CHAPTER 19: DOLLED UP

This time, he had eaten breakfast alone. There was no one awake, and he was the first to be up. Except for Mukuro. He's never woken up with him in the same room. He wondered what time it was. There was no way of knowing by looking out to the blank sky and he didn't see a clock anywhere. That is, if clocks here existed. There were still so many things he wanted to ask. Flames, boxes, rings. He didn't get it at all. Lanchia at least tried to explain things to him more simply but it all just seemed like a bundle of something out of a dream than the works of how things operate in Cielo.

He slumped in his chair. His task would start in two days. To think of it, this would be his very first mission as a full fledged Kokuyo member. If he pulled this off, then he would prove his worth. But what was the point, even if he was accepted with open arms? Heck, he was just working for some unknown gang in some unknown place in the middle of an unknown world! This was crazy, almost laughably so, and Tsuna didn't know what quite to think of it.

But he was making progress. Making progress into getting home at least. Reborn. He chanted the name once in his mind silently. He mustn't forget his goal. If he found Reborn than surely he'll explain things. Why was he here? How can he go home? Why wasn't he with Bianchi now? What's more was Gokudera short appearance in the city. If he recalled, Gokudera in his world said that he was going to pop some popcorn in the microwave. But in that short span of time of Tsuna falling—snatched, he corrected himself, Gokudera couldn't have possibly went to Cielo with him. Plus his dad saw him.

Tsuna's mind froze to fully let the thought sink. His dad saw him. He couldn't tell if this was a good sign or not. He was happy to know that Iemitsu at least knows that he was taken by…something. But he was absolutely horrified that if his dad happened to ask when he came back just what happened on that night, then he wouldn't know what to say or an excuse good enough for his parents to brush off. Hibari was the real reason he had fallen in the hole and he wasn't going to tell anyone that anytime soon.

"You are awake."

Tsuna jumped, and slowly he turned around. Chrome stood by the threshold leading into the kitchen, one hand to her chest, as if she was surprised too. "Yes." He replied. "I woke up early."

"Early?" Chrome repeated, then in polite disbelief, "It is four o'clock."

Well, that explains things. Tsuna smiled shakily, "Sorry. I didn't know what time it was. The sky is always the same. It's hard to tell."

For a moment, Chrome stared at him. Tsuna blinked, wondering what he had said to create such an appalled reaction. "You…have seen…" She walked forward, leaning towards him, her voice dropping to a whisper, "The other world? The one with a sky?"

Tsuna snapped his head to her, heart jumping out of his throat. He didn't mean to let that slip out. Of course. The sky was always the same and the boy realized how very suspicious his statement was. There was an exchange of silence before he answered shakily, "No...I didn't." He let it be very clear in his voice that he didn't want to speak of this anymore. He wasn't sure why he lied. But he remembered that his boogie man didn't want him to know about this world. And most likely, it'd be better off if they didn't know so much about him either.

Chrome seemed to get the hint, slowly backing away and to the ice box in the corner. He watched her scurry about the kitchen. She looked as if they never had the conversation but Tsuna couldn't let himself relax. Chrome…knew about his world? How was that possible? Didn't Mukuro say that 'everyone thinks the gray is normal'? Why did she react so strongly when he had said that? What if it wasn't even his world she was speaking of? What if there were more than Cielo and his home? To be perfectly honest, the possibilities frightened him. What if all these people were boogie men that scared other children? Including Chrome? It was hard to shake the idea away.

The purple-haired girl spoke, sensing Tsuna's distress, "I'm sorry I pried. I was curious because I," She turned around and sat herself in the chair next to him. She looked at him straight in the eye and whispered, "I've been there."

The young boy looked at her. Something in his face must've been encouraging because she elaborated, "It was only briefly though. But I saw things that were so amazing." She scooted closer, drawing lines with her pretty fingers on the wood of the table, "There were plants. Plants that didn't need a dying will flame to live. Then the sky." She turned to him, an almost obsessed-look in her one eye, "It was blue, Tsunayoshi. Blue. Like rain flames. It was so beautiful. I thought I died and went to heaven. I saw these white things in the sky. Clouds. They were so large, so pure-looking—not at all purple though."

She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to comment at her description. He suppressed a choke as he replied, "When did you visit this place?"

"It was so long ago…" She said quietly, "…I believe I was only nine."

Dare he ask? Tsuna studied her expression as he continued, "How did you get there?"

"It was a special mission, something only few can do." She whispered, going even lower to the point where Tsuna barely heard her next words, "Mukuro-sama only trusted me with it. He only sends members who he can rely impeccably on."

The boy stared blankly at the wooden table, head reeling. Trust. Trust again? It seemed like trust was everything to the people of Cielo. Hibari unbearably so. He looked up, staring hard at Chrome who only blinked back questioningly. To think of it, she has the same hairstyle as Mukuro. "Is that why you have that hairstyle?...It's a lot like Mukuro's." He briefly wondered if the people Mukuro trusted had to have that…strange pull-up. He shuddered at the thought of himself wearing the same one.

"No." She said softly, "I find it very charming. That is why I wear my hair like this."

"Oh." Tsuna said, holding back a sigh of relief. He didn't want to change his hair, let alone dye it. The fashion here was too extravagant and showy and worst of all, eye catching. He already caught too much attention of too many dangerous people.

"You're up quite early."

The two in the kitchen turned to look at the threshold and blinked at Mukuro. He stood, a strong black cup of coffee in his hands. It was a bit comical, Tsuna bit his tongue, seeing Mukuro hold something so…simple and ordinary. Coffee was something that fueled some people and he vaguely wondered if this is what Mukuro used to stay up late. Chrome was the first to respond. "Good morning, Mukuro-sama." Her voice was breathy, still wasn't used to seeing Mukuro around the bureau in such a long time. It was understandable. Guessing by how they acted, the indigo-haired man must've been gone for a long time. Which begs the question he had been wanting to ask; why was Mukuro there at the Millefiore base in the first place?

Realizing that Mukuro was waiting on him to greet him, he smiled, "Morning, Mukuro." He only nodded back, taking a deep sip out of his speckled mug. Tsuna continued, "This is the first time I've seen you before noon."

Mukuro only raised his eyebrows, taking his lips from the mug, "That's right. I'm busy around this time. I'm simply…taking a break."

"Busy?" Tsuna repeated, wondering what could be done in this pile of dump. The bureau seemed like a place where you couldn't get work done in all honestly.

"Gokudera Hayato." Mukuro said simply, taking a sip, "Cannot be found as of yet."

Disappointment sort of seeped in his chest and he turned to look at the table, trying not to look distractedly forlorn. What could he be doing? Was it possible that he went back already? Without him? The thought in actuality frightened him. If that was true, than one of his only ways getting back was gone. But no, he told himself shaking his head to ward off the pessimism, his dad would tell Gokudera. Then he would come back. Surely. "It's alright, Mukuro. Take your time. I'm sure that Gokudera-kun…is just…" He couldn't finish the sentence. He could be doing anything in Cielo for all he knew.

Mukuro put the mug down on the wobbly table and sat down next to Tsuna. Sensing the privateness of the situation, Chrome busied herself to move about the kitchen, making as much noise as she worked. Mukuro sighed, leaning back in his chair, "I told you that I'd find him. As pathetic as it is, I can't. It's strange and very frustrating. I should've found him by your first night here. I think…someone is blocking me from seeing his movements."

Tsuna's eyebrows rose, his eyes turning to Mukuro with bewilderment, "Blocking? But who?"

The indigo-haired man, blew at a array strand of hair away, "Shouldn't you be able to answer that? If this is concerning your friend than surely someone you know is hiding him from you." The boy looked back at the hands on his lap. Hiding Gokudera from him? But who would keep them apart? It was completely…unusual. He was just someone who didn't have anything to do with Cielo. No one here knew him. "Or," Mukuro continued, "Maybe he or she isn't trying to hide this Gokudera Hayato person from you individually. They might be hiding him from everyone. Including me."

Tsuna didn't answer this time, only staring at the coffee in deep thought. Mukuro picked it up, holding it out to him with a sly smirk, "Want some?"

He shook his head, "No thank you. I'll drink milk."

Mukuro chuckled lowly, "Kufufu. Really, such a little boy. You're too young to drink grown-up stuff?"

"Coffee is gross." Tsuna made a polite shrug of disgust, "My dad let me try it one time. Ick." He stuck his tongue out to prove his point and in turn Mukuro rolled his eyes. The indigo-haired man looked like he wanted to ask more about his father, no, about his family, but decided against it; only settling with a small joke.

"Really. How are you going to survive in this bureau? We live off of coffee."

"Then I'll die of dehydration." Tsuna stated, crossing his arms and turning his cheek the other way.

Mukuro gave him a raised eyebrow, "I wouldn't let you do that. It'd be troublesome if you died in my room. I'd force this," He lifted it up menacingly, "Down your throat."

"How would you do that?" Tsuna laughed. The boy pressed his lips together, biting them shut. "I'd do this over my mouth all the time."

Mukuro gave a surprised look. As if the answer was obvious, "Mouth to mouth of course."

There was a long pause. Chrome stopped in mid-opening of the ice box to stare back at Mukuro. Tsuna only gave a blank blink. Tsuna spoke. "You're joking, right?"

"Of course not." He replied deftly, taking another small sip.

The rest of the morning was spent in absolute silence. The younger of the three both settled into their own thoughts whereas Mukuro only looked giddy and optimistic. Finally, feeling as if he couldn't take being in the room any longer, Tsuna jumped out of his seat, grabbed the broom in the cupboard and walked out, leaving Chrome and Mukuro completely alone.

"Mukuro-sama," Chrome whispered to him after a few minutes when Tsuna was out of sight. Her eyes were kept pointedly at the burning bread in the toaster. "I don't think Tsunayoshi notices your advances."

The indigo-haired man snorted into his mug, "I know."

—

"You." M.M said slowly.

Tsuna looked up, blinking as M.M descended the stairs. She pointed a finger at the kitchen. "I heard Mukuro-sama. Is he in there?" Before he could confirm it, she answered herself, "Nevermind. I'll go find out myself." She turned her back to him coldly.

He could tell she was still very much angry with him, even though it had been a bit suppressed over the night. But it was better if they just settle this now. It could affect their performance on the mission and Tsuna was willing to sacrifice his pride for it. "Um. M.M," Tsuna called to her back shakily.

She stopped, giving him an icy glare over her shoulder. "What?" Her voice was dull, but under it he could hear the mirth in her response.

"I'm sorry for yesterday. I know that you didn't want me to come." He looked to his feet, wanting to escape right there and then from her ridiculing gaze, "Why didn't you want me to…?"

M.M smiled in derision, making Tsuna shrink away. The red-pink-haired girl stomped in front of him, and crossed her arms. Her hip swung to her right and her legs were apart, the posture only made her more scarier and much more intimidating than she had been a few feet away. "Actually, to think of it, we have much to talk about." Careful of her nails, she gripped Tsuna by the cuff of is collar and proceeded to drag him up the stairs. He tripped a bit, but luckily just earlier he had cleaned the stairs, making the trek much easier than it would've been. M.M seemed to notice his ease upon following her and scowled in displeasure, tugging on his collar almost to the point to choke him.

Tsuna tried a different tactic, "M.M, this is Mukuro's shirt."

Immediately, she let go, looking at her hand, as if it done her great injustice. Tsuna sighed in relief on being released. When she realized that she did exactly what he wanted her to do, she spun her heel to grab his elbow instead, not bothering to politely sheath her nails and tried to puncture his skin with them. He furrowed his eyes at her back, a tiny bit irked that his plan did the opposite effect. Now he was suffering even more. He sighed, giving it up. Might as well let M.M take her anger out on him now. It would affect the mission if he didn't let her take off some steam. Besides, if anything, now Tsuna will actually see what kind of person she is. What if she wasn't always like that? What if she really just was a nice person? His first encounters with her haven't been great, heck even to the levels of terrifying and distasteful, but as he said before, he had no right to judge people unless he knew them.

She continued to drag him, and finally they stopped and with a force he never knew she had, she threw him against the dead-end of the desolate hallway. Tsuna gasped, hitting the wall with his forearms. He slid down against it, staring up at M.M as she crossed her arms and stared vicariously down at him. "I've always hated you."

Tsuna blinked, waiting for her to continue, "You sniveling attitude outright annoys me, you're whiny. I don't understand what he sees in you. Sure, you saved him but that's all really. We let you stay for awhile and that should be enough! You shouldn't be a member! Worse still, it was bad enough that I had to watch over that little whore and babysit you! I don't have time for games! I wish that you'd take that little slutty bitch with you and leave!"

There was silence that passed through them as the unusually-colored-hair girl breathed deep, desperately want more air to hurl more insults. Before she could eventually and deftly tell him off more, Tsuna spoke. "Why do you hate Chrome so much?" There was no reason to hate her. She was nice, pretty, charming, shy, and most of all, very humble. She couldn't have possibly done anything to set this girl off.

"I could tell what you are. You've been sheltered all your life, just like her. I dislike people who don't put effort." M.M looked away, unable to hold back a pained face, "You and her would never understand."

Tsuna's eyes softened and he stood up, taking a step towards her, "Then help me understand."

M.M looked away. Without another word, she slapped his hand away and turned around. Her heels clacked along the linoleum floor as she walked then disappeared down the stairs.

—

The brunet brushed the small cobwebs away from the banister's bars with uncaring swings. He didn't seem to put his heart in cleaning today. Maybe he was just feeling moody. Maybe it was from the lack of progress he made. He was jittery, itching to get going, itching to get some action. Already, he was tired of staying in one place.

Tsuna realized just how exhausted he was. Even though he had gotten a full night's sleep, he realized that four in the morning was far too early for him. Taking another trip up the stairs, he planned on sleeping on the bed again but decided against it. The boy carefully propped the broom against the wall. After making sure it was sturdy where it stood, he took a seat in the small longue chair in the corner, settling deep into its cushy confines. Maybe he'd just close his eyes for a bit.

"You can't sleep there." Tsuna looked up, blinking at Mukuro, who stood with crossed arms, "I told you. Sleep on the bed."

"I don't want to." Tsuna replied, pushing his cheek to the soft maroon pad.

Mukuro sighed, "Tired? That's what you get for staying up so late."

"But I don't know the time. How do I know when to sleep? You have no clocks here." Tsuna complained lightly, pushing at the weavy cushions with his elbows.

Like magic again, Mukuro clapped once and slowly opened his cupped hands. He held the item out to Tsuna. "Here. You can use this."

Tsuna held his hands out and Mukuro dropped it into upturned appendages. He fumbled with it for a bit before getting a good grasp and held it close. "A pocket watch?"

"Yes." Mukuro confirmed.

Tsuna held it out, squinting at it. It was certainly stunning. A fine, gold-coppery color and on the front was a carved clam-seashell. There were English letters. He read them aloud, "Vongole?"

"Von-go-la." Mukuro corrected, "Vongola is how you pronounce it. I got it a long time ago as a gift. You may have it. I have no use for it."

"A gift?" He repeated. Then shook his head and held it out to the man, "No thanks. It was a gift."

"Exactly. Is a gift. I said you can have it, you obstinate child." Mukuro said, pushing the hand away.

They glared at each other for a moment, though Tsuna's was a bit weak in comparison to Mukuro's sharp stare. "Fine." Tsuna mumbled, retracting his offering hand. "I know you're going to find a way to make me keep it somehow in the end." True. It wasn't very hard to study this man's character. In all honesty, Mukuro acted very much like a child. A very clever one, but a child that will stop at nothing to achieve goals nonetheless.

"You know me well for a short period of time." Mukuro laughed lowly, "I do like to get what I want no matter what."

"Thanks." Tsuna said, putting it in his pocket. "I'm going to rest now." To prove his point, he kicked his shoes off and brought his legs close to his chest. He turned the other way, head resting on the armrest.

"Oh no you don't." Mukuro hissed.

Before he could wave away the objection Tsuna yelped when he felt two arms snake under him. "Mukuro!" Was all he could say before he was lifted completely off the chair.

"I told you to sleep on the bed. Do you ever listen to your parents?"

Tsuna frowned up at him, ignoring the broiling sensation in his face, "I do." Well he did. Except Hibari. He sometimes went against him. But for good reasons. That boogie man had a common sense that made no sense.

"I don't believe you." Mukuro said, leveling Tsuna down to the bed. "You little miscreant."

"Well you don't…" look like a lawful citizen yourself. Tsuna couldn't finish that. If he had, it would be entirely rude to even utter. Especially to a man that was sheltering him from the dangers of the outside world of Cielo.

As if reading his mind, Mukuro nodded. "You're right. That was absolutely hypocritical of me." Mukuro sat down on the bed, forgetting the fact that Tsuna was trying to rest minutes before. "I've been breaking rules all my life, you know." Mukuro said 'life' strangely. Before Tsuna could question it, the indigo-haired man continued, "Ever since I was young. You know, this bureau has quite a great history."

He looked at Tsuna expectantly. Getting the hint, the boy egged him on, "What kind of history?"

"We are all alike. The members and I. That is why we started this…not exactly a cult, but more like—a helping agency. And we all have interesting backgrounds. Each of us." Mukuro propped himself against the wall as Tsuna began to make himself comfortable, sensing the it's-a-long-story aura again.

"Chrome was raised properly; good education, great etiquette. But she was always ignored. Her parents never had time for her, they were very very wealthy and lead busy lives. One day she tried to save a cat from getting run over. Poor thing. She lost her eye and some of her organs that day. Blood everywhere. It was a mess. The operation to replace those organs were amazingly expensive, even more than her family could afford. They planned on letting her die. But I saved her."

"M.M was different. She was once a prostitute. Ever since she was a little girl she had been doing…services for many different people. Females and males alike. I found her all alone in an ally, nearly beaten to death. Terrible scene. She has already acknowledged that I saved her life that day and if it wasn't for me then she might not be here with us. You can tell; I guess showing her…infatuation towards me is a way of thanking me." Tsuna smiled at his small grimace.

This must be what M.M had been talking about earlier. The complete differences in status. She had been rattling on and on about him and her not understanding, but now he kind of got it. It was true; he was living the life of luxury compared to what M.M had been through. A single rush of sympathy. Them carrying on with life is what amazed him the most. Tsuna looked at Mukuro. The indigo-haired man was looking away, most likely thinking of what he had seen. But underneath that troubled expression; was disgust. "I hated that man and wife. It was amazed on what families would do these days. But I took care of them; without Chrome knowing of course. She has long forgotten about them and wouldn't care any longer even if she did find out what I've done to them." He briefly wondered what Mukuro meant by that but wisely decided not to ask. He let him continue the story, "I let her live with us. You wouldn't believe Ken's face when he first laid eyes on Chrome. Completely and utterly infatuated." Tsuna let this thought entertain him until he heard Mukuro ask him a question.

"You know of Lanchia, correct?"

Tsuna nodded. Lanchia was like a big mystery to them all. Even Chrome didn't know much about him, hardly knew his name too. "Yes. He's very nice, actually."

"Yes, that is true. I guess you can call him a 'gentle giant'. Certainly fits his image. He used to work for a very bad man. He used to do all sorts of tasks for him, evil things, especially assassinations, you name it. That is, until he met me. We were on a mission that day—to silence that bad man. We failed but in return we got Lanchia on our side. When he found out what we do and who we are he asked if he could join the bureau too."

"Who is this bad man?" Tsuna asked.

"The Varia boss we talked about yesterday. Xanxus. He's still alive."

"Wow." Tsuna complimented lightly, "But you couldn't…defeat him?"

Mukuro shook his head disdainfully, "No. It's…nearly impossible even of someone of my caliber."

This Xanxus guy must be pretty strong if he could escape the Kokuyo Bureau. He was the Varia boss, and a person that might know of Reborn. But he wasn't going to ask him if he's seen his adult-acquaintance anytime soon. He'd rather stick with Mukuro in the time being. "So what about Chikusa?" The stoic boy certainly intrigued him.

"Oh." Mukuro said. "That's right. Ken, Chikusa, and I established this agency. You can say we are the 'founding fathers'." Mukuro laughed through his nose, "We were all children at the time. And…all three of us were victims." Tsuna was too afraid to ask for more, only settling with the silence until Mukuro resumed. "Anyway, we all had one thing in common. The feeling of abandonment in this cruel world. That is why we exist. To help those people that are in those situations too. So that they can be saved like we were."

Tsuna stared at Mukuro, a feeling of intense admiration in his chest. In the end, these people were just finding a purpose in life. All this time, he had been complaining about his own plain and simple days of living when Mukuro and the Kokuyo gang had always struggled to be acknowledged. Struggled to help people in need. This was the true Kokuyo Bureau's resolve. To protect people who can't protect themselves. It was a self-less cause, one that made Tsuna want to be with them too. "Mukuro…I've never been in any of those kinds of situations…I don't think I'm qualified to be in the Kokuyo Bureau, honestly."

"That's where you're wrong." Mukuro objected, shaking his head, "Tsunayoshi, you have this strange power. Do you ever notice it?"

Tsuna blinked. Power? Him? It was absurd.

"You see the goodness in people. You see their weakness and try, almost unconsciously, to correct their wrongful beliefs. I'd say…that you'd make an excellent shrink."

He laughed, waving his comment away with a facetious hand. For a moment, he had thought that Mukuro meant power as in supernatural ability but he only meant his mannerism. "Me?" Tsuna shook his head. "A shrink?"

But Mukuro didn't smile back, not even reneging his words. "Like I said; that is the part that interests me. That is why I'm extremely attracted to you."

Tsuna laughed, then when Mukuro's face did not change, it died slowly on his tongue. The boy studied Mukuro's expression, sizing it up. But when he didn't see any signs of jest, he realized the seriousness of the situation. This was a confession. Tsuna rubbed at his cheek. He deducted quickly; the small gestures, the quick, almost hidden come-ons. It was obvious, but he didn't want to believe it. But the signs were all there, no matter how much he denied it. Mukuro might, and he'd repeated it again, might—well, like him—as in, more than a friend. His face burned. He had an idea what this feeling was. He was flattered...flattered but.

Tsuna remembered. Yesterday, Mukuro had said that he could attract men. In fact, he had such confidence in him that it shocked even the most coldest of the members. It was crazy in question that he would even allow Tsuna to go off into this…fiasco of a mission. But he noticed. Mukuro acted…differently towards him. He couldn't explain it, but he could definitely feel it. There was, like, a contrasting wavelength of attitude towards him than any other of the members.

"But Mukuro," Tsuna struggled to reply, "We're…I…you…we are both male."

The man let out a vicarious laugh. As if he were challenging him and Tsuna's eyes widened. "I figured as much; you're enamored to women. You really are obscene. I'll let you in on a little secret; in Cielo, same-sex romance is very common."

Tsuna stared as Mukuro got up, looking down at Tsuna with laughing eyes, "You are pretty young. A child. And for me, as you can see, I'm far older than you. Age doesn't matter here either." But Mukuro smiled, almost softly. Tsuna lowered his eyes, gripping the bedsheet harder. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. A relationship with Mukuro? It was…absolutely out of line! He didn't care about Cielo's cracked up laws, it was just too…indecent! Sensing Tsuna's rejection of the possibilities, Mukuro spoke hastily, "For the short period of time you were here, to be honest I wasn't looking for Gokudera Hayato at all. I was watching you. I saw you prove Ken wrong, who is nearly impossible to convince, I saw Chrome yelling excitedly, eyes shining so brightly. I saw you befriend Lanchia, and you weren't even trying. And M.M. It was so hard to believe that you could tame her so well. So many expressions on my members I've never seen before, you brought them out. Do you know what you do to me?"

Tsuna didn't answer, he had been admiring this man only moments before. Now, all he wanted to do was to get away. The spacious room felt cramped. The usual chill in the air felt lukewarm now.

"You make my feelings fluctuate restlessly." Mukuro said, looking at Tsuna with a sardonic smile. "I don't know what to make of this, especially since I've never felt this strongly about anyone before.

Tsuna brought his legs over to the edge of his bed and let them dangle there. They sat in silence for a few moments. "…I'm sorry…I can't return…"

Mukuro was motionless as Tsuna trailed off, unable to reject him—he never had any experience in this. "Then if you slept with me would it help?" The older man put a wandering hand under Tsuna's chin and tilted it. He brought his own face closer, his breath ghosting over Tsuna's. Mukuro smiled catfully at Tsuna, watching his face redden.

"…I can't do that…" The boy mumbled, nearly ripping his chin out of the gloved fingers, as of now he was unable to complete sentences. It was too overwhelming, Mukuro just spilling his feelings out right there and then. To point where it began to tread in sexually. He began leaning away in discomfort and Mukuro followed him, sitting even closer.

"Ah. Is…there someone else out there?" Mukuro concluded, sighing. "Gokudera Hayato?"

"No!" Tsuna said firmly and the indigo-haired man's eyebrows shot up to his hairline in surprise, "Gokudera-kun is just a close friend. Absolutely nothing more. I could never…I don't like anyone…" Tsuna gulped, finishing quietly, "Who is male."

"You know, I think you're lying." Mukuro said bluntly.

"Huh?" Tsuna said dumbly, "You don't believe me? But why?"

"I refuse to believe you're not interested in men. There is someone, isn't there?"

"Mukuro, really. There isn't."

The taller man laughed. "We'll see about that. Maybe you just need time." Tsuna furrowed his eyebrows. Time for what? For him to realize that he likes men? As if that would ever happen! "That's something to think over for now." Mukuro said, gleeful at Tsuna's thoughtful and annoyed face. He stretched as he walked and got up to the door. "Oh. And get used to the same-sex idealism. You are going to go to that all-women's pub soon. There's bound to be some…explicit activities in there."

Ignoring the suggestiveness in his voice, Tsuna said, "But I just realized something…aren't I underage? Chrome and M.M look about the same too."

"Underage?" Mukuro repeated, sounding incredulous. He let out a small snort of understanding, "Ah. There is no underage law. As I said before, Cielo isn't politically stabled." Mukuro shook his head, as if he was disapproving at an inward thought, "Really. I told you. This place isn't really worth keeping alive."

—

Tsuna sat looking around the room with polite eyes. He stared at the plainness, still unable to believe that he was in Chrome's room. He didn't know what he had expecting but it might have not been this. He thought that she would have one of those princess-like mosquito nets hanging over a lush soft bed with its bedroom walls colored a pretty pink. Or maybe he had expected stuff animals everywhere; it was his impression of a girl's room. The only closest thing he had been was into his mother's room down at the apple plantation. After all, he never quite stepped foot in a girl's room, as in a girl-his-age's room, heaven's sake, no. In all, the room he was residing was a bit like every other part of the bureau. She at least made an attempt to make it look a accommodating though, Tsuna thought in approval at the organized desk and the made-bed.

"Tsunayoshi," She called. She was already dressed up for the night, wearing a cherry-tube gray colored chiffon dress with matching ankle-strap heels. Her eyepatch was still on, but her hair was no longer pulled up into a pineapple-like hairstyle. It was a nice, innocent-looking half-up that let the remaining hair show her true length of violet locks; just below her shoulder blades. He guessed having the Mukuro-style takes a lot of your hair and he secretly wished that Chrome would let her hair down more often.

She walked in, holding each dress in her arms. Tsuna grimaced at the items in her arms as she passed and she threw them deftly onto the bed. "Some of these are M.M-san's. She…gave them to me." The way she said 'gave' made Tsuna shudder. Knowing that bully, she must have thrown them at her. "Please, choose any one you find fit. If you can't, then I will assist you."

Tsuna nodded, getting off from the wobbly wooden chair and made his way to the bed. He flinched away. All these dresses were so…so….explicit. He held up a neon-red spaghetti strap. "Chrome…I hate to say this…but, I'm missing some…body parts. I don't think it's possible for me to wear some of these."

Chrome blinked. She hadn't thought about that. "I apologize. I've forgotten."

'Forgotten?' Tsuna repeated in silent incredulously, What, forgot that he was male?

The purple-haired girl walked up from behind, snatching the dresses she deemed too revealing. Tsuna sighed in relief as all the ones he had been eyeing cautiously were tucked out of sight. He looked down at his choices, the remaining three.

One was a soft green balloon dress. He picked it up, measuring the capability walking with it on. He put it down. Absolutely too revealing. He'd die of embarrassment before it even had the chance to flip up. He picked the second dress up. A nice purple color that reminded him very much of Chrome's hair. Its strap was three inches wide. It wasn't as revealing as the other, but he'd think about it. He didn't even touch the third red-leather dress. He'd kill himself first. He turned to Chrome, furrowing his eyebrows, "Chrome, isn't there anything…without straps?"

"Well, there is..." Chrome walked to her closet and struggled to tug it open. It moved with a groan against the gritty floor. She fished a dress out and held it up for him to see, "It is a shirt-dress."

He studied it, finding it appealing. The skirt didn't look too short. Nor were there straps. It was made of denim, it wasn't too dark, more like a sky-blue color. It had frills in the front. "That's better." He commented.

"It is not formal as we like it to be. We must first speak to Mukuro-sama before we go to see if he approves of it."

Tsuna grimaced. After…the talk they had, he'd rather not see him right now. He wouldn't know what to say and Mukuro refuses to believe that he wasn't gay. Him seeing Tsuna in the dress only would add oil to the fire. Chrome seemed to have seen his expression, but wisely decided not to call him out. "Now. Please put it own." With gentle hands she transferred the clothing to his own clammy ones, "I will be outside until you are finished. It will not be hard to put this on, it is like a normal shirt." Chrome trailed back to her closet and pulled out a skinnier dress, a silky white thin-strapped one. He briefly wondered if Chrome had changed her mind and was about to force him into that one but he cleared his doubts as she explained, "This is a halfslip. Women wear this under dresses. Otherwise the material will chafe your skin."

He took it from her gently, measuring the creamy smoothness. "Wait Chrome. This isn't yours, is it?"

"It is." She said. The purple-haired girl pointed at the pile of revealing slinkies that M.M had provided them. "Unless…you prefer those?"

"No, no." He said quickly, putting his hands defensively up. "I like this one, thank you."

"Right." Without only that, Chrome turned her heel and walked out, closing the door quietly behind her out of habit.

He looked at the dresses in his hands and laid it both out on the bed. He quickly pulled Mukuro's shirt over his head and hurriedly shoved his arms and torso into the half-slip. Just as he expected, it was soft and velvety. He decidedly ignored that thought and brushed out the wrinkles. Unbuttoning the first few clasps on the shirt-dress, he wrenched it on and watched it fall just above the knees. Lastly, he tugged down Mukuro's pants and neatly folded it onto the pink blanket. He looked over to the mirror in discomfort. He didn't look to bad but didn't exactly look like a girl either.

"Chrome, I'm done."

The door swung open and he looked away in discreet distress. Good god this was mortifying. One of the only girls that he could actually have a chance with seen him with a dress on. Absolutely mortifying. Even worse was M.M's voice, "Well damn. You do look like a girl."

Tsuna looked up, catching her look of appreciation before she quickly hid it. It was awkward, but M.M didn't look as mad as she had earlier. She was readily dressed nicely too; a busty shimmering-gold satin halter dress. It matched with her gold-colored carnation corsage that was in place of her usual trade-mark hairpin that gave her identity upon first glance. "But not enough." She added, "Your eyelashes are too short." She looked to Chrome with the flick of her eyes, "Stupid girl,"

"Yes?" Chrome asked, looking at M.M. Tsuna decided not to sigh aloud at Chrome's answer. She only proved she was stupid by answering, but then again Tsuna would have probably done the same.

"Mascara. He needs mascara. I'm going to get a bag for the brat." With that, she walked out with a strut and Tsuna was ill at ease that she hadn't made any movements on making nasty comments at him.

Chrome pointed at a dresser chair in front of the cracked mirror, "Tsunayoshi. Please sit there."

He complied, settling himself down and he gripped the cracked white paint under his fingers. The purple-haired girl opened the drawer and front of them and began taking facial beauty products out one by one, setting them in a neat line between the mirror and himself. She opened each compacter and studied them. The powder puffs came in myriad sizes, shapes and colors, but he guessed the most important thing to consider is the texture of the puff. A medium-textured puff made out of chenille is the best to apply powder. The fine-textured puffs that usually come with powder cause streaking. Tsuna sat in silence until Chrome decidedly chose one of the many bottles in front of them.

She picked up a small face-powder compactor and held the colored puff in her hands, "This will help keep the oil from your face and the mascara from streaking." Satisfied with her explanations, she gently dabbed at his cheeks, smearing the light-pink powder across his skin. It was best to use the puff if he had intended to shine excessively or when using a powder foundation. He only prayed that she wouldn't apply too much at once. It was better to blot oil later in the day than have a caked, overdone look to his face.

Finally she finished, putting the puff back into its compactor. Next she picked up a black, tube-like container. He flinched away and she unscrewed the mascara and pulled out its lumpy brush with a small 'pop' sound. She held it towards him and he screwed his eyes shut.

"Tsunayoshi, you have to keep your eyes open."

Reluctantly, he cracked them open and furrowed his eyebrows worriedly at the close proximity of the makeup. "Good," She complimented his efforts lightly before grabbing his chin. He whimpered pitifully as he stared at it, but she ignored the plea, apology in her expression. She wiggled the wand left to right at the base of lashes and Tsuna felt the insane urge to bend backwards and shrink away but thankfully for Chrome, he ignored it. She spoke, hoping her explanations would help calm him, "The mascara must be placed under the roots, not the tips, that way it gives the illusion of length."

It didn't explain anything for him, if nothing, he just looked even more confused. She pulled the wand up and through the tiny, now visible lashes, zigzagging as she went to erase the black clumps. It felt strange and cold, like someone was licking at his eye-hair. She pulled back, examining her work before putting the black wand into its sheath. Tsuna sighed in relief, and nearly had a heart attack as his girl-friend pulled out something silvery and dangerous-looking out of a drawer. He flinched away from it, not caring the chair's complaining underneath him, "What is that? What is that?" He asked defensively, putting his arms up to ward it away.

Chrome looked like she wanted to sigh tiredly but held it back, "This is an eyelash curler. It will let the tips stand up in the air instead of sticking straight out."

"Will it hurt?"

With slow, gentle movements as to not alarm the boy, she grabbed at a strand of Tsuna's bangs and pinched it under the clamp, "Hurt?"

He tilted his head back in confusion to her actions. "No…"

"Then this won't either." She said, smiling understandingly. She held the silver contraption out and it glinted threateningly at him. "Please keep your eyes open."

Tsuna squinted as she carefully trapped his lashes between the curler. She then repeated the same with his other eye. Wiping the residue of mascara from the tool, she put it back inside the drawer. "There. We're done. I don't think we need to put any gloss over your lips. They're fine the way they are."

He sighed thankfully and blinked as Chrome stared down at him. "Yes?"

"You look…very pretty, Tsunayoshi." He couldn't tell if she was saying that out of pure truth or was just saying that to make him feel better. He hoped for the latter in the very least; his pride was on line here! He'd rather be told he still looked like a boy because he sure didn't feel like one at the moment, he thought with a shudder.

"Um. Thanks." He decided to say, and they waited quietly for M.M to return. When she did, she had a very peculiar thing in her hands.

She walked up to Tsuna, taking great examination at his face before nodding in approval. "Yes. Good enough." She shoved something into his hands. He looked down at it. It was a heart-shaped plastic-material rosy long-drawstring purse. It looked…very pink, was all he could think.

He hoped to god this wasn't what he thought it was. He gazed in questioning, "M.M, what is this?"

"Your bag. If you lose that, I will seriously kill you."

Yup, as he suspected. A woman's purse. He gripped it tighter, laughing nervously, "Er…I won't."

"We don't have any wigs right now for you to wear so you'll just have to deal with that ugly nest that you call hair for now. We have to go soon. About every week on this night our target goes to Il Cavalla Veloce."

Chrome handed him matching pink flats. For a moment he stared at them and reluctantly accepted them and put them on in place of Mukuro's old brown loafers. It was better than wearing heels. He thanked Chrome silently because without a doubt had M.M been in charge for picking shoes for him, she would've chosen the Eiffel Tower for all he knew.

They watched as the purple-haired girl hurriedly shoved all the makeup products back into its confinements before following M.M out. She looked behind her, "Tsunayoshi. Hurry."

"Yeah." He replied, getting up resolutely, "I'll be right there!"

He almost forgot. Approaching Mukuro's forgotten pants he dug in the pockets and fished out the watch he had recently received. Pulling the drawstrap over his shoulder, he shoved the timepiece into the pink abyss of the heart-shaped bag. He zipped it up, suddenly nervous. This was his first mission. And his first mission would be cross-dressing to get into a cheap all-women's club? Ridiculous and crazy as it was, he was doing it. Doing it for Reborn (and Gokudera, possibly). And maybe partly for Hibari. Anyways, he was doing it for home. He turned off the lights and closed Chrome's door behind him. With a deep inhale, he began to descend the stairs.

He hadn't expected anyone else but Chrome and M.M to be there but every member was standing idly at the entrance waiting to see the girls (and boy) off. He had remembered that no one but him had seen Chikusa and Chrome off on their mission. It was a little overwhelming and highly embarrassing. Mukuro's presence only amplified it. All chatter seemed to die down as he walked into view. Ken raised his eyebrows, "Not bad for a guy."

Chikusa gave the blond-boy a roll of the eyes, "I told you."

"Good thinking on the hair, Chrome." The indigo-haired man complimented her hairstyle, "It would've surely given you away if you kept it the same."

"Thank you, Mukuro-sama. I thought so too."

"What about me, Mukuro-sama?" M.M asked, swaying her hips side to side.

"You look dazzling." He replied, with a smile.

Finally, he turned back to Tsuna, "You look nice." It wasn't as nearly as an extravagant of a comment as Chrome's or M.M's was, but Tsuna could catch the whiff of today's earlier conversation under his almost-unreadable tone; flirtatious. Tsuna smiled nervously, not able to meet his mismatching eyes. He took one step back towards the door.

"How you like him?" M.M asked the members haughtily, crossing her arms under her generous bust, making them grow larger just briefly, "I gave him the bag."

"Very nice. The pink certainly brings out something there." Mukuro complimented. He gave Tsuna a long look-over, "The frills at the chest is good. It's as if he grew breasts. I almost didn't recognize him."

Really? Tsuna looked at his attire curiously. He thought he looked the same. In fact, he felt barely convincing. "Good luck. We'll be waiting." Lanchia said lowly, waving slowly.

Tsuna nodded, this time with more enthusiasm upon getting an actual encouragement.

"We'll be back, Mukuro-sama!" With a gallant wave, she walked out first, leaving the door ajar for Chrome and Tsuna. She was in a better mood, thought Tsuna as he scowled.

"Bye, Ken. Chikusa, Mukuro-sama."

With a light bow, Chrome turned her heel too and was long gone out the door before Ken could say goodbye back. He grumbled, huffing as he stomped up the stairs. He threw a farewell at Tsuna, who stood conveniently there instead, "Don't get molested, you little shit. You'll screw it up if someone finds out you have balls."

Lanchia had wandered off somewhere already without telling anyone and Chikusa, sensing the tension between Mukuro and Tsuna left too. There was a moment of silence. Mukuro smiled widely. He held his arms out towards the still brunet in a mock outstretched-embrace, "Can I kiss you?"

Tsuna sputtered, backing away indignantly. "Wha-?"

"I see…judging by your reaction, guess not." He smiled, "Then maybe a 'welcome back' kiss later?"

The boy looked to his feet, breaking into cold sweat. When the silence became to unbearable he made a hasty retreat and mumbled, "Bye." Almost breaking out into a run, Tsuna grabbed the door and shut it closed behind him listening to Mukuro's low tenor laughter following him out.

—

Tsuna stared up at the pub, absolutely aghast at the scene. It was dirty, messy, and every bit rundown as the rest of Cielo. The windows are painted black, and guessing by the lack of sound they were bricked over from the inside too. Many bottles of empty alcohol littered the crates in quantity stacks. There were many women in fact, many just simply making out at the front. Some stared at Chrome and M.M in interest, making his stomach flip. Most of the women eying the two girls looked much older. He remembered what Mukuro had said in their room. That age and gender did not matter here. It highly disturbed him and he kept close enough to hug his companions. But luckily, none of the strangers seemed to take notice or speculation at him, standing meekly behind.

They walked in, where a hulk-of-a-guard stood watch. He looked at them, then nodded and leaned over to hold the door for the three. Tsuna gagged as he walked in, the stench of sweat and strong liquor assaulting his nose. M.M jabbed him with her elbow silently, warning him. "Look natural. Pretend you come here everyday. And do not meet eyes with anyone but us."

Straightening, Tsuna let Chrome hook her arms in his and she gently guided him. He held his breath the whole while, taking small gasping breaths in and out of his mouth. Making sure to keep both eyes to M.M's back, the finally reached a small secluded booth in the corner. They sat down at the circular table and M.M looked like she was at home already. Chrome looked uncomfortable, but probably not as nearly traumatized as him. He could feel the disbelief on his face.

"There he is." Chrome spoke up quietly, just enough for only the girl and boy to hear. "Sitting alone three booths down."

Tsuna turned his head and hissed as M.M crushed his foot with the edge of her heel. "Down look over there, stupid!

He glared openly at her from across the table. Chrome silently dug in her purse and fished out a small compact mirror. "Here." She said, handing the cosmetic tool to him, "Use this."

He opened it, and with just the right positioning, he studied the lone figure at the corner. He had never seen such silky hair on a man before. He looked tall, but he couldn't tell since he was sitting down. He glared at nothing, just staring at the wall at his booth. He reminded him very much of Gokudera, except for the fact that this guy's fashion was even more outlandish than anything his friend ever wore. It was hard to believe the person he was staring at was even a man at all. But the gruff, almost impolite and untasteful look on his face told otherwise.

"Superbi Squalo. He is a master-swordsman and the best of lately. He has never been defeated in a sword fight. He has a bad temper, so look out."

"So what are we suppose to do?" Tsuna asked, looking to Chrome, "Talk to him?"

"We; as in, me and the stupid girl. You need to stay here."

"Why?" He asked, annoyed. What was the point of him coming here then?

"Save our seats of course. Your purpose is to back us up, make us look like a big group so no one would bother us. A backdrop." Tsuna sighed, offended just slightly but reconsidered on the plan. That wasn't too bad. But if that was all he was suppose to do, what was the point of him coming? He was here to find out more about the Varia and Reborn! Not sit down in a booth surrounded by booze and drunk women! He didn't protest as they got up though and Chrome nodded understandingly at him, "We'll be back. Don't go wandering and do not follow anyone."

He nodded, he wasn't planning to anyway. He watched as the two girls walked up to Squalo, M.M putting much more to her act than Chrome was with the seductive sway of her hips as she walked. She caught many eyes as she walked, all trailing at her long legs attentively. The purple-haired girl next to her was charming in a more innocent way. But nonetheless she too took some hearts as she passed. "Excuse me," M.M purred at Squalo, "Can we sit here?"

"No." He growled, he propped his feet up onto the table, not hiding his extreme disinterest.

M.M's perfect smile strained. This time Chrome spoke, "Please?"

Squalo took one look at her. He sighed irritably, "Not long. I have someone to meet."

She nodded in appreciation, and M.M tried not to looked irritated that her method didn't work. But she said nothing as they sat across from Squalo. By now, all conversation was muted. Tsuna strained his ears to hear though, but failed to find anything but the motion of their lips. He closed the mirror, frustrated. He hated doing nothing in the middle of this place! He looked up, to see many eyes on him. He flinched away, looking to his lap. Was there something wrong with him? Was his disguise too obvious? He slunk away, pretending to look busy. He opened his bag, peering at the watch Mukuro gave him. It was a useless attempt to keep himself preoccupied but there really was nothing to do.

"Hey there, sweetheart."

Tsuna looked up, zipping his bag tightly. A man? He blinked at him for a moment. What was a man doing at an all woman's bar? Then dumbly, he said, "Hi."

"Is this seat taken?" Tsuna could only nod hesitantly. The girls didn't say anything about people sitting here. They only said don't follow anyone. After all, the bar was very crowded. It was a miracle they happened to come across an open booth anyway.

He scooted over, making room for the man to sit. "Go ahead."

The young man sat down, smiling civilly, "I've never seen you here before. Are you new?" His face was pale, very much like Hibari's tone of color and his hair, like all other residents in this world, was colored strangely. It was a light violet that styled in a low, short and stubby ponytail.

He didn't know what he should do so he lied just a bit, "A little."

"I see." The man laughed."What's your name?"

"Tsuna." He answered, folding his hands in his lap.

He leaned back in his chair, "Well Tsuna, can I buy you something?"

"I don't drink." He answered on reflex. The violet-haired man was taken aback for a moment before he tried a different tactic.

"I can get you something without some alcohol in it. Maybe a smoothie?"

A smoothie? His mind reeled at the thought. He hadn't had such a delicacy in awhile. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad. "If...it wouldn't trouble you." He said slowly, studying the guy's responding smile.

He flashed a set of white pearly teeth at Tsuna, and he smiled back. "I'll go get it now." He got up and Tsuna watched him go. Wow. People are really nice. He must've seen how bored he looked or something. What a nice guy. If bars are really like this then he should go more often when he was older. It only took a span of five minutes before he came back, balancing the tall glass in his hands.

His new companion put it down in front of him and Tsuna smiled, "Thanks."

"No problem, miss."

Tsuna blinked. Oh right. To this guy, he was a girl. Taking a straw from a cup, the brunet plunged it into the creamy depths of the treat. "You know, I thought this was an all-girl's place." Tsuna said, striking up conversation.

"Oh. I'm a regular. Quite special around here." That's right. Tsuna thought, stirring the smoothie absently, Mukuro said only certain males are allowed to pass. This man might be important.

"Really?" Tsuna played dumb, "How so?"

The man looked thrilled at Tsuna's enthusiasm. He leaned closer and whispered, "I'm the owner. Don't tell anyone."

Tsuna nearly gasped, but held it in. Then this man must know about the Varia dealings! "U, Um...I hear...the Varia come here often."

He looked surprised that Tsuna knew but smiled apologetically, "Yeah, they do. Like that guy over there," He pointed with a thumb over his shoulder at the irate Squalo.

"Oh my." Tsuna said, putting a hand to his mouth.

"Are you going to drink that?" The violet-haired man asked, pointing at the drink. There was something about the way he said it...Hasty? Abrupt? But Tsuna paid no mind.

"Yeah." Tsuna said, putting the straw to his lips. "I almost forgot." Tsuna sucked the sweetness in, reveling in the familiar taste of strawberries. There was a hint of other berries and pineapple too.

"How is it?" The man asked. Tsuna furrowed his eyebrows at him. That smile look too...was was the word? Sardonic? Challenging?

Tsuna didn't answer. Something felt wrong about this. His instincts were telling him too. Run! Get the girls and run away! But he couldn't move. His forehead felt hot. His hands felt warm. And his eyes felt like they were on fire. It was the most strangest thing he ever felt and it was frighteningly exhilarating. He became sleepy. He was having trouble understanding or remembering things. He couldn't react to situations quickly. His body movements are uncoordinated. Tsuna dropped the glass and the pink slush spilled over the table. For a moment the brunet just simply stared at it, was that his drink? The bartender looked annoyed at the sight but continued going back to his business on wiping down wet cups. He felt himself slump against the table, his movements sluggish. "What did you do?" Tsuna asked through gritted teeth. "Is...this alcohol?" A sense of dread filled Tsuna's heart.

The man didn't answer his intoxicated questions. "My, my. What do we have here?" He leaned closer, his cool breaths fanning over Tsuna's heated face. "A sky flame?"

Sky flame? He couldn't ask, his eyes drooped. The man walked over to Tsuna and took one of his arms. He wrapped it around his shoulder and he smiled cordially at the tipsy boy, "Sorry, honey. You're too valuable to give up. You'll get a fetching price indeed."

He couldn't scream for help. He couldn't. But he managed to glare with difficulty at him. He could feel himself being dragged out, then the horrible stench of the outside city hithim. He was outisde. Oh god. He was outside. Was Chrome and M.M still speaking to that Varia-guy? Surely, they must've noticed him missing by now! "Where are you taking me?" He asked with great effort to keep his eyes open. He said something about eyes...No! Is this man a White Spell? Was he taking him to Byakuran? To the Millefiore? He'd rather die than go back to that man ever again! The man didn't answer him.

"Fuck." A new voice entered. "Took ya look enough. What the hell were you doing?"

"Dolly here wouldn't shut up." The violet-haired man said, laughing nastily, "She has a sky flame. And look at her eyes."

The man pinioned him by the shoulders and grabbed a fistful of his hair. Tsuna grunted against it and was forced to look at another man. He wasn't wearing a White Spell uniform either. No...these men weren't from the Millefiore. They may be from something even worse. The gruff middle aged man grabbed Tsuna chin, studying him at every possible angle. "Not bad. Pretty face too. I've never seen these kinds of eyes before. I never knew flames could do that."

"Me neither. But good catch, right?"

Catch? His blood boiled. Catch? This was normal? To take innocent people by unsuspectingly intoxicating them? Before he could even say this thought aloud in forms of insults, the two men heaved once and threw him. He landed with a thump against something hard and moving. He was so tired he couldn't even let out a pained cry. "Take this one to Al Forne. This one is rare. Her name is Tsuna." He remembered this feeling somewhere. Right. This strange moving-while-keeping-still thing meant that he was in a car. In a trunk? Where was he going? Finally after a long struggle, Tsuna simply closed his eyes and embraced the danger, unable to do much else. When will he ever get home?

AN: Whew this is one of the longest chapters I've written; 11, 306 words! Not counting the AN too! So Tsuna is taken on his first mission; fail.

MANGA SPOILER: Hm, they've temporarily gone back to the old KHR where it's all just pure crack. Gokudera just makes me laugh. I guess people protecting Tsuna is an expected thing? The big guy, Enma's rain guardian was just too sweet; LOL TSUNA AS A TURNIP. I just can't see how Adelheid is going to protect Tsuna along with Hibari. If nothing else, they're going to take turns smacking the daylights out of him LOL. The Ninth's guardians are freaking BADASS. I was seriously wondering why we never saw them before or why they never came to look for the Timoteo during the Varia arc where Xanxus put him in the Mosca suit. I can't help but feel that Amano Akira is introducing so many characters at once is a bit...lame. I feel like she can't work with the characters she has now. I mean it was cool with the Shimon family but now all these people are showing up it's making me real uneasy of this arc.