I know exactly what I want and who I want to be.
I know exactly why I walk and talk like a machine.
I'm now becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy.
Oh, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh...

- Oh No!, Marina and the Diamonds (2010).

Albedo Caelum 01: Incipere.

June 18, 2004.

Sometimes, she would remember things from the Before when she finally fell asleep at night, dreaming of another life and another world different from the one she was in now. It wasn't always the most interesting or the happiest life, as there was a sizable portion dedicated to her being inside a classroom, tiptoeing around her childhood house in the hopes to not attract attention, getting in fights, stressing over both rent and due dates for college assignments later on... That isn't to say that there was an absence of good moments, too: spending countless days with a friend who was more of a sibling than anything else, walks on long white beaches with dunes of sand taller than houses, laughing with friends, raising and fostering stray cats among other things.

She would remember her life from Before sometimes, but in most cases, she couldn't recall much of it at all. During her dreams, she would lose her sense of self, confuse the Now and the Before, events crossing over into each other as dreams were wont to do, intersecting reality and fiction.

But make no mistake, when Tsunaoko Sawada was awake, she knew what reality was and her dreams weren't it.

While she might not remember the Before in its entirety like she might wish to believe in her dreams, Tsuna could acknowledge that she had a life before the one she had now. And that in order to be alive now, she would have had to die then. That was a Fact, one that was accepted regardless of any unease that was felt on closer inspection of it. It wasn't as if she could have done anything about it anyway, besides maybe attempt to ignore and forget about the Before... Which she probably would have done, if not for the dreams.

Even worse, they were vague and faded away for the most part when she woke up, leaving only basic ideas and emotions behind, the details slipping from her grasp all too readily. It made any possible 'benefits' not worth it, as they disturbed her sleep at night — leaving her to startle awake and interrupt her much needed rest — while the 'pay off' disappeared like ephemeral mist. Said dreams only settled when it neared the early hours of the morning, leading Tsuna to sleep in as late as noon, if left undisturbed, and to be tired for most of the day. To her, the dreams were a burden at worst and a nuisance at best.

Which explained her current and usual predicament of being more than a little late for volleyball practice by the time her mother called for her to get out of bed.

Tsuna was a light sleeper, so by the time the older woman began to climb the stairs when she didn't receive an answer, the younger female of the household was letting out a jaw cracking yawn. "Tsu-Tsu-chan!" Nana, her mother, called for the fourth time, poking her head in through the open door as she uttered the loathed pet name from childhood years long past. "Oh, you're awake, good. You're going to be behind schedule again if you don't hurry..." Eying the rather untidy room before her, Mrs. Sawada added with an air of resigned exasperation, "And your room is a mess, as usual."

"...'S more cluttered than anythin'," the teen mumbled half-heartedly in defense, her voice heavy with sleep. "There's a system to it... I think."

"Not one that I understand." The mother stepped in further and began to straighten things out, despite her daughter's lackluster protest of it not being necessary. It didn't matter anyway, the test from yesterday was in her mother's hands, bad score brazenly presented and all. "And your scores are about the same too... Forty-two, Tsuna?"

The brunette closed her eyes and let out a slow sigh. What made everything worse was that her mom wasn't every angry or disappointed anymore, just resigned to the same old news that she had been getting for the past eight years. Tsuna had even been dismal in nursery school, more from a lack of motivation and energy than anything else. And if she was honest with herself, she had been a loser and a burden since day one.

If not for her childhood epilepsy and subsequent nutritional deficiencies, she would have been an extremely low-maintenance baby. Tsunaoko Sawada had been unusually quiet as an infant. It something that had been immediately noticeable at the start of her new life and contributed to why part of her name could be translated to 'docile'. Her reticent demeanor later became a source of concern and anxiety. Just another symptom to fuss and fret over, another defect to tut and remark upon.

It had carried well into her toddler years to the point where people wondered if she would be a slow child, her mental as well as physical development stunted by her condition. Nana had cried tears of joy when her daughter had finally got around to saying her first word at the age of three and a half. Terribly relieved because her sole child could, in fact, talk and wasn't completely hopeless. Even if the mangled Japanese Tsuna did speak made her sound like some sort of thug.

With a strictly maintained diet and medication, the seizures lessened as she went through the beginning stages of puberty. The doctor had cautiously pronounced that Tsuna may have out-grown her seizures, as many children diagnosed with idiopathic seizures were. Still, she had to visit her pediatrician three times a year for all of middle school before they would decrease it to two times a year to keep an eye on her condition in case of a sudden relapse. Nana insisted that the blonde carry an tube of cake icing on hand and an emergency contact slip in her backpack at all times.

So much of her personality and anti-social demeanor had been chalked up to an actual medical condition, explained away with a convenient excuse, when in reality it only partially contributed to it. Tsuna had been in shock and in grief from everything she had lost, what few moments she had in infancy when she was cognizant were spent stewing in depression and regret. She had withdrawn into a deep-pit of listless self-loathing, and it was only in toddlerhood that she began to make an attempt to move on and interact with her environment.

...

Tsuna didn't get very far and pretty much gave up after a while, deciding to accept whatever fate was handed to her. Mostly what kept her going at this point was guilt, spite, and her obsession with volleyball, the only thing that remained the same as Before. There was also fact that she was also half-resigned to a future as a career criminal by association with her only "friend", but that was beside the point.

Tsuna couldn't even muster up a kernel of guilt at the thought of her less-than-mediocre lifestyle, either. Instead, she would feel shame over her lack of said guilt from what she put her mother through without making the necessary judgements to rectify it, as there was no driving motivator in doing so. Everything seemed to continue and drag on just the same, no matter what she did. And if she actions wouldn't change anything, why waste the effort? ...She wondered if that made her a terrible child.

Out loud, she gave the stock answer, "'S just math. Only reason I got that good've a score was 'cause it's a mix've geometry 'n' algebra. Can I get that back?" Tsuna made to grab the test paper from her mom but overextended her reach, falling out of bed with a tumble from her legs tangling in the sheets. She narrowly missed face-planting on the ground by catching herself with her arms. Her elbows complained about the abuse.

Mrs. Sawada blinked at this but made no move to help, asking, "Are you okay?"

"'M fine," came the weak response. "Can I get my test now?"

The older woman considered her daughter with thoughtful amber eyes for a long moment before she offered a sheet of paper that she had kept in her apron pocket instead. "Here."

"Ah, my test." Tsuna lifted her head, her eyes crossing slightly to focus on the sheet in front of her face, only to frown in consternation. "Wait, what's this?"

"It was in the mail," Nana said by way of answer, a smile taking over her face as a light began to shine in her eyes. "I called the number and they said they would send a tutor over today. I know how the school counselors and tutors didn't work before, but this is something separate from school district. I'm sure it will help this time around!"

Interested now, if a little doubtful, Tsuna straightened herself out into a sitting position and gingerly took the flyer, giving it a once over. To be sure, from another person's perspective, a tutor wouldn't be remiss with her, but Tsuna knew better than anyone else that her problem didn't result from lack of understanding or mental ability. Rather, it was lack of drive and intrigue.

In other words, she just didn't care. What she really needed was a motivator of some kind.

But the teen wasn't against the idea of a tutor if they could deliver the goods in what they promised. Surely, a 'future world leader' would have someone who could give them the necessary push needed to do something so ambitious? And surely, these tutors would be the ones to provide said urging?

She could only assume they meant business. Twenty-four hours a day was a big commitment, even if it was a task that would likely be shared amongst more than one person. It almost seemed too good to be true that they wouldn't charge anything besides room and board. In fact, she would be inclined to think it a scam, if not for the fact that no money was requested. Still, caution would have to be exercised in making sure than Sawada household wouldn't be robbed blind, because they weren't careful about what strangers they let in through their doors. Handing the sheet back to her eagerly awaiting mother, Tsuna said, "Well, we can try it out for a while, I guess... But I won't worry 'bout it 'til after school."

Speaking of which, she wondered to herself, what time is it? A glance at the clock informed her that was a half past six in the morning, making a jolt of alarm go through her. "Hieee, oh no! It's this late already?!" Scrambling to her feet, she scurried over to the table in the middle of her room that held her gym clothes and modified uniform, hurriedly pulling former on after slinging her sleep shirt off and across the room to her mom's mild scolding.

"I thought you said your room wasn't messy?"

"'S more cluttered than anythin', I can clean it when I get home," Tsuna sputtered from under her jersey shirt as she staggered out into the hall, her modified uniform in the other hand. She had only just managed to pull it the rest of the way down so that her head was free, when she reached the stairs. It was her own fault that she misjudged their location by being so careless in the first place. Running through the house while blinded with clothes was the quickest way to get hurt. The teen let out a yelp was she slipped down the stairs on her butt, it taking the brunt of the abuse that all fifteen steps readily supplied her.

With a muffled whimper, she rubbed her butt in the hopes to soothe the hurt. It didn't work. "Oww..."

Groaning, she got to her feet and slunk off to the kitchen, still subconsciously continuing to rub the throbbing area. Pulling out the cold soba that had been sitting in the fridge since last night, Tsuna began to actually put together the bentos. She always made the actual food the night before but found it best to construct the food in the morning. It seemed to save time, anyway, and Tsuna preferred her food and drinks cold. Today, there was only one food item that she really needed to cook this morning. She didn't have much time, but something innate told her that the day would go better if she put it the extra effort. So it was only with a small frown on her part that she began to make some hamburger steak.

Besides, seeing the grimace he'd make from her 'sutēki is suteki' pun would be priceless.

Setting the timer after washing her hands, Tsuna rushed to the bathroom to give her hair a good comb through and brush her teeth. Not that attacking her hair with a comb would actually do anything, since she had inherited it from her father. With its feather-fine strands, it steadfastly refused to stay down, electing to go off in random directions. Any attempt to tame it with either a curling or straightening iron was stubbornly rendered useless. With its fine and hay-like nature, it would just revert to its previous state within a couple of hours. Hardly worth the effort. So, Tsuna just kept it short to be done with it, only needing to keep it clean and free of tangles.

Sometimes, she just wished that she had her mother's hair. It may have been as straight and flat as hair could be, but at least it didn't look like she had stuck a fork in an electrical socket or something. Sadly, the only thing that happened was a mixture of colors between the parents to make the honey blonde that Tsuna possessed.

With a huff, the teen bustled back to the kitchen, flipping the mini-steaks over before going back to finishing the bentos. The rice maker beeped, drawing Nana's attention from where she was preparing breakfast. "Ah, the rice is finished, Tsu-Tsu-chan… Are you going to stay for breakfast today?"

"Eh, probably not, Mom," Tsuna pouted. "Not 'nough time, if I wanna make it to practice."

"Oh," Nana sighed. "Shame, it's been awhile since the two of us could just sit and eat breakfast together."

It mostly likely hadn't been her mother's intention, but the remark left the teen feeling horrendously uncomfortable. Oh, God, maybe I'm an even worse child than I thought. Can't even spare ten minutes to eat a meal with her first thing in the morning. Not even taking the time to think about her next statement, Tsuna impulsively promised, "I can stay t'morrow, for sure."

Her mother perked up, her brown doe-like eyes hopeful. "Really? It won't get in the way of your practice? Don't you have a match coming up with a neighboring school this week?"

Flushing, Tsuna fidgeted. She had momentarily forgotten how her mom's smile could sometimes be so bright that it looked like it could make flowers bloom from the sheer radiance from it. And all because I said I could stay for breakfast? What's wrong with me? A stab of self-loathing prickled at her which her valiantly ignored in order to smile reassuringly back at the one woman who Tsuna cared for most in this new life. "'M not a regular, Mom, so I'll probably not be in the match… But I know for certain that I can eat breakfast with you, that I can always make time for you… Just unfortunately not t'day, 'cause I've gotta feelin' that Kyōya-san's gonna need a pick-me-up."

"Oh, Kyōya-kun?" Nana cooed, a knowing glint in her eyes as she bumped her hip into her daughter's. "Well, it that case I can hardly blame you, Tsu-Tsu-chan. You should bring him over for dinner again someday instead of always just going over to his place. It would only be fair. I could even plan to make favorites again…" Wistfully, she hummed to herself, a smile spreading sweetly across her face, clearly prompted with thoughts of love. "Ah, this reminds me of when Iemitsu and I were young."

Tsuna couldn't help but smile herself, her own heart feeling soft at that expression. Such genuine emotion like that was hard to ignore and not want to return in kind. Despite his extended period of absence and infrequent visits home, her father was one of the few people who could make Tsuna's mom light up like that. And, aloof though she pretends to be when he was home, Tsuna did love him too.

Still, the teen didn't quite see the connection her mother was making. Oh, she had an idea what Nana was insinuating, but she didn't understand what gave the older woman that impression. Tsuna and Kyōya's relationship was anything but the fluffy and heartwarming one between Mr. and Mrs. Sawada. It had its moments where it was almost sweet… but the fighting fists of fury rather ruined that faraway and hazy image. The teen wrinkled her nose at the thought of Kyōya acting romantic like her dad. Yeah, no. Not likely to happen in this lifetime.

Gnawing on her lip in thought, she carefully transported the piping hot hamburger mini-steaks into the bed of rice in the awaiting bento. Hers already long made and finished. Speculatively, she continued on the previous strain of their conversation before it got sidetracked, "Maybe he'll come over, just d'pends on his mood… I've gotta feelin' it's gonna be a bit nasty t'day. He'll either just wanna go sulk by himself or will accept grudgin'ly, manly pride 'n' all that. Might have to beat 'im out of it if he is in a mood."

Her mother gave a laugh at that, remembering how she had once did much the same. Maybe not as literally as her daughter had meant it, but definitely in spirit. She neatly tied the knot on the colorful pink cloth that covered Tsuna's bento before doing the same with the other bento, only with a navy blue cloth. "There, Tsu-Tsu-chan. Now do you have everything packed? You can't afford the time to backtrack today if you forget anything…"

"Quite sure," the blonde affirmed quickly as she stuffed the two bentos in their own dark bag which she then slipped into her overly-large messenger bag. Obediently under her mother's pointed stare, she quickly checked through it one last time to insure that she, indeed, had everything she needed. "Packed it all last night," she explained further, if a bit unnecessarily, before looking at the clock one last time.

It was just about seven in the morning. She needed to hurry if she wanted to make it to morning practice. More than just a little panicked by this knowledge, Tsuana swung the messenger bag over one shoulder before running over to where she kept her sports bag by the door. "Oh no, Captain's gonna make me do laps! I won't have any time to actually practice!" Hurriedly, slinging the sports bag over her other shoulder, she carelessly tossed the parting phase behind her, "I'm off, Mom!", as she hopped out the door, stuffing her shoes on as she did so.

"All right, have a good day!" Her mother called out in amusement before the door was shut firmly behind the teen.

I'm going to have to run if I want to make it on time to volleyball practice, Tsuna thought mournfully to herself as she started out with a jog, humming to quietly to herself in an attempt to bring up her spirits as her bags bounced against her hips in time to her pace. She looked down at her watch, desperately checking again as if it might have changed to an earlier time. It didn't.

She had forgotten her surroundings.

Tsunaoko Sawada had absentmindedly forgotten the very important fact that a mere three blocks away from her home was a household that owned a dog. A dog that hated her guts because she smelled of the stray cats that she usually petted and fed when she had the chance. A mean dog that had no reservation against chasing and biting her, especially when said dog's owners repeated forgot to make sure the gate was shut tight and their pet was leashed. Because of her lapse in attention, she made the mistake of not going around the house and instead jogged right past it, provoking the demon hound of hell which Tsuna had christened with the apt name of 'Cerberus'. She only realized her grave error after the dog was already barking and growling at her, giving chase.

"Wah, Cerberus's leash isn't attached!" Tsuna cried in alarm, trying to urge herself to run faster. This sudden sprint caused her to trip over her own feet with an alarmed, "Ack!" She fell to the ground with little fanfare, her elbows taking abuse for the second time that day. Resigning herself to an assured death, Tsuna laid there limply with the air of a dead man. The dog attacked the leg of her sweats with a nasty growl, yanking and tugging with sharp teeth.

"Rabbit, I don't remember you being this pathetic the last time I saw you," a snide remark was emitted from around the corner as a tall teenager approached, his tan face pinched in a seemingly angry expression. Tsuna didn't even have to look up to know it was Kyōya. "If you would stop acting like a pathetic herbivore, then you would not be in this position." Addressing the dog now, he growled threatening, "Cerberus, return to your property before I bite you to death." The chihuahua's ears perked up towards the new voice and it whirled around to snarl at this new challenger that dared to interrupt its fun. They locked eyes and Kyōya stared down the so-called 'demon dog', his eyes narrowing in warning. A whimper was heard as the chihuahua immediately retreated back into its doghouse for shelter from the scary human.

"Kyōya-san!" Tsuna cried gleefully, lunging to hug his leg the moment he stepped too close to her person, her melodramatic sobs filling the air. "My hero!" The only response she received was the business end of a tonfa as it prodded her forehead non-to-gently in order to pry her away from his limb. Obligingly, she let go and hopped to her feet, grinning airly at her friend as he eyed her warily. His neutral expression was still as angry-looking as ever with that near permanent scowl and impressively-sharp glaring eyes of his. A rather unfortunate case of resting bitch face, if Tsuna had ever seen one, something that he had always possessed since the day she first laid eyes on him.

She's only seen him smile — actually smile, not smirk — a handful a times, always a little odd-looking with his furrowed brows and those narrowed grey eyes glowering down at her. Actually, sometimes it was scarier seeing him smile like that than his usual fierce-looking smirk. Not even she was immune to his somewhat intimidating face, especially when she had provoked his ire the first time they properly met. Because bowling someone over with a ball, even by accident, isn't exactly the best way to make a good first impression.

Although, he was mostly just a pint-sized brat that had a penchant for biting people back then. He only really got his infamous reputation during primary school when he was finally proficient enough in his kobudō lessons to be a liable threat and was allowed to carry around tonfas with him. Fortunately, they were merely wooden ones in the beginning of his reign of terror, as he wasn't as good at aiming for areas that wouldn't actually cause permanent brain damage then, or knew how to hold back against mere mortals. At that point, he no longer actually 'bit' people, just hit them with his tonfas while declaring them 'bitten to death', as old habits were hard to break in the case of his trademark battle cry.

Tsuna was well aware that the fact that they being 'friends' was considered something of a strange phenomenon among their peers, like a lion becoming friends with a mouse or something to that effect. Or, well, a lion and a gone-feral house cat, considering how she was believed to be a delinquent of some sort that was only just barely held under control by Kyoya's influence. Really, it was the other way around, as Tsuna was usually left to clean up Kyoya's messes — pathetic and moaning individuals that were the results of the aftermath of the Skylark's overzealous rampage in keeping 'order'. It was always the case of her being in the wrong place at the wrong time with others making assumptions and not asking for her side of the story. Just a misunderstanding that utterly deteriorated into rampant rumors and incorrect convictions that Kyōya, unfortunately, had no interest in dispelling.

Actually, how she had become considered a yankī was rather similar how it was that Kyōya and her had become so committed to each other, an accident on her part that had somehow been escalated into something else quite entirely.

It had being an innocent correction on her part, scared out of her mind and brainless enough to be on autopilot. In Japanese, the word for 'plant-eater' sounded a lot like the word for someone on a diet, respectively. Tsuna had though he meant the latter and had been trying to say that she was fat or something. And she corrected him, assuming that he had mispronounced the word. He thought that she, of all people, just called him a herbivore.

So he tackled her to the ground and held her in a clumsy choke-hold, the both of them wrestling around in the dirt as he demanded that she take it back. Tsuna began to panic and in a fit of terror, bite down hard on his arm that was smashed against her chin. It was probably the shock more than the pain that made him release her... Too bad that she didn't just let go, jaws clamped firmly in place, fear locking them stiff.

One way or another, Kyōya was the one who came out on the losing end that time. It took two teachers to get her to let go, and it was the formal start of her 'delinquency'. Something that only became worse once uniforms actually became a thing, as Tsuna hadn't realized that wearing a long skirt would get such a reaction. She just didn't feel comfortable running around in the short skirt. Somehow her heightened sense of modesty got her in trouble by making a bad first impression with her already shaky reputation among the teachers as a 'no-good trouble maker' with her bad grades, thuggish way of speaking, and tendency to get in fights... Never mind the fact that it was mostly her trying to stop Kyōya from biting everyone to death. Even when she briefly switched to wearing the regular skirt with a pair of short-shorts underneath, it was too late and just wearing the long skirt seemed to be less effort in the long run as well as more comfortable.

By the time the last years of primary school rolled around, it was firmly cemented in the collective mind of Namimori Primary School that she was 'No-Good Tsuna'. This was mostly from the sense and generally accepted belief that she was both up to no good and that nothing good from spending time in her company, as unintentionally as she had created this infamous reputation of hers. And with Kyōya refusing to leave her be, she was immediately placed as the accomplice to whatever fight he started and/or finished. Whether she was a bystander or attempting to break up the fight didn't seem to matter, especially since she rather lacked the vocabulary to properly explain everything... Nor the motivation, having long-since reconciled with herself the idea that nothing she could possibly say would be able to fully explain the weird arrangement properly.

When spring of her third year there came about and the new first term had begun, Tsuna had become resigned to her status as a 'hopeless delinquent' and friendless save for Kyōya, who still refused to leave her be and was the main reason no one else would willingly approach her. She could tell that he was purposely isolating her but couldn't really find it in herself to care. Despite herself, she had become accustomed to his continued presence to the point where she sometimes found herself taking the initiative to seek him out. Not to mention he had, technically, saved her life before on multiple occasions... even if all he did was shove some cake icing under her tongue and get medical help. And then of course him being the one to track her down when she ran away and got lost in Sapporo, Hokkaidō. All by himself. At the age of nine.

He was persistent, if nothing else.

By that point, both Tsuna and Kyōya — if his self-satisfied smirk was any indicator — knew that there really wasn't any going back, that they were stuck together. Tsuna having finally been worn down to 'just accepting it already'.

Of course, that wasn't to say that Tsuna couldn't be just as vindictive if she wanted, taking this friendship as the go-ahead to irritate him as much as she could get away with. It was astounding the amount that he would put up with now, over several years' worth of tolerance of her antics having been built up. She could hang on his arm and gush a little bit and he wouldn't bat an eye as long as there weren't any witnesses. He had an image to uphold as he was oh-so-quick to remind her with a warning whack to the head if she 'forgot herself'.

Tsuna never claimed that their friendship was in any way healthy, but sometimes, surviving another brush with death was good for her. Sometimes, it didn't pay to be so jaded that she would descend straight into apathy; it made things more troublesome and painful than it was worth. Because, to Kyōya, an apathetic Tsuna was a boring Tsuna, and he only really tolerated her because she kept things interesting. If she needed a little prodding in the right direction, well, no one could claim that he took half-measures.

Fluttering her eyelashes at him coyly, she teased, "Did Kyōya-kun wanna walk me to practice? How nice of him!"

His pinched expression deepened. "Rabbit…" He warned lowly with a snarl. "I will only tolerate a total of three of your idiocies a day. This will be your second pass, so I would select my next few words wisely if I were you."

"Hieee..." Tsuna wheezed with an anxious giggle. "Kyōya-san's scary when he wants to be." She dropped the faux-airheaded expression she had been adopting to gain a nervous one. "Eh, heh, heh… Just meant to say I was s'prised you joined up with me this early, usually I don't see you 'til later. Rotation in patrol?"

He huffed, the corner of his mouth twitching, but not in amusement. "Of a kind… I caught wind of a competitor." Uncontrollably, he smiled, a feral nuance coating every edge of it. Tsuna shivered and took a step to the side. Without further prompting, he covered it with the back of his hand, but his grey eyes were still glinting in a malicious, hungry light. Kyōya likely wouldn't be in class today, too worked up to tolerate the banalities of a class-ethic. The nurse would be busier than usual with him actively searching for violators in a bid to keep the bloodlust at bay instead of his more 'passive' patrols around the school. Especially if his range was this far away from the middle school, now extending nearly three kilometers.

Likely he would be kidnapping her after practice to force her to join in on the search for the trespassing 'carnivore'. Tsuna idly wondered if she could use up her last free 'pass' to make sure he didn't kill the poor soul. Probably not. Kyōya would likely demand that she fight against him or something, and she really didn't want to spend an unfair amount of time in the nurses office again. Sure, she could punch his lights out if she got close enough, but she had to get past his tonfas first, and therein lied the problem. She doubt he'd fall for the same ricochet-off-the-wall-volleyball attack again… Maybe she should sit this one out. Clearly, if the person was strong enough to rile dear Kyōya up this much, they had to be just about as unhuman as he was, right?

Right?!

A whack on the back of her head forcibly brought Tsuna out of her frenzied state of internal panic, only for her to start fretting again when she heard a low growl being emitted next to her on her right. "Pass number three, herbivore. Do not make me bite you to death."

Oh, it's even worse than I thought, Tsuna despaired. His temper is completely frayed at the edges. The last time he got this excited was when two different yakuza gangs and their turf-war drew too much attention to themselves. Somehow, Tsuna got the sinking feeling she was going to end up fighting at some point today anyway. Joy.

When she sensed Kyōya's patience with her about to reach its end, she hurried to placate him, "Maa, maa, Kyōya-san, I'm sure that won't be needed! L-Let's get goin', 'kay?" Nervously taking his hand in hers, she carefully tugged him away towards the direction of the school with jittery promises of willing patrol with him — i.e. an excused ditching of class — if he would take a look at the new quick-attack she was developing. With the sizable distraction that the moody and bloodthirsty teen presented, it was no wonder that she didn't notice the large and cow-like pair of eyes watching the both of them interest. Tsuna's hyper-intuition was currently doing all it could to keep Kyōya's bad mood out of the homicidal range of the spectrum and keep him from biting her teammates to death when they reached the gym.

Kyōya didn't suffer fools gladly.

Tsuna was currently screaming internally, while outwardly the only thing that gave away her alarm was the creepily frozen smile and her nervous sweat. Kyōya and her volleyball team did not mix well together. At all. Something about them set him on edge, hackles raised and ready to snap, but not because he was feeling threatened, rather, their attitudes and personalities seemed into insult him in some way or another.

What way, exactly, Tsuna couldn't tell, but she had been subjected to his presence long enough to immediately be able to distinguish his changes in mood, especially if they took a turn for the worst. A lot of that ability had stemmed from her self-preservation instincts kicking in to ensure her continued survival, so it was a skill that she 'learned' both quick and well. She was also quite good at distracting him from his sources of ire. It was just unfortunate that this had happened to originally be the distraction and that she had already used up her third 'pass' for the day.

Really, there was very little that poor Tsunaoko Sawada could actually do besides attempt to ignore the stifling tension in the air and try to keep Kyōya's attention sufficiently occupied. Something that was proving to be harder to do by the second, with her senpais — who were also Kyōya's peers — attempting to intimidate her friend now that such a confrontation was taking place on 'their' turf. Utterly failing at this, of course.

Meanwhile, Tsuna's peers and the second-years quivered uncontrollably as they were caught in the crossfire of the third-years' posturing. Shimitsu and Kowari, the only other girls on the volleyball team, weren't much better off, trembling as they helped the blonde.

The teen may have been a better setter, her official position, than a spiker, but something about making a good hit and sending the ball hurtling over to the other side of the net was satisfying in a way that couldn't be named or described with words. For several weeks now, Tsuna had been diligently practicing on that singular move that she told Kyōya about, and it was now, when she was positive that her hitting percentage was higher than fifty-fifty, that she felt confident enough to show-off to him. Her only problem with it was that it took a bit of flexibility and, unfortunately, time for it to work. Not to mention, without the practice and muscle memory, it would be extremely impractical to use in a match.

If it ever made a successful debut on the court, that is.

When she made her jump, instead of using her right hand like she had been doing, she would use her left to redirect the ball around the blockers rather than straight at them. She wouldn't be able to use it often, obviously, since the other side would eventually grow to expect and guard against that feint the more it was used; so it would have to be done sparingly. Not to mention, it had to be preplanned beforehand by a signal or code word of some sort, since the ball had to be tossed a bit slower for Tsuna make the hit.

The fact that she could spike with both hands would hopefully off-balance the other players for just long enough to use the feint effectively in the time she needed to set it up. It also helped that as far as anyone knew, she was right-handed. Which she was, in this life. In the Before, her left hand had been her dominant hand, but now, using her right hand felt more natural to her. But some habits were just too hard to stop.

When she was younger, there were times when she'd use her left hand when it would have been easier for her right. It was something that Tsuna had long since noticed and — after initial exasperation — decided to nurture until she was somewhat ambidextrous, her right hand still being a little more favored than her left. But forcing herself to only write and eat with her left hand was certainly helping to bridge the gap. Even if being ambidextrous wasn't really a talent one could actively brag about having anyway.

Of course, with her and the other two girls being bench warmers, the likelihood of her being able to use her 'southpaw surprise' or her feint in game was near-nonexistent anyway. The only reason why she hadn't started a girls' volleyball team herself was because three members weren't enough… And none of the teachers wanted to be an advisor for a club No-Good Tsuna was president of, anyway. So, even though the suggestion had been made half-jokingly, she had joined the only volleyball team, which was technically the boys' team in all but name. She wasn't a manager, but she wasn't truly a player either. It was frustrating. But until she recruited enough interested parties and found someone else to take up the mantel in being the figurehead for the club that the teachers would accept, she would tolerate this. She would last. Tsuna was still a first-year after all.

And hopefully, with Shimitsu and Kowari being second-years, one of them would being willing to take up the mantel of being 'captain' and perhaps help recruit more members.

"Tsunaguro, pay attention," Kowari scolded, using the other dreaded nicknamed that Tsuna was known by in school.

Despite her normally lackluster motivation in doing schoolwork, English was something that was quite hard for Tsuna to fail at, as she had once lived in a predominantly English-speaking country. Therefore, even without her trying and being a little rusty from disuse, she was in the second-year English class, which was where she earned the loathed nickname. It had to do with her on the verge of dosing off in class, the teacher mentioning something about tuna, and Tsuna snapping upright with an exclamation of "I'm awake!". So it was only natural that they would mix the Japanese word for that fish with the English word that sounded so similar to her name, thinking themselves extremely clever for it… And it only made sense that her second-year peers (the first-years were too intimidated to call her that directly to her face) would be quick to hear about it and latch onto it with great enthusiasm. They weren't very creative.

Currently, Tsunaoko huffed but ultimately ignored the loathed moniker in favor of dipping her hips lower as her knees bent — but didn't lock — into position, ready to burst into action.

Letting out a muted grunt, the Kowari tossed the ball, giving it a smooth arc as it soared over to the setter's position, the Tsuna's eyes tracking the ball's journey the whole while. As it began to descend towards Shimitsu's waiting and capable hands, Tsuna shot forward. A fierce expression of single-minded concentration overshadowing her typically bored or sleepy one as she roared, "Orrraaaaaaaaa!"

It lasted only a little longer than a second before it was over as soon as it started, the ball slamming harshly against the floor before bouncing away towards the sidelines. Landing only a little unsteadily, Tsuna cheered, her eyes misty, "Yeah! Didja see, Kyōya-san? Eh? Eh? Didja?" Bounding over to her grumpy-looking friend, she rocked back onto the heels of her feet before leaning back forward on her tippy-toes, her expression like that of an eager puppy seeking praise for performing a new trick. Rubbing her eyes quickly with the back of her hand to remove the happy tears that had been forming, she demanded, "What d'you think?"

Kyōya eyed her with only a small trace of annoyance at her antics. A large part of him was pleased at her little volleyball routine, more so at her rather aggressive display than the actual act of hitting the ball, which did a rather good job at show-casing how sneaky the Little Rabbit could be. Tricking her opponent to think that she would be going for a straightforward attack by the classic mid-air pose, only to suddenly use of her other hand without any warning. Striking the ball to the side between the net and the blockers at a sharp angle, stealing a point without any remorse.

A shiver went up his spine from the memory of the split-second view of the expression on her face, but it wasn't out of fear. No, it was anticipation, he wanted to fight her.

It had been too long since the last time, as Little Rabbit had continually redirected his attention or managed to wiggle out of it at the last moment as of late. And with her so wantonly displaying her capable skills… Well… One could hardly blame him for wanting to have that aggression aimed his direction so that he could freely respond in kind without restraint. Being forced to hold back all the time with the regular fare was at time more stressful than it was helpful. She was the only herbivore who would fight back against him when cornered and did so effectively.

Effectively enough to be able to occasionally turn the tables and become a carnivore herself.

Or, rather, she had always been one, just reluctant to bare her fangs and tended to give the impression of being just another mindless sheep, albeit a rather lackadaisical one. However, a predator can't hide so easily among the prey. The teachers and students Namimori Middle were discovering, just as the rest had found out in Namimori Primary, that Tsuna wasn't like them and shouldn't be treated as such. Of course, any herbivore that was too stupid to see Little Rabbit for what she truly was, tried to be 'friends' with her, he was quick to educate with brutal efficiency. She didn't need to associate with them, it would only confuse her more.

It was bad enough that a herbivore was responsible for raising a carnivore, after all. He may respect Nana Sawada, but it was hard to teach what you didn't understand. Not to mention, Iemitsu was hardly prime carnivore material, considering how much of his idiotic tendencies (such as being easily moved to tears) and melodramatic persona infected what used to be a reticent and indifferent person. Although, a small part of Kyōya warned him that just like Little Rabbit, Iemitsu, too, was a master of misdirection and not to be dismissed so readily. Kyōya already made that mistake once before with her back when they had first met.

So, it fell to him, as the only respectable carnivore around, to teach her how to be a proper predator. Even if it meant he had to bite her to death for his lessons to sink in. So, seeing as Little Rabbit was asking for an evaluation…

"I saw," he assured her before a smirk crossed his face, eyes narrowing slyly. "And I think it's time I tested you again, Sawada." Little Rabbit's face vaulted, and she flailed a bit, a distressed 'hieee' escaping her lips. Nothing good came from him using her actual name, just Danger with a capital 'D'. "After you finish practicing with these… herbivores, I expect to find you in the temporary club room." Some of the third-years from a class that wasn't his bristled at the disdain in his voice when he referred to them, but they wisely said nothing, stewing silently in indignation. Sending them a challenging smirk in hopes to provoke them to rising to the bait, Kyōya took his time exiting the gym. He wasn't disappointed when his wordless taunt seemed to be pushing them too far. It kept him both occupied until Little Rabbit's evaluation and helped decrease the amount of time that her practice lasted, which was only as long as the volleyball captain and the other third-years were around to supervise. Additionally, it helped him to release the pent-up frustration of being unable to locate the competitor he had sniffed out.

But only slightly.

Reflective Sky 01: Fin.

Volleyball terms:

Quick - A player approaching the setter for a fast hit close to the net (which would be an inside hit, as it is inside of the attack line).

Attack - The offensive action of hitting the ball. The attempt by one team to terminate the play by hitting the ball to the floor on the opponent's side.

(ergo, a quick-attack is a player approaching the settler for a fast inside hit the hopes to score a point)

Hitting Percentage - Kills v.s. attempts.

Regular Vocab used:

"Hieee" - An onomatopoeic word for Tsunayoshi's unique cry. This seems to be in common consensus with the fandom.

Sutēki is suteki - [Lit. Steak is beautiful] Expect for this story to be rife in puns and plays on words.

Kobudō - [Form. Okinawan kobudō] refers to the weapon systems of Okinawan martial arts. These 'systems' can have as many as one to a dozen weapons in their curriculum. Some of the weapons used are the bō (six-foot staff), sai, tonfa, kama (sickle), nunchaku, tekko (basically brassknuckles made out of steel, so steelknuckles), tinbe-rochin (shield and spear), surujin (weighted chain), tambo (short stick), hanbō (middle length staff), and the eku (boat oar...). Kyōya is trained in all of the above, but prefers the tonfas best, followed by the nunchaku, surujin, hanbō, and the eku. As you can guess, he is a mid-ranged fighter. Tsuna prefers the tekko.

Maa, Maa - Informal phrase meaning "calm down" or "there, there." It is also used to refer to something that is "same as usual."

Tsunaguro - an oh-so-clever use of 'Tsuna' and 'maguro', both of which mean tuna. (Tsuna being the Japanese pronunciation of the word 'Tuna' since they don't have a 'tu' noise, while 'maguro' is the actual name for the fish).

Ora - A war cry that's yelled as you attack.

Southpaw - A lefty or the left hand itself. Primarily used in baseball, but appears in other contexts as well, such as boxing where I originally came across it.

A/N: And thus ends the Pilot.

This fan fiction is heavily influenced by 'Dragonfly by Kettobase', 'Haikyū! by Haruichi Furudate', and 'Russian Roulette by Vixen Tail'. Speaking of which...

VIXEN TAIL! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT THAT I'M IN THIS FANDOM! I WANT MY MUSE BACK! I SHAKE MY FIST AT YOU!

...

If you people find the time, go bother her by spamming her story with reviews. It's the perfect revenge.

Also, go see chinchilla donut's fan fiction and review it as well. I'm sure it would be appreciated.

(EDIT 12-16-2016: Simplified everything and added some background information.)

(EDIT 5-8-2017: Added more details)