Chapter 15

"I don't know Kyoko-san…Tsuna doesn't strike me as the flashy type when it comes to sweets…" Ienari said as he and Kyoko stood at a very girly cake shop at the shopping district that afternoon.

He was actually dragged by the girls to the shop to look for some sort of gift for some reason or another. Haru was at the other shop trying to cover more shop ground, which left Ienari to Kyoko's care.

"Really? But Tsuna-kun has always liked strawberry shortcakes…it's just in the matter of design…"

"Never struck me as the flashy type, but he does like cute things, besides Hibari, that is." Ienari said absentmindedly that he slapped his mouth shut as he looked at Kyoko completely horrified.

A rather pained expression went across her face as he said it, making Ienari feel guilty for bringing out his insensitive side. "S-Sorry…"

Kyoko smiled sadly, "You noticed, huh?" she asked.

"I'm sorry if I sound a bit intrusive," Ienari apologized. He already knew that towards Tsuna, her heart was already broken. She might even have been rejected by Tsuna at one point.

Kyoko waved her hand gently as she smiled at him, "No, it's nothing. No one has ever noticed it before besides Hana and Haru…"

"Well…they are your friends after all." Ienari explained.

"Just like Byakuran-san and Irie-san is to you?" Kyoko wondered. "You have good friends too,"

Ienari waved his hand, "Ah, no, they're just…uh…former classmates."

"Really? You three seem really close. I thought you were friends," Kyoko stated. Ienari looked away from her, making her concerned. "Ienari-kun?"

Ienari sighed and spoke, "People might call us that, but I'm not able to consider them as friends. They act like it, but I can't consider them as one…"

"Can't, or you won't?" Kyoko asked, surprising Ienari. "I know a true friend when I see it. It comes with being open with people and connecting to them. And I know what it's like to have people put up a front and pretend to be your friend."

As shocked as Ienari was, he could imagine the school life that Kyoko has had. Tsuna had told him about Kyoko since their grade school days, she was considered as some sort of idol, and were greatly admired and envied by most of the girls in her year. It came to a point when she had a friend who was merely using her reputation to score a boyfriend, and did not end well to the other party involved. That was why Hana, her childhood friend, had been some sort of a bodyguard to her, which had been very useful when they were in middle school when she tried to get away from a Kendo Club captain trying to get her.

True that it happens in school, but Ienari was still hesitant, as his fate was double hers.

Ienari sighed and looked at the cakes on the display, "I had a friend once. At least, I thought he was. For a while we were a trio along with my best friend who I met because of my grandfather's associates. But he destroyed the bond one day, starting with my best friend, and ultimately, destroyed my chance in making friends in school, making me a social outcast to be feared and despised rather than simply being treated normally." He shared. "That's why I can't call Byakuran and Irie my friends. I don't want to give people that title and lose them again."

Kyoko nodded in understanding. "I see. I guess we're on the same boat somehow."

"Yeah, I guess we are." Ienari agreed. "So, why are we looking at cakes again?" Ienari tried to lay the subject to rest.

"Oh! Well, starting today, we are starting on planning Tsuna-kun's surprise eighteenth birthday party!"

"Huh? But his birthday is nine weeks away," he stated.

"Which gives us a lot of time for planning before he notices," Kyoko said, "He has an impeccable ability to notice the odd behaviors of people, and if we start planning later, he might notice the fact that we are sometimes in a rush." She explained.

"I can see that." Ienari agreed. During his time in the Sumeragi-Niserio household, he has been creeped out by the intuitive brother of his, always knowing what he was up to in the house and guessing his mood and what he was frustrated at with his homework. He thought it was just because he was a Counselor, but he has a hunch that it had something to do with the family Hyper Intuition that he might have inherited from their ancestor, Giotto.

He never manifested a strong intuition, but it was enough for him to sense any danger. He proved it when Reborn was planning on trying to kill him on his training regimes. He did not want the nightmare to return ever again.

Kyoko smiled. "We have to beat the others when giving him a gift. It became a sort of tradition every year for four years, instigated by Reborn-san,"

At that, Ienari paled, "You don't mean…that Vongola Style birthday party contest where all of us will try to impress the celebrant with how we shower him our gifts, is it?" he has enough horrors about that when the Ninth's birthday comes along and his guardians always try to best each other, except for Visconti—but ironically, the Cloud Guardian has the most wins between them, what with giving Timoteo the leeway to get out of paperwork and go to week-long trips that Visconti arranges himself. Of course, that left Coyote with the paperwork. He would eventually do it since the said Storm Guardian has the most losses despite being the right-hand man, as part of the punishment of the lowest scored individual.

Ienari has an inkling guess that Timoteo was doing it on purpose…

"Exactly! It was so much fun the first time and the next. We also have to get a gift for Reborn-san as his birthday is on the thirteenth,"

"Now that you mention it…" Ienari remembered. Reborn's birthday was a day before Tsuna's, which meant that the two might share the same birthday party, which means…

"Are we supposed to give Reborn a gift for this contest too?"

Kyoko shook her head, "Reborn-san said we can give him gifts, but the main highlight of the party should be Tsuna, and not him, since he's already an adult. He will also join in trying to best us at giving him a gift,"

"I wonder what Reborn is planning on giving him…" Ienari wondered. "Then I should get a gift for Tsuna as well before the time limit, huh?"

"Of course! Tsuna is very meticulous about giving out scores you know! And the loser has to do a dare." Kyoko shared.

"Somehow I don't want to imagine what Tsuna has in store for the loser…" he muttered.

Kyoko giggled a bit too much. She probably remembered what happened the last few years that the game was enforced. "Don't worry. Whatever happens during the dare, we keep it to our graves and diaries." She assured him.

But Ienari couldn't find it in himself to be assured.

…

Reborn knew that there were things that he knew he should have expected after marrying Nana four years ago. But he didn't expect the entire Arcobaleno to be setting up \private and secure connections at his own house the moment he moved in. He knew that most of the Arcobaleno are back in Italy except for Fon who was currently in China with his ward, but did they have to invade his haven in Japan just to get a hold of him?

'Why? Ah, yes, because Luce said so…' Reborn thought as he inwardly sighed as he looked at the seven other faces in his large screen. At the middle of it was Luce, their Arcobaleno boss.

"You doing well there?" Luce asked the hitman.

Reborn nodded. "So far so good. No one has an idea where we hid Ienari, and no one dares to follow me in Japan, not after what happened five years ago." He informed. "Your chosen Mare Sky did find Ienari in no time at all." Reborn stated with annoyance. He could still remember the noise that they generated yesterday, disturbing some customers until the Gesso heir and his companion left.

"Don't worry about things at the end here," Viper assured him, "Following your brat's advice, my men and I are throwing off fake scents from different mafia families, including our allies in order not to get compromised. One family is exempted from that, though,"

"Let me guess, it's Dino?" Colonello asked.

Skull huffed, "Really, why are they making a fuss in looking for the Vongola? If they said he's in hiding, then they should just leave them alone. It's not like the Vongola is killing off their heirs,"

"What about on your end, Skull? Is the Carcassa Famiglia also after Ienari?" Fon wondered.

"I advised them not to join in the fray, if that's what you're trying to say." Skull said, "It would not benefit them if they would also look for a person that is under our protective wing. I told them that it might be a trap to waste our resources in order for the nosy ones to get us obliterated before we have the chance to replenish."

Lal smirked, "One of the few things you did right,"

"What was that?" Skull demanded.

"The point is," Luce said, breaking the incoming bout of 'Let's Intimidate Skull and Tease Him' game. "At least we all understand to advise our affiliated families not to delve into the mystery so much. If they are allies of Vongola, they would listen well and try to understand that the secrecy they are doing is for the best. As for the ones who think that Ienari is dead and is being replaced by Tsuna though…"

"The only ones who fell for it are the ones who discovered that Ienari was hospitalized and then disappeared." Verde stated. "I checked the system of the hospital. At least fifty families tried to hack into the security, and all of them are now checking every single country where Tsunayoshi might be."

"So fifty of them are now looking for Tsuna…" Reborn muttered. "This is getting out of hand. If they get the tip to go to Japan, then we would all be in trouble. They know that Ienari is Japanese, but he was introduced as being born and raised in Italy since birth after the divorce…I worry if they find it in their heads to look at Asia."

"As if we could make a move immediately. Ienari is still in the process of regaining his memories. We can't force it out of him." When he saw Luce smile, Reborn rectified, "Or maybe you can, Luce,"

All eyes were now on their boss who was wearing a knowing smile. "Well, I can, but like you said, there would be a price to be paid when I do it. The price is not going to come from you, but from Ienari himself." She warned.

"We'll take our chances." Tsuna said as he appeared at Reborn's door, a Bluetooth mono headset on his right ear, carrying a tray of espresso. "My little brother is not weak, no matter how frail he looks." He assured.

Luce nodded and smiled as she saw Tsuna appear on the screen within the reach of the camera. "Well then, this makes things easier. Since you are there, Tsuna, you could do this as well."

"Huh? Me?"

The woman nodded. "We both possess sky flames, and this can only be done by that type of flame."

"What is it?" Tsuna asked, interested.

"A way for Ienari to banish the mist in his mind." Luce answered. "But you cannot do it alone. So Reborn had recommended a doctor for Ienari to help you out with the procedure."

"I understand."

Luce smiled as she looked at the determined face of Tsuna. "Of course you do. He will be there by next week."

…

"I'm home…" Ienari called out as he entered the house after being dragged by Kyoko and Haru around the cake shops, always asking his opinion in every sweet that they show him. He was starting to think that girls revolve their lives around sweets.

Tsuna was the one who greeted him as he came down the stairs, "Ah, had a nice day with the girls?"

"They dragged me to every cake shop in the shopping district. I'd be surprised if I didn't put any extra weight in less than five hours…" the blond muttered as he took off his shoes. "Are girls crazy with cakes often?"

Tsuna chuckled, "You have no idea. It might be just a welcome dessert trip for the two though. If you swear off cake for a week, you'll be fine,"

"I'll keep that in mind." Ienari said with a sigh as he and Tsuna went to the living room and sat beside each other. Ienari leaned back on the backrest. "Did anything come up while I was gone?"

Tsuna shook his head. "Not really…" he tried to recall.

"Where's Mom?"

"Ah, she went to her regular doctor's appointment today," Tsuna informed. "Which reminds me, we have to go as well next week,"

"Huh? Us?"

Tsuna nodded. "Papa knows someone at the hospital that knows of us, and he transferred from Italy just to be your personal doctor."

"Whoa, whoa, please don't tell me his name starts with Shamal…" he pleaded. He really liked to forget the perverted doctor who always tried to make a pass at any person with female parts.

At his horrified face, Tsuna laughed, "Of course not! Papa would shoot him and turn him into Swiss cheese if he even touches a hair on our heads. We'll see an acquaintance of his. I believe he is also a member of a Russian family. His name is Dr. Ivan."

"What?! Ivan?!" Ienari said in shock.

Their private doctor was the heir of the Giegue Famiglia? What was Reborn thinking?!

"I see you know him then." Tsuna concluded from his facial expression.

Ienari scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. He's the older brother of…well…my former best friend…"

Silence reigned in the room for a few moments. Ienari gave his brother time to take in the fact that yes, he did consider someone a friend once. Not just a friend, but a best friend. Remembering the past still hurts Ienari so much that he didn't really want to talk about it, not even to Byakuran. Of course, being the rude intruder Byakuran is, he actually saw Ienari's past the moment he got the Mare Ring of the Sky.

"Ah…I see." Tsuna said finally. "You want to talk about it?" he asked. "You flinch and frown every time someone calls Byakuran and Irie-kun your friends. When we were young, you were friendly with almost everyone. It made me wonder what happened to make you isolated from your peers back in Italy,"

He felt transparent every time Tsuna looks at him, and Ienari knew that there were a lot of reasons for this. Towards his brother, even when they were young, Tsuna could sense if something was bothering him, if he was hurt somewhere, and if he was scared. He realized a few weeks after moving to Italy how much he needed his big brother's words of comfort, saying that everything will be fine, and that he would help him, even if he wasn't that much of a help back then.

But right now, remembering and telling Tsuna was not an option. At least for now. "No…I…it's something I still have to come to terms with…" he said with a sigh. "I just…can't let it out yet…"

With a smile, Tsuna ruffled his head, "Alright. Come on, help me with dinner. Papa's in his office talking to the rest of the Arcobaleno at a video conference," he informed as he stood up from the couch and motioned him to follow him at the kitchen.

All the while missing the stare that Tsuna was giving him.

'I promise you, Ienari, I will make you remember what you need to…'

TBC