A Fool's Plan

Hibari Kyoya was a man to be feared.

Of course, there were plenty of other descriptions to tag him by as well. There was also calm (in a quiet, bloodthirsty way), aloof (as much as a sadist can get anyway), and even a bit dedicated (when he wasn't resting on the rooftops that is).

Kusakabe really couldn't blame that last one actually. To be fair, they did have a lot of work to accomplish.

However, feared was definitely at the top of the list. No one else else ruled with such an iron fist that even the mention of his name was like a taboo. No one else held the title of strongest with such regard and terror. And last, and by far not least:

No one else could work his men to the bone like he did.

Kusakabe eyed the unnervingly tall stack of papers on his desk. It scaled about four feet upwards and swayed from side to side, not unlike a delicate house of cards. The sight almost made him go lightheaded. Next to it was a note glued down with a paperweight. It was rather curt, which was probably expected considering the author.

Kusakabe, it started. I'm going on a little hunt for some ankle biting herbivores in Janen, as discussed earlier, and information. I'll be back shortly, a week at most. I expect everything to still be in order. If not, I'll bite you to death.

-Hibari

The vice chairman sighed.

It would have been nice if he didn't leave this mess behind, he thought wistfully while picking up a page. Guess that's too much to ask.

However, that thought also was accompanied with a small smile. Even with all of his quirks, Hibari Kyoya was someone he respected. The love his chairman had for this school was unprecedented, and, even with moments like this, he didn't exactly bully the committee members. Most of the time, he kept everything orderly, and no one could match that man in discipline.

It was just that now, with the whole mess at the other schools, it was impossible for the committee to NOT be in a total wreck. All this week and last week, there was enough paperwork to flood the desks, and with their leader gone, it was up to Kusakabe to get things organized.

"I should start with the shortage of men we have," he said aloud. "Then we need to go to Sachiru and protect our border."

As he filed away, his mind drifted toward the second issue. Sachiru Academy was one of three schools that bordered Namimori. The other two were Kokyuo and Janen. Kokuyo was a bit dangerous, but it stayed quiet for the most part nowadays, ever since the whole Rokudo Mukuro incident got resolved. And Janen, even though it was acting up a bit now, wasn't much of a threat to begin with anyway, especially now that Hibari went for an inspection.

However, Sachiru was like the bug bite out of all three: not fatal, but annoying as they could get. Their students were known for playing pranks and attracting attention. And since Hibari was off to beat up on the other school, the task fell on the rest of the Disciplinary Committee to hold down the fort and make sure they didn't do anything stupid.

Which means one thing: hit them first before they hit us.

In the back of his mind however, he knew that wouldn't be a simple task. That area was the farthest away from the school and heavily wooded. They would need a guide, a local who could lead them through. And not many people came from there. Finding someone like that was much like finding Hibird in a large canary shop. Plus he had already searched high and low for the past weeks or so. It was unlikely the gods were going to drop someone down for him because he asked nicely.

With a sigh, he reached for a random file at whim. He thumbed over the pages while his head still contemplated the issue.

Even with a guide, it's going to be a pain trying to protect the student, he added silently with a frown. We could always assign bodyguards, but our team is limited as is. We can't be completely responsible for their safety after-

He mentally stopped that sentence as he caught a file was revealed under the crisp, egg white pages. Curiously, the manila envelope looked out of place between the shiny stacks. His thumb paused over it, just enough so he could read a part of the description inside of it.

"Interesting."

Fascinated, Kusakabe pulled it out towards the light. He flipped through it and gained more and more interest with each section. It easily turned to amazement. Hope seemed to power up his dusty optimism for the first time that day.

"I don't believe it..." he murmured with awe. "A former alumni of Sachiru Academy with a record for fighting."

He couldn't believe his good luck. And here he thought he'd be stuck for hours. Quickly, he turned over the file for the cover page to put a face to the file.

Then once he spotted it, his heart sank deep into his chest.

"Hell."

Kusakabe rarely cursed, but he felt that it was appropriate considering the circumstances. He closed the file along with his eyes, listening to the sound as if it was a heavy lid closing over a coffin. That coffin, of course, being his. In a morbid sense, he actually felt he was in one, with the walls seeming as claustrophobic as ever.

This isn't going to end well, he thought with a grimace.

It was damn shame too, because the candidate would have been so perfect if it weren't for the cons. It was a transfer student who probably knew Sachiru rather well, and judging by the record, it seemed as though it wouldn't be too hard to convince her to join. He knew how Hibari-sama felt about this person though. The mere sound of her name probably would have him in a vicious rage, nevermind putting her on the force.

At the same time however...

Namimori does takes importance, the vice chairman reminded himself grimly. We don't have a lot of other options. And if that's the case then...

He stared at the manila folder one last time. The pale pages seemed to smirk back.

Kusakabe gulped. He hoped that there was another person in these files who could help, because if he went through with this... Hibari-sama might have his head.

Sawada Tsunayoshi had many lessons learned during his moonlighting life as a mafia boss heir. Sure, of course he preferred that those experiences didn't happen at all, but you gotta take the good with the bad, right? He learned how to not run away from his fears (having Reborn sick a bear on you in the middle of the woods certainly helped with that). He learned how to fight (having Reborn sick Basil on him also helped with that).

However, one of the certainly more useful skills in his arsenal actually was the art of human relations with strange people. And boy, was he grateful for that when faced with the towering girl in front of him.

Never in his life had he ever seen someone with such a shocking appearance. Ripped leather leggings were paired with a paint splattered dress, and she had so many bracelets on her, it was as if they were arm warmers. Her blue, curled hair raged down her back like a black highlighted waterfall. In it was what appeared to be various ribbons of all colors, and holding the entire mess up was a pair of skull etched chopsticks. The girl teetered on electric yellow hooker heels that easily made her over six feet tall, giving the appearance of someone on stilts.

To say she was strange would be putting that kindly. Then again, in comparison to Xanxus, Rokudo Mukuro, or Reborn (especially Reborn), Tsuna guessed he should be grateful that something even worse didn't show up. Like Bianci. Or a rabid python.

"Excuse me? Do you know where room 318 is?" the creature cooed in a high pitched song.

He plastered on a nervous smile. "Um yes. I suppose you are Hitachi-san?"

At this, the girl beamed so brightly he became instantly afraid for his life. "Oh YES! Did Tama-chan send you? I do miss that girl!"

How on earth the two of them became friends he would never know. Certainly Tama-chan had asked him to guide a girl named Tsubaki Hitachi back to the room but... Needless to say, this was not what he was expecting on the hospital lobby's doorstep. She was cheerful and girly and... holy cow was the perfume she was wearing strong.

Pinching his nose gently, Tsuna tried to hide the grimace that passed over his face. His sight, nose, and ears were all getting assaulted by the pure gaudiness of this girl. It was so bizarre in contrast to seemingly frank and plain person that he knew only three floors above.

"This way please," he managed to say.

"Of course! And also, Hitachi-san is so formal; I'm not an eighty year old woman after all. Call me Tsubaki-chan!" she chirped, winking.

She quickly followed after him, heels clicking down the hallway. He winced when they squeezed into the tight elevator together and she nearly stepped on his foot. The musky, sweet scent from her body clouded his senses, like incense in a temple. The smell wasn't necessarily bad per say, but it was so overpowering that it was all that filled the tiny space between them. Personally, he was quite proud of himself for not fainting from the intensity of it.

That still didn't stop him from practically gasping for air once they finally got to their floor. He quickly exited the cramped area, flooding his nostrils with clean, sterile oxygen. It was almost a relief that Tama-chan's room was so close by.

He quickly stepped forward and opened the door, only to find Doctor Shamal blocking their way.

He must have known they were coming, because this time he pulled out all the stops. There was that suave pose, or at least what resembled one as he stretched himself across the doorway. The cheesy rose was in hand. Top two buttons of his shirt were undone. There also was the spritz of cologne that almost rivaled Tsubaki's, much to the dismay of Tsuna's olfactory system. The doctor leaned against the frame with a seductive smile, and there was a mischievous, leering gleam in his eyes.

That man is such a womanizer, he mentally sighed. With a groan, Tsuna wondered if he would have to step in to save the girl from his advances. He rolled up his sleeves with a frown, expecting the worst.

"Tsubaki-chan~ I've missed you," Shamal grinned. "Look at you. You filled out nicely since the last time I've seen you."

He made a motion towards her, as though to peck her on the cheek. What a surprise it was when he groped only at thin air instead. In one full motion, Shamal suddenly was rotated in a well executed judo throw. Then, just like that, he landed solidly on the ground with a painful thud.

Tsuna gaped like a fish.

The doctor blinked, his back on the tile crusted floor, up at the seemingly innocent girl. She had the rose in hand and was glaring at it, with that sickeningly sweet smile still on her face. In seconds it was ripped to pieces and scattered all over his face, the red petals raining down like blood over his face.

"Oh thank you~" she cooed sweetly with an undertone of malevolence. "It has been a long time hasn't it? You look well. It's just such a shame you haven't dropped dead!"

Those last words were said so nonchalantly that it was almost terrifying.

Now I see the resemblance, Tsuna grimaced as she proceeded to stomp the pointy end of her shoe directly onto Shamal's ankle. He scowled in pain. A sadistic gleam glistened in her eyes at this, almost jeering with unholy glee. I wonder if it's a trait in Tama-chan's family to be this scary.

However, that terrible look dissipated once her gaze moved towards a figure in the doorway. At once, she rushed past Tsuna with a girlish squeal, almost making him jump out of his skin. With renewed energy, she squashed Tama-chan in an unruly hug, seeming to almost engulf her in it. Even though the tiny girl was wincing from the impact, a rowdy grin appeared on her face, and he could tell the excitement was mutual.

Tsuna felt himself smile. He shut the door and helped Shamal to his feet, even after the doctor scoffed about not wanting to be touched by males. The man dusted himself off, gave one last glare at the door, and then stalked off in a huff while the boy left for the lobby floor.

As he pressed the elevator button, he let out a sigh of relief. Initially, he was worried, since he heard that Tama didn't have any local relatives around. However, judging from the way the two interacted together...

He supposed everything was going to be fine in the end.

Forever, Tama thought. Forever it felt like since the last time she had seen her cousin. It had been almost a year, back when she entered Sachiru Academy, since she had seen any of her family. To be honest, even with the letters they sent to each other, she was worried that they would grow distant. And yet, when she felt Tsubaki's warm arms wrap around her, it was as though they only got together yesterday. The bright colors of her clothes, her burst of energy, and even the cloying fragrance she wore... they all were still her. Nothing had changed, and to Tama that all made her feel like she was back at their old house again.

It almost made her homesick.

They pulled apart, and Tsubaki gripped her hands, her eyes shining with excitement. Words soon tumbled out of her in a tangle of phrases. "I missed you Sweetie! It hasn't been the same without you back with us! Do you have any idea how much you worried Mom? And Dad was half tempted to call off of work to make sure you were ok! How is it over here in Namimori? Are you eating alright? How did you get those injuries?"

Tama gave rueful smile at the sudden barrage of questions. Indeed, it seemed not much had changed.

"I'm glad things are doing ok," she answered with honesty, and a hint of nostalgia stinging her eyes. "To be honest, I wish I was back with you sometimes. Things here have been great but... man. I missed all of you."

It was true. Originally, she had lived with her aunt and uncle, way back when she was middle school. Those times, to her, were some of the best of her life. But after graduating elementary school well... life kinda became crap after that. This and that happened (things that she really didn't want to remember them to be sure), somehow she wound up at Sensei's doorstep as a result of those things, and somehow after that she ended up in this basketcase of a mess.

A little bit of stability once in while was nice.

Tsubaki pulled her into another bone crushing hug, ruffling her orange hair with affection. This reminded Tama of their severe height difference, not to mention her tendency to treat her like a younger sister, but she didn't mind it this time. She wanted this comfort, especially after all the bullshit she went through over the past week or so. She grinned a bit wider and snuggled closer to her.

Her cousin was a weird mix of things. She could be summed up as a flamboyant teen with a mix of full fledged drama queen, but even then that would only be touching the surface. There were so many personas she donned: fashionista, underground musician, make up artist, mechanic (she was especially proud of the custom bike that she had recently put together, not that Tama would understand any of the junk that went into it). If she was just a wallflower, then Tsubaki would be the life of the party. Any time she entered a room, you could guarantee everything would sparkle with color.

Even then, she represented something much more. To her, the sixteen year old girl in front of her was like a sister. Tsubaki... made her feel like she was eight again. Back when they liked girly stuff like ribbons and fluff and all that frilly crap. Obviously Tamaki had changed over the years since then, but she never lost that companionship with her surrogate sister. Nowadays though, instead of bonding over fashion magazines and glitter, they did so over caffeine and buffalo wings. It didn't hurt that she took lessons with her and Sensei as well... even if she wasnt as good as Tama.

However, unlike herself, Tsubaki stayed firmly cemented in that girly side and almost flourished in it. And while sometimes that made Tama feel out of place in public, she was happy that she still could feel comfortable around her when they were together like this in private.

"You haven't changed much." she grinned in contentment.

That seemed to make her smile. "Do we ever Sweetie?"

The year long distance between them closed with another tight hug.

So much for everything being settled, went Tsuna with a sigh as he hung his head.

He sat on the corner of a bench situated outside of the hospital with a can of soda resting firmly between his fingers. He pressed it to his forehead, its cool touch alleviating part of the growing headache starting in his brain.

When he had first exited the hospital, he had hoped that would be the end of everything. He did his job right? He made sure Tama-chan was ok, and now that should have been the conclusion of that whole experience concerning her. He didn't want to get involved any further. But no. Reborn just had to meddle into things. Because soon after that, Tsuna found himself called by his tutor to talk about something. And of course whenever it did concern something, you could bet your hopes and dreams that it meant something bad was going to happen by his hand.

And boy oh boy was it.

The teenager lifted his head to stare at Reborn, dumbstruck. It was a good thing he was sitting, because if not he would have collapsed. He hoped he misheard him. He really, REALLY hoped he misheard him.

"Um, Reborn, are you sure that this is a smart idea?" he asked tentatively. And mentally, that was put a little more like Leon must have figured out a way to make marijuana, because that's the only way you could have thought up of a fucked up plan like this!

"Calm down, Stupid Tsuna. Must I repeat everything for you?" Reborn chided with slow words as though reprimanding a child. Which was ironic considering how his appearance was that of a BABY. Tsuna also wondered if his mind reverted to that of one as well sometimes.

"No I heard you the first time," his student groaned. "But sending Tama-chan to stay with them is a little..."

He paused, afraid to even finish that sentence.

"If she wants to be strong, then this is the best way," Reborn continued. "Who better to train her than him? And also, he's one of the few who can deal with Hibari."

Yes, because sending that poor girl to a pack of vipers instead of to a tiger certainly is an improvement, he dryly thought to himself. Honestly, he couldn't think what was worse. Her ongoing kamikaze feud with Hibari Kyoya or sending her to... well THEM of all people! If she didn't die from the bombs on either side, then at the very least she was going to get charcoaled by the fire blazing in between the two groups. She could possibly get stronger but then again... at what cost?

Perhaps Tsuna's sanity.

"But still..."

He trailed off hopelessly when all he got was a deadpanned look. Well so much for that. Not like logic ever helped any.

"If you have any complaints, then think of a better idea," simply stated Reborn, who was polishing his gun with a cloth. "In our line of work, you have to recruit people into the family by doing favors. That girl will be a great asset in the future, and you shouldn't waste this opportunity. Family relations are a part of the mafia after all."

The boy nodded dully, honestly not caring about recruiting or mafia things, at his tutor. Then, an even more disturbing thought crossed his mind. A very disturbing and possibly life threatening thought. His eyes widened, gears turning in his head, and suddenly he was more concerned about himself than Tama-chan. The foreboding he had only increased with the expectant, and rather sinister, look he was getting.

He gulped, feeling a thick lump grow in his throat.

"So I guess that means I have to talk with Rokudo Mukuro then huh?" he asked weakly.

Reborn grinned with sinister affirmation.

A/N:

Aha! And so the plot thickens! (Sort of)

And as for me, I've been a very naughty fanfic writer I know. To all of you who have been looking so eagerly towards this story, I give my heartfelt apologies. I got stuck in a bunch of school and work crap this past year and well.. let's just say for those of you expecting a career in the architecture field expect many nights of blood, sweat, and tears (all meaning this literally btw, the number of times I've accidentally cut myself with an exacto knife are numerous.) Also expect many nights of not getting sleep. All nighters, I never knew before, apparently are a thing, and after 2 am nothing good happens. Ever. Before that it's a party. After that, well there's a tower of monster cans currently sitting in our dept as we speak. Poor freshmen.

But! that is no excuse. When I find time, I will update. School, unfortunately, always has been my priority. I hesitate to put this on hiatus because I know I would just never get back to it. So I apologize ahead of time for the torture I've put you all through.

I give thanks to all of my reviewers!

Mickey

Seere Klein

Nooblebop

CryingMoonLight

fatesmask

LKyellow

HiBiRdEpIc

Anemos

And I also want to thank all of you who have kept with this story so long but don't review. You guys make my day, and I love to write. I just wish I could have hit it sooner. I also want to thank my inspirational guru friends (Gavin, Bee, and William)

I'll do my best to keep updating. Wish me luck at school!

XxPenAndRosesxX