Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

Pairing-to-be: Chrome/Tsuna/Mukuro and other pairings are still fluid in my planning. Gokudera/Yamamoto/Haru has been mentioned.

Chapter Eight

"Well?" Gokudera asked holding soggy bombs in his uninjured hand. The bombs had made there way into the sink with no small help from Tsuna. Tsuna half-expected one of the Varia, likely Squalo or Belphegor, to be the cause of the Serafina's shriek. Mixing explosives or even Gokudera without explosives exposed to the Varia tended to cost Tsuna at least couple thousand Euros in damages.

"Mukuro is playing with Serafina."

Gokudera snorted at the thought. "Likely turning her against us all. If he has candy, we're screwed."

"So about your mission." Tsuna leaned against the counter. He had tried earlier to clean the dishes himself. Gokudera, even down to one arm, predictably balked.

Gokudera tensed. "We were talking about you kissing the bastard."

Tsuna flinched. "Can we avoid that? At least long enough for me not to be in danger of going into shock each time I think about it?"

Gokudera dropped the wet bombs on the counter and grabbed a sponge to continue scrubbing, holding the egg-encrusted frying pan in his barely exposed fingers. Tsuna knew that was a recipe for disaster. "Negotiations with the Geier have been going well."

Tsuna smiled. One thing was going right. He had a bad feeling about Squalo's report. Maybe he was worrying just to worry. "Hibari agrees with the terms and everything?"

"More or less. Hibari wanted to buy from them in the first place and the Geier aren't being pains 'cause they think selling to the Vongola they get even more sales. Not like the Geier aren't close to having a monopoly on scientific and manufacturing supplies." Gokudera cracked his knuckles holding the frying pan. "I made sure the Geier understood we have priority."

"Is that how you ended up with a broken arm?" Gokudera dropped the frying pan into the sink. The splash slung soapy water onto Gokudera's shirt, just barely hitting his cast. Tsuna refrained from laughing. "Gokudera-kun, why don't I clean the dishes and you see if you can find the picnic basket my chef likely left?" Before Gokudera could prosest, Tsuna added. "Casts should be kept dry and you need to recover as fast a possible to be able to work."

"Yes, Judaime." Gokudera hesitated before walking away from the sink. Sharp eyes looked around the kitchen. Tsuna wondered sometimes if the things he asked Gokudera to do would be an insult if the Storm Guardian wasn't his friend. He was pretty sure "looking for picnic baskets" was not something a Mafioso expected to do in his career.

Tsuna quickly made his way to the sink. "Is your arm bad enough you cannot heal it yourself?"

Gokudera's shoulders shrugged. "Mine doesn't always work so well on bones. And I am not getting near that boxing freak. "

Tsuna would not have suggested him to go visit Ryohei anyways. Without Tsuna around to distract Ryohei and keep Gokudera in line, the visit would end up with more injuries after. Gokudera hadn't annoyed him enough for Tsuna to suggest Lussiaria either. "Should I worry about how your arm broke?"

A rather pointless question. Tsuna worried about his Famiglia whether they were injured or not. Gokudera (of all people) trying to avoid telling him how the injury occurred just added a few extra degrees to that worry. Gokudera happened to be rather impulsive and easy with insults, leading to more than a few conformations Tsuna was more likely to hear about from the other party than his own Guardian.

"It was an accident. No big deal." Gokudera responded tersely, carefully avoiding looking at Tsuna as he went for the pantry. "Found the basket. Why do you have a picnic basket?"

"Serafina wants to go on a picnic and visit with Mukuro and Chrome. Do you want to come?" Instantly Tsuna regretted the invitation. Gokudera did not get along well with many and Gokudera had only forgiven the illusionist to the point he did not try to kill him on sight. Mukuro did not play nice with others and Tsuna knew he would antagonize the bomber. Only his sense of etiquette (which reminded him of Haru-chan) prevented Tsuna from retracting the offer.

"Nah. I haven't gotten rest in a while and probably should call the harpy and the idiot." Gokudera's eyes went wide. "Unless you need me of course, Judaime! I am always prepared to assist you in however you need."

"I will be fine. My Right Hand Man getting some well deserved rest and time to heal would be best." Tsuna reassured. "Do Haru and Yamamoto know you are here?"

"I met up with the idiot before I came here." Gokudera set the basket on the small kitchen table. The basket was large but looked like a one from a cartoon complete with a single handle, lift-able top, and red and white checkered cloth.

Tsuna pretended he had been scrubbing the frying pan. "Thank you for the help." And for the save earlier. "Having you as a Right Hand Man makes my life easier."

At least Gokudera did when his temper was in check.

Gokudera stared at him, looking like a guilty puppy. "Alright!" Gokudera crossed his arms and mumbled something. Tsuna could only pick out "Yamamato" and "arm."

"Huh?" Tsuna was certain Gokudera wanted to avoid talking about his arm just as much as Tsuna and The Kiss. Tsuna decided not to guilt trip him about the wound in hopes Gokudera would drop interregating him about Mukuro.

"We were drunk and it was an accident." Gokudera put his hands together as if to plead for forgiveness—which Tsuna was pretty sure he did not need. "I agreed to play ball with the idiot and the dimwit can never control his own strength."

Tsuna scratched the back of his head and grimaced. Several apologizes were likely to be owed to Gokudera and himself after Haru found out and over reacted. Somehow the injury would end up "being Gokudera's fault," the two (three, depending on how oblivious Yamamoto was to the situation) would argue, and all come to Tsuna to convince them of their point and then have make up sex. "Gokudera-kun, you should be more careful…"

"So should you!" Gokudera yelled then blushed. "Kissing Mukuro and all. Even if he wasn't a creep, he's with Hibari."

Tsuna blanched. "Hibari is going to kill me."

"Why is the bastard even in Italy?"

"According to Chrome," Tsuna felt like a gossiping girl. He had learned, however, gossiping was not just a school girls hobby but a Mafioso and politician one. "Hibari and Mukuro fought and Mukuro wanted to leave."

Tsuna suddenly wanted to know the exact details of Mukuro and Hibari's fight. Was it the kind where the two would ignore each other for a while before making up or would there be explosive fights in which Mukuro would use his kiss as ammo? Tsuna prayed for the first; Hibari never had a lover for more than a night (at least that Tsuna had noticed) before Mukuro but from his actions towards Namimori, it was clear the Cloud Guardian had a possessive streak the size of the Mariana Trench.

Mukuro would definitely mention the kiss once he raided Tsuna's thoughts. Or maybe he would torture Tsuna first. Tsuna half-hoped Hibari would be the one to kill him. The Cloud Guardian was not nearly as imaginative as Mukuro. Tsuna could expect pain but not a cruel and unusual death.

"Always thought the two liked hurting each other too much to separate during a fight."

Tsuna hummed an agreement. He was more than a little surprised that they lasted five years. Perhaps it was the familiarity of the situation that kept them together. Hibari had never been in a relationship before and Mukuro went straight to him after being released from the Vendicare. Neither had even Mafia relative normal upbringings and sometimes Tsuna wondered what they would be like if the two Guardians were hugged as children.

"Should I run interference?" Gokudera sounded nervous and annoyed at the same time. Tsuna knew, from a drunken confession years ago, the Storm Guardian resented that he had no chance of winning a fight against Mukuro and Hibari and even suggested Tsuna choose one of them as his Right Hand Man. With all of his wits, Gokudera would not have suggested such a thing, between coveting the position and wishing the pair would die a painful, explosion induced death.

Tsuna thought his two most powerful Guardians having no particular devotion or desire for his well-being rather ironic. He and Reborn seemed to be the only ones who believed his Mist and Cloud Guardians would not turn on Tsuna for the smallest provocation. Well, Reborn at least trusted Hibari. Reborn had been his main opponent against taking Mukuro from the Vendicare. The hitman had said Tsuna's pity would be his downfall. Tsuna did not believe what he felt for Mukuro then was pity. He, whether Mukuro intended or not, expierenced many events from the illusionist's life. Tsuna felt empathy and more than a little fondness for the illusionist, even if Mukuro seemed to only tolerate him at times.

"No." Tsuna once thought keeping himself out of their ire would be easy. After all, it wasn't until Reborn showed up that Tsuna attracted their attention and he use to see Hibari several times a week before the Reception Room incident. Tsuna was pretty sure ninety-percent of what went wrong in his life was somehow Reborn's fault. "I can manage."

Gokudera looked doubtful.

"You trust me, right?" It was a dirty card to play but Gokudera folded every time.

"I trust you with my life, Judaime."

Tsuna had to smile. Gokudera looked like his teenage self for a moment, when his biggest irritation was Longchamp. Tsuna missed the simplicity of those days.

The momentary illusion of youth vanished and Tsuna could see the darkness under his eyes. "You should get some rest, Gokudera-kun."

Gokudera looked at the kitchen door and then back at Tsuna. "Are you sure?"

Tsuna abandoned his farce of doing the dishes and pushed Gokudera towards the door. "You need to call Haru-chan and Yamamoto-kun and then get some sleep."

"Tsuna…why did you kiss Mukuro?"

Tsuna laughed nervously. "I hit my head pretty hard."

He knew the Storm Guardian would not accept the answer but Gokudera was suspiciously silent.

They reached the door and Tsuna started to wonder whether he was ready to face the world. He rubbed his left hand over his right, feeling the Vongola Sky Ring on his fingers. He had changed the future. He had faced Mukuro and Hibari before. He could do this.

Was it bad of him to hope for a sudden attack?

The couple thousand Euros would be about one-seventh of its American equivalent, if I understood the exchange rate right.

Has anyone else noticed that Reborn is the only anime (at least that I have noticed) that you can be sure the main character changes his underwear in? I noticed this when introducing my best friend to the anime and we tried to see if any repeated. (There did not seem to be any repeats in the first twenty episodes…Tsuna must have a lot of underwear.)

Thank you for reading and a specially thank you for those who have reviewed!