Finally! FINALLY! I can press the 'complete' button! Everyone~ Enjoy!

Beta'ed by Icy-chan! AKA: The Ice Within

Epilogue

"You know… I haven't seen Butler-san lately…" Tsuna looked up from his paper works and frowned. Gokudera, who was helping him sort out the papers, turned to the brunet questioningly, "Butler-san? Who are you referring to Juudaime? We have lots of butlers."

"You know… Butler-san! Eto…" He tapped his pen thoughtfully on the paper he was about to sign, "What was his name again…?"

"Are you talking about the head butler?" Gokudera asked.

"Yes! That's right!"

"Does he look like he's in his 40's?"

"How many head butlers do we exactly have?"

"Just one, Juudaime."

Tsuna frowned. He was pretty sure that the butler was more of an old man, "We got him from another famiglia remember? As a gift for our alliance."

"Which famiglia?"

"It was-" Brown eyes widened for a moment as a short memory flashed in his mind.

"Vongola Decimo, as a sign of our loyalty and appreciation for the accepted alliance between our families, we would like to give you this man who is thoroughly skillful in fighting and is always of great service to the person he serves." A familiar looking man said as he presented the butler to Tsuna and the guardians during a meeting, "Kage Taishi. He is Japanese as well, as you can tell by his name."

"It's fine. It's really unnecessary to do so." Tsuna calmly declined. He could already sense the cautious looks the guardians were giving.

"But I insist Decimo." Dark eyes locked into caramel ones, "Please… just think of it as a gift from the Orso Family…"

"And the Orso Family will cease to exist in the future… they are no longer your allies. They are now the family that had fallen victim to massacre by a criminal and are now in the verge of extinction."

The sound of the pen dropping to the ground made the bomber look up in confusion. The confusion then turned into worry as he saw the brunet turn pale, "Juudaime, is something wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?"

"I-I'm fine." Tsuna abruptly stood up and walked away from his desk, making Gokudera stand up as well.

"J-Juudaime!"

"Please excuse me." The young boss opened the door, but because of his rush, he was unable to see Yamamoto standing at the other side and ended up colliding against the rain guardian.

"Juudaime!" Gokudera was quickly at his boss' side, who was busy rubbing his sore nose.

"Woah! S-sorry about that, Tsuna! You seemed to be quite in a hurry though." Yamamoto chuckled as he knelt in front of the brunet. Gokudera glared at Yamamoto, "Teme! What do you think were you doing just standing outside the door like a weirdo?!"

"Gokudera-kun calm down." Tsuna insisted as he stood up, "It was my fault for not looking."

"Maa, maa… it's fine." The swordsman grinned, "Anyway, I'm here to tell you guys it's time to prepare."

"Prepare? For what?" Gokudera frowned.

"For the beach! Remember?"

"E-EH!?" Tsuna looked at Yamamoto in disbelief, "Yamamoto, there's no time for that. I still got all these paperwork to catch up to."

The rain guardian shrugged, "It's just one day. What's the harm in that? It's nothing compared to five months-"

The brunet stiffened as he watched the two suddenly turn serious before hearing his right-hand man mutter something like 'idiot'. To save the sudden awkward situation Tsuna immediately spoke up, "Y-you're right! To the beach it is! I think it's time I give myself a little break."

"But Juudaime, not that I don't agree with you, didn't Reborn-san tasked you to finish these in a week?" Gokudera then said much to the brunet's relief.

"Maa, maa… a day in the beach won't hurt now won't it?" Yamamoto grinned.

"Easy for you to say! While you're out there doing nothing, Juudaime has to be cooped up in his office forced to work hard!"

"Well—I keep asking if you want help-"

"You'll just ruin everything!"

"-and that's the answer I always get."

"Enough already you two." Tsuna interrupted while rubbing his temples, "Let's just go and start to prepare for the beach. And don't worry Gokudera-kun, I'll somehow convince Reborn for an extension or something."

"Haha! Alright Tsuna!"

"If Juudaime says so."

Tsuna could only smile warmly at them, "Come on, let's go."

Gokudera grumbled as he entered his room, "Stupid baseball freak… making it harder for Juudaime."

He opened his closet and took out a duffel bag and sighed. In the inside, he really was grateful for the small vacation they were about to do. Their boss deserved nothing more than just to relax and enjoy the day as much as possible; to award him with all his hard-work and successful recovery.

The bomber couldn't help but remember the brunet's sudden death all over again. He wasn't sure what made them run back to the hospital. It was a little unusual especially since he was pretty sure they were getting ready for a mission before that and they didn't receive any calls about something happening to their boss… but nevertheless he shuddered as he remembered that moment when he pulled that white sheet only to reveal the brunet's dead body.

"I won't let that happen again." He couldn't help but say out loud as he grabbed random clothes from his wardrobe.

A noise of something small dropping on the ground made him look down. He raised an eyebrow as he realized it was a hair tie. The band was slightly thick and had skulls as designs. The bomber frowned as he stared at the item in confusion. He didn't remember ever owning—

"Here! I tried winning it in a shooting booth for you. I hope it would cheer you up."

The face of the younger version of his boss flashed in his mind, 'J-Juudaime gave this to me?' Another memory of Tsuna and the gang walking around an amusement park flashed in the bomber's mind, 'B-but… I don't remember hanging out with Juudaime at an amusement park before.'

"You don't deserve to exist!"

Another memory flashed but this time he sees a fist descending directly at him. Gokudera fell on his knees and emerald eyes widened in disbelief as he undoubtedly saw his younger self behind the fist that was going to hit him.

Tsuna entered the kitchen and was surprised to see Yamamoto and Chrome preparing some food. The illusionist tensed and turned as she obviously sensed the newcomer, "B-Boss."

"Yamamoto, Chrome! I thought you guys should be preparing your things by now."

"Oh! Hey Tsuna!" Yamamoto greeted, "And actually, I just finished preparing and saw Chrome handling all these stuff by herself, so I thought I should help out."

"Didn't you guys tell the staff to make some food?" Tsuna asked and turned to Chrome.

The illusionist replied, "I-I wanted to make the food instead."

The brunet frowned as he noticed how the other wouldn't make eye-contact with him. Something was obviously wrong. But just as he was about to ask what it was, the swordsman spoke up, "Hey, you know—this reminds me of that time when you fell off the roof."

Tsuna stiffened visibly while Chrome abruptly turned away.

"Ah sorry for that…" Yamamoto chuckled uneasily, "Well that incident was just an accident after all, right? And yeah… Tsuna got into a coma but at least in the end everything was all well! So I thought, it would be fine to bring it up…"

'That's what they remember?' The brunet blinked, "No it's fine. I uhm—remember we also had a party after I got out of the hospital, right?"

He really wasn't sure if the last part was true, but he had to make a guess to avoid suspicion.

"Haha! Yeah! That was the best party ever!" Yamamoto exclaimed, "Everyone enjoyed it a lot and I really hope we'll enjoy this hang-out as well."

Tsuna smiled warmly, "I'm sure we will…"

Yamamoto smiled back before suddenly looking down, "Tsuna… we're—"

The young boss' phone suddenly rang, thus interrupting the rain guardian. Tsuna took out his phone and checked the caller, "Uhm… please excuse me." Then he added hastily, "B-but I'll come back and help you guys after this."

"I-it's fine!" Chrome suddenly said, "Just go and get ready, Boss. We can handle everything here."

"What she said." Yamamoto grinned, "We already finished preparing our stuff anyway."

Tsuna looked hesitant but nevertheless nodded in understanding, "But as soon as I finish and you guys are still here… let me help, alright?"

"Hai, hai…" And with that the rain guardian waved the brunet off who finally left. He turned back to the sandwich he was making and asked Chrome without even looking at her, "Something's bothering you."

The illusionist tensed at the comment from the usually dense rain guardian.

Yamamoto grinned, "It's pretty obvious."

There was a moment of silence and Yamamoto couldn't help but turn at her curiously. Chrome did the same and suddenly tears sprung, shocking the other.

"W-what's the matter? Did something happen?"

"You have to find it." Chrome sobbed as she abruptly turned around and reached for the other side of the counter. Yamamoto watched as she took out what looked like an old-looking bunny plush, "You have to find that connection to remember!"

Hibari slammed the dummy in front of him with the tonfa he always held. Immediately, the immobile doll fell on the ground with a dull THUD. He huffed and walked away from the training room filled with broken dummies. He wasn't in the mood to be partying with some herbivore… but he technically had no choice.

He ignored the maids that greeted him and walked through the halls. It was then he heard the familiar voice of a certain herbivore.

"I'm sorry, but the meeting must be moved next week. Today isn't really a good time."

The skylark looked at the brunet, slightly impressed. There was a loud protest from the other line but Tsuna ends the call with a quick press of a button. With a sigh, the young boss turned around only to see Hibari.

"Hibari-san!" He exclaimed looking surprise, "Are you preparing for the beach party as well?"

"I have no choice." The other replied blankly.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"Urusai."

Tsuna sweat dropped as Hibari left to walk away. Suddenly he remembered something, "Oh yeah! Hibari-san, can you find Oniisan? I have to talk to him about something."

"Hn." Hibari continued on his way, though a bit irritated that he had been ordered. Usually he'd get pissed, but he really wasn't in the mood to pick up a fight. So instead he continued on his way towards his quarters and decided to find the sun guardian later.

Once he arrived he pushed the double oak doors open and entered his room. After closing the doors he immediately headed towards the huge window that almost occupied one side of the wall. The reason for the size of the window was because Tsuna knew Hibari hates nothing more than to be confined.

The cloud guardian just huffed at the thought before opening the window and sat by the sill. He leaned his head back and shut his eyes, trying to imagine his beloved hometown, Namimori.

"Hibari! Hibari!"

He opened his eyes and watched as a yellow puffball zoom into his room while singing the familiar hymn of his school. Hibird suddenly perched on top of the cloud guardian's drawer and tilted its head. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed that the bird was suddenly holding something as it flew towards him.

He automatically held out a hand and let Hibird land. Whatever it was holding, it fell and land on the ground, barely making a sound. Hibari immediately bent down to check what it was, obviously interested.

He picked up what seemed like an accessory for a phone. His narrowed eyes stared at the small, plastic replica of Hibird found at the end.

And just as he was about to wonder if he ever owned it, a memory that he was sure he never had flashed in his mind.

A sickly looking brunet grinning at him flashed in his mind, and in the young brunet's hand dangles the said keychain in front of him. The skylark held his head with wide eyes as more memories he never remembered came crashing down in his mind almost like there had been a dam holding it at bay.

BAM!

He growled at the intruder who dared intrude his room and automatically reached for his tonfa. But just as he grabbed his weapon, he stopped as he realized it was Ryohei. He immediately noticed how the boxer was looking at the ground with a look of horrification. Slowly those steely eyes travelled down to the clenched fist of the boxer and saw the handkerchief he was holding.

Tsuna, now in a casual attire, shouldered the bag he was carrying as he made his way to the manor's entrance. Maids bowed at his direction and he nodded his head at them in acknowledgement.

"Decimo, your guardians are already waiting outside."

"I understand-" His eyes widened as he stared at the butler who spoke and quickly asked, "Are you… the head butler?"

The man looked at him in confusion but answered nevertheless, "Yes, Decimo."

The guilt was there once more and Tsuna tried to hide it as much as possible, "I see… well—carry on."

Once he left he couldn't help but let out a big sigh. He remembered the moments when the head butler would be there for him whenever he had no one to turn to. He really had helped him out in every tough situation he was in.

And instead of thanks… he…

'Aghh! Stop thinking about it already!' Tsuna shook his head, 'There's no point in dwelling on it anymore… I'll make Butler-san a memorial instead… to show him my appreciation.'

He clutched his bag and looked up at the limo that was parked in front of the mansion, 'Right now… I should enjoy the day and be…' He paused as he immediately noticed the gloomy aura of the guardians who stood around the vehicle, '…happy?'

"Uhm…?" Tsuna warily approached them and Gokudera immediately perked up, "J-Juudaime! You're here!"

"Is… something wrong?" He looked at each of them.

"N-nothing's wrong, Vongola." Lambo spoke up as he nervously looked back and forth at Tsuna then at the guardians, "N-now, come on let's go!"

The brunet frowned as he watched Lambo open the car door for him before eyeing the other guardians with narrowed eyes, "You're not telling me something."

"Hahaha! W-what makes you say that, Tsuna?"

"W-were not hiding anything, Juudaime!"

"…E-extremely."

"…nothing at all, B-Boss."

"Kufufu."

"Hn…"

Tsuna crossed his arms and sighed, "Maybe we shouldn't continue this. Something's obviously not right-WOAH!" The baseball star had carried him over his shoulders without warning and immediately placed him inside the vehicle.

"Yamamoto!"

"Sorry Tsuna. It seems like this had to be done." And the swordsman shut the door and signaled the driver to drive. Dumbfounded, the brunet looked at them in disbelief, "Hey—wait! What about you guys?!"

"There's another limo for us waiting, you go ahead Juudaime!"

"Wha-" Before Tsuna could even say anything the car immediately drove ahead, with his screams echoing throughout the manor. Lambo turned to the right-hand man with a frown, "Gokudera-shi…"

"We need to talk about this." Gokudera muttered.

'What's happening here?' Tsuna stared outside the window, then at the back, checking if the guardians were catching up to him. The brunet sat back on his seat, feeling more restless than ever. 'This is nothing compared to the time I had to play Russian roulette with Reborn!'

"Decimo, is everything alright?" The driver looked at him through the rearview mirror.

"Y-yes." Tsuna answered before looking back once more, "Did uhm… did the guardians tell you why they suddenly decided to ride a separate car? I usually don't take up that much space." He absentmindedly patted the vacant seats beside him as if to emphasize his point.

"Sorry, Decimo… I don't know either."

The sky-wielder sighed in defeat, "I see." He looked out the window once more feeling a little worried. Something tells him that things won't be going the way they planned for the day.

"We're here Decimo." The car door opened and Tsuna quickly snapped out of his reverie. He grabbed his bag and exited the car. His shoes sunk on the soft yellow sand and he couldn't help the small smile that formed as he felt the soft breeze.

As usual, the beach was filled with people and the brunet didn't really mind. Even though they kept calling it a "beach party" it was just more of a picnic. They just liked calling it like that since they were technically celebrating something.

"And not an ice cream man in sight." Tsuna muttered.

"Oya? Is there something creepy about ice-cream men, Vongola?"

The young boss abruptly turned around and was surprised to see all the guardians.

"H-How long have you guys been here? And why did you take a separate ride?" He immediately demanded.

"Maa, maa calm down Tsuna." Yamamoto spoke up, "We just actually arrived –and as for the second question… we uhh… we didn't want it to be a tight fit."

"I don't know if you guys noticed… but I just rode a limo." Tsuna deadpanned.

"Well there's nothing we can do about it. We're already here anyway." Lambo spoke up while eyeing Tsuna uncomfortably, "Let's just go and find a spot for our picnic."

Usually, the brunet wasn't the type who easily got mad. But a lot of buttons had been pushed and he was now ready to explode. It was bad enough that he was feeling guilty from the butler's sudden disappearance— now another problem had formed and he wasn't even sure what it was!

And the sudden, obvious distance between him and the guardians only made things more frustrating. He could just—

'No. Calm down, Tsuna.' The brunet took in a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair, 'I'm just probably overthinking again. And since when was I the type that easily got ticked?'

He watched as the guardians walked ahead of him and sighed for the umpteenth time before following them. He watched as some of the people turned to stare at the group of handsome men (and Chrome). Girls giggled and some men awed… and Tsuna was used to it.

Even during the instances when girls would try to talk to him.

"Hey there handsome, want to hang out? You can bring your friends along if you want to." The random lady who approached him batted her eyelashes.

Tsuna smiled uncomfortably, "Sorry… but no thank you." Okay, maybe he still wasn't used to this part yet. It was always rare for women to approach him, especially when Gokudera and Yamamoto are around since they're usually the ones who shooed them off or got fawned over.

Tsuna bowed in apology and quickly went after his friends while the girl huffed in disbelief.

"Let me help." Tsuna offered as he watched Ryohei carry a pair of parasols.

"It's EXTREMELY fine, Sawada! I can handle it!" The boxer insisted as he put one of the items down. The boss frowned and turned to Chrome and Lambo who were carrying the picnic baskets.

"We can handle this." Chrome quickly said even before Tsuna could ask.

With no other choice, the brunet next turned to Gokudera and Yamamoto who were busy with the picnic blanket. The brunet was about to ask if he could help but stopped himself. He just settled with sighing instead and grabbing his bag to change his clothes.

Without a word he left. And no one even bothered to notice –apparently too busy thinking about something else.

This was not what he had in mind when they told him about how much they were going to enjoy the picnic. Tsuna wasn't enjoying himself at all. Now wearing a simple parka and a pair of khaki shorts, he stood by the shore picking up small shells for no apparent reason. He let the waves hit his feet to enjoy the cooling sensation.

He suddenly heard squeals and he looked up to see Gokudera and Yamamato being crowded by women.

"What are your names?"

"You're wearing a wristband! Could you be an athlete?"

"Your rings look cool! Can I touch them?"

"Kyaaa! Lambo-sama you're here!" Girls, who apparently recognized the lightning guardian, had approached said person who was in the middle of eating a sandwich. Beside him was Chrome, who was busy reading.

The brunet frowned as he realized the book was upside down.

"Hey look at that dude." Tsuna looked at the couple beside him and stared at what they were trying to point out. His eyes widened as he saw Ryohei far, far away sitting on a rock that jutted out of the sea. And it looked like he was screaming out something, but Tsuna could barely hear anything he said.

Just how far is he?

He looked around for Mukuro and Hibari but couldn't find them anywhere.

Tsuna looked at the small shells in his hands and headed back to the dry sand where he sat and let out another huge sigh. Suddenly, the phone in his pocket rang. Without hesitation, he took it out and stared at the caller ID.

"As I have said before, the meeting will be moved next week." Tsuna immediately said as he answered the call.

"Decimo, t-this sudden adjournment of the meeting is a sign of great insult t-to our famiglia!"

"I'm sorry. But please don't misunderstand. My guardians suddenly planned this beach party and had only told me this morning. I couldn't insult them by saying 'no'." The brunet explained calmly, "So please understand."

"S-so you're meaning to say you just skipped this meeting for such a nonsense occasion?"

"It is not nonsense." The brunet snapped.

There was an unmanly yelp from the other side but the person immediately tried to recover by clearing his throat, "Ye-ye-ye-yes it is! It's a waste time!"

Tsuna wanted to retort and most probably threaten the man for going too far but suddenly couldn't find himself to do so. He looked at his friends once more. All of them still being surrounded by women… still reading a book… still screaming at the middle of the sea for who knows why… and still nowhere to be found.

Tsuna sucked in a breath and stared at the seashells in his hand.

"U-uhm… Decimo?"

"You're right. It's a waste of time." He dropped the small shells and stood up, "I'll meet you within an hour then."

"R-really?! I-I mean of course I'm right. And yes. I'll be waiting-" *beep*

The brunet pocketed his phone and dusted his shorts off. And just as he was about to walk back to their picnic place a hand had grabbed him from behind.

"Oya? Leaving the party so soon?"

"Mukuro." The brunet pulled his arm off the other's grip, "I have a meeting to attend to."

"Are you sure that's the right decision to make right now?" The illusionist smirked as he crossed his arms, "Kufufu… you're just as distracted as those idiots are. You didn't even sense me."

"It's to avoid a war between our families." The brunet clenched his fists, "I don't have time for distractions."

"Last time another famiglia called you while we were here, you declined them." Mukuro spoke up, "What difference does it make now?"

"Gokudera-kun was the one who declined them." Tsuna blankly replied.

"Oya? Oya? Are you actually mad?" Mukuro's smirk grew wider while the brunet's frown only grew deeper.

"I'm leaving." Tsuna said in finality, "If I'm lucky they'll be too distracted to notice I'm gone."

"They're just busy reminiscing the past." Mukuro chuckled.

The tenth however continued on his way towards the limo, not bothering to grab his bag. He was annoyed, frustrated and disappointed at the outcome of their supposed celebration. He knew he had no right to be angry after everything that had happened, but he couldn't help it. He is burdened by the fact that he is the only person who could remember what had really happened from the past to the current future and not to mention he still hasn't moved on from what happened with the black flames and up until now he was still being haunted by those nightmares about them.

Also adding to the fact that the guardians and him were still completely not in good terms, there were awkward moments here and there, but he thought it was a good start. That's why he considered the beach party as a big thing. It was supposed to make them get along better and make him forget all the horrible things that had been holding him back.

It was his temporary relief.

"Juudaime!"

"Tsuna, where are you going?"

So much for not getting noticed. The brunet sighed and was about to turn around to answer the guardians who were surely about to head his way only to stop as he saw someone familiar suspiciously standing from afar. An old man with a surprisingly straight posture stared at him

His brown eyes widened as he recognized who it was, "Butler-san…?"

And suddenly the other took out a gun in a split second that Tsuna had almost no time to react at all especially when the barrel was pointed at him.

"BOSS!" Chrome screamed.

"TSUNA LOOK OUT!" Yamamoto yelled.

Gokudera quickly ran towards him, "JUUDAIME!"

BANG!

Tsuna bit his tongue as the bullet nearly hit him in the head. He had bent back to completely avoid it and was quick to regain his posture. He heard the screams of the bystanders as they soon realized what they heard was a gunshot. Fortunately, Lambo and Chrome were quick in action as they tried to lead the panicked people away from harm.

The ex-butler kept shooting at the brunet continuously and Tsuna could barely dodge all the oncoming bullets.

'Crap!' Tsuna cursed as he accidentally turned his back to the enemy after dodging one of the bullets.

BANG!

"Teme—You traitor!" He felt a hard force tackle him to the ground after the gunshot. He looked up to see Gokudera, with worried eyes staring at him, "Juudaime, are you hurt?!"

"I-I'm fine. Gokudera-kun, what did you just say earlier-?" Then he saw the blood on the bomber's shirt. His eyes widened in shock and fear, "You're bleeding!"

"It's fine-"

"DIE DECIMO!" The enemy had lunged with a knife in his hand as he soon ran out of bullets. Tsuna forcibly pushed Gokudera away, as he was at the same time aware of the injury, about to prepare to attack only to be stopped by Yamamoto who quickly appeared before them and disarmed the ex-butler with his sword.

"Stop this at once!" Yamomoto demanded while pointing his blade against the other's neck threateningly.

But the rain guardian was merely ignored as the attacker duck to the ground and knocked Yamamoto off his feet, completely catching him off-guard. He grabbed his fallen knife and quickly ran towards Tsuna, who fortunately was now on his HDW mode, however unfortunately forgot his gloves.

The ex-butler's attack was quick and swift, but the brunet was able to deflect them all without breaking a sweat. Tsuna frowned as he couldn't help but compare how the butler used to be better than this. Though it was no time to be making such a comparison, he still couldn't help but wonder at the sudden lack of skill. His question was no sooner answered as he saw the rage in the other's face. When in a fight, it is best to keep a clear mind and a calm posture. If you fight with your emotions clipped on your sleeves, you'd be better off fighting in a losing battle.

Tsuna dodged the knife that the other thrust towards his heart and easily grabbed the hand that held the blade. With his other hand he grabbed the old man's shirt and mercilessly flipped him to the ground. He ignored the painful groan and pushed him harder to the ground, "Why are you doing this?"

The ex-butler glared at the brunet in difficulty, "The Orso Family was ordered to annihilate the Vongola Decimo. The Boss who had greatly sinned."

Tsuna stiffened at what he heard before shaking his head, "I thought the Orso Family wasn't supposed to exist anymore."

The old man suddenly laughed, "There may be a few of us left, but the Orso Family will always exist and will always LIVE ON!" With shocking strength, he broke free from the brunet's grip and twisted around to stab the young boss once more, "GOOD BYE DECIMO!"

But a hand that came out of nowhere grabbed the hand that held the weapon and painfully twisted it away from the stunned Tsuna, "Kufufu… this one is tough."

"GAHH!" The enemy tried to punch Mukuro but was stopped by the tonfa that was suddenly pressed against his throat.

"Move and I will bite you to death."

The ex-butler glared at Hibari with full-hatred before reluctantly putting his arm down, "This isn't over, Decimo. You will pay for what you have done! YOU WILL PAY- AGH!" He suddenly collapsed on the ground and the young Boss turned to Mukuro who shrugged and smirked.

"He was too noisy."

Soon did Chrome, Lambo and Ryohei arrived. The sun guardian was immediately beside Gokudera, who was being helped up by Yamamoto.

"Y-you're hurt!" Chrome exclaimed.

"I just got shot by the shoulder," The bomber winced as Ryohei ripped his sleeve off before turning back to Tsuna, "Anyway, Juudaime are you hurt?"

"I'm fine…" The dull tone in the brunet's voice made everyone turn to their boss. Tsuna had that unreadable look on his face as he continued, "Let's go back to the mansion before the police arrive. Bring him with us."

And without waiting for an answer he turned away and went straight to the car while fishing out his phone.

"Hello? I'm sorry but it seems like the meeting will be cancelled."

They had all arrived at the mansion just as the sun was setting. The guards had taken custody of the ex-butler and brought him to his prison. Meanwhile the guardians were gathered inside the infirmary as Gokudera was getting patched up.

"What are you idiots doing here anyway?" Gokudera growled.

"Maa, maa Gokudera. It doesn't hurt to make sure that your friend is alright." Yamamoto, who sat next to him, grinned.

"And Boss told us to gather here…" Chrome silently added.

"Where's the herbivore?" The skylark impatiently demanded.

"Kufufu… oya, oya. I wonder what his purpose is." Mukuro smirked.

"This is extremely nerve-wracking." Ryohei said as he threw the bloody bandages to a nearby trash.

"Something's obviously bothering Vongola…" Lambo carelessly rocked his chair back, "And let's hope it's not about… you know."

Gokudera huffed, "As if you understand what we're saying. You don't exactly remember what we remember. You just had to listen what really happened."

"Well there's actually Mukuro as well." Yamamoto pointed out.

"Chrome has shown me what had to be shown." Mukuro said, obviously not wanting to be in the same level as Lambo.

"I can't believe that really happened." Chrome buried her face in her hands, "That… that past. It's just so unbelievable… but…"

"But it was the truth." Everyone froze at the new voice and turned to the source. There by the entrance stood Tsuna and the brunet was looking at them with a look of disbelief and at the same time, acceptance.

"T-Tsuna… uhm… what we were talking about was-"

"-an extremely different topic that you're probably thinking about-"

"You remembered everything." The young boss clenched his fists, "Don't bother hiding it. I already found out after Gokudera-kun called butler-san a traitor. After all, for someone who didn't even recognize him this morning and suddenly calling him that… wasn't it a bit strange?"

"J-Juudaime…"

"How?"

They looked at Tsuna questioningly and the brunet let out a shaky breath as he rephrased his question, "How did it happen? How did you remember? You weren't supposed to remember anything."

"It's because of the connections you gave us from the past, Boss…" Chrome replied.

"What connections?"

"The things you gave us from the past." Yamamoto automatically held the wristband he wore and Tsuna's eyes widened in understanding.

"I…" The brunet could feel the tears stung his eyes, "I would give anything for you guys to not remember everything."

"What?" Gokudera tried to sit up on his bed, "Why?"

"At first, I really wanted to." The young boss admitted as he looked down, "To be the only person to remember everything that really happened and not to mention you have to keep it all to yourself… it was… it was lonely."

"What changed your mind?" Chrome softly asked.

"The Orso Family was ordered to annihilate the Vongola Decimo. The Boss who had greatly sinned."

He bit his lip and unconsciously clenched his fists tighter, "I realized how shameful my actions were in the past. I would've been happier if you guys never remembered." He looked up at them, "It would've been better for everyone to have forgotten and moved on."

"Even if we forget, it won't extremely change the fact that it happened." Ryohei approached the brunet, "Sawada, you're not the only one who had regrets."

"You didn't do anything wrong…" The sky-wielder shook his head, "I swear it was all my fault-"

"We were the reason you fell off the roof." The rain guardian's smile faltered, "We almost got you killed… twice."

Tsuna looked at him in disbelief, then at the other guardians. He couldn't believe it. The memories they held were also from their past selves – not just from the time he had been in a coma. Sure, it was a little suspicious that they remembered the items that they gave him back in the past but… this was just unreal for him.

He wanted to ask how much they exactly remembered, but instead, "I'm… I'm sorry." His hands trembled and he suddenly couldn't look at them in the eyes, "I'm really sorry… for bringing you in this mess."

He couldn't help but remember all the horrible things he had done to them as well as the mistakes that he knew he could never correct. The more he remembered the more he wanted to bolt out of the room.

"It was because of the black flames, Juudaime! Please don't blame yourself." The bomber exclaimed, "You didn't do anything wrong."

"The black flames wouldn't have gotten into me if I was just strong enough to resist it." The young boss bitterly added.

"Not everyone can be strong, Boss." Chrome rubbed her eye, "But even when you were vulnerable to the black flames, I always admired how strong you were. You resisted them for such a long time…"

"If it were any other guy… he would've lost his sanity already." Lambo silently pointed out.

"You don't understand…" Tsuna shut his eyes tightly.

"That's enough, Sawada." Ryohei pulls him into an embrace, "I think… it's time we stop trying to extremely understand and just accept everything."

"We're—we're really sorry for our actions earlier today, Boss…" Chrome spoke up and approached him as Ryohei let go of the brunet, "We just… we didn't know how to face you and…"

"We just want to say sorry… for everything Tsuna." Yamamoto put a comforting hand on Chrome's shoulder, "We'll try to make it up to you by having another beach party."

"Idiot! As if that will fix everything" Cue Gokudera's usual retorts.

"Yare, yare… we even forgot the food from all the rush."

"Kufufu… I hope we're finished here. I'm already losing patience."

"Hn. I'm leaving. You're disturbing my peace."

Despite himself, Tsuna couldn't hold back the chuckle that came out. He was still a bit conflicted from the outcome of the day, but he couldn't help but feel the relief of being able to experience the small blast of how they were used to be in the past. The relief was surely greater than any beach parties they ever had. He always wanted for everything to go back to normal and maybe… regaining their memories was the ticket to that desire.

And though, he knew there was still a lot to discuss… he somehow couldn't bring himself to ruin the sudden light atmosphere.

"But hey, I think I remembered bringing some barbeque…" Yamamoto suddenly said.

"LET'S EXTREMELY COOK SOME BARBEQUE AT THE GARDEN THEN!"

"YOU IDIOT YOU'LL RUIN THE FLOWERS!"

"Let's just do it… ore-sama is hungry."

"U-uhm… I think I also brought some fireworks."

"EXTREME!"

"Well, Tsuna?" Tsuna looked at the guardians who were staring at him expectantly as well.

"So despite all the dangers and drama… it always ends into a party, huh?" Everyone stiffened at the strict tone of the young boss, but slowly, he smiled at all of them and made a small nod, "Barbeque sounds nice. Let's do it…" '…and move on. Let's start anew.'

What's past is past…

They all cracked a smile.

"That's our Boss."

THE END

Omake…

"So… you and Mukuro don't remember anything?" Tsuna looked at Lambo curiously as he took a bite of his barbeque, "The others just told you what happened?"

"You… didn't exactly give our past selves anything, Vongola." Lambo pointed out, "I mean… I understand Mukuro… but…"

"I gave you a lot of sweets though." Tsuna muttered.

"A ten-year old, moldy candy is something I won't touch."

"Well… it's not like you had much to remember ten years ago. All you did throughout the story was cry, demand candy and fill the role as a background character." Chu, who was a special guest to their barbeque party, cheerfully pointed out, "Even Icy-chan would agree."

"You didn't have to point that out." Lambo sulked.

Gokudera suddenly popped out of nowhere and pointed his barbeque at the (awesome) authoress, "OI! YOU BASTARD! Don't go inserting yourself in parts you're not supposed to be in!"

"Mou~ Hayato-kun don't be mean."

"Don't call me that!" The bomber growled, "I could kill you right now for making Juudaime suffer so much in this story! Are you a sadist or something!?"

"Yes! I am! Which is why I usually end the chapters with a lot of cliffhangers-" "What the heck are cliffhangers?!" "-but honestly, I'm also a masochist. I don't know why… but you know when you're in a lot of pain? And the you suddenly start laughing because-"

"GAHH! SHUT UP!"

"You're an EXTREME person." Ryohei commented.

"Why thank you."

"Kufufu… your self-esteem is low."

"Ignoring that painful truth… everybody turn to the camera and say goodbye to viewers!" Chu suddenly clung to Tsuna, "Come on Tsu-kun~!"

"Teme-! LET GO OF JUUDAIME!"

"S-see you next time!" Tsuna quickly said, obviously wanting to end everything immediately.

"Wait! Is there an EXTREME sequel—?"

END

So to summarize the items the guardians got. (I don't specifically remember the chapters... O3O) Gokudera got the hair tie which Tsuna won in the amusement park, along with Hibari's cellphone accessory and Chrome's bunny plush (when she disguised herself as a girl with her illusion). Yamamoto got the wrist band which Tsuna bought while they hung out around town. And Ryohei got the handkerchief when Tsuna offered it to him after injuring him during one of their boxing matches in the school festival.

So anyway, I have thought of the sequel, and I do have a plan... but there's this new story that I started and I am really itching to publish it! I might make a poll for this. I'll post the first chapter to see which would you guys prefer xD But I won't be sure if I'd actually follow the winning vote.. ehehe... it always depends on my mood but I'm curious of what you guys prefer... I think I want that new story first .w. xD

Thank you everyone for staying and remaining loyal to this story! I love all the drawings, reviews and suggested musics you gave to me and you're never ending support is the reason that I was able to finish this OwO THANK YOU SO MUCH!

YOU TOO ICY-CHAN! Thanks a lot for everything! I LOVE YOUUUU! You've been the best friend and best beta-reader ever and I learned a lot from you and it is thanks to you that I have improved in my writing! Thank you so much! You can talk to me any time you want and if you need something. OwO

Review!