Just a note: This story can be read with either this or the first chapter first, so if you prefer 18→27, then go ahead to the previous one.

If you're looking for a happy ending, please turn back! 18←27

Maybe it's just a passing fancy.

He sits in the school courtyard, poking at a small flower that flourishes in the shadows between the building wall and the courtyard ground. The yellow petals open up towards the sun, hoping for even a ray of that nourishing light, yet it remains shyly hidden away from sight.

"–Hey, you. What are you still doing on school grounds?"

He falls over backwards in shock at the voice. There is only one person who would speak to him in that manner; others are far less brusque. "Hi- Hibari-san!" he squeaks, turning to look at the prefect from his position on the ground. Raven-black hair frames a youthful, pale face, and steel-gray eyes stare cooly back at him, hardly blinking and devoid of emotion. "I- I was-"

"–A dandelion?" The other asks, attention now drawn away from the flustered underclassman. "What are the maintenance staff doing…?" As the prefect reaches over the brunet to tug the offending weed, the latter does something unexpected, and grabs the thin wrist, halting it.

"Hi- Hibari-san, don't!" he shouts, still lying on the ground. "Y- you can't hurt it!"

He sits up nervously, expecting the raven to strike him for speaking back to an upperclassman. But to his surprise, he receives only a sigh. "Fine, I won't," the other replies, before reaching around again. Carefully, he tugs the frail flower up, roots and all, and knocks it against the wall softly to get the loose dirt and grit off. Then he stands back up, the flower still in his hands. "Well?" he asks, turning to leave. "Aren't you coming?"

"A- ah, yes!" he squeaks, scrambling up. "Of course!" The brunet sputters. He follows the older boy through the hallways that he walks each day during school. And yet, even though they are the same hallways, it feels… different, now that it is him he is walking behind, and not his two best friends beside.

When they reach the Reception Room, the raven somehow slides the door open with his foot, cradling the delicate flower in both hands. Then he crosses to the window, gesturing towards it with a grunt and a shove of his shoulder. "Open the window," he says. It isn't an order, really, but it's not a suggestion. Merely a flat statement. His speech patterns are odd like that.

He complies, sliding the window open easily. It is then that he realizes what they are here for. "Hibari-san!" he says incredulously, nearly falling out of the window in his surprise. "Th- there's a flower box here!"

And indeed there is. It is placed an unusual distance lower than the window compared to the other classrooms, but it is reachable nonetheless, and is filled with dirt. He briefly wonders when it last nurtured any flora.

The raven sighs in exasperation. "Well, this is a Reception Room."

He laughs nervously, trying to cover for his stupidity. "Haha… well… what I mean is… um…" he fidgets with the hem of his white shirt, trying to think up a coherent sentence. "I… always thought of it more as 'Hibari-san's office' than the Reception Room."

The other smirks, snorting lightly. "You're really an idiot," he laughs with amusement dancing in his eyes. "Move over." When the brunet does so, the prefect moves past him to gently plant the dandelion. "Get a cup of water from the sink over there," he orders, not taking his eyes off of the yellow petals.

The brunet looks in the direction that the pale hand points, seeing a sink with a few cups lined up neatly next to it to drain. Pattering over, he fills a cup with water three-quarters full, still managing to spill quite a bit clumsily as he walks back.

He frowns at the spilled water, but accepts the now nearly-empty cup without comment. He pours it around the base of the flower, before patting down the soil, closing the window, and moving past the underclassman to place the cup back by the sink. With that, he walks over to the smaller male, places a hand on the thin shoulder, and turns him around. "Come on," he says, as he steers the brunet out the door, down the stairs, and towards the gate. "Go home, Sawada Tsunayoshi. I'll see you tomorrow. On time."

Sawada nods vigorously, bows once at the gate, and thanks Hibari profusely. Then, he turns and heads home. On the way, it strikes him that the entire exchange was odd.

Maybe he's just a stupid loser who misunderstands.

Hibari took another swing, and Tsuna took another hit. He fell backwards, losing the will even to stay up. "Stand up," the raven snarled. "I've seen you fight. Where is that strength?"

"I- I can't!" the brunet cried. He was already covered in bruises, and too sore to stand up. Tears streamed down his face; the pain was great, but not great enough to send him into unconscious bliss. He coughed up as a kick was aimed at his stomach, curling into himself to protect his own fragile body. He screwed his eyes up and shook, trying to send himself into a coma. "I can't fight!"

"Liar."

Hibari made to strike him again, but the steel tonfa stopped mere centimeters from his face. "–Infant."

Tsuna opened his eyes, only to see the other's head turned in a different direction. He turned his tear-stained face towards where the prefect was looking. There, on a windowsill, stood Reborn, calmly analyzing the situation. "Ciaossu, Hibari," the infant greeted him, completely ignoring the perilous situation his student was in. "That's enough; Dame-Tsuna's not strong enough yet."

"… If you say so," the raven responded. With a clicking sound, he retracted both tonfas and stalked away. Tsuna watched him go. He was glad that the one-sided beating had ended, but… he couldn't help but feel bad that he had disappointed Hibari so much. He hated disappointing people.

"Stupid Dame-Tsuna," Reborn cut in, interrupting the brunet's thoughts. "You must be strong enough to go into Dying Will mode whenever! Did you see how easily Hibari struck you? Someday, you're going to be going against enemies who won't hold back, and I won't always be around. Come on, we're training."

"…" As Tsuna remained unresponsive, Reborn had Leon transform himself into a mallet, swinging it forcefully to catch Tsuna on the back of the head. Unsurprisingly, the middle-schooler shot forward and ground his face in the dirt. "Reborn!" he yelled, spitting out the grit, "What was that for! ?"

"A physics lesson," came the smart reply. "Inertia in action. Your whole body's not massive enough, or doesn't have enough inertia, to hold up against a strike from this mallet. Therefore, training! We're going to put some muscles (those have a lot of weight, you know) on those fishbones you call a spine!"

"I don't take phys- ow ow ow! Reborn! Don't twist my arm like that!"

As he walked away, three paces behind Reborn and grumbling, rubbing his sore arm, he didn't see the shadow watching them both from the Reception Room window. Once they were out the gate, it pulled away anyway.

Maybe it's just a different kind of friendship.

"It's the suspension bridge effect!"

Tsuna suddenly realizes that the entire dinner table (plus Gokudera and Yamamoto, courtesy of his mother, as they'd been waiting at his house while he was still at school) is silent, staring at him. He sits back down sheepishly, trying to figure out what just happened. He'd been trying to figure out why his earlier exchange with Hibari had left him so confused, and then… oh yes, he'd probably stood up suddenly, slammed his hands on the table and shouted "It's the Suspension Bridge Effect!"

"Haha, what's that mean, Tsuna?" Yamamoto asks, breaking the awkward silence.

"This is why muscle heads like you are so stupid, Baseball Idiot!" Gokudera snarls, violently spearing the eel on his donburi with a fork (he'd been eating his salad). "The Suspension Bridge Effect is when someone is in a perilous situation, and mistakes the feelings of their heart pounding as a sign of being in love. By the way, Tenth," he turns toward Tsuna, who is willing him to stop talking (which, of course, doesn't work), "What's the Suspension Bridge Effect?"

Tsuna opens his mouth to give some excuse that is most likely lame, but is saved when Yamamoto interrupts, "Haha, Gokudera, you just told us what it is! Why are you asking Tsuna?" He quickly takes the chance given to him as Gokudera turns to rant at the baseball star again to begin eating very quickly. Promptly, he starts choking, and Gokudera begins fretting. The exclamation is quickly forgotten.

But it's true, it could be the Suspension Bridge Effect. He's certainly in a perilous situation whenever Hibari is near… but that doesn't explain why he was so confused in the first place.

Because Hibari-san was being nice to him.

Not just lenient, nice. Before the whole Ring Battle thing, Hibari wouldn't have ever hesitated to beat him up (usually for no reason he could really understand), grind his comatose body into the dirt/cement/whatever the ground happened to be made of, and be on his way.

Even someone as dense as Tsuna could tell that the Disciplinary Committee had stopped picking on "Sawada's Gang," as he had overheard them being called once. Instead, they often ran into Hibari, who would leave, stay to discipline the unruly crowd, or do something unexpected. And as time passed, they'd been hearing more conversation from the prefect and less threats. Maybe it was just his way of showing respect.

With that thought, he gets up, places his bowls in the sink, and excuses himself from the table to go take a bath.

I want to ask him if anything's wrong, but… If it's Hibari-san, then I'm sure he doesn't want me prying into his personal business.

A few weeks later, the door of his classroom rolls open, and Tsuna looks up to see Hibari standing there. Not bothering to excuse himself for the intrusion, he simply marches in, grabs Tsuna by the arm, and drags him away. The teacher doesn't react to it, simply because it's Hibari Kyouya, and instead chooses to scream and shout at Gokudera to sit back down, stop yelling, and for heaven's sake, put those dangerous-looking devices away!

"H- Hibari-san!" Tsuna squeaks, trying not to appear terrified (and failing at it). "Wha- did something happen?" He receives no reply, and sighs, resigning to following the prefect (walking is less painful than being used to sweep the floor, and he's sure that it would irritate Hibari less, too).

Hibari leads him to the window, and points down. "What is this?"

Tsuna looks, and sees not one, but two dandelions. Though one is small and has barely even a bud, the other's petals are now more colorful and bright than before. "Er… the dandelion multiplied…?" he answers stupidly (he can just imagine Hibari slapping a palm to his face, but the stoic older teen doesn't). Maybe it has a cloud flame for propagation. Like Hibari-san. He mentally slaps himself for the silly notion, and stifles a cough.

"… Hmph." He receives only a grunt in return, and a silence fills the space. He breaks it, then. "Sawada, you wanted to save the herb. You take care of it."

"The… herb… Hibari-san?"

"Yes, Sawada, the herb," he gives a snort, the corner of his mouth twitching up slightly. "The dandelion flower has gardening, culinary, and medicinal uses. Therefore, it is a herb. I'm going to expect you to water i- them, and provide care as necessary. Every other day should be fine. Got it?"

He nods vigorously, suddenly feeling much happier. "Yes!"

When the two of them had first met (and for quite a while afterwards) none of this would ever have been possible. The aloof disciplinarian, with his usual nonchalant voice, his usual uncaring face, his usual unusual and slightly sadistic nature, would never have even thought to stoop low enough to even acknowledge the other. The loser, the idiot, the good-for-nothing klutzy waste-of-space. Never.

And yet, slowly, it had happened. And it was only now, after such a long period of time since the infant tutor who had called himself to be Reborn had entered his life, that he had noticed, loser idiot that he was. In recent times, the Disciplinary Committee had stopped hounding upon Sawada's Gang (as he had overheard them being referred to once), and instead Hibari himself would intrude. In recent times, Hibari-san had been more tolerant with his mistakes and failures, and instead of biting him to death with his tonfas immediately, he would be scolded like a child/whacked (softer than before) over the head with the steel weapons, be shown the correct way to go about the business/be threatened with death the next time such an incident occurred, and be watched carefully while retrying the task/be forced to repeat the task with no mistakes or face the devil himself.

But of course, Tsuna is only human. He has weaknesses, flaws, and undesirable traits to counter his good ones. And one of the weaknesses of a human body (or any mortal body, really) is the ability to contract a virus and become ill.

"Tsu-kun, are you sure you're alright?" his mother asks, kneeling on the floor next to his bed.

His face is flushed and sweating, and the single caramel eye that he cracks open is glazed and tired. A damp towel has been placed on his forehead to ward off the heat, but it doesn't seem to be working well. "Sure, mom," he mumbles. The thermometer tucked under his arm gives a small beep, and he tiredly reaches a hand inside his shirt to tug it out. Before he can see, however, his mother snatches the small device out of his hands to see herself.

"40.9ºC?" she gasps. "Tsu-kun, you're running a high fever; what do you mean you're alright? When did you start feeling badly? Oh, you can't even get up like this; don't say such silly things such as going to school. I'll call you in sick, alright? Try to go back to sleep, I'll bring some medicine up later, alright?"

He nods tiredly, giving in to his fretting mother. It's true, he's been feeling mildly sick for nearly two weeks now, but he kept persisting at it just as Reborn had told him.

"In the mafia world, being sick means you shut up and take it like a man. Get up and go to school."

After two days of such treatment in the mornings, he had largely stopped speaking to Reborn on any matter that didn't directly concern his academics or training. He numbed himself to his own pain as best he could, but it was hard in class when he tried to focus and the front of the room kept swimming in front of him. Gokudera and Yamamoto had been concerned for him, of course, but at his insistence that he was alright, just tired, they relented and didn't question further. Once his body had lurched towards the right when he was at the shoe lockers alone, having been kept late for supplementary classes (Yamamoto had had baseball practice that day). He had been glad that no one had been around to see him disoriented, or they might have picked on him, or worse, picked on him and then baited Gokudera-kun into a fight about it.

At that notion, he finds his train of his thoughts taking a turn towards Hibari. Hibari-san has been acting strange lately, too, now that he thinks about it. Several times, he would hear his name called and would turn around, and only see the prefect's retreating back. Often he wondered if he was hearing things. Other times were when he would greet Hibari; sometimes, he would be rewarded with Hibari pausing for a moment, opening his mouth as though he has something to say, then closing it before nodding and continuing on his way. Other times, he would be ignored entirely. His intuition always kept telling him that Hibari-san seemed less angry post-greeting, but he is sure that those are figments of his imagination as well.

Maybe Hibari-san isn't feeling well, either.

With those thoughts, he somehow manages to fall into a deep sleep. He feels bad about it, thinking on how, usually, Reborn would tell him to go check on Hibari if he is worried, that it is a boss's responsibility to look after his subordinates. But it has been a week and a half since they last spoke on any remotely similar conversation; he doesn't want to go begging for help now.

He'll just 'shut up and take it like a man.' That's what the (stupid) infant wanted, isn't it?

Tsuna knocked at the door, knees shaking. He really didn't want to… but he had to.

"Come in," a voice from inside called. He timidly slid the door open, hopping in and closing it behind him. The movements were rushed and awkward, like a mouse scurrying through grass to escape detection.

He was greeted with the sight of Hibari, lying down casually on one of the couches. It appeared that he had been reviewing a file, as said file was lying on the table in front of him. He had a near-empty mug of tea next to it, and gazed lazily at the nervous underclassman. "Oh, it's you," he said sitting back up, voice completely devoid of any concern or care. "State your business, and if you have none, leave; I'm busy at the moment, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"U- um… well…" he stuttered, trying to compose his whirling thoughts. What was he here for again! ? "Um… Hibari-san, I- I forgot something before… um, I was wondering…"

His breath caught in his throat, and he screwed his eyes shut, trying to keep his heart from pounding. This was dangerous, he knew; Hibari was probably getting more irritated by the millisecond before the prefect decided to defenestrate or otherwise remove him (possibly for good). "I– I-was-wondering-if-"

"Be quiet," the prefect demanded. He did so. "Come over here." Opening his eyes in shock, he saw Hibari pointing to the opposite couch. "Don't make me repeat myself; sit down." He didn't waste another moment. Sighing, the raven-haired boy continued. "Calm down, speak slowly, and enunciate between syllables. Repeat your sentence and stop panicking like you're a mouse running from a hawk."

"I- well… um… Reborn said that I should get to know you better… so I was… um… could I maybe… stay here for a bit?" He shut his eyes again, waiting for the Namimori Carnivore to bite him.

Instead, he heard another sigh. "Fine. Since it's you, I suppose you can stay for a bit. Just don't get in my way."

"Y- yes!"

When he wakes up, his mother is back. She smiles at him, leaving a steaming cup of tea on the low table, which has been drawn nearer to the bed. She instructs him to take the medicine tablets that lie next to the cup, then tells him that she is heading to the store, so he should keep resting. He takes a glance at the clock: it is just after school would have ended had he attended that day.

He forces himself into a sitting position, and takes the medicine and tea. He feels a lot better; certainly he's not anywhere close to well yet, but at least he seems to be on the road to recovery. Breathing in the calming herbal aroma, he takes another sip. Hibari-san likes tea, doesn't he? From what he can tell, the older teen seems to have an affinity for traditional Japanese culture, right down to the strict caste system and knowledges of tea-ceremonies and flower-arranging. (Hibari made him tea once when Reborn made him go to the Reception Room to speak with the carnivore; he'd just been pouring a cup, apparently, and so offered some. It was an unusual gesture, but that single cup was almost godly. And when he asked what kind of tea it was, the other's reply had been a shrug, and then an explanation on how he didn't know because he blended it himself, so if Sawada wants to know so much, why doesn't he name it himself? Tsuna had frozen in his seat for a moment, then smiled shyly and given a clear reply. "Overcast Sky.")

Speaking of Hibari-san… oh no. He jerks upwards, placing the tea on the table and scrambling out of bed.

"Every other day should be fine."

He hurries to get some regular clothes on, and runs out the door. He promised to take care of the dandelion(s); he can't break a promise to Hibari-san.

Arriving at the gates, he's already out of breath, sight swimming again and half-dead. Again, he finds it strange that Reborn has been nowhere to be seen… perhaps their lack of communication has struck a rift into their relationship. Pushing the thought aside, he jumps up and climbs over the gate (with much difficulty), and shakily runs up the stairs towards the third floor.

He knocks on the door, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu. "Come in."

He slides the door open at the call, knees shaking. Though this time, he knows that this is a different kind of fear from before. He enters again, sliding the door shut behind him. And as expected, Hibari is alone again. He is sitting at the large desk, doing paperwork.

"Oh. It's you," he says. Momentarily, he looks up from the pen, then immediately looks back down and continues.

"Hi- Hibari-san," he rasps out, wheezing, "I- I needed to water the dandelions today…"

"You're sick. Your mother called."

Tsuna pauses at the blunt statement, then nods. "Y- yes, but… but I promised to take care of-"

"Already did." Tsuna blinks in surprise, but still the prefect continues writing and does not look at him. "Go home. Get better. You're unhygienic."

Tsuna swallows nervously. Hibari-san… already watered the plants? After being so imposing about responsibility and such, he did it for him? And told him to get better? True, it was to keep the school sterile… but somehow, it made him happy to know that the other cared. Even if it was only that. "Ah… Hi- Hibari-san…"

"What. It's done. Leave."

He flinches slightly at the cold sentences, staring at the top of the dark head. Still Hibari does not look up, still he speaks in short, barking sentences… he seems to be in a bad mood today. "A- actually… I was wondering, is Hibari-san feeling sick at all?"

"No."

He fidgets with the hem of his shirt nervously, biting his lip."Ah… sorry… it's just that… I was worried because… I don't know, you started talking a bit less… so I was wondering if you had a sore throat or-"

"No."

He smiles then. So Hibari is feeling alright! That's good. "Oh. S- sorry for asking, then… My other thought was that you… hated me or something, but… I guess that couldn't be right. I- I'll go home! I'm sorry for spreading virus-"

"Stop talking. Just go. Don't come back until you're well."

Deciding that he should just listen, he bows and thanks the other nervously for his time, exiting the room.

Reaching home, he opens the door and comes face to face with his mother. "Tsu-kun!" she frets. "I was worried when you weren't in bed when I got home! Where were- hello, who's this?"

Curiously, he turns his head in the direction that her eyes are following. And there, standing a meter behind him, is Hibari, leaning casually on the brick wall surrounding the yard. In his usual black gakuran jacket, with his usual uncaring face, and his usual nonchalant voice. "Hi-" he squeaks out, before he is interrupted.

"He tried to come to school. I would ask that you make sure he does not attempt to reenter the campus until he is sufficiently healthy. I bid you both a good day," the raven states. And with that, he turns on his heel and leaves.

"Tsu-kun, who was that?" his mother asks. But he isn't listening. He's too busy watching the retreating figure, wondering what Hibari had meant by that.

"Hibari-san, do you want to come flower-watching with us?"

Tsuna was well aware of the many stares he was receiving from other students. He was standing right outside of the Reception Room, and Hibari was standing on the other side of the threshold. Swallowing thickly, the brunet hurried to elaborate when he received a suspicious stare. "I- I mean, if you don't want to, that's okay too. It's just that I was wondering because- because–!"

"Stop," Hibari interrupted, grabbing the flustered underclassman by both of his upper arms and shaking lightly. "There's too many people." And without another word or probably even a second thought, he yanked Tsuna inside the office and shut the door behind them. After the forceful yank, he dragged Tsuna towards one of the couches and pushed him down to sit on it, before seating himself on the one opposite. "Slow down, enunciate, and don't babble. Repeat your statement and justification."

Taking a few deep breaths, Tsuna tried to sit up straight and will his heart to stop pounding, staring down at his hands clenched and pushing down on his knees. "Um, well… Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto and I were going to go flower watching on Sunday, since it's spring now, and everyone knows the sakura only last a week, and then Kyoko-chan and Haru said they wanted to come too… a- and so I was wondering if you might want to come to?" He took a quick peek upward to see the prefect's reaction.

The result: there was none. At least, nothing that showed on the usual uncaring face, the usual emotionless smile. "I… will pass," the other answered after a pause. "I don't wish to crowd with you and anyone else." There was another pause then, and then Hibari muttered something under his breath.

"I- I'm sorry, I didn't catch that last bit, Hibari-san; could you repeat it?" he asked curiously. Was it something important?

Hibari shook his head. "I said nothing. If that is all, then you may leave. Perhaps some other time, when I'm feeling bored enough to bite your little crowd to death."

Tsuna smiled then, warmly and shyly. "O- okay! I'll see you later, then." Bowing politely, he thanked the prefect for his time, and left the room.

He'd never been good at reading lips, and his interpretation seemed horribly out-of-character, but from what he could see…

"But I do not mind going with only you."

Three days later, Nana Sawada finally is convinced that he is fully recovered and thus, can go back to school. She gives a ten-minute joyful rant the night before: "Really, Tsu-kun, I'm so proud of you! You're actually wanting to go to school! Oh, I'll have to make sure that we have something nice for dinner tomorrow! Oh, and thank that nice boy who escorted you home, too; oh, I never caught his name." To quote but a few seconds of it.

As usual, his wake-up call is in the form of a large green mallet smacking him in the stomach and propelling him forcefully into the wall. "Physics lesson for the day, Dame-Tsuna," Reborn states, having Leon revert to his original form. "All objects have inertia, or, in simple terms, 'the tendency to keep doing what it is already doing.' If no force is applied, then objects will continue at a constant velocity (aka in a straight line at a constant speed). However, force can send an object into motion or stop it. Also, Newton's Second Law: when you hit the wall, the wall pushes back with the same amount of force."

"Reborn! That was so not one lesson!" Tsuna groans, rubbing his aching neck and gut. "Ah! I'm going to be late! Hibari-san's going to kill me!" Hastily, he scrambles out of bed and hurries to get his uniform on. Running down the stairs, he grabs a slice of jammed toast, cramming the corner into his mouth, and runs out the door with a muffled, "I'm going!"

On the way, he runs into Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto (or rather, Gokudera-kun runs into him from behind, sweeping him into a bone-crushing, tear-filled hug while praising the Tenth's good health, with Yamamoto laughing merrily to warn him against crushing Tsuna's organs). Just like always, they continue to school, Tsuna munching on his half-finished toast and the other two chattering away and bickering.

Upon nearing the school gates, he is a bit surprised to see Hibari leaning against the wall and keeping vigil. What's even stranger is that they meet eyes for a moment, and Hibari quickly straightens up and stalks away. "Che," Gokudera sneers, glaring daggers at the formerly-occupied spot. "What a jerk. Shall I go cremate him later, Tenth?"

"N- no Gokudera-kun, don't!" he squeaks, waving his hands dismissively. Still, he feels slightly dejected. What was… is Hibari-san… avoiding him?

N- no! Something in his mind screeches, Th- that can't be right! This is Hibari-san! Avoiding people would be a sign of weakness! But, but then, why… oh! Maybe he's just… worried that I'm still sick? after all, Hibari-san was really conscious about colds and flus, wasn't he? That must be it!

Feeling slightly better, he goes inside and tries to focus on the lesson. It's not all that enthralling, but he at least tries to respect the teacher's efforts instead of sneakily taking a nap like Yamamoto or outright daydreaming at the desk like Gokudera. At least he tries, right?

On the way home, he sees Hibari again at the gate. And again, the prefect turns tail (no, that phrase doesn't sound right at all) at the sight of him. He shrugs, deciding to stick with his "He's worried about catching my flu" theory.

And so it goes, for a full fortnight.

And when finally, finally, Hibari stays at the gate, he smiles pure happiness for the first time in what seems like forever. "Good morning, Hibari-san," he says, just as he had so many weeks ago, before the avoidance, before the sickness. Those days are over, and he can continue forwards now, safe in the knowledge that he is not hated. Unsurprisingly, he receives only a nod. He frowns then; the action had seemed… hesitant, for lack of a more fitting word. But his eyes quickly fall upon the large clock on the front of the school, and he scurries away with an apology. It was probably a misunderstanding anyway.

I really wish Hibari-san could've come.

While knowing that his desires were fruitless, he sighed and thought them anyway. It was alright to dream, wasn't it? Hibari was a busy person, and flower-watching was a time when there were a lot of troublemakers out. He took another mouthful out of his bottle of barley tea, smiling shyly at the antics of everyone else. Kyoko and Haru were, as always, talking animatedly about how much fun everyone was having and how nice the weather was. Onii-san and Gokudera seemed to be trying to out-yell each other, Yamamoto overpowering both with his bright laughter. Fuuta, I-Pin, and Lambo were playing tag and other games, watched over by the ever quiet, ever sweet Chrome. There were others too, like some of the arcobaleno. It was a lively gathering.

Tipping the bottle again, he realized that it was empty. Guess I'll have to go buy another… "Yamamoto, I'm going to go buy some more tea; do you want anything?" He stood up, and Yamamoto merely laughed and replied that what he wanted was "maybe just some sports drinks." Quietly, he sneaked away while Gokudera was busy screaming at Ryohei (and vice versa).

Aah, I really wanted Hibari-san to come this year…

It was a stupid want, really. Hibari used to like sakuras more than any other flower. But after Shamal's interference, it had switched to chrysanthemums (Japan's official national flower). It was slightly funny, really; white chrysanthemums symbolized lamentation and grief. Sakuras (which were typically white or light pink), on the other hand, were an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life (due to it's quick death and stunning beauty), were an omen of good fortune and also an emblem of love, affection, and represented spring, symbolizing mortality, hope, power…

… And also clouds. Cherry blossoms trees bloomed en masse, the delicate white flower bursting and propagating faster than could be imagined, turning the schoolyard's air into a veritable flurry of pale pink petals that seemed as though they would disintegrate with a single touch. It was a beautiful and breath taking sight, he thought, looking up to stare at the tiny flowers.

Seeing the pink reminded him of one other thing. According to many myths, in ancient times, beneath each sakura tree had been buried a body, which lead the flower to symbolize death, too (what a busy flower, he thought, having to mean so many things to so many people). The tree was nurtured by the corpse, a sacrifice killed by the Sakurazukamori or a fallen soldier or something else. No matter what, as the trees grew, their petals were dyed that pale pink by the human blood that nurtured–

Unexpectedly walking into someone, Tsuna bounced back and tried to apologize, rubbing his nose.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi…?"

Startled at the voice, he opened his eyes to see Hibari. The prefect was in his usual black gakuran, with his usual uncaring face. He appeared to have been speaking on the phone to someone; the mahogany cellular was open and held in his right hand. "Hi- Hibari-san!" he squeaked, backing away slightly. "I- I'm sorry for bumping into you!"

"… it's fine."

He paused then. Hibari sounded… tired. And perhaps a bit sad. But… neither of those were Hibari- like emotions. Surely…"Ah! Is Hibari-san here for the flower-watching?" he asked, suddenly excited. Were his fool's wishes actually being granted?

To his disappointment, the prefect continued staring with his cool gray eyes. "No, I'm on my patrol right now. There's a lot of troublemakers around this time of year so it's my job to punish them. And anyway I hate crowding."

"Hibari-san… are you… tired?" he asked timidly, scared of the reaction. "I- I mean, you sound sort of… and- and you seem more… um… how should I say it… you look sort of… sad? No- no that's not it! I'm sorry!"

The one in question just stood there. Not saying anything, not reacting, just watching with his tired (?) eyes. When he raised his phone back up to his ear, Tsuna felt dejected. Of course, Hibari had much more important things to do than deal with Loser-Tsuna.

"Kusakabe, take the reigns for a few minutes. I'll call you back." And with a click, the call was cut, and he snapped the phone shut and tucked it in his pocket. "Sawada," he said, "What are you here for? You were going flower-watching with your friends, were you not?"

Tsuna blinked. No 'herbivore' or full name? Just… just his surname? "Ah! Um, I was going to buy more drinks since we ran out…"

"… I see."

"D- do you want to come, Hibari-san?"

He wasn't sure what had made him say it, and anyway he clasped his hands over his mouth immediately after. But it could not be unsaid. Nervously, he began an apology. "I, I- Sorry, you're busy, you probably don't–"

"… It's alright." Startled by the answer, he looked up and blinked. Catching the confused look, Hibari sighed and continued. "I said… it's alright. I hate crowding, but… if it's only you then I don't mind. I need a drink, too, anyway."

Tsuna stomps through the hallways, heading back to class from the bathroom. "Honestly!" he mutters, "I shouldn't have to take supplementary classes… on my birthday!" Still irate, he continues trudging angrily down the hall. Classes are over, thankfully, but it's already dark. Grimacing, he sets to closing all the windows and wiping down the chalkboard. Done with that, he gathers his study materials, packs them into his bag, and heads downstairs to change his shoes then leave.

Reaching the front door, he shivers in the doorway, rubbing his arms and feeling the navy blue knit sweater that is part of the uniform. "Brr… it's so dark and cold… it's like midwinter already! Only without the snow!"

"Yes, it is quite chilly, isn't it?"

He jumps at the voice, squeaking in spite of himself. "Hi- Hi-" he gasps, staring at the older boy with wide eyes. "Hibari… san… Er… Wh- When did you get there?"

The prefect hums quietly in response, as though contemplating the importance of the question. "Just now," he responds after the pause. There is another pause then, as both drink in the warmth of the hallway, the coldness of the outside, and the presence of the other together. "And you?" Hibari continues, startling Tsuna again. "How long have you been standing here?"

"N- not long at all!" Tsuna insists, before sneezing harshly. "S- Sorry, I shouldn't be–" another sneeze interrupts him, and he blushes, rubbing his red nose again. "Er… maybe a few minutes or more…?" Hibari stares at him for a moment, and when he reaches behind him, Tsuna squeezes his eyes shut. Is Hibari going to bite him? Did he do something wrong?

Instead, he feels something warm and soft fall upon his shoulders. "I've been thinking," Hibari begins, wrapping the loose end of a scarf around the underclassman's neck. "You always have your collar open too much. You're going to get sick."

Blinking, Tsuna replies in the most intelligent way he can manage at the moment: "Huh?"

"Keep it; you'll catch another cold like that."

"B- but, what if Hibari-san catches–"

"I won't."

"But–"

"If you don't accept it, I'll bite you to death."

Wah, he's so set on making me keep it… he thinks, gripping one of the ends between his hands. Come to think of it, it's such an unusual color for Hibari-san… orange… Wait. Co- Could it be… a present…?

"–da! Hey! Sawada, are you listening to me?"

Tsuna's head jerks up, and and he turns to Hibari. "So- Sorry! I shouldn't have spaced out like that!" he squeaks, hoping that Hibari's apparently-good mood lasts.

Hibari gives him an odd stare for a moment, then relents. "Alright. I was saying, don't you have to go home? The rest of your crowd is waiting for you, aren't they?"

No way… does- does Hibari-san know that it's my birthday?

"Ah, yes! Thank you!" he bows then, smiling warmly. "This scarf is very nice, I'll treasure it! Thank you very much!" At that, he turns on his heel and begins the trek back home through the cold darkness, feeling much warmer than before.

It's not that he isn't happy that Hibari is being nicer to him. On the contrary, he feels elated and free. The threats are no longer serious and threatening 24/7, the beatings have grown fewer and almost died out (the exceptions usually involve Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto or Onii-san or Lambo or… well, anyone, really).

He feels like Hibari-san isn't just someone who his father chose (without either of their consent!) to become the Sky's Cloud Guardian, and instead has grown more into a friend, or perhaps an older brother-figure like Dino, but in different way. (Hibari was someone who always grabbed him by the shoulder, spun him around, and frog-marched him back onto the right path if he strayed off of it without a word throughout, followed by a stern warning and a glare, as though challenging him to dare to pull something like that again. Dino, on the other hand, was someone who took him gently by the arm and walked him down the right path a bit after leading him there before parting with an encouraging word. They two were similar, in some odd, twisted way.)

Perhaps, even, Hibari is really feeling like his family. Not his Family, but a familial bond between non-blood relatives, just as I-Pin would always say that Fong was like an older brother or a father to her. Someone who was strong and smart and kind (! ?), who could be to looked up to as a role model. Someone who would always know what to say or do, someone who could be relied on.

He giggles a bit to himself, scribbling down a "9x" in the number box on his math homework. (He remembers that once, in math, he had stood up to answer a question and had said, "eighteen-ix." Immediately, he had blushed and corrected himself to "ex." [The answer was wrong anyway; he'd been a laughingstock again for a week just from that one incident.] He isn't entirely sure why, but he's always pronounced the Xs in "X-Burner" and "X-Gloves" with an "ih" sound instead of "eh." And then it had bitten him in the rear rather embarrassingly.) If Hibari ever heard those musings, Tsuna would get bitten for sure. The free, unfettered cloud that walks its own path would have been miffed at being described as "someone who could be relied on," definitely.

"What are you giggling about, Dame-Tsuna?"

He jumps at the voice, startled. Turning his head, he smiles at Reborn, who sits on the windowsill with a letter in hand and a tight-lipped smirk on his face. "H- ha, sorry, Reborn. I was thinking about… something. And it sort of made me laugh."

The infant tutor raises an eyebrow skeptically. "Thinking about Hibari makes you laugh? He'd bite you to death if he knew you were laughing at him, you know."

Tsuna broke into panic-mode then, flailing his arms and almost letting go of his pencil. "N- no, that's not what I meant! Hii, Reborn, you better not– aaaaaah! Please don't tell Hibari-san! I was just– I was–"

"Whatever," Reborn cuts him off. "I just got a letter from the Ninth. It's urgent."

An image of the kind-hearted old man fills Tsuna's mind then, almost blocking out the raven-haired boy from his thoughts. "From Grandpa?" he asks uncertainly. "What happened? Did something– is he–"

Reborn cuts him off again from babbling. "Calm down, the Ninth is perfectly fine and healthy (just with a slightly worse back than before now). The thing is, he's requested you to…" For lack of any better-fitting description, Reborn seems… troubled, then. As though he doesn't want to say it. "The Ninth has requested that you, along with any of your guardians and other immediate Family- as in, Kyoko and Haru count- whom wish to accompany you… are to take a plane ride to the Vongola Headquarters in Italy later this week."

Tsuna suddenly freezes up, his body rigid with shock. The pencil falls out of his hand's loose grip, and clatters noisily on the tabletop. To… Italy…?

He spends the day after wandering around town, as though in a daze. He lets his feet take him wherever they so choose, and simply drags the rest of his body along like a zombie. In reality, he feels like a zombie: dead to the world and numb within.

He's a bit surprised when he realizes that where he has been "dropped off" by his auto-pilot feeling is Namimori Middle, then sighs. Yes, back where it all began. A yellow flower petal drifts past his nose, and he blinks, watching it flutter away. Yellow?

It is then that he sees them. It's difficult to see from the angle he is, so he runs and jumps onto the top of the wall to see better (he respects Hibari and the school's rules on trespassing; after all, on the border is different from inside, right?). High up on the third floor, there is a certain window. And beneath that certain window is a planter box, full to bursting with flowers the color of liquid gold. He squints; he can see a few marigolds mixed in with the many dandelions as well. Passionate and creative Herbs of the Sun hidden between flowers of faithfulness and love's oracle.

He almost laughs at the thought, suddenly finding it funny just how much of Reborn's lectures on the code for flowers have really stuck. It had been nice to learn that, though he was abysmal in languages (especially English and in part the Italian lessons Reborn sometimes gave him), he seemed to have a better time learning the words to each flower by color. (It had made him chuckle to find that violets, with their purple-blue petals hidden beneath leaves, symbolized modesty, affection, and watchfulness, whereas orchids were thoughtfulness and mature charm. White Orchid indeed.)

Down on the ground, across the street, he waves at a passing boy holding the hand of his mother. The former points at him, probably asking what that person is doing sitting on the wall, but his mother shushes and chides him, saying that it is rude to point fingers. He smiles as they walk by, before his train of thought is interrupted by a voice. "Sawada, why are you sitting on the wall?"

He twists his body to look down behind him, seeing, unsurprisingly, Hibari. "Ah, Hibari-san," he replies, forcing his voice to remain calm, "I– I was wandering around town, and ended up here."

"That doesn't explain why you're up there," the raven-haired boy replies sternly. Like a mother scolding her child. "Either come in properly or get out. Choose, I'll open the gate if you need it."

He shakes his head. "I was going to go," he replies, hopping down, before coming right up to the gate, poking a hand through the bars. "But I wanted to say hi if you were around, Hibari-san!"

After a moment's pause, Hibari accepts the proffered hand, gripping tightly. It's a game they play, based on an inside joke. The first time Hibari had ever accepted a handshake from Tsuna, he had gripped hard enough to make the brunet squeal in pain, before smirking and commenting, "That's how you would do a real handshake in Italy," as the brunet danced in pain and nursed his numbed hand with tears in his eyes. They lock eyes for a moment, challenging each other with both their hands and gazes. And in the end, Tsuna relents, giving up and rubbing his sore fingers.

They stand there for a bit, so close yet separated by the school's gate (he's not quite sure who's the prisoner and who's the visitor in this situation). "So," Hibari says again, regaining the brunet's attention. "Was there something you needed?"

Tsuna swallows thickly. Here comes the hard part. "I– well, um…" he stutters, but the words won't unstick from his throat. "I, I can't say right now," he mumbles finally. "But… But you'll know sometime this week!"

He turns around quickly to hide his tearing eyes, making to walk away quickly. But something stops him. Half-turning, he smiles at Hibari and closes his eyes to hide the glassy wetness. "Hibari-san," he says, "I think… I think that forget-me-nots would look really nice with the marigolds and dandelions."

And then he runs. He runs all the way home, not stopping once (angering several drivers and pedestrians alike in the process). He runs up the stairs, into his room, slams the door, and cries the tears he has been holding into his pillow.

Because it's not just a different kind of friendship.

Over dinner, Reborn helps him to break the news to his mom. About the trip, about the Vongola, about Iemitsu, everything. And the entire time, she merely sits there and listens, not saying a word. It could be a trick of the fading twilight as time drags on, but he swears that she was on the verge of tears. It is strangely nostalgic, as though he has seen this before. Along the way, the teacher tells the student that he has already called each guardian and told them the situation earlier that evening. They are scheduled to leave the day after tomorrow.

The first to reply is Gokudera. The phone rings, and when Tsuna picks up, he finds himself listening to a five-minute soliloquy, eloquent enough to perhaps surpass even Shakespeare's works, on how Tsuna is Gokudera's life and how he would follow his Tenth to the ends of the world and back if it meant bringing honor to his name. He smiles and replies that he's very glad Gokudera-kun is coming.

Next to call is Ryohei and Haru, one after another. Ryohei calls, saying that he would extremely accompany Sawada to Italy, because Sawada is a good man and will do only good and sensible things. Haru says similar compliments, but also adds that she and Kyoko decided, together, that they would accompany everyone to Italy as well. She also adds that they had received permission from Tsuna's mother to bring Lambo and I-Pin with them, to let them see the outside world more.

The next call is from a number he doesn't recognize. Holding his cell phone to his ear, he is surprised to hear Chrome's voice. When asked who's phone she's using, she replies that it is no one's; the payphone is available to everyone. He laughs, and she continues in her shy, quiet voice, that she would like to go to Italy too, and that Ken and Chikusa said it was alright, so would she be allowed to (she also has been studying Italian, so please)? He laughs again, reassuring her that it's perfectly fine, and that he's grateful that she wants to come too.

Fifth comes Yamamoto. When he picks up the phone, the tone he hears immediately registers in his mind as apologetic. "Sorry, Tsuna," the baseball ace begins. "My old man's caught a cold, so I need to help run the shop while recovers. We're not sure how long it'll take… I'm really sorry."

"No, not at all! Don't be!" he replies quickly, sadness beginning to well up in his throat. "I- I just… I really hope you dad gets better, Yamamoto… is it– is he going to–"

A crackling laugh filters through the receiver; he can't tell whether there is disturbance from the phone connection or if Yamamoto's voice is hoarse. "Don't worry, it's nothing serious. We're dealing as best we can. Oh, and the kid called earlier; he said that it was okay if I had to postpone and come later than everyone. So once my dad's better, I'll come after you! Okay?"

He sniffles, feeling the baseball player's warmth through the phone. "Y- yeah! That's great! We'll be waiting!" They exchange goodbyes, and when they hang up, Tsuna stands stock-still in the hallway, the receiver still held in his hand.

"Oi, Dame-Tsuna," Reborn's voice interrupts him. "I'm going to go on a little errand. Don't dawdle too long; you still need to pack and everything." He waves goodbye to the diminutive figure walking out, and the door clicks shut.

And with that, the dikes break.

He backs up until his foot hits the stair. Slowly, he plops down, feeling numbness spread through his limbs and body all over again. He cries quietly, stifling hiccups and whimpers so that his mother does not worry. He scrubs furiously at his eyes, biting his lip and feeling the tears trail down his face and plop onto the hardwood.

When the phone rings next, he freezes. His body regains mobility when he hears his mother shout if he can take it, and he replies that he will. Picking up, he again finds a number he does not recognize. Nevertheless, he presses the green button and holds the receiver up to his ear. "Hello, this is the Sawada residence," he coughs out, trying to keep his voice steady.

"What happened to your voice?" He starts then, expecting neither the call nor the concern. Hibari?

"I… I got a sore throat," he replies, and then cringes slightly. It's not the truth, obviously, but it's not a complete lie, either.

"You've been crying, haven't you?"

He hiccups, then quickly places the receiver down and runs up the stairs. He comes back down a few seconds later, fully equipped with a box of tissues. After blowing his running nose once and dabbing at the equally moist eyes, he picks up again and replies, "I- well… yeah… sorry. I heard- I mean, Ya- Yamamoto called earlier… and said he would be staying in Japan for a while longer…"

He hiccups again, and Hibari sighs loudly on the other end. "I know; he called a few minutes ago to tell me and ask what I was doing."

Tsuna freezes up again. "A- and? What are you doing, Hibari-san?" There is a pause.

"I'm staying too."

The fractured, broken walls around his heart crumble then. The heart that is made of something like gold, only oh so much softer, encased in a decaying armor of steel. He wails again, and repeatedly tries to apologize, but each time he tries, the words either catch in his throat or set off another wave of tears. Hibari simply bears it for a few minutes, before interrupting the waterworks. "Look, stay right where you are, I'll come over to your house, alright? Don't short-circuit your phone; besides, I'd like to talk to the infant before you leave." And without another word to spare, the raven cuts the line.

Tsuna fumbles to put the receiver back, running down the short hallway into the bathroom. He has no reason to, but simply does. Shutting the door and locking it, he washes his face repeatedly until he feels that there is no trace of his misery. Taking a good look into the mirror, he observes that, though the eyes are slightly red and puffy, any normal human would miss it.

There comes a knock on the door then, and he hurries to unlock the door. He shouts that he'll get it, letting the bathroom door swing shut on its own. When he opens it, he is unsurprised to see Hibari. "You look miserable," the raven says. Not a question on whether he is sad, nor a condescending remark, simply a statement of fact, and the brunet knows it. Of course Hibari would notice it. Because Hibari is not normal. He is unique, amazing, and special.

His mother enters the hallway then, greeting Hibari warmly and asking if the former prefect would like something to eat or drink, to which he politely refuses. Tsuna quietly leads the other up the stairs to his room (though he knows the raven knows very well which room is his, having invaded without warning who knows how many times since they had first met), and they sit next to each other on the bed. Roll hops off of Hibari's shoulder and trundles up to Natsu, who is also out. Natsu mewls happily, and bats at the hedgehog, who twitches his little black nose back. Hibird, too, decides to join in the fun. As though the three had known each other all their lives and are the greatest of friends.

The interaction reminds him of Yamamoto, and he cries again. He doesn't know why, but he rests his head on Hibari's right arm and cries, drenching the shoulder and sleeve of the crisp black gakuran. He is glad when Hibari doesn't reject the display, simply accepting it. Slowly, the sobs quiet into sniffles and the occasional hiccup.

The three animals (two box and one not) trundle up to Hibari's feet then, Hibird taking a rest on one of Roll's spines. Natsu gives a small, curious growl, looking concernedly at Tsuna then to Hibari as though for want of an answer. He is almost more surprised when Hibari shifts the spiky-haired head off of his shoulder for a moment, offering both hands to the lion cub, who allows himself to be lifted up onto the Cloud Man's lap. "You know what it is," the latter says, before plopping the orange ball of fur onto his owner's lap. He picks up Roll for his own, stroking the small head absent-mindedly.

Tsuna looks down at Natsu, again feeling miserable. But the feeling quickly vanishes into shock when he feels a hand on his right shoulder, then a tug to the left. He is pulled toward Hibari, and the left arm is wrapped around his free shoulder in a sort of awkward embrace. He looks up with wide eyes, but the other has his gaze averted, apparently quite intrigued by some odd knick-knack on the cluttered desk. Vaguely, it reminds him of the times when he had hugged a bawling Lambo or a homesick I-Pin, saying kind words until they calmed down and, oftentimes, fell asleep in his arms.

But the small form in his arms now isn't Lambo or I-Pin, it's Natsu, but he hugs the lion's warmth closer regardless. He turns his head to bury a flushed face into the pressed white dress shirt. "I– I'm going to miss you, Hibari-san. And Yamamoto, too," he mumbles, before reddening and falling quiet.

The skylark sighs, then replies, "I… won't miss you." The right hand on the brunet's shoulder tightens ever so slightly, and he continues. "Even if you miss me, I won't miss you. Because… even if you're a small animal, you're not weak. You're not a herbivore in the same sense as others are, and I… I respect that about you. You are not a carnivore, but where ever you are, I know that you will be alive."

He's not sure how long they sit like that, but when he pulls away, he looks down at his feet and apologizes. "Th- thank you… I- um- I'm sorry… I know you don't like crowding, and I still…"

Again, he is shocked. Because Hibari is not normal. He does only the unexpected. And as part of doing the unexpected, he places a hand on Tsuna's hair, and for the first time, looks him full in the face. "Don't worry about it. As cliché as it sounds, Yamamoto Takeshi will still be there with you in Italy even if he remains here in Namimori. Besides, he said he will be coming in due time, did he not?"

He fidgets and looks down, fidgeting with his shirt hem to avoid the cool gray eyes. "A- and… you too? Hibari-san will be with me too, right?"

His reply comes in the form of some cross between a sigh and an amused snort. "Sure, if that's what you think should happen." Tsuna, feeling light-hearted with the kind words, sniffles again before smiling.

That night, Tsuna runs around the house, hurrying to pack everything he needs. Clothes are thrown half-hazard into the enormous suitcase that sits in the middle of the room, personal belongings thrown willy-nilly from being moved from their places in the search.

"What else do I- oh! Warm clothes!" he says, as the clock nears midnight. He begins digging through his closet again, searching for clothes that still fit him. "Let's see, coat, gloves, long pa- oh. Oh…" He freezes, finding something he had nearly forgotten about in the back of the closet.

The warm orange cloth hangs loosely from his fingers, and tears fill his eyes when he remembers exactly when and how this item had come into his possession.

"I've been thinking," Hibari begins, wrapping the loose end of a scarf around the underclassman's neck. "You always have your collar open too much. You're going to get sick."

Blinking, Tsuna replies in the most intelligent way he can manage at the moment: "Huh?"

"Keep it; you'll catch another cold like that."

"B- but, what if Hibari-san catches–"

"I won't."

"But–"

"If you don't accept it, I'll bite you to death."

He runs his fingers lightly over the soft surface, feeling the warmth. His daydreaming is interrupted, however, when his mother's voice calls from downstairs. "Tsuna!" she shouts, "Are you done packing yet? Just bring your bags downstairs and leave them by the stairs when you are!"

Strengthening his resolve, he tucks the scarf into the far corner of the high shelf. "Yeah, I'm done!" he yells back, shutting the closet door much more viciously than necessary. "I'll take it down in a moment!"

Because he's not just a stupid loser who misunderstands.

When he wakes up and goes downstairs, his mother greets him from the table. "Oh, good morning, Tsu-kun!" she says cheerfully. "Since everyone's coming over for your going-away party, I was thinking of making a huge feast for brunch instead of breakfast! Is that okay?"

When he answers that it is, she hums and continues arranging the short little flower vase on the table. He blinks. Bright white Cyclamens that nearly fall in due to their small height, next to equally short orange Nasturtiums and with a single branch of yellow Acacia in the middle. He thinks for a moment. If memory serves, Cyclamens are for goodbyes, Nasturtiums for victory in battle, and Acacias for friendship or secret love. "Oh, that reminds me!" she says, straightening up. "Tsu-kun, I'm going to the florists' to pick up some flowers, okay? Watch over the house! Bianchi is off on an errand with Fuuta-kun, and Lambo-kun and I-pin-chan spent the night at Kyoko-chan's, so it's just you and Reborn-kun for now. Okay?"

"Alright, mom," he replies, before she leaves the house with a bag hung on her elbow and a smile on her face. The clock strikes 8, and continues ticking.

It isn't long before everyone begins to arrive. First is Gokudera, knocking on the door almost immediately after his mother had left. Closely behind him is Haru, the two younger children in tow (though they are no longer five, they are still roughly 9 years younger than Tsuna and he has much more than a head over them in height). They are quickly followed by Kyoko and Ryohei, the latter of whom is talking to a tall, tanned boy he almost immediately recognizes as Yamamoto in disguise (in disguise as per Reborn's orders; both he and Hibari, having decided that they would stay, were told to come disguised as non-Mafiosi). Bianchi and Fuuta arrive too, bearing news that Chrome will meet them at the station; Ken and Chikusa refuse to leave for her sake (he chuckled a bit at this, saying that they would probably come eventually anyway by themselves. Being with the Vongola for any reason would have tainted their pride).

Last to arrive is Hibari. When he opens the door, he initially doesn't recognize the upperclassman. It is unusual to see him in such normal clothes as dark gray cargo pants and gray jacket. His face is half-concealed by a white cotton mask.

"Hello? Who i- oh, Hiba- Takuma-san!" he exclaims, overjoyed to see the former prefect. "I didn't recognize you for a moment! Sorry!"

"…It's alright…" the prefect replies after a pause.

"You can come in; Mom left really early… something about flowers. Anyway, come in!" Tsuna opens the door wider, still babbling, then pauses. "Takuma-san, you sound… tired. Are… are you alright?"

The other kicks off his sneakers before replying, "I'm fine."

After two almost-mishaps between Gokudera and Ryohei, Tsuna ushers both Hibari ("Honda Takuma") and Yamamoto ("Hiroaki Eiji") upstairs to his own room. Shutting the door behind him, he sighs in relief. "Gosh, that was almost really bad," he mutters to himself. He motions for the two to sit down, and Yamamoto takes a seat at the table while Hibari merely sheds his jacket and remains leaning on the wall where he is. Seeing the latter's shirt, Tsuna brightens considerably. "Hibari-san, you're wearing the shirt I gave you for your birthday last year! I was afraid that you wouldn't like it…"

The raven shakes his head. "It was a fine gift, just a bit too big. Which it apparently still is."

Yamamoto, hearing this, laughs loudly and thumps a hand on the table. "Haha, you're really still a chibi, aren't you?"

As Hibari begins glaring daggers (or tonfas, he thinks with a slight giggle), Tsuna intervenes. They converse more (peacefully), before the trio head downstairs again. Nana seems to be back, talking animatedly with Reborn about something. When they come down, she greets them cheerfully. (By their pseudonyms, he notices, and his eyes meet with his tutor's for a moment.) She says something about both Takuma and Hiroaki making themselves at home, saying that she has lots of mouths to feed today. Giddily, she heads toward the living room. They are about to follow her, when Reborn interrupts: "Wait, you three," he says, "I need to talk to each of you. Alone. Tsuna, I'm going to use your room, alright? Honda, follow." Wordlessly, they nod, and part ways.

It's not too long before Takuma returns, tapping his "cousin" on the shoulder to gain his attention. "Tsunayoshi," he says, "That child asked… asked me to tell you that he wanted to talk to you." He nods, smiles, and heads upstairs.

The first thing he notices is that the closet door is open. Ignoring Reborn, he makes a beeline for it and rifles through his belongings. "It's gone!" he shouts in despair.

"Looking for this?" the infant calls, and he turns around just in time to have something fluffy and orange chucked at his face. Extricating it from his clingy hair, he gasps. The fluffy and orange thing is a scarf. His scarf. "If it's so important to you, why don't you take it with you?"

Tsuna makes a face that is something between a grimace and a smile. "… I can't," he replies, tilting his head forward so that his bangs cover his eyes. He walks over to the closet and hugs it once more before putting it back on top of the shelf. "It's… not something I can take. I shouldn't."

Reborn makes no comment, simply watching as Tsuna closes the door and stands there, motionless. "Tsuna, there's some things I need to ask you before we go," he says. "First… who, among your Guardians, do you like and trust the most?"

"Th- that's not something I can answer!" he splutters, turning red. He can't choose favorites between his friends! (Although the answer was definitely not Mukuro. He certainly cared for both his Mist Guardians, but the male one was still dangerous at times. Actually, scratch that. He was just a lot more driven in being violent to him.) His reply is an order to simply try. Sighing, he thinks. "Maybe… Hibari-san," he answers after a long silence.

"And why is that?" Reborn asks, tipping his fedora. As far as the student can tell, it seems to be a habit whenever the Sun Arcobaleno is thinking hard.

"I think… well… Certainly, I like all of them the same amount." Reborn gives him a skeptical look, and he corrects himself. "Okay, maybe not always. But in the long run, it's true.

"Gokudera-kun is trustworthy and a great friend, but I can't always trust that he won't do something reckless for me. I wish he wouldn't do that. When that happens, Yamamoto is the one who steps in and helps me stop him. But Yamamoto… sometimes I'm afraid for him. Not for him, actually, but for someone else if they pushed the right buttons on him. Onii-san's like that too, sometimes, but really not as often. I'm more afraid for if he doesn't think things through and gets hurt. He's a wonderful person, always full of energy and acts a big brother to everyone, especially Lambo. Lambo's a good kid at heart, though; what he seems to really want is for someone to be proud of him. He wanted to kill you not only because he wanted to become the Bovino boss, but also because he wants his boss and Family to be proud of him. I asked. And Chrome… she's kind to everyone and the shyest person I've ever met. And… well, she always knows how to comfort people, which is why Lambo and I-Pin cling to her a lot. But she doesn't take care of herself enough, and I worry about her, especially because she's really only been with Ken and Chikusa, though they're nice enough people. Even so, she's certainly a dear, sweet person, in contrast to Mukuro (who is neither dear nor sweet)… he's cryptic and difficult to understand, but he cares for people in ways that we can't really see very well. (that's one of the traits of the mist, isn't it?)

"But Hibari-san…" Here, he takes a deep breath. Now comes the hard part. "Hibari-san is different in some ways than everyone else, and the same in some too. I don't worry about him getting hurt much, because both you and Dad have said that he's the Strongest Guardian. But that's not it. I also don't have to worry about him being reckless or rash, because it's a proven fact that he doesn't do anything for others unless his 'justice' coincides with their safety. Except that's not it either. He's… Hibari-san is human. He feels, he bleeds, and he can be nice sometimes." He blushes a bit, remembering yesterday when Reborn and his mother had walked in on Hibari awkward-hugging him. "Ever since you came along, Hibari-san just kept popping up into my daily life, randomly. Usually it ended badly, and I always felt really bad about it. But… he's been nicer to me lately. And everyone in my Family is nice to me, really. But the thing is, Hibari-san isn't nice to me because I'm the Tenth or because I'm a life-saver or because I've gotten stronger (I mean, you don't see him being nice to Dino or Mukuro for that). He's nice to me because… because I'm me. That's why…" he closes his eyes and smiles, feeling the blush spread across his face like wildfire. "That's why I like Hibari-san very much."

At 10:20, he finds himself standing in the train station, a large suitcase standing next to him. He rubs his gloved fingers together, waiting. Waiting for the train that won't come for another 10 minutes. Waiting for the ending Scene of this Act that will most certainly change his entire lifestyle. Waiting for the cold to go away.

And before he knows it, the train is here. It trundles in, a voice announcing over the PA that a train has arrived, heading to wherever-the-terminal-is Station. All but three of their large group board, leaving Hibari Kyouya, Yamamoto Takeshi, and Sawada Nana. Everyone exchanges goodbyes as they load suitcases and children and loose scarves and jackets onto the already packed train. (They receive many odd looks from passengers, probably wondering what a huge group with huge suitcases are going during the short spring break between school semesters.) As the door slides shut, he puts one hand on the glass, waving with the other and smiling. The three wave back, and he can't help but feel sad. The last thing he sees before the train pulls out is Hibari, staring resolutely back at him with something akin to shock in his eyes.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he switches to rubbing his arms. "Gosh it's cold," he says simply, muttering to himself.

"Oi, Dame-Tsuna," the infant calls, and he turns around just in time to have something fluffy and orange chucked at his face. Extricating it from his clingy hair, he gasps. The fluffy and orange thing is a scarf. His scarf. "If it's so important to you, why don't you take it with you?"

This time, he doesn't say anything, and just hugs to to his chest, feeling the warmth return. As though the cloth itself has a life of its own, a pulsating heartbeat that will neither die nor leave him be. He tilts his head forward, his bangs covering his eyes as he feels tears drip down his cheeks and plop onto the floor of the train.

It's not something he can take. It's not something he should have. It's not something he can forget.

Because it's not just a passing fancy.

Just in case you can't tell, this one is considerably longer than Hibari's chapter. It is (wait for it)… 12,317 words long and 16.5 pages! That aside, it seems to me that Tsuna would have a larger amount of factual recall, whereas Hibari would simply remember what is most important and that's it. Anyway, I was sort of thinking about a lot of things, and realized that I mentioned in Hibari's chapter that 1/8-2/7 is HibaTsuna Monthly. Well, it was a little after 1/8 then, and it's a little before 2/7 now. Guess this was sort of my version of a HibaTsuna Monthly art (shrugs). I sort of feel like this one really is closer to friendship than romance though. Oh well, I tried. (Please don't throw anything at me!)

Thank you for reading these two extremely long-winded chapters! (I can't believe there are people who would read this much of my work!)

I challenge you all to find all the symbolism! (laughs) You'll never be able to do it (because I know I can't)! [Double points for both chapters!]