Gokudera sat at the hospital bedside of Juudaime, staring attentively at the apple held in his hand. With a look of intense concentration, he brought a knife against the apple and very carefully began to peel away its skin.

A few seconds later, Gokudera shouted in triumph, "Look, Juudaime, I have successfully cut away the apple skin in one go!" He held up a rope of twirling red skin that had been freshly unwounded from the apple.

A white pillow was promptly sent flying at him from the other side of the room.

Gokudera moved the apple out of the pillow's path just a split-second before it hit him right in the face. It stuck there for a second before falling off, leaving behind a spluttering Gokudera.

"Why you - fucking Hibari!" Gokudera hissed, glaring at the teenager in question. "What if it hit Juudaime's apple?"

Hibari turned his back to Gokudera. "Herbivores should learn their place."

Beside him, he could hear Juudaime whimper. How dare Hibari distress Juudaime?! Gokudera carefully put down both the apple and the peel on a plate, before reassuring, "It's alright, Juudaime. I'll take care of this."

He whirled in Hibari's direction and whipped out his dynamites. "Alright, that's it! Prepare to die, Hibari!"

"Maa, maa, Gokudera," Yamamoto interjected with a small smile, in the hospital bed adjacent to Hibari's. "You don't want to be kicked out of the hospital room again, right?"

"Hahaha, that was EXTREME!" Ryohei exclaimed in the bed beside Juudamine's, causing Gokudera to wince for the sake of his eardrums.

"Shut up!" Gokudera hissed, but at a lower volume now. His eyes darted to the door of the hospital room, but thankfully, no one came in. "I refuse to part with Juudaime until he has recovered."

"That's very nice of you, Gokudera," Juudaime spoke up. "But I only overexerted my muscles and is going to be discharged soon. The others, on the other hand…" Juudaime's gaze fell to Ryohei and his fractured leg, Hibari and his cracked ribs, and Yamamoto, who was in Mukuro's hands for hours and came out battered with bruises and a broken arm. And those were only surface wounds.

Gokudera wanted to say that injuries were common in the Mafia, that he himself had experienced worse back when he was a freelance, but even he had some tack. Instead, he plopped down into the visitor's chair and said, "Juudaime, quick! Eat this apple before it turns brown!"

He shoved the skinned apple into Juudaime's face.

Juudaime looked at the apple, then down at his hands which hung limply by his sides, and paled. "Umm… I can't really hold it, Gokudera."

"Weak," Hibari muttered.

Gokudera's head fell down until his hair casted shadows over his eyes. His hands trembled.

"G-Gokudra-kun," Juudaime started, but then Gokudera's head shot up, narrowly missing Juudaime's.

"Juudaime, should I feed you it then?!" Gokudera's eyes sparkled.

Juudaime blinked.

Xxx

They all got discharged within a month, a fact that Tsuna was endlessly grateful for it because he really didn't think his friends remaining in close capacity for any long period of time was good for his sanity.

Upon returning home, he received a tight hug from his mother that sent his still-healing, torn and overexerted muscles into haywire and an admonishment of, "My silly boy. Be careful when you go camping, alright?"

Tsuna was not surprised that Reborn managed to make an excuse for his trip to the hospital, but that those words, said in her usual cheerful light manner, were belied by the minute trembling of her limbs around him. Guilt streaked through Tsuna in that moment when he realized, oblivious or not, of course his mother was going to worry when her son landed himself in the hospital.

Tsuna forced his arms up and hugged his mother back just as tightly, ignoring the pain that jolted through his muscles from that action. "I'm sorry, okaa-san. I'll be more careful from now on, I promise."

Tsuna withdrew from the embrace a moment later to see his mother smiling softly. "You must be hungry, Tsu-kun. Go upstairs and rest a little, while I prepare some lunch."

Tsuna nodded, exhaustion weighing in his limbs once his mother mentioned it. He had been in the hospital for a while, but his unwilling and clashing roommates were not exactly the best people to stay around for a restful healing.

He trudged upstairs to his bedroom and opened it, noting with no surprise that Reborn was already there. Tsuna ignored his tutor for a moment and simply crashed face down onto his bed, relishing in finally being able to return to his own room. As he laid there, he thought about his friends.

Gokudera had already returned to the apartment since he luckily avoided any serious injuries during his part of the fight. Tsuna was glad that he told Gokudera to keep anyone from interrupting his and Mukuro's fight instead of joining in the fray. At least one of his friends weren't badly injured or hospitalized. Not a day passed without Gokudera visiting them (Juudaime only, he insisted, but always snuck in enough outside food to share) and arguing with everyone beside Tsuna in the room.

Yamamoto's arm hasn't completely healed, but he was going to be discharged in another two days. As long as he was careful not to aggravate his arm any further, it was going to heal on its own. He missed his own home so he insisted on returning, but Tsuna couldn't help but wonder how Yamamoto was doing mentally. He seemed normal enough when Tsuna was roomed with him, but being captured was no light matter. Tsuna resolved to talk with him about it, thankful as he is that Yamamoto's light-hearted manner kept Hibari from going homicidal on his hospital roommates.

Hibari wasn't an easy person to be roomed with and not a day passed when he wasn't visited by Kusakabe, his second-in-command of the Disciplinary Committee. On one hand, Tsuna was glad that Kusakabe visited because he brought news of how Namimori Middle's peace seemed to have been restored, but on the other hand, he was frightening! Of all the people in the room, Hibari seemed to have the most extensive physical injuries, consisting of fractured ribs. It was only with Kusakabe's efforts that Hibari relented on remaining in the hospital for three weeks, half of his recommended time to heal. He was the first one to insist on his discharge and actually got his way.

Ryohei's broken leg, despite whatever Shamal did to enable him to participate in the fight in Kokuyo Land, was by no means healed. He had aggravated the injury in his fight and added additional bruises to his body on his persistence to be loud at every opportunity in the hospital even when Hibari bit him to death repeatedly for his transgression. Tsuna was amazed by Ryohei's insistence not to learn and his mistaken view of Hibari training with him in the hospital room even when it was blatantly obvious to everyone else that Hibari was just frustrated and beating him up. Ryohei will be also discharged on the same day as Yamamoto, two days from now.

Now thinking about it, it's surprising that all their injuries healed so well. All the doctors and nurses that tended them were exclaiming how remarkably lucky were all of them that their injuries wouldn't have any long-term effects and that they were even healing at an unprecedented pace. The doctors and nurses chalked that up as them being teenagers, so they healed faster, but Tsuna couldn't help but turn his head in Reborn's direction as he recall his lesson that sun flames apparently healed. His eyes dropped to the yellow pacifier laying against Reborn's chest.

Tsuna fell backward just as Reborn kick swept through the spot where he just vacated. Pride didn't even have time to bloom – he dodged Reborn's attack – before Reborn landed, pivoted and struck out with his other foot.

Tsuna landed onto the floor in a heap of limbs, groaning in pain. Behind him, despite being child-sized, Reborn somehow managed to tower over him.

"Don't be so happy just because you dodged one attack," Reborn lectured. "Your opponent wouldn't stop after just one strike and neither should you. If you have time to cheer, you should counterattack instead."

Tsuna paled at the thought of counterattacking against Reborn. No way, just no way. "Impossible," Tsuna unwittingly whimpered, and yelped at the feeling of an inflated Leon-hammer smacking into his back.

"There's no such thing as impossible for the Vongola Boss," Reborn said. "Even if there is, you would never admit it to anyone other than yourself. Never show any weakness or doubt." Tsuna wondered if it was his imagination that Reborn's voice softened as he finished, "After all, you did fine against Mukuro, didn't you?"

At those unexpected words, pride bloomed in Tsuna chest and spread outwards tingling to his limbs. It seemed like forever since Reborn had become his tutor and in that time, Reborn had never praised him. Not when Tsuna finally began to pick up his grades in class, not when he finally – if not become an asset, then at least – stopped pulling his team down, and not even when Tsuna began gathering people by his side to become his guardians (whatever that meant). Reborn's expectations were high and he always wanted more than Tsuna thought he could give, always pushing Tsuna to go beyond all his limits, and Reborn was never satisfied with anything but the best.

Reborn is the best and to receive such a compliment from him was beyond flattering. A part of Tsuna that he didn't realize existed, but nevertheless always yearned for acknowledgement, preened and drank in the compliment while he can.

It wasn't long before the smile that bloomed on his face faded at the reminder of Mukuro.

"Reborn," Tsuna started haltingly, turning to face his tutor. "What… what happened to Mukuro?"

Reborn gave Tsuna an indescribable look, but answered after a pause all the same. "As of now, nothing yet. The date of their trial by the Vendicare is approaching, however. When that happens, they will be found guilty and then be punished for their crime."

"Is there nothing that we can do?" Tsuna blurted out, sick at the thought of Mukuro and his group receiving punishment when they had already suffered so much under the hands of their Family who experimented on them.

Reborn's eyes were on him. "Have you forgotten what he had planned to do to you, what he had done to your friends, to Yamamoto? Are you going to forgive him for all that just because of his past?" The underlying, unspoken question was, 'Can your friends, can Yamamoto forgive him? Can they forgive you for doing so?' and contrary to Reborn's biting words and implications, his tone was not angry or judging. Just… very matter-of-fact.

Tsuna swallowed at those words, because that had been what he had been struggling with for the past weeks. He and his friends spent weeks in the hospital. There was no permanent damage, but not all lasting wounds were physical. That was especially true for Yamamoto.

It was also especially true for Mukuro.

What his Family had done to him when he was young had warped him. Tsuna couldn't help but try to imagine what would have happened if Mukuro grew up in a different environment. He refused to think that Mukuro would have turned out to be just as cruel, couldn't, just like he couldn't stop thinking about the flashes of abuse, of desperation, of pain that Tsuna sensed from Mukuro's memory, whittling him down until all that was left was an empty shell with no will to live. That was, until a dark flash of hope, of vicious revenge revived him again.

Tsuna and Mukuro only shared their mind space for a few seconds, but Tsuna had seen, had felt way too much already to not care. Tsuna can't unsee and he definitely can't only consider one side of the situation when he had a glimpse of the other side. Tsuna realized that even before Reborn voiced the problem of forgiveness to Tsuna, even before Tsuna tried pleading the Vendice for Mukuro, he had already made his choice when he surfaced from Mukuro's mind with more than just his own memory in his head. It had only taken him now to realize.

"I," Tsuna said, the words at the tip of his tongue like a droplet at the end of a leaf, at the precipice of something monumental, "I forgive him." The words tasted like betrayal as the image of Yamamoto's broken form flashed through his mind, but it also tasted of redemption and of second chance.

"I forgave him," Tsuna repeated again, because he was sure, certain now, "weeks ago back in Kokuyo Land." Tsuna turned to Reborn. "I forgave him the moment I touched my forehead to his."

Reborn nodded like he knew, like that was the answer he was expecting, and Tsuna couldn't even feign being surprised. His tutor was extraordinary, through and through.

"What are you going to do about it then, Tsuna?"

Tsuna faltered for a second, before replying, "What can Vongola do?"

Reborn smiled.

Xxx

Tsuyoshi looked up from where he was chatting with two other guest when the seashell chimes at the door of TakeSushi jingled, signalling someone had entered. His eyebrows rose when he saw who was there.

"Yusuke," Tsuyoshi said in surprise, even as he excused himself from his two other patrons. "In the area again?"

Yusuke brought his gaze from Take Sushi's crowd of patrons to Tsuyoshi's face. "Um, yeah," he said, and Tsuyoshi was surprised to hear a hint of awkwardness in his voice. "Wow, you have a lot of people here. Should I come back at a less busy time?"

"No, don't worry about it, there's a seat in the back," Tsuyoshi said, already leading the way. He could hear Yusuke's footsteps behind him as he followed. "I'll bring you some sake and then you can tell me what you want?"

"Actually, just wait on that," Yusuke said, even as he let out a short yawn, "I'm kinda sleepy."

Tsuyoshi wanted to remind Yusuke that Take Sushi was a place for sushi, not for sleep, but before he could do so, they have arrived at the remaining empty seat of Take Sushi. Somewhere in the front, he could hear a patron calling his name. "Make yourself comfortable," Tsuyoshi said succinctly, not wanting to waste any more time on his friend.

A smirk slid across Yusuke's face and Tsuyoshi knew Yusuke would have made himself comfortable even if he didn't invite him to do so. "Will do," he said, before making the shooing motion at him. His eyes closed a moment later.

"I should charge him by time instead," Tsuyoshi remarked to himself, even as he went back to work. Yusuke slipped from his mind and it wasn't until Tsuyoshi had a break that he recalled Yusuke's presence. Tsuyoshi flipped the sign on the door from 'Open' to 'Closed', knowing that around this time, there will be little patrons. He could open TakeSushi again later.

With that in mind, Tsuyoshi went to withdraw a porcelain sake set, as well as some heated sake. He was placing them down on the table where Yusuke was seated when Yusuke's eyes blinked opened.

"Finally awake?" Tsuyoshi grumbled without any heat, pouring some sake for the both of them.

"Yup," Yusuke said, popping the last syllable. He reached forward for the cup of sake and cradled it between his palms. "Everyone already left?" he asked. A smile gradually spread across his face as he took a sip.

"Sounds like you wanted us to be alone," Tsuyoshi commented upon his words and when Yusuke didn't refute it, he took it to stride and said, "So what do you want to talk about?"

Yusuke took another sip from his cup, not yet replying, and that was fine. Tsuyoshi sat in the seat opposite of Yusuke and sipped his sake as well. A companionable silence descended upon them, until Yusuke finally broke it.

"How's your kid's arm?" he asked.

"Still broken," Tsuyoshi answered shortly, without a second thought. At Yusuke's surprised glance, he knew that he had spoken too harshly. He took a breath, trying to control the cocktail of emotions within him, and tried again. "Healing."

"And you?" Yusuke said, eyes watching Tsuyoshi's reaction intently.

Tsuyoshi resisted the urge to snarl. Instead, he said, "Alive. Still here."

"Worried. Angry. Bitter," Yusuke listed, hitting bullseyes with each emotion that Tsuyoshi didn't want to acknowledge. His eyes flickered to Tsuyoshi's clenched fist. Tsuyoshi tried to unclench it, knowing it was giving him away, but couldn't. "Talk to me. Keeping everything inside doesn't help, you know."

"What do you want me to say?" Tsuyoshi ground out, because he was sick of how following Takeshi's return, everyone treated him with a wide berth. The easy relationship he established with patrons and neighbors were no longer there, replaced by a tense sort of wariness as people interacted with him, as though he would snap if he were treated otherwise after almost losing his son to a madman. What was worse was the way people sometimes watched him from a distance, intensely and knowingly like waiting for a crack, a sign of breakage. There were consolations from them about Takeshi's abduction, of course, but also pity that such misfortune befell on his son. These reactions grated at him and were such a bitter pill to swallow that Tsuyoshi could only imagine how Takeshi's classmates and teachers reacted to his son himself.

"Anything," Yusuke said, bringing Tsuyoshi out of his thoughts. Yusuke spread his arms out as though he was about to embrace him, and repeated with clear eyes, "You can tell me anything you want."

His arms were spread, like he was going to accept anything that Tsuyoshi said or any decision that he made. His eyes were clear, without any pity or expectation. There was only acceptance, and a pair of ears willing to hear him out.

Yusuke dropped his arms after a moment and shrugged. He took another sip of sake from his cup. "Or nothing at all," he amended after a thought, "if you don't feel like it, I mean. We can just sit here and get drunk."

Despite all that had happened, Tsuyoshi still found it within him to let out a breath of laughter. "Takeshi's going to come back from school soon," he said.

Yusuke picked up the bottle of sake and wagged it at him. "Can't even handle a little alcohol, old man," he teased, pouring himself a generous amount. He waved it in Tsuyoshi's direction again, questioning.

Tsuyoshi hesitated for a beat, before nodding. "Just a little more," he said. He watched as the sake came pouring out of the bottle in a steady stream, before settling nicely on the bottom of his cup.

Tsuyoshi took it without another word, and the two of them drank in silence for a while.

Finally, Tsuyoshi said, while looking down at his cup, "Worry, because my boy got hurt. Angry, because someone hurt him. Bitter, because I couldn't do anything to help and had to rely on Takeshi's friends." He took another breath, before saying, "Worry, because soon my past will catch up to me. Angry, because my son unknowingly ran straight for it. Bitter, because even after all this time, all our efforts to get away, the Mafia still dogged our steps."

"You don't approve of Takeshi's friendship with Tsuna?" Yusuke asked.

Tsuyoshi shook his head at the question. "It's not up to me to approve or disapprove, Yusuke. It's Takeshi's choice to befriend whoever he likes. Tsuna is a good kid, though, I know. He saved Takeshi as promised, and it seems like he is struggling with his connection to the Mafia as much as I am."

"Not Takeshi?" Yusuke asked, sounding a little surprised.

At that, a small smile spread across Tsuyoshi's face, but it was tinged with self-deprecation. "Takeshi is attracted to danger, Yusuke. He relishes in it, this Mafia game. He knows there's more to this 'game' than it appears, but he doesn't care. It doesn't bother him because he only wants to have fun." Tsuyoshi shook his head and tossed the rest of the sake back. "'Being with Tsuna is fun,' he told me when he first befriended him." His son's wide grin shone so clearly in his mind as he finished, 'I don't think I'll ever be bored of it.'

Tsuyoshi sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I worry," he said, "because of the path Takeshi is choosing to head down to, even after this incident. It's like he doesn't have any self-preservation."

Yusuke let out a chuckle and chugged the rest of his sake. "Blame yourself for that. You raised him to stand by his friend's side, didn't you?"

Tsuyoshi couldn't refute that. "I'm proud of him, have no doubt about that, but if he could be harmed once, then he would be harmed again in the future. What kind of parent would I be if I let that happen without a word of protest?"

Yusuke hummed thoughtfully. "Instead of a word of protest, why don't you give him something to protect himself? For example, your swordsmanship."

Tsuyoshi blinked at that suggestion, stunned, before dismissing it. "He has no interest in it. He dropped it in favor of baseball."

"Was that before or after Mukuro?" Yusuke pointed out, and Tsuyoshi's fist clenched. Yusuke's eyes flicked to it for a moment, before meeting Tsuyoshi's gaze and shrugging. "Something to think about," was all he said. He pushed his seat back and stood. "I should get going. Put this on my tab?"

Tsuyoshi stood as well and forced his fist to unclench. "Again?" he said, collecting the sake set. "There's quite a sum on that tab already. Can you even pay it off?" Despite his question, Tsuyoshi wasn't worried. Yusuke wasn't the type to run out on a tab, much less than a friend.

"Yeah, I just needa contact my accountant guy. He's busy recently, apparently, and left me to fend for myself." Yusuke sounded slightly miffed at that, and Tsuyoshi laughed.

"I didn't know accountants take care of their patron's day-to-day expense nowadays," Tsuyoshi said, amused, as he walked Yusuke to the door.

Yusuke grinned. "Well, this one does."

Xxx

"Thanks for the meal!" Takeshi said, grinning as he rubbed his stomach with a hand. Tsuyoshi's eyes flicked to the one that was in a cast briefly, before looking away. "It's delicious as always, oyaji."

Tsuyoshi tried to grin as he always did as he cleaned up the plates. "Well, that's great! I do have TakeSushi's reputation to maintain, you know."

Takeshi laughed, loud and warm. "Oyaji, are you going to the dojo after you're done?"

Tsuyoshi stopped in the middle of washing the plates. He resumed after another moment, but neither of them had missed the sudden drop in atmosphere. "Yeah," Tsuyoshi said, going for nonchalant. "You interested?"

His son laughed again, sheepishly this time. "A little. Can I go with you later?"

Tsuyoshi swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yeah, sure," he said. "Just don't get bored later."

Takeshi hummed cheerfully and didn't give a reply. When Tsuyoshi was done with the dishes, they both headed out to the dojo. It was bought along with TakeSushi shortly after Saya and he moved to Namimori permanently, because neither of them could quite abandon everything that the Mafia had shaped them into. They wanted to stay sharp, so they went there every night with Takeshi. After Saya passed away and Takeshi gained an interest in baseball, Tsuyoshi stopped going to the dojo so he could stay at home to watch over Takeshi. It was only when Takeshi entered middle school that Tsuyoshi began going to the dojo every night again.

"Wow, it's been awhile since I've came here," Tsuyoshi heard Takeshi murmur as they entered the dojo. Tsuyoshi didn't mention that the last time he was here, he was with his friends. Tsuyoshi had came to retrieve his sword Shigure Kintoki in preparation to rescue Takeshi from Mukuro when they came across him and persuaded him to let them bring his son back instead. They fulfilled the promise. There stood Takeshi in the dojo, admiring the wooden interior of the dojo, albeit with a broken arm.

Tsuyoshi started with a little warm up, swinging Shigure Kintoki in its bamboo form until his arms were pleasantly aching. Takeshi didn't say a word as he stood by the sidelines and watched. Tsuyoshi didn't look towards him during the drill, but he knew that if he did, his son's eyes would be gleaming, drinking every movement of Tsuyoshi from the angle of his arm to the length of the stride he took with every swing, like a blind man who had seen his first sight of light.

Without a word, Tsuyoshi raised his arm again just like many times before, only to transform Shigure Kintoki into a sharp, gleaming blade when he swung down. A rush of water arched through the air where it cut.

Takeshi let out a sound of awe as Tsuyoshi turned to face him. "Oyaji is really amazing," he said, dazzled but unsurprised at his skills. He paused, hesitating. "Oyaji, I…"

Tsuyoshi's heart thud against his chest, heavy as the beats of a drum, even though he knew this moment would come the moment Takeshi asked to visit the dojo with him.

Takeshi bowed his head, low to waist level. "The Shigure Soen Ryu sword style is really the best. Can you please teach me it?"

Tsuyoshi wanted to laugh warmly, evasively, and forget about Takeshi's request. He wanted to reject his request coldly, sternly, and dash Takeshi's will to ever ask him of such thing ever again. Tsuyoshi wanted –

He wanted Takeshi to be safe, but it seemed so helpless, so hopeless, when Takeshi had already caught the Mafia's attention simply by being a friend of Tsuna, the heir to the Vongola Empire. So long as Takeshi stayed with Tsuna, he would never be safe. He had been hurt once, already.

In that case, why couldn't Tsuyoshi just keep his son weak, helpless, until it was no longer an option for Tsuna to keep an above-average but still civilian by his side? Tsuna and his friends will continue growing, until they… leave Takeshi behind.

The image of a flock of birds flying off to danger, leaving behind a single bird that flapped and flapped his wings but couldn't go after them, flashed through his mind. The sound of the bird's squawk, full of desperation and anguish, drummed against in his ears.

No! Tsuyoshi thought, with such vehemence that it surprised even him. He couldn't, wouldn't, do such a cruel thing to his son, not even to protect him. Tsuyoshi loved his son too much to cut his son's wings off in the name of safety.

The only option left was to teach him Shigure Soen Ryu, then, except… Tsuyoshi thought about his restlessness, his fear, his worry, and anger as he paced back and forth in the dojo following Tsuna and his friend's leave, unable to do anything but to pace and wait. To wait, wait, and only wait for the news of whether his only son lived. Tsuyoshi had worked himself up to such frenzy with the bad scenarios supplied by his restless brain that it was a relief when he was told that Takeshi was alive.

Perhaps it was because his relief was so strong that his anguished ended up double of that when he arrived at the hospital to the sight of Takeshi in the hospital bed, his pale skin nearly blending into the sterile sheets below him. His bruises and cuts stood out in strong contrast against them, and Tsuyoshi couldn't breath when he found out that Takeshi's arm was broken. In that moment, more than Takeshi's well-being, all he could think was, he's going to have a game in a month. He was so excited about that baseball game he was going to have in a month. He already made me promise to clear my schedule for that day. He's going to have a game. He was going to have a game.

Tsuyoshi thought about teaching Shigure Soen Ryu to Takeshi, and it would be a mean of protection as much as a mean to head straight for danger. If Tsuyoshi taught Takeshi, he had no doubt that Takeshi could protect himself, to the degree that he wouldn't hesitate for a second before heading straight for danger.

Tsuyoshi didn't know how many times he could stand seeing Takeshi in the hospital before it broke him, but he didn't want to find out.

He parted his mouth to give his answer, and Yusuke's words echoed in his mind, "Blame yourself for that. You raised him to stand by his friend's side, didn't you?"

Tsuyoshi pressed his lips into a thin line and breathed. Tsuyoshi knew he would never forgive himself if he couldn't help his friends when they needed him, and he knew that was the same for Takeshi as well. After all, he was his son.

Tsuyoshi let out a breath. It seemed like in the end, from the beginning, there had been only one answer.

Tsuyoshi smiled as Takeshi slowly raised his head for his answer. "Sure," he said, committing himself to helping Takeshi protect himself and those around him, and if it meant sending him straight into danger also, well, at least he will have fun.

Takeshi grinned at him, warm and bright, and Tsuyoshi knew that it was all that he could ask for. Let him forever protect his son's smile with his swordsmanship.

Hello, as promised, here's my August update. I'm going to try to follow an update-once-a-month schedule from now on (try being the key word). I guess I'll see how that goes.

As always, if you have time, please leave a comment below. Also, just out of curiosity, here's a question for you: how did you come cross Stranger with a Gun? Ex: From the KHR or YYH fanfic listing, someone rec'd it, came across it in a bookmark, checked SwaG out after reading another fic of mine, etc.