokawa-san won't give up easily." Kusakabe nodded towards Lal Mirch. "I do not know you, Lal Mirch-san, but I entrust Sawada-san in your care."

Tsuna widened his eyes just as Lal Mirch slung an arm over his shoulders, pulling him close to her side. "You don't even have to tell me," she said.

The brunet didn't even have time to blink while he tried to process the strange truce that had occurred. He wondered if it wasn't too late to move to China, hell, even America because this seriously couldn't be his life right now.

They both ended up back at his apartment. Stomach grumbling, Tsuna searched through the fridge to look for something to eat. He ended up boiling a pot of water on the stove and taking out some packaged soba noodles from the pantry. "I hope you don't mind soba noodles," he muttered.

"I don't like noodles," Lal Mirch said, plopping down at the dining table.

Tsuna sighed. "Then you're just going to have to deal with it. I need to go shopping soon." He suddenly gasped, realizing that he had missed work today. "Shit, Umeki-san's going to kill me."

The change in the air was instantaneous. "Who's going to kill you?" Lal Mirch said, almost growling.

"N—No one! It's just a figure of speech!" Groaning, Tsuna buried his face in his hands. "Why did you have to break my phone? Was that really necessary?"

"Well, I'll admit that I went a little overboard there," Lal Mirch said, surprisingly. "But I'm not saying sorry for saving your ass twice."

Tsuna leaned his hip against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "By the way, you still owe me an explanation."

Lal Mirch draped an arm over her chair. "Shoot."

"Why were you there yesterday? In that alley?"

Lal Mirch raised a brow. "That's what you're going to ask first?"

Tsuna pursed his lips. "I like to start from the beginning and work my way from there."

Lal Mirch huffed, though some amusement danced in her eyes. "Fair enough. I was dying."

Tsuna's jaw dropped. "What?"

"The pot's boiling."

Whirling around, Tsuna cursed again before lowering the heat and dumping in the noodles. He stirred them around with a pair of chopsticks, careful not to have them clumping together. Soba noodles could be more of a pain than spaghetti since they were easier to overcook. Sighing in relief, Tsuna glanced over his shoulder to shoot Lal Mirch an incredulous look. "What do you mean dying?"

"It means what it means," the woman said, eyeing him up and down in a strange manner. "You don't have an apron or anything?"

Tsuna wrinkled his nose. "What? Why would I need an apron?"

"Don't housewives wear aprons? I think the look would suit you."

Tsuna turned to gape at her, his nerves tingling when he saw the smirk on her face. "W—What do you mean housewife? I'm not even a woman! Stop saying weird things, you—you psycho!"

Lal Mirch didn't even seem fazed. "Cute."

Tsuna could feel his cheeks turn redder and forced himself to direct his attention back to his pot. "God, just kill me now," he muttered under his breath. "I meant what I said. You look…fine."

"After I found you," Lal Mirch said. "You're the only reason I'm still alive."

Tsuna tensed before slowly getting a large bowl and filling it with cold water. "You're still not—That doesn't explain anything."

"Without you, all of us would disappear."

"Us—You mean the Arco—whatever it is."

"Arcobaleno."

"Yes, that."

"Yeah. And if we die, the world will fall into chaos until the next nine are chosen, which I can tell you, aren't easy to come by." Lal Mirch smiled wryly. "How can anyone compare to the gods?"

Tsuna's mind swam with the information. He sort of got it. He didn't know whether he was just dumb or slow, but there were some things he didn't get. If the Arcobaleno were actually gods or deities that kept the world's balance in check, why were there so many strange things happening? Not just in Namimori but in other countries, too. Reports of strange murders and cults rising, rumors of the impending apocalypse, strange illnesses spreading in different cities—the world was pretty bad but it was never this bad.

Lost in his thoughts, Tsuna cut some chives on the cutting board when a sudden pain stung his finger. He hissed and dropped the knife. So much for paying attention, he thought bitterly, scrutinizing his bleeding finger.

Suddenly, a warm hand snatched his wrist before a hot tongue ran up his finger. Tsuna's breath hitched when Lal Mirch peered through her long lashes coyly as she licked the dribbling blood.

"Wait, d—don't—ngh!"

Eyes widening, Tsuna quickly covered his mouth while Lal Mirch gently sucked his wound, lapping it with long, hard strokes of her tongue. He stuttered out some jumbled words when Lal Mirch suddenly pinned him against the counter with her body. A shiver ran down his spine when she licked her lips.

"Can't you give me a little more taste, Tsunayoshi?" she purred, her breath ghosting his lips.

A primal, terrifying urge rose in his body, as if it was reaching out for Lal Mirch's request. Tsuna briefly remembered the lights that emitted from their bodies that morning, the blue and orange glows almost touching. Before he could say a word, a small beep came from Lal Mirch's cloak.

"Um," Tsuna said, "aren't you going to get that?"

"It can wait," Lal Mirch murmured, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

He gasped when she nibbled on his skin, her breath hot and heavy. His cheeks turned red when her tongue roughly swept across his pulse. He bit his lip to restrain a whimper as she lightly sucked over it. Suddenly, she jerked her hip forward, grinding it against him.

"Ah!" Tsuna yelped when she suddenly hoisted his legs around her waist, picking him up easily, and slammed him on top of the dining table. He arched his back out of instinct before a small zip made him jolt. "Wait, what are you doing?"

Lal Mirch pushed him back down roughly, her hand splayed over his chest. Another beep sounded in the background but was ignored again. She smirked deviously and leaned in close to say, "Just relax."

A familiar, cool sensation spread throughout his body, making him go limp. Tsuna widened his eyes and struggled against the strange power, but none of his limbs moved. "W—Wait," he gasped out. "Don't…Ngh!"

Before Lal Mirch could go any further, the door suddenly knocked down, making Tsuna flinch. He soon found himself able to move and quickly scrambled to his knees, realizing too late he was on a table. It toppled over from the sudden unbalanced weight, making Tsuna yelp. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the inevitable only to fall in a pair of strong arms instead.

He heard Lal Mirch click her tongue in the background. "Fucking again," she said. "First, the little brat, and now you."

Tsuna's eyes fluttered open before he gasped when he looked upon a strangely familiar face. Hibari…? No, this man wasn't him. He was handsome, with kind brown eyes and a slight smile. He seemed to be wearing some red Chinese garbs and had long black hair in a braid.

"Are you alright?" the man said, his voice smooth and not like Hibari's at all.

Tsuna blinked until he realized their positions. Almost shrieking, he tried to get up but the man suddenly tightened his grip around him. "W—Who are you?" Tsuna said, eyes widening.

Wait, Lal Mirch had said there were more of them and that one was coming. Shit, he didn't expect the man to come so soon. Actually, he didn't expect any of this to happen.

"I am Fon," the man said, smiling pleasantly. Tsuna didn't know whether to call that creepy or not. "Has Lal Mirch not told you who I am?"

Tsuna just scowled at Lal Mirch who whistled innocently. "No," he said. "I told you that you should've checked your pager thing."

"Let him go, Fon," she said. "I'm hungry and he knows how to cook."

Tsuna blinked when Fon helped him up. No groping, no sneaky touches—Oh God, Fon was sane. Tsuna didn't know who to thank. He mentally shook his head. Wait, this isn't right, he thought. None of this is right! He's a stranger!

"How'd you get here?" Lal Mirch said.

Fon smiled. "I took what humans call an airplane. It was not as fast as I hoped it to be, but it was doable. After that, I simply followed his trail here. Ah, I apologize. I did not catch your name."

Tsuna blinked. "Oh, Sawada Tsunayoshi but you can just call me Tsuna, I guess…"

He mentally thumped his head against the wall. Why did he just give up his name like that? That was so stupid of him.

Fon bowed politely. "Hello, Tsunayoshi. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Tsuna waved his hands. "You don't have to bow!"

"It is a custom I am quite acquainted with so I would appreciate it if you weren't uncomfortable, if that's alright."

Never mind, Fon wasn't sane. What an odd request. Tsuna just forced on a smile in response. "Ah, I…see. Well"—he glanced at his fallen door—"it's not really polite to kick down people's doors, if you get what I mean."

Fon's eyes marginally widened. "Oh, yes. I agree." He bowed again. "My apologies. I will fix it immediately."

"Lal Mirch, help him," Tsuna said, his face blank.

"What?" she said. "I didn't do anything."

"I know you're not stupid. It's for molesting me, or else I'm not feeding you." Tsuna narrowed his eyes. "This is me being nice."

Way too nice, he mentally added. The woman basically was trying to get in his pants. One, what kind of woman would do that? Two, what was wrong with her? Three, why did a part of Tsuna find it normal? What the hell was going on? He wasn't a teenager. He was 24-years-old, damn it. A single 24-year-old who never dated in his life but he digressed.

Grumbling under her breath, Lal Mirch pushed past him and headed for the door to help Fon, who just stared at it like it was a difficult puzzle. "Move," she said. "All you have is stupid tea for a brain."

Fon smiled slightly, ignoring the jab. "I will assist in every way I can."

Tsuna sneaked into the bathroom while they bickered, closing the door as quietly as he could. Sighing, he turned on the sink and splashed his face with cold water. The cut on his finger wasn't bleeding anymore but he took out a small first-aid kit from behind the mirror to at least put some ointment. His cheeks flushed when he remembered what Lal Mirch did; he could still feel her hot tongue tracing over the wound, lapping it like a cat.

Fuck, he thought. Fuck, shit, fuck, fuck, fuck!

He was nearly killed by some weird demon thing yesterday, got molested twice by a woman he just met, and now he was being saddled with another weirdo in his apartment—what the fuck? What the actual fuck?

"It's coming," a voice suddenly said behind him.

Tsuna jumped, nearly knocking over the first-aid kit, when he realized that a little girl was suddenly in the bathroom. "Christ!"

The girl, who looked no older than 6, looked at him with frightened eyes. "It's coming," she repeated.

Tsuna immediately became alert. Her voice, he knew that voice. "Megumi-chan…"

"You're…"

"Help her," the girl said, glancing at the door fearfully. "Please."

Tsuna furrowed his brows. "Who?"

He gasped when she suddenly touched his hand; her skin felt like ice. Soon, everything shifted and warped into dark streets. A happy hum came from whoever Tsuna had vision through. There were a handful of people around; neon signs glowed above him, most of them restaurants. He knew this area—Block 12 in Kokuyo.

Within seconds, he found himself back in his bathroom and leaned over the sink, panting. Someone knocked on his door. Lal Mirch.

"—oshi, are you okay?" she said.

"I'm—I'm fine." Tsuna looked around to find the girl gone. Rubbing his face, he sighed heavily before opening the door, which would've been the next casualty this evening. Lal Mirch was close to actually knocking it down with Fon standing behind her, his eyes slightly narrowed, before he immediately smiled when he saw Tsuna.

"I need to go," Tsuna said, grabbing his jacket and slipping on his shoes.

"Where are you going?" Lal Mirch said, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"The girl from my vision—she told me that it's coming back."

Tsuna winced when Lal Mirch grabbed his shoulder, her grip almost bruising. "You're not going. It's dangerous."

"Perhaps either of you could enlighten me on the situation," Fon said not too helpfully.

"He's a trouble magnet."

Fon hummed in acknowledgement, as if that explained everything, which only irked Tsuna more. The brunet narrowed his eyes at Lal Mirch. "If you don't let me go, I'm not helping you," he said. "Any of you."

A bout of silence passed. Tsuna gritted his teeth. Every second counted and if he didn't get to the next victim in time, he was going to scream. Finally, Lal Mirch let him go albeit reluctantly. She pursed her lips. "Fine," she said. "Where?"

"Block 12 in Kokuyo," Tsuna said. "It's about an hour and a half away though. I don't know if we'll make it in time." He nearly squeaked when Fon suddenly swooped him in his arms. "W—What are you doing?"

Fon smiled at him. "If you tell me where it is, I can get you there faster."

"He's right," Lal Mirch said, grabbing her cloak. "Fon's the fastest out of all of us. He'll cut that time in more than half."

Unsure of what to think, Tsuna said, "But, is this really necessary?"

Fon tilted his head. "How else will I transport you?"

Anything but this, Tsuna thought.

"Um, okay, well, if you head a couple of miles east, there's a neighborhood with lots of bright lights. That's where we need to go." Tsuna widened his eyes when Fon leapt on top of the apartment building's railing, facing the other street. "What are you doing?"

"Please hold on tight, Tsunayoshi," was all he got in response when they were suddenly soaring several feet in the air at an inhuman speed.

Tsuna could only scream.

A/N So apparently, Japan doesn't do addresses with street names and such, and uses block numbers to specify certain parts in the neighborhood.

And, wow, look at that—Fon. He actually arrived earlier than expected but that's because it takes about 3 hours to get from China to Japan by plane. :^D

Thank you for reading! I hope to see you again in the next chapter.

Have a lovely day~

Little Miss Bunny