Disclaimer: There's another KHR fic that takes on the Twilight AU by the amazing exocara called "The Sky is Black During Twilight" on AO3, or "I do not love the colors of the sky" as known on FF. Mine is not in any way associated with or related to that story. This is just my take on it. I recommend reading that story too, along with the author's other KHR works. They're amazing!

Thank you to my wonderful beta, nico, and LadyIDK for helping with ideas.

Jura was a small town with more wilderness than people.

Its normalcy was a heavy and dull, but comforting, blanket, though there'd been more deaths in the mountains the past few months. Iemitsu said that it was probably a bear, but bears didn't seek out people to kill. Tsuna tried hard not to think about it too much.

Just last week Guido Greco was found mauled to death. It wasn't a loss to the community, because Guido had went to prison for killing his parents and three friends. Better people were mourned.

Then a family moved into the house the Yamamotos used to live in. Tsuna didn't like it. He knew it wasn't reasonable to dislike people without knowing them, but it made Takeshi's absence more real. It was his home, where they played catch and video games until three in the morning. Now it was occupied by strangers who had no business being here.

There was nothing in Jura worth moving for.

So it was embarrassing when all that bitterness disappeared after Tsuna met Sasagawa Kyoko. In no time everyone else was interested in the new girl and her family, because Jura was nosy that way.

When Tsuna entered the school parking lot in his worn blue sedan, he jumped when a beat-up truck swerved into the spot beside him. He yelped a little and banged his elbow against his car window. His orange bookbag slipped down to the crook of his arm.

"Oh my God!" a girl said, jumping out of the truck. "I'm so sorry! I'm still trying to get the hang of driving this thing! Did I hit you? Are you okay?"

Everything Tsuna tried to say died in his throat. "Uh."

He didn't recognize the girl but assumed she was Sasagawa Kyoko. And seriously, it wasn't fair that she was pretty, with her long golden-brown hair and brown eyes. Like most guys, Tsuna was really weak for pretty girls. He opened his mouth, then closed it. Fuck.

"Are you okay?" Kyoko said. She walked closer to assess Tsuna for injuries.

That snapped him out of his reverie. "Oh, um, I'm fine." He looked down at his black Converse. The white soles were streaked with old and faded dirt. He was a little taller than Kyoko but that didn't help with the sudden anxiety shocking his nerves. God, what the hell was he, a kindergartner? "You didn't hit me. It's fine. I'm fine."

Kyoko breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. I'm really sorry." She smiled, sheepish. Shit, she was really cute. "My brother gave me this as a gift, but I'm not good at driving it yet."

Tsuna shrugged. He still didn't meet her eyes; the washed-out, yellow parking lines were more bearable to look at. "Driving a truck's hard." He grimaced. Really, that was the best he got?

Kyoko laughed anyways, but it was probably out of pity. Tsuna missed Takeshi, who could talk his way around anything. He and Kyoko would've been friends by now. Tsuna might as well be a fucking sad potato that didn't grow right.

"It is," said Kyoko. "I'm used to driving my mom's car but we had to leave it behind."

Tsuna nodded. "Oh." He mentally slapped himself. Why couldn't Kyoko just run him over then? He'd probably have a better excuse talking less if his mouth was full of blood and gravel than he had now as a socially-incompetent ass.

"Right!" Kyoko stuck out her hand. "I'm Kyoko Sasagawa. I just moved in last week."

"I know." Tsuna mentally slapped himself this time. Someone stop him. Better yet, smash him into the concrete. "I mean, everyone knows. You're new and we don't get a lot of people moving in, especially when they're Asian, Japanese—There's some Asians here, just not a lot. Um, yeah." He shook her hand anyways, fingers weak compared to her firm grip. "I'm Tsunayoshi Sawada, but you can just call me Tsuna."

Kyoko smiled and switched to Japanese. "You must be the sheriff's son!"

Tsuna rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah." He remembered his dad mentioning that Kyoko's mom would be joining the police force while her dad was going to work at the community college.

Somehow they started gravitating towards the school when a stream of students headed for the main doors. Most of them paused to look at Kyoko, some even greeting her with eager smiles and waves as if she'd always been a part of them. She returned them in kind because she just had to be a nice person, too.

Tsuna stood to the side, awkward and unsure if he should walk ahead until Mochida strolled by and managed to nab Kyoko into conversation. Well, Tsuna couldn't do anything against Mochida. The kendo team's captain hated his guts for "stealing Takeshi" when they were in pre-k. Fucking pre-k. Who held a stupid grudge like that? And Tsuna didn't steal anyone. It wasn't his fault Mochida was an asshole. Even Takeshi had limits despite his godly patience. He wasn't an idiot like some people believed he was.

God, Tsuna missed him. They'd talk in the hallways about upcoming video games, complain about the hard-ass teachers, and joke about not being able to graduate because of a few bad grades, and how it'd be okay since they'd still be together through thick or thin. The silence beside Tsuna, the empty spot Takeshi left behind, was unnerving as much as it was terrifying. They'd been attached to the hip since they were babies and now—they weren't.

Tsuna crept away while Mochida and Kyoko chatted like old friends—figures since Mochida was popular and Kyoko already fit the mold of his posse, even though she was nicer than them—and scurried off before the first bell rang. He was a goddamn coward, sue him. He couldn't be late to Ms. Hepburn's history class again either or else she'd give him detention. He didn't want to stay an extra forty minutes after school. That time would be better spent napping in bed.

Tsuna managed to arrive at class on time. He sat near the back door, his favorite spot, so he'd be able to leave fast when the period ended. Ms. Hepburn leaned against the edge of her desk, afro perfect as always, and shifted through their essays they handed in last week. She was one of the younger teachers, but really hardcore. Despite that, most students liked her and received high marks on the state tests. Tsuna thought she should chill on the homework. Who the hell expected anyone to finish twenty pages of readings every night?

Other students filed inside and took their seats. Tsuna kept his head down. He flipped to a blank page in his notebook, then waited for class to start. A hush settled in the air when Kyoko entered ten minutes later. Ms. Hepburn didn't bat an eye at her lateness. She just said, "Take an empty seat."

Tsuna made the mistake of meeting Kyoko's eyes when she walked down the aisles. She perked up and beamed at him. He managed a weak smile in return before she sat beside Kurokawa Hana, one of the smartest students in the school.

Class went on like usual, and Tsuna didn't talk to Kyoko any more after that morning.

Lunchtime used to be loud but uneventful.

Now Kyoko was the highlight of everyone's conversations. Tsuna felt bad for her. It sucked to be in the spotlight. It'd probably last for weeks before it died down. That was the thing about small towns; they liked their gossip, which was why Tsuna thought about attending university abroad, maybe even his dad's alma mater in Italy, if he managed to graduate. He was fluent in Italian and knew how to cook. He'd survive.

He sat down a couple of feet from where Kyoko was with her new friends. There was Hana, who seemed like her best friend already, glaring at anyone who tried to bother Kyoko, and Miura Haru, a passionate theater girl, who carried every school production single-handedly since freshman year with her amazing costume and set designs.

Spanner Clark, a British teen with an obsession for anything Japanese and a crazy good mechanic at his dad's auto shop, was playing a game on his phone while his friend, Irie Shoichi, rambled on about a project they were working on that Tsuna didn't understand. Mochida left his own friends to try sweet-talking Kyoko for a date, and pretended Hana wasn't drilling holes in his head with her piercing stare.

All in all, Kyoko seemed like she belonged.

Even though the cafeteria was loud, Tsuna could hear Haru two tables over. "Oh, oh, it's them!"

His gaze drifted to the students walking through the side door from outside, which he never understood because the lunchroom didn't need it. Like, at all. There were plenty of doors already that served more of an aesthetic purpose than a practical one. There were no gardens or terraces outdoors either, just a lone path that connected the cafeteria to the parking lot.

Hana rolled her eyes. "There's nothing to be excited about."

Mochida scoffed. "What she said."

They scowled at each other. Tsuna ducked his head when he caught Hana's stare over Spanner's shoulder without meaning to. He poked his cold pasta around with his fork. He had overpacked again. Takeshi would've eaten the other half if he was here. He always had a big appetite.

"They're the Giglio Neros," Haru said in a loud whisper.

Kyoko tilted her head. Damn it, why was she so freakin' cute? Tsuna dropped his fork and sighed against his palm.

"Who are they?" she asked.

Haru clapped her hands. "Okay so, like, the Giglio Nero family is like the family in town. They actually moved here from Canada four years ago. And they're all amazing. And perfect. Luce's their mom and adopted all of them. She's really, really sweet and super pretty. Her husband's Kawahira and he's so handsome and nice, too. He owns Rakuraku, a Japanese restaurant, downtown."

Tsuna avoided said family, as did most of the high school population who admired them from a distance. The Giglio Nero siblings were a bunch of stupidly gorgeous teenagers—Tsuna doubted they even were teenagers because they sometimes didn't act it, as if everything they did was practiced, but he never mentioned it. Others didn't notice, too distracted by their sheer brilliance; there was no way he'd approach the siblings either, who entranced everyone with their supposedly mysterious charm and circumstances.

Luce, their adopted mother, was an integral member of Jura High School's PTA and a well-known philanthropist, hosting several charities and galas at her home that were open to the public. No one knew what she did. They assumed she came from old money. Tsuna never went to the parties. His dad did though, and he always gushed about the delicious food, wonderful décor, and how well-mannered the siblings were.

"I think you'll like them," Iemitsu had said. "They can be a little rough, but they're good kids." He'd even joke that none of them had a record. Tsuna didn't think that was a good enough reason to befriend them. Guido Greco had been viewed as a saint until he entered a killing spree on the one day Jura was blessed with some sun.

It was nice that his dad cared about his dismal social life, but Tsuna would shrug and say, "I guess."

Iemitsu didn't mention them much after that, or about any prospect of potential friendship, though he'd always ask if Tsuna wanted to go to one of the galas.

"Maybe next time."

Iemitsu had looked older when he smiled, a little more worn. "Okay, son."

Haru huddled closer to Kyoko's side. "Okay, the one with the grumpy face is Bermuda. He's Reborn's older twin brother but they don't really get along."

As if on cue Bermuda walked past their table, his face scrunched in his usual scowl. Like his siblings, he had pale skin, and like Haru said, they were undeniably good-looking. Even though Tsuna was straight, he didn't miss the appeal in the Giglio Nero brothers. Lal Mirch was too scary for his taste. Actually, they all looked intimidating with their overly-refined grace and powerful auras.

Bermuda also hung around the police station after school. Tsuna never talked to him when he dropped off food for his dad, but Bermuda would talk to the officers sometimes. He probably spoke more to the police than to his own family. Iemitsu had mentioned that Bermuda was interested about working in law enforcement in the future. Good for him, Tsuna guessed.

"The guy with green hair is Verde," Haru continued. "It's weird 'cause his name actually means green in Spanish or something. No one knows if he dyed his hair or if he was just born like that. He's also super smart. All the science teachers either love him or hate him. They mostly hate him."

Kyoko blinked. "Why?"

"He always proves them wrong in class." Haru snickered. "It's actually hilarious."

"He's just ahead of everyone," Shoichi said, fiddling with his phone. He paused. "Way ahead. I don't know how he knows some of the stuff he knows."

"You're just petty because he managed to keep your robot from exploding in the hallway last year."

Shoichi huffed. Verde didn't look up once from the notepad he always scribbled in as he ambled by. He was the tallest of the siblings, with similar features aside from his wild green hair and round glasses. Though it was impressive he knew where he was going while his face was stuck in the pages.

Tsuna didn't want to know what he was writing about. Verde was one of the weirder siblings and rarely talked to anyone, even his own family, like Bermuda. He just hung around for the sake of holding the camaraderie family image rather than wanting to stay.

Kyoko winced in sympathy when Lal Mirch strolled past the table, Colonnello and Skull trailing behind her and talking about God knew what. While her siblings looked perfect, Lal Mirch had a burn scar that spread across her right cheek. No one knew how she got it, and the one idiot that asked had pissed his pants. Some people thought it was a childhood injury while others thought it was intentional.

"The girl's Lal Mirch," Haru said, dipping her fry in ketchup. "She's kind of scary, but you're fine as long as you don't bother her. The blond guy's Colonnello and he's really cool. Between you and me though, I think they're an item. Everyone thinks so, too."

Hana rolled her eyes. "They're siblings."

Spanner didn't look up from his game. "Adopted siblings. So they're technically not blood-related."

Mochida sneered. "It's still disgusting. Not surprised when it's coming from you."

Shoichi's leg bounced faster underneath the table. "Spanner."

Eyes still on his phone, Spanner quirked a brow. "What? I'm not wrong."

"Anyways," Haru said, "that bad boy's Skull and he's seriously the craziest guy I've ever met. He drove a motorbike off the rooftop once for"—she crooked her fingers in air quotes—"the name of awesome science and shit."

Kyoko gasped. "What?"

"Yeah, it was insane. But he managed to get through the obstacle course he made and not break any bones. He does a bunch of crazy stuff. He's basically Verde's guinea pig. They give everyone heart attacks whenever they come up with something, but they haven't been doing a lot of it lately. I guess they got bored."

Tsuna started to pack up his unfinished pasta and shoved it in his bag. He glanced at his phone. There was still time to chill in the library until lunch ended. After gathering his things, he headed for one of the many exists.

Longchamp, the captain of the basketball team, brushed past Tsuna and waved at his friend Kyle. "Dude, you better get me the last Jello!"

"Get it yourself, you lazy ass!" Still Kyle snatched the last treat from the hot line and chucked it at Longchamp's grinning face. He threw it harder than he should have.

Tsuna widened his eyes when he saw Viper walking towards him. He tried to push the other teen out of the way before the Jello would smack his face, which was hidden underneath a baggy hoodie. "Watch out!"

But Viper didn't budge, as if he was made out of stone, and Tsuna ended up stumbling over his feet instead. He collided against Spanner's back, knocking the blond's phone out of his hand, and gaped when Viper continued walking, not sparing Tsuna a glance. The Jello cup was nowhere to be seen. Where the hell did it go?

"Are you going to use me as a pillow all day?" Spanner's monotone voice snapped Tsuna out of his jumbled thoughts.

Tsuna scrambled off and picked up Spanner's phone. "Shit, sorry. I…tripped. My bad. Hope it's not broken or anything."

Spanner unlocked his phone. "It's fine."

Kyoko gave Tsuna a kind smile that he returned weakly. Haru huffed when Kyoko's attention went elsewhere. "Seriously, Tsuna," she said, rolling her eyes, "you're so clumsy."

Kyoko laughed. "It's okay. I can be pretty clumsy, too. My brother's always telling me that air's my enemy."

Haru nodded without validating her. "Anyways, that was Viper. The one in the hoodie I mean. If you want to get dirt on anyone, he's your go-to person. But you'll need money. He charges crazy fees for info."

Tsuna frowned when he saw Longchamp whining about no more Jello. Kyle had just thrown the last one. That was really weird. "Hey, didn't Kyle throw the last Jello for Longchamp?"

Hana raised a brow. "What?"

Mochida snorted. "The hell's wrong with you? Are you seeing things?"

Shoichi fixed his glasses. "I didn't see him throw anything." He glanced over his shoulder. "Looks like there's no more Jello though. I wanted one."

Tsuna flushed. "Never mind. Forget it."

Suddenly Haru squealed, cutting Kyoko off, and ducked her head. "That's Reborn and Fon. Fon's the one with the braid and he's so sweet. Really cute, too. The one with the adorable sideburns is Reborn and he's also super smart. Sometimes he tutors after school, but his study sessions are pretty rare." Haru sighed with a dreamy gaze. "Still, he can talk numbers to me all day."

Tsuna tensed when a faint breeze brushed against his neck. He turned to see Reborn walk past him, right behind Fon. While Fon seemed nice, Reborn appeared dangerous, like Bermuda and Lal Mirch. The Giglio Nero siblings sat at a table removed from everyone else and picked at their food. They never ate the school lunch now that Tsuna thought about it. Then why get it? Why not pack their own lunch?

Reborn looked up, and their eyes met for a second. A shudder rattled Tsuna's spine. As if sensing his anxiety, Reborn smirked. There was definitely something up with the Giglio Nero siblings. For a second Tsuna thought he saw Reborn frown, but blinked, and the smirk was still there.

Okay, Tsuna needed to sort out his sleeping schedule, pronto.

"Are you okay, Tsuna?" Kyoko said, drawing Tsuna back to reality.

"Yeah. I'm good. I'll…see you around."

Tsuna speed-walked out of the lunchroom. He ignored Mochida's snide remark about his lack of intelligence. After Tsuna climbed the stairs three steps at a time, he reached the second floor. The library was empty aside from a few students and the librarian, who didn't look up from her outdated computer. Tsuna found an empty table in the back near the historical section. The bookshelves always hid him from view when he sat here.

He plugged in his earphones and stayed there until the bell rang for fifth period.

While Ms. Hepburn was the hardest teacher, Dino was the hottest.

He had his own fan club, was always surrounded by girls asking about anything to gain his attention, and had a lot of teachers wrapped around his finger because of his friendly personality. He let everyone call him by his first name, which got him more brownie points, and was pretty chill.

Tsuna would've liked him if it weren't for the fact that they were distant cousins. Being related to someone somehow made it harder to be friends. No one believed it. Even Tsuna couldn't believe it, but it was true. Dino was a distant cousin from his dad's side and—Well, his dad always had a weird and messy family tree.

"Tsuna!" Dino ruffled his cousin's hair. "How are you, little bro?"

And Dino was also the annoying pseudo-brother notched up to nine-hundred.

Tsuna waved him off, ignoring some girls' protests for "harming" the Golden King. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Can you stop doing that?" He scowled at the industrial pedestal fan blowing in his face. "And seriously, it's like fifty-degrees outside. Why do you have the fan on?"

Dino's face scrunched up in a stupid pout that made the girls go wild. "The heater's too strong in this room."

"It's freezing in here."

Dino laughed and pinched Tsuna's cheek like Tsuna was five. "You're so cute when you get all puffed up. Isn't he?"

Some girls muttered insincere agreements before regaining Dino's full attention again with a random question about Shakespeare. After passing Bermuda, whose siblings weren't in this English class, Tsuna sat in the back and slumped in his chair. His face was still contorted into a scowl. Christ, the room was cold. Bermuda wasn't even wearing a sweater. Tsuna zipped his sweatshirt up to his chin, crossed his arms over his chest, and contemplated whacking Dino over the head with the fan. Problem was if Tsuna could lift it.

"Okay, so it's that time of year again," Dino said when class started. "Group projects!"

Everyone groaned, Tsuna included, while Dino laughed. As nice as he was, Dino was a sadist inside—deep inside. Tsuna remembered when he had been bullied in the third-grade for being smaller than his classmates, and when Dino had found out, he did things. Tsuna still didn't know what he did, but the bullies had been terrified of Dino ever since, and Tsuna was fucking sure that Dino did something. He just didn't know if it was the pull-out-a-secret-box-cutter-from-his-pants maneuver or beat-them-to-hell-and-back sort of thing. Neither of them sounded likely. That was the most terrifying part.

Dino did have a scary friend, Enrico, who was a lawyer and had even scarier friends though. Tsuna chose to be blissful in his sweet ignorance. That was the smartest choice.

Also no one assigned as many group projects as much as Dino did. Every time he'd spew a wordy lecture about the beauty of teamwork when all group work really did was make everyone want to kill each other and bleach their throats with acid. Tsuna already had his metaphorical jug ready. This was the third group project in the class and it was only November. God help them all.

"Hey, hey, it won't be that bad," Dino said. "I'm going to pass around the sheet and—"

The door opened, revealing Kyoko. She bowed her head in apology. "I'm sorry," she said, walking past the fan. Her hair swayed in the wind and fluttered past her shoulders like an elegant, billowing curtain. Tsuna sighed into his palm, then quirked a brow when he noticed Bermuda tensing up in his seat. The dude hadn't seemed cold before. Weird.

Dino gave Kyoko a dazzling grin. "Don't worry! You must be Kyoko. I was just about to hand out the group projects. Take a seat anywhere. I'm not picky."

There was no other seat left except for the one next to Bermuda, who recoiled from her, as if she stung him. Okay, rude.

After receiving the project sheet, Tsuna skimmed it and rolled his eyes. Goddamn Shakespeare—they'd been reading him nonstop. The assignment didn't even look appealing: "Re-enact a scene from one of the plays we've read so far in class. Costumes and props are highly encouraged!"

When he met with his group, Tsuna wanted to squeeze something, preferably Dino's neck. He was stuck with Mochida, the prick, and M.M., who spent more time texting under her desk than listening in class. Nagi was the only decent one, but her older brother, Mukuro, would most likely interfere, making it impossible to meet up. Tsuna was probably going to carry the group to the finish line himself. At least he was decent at English.

He glanced at Kyoko. She was fortunate enough to be grouped with Hana, joined by Longchamp and Bermuda, who looked like he'd bolt any second. Tsuna didn't know what his problem was, but he would've been a better groupmate because he actually did his work. Plus Kyoko was there.

"I'm not going to be free until next month," M.M. said, inspecting her polished yellow nails.

Tsuna deadpanned. "The project's due in a month."

M.M. grinned. Her perfect teeth were a pristine white. "Perfect."

Nagi fumbled with her phone. "Um, I have to ask my brother about group meetings. I think I can meet this weekend."

Tsuna raised a brow. "Really?"

Cheeks pink, Nagi looked down at her lap. "I think…"

Tsuna sighed. That was a 99% no. He really didn't want to talk to Mukuro, who made Viper look normal in comparison.

Mochida scowled. "I have away gam—"

Tsuna didn't look at him. "Just keep an eye out for my text."

"How the hell do you have my number?"

"We worked before, dumbass."

"Let me rephrase: why do you still have my number?"

Tsuna rolled his eyes. "Just shut up or take the L, Mochida."

As soon as calculus ended, Tsuna bolted for the exit. Mr. Miura, Haru's dad, wasn't fast enough to keep him or the other students long enough to tell them their homework. If Tsuna had to look at numbers and expressions for another minute, he was going to take a swan-dive out the window. But the class was only on the second floor. It wasn't much of a fall. He'd probably bruise some ribs.

He unlocked his phone and sent a quick text to his dad: are you at the station or hunting for the mountain killer?

A swarm of students flooded the hallways. They jostled each other around as they headed for their destination; loud chatter and the scent of sweat filled the overheated air. The school really needed to get their heaters fixed. Finally outside, Tsuna zipped his coat over his sweatshirt and exhaled a puff of smoke from his lips. November was chillier than usual this year. Gray clouds floated in the sky, revealing tiny patches of white-blue and little sunlight. Rain was always in Jura's forecast. The meteorologists might as well get easy money out of saying the same thing every day.

Tsuna's phone buzzed with a response from his dad: Where else?

Tsuna rolled his eyes but couldn't help the smile on his face. He side-stepped a girl calling out to her friends and glanced around the parking lot for any wayward cars. His dad had drilled the "look before you cross any damn road or street" rule into Tsuna's skull since he could walk. When he noticed Kyoko by her truck, he slowed down and looked around to make himself look busy.

God, he was pathetic.

Kyoko glanced up then, making Tsuna avert his gaze to the other side of the parking lot. It was another fucking mistake because Lal Mirch, Colonnello, and Fon hung around their silver Benz like models out of Vogue. Tsuna face-palmed, then massaged the bridge of his nose to assuage an incoming headache. He was going to bed as soon as he drove home.

"Tsuna?" It was Kyoko. "Hey, I ha—"

Both flinched when a squeal of tires sounded through the parking lot. A white mini-van swerved with a sharp right. Longchamp was at the wheel, trying hard to keep the vehicle under control. "Watch out!"

Tsuna couldn't move. Everything happened too fast, and by the time he tried running to Kyoko, his legs were too slow. Longchamp's car headed straight for her. The sound of screeching tires and screaming students rang in Tsuna's ears. A loud crash boomed across the chilly air.

"Holy fuck, is she okay?" a student said.

"Oh my God!"

"What the hell?"

Tsuna gaped when Colonnello helped Kyoko up. Both were uninjured, though Kyoko was pale. "You okay?" Colonnello said, keeping a steady grip on Kyoko's elbow.

Kyoko's breath shuddered. "Y—Yeah. Thank you."

Tsuna's eyes darted back and forth between Colonnello and the spot he occupied before. The brunet flinched when he noticed Lal Mirch glare at Colonnello's back. Distant sirens and swirling blue and red lights appeared from the corner of the street; students kept a distance on the sidelines as they whispered amongst themselves.

Haru pushed her way through the crowd. "Kyoko!" Hana wasn't too far behind her.

Tsuna bit his lip and mentally cursed at his cowardice. Why didn't he run to Kyoko the moment he saw Longchamp's car? He knew it was coming but his legs hadn't bothered listening to him. His flight system kicked in, and he felt even more horrible when he saw Kyoko's ashen face. Now he couldn't even bring himself to ask if she was okay.

He took a small step forward but stopped when he noticed Colonnello slinking away as Haru and Hana fussed over Kyoko. Iemitsu and a policewoman, most likely Kyoko's mom, pulled up in the parking lot not too long after.

"Tsuna!" Iemitsu said. He gripped Tsuna's shoulders and patted him down. "Are you okay? Did you get hit? Do you need the hospital?"

Tsuna swatted Iemitsu's hands away, though it was half-hearted. "I'm fine, Dad. I wasn't near it."

Iemitsu dragged him to the hospital anyways, as if Tsuna sustained some sort of injury that Iemitsu hadn't seen yet. Tsuna got it, his dad could get overprotective, but Tsuna wasn't choking on his own blood or sporting a horrible concussion. Still he went—he didn't have the energy to protest.

When Tsuna passed Kyoko's truck, he peered over his shoulder and glanced at the side of Longchamp's car. A large dent concaved in on the rear door. That was just bizarre, because Kyoko and Colonnello weren't injured at all. It didn't look like it had hit a body either. More like it was struck.

But still, how the hell did Colonnello get all the way over here from the other side of the parking lot?

If Mrs. Sasagawa was a force to be reckoned with, Kyoko's older brother, Ryohei, was a whole other ballgame. The resident nearly throttled Longchamp for almost running over Kyoko, then berated the terrified boy for not getting his car brakes checked sooner. It was a weird shift from concerned brother to stern resident, but Tsuna had a feeling that Ryohei could've done worse.

"I'm really fine," Kyoko said from the cot. "You should be checking Longchamp. I didn't get hurt."

Mrs. Sasagawa pinned Longchamp down with a stern glare. "I'll have a talk with you later. Say goodbye to your license 'till then." She pulled the white curtain to cover Kyoko from his sight.

"I'm really sorry!" Longchamp said.

Mrs. Sasagawa placed her hands on her hips. "First days are rough but I didn't imagine this."

Kyoko's smile wobbled. "I'm fine, Mom. I'm okay."

Ryohei, a tall, fit young man with a faint scar across his left temple, frowned. "Let me get you in for a CT scan and make sure your head's okay."

Kyoko rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to say I'm fine? I remember my name and who you are."

"Still better safe than sorry."

Kyoko raised her hands. They were covered with tiny Band-Aids. "I only got these."

Tsuna glanced at Iemitsu, who stood beside him at the end of the bed, a respectful distance away from the Sasagawa family. There were more wrinkles present on Iemitsu's bearded face. He hadn't been shaving lately; he didn't remember to. Tsuna nudged his rib with his elbow. "I'll get you some coffee," he said in a low voice.

"Thanks," Iemitsu said. "You're the best."

Tsuna gave him a cheeky smile. "Obviously."

Iemitsu chuckled and surprised Tsuna by ruffling his hair. He hadn't done that since Tsuna was seven. He must've been really shaken up. "Yeah. Keep it black, alright?"

"I know that much."

The curtain swished when Tsuna stepped out. There weren't many patients around and a handful of nurses and doctors ambled down the well-lit hallways, who talked amongst themselves with clipboards tucked underneath their arms. After finding a waiting room and brewing two drinks, a black coffee for Iemitsu and a green tea for Kyoko, Tsuna started to head back until he noticed Reborn, Colonnello, and Lal Mirch down across from him. With hunched shoulders, Colonnello stared at the wall in silence while Lal Mirch spoke to him in angry whispers. Reborn looked bored for the most part; he stood out from the white halls with his long, dark beige coat and black sweater, as if he was some supermodel. His eyes flickered towards Tsuna.

Tsuna swore he saw Reborn smirk. That wasn't creepy at all.

Still Tsuna kept his head down. The siblings became quiet when he walked past them. Out of curiosity he glanced at Colonnello, who stared right back. There was nothing out of place on his face—no scratches, cuts, or bruises. His eyes were light blue, but seeing them more up close, Tsuna realized he was wearing contacts.

Lal Mirch stepped in front of Colonnello. "What do you want?" She glared at Tsuna; her hazel eyes pinned him to the spot.

Tsuna looked down at his drinks. "I, um, saw what happened and, yeah." He grimaced. Was that all he got? "Just wanted to know if you're—he's okay." His voice rose a small octave, as if he had asked a question.

Colonnello grinned and blinked, as if he just came back to life. "I'm fine! No need to worry about me."

Questions teetered on the tip of Tsuna's tongue: How the hell did you get to the car so fast? Are you on fucking steroids? But one look at Reborn's impassive face and Lal Mirch's terrifying glower stopped Tsuna. He forced on a weak smile. "Yeah, that's good. Um, here." He handed Colonnello the tea out of panic for nothing else to offer. His mom had always told him to reciprocate someone's kindness. Tsuna tried to think of this way as thanking Colonnello for saving Kyoko, who probably wouldn't like tea anyways. "Tea helps with lots of stuff. I have to get back to my dad so, stay safe and all that. Bye."

Colonnello actually laughed, making Tsuna turn and almost run. He didn't look back because fucking hell, he wasn't going to die of embarrassment in the hospital. That was the worst way to go.

Iemitsu frowned when he sipped the coffee Tsuna gave him. "You okay?"

Tsuna shrugged. "Yeah, it's just cold."

It wasn't okay when he found the Jello cup inside his backpack that night. He had never screamed so loud before. Iemitsu almost dragged him back to the hospital, but caved in when Tsuna worked his puppy eyes on him. His dad forced him to sleep beside him instead; and honestly, call Tsuna a crybaby, but that day just wasn't his best, alright?

No one would shut up about Kyoko's near-death experience or Colonnello's chivalry. Everyone asked how they were faring when they had the chance. One thing led to another. The gossip somehow went from Longchamp's faulty brakes to Kyoko and Colonnello becoming an item. Tsuna wondered about the future of humanity sometimes.

When lunchtime came around, he regretted sitting in the cafeteria. He had forgotten to cook lunch that morning because his dad didn't wake him up like he used to. As Tsuna's personal alarm clock, Iemitsu always woke up at five before driving to the station. Tsuna appreciated that his dad let him sleep in a little, but he was hungry and didn't want to stand in line for food. School lunch sucked.

Regardless he shouldered his bag and walked to the salad bar where a platter of apples and bananas were displayed. He waited for Christine, a senior and member of the yearbook club, to pile her plate with lettuce, carrot slices, and tomatoes before she left. With a grimace, Tsuna poked around the apples to find one that wasn't overly ripe or rotting.

"Hey, Tsuna."

Tsuna jumped. "Oh, uh, hey."

Kyoko smiled. She held a tray of food in her hands. "Are you getting something?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah." Tsuna raised an apple in his hand. "Getting an apple." He glanced at the one in his hand and wrinkled his nose. There was specks of brown spots on its green skin. "Okay, not this one."

Kyoko laughed. "I can agree with that." Other than the Band-Aids on her hands, she looked fine.

Tsuna almost asked her if she was okay, then thought better of it. His dad had pestered him with the same questions two days ago and counting; he figured she was sick of it, too. "Are you here for an apple?" He paused as he shifted through more of the fruit. Damn it, why wasn't there any good one? "Or banana?"

"Well, I'm here for an apple." Kyoko watched Tsuna press and inspect each fruit. "I didn't know you knew your way around fruits."

"Huh? Oh well, my dad works a lot and I do the grocery-shopping." He shrugged. "It's whatever. Fresh fruit tastes better. I think that's what most people think, I don't know." Someone should knock him out at this point.

Kyoko laughed. "You're pretty funny."

Tsuna's ears turned a little red. His gaze flickered around like it always did when he was nervous. "Not really." He noticed the Giglio Nero siblings pick at their food without much enthusiasm. They were staring at him. Okay, that wasn't fucking creepy at all.

"Are you busy next weekend?" Kyoko said.

Tsuna turned to her. "What?"

"I was wondering if you want to hang out at Port Merone. My friends are going, too. We might go shopping and get some food later. I'd be really happy if you came with us!"

Tsuna tried not to get his hopes up. Kyoko was asking him to hang out with her. Him. He wasn't busy next weekend, or any weekends after Takeshi moved. It'd also been a while since he went to Port Merone, a hub of restaurants and boutiques for young people. Though if Kyoko's friends were going, did that mean Mochida was, too?

"I'll check my schedule," was Tsuna's bland response. He distracted himself with scavenging the apple pile and perked up when he found the perfect one. "This is hard to find here. Honestly school food sucks. Take i—"

"Chaos."

Tsuna dropped the apple in surprise. He almost shrieked when he saw Reborn standing beside him. When the hell did he get here? No, seriously? How? The apple bounced off of Reborn's loafer and straight up into his hands. Tsuna gaped as if the fruit had offended him. "What the…?"

Reborn's lips twitched into the same insufferable smirk. "I believe this is yours."

Tsuna just grabbed another apple from the platter. God, all he could remember was the brief interaction he had with Reborn and his siblings in the hospital. It was creepy—Tsuna made the mistake of looking back at Reborn again. Fuck, that smirk grew. It was as if Reborn was reading his mind or some crazy shit.

"I'm good. Here." Tsuna handed Kyoko the apple and left, ignoring her protests.

He wasn't having it today. Nope. Every time the Giglio Nero siblings poked their stupid perfect heads out of the corners of his mind, he questioned things he probably shouldn't. Why couldn't he just leave it alone?

As much as Tsuna loved Fridays, today was pushing it. First his alarm didn't wake him. Then he fell down the stairs trying to pull up his jeans and banged his chin on the wooden floor. It hurt like a motherfucker. There was no more milk so Tsuna had to drink his coffee black—zero out of ten, would not recommend. And of course, he forgot there was a field trip to the planetarium today.

He didn't meet Mr. Nezu's gaze after sprinting across the parking lot to one of the waiting buses. His physics teacher pursed his lips. "Nice to see you finally joining us, Mr. Sawada."

"Yeah, it's great," Tsuna said in-between pants.

He climbed inside the bus and nodded to Mrs. Terry in greeting. The sweet driver beamed back. She had three kids who had graduated from Jura High School and now attended college out-of-state. Her town and school pride could put anyone else's to shame. Tsuna scowled at a terrible, off-beat rendition of "Wheels on the Bus" from the back rows. Seriously, it was eight in the fucking morning, where did those fuckers get all that energy from?

There were almost no empty seats, except for the one next to an irritated Verde in the front and—

Dino jumped up and pulled Tsuna into a one-armed hug. "Morning, Tsuna, I didn't think you were coming! Almost went to pick you up myself." He tilted his head. "What happened to your chin?"

Tsuna gaped. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Dino pouted. "I'm one of the chaperones."

"You're an English teacher."

"Hey, there's no discrimination when it comes to helping other students grow and prosper."

"You also hate science."

Dino winked. "I love astrology." That garnered some squeals from his fangirls who had impeccable timing as usual.

Mr. Nezu sighed behind Tsuna while the bus doors closed with a soft hiss. "It's astronomy, Mr. Cavallone, not astrology. They're two completely different fields."

Dino shrugged. "Same difference."

Tsuna pinched the bridge of his nose. "Is it too late to kick you off?"

He swore he heard Mr. Nezu mutter, "Wait until we start moving," behind him and almost choked on his spit. Tsuna never liked Mr. Nezu, who was a hard-ass and hated teenagers with a passion, but that comment allowed a small amount of respect for the man. Anyone who realized how annoying Dino could be earned a spot in Tsuna's respect book. It was a very short book.

Dino grinned down at him. "Hey, you can sit next to me!"

Tsuna ducked out of his arm and shook his head. "Nope." He plopped down on the empty seat next to Verde and buckled his seatbelt. "I'm good right here."

Before Dino could whine about it, Mrs. Terry said, "Please sit down, Dino. The bus will be moving soon. I can't have you hurt yourself."

Tsuna sagged in relief when Dino relented. He smiled when he caught Mrs. Terry's wink in the rearview mirror. Bless that lady's soul. She was going to get so many homemade dishes on Thanksgiving.

It took a moment for Tsuna to realize that he actually sat down next to Verde, one of the Giglio Neros, after the mental turmoil they had put him through. He didn't sleep well nowadays because all he thought about was the stupid Jello cup, the dent on Longchamp's car, and Reborn's infuriating, all-knowing smirk.

Tsuna glanced at Verde and bit back his tongue from lashing out. Verde was staring at him, and Tsuna realized that, like Colonnello, he wore contacts, purple ones. Tsuna followed Verde's gaze down to his own chin. He flushed. "I fell down the stairs. What, you never did that before?"

Verde didn't answer. He raised a brow and returned to his phone. Oh God, someone shoot Tsuna in the head. Great, now the unholy chorus in the back switched to "Chandelier". Why couldn't one of the fuckers, at least, be someone from the school choir? Tsuna shifted through his jacket pockets for his earphones but came up empty. He paled. He couldn't have forgotten them, too.

"Shit." Tsuna thumped his head against the hard leathery seat and closed his eyes. Why couldn't things go right today or any other day? What did he do wrong?

Sighing, he opened his eyes again when a flash of green and white caught his attention. He leaned over without meaning to, and his jaw dropped. "You play Trinisette?" He jerked back in surprise. He didn't mean to talk to Verde or strike up a conversation. Cheeks hot, he looked down at his sneakers. "Sorry. Just, uh, it's a cool game. I play it—sometimes, you know? When I have the time. Yeah." He laughed. "Sorry. You can just ignore me."

A minute of awkward silence passed before Verde spoke, "What's your main attribute?"

Tsuna had rarely heard Verde talk before. His voice was deep and clear, as if he spoke each letter with a purposeful and careful cadence.

"I'm a Sky. How about you?"

"Lightning."

Tsuna could see it, weirdly enough. Plus Verde had that whole green scheme going on. The Lightning attributes had a green flame next to their player IDs. "Cool. So, are you like a Bruiser or a Tank?"

"Tank." Verde then surprised Tsuna again by asking, "What's your user?"

Tsuna couldn't speak. Was this actually happening right now? Before he could look dumber, he opened the game on his phone. "Natsu. Don't laugh. I suck with names. Are you in a guild?"

"No."

A message popped up from the right corner of Tsuna's screen as soon as he logged in: Received a friend request from Keiman. "Holy shit, you're level 894? How? I'm only 127. I didn't even know you could go that high. Dude, do you play this all day or something?"

Verde didn't look up from his phone. "Or something."

Tsuna snorted. "Smartass." He didn't know why, but he considered it a small win when a ghost of a smile danced across Verde's pale lips.

The field trip was surreal.

Tsuna was like, thirty feet away from the entrance, and Colonnello of all people held the door open for him—or at least, it looked like that for a second. The guy didn't meet Tsuna's eyes and basically ended up as the door man for everyone else too, so Tsuna was probably looking too deep into it. It was still weird.

"Please behave when the show starts," Mr. Nezu said, ushering everyone inside the 60-seat dome with a digital projection system. "And try not to look at your phones." He narrowed his eyes at some giggling students. "I'm slightly certain you can handle fifteen minutes without them."

The lights dimmed. Tsuna was sitting beside Verde, and didn't need any more surprises today. Honestly he didn't think that Verde would stick with him, but Tsuna chose a seat in the furthest back row, far away from his classmates (and Dino), so he understood if Verde wanted to keep his distance, too.

The show was interesting—if the narrator didn't sound like a handful of cotton swabs were stuffed inside his mouth. The vivid special effects got some oohs and aahs here and there, but it wasn't anything the students hadn't seen before. They had field trips to the planetarium a couple of times in elementary school. Tsuna couldn't remember anything past the three-minute mark, too busy dozing off. He was never a good student in the first place and slept at four in the morning on a nightly basis now. Sue him.

It wasn't until his head dipped that he became aware of his surroundings. Tsuna flushed when he saw Verde looking down at him. "Ah, shit," he said. "Sorry, um, for sleeping on you. I didn't mean to. God, I just—" He couldn't help himself from wiping Verde's shoulder with his sleeve because fuck, that was definitely drool. Also, holy shit, the guy worked out. "Yeah, I'm sorry, I'm a mess. Oh." Tsuna recoiled as if he was burned. "Oh God, what the hell am I doing? Sorry!"

Tsuna bit his tongue from saying anything else. He snatched his backpack and went with his default strategy when facing horrifying situations: he ran.

The lights returned and hurt his eyes, but he was more focused on getting the hell away. He cursed when he banged his knee against an armrest. Everyone else was already leaving. With the grace of a potato, Tsuna stumbled his way to the exit, bumping into other students. As soon as he was out, breathing in the musty heated air, his heart took note to slow down a notch.

Before Tsuna could sneak away to the bathroom, Dino appeared by his side with a sunny smile. "Tsuna, did you enj—Woah, hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Tsuna said through gritted teeth.

"You don't look fine. Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened."

Dino rambled on a mini-lecture about reaching out to him, but Tsuna wasn't listening. Among the crowd of laughing students, he noticed Reborn and Kyoko sneak off and disappear inside the art gallery. What were they doing? Tsuna remembered leaving Kyoko alone at lunch two days ago and felt like utter shit when he realized that he had left her alone with Reborn.

No matter how much of a saint the dude seemed—Tsuna honestly thought he looked more like the devil—there was something weird about him and his family.

A sense of foreboding coiled in Tsuna's guts—and his guts were never wrong. "Hey, Dino, I need to use the bathroom," he said, cutting his cousin off. "My stomach's been weird all morning."

Dino widened his eyes. "Of course, of course! Do you need any help?"

Tsuna sighed. "I can walk. I don't need you to babysit me." He left before Dino could respond and walked towards the gallery. He wasn't sure what to expect or say, and yeah, Reborn was intimidating, but Tsuna was only going to check on them, a quick peek. Peeks didn't hurt.

"Hey, you're Tsuna, right?"

Tsuna yelped when he bumped into a hard chest. A dark purple leather jacket filled his vision. He staggered back a few steps, rubbing his nose. What the fuck were these guys made out of? Marble? "The hell?"

Skull grinned and gestured at the students filing into another room. "Sorry for scarin' ya, but we got paired up for the assignment. I grabbed a copy for you." He wasn't even in Tsuna's physics class. He had Ms. Harrison. Skull waved a piece of paper in Tsuna's face. "Come on, let's reach for the stars and search for the unknown and all that shebang."

"Uh, wait, I don't—" Tsuna gaped when Skull led him to the planetary interactive room. Dim blue lights illuminated the floating planets and constellations on tall screens that stretched down a long corridor. "You're not even in my class."

"Hey, teamwork makes the dream work, and that dream, my dude, is friendship." Skull gave Tsuna one of those charming grins girls swooned over. His teeth were pointier than most people's teeth, like they were shaved. Tsuna hoped that it was some secret fetish. And no, he didn't want to know.

He frowned. "How did we even get assigned together?"

Skull pouted. It could honestly put Dino's to shame. "Dude, weren't you listening? Nezu was listing them off like, five minutes ago." He sighed. "You know, if you're really uncomfortable, I get it. You can ask to change, I think."

Tsuna shouldn't give in. He shouldn't. But fuck, Skull looked like Tsuna had gutted his puppy and chucked it out the window. Knowing when a battle had been lost, Tsuna surrendered and busied himself with reading the assignment: "Identify as many constellations and planets as you can. Write down any information related to what we've learned in class so far. You can also use the show as reference."

Tsuna groaned. Why did they have to work on field trips? He looked around the gallery. A few students were actually doing the assignment. Others clicked on small interactive screens to zoom in and out of random planets. He glanced at Skull who stared at a large constellation nearby. Tsuna didn't recognize the unreadable gaze in Skull's eyes, which looked brighter under the blue lights. He seemed lost in another world. Tsuna, afraid of breaking that fragile connection, stayed quiet.

Eventually he cleared his throat. "So, um, you know this one?"

Skull tilted his head. His lips curled into an amused smile; it irritated Tsuna. It felt like Skull was looking down on him. "You don't know it? It's Orion."

"Oh." The name didn't ring any bells. Tsuna unzipped his bag to get a pen, but Skull handed him one. "Um, thanks. Remind me to give it back."

Skull laughed. "It's not mine. I just took it from the front desk. I don't like carrying a bag." He gestured at Orion. "So, good old Orion. You know he was the only chill dude with Artemis? He was also one hell of a hunter." Tsuna noticed that Skull spoke the names with a different accent he couldn't place. It reminded Tsuna of how his dad would speak Italian, his native language: natural and fluent. "Oh, hey, that's Cassiopeia! And Lyra! Hell, can't forget about Hydra."

Tsuna tried hard to keep up with Skull's energetic pace. He looked back and forth between the sheet and the screen, trying to match whatever Skull pointed out to the figures on his paper. "You know a lot about this."

Skull smiled. "Yeah, been lookin' at them for years. It's not easy to see them anymore though. You know, people used to use Orion as a guide home. Makes you wonder how they do it nowadays."

"Yeah," Tsuna said, not knowing what else to say. "Pollution sucks." He mentally smacked himself. Really? That was all he had? Pollution sucks? He sucked.

Skull laughed and pointed back at Orion. "Let's take it one step at a time, 'kay? You're in good hands, man. I'm an expert."

"For science," Tsuna said. He didn't want to like Skull, but he was pretty cool, if a little weird.

The manic gleam that shone in Skull's eyes just deluded Tsuna more. "Yes, for science!"

They finished their assignment before anyone else did. And damn, Skull was an expert. He knew every planet's mass, gravity, and composition, and the constellations' stories like he was reciting from a textbook, a fun and absolutely wild textbook. Tsuna's hand ached by the time they were done.

Though Skull was a cool guy, Tsuna sat in the other bus. He politely refused Skull's offer to sit with him and used the excuse that he didn't want to see Dino, which Skull accepted in good humor. But really, it was because Colonnello wouldn't stop staring at Tsuna. He held the door for him again when the classes left the planetarium, too.

Seriously, what was up with that family?

Anything or anyone school-related should go bury themselves in a ditch.

Tsuna thought it was both good and stupid to wrangle his group members inside his house. Good, because he was planning to bribe them with his cooking, which everyone he knew called fucking spectacular. Stupid, because two of them had no respect for personal boundaries and Tsuna should've known better. He thought that bringing teens inside the sheriff's house would act as a buffer, but he gave his dad's status too much credit.

"I'm on a diet," M.M. said when Tsuna handed her a dish of homemade lemon ricotta pasta.

Tsuna rolled his eyes and slid the plate towards Nagi instead. "Tell me you're not on one, too." He grimaced when the words slipped out without him meaning to, but Nagi didn't seem to take any offense. She gave him an understanding smile. "It looks delicious."

Tsuna glanced at Mukuro, whose smile remained placid on his handsome face. Thank God, because Tsuna didn't want to think about the ways Mukuro would tear him apart if he so much as looked at Nagi wrong. As a compromise, Tsuna had invited Mukuro so he could make sure nothing happened to Nagi. It was weird for Mukuro to be so involved in Nagi's life, especially at their age, but M.M. had a huge crush on the guy, so Tsuna was killing two birds with one stone by having them there.

Mochida was just shit smeared on concrete, no questions asked. "Hurry up and get this over with," the turd said. "I'm not eating that."

Tsuna shrugged and handed another dish to Mukuro before opening the fridge. "Anything to drink? I have water, juice, um"—he peered over his shoulder—"I guess, wine? If you want."

He wasn't keen on taking from his dad's secret stash—Iemitsu would know if anyone touched his liquor—but Mukuro and Nagi were from old money. Their family had held the reins over Jura before the Giglio Neros waltzed in. Needless to say, they weren't on good terms.

Mukuro nodded. "Water is fine. Nagi?"

"Juice, please," Nagi said. "Orange, if you have it."

After everyone was more or less settled, Tsuna leaned against the kitchen counter with the group assignment in his hand. "So, does anyone have a play in mind?"

Mochida sneered. He hadn't even removed his coat since he stomped inside Tsuna's house. It took every single fiber in Tsuna's body not to march over and grab his dad's shotgun from the safe in his room. "Just pick whatever. I don't care."

"This tastes great, Tsuna," Nagi said.

"I agree," Mukuro said. "This is quite lovely. You're exceptional in the kitchen."

Tsuna could never understand how they could make eating look so elegant. Now that he thought about it, he never saw the Rokudo siblings eat in the cafeteria either, a stark contrast to the Giglio Neros. Well, Mukuro and Nagi were both a little on the thin side. He mentally groaned. God, couldn't he just go one day without thinking about the bizarre Addams family knockoff?

"Thanks," was all Tsuna could say.

M.M. sighed while making goo-goo eyes at Mukuro. "I can cook, too. Would you like to—"

Tsuna pinched the bridge of his nose. "M.M., get it together." He had worked with her once in ninth grade. As long as he played his cards right, she could do some decent work. She wasn't stupid, just had wacky priorities. "You worked on Romeo and Juliet in the school play last year, right?"

M.M. sniffed. "What's is to you?"

"You did a nice job with the makeup." Tsuna knew nothing about makeup, but he had to admit that the student actors looked really good onstage. Might as well suck up to M.M. and get it over with. "I thought that you could do that with this assignment. We just need to re-enact a scene. You can do whatever—reasonably."

As much as M.M. liked having attention, she also liked being in control. She glanced at her purple nails. "I'll think about it."

That would eventually turn into a yes. Mochida stood up then and grabbed his bag. "Okay, you obviously don't need me here."

Tsuna didn't walk him out. He just waited for the door to slam shut and Mochida's car leave the driveway.

"Romeo and Juliet sounds nice," Nagi said, trying to fill in the awkward silence.

Mukuro waved his hand. "Now that the simpleton finally left, you'll be able to focus on what needs to be done. The less time we're here, the more you can enjoy your own privacy."

Tsuna couldn't help but laugh. Nagi and even M.M. joined in, too. Somehow they managed to pick a scene—thank God it wasn't the one with the balcony or the double kind-of-not-really-accidental suicides. No kissing.

M.M. wrinkled her nose. "Let's put it this way. Option A is Mochida. Option B is you. I choose Option C—fuck no."

Tsuna nodded. "Fair point."

Iemitsu only wore his good suit for special occasions, like getting a promotion, attending a ceremony, or appearing at one of the Giglio Neros' parties. Nana had bought it for him as an anniversary gift, including a rich orange-and-white tie to go with it. That was years ago, when Tsuna was six, and the suit still fit his dad.

"You look good in a suit, Sheriff," Kyoko's mom said in Japanese, her glossy lips forming a smile.

She had formally introduced herself as Sasagawa Akane when her family arrived at Ottavia's Wine & Grill, and shook Tsuna's hand with an overly-firm grip. Her husband, Hitoshi, had a softer hand but no less calloused than Akane's. It was a little weird since Iemitsu had said Hitoshi was a history professor, but Tsuna figured he was a man of labor on the side. His dad liked solving Sudoku puzzles in his free time.

Iemitsu laughed beside Tsuna. "You don't have to suck up to me. Besides, we're not in uniform. You can call me Iemitsu outside the job."

Kyoko smiled at Tsuna from across the table. She wore a mustard-yellow dress and white cardigan. He returned the gesture with a weaker, more wobbly imitation. They hadn't talked since the lunch room incident.

Grinning, Ottavia, the restaurant owner, walked over to take their orders. She was tanned from her youth under the Italian sun, but that made her seem all the more welcoming. "Sheriff, Tsuna!" she said in Italian. "Came with some company?"

Iemitsu's grin made him look years younger. "Ottavia, you look beautiful as always." He winked at Akane and Hitoshi. "This here's the finest chef in town. Ottavia, this is Akane and Hitoshi. They just moved in last week. She's their beautiful daughter, Kyoko. Unfortunately Ryohei, their son, got a last-minute call from the hospital so he won't be able to attend tonight."

"Oh dear, I heard about what happened," Ottavia said after exchanging her greetings, in English. "I'm glad Colonnello got you in time. That boy's always been a knight for the girls."

Tsuna grimaced when he noticed Kyoko's awkward smile. Ottavia meant well, but she was more attracted to chivalry than honesty. "Ottavia, how's Lambo doing?"

That distracted Ottavia enough. Lambo was Ottavia's 6-year-old nephew, who Tsuna used to babysit. Lambo listened to him more than his other sitters. "Oh, he's doing wonderfully!" Ottavia said. "He's at Max's house for a playdate."

"Sounds like fun. I think I'm getting a burger today. Could you get me a vanilla shake, too?"

"Of course! And what will you lovely folks have?"

Everyone ordered the steak, except for Kyoko who ordered a burger. "Can I have some extra fries with that too, please?" she said.

"Sure, dear," Ottavia said. "I'll be right back. Now enjoy yourselves while you're at it."

Akane sagged in her seat. "You don't know how much easier it is to speak in Japanese," she said, switching back to her first language.

Iemitsu laughed. "I get it. Same goes for me with Italian."

"I didn't know you could speak it," Hitoshi said. "You sounded like a natural."

"I'm mixed—mom was Italian, dad was Japanese. I grew up in Milan before moving to Namimori when I was fifteen. My dad had a business selling shellfish."

Akane chuckled. "I can't picture you as a fisherman."

"You'll be surprised. Me and the boys at the station go fishing year-round as a small vacation. Give me a net and line any day."

The Sasagawa couple, thankfully, didn't ask about Nana. Tsuna fiddled with the hem of his white button-up shirt. He always forgot to tuck it in. The restaurant was crowded from the dinner rush, and a lot of familiar faces were spread out here and there. Mr. Nezu sat a few tables away with his wife and 3-year-old daughter, smiling rather than scowling like in the classroom.

"How are you doing?" Kyoko spoke in Japanese, snapping Tsuna out of his thoughts.

Tsuna blinked. "Oh, um, I'm great, um, good. Yeah, that. Good. I'm good. " He looked down at his plate when Kyoko laughed. God, he wanted to stab himself with a fork. "How about you? Uh, how's school?" That wasn't the question he wanted to ask, but they weren't alone, and dinner tables weren't a place for conspiracy.

"It's good. The teachers are pretty nice. Haru and Hana are really sweet, too."

"And not Mochida?" Tsuna bit his lip, but it was already too late.

Hitoshi furrowed his brows. "It's that kid who's always following you around, right?"

"It's fine, Dad." Kyoko grinned. "I can handle him." Tsuna had a feeling that he didn't want to know what that meant. "Anyway, how's your group project for English?"

Tsuna tried to look anywhere but Kyoko. "Oh, it's okay. Mochida's there, so explains a lot."

Kyoko winced in sympathy. "Yeah. How about, um, Nagi? That's her name, right? That quiet girl?"

"Nagi's nice, yeah. How's yours?"

"It's fine. Hana's been a major help, so I feel bad about not doing much. She pretty much has it all planned out."

"Yeah, she's like, one of the smartest students in the whole school. And group projects suck so she doesn't trust anyone to do anything. I get it though. I wouldn't."

Their orders arrived soon before the conversation went nowhere. Food was always the best distraction.

"I haven't been able to say this properly, but thank you for bringing Akane and Kyoko to the hospital," Hitoshi said, cutting into his medium-rare steak.

Iemitsu chuckled. "Just doing my job. I didn't do much. It's just a relief Colonnello was there." He smiled at Kyoko. "I'm not trying to embarrass you, but I'm really glad you're okay. What a way to start the school year, huh?"

Tsuna jabbed Iemitsu in the side. "Dad."

Kyoko smiled. "It's okay. I'm glad I'm alive, too."

"I've been hearing his name everywhere," Hitoshi said, chewing on a piece of steak. "He's part of that family in the mountains, right? The Giggly something."

Tsuna choked on his hamburger. Amused as well, his dad passed him a napkin. "Giglio Nero," Iemitsu corrected, the name effortless on his tongue.

"I heard they're all adopted. That's very kind of Lucy."

"Luce," Iemitsu corrected again. "Yes, she adopted all of her kids. You wouldn't believe it either because she looks so young. The women are jealous of her skincare. Her husband's not too shabby either. They're the ultimate power couple."

Akane tilted her head. "How old is she?"

"Fifty-four. I'm forty-two and I look older than her." Iemitsu laughed before sipping some red wine. "Her husband's three years older, fifty-seven. They're a good couple, great family."

Hitoshi rubbed his jaw. "I haven't seen their kids around. Must keep to themselves, huh?"

Tsuna wondered why he was so curious about the Giglio Neros. Granted Hitoshi had just moved here with his family, most people wouldn't care once they got a gala invite. Hitoshi's curiosity would probably be squashed once he was invited, too.

"They're pretty distant, yeah," Iemitsu said. "But in a small town like this, you're bound to getting antsy with everyone watching you. People like to stick their nose where they don't belong. The Giglio Nero kids are good kids. They have clean records and clean reputations."

"In my experience, clean records aren't the best indicator of character," Akane said. That was a weird thing to say, no matter how kind Akane's tone was.

Iemitsu rested his hand on the table; his still sparkling wedding ring glimmered under the warm lights. He had never done it after Nana had called it rude. Instead of being direct about the Sasagawas' line of inquiry, he continued to eat his steak. His knife created prominent clinks against his plate as he cut through the meat. It was the simplest actions that Iemitsu did that would put anyone on edge.

Akane tucked a strand of light orange hair behind her ear. "We were just wondering because we wanted to thank Colonnello for saving Kyoko, but he's pretty hard to catch."

"You can just ask," Iemitsu said. "I could get you into contact with them."

"Really?" Hitoshi said, though he didn't sound all that satisfied. "That would be wonderful."

"Oh, Tsuna." Kyoko dabbed her lips with her napkin. "I was wondering if you thought about hanging out with us this weekend at Port Merone."

Tsuna paused mid-bite of his burger. "Huh? Oh, the—yeah. Sorry, I forgot about that. I don't know."

Iemitsu nudged his shoulder. "Come on. I don't think you have any plans for the weekend."

"I have homework."

Iemitsu snorted. "I know you always put it off 'till Sunday night. Seriously, you should go out more, son. Who's going?"

Much to Tsuna's dismay, Kyoko responded with a bright, "It's just me and my friends. There's Kurokawa Hana and Miura Haru. Oh, and Irie Shoichi and Spanner Clark are coming, too."

"Well, they're not a bad bunch. Hana's got a good head on her shoulders."

Tsuna rolled his eyes. "Dad."

"What? You're basically a bum. Go and have fun. Be a teenager and act your age."

"You know, everyone my age is basically a potato." Tsuna glanced at Kyoko with a small blush. "Well, mostly everyone."

Kyoko smiled. "I'm team potato."

Iemitsu laughed. "Okay, you can go."

Tsuna gaped at him. "What? I didn't even say yes."

He lost a few seconds later to Kyoko's viciously unfair puppy-dog eyes.

It was an hour's drive to Port Merone since it was located at the farthest part of town. Tsuna and Takeshi would go there to buy video games since it was the only place that had a game store. Kyoko had said to meet around 1 PM on Saturday in front of Petite Miss. It was a popular bakery well-known for their cupcakes, and Tsuna had no doubt that Haru had picked the place. Everyone knew she was a sweets fanatic.

"Tsuna!" Kyoko said, waving her hand. She wore jeans and a white coat, and damn it, she looked really cute in a ponytail. "You came."

Tsuna closed his car door and pocketed his keys. He didn't meet Hana's piercing gaze or Mochida's sneering face. Shoichi and Spanner just gave him a nod in greeting. Haru offered a small smile.

"I mean, I could always leave," Tsuna said. "I like my couch." He mentally bashed his head against concrete. He thought his filter was going to work today.

Mochida and Hana seemed onboard with that idea. Tsuna felt like he'd probably do it because what was wrong with him? Everything.

Kyoko shook her head. "Nope." She surprised Tsuna—well, everyone—when she linked their arms together. "We're not going to be potatoes today."

The girls were a whirlwind of activity, though Hana made sure they didn't spend too much money or made ridiculous spending decisions. Mochida followed wherever Kyoko went like an annoying puppy and Hana was also the leash that kept him at bay. As soon as the group arrived at the shopping center, Shoichi and Spanner gravitated to a pawn shop a couple of doors down and made themselves scarce.

Haru snickered. "They'll come around later."

Even though Thanksgiving hadn't passed yet, Christmas ornaments decorated several stores. Bright colorful lights hung above them and twinkled underneath gloomy skies. This amount of good cheer was both annoying and absurd.

"Let's pick out a dress, Kyoko!" Haru said.

Kyoko laughed. "I don't think I'll need one."

"What? No, you have to! The winter ball's coming up and you need a dress."

"The what?"

Hana sighed. "It's hosted by the Giglio Nero at the end of November every year. They have a big party at their house for everyone."

Kyoko blinked. "Everyone?"

Mochida grinned. "Yeah. They send out invitations to the whole town. You know, we could go tog—"

Kyoko turned to Tsuna. "Oh, I didn't know that. Is it fun?"

Tsuna tried not to tense when Mochida glared at him. He glanced at a dancing elf toy inside a kids store. The movements were jerky and stiff. "Um, I don't know. I don't really go to their stuff."

Haru huffed. "You should. It's really fun! Everyone gets to dress up in these gorgeous gowns and suits, and it's like something out of a fairytale." She spread her hands open in the air. "Think of the Victorian era, like in the movies. Their house is gorgeous and they all look beautiful in their clothes. I think they're authentic. Oh, and they also do a bunch of other parties, too!" She clapped. "Both of you have to come. It'll be amazing!"

Tsuna was surprised that Haru included him. They weren't friends. Even though Takeshi was more sociable with everyone, Tsuna didn't make an effort to befriend them like Takeshi did. It was kind of nice. Though he didn't like being surrounded by a lot of people or going to parties. "Thanks," he said, "but I think I'll pass. It's not my kind of thing."

"I have to study for the SATs," Hana deadpanned.

Haru groaned. "It's for one night and you're already smart enough. Just come for once, please?"

"Partying won't guarantee a college acceptance."

"See what I have to live with here?"

Kyoko laughed. "Well, it sounds like fun. I'll think about it."

Haru brightened up and hugged Kyoko. She almost toppled Tsuna over from her sudden weight and forced him to let go of Kyoko's arm. "Thank you! Now let's find you a perfect dress!" She whisked Kyoko away, who gave Tsuna and Hana pleading eyes.

Tsuna wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, but ended up following the girls and Mochida to a boutique called Sweet Pea Sue. He wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a pun or not. The store was spacious and smelled like roses. A few women shifted through racks of vintage clothing while the two workers helped them near the changing rooms. Tsuna stood back, blending in with the yellow walls as much as possible, and only had his phone for company. Mochida was just a sad leech.

After dying to the dungeon boss for the third time, Tsuna sighed and exited the Trinisette app. He rocked back and forth on his heels while Haru tried on her fifth dress. Would they notice if he sneaked away? That'd be shitty of him though. Then again, if he had to stay here any longer, he'd end up becoming one of the mannequins.

"You don't have to stay," Hana said, startling him. "Haru's going to take a while." She leaned against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. "They won't notice."

Tsuna watched Kyoko and Haru laugh and twirl in their gowns for a moment. Mochida was off to the side and looked bored as hell. He scrolled through his phone, only taking peeks at Kyoko every few seconds. "I mean, I don't mind." That was an automatic response to be polite.

Hana said, "Meet us out front in two hours," before she left him.

For a minute Tsuna wondered what the hell just happened. Then Haru started talking about cross-stitching and fabric patterns. That was his cue to leave. A chilly breeze swayed among the trees, rustling their thin branches. Tsuna zipped up his jacket to his neck. He should've brought his scarf. After a minute of window-browsing, he ended up at Mulligan's Comics. It was a small shop with vintage comic books, figurines, and collectible items. Practically Tsuna's paradise.

"Hey, Sean," he said, walking inside. The shop smelled like old paper, dust, and weak Febreze.

A short, thin man with a bushy beard, Sean was one of the longest living residents in Port Merone and collected comics since he could read. Though he had a temper, he was generous and donated books to the library every month. His mother had been an English teacher and once a voracious collector herself. There were still books left in their family home to this day.

"Been a while," Sean said. "Where's your doggy friend?"

Tsuna laughed. "Oh, Takeshi? He moved to Florida last week."

Sean peered at Tsuna over his wide-rimmed glasses. "Florida, huh? What do they got that we don't?"

Sunlight more than four times a year. Tsuna shrugged. "His mom got transferred there."

"Sorry, kid."

Tsuna left the conversation at that. He wasn't in the mood to talk about Takeshi. He browsed through a few comics on the shelves. They were vintage but well-kept. He had a few precious collectibles in his room tucked underneath his bed and mostly spent his allowances on—

"Is that Fantasma?"

Tsuna gaped at the carefully-stacked comic volumes on the display stand; the spines were designed in a way to illustrate Fantasma's hooded face when they were placed together. The brother's face was eclipsed with more light than the sister's. The rogue hero pulled off a dramatic pose on the cover, with their arms out-stretched to defend themselves. Purple-black energy swirled around them in a colorful splash as they battled Uroboros, their own illusion of huge eel-like creatures with sharp teeth and no eyes. Tsuna remembered seeing the monster for the first time in one of the later comic issues—they still terrified him.

Sean didn't do anything to hide the pride in his voice. "Yup. Managed to get the collection off a friend in Virginia. It's a limited edition. Even has the creator's signature."

Tsuna's jaw dropped. "Mammon actually signed it?"

Mammon was the pen name of Fantasma's creator. No one had ever seen them in person, and they never had a signing event back in the seventies. They cited social anxiety as the issue. Most people would've called bullshit on it but Mammon was an exception—they were a legend, even if they only published one series.

Fantasma was an anti-hero who had a brother and sister sharing the same body after a botched contract with a demon, Esper. They travelled all over the world to find the entrance to a ring of Hell in order to find Esper and reverse the damage while also meeting other strange heroes and villains. Tsuna loved the series since he discovered them in seventh grade. And there was a special-cover edition right here. Tsuna wanted to cry.

"You can't afford it," Sean said. "It's a beauty, but it's hefty. Had to wrangle the price when I got it."

Tsuna was almost afraid to ask. "How much is it?"

"$832,912."

Tsuna let out a strangled squeak. "Oh." He stared at the display stand, his eye mournful. "You know, looking's free so I'll just do that instead."

"Good call. Take as long as you need, kid."

"Thanks, Sean."

Like Hana had said, Haru finished dress shopping two hours later. Tsuna knew some girls liked shopping but holy hell. He almost felt a smidgen of respect for Mochida sticking it out. Spanner and Shoichi left the pawn shop later with some goods to join them. They were probably working on another project.

"You guys are going to flip when you see Kyoko in this!" Haru shook a big white bag in the air. She had another one for herself with cream-colored tissue paper covering her dress.

"In a bag?" Tsuna shrunk when the words came out, but smiled a little when Kyoko laughed. Haru and Hana seemed a bit miffed though none of them said anything.

"It's a great pick," Kyoko said. "Haru knows her stuff. Did you get anything, Tsuna?"

Tsuna shrugged. Mochida's burning stare made his neck crawl. It was hard to ignore, even when Tsuna wasn't looking back at him. "No, not really. I mean, there was these comics bu—"

"Hey, there's Funcade!" Mochida said. Tsuna wasn't even surprised; he looked somewhere else to stave off his embarrassment. "Wanna go?"

Haru gave Tsuna a sympathetic look before scowling at Mochida. "We should go where Kyoko wants to! She's new here, idiot."

Kyoko smiled. "I don't mind. It sounds like fun."

While Mochida looked like she gave him the world, the light on his face disappeared when Kyoko bumped Tsuna's shoulder in a playful gesture. "You good at any?"

Tsuna looked to Hana in confusion. Hana didn't offer any answers, perplexed herself. He didn't know what to think about Kyoko's friendliness, even if it was kind of nice. She didn't have to try so hard to include him just because she invited him though. Tsuna was thinking it was more out of pity than anything.

"Um, you mean with games?" he said. "I play video games but I'm not good with arcade ones. I'm a console guy."

"Funcade has some cool shooting games," Shoichi said. "That's what it's known for anyways."

Tsuna wondered if he was the only one who noticed the mischievous gleam in Kyoko's eyes. He tried hard not to think about it, but the sense of foreboding in his gut heightened when they entered Funcade. There were a handful of kids and teenagers inside since it was the only modern arcade in Port Merone. Other places were too retro. The smell of pizza and nachos permeated in the air; electronic beeps and victory bells rose in irregular rhythms all over the place.

Mochida lead everyone to the most popular game in Funcade. "I have the highest score on Zombie Raiders." Faded zombie cutouts surrounded the large shooting machine. There were two guys already there, laughing and screeching from their deaths.

Tsuna stood on the sideline while Mochida cut the long line, ignoring everyone's protests, and snatched a gun from one player's hands. Hana wrinkled her nose in distaste while Haru tried hard to make herself look small. Spanner and Shoichi frowned when Mochida attempted to help Kyoko hold a gun until she moved away from him and smiled, all too sweet. Tsuna shivered.

"I'm guessing you have to kill the zombies to win, right?" she said, getting into position. Tsuna could tell that this wasn't the first time she handled a gun before. Even though it was plastic, she held the gun in a secure and firm grip like his dad at the range.

Mochida laughed. "Yeah. If you get them in the chest, it's four points. Other parts are two points. Headshots are seven. Don't worry. I'll carry you."

As soon as the game started, Kyoko fired off bullets in quick succession. Some people cheered when they realized she was getting headshot after headshot. It was probably the most badass thing Tsuna had ever seen. Mochida was at a loss for words when "You Lived" flashed across the screen. He hadn't shot a single zombie. More like Kyoko hadn't given him a chance to. She smiled at him. "I win."

"That was amazing," Tsuna said when she walked towards him.

Kyoko laughed. "I live to please. Hey, let's try that one." She pointed at Dying Will, another shooting game that had buffed guns with different powers and abilities. "Haru, look! There's some cute dolls! I can get them all for you."

That seemed to snap Haru out of her stunned stupor. "O—Oh, yeah, sure!"

After that, it was pretty chill for the most part. Mochida was still having trouble realizing he lost to and was thoroughly dissed by Kyoko. Tsuna wished he had recorded the whole thing; but when Kyoko won him a bunny keychain from one of her loots, Tsuna might've asked for something worse instead if Mochida's glower was anything to go by.

The doll was cute though—until Hana pointed out that they looked alike. Traitor.

No one was keen on eating arcade food for dinner, especially Haru, who insisted they eat out at a restaurant—a fancy restaurant.

"Haru, we're all pretty much broke," Hana said.

Haru pouted. "But it's a night to treat ourselves! And it's a welcome dinner for Kyoko!"

"We'll only be able to afford an appetizer together."

Tsuna stifled a snort. Seriously? He'd heard that Hana could be stingy with money but they weren't that poor. He wasn't trying to judge her though. Port Merone was one of the pricier places, though it wasn't terrible compared to Catafalco City.

"It's not bad to live a little," Tsuna said, slow and careful for Hana's sake more than his. He didn't want to draw her anger today or any other day.

He jumped when Haru hugged his arm. "See?" She grinned. "Even Tsuna thinks so!"

"I—I wasn't trying to go against you or anything!" Tsuna said when Hana glared at him. "I'm just saying—"

"There's options," Spanner said, scrolling through his phone. Bless him and his future kids. "Is there anything you like, Kyoko?"

"I'm not picky," Kyoko said. "Oh, there was a really nice place me and Tsuna ate last night."

Mochida and Hana stared at her.

"Y—You ate together?" Mochida said. "You two?"

"Our families ate out," Tsuna said. "Like a welcome dinner and all that." He glanced down at his gray sneakers; the midsole had faded grime streaked across it from constant wear. "Ottavia's Wine & Grill's pretty far from here; it's about a half an hour drive, but if you want to go there, we could."

"It has crappy appetizers," Mochida said before Kyoko could respond. "And they take too long."

Tsuna's brow twitched. Oh, this fucker was gonna play that game, huh? "Their food's good," he said. "Yeah, their dinner rush can get pretty heavy since it's a local place, but they don't take forever."

"They had great service," Kyoko said. "And we don't have to go there. It was just a suggestion. I'm sure there's somewhere close by everyone will like."

Mochida shrugged it off, but still stuck close to Kyoko while the others debated over where to eat. Tsuna kept quiet. That was more than enough spotlight on him. He wasn't blaming Kyoko for it though. He just wanted to eat and get it over with before Mochida actually managed to kill him. Tsuna's only goal was to survive the night so he could go back home and play video games.

"Oh, how about that one?" Haru said, pointing at something on Spanner's phone. "Can you check the menu? I wanna see if they have good desserts, too. Melody said that place was pretty good."

"You okay?" Kyoko said, startling Tsuna. When did she get next to him?

"Huh? I'm fine. Why?"

Kyoko smiled. "It looked like you might've dipped back there. I'm sorry about Mochida."

Tsuna shrugged. "I'm used to it. You don't have to apologize for him, you know. He's not—"

"My friend?" Kyoko laughed. "Yeah, I thought we all knew that. I didn't even invite him. He invited himself."

Now it was Tsuna's turn to stare at Kyoko. He didn't think that she and Mochida were friends, but hearing her say it out loud was still jarring. "Oh," was all Tsuna could say.

His phone then buzzed in his pocket. As he took it out, a shoulder bumped hard against his arm. Tsuna's vibrating phone fell out of his hand, and for a split second, he saw his dad on the caller ID. It smacked the pavement with a dull thud, then stopped moving. A brief moment of stunned silence passed before anger simmered in Tsuna's guts.

"What the hell, dude?" he said, glaring at Mochida.

Mochida shrugged. "Sorry, accidents happen."

Tsuna kneeled down to check his phone. It was cracked, and dead. He glared at Mochida. "You broke my phone!"

"Not cool," Shoichi mumbled, though didn't say anything else. He wasn't the confrontational type.

Haru dug through her bad and took out her green phone. "You can use mine."

Tsuna shook his head. "No, it's fine."

"He's not worth your minutes, sweetheart," Mochida said. "It's just his dad—oh, my bad, the sheriff trying to coddle him even more anyway."

"Shut up, Mochida!" Haru tried to push her phone in Tsuna's hand. "I was being se—"

Tsuna stood up. "I said it's fine!"

Haru tensed. Tsuna felt terrible but couldn't bring himself to apologize. Scowling, he turned towards Mochida one last time and wished he could punch the sneer off the asshole's face. "I don't know what your problem is," Tsuna said before he could stop himself. "I didn't even do anything to you and you're just being an ass—I mean, you're just pushin' it."

Mochida actually grinned. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Surprisingly Hana interfered, her eyes narrowed, and it only made Tsuna mortified. Having others step in to protect him was more humiliating than reassuring. It made the whole situation too real for him to process. Or maybe Tsuna was just an overdramatic little shit.

"Back off, Mochida," Hana said.

Mochida ignored her. "Are you gonna run back to daddy to make it all better?"

"Mochida," Kyoko said, stepping in front of Tsuna like some Amazonian warrior goddess. God, someone kill Tsuna already. "Stop it."

Tsuna opened his mouth but his words jammed in the back of his throat.

Mochida didn't miss it. "Sheriff's gonna come 'round and arrest me for hurting his little baby?" he said, snickering.

Like the coward he was, Tsuna turned and walked away. He was too angry to even speak, too tired to even care. He just had to get the hell out of there.

"Tsuna!"

Tsuna didn't turn right away at Kyoko's voice; his petty side wanted the others to leave him alone and moan in agony over his silent exit, but eventually, after realizing how far he'd gotten, he finally stopped to see Kyoko running towards him.

Worry was clear in her eyes. "Are you okay?" she said.

"Does it look like I'm okay?" Tsuna grimaced and looked down at his shoes. That wasn't fair to Kyoko, but his anger continued to boil inside his chest, and didn't seem to stop any time soon. "Sorry, I shouldn't"—he exhaled, breath shaky—"That's not fair to you. Don't worry about me. I'm just going to drive back. Sorry for ruining your hangout."

"You don't have to be sorry," Kyoko said. "You should take a walk and cool off before you drive though." She smiled. "You shouldn't drive angry. Isn't that rule number one for a sheriff's kid?"

Tsuna snorted. "Rule number one is always go for the crotch." He kicked up a pebble. Cars whirred as they drove by on the road. Daylight had already faded in the horizon; the setting sun had left dark blue and purple skies behind. "Thanks though. I'll do that. Sorry again, for the whole thing."

Kyoko frowned. "You don't have to apologize for anything. Mochida went too far."

Tsuna rubbed the back of his neck. "It's whatever. Will you be okay with him?"

The same gleam from back at Funcade glimmered in Kyoko's eyes, creating shivers in Tsuna's spine. "I can handle him," she said. "Do you need anything? You can use my phone to call your dad."

"Nah, it's fine. He probably just called to keep tabs on me." Tsuna laughed, a little awkward. "Apparently a bear's been wandering around and killing people in the mountains—And I probably shouldn't have said that." He was this close to stepping onto the road and getting run over on purpose.

Kyoko looked serious for a second. "Be careful, Tsuna."

"Yeah, I know. Sheriff's kid should amount to something."

"Let me know when you're home." Kyoko took out a pen and ripped an old receipt from her bag. Tsuna's heart felt like exploding when she scribbled her number down. "Do you have a laptop synced to your phone?"

"Oh, um, yeah."

Kyoko smiled. "Perfect. Drive safe, and don't forget to text me when you get home."

"Y—Yeah."

Tsuna could only stare in bewilderment after Kyoko waved and ran back to her friends. God, he had it bad.

It took half an hour for Tsuna to cool off. He wandered around the shopping outlet and browsed the window displays. The shoppers' chatter drowned out the roar in his ears. Three streetlights were out and one of them was barely working. The city hadn't fixed them in months.

Since Jura wasn't as polluted, there were several stars dotting the dark sky. Vaguely, Tsuna wondered if Skull could see them too, but shook his head to get rid of the stupid thought. This wasn't the time or place for that—he didn't want to even think about the Giglio Nero siblings tonight (or ever).

The November chill settled in the air, forcing Tsuna's hands inside his pockets. He had to buy a new jacket soon. The one he wore was comfortable but it was getting smaller for him. He took that as a good sign; he was trying to make it out of the 162 cm range to 165, and if he was lucky, 170 cm. There was still time.

Exhaling, Tsuna watched his hazy breath fog up in the air and then dissipate. The parking lot was empty aside from three cars, including Tsuna's, and drunk men. As long as Tsuna kept his head down, they wouldn't care about him.

Tsuna went for his phone on instinct, though his heart sank when he remembered that it was broken. That was fine—just pretend to check something and mind his own business. He almost reached his car when he sensed some movement beside him. He barely dodged an arm and stared, baffled, when he saw the drunkards surrounding him.

The one who tried to grab him laughed in-between a few watery coughs. Tsuna recognized him—Thomas Bailey. Thomas was a frequent inhabitant at the police station for his drunken rowdiness and public disturbance. "Hey there, buddy," Thomas said. He reeked of heavy alcohol. "How 'bout helpin' us out a little, yeah? You know how your daddy's a good friend of mine."

Dad hates you, dude, Tsuna thought.

When another man, Greg Butler, clutched Tsuna's bag, Tsuna yanked it back. His quickening heartbeat sounded like booming drums in his ears. What was he supposed to do? It was one against five, and he was the clear loser if he initiated a fight. That was basically suicide.

His dad's words echoed in the back of his head: "Don't try to be a hero. Save yourself. Do whatever you can to stay alive."

"W—What do you want, Mr. Bailey?" Tsuna cursed at his stutter. He unzipped his bag and took out his wallet. "Here, I have money. Just take it."

He flinched when a younger guy, Carter Reed, slung an arm over his shoulders. Carter still lived with his parents and had no job at the age of thirty-four. "That's not bad," Carter said with a leery grin. "Little baby here has some cash and the cha—"

Just as Tsuna lifted his foot to knee the douche's crotch, a sleek black Benz screeched into the parking lot. Tsuna winced from both the sound and the car's blinding headlights; the engine's low hum was the only sound in the stunned silence. The car door opened. Tsuna didn't know what to think anymore because Fon Giglio Nero was the one who stepped out.

When Fon spoke, Japanese flew like a steady river from his tongue and that kind of threw Tsuna off. He didn't know Fon could speak Japanese. "Tsunayoshi, I believe it is best for you to get in the car." The easy smile Fon always had on his face, no matter what situation, was still kind, but a little too sharp around the edges.

Tsuna didn't realiz that Carter had let him go until he looked down. Gripping his bag, Tsuna hurried to Fon's car and managed to enter the passenger seat. He nearly regretted it—the car was colder than outside. "Holy shit," Tsuna said, teeth chattering. It was a nice car but it was a giant freezer.

He hugged his bag for warmth. Shivers wracked his poor body like a constant douse of rain. He didn't want to mess with the controls and end up dying in an explosion somehow. Squinting through the white fog of his own breaths, Tsuna noted that Fon wasn't even dressed for the cold weather—a black turtleneck sweater and gray pants. And were those fucking chinos?

Tsuna didn't know what happened, but Thomas and his men scampered off and stumbled their way out of the parking lot. Fon slipped inside the driver's seat after that. Before Tsuna could ask if Fon could raise the heater, he shrieked when the car lurched forward and sped down the roads. If Fon hadn't pulled him back in time, Tsuna would've flown out the windshield.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tsuna said in Japanese, gripping the ceiling handle for dear life. He yelped when Fon passed a yellow light and turned left with the smoothness of a serrated knife. "You're going to kill us! Are you insane?"

"Please put your seatbelt on, Tsunayoshi," Fon said, too calm for the speed he was driving at.

The roads were all a black dizzying blur, making Tsuna nauseous. "I'm trying." He fumbled with his seatbelt with his left hand; it was awkward since he was holding onto the handle with his right. He whacked his head against the window when Fon made another turn. "But you keep doing that, you psychopath! Why the fuck are you even driving this fast? Just slow"—Tsuna yelped when the car turned another street; he almost fell on top of Fon—"down!"

"Take deep breaths."

"Deep breaths?" Tsuna's voice cracked. "Deep breaths? Are you shitting me right now? You should stop the fucking car before I bite your hands off the wheel!" For some reason, Fon chuckled. Tsuna gaped when they passed their ninth red light. Yeah, he was fucking counting. "Do you know how many speeding violations you're breaking right now?"

"Please, Tsunayoshi, put on your seatbelt. It is for your safety."

"This"—Tsuna gestured at the dashboard with a flailing arm—"This is the very definition of a safety hazard! You're fucking above and beyond the speed limit! What the hell's wrong with you? And you're not even wearing a goddamn seatbelt, you moron!" His voice pitched even higher when Fon reached across Tsuna to get his seatbelt. "Dude, no! What are you doing?"

"I assure you that I can drive with one hand. It is not that difficult." Tsuna gaped in horror as they continued to drive over 200 miles per hour through a dark tunnel. At any moment he expected a truck to come out of nowhere and ram into them like in the movies. "I am helping you put your seatbelt on. And please refrain from using profanities. They are quite crude."

The crazy guy sounded like he was pulled out of the medieval era. He was just so formal. Tsuna smacked Fon's hand away, but it didn't budge as if it was fixed in place. Tsuna tensed. His skin stung from how cold Fon was. Jesus, was the dude dropped as a baby? Why didn't he have the heater on? Why was he so cold? Why was he driving so fucking fast?

"Just stop the car!" Tsuna said. "Stop the fucking car!"

He gasped when Fon stepped on the breaks. It was a surreal out-of-body experience. Tsuna felt himself lift out of his seat towards the inevitable. His wide-eyed reflection stared back from the approaching windshield. Then Tsuna's breath was knocked right out of him. His back pressed hard against the seat again. He winced. It was only a minute later that he realized he had hit Fon's arm.

Coughing and wheezing, Tsuna hugged his backpack even tighter to his pained chest. It was the only semblance of an anchor (and warmth) he had. He panted hard, and focused on counting to ten in his head. Whatever Fon was saying, Tsuna didn't hear him—or rather, he blocked him out.

"Turn on the heater," Tsuna muttered.

"I beg your pardon?" Fon said in a strange automatic response, his face a little too close for comfort. His eyes were brown, but obviously contacts. What was with these siblings and contacts?

"Turn on the fucking heater! I'm freezing my ass off, Jesus Christ!"

"Ah." Fon pressed a button before warm air started to filter inside the car. The steady rush almost soothed Tsuna's nerves. "You could have said so."

Was this dude for real? Tsuna released a long, deep exhale before assessing the lanes again. What were the chances he could flag down a car without getting killed by another psychopath? A few cars passed by; other than that, the roads were pretty empty—and dark. Tsuna was going to petition for more streetlights until Jura became one giant firefly on the satellite maps after he went home.

"I'm gonna get another ride," Tsuna said. "Thanks for back there but—I just can't right now."

Fon tilted his head. "Do you have someone to pick you up?"

"No, but I'll take my chances."

"Is that a gamble you are willing to make? We are far from the main roads."

"Look, I left my car back there and my phone's broken." Tsuna's stomach growled then. "And I'm starving. Plus I was nearly killed again in your car. This isn't my definition of a good night."

"I am a good driver," Fon said, the oblivious dunce. What did it matter if he was good-looking? He was dense as a rock. "You are still alive. I only asked for you to put your seatbelt on."

Tsuna's blood pressure started rising again. "And I could've put my seatbelt on if I wasn't so concerned with my life." He threw his hands up in the air. "Forget it." He unlocked the door. "Thanks but, you're lucky I'm not telling my dad about this. Consider it a favor."

After he shut the door, Tsuna stared down at the dark path both ways. He strained his eyes to see if there was any hope of leaving. There was no sign of incoming cars. He could make out the trees' faint outlines on both sides of the road. His legs were still shaking from the adrenaline and taking one step was enough to make him stagger.

Yeah, he wasn't going to make it.

Tsuna opened the door again. The car was warmer now. Fon was still smiling, as if he expected Tsuna would come back. Tsuna was tempted to punch his perfect face, but inhaled deeply instead.

"I can take you to Rakuraku for dinner," Fon said. "I was on the way there myself. It is not a problem."

Tsuna weighed his options. He could just ask Fon to drop him off at home or the station, but he'd be too exhausted to cook for himself, and also doubted his dad would want him lingering. On the other hand, ramen sounded nice. The comfort of home or the comfort of food?

"Okay," Tsuna said. "But"—he glared—"you drive at the speed limit. That means you drive fifty or less."

Fon blinked. "The speed limit?"

"Yes, the goddamn speed limit. You know that number sign on all the roads? That's the speed limit. It means the maximum speed you can travel at, no fucking exceptions." Tsuna pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jesus, how did you even get your license?"

"I passed the test."

Tsuna opened his mouth, then thought better of what he was going to say. "Just promise me you'll go fifty or below. I don't care if you drive at a snail's pace. I don't want to die tonight."

Fon chuckled, the fucker. "If that makes you feel better, then I will try."

Feel better? Tsuna really wanted to punch Fon in the face, maybe throw him against the windshield. "Great. You can go now."

Before Fon could press the gas pedal, Tsuna remembered. "Wait."

Fon, miraculously, stopped.

Tsuna buckled his seatbelt and tugged it to make sure it wasn't faulty. "Okay, you can go now."

They drove at sixty-five miles per hour, but Tsuna didn't say anything. It was infinitely better than 260 miles per hour.

A/N Hey there, peeps! This is a bit weird and sudden with all that's happening, and I know that it might not be the fic you wanted to be updated. For that, all I can say is that it'll take a bit of time for me to get settled in the fandom again, haha. I hope you, your family, and loved ones are safe and well. These months have been rough and hard for many of us, but we can pull through.

School ended recently for me and that helped to give some spare time to write. This fic has been in the works long before though; it was more on a whim than anything. I have a bunch of WIP fics on the backburner. This was also supposed to be just a longass one-shot but I decided to divide them into two parts. I don't know if this AU will expand to the other books in the series, but it might.

As I had mentioned in my Discord chat, regarding my fics, I'm not certain if I'll be consistent with updating them, but they're not abandoned as of now. There's just a lot of ideas I've been juggling around for the KHR fandom, which I hope I can finish soon. I hope that you peeps can find some comfort in reading these fics, so I'll do my best to give you them in the following months. A warning though: I'll most likely be publishing one-shots at the moment, just to get back in the groove of things.

On that note, I hope everyone stays safe and well, and be mindful and kind to each other.

Sending you peeps and your families best wishes!

Little Miss Bunny