Chapter 9

The sun is high, the skies are clear, and the frown on Kyoya's face gets bigger the nearer they get to school.

"Nii-san." Harry saves that title for special occasions, because it is, at the moment, a sure-fire way to get both his attention and a smile. She doesn't want to wear it out too quickly though, so on normal days, he's just 'Kyoya'.

It does get a smile out of him – a small one, a slight upturn of his lips – as he turns to face her.

She considers wishing him luck, but decides against it. Only herbivores need luck, she can practically hear him snort, and that wouldn't lift his mood at all. "I look forward to watching you run," she says instead, smiling brightly at him as he visibly softens.

"Hn."

As they step through the school gates, Harry admires the decorations. "They must have put in a lot of effort," she notes, eyeing the fluttering flags and hand-cut streamers. The freshly chalked tracks and competition areas are so clean they seem to gleam in the sunlight, while the brightly colored tents seem to have sprung up overnight.

"Yes," Kyoya's voice has a hint of pride – unsurprising, what with how much he loves their town and school. "I shall enjoy biting those who disturb the peace to death." He pats her on the shoulder, a promise to find her later, and strides off in the direction of the sakura trees.

Though tempted to follow him, Harry heads to class to find Hana and Tsuna instead. Small groups gather at the corners of class, but Hana waves her over to where she is seated at their desks instead.

"Tsuna arrived just a while ago, but Gina-sensei spotted him and dragged her 'youthful water-bearer' off to give him instructions." Hana snorts, sipping calmly from her thermos before putting it back on her desk. "I guess we should go and warm up, even if the other monkeys don't think it's important."

-x- -x- -x-

Junta loves sports. He loves the wind in his hair and the sun on his face, the thrill and the adrenaline rush; he loves reaching his limits and pushing straight past them, knowing that with every match he plays and race he runs he gets stronger and better.

Most of all, Junta loves winning.

But the cheers and congratulations, the claps on his back and the feeling of being alive don't hold a candle to making his parents see him.

He's the third child of four, with two brothers far older than him, and a sister a little younger. Junki and Junpei are finishing middle school, excelling in sports and academics respectively, and have already been scouted by some of the best high schools in the region. Junmi is a baby, the much sought-after daughter that their parents had been hoping for before they got him, Junta, instead.

Otou-san is a famous baseballer, retired now because of an injury but still coaching. Junki has always been his favorite, the oldest son to carry on his sports dreams. Okaa-san is a university lecturer who exclaims over Junpei's intelligence and ordered a special file for him to keep his many certificates. They both dote on Junmi, and that just leaves him feeling like an outsider in their happy family.

His parents are never home much, but when they are it's always Junki Junpei Junmi, their clever twins and darling daughter. Never him, the invisible son.

Sometimes he secretly wishes they don't come home at all.

-x- -x- -x-

Tsuna is beginning to regret having volunteered as Gina-sensei's assistant. Assistant – tch, he snorts rather uncharacteristically, struggling to carry what seems like the hundredth large water container. More like slave, he thinks.

"Oy, Sawada!" Gina-sensei waves her ever-present clipboard energetically, before pausing to scribble something with a pencil. "Good job. Just put that one with the rest then take a break and come back with the rest of your class when the bell rings."

She waves him off, pleased with her own generosity, while Tsuna groans in dismay. He'd had to come to school an hour early, and had been carrying water the whole time. A glance at the clock tower tells him that there are barely five minutes until the bell rings – just enough time to walk to class and walk back, hardly worth the effort. Instead, he takes a seat behind a basket of beanbags and hopes the saying 'out of sight, out of mind' applies.

"What are you doing." That incredibly unimpressed tone is definitely Hana's, and wherever Hana is, Harry usually is too. Tsuna turns to give the most pitiful face he can manage, but Hana remains unmoved. Harry is slightly more sympathetic, patting his shoulder and pulling candy out of her pocket to share, so Tsuna finds himself spilling his woes.

"Serves you right," Hana snorts. "Choosing one event would have been way less effort than all this, and you would have had the rest of the day to do whatever you wanted too."

Tsuna deflates. She's right, and he will also never ever volunteer to help sensei with anything again.

"Maybe she won't need you for the whole day?" Harry suggests, not looking particularly hopeful, and Tsuna shrugs. He'd planned on watching Harry and Hana take part in their events and cheer them on, but now he isn't so sure he'll have the chance.

The bell rings, followed by a loud yell of "Sawadaaaaa!"

Tsuna whimpers, hiding his face with one hand and waving his friends off with the other. "G-good luck!"

"You too."

"Have fun!"

As his friends hurry off to their class line, Tsuna stumbles to his feet reluctantly. He will definitely never try to wiggle out of sports day again.

At least not with this particular method.

-x- -x- -x-

"Good morning everyone, welcome to Namimori Elementary's Sports Day. Parents, please move off the event areas. Students, please gather in your classes to receive instructions from your teachers. The opening ceremony will begin in five minutes…"

The students stand in neat lines on the field as the principal gives a speech and the national anthem plays, but burst into excited chatter as soon as the first event is announced: the sprints.

"Good luck," Hana announces, patting Harry on the shoulder. "Don't think you need it, but make sure you win. We can room together on the class trip."

"Yeah." As part of the youngest grade in school, their class will be racing in the first round for the first grade qualifiers. If they are fast enough, they will take part in the finals soon after. Harry eyes her classmates in consideration as she stretches. Also taking part in the sprint event are Moriya, Aoyama, Chiba, and Shinkai, most of whom are also taking part in the relay. They're fast – if her class can clinch the top ranks for the sprint and win the relay, there's a good chance they'll get to go on the class trip.

Moriya glares at her as they move into their assigned lanes, but stays silent. Fortunately, they aren't next to each other so Harry doesn't have to worry about any foul play – though maybe even Moriya is smart enough not to mess around with so much at stake and so many people watching.

There is a short countdown, then Gina-sensei blows her whistle and they all take off. With her feet pounding the pavement and the crowd's cheering in her ears, Harry edges ahead of her competition then pulls ahead. Kyoya and Okaa-chan are watching, after all.

She crosses the finishing line first, followed by Moriya and Aoyama. Chiba and Shinkai are almost as quick, but two students from the next class beat them by inches.

Gina-sensei tells them they didn't do a terrible job, then dismisses them but warns them not to go too far. The first-grade final race will take place after the qualifiers are done, and the participants will be announced just before it begins.

Harry waves to Tsuna, who is hiding rather ineffectively behind a basket of beanbags, before strolling off towards Hana. Kyoya would have been watching her run, but has probably since disappeared, far more likely to beat everyone up than stand next to them if he doesn't have to; she won't see him again until the final race is over. Okaa-chan will be around too, but she isn't sure where exactly, and with the size of the crowd Harry probably won't find her until the announcement to report back at the track.

Hana, on the other hand, is in plain sight, having stationed herself right beside the finish line in order to cheer Harry on and verbally shred anyone who, in her own words, "is an unsporting moron of a monkey".

-x- -x- -x-

Hana watches proudly as Heza comes in first for the qualifying race. She can tell her friend isn't tired or running at full speed yet, but she still outruns everyone else easily. There's no way she won't make it to the finals, even though not all the classes have finished.

Moriya and Aoyama are running well too, so there's a chance that their class will sweep the top three spots and get all the points given for the sprint event. The beanbag event is next, but Hana isn't sure who is taking part besides Yamamoto, Nakamura and Kuri-chan. Miyo-chan and Aoko-chan are leading a small group in the dance events. Shinkai, Hana, and a few others are taking part in the treasure hunt, but their class doesn't have an exceptionally good chance of winning or anything, maybe if they all work together…? Hana and Harry are taking part in the three-legged race, which they have been practicing for, and so are a few other pairs from their class. They have another chance to rack up points there, she hopes.

And of course, the relay race as the biggest, most popular event – worth the largest amount of points - is last. Their class is sending a good team, Hana knows, and she's done a little… reconnaissance, so she knows they have a fairly good chance of winning. Class 3 has some pretty fast runners, but two of them are taking part in most of the activities and will likely be tired out for the relay. Class 2 only has three fairly fast runners out of the six participants, though they have a few budding basketballers and will probably dominate the beanbag event.

Hana really wants their class to go on the trip. While she doesn't particularly care for most of her classmates, Harry is her best friend and she's mildly fond of Tsuna. The Sports Day reward trip is usually overnight and to somewhere further than Tokyo, though the exact destination won't be announced until the closing ceremony later, and Hana finds herself eager to spend more time with her friends even though she already sees them everyday.

Also, a class trip just sounds really exciting. With that in mind and Harry in tow, she heads off to … inspire some of her classmates with imaginative and completely fictional rumors about past year trips.

-x- -x- -x-

Harry wins the first grade sprint. Moriya comes in second, a massive scowl aimed at her. Unfortunately, someone from class 3 beats Aoyama to third place, but overall their class has put up a pretty good showing for the first event.

Kyoya pats her on the head as he swoops past to his place at the starting line for the second-grade race.

"Good luck!" She calls after him, and he acknowledges it with a flick of his hand. Some of his classmates turn to stare in mild horror, but a glare from him sends them whipping back around to face the front, postures as rigid as boards.

It's honestly no surprise when Kyoya reaches the finish line before his fellow competitors pass the half-way mark, and promptly disappears even before the race is over.

"S- scary." Tsuna shivers behind the clipboard Gina-sensei foisted off on him, incredibly aware of the glare directed at him before the upperclassman left the track.

"Hm?" Beside him, Harry is blissfully unaware of the sudden terror he just experienced, and he quickly decides she should stay that way.

"Nothing!" He squeaks, and for the first time that day heaves a sigh of relief when Gina-sensei yells for him.

-x- -x- -x-

The beanbag event isn't worth a lot of points. Just as well, because their class isn't doing great.

"Yamamoto-kun!" Kuri-chan screeches, rightfully exasperated. Yamamoto throws more like a baseballer than a basketballer, and it is already the third time he's knocked their basket down.

"Haha, sorry!" Yamamoto smiles, but his own frustration is clear to see.

"You can do it!" Harry calls from beside her, and Hana joins in halfheartedly. She has no idea why Yamamoto chose this event if he's so terrible at it – did he not realise he would have to use a different throwing style from baseball? Did he even practice? What a blockhead.

Class 2 ends up winning the event. Their own class takes fourth place, but doesn't get any points for it. Honestly, Hana's just glad they didn't come in last. That particular distinction goes to class 6, whose volunteers ended up throwing beanbags at each other instead of into their basket.

"Treasure hunt participants, please report to Gina-sensei for your first clue. We will begin in five minutes. I repeat, treasure hunt participants…"

"I'll find you for lunch after this," Hana informs Harry, accepting her good luck hug before making her way through the crowd. Gina-sensei marks her name off her clipboard and Tsuna hands her a folded piece of paper from a plastic bag. Hana returns his thumbs up with a sharp smile and drifts to the side, where no one will be able block her when she starts running.

The moment it starts, she heads towards the school while reading the first clue. No doubt that's where the hunt will lead – the other direction only has the school gate.

Words I have many, stories too,

But no voice to tell them to you.

Lame, Hana thinks, but heads for the library anyway.

-x- -x- -x-

Lei lays out the picnic mat beneath the sakura trees behind the school; it is far less crowded and Kyoya would not have put up with the mob around the track for any amount of hamburger steak. A few other families had the same idea, but are fortunately far away enough for Kyoya to tolerate. Even so, he insists on sitting between Lei and Harry, as far away from Harry's friends Hana and Tsuna, as well as Tsuna's mother, as he can get without moving off the mat.

Kurokawa Hana, fresh from her victory in the treasure hunt, was invited to join them as her parents were both working and unable to attend. She brought her own bento as well as cake to share, is a clever, polite child, and her background search turned up clean. She is a good friend for Harry and Lei definitely approves of her.

The Sawada boy, Tsuna, is nervous and clumsy. He has strong family ties to the mafia – his father being who he is, it is unlikely he will escape that life completely. Still, he seems sweet and clearly adores her daughter, so she'll keep an eye out but won't interfere for now.

His mother, though… Lei nods absently as Sawada Nana chatters on lightly, paying minimum attention to the current topic of the best supermarket discounts in town. There's something wrong with her, like she's been broken and put back together, but pieces are missing and the cracks still show. She is fond of her son and dotes on him, but has a habit of disparaging or dismissing him that makes him shrink into himself. Harry and Hana have picked up on it too, judging from their disapproving looks and constant patting of Tsuna's fluffy head.

Lei cuts in at an appropriate moment, agreeing that the Mid-week sale is excellent, and turns the conversation to their children. "I'm glad our children have made friends. Your son is a very sweet boy, and they seem to get along well."

Sawada – "Oh, call me Nana, Lei-san!" – Nana giggles girlishly. "Oh my, I'm so glad they're friends too! Your daughter is so sweet and polite! When they came over to do homework I was so shocked to see my useless son made such lovely friends – it was the first time he ever had anyone over, you know."

"Okaa-chan, I think we need to get ready for the three-legged race. Hana and I are taking part, and Tsuna is sensei's assistant so he needs to go too." Harry cuts in, outwardly cheerful but clearly wanting to escape Tsuna's mother.

"Ah, yes. We should pack up. Maybe you children should go ahead first?" Lei shoos them away gently when they try to help, and chases Kyoya off after poking him awake. She wishes them luck and waves off their thank-yous and see-yous, then starts packing away their lunch things. Nana does the same beside her, chatting away all the while.

"We should head back to the track too, Nana-san," Lei prompts, resigning herself to spending the rest of the Sports day with her. It wouldn't do to ditch her daughter's friend's mother, not when Nana seems so lost somehow and has latched on to her as a new friend.

It seems like she will be seeing a lot more of Sawada Nana in the future.

-x- -x- -x-

Junta and Yousuke win the three-legged race and give each other manly hugs of congratulation.

"What is your problem, Moriya?" Kurokawa storms up to them, foreigner trailing behind her since their ankles are still tied together.

"Hana…"

"What is your problem, Kurokawa?" He mocks, but makes an aborted motion to lean back when Hana takes another menacing step forward.

"My problem?" She hisses, reaching out to strangle him as he takes a reflexive step back. "My problem is that you pushed us on purpose!"

"Hold on," Yousuke has his hands up like he's trying to calm a rabid dog, "what are you talking about?"

"This useless cheater pushed Harry when the race started! Hard enough to knock us into the pair in the next lane!"

"You what? Junta!"

"Did not."

"Hana, let's just –"

"No way!" Hana whirls around and jabs a finger at Harry. "He's had it out for you since you got here, and now he's moving from rumors to pushing you! What if you get really hurt next time?"

"Hey, hey, what's going on?" Takeshi pops out of nowhere and slings his arm around Yousuke's shoulders, sending a bright smile and wave at a few curious onlookers who promptly disperse.

"Nothing." Junta bends down to undo the tie around his ankle, careful to keep his neck out of Hana's sight in case she decides to kill him. He was in the same preschool daycare as her, and he's seen her make no less than two toddlers and one babysitter cry with nothing but her words. He doesn't really want to find out what will happen if she really wants someone dead.

Kurokawa is terrifying, and Junta is only slightly afraid of her.

He's saved from any further scolding and threatening by the announcer. "Participants in the first-grade relay race, please report to Gina-sensei and take your positions. We will begin in five minutes."

"This isn't over." Kurokawa steps back so her partner can untie them more easily. "I'll be watching you. If you do anything besides run as fast as your scrawny legs can carry you…" She draws her finger slowly across her neck, then turns and stalks off.

There's silence for a moment, then, "Seriously, Junta?"

"Yeah, that wasn't very nice." Even Takeshi looks disapproving, and Junta doesn't want to deal with it anymore.

"I don't know what she's talking about." He does. "Let's just go."

Junta forces the anger and frustration away, and viciously stomps the tiny bit of guilt down. He didn't do much, he thinks. He would have beat them anyway.

He loves winning. But this time, the victory is bitter on his tongue.

-x- -x- -x-

All things considered, the relay race goes smoothly. Aoyama passes to Chiba, who hands the baton to Hana. Hana shoves it into Moriya's hand, and Moriya drops it into Harry's with a look of studied indifference. Harry finishes her lap and gives it to Yamamoto, who crosses the finish line a full three-quarters of a lap before the other final runners.

Having won the sprint, treasure hunt, three-legged race and relay events, it's no surprise that their class tops the first-grade and wins an overnight trip to Hakone.

Kyoya's class has also won the same trip, though his reaction is more horrified disgust than joyful excitement.

"How lovely," Okaa-chan says, hugging them both and kissing their cheeks. "You both did wonderfully. I'm sure you'll have fun on your trips."

Kyoya gives a disgruntled huff. "Noisy herbivores," he grumbles, and makes a face.

"Maybe our classes will be going together!" Harry suggests brightly, leaning into the hug. Kyoya gives a noncommittal hum but subsides.

Sports day was fun, but she's glad it's over. Hana has run off to "have a friendly chat with a monkey", and Tsuna's still Gina-sensei's volunteer for now. She's just seen him run by with a trash bag and stumble over his untied shoelaces, but he was gone by the time she started heading over. For someone so clumsy, he can move very quickly when he has to.

-x- -x- -x-

Harry's birthday is almost right after sports day. Unfortunately, it is on a Monday, so she has to go to school. Still, she's cheered by the thought of Hana and Tsuna following her home for a small dinner celebration. Even though she's been adopted and it is her home now too, it's her first time ever inviting anyone over, despite receiving permission to do so.

Harry leads them through the garden and to the front door as they gape at the size of the house. Kyoya has already escaped to do his usual patrol, only too glad to avoid having to interact with people, though he's promised to be nice at dinner.

"It's massive," Hana announces, finally getting over her awed silence. Tsuna, stumbling over the cobblestone path, is much less coherent.

Harry agrees. It had taken her a few days to find her away around the more commonly used parts of the house, though Kyoya had been a rather good guide despite his reticence.

The room she was given the day she met him is now a guest room again. The week they had asked to adopt her, Harry had been shifted to the family wing, into the room opposite Kyoya's, and given free reign to decorate it however she liked.

The dominant colors of her walls are pale, yellow and blue and pink and purple, the sky with its sunrise and sunset. Large windows overlooking the backyard line one side, complete with delicate curtains and a window seat. Her bed, a large desk, closet, and bookshelves line the other walls, and her adjoining bathroom is visible through an open door. She loves her room - every minute she spends there drives her memories of sleeping in a cupboard under the stairs further away.

-x- -x- -x-

Kyoya slips into his seat at the dining table with a pleased smirk. Patrol had gone well, he'd stopped a thief and a group of older boys bullying a younger child. Homework was easy and completed quickly enough for him to take a nap, and Harry's friends had been quiet enough to tolerate.

Then his gaze slid to the side and he bit his tongue to hide his shock.

"Hello, Kyoya. It's good to see you again."

"… Uncle Fon," A squeak and tug on his hair prompt him to turn, "… and monkey." His mood plummets suddenly, and not even his favorite hamburger steak can save it. Suddenly, dinner can't end quickly enough.

Time seems to crawl, but eventually the dishes are cleared and the cake is brought out. It's a girly cake, shaped around a doll like a dress. Still, it makes Harry's eyes shine and it tastes good enough, so Kyoya has seconds and even accepts a sugar rose from his sister.

He lurks around until Kurokawa and Sawada are both picked up before reappearing beside Harry with his own gift.

From her small stack of presents, she chooses to open his first, naturally. It's a stack of carefully chosen books featuring superheroes and characters with powers. "We're going to try all of them," he announces, and accepts her gleeful hug with good grace.

Okaa-chan and Otou-san give her a beautiful kimono set, a pattern of delicate flowers and darker leaves against a pale green background. Kyoya examines it carefully and nods in approval; not only does the print suit her, the colors are more suited to camouflage than his own dark blue one.

Uncle Fon presents her with a fan of carved wood, painted silk depicting a garden in full bloom. The guards are strengthened with steel, he explains, so the fan can be used as a weapon if needed.

The monkey offers her a peach, which she accepts with mild confusion.

Finally, she turns to the two presents from her friends. They are both wrapped in shiny green paper, so he isn't sure which one is from who, but the first present is a sensible metal thermos decorated to look like the night sky. The other is a mythical creature coloring book.

Kyoya eyes the dragon on the cover, catches glimpses of a kitsune, tanuki, and kirin as Harry flicks through the pages, and gives a vague hum of consideration. Then with a last pat on his sister's head, he escapes to his room, hoping his uncle and that dratted monkey will be gone by the time he wakes up the next day.

-x- -x- -x-

"Class 1-1, please line up here!" Harry and Hana drift into position, Tsuna trailing after them. Behind him, Yamamoto waves from where he is standing beside Aoyama.

Beside the doors of the large chartered bus, Yomi-sensei marks their names down on her clipboard as they climb on board. Kyoya's class is already seated, having swept the sports day events for their grade; they are travelling together as Namimori Elementary had decided to pair the winning classes.

Class 2-1 is generally spread out, though the last few rows are very conspicuously empty. Closer inspection reveals Kyoya to be the reason, he's sprawled across the back row, eyes shut, clearly having already conditioned his class to leave him alone and be quiet.

Harry makes a beeline towards him, Hana, Tsuna, and even Yamamoto and his friends in tow. The second grade students eye them with pity but don't move to stop them, clearly willing to sacrifice the first-years to Kyoya's bad temper.

"Can we sit? We'll be quiet!" At his reluctant grumble, they take their seats, Harry right in front of him with Hana beside her. Tsuna sits in front of them, and is pleasantly surprised when Yamamoto joins him. Moriya and Aoyama sit diagonally in front of them, close enough to talk to Yamamoto but as far from Hana as possible.

"Attention, students. It is a three-hour ride to the Hakone ryokan. We will be going there first to unpack, then head out for lunch. For now, you are free to talk to your friends, but please do not run around on the bus." One of the accompanying teachers announces, then promptly slumps back in his seat as the students burst into excited whispers.

At Kyoya's annoyed hiss, Harry promptly retrieves a small pouch from her bag and tosses it at him. He snatches it out of the air with a glare, which softens when he opens it to find earplugs.

"I came prepared," Harry whispers to Hana.

"So did I," Hana grins back, unzipping her backpack to reveal a deck of cards and a veritable treasure trove of snacks. Hearing the rustle of plastic, Tsuna and Yamamoto promptly poke their heads over the backs of their seats, sailors to the siren call of food.

-x- -x- -x-

The ryokan is huge.

Takeshi 'ooh's and 'aah's with the rest of the class as an elderly lady gives them a tour and leads them past the hot springs. The girls of his class are given one room while the boys file into another, and Takeshi waves cheerfully at Kurokawa-chan and Potteru-chan as they separate.

The room is large, futon laid out neatly on the tatami mats along with folded towels and yukata. The shoji sliding doors open to a garden where the stone path leads to the onsen. Takeshi dumps his backpack beside his chosen futon and pulls out his smaller bag, already packed with money and anything else he needs for when they leave the ryokan.

Sawada has the futon on his right, while Yousuke is on his left. Junta is opposite him, still sulky from sports day even though it was months ago, though now he just ignores Potteru-chan and Sawada instead of badmouthing them.

"It's time to go, everyone line up in front of me!" The volunteer male teacher also sharing the room calls, clapping his hands for attention. Takeshi waves his friends ahead and lags behind to make sure Sawada is following. Potteru-chan had pulled him aside earlier to ask him to keep an eye out for him, and a good thing too, since Sawada has dropped his things and is a little too preoccupied picking them up. Takeshi helps to gather everything and fairly drags him out to find the girls.

They're already on the bus, along with the upperclassman who doesn't get along with anyone but Potteru-chan. Takeshi takes the same seat in front of Hana and turns to join in their conversation; he's found that he likes hanging around with this odd trio, though he still spends most of school with the other boys in his class. Still, they always have interesting things to talk about and they're always friendly when he turns up, so he does it fairly often. They're probably more friends than classmates by now, he thinks.

Though part of Hakone lake is actually visible from the ryokan, that isn't the part they are heading to and the lake is large enough for them to need to take the bus. They get off a short ride later, and after a slow stroll through the park, a large pavilion facing the lake comes into view.

"No, don't run-"

"Hiro-kun, come back!"

"Chi-chan, stay with the group!"

As the teachers try to herd the students and do a headcount, Takeshi stares at the lake. It's way bigger than the Namimori river, that's for sure, and he wonders if any sea monsters are in there. He's already seen fish and turtles, but that isn't very exciting when his dad runs a sushi restaurant and regularly chops up way bigger fish and even octopus sometimes.

Takeshi lets himself be distracted when Yomi-sensei hands him a bento and tells him to sit and eat. There's tempura, soba, and tofu, Hakone specialties from the sticker on the box, and he finishes everything and even accepts extras from some of his female classmates.

After lunch, they take a trip to explore the open air museum, where Mori – not Sawada, to everyone's mild surprise – manages to trip on part of a sculpture, some of the upperclassmen get told off for monkeying around, and someone almost breaks an exhibit. The teachers all look very relieved by the time they leave for the shrine.

The Hakone Shrine is back near the lake, at the foot of the mountain and hidden in the forest, though the bright red torii gates mark it out clearly enough.

The shrine is nice enough, but then it starts raining and the teachers tell everyone to use their umbrellas and head back to the bus.

"Who's that?" Kurokawa-chan asks, pointing to a tree beside the path. A boy wearing a kimono and geta sandals peeks out from behind it, head and shoulders covered by a large, wide-brimmed straw hat. When he meets their gazes he promptly disappears.

"I don't know," Potteru-chan replies, tilting her umbrella back for a better look. "But he isn't from the trip."

"Maybe he needs help!" Takeshi suggests, and steps off the path. The girls follow him, but there's no one behind the tree when they look. "Weird."

"E-eh?" Sawada's shriek makes them snap their heads back immediately. "M-my umbrella! It disappeared!" He whimpers when a sudden shower drenches him immediately.

"There!" This time, it's Potteru-chan who speaks, pointing at a yellow umbrella and kimono-clad figure vanishing quickly among the trees on the other side of the path.

Unfortunately, their chase is cut short when Yomi-sensei rushes up and ushers them away. "Children! Quickly, everyone is waiting for you on the bus. Sawada-kun, did you lose your umbrella?"

Really, Takeshi thinks happily, the most interesting things do happen around them.

-x- -x- -x-

Kyoya, who somehow managed to make it back on the bus even before the rain started, missed everything, so Harry hastily fills him in on the mysterious umbrella-stealing boy and is surprised when he perks up immediately and demands to be told of any other strange incidents.

They return to the ryokan for dinner, then are set free to use the onsen or explore as long as they are back by lights out. After a short discussion, Harry and Hana separate from the boys to find the girls' bath, agreeing to meet up to explore afterwards.

The bath is soothing, and they meet some of their classmates and upperclassmen there as well, though there is a divide between classes. Harry relaxes quietly while Hana socializes, though she readily ends her conversation with Kuri-chan when it is time to leave.

This time, Tsuna and Yamamoto are already waiting, and Aoyama and Moriya lurk nearby. Aoyama is friendly enough sometimes, but they don't all get along so Harry isn't sure why the two of them are hanging around too. Still, she doesn't ask and they don't volunteer an explanation.

Since the ryokan proprietress had said that the property ended where the lake began, and it was all quite safe to explore if they kept to the path, they headed out the back and followed the trail past the baths.

"Hi, Kyoya," Harry greets as they walk past a wide-awake Kyoya staring intently at the small zen garden. "We're taking a walk. Bye." He favors her with a distracted wave, ignoring the choking noises from her classmates, but since she can't see what exactly he's looking at, they move on and soon leave him behind.

Once he is out of earshot, Aoyama and Moriya turn and screech, "You know him!?" in identical tones of horror.

When she nods, Yamamoto laughs. "He's fast. I saw him run at sports day and he went 'whoosh'!"

Harry can't quite imagine Kyoya going 'whoosh!', but he really is fast, so she nods again.

"I heard he beat up someone trying to steal from sensei!" Aoyama's so excited that his eyes glitter. Harry shrugs. Kyoya has beat up many people, so that's quite likely though she hasn't heard anything about one of the teachers being involved.

Even Moriya unbends enough to mutter, "He beat up some people from fifth grade to save my little sister." Harry hasn't heard this story either, but agrees that Kyoya is incredibly brave and a protector of the weak. Then she realizes that more people are recognizing her brother for the sort-of hero he is, and gleefully shares a few more stories to a captive audience.

There is a shallow pond just off the trail end near the back gate and, not seeing any harm, they drift closer to it. It's dimly lit from the electric lights lining the path, with thick grass growing at the water's edge and a small wooden bridge spanning it.

Harry and Hana head for the bridge, Tsuna tripping along after a moment of indecision, while the other boys head straight for the edge of the pond and start digging for rocks to skip. Then a shrill scream splits the air and they turn to see Moriya fall flat on his back as a scaly, monkey-like creature yanks his ankle.

-x- -x- -x-

"What the –"

"Junta!" Takeshi throws the rocks he is holding at it, but it makes no difference as the creature begins moving backwards into the pond, dragging his friend all the while. Desperate, he lunges forward and grabs Junta's arms, digging his heels in and pulling with all his strength.

"Hana, Tsuna, get Kyoya then the senseis! Aoyama, move!" At the sound of her voice, Yousuke finally unfreezes and moves to help him, joining in the game of tug-of-war with Junta as the rope. Potter-chan dashes around the pond towards them and enters the water, pulling a folded fan out of nowhere and beating the thing in the face with all her strength.

It grunts but latches on to Junta's ankles determinedly, slowly drawing him closer and deeper into the water. Hanging on for dear life, Takeshi starts praying desperately.

-x- -x- -x-

Ever since Kyoya heard about Harry's brush with the Amefurikozo, he's had his eyes and ears open. He'd bought a book on Japanese Myths and Creatures after seeing his sister's new coloring book and read it religiously, but hadn't actually expected to run into anything.

Then when he was taking a nap on his futon after dinner, something jumped on him and turned his pillow over, though the room was empty when he opened his eyes. A small patch of gray near the shoji doors sends him leaping across the room to inspect it; an ashy footprint, and with the other indications, signs of a Zashiki-warashi.

He slides the shoji door open and immediately spies another footprint beside the path, and another. They get increasingly difficult to find though, so Kyoya spends a good few minutes crawling on the ground when no one is around. Try as he might, the footsteps end eventually and he is about to return to his futon when a small pebble rolls up a stone step leading to the zen garden.

He climbs the short flight carefully and seats himself at the small pavilion overlooking the garden to keep a vigil, absentmindedly waving to his sister when she passes by with her noisy friends. The zashiki-warashi led him there, he just has to look for the next sign.

A tapping sound behind him draws his attention from the garden and is the reason he hears the scream – coming from the direction his sister went. He's running down the trail in a flash, pulling his tonfas out and dashing past Kurokawa and Sawada before they even realise he's there.

There's a creature in the pond trying to drown one of the boys, as two others try to drag him back onto dry land and Harry attacks it with the fan Uncle Fon gave her. Without a second thought, Kyoya leaps in beside her and smacks it across the face with a tonfa, getting a good look at the creature in the process.

"Kappa," he hisses in stunned recognition, then attacks it again. "There's something like a bowl of water on its head," he calls to Harry, "we have to break the bowl or get rid of the water!"

They both redirect their blows at the top of its head, but it only shakes its head and backpedals faster, dragging the boy in with it.

When one of Kyoya's hits lands with an audible crack, the kappa freezes for a moment, then drops the boy with a splash and stretches both hands towards him instead. "Get rid of the water!" He yells at his sister as he fends them away, and her three classmates reach the edge of the pond.

From the corner of his eye, he watches as Harry shoves her fan into her yukata belt and flings herself onto the kappa's back, hanging on with her legs as she tries to scoop the water out with cupped hands. It works, but not quickly enough, and he sees the moment she gets frustrated and simply presses her hands into the bowl. There is a dull sizzle and steam billows up before the kappa writhes and hisses, sliding limply back into the pond.

Kyoya is tempted to go after it and drag it to shore, but decides against it in favor of towing his sister to the edge, heaving her out of the pond and climbing out himself. Then, with a glance at the murky water of the pond, they unanimously decide they aren't far enough and crawl further, back to the stone path where the three boys have collapsed.

That is how Kurokawa and the frantic teachers find them, five soaked children lying at the end of the path.

-x- -x- -x-

Moriya pulls her aside the next morning after the breakfast.

"Thanks," he mumbles, clearly uncomfortable. "You helped to save me from that thing. And… I'm sorry."

"For what?" Harry asks, eyebrows raised. She knows what he should be sorry for, but isn't quite sure he does.

"For… pushing you on sports day." He sighs heavily, runs his hands through his hair. "And… for being mean. For spreading rumors and saying all those things about you. You didn't deserve it. I'm sure your parents want you."

"They're dead, so I wouldn't know," Harry replies, but takes pity on him when he flinches. "If you stop, I accept your apology. But I'm not the only one you need to apologize to."

"Y-yeah. I've already apologized to Sawada and Kurokawa. I was the worst to you though, so it was harder to talk to you. Even if Kurokawa is terrifying." He turns and starts to walk away, then hesitates. "Thanks… again. You're… not so bad."

Harry smiles. You too, she doesn't say. Before today, he's never been anything but nasty, and though she thinks his apology was sincere and they can get along, she'd like to see how he acts after this.

"Ugh, finally. What a monkey." Hana pops out from behind a tree, brushing dirt off her hands.

"Hana! What were you doing there?"

"What, like I was going to leave you alone?" Hana huffs and begins steering her away. "Come on, we still have to pack."

Harry shakes her head fondly but lets herself be dragged away.

-x- -x- -x-

"Dismissed!" The teachers look relieved the trip is over; they must have been stressed out, Takeshi thinks, they sure looked horrified last night.

"Bye Hana, bye Tsuna, bye Takeshi!" Harry waves as Kyoya – her brother! – drags her towards a well-dressed lady waiting beneath a tree.

"See you on Monday, Harry!" Takeshi calls back, then waves goodbye to Hana and Tsuna as well when their mothers arrive to pick them. He'd asked to be called by his name after they nearly drowned saving Junta, and they'd all asked to be called by their first names or nicknames as well. Even Junta is a lot more friendly, though still awkward, after the previous night.

"New friends, Takeshi?" His Tou-chan pulls him into a hug before leading him home.

"Yeah!" Some things you just can't experience without becoming proper friends. Takeshi's thrilled. Really, life looks a lot more exciting now.

-x- -x- -x-

October flies by.

Classes are the same, both in school and at home. Takeshi hangs out with them a lot more, and his friends tag along sometimes too. Moriya is nicer.

The less said about Tsuna's birthday the better. He invites them over after school, where they finish homework, play videogames, and let his mother stuff them with too much good food. The problem is when he opens his presents.

"Thank you," he wails, clutching her gift tightly, "I never thought I'd have enough friends to play this with!"

Harry eyes the board game with resignation as Hana makes a face and Takeshi laughs. "Yeah," she says, patting him on the shoulder, "let's all play together sometime."

-x- -x- -x-

Harry goes to sleep on the night of New Year's Eve and dreams of fantastical, magical things.

She dreams of flying over the sea on the back of a giant bird, and landing on an island with a beautiful jade palace. The forest is full of mythical creatures, from Aosagibi and Kamaitachi to Ki tsune and Tengu. Children in pink robes wave and chase after her on broomsticks as she leaves on the bird again.

It is a beautiful dream, one that stays vivid in her mind as she gets up and makes her bed. She almost wants to climb back under the covers and go back to that colorful world she left behind, but forces herself to turn away instead. Something catches her eye as she does, pale pink against her wooden nightstand.

It's an envelope, one with her name in beautiful calligraphy. She flips it over and eyes the seal, golden wax embossed with a design of three sakura flowers against a crossed stick and feather. There's kanji engraved there too, and Harry has to squint a little to make it out.

"… Mahoutokoro…?"

-x- -x- -x-

Author's Note:

Haha, hi. It's been two years? I'm so sorry omg. Is anyone still reading this?

I don't even know how time flies so fast. Anyway I recently graduated and am doing some prep course so I have some free time. Next year onwards I'll be mad busy though, so I really have no idea when I'll update next. But I am definitely not discontinuing this fic!

Okay so this chapter is over twice as long as usual – to make up for the two years of silence oops. I didn't intend for it to be this long but somehow the sports day took up half the chapter? It was rly just supposed to last a couple of scenes._.

Honestly when Hana was facing off with Junta I had this mental image of her going "Check yourself before you wreck yourself", then I remembered she's like, seven, and supposed to be the mature one. But have her ready to throw down for friendship! She's like the star of this chapter is2g.

Or Kyoya. Kyoya is also a star. A knight in shining armor, except not really. He has the beginnings of a fan club, though. Detective Kyoya doing magical research for his sister gives me life.

Ah, Junta. Random classmate. What to do with him? Who thinks he's not that bad and who thinks we need to yeet him into the sun? jk.

Thanks Auds for kicking me to write when I need motivation! Here is a lot of Yamamoto for you bb. No Ryohei yet though.

Harry gets her letter! But will she go? Who knows? Me. I know. Lol. But you have a 50-50 chance of guessing right, so. I guess you'll find out for sure next chapter, not sure when that's coming though. In the meantime, let me know what you thought about this monster chapter/what you think should happen next!

In other news, I have been thoroughly distracted camping in the miraculous ladybug fandom. The salt is real, guys. Also I have been suckered into shipping a new xover ship (daminette! Would never have thought of shipping marinette and damian in a million years lol) so now I spend my days trawling ao3 for fics aaahaaaa.

Anyway, thanks for reading and supporting all these years even though I'm terrible and never update. I am definitely not giving this fic up though, so if you're still around when I post this chapter, I'll see you then!