The Bureau of Unexpected Tales

Whao; we're doneeeee :O This has been so much fun writing, uwahhh~ Thank you very much for your time, everybody :3 After this, I hope I'll be able to continue to improve my writing, and not to rush things too much! I know I get a bit repetitive at times too, so hopefully, I'll fix that as well ^^

Now...onto the finale? :)

Song of the day: Marchin' On (One Republic)

Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Any similarities in events or characters living or dead are entirely coincidental.

Enjoy!

Epilogue

-Nine Years Later-

May 2nd

Southern China

They say all old forests have their stories. Each layer of soil holds the tracks of the creatures that once stepped upon its surface, every fold of bark marked a new year, the wind that rustled through the leaves have circled around the area over and over many, many times. It was a pleasant day of the late spring. The weather was starting to get warmer, probably because it was already nearing June, which meant that all the creatures of the forest, even the supernatural, were out and about. Several baby trolls lumbered down the path by the stream, gurgling and splashing their way into the water for fish. But no sooner had they stumbled into the refreshing liquid did they all freeze, their hairy ears twitching and flicking back and forth. Then, before the trolls could move, two figures came crashing out from the trees, and the small creatures shrieked loudly in shock before scrambling for cover.

A giant, cat like figure leapt clean over the bank in one powerful pounce, chasing down a human as he sprinted through the waters and into the bushes, scrambling away from his foe.

Dante Mirch dove through the trees, sliding easily through the gaps between the sprawling trunks, taking great care to weave in complicated patterns, trying to throw off the giant thing hunting him. It looked a lot like a panther of sorts, but perhaps twice as big, with tense muscles that shifted powerfully along its back and shoulders and raking claws that tore through the bark and undergrowth. Three hideous yellow eyes blinked in unison, narrowed down upon the target it was chasing. Dante slid under a fallen tree before diving for a larger one, scaling up the branches, settling in one of the mid-level limbs. Breathing hard, the boy secured himself, peering down at the ground below him.

He was tall for a nine-year-old, like his parents, and had a thin, heart-shaped face with wide baby blue eyes. His blonde hair was long enough to be tied back into a ponytail, which currently several twigs and leaves had stuck in it. Dante impatiently brushed the loose strands back, barely breathing as the giant, demonic panther finally came prowling into sight below, sniffing around the trunk, its three eyes scanning the area. Dante exhaled softly, almost noiselessly, knowing that a single sound could give away his position. He was armed; in his hands he held a long, carved bow and strapped to his back was a silver quiver filled with feather-fletched arrows. Sliding one of the long, thin projectiles out, Dante quietly loaded his bow, his gloved hand brushing by the fletching ever so slightly.

The panther walked past his tree, pawing loudly through the leaves about ten feet away. Dante shifted his body sideways and raised his bow, leveling the tip of the arrow with the panther's back. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he drew back with only the slightest creak of his wood, which did not go unnoticed by his enemy. The panther's ear twitched as it raised its head a little, scanning the perimeter. Dante pressed his lips together and exhaled through his nose, feeling the steady thump, thump of his own heartbeat.

Anchor.

Aim.

Fire.

His breath whooshed out of his lungs barely a second after the arrow left; his hand only jerking slightly in recoil. A sneaky strand of hair flew forwards and caught against his cheek, petal-soft against skin accompanied by a tickling sensation. The arrow streaked through the clearing and nailed the panther in the back of the neck, making the beast howl and writhe. Dante immediately grabbed another arrow, and with quicker movements—he didn't have to worry about giving away his position now—shot one, two, and three more arrows in succession. It hit the panther in the neck again, its shoulder, and one through the eye on its forehead. The creature moaned and slumped lifeless on the forest floor before falling away into ash, blown aside by the wind.

Dante grinned at his success, leaping down from the tree to observe the remains. There were only bones left, but there was one in particular he was looking for. Lifting aside the giant ribcage, the blonde located it: a sharp, jagged white appendage that was a feature exclusive to the giant cat. It was naturally sharp, and for some reason, grew in the panther's body. Dante wrapped his hand around the end of the bone and broke it off with a satisfying crunch, weighing the material in his hand. It was lighter than he expected, which was a good thing. He'd been hoping to be able to turn it into a hunting knife.

Wrapping his prize up in a piece of cloth before dropping it into his pouch, the boy made his way out of the forest and back up the rolling hillside, locating the long river that still ran alongside the hanging mountain cliff. There was a shadow cast over the other part of the forest where his home was, which was a relief from the beaming afternoon sun. Dante waded across and hurried along the path until he came to the paved clearing leading up to the temple.

The grounds were deserted save for two men outside; one of them was sweeping while the other sat on the rocks, smoking a cigarette.

"Uncle Fon!" Dante shouted, running up. "Uncle Verde, look what I got!"

Fon and Verde both looked over at the sight of the young boy hurrying up to them. Fon smiled and put down his broom at once; walking over to observe the giant bone Dante had retrieved. The years had done little to change his appearance: he was wearing his usual red robes with his sleeves rolled back and dark pants with comfortable flat shoes. Fon's hair had grown out a bit, perhaps, and he no longer kept the habit of tying it into a braid. It now hung in a long, waist-length ponytail that looked very much like a raven-dark waterfall.

"Where did you get this, Dante?" Fon asked, running a finger over the sharp edge.

"A panther in the forest," the blonde grinned. "It had three eyes!"

"Have you been going through your father's records again?" Verde called out, putting out his cigarette before standing up and walking as well. He looked uncharacteristically laid back due to his lack of lab coat and usual dress shirt. Instead, the scientist wore a worn-out wife beater and a pair of slacks similar to Fon's. He tucked his hand into his pocket, rolling his shoulder back as he examined the bone.

"Nice catch," he grunted, clapping Dante on the back.

"Thanks," the boy smiled, beaming. "I did happen to find it in dad's journals. I wanted to make a knife out of this; dad said its texture is really sturdy!" Fon laughed and said lightly, "Well, you'd better keep it safe then. We were waiting for you, Dante. Why don't you go in and change before coming down for dinner? And put your arrows away nicely, I don't think I'll be able to stop laughing if I see Verde trip over them again."

"I didn't trip over them!" the green-haired man shouted indignantly, but Fon elbowed him in the stomach before shooing Dante into the temple. The boy ran in, followed by several twittering fairies he'd manage to befriend over the years.

"He's really growing up, isn't he?" Fon sighed, crossing his arms. Verde shrugged; the motion was slightly lopsided due to his missing arm.

"Did you think he was going to stay a kid forever? I didn't know you were that slow."

"Ha ha ha," Fon snapped, jabbing Verde in the ribs, making the man double over. "Dante will leave one day too. It might get lonely after that," he sighed wistfully.

"Che," Verde grumbled. "What am I, a potted plant?"

Fon laughed, sending a smirk over at the scientist. "Maybe. With that hair of yours, you could probably pass as one."

"Arse," Verde growled, pushing his glasses up.

"No swear words in front of Dante," Fon said firmly. "I'm surprised Lal and Colonello aren't swooping down to rip your guts out already. Mostly Lal, though."

"Dante's not here," Verde pointed out, making the other roll his eyes.

"Just because he's not here doesn't mean you can sprout out whatever nonsense," Fon shot back. Verde muttered something unintelligible, but then surprised the other by suddenly reaching out to fix a stray strand of hair escaping Fon's ponytail. Verde's hand lingered for a second longer before pulling back, tucking his one arm back into the pocket of his slacks, making a disgruntled noise in his throat. Fon looked startled, but bowed slightly in thanks afterwards, a smile gracing his features.

Verde turned on his heel and had started to walk away, but then he stopped, pausing a second to half-glance Fon's way. "You won't be lonely. I know I'm not the best company, but if you don't want to be alone, I'll stay here. For as long as you need."

Fon stared. He hadn't expected the other to say something like that to him. Verde suddenly turned a little red, made another 'tch!' sound and continued to make his way back into the temple. Fon let a brilliant smile cross his face as he hurried after the other intent on bugging the scientist elaboration on his words.

He wondered what it meant to find somebody to stay with.

Did Reborn have this feeling when he was with Tsuna as well?

Maybe he'd find out.

Dante was waiting for them when they entered the dining hall, sitting cross-legged on one of the benches while he carefully tied the knot on one of the fairy's bracelets for her. He was already growing into the same outdoorsy kid his father had once been; roaming the fields and forests eagerly, always looking for more places to explore. But he also had his mother's patience with certain things, and her skilled accuracy. That trait spread from carefully fixing a fairy's ornament to sitting in a tree for hours with his bow, waiting for his prey to come by.

Fon exchanged looks with Verde, who nodded, and the martial artist quickly walked over to a large, decorated box sitting on one of the other tables. Bringing it over, he quickly answered Dante's questioning look by pulling the blue ribbon off the top, revealing a beautiful chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. Strawberries, cherries and thin slices of dark chocolate were arranged decoratively around the edges, and there was a message written across the surface in blue icing. Dante's jaw dropped and his face lit up at once, staring in delighted surprise at his uncles.

Fon was smiling widely, and even Verde couldn't hold back a rare, amused chuckle as he reached out to ruffle the boy's hair.

"Happy birthday, Dante."

November 13th

London, England

"And I swear, that thing was nearly twice the size of my head, and it had these gross, hairy tufts growing out of its ears, and then—"

"Yes, yes," Tsuna said soothingly, a strained smile on his face as he sat at his desk, palm propping his face up as he listened to the middle-aged lady rant on and on about some supernatural household pest she'd encountered. It had been nearly three hours already, and the woman in front of him had narrated her problems so many times Tsuna could recite everything her speech back to front.

"Miss Arkinson," Tsuna began again, rubbing his eyes, "After a thorough analysis of the vexation based on your description, could you possibly be talking about this creature?"

Reaching for a thick volume on the shelf behind him, Tsuna slammed a giant, dusty book on his table and flipped open to a section near the back. He pointed at the title on the top of the page, labeled Northern Stout-foot Trolls. A grimy old painting showed a hunched-over, grubby-skinned little guy rummaging through kitchen supplies. He had very hairy ears indeed.

"It's him!" Miss Arkinson shrieked. "It's him, by the gods, you must save me from that horrid thing!"

"I assure you, madam, that while other breeds of trolls are indeed quite deadly and have the tendency to tear their prey limb to limb while they are still alive, Northern Stout-foot Trolls are very harmless. They appreciate flashy silverware, hence you finding him in your kitchen. Generally they are thieves, but if they see a mess, they will be compelled to organize it for you. So I'm not really sure why that would be a bad thing altogether," Tsuna added, glancing around the room. Ever since they'd expanded the upper floor of the Grimm Office to accommodate living quarters, the place had turned into a total pigsty.

Miss Arkinson swallowed, her lip trembling. "But—but—"

"If you insist on being worried," Tsuna sighed, closing the book with a snap, "Then I suggest you place a couple of sliced lemons out. They can't stand the scent."

The woman brightened up at once. "Is that so?"

"Yes," Tsuna replied, writing out a note for her. "Here's a reminder. It's not our fault if you forget to put it out and the little guy ruins your kitchen again."

"Oh, not at all," Miss Arkinson giggled, taking the slip of paper. Both of them knew that the woman was more likely to go out for tea and shopping than remembering to put the lemons out. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Sawada!"

"No problem," Tsuna sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Per favore non tornare." (Please do not return)

"Pardon me?" Miss Arkinson asked, confused. Tsuna smiled wearily, a vein popping in his temple as he straightened up.

"Oh, nothing, just a little Italian phrase. Nothing like learning another international language."

"You speak Italian?" the woman asked, her eyes going wide. "Oh, how romantic!"

Tsuna twitched. "Well…you never know when you'll need to know various languages," he said.

"Indeed!" Miss Arkinson simpered, settling herself in the chair. "Do you know any other languages, Mr. Sawada?"

Tsuna mentally groaned. The woman was supposed to be leaving, god damn it! "Some Russian and Mandarin," the brunette replied testily. "Now, it's getting late in the afternoon, Madame. I wouldn't want you to walk home by yourself in the dark, no?"

"Oh, silly me! It is almost the evening," Miss Arkinson said, checking her watch. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Sawada…would you…" the woman smiled at him, flashing her shiny teeth. Tsuna wondered why the troll hadn't pulled them all out yet. "…would you accompany me back to my place?"

"No, I need him to help me with something," a voice behind her suddenly said, and both Tsuna and Miss Arkinson jumped as Reborn appeared from almost nowhere, carrying a large bundle in his arms wrapped in brown paper. Tsuna leapt to his feet, immense relief evident on his face at the sight of his boyfriend.

"Reborn! You're back!"

"Oh, good evening, Mr. Reborn!" the woman beamed, sidling up to the hunter. "Your partner had just suggested the most effective method to getting rid of the troll that's been terrorizing my kitchen!"

"Is that so?" Reborn asked, putting the bundle down as he reached over to the coat rack and handed the lady her coat. "Well, I do hope it works. After such a long discussion with my staff member I should expect it to be highly effective."

"Indeed!" Miss Arkinson giggled, pulling her coat on and accepting Reborn's arm. "I shall head down to the market right now and buy the oranges Mr. Sawada has suggested and decorate my kitchen with them at once! And—"

Reborn casually steered the lady out of the office and slammed the door shut, rolling his eyes as he fixed the sleeve of his jacket. "The woman's been here since two in the afternoon," he groaned. "How many problems did she have?"

"One," Tsuna shot back, sagging into his seat. "I think I've just met the single most difficult customer in my whole career."

"Tell me about it," Reborn muttered, going through the closet for Tsuna's parka. "Hurry up and put your coat on; you've wasted enough time with her as it is."

"I don't wanna move," Tsuna whined, turning over in the chair with a pout. "I'm exhausted."

Reborn rolled his eyes again before walking over, poking Tsuna's side to make him squeak. "Get up, lazy."

"Never!"

A second later, Tsuna shrieked in terror as Reborn suddenly stooped and threw the brunette over his shoulder, letting the twenty-nine year old flail around like a fish out of water.

"Damn it, you're heavy, Tsuna," Reborn grunted, dropping his boyfriend unceremoniously on the floor in the middle of the office.

"Arse!"

"Yes, yes," Reborn grumbled, throwing the parka over Tsuna's shoulders before leaning down to kiss his lover lightly on the lips. "Aw, look at you," he smirked. "Almost thirty years old and you still blush like a schoolgirl every time I kiss you."

"Shut up!" Tsuna shot back, smacking Reborn's leg as hard as he could.

"Ow! Just hurry up and get your shit on!"

"I am!" Tsuna shouted back, leaping to his feet as he pulled the zipper up on his coat. "Did you get the flowers?"

"Who exactly do you think I am?" Reborn sneered, grabbing the giant bundle. Tsuna sniffed indignantly, but he reached for the elder's hand either way, taking comfort in the warmth that enveloped his cold fingers.

"Time to go?"

"Yup," Tsuna said happily. Reborn made a noise in his throat as the two exited the office, keys jingling as the dark-haired man locked up after them.

"Reborn?"

"What?"

"…you do know that oranges have a high tendency to attract trolls, mainly because that's their favourite foods, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Oh, nothing," Tsuna chuckled. "Let's go."

The mid-November sky was clearer than usual, without a cloud in sight. There was only sunlight streaming down over the busy city, where people hustled about, going about life as usual. It was almost evening, but it seemed like a particularly good day, so couples were heading out for dinner, parents were taking their children out for a stroll, and a group of teenaged boys were running off to the park with a football for another friendly game.

They headed down the street, hand in hand, the giant bundles in Reborn's arms, passing by a new division of buildings and shops that had opened up in the nine years' time they had returned to live in London. There were a lot more vacant lots still available for rent, but neither Reborn nor Tsuna had changed the location of the Grimm Office.

It belonged in the little alleyway. It just did.

They reached the graveyard a couple of minutes later after the usual walk to the edge of the city, a steep climb up a windswept hill, and pushing the creaky, rusted gates open. The old yew tree had lost its leaves already, bent over and crooked like an old grandmother, but still protectively sprawling its limbs over the two gravestones resting in the long and witling grass. Tsuna helped unwrap the bundle, revealing two beautifully wrapped lilies. He placed the flowers on the ground the same way he did every year and bowed his head, placing a hand over the lumpy surface of the stone.

"It's us again," he said. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"You make us sound old," Reborn grumbled, fixing his bundle of flowers over the other stone. "I'm only thirty-five, not a sixty year old man."

"We miss you a lot," Tsuna said loudly, rolling his eyes. "And we hope you're resting peacefully. London's gotten busier, Alaude, but in a good way. They're expanding the police force with a government grant again this year, so everything will be even more orderly than usual. And Yamamoto, the Grimm Office is prospering as well. I guess even without mayhem and disorder people still find the need for supernatural consultants."

"We sold your old desk last month to make the rent," Reborn interrupted helpfully.

"Reborn!" Tsuna said in exasperation. "Must you turn every sweet message sour with the brutal reality?"

"I'm just being honest," Reborn smirked.

Tsuna rolled his eyes and smiled sadly down at the graves. "We'll be back next year. See you then, guys."

"Hurry up, it's cold," Reborn complained, but even as Tsuna punched the elder in the arm as he made his way down the hill, he saw the dark-haired man carefully rearrange the lilies so they wouldn't blow away wind when he snuck a look back. It warmed the brunette's heart immensely. Reborn was a nice person, really.

Most of the time.

"Can you believe it's been nine years?" Tsuna sighed, slipping his hand into his lover's as they walked.

"Yup," Reborn replied without missing a beat. "Why?"

Unfortunately, he did not anticipate the vicious head butt coming his way. "What! What was that for!"

"You're an arse!" Tsuna shouted, pounding his fists against Reborn's chest. "Why do you always make fun of me!"

"Because you're easy to tease, silly," Reborn sighed, dragging Tsuna into a tight hug.

"Meanie," Tsuna grumbled, reluctantly hugging back. "I feel old," he protested.

"You are not old, Tsuna," Reborn complained. "Live with it."

"I am," the other said brightly, "In quite a lively manner too."

Reborn stared down at his lover, thinking back. It had been a long time. He could vaguely remember the first time he'd run into Tsuna, quite literally, in the alleyway in front of the Grimm Office. They'd almost killed each other by accident due to a misunderstanding, which led to the start of a beautiful relationship, complete with pitfalls and near-death experiences and kidnapping.

Lively might be a teensy bit of an understatement.

Strangely enough, it was all dawning on Reborn now. Everything they'd been through, more thick than thin, they'd overcome. Tragedies and indecisiveness had hindered them and sacrifices had nearly torn the two apart, but in the end, here they were; back home, back with each other. For two broken souls with dark, dark pasts, their future was finally starting to look a little brighter. Reborn would be a liar if he said the past nine years weren't the happiest of his entire life.

"Reborn? Are you even listening to me?"

The dark-haired man blinked as he shook himself out of his thoughts, staring down at Tsuna as the brunette waved a hand in front of his face. They had already arrived back to the Grimm Office, back to their workplace and home.

"Of course, brat. I see, hear, and know all."

Tsuna rolled his eyes and snorted. "Sure, whatever. Hurry up; I want to eat dinner early today."

Reborn blinked again. "Dinner. Right."

His lover's demonic intuition must've been sharper than Reborn had ever thought, because the brunette turned to him again and stood on tiptoe, pressing his lips lightly against Reborn's in a gentle, sweet manner.

"C'mon," Tsuna smiled, taking Reborn's hands. "Let's go home."

Home.

Reborn nodded, his throat tight for a moment, and Tsuna grinned, opening the door with his key and hurrying up the stairs, saying something about making pie afterwards with the apples he'd brought yesterday. Reborn watched him go, shaking his head and suppressing a snort when Tsuna tripped on his way up the stairs.

A breath of wind rustling down the alleyway made the sign creak on its rusty hinges, swinging over the entrance as it had always faithfully done so for years already. Reborn gazed out at the busy road from the quiet, calm backstreet, observing the city through the warm glow of an evening sun.

Then, he smiled and turned, following Tsuna back into the Grimm Office.

The door closed behind him with a quiet, conclusive snap.

End

And here we are: the conclusion to the sequel. I'm so glad so many people enjoyed this fic; I hope you all liked reading it as much as I liked writing it! I've got other stories piled up to write about, so I guess it is goodbye to The Bureau of Unexpected Tales. Thank you very much for reading! I guess I'll see you guys where I see you again! xD

NEVER SCARED. (1)

-BlackStar42Roses