A week has passed since the incident with I-Pin. Tsuna had sent the girl back home the next morning, and Nana had harshly reprimanded her. It was the first time they'd seen the woman, whom everyone calls a saint, become so angered that she was on the verge of bursting a nerve. However, once the anger wore off, their mother burst into tears and cradled I-Pin as though she would vanish if she took her gaze away from her.

The little girl had also been able to work things out with Lambo, who had apparently said some cruel things to Fuuta without meaning, and angered her as a result. And, just as Tsuna had predicted, their youngest had been crying his eyes out since the matter until he fell asleep, and then again when he woke up, their mother claimed.

Even Fuuta's reassurance and their mother preparing his favorite food couldn't get him to stop. Only when he heard a car drive over in front of their humble home and spotted I-Pin with their adored older brother did his weeping stop, and he ran over to I-Pin, sincerely apologizing and pleading with her not to venture off without him and Fuuta again.

It was a chaotic event, but nothing out of the ordinary for the Sawada family, and it was instantly settled, with the three children forcing Tsuna to spend the day with them at the end.

It was deep in the night when the brunet was forcefully roused from his sleep by a frustratingly persistent ringing of his phone. He remembered switching it to silent mode before throwing himself in the comfort of his bed in an attempt to escape his responsibilities and simply give his body a much-needed break after a long week of burying himself in work so as to make up for all that he missed in his two-day absence, which meant the person phoning him in the dead of the night had every intention of aggravating him and was living for it.

Tsuna groaned under his breath as he sluggishly reached for his phone on the nightstand, his face still planted on his pillow, and succeeded with his attempts just barely. He shifted his head to the side and cracked an eye open, his vision still muddled by drowsiness, and had to blink several times to chase it off, failing miserably, before hitting the accept button without looking at the caller anymore and simply pressed the device on his ears.

"Finally up to take my call, dame-Tsuna?"

All the somnolence his body had been harboring seemed to melt away as soon as that incredibly familiar baritone voice reached his ears as the brunet plunged up from his bed. There was no mistaking it; the tone of mischief and devilry surrounding that voice that promised pain was something he was extremely familiar with, having lived through it for half of his life.

But what had he done to garner the unwanted attention of this guy, who claimed to be too busy lately to bother (and torment) the brunet?

A shudder ran up the length of his spine at the thought, and all he wanted to do was hang up, but he knew it would only make his misery worse. "W-What do you want, Reborn?" he questioned hesitantly, his voice filled with apprehension and worry, and if anyone had been listening in, they would have assumed the man on the other end of the phone was holding something against the brunet to cause such trepidation.

"Just heard something interesting and thought I'd give you a call about it," Reborn spoke, and the brunet was so not liking the direction the conversation was going right now.

Tsuna laughed nervously and took a nearly inconspicuous swallow before responding, "Well, whatever that is, I sure hope it doesn't involve me," but of course, Tsuna knew better. Reborn wasn't someone who would call in the middle of the night in Japan for no apparent reason; either Tsuna did something or the other was up to something really unpleasant, and in this case, he was sure it was both.

"Oh, believe me, it has everything to do with you," the older man chuckled, with a tinge of darkness and mischief surrounding it, making the brunet want to flee for his life. "Well, we'll have plenty of time to discuss that; I called to let you know that I'll be arriving in Japan at noon and have decided to stay at your place."

The brunet had to forcefully swallow the ear-piercing shriek that was about to escape him as he pulled the phone away from his ears and stared at it incredulously for a good five seconds before returning it. "Wh-what?!I thought you didn't trust Giotto-nii enough to leave him alone even for a few seconds to manage the company unattended! Why are you suddenly returning now?!"

Normally, Reborn would have hurled threats and critiques at him for such conduct, but he seemed to be in an overly pleasant mood and simply hummed darkly, which was strange...unpleasantly strange. "Who says I'm leaving him here alone? Your brother is coming to meet with a couple of associates as well as handle some matters at the subsidiary company in Japan that you refused to take over," he says, disgruntlement hanging around his voice after the statement about him refusing the position of the boss at their family business's Japanese branch to pursue his matchmaking career.

"But why my place? You're loaded, Reborn! Can't you just stay at some fancy hotel or something?"

"Because I said so, Dame-Tsuna. I have to hang up now; there's still something I need to take care of here before I leave in a few hours," Reborn paused. "And don't even try to escape, we'll still have a long talk about something once I get there."

Tsuna stared at his mobile device in bewilderment, sleep, and fatigue be damned as it had all but left him. In just a few hours, his demonic former tutor was coming and he was sure as hell he didn't have enough luck to stop the man from barging his way into his home, let alone escape him!

'What great thing did I possibly do to pique his damned interest?!' Tsuna mentally cried.


"Oh, Tsuna, morning to the extreme!"

Tsuna recognized the loud joyful voice that always seemed to be brighter than everybody else even without turning around as a hand brushed his shoulder just as he passed through the company's entrance; it was Ryohei. Tilting his head to get a better look at his friend, the brunet gave him a languid smile, the bags beneath his eyes appearing more prominently than usual, and that was enough evidence he hadn't been able to fall asleep at all following Reborn's nerve-wracking revelation last night. "Good morning, Ryohei-nii-san," he greeted back.

"Are you okay? You look tired to the extreme," Ryohei queried, concerned, as he followed Tsuna to the elevator after giving a nod of acknowledgment to several company staff who greeted them on their way.

The brunet merely chuckled, albeit nervously, shaking his head to assure Ryohei. "I'm fine, Onii-san, it's just a lack of sleep,"

Ryohei looked at him, unconvinced before sighing and pressing the button for his department's designated level as well as the level to Tsuna's office. "Don't push yourself too hard to the extreme. Remember that you have us to rely on, alright?" the older man reminded, a soft smile, which was a bit unusual for the ever-casual and revved-up male, touched the edges of his lips.

Tsuna nodded in acquiescence, something warm flooding inside him as he took in Ryohei's words. "By the way, is it true that Master Paopao is arriving today?! I can't wait to ask him for a sparring session to the extreme!"

At the mention of the devil incarnate's pseudonym, Tsuna's face pulled into a taut, grumbling mentally as he went back to desperately thinking of methods to escape the man, something he had been doing all night long that caused him to lose some precious sleep. "I...I guess so,"

He considered asking his friends to hide him but knowing Reborn, the man who would never hesitate to force his way into their home simply to pull his ass out, so he had to rule it out. "Do you think we'd have a chance to knock Reborn out if we combined all of our forces, Onii-san?" Tsuna asked out of nowhere, earning him a look of incredulity as if he'd just grown two heads.

"Never mind knocking him out; we'd probably get beaten off before we even landed a hit," Ryohei claimed, stone-faced, and that was enough indication to Tsuna that he had a stupid concept running inside his head.

"R-Right, well, damn me..." Tsuna merely sighed.

Ryohei was about to ask him more about it when a chime entered their ears and with the metal doors opening, the older man could only swallow his queries. "I'm going now, Tsuna; let's talk about it some other time over a few drinks to the extreme!"

'Sure, if I'm able to survive whatever Reborn has in store for me later, that is.'


"We truly appreciate your help, Sawada-san,"

Tsuna flashed the last of his client for today a small smile before shaking her hand while her partner nodded at him with a soft smile of her own. "No, I didn't do much; your feelings for each other spoke for themselves, and that's the only reason I was able to tie your strings together."

The brunet had a brief exchange with the two of them for a while before he sent them off with a wave as he headed off the busy street as well. It was three o'clock in the afternoon and there had been not a word from Reborn or his brother, who was expected to arrive at noon. Perhaps the heavens were finally beginning to favor him, and their flights had been canceled for inevitable reasons, but of course, he knew he wasn't that lucky.

As he strode down, Tsuna observed the bustling crowd around the district; hovering here and there to shop, or just engaging in conversation with some friends at a coffee shop or some acquaintance they ran into, it was an ordinary scenario where people were just minding their own business and going about their day.

Putting the matter with Reborn aside, it was a good day for Tsuna; he didn't have to deal with any clients with complicated situations and he had finished everything earlier than usual. There was also no paperwork awaiting him at his office, so he was essentially free for the rest of the day, but Tsuna knew that such a peaceful day came with a price. It was like the calm before the storm, and the storm was probably already nearby.

"Herbivore," someone called from behind him, the familiar nickname and indifferent voice making him pause on his track as he turned.

Tsuna tilted his head in curiosity before breaking into a soft smile. Running across Kyoya amid such a crowd was unusual, and he couldn't recall assigning him to any offsite investigation since there weren't that many significant cases that required his involvement; all the minor ones had been handed to the stoic man's subordinates, so he was intrigued. "Kyoya! What are you doing here?"

Kyoya huffed in annoyance and looked at him as if Tsuna had uttered something obvious. "Didn't you tell everyone to go to the usual restaurant?"

"I did?"

A sense of foreboding struck the brunet as he fished out his phone from his pocket, a notification message from Reborn that said 'I've rented out the entire place, so you better come. If you don't, you know what will happen.', resting on the screen motionlessly as if mocking him. Of course, it was all Reborn's idea; he had never planned anything with his friends and had never invited them out. He assumed the lack of difficulty and paperwork was also due to the man, and he wasn't sure whether he wanted to be grateful or just run for his life right this instant.

Sighing, he shifted his gaze to the furious guy in front of him, completely incensed by the buzzing mob around them, and if he had to predict what the other would be inclined to do if he didn't haul him off right now, it would probably be mass murder. 'Damn that guy, he's really not giving me any way out!'

"Right, I don't remember doing that but it would probably be better to just comply. Reborn's not going to have it if we dare escape this one," Tsuna made a grumbling sound.

He expected Kyoya to put up a fight, but he hadn't anticipated the excitement that flickered across his eyes the moment he mentioned Reborn's name, and that's when he remembered this guy having an obsession with picking a fight (physically) with his former tutor or practically any individual who seemed strong since middle school, a true bloodthirsty maniac.

"Wow, so he's back..."

Tsuna chuckled uneasily and began walking in the direction of the barbecue restaurant where he and his friends frequently ate, which was conveniently close to where they were now while making sure that Kyoya was trailing closely.

It didn't take them long to find themselves in front of a Japanese restaurant. Sliding the shoji open, Tsuna scanned the area and there was an indistinguishable quiver in his brow as he spotted all of his friends present; even the ever-dangerous Mukuro. There were also some unfamiliar faces, but he identified them immediately as Reborn's friends because the guy himself was conversing with them.

"Tenth, you've arrived!" Hayato beamed as he caught sight of his beloved boss by the entrance and sprang up on his seat, running toward the brunet but halted and clicked his tongue when he saw their stoic friend behind him. "Well, I didn't expect you to come as well, Kyoya."

The raven ignored him and went past them, walking to an empty seat, making it plain that he wished to avoid the gathering of everyone else, but of course, there was always someone who wanted to see him enraged; that someone being Mukuro. Tsuna shook his head and let the two be, as they say, ignorance is bliss, so whatever trouble they both make, he decided it had nothing to do with him.

Tsuna silently followed Hayato who guided him further inside the restaurant and into the table where the rest of their friends, Mukuro and Kyoya excluded, were seated. "Hey, everyone," he waved as he greeted, a bashful smile pulling the edges of his lips.

His friends greeted him back enthusiastically, each asking him to take a seat with them and reprimanding Hayato for wanting to monopolize the brunet's attention again. "Hahi, you guys always hog him all to yourselves whenever we go out! This time, Tsuna-san should sit with Haru, Kyoko, Chrome, and Hana-chan!" Haru, a long-time friend of theirs, asserted. In contrast to the others, Haru does not work for his company and instead is a well-known fashion designer in the country, but that doesn't stop them from being in contact with the girl.

"What are you talking about, stupid woman?! Of course, the Tenth must naturally sit with us, that's how it should always be!" Hayato tapped.

Hana smirked at that and retorted: "Sure, just a bunch of monkeys trying to snag the only decent man among them," which Kyoko sternly reprimanded her for and tried to act as the mediator in their situation with Chrome only to fail miserably, especially considering Hayato's temper.

"Hayato, picking fights with women is not very manly! Just let Tsuna sit with them!" Ryohei said this time, before putting another raw meat on the grill. He didn't expect to be able to talk to Ryohei about his concerns (which were none other than the man of the night tonight) so soon, and he was well aware that he wouldn't be able to steer clear of his questioning unless someone forced the older man to drink enough beer to knock him out.

Tsuna simply shook his head at the uproar that his friends were creating, but his smile never wavered as he watched their antics. This was nothing novel to him whenever the group was gathered in one area; it tended to be frenetic but fun regardless.

Finally, the level-headed Takeshi interjected, "Anyway, Tsuna, thanks for inviting us to Reborn's welcome party tonight!" Just as Tsuna suspected, Reborn had likely sent out the invitation himself, but in Tsuna's name. Not that the brunet could do anything about it now that it has happened.

"Well, um, enjoy yourselves then, okay?" Tsuna replied softly, smiling at them before turning to look at the table near the far end of the restaurant where he had earlier seen Reborn conversing with a group of individuals.

The commotion seemed to have drawn the attention of others, as their gaze was now all centered around them, including Reborn's, who was now advancing towards him with his customary lopsided devious sneer, and oh, is he having second thoughts about coming here now. "Chaos, dame-Tsuna, I see you're doing quite well," he began.

"Reborn, why didn't you contact me if you've arrived?" Tsuna instantly questioned with an exhausted sigh.

Reborn simply rolled his eyes beneath his signature fedora, his hands sliding into his pocket as he came to a halt in front of the brunet, and the gesture only added more to his threatening and cool demeanor. "And give you the opportunity to flee? Yeah right, you're a hundred years too young to be plotting against me, dame-Tsuna," he retorted, his eyes glaring ever dangerously at the brunet.

Wincing, the brunet mentally scorned his former tutor's foresight, because Tsuna had indeed considered escaping him."I...I wasn't plotting! Where's Giotto-nii, anyway? I thought he came back here with you?"

"The idiot went straight to Namimori to see your mother. He said he'll come to visit you in a week," Reborn huffed. "More importantly, come over here, I have some people I'd like to introduce you to."

Tsuna nodded and shifted his gaze to his friends, who simply nodded in understanding before following Reborn's trail hesitantly. If they were Reborn's friends, he's sure as hell they'd have to be just as weird as him, if not fearless, to put up with the man's extraordinary personality. Even from the distance, Tsuna could feel six pairs of eyes watching him like a hawk, and couldn't help but cringe, silently praying to himself to never get into trouble with any of his former tutor's friends.

As soon as they arrived in front of the group's table, Tsuna ultimately recognized each and every single one of them in the group as foreigners and gorgeous, for the lack of a better word, like Reborn. "Is he the Tsunayoshi you and that guy have been talking about, Reborn?" the only kind-looking one in the group asked, rising from her seat and smiling at Tsuna who unhesitantly returned it with his own, albeit timidly.

Reborn smirked and nodded. "Yeah, he's dame-Tsuna," he paused and glanced at the brunet beside him. "Tsuna, these are my colleagues, your brother is also acquainted with them."

Tsuna tilted his head curiously, his mouth forming a small 'o' before beaming at the mention of his brother. "Hello, I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, pleased to meet you. And um...thank you for looking after my brother, Giotto as well as Reborn here," he graciously bowed, and the group couldn't help but gape slightly, a bit struck by the stark contrast between this boy and their blond business associate.

"Oh, dear! He's just as sweet as Giotto told us!" The same person exclaimed, bending down to hold both of his hands while beaming a little too brightly, Tsuna noticed a certain similarity between her and his mother, making him all giddy and warm inside. "Hello, Tsunayoshi, my name is Luce, it's a pleasure to finally meet you!"

When his sight strayed to their linked hands, he felt a strong pound in his chest, his eyes widening slightly when he saw Luce's hand devoid of strings. Unlike the sense he had with Fon, Tsuna was positive that this person was exactly like him.

"Ah, h-hello," Tsuna hesitantly acknowledged and gradually turned to Reborn in an effort to convince him to help him out of this awkward predicament, but the pigs would rather start flying first before this guy does anything pleasant for him.

Fortunately, someone eventually opted to pry him from the woman. He took a glimpse at his savior and found a blond man clad in military attire, thus he assumed the man was in the military. "Come on now, Luce, you're scaring him off, kora!"

"Oh, my bad, Tsunayoshi, I just got a bit excited," Luce sent him a sheepish smile, to which Tsuna responded with a simple meek nod.

"I'm Colonnello by the way, kora," Colonnello, the blond, interjected, a huge grin plastered across his face, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth as well as a slight hollow pit on his cheeks. He must admit that he was a sight to behold and could pass himself off as a celebrity, and if he's being honest, Colonnello could even rival Reborn in terms of appearance. Tsuna, of course, turned red at the notion and quickly dismissed it, lamenting his weakness for gorgeous guys. "You truly act entirely different from that cheeky blond, Giotto, are you sure you're both brothers?" Colonnello inquired, leaning in close to Tsuna's face, perhaps a little too close for his liking, giving him a better glimpse of the blond's cerulean orbs, which would most likely gleam in the sunlight, as well as the slight freckles dotting the center of his nose.

Tsuna drew away instinctively, a tiny startled squeak from his throat, only for his back to collide with something hard, causing him to tumble if not for the firm arms looping around his waist holding him steady.

"Fon, what took you so long?" Tsuna's eyes widened in surprise when he heard Luce call the person he had collided with by a name he was all too familiar with.

For a brief period, the entire area fell silent; not even his friends' chatting voices dared to shatter the placid silence that veiled the atmosphere, and everyone simply stood there watching, some concerned, some amused. Tsuna, on the other hand, was as still as a statue, his breath caught in his throat as he felt the arm tighten around his torso as if daring anyone to try to tear him free.

"I had some business matters to attend to, my apologies. And I see you've all started with the party," Fon began, his voice as calm as the sea, yet there was no mistaking the impending storm that was about to rip through it. People who could make out his countenance, primarily Reborn and his friends, were a bit taken aback, not anticipating an unusual glower dancing across his face as he peered down at the baffled Colonnello in front.

Everyone was certain that if it hadn't been for the woman with blue hair and intimidating features forcibly pulling the blond by the collar back to his seat, Colonnello would have been sacked by the martial artist in front of him for whatever reason the man had."Honestly, you and your disregard for personal space! Do you need more training and beatings to learn, Colonnello?!" Tsuna flinched as the lady snarled whacking the man on the head without holding back, a recollection of Reborn's aggressive method of instructing rushing back.

"Chaos, Fon," Reborn smirked, tilting his headwear to the side slightly so his eyes were visible, and oh god, was that a sense of victory glinting in his eyes? Tsuna swallowed and lightly tapped Fon's hand in an attempt to persuade the man to set him free, but was simply ignored. "I see you've become quite familiar with my student."

Tsuna's head was spinning at this point; Reborn was a friend of Fon?! But more importantly, why won't Fon let him go? The Chinese's tenacious and unyielding grip on him had caused a flush to spread across his face, and he was convinced he was beginning to resemble a tomato now. "Yeah, quite a lot, if I must say so," Fon responded, unfettered, sending Reborn a smirk of his own.

Thank goodness Reborn opted to rent out the entire place; otherwise, people would have promptly contacted the cops considering how Reborn and Fon are currently attempting to intimidate one another.