Timeline: 7 years after canon (After the Representative Battle of the Rainbow

Disclaimer: If I had created KHR, I am sure it would have been discontinued before it even began. Just look at my predisposition to procrastination! Amano Akira-sensei, you are simply awesome.

The story so far: After a few slip ups that had aroused the suspicions of some classmates attending the class reunion, fate decided to toy with our favourite Vongola Decimo even more by sending the Mafia after Tsuna's class when they were having their hiking competition. Now, with a few injured classmates and the attackers demanding for his head in exchange for his two kidnapped classmates, Tsuna had given the instruction to regroup and bring his class to the Vongola Japanese HQ.

Meanwhile, Lambo was informed of the current situation by Kyoko, and together with I-pin and Fuuta, had brought Tsuna's mother to the HQ as well…

Truth 6: Dysfunctional Brains and Disorder

Yamamoto got the shock of his life in the middle of a phone call. Even after all that had happened in the short span of just half an hour, the swordsman was still able to keep his calm - even if it was only external. He even managed to keep up his usual cheerful speech through Gokudera's angry lecture, which threatened to break his eardrum.

"Takeshi," The single word - his given name - uttered by his friend through the phone, was all it took to break the Rain Guardian's calm façade. Even if the voice was exceedingly calm and quiet, it couldn't have been scarier. In fact, Tsuna's voice was so scary precisely because it was SO calm and quite. No. That voice does not belong to Tsuna, but -

"Boss!" Yamamoto exclaimed in a hurry, shocked by the use of his first name. They may have been close friends ever since Tsuna saved him from his suicide attempt in middle school, but the brunette had always referred to Yamamoto with his last name due to force of habit. The only times Tsuna called the swordsman 'Takeshi' and spoke using that tone of voice - which Yamamoto currently found extremely frightening - was when he spoke in his Boss Mode, as Vongola Decimo. The fact that Tsuna was using his Boss Mode in the middle of the class reunion, when the brunette had been trying his hardest not to stand out too much, indicated exactly how seriously Tsuna was taking the situation. For Tsuna to be so serious, meant that they were in deep trouble. And, having two classmates kidnapped under his watch, Yamamoto was sure that he was in the most trouble.

"I'm-so-sorry-it's-all-my-fault-I-should-have-been-more-alert-I-should-have-expected-the-attack-please-give-me-any-punishment-I'll-accept-any-" Yamamoto continued to rattle off, his sudden panic made him speak so fast that there was barely any pause between words for himself to breath.

A soft chuckle came through the phone, stunning Yamamoto enough to stop his lengthy speech of self-blaming. "There's no need to apologise, it's not your fault."

Yamamoto had been prepared to be punished, or at least scolded by an angry Tsuna, but the reply that came was exactly the opposite, further stunning Yamamoto into silence. The reply was shocking, yes, but exactly the kind of reply Tsuna would give. The swordsman had not even needed to ask for forgiveness. Tsuna had not even thought him at fault in the first place.

It was at times like this that the swordsman was once again reminded that the kind, friendly (and sometimes clumsy) Sawada Tsunayoshi, and the calm, serious (and most found intimidating) Vongola Decimo, were in fact the same person.

It was also at times like this that Yamamoto was reminded of why, despite all the hardship, he had stayed with Tsuna through all of them. The brunette, despite his smaller-than-most build, was not only surprisingly strong, but also extremely kind - so much so that it sometimes surprises even those closest to him. That's why Tsuna was their boss, their Sky.

"I am activating Code Charlie." Boss continued, when Yamamoto failed to give a reply. "Gather your group and lead them back to the ryokan in 20 minutes. We will meet you there."

"Hai, Boss." With that the phone call ended.

Code Charlie. Boss had activated Code Charlie and not anything worse, meaning that Tsuna, the guardians, and the others who were associated with the mafia should be mostly unharmed.

Even though they had keep their attendance at the class reunion a secret from the rest of the mafia world to prevent any unwanted interference, under the kid, Reborn's, suggestion, they had made preparations just in case any information were accidentally leaked. The result of which were the six codes - Code Alpha through Foxtrot. The codes which were made for efficient relay of information and instructions, basically classified the situation they were in and dictate the primary course of action. In most of the cases where they were separated and Tsuna wasn't in any conditions where he could not give directions himself, they were to regroup and wait for further instructions from their boss. Which was exactly what Vongola Decimo had told his Rain Guardian over the phone.

Yamamoto reached up towards his chest to touch one of his most treasured possessions, only to be disappointed when his hand found nothing. The Necklace of the Rain Version X had not only been a source of power all these years, but, having granted him the strength to protect and accompanied him through the years, had become a source of comfort. Just having his Rain Necklace close had always helped him relax.

Yet nothing could attract as much attention and trouble as wearing the one-of-a-kind necklace.

Despite the widespread influence of Vongola in the underground world and Tsuna and his guardians' almost direct involvement in the running of the Mafia Famiglia, no one, other than the upper echelon of Vongola and their closest of allies, knew the faces or even the names of the mysterious Tenth Generation. After all, Vongola loved its secrets. However, the rumour that said Tenth Generation had remodelled Vongola's most treasured heirloom, the Vongola Rings, into one-of-a-kind accessories to complement each of the guardian's fighting style, had spread throughout the mafia like wildfire. Openly wearing any one of the Vongola Gears(VGs) out onto the streets would be like holding an enormous banner announcing 'I am one of Vongola's Tenth Generation Guardians!' to any passing Mafiosi.

Back in Italy, other than in the Vongola Mansion or when they were out on Vongola-related businesses, the Tenth Generation mostly kept their VGs hidden. Yamamoto would let his necklace be hidden under his shirt, Gokudera keep his shirt tucked out to cover his belt, and Tsuna either wore glove (when the weather was cold) to conceal the rings on his fingers, or wore them as a necklace like Yamamoto. Mukuro, on the other hand, simply used illusion to mask his half of the VG. (Yes, half. Since the Earring of the Mist Version X came as a pair, Mukuro and Chrome agreed to each keep half of the pair of earrings. It's amazing how the VG could work just fine even with just one earring, though it's still most powerful as a pair.)

For this class reunion, since they would be surrounded by civilians all day, Tsuna had deemed it safer to not bring their Vongola Gears along with them, in case they were identified by any mafia personnel. That's why, despite their usual reluctance to have their VGs out of reach for more than a few minutes, those attending the reunion had left their VGs in the Vongola Japanese Base for safekeeping, and had only brought their regular weapons along just in case.

But it looked like, this time, their regular weapons were not enough. Not when the enemies were armed with box weapons. The results might have been different if he had Jiro and Kojiro with him.

Well, no use crying over spilt milk now, right? Yamamoto Takeshi was the Rain Guardian of Vongola Decimo, the blessed shower that settles conflict and washes everything away. There was no way Yamamoto could fulfil his duty as the Rain Guardian if his depressive mood continued.

Looking at the rest of his group, Yamamoto realised that his negativity had gotten a little too contagious. The sky had darkened significantly while he had been deep in thoughts, and so had the faces of his group mates. Well, time for the Blessed Shower to do his job.

Putting on his usual cheerful expression, Yamamoto turned to the remaining people of his group to inform them of their next course of action. "Yo minna, let's all get back to the ryokan. We can decide what to do once we meet up with the rest. It's not safe to stay here for too long."

With the beginning of a light, tranquil drizzle surrounding them, the group set off towards their temporary residence for these three days.

To say that the current owner of the Onsen Dojo Ryokan was shock would be an understatement. He was stunned, astounded, flabbergasted, appalled, dumbfounded, traumatized, and maybe more than a little angry.

"Why?" you ask? Of course it had everything to do with his beloved ryokan.

Mochida Kensuke might have only owned his beloved ryokan for slightly over half a year, but he was absolutely sure that he knew his own ryokan inside out. Or so he thought.

The previous Kendo Club Captain even made sure to oversee the reconstruction of the ryokan personally, so that everything was just the way he wanted it. So where the hell did this gigantic monstrosity (which Mochida himself had zero knowledge of) come from!? It definitely wasn't there the last time he checked. Well, not that he would go checking for such things, but there's no way he could have missed something this big. Right!?

Okay. Mochida Kensuke is not making any sense now, is he? Let's rewind his train of thoughts a little and have things explained from the start…

'Sawada Tsunayoshi and his little group of followers are the weirdest weirdoes in the world.' Mochida knew that he has had the exact same thoughts, just maybe in different phrasing, for about a million and one times over the past twenty-four hours, but that's the conclusion he once again came to after the most recent development.

And things had sure developed a lot since the start of the hiking competition. Who the hell came up with that stupid idea in the first place, anyway?

Kozato's group was attacked by a large group of men from the mafia and Nakano was seriously injured in the process, Yoshimoto and Fujioka were captured by some men from the mafia, and the leader of those men from the mafia had demanded for the death of one Vongola Decimo in exchange for the two captives.

What was it with the goddamned mafia anyway!? Every single bad thing that happened to them in that single morning had everything to do with the mafia! The group Mochida was with was just a simple group of young adults out on a class reunion trip and had absolutely nothing to do with the mafia. Especially the Vongola, whom the enemies seemed to think they were affiliated to. So what exactly does those people from the mafia want with them?

Mochida Kensuke might be just another civilian who had nothing to do with the mafia, or even the local yakuza, but that did not meant that he knew nothing of them. From his learning of the way of the sword and dealings with fellow swordsmen, Mochida had acquired at least a little knowledge of the underworld. And from that little knowledge of his, the swordsmen knew the Vongola to be a large Mafia Famiglia based in Italy, like most other traditional Mafia Famiglia. Why would anyone think that a group of former students from Namimori-Chuu has anything to do with such an organisation?

And that was just the beginning. The development of events that followed was even more ridiculous. First, it was the mystery of the mafia. Then, it was back to the mystery of Sawada Tsunayoshi.

The previous series of events seemed to have brought about a sudden change in Sawada and his little group of followers. Sawada and Kozato's strange actions and medical knowledge aside (weren't they supposed to be business students?), the thing that puzzled and irritated Mochida the most was Sawada sudden bossy mannerism.

Which was what led to Mochida's disoriented thoughts and mess of emotions.

When everyone was gathered back at the ryokan, the panic which had aroused from the news of their classmate's capture was evident within the group, though some seemed to have other things on their mind. Upon arrival, Sawada's group of followers immediately congregated around him as if awaiting instructions. The strangest thing was that, not only had Gokudera and Kyoko-chan started calling Sawada 'boss', almost everyone among those gathered around Sawada had done the same.

While Mochida was trying to get close enough to listen in on Sawada's group, their little meeting seemed to have ended and Sawada turned to address the ryokan owner. "Mochida, would there be anyone using the female bath at the moment?"

"E-eh?" Startled by the sudden question and the intensity of Sawada's stare, Mochida was tongue-tight for a moment. "N-no. No, I-I do not think so. W-we do not have any other g-guests staying with us at the moment." What the fuck was wrong with him? Mochida was supposed to question Sawada, not answer the brunette's question politely and with utmost honesty.

Sawada simply acknowledged Mochida's reply with a nod. "Let's go." With that, Sawada turned to leave, expecting everyone else to follow.

"Huh!?"

"Oi, Tsuna! What do you mean 'let's go'? What exactly is going on?" Takeda Takuto, who happened to be standing nearby, questioned, gaining the attention of everyone else present.

"Maa, maa, Takuto. Let's save the questions for later." Yamamoto answered for Sawada, as if it's his job to do so.

"But Sawada was the one who said he would explain everything later." Kaneda argued, quoting Sawada's words from earlier. "Now is later."

"Ahahaha. Really?" Yamamoto laughed good-naturedly. "Let's get somewhere safe before we talk, ne?"

"My ryokan is safe." The need to defend his ryokan's security and the desire for some form of explanation made Mochida speak up.

"Of course, senpai. No one's questioning your ryokan's security." Yamamoto reassured cheerfully, as if reading Mochida's mind. It's really amazing how the baseball player can remain cheerful even in their current situation. "But those scary people might still be nearby, and I don't think senpai's windows and doors are bullet-proof, right?"

Yamamoto's tone remained cheerful and polite throughout his speech, but the same could not be said of his expression. Although the baseball player kept his smile while asking his question, Mochida noticed that Yamamoto's eyes had narrowed in seriousness. Those narrowed eyes made the usually carefree sportsman seem suddenly dangerous, and left Mochida speechless while lamenting that he had thought too soon. Yamamoto may appear no different from his usual cheerful self, but those eyes told Mochida that there was more to Yamamoto Takeshi then meets the eye.

The sudden intimidating aura of Yamamoto had left Mochida and most of those present speechless, as they unquestioningly followed behind Sawada's group. By the time, Mochida had recovered enough to take note of his surrounding, he found himself standing in front of the female bath.

A small part of his mind briefly wondered what they were once again doing at the site of the 'disaster' that happened yesterday (something along the line of getting trashed for trying to admire heaven's gift), as his legs brought him through the entrance.

Mochida was in the process of opening his mouth to again ask for an explanation, when Sawada walked over to the opposite wall of the women's bath. Whatever he did there stopped the flow of the mini-waterfall next to him. This effectively shut Mochida up as he watched the 'wall' behind the waterfall start to crack open. The crack soon grew larger to reveal a previously hidden entrance to god-knows-where.

'Or maybe, to Sawada-knows-where.' A small (almost negligible) part of Mochida's brain provided, as the brunette lead the way confidently into the freaking hole in the wall.

And there you have it. The explanation behind Mochida's incoherent thoughts.

As the overwhelmed ryokan owner thoughts ran around in circles, refusing to settle down, one semi-coherent thought was at the centre of it all:

What the fuck just happened!?

The appearance of the secret entrance sure was impressive. What the class saw after entering that entrance was even more so.

For the purpose of beauty and to promote relaxation, the onsen had been styled in such a way to blend into the surrounding nature. Thus, with the highly modern and slightly futuristic feel of the metal passageway connected to the secret entrance, the class felt as if they had stepped through a magical portal leading to another world.

Shock and fear of previous events almost completely forgotten, the class looked around the place in awe as their feet went on auto-pilot, and followed after the ones in front of them. Despite the excessive amount of head movements to better take in the view of the passageway, the class was surprisingly silent. All thoughts of enquiring for their destination subconsciously dismissed in favour of admiring their surroundings.

It took Karasuma Kaito close to ten minutes before he realised that, for the second time that day, he had once again entered into a trance-like state. The magician briefly contemplated the need to visit a doctor to have his brain checked for any functional decline or other brain abnormalities (though there's also the possibility of some psychological shit… like schizophrenia maybe). How else could one explain the sudden increase in frequency of him being in a daze that day?

In his trance, he had failed to notice when the blond wearing a dark green jumpsuit had joined them. He had no idea who their new company was, but judging by how he was leading the group and talking to Tsuna and a few others with an air of familiarity, Kaito concluded that he must be a friend of Tsuna and came from wherever they were heading towards to act as their guide.

The only other explanation to his inability to focus his still-not-quite-working-right brain could come up with, is that, Sawada Tsunayoshi, had something to do with whatever that was affecting his brain function. But that was surely just Kaito and his overactive imagination, regardless of how suspicious he was finding the brunette lately. (Seriously, now that schizophrenia hypothesis is getting more and more valid)

Even as Kaito debated the possibility of Tsuna's involvement in his brain's functional status, a small part of him was relief to note that they were finally reaching the end of their long walk, as they neared the end of the tunnel where a plain yet beautiful gate stood - exactly the kind of gate one would see in a sci-fi movie.

Said gate opened to reveal a young boy with messy black hair, and a stylishly worn cow-print shirt under his Namimori Elementary uniform. One look at the boy, who had one of his bright green eyes closed and the other opened in a lazy gaze, and Kaito could tell that he was definitely the popular (given his good look and fashion sense) but laidback kind. Though Takeshi had previously said that they were moving to a safe place, the appearance of the boy made Kaito couldn't help but doubt the safety of their destination, seeing as children seemed to be allowed to roam freely around the place.

Those at the front of the procession appeared to be in deep conversation and had yet to notice the appearance of the boy, unlike the boy who was fully aware of their presence. In fact, Kaito could bet his magician's hat that the boy was here for them, for Tsuna in fact. The most telltale sign would be the way the boy's face lit up like a Christmas tree and how both his eyes opened in excitement as they fell on the brunette in the lead.

"Tsu-" The boy started to call out as he ran towards them but suddenly stopped himself as he did a double take. Kaito looked back and forth between the boy and his brunette classmate, wondering what had made the boy stop in his track so suddenly. Kaito had to admit that Tsuna had been acting a little strange, especially in the past hour, but he had not met the brunette for years and could not be a fair judge of his former classmate's mannerism. However, the magician did not think that the little weirdness displayed by Tsuna would warrant such a reaction from a young child – not that the child had seen any of those weird display yet, seeing as all the brunette was doing at present was talking and walking, which made the situation even more weird.

With a flash of sudden realisation in his green eyes, the cow child hastily adjusted his expression to rein in his excitement with a professional mask and righted his posture in a way that looked extremely out of place for any elementary school kid, but would perfectly fit a grownup who was about to meet his superior.

The boy - who now looked a lot more mature than his years and nothing like a boy at all - stood at attention as he once again opened his mouth to greet, "Vongola."

Eh? Huh? WHAT!? What did he just say?

Kaito was sure the cow child was about to greet Tsuna before he stopped himself. He did start to say "Tsu-" after all. So why had he changed his greeting to that... that seafood? There must be something wrong with Kaito's hearing in addition to brain dysfunction. Unless...

Kaito didn't allow his mind to complete the sentence as he once again turned his attention to the brunette who had reacted to the greeting.

"Lambo." Tsuna returned the greeting before asking, "You didn't skip school, did you." It was more of a statement than a question.

"I-" The boy named Lambo panicked, apparently guilty of skipping school just as Tsuna suspected. "W-we are in the middle of an emergency." The panic was still there, though well-disguised as the grown-up child answered professionally.

"And where is Kaa-san?" Tsuna sigh.

"Above ground, with I-Pin, Fuuta and Shitsuji-san." Another sigh. Though Kaito could not see the brunette's expression with the latter's back facing him, he could sense a frown forming on Tsuna's face.

'Above ground' huh? Judging from how the boy had said 'above ground', they must be underground now. They must have started moving down below ground level when Kaito was not paying attention.

"Stupid cow. Causing trouble for Juudaime again." Gokudera scolded under his breath, such that not many could hear him. Kaito only heard the delinquent since, for once, Gokudera was not standing next to Tsuna, but in the middle of the group, right next to Kaito, but judging by how Tsuna's head tilted slightly in their direction, the brunette had heard Gokudera loud and clear. How he had managed it, was anyone's guess.

In fact, Kaito now found the arrangement of their group a little strange. Though most of the class had just followed those in front into the tunnel with no particular order, they had largely gravitated toward their usual cliques even as they walked in silence, be it consciously or subconsciously. However, while Enma stayed by Tsuna's side, both Gokudera and Takeshi had not once tried to close the distance between themselves and their friend. They had somehow appointed themselves a position in the middle and right at the end of the group respectively and had faithfully stayed there throughout their journey. Weird.

"Nakano-san needs to be treated immediately." Tsuna stated, implying that whatever trouble the Lambo kid had caused could wait. "Hayato, Takeshi, Nagi, please show everyone to the common room and make sure they are comfortable." Nagi? Is that the new blond guy's name?

"Hai, Boss." The three who were addressed replied in unison. Both Tsuna's tone and words were polite enough, but his friends' reply made it seemed like he had just issued them an order. And the strangest thing was, the third person who replied was Chrome Dokuro instead of the blond guy. Since when was she 'Nagi'!?

"Enma," Tsuna called out, turning to his best friend. "Let's go." With that the two best friends started to leave with their patient.

"Hey, what about the explanation you promised us?"

"It can wait." The tone Tsuna used was a quiet one, but somehow, no one could find it in themselves to argue.

It took them close to forty-five minutes to complete the tour of the Paeloris Japanese Headquarters, and, after which, Sawada Nana found herself seated comfortably in the dining room enjoying lunch with Fuuta-kun and I-pin-chan. The lunch was simply delicious. With a variety of dishes ranging from yakiniku, sashimi, and tempura, to gyouza, pasta, and steak, Nana was thoroughly impressed by their host's ability to prepare such a spread in the short time since they arrived.

The food, though, was not the only thing that had Nana impressed in the last hour. The Paeloris headquarters itself might have looked grand on the outside, but it was even more so on the inside. The building might not be all that big, but it was designed in such a way as to maximise every inch of the building, and the many rooms contained lots of furniture, paintings, and decorations that hinted at the company's infinite wealth. Furthermore, rather than just being expensive white elephants on display, most of the 'decorations' in the building had some meaning or history behind them. That was why it had taken Shitsuji-san a whole forty-five minutes to give Nana a simple tour of the place.

However, regardless of how much the place had impressed Nana, there was one thing the housewife found strange. Both Fuuta-kun and I-pin-chan seem to be as familiar with the headquarters as the butler himself. During the tour, the two children would sometimes comment on, or add on certain details regarding some of the items which Shitsuji-san was explaining to Nana about. Once, Fuuta-kun even added a ranking of an expensive-looking accessory which Shitsuji-san himself admitted he did not know of.

Furthermore, in the hour since Nana had arrived at the headquarter, she had heard more than just Shitsuji-san refer to Fuuta-kun and I-pin-chan as Young Master and Young Lady respectively. Shitsuji-san had also referred to Tsu-kun and Lambo-kun as Young Master too when she had just arrived. Weren't those forms of address for the heir to some rich family? Nana was sure that was what was shown on those dramas she loved. Since when did her children become Young Masters and Lady? Or maybe that's just how all butlers and servants address people.

"Ne, Fuuta-kun, I-pin-chan, do you come to this place often?" Nana decided to ask as they were finishing their meal.

"Eh? Why do you ask, Maman?" was I-pin-chan's immediate answer, apparently surprised by the question.

"Because everyone here seems to know you."

"We, erm, know the owner of this place." I-pin-chan's statement sounded more like a question than an answer.

"Oh. So that's how it is." Nana watched as I-pin-chan almost breathes a sign of relief. "Speaking of which, who is the owner? I have yet to offer my greetings despite the hospitality that he had shown us."

The silence that followed as I-pin-chan and Fuuta-kun stared at each other only added to Nana's confusion. Why do they always seem so worried when Nana posed a question regarding this place?

"Hahi!" A unique shout from the door effectively broke the silent. "Tsuna-san's Okaa-san! You really are here! Fuuta-kun and I-pin-chan too!"

"Haru-san! I didn't know you are here." I-pin-chan answered, being the first among the three to spot the newcomer since she sat facing the door. "Weren't you supposed to be in Italy?"

"I just arrived." Haru-chan replied cheerfully. "I can't believe Hayato-san left without telling me."

"Did Tsuna-nii tell you to come here?" Fuuta-kun enquired. Why would Tsu-kun tell Haru-chan to come here? She was not even a student of Namimori Middle.

"No. Kyoko-chan told me you would be here when I called." Haru-chan clarified before continuing thoughtfully, "I tried calling Hayato-san first, but... he seemed rather preoccupied and we didn't get to talk much. Did something happen?"

Haru-chan did not seem surprised or curious when she spoke. On the other hand, the look that Haru-chan directed at the two as she asked her question was one Nana knew well. A look of disapproval - as if implying that this was not the first time that she was left out of the loop of something important. As far as Nana knew, the most significant thing that had happened recently was the news of Lambo-kun going to Italy to continue his middle school education and Haru-chan didn't even seemed surprised when Nana told her about it over the phone, almost as if she had been expecting it. It was the same when Tsu-kun had made the announcement about him going overseas. Haru was always much more informed then she was. So, had something big really been going on without Nana's knowledge?

The two children sneaked a glance at Nana before looking at each other. A silent consent seemed to cross between the two. "Haru-nee-"

"Haru-chan!" Another shout interrupted whatever Fuuta-kun was going to say. "You arrived earlier than expected."

"Hahi, Kyoko-chan! I've missed you so much!" Haru-chan greeted.

"Me too. It's so good to see you again." Kyoko-chan exclaimed, before turning to Nana. "Konnichiwa, Oba-san."

"Konnichiwa, Kyoko-chan." Nana said, returning the greeting. "If you are here, is Tsu-kun here too?"

"Yes, he's with the rest of the class." Kyoko-chan answered, pausing for a little while before adding as if as an afterthought. "He is involved in some special activity right now and can't come over to meet you."

"Soka." Nana replied. "Then I just have to go look for him."

"I don't think now's a good time." Kyoko-chan said, stopping Nana. "They are rather busy right now. Tsu-kun said he would come looking for you when he's free. In the meanwhile, why don't you rest in one of the guest room here?"

"We have already imposed on the owner so much. I don't think it's a good idea to even request to use the guest room." Nana wondered.

"It's fine." Haru-chan said immediately. "He wouldn't mind at all."

"Don't worry." Kyoko-chan reassured. "The owner already offered to let all of us stay here tonight."

"Eh!?" Really? "But-" Wouldn't it be inappropriate to impose on the kind owner any longer than they already had?

"It would be rude to refuse the offer, Oba-san." Kyoko-chan added.

"That's true." The owner was kind enough to offer than accommodation for the night. It would definitely be rude to refuse. "Let's go to the guest room then."

Maybe, Nana would be able to meet the owner later and finally thank him for all the hospitality he had shown. The way everyone had acted when they referred to him seemed familiar, so maybe Nana had meet him before. However, from what she had seen so far, Nana was certain that the person must surely be a great man. Furthermore, he must be very rich to own such a grand house. Was there such a person among the people she knew?

Chapter Word Count: 5120 words

Hi~ Kitty desu! OMG, it's been like almost 2 years since I last updated! I really don't have a valid reason for not updating for so long. It was a combination of writer's block and my chronic disease (read: procrastination) acting up again. All I can say is, "Honto ni, gomenasai!"

This chapter has been sitting quietly in my laptop since I published the previous chapter and I couldn't bring myself to publish it because I usually like to have some buffer between what I have published and what I am currently writing. I have the bad habit of going back to edit previous chapters as I write. And while I was putting off writing this story, I ended up started two new KHR multi-chapter ones (which I was too ashamed to published, and are sitting around somewhere in my laptop), called 'Be careful What You Wish For' and 'The Day Where We Can Meet Smiling', among other unfinished one-shots.

The only reason why I decided to publish this now is because of all those who continued to favourite/follow/review despite my long absence. I really can't tell you how happy I am when I receive those emails, especially reviews. So, now I don't have any more buffers, so hopefully, I wouldn't feel the need to change the story too much as I write. And I really can't make any promises as to when the next chapter is going to come out. Hopefully, it wouldn't be another 2 years, heehee. New year, new hope, right?

And for anyone who noticed, (and if I didn't recall wrongly) I had Tsuna addressed Chrome simply as 'Chrome' even when he was in Boss Mode in one of the previous chapter, but in this chapter, I had decided that since Tsuna calls some people, like Yamamoto and Gokudera, differently when he is in Boss Mode, it is reasonable for him to call Chrome 'Nagi' here. I can't recall if I had already changed it in the previous chapter, but I will go around to changing it when I have the time.

Okay, that's enough blabbering from me. Ciao ciao.

Original Characters (OCs)

Karasuma Kaito: Tsuna's classmate. Currently magician-in-training. Observant and very suspicious of Tsuna. Character modelled after Kuroba Kaito (aka Kaitou KID) from "Detective Conan". First appeared in RwT chapter 2.

Takeda Takuto: Tsuna's classmate. First appeared in RwT chapter 2 as part of the interrogation panel.

Nakano Naomi: Tsuna's classmate. First appeared in RwT Chapter 4. Suffered the worst of the attack from the man in black, having taken a bullet to her abdomen causing major blood loss.

Shitsuji-san: Head butler of the Paeloris Japanese Headquarters and Vongola Japanese Underground Base. Modelled after Sebastian from Kuroshitsuji as most of you would have guessed.

Canon Characters

Mochida Kensuke: Tsuna's senpai. First appeared in manga chapter 1 (That guy from Italy) and anime episode 1 (What!? I'm the Tenth Generation Mafia Boss!?)

Kaneda Osamu: Tsuna's classmate. First appeared in manga chapter 33 (Parent Participation day) and anime episode 67 (Vongola-style Parents' Day)

Published: 2 January 2017 ^_^