OHMELONGRAPES. It took me so long to update this one... _( : | _\ /_)_ I didn't think that not having a laptop for years then suddenly getting one would make me slack so badly, ehehe... I'm not used to having a laptop now... Anyway, I hope you enjoy this update and I apologize for the super-deee-duper late update!

Chapters of A Great Man in the Making

Six, Chingchonglinglong

A charred lump, smoking and burnt sits awkwardly in a clean white dish, clearly inedible. Six-year-old Tsunayoshi can't help but stare at the black lump, eyes sparkling in curiosity despite his green-tinged face at the horrible stench.

It's been a year since their first meeting, five months since her last visit on his sixth birthday in Iemitsu's place. Tsuna had been somewhat disappointed but also somewhat pleased that Lal had come over for his birthday. Tonight, Iemitsu has once again returned home and has taken Nana out for dinner once more.

"Hamburger? " Tsuna asks, looking at Lal who has him in her arms, a safe distance away from the inedible blob. He has an arm wrapped around her neck, the other tugging lightly at her long hair. He had learned that tugging too hard resulted in an irritated and angry Lal.

"No, not hamburger. " Lal mentions off-handedly, slightly disappointed at her lack of cooking skills that she was so sure she had. She pulls out a blue, battered cellphone, "You fine with Chinese?"

Tsuna nods even though he has no clue what this "Chinese" is. From his perch on Lal's left arm, the young brunet can make out the sound of a loud, shrill voice and the loud clangs of metal in the background.

["Ni hao! Chingchonglinglong!"]

Not understanding a word from the quick voice through the mobile device, the boy zones out as words fly over his head. Meanwhile, Lal is replying at an equally fast pace, placing her orders. She would've asked Tsunayoshi for his choice of food but his confused nods from before told her that he didn't know what he was agreeing to. That's not a very good habit to have.

Flipping her phone shut, swiftly ending the call simultaneously, she turns towards Tsunayoshi who has taken a clear interest in her blue hair once more. She rolls her eyes before giving him a quick bounce, earning a squeak of shock.

"Ne, Lal?", Lal merely nods at his inquiring tone, not turning to him as she picks up the burnt blob to dump it into the trash. "What is dhingdhongringrong?"

Lal, who has been shaking the plate back and forth in efforts of getting rid of the burnt blob that has stuck fast onto the plate, turns towards the boy in her arms. His inquiring face seems to shine quite brightly. Giving up trying to rid the plate of the blob, Lal dumps the entire plate into the bin.

"I think you mean chingchonglinglong." Lal watches as the boy blanks out at her rapid Mandarin, amusement dancing in her eyes. "I think it's time I taught you something new, Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna brightens up at the thought of learning something new. "Hai!"

xx

After ten minutes of tongue-twisting Mandarin phrases and mix-ups between Japanese and Mandarin, the doorbell rings. Lal leaves the boy with the small flash cards that she had made earlier for the boy. Twisting the door knob and pulling the door open, she is greeted with a waft of the mouth-watering scent of delicious food. A girl dressed in a traditional red, female version of samfu greets Lal with a bright smile.

"Thank you for ordering from us! Your total is 1000 yen!" The girl chirps in fluent Mandarin and Lal hands her the payment with a tip of 300 yen. The girl then hands her the two boxes of takeaway food.

"You're welcome. You still haven't improved on your Japanese, I-pin?" Lal questions the girl in Mandarin, known as I-pin as she pockets her wallet once more. The other blushes a bright red as she rubs the back of her neck. She hasn't practised her Japanese like she was supposed to.

"I-pin sorry. No practise." The girl mumbles in broken Japanese. Lal rolls her eyes good-naturedly and ruffles the top of the girl's head.

"Come on, I'll teach you." Lal beckons the girl into the house as she pulls her cellphone out to let the store's manager know of their delivery girl's whereabouts. She quickly spills the message directly to the manager, receiving the green light, before dragging the teen in.

xx

"Kon-ni-chi-wa." the woman says firmly, staring deeply into the Asian girl's eyes. Tsuna looks up from his flash cards as an unknown girl with braided pigtails emerges through the doorway with Lal, a delicious scent wafting from the two females. The stranger is fidgety and seems unsure as she stands at the doorway with Lal.

"Tsunayoshi."

"Hai, Lal!" Tsuna responds and rushes up from his seat on the floor, tripping over his own two feet and the thick material of the kotatsu. It's been rather cold for March. The boy quickly picks himself up and running over to the two women.

"I-pin, Tsunayoshi. Tsunayoshi, I-pin. Say hello in Mandarin to I-pin, Tsunayoshi." Lal's eyes flick over towards the petite boy for a split moment before turning back to the girl. The girl seems to fluster a little and stutters something in the language Tsuna has recently gotten acquainted with since ten minutes ago.

"Hello!" The boy chirps happily as his lips part into a wide toothy grin at the teenage girl, hands behind his back as he perches on his tippy toes. Said girl is somewhat taken aback by the boy's enthusiasm and the blindingly cute sparkles that seem to bounce off of the boy.

"K-konni…ch-chi-ah!" I-pin winces at the sharp pain as she bites on her tongue. She receives a soft bop to the head from one Lal Mirch, a somewhat good sign for her efforts. As the girl tries her best to soothe her aching tongue, Tsunayoshi continues to peer up at the teen before turning towards the direction where Lal had gone to.

"Lal, can I-pin-san stay for dinner?" He asks loudly before hearing a grunt from the woman in the kitchen. The sounds of the drawers being pulled open and the clinks of crockery can be heard. Then, Tsuna pulls her towards the main room and towards the kotatsu but not without protest from I-pin. Much to his chagrin, she remains firmly rooted to her spot in the doorway.

"Stay. Dinner." Tsuna says firmly in broken Mandarin, using the little words he's learned. He starts pulling her arm once more, but gains not a millimetre from where they are as his socks rub and drag against the carpeted floor. Giving up for the moment, he looks up at the teen with a pout. "I-pin-san…"

As I-pin opens her mouth to protest once more, "Just stay, I-pin. He's as stubborn as a mule."

Her dark eyes meet a pair of reddish-pink ones of the military-oriented woman. In Lal's arms are three empty bowls meant for the takeout she'd brought earlier on. I-pin parts her lips to protest more, but she makes a fatal mistake of glancing down at the boy. She is shot down by the adorable he has on his face, rendering her protests into small grumbles.

"H-hai…" I-pin mumbles shyly in Japanese.

"Yay!"

Tsuna cheers before dragging the Chinese girl towards the kotatsu, his efforts finally paying off. As they reach the small table, he gently pushes her onto one of the cushions before sitting on another beside her. A bowl of still steaming food is served to each of them and I-pin breaks out into a soft smile, her eyes curving upwards happily. Lal watches their interactions with slightly amusement as she slurps on her noodles.

"A-arigato, Tsunayoshi-kun."

I hope I didn't seem too racist with the "Chingchinglinglong" thing, ehehe... I, myself, am a Chinese but I can't really speak/write/understand the language. Call me a banana if you wish :P I just find it funny how some people refer Mandarin as chingchonglinglong, hence the addition in here, hahaha! I hope no one found that offensive! :x

Please review your thoughts!

P.S. You guys scared the melons out of me from the sudden surge of faves, hahaha! Thank you to those who put this on your favorites, alerts and whatnot! I especially thank those who reviewed! :D