Jack of All Trades

A semi-crack, Shoujo-ish story.

Wanted to try writing one at least once. :D

In the city of Namimori, wealth and power are the two main forces that determine what is important and what is not. If you were poor, no one gave a shit about you. If you were rich, you were fawned over and envied by all. With such views, the people of Namimori were divided as well; the rich living on one side and the poor on the other. The rich never ventured over to the poor and the poor never ventured over to the rich. They never mingled in the public parties held once every month and only went to eat at the restaurants that were created for their respective statuses. Rich and poor never worked together. The poor always worked for the poor, for they despised the rich yet envied them. And the middle class, however few, worked for the rich. All of this applied for the city of Namimori. That is, except for one boy.

Sawada Tsunayoshi. Jack of all trades.

"Oi, Tsuna! Table 5 needs you!" A man tapped an expensive looking plate with his finger, a small dish set neatly in the middle of it, and a young man with chestnut hair that seemed to burst from his head like flames scurried over, hurriedly wiping his wet hands on his apron.

"They need me?" Tsuna blinked curiously while lifting the plate carefully in one hand.

The man clucked his tongue and skimmed his eyes over a new order that had just come in. "Says something about the wine you picked for them."

Tsuna gulped nervously and nodded once in thanks before leaving the swinging doors of the kitchen. His amber eyes flit about the room and they landed on the young man with smooth black hair sitting at the cream colored table, swiveling a glass of wine in one hand idly. The man's eyes shot towards him and he jumped instinctively, caught by the man's sharp, grey-blue eyes. Tsuna calmed himself and walked forward, a polite smile across his face. After gently setting the new plate down, he bowed courteously and kept his eyes lowered.

"You needed me, sir?"

The man examined Tsuna over carefully and then muttered, "You are the one who chose this wine?"

"Y-Yes, sir."

Tsuna shuffled his feet, feeling quite uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the man before him. Then, something was slipped into his fingers. Tsuna looked up in surprise and stared at the thick roll of cash in his right hand.

"I assume you know of the public party being held in the town hall tomorrow evening?"

"Yes, sir...?" Tsuna fingered the notes in his hand slowly, glancing at the man sitting in front of him with a skeptical eye. All this money... what for?

"You're hired. I want you there at three o'clock sharp to prepare things before the party."

"Eh?"

The man drained the rest of the wine in his glass and set it down on the table. After taking a bite from the dish, he stood up and flicked out a few more bills onto the table. Before he left, he turned to address the brunette again, lips quirked upwards in an amused manner.

"You are getting quite infamous, Sawada Tsunayoshi, jack of all trades. And the wine that you pick is not bad."

Tsuna gaped at the man as he left and glanced down at the wad of cash in his hands again, this time noticing the name card buried inside. He lifted it up to the light and the glossy words across the top gleamed.

"Hibari... Kyouya...?"

.:.

"See you tomorrow, Sawada!" One of Tsuna's colleagues waved and the brunette bowed politely, bidding them goodbye. He let out a sigh and then turned to his locker, pulling it open to scan his eyes down a list of the week's schedule. Lifting an index finger, the young man skimmed through the events for the next morning.

"Four to eight, milk delivery again. Eight-thirty to noon, ramen shop. Short lunchbreak... Twelve-thirty to four..." Tsuna winced and frowned at the paper, "... helping out at the jewelery store..." The boy tapped his chin and squinted his eyes at the list. "That Hibari Kyouya-san said I had to be in the town hall at three o'clock, but..." He pushed a small pencil out of his pocket and tapped the graphite end against the door of his locker impatiently. Then, he hastily scratched out the jewelery store and sighed. He slowly filled in the spot with the name, 'Hibari Kyouya' and then stared at it uncertainly. "This had better be worth it..."

.:.

Tsuna fumbled with the worn down metallic door of his house and then trudged in wearily, kicking off his shoes. "I'm back...!" He announced and proceeded to shuffle along the narrow hall towards his room. Two children, one with a large, round forehead and another with a bushy afro, sped from the kitchen and raced around his feet in circles.

"Stupid Tsuna is back!" The afro-haired baby laughed and pointed at Tsuna with a sticky finger. The other child muttered something foreign and tugged on Tsuna's pants. The brunette smiled weakly and watched the energetic children with tender eyes.

"Hi, Lambo. I-pin. What did you guys do today?"

"Lambo-san helped Maman make cookies!" The afro-haired child grinned proudly and the other child smiled.

"I-pin make fried rice!"

"Heeh, is that so?"

"Tsu-kun?" A woman's voice came from the kitchen and Tsuna looked up to see his mother peering out with a pan and spatula in hand. "Ah! You really are back. How was work?"

"Not bad... someone offered me a new job. He said I was getting... infamous."

Nana giggled. "Well, that's only because you take up any sort of job that's possible. Why... I think I even remember you..." She tapped her cheek as though that would jog her memory, "Ah! Didn't you help clean and patrol the cemetery before? And weren't you one of those mascots at the amusement park for some time a few months back...?"

Tsuna grew pale as the memories came flying into his mind once again. He involuntarily shivered and then laughed nervously, evading his mother. "Uhh... where's... Gokudera-kun?" He asked as he watched Lambo and I-pin run back into the kitchen.

"Ah!" Nana beamed, "He should be at the back, doing his experiments again."

"Oh, okay. Thanks mom!" And then the boy jogged off down the hall to the door at the back. He shoved it open-shoved since the hinges had gone rusty-and felt the cool night breeze hit his face. He breathed in and smelt the familiar scent of chemicals, gunpowder, and smoke wafting from a corner of the small, cluttered backyard.

"Gokudera-kun...?" Tsuna called out tentatively, not wanting to surprise the silver haired man. There was a sound of a crash and the brunette grimaced as a silver haired man fell backwards from behind a large bush, landing onto the ground, having toppled over his creaky chair.

"Jyuudaime!" Gokudera yelped from his position on the grass floor and then a full blown smile lit up his face. "You're back!"

Tsuna laughed hesitantly. Still Jyuudaime...? Even after all this time...

"Jyuudaime, I think I've finally got it! Wanna see? I've been working on it for the past week." The silver haired man eagerly pushed himself up and slapped his pants a few times to get the dirt off. He stared at Tsuna expectantly and the brunette couldn't find it in himself to reject him. He followed Gokudera to the tiny workspace and fondly gazed at the small spherical shells sitting on a long wooden rack. Each of those contained Gokudera's hard work and effort.

Gokudera waved Tsuna over to the table and the man pinched a few particles of powder up between his fingers. The brunette opened his palm out and Gokudera dropped the particles into his hand. Tsuna studied them closely.

For the most part, they looked brownish and blackened. Like burnt wood. But after inspecting it for a moment, he found a few faint glimmers of something golden.

"What is it...?"

Gokudera shuffled around his work area and then lifted a semi-large ball in his hands. "It'll be faster if I show you." He ran out to the other end of the field and stuffed the ball into a pipe. Then, after flicking out his lighter from his pocket, he set a line of fuse leading to the pipe on fire. Gokudera backed away quickly and the two clamped their hands over their ears, watching the steel pipe expectantly.

After a ground splitting crack! a ball of fire shot upwards and the two young men tilted their heads back to observe a beautiful golden-orange light burst in the dark and empty sky. Tsuna's eyes glowed and his mouth fell open at the color. The lights of the fire had gently faded but the two continued to stare at the blackness, the unforgettable color burned into their minds.

"Wow... Gokudera, that was... that was amazing! How did you come up with that color?" Tsuna laughed excitedly and turned his head towards the silver haired man. Gokudera grinned happily and watched the sky a little longer before shifting his face around to let his eyes fall on Tsuna's face.

"Well... I was thinking... about your eyes..." The silver haired man murmured sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. The brunette felt his cheeks glow and suddenly he felt very aware of their proximity. Tsuna's eyes averted to the side.

"Uhh... well, I guess... I should go to bed. Still have work tomorrow." He chuckled weakly. Gokudera's eyebrows furrowed together.

"Jyuudaime... if you ever get too tired, I can always help you out."

"No!" Tsuna blurted and Gokudera blinked in surprise. "Uh... I mean, no..." The brunette scratched his cheek and then started slowly. "Gokudera-kun, even though we're not related by blood, I've always thought of you as my family. You really want to make many beautiful lights burst in the sky, right?"

Gokudera frowned slightly. "Yes...?"

Tsuna smiled warmly. "Well, isn't it a family's job to support you with what you want to do?"

The silver haired man stared at the brunette for a moment and then lowered his eyes. "But..."

"It's okay." Tsuna nodded, "You should focus on what you want to do. Leave supporting the family to me! I even got a new job today. Look how much they gave me in advance." He stuck a hand into his pocket and pulled out a wad of notes. Gokudera raised an eyebrow at the money.

"A rich guy...?"

"I get to work at the town hall. They're holding one of those monthly parties. I wonder what it'll be like...?"

Gokudera's eyes narrowed and he scoffed, turning back towards his workspace. "There's nothing interesting about those things..."

"How do you know?" Tsuna's curved down in a small frown, "It could be fun..."

The silver haired man shrugged and busied himself with his chemicals again. Tsuna pouted and then started heading back into the house. Why did Gokudera always pull on that cold attitude when he mentioned doing work for the rich people? Was it really that bad to make money off of the wealthy? He paused and stole a look in Gokudera's direction. When he was met with nothing but the young man's back, the brunette let out a short sigh. Whatever. He should get some sleep. Everything would be back to normal by tomorrow anyway...

.:.

It was 2:49. Shit. Tsuna panted breathlessly as he rushed down the street towards the bus station. It seemed today was one of his worst days.

He had started completely off schedule. Five minutes late to the milk delivery and his pay was cut by half. At the ramen shop, he spilled a bowl of noodles like a fresh new waiter would. At noon, he decided that after his short lunch, he would continue working at the shop until it was time for him to leave. But he got carried away by his job. And now... it took at least fifteen minutes to get from the poor end of the city to the town hall. Fifteen minutes that he didn't have.

The brunette tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the bus. His stomach churned in anxiety, making flops and squelching twists in his gut. He knew how important first impressions were. And being late to a job at the town hall would not be a good impression. He also got the feeling that that person, Hibari Kyouya, was not a person to cross when it came to punctuality. Tsuna sucked in a deep breath. Screw this. His feet jumped to his calling and they carried him down the street, fast as he could go.

.:.

A man with hair gelled up into a long pompadour glanced at his watch and then briefly nodded towards a black haired man standing a few feet away, dressed in a neat suit.

"It's three o'clock."

The black haired man studied the people lined up before him with cold eyes. As he scanned them over, an irritated frown surfaced over his lips and a faint, "hmph" flew from his throat. The people stiffened in their line.

They were standing in an enormous lobby room with smoothly waxed marble floors and polished wooden walls. A crystal chandelier hung above the center of the room, its reflection on the ground separating the black haired man from the line of sweating employees. Suddenly, the large brass doors behind the man burst open and a skinny brunette gasped loudly from the entrance.

"I'm... here...!"

Hibari Kyouya whipped around and swiftly rounded on the small brunette, eyes flashing dangerously. "You are late."

"E-Eh?" Tsuna panted, body bent over from the cramps in his abdomen. He lifted his head up to examine the clock. Twelve seconds past three. I'm late by twelve seconds...?

"I will deduct it from your payment. Now get in line."

Tsuna was about to protest loudly but then clamped his mouth tightly shut, knowing better. He scurried to the end of the line, joining a muscular man with shortly cropped silver hair. The man sent him a friendly grin and Tsuna smiled hesitantly back.

Hibari spotted the two acting friendly to each other and a scowl fell over his face. "Pay attention or I'll bite you to death."

"Hiiee!" Tsuna gulped and stood up as straight as possible, starting to reconsider his decision on accepting this job. The threat Hibari just spouted sounded a little strange... how would he bite someone to death...? Nevertheless... the words were oddly frightening.

The black haired man studied the row again and then started in an authoritative voice, "There is only one rule for this job: do it right and there won't be any problems. That is all. If you have any other questions, go to Kusakabe."

Tsuna's eyebrow twitched. W-Was this the way his employer worked...? So vague...

Hibari noticed the twitch in Tsuna's eyebrow and his grey-blue eyes narrowed. "Did you want to say something, Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

"Eh? N-No..." The brunette answered meekly, letting his eyes fall to the marble floor. Hibari eyed the boy over and then nodded to Kusakabe, the man with his hair gelled up into a pompadour.

"Get him something else to wear."

"Yes, Hibari." Kusakabe bowed briefly and hurried forward, grabbing Tsuna by the shoulders, to steer him to the large stairwell centered at the back of the lobby. The boy blinked and his eyes darted about, feeling slightly confused.

"B-But, aren't these clothes okay?" Tsuna wailed and fought to pull himself back beside the man with cropped silver hair. "I borrowed them from the richest restaurant I've ever worked at!"

Hibari scoffed and started to leave down a roll of carpet, moving towards a tall archway on the side which lead into the main ballroom. "You herbivores will never understand. You're on an entirely new level now."

.:.

Tsuna stared at the long mirror, dumbfounded. He was being dressed in the most comfortable and sleek feeling clothes he had ever worn. The young man fingered the buttons and his eyes went round when he noticed that they were made out of silver. He swallowed thoroughly and felt sweat start to dampen his palms. This was... unbelievable. Such luxury... if the employees could wear such clothes then what sort of clothes would the rich wear...?

Kusakabe nodded and admired the clean, wrinkle-less white shirt and the sleeveless black vest over it. "That should be okay..." Tsuna continued to finger the cloth and buttons, eyebrows furrowed together. The man with gelled hair allowed a small smile to cross his face. "Don't think too badly of Hibari. He's just very strict when it comes to the Yamamoto family attending such public parties."

Tsuna blinked and looked up slowly. "The Yamamoto family...? I've heard of their name at the restaurants often... but no one ever allowed me to see them. Who are they?"

Kusakabe spluttered and his eyes went round. "W-Who are...? Kid, did you get too engrossed in your jobs that you forgot to pay attention to the richest family living in Namimori?"

"R-Richest family...?" Tsuna stuttered, eyes starting to grow as round as Kusakabe's. "You mean... that's the Yamamoto family? We're going to be having a party for the Yamamoto family, the richest people of Namimori...?"

Kusakabe sighed and raised an eyebrow at the brunette. "Oi, kid... where have you been?"

Tsuna blushed shamefully. "I-I... I didn't realize... but then... why would Hibari Kyouya-san choose me to serve such important people...?"

"Maybe he saw something in you? Hibari only shows interest in things that are really worth taking interest in, so I don't think you have to worry about the reason you were picked." Kusakabe pat one hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Just trust yourself and do your job right, just like Hibari said."

"Oh... okay." Tsuna fidgeted with his clothes again. Then he looked up and gave the man a gentle smile. "Thanks, Kusakabe-san..."

The man paused for a second and then a small smirk spread from one cheek to the other.

"Anytime, kid."

They started leaving down the steps when Tsuna licked his lips.

"Umm... by the way, Hibari Kyouya-san wasn't very specific about our jobs... what exactly am I supposed to do...?"

"Oh. Right." A bead of sweat ran down Kusakabe's head. "Why don't I show you around first... you'll need to remember how to get around quickly..."

.:.

Evening came quick and Tsuna let out a sigh of relief as he finished arranging a bouquet near the front entrance. He felt a pair of eyes on him and his back immediately stiffened. Why had Hibari been watching him constantly for the past few hours...? It made him feel... very uncomfortable...

"EXTREME!" The brunette nearly leapt out of his uniform when a shout came from the banister. He whipped around and froze, watching in fascination as the man with the cropped silver hair, whom he had met earlier, came whizzing down the steps, polishing the marble to the finest degree at an unstoppable pace. Finally, the man came to a halt at the bottom and then spun around to grin at him. Tsuna gulped involuntarily. "Hey, you're the new guy, right? I'm Sasagawa Ryohei! I think I heard Hibari call you...?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi." He introduced himself politely, sticking a hand out. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sasagawa-san." Ryohei beamed and gripped the offered hand firmly and shook with vigor.

"Right! Sawada! I guess we'll be working together from now on, eh?"

"Eh?"

"Hibari likes to hold onto the things that he finds... he's an extreme man!" Ryohei grinned toothily and sent Tsuna a thumbs up.

"EH?" The brunette quivered. What was that supposed to mean...?

"Well... there was one time when I tried to quit the job. My sister needed my help. But before I could leave, I remember getting hit in the head by something really hard and the next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital. When I tried to get home, I couldn't find any trace of my family. They weren't in the house and all of their phone numbers were invalid. I couldn't get in contact with my relatives either. So, I'm stuck here by myself. EXTREME, RIGHT?"

The color drained from Tsuna's face.

Ryohei slapped a heavy hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Anyway, don't worry about anything. Hibari is a pretty good person. Deep, deep, extremely deep down." In the blink of an eye, a steel tonfa was pressed against the silver haired man's throat.

"Did you say something, Sasagawa Ryohei...?" Hibari's low voice came from behind the man. Tsuna's eyes bulged at the sight of the weapon. Didn't Ryohei say that he had been hit by something when he had tried to quit...? S-So... Hibari... really did...?

"Oh!" Ryohei smiled, not the least bit concerned by the cold metal at his throat. "I was just telling Sawada how you managed to subdue me here. Very extreme. Although I would appreciate it if you could tell me where my family went. I want to know if they're okay."

"Shut up." Was the simple reply.

"Fine fine, but one day I'll definitely find out! Oh yeah," Ryohei nodded at Tsuna, "Good job on the flowers, Sawada. You're really good at it!"

The brunette blinked innocently. "Eh? Oh... well... I just thought it would look nice that way..."

"Get back to work. There's only a few minutes left." Hibari grunted out, tightening his hold on his tonfa. Ryohei gave Tsuna another thumbs up before zooming away to finish polishing the rest of the lobby at mach speed. Tsuna watched open-mouthed as the silver haired man sped off into another room. And now he was alone with Hibari. Again.

"Uhh..."

"You, too." The black haired man muttered dangerously and Tsuna squeaked.

"Y-Yes!" The brunette scurried off down the east wing.

.:.

"Oi, new guy! Take these out and don't you dare spill a drop!" Someone handed Tsuna a platter of tall and thin glasses, all filled exactly to three millimeters above the halfway line. The brunette nodded and kept his posture as straight and steady as possible, holding the silver platter with one arm professionally.

Internally, Tsuna was sweating from the pressure. God, this job made him so paranoid of everything...! He sidled up as softly as he could beside a couple and offered the drinks, making sure that their conversation was not disrupted by his presence, and then he left just as briefly when they decided to take a glass or not.

The brunette felt his palms start to sweat again. All the people here were wearing such expensive and fashionable clothes... to think that he would actually see such things in person... was he dreaming?

In a couple of minutes, the drinks had dwindled down to two glasses and he smiled proudly. He had been given the job for choosing the wine and he was glad that the people were enjoying it. He chose it specifically to compliment the small cocktails being served around the room, which all seemed to revolve around the theme of tuna fish. Did the rich like to eat tuna...? The brunette was about to return into the kitchen for more when he noticed someone from a table wave him over. He froze. What should he do...? One of the employees had told him to stay as discreet as possible. Should he ignore that person's request...? Tsuna hastily shook his head. What was he thinking? Of course he should cater to the guests' wishes first than his own. If he got in trouble later... so be it.

He turned and started making his way towards the table where he had been called to. A tall young man with unruly dark hair sat in one of the dressed chairs, leaning casually against the back, a playful smile upon his lips. The man looked so casual despite the seriousness Hibari had pounded into them before the start of the party. He hadn't smoothed his hair and he didn't strain his back to sit up like a wooden board as the others did. But somehow... although his demeanor was out of place, he seemed to fit right in with everyone else. As Tsuna approached the man, he felt drawn into the strangely calm aura the man exuded. It felt... really good. How odd...

A giggle from beside the man broke the atmosphere and Tsuna felt himself return to his senses. He noticed a beautiful girl sitting close to the young man and the brunette immediately deduced that they were a couple. They looked good together.

"Ah, s-sir...? You asked for me?"

"Oh, thank you! My lady here just wanted another drink. It's her fourth one. And she rarely drinks." The man grinned boyishly, reaching out for the last two glasses. "Please send my compliments to the one who chose the wine for tonight." The girl giggled again and rubbed a hand against the man's arm affectionately.

"Oh, Takeshi-kun, you don't have to be so polite. I like it better when you're hacking and slashing all those rolled tatami mats in the dojo. You look simply amazing... I just want to make you all mine."

"Ahaha! Is that so?" The man named Takeshi chuckled and winked at Tsuna, placing the glasses back on the tray. "I think she's had a little too much."

Tsuna smiled politely and took a step back to silently suggest his dismissal. When the young man showed no inclination of keeping him there any further, he gave them a short bow and started to leave. But as he took another step back, he felt his foot slip on the floor.

It was all purely accidental. But little did he know that this tiny, accidental, and almost fateful moment would set his future prancing in an entirely new direction.

The brunette gasped faintly when his feet flew out behind him and the platter of wine glasses went spilling from his hand. For a split second, his round amber eyes met with the wide chocolate brown eyes of the young man. And then, in the next moment, he felt his body collapse and his face press into something firm. There was a shriek from a girl that sounded something like, "What do you think you're doing?" but the faint smell of a soft cologne wafted in through his nostrils, making him forget himself for a minute. It was such a soothing fragrance...

Suddenly, he snapped his head up in surprise. The young man with wild black hair stared back down at him, blinking repeatedly, and Tsuna's face burst into red, finally noticing that his cheek was pressed against the man's chest.

"I-I-I-I'm so sorry!" He leapt up and then gasped when he found the wine stains on the man's pants. Those would be impossible to get rid of! "Wah! Waah!" The boy flailed his arms around desperately, gaining the attentions of a few nearby people, "I-! I-! I didn't mean to-!" Tsuna fumbled for the handkerchief he had been given earlier (for protocol) and he knelt down beside the chair, rubbing and sopping at the spot on the man's leg, as if that would get the stain out. Tsuna's eyes squeezed together as he rigorously tried to get the wine out. Oh no! Hibari-san would kill him for this...!

The girl was still shrieking at him and a few people were murmuring and pointing fingers in his direction. But they were quickly silenced by the cheery laughter of the man named Takeshi. Tsuna looked up, eyes tearing up. He was seriously worried for his life. Why was this guy laughing...?

"Ahahaha! This is the first time this has happened to me! I didn't think it would be so funny!" The young man chortled. The guests stared at him curiously and Tsuna sniffed.

"Huh?"

The man beamed brightly at him and pointed at the wine stain on his pants and the handkerchief in the brunette's hand. "This, this! That's the first time someone's tried to seduce me that way. And it's such an old trick, too! Just like in the movies!"

Tsuna blinked once, still trying to register the man's words. "Eh?"

"Ah?" The guests blinked along with Tsuna.

The young man chuckled and lifted up eight fingers. "Not bad, I give you an eight out of ten. Eight because you forgot to cling on longer and because you wiped the stains too fast."

Tsuna's face went blank. But... but... he wasn't trying to seduce the guy...

"Haha, just another one of Takeshi-kun's games?" An old man chuckled lightly, eyes crinkling in delight.

"Ahh, that was quite entertaining. The party was getting rather stifling." A woman smiled, lifting a gloved hand up to her lips.

"Not bad, Yamamoto. We give you a ten out of ten!" A man shouted teasingly.

Tsuna's eyes widened. What? Yamamoto...? He lifted his eyes up to the young man and gaped at him. This guy... was a Yamamoto?

"Thanks!" Yamamoto Takeshi waved to the man who had shouted. Then he examined his pants and a troubled smile spread across his face. "Ahh, I should probably go see if I can get these stains out..." The dark haired man glanced at Tsuna and then grinned cheekily at the brunette. He sent him a suggestive wink, "Hey, you wanna help me?"

"E-Eh?" Tsuna backed away quickly. What was with this guy...? It was like he was trying to flirt with him or something! Didn't he already have that girl? Why not ask her to help him with his pants? He watched the young man laugh again.

"You sure have interesting reactions! Earlier, you were waving your arms around in the air like this, too." The dark haired man imitated the hurried motions Tsuna had been making a few minutes ago and the brunette felt his face burn in embarrassment again.

"Takeshiii," The beautiful girl, whom Tsuna had momentarily forgotten, pouted and clutched Yamamoto's arm close to her body. "Don't leave me..."

"Ahaha," The dark haired youth slowly unwound the girl's fingers from him and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry but I think I should take care of this... after all I wouldn't want to look improper in front of such a lovely lady." A silly smile spread across the girl's pouty pink lips at the word, 'lovely' and the girl sighed, reluctantly pulling away.

"All right... if you insist. But come back as soon as you can, Takeshiii."

Yamamoto nodded with reassurance. "Mm, I'll try to hurry back as soon as possible. I wouldn't want to leave you waiting for me."

"Hurry back..." Tsuna noticed that the girl's eyes seemed to be drooping closed. So, she really did have too much to drink... Yamamoto gently set the girl's head on the table and then sprang from his seat.

"Okay, I'll go clean this up then." The young man started walking towards one of the corridors. Tsuna watched him go and then realized that if he were heading towards the bathrooms, he was going the wrong way.

"Umm... Yamamoto-san?" He addressed the young man tentatively. The young Yamamoto glanced over his shoulder in response. "If you're looking for the bathrooms... it's this way..." The brunette pointed timidly to another corridor. The Yamamoto youth froze as if he had been caught stealing panties and he laughed weakly.

"Oh, right. Ahaha, I haven't been here for a while so I forgot for a moment. Thanks... um, you are...?"

Tsuna blinked. What...? Wait... was this super rich guy asking for his name...?

The Yamamoto boy stared at him expectantly and the brunette blushed pink.

"Umm... I'm... Sawada Tsunayoshi..."

"Sawada Tsunayoshi..." The dark haired man repeated and then grinned. "I'll remember your name. You're working under Hibari, right? Then we'll probably meet again. I'm Yamamoto Takeshi. You can just call me Takeshi." He offered his hand out in a friendly greeting. Tsuna waved his hands nervously.

"I-I-I can't just call you by name...! Is... Yamamoto-san, okay...?"

The dark haired man chuckled. "Somehow that makes me feel so old...!"

"Then... Yamamoto... kun?"

The young man smiled weakly.

"Yama... moto...?"

Yamamoto scratched his cheek with his index finger and let out a soft sigh. "I guess there's no getting you to change, huh... Oh well... anyway, I'll see you around, Sawada Tsuna! I gotta go!" After a quick wave, the dark haired youth jogged off back down the corridor he was originally heading toward and the sound of a car pulling up echoed through the lobby.

The brunette waved at Yamamoto's back, stunned from hearing his name shortened into such an affectionate nickname. Then, after a moment of contemplation, he stared at the corridor he had seen the man just run through.

Eh?

Yamamoto had left down the corridor to the lobby... and the sound of a car zipping away...?

EHHH?

.:.

They were lined up again, standing in the town hall lobby, backs straight and heads looking straight forward, hands and legs perfectly perpendicular to the ground. Hibari stood leaning against a wall, watching them carefully. Kusakabe paced in front of them, inspecting each employee carefully. Then, the large man came to a stop.

"Right then, everyone is dismissed. Sawada-san, there is something Hibari wishes to discuss with you. Please stay behind once you have finished changing."

"Eh? Ah, y-yes..." Tsuna stiffened, shivering from head to toe. W-W-What...? Hibari Kyouya-san wanted to discuss something...? The brunette gulped. It was probably about that incident with spilling the wine over Yamamoto. He was gonna die, wasn't he? He was gonna die...!

As the line dispersed, Ryohei nudged Tsuna in the arm roughly, forcing the boy out of his thoughts.

"I saw everything, Sawada!" The silver haired man beamed and clamped his hands over the brunette's shoulders, forcing him towards the changing rooms. "You were amazing! Making that spill look like an accident and getting everything smoothly going!"

Tsuna's mind was white, too afraid of what Hibari would do to him to register the words spouting from Ryohei's mouth. "W-Whaa...?" He voiced as he was pushed through the changing rooms.

"WHOOHOO! Pay raises!" Someone cheered from within, swinging a towel over their head.

"Nice job, Sawada!"

"Not bad at all, new guy! You're a natural!"

Tsuna's eyes went round as he stood in the middle of the ruckus of what were supposed to be calm, composed, and sophisticated employees. "Whaaaaa?"

Ryohei clapped a hand on the brunette's shoulder and grinned toothily. "We're all getting pay raises because you successfully helped the Yamamoto family's heir out of a pinch."

"Yeah, since he's the only heir, people are constantly trying to get him to marry their daughters by sending invitations. The kid's too polite to turn their invitations down, so we're partly here to help him out. Personally, I feel kinda bad for the kid. But the women he gets to date are damn gorgeous!"

"Huuh?" Tsuna gaped at them, mouth hanging open.

"Didn't you get the note I attached for you on the bottom of the platter of glasses?" A man smiled cheerily.

"EH?" Tsuna blinked a couple of times, trying to remember if he had seen any note paper during the party. Well... there had been a time where he found a piece of paper stuck on the bottom of a tray... but he didn't have the time to read it because someone had called for him from the kitchens. So he had ripped it off and tucked it into his pocket. The brunette dug a hand into his pocket and drew out the crumpled piece of paper.

New guy,

Get the Yamamoto kid out soon.

We'll get a bonus if you do.

Make it believable.

We're counting on you!

Tsuna stared at the creased paper blankly. What the-? And wait... he was a new employee! Why would they ask him to do such an important task?

"Wait, Sawada, you mean you didn't know...?" A man asked, pausing in the buckling of his belt.

"I... uh..." The brunette scratched his cheek hesitantly and let out a few short laughs.

"Wow... incredible! Maybe you've got some kind of sixth sense or something!" Another employee exclaimed from behind an open cabinet. Ryohei nodded along to every word spoken by the men in the room.

"Exactly..." The silver haired man boomed and then spun Tsuna around, staring at the young man with fiery eyes. "Which is why... I want to officially invite you to the BOXING Club!"

Tsuna could only watch the passionate man speechlessly.

The employees gathered around him and smiled, lifting their index fingers up in unison. "The BOXING Club. In other words, the Bringing Over Xtreme Income News to poor Guys Club!"

Never heard of it... Tsuna thought, unable to follow these men any further. And what was with dropping the 'P' from 'Poor'...? But... it sounded like something Sasagawa Ryohei-san would think of... after all, if a person could manage to clean, wax, and polish an entire ballroom yet forget to do it through the more normal and convenient means-namely, through something other than a toothbrush-he was sure that the person could very well drop the 'P' from 'Poor' in a club's acronym.

"We're a secret society formed from the middle-class who want to help the poorer people of our city. Extreme, isn't it? With your skills, we'll be able to gather even more information for all those people out in the back alleys, searching desperately for jobs! What do you say, Sawada? Being a poor man yourself, what do you say?" Ryohei's speech nearly shook the ceiling and the furniture in the changing room. Tsuna felt cold sweat start to bead on his brow. How did the man know he was poor?

"Uhh... I... "

At that moment, the doors burst open and the men sprang apart. Kusakabe entered, watching the employees warily, and Tsuna blinked once, bewildered by how fast they had become quiet and proper again. Was it an illusion just before...? That those guys had gone so crazy...? Kusakabe's eyes landed on Tsuna and he fixed his eyes on the young man who was still in his uniform. He raised an eyebrow. "Not done yet? Hibari's waiting, you know."

The brunette stiffened at the name and then nodded rigidly. "R-Right... I'll... be right there."

"Don't take too long." The large man rolled the grass between his lips before leaving once again.

When the doors swung shut, Ryohei immediately pounced on Tsuna once again, along with a few other employees. They circled around the young man and leaned in close, whispering hastily, "So what do you say?"

"Ummm... I'll... think about it..."

"Really?" Ryohei beamed and pulled back, "You'll join? Okay, we have a meeting coming up this Wednesday. Meet us at Namimori Park, behind the bushes between the fountain and the fourth bench from the main street!"

"Eh? EH?"

"I've got another job to do, so I'll be heading back to my place. See ya, everyone. Looking forward to seeing you there, Sawada!" After swinging his small bag over his shoulder, the silver haired man burst out through the doors and disappeared from view, leaving Tsuna to gape open-mouthed at the door.

"Bye, new guy!" A few employees passed him, grinning widely.

"We're leaving, too."

"Good luck with Hibari!"

Right. Hibari. Tsuna hurriedly unbuttoned his clothes, careful not to stretch or accidentally rip anything. Was he the only one left? He quickly tried to shed his pants off but he had missed a button and a zipper in his haste. As he fumbled with the annoying pair of pants, the young man mumbled irritably to himself, "Stupid thing. It may be expensive and it may look good, but it's not practical at all. Who would normally put a button over here? I guess this is a reason to be thankful for being poorer than others. We don't have to waste money on such stuff..." The brunette continued to mutter to himself, unaware of the sound of the door shutting.

"What are you doing?"

The cold voice caused Tsuna to freeze in his actions and he slowly faced the person at the door. The color in his face drained away. Hi-Hi-Hibari Kyouya-san...! The brunette exclaimed in his mind, momentarily forgetting his usage of speech.

Hibari took in the boy's state and paused for a moment. Tsuna stared back, body blushing completely pink. The only time he could remember ever being seen by another person in this way-shirt lying on a bench, pants stuck, one side pulled halfway down his thighs-was when Gokudera had stumbled into his room a couple of years ago, excited over the success of a new experiment. But even then, Gokudera had immediately fled out the room and apologized profusely outside the door. Hibari, on the other hand... was just staring at him. Openly.

"You."

Tsuna felt himself redden even more. Why wouldn't the guy just wait outside for just a few more seconds...?

"I have a new job for you. Forget all the others you usually work for. I'll triple whatever salary they give you."

"W-W-W-Whaat?" Tsuna stuttered uncontrollably, now reaching to pull his shirt back on, seeing as the man would not be leaving any time soon. He focused his amber-colored eyes on Hibari's face and noticed that a miniscule, nearly non-existent smile had flickered across his face. The brunette shivered. It felt like the man would try to eat him alive or something. Not that that could ever happen though. Right...?

"From now on, you will be working under me. If I find you working under someone else-"

Huh? Tsuna lifted a hand up quickly, eyebrows furrowed together. "Wait wait wait... I thought... I was already working under you...?"

Hibari stared at the brunette silently. And then he continued, "Starting tomorrow morning, three o'clock."

"B-Bu-"

"Assemble at the steps of the city church."

"Wh-?"

"If you dare be tardy again, I will bite you dead." His sharp eyes seemed to pierce right through Tsuna at his last words, paralyzing the boy in place. And then Hibari left through the door, without another moment to waste. The young man, having realized too late what had happened, merely stood in the center of the room, just as still as the other objects in the room.

.:.

"I'm home..." Tsuna murmured with little energy as he pushed open the rattling metal door of his house. I-pin and Lambo burst from a room upstairs and hopped down the steps eagerly to welcome the young man home.

"Tsuna, Tsunaa! Stupid-head is doing something weird again!" Lambo pointed towards the backyard fervently and I-pin gestured with her arms while making noises of, 'bakoon!' occasionally. Tsuna felt sweat run from the back of his head. What was Gokudera doing now...?

He sighed and nodded to the children before making his way sluggishly down the hall. After giving a faint wave to his mother, who was leaning over a few pots of flowers, clipping the dead leaves off, he made his way out the back door and raised an eyebrow as wisps of black smoke billowed from behind the bushes. Tsuna heard the sound of Gokudera coughing heavily and he hastily jogged around the wall. The brunette gasped when he found the silver haired man-or rather, now brownish haired man-covered from head to toe in ashes.

"Gokudera-kun!"

The man's head shot up and, although Tsuna could not see it through the black ash, his cheeks turned pink in embarrassment. "J-Jyuudaime! You're back?"

"What happened?" Tsuna wondered, eyes wide from the sight. He ran forward to help Gokudera brush off the ashes and the silver haired man shook his head, ridding himself of the dust in his hair. He coughed once and waved at the air around them before starting again, sheepishly.

"Uhh... well, I was playing around with what I made yesterday... but something strange happened! When I tried to use it again, something must've malfunctioned and it sort of blew up in my face..."

Tsuna gulped and glanced the man over once, eyes tense. "But you're okay, right...?"

"Yeah." Gokudera frowned and scratched his head, wondering where he had gone wrong. Despite the discontent laced in the man's words, the brunette let a smile of relief fall across his lips, eyes relaxing.

"Ahh, that's good."

The silver haired man paused to admire the look on Tsuna's face and then a grin pulled at the corners of his mouth. "But I was able to think of a few new models that will totally revolutionize the city! All I have to do is just create it. Here, I'll show you the blueprints!" He led the other boy towards his working space and pulled up a straw stool for Tsuna to sit on. As they sat down beside each other and Gokudera fumbled around in a pile of papers held down by a large rock, Tsuna glanced up at the sky, watching the stars blankly with his mouth parted open.

The sky was so dark... was it past midnight? He felt so sleepy... what with being paranoid all day long. Because of that Hibari guy... He was supposed to go to the church steps at three in the morning for a job he didn't even know what he would be doing. He had to wake up even earlier than the milk delivery job. What was with that? So... sleepy... but he couldn't sleep now...! In about an hour or two... he had to... leave...! The young man felt his head nod once and then twice and then three times. Maybe a little nap... wouldn't hurt...

"Oh yeah," Gokudera finally found the sheet of paper he had been looking for and yanked at it while addressing Tsuna, "How was work today, Jyuudai-?" The man felt something fall against his back and he froze. Trembling slightly, he peered over his shoulder at the slumbering brunette. Tsuna's even breathing brushed across his back and the rhythmic warmth made Gokudera's cheeks burn bright red. The man slowly straightened, careful not to stir the boy, and steadily maneuvered himself around so that Tsuna was leaning into his shoulder rather than on his back. Gokudera brought a hand up and wove them gently through the chestnut hair. Then, he let out a soft sigh and his fingers came to a stop. His eyebrows furrowed together and he whispered.

"Why won't you just let me help you...?"

.:.