PARADISA

[Now that things have settled down once more, Tsuna's at the woods' edge, dagger in hand. He stands there for a moment, seizing up his opponent (a formidable one, at that-- a sturdy-trunked tree), before he runs forward, slashing at the tree-- only to let go of the dagger, letting it fly into his other hand.

That was the idea, anyway.

But he misjudges the toss and the handle whips past his fingers, and the blade sinks into another trunk. The boy gives a light sigh as he walks over.]

I've been practicing some of your techniques for weeks, Yamamoto, and I still can't get them right most of the time. And yet you managed to master them all after seeing them only once...

Gao?

[After taking out the dagger, Tsuna comes over to Natsu and kneels down, patting his head.]

Yeah... I miss them a little, too, buddy. But, we've already been here for four months. So we'll... probably be heading home soon.

Gao...

[Tsuna gives a small frown at the box weapon. He'd missed his friends and family at home, certainly... but honestly, Paradisa had turned out to be a lot better than he thought it'd be. And he'd made new friends here, too. How strange... he wasn't sure whether or not he even wanted to leave.]

[So Para, do you know what hasn't happened lately that needs to happen at this moment?

That's right. A disaster in the kitchen.

It doesn't seem like such a disaster at first-- in fact, there's a rather pleasant smell of meat-- some sort of beef, probably-- wafting from the kitchen, and if one's paying close enough attention, some light hums from a young boy while he prepares his lunch.

And then there's an 'Eh?', and a silence that can't mean anything good.]

EHHH!!!

[Yep, that is definitely the smell of something burning. And then there's a clang and a rushing of water from the sink as Tsuna holds the burnt sleeve of his coat under the water. (The heck is this kid doing with a coat in the summer, anyway?) And another yelp as he turns off the stove and flails for a moment before taking a small towel, quickly wiping off the meat that had been displaced from the pan off the stove.

And then... just... a long-suffering sigh as he slumps over the kitchen sink, turning it off.


Later on:]

[Ino]

Ah, um... Ino? [god he feels so lame right now]

[Tsuna is definitely starting to trail behind a bit, beads of sweat beading on his forehead as he pants, shifting the backpack behind him.]

Ah... maybe I should have sat on the wagon for awhile... hah...

[He's sure if Ryohei was here, he'd go the whole thing on foot, no sweat, but Tsuna was not a fitness freak, and hasn't been training that much since his arrival, and he's coming to his limit.

Still, for about two days? He managed to keep up with the entire thing on foot-- even considering his backpack full of essentials. The past bit has been a bit hilly for his tastes, though, and now he's worn out.

... of course, he doesn't want to bother anyone about hitching a ride, so he's come to something of a dilemma...]

Eeeeeeeeehhhh!?

[If you're perceptive enough, you might hear Tsuna scrambling backwards away from his journal.]

This book has voices coming out of it!! I-is it cursed...?

[...I'm not sorry.]