Chapter 5

"Oh my!" Nana gasped as she saw the state of the boys when they got home from wherever they came from. "You're all soaking wet and dirty! Come here and dry up." She said as she immediately handed them towels from the nearby cupboard, "I'll prepare the bath for the four of you. Kyouya-kun, you're staying until you're clean, and I don't want to hear a 'no' out of you," she said, going into full mother mode.

"That would be agreeable, Nana-san," Kyouya didn't have the heart to refuse her and proceeded to dry himself with the towel that was presented to him by the Sawada matriarch. He learned long ago that one must not refuse their mother, especially when they're fretting over your well-being. He took a glance at Tsuna to see that he had placed the rag doll he has been holding like a child on the counter of the shoe cupboard in a sitting position before drying himself up.

He knew that the doll has lost its consciousness the moment it found peace in Tsuna's promise to bring her back to her original owner, but he was still wary of the doll. He had experienced tumbling down a mountain and fighting spirits soaking in the rain in the span of a day, which made it very eventful. He wonders if Tsuna has had this kind of experience every time there was a job to be done back in Tokyo.

Mitsu too, looked at Tsuna worriedly, but he knew that whatever had happened in the mountain was now over. He said so, and there was no more reason to doubt his older brother with that.

By the time all of them were dried and changed clothes, Kyouya fled the Sawada residence back to his house. He excused that there was no more reason for him to stay now that Tsuna was safely back home. Nana accepted it, but not before giving him a snack on the way.

Tsuna had approached his mother with the muddy and dirty Fuyu, asking her to clean up the doll for him as he mended the worn-out clothes of the doll. Their mother didn't ask any more questions when Tsuna said that the doll was involved in his job and just proceeded to do what her son asked with understanding. It would seem that their mother knew something about Tsuna's supernatural ties, but Mitsu wouldn't dare voice it out, in fear of it sounding accusatory.

Mitsu asked him why he asked their mother to bathe it, and the response he got was rather convincing and strange. "The doll is a girl, so it's only natural that Mom bathes her."

And yet, Mitsu could not feel assured at all that the strange things about his brother was done. It was too much of a wait if Tsuna would wait until the summer vacation was over for him to send over the doll, so how will he do it?

When he asked him that, Tsuna merely gave him a smile that says he shouldn't know. Mitsu knew better than to protest.

…

That night, after Fuyu had been groomed by Tsuna and their mother, Mitsu found the time to spend some quiet moments with his brother, lounging at the porch as they looked at the stars. The events of the day was still fresh in Mitsu's mind, surprised that there was a whole other world apart from his life in the mafia. There was no other way to describe it than eye-opening. He had to remind himself that in Japan, minor gods and spirits still roams the land, and one would be a fool as to deny their existence.

"Nii-san," Mitsu called him in the middle of their stargazing.

"Hm?" Tsuna responded, indicating him to go on.

"About the doll…what happens to her now?" he dared ask.

Tsuna smiled slightly as he looked up still, "Well, Fuyu will be returned to the original owner, Fuyumi-san, and Watanuki will ask for the payment from her wish." He explained.

"What kind of price?" Mitsu dared ask.

That question somehow made Tsuna silent for a while. Mitsu thought he stepped on a landmine, but when he looked at his brother, thinking face on, he knew that he was measuring the price of the retrieval of the doll. He guessed that the price would be high, considering what they had to go through just to get the doll.

"Not higher, nor lower than the value of the wish…" Tsuna responded. "Whatever the price is, everything must be equal for the sake of balance."

Groaning, Mitsu looked back up at the sky, "You're saying those words again Nii-san. You could just tell me you can't say."

"Now you're learning." Tsuna chuckled with a teasing voice. "Well, whatever the price, Fuyumi-san will be alright in the end. After all, it was a wish made out of a mother's love, and mothers sacrifice almost anything for the sake of their child."

"But the child in question is already dead though." Mitsu stated.

Tsuna shook his head, "That doesn't mean that a mother should stop loving him or her even if they had already passed on." He reasoned. "She considers Fuyu as the last connection she will ever have with Miyuki-chan, and for her to move on, knowing that there was a reminder that she once had a daughter that she loved very much, she needed Fuyu back." he explained.

"Mother's love…huh?" Mitsu said while taking a glance at their mother who was currently tidying up in the kitchen after dinner. "Do you think that Mom's love saved you that day eight years ago?"

Tsuna smiled genuinely as he looked also at the direction of their mother, all happy and absolutely content with what she's doing. "A mother's love knows no bounds when it comes to her children. They wish only for the betterment of their children and would do anything to see them safe and happy. You must know that, considering that Mom nearly killed Iemitsu when she found out he was in the mafia and slated you to become the next boss of a mafia family our ancestor created." He said as the two went back to stargazing.

At the reminder, Mitsu groaned. "Don't remind me…" he sighed. "The whole mafia things still confuses me most of the time even if I'm already integrated in their society. What's more, we're in the middle of an heir crisis."

"Timoteo-san's son against you." Tsuna recalled their video conversation a few weeks back when Mitsu announced that he would not be returning to Italy this summer due to him not seeing eye-to-eye with Xanxus, the last living son of the current boss. "You'll be fine if you just listen to Reborn-san's teachings, you know."

Mitsu sighed, "I know that, but sometimes I think…there's more to it than they tell me."

"Then follow your intuition." Tsuna simply instructed. "We've always had very powerful intuitions, and based on past experiences, it has never led me astray before, and it's not going to start now."

"But what about the other ones involved?" Mitsu asked.

"They can all burn in hell for all I care." Tsuna stated gruffly, and Mitsu was reminded that tolerant Tsuna may be of the mafia world, he still despises most of them since those numbers would target his little brother when they time comes. "Whenever you feel troubled, just be assured that your intuition and the bond you have with your friends will guide you on the way. After all, you're the future Vongola Decimo, set to be one of the most influential people in the mafia world."

Hearing his statement, Mitsu cringe, "Now you're just scaring me."

"One of my big brother privileges, I guess." Tsuna said, "But seeing you as a mafia boss with a tobacco on your mouth and looking sinister…" Tsuna said as the two of them pictured Mitsu.

The two burst into laughter as they thought of Mitsu becoming a scary mafia boss. For now, they would consider it as a small joke, because, honestly, they're still teenagers.

They will take everything one step at a time, as they were taught to do.

…

The day after Tsuna had brought Fuyu home, Tsuna was now standing at the full-length mirror in his room and looked into it. On the four corners of his room were paper seals that muffles the sound of the inside from the outside. "Show me Watanuki Kimihiro." He ordered.

The mirror rippled and Tsuna immediately made out the receiving room. But his brow furrowed as the couch on the room showed that there was more than one person lying down on it. Realization dawned on him, but before he could look away, the damage was already done as he saw Watanuki and Doumeki in a very intimate position with Watanuki's kimono almost completely off him while Doumeki was a bit ruffled in his shirt and pants but still mostly clothed.

It took him three seconds to respond to the scene before him, and when he did…

"HIE!" Tsuna screeched as he turned around in panic, a blush creeping into his cheeks.

It took fifteen seconds of bumping, cursing, shuffling, and clacking from the other side of the mirror before he heard the slightly hoarse voice of Watanuki. "You can look now Tsuna."

It was not an unusual thing for the two of them to be intimate, but Tsuna tends to walk in on them at times, which was traumatizing each and every time. Walking in on them during a communication like this? Even worse since he got a close-up. This is one of the major downsides of his job description, as far as Tsuna can tell.

When he turned around, Tsuna looked at his employer with an exasperated look, "Watanuki-san, at least have the decency to do it solely in the bedroom…" he chided. "This mirror's only place to contact you is the receiving room."

Watanuki laughed sheepishly at his comment.

"So, how did it go?" Doumeki asked, direct to the point as always, but he could see a bit of annoyance in his voice. Probably from being interrupted by Tsuna again.

Tsuna faked coughing as he gathered his wits about him and tried to put the scene he just witnessed at the back of his mind for a certain time. Preferably forever. "I managed to retrieve Fuyu. She's currently here at my desk." Tsuna said as he moved the mirror to face his desk so that the two adults could see the doll. He then turned it back to its original position, "It turns out the one who gave her the consciousness a servant of Morinami-kami-sama." Tsuna stated.

"I see." Watanuki said. "Then, send Fuyu here via the mirror. I'll call Fuyumi-san in the morning for her to retrieve the doll." Upon saying those words, Watanuki immediately saw the shift in his employee's face. "Tsuna, if you want to say something, I suggest you say it now," he advised gently.

Facing his employer, Tsuna asked Watanuki the question he had been thinking about since receiving Doumeki's call. "Fuyumi-san's payment…what is it?" he wondered.

Watanuki was silent for a while before he sighed, "Why don't you guess the price? I'm sure with six years of being under me, you would realize the price of this wish." He told him.

Tsuna thought for a while as he assessed the wish of Fuyumi. She wanted the doll to be retrieved so that she could move on from the death of her child who owned the doll. Fuyu was a doll that was originally Fuyumi's, and she wanted the doll back as it was the only significant reminder she had of her beloved daughter. It could only mean one thing. "Fuyumi-san's specific memories of Miyuki-chan."

"Full marks." Watanuki confirmed. "And what is your reasoning for the conclusion?"

"Fuyumi-san wants the doll back in order to have some sort of closure to the death of Miyuki, but a mother cannot simply forget her own child. Even with the doll, it would be hard for her to move on. By taking her memories of her daughter as a price, she would move on without any more pain holding her back. Fuyu will just be a reminder of her daughter. She would remember that she once had a daughter named Miyuki, but she will never be able to recall what she does, what she looks like, and all of her precious memories about her. Without any specific memory, she would then be able to move on without fail…" Tsuna explained.

Watanuki nodded. "Now you're beginning to understand the prices of the wishes our customers make. You're learning fast, Tsuna." He praised.

"Thank you Watanuki-san," he said.

"If only the same goes with your math grades…" Doumeki stated blankly.

Tsuna flinched. Math has always been a challenge to get a perfect score at. True, he gets decent 85's, but it never goes higher than that. Despite the tutoring that has been done to him by Doumeki and his classmates in Clamp Gakuen, there were still things that he cannot break out of, namely math grades.

"Shizuka." The other man chided.

"Then…should I send Fuyu now?" he asked, averting his comment.

Watanuki nodded. "When you're ready."

Tsuna then went to his desk and picked Fuyu up like he would a young child. "Well then, Fuyu, let's get you to Fuyumi-san. She would be thrilled to have you back," he whispered as he sent Fuyu through the mirror, a magical seal appearing before it absorbed Fuyu and into Watanuki's arms.

"Isn't she precious up close?" Watanuki said, holding it for Doumeki to see. He then turned back to Tsuna, "Don't worry, this will reach Fuyumi-san first thing in the morning. Good job, and I'm sorry if I interrupted your vacation."

Tsuna smiled and shook his head, "No, that's alright. I got to see our patron god in return. I'd say it's all in a day's work."

Watanuki chuckled. "Very well. Oh, before I forget, remember, always be careful of flies, especially the baby variety." he said before the mirror connection was cut.

Tsuna sighed as he waved the mirror, cutting the magic on it for the meantime and went to open the French doors to his small balcony and gazed at the stars. "You know, it's not nice to eavesdrop on one's conversation, Reborn-san."

A rustling of leaves on the trees and a soft hopping noise was heard by Tsuna as Reborn landed on the railing of his balcony. "You have very keen senses." He said. "I didn't hear anything, if that's what you're worried about."

Tsuna shook his head, "I knew you wouldn't hear us. I made sure of that." He replied calmly. "But I know that you saw how I communicated with Watanuki-san."

"The first part of your contact was a little traumatizing though." Reborn commented.

At his statement, Tsuna sighed in exasperation. "Those two couldn't keep their hands to themselves once they deem that no one else is in the room, but if one comes in the middle of them doing it, well…I'm surprised the customers hadn't walked in on them yet. For now, I'm the only victim." He perched his head on his hand as his arm was on the railing. "Five years ago, they wouldn't have acted on their feelings. It took me six months to get them to admit they really care for each other in more than just friends—or annoying errand man, in Watanuki-san's words."

"You don't seem surprised that they are both men." Reborn stated.

Tsuna smiled brightly, "Love is love, Reborn. Whether you are a man, woman, spirit, or whatever, when you fall in love, that's it. I've seen a lot of people fall in love in my circle, especially in a school such as mine." He reasoned. "When you see and experience it, you will understand."

Reborn was silent for a while, as if contemplating what Tsuna had said. "Tsuna, about what happened yesterday…"

"Reborn, you know that there are things that I cannot say. Every answer has a price." Tsuna warned with a small frown. "For example, you have a friend who has been keeping secrets from you, and you ask someone else for information and you find out that he was doing something for your sake but with a method that you disapprove of greatly, your friendship, no matter how strong, will shatter. You can't expect to still be friends with that person if you knew what he was doing, even if it was for your sake. The price of knowing that secret is your long-time friendship and the trust you two took years to build."

"I get your reasoning." Reborn agreed. "But what if I wish for it? That's your shop's purpose, isn't it?"

Tsuna nodded. "But even then, there are wishes that are too expensive that the wish maker cannot pay." Tsuna said, "Take your Curse, for example." Reborn's eyes sharpened at his statement. "Don't look at me like that. I've been in the business for six years. I know what goes on, but I don't know the exact details. You can't admit that you were willing to take on that form just to protect an item of great power, right?" he said as he pointed at the yellow pacifier wrapped around Reborn's neck.

A smirk graced Reborn's face, "You're pretty perceptive, and you seem to know more than you let on."

"An advantage as an employee of wish-granting shop." Tsuna mused. "I hope you know that some of your questions cannot be answered without a price, Reborn-san. Even then, the answers that you seek is something only meant for the ears of someone who can afford them. As you are now, you cannot afford such a wish, even if all eight of you are willing to pay it, it's still not enough."

The sharp warning of Tsuna made Reborn realize that indeed, he was right. All of the members of the Arcobaleno had been striving to look for the answer to relieve them from their curse, and were willing to pay any price to achieve it, which therein lies the problem. The word anything. Saying it would pin you down by complying with something you think is unreasonable, and if you do it, you would come to hate the decision you have made just to get a single thing from the shop. The price of knowing how to remove the Curse of the Rainbow was no simple thing. It will require something more than the lives of all eight of the turned Arcobaleno members.

Reborn scoffed in amusement, "I always did know I'll die a dog's death just for being a part of this curse. Knowing the answer is not worth it if you ask for it with a heavy price. I'd rather find out for myself what the method is, thank you."

Tsuna smiled at the hitman, glad that he understood. "I'm glad that you finally think that way. Don't worry. For you, everything will be alright in the end. I just know it." Tsuna assured him. Reborn wanted to know how he could tell, but he knew not to ask. "Then, shall we head in? Mom's almost done with dinner preparations and Mitsu might be looking for you." He gestured the hitman to rest on his shoulder. Reborn took it without hesitation as they went back inside the house.

Mitsu would then wonder when, in the span of a few hours, did his brother and Reborn became close enough for Reborn to be comfortable on Tsuna's shoulder.

…

As expected, Mitsu asked where the doll went a day after he realized that Fuyu was no longer in Tsuna's room. Tsuna excused that he had met up with someone while he was out and sent Fuyu on her way to Tokyo to reunite with her original owner.

Mitsu seemed to buy it, and Tsuna was satisfied with that. Reborn as well, has stopped being nosey after their talk the previous evening, and everything concerning his work was laid to rest…for now.

Tsuna has received a message via Watanuki's bird that Fuyu has been returned to Fuyumi safe and sound, and the price, as Tsuna expected, were the memories of Fuyumi of her first daughter, Miyuki. He felt a little sad that it was the price for Fuyumi to have Fuyu back, but in the end, Fuyumi agreed to the price, knowing well why she had to pay that kind of price. All in all, it was all in a day's work.

To get rid of his thoughts about that particular job, Tsuna opted to test on his current food experiment, using crocodile meat without the test subjects knowing. He has always been fascinated with crocodile meat, and he had it shipped to Clamp Gakuen's Culinary Research Club kitchens and then had it sent to the house for further testing. Since he was free from planning festivities until he returns to school, he decided that it was the best course of action.

His taste testers? Mitsu's friends Yamamoto Takeshi, Sasagawa Ryohei, Kyoko, and Gokudera Hayato. He also asked Kyouya, despite the prefect hating crowding. No one could refuse Tsuna, not when there was a guarantee of wonderful food. After all, when there's food, there's a way.

He tried to incorporate all of the crocodile meat in his dishes, from gyoza to simple stir fry. He made them aware that the meat he was using was not normal, but still, they insisted that they wanted to see and taste his cooking. After all, he wasn't the president of the club for nothing. He still hasn't beaten Akira in the dessert department, but he was getting there. When it comes to being an all-rounder, no one could beat Tsuna. For now. After all, Ijuuin Akira was still learning, but Tsuna always liked a challenge.

As he stood there looking at their smiling faces as they ate his food, Tsuna remembered how it made him happy that they were enjoying everything he makes. It really lifts his spirit up every time that happens, and that made him glad that he took up cooking lessons with Watanuki back when he had just started. If there was one person he couldn't beat in cooking, it would be his employer.

"This is crocodile, isn't it?" Reborn suddenly spoke as he ate the last of his gyoza. The others stared at him in shock at his conclusion.

Tsuna smiled, "What gave it away?" he wondered.

"The meat tastes like chicken, but when I looked into the taste more, I had felt the meat to have reptilian origins." Reborn reasoned.

The others looked at their food silently, and Tsuna thought that they were seconds in screaming in shock, but to his surprise, they simply ate away anyway.

"Wow~ I never thought crocodile meat would taste like this!" Yamamoto stated. "Do you think we can make a sushi out of this?"

"I don't know how you plan to incorporate it with the sushi," Tsuna started, "But I'd recommend not using adult crocodile meat, as they're too tough to cook at that age. I used the meat of the baby crocodiles at least half my height, including the tail." He advised.

"Neat!" Mitsu complimented as he took another bite of one of the dishes he laid out.

Gokudera looked at the meat as if it was the most wonderful thing in the world, "Your culinary skills are exceptional, Tsunayoshi-sama!" Tsuna flinched a bit at the honorific. He was not used to being called that unless it was his unwanted admirers, but since Mitsu explained that once Gokudera was set on his use of honorific to a certain person there was no stopping him, Tsuna relented as long as no one else gets the idea of using it.

"Tsuna-kun, your future wife will have a hard time competing with you in cooking!" Kyoko mused.

"This is EXTREMELY GOOD!" Ryohei agreed. "Sawada's brother, you deserve a belt with this kind of cooking!"

Kyouya glared at Ryohei, "Sasagawa, there's no need to shout it. Everyone knows Tsunayoshi is a good cook. Keep your voice down."

Tsuna could only blush in delight and slight embarrassment at their compliments. He really should thank Watanuki for teaching him how to cook, and for Akira giving him the idea of using exotic ingredients. Sure it would make the soft-hearted Akira cry a river, but it was worth it in the end. He could already tell what he would say: 'I didn't think you would take it seriously! Tsuna-senpai, how could you?!' or somewhere along those lines.

Well~ as long as it made people happy with his cooking, he'll deal with it when he gets back.

…

Nana smiled as she looked at her eldest son being flattered by their friends at the dining room. A sense of pride coursed through her, glad that her son was flourishing under Watanuki.

"It has been years…I'm glad I made the wish, but still…" Nana frowned a bit as she remembered the day she met Ichihara Yuuko ten years ago, when her son almost died of an assassination attempt. She could still remember how she saw her son in a bloody state and she was borderline catatonic, and stayed that way until her friend, Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, had told her to get herself up so that when Mitsu sees her, he would not be shaken and would be ignorant on how bad the attack had been as any child should be. Ichihara Yuuko had been around, and had all but said that there was a way to save the life of her son, but at a cost.

"The price is your son." She told Nana as they looked at Tsuna in the ICU, fighting for his life.

Nana looked up at the tall woman, "You mean…you will take Tsu-kun away from me…?" she said, close to tears at the thought of never seeing her son again.

To her relief, Yuuko shook her head, "Not in a way where you cannot see him again." She explained. "When he is old enough, he will be under the guidance of my successor, learning and growing until the day that is to come."

"The day that is to come…?" Nana repeated. "What…what day…?"

"A day when he realizes the other reason why I granted your wish. Whatever happens next will be up to him." The woman held her hand on the window, as if trying to reach out to Tsuna. "You may not know it, but your son holds tremendous power, and such powers are invaluable. For a young man like him to die this early…will be a grave loss." Yuuko explained. "The life he will have ahead will not be an easy one, but I'm sure with him, he will succeed." She assured her, "But, there's something else."

"Another term in my wish?" Nana wondered.

"Yes." Yuuko confirmed. "This child…has a destiny that he has been bestowed upon in many of his lives. In different times and dimensions, he has made a name for himself that a mother will be proud to see, but in this world, his life is to end at this particular incident." She explained.

Nana didn't get what she meant about different times and dimensions, but she was not a close-minded individual. She was from a line of Shinto priests, and she knew that a lot of creatures other than humans and animals walked among them on the earth. It wasn't farfetched for such worlds to exist.

All she knew was that her son in different worlds was destined for greatness, but her son right in front of her…was destined to die. "Why…? Why of all his versions of himself, is he destined to die in this one…?" she questioned the woman as she gazed at her son once more.

"That, I cannot tell you." Yuuko explained. "There is one other condition to this, should I grant your wish."

Nana was almost scared to ask, but she had to. "What is it?"

Yuuko continued, "He may have different versions of himself, but his destiny in most worlds is only one. He is mostly destined to lead an entire organization in a dangerous world, in which he is to become their most powerful leader." She revealed, "But here in our world, if I save him, he will have his set future taken away, the title, power, birth right and everything related to it. Your younger son, Yoshimitsu, will have to take what was rightfully Tsunayoshi's. Now, I ask you this, shall I grant your wish?"

The words that Yuuko uttered that day replayed itself in her mind. Nana didn't need to think about anything else. She had known all along that the price for saving her son's life was worth it if she would see him grow up as a man.

There was no doubt in her when she gave her a "Yes" on her terms. It was either lose him, or change her children's fates, and Nana chose the latter. Only Watanuki, her and probably Tsuna, knew of the wish that she had made, but she believed on one thing: even if his set future and everything that came with it was taken away, there was still a new path for Tsuna to follow, something that he would choose for himself freely, and not by other people.

Looking at her sons, she knew that the 'set future' that Yuuko had told her that should belong to Tsuna, had been passed down to the nearest worthy person: her youngest, Mitsu. That's why she had never protested when her husband and Timoteo had chosen Mitsu instead of Tsuna as the one to be trained as the next Vongola Decimo, as much as she hated to push her son to the mafia world. This was the future that was supposed to be for Tsuna, but that possibility of a future nearly sent him to his death. In order to save his life, she had taken that future away from him. 'Besides…' Nana thought to herself, 'On the chance that I didn't take Yuuko-san's terms in my wish, the title would be passed to Mitsu anyway. Tsu-kun…if he can live happily and with no regrets until his time is done, then that's fine with me.'

It was clear as day that even if given the choice, Nana wouldn't dare change a thing.

…

Watanuki blew his pipe once more as he stared at the sky. His mind turned to Tsuna and his growing abilities that are already on par with Watanuki's power. A few more years down the road, and he would be in synch with the shop and would be capable of granting wishes. It had been slow, but the signs are there. His good relationship with most spirits (some of them powerful allies), his growing powers, and his perception on the weight of the prices of each wish of each customer that they have at their doorstep.

He wanted him to savor his childhood for just a bit longer, which was why he pulled strings to get him transferred to Clamp School after pulling a favour from the Chairwoman of Clamp Gakuen. The woman had made a wish to Yuuko once before to help her secure a weapon of mass power, and the payment has been put on hold for what was to come. Watanuki has met the woman once before, and she immediately took a liking to him simply because of his cooking, and when she met Tsuna, she took a liking to him as well.

But even school life has an end, and all Watanuki could see in Tsuna's future was that he was tied to the shop for some reason.

Is that what Tsuna is supposed to do? To stay by Watanuki's side and grant wishes until his time is up?

He guessed not. There was something else.

There were still things that he needed to figure out, mainly the reason why Yuuko had chosen the boy of all people, to be his helper. It was as if she knew of the choice that he made the day she died. There were things that he needed to know, but he knew that looking for an answer would be futile. All he could do was to wait for the day when Tsuna's true purpose in the shop is revealed, and everything will hang onto both of their choices.

And thus, the wheel of fate keeps turning for one Sawada Tsunayoshi.

Unknowingly, Watanuki's own fate was also on the move once again.

END

Whew~! That's a wrap for this AU! I'm glad you guys read through this until the end! For this final Author's Note, I'd like to thank tsukuyomi67 for giving me the encouragement to publish this fanfic in the first place when I was contemplating on what kind of AU I'll write about Tsuna after I finished Figure Skater Tsuna. You were a great help in my motivation~!

I intended for this fic to be an open ending as all my Many Verses of Tsuna fanfics. I have a lot more headcannons for this AU, but for this final chapter, I settled in making this, so that you guys will get the hints on why Tsuna was working for Watanuki.

Oh, on the matter of crocodile meat, there's actually a personal story behind that.

Last September, I went on an educational tour on my fourth year of college to Palawan, Philippines and bought a frozen pack of Crocodile Sisig, a dish that needed to be cooked with egg, and it tastes good~! Though my middle sister didn't like it, my youngest sister and I absolutely loved it. Yes, the meat used for that dish is baby crocodile meat, and the measurement of the baby crocodile is just a guesstimate since I based that on my height of 5'1 as I held one of them in the Crocodile Sanctuary, where I also got the dish. The reason is also true why they don't use the adult crocodile's meat. It was according to our tour guide at that time.

I enjoyed making this AU as I am currently reading my CLAMP favorites. One can't help but look back into their childhood, and I still can't believe that Sakura and Syaoran still makes me fluffy when they're being shippy, Yukito and Touya as well! They were my first gay OTP before I even realized what it meant. Somehow, I think Clamp was the main cause that made me interested in the BL genre.

Thank you for reading this until the end! See you in my next Many Verses of Tsuna!

-Cathy Rin