Stranger: The best kind of teacher, eh? More D18 for you, yes! Traum-Alptraum: You don't approve of any Kyouya/Fran loving? :( Haha! Never mind, eh? It's all good now that it's decided that Dino's going to be the main. nightingale mistress: Y-you can see the future? Tell me, my dear, I want to know everything! I can never see Kyouya being a character that's dumb for some reason. He's probably just a jerk that pretends to be or just ditches. Anon: I don't read the manga, sorry! Amano totally stole the idea from me, though. ;) I had him as a English cover teacher first. NightIcanSay: I hope you're better now! Thank you for everything. :D The Red Undertaker: I didn't, haha! :D I'm just amazing. Thank you!

家庭教師ヒットマン REBORN! © 天野明

Chapter seven—The Best Qualities
Unable to call out your name, I suddenly became quiet.

To an outsider it would have seemed as though their relationship was back to normal. The two were sat next to each other again, chairs not angled away; rather, they were angled towards each other, and there were rude comments being tossed between the two of them. To a trained eye, though, it appeared completely different. There was strain between them—the comments were going too far at some points, and it was obvious that one of them was going to blow up.

"I get the feeling you're taking me for granted," Fran murmured, glancing away from his school bag that was thrown carelessly onto the table they were sharing. "This," he announced, gesturing to himself, "isn't something that comes along very often."

Kyouya smirked. "Go on a street corner and say that, then."

"You're the whore in this relationship."

The taller of the two blinked, repeating the accusation in his head to make sure that he'd heard it correctly. Instead of focusing on the implication at the end of the sentence, he latched onto the first. "Whore?" Kyouya repeated through clenched teeth. "How on Earth could I be labelled that?"

"Well, you obviously get around." There was a glint of amusement within his irides. "You're going between me and whoever you've got as a piece on the side."

He chose to address the last bit of the sentence, and only that. "There's no one." And there wasn't. His mind had been too full of thoughts, too many to filter through without not being able to control his expressions. He had been locked up in his bedroom, doing anything but addressing the problem. It wasn't a surprise that Fran had noticed, and since he didn't have the decency to be subtle at all, he chose the middle of class to talk.

Fran, for once, decided to be more perceptive. "Is this because of the bet, Senpai?" He'd hit the nail on the head without trying.

"Bet? That's all in the past, Fran." He was lying through clenched teeth, still. The source of his inner turmoil was at the front of the class, running his hands through his hair in frustration whilst holding a textbook. "We don't live in the past."

As soon as the words were out, Kyouya bit down onto the inside of his cheek in regret. They didn't have a choice about whether they wanted to live in the past, and he'd thrown it into his companion's face.

"I meant for you to experience the big bad world," Fran announced, leaning back in his chair and almost falling backwards, "not to make friends."

The corner of his lips tugged up as he could guess Fran's next words.

"Stranger danger."

Sometimes Kyouya could still see the same little kid that had appeared in his bedroom in the idiot beside him. He preferred the old version of Fran without a doubt. The green-haired male beside him had far too much spunk, and that wasn't always welcomed in their conversations. Possibly, Fran could have been thinking the exact same thing about him.

"I don't remember them." Kyouya kept his eyes focused on Dino, who, thankfully, was busy picking up some papers that he'd dropped. "I did complete the bet, though. Lussuria can tell you that."

"You spent the night with Lussuria?"

Kyouya winced at how loud the other was being. If it wasn't bad enough that some of the class now had their attention on the two of them, Dino chose to look, too, and ended up meeting his gaze. The brunet counted until only two in his head before looking away, narrowing his eyes at Fran instead. A tell-tale sign that he wasn't impressed with his behaviour.

"He was working where I went," he hissed.

"Oh." Fran dramatically blinked, clapping his hands together for a moment as he finally put the facts together. "You got drunk without me?"

He sneered. "If you were there, the drinks wouldn't have been free."

"That transvestite is such a con man," the smaller male mumbled sourly. "He bloody worships the ground you walk on, all because of your damn sister."

If jealousy was reflected in hair colour, it certainly was for Fran's. "Maybe you should be nicer."

"I don't want to hear that from you, hypocrite." Fran stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest, raising his eyebrows as they looked at each other oddly. His raised eyebrows were a challenge, for an appropriate retort to come his way. When nothing came, however, he frowned. "You're awful to everyone. It's no wonder you have no friends."

Kyouya blinked before turning his attention elsewhere. From the corner of his eye, he glanced towards the clumsy blonde at the front of the room. "Why would I need friends? People are annoying." Certainly, he thought, they are. Some more so than others.

"Well, I'm annoying and I'm here," Fran replied monotonously, "any reason for that?"

"You're practically attached to my side." He rolled his eyes, glad for the change of subject.

The green-haired male pursed his lips, just staring ahead of him for a few moments. "And why do you think that is?"

He didn't have to think about an answer. The word left his mouth not even a second later, and it shocked even him. "Habit."

"Hibari." They were jerked out of their bubble from Dino's voice, and Kyouya slowly turned his head to the side to see why he was being called upon. "I need to see you after class."

The brunet took in a sharp breath and refused to look away. Was it a challenge between them, to see who'd give up first? They wanted to pry information from each other, Kyouya had decided, and they were in completely different categories. They continued to stare, and Dino's eyes weren't giving any information away.

He stayed until each and every student had waltzed out of the room at their own pace, each dragging their feet across the floor as they started to wander home. How lucky, he thought. Finally, he was starting to appreciate how great it was that they had English as their last lesson, almost always. Dino was still sat down at his desk, taking his time as he penned something down on each page of paper before setting it aside. Kyouya stayed within his seat, arms crossed, as impatience was getting the better of him. Not that he would show it, though.

When Dino finally looked up and caught his eyes, Kyouya let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Kyouya," Dino said in an even voice, his eyes darting to the classroom door to see if they were alone. "If I've offended you in any way, I apologise."

His voice had dropped lower, more hushed.

"If I've given you the wrong impression, too..."

He cut him off as soon as he remembered how to speak. "It's fine," Kyouya hissed, hating how his voice sounded. "I won't search for unnecessary answers now."

"I don't want you to misunderstand." Dino licked his lips nervously. "What I mean is—"

"I understand perfectly," he told him, before Dino could continue, because he did. The evidence was all over the blonde's face, unmissable. "Lies are not what I want to hear."

"Lies?" Dino started to say, pausing as he saw that the smaller male had pushed himself away from his desk. "Kyouya, I—"

"Don't bother, herbivore," Kyouya interrupted him, again. He kept his gaze steady on the door as he walked away.

-x-

Despite having been in Namimori for just over a month, Dino wasn't used to the constant silence.

Whenever he walked through what should have been a boisterous shopping centre, he instead had to strain his ears to make out some of the conversations. There were no wailing police sirens or any car alarms—a quiet silence, one that belonged in the smallest of towns. Slowly, as he frequented a certain coffee shop he began to realise that the four costumers that were usually before him was what the rest of the town considered a long queue. There was no waiting forever, but he didn't take much comfort in that.

As much as he'd wanted to blame the silence for his lack of sleep the night before, he couldn't. With a coffee cup gripped tightly in his hand he trudged his way into the staff room, settling down on the nearest chair and proceeding to rub his eyes with the palms of his hands. There was no missing how exhausted he looked, or the light purple of his skin. A few more teachers, all who looked equally stressed, poured into the room soon after with a refreshed looking M.M. following after, looking much like she was herding them.

She greeted him with a firm nod before reaching for a book to read.

The only upside of being restless for a period of time the night before meant that he could think, thoroughly. And after having alcohol to allow them to flow quicker, honestly, he'd found that he could think clearer than he'd expected. Dino even thought that he was thinking more rationally, too, since all the cards were out on the table.

He'd met Kyouya outside of the school site before he'd officially been introduced to the school, therefore there was no concern needed. It happened all the time, he was sure. The conversation they had had was in a more than friendly manner; rather, it was simply the talking that wasn't inappropriate.

It was the thoughts of how the other looked across the room, or when he simply kept quiet and frowned, that were classed as inappropriate.

Dino shook his head. His reaction to first seeing the younger male was normal, especially since he hadn't known he was a student. Appreciating someone's looks from across the room, pursuing them and then sharing a bed was normal.

It was inappropriate for him to still consider the younger male attractive, though.

Kyouya had decided that the best way to deal with the situation was to act as though it had never happened. His reactions hadn't been covered up completely, but no words had slipped through his mouth for the first few days. And so, Dino had decided to give him the same treatment.

He was going to stick to the story he'd concocted in his head. He was simply waiting for Kyouya to sober up; because, clearly, that explained why their bare limbs were tangled together in bed.

Although it was difficult at some points, Dino made it through most of the day. He laughed at some of the ridiculous jokes that were said by his fellow teachers, even cracking a few of his own and appreciating how friendly the others seemed to be, and downed a fair amount of coffee to keep going. When he saw what class was on his schedule for the next lesson, he straightened his tie and tried to confidently walk into the room.

He stubbed his toe on the door frame. "Fuck," he cursed in English.

A few of the class snickered, and he made sure to call upon them for the answers. Their smirks were wiped off their faces when they were wrong.

As much as Dino wanted to keep a professional attitude, it was becoming clear that he couldn't keep his wits about him. The lesson proved that, clearly.

Kyouya was back in his original seat again, seated beside his green-haired friend.

He felt awkward whenever their eyes met, and it just seemed to keep happening. Dino quickly concluded that he wouldn't be able to teach properly, professionally, if the younger male continued to stare at him like he had been for that period. But how could he approach the matter without sounding inappropriate? He could only imagine the sorts of ideas that would go through the rest of the students' minds.

Each time he looked Kyouya's way, he was looking at him with an unreadable expression. There was only a slight curve of his lips to give away his mood.

Dino found himself wondering what he was thinking, wondering what exactly was going through his mind as he looked at him. And it was becoming painstakingly obvious, to himself, that he really did need to talk to him—to clear the air and to finally understand what was going on within the brunet's head.

He wasn't supposed to be the adult—clearly—so he couldn't treat Kyouya the same way.

Even if he was going to appear unprofessional, immature and a little bit odd, he needed to talk to him. They needed to clear the air between them and make it so that the atmosphere in the classroom wasn't going to be any more awkward.

When he was finally teaching Kyouya's class, the atmosphere was tenser than he'd expected. The brunet was still staring at him, and with a shock, Dino realised that Kyouya's friend was, too. Had he been informed about what had happened or was it just a hobby to creep people out? Either way, the blonde averted his eyes and tried to concentrate.

He excused himself when it was getting too much, proclaiming that he'd left an important sheet in the staff room.

"What am I doing?" Dino asked himself, leaning against the wall outside. His mind was jumping to the worst conclusions, all of which were centred around one person in particular. He could just see it; see that his position was in jeopardy and he was going to get fired for having a relationship with a student.

It was only one night with the wrong person, and he was still paranoid.

He plucked a random sheet from the staff room before venturing back, straightening his back before walking back inside.

Apart from the constant staring, Dino did enjoy teaching that class in particular. Some of them weren't all too quick on picking up another language, whilst there were a few rare gems within the seats. Mukuro had mentioned that he didn't particular care about them before, so he'd assumed the worst. Then again, he had known Mukuro for a fair few years to know exactly what he was like.

"Sasagawa," Dino finally sighed, "I can see you practising your punches, you know. I really am looking."

The male protested. "But you don't have eyes on the back on your head."

"I'm a teacher, Sasagawa," he explained with an amused smile. "I just know some things."

And with that, Dino did his best to ignore anything else happening within the class. If something got out of hand, though, he'd shoot the student a look until they finally stopped doing whatever it was they were in the first place.

He wanted to catch Kyouya before the end of class, but for once the brunet walked off with his friend as soon as the class was over. They didn't stick around waiting until the crowd was gone; rather, they were the start of the crowd. Dino packed up any of the lone pieces of paper on his desk and then shuffled down the hallway towards the staff room, and as he did so he decided it was best to talk to Kyouya as soon as possible. If he called for him to stay behind after class, as he had always done so before, it would cause there to be more suspicion about the two of them.

He knew he wouldn't miraculously walk into him in the hallway after class. Their class was almost always the last period of the day, so Dino ran a hand through his blond hair and made a quick detour to the rooftop.

The fresh air was welcome as the wind blew his bangs off of his face. He placed his belongings on the floor, reaching into his pocket for a small pocket.

Lighting a cigarette with ease, he took a drag whilst closing his eyes.

"You're not allowed to smoke up here."

He almost choked on the smoke before turning around to see where the voice had come from. Dino hadn't thought of searching around the rooftop after school hours to see if anyone was there, much less to see if a student had camped out.

"Kyouya," he breathed a sigh of relief. "You're not supposed to be up here, even through school hours."

As he continued to smoke, Kyouya carried on staring at him from across the rooftop. He was settled down on the floor, just behind where the entrance was so it was hard to see him. There was no one else in sight—only the two of them.

"Will you please stop staring at me?" Dino found himself snapping, surprised at how his voiced sounded. "It's all you do whenever we're near each other, and it's really started to get on my nerves."

"You get on my nerves," Kyouya replied bluntly, still settled down beside the railings. "You're always really jumpy."

"Because you stare at me."

He raised an eyebrow. "It's my fault?"

"Well, yes." Dino dropped the cigarette on the floor, stomping on it the moment after. "Look, Kyouya, we need to talk."

With a scowl, the brunet corrected him. "You need to talk."

"You need to talk, too." Slowly, Dino settled down on the floor beside him and ran a hand through his hair. "When I met you I didn't think you were... you know." He gestured to the school uniform whilst flushing, embarrassment coming easily. "I thought you were over twenty, obviously. I never thought you'd be a student, much less my student."

"I wasn't going to correct you."

"It would have been nice if you did." He sighed. "Have you told anyone what happened?"

"I'm... not good with alcohol," Kyouya ground out with a clenched jaw. "And I wouldn't belittle myself by telling others."

Dino cleared his throat and then wondered just how much he remembered about the night they spent together. "I have to apologise to you. I should never have approached you in such a way... I was just under the influence, as were you."

"Okay."

He watched in surprised and amusement as Kyouya's face flamed with colour quickly, although his expression was still one of irritation. He was trying to hide his embarrassment, apparently.

"We had sex," Dino blurted, just from seeing the same blush as that night, "three times."

The colour only increased, as did his irritation. "I didn't need to know that."

"I'm just being honest with you." He breathed in slowly, trying to calm down the nerves he was starting to feel. "As I need you to be with me."

The blush was slowly draining, Dino noted. "I have better things to do then sit around and listen to you confess. Just got to a church."

"I'd probably get shot if I told anyone else about us," Dino announced before realising that he had told someone; only one, but that person happened to be someone Kyouya hated with most of his heart. "...I've told one person, though."

He could see the brunet beside him tense, staring at the wall ahead of them. "Who?"

He's going to hate me, Dino thought. "He, well, told me about what happened between you and him. I know some things that the rest of the teachers don't." Being the coward he was, Dino shifted his gaze to his feet as he clenched one hand. "The teacher I took over from."

It took all but two seconds for Kyouya to put two and two together and realise that it was Mukuro he was referring to. "Rokudo?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Dino admitted. "I was waiting for him before I met you, so it seemed only natural to tell him about it. He just... told me about your relationship without me even prodding him to."

"Why would you be friends with that?" Disgust was clear in his tone.

"We went to college together." Dino shrugged his shoulders. "He was across the hall from me, so over time we became friends. When he said he was, well, quitting for awhile I took over per his request."

For only a moment, he saw a panicked expression take over Kyouya's face before it was gone, the mask back and firmly in place.

"I'm not like him, Kyouya," he tried to assure him. "I'm not going to force you to be close to me, nor will I fail you unless you truly deserve it."

Kyouya shuffled beside him, as if deciding whether to stand up or not. "You already seem like him."

"We've certainly done more than what you have with Mukuro." He'd tried to crack a joke, but Dino felt his face heating up just from referring to it so casually. "Sorry, that was in poor taste."

"My relationship with Rokudo was purely violent," Kyouya announced another the awkward silence. He was still looking ahead of him, refusing to meet Dino's eyes. "He threatened me, and I threatened him right back. I threw a lot of punches, too."

"I don't want to fight you, then." Dino ran a hand through his hair nervously, as he tried to think of the right words to say. "I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to talk to you, it's just that I'm scared of losing my job already. There can't be anything between us, Kyouya. I'd get fired and you'll get in trouble, too."

"I don't have any feelings for you."

"I know." Dino gulped. "My feelings for you are strictly professional. I need this job, Kyouya. I can't screw up on my first try."

"You can screw it up without me," Kyouya replied, taking an defensive tone. He definitely didn't approve of taking all of the blame in the end. "You're a problem for me, too."

The blond tried to find humour in his words. He forced a smile, although it appeared more than strained. "Isn't that what teachers are supposed to do?" he asked, the only funny part being within the flashbacks from when he was a child within his head. Being forced to learn more than two languages had been hard enough, and with a sadistic tutor in the mix it wasn't particularly fun for him growing up. It had all paid off, though. "I'm just going to push you to do well in school." And not into bed any more, he added in his head.

"There's no point." Kyouya tried to appear uninterested, but there was a flicker of something Dino couldn't place within his eyes. Did he want to be pushed since none of the other teachers would do it? He'd heard them murmuring in the staff room about the younger male having to attend anger management classes, but he'd never attended. If he needed time out, he'd simply walk out of the room and go home.

There was a chance he was having a hard time being stuck in a place that didn't match his potential. His early tests proved his ability. Kyouya should have been pushed up a few grades or sent abroad to study further, and yet he was there in front of him suffering from the consequences of staying put.

"Why are you attending this school?" Dino asked, discreetly changing to subject to his thoughts. "There's more advanced schools in the area, I'm sure your parents wouldn't be opposed to you transferring."

As soon as the comment had left his lips, Dino could visibly see the younger male tense up. A mask was placed on his face, masking any emotions once again whilst hair covered his eyes. He'd made a slip up again, Dino realised.

He continued, risking his chances. "I know someone that could help. Trust me on this, just for one time, and you'll see."

-x-

"You're finally joining us," M.M. remarked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion as she observed Dino from across the table.

The blonde offered her a shy smile before taking a sip of his glass of juice, choosing to try and make a good impression and stay away from the alcohol. She still eyed him in suspicion, though choosing to chat with the other teachers instead. Ever since he had arrived he learnt that every Friday they all disappeared to a local pub to let off steam and down shots whilst being friendly. There was still the gossip that he'd expected, much like when they were in the staff room on a regular day.

He couldn't remember most of their names, though. They'd all referred to each other with pet names or something rude instead, and all his mind was screaming at him were the insults that Mukuro had said about them instead.

As soon as he heard the first insult fly, he knew that it was M.M. "Really? I would've thought a bitch like you could have handled her alcohol better."

"No!" the girl in question responded, stubbornly crossing her arms over her surprisingly small chest. The school was mostly overrun by female teachers, so sometimes it was no wonder that many males applied for their classes and joined the less prestigious school just for that reason alone. "I will not have another shot. Flaming or not, I do not want it."

Another female pitched in, her long blue hair hanging over her shoulder and contrasting with the white lace sun dress she was wearing. "Chrome, you seriously suck. You should be able to handle all of your liquids."

"Oh, gross, Bluebell." Chrome, the one who had been referred to rudely before, wrinkled her nose in disgust. "You're making my profession sound dirty."

"Just making it sound as dirty and it is, girl." Bluebell winked.

Dino assumed they were close, watching with interest as they were throwing comments back and forth. They were all still waiting for the rest of the teachers to arrive, and he was feeling outnumbered as the only male there at that moment. There were a few curious stares from the other patrons from their loud outbursts, so to divert the attention from him he excused himself to the bar. They passed him money for drinks and then ushered him on, Chrome still complaining that she didn't want another drink.

He ordered a carbonated drink for himself and then furrowed his brow to try and remember all the oddly named drinks that they'd requested. He counted them off on his fingers, not glancing up at the bartender once.

"All right," they replied to the order, "coming right up."

"Thanks." Dino smiled.

The bartender slid a small cocktail glass towards him before continuing to make the rest. As he was pouring the liquor he asked, "Are you still seeing the small one you bagged last month?"

"Eh?" Dino blinked, repeating the comment in his head to make sure that he had heard correctly. His eyes flashed up to see the mohawk and then the sunglasses perched on top of the bartender's nose, and then he realised exactly why he recognised him. He should have realised sooner, though. He'd been to the bar with Mukuro once since the event.

"Today's not usually my shift." They'd caught his confused expression. "I swapped with a friend. And do you know what? I hope you are, in fact, still seeing that young man."

Another cocktail glass was slid in front of him whilst all the colour went to his face. He wanted to command the male to talk quieter, but words died in his throat.

"I'm rather protective of him, you know. You could say I'm like a replacement mother when his sister is out of town."

Many images flashed before Dino's eyes, but none of them made any sense. If the male in front of him actually was protective of Kyouya then why had he allowed him to walk out of the club or even be seduced right in front of his eyes? Either the bartender was mad or he was bluffing.

"Sure," Dino said, squaring his shoulders. "I'm still seeing him." It wasn't a lie; he saw in almost every day in class, sitting either in the back row or beside his green-haired friend.

"Got yourself a boy toy?" M.M. appeared out of nowhere, taking a sip from one of the drinks and scrunching up her facial features. "That's definitely for Chrome. Nice and strong."

Dino kept eye contact with the other male before slipping him the right amount of money, walking back to the table with their drinks and M.M. carrying the rest of them, almost stumbling form her heels.

"Chrome!" she called, setting down the glass in front of her. "It's mostly juice, so just knock it all back in one."

"That's not fair, she's had a hard week!" Bluebell replied, amusement flickering within her cerulean irides. "She had inspectors sitting within most of her lessons, all because of that rumour that was spread."

Chrome leaned forward for a few moments, her shoulder-length violet hair obscuring her expression before she brought the glass to her lips and drank all of the liquid in one go. She stated coughing afterwards, the alcohol burning her throat. "M.M.!" she said accusingly.

M.M. simply smirked, leaning back into the chair. "Yes?"

Curiosity got the better of him. Dino interrupted their conversation before it could fully begin by asking, "What rumour was spread?" Not only did he feel left out of the loop for knowing about the inspectors or the fact that they were there in the school at all, he was scared for his situation. He couldn't mess up already and let everyone know that he was in trouble.

"That idiot Mukuro liked to make fun of her and a student," Bluebell explained, her expression softening as she saw Chrome stiffen. "There were no other teachers available so she volunteered to be the baseball club's manager, and that's where it began."

Mukuro had been the cause of the rumour and he knew far too much about Dino's situation as it was. He gulped and it looked as though he was into the story.

M.M. cut in, nodding her head in agreement. "He always used to make comments in the hallway and the students started joining in, too. It was harmless at first." Harmless until she almost lost her job, he concluded. He scrutinised Chrome with his gaze, dubbing her as not much older than he was—she dressed young, in a short pair of shorts and a ruffled shirt and there were certainly no wrinkles on her face, not even the crows feet by the corner of her eyes. "To put it bluntly, someone higher up paid a visit whilst the students were making fun of their relationship."

"How long ago was this?" Dino looked down at his drink, not being able to look at them in the eyes. Chrome was being scolded for something she hadn't done, and there he was, sitting there and knowing he had done the exact thing. The taboo had been done, and he couldn't take it back.

"How long ago did she become the club's manager? Last year. The surprise visit was a few weeks ago."

He suddenly wished that his drink was alcoholic but couldn't bring himself to go back up to the bar. They changed the topic after that, lightening the mood and proceeding to get even more drunk than before. Once he'd ordered taxis for some of them and then waited for Chrome's friend to pick her up, he did believe the evening was wroth it, though. He acquired the one thing he was out to get: the key to a certain section in the library.

But maybe the vomit on his shoes wasn't quite worth it.

AN: I haven't forgotten about this story but it seems that everyone else has. Some of the other teachers are finally named! I can't be bothered to think of a headmaster, though.