Burnt Marigold (KHR - R27)

Five

A/N: Just to let you know, 10th chapter is updated on FFN and AO3 and I am still alive.

Five

There were children laughter, Hayato and Takeshi exchanging heated words around him, and it was so rowdy and so normal that he couldn't help but smile as he went through the motion with expertise and not even missing a beat. Genuinely, Tsuna felt happy and fond of the rowdiness his family brought on his life. Yet his mind was elsewhere thinking of things that weren't appropriate of the happy scene before him.

The happy scene lacked many members of his family but the lack of Reborn's appearance was what unsettled him. It reminded him of his past-future without Reborn; in a way it reminded him of the people who took his Reborn away. It sparked the anger and hate on his heart where he wanted to wreak havoc on them once again, to burn everything they would have.

He shouldn't think of it right now because it would only taint the happy scene before him but the thought came unbidden that it only paused at the familiar voice of one of his best friend. The call made the anger on his heart dissipated and he seized the chance to lock away the negative emotion for later.

"Tsuna? Are you alright?" Takeshi had asked; confusion on his expression but sense sharp enough to notice the minor lapse on the brunet's control.

Among his family, Takeshi had always been the faster one to notice any discrepancy on his behavior after Reborn.

Hayato was spitting fire beside Takeshi. "Don't call Jyuudaime so familiarly, Baseball Idiot!" then directed a concerned question on the brunet, "Are you alright, Jyuudaime?" Tsuna could imagine puppy ears and tails growing on Hayato that he couldn't help but cough to hide the giggle that almost erupted from his lips.

He answered their concern with a disarming then bright smile on his face, "I'm alright, Takeshi, Hayato." For a moment he forgot that his younger self hadn't called them that, that when he realized what he said, he could feel he wasn't bother by it. Instead he waited for his friend's reaction at the familiarity without even asking for their permission.

As expected Hayato had blushed, with red face he stammered out, "Jyu-Jyu-Jyuudaime!" But he had no intent to deny his Jyuudaime from calling him and that was clear to the brunet.

On the other hand, Takeshi laughed merrily, a boyish grin on his face. His earlier concern vanished in the face of a big accomplishment. "Yosh! You finally called me by my name, Tsuna!"

Their reactions were the same they once had when he had started calling them by their first name. Even now and then his friends never changed.

(Except for the blood that would eventually stain their hands in the future. But it wasn't here and as much as possible he wouldn't include his innocent friends from the carnage he would later cause. It would be much too soon to take their innocence away.)

They had always taken care of him, especially the past two rough years where his heart shattered. And he didn't know where to start picking up the shard of his heart.

"Tsuna-sama! Even without your permission we will do it because we know that Tsuna-sama's happiness is with Reborn-san! Tsuna-sama is happier with Reborn-san!"

Tsuna still had a smile albeit a strained one on his face while memories of his future surfaced on his mind.

His family tried to mend his shattered heart. To an extent it helped and the revenge they had helped him with manage to stitch the broken pieces, but a hole had been carved on his heart and no amount of mending could fill that gap. He could still smile, he was still happy but his family wanted to see him happier.

"Hayato is right, Tsuna. Even Kyoko, Haru and Bianchi-nee agreed with us."

It was thanks to them that he was standing again in front of his younger family with a chance to do it right.

"Thank you, Hayato, Takeshi."

The brunet abruptly said with a bright smile on his lips, and eyes shining with inner sky flames. It was a beautiful sight that caught both teens off guard. Then they returned the same smile, initially confused what their friend meant then eventually realized what Tsuna must mean. It was, thank you for being my friends and staying with me.

"It is a great honor to be thanked by Jyuudaime!" Hayato looked at the brunet with sparkling eyes before it watered that he brushed with his arm. And he started banging his head on the floor in a dogeza with an overwhelmed expression on his face while yelling, "I can never thank Jyuudaime enough! I am failure as a right hand man of Jyuudaime!"

"You're welcome, Tsuna! And thank you too!" Takeshi answered with a red tint on his cheek and a hand ruffled his hair, a sign of embarrassment but he still smiled widely as if he had won a trophy. The brunet gave him a smile before he directed his attention to the silver haired then he crouched down, hands both on Hayato's shoulder to halt his action.

Hayato looked up at him with watered eyes both from shame and admiration, "Jyuudaime?"

"You're the best right hand man I could ever ask for, Hayato, and please call me Tsuna."

Cue the initially wagging tails and puppy ears to deflate at the mention of calling Jyuudaime by his name. Hayato's mouth hung agape, a refusal sure to come because right now Hayato was still hung up of not being in a first name basis with anyone. However, before it came out, Takeshi immediately hung his arm on Hayato's and Tsuna's shoulder before facing the bomber and said good naturedly, "As Tsuna's right hand man, you should follow the boss order, right?"

Hayato's vehement argument would have started however it stop on his throat when the brunet gave him the best puppy look he could muster and Hayato said with a blush, voice grumpy towards the baseball idiot invading his personal space but too blinded by Jyuudaime's look directed to him to say it. "O-Of course, I know!" Then continued; it was the answer for the brunet's earlier proclamation. "Thank you, T-Tsu-Tsu-Tsuna…-sama."

Still the same huh? Tsuna thought fondly even when he smiled in agreement.

No matter, the time will come when Hayato would eventually call him without suffix.

"We should celebrate!" Takeshi suddenly proclaimed before dragging them both outside of his room, Hayato stumbling because he was still kneeling on the floor when Takeshi started dragging them toward the kitchen. Hayato kept yelling all the way, "Baseball Idiot! Let us go or I will blow you to kingdom high!" To which the black haired teen answered with a hearty laugh, completely disregarding the threat.

As the cloud of hate and anger remained lock in the presence of his family. Tsuna could only think that he had been blessed with a loving family.

Still... I wish you are here too, Reborn...

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A/N: our favourite hitman will return the next chapter ;D