Warning: This story will purely be cute non-romantic things until chapter eleven. I'm just putting the rating up already so readers don't freak out later on. There will be no pedophilia.

家庭教師ヒットマン REBORN! © 天野明

one: a bunch of buttercups.
I don't know if I like you or don't like you.

"Hey," Dino called, crouching as he extended his hand towards the child in front of him, "little man. It's been awhile, hasn't it?" His bags had landed beside him with a small thud, but the noise was enough to scare the other away. Sighing, Dino tried not to look dejected. "What did I do this time?" he asked their mother, jutting his lip out as he stared at the floor. No matter how many times he was rejected, he chose not to give up. It was only a matter of time until he was accepted—he was still a stranger, after all.

"Oh, don't worry," Nana laughed softly, fond of the sight of her two children staring at each other, even though the youngest had decided to hide behind her leg and have some of his bushy hair up her dress. "Tsuna's just forgetful today. He only woke up when he heard the taxi pull up outside, you know." She smiled down at the four-year-old at her feet, ruffling his hair and gently coaxing him to stand on his own two feet.

He refused, stubbornly puffing his cheeks up and shaking his head.

"Did he?" Dino humoured her, unsure whether to believe that was the case. They had been living apart ever since Tsuna had been born, only meeting on spontaneous occasions, and he'd always received the same treatment. He was an outsider, not only in looks.

Tsuna had grown since he'd last seen him. The almost bald head, from where their father had decided he needed a man's haircut, had sprouted a lot more hair. The auburn strands reached just above his eyes, poking out in different directions and clumps. As Nana had said, it was obvious that he had just woken up. If he looked close enough, Dino swore he could see pillow marks across one of his large cheeks. He estimated that his brother would come up to roughly his thigh if he'd ever work up the courage to come near him.

It had been four months since they'd met and Dino was sure that he hadn't changed. Apart from getting ready to transfer schools, and therefore had been anxious and losing some sleep, so his eyes looked more tired than before, he remained the same. The same bright shade—that he detested—of hair, the blond contrasting with his skin tone and sienna irides.

"I'm sorry we missed your birthday, Dino," Nana apologised, her tone sincere. "Tsuna had a fever."

He told himself he was old enough to fend for himself, not to be pampered any more. "I know," he murmured, clearing his throat. "I spent the day with myself, doing what I wanted. There was no reason to have a party with friends I'm never going to see again, right?"

When he stood up and plucked his bag from the floor, he could clearly decipher his mother's gaze. Her eyes were telling him a eleven-year-old shouldn't feel like that, much less announce it aloud.

He faked a smile. "I guess I'm home, Mom."

-x-

As he waved goodbye to his mom and little brother, Dino gnawed on his lower lip. He had the whole day at home until they returned from kindergarten and work, so what was there to do? He perched himself on the sofa, stiff, as just the scent of the apartment wasn't easy to get used to. The warm atmosphere was foreign, and with how awkward it had been when he'd walked back out from his room the night before—after inspecting it thoroughly—and noticed that immediately, Tsuna had shut his mouth and looked down at his food. As much as Nana had tried to keep up the warm feeling, even by singing to calm the youngest down, it wasn't working. Dino had consumed his food quickly before retreating into what was going to be his room for years to come. Were the walls always going to be the same dull shade of white, and was the view from the window always going to seem so uninviting?

Without bothering to unpack all of his clothes, Dino showered, dried his hair and shoved on his clothing and walked straight out of his home, looking for somewhere to breathe. He took in the fresh air as he would have after a choking fit; large gulps with his eyes closed, calming himself down.

"There's no reason to panic," he told himself, the childish tone his voice possessed irking him, "it's just a new place with new people in it."

A new place that he was lost in, he soon found out. After walking around aimlessly for a good half hour, he slumped down beside a tree and placed his forehead onto his knees. It was just his luck to get lost on the first day, not considering leaving some sort of a trail or clues to find his way back home. The name of the apartment building was unknown, too, all he knew was that his family were on the first floor.

"Are you trying to be a target?"

Dino's head shot up quickly, and he looked at the newcomer with large, curious eyes. All he could take it, though, was the fact that the boy in front of him had grey hair and lots—far more than what Dino considered the average, for him—of bandages and band aids slapped onto him skin.

"I could hit you with this." The boy tossed a bright yellow tennis ball into the air, catching it with ease without looking to see where it would fall. "I got told off by my mom for hitting without permission," he explained in a simple tone, his eyes as wide as Dino's had been when he had been caught unaware. "So, may I use you as a target, mister runaway?"

"I'm sure I'll get hit even if you don't aim," Dino grumbled, knowing his terrible luck. In his last school all his classmates found amusement from his awful luck, but all he found was the fastest route to the nurses office. "I didn't run away! I got lost."

The other male blinked, obviously confused. "How can you get lost? There are signs everywhere!"

"Signs can't always help," he shot back, stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest. He was still seated down onto the floor, staring suspiciously at the newcomer. If he looked closely enough, he seemed to be the same age as him. But then why wasn't he in school? "It all looks the same around here."

The gray-haired male's eyes visibly lit up as he dropped his ball to the ground without a thought. He reached forward and took hold of Dino's wrist, dragging him to his feet and pulling him further into the foliage. Even when he exclaimed his distaste for being pulled around, he was ignoring.

"Look!" the boy said, still gripping his wrist while pointing towards the tree in front of them. They weren't even half the size of it, so to see properly they both strained their necks in unison. "This tree still has it's leaves! The one you were under didn't."

He sounded too amazed for his own good. "As cool as that is," Dino said, taking back his arm and rubbing where the Mark would appear soon, "it doesn't help. I can't get home by following trees!"

"Why didn't you say you were lost? I always help a man in need!" To emphasise his point, the boy banged his fist against his chest, puffing it out before it had hit. "Where do you need to go?"

As much as he wanted to keep his pride, Dino had to admit, in the end, that he had no idea. "I... don't know," he said, honestly, whilst blushing from head to toe in an instant. Another one of his charms, apart from being hit a lot, was his ability to blush within seconds. "Today's my first day here. I just left home to get some fresh air."

"Who lives near you?" he enquired. "I'm amazing at finding directions, it's almost extreme."

He hadn't asked about the neighbours; their apartment was the first one, the rest to the left. The town was so small that the boy was bound to his family. "Do you know everyone here?"

"Of course." He grinned widely, showing that he was missing a tooth.

"Do you know the Sawada family?" Dino asked hopefully, switching his weight onto his other foot. "I need to get to that apartment, wherever that is."

"You know Tsuna?" the male asked as he started walking through the trees. Hearing his brother's name, Dino followed along after him, unfortunately getting leaves in his face as he didn't catch them in time. "Sure, I know where that is," he proclaimed as Dino gnawed in his lip. "I live two apartments down from them. But I've never seen you around before..."

And that was his cue to explain why he was a stranger, not welcome in the area. "I'm his older brother," he said, not as proudly as he could have, "I used to live with our dad."

"I wondered why I never saw a man in that house," the boy said, continuing to fling leaves into Dino's face, although it was unintentional. "I'm Ryouhei. Tsuna often comes round to play with my little sister and I. He's scared of our mom, though. Silly thing, he is."

It was as though a whole new world had been described to him. At least he knew that even though his brother was timid, he still has friends. "Is it normally just the three of you?" he asked, doubting that Ryouhei's mom would ever be joining in if Tsuna was scared of her. Was that how he was doomed to be, secretly spying on him so he didn't overreact and start crying? "I'm going to be busy with school and stuff soon, so I thought..."

"Oh no, one of us has to drag Kyouya along with us," Ryouhei said, laughing fondly. "As much as that boy pretends that he hates us, he does enjoy it." He looked over his shoulder and spotted the blank stare that Dino was giving him. "I guess you haven't met him yet. Kyouya's the kid in the apartment next to yours. You won't hear any screaming or crying from in there."

Dino blinked. "Why?"

"He's extremely quiet," he explained, "but smiles when you've done something good. Kyouko likes to see him smile."

His interest was piqued. "Who's Kyouko?"

"That's my baby sister's name," Ryouhei said proudly. Dino had to wonder whether he'd be able to talk about Tsuna that proudly one day, then decided that he just had to wait and see whether anything happened between them.

"How old are they?" And you, he added in his head.

"Kyouko is Tsuna's age, and Kyouya's a little bit older. He's five now, I think." The unspoken question was in the air, and Ryouhei chose that moment to laugh, bashfully scratching the back of his neck. "I got suspended from school for playing catch. My throw was a little too extreme for them, and the teacher said it was an act of violence." He looked over his shoulder again, grinning and showing off his missing tooth. "I'm eleven."

"I'm starting school next week, so I guess I'll see you there?"

"Oh yes, you will." He grinned. "And tomorrow night. Out parents are going out, so I'm babysitting round yours."

From the lack of information he'd been told, Dino told himself that it was only natural. He didn't need to know everything immediately, but it still hurt. "Yeah," Dino said.

He'll be a better big brother than me, he thought.

When they finally arrived at their destination, Dino finally realised that he'd forgotten to get a key at all, so he'd spent the day with Ryouhei instead. He was easy to get along with, Dino mused, someone who was just obsessed with having fun, rather than sitting down and talking. They were fast friends.

-x-

The day after, just as Ryouhei had announced, Dino was told that there was going to be some visitors in their apartment. He stared blankly at his mother, waiting to see what extra information would come his way, and if she'd answer his unspoken question of why wasn't it him babysitting? Surely, it would have been a great chance for him to bond with his little brother—the same brother that was clutching a teddy bear and burying his face into it. Tsuna was completely unaware that Dino had bought him that bear the year before.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble," Nana apologised, looking over her shoulder at her eldest son. "Things have been hectic since you've come here, I know. But it'll get better. You'll make friends." Her high heels clicked against the floor as she ran around the living room, looking for her purse. She'd said she was going out with two other moms, the ones from the other apartments on their level. "Ryouhei will be here soon. Have you met him?"

As expected, she was forgetful. A fond smile tugged at the corner of his lips; he always knew he didn't get that trait from his father. "Yeah, I met him yesterday. He seemed cool."

"Cool isn't quite the right word for it." Nana laughed, looking in the mirror as she slipped on a pair of earrings and fixed her hair. "Just make sure you don't do anything sport related. He's a bit too... enthusiastic."

Oh, I know, he thought. He wished her a good time and endured having his hair ruffled before she disappeared, but not before kissing Tsuna softly on the forehead. The young boy simply pressed his face further into his bear, slowly nodding to whatever she'd whispered into his ear.

The atmosphere was awkward again. It was the first time the two of them had been left alone together, and Dino took it upon himself to sit down on the sofa beside his brother, gnawing on his lip as he thought about what to say. "So..." It was a promising start. "Does your bear have a name?" To his surprise, Tsuna nodded his head but didn't say a word. "What's his name?" he asked, scooting over so he was sat beside him.

Tsuna mumbled into the bear, and all the other could make out was, "Girl." Dino perked up immediately from hearing the small mumble, it was the most he'd gotten out of him, after all. "Fuwa."

The bear was fluffy, but not as much as Tsuna's hair, so it fit well. "I see," Dino mused. "Is Fuwa in pain from how tight you're holding her?"

"...N-no." His voice was shaky, but he took enough notice of his brother's words to pull back and turn his bear around, looking at it's face in concern. He murmured again, and Dino couldn't make out what he'd said.

"That's fine then." He smiled softly—at least it was progress, right? "I used to have a bear. I left it back with dad by accident, actually." Tsuna didn't reply to his confession, but from the slight turning of the younger boy's head—meaning that Dino could roughly make out one eye—he supposed it was a sign to continue. "I called him—"

It was that moment someone knocked on the door. Only lightly, but it was still loud enough to make it. Dino sighed in exasperation and decided that that moment wasn't the right time at all to attempt to bond with him. As soon as he'd opened the door, he blinked in surprise.

"Prank," he murmured before he heard someone laugh quietly. Looking down he saw a young girl, probably around Tsuna's age from the height, dressed in what seemed to be a pink pair of pyjamas. She wasn't holding anything else apart from a small soft toy which was shaped like a bunny. "Kyouko?"

She looked up with wide eyes, allowing Dino to see that they were a light shade of caramel. "...Tsu-chan?"

He'd confused her already. "Tsuna's on the sofa inside," Dino said softly, standing out of the way to let her in. She walked slowly, looking at her surroundings to see if anything else had changed. "Is your brother coming?"

"Kyouko!" Ryouhei shouted from outside, the sound of footsteps following. "Mom told you to save your pyjamas for later!"

Dino raised an eyebrow as he saw her dive behind Tsuna on the sofa, trying to hide behind his bear. Tsuna's expression had visibly lit up—considering that his face wasn't squished into his bear any more—as soon as she'd waved like a maniac towards him.

Ryouhei came sliding to a stop in front of him, almost slipping over. "Have you seen my sister, Dino?"

"No, I haven't." The lie caused a small laugh to come from inside. "I haven't met her yet, only some strange creature in pink pyjamas. She's invaded my home."

"Strange creature," he murmured. "That's definitely her! Kyouko!"

For the next few minutes, Dino leaned against the closed front door as he watched Ryouhei attempt to chase his little sister around the room. Although the older sibling wasn't being serious, it was still amusing to watch as he slowed down as soon as he'd almost caught her. Tsuna had stood up on the sofa, almost dropping his bear to the floor, as he watched them in what seemed to be fear. He'd gasp softly as soon as Ryouhei had gotten close to her. Dino decided that he was spoiling their atmosphere and stalked into his room, softly closing the door behind him.

Rather than being where he heard laughing, he decided to play a video game instead. He was lucky enough to have a television in his room and had managed to take any consoles from his former house. There wasn't much he'd left behind—apart from friends, a few pieces of clothing, furniture and his bear he'd had since he was born. It hadn't been intentional; the toy had fallen out while he was packing without him realising. His father had been there to help him out, so it was probably still where it had fallen.

It was thirty minutes later when he heard his name being shouted. "Dino!" Ryouhei called. "Dino! Help!" He paused the game, placed down the controller and walked quickly into the living room. Ryouhei was on his back on the floor, while Tsuna and Kyouko were happily sat on his chest and stomach, keeping him down on the floor. "They got me, Captain."

"Captain?" He raised his eyebrows.

Ryouhei winked at him, as if to fill him in on a secret. "Go on without me!" he cried, exaggerating his words. "My death can't be extremely wasted."

"...Okay," Dino replied slowly, unsure whether to take the hint to join in. Kyouko was looking up at him with wide eyes, but Tsuna was still staring down. As subtly as he could, he changed the topic from feeling too uncomfortable. "Ryouhei, didn't you say there was another kid?" he asked, watching their expressions change. Kyouko immediately shifted her gaze to her brother with hopeful eyes. "Is he not coming today?"

"Oh, he is." He grinned. "Who wants to come with me to get Kyouya this time?" Before another word could get in, Kyouko and Tsuna slid off onto the floor and faced each other, each with one hand clenched into a fist. "One, two, three!" Ryouhei called happily, finally standing up and watching them play rock paper scissors.

When Tsuna won with scissors, he jumped happily while Kyouko pouted. "Tsu-chan cheated!" she claimed.

Her brother patted on her head in a comforting manner. "We'll be back in a few minutes. Why don't you go over and play with Dino?"

As she trotted over to him, clutching her rabbit once again, Dino shifted on his feet comfortably. He was never good with anyone younger—his brother was a prime example of that. "Hi," he said. He took note that her hair was a dark blond, almost brown, and reached her mid back along with a short fringe at the front. Almost like a doll, he thought.

Her voice was softer than before when she was comfortable. "Tsu-chan's brother?"

He dropped down to crouch, trying to get to her eye level. "Yeah," he confirmed, "but we don't look alike, eh?" To emphasise his point, he played with his blond hair purposely.

With a curious expression, Kyouko pointed out, "Eyes."

Eyes? Dino thought, furrowing his eyebrows. Did it look like they had the same colour eyes—was that the only thing they had in common? But then again, while he'd looked at Kyouko and her older brother, they didn't seem to look alike. Then, he was considered lucky to have one features the same, wasn't he? He smiled softly at her, about to thank her for pointing that out, before the door slammed open. They both visibly jumped.

"We've arrived!" Ryouhei shouted. Kyouko clapped her hands enthusiastically, grinning, when she saw that they had a companion. Whilst Tsuna was standing alone by Ryouhei's feet, but still wearing a pleased expression, the new addition they'd dragged along with them was currently draped over the older boy's shoulder, being forcefully held there as it was obvious he didn't want to come.

Dino spoke up after clearing his throat. "I don't think he wanted to come..." Although the boy wasn't struggling, from his attitude his distaste was obvious.

"Lies!" Ryouhei kicked the door closed behind him, throwing the boy onto the floor not so carefully. "He was trying to hide in his wardrobe."

Then he really didn't want to come round. Kyouya had landed on his backside, wincing, before he continued to stubbornly stay on the floor. Unlike Kyouko, he was dressed normally, just like Tsuna was, too. Kyouya was the only one of all of them who had black hair, in a similar style to what Dino had. "Do you do this every time?"

"Yes!"

Kyouya's eyes flickered to Dino, probably because he didn't recognise his voice. Much like when Kyouko first saw him, he looked at him with wide, curious eyes that were a dark grey in colour. He kept his lips firmly shut, but his expression was enough to ask a question.

Dino pointed to himself. "I'm Tsuna's brother."

Slowly, Kyouya nodded his head.

"Isn't his mom still at home?" Dino asked Ryohei, raising an eyebrow. "Kidnapping isn't a good habit. If your mom finds out, she won't give you any cake."

"Cake!" Kyouko gasped, glancing at her brother in fear.

"She's out with our moms." Ryohei grinned, still showing off the missing tooth. "I still do this when she's there, though. Apparently it's good for him."

From how quiet Kyouya was being, Dino highly doubted that. "If you say so," he murmured, shaking his head as he walked back towards his room. Even though there was shouting like just before as he settled down, at least his name wasn't being called. He wasn't being dragged into their conversations at all, and that was enough for him. Alone time was welcome whilst he was trying to adapt, especially since there were random children within his apartment. A thought hit him as another enemy was killed on his screen; if they were staying over, where would they sleep? Tsuna's bed could only fit Tsuna and maybe one more, so where was Ryouhei and someone else going to go? Before he had arrived, they probably used his bed. "Looks like I'm on the sofa," he mumbled, harshly pressing down on the buttons.

He happily played his game for awhile, until it was definitely dark outside, before venturing out into the kitchen for a drink. He didn't know where they'd wondered off to; the apartment was far too quiet, though he could hear soft footsteps. Taking a can of soft drink into his hand, Dino walked back to his room and was about to shut the door before he felt a tug onto his jumper.

It scared him—he was only just able to catch his drink before it fell onto the floor. Kyouya had tugged onto his clothes, but there was no one else there. Dino stared at him, waiting for an explanation, before he remembered what Ryouhei had said about him speaking.

"...Yes?" Dino looked around to see if anyone else was there, whipping his head back and forth. "Sorry, I don't know where anyone is. Did you lose them?" Kyouya tugged on his jumper again, as if trying to tell him something. Even though he was older than Tsuna, he was still the same height as him. Dino looked visibly confused before he pieced together the silence and the sudden disappearance of everyone. "Are you playing hide and seek?"

Still holding onto Dino's clothes, Kyouya nodded.

At least it's a response, he thought, standing aside so he could welcome him inside. Cautiously Kyouya let go of the other's clothing, looking around the room with large eyes. As Dino shut the door behind him, the other simply stood still and glanced around every now and then. Settling himself down and grabbing the controller again, he said quietly, "You can relax, you know. I don't bite."

He didn't nod again, but he did sit down beside the bed, just watching the screen as Dino played. The sound of footsteps came after awhile, along with laughter, and he had to wonder whether Kyouya was hiding away for real rather than for a game. Didn't they say he enjoyed being with them, although he was reluctant at the start?

He didn't look away from his game as he asked, "Don't you want to play with them?"

When there was no answer, Dino had to take the silence as a no. It had been a good thirty minutes before he decided that it was too awkward to just sit in there—he knew next to nothing about the boy behind him, and that applied to him, too. As he was thinking about what to say to start a conversation, Dino quickly saved his game before turning it off, settling down beside the intruder who'd pulled his knees up to his chest.

"You can always go home," he pointed out before he realised what was wrong. "Oh. I didn't tell you my name, did I?"

Kyouya shook his head—did that mean he was interested?

If he could get along with his neighbour that Tsuna seemed to really like, then there was going to be no problem. "I'm Dino. I already know your name, Kyouya, so don't force yourself to tell me."

The only noise apart from their breathing was someone running around the apartment.

"So... you're five." Nice one, he thought. "I'm eleven."

Only a few minutes later, while they were basking in the glory that was silence, when the door opened and the two youngest in the home came running in. "Kyou-chan!" Tsuna and Kyouko said at the same time, climbing all over the boy within seconds. He didn't say anything in return and knew that it was useless to struggle while they were shaking him, silently asking where he had been.

"He's extremely good at hide and seek," Ryouhei announced from the doorway, catching his breath. "I've been running around trying to find him."

Dino had to crack a smile at how they'd neglected his room. "He's been in here since the beginning."

"You win, Kyouya!" Ryouhei exclaimed enthusiastically, punching the air with one fist. "You can choose where you want to sleep tonight!"

That sorted out any doubts he had about where they slept. "Two of you can have my bed," Dino cut in while they were looking at each other curiously. Kyouya had finally been given space again while they were thinking. "You're guests."

Ryouhei punched the air again, shouting louder than before. "You're a real man!"

"I'm just being nice."

One by one they all disappeared—Kyouko into Tsuna's room while Tsuna followed after, and Kyouya had to be ushered somewhere by Ryouhei. As soon as he was alone, Dino sighed before reaching for his pyjamas and then wandered around the apartment to see where the spare blankets were kept. He didn't want to catch a cold. He eventually found in a cupboard within Nana's room, so he grabbed enough to keep him warm for the night. Also changing before the room, he made sure to put his dirty clothes into the baskets that were in each room.

As he was on his way to brush his teeth, he bumped into Kyouko who'd just done the same thing. He could tell from the white around her mouth. "Night," she said, waving the rabbit's hand instead of hers.

"Sleep well," he replied automatically. It was a new thing for him for someone to be there to speak to before they slept. He said the same to Tsuna, who just nodded on his way past, and then Ryouhei, too. Kyouya was nowhere to be seen, even after he'd brushed his teeth. After he'd turned the light off in the living—once everyone else's were off, too—he jumped onto the sofa, wincing at how hard it was, rather than soft.

As hard as he'd tried to fall asleep on it, it just wasn't comfortable enough. Throwing the blankets off of him, he went to get a glass of water before trying to sleep on the floor instead. One of the blankets was below him as a makeshift mattress, while he stole a cushion from the sofa to use as a pillow.

"Better," he announced to himself, puffing his chest out with pride from his new bed.

Nana still wasn't back, and he wasn't quite sure what the time was. Everyone else was sound asleep—well, he could clearly hear Ryouhei as he was either breathing loudly or snoring from one of the rooms. If he strained his ears enough, Dino swore that he could hear soft footsteps, too. He shoved that out of his head and continued to attempt to sleep, wrapping the blankets around him like a cocoon.

The footsteps were hard to ignore when they were right by his head. Dino peeked out from under his blanket, only seeing a small pair of legs and no clue as to who it was. The moonlight would only allow him to make out small details, so to put his speculation to an end he lifted up his left arm—as his right was under his head as he was lying down—and held up the blanket. They climbed in without hesitating, making it so their forehead was pressed against Dino's chest. Dino shuffled to get comfy again while wrapping the blanket around them.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked, groggily.

The answer he got was only one word, but it was enough to realise who it was. "Cold," Kyouya answered, shuffling closer.

Certainly, if he could get along with this strange neighbour, coaxing his brother to talk to him normally was going to be a piece of cake.

AN: I really have no idea how children act. Thank you for whoever helped me with this! And for Kuro for betaing the first part. If anyone wants to offer to beta this story, I'll love you forever! The chapters will add one year onto their age each time until it slows down later on.

So, Dino's an independent child who's used to no one being home and not comfortable with family. Tsuna's a coward who hates change. Kyouko's his best friend who likes rabbits and likes to see people smile. Ryouhei's an idiot who accidentally hurts people and claims it was "sports" when they were unaware. Kyouya's quiet, smile sometimes, and isn't violent. Yet. Spoilers for the next chapter time!

"Your mom is a... guy."
"Uncle Colon! Stop cosplaying and get a job!"