Title: Graduation Practice

Summary: As high school senior Giotto practices the grueling march to finally receive his diploma after twelve years of hell, the innocent first grader makes him reflect about naïveté.

A/N: Summary is crap, but based on a true story. Oh, and the order of names is Italian because of really obvious reasons. And I don't know the First Generation Guardians' character that much, meh.

The one thing that everyone of the graduating class could agree upon was this ceremony was so entirely stupid. The administration just wants to make everything so much more difficult than it needs to be.

"Gah, it's so hot."

"The sun will set by the time we get there."

"Let us march to our death why don't ya?"

Giotto couldn't help but add on a complaint with the countless others. "Zombies walk faster than this." Everyone that heard him chuckled at his remark. After all, it wasn't often when Giotto Vongola made them.

"Giotto, I feel sorry for you." After all, it wasn't his fault that he was the last person to be able to finally get to the damn stage.

Or maybe it was.

Giotto smiled at his friend. "It's fine, G. After all, it's my final duty to the school."

"Yeah." Lampo poked G on the arm. "Giotto made the decision to be the smartest person in the school and be the valedictorian. So of course he's last. For the speeches and honors and all that jazz. You too. Me? I'm just short."

G tsked. "It's salutatorian, you twit. But this whole ceremony's just so pointless, I mean really, the heat's unbearable and the weather forecast says that it's going to rain that day! So we're practicing for nothing right now!"

"It gets to me, sure, but after so long and with such little time left it's of little importance to me now," Giotto replied just as the music started. The blond couldn't help but reveal a grimace as the front lines began to move. Those in the back had to wait a few moments before following suit. "Although I'm rather sick of 'Pomp and Circumstance'," he muttered under his breath, "At least we get to annoy the rest of the school." Sweet, petty revenge.

Asari laughed as they began to move. "True, they can't be better off than we were."

A flare gun was shot into the air and everyone was quiet. Seriously, was that even legal? "Everyone in the back shut up! Just because you're in the back doesn't mean we can't hear you," Reborn yelled as he walked towards them before promptly turning back towards the front.

G growled as soon as Reborn was a safe distance that he wouldn't hear, "Why does it even matter? We're done with school."

"Some people still have some exams left," Asari replied, "Myself included."

G tsked, "Not my fault you were stupid enough to not fulfill the requirements for exemption." He stepped on the flute player's feet. "My bad, we're just going so damn slow..." he said sarcastically.

Asari just laughed it off as they continued to march to the loud speaker's tune. Giotto frowned slightly as he lost his footing for a moment before just shrugging and walking at his own pace instead of the 'and left, and right' that Fon was chanting for them to prevent stepping on G's own shoes. "Don't be mean, G; it's too hot for that," he lectured, groaning under this ridiculousness.

It was too hot, they were moving too slowly. They wanted to just run, get the diploma, and just leave. Forever.

'Will you come back to visit when you're in college?'

Hell the fuck no!

Smiles. 'Sure.'

"Hn. Everyone in the back just shut the fuck up. I want to go home," Alaude turned and snapped before going back to the march of death. They were about... a fourth of the way now?

This was torture.

"At least you're in the fucking shade!" G cursed back, "I have to stay in the sun the whole time!"

Lampo laughed, "Sucks to be you!"

Daemon finally turned to address the conversation as he stepped out of line and made his way to them. "Oya, would you like to switch places with me then?"

Lampo shivered under the frightful man's gaze. "No..."

Giotto widened his eyes. "Daemon, get back in the front before Reborn catches you!" The Spartan teacher could turn to them any minute now, and then he'll probably slaughter them all. That or Fon will take them out of the ceremony. Then they'd be fucked because all the other schools have already graduated and they'd have nowhere to go. 'Fucked' didn't even describe it.

Daemon muttered incoherent things under his breath but went back in his place in line.

"Graduation to the extreme!" Knuckle exclaimed, marching enthusiastically. Fon approached him to tell him how to properly march.

Giotto sighed; this was as boring as fuck. He facepalmed himself in an attempt to shade his eyes from the unbearable sun.

"Oh wow!"

"Everyone, please make sure to keep your voices to a soft level. The high school seniors are practicing for their graduation."

The blond lifted a few fingers to peek at the new voices that came with the new area, barely audible from the blaring music from the speakers. There were children, obviously from the grammar school, playing recess? Well, under the shade, he supposed it would be a nice day to do so.

The first few to jump up to get a better look at the graduating class were a silver haired kid, a raven haired kid... and was that white hair on a kid that young? As if silver wasn't bad enough... A few ignored them and continued their recess as if nothing was going on, like that kid hanging out with that bird over there.

The one with silver hair turned and held out a hand. "Juudaime, do you need help?"

A brunet with wild sienna hair shook his head. "I-I'm fi-fine, Gokudera-kun," the boy stammered in Italian. "Gra-Grazie tho-though."

Juudaime... Japanese?

The brunet managed to pull himself up the green wooden bench to take a look at the teens who will soon be graduating. His eyes were up in amazement. "Wow..."

The brunet didn't look like a stereotypical Japanese one would picture; the raven haired one sure did though. Those wide, chocolate eyes gazed upon them and Giotto couldn't help but smile and wave at him, and was pleased when the child shyly waved back. So cute! He surely wasn't that cute at his age.

Giotto could barely remember being that age... they were first graders, weren't they? Yeah, he recognized the teacher. Miss Luce. Though obviously no longer Miss from her bulging belly. Of course, one can never make assumptions. The blond struggled to listen to the children over the music, as they were on the lower hill while they were rising. The raven haired one next to Gokudera laughed. "Wow, that looks like fun! Right, Tsuna?"

The cute brunet nodded. "Bu-But isn't it hot? Th-They must wa-want to be in the shadows."

The way he stutters to speak Italian with that Japanese accent was so precious! Giotto would have loved to tutor him. Maybe he'll check into that.

"Awe, they're so precious," Asari said, smiling as he followed the blond's track of vision and found the children. "Do you remember being at that age?" They continued to march, past the children and smiled when they simply hopped off the bench, followed them, and jumped onto the other one, close to them. Giotto smiled as the one named Tsuna jumped up to get a better look, his height not weighing him down.

G grabbed Giotto's shoulder to stop him from marching, to prevent him from bumping into another. "Woah, be careful."

He blinked. Oh, they came to a halt to march up stairs now. Okay, sure, whatever. Music was still very loud. The blond watched G and Asari chat, or arguing from G and smiling from Asari about the weather, Lampo acting all arrogant and was bragging about his clothes for the event, and Knuckle, Alaude, and Daemon were too far for any decent conversation. He didn't want to risk talking, less he get in trouble, so Giotto looked over to Tsuna and the other first graders, and blinked in surprise when the brunet reached out for them with his little fingers.

"Do-Don't le-leave!" he exclaimed, and Giotto choked up. Don't leave? He's been wanting to leave for so long! He's been in this goddamn school for twelve years already, he couldn't wait to get the hell out of this crazy school and get on with his life.

But...

Gokudera tried to comfort his 'Juudaime', Giotto puzzled beyond belief on why he would call him that, as a few stray tears fell down his cheeks from watching the graduates to be practice. The other Japanese kid laughed... wait, was that Asari's cousin? Oh gosh it was! Takeshi Yamamoto! And... Yep, there was Mukuro Rokudo, the very, verydistant relative from Daemon from a family squabble. Giotto didn't pry. He seemed to be watching Tsuna from under the shade of that lone cherry blossom tree they planted earlier that year.

Takeshi laughed, "My cousin's been so excited for this for the past four years."

Gokudera smacked him. "Not helping, baka!"

Takeshi smiled. "You speak Japanese really well, Hayato. How's my Italian?"

"Horrible, just give up," Gokudera snapped.

"Be-better than mi-mine, Yamamoto," Tsuna stammered. He kept his gaze on the ground as he wiped his eyes. "Mu-much bet-better than mine."

This child still had so much to live for, and he was crying over them leaving the school he just started? Giotto knew that no one will cry for him, himself being an orphan, but he was sure that this child still had that innocent nature that Giotto, at his current age, will never have again.

How he wished that instead of graduating, he was with Tsuna and his friends, watching his friends graduate. As much as he loved them, Giotto really wished that he could still just stay oblivious of the world of adulthood.

Oh, yes, Giotto knew. He knew how cruel the world was, knew the harsh reality of growing up. After all, he was about to do join its rankings.

He looked over to Tsuna, who had looked up, and smiled at him. At least the brunet was still naïve. At that was something.

So he said, "Don't worry, we'll be here for another week, until graduation next Friday."

Reborn appeared out of nowhere and kicked Giotto in the shins. He doubled over in pain as he realized that everyone was already gone up those steps. Wow, that was fast. How much time had past? "Pay attention, you fool. Just because you're the valedictorian doesn't mean you are able to play with the first graders."

"Geez, Reborn, what if you broke something? How am I supposed to walk now?" Giotto complained, embarrassed that the children had to see that. "Miss Luce! Help me, please!"

Luce got up from the bench and turned to the two. "Oh, Giotto! And Reborn! How delightful." She smiled as she turned to her blond student from so long ago. "Ah, Giotto, please do not use me as an excuse to save yourself from your delusional daydreaming."

Giotto opened his mouth to retort, but someone pulled at her dress, and Luce looked down to find Tsuna the one pulling at her fabric. "Yes, Tsu-kun?" the teacher asked. She was still smiling, not fazed in the slightest at being interrupted.

"I-I'm so-sorry, Mlle Luce-sensei, I go-got Giotto-san in, in tro-trouble," he stuttered in Italian as bet as he could.

She smiled. "Don't apologize to me, Tsu-kun, say sorry to Reborn." She pointed to the scary man in a fedora and suit and Tsuna started to shake as he tried again to the right person.

"Re-Reborn-san, I-I-I'm so-sorry I go-got Giotto-san in, in tro-trouble," he stammered out once more with his Japanese creeping in.

Reborn smirked. "I can't wait to see how you'd do in high school." The man pulled on Giotto's sleeve. "Saved by the dame-seven year old. Let's go, you're holding everyone up." He began to drag him up the stairs, and although Giotto knew he didn't look cool in the slightest, he waved to the brunet who'd saved him.

"Thanks, Tsuna! See you tomorrow at practice!"

A/N: lol okay. Can't read this over. idk how else to end it so... There should be one more graduation fic with DC as said fandom, with actual graduation. I'm graduating so... Then I'll work on my other stuff. Probably. So yeah, this actually happened. Like little people watching us walk for the ceremony and they were telling us "Not to leave!" It was so cute. :3

Also, this is the first time I've completely written a fic on my iphone! Sure I've started a bunch of them on it, but never written something from start to finish on it. No computer help at all. Except for posting it. I'm excited. xD

Thanks for reading!