Thank you all sooooo much for the wait! This chapter is dedicated to the birthday boy, Gokudera Hayato, and his little sneaky girlfriend. One note I would love to mention is how much I have appreciated all the faving and the comments on my page! I'm sorry if I haven't thanked you personally, but the fact that you all care so much means the world to me. And I'm going to work my butt off not to disappoint you all with a longer wait this time around.

Read, rate, and review! Enjoy!

"Do you really think this is good?"

"Absolutely."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely."

"It's not too weird?"

"No."

"Too girly?"

"No."

"…Too pricey?"

"For god's sake Hana, it's fine!" I groaned, my arms drooping from the various shopping bags hanging from my limbs. "We've been at this for hours! You're just buying him a birthday present! This is not a decision to buy the crown jewels or the Hope Diamond!"

Hana frowned over the large box in her hands. "Excuse me but I can't help it if I have a super active boyfriend who can't stop yelling at me what he wants. We can't all have a perfect, uninterested in anything, stoic guy like yours."

I rolled my eyes as Hana resumed rummaging through the sports bin. "Gokudera is not uninterested in anything! He loves anything supernatural and unusual! And me of course," I grinned, ruffling my hair pompously out of habit. "Just get him one of the forty million things you've already picked up and let's hurry and meet Kyoko and Chrome for lunch already!"

Hana glowered and put down the box with a huff as she continued to peruse the shelves. I rolled my eyes again and plopped myself into the cushy chair next to the dressing rooms. The stench of sports equipment and boy sweat spread through the whole store, making me sick to stomach. I had already picked out my present for the rambunctious boxer an hour ago while Hana continued to comb the boxing shelves, stuck on the decision to buy him one object over another.

I looked over my shoulder to the tall three-point mirror, catching a glimpse of my bobbed hair again for the four billionth time. It was one thing I could never get used to; passing by shop windows and being startled by the fact that another girl was wearing the exact same outfit, only to realize it was me. My friends complimented it frequently, and as of late had taken to braiding it into French braids with colorful beads and feathers as it had inched in growth from the beginning of the summer.

Months had passed and before I knew it, the weather had turned crisp again. But even the cool autumn breeze didn't cool off Gokudera's and my relationship. We were closer than ever. Because of the summer break, it had meant more time spent out on dates and meeting up with friends. We played at the beach, visited waterparks (both of which meant I got to admire him in a swimsuit and I felt certain that I caught him sneaking a few glances in my direction as well), and general outings to air-conditioned hangouts.

With my mom's new job, I began inviting Gokudera over to the house more often because he admitted once that he was nervous about me being home by myself without protection. We spent most of the nights obsessively watching documentaries about Loch Ness, ghosts, and demons. I often fell asleep in Gokudera's warm arms, after exhausting myself for hours before talking late into the night about anything that crossed our minds. It was the best summer I had had in years.

Hana finally approached me with monogrammed boxing gloves, satisfied that she had found the perfect present. We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in the air conditioned utopia of our favorite lunch restaurant alongside Kyoko and Chrome. We giggled like mad about anything that entered into our conversation and only finally parted when my ride appeared to pick me up.

I waved my friends goodbye on the back of Gokudera's bike, cackling in delight and slight fear when the bike was reared up on one wheel as it sped away.

"C'mon!" Nami wailed, bouncing up and down from her spot by my desk. "Just one little quote for the newspaper!"

"No Nami, for the last time, I'm not telling you about Gokudera's and my relationship already!" I snapped, starting to get annoyed as I flipped though my textbook. "I'm not going to say anything that's going to have my picture set up for a Wanted poster by the Out-For-Blood club."

"But you've been together for sooo long! You're a hero to the other girls, I swear!"

"Yeah, those who don't want to chew on my bones and rip my hair out," I continued to mutter, turning another page on polynomial equations.

Nami slammed her hands down onto the desk. "At least tell me his favorite color!" She whined.

"Green." I immediately answered without thinking.

Nami blinked as I groaned my annoyance. She giggled and quickly scribbled away my answer on her notepad. "What about favorite animal?"

"That would be the Tsuchinoko; he's obsessed with that thing," Someone answered for me. I felt a shadow hovering over my shoulder as Nami quickly scribbled down the answer. I felt my heart leap into my throat with the sound of Tsuna's voice wafting over my hair as he continued with "Do you mind if I speak to Haru, Nami? We need to discuss something."

I almost groaned when Nami nodded quickly and ran off to squeal the new news she had received to her other fan club friends. I slowly turned around to face Tsuna, biting my lip as I did.

Tsuna had grown immensely over the years I'd known him. No longer the shy, pale kid at the back of the class as I had only seen in yearbooks, Tsuna had had a growth spurt mid-summer of our third middle school year. The extra seven inches that wasn't created by spiky hair gel made him extremely popular with the other boys and girls, especially since he now had the confidence to back it up. His body fat had leaned out over the course of his mafia training, leaving him more muscled than before and his limbs more suitable for sports.

He had gotten better at baseball and soccer, but he had put more strength into basketball as his new height had given him a better edge. He was perfect on the team, putting his new leadership practice and talent to new use. Whenever we could, everyone put down everything to come see him in the weekly basketball games, cheering when he managed to score a goal.

Tsuna's eyes didn't bug out as much as they used to, narrowing with age and wisdom. He wasn't as scared of everything as he used to be and he had gotten many more friends and admirers as the years had gone by. It made him a perfect catch with the girls, even the ones that had known him since he was young. But of course he still retained good friendships with Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei.

He had grown into the image of my daydreams, smiling the same way as he did without abandon.

Tsuna pulled out the chair in front of me, spinning it around to face me face to face. He plopped himself down with the same grin residing on his face and leaned against his hand in that same way that made me adore him. "So…" He murmured in the low voice that had deepened in age. "Can I ask a few questions?"

"Of…of course," I heard myself saying. "Wh-what do you want to know?"

"Well…" Tsuna sighed, tapping an un-manicured fingernail along my desktop pensively. "You see, Kyoko mentioned that Gokudera's birthday is coming up in a few weeks, am I right?"

"Yes, the uh…the ninth I believe."

"Well she and I thought, well I thought…" Tsuna mumbled, scratching his head while biting his lip. "Well…everyone is thinking about throwing him a party at my house this year…unless you guys had some special plans…"

I snorted a laugh. "Please. He hates mentioning his birthday. Let alone planning something to celebrate the fact that he—" I cut myself off, remembering to keep Gokudera's secret.

Tsuna smiled solemnly. "Yeah. I know what you're talking about. I wouldn't exactly want to remember that either…" He chuckled. "Well, Kyoko had the idea that if Gokudera thought it was your idea he might be more open to playing along for a day."

I laughed again and nodded. "Sure. Blame me for it all; I was thinking about what I should do for him anyway. God knows he's done a lot for me these past few months…"

Tsuna grinned wider. "Great!" He cheered. "Oh and uh…" Tsuna's smile softened again into something akin to approval. "…I'm glad you returned his feelings. He's…mellowed out a lot more since you two have been together."

I was surprised. "Really?"

Tsuna nodded. "Yeah. Remember? He used to be so uptight and would throw himself into everything, whether it was hating someone or protecting me. I'm just glad he has another reason to get up in the morning besides me. And don't get me wrong; I love the guy…just not like that."

I laughed again, the knot in my stomach slowly unwinding. It was a relief to be able to speak to Tsuna like normal without feeling guilty or ashamed. It was like old times.

We continued to chat for several more minutes about Kyoko's thoughts about the party until classes began. I spent the entirety of my math class planning out every finite detail of the upcoming party before being chewed out by the teacher for not paying attention once again.

Then the knowledge hit me: I had no idea what to get Gokudera for his birthday.

As usual, I didn't allow myself to panic. I didn't have the time when I continually met Kyoko over the next few weeks to plan out the party. We poured over everything, leaving us entirely exhausted by the end of the day.

At night would be the time that I would pace my room nervously, my brain aching from strain as I desperately tried to think of what present would be perfect for the one who seemed to have everything. However, my panic was short lived until Gokudera dropped by later on to protect me at midnight. I would spend the rest of the night my mind blissfully blank until the moment I was alone again. Only then did my panic return.

My worries didn't fully register until I waved goodbye to Kyoko the last day before Gokudera's birthday party. The worry then struck my stomach, twisting into knots worse than when I was five and had the stomach flu. In another flurry of panic, I grabbed my dusty, rusty bike from my garage and pedaled as fast I could attempt down into the city.

Namimori hadn't changed in over the course of my term living there. The same shops stood in the same places and except for the large shopping mall and the various residential buildings crowded around the tiny city, the only thing that had changed was the weather. The people usually milling about were already beginning to disappear into their homes, the late hour taking its toll.

As I pedaled past through the thinning crowds, I remembered walking these streets with my mother over the years. I knew each shop like the back of my hand; which store had the best deals, which ones had the best shoes, and especially which ones I could find the best presents for a certain weird-loving boyfriend of mine.

I stepped into my first choice store, immediately ruling out everything I picked up. Suddenly I had much more sympathy for Hana, knowing now how much she loved the loud mouth boxer if she had poured over her decisions as much as I was.

Torn between two likely options, I desperately began calling everyone I knew for help. Finally Chrome took pity on me after dialing Yamamoto in a fit of despair, promising to be there in minutes. She showed up shortly after, immediately recanting my possibilities as already purchased by more intelligent customers.

After two long hours, I was emotionally and physically drained. Nothing seemed to fit enough to give to Gokudera. I leaned against the counter, waiting as Chrome rung up her last minute purchases with the cheery cashier. My eyes drooped and glazed over as I stumbled out the shop door, ignoring the tinkling bell as it chimed behind me. I made a beeline for the open bench, plopping down instantly defeated and dour.

I felt terrible. Gokudera had been a huge relief to me over the past few months as I continued to review every bad episode in my life. The other day had been especially traumatic, running into Yamada for the first time in months. She glared at me with all the derision and distaste as she had so many days before, and only stopped and slunk away when Gokudera glared at her in warning.

He had grabbed my hand tightly instantly after she left. "Don't worry," He murmured comfortingly. "She learned her lesson. Her dad cut her off once he learned she kidnapped a young girl and hired two thugs to attack her out of his pocket."

"How'd he find out?" I had asked stupidly.

He had smirked at me knowingly, looking slightly devilish as he did. "The Vongola have ways," He had replied lowly in that tone of voice that told me not to ask about it anymore.

He had also been by my side when my father attempted to call me again for the first time in nearly a year. We had been lounging on the couch, worn out from the late night scare fest we went to and chattering about the movies we'd seen when the phone rang. I giggled and let it go to voicemail when it rang out "Haru?...It's me, Dad. Uh…I-I thought you'd be home since your mother's working…I guess not…a-anyway, just…call me back, alright? I've missed you, and I want to spend some time with you again…Alright…goodbye I guess." The machine clicked and it ended.

I guess I had looked pretty upset since Gokudera pulled me tighter against him and kissed my temple. "It's alright," he had murmured lowly before I collapsed into a sob. "It's alright…"

I sighed again as Chrome came to sit next to me on the bench. The sunlight was disappearing behind the buildings, making the atmosphere just a little bit cooler. "I'm such a horrible girlfriend," I moaned pathetically. "Nearly a year together and I still don't know a thing about him."

"I highly doubt that is true."

"Really?"

"Yes. I'm sure there is probably someone worse than you out there somewhere." She answered bluntly, with no ill intention in her voice.

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks a lot," I muttered bitterly.

Chrome fidgeted nervously. "How about instead…you simply tell Mr. Gokudera the truth? And give him a belated present that he will enjoy?"

I sighed again. "…I guess I have no other options, huh? Unless I say the party was my present, which is the lamest excuse ever considering it wasn't even my idea. Still, I guess it's better than nothing." I angrily scratched my head. "…Sorry for dragging you out Chrome."

"Not at all."

I smiled warmly as she stood to her feet, swinging her back over her shoulder. I then noticed a tinkling sound coming from her bag and a glint of light as it caught the late evening sunset. "Chrome…what is that?" I pointed to what seemed to be a bird made out of dark twine wearing a baby blue baseball uniform and helmet.

The girl brightened immediately. "Takeshi made it for me!...Okay, he had someone else make it for him," She relented at my dubious expression. She flipped the bird over and pointed out the words stitched on the back of the bird's uniform. "'Chrome's Charmers' is the name the team came up with as a joke once and it stuck. Takeshi picked out the costume and everything. Some of the girls in his class showed him how to do it."

I frowned. "Where did it come from exactly?"

Chrome pointed around the corner. "Around there I think. It's actually a very popular fad with the girls in our class. You decide what shape you want them to take and what their eyes and everything will look like. They provide a template and then you can decorate them how you want. Depending on how skilled at sewing you are, you can make them as complicated as you want.

"I made Takeshi one for our anniversary. Girls usually make them for their boyfriends and then you make one for yourself as a pair and…" She trailed off, suddenly seeing the pensive look growing on my face. She grinned. "…You have an idea now, don't you?"

"Oh yes…"

"…And what is the layer of Earth under the crust called?"

"Mantle. Made up of rock that is hot enough to move very slowly."

"And the layer under that?"

"The outer core and then the inner core. Made up mostly of nickel and iron."

"Correct." Gokudera snapped the textbook shut, sliding it away on the tabletop surface. "I think you'll be alright for this test next week. The test is pretty simple for this class. Either you know the subject or you don't."

"Why don't you just go to college already if you know everything?" I growled playfully.

"Then I wouldn't be here to help you, now would I?" He parroted back, a smirk in his voice.

"I suppose not."

He grinned and waved another large textbook in my face. "Time for your favorite."

"Ugh. Math." I groaned and slumped pathetically to the table. "Can't we just skip it again?"

"Nope. This next test is worth 30% of your grade." He frowned when he saw my blank look. "That means a lot…and that we have our work cut out for us." He pushed the black reading glasses on his nose back and flipped through the pages, searching.

I grinned and slouched against my couch. Gokudera and I were plopped in my living room, going over the week's notes in preparation for the looming tests. It was a special treat for me to be tutored by the smartest person in the class, and a nice change of pace. In my old middle school, I had always been singled out as the stupid one who was so focused on making ridiculous costumes that resulted in her failing half of her classes. My dad had always been the one to push my education to its limits without thinking about how it would affect me.

I had never fit in with those smart kids. The only useful purpose I served was designing and decorating the classroom for the annual school festivals. Those were usually the happiest times I had in that school, where my talents were praised instead of ridiculed.

All of Gokudera's and my class skipping and putting off the summer homework had taken its toll on my grades, and Gokudera said he would not take me out again until I managed to pull them up to an acceptable state.

And it was especially difficult, considering Math was my ultimate kryptonite.

My head slammed against the table. "Do we have to?"

"Yes. Now, percentages are easy to calculate if you know the formula. Simply put, if you put the number of the calculated in a solution over the entire calculated group—"

"What prescription are your glasses?" I murmured, staring at them intently as they glinted in the sunlight.

He sighed and looked at me tiredly. "You were the one who asked me for help Haru. Quit stalling already, we need to work."

"Who's stalling?" I murmured playfully, swiping his glasses off his face. I slipped them on. "I'm not stalling you. It's your birthday for crying out loud. Surely you don't want to be inside on a great day like this just because of me…Wow, you're blind!" I chirped, blinking my eyes incessantly to try and get used to the prescription.

Gokudera frowned. "What are you not telling me?" He asked curiously, dropping the textbook onto the table.

"Nothing!" I answered quickly, still blinking heavily.

"Nothing, nothing; you're hiding something." He continued to repeat.

"No I'm not."

"It doesn't have anything to do with my birthday, does it?"

I didn't answer, flipping the glasses over in my palm and pointedly ignoring his probing eyes.

He sighed in annoyance. "Haru, I told you I didn't want a party." Gokudera moaned in annoyance.

"I know, I know."

"I told you not to throw me one out of obligation."

"I know, again. I didn't."

He narrowed his eyes. "Promise?" He asked curiously.

"Promise." I smiled warmly in response, leaning in closer to the textbook. "C'mon, talk to me about percentages."

Gokudera still seemed dubious, but he snatched his glasses back from my face and turned to the open book. "Alright. Basically, you take the portion that you want to calculate out of the total number and multiply it by 100, you get the percentage. For example, if you divide 32 out of 45, you get…?"

"…0.711?"

"Right. Then multiply it by 100 and get…?"

"…71.1%"

"Correct."

"YAY!" I hollered. "Oh, but uh…can I ask you something else?"

"What's up?" Gokudera murmured, flipping through the pages again.

"Well…you know how I said I promised I wasn't throwing you a party?" I started.

Gokudera looked up. "…Yeah?" He asked slowly.

I grinned, his confused face priceless. "Well…I never promised I wasn't throwing you alone did I?"

Gokudera frowned. "Wh-what are you talking abou—AAAUGHHH!" He hollered as Yamamoto and Ryohei tackled him from behind their hiding spots in the hall closet. I cackled like mad as they pulled him up into a standing position and began dragging him out the door. He sputtered curses and yowls of incoherent anger as I trailed along behind.

"TURF-HEAD! BASEBALL FREAK! IF YOU TWO DON'T LET GO OF ME RIGHT NOW, I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL KILL YOUR ASSES IN A MATTER OF THREE SECONDS!" He continued to holler as they dragged him out into the street.

"Oh chill out Gokudera," Yamamoto coolly replied with a grin. "Tsuna and Haru put a lot of effort into this, don't disappoint them now."

I grinned as Gokudera shot me a dirty glare over his shoulder.

He did manage to wriggle an arm free and shoot the three of us the finger before being pushed through the door of the Sawada house to a ringing chorus of "SURPRISE!"

The presents were doled out after a serving of cake and ice cream, and in the case of certain little ones several servings. Gokudera's attitude didn't dissipate for most of the night, except when I chastised him on it. After that, he developed a cool mentality—neither angry nor happy but civil nonetheless.

He graciously accepted everyone's presents, though it didn't seem he was too thrilled with many of them. He had confessed to me once that since those big birthday parties in Italy that came with so many expensive and lavish gifts that he had never cared for that the idea of gift giving had lost its appeal over the years.

However, once we were outside and I had helped him load his presents into his apartment, I pulled him aside.

"I promise, this one'll be better." I promised eagerly, pulling out a gift bag from my pocket.

"You've made a lot of promises tonight." Gokudera remarked in annoyance I rifled through it.

"Yes, but I didn't mean half of them. This one I think you might like a little better. First, a gift card," I pulled out the aforementioned present and handed it to him. "So that you can get that subscription to that magazine you were telling me about last week."

He laughed lightly and took it. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Annnnnd," I continued, delving into the bag again. "It's a little girly, but I don't mind it if you don't."

He looked at me quizzically until I pulled out a small package wrapped up in maroon red tissue paper. He unrolled it slowly, letting the object land into his palm with a slight tinkle. His fingers uncurled from it, letting him examine it more closely.

It was a white twine rabbit, with large green button eyes that stared back at the un-blinking Gokudera with no fear. It was dressed in a neat little suit (one that had taken me most of the night to tailor and detail) with a single red flower on its lapel and little rolls of dynamite stuck to its belt. The chain rang as Gokudera gripped it in between his fingers and held it up in the air.

"…A rabbit?"

"Yep."

"…Who's a spy?"

"They didn't have a mafia guy, okay?" I protested back. "I made him look as best I could."

Gokudera shrugged and nodded. "True." He spun him around and grinned. "I'll call him Bond. Bunny Bond."

I giggled. "I have one too, see?" My hand went to my pocket, pulling out my cellphone and showing him my own keychain. Mine was a black twine cat with the same green button eyes in a silky red ninja suit with pink ear ribbons. She held a hockey stick in one paw and a helmet in the other.

Gokudera laughed. "Just like the first time?"

"Yep! And now we match."

Gokudera smirked. "You know…I've gotten a lot of gifts in my time, most of which that never meant anything to me more than an expression of distaste. But this," He held Bunny Bond up in the air, swirling the chain around his finger. "This is the best gift I have ever gotten. This means more to me than…anything really. I appreciate it." He strode over and kissed my forehead. "Thank you very much Haru."

I smiled, my face warming at the feel of his lips on my head. I lifted my arms and wrapped them around his thin neck and giggled as he pecked my forehead again and again. The sweet moment was disrupted when our key chains suddenly bumped together and there was a noticeable click as the two mouths met. We looked down.

"…I swear, I had no idea those two did that." I muttered with an airy laugh.

"It's okay." Gokudera ruffled my hair once more. "I'm just gonna put this guy on my wallet, right here where I won't lose him." I grinned as he slipped the ring onto the silver chain on his leather wallet.

"I'm glad you like it. I was seriously concerned on what to get you for the past few days." I admitted as we began the long trek back to my house.

"Even just the gift card would have been enough for me." Gokudera responded with a laugh.

"Yes, but they're so impersonal. They drive me crazy when I get them myself, so I normally give people whatever I would want."

"It's a good policy." Gokudera wrapped his arm around my shoulders, bumping into one of my long fake braids. "…Your hair's gotten really long. I like it."

"I thought you liked me with short hair."

"I did. But I also liked your long hair too."

"Yeah…But I'm thinking about cutting it again."

Gokudera quirked an eyebrow. "Really?" He inquired.

"Yeah. I've kinda liked it short. But maybe I'll leave it long for the winter and cut it again in the summer. What do you think?"

Gokudera chuckled. "I'm biased, remember? Short-haired girls drive me crazy." He leaned down; the same glimmer of something playful burning in his eyes.

I rolled my eyes. "What is your obsession with kissing me?"

"It's not an obsession. It's called desire," Gokudera purred, lips tentatively close to mine. "Is that a problem?"

I giggled. "Never." I tilted my head up to meet his soft ones, electricity sparking along my senses again driving me crazy in a way only he could do. I was never as happy as I was any other time without him.

"So…you must be Mr. Studydate."

We broke apart instantly as the sound of my mother's condescending voice floated over to our position on the street. My body froze when I realized how suddenly we had ended up in front of my house with my mother standing coolly on the doorstep.

The anger on her face was the most fearful thing I had ever seen, even more so that Yamada's leer.