Mukuro stepped off the train after Tsuna and led him up to the restaurant. The sign next to it read "Ayurveda" printed in Papyrus font on a bright, orange background.
"Here was are!" Mukuro announced, taking the brunet's hand and leading him inside. The place was small and dimly lit, but had a calming vibe. A waitress showed them a table and walked away; Tsuna was about to ask for a menu when he saw that it was below the layer of glass on the table.
"So, Mukuro," Tsuna began. Mukuro looked up. "I didn't know you liked vegetarian Indian health food."
"Actually, I've never had it before," the raven answered. "I thought maybe we'd try it out." The waitress then came back to take their orders.
"What would you like to drink?" she asked, pen in hand.
"I'll have the spiced iced tea," Mukuro said.
"Er…the mango lassi," Tsuna ordered awkwardly. Peering down at the menu. The waitress nodded then left with their orders.
"So, Tsuna," Mukuro started, propping his head up on his elbow, smiling mysteriously. "Do you where I intend to take you after this?"
The waitress then walked over to their table once again and set down their drink, walking away. Stirring the ice in his cup, Tsuna looked over at Mukuro boredly.
"Where?" he asked, taking a sip from his drink.
"To a lovely hotel, where we can conduct our more intimate affairs," the raven-haired man purred, picking up his drink. Tsuna spat up the mango juice that was in his mouth. Mukuro smiled.
"I was just kidding," he said, taking a sip from his cup. "Sorry, Tsuna, but you're just so fun to-" Before he could finish his sentence, he spat out his drink…all over Tsuna's face.
"I'm so sorry!" Mukuro said, handing Tsuna a napkin. The hastily dried his face as the waitress approached the table once again, holding two steaming plates of food. Tsuna peered into the plate. A large portion of it was covered in rice; the rest, saucers of unknown sauces and curries. He glanced over at Mukuro, who looked rather pale after the beverage incident.
"Are you okay?" Tsuna asked, concerned.
"Yeah," Mukuro replied. "The taste was just a bit…strong for me."
"Well, we'll see if the food is any better," Tsuna said, picking up some rice with his fork. "Delicious," he commented, shoving in in his mouth. Mukuro took a spoonful of unknown liquid from one of the saucers on his tray. Sticking it in his mouth, he savored the flavor. Afterwards, he tried his hardest not to throw up.
"Mukuro, you've got to try this curry okra!" Tsuna said, mixing in the milky sauce Mukuro had just tried with his rice. "It's really good!"
Cringing at the bowl Tsuna had suggested, Mukuro shoved a fork-full of the food into his mouth. Gagging, he grabbed his napkin- not only was the food bad, but it was also spicy.
"Wow, it's, uh…" Mukuro started, glancing over at Tsuna's eager face. "Very…flavorful. Do you want mine?"
"No," Tsuna replied simply, scarfing down his salad. In the end, the salad was all Mukuro ate. Not being able to drink his tea, the Mist Guardian sat in silence, his mouth screaming.
"What's wrong, Mukuro?" Tsuna questioned, glancing from the raven-haired man down to his full plate. "Don't you like the food?"
"Oh, I love it," Mukuro lied. "I'm just not very hungry right now."
"Okay," Tsuna replied. "Let's get into a to-go box." Mukuro made a mental note to throw out the to-go box as soon as Tsuna left.
"Great, great," he said, forcing a smile and wiping his already clean mouth. Tsuna smiled, taking another bite of rice. Mukuro hastily paid the waitress for their meal and stuck their food in a styrofoam box. Shoving Tsuna out the door, the two started for the train station once again.
"So, Mukuro…" Tsuna started, trying to keep up with Mukuro's brisk strides. "Where are we really going?"
"The fair," Mukuro replied simply, slowing and linking his arm with Tsuna's.
-
"Chikusa, Ken, I'm sorry!" Chrome exclaimed after the two, who had both decided to leave the room at the same time.
"It's not your fault Ken's dog-flavored, Chrome." Chikusa spat back in Ken's general direction.
"Yeah, well, it's not your fault Chikusa's ugly," Ken retorted back, showing his fangs.
"I am not ugly," Chikusa defended himself with.
"Damn right your not," was the equally angry reply.
"What're you going to do about it?"
"This." And with that, their lips collided once again. Chrome gasped from the kitchen doorway. Chikusa tried to say something but couldn't due to the fact that Ken's tongue was in his mouth. The hat-headed man pushed the shorter boy into the wall and dominated the kiss. Seconds later, the two broke apart, gasping for air. Ken looked up at Chikusa, blushing deeply. Chikusa stared right back. The two then proceeded to run to opposite sides of the house.
"Really," Chrome started, putting her hands on her hips once again. "Is this anyway to act? How do you think Mukuro-sama would react if he saw this?"
"He's just hold Tsunayoshi to his bosom and say something rhetorical," Ken replied from out of view. Chikusa mad a grunting sound in agreement. Chrome sighed.
"I'm going back to sleep," she announced.
"It's like five."
"Exactly."
-
"I don't know about this, Mukuro…" Tsuna started, looking down at the ground below him. Their ferris wheel kart climbed higher and higher.
"Don't worry," Mukuro beamed, putting his arm around the smaller boy. "You'll be safe with me." Tsuna still frowned, but looked somewhat calmer.
"Oh…kay," Tsuna replied, peering over the side of the carrier. He could see the entire parking lot and beyond. His face paled as he looked away. Mukuro just smiled and enjoyed the view. As they reached the highest point, the ferris wheel came to a stop.
"Wh-what's going on?" Tsuna asked nervously, hoping the problem would subside soon.
"Well, I dunno…" Mukuro replied, somewhat unthinkingly. "But while we're waiting…" He leaned in on Tsuna, pressing his lips to the smaller boy's.
"Wha! You're making the kart rock, Mukuro!"
"You're rocking my boat, Tsunayoshi," was the cheesy and slightly flirtatious reply.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean!?"
Mukuro attempted to resume his kiss with Tsuna, but at that exact moment in time, the ferris wheel decided to lurch forward. It then stopped as quickly as it had started. Due to the sudden movement, Mukuro's mouth didn't en up on Tsuna's, but his nose did end up in the brunet's eyes.
"What's going on with this ride?" Mukuro asked, frowning and looking down. Tsuna merely shrugged, rubbing his left eye.
"I'm going to go see," the dark-haired man continued.
"You're what?" Tsuna asked frantically, watching Mukuro climb out of the seat they were in. "Wait, Mukuro! You can't just…"
Tsuna trailed off as Mukuro began climbing down the vast amusement park structure, looking absolutely fearless. He smiled up at Tsuna, who looked absolutely mortified.
"Don't worry. I'll get you down," Mukuro promised, continuing his descent of idiocy. When Mukuro was about at level with the second highest seat, the ride began to creak. The, it started moving forward at full speed. Tsuna peered down at a helpless Mukuro and started screaming obscenities, but was drowned out by Mukuro's much louder cursing. Frantically, Tsuna climbed out of the carrier as well.
"H-hold on, Mukuro! I'll save you!" he called, making his way toward the screaming boy below him. Suddenly, the ride stopped again, and an angry man with a megaphone yelled at the two to stay where they were.
"What the hell do ya'll think ya'll are doing?" he demanded. Mukuro and Tsuna's faces paled in unison.
"We- uh, I dropped my wallet," Mukuro lied quickly.
"Damn drunk teenagers think they're immortal…" the man with the megaphone grumbled, signaling for a cherry picker. Mukuro and Tsuna watched upside down in silence as a fire truck came speeding over, almost running over several pedestrians along the way/ The two boys were rescued and banned from the ride for the rest of the night. The two walked together towards the Merry-Go-Round, hand in hand, still not speaking. Tsuna was the first to speak.
You idiot!" he cried, smacking Mukuro lightly across the face. Despite his efforts to be gentle, a red mark still graced Mukuro's cheek.
"I'm sorry," Mukuro apologized, bowing slightly.
"I told you not to!" Tsuna continued, obviously angry. "What the hell do you think you would have accomplished?"
"I don't know. It was a spur of the moment thing."
"I'm just glad you're okay," Tsuna said, sighing. Mukuro grinned, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy. The raven-haired man then felt a raindrop on his head.
"Looks like it's about to rain," he noted, once again taking Tsuna's hand.
"We should probably get back home soon," the smaller boy suggested, leading Mukuro towards the train station.
"Before we go, I want to take you somewhere," the Mist Guardian said. Walking past the station with Tsuna. He led them to a huge church as more rain began to pound down on the unexpecting earth. The two boys stepped into the church's sanctuary; all around them was white marble. Soft candle emanated the only light in the whole structure, for the sky was darkening with storm clouds. The only sounds where the echoing of their feet and the resounding "pitter-patter" of the rain on the church's stone roof.
Tsuna glanced over at Mukuro, who's skin glowed white in the candle light. The Vongola gulped. Although he didn't want to admit it, the atmosphere was very romantic.
"You had fun at the fair, didn't you?" Mukuro asked, sitting down in the front pew. Tsuna followed his example and allowed the raven-haired boy to wrap his arms around him.
"For the most part," Tsuna replied, thinking back t his trauma involving the ferris wheel and shuddering. Mukuro merely held him more tightly. Seconds of silence passed. Finally, something that had been nibbling at the base of Tsuna's mind decided to be heard. Tsuna swallowed.
"Mukuro…" he began, pulling away from the Mist Guardian. "I don't think I can go out with you anymore." Mukuro looked like he had just been slapped. Hard.
"What?" he asked, shocked. Tsuna looked down, his fists clenched tightly.
"It's not that I don't like you or anything, it's just that…" he started, but was unable to finish. He abruptly stood up, running to the church door.
"I'm sorry!" he yelled, opening the door and slamming it behind him. Mukuro immediately stood up.
"Tsunayoshi! Wait!" he called after him, retracing Tsuna's footsteps at a much faster sprint. He opened the door swiftly, just in time to watch Tsuna take a right at the next intersection. Mukuro followed, soon catching up to find the younger boy wiping his eyes on a bench.
"Tsuna," he began, sitting down next to him.
"I'm really sorry, Mukuro," the brunet interrupted.
"I just want to tell me what's on your mind," was the honest answer of the Mist Guardian. Sighing, Tsuna looked up at Mukuro. His eyes were full of sadness.
"I-If I'm going to be a mafia boss, I need to be normal," he said, looking at his feet. "Even if it means not seeing you."
"Tsuna…" Mukuro started once again, motioning to put his arm around Tsuna; he then stopped. "That's not even what this is really about, is it?"
"Wh-what will my friends think?" Tsuna went on, hiding his face from Mukuro. "What'll they say?"
"If they were really your friends, then they wouldn't care," Mukuro said.
"I hate it when people say that," Tsuna replied, smiling a bit. He then grabbed his Guardian's arm. "Are you right, Mukuro?" Although taken slightly aback, Mukuro smiled.
"Of course," he replied. Tsuna's grip on the raven-haired boy's arm loosened considerably.
"Show me," he said. Without hesitation, Mukuro seized Tsuna by the shoulders and crushed his lips to the smaller boy's expecting ones, tightly embracing him. Tsuna kissed back passionately, completely forgetting about the pouring rain that was soaking them. They finally pulled away once breathing became necessary.
"So, are you coming back with me or am I going to have to go myself?" Mukuro asked, standing up and extending his hand. Tsuna, smiling, took his hand and let Mukuro lead him to the train station.
-
"Does he have to go, Mukuro-sama?" Chrome asked as Tsuna opened the front door.
"I'll come back really soon, Chrome," Tsuna said, smiling and waving as he left the Kokuyos' house and headed for home. Mukuro sighed, crossing his arms across his chest.
"If you love something, you must set it free," the pineapple-haired man said wisely, obviously quoting something. Chrome looked over at her master adoringly.
"Say," Mukuro started as Chrome shut the front door. "Where are Ken and Chikusa?"
"I'm not sure of their exact location, but I assure you that they are at opposite ends of the house," Chrome answered, walking into the kitchen. Mukuro had only one question.
"Why?"
-
"Juudaime!" Gokudera exclaimed as Tsuna entered his bedroom and immediately sank into his bed. He didn't know nor cared why the Storm Guardian was in his house.
"Where have you been? I've been waiting for you since yesterday!" Gokudera continued. "What are you wearing?" He sniffed the air.
"I sense Rokudo Mukuro," he growled. He turned to Tsuna, realization in his eyes. "Juudaime! He kidnapped you, didn't he?"
Tsuna let out an exasperated sigh.
"I just took a walk, that's all," he explained drearily, his head sinking further into his pillow. "I got a bit lost, but I'm good." Gokudera frowned.
"That's a bit clichéd," replied, crossing his arms across his chest. Tsuna closed his eyes.
"Tell me about it."
Fin
A/N: Well, that's it. It's over. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it, although this chapter was probably one of the most...er...diverse ones. ;D Please review!
Finale di Amore, the title of this chapter, means Love Finale.