When she is 13, she feels her heart thunder and her face warm for the second time in her short life. Hibari is a crush long dead, but this crush… this crush makes her knees buckle and her thoughts wander to dirty places… this crush makes her feel… dirty.

"It is natural to love who you will love." Are the wise words of her master, his babyish expression of peace soothing her frayed nerves. "Whether that be man or woman. There is no shame in that."

His words make her feel less dirty – but only minimally so.

"Oya? Kufufufu~ I can't say I approve, but I most certainly do not oppose the notion~" Mukuro's words, though creepy and very unsettling, also loosens the filth clinging to her soul.

"Goodness… I should have seen this coming…" Lambo's smile, soft and dreamy, makes her beam as well. "My little sister is all grown up."

She feels nearly as light as a feather as she leaves her 'big brother' to himself, a blueprint spread out in front of him that depicts his next plan to brutally maim and then kill his lifelong rival.

"You both deserve happiness." Tsuna's eyes are warm and molten as they meet hers, the surprise there and then gone as he accepts her words.

"Don't wait too long." Reborn's obsidian gaze, despite being accompanied by a small, childish body, pierces her with a spear named fear. "Nothing was ever accomplished by sitting around."

Despite his words, however, it still takes her another two years before she can approach the object of her desires with anything less than stuttering embarrassment. Even then, she forgets to confess her feelings, so caught in the beautiful expression on the other's face, so innocently curious and caring.

A year later, she tries again. She ignores the date on the calendar, the gathered masses that try to smile at her and say something that could have been 'sappy hair-day' for all she knows and cares to know. Her mind is honed, her eyes – though weak in sight – are sharp, and her face is set. She searches all of Vongola HQ with everyone she comes across grinning and saying that confusing 'sappy hair-day!' that she comes to realize isn't exactly what they are saying, but doesn't care to figure out their exact words.

She finds her crush of three years in a room by her lonesome, standing on a balcony with her silhouette cast into the floor behind her by the afternoon sun. She has yet to change from her pajamas, a simple white nightgown low on her breasts and flaring at her thighs. A fall of purple hair is over her one eye, her other magenta orb transfixed.

She steals a deep breath. "I like you!" Her voice startles her crush and the woman spins on her heel to gaze upon her with a wide-eye look. "Please go out with me, Nagi!" She prefers the woman's real name to her face one, likes how the odd yet beautiful name better fits the beautiful woman who looks more like a child than even she. She prefers it over Chrome, which feels more mechanical and dead on her tongue.

What she doesn't realize as she spills this admission, however, is that the strange people with their 'sappy hair-day!' fascination had followed her to Nagi's room. They stand there behind her, not nearly as surprised as most would have expected them to be; after all, I-pin has already told them about this crush.

Lambo butts shoulders with Reborn's and meets his glower with a look saying 'see?' in which Reborn replies with hitting the thunder guardian upside the head. Mukuro stands a step behind Tsuna, the Don and the mafia-hater looking to each other and then away.

The purple-haired woman blinks owlishly at her, the concept of being liked not as foreign as it had once been, but still is in the context I-pin so obviously means it to be in. Moments pass by in uncertain quiet, the woman's eyes flittering from the determined child to Mukuro and then back. Cheeks flushed red and hands wringing together, she nods.

For one reason or another, the audience gathered behind I-pin applauds.

"I suppose I-pin wanted to give herself a birthday present." Lambo mutters with a small smile on his lips as I-pin tackles Chrome with a bone-crushing hug, promising in a surprisingly loud voice to protect the fragile illusionist. "Eh, you stingy bastard?" He looks up at Reborn with teasing eyes.

"They're lucky they decided to do this now." The hitman notes, disinterestedly looking at his watch even as he smirks. "The mafia has only recently developed patience for homosexuality."

"Which never stopped you."

"Hush, stupid cow."

Tsuna looks up at a proud Mukuro, the illusionist appearing much like an older brother or father figure in that moment with his duo-colored eyes bright and his smile shockingly real; the message written in his expression is one of 'my baby's growing up~'.

He can't help but feel as if his own baby had grown up as well, his pride-filled eyes on I-pin as the younger girl continued to make promises she had most likely heard from Ryohei to make when finding 'the one extreme person you'll love TO THE LIMIT'.

Gokudera snorts about how it's 'about time' and then leaves, Yamamoto loyally by his side while laughing at 'young love', his arm thrown tellingly over the silverette's shoulders. Reborn leaves next, Lambo predictably following him with a farewell goodbye to his 'little sister' and the rest of his family. Bianchi, for reasons Tsuna doesn't want to suppose, is holding a pizza with eyes focused glaringly on Chrome, taking precise steps into the room towards the newly-formed couple.

Tsuna takes the fair – and reluctant – guess that Bianchi, just like Lambo, considers I-pin to be her younger sibling. Sadly, he realizes, she does not extend the sisterly bond to Chrome.

Mukuro coos and grabs them both by the elbow, dragging them from the softly-talking couple and back down to the party celebrating I-pin's birthday – the wonderful day of November 25th.

"They'll be just fine~" Mukuro purrs into his ear.

"I know." Tsuna smiles back at his admittedly dangerous guardian.

"Chrooommee…!" Bianchi growls beneath her breath.

"To the new couple!" Lambo raises his drink high – safely grape juice because he is under aged and Tsuna does not want him drinking.

"To the new couple!"

"So… what do… what do couples do?" Chrome asks her girlfriend upstairs, now that everyone has left. She is completely new to this.

"…" I-pin thinks back on all the things she has seen from others dating. "… We… We kiss?" Or is that only after the first date?

Despite her uncertainty, their lips touch experimentally. Their first kiss is unsure, a little frightful, and clumsy… And because it is the greatest thing they have ever felt (well, aside from a few things that includes being given a new life or getting over being shy, but those are completely different things from what they feel now), they kiss again.

Whatever 'sappy hair-day!' is, I-pin thinks it is the greatest day of the year.