"Why are we doing this?"
Tsuna tugs at her mama's hand with one hand, fingers tracing the elaborate designs on her new kimono with the other.
Mama smiles down at her, absently tucking a lock of black hair behind her ear, before speaking.
"We're doing this because the Hibari clan invited us over for tea. The current clan leader has a son around your age so you can make friends. And even if you don't," Nana adds, doubtlessly seeing the doubtful look on her face, "it's good to know them. They're very powerful in the Asian underworld, you know."
She nods, recalling mama's explanation of organized crime, before looking up curiously.
"Are they like us?"
Her mother laughs at that, bright and cheerful.
"Sweetheart, no one's like our family."
She watches with wide eyes as the gate to the compound swings open, glancing around at the decorations. It's far more traditional than their house or what she remembers of the Addams manor, and Tsuna is fascinated.
"Addams!" A voice cries out, then, and Tsuna looks up from the murals on the walls to a man in a sharp black suit striding across to greet them.
"Hibari Hiroshi," mama replies with a sharp smile, seeming like grace personified as she strides forward, the man pressing a kiss to her hand before stepping back.
"And this is your daughter, yes?" Hibari asks, peering down at Tsuna, and she resists the urge to fidget.
"Addams Tsuna," she replies with a step forward, doing her best not to betray her nerves. After a year surrounded by no one but their clan, it's almost terrifying, to talk to someone who isn't family.
Hibari smiles then, a sharp and vicious thing, and Tsuna can feel herself relax, doing her best to mimic him. It's hard to be nervous when this man smiles like an Addams.
"Hideko is coordinating tea and Kyoya is..somewhere," the man says with a wave of his hand. "My son will turn up eventually. Would you like to wait or meet the other guests?"
Other guests?
She bites back a frown, staring up at mama, who still seems utterly unaffected, as she accepts for both of them.
"Really," mama mutters as Hibari walks away, gesturing for them to follow. "You don't need to look at me like that."
"You said it was just tea with them!" Tsuna hisses back, too low for any normal human to hear.
"It is. It's also tea with some of their associates and their families."
"You are an Addams," she reminds her, looking down at her with a smile. "You have nothing to fear."
Kyoya knows mother expects him to show up at her…gathering at some point. Luckily, he also knows she will tolerate him showing up for the last few minutes, as long as he shows up at all.
Practically itching to get away from the sounds coming from the dining room and the guest quarters, he leaps over one of the fences and into the garden.
And stops, because there is someone in his garden.
Mother and father may tell him not to hurt the carnivores that come by, but there's someone in his garden.
The girl looks up from where she's kneeling, one hand still idly stroking a rose. He steps forward on silent feet, observing the pearl comb in her black hair and the black and red kimono she wears. Just one look is enough to tell him the small animal belongs to one of his parents' associates.
Father will scold him for this, mother will double his etiquette lessons, but Kyoya doesn't care as he leaps forward, already ready to teach this herbivore a lesson.
But the girl pivots before he can reach her, something flying from her sleeve and embedding itself in his hand. Kyoya bites back a shriek, ignoring the blood dripping down in favor of staring at the small animal circling him.
Another lunge, another dodge, and she leaps at him, and he only barely manages to duck before aiming a punch that she effortlessly dodges.
Growing impatient, he moves again, twisting just in time to bite back a yell as something cold and feather light wraps around his ankle, pulling him down and slamming him into the stone.
Slowly rolling over, biting back a scream at the feel of what must be a bruised rib, Kyoya looks up and into blazing orange eyes, watching tendrils of what looks like shadows wrapped around the small animal's hands.
"What a strange creature you are," she mutters, orange eyes locked on his own as she delicately reaches down, one small hand effortlessly pulling the senbon embedded in his own hand free.
He gasps, wincing at the burning sting. Watching with wide eyes, Kyoya coughs wetly, staring as the small animal delicately licks the blood on the senbon needles before tucking them back into her kimono.
"So full of life," she adds, still hunched over him. "So proud and full of life, so ready to defend what's yours."
The girl hums, fingers tracing along the blood on his mouth, fingers just inches from the tooth tangling by a stem, before smiling, slow and sure.
"Would you like to join me?"
Hideko walks through the milling crowd, gaze appraising, as she looks over their guests.
Her eyes catch, then, on the woman standing in the corner-the woman who must be an Addams. She didn't agree with Hiroshi's decision to invite the woman and she still doesn't. There's too much risk of somehow offending her, and everyone knows what happens to those that cross the Addams. With nothing to gain from this visit, inviting her was nothing short of foolish.
Opening her mouth to ask just where the Addams' daughter is, she stops when some of the guests turn to stare, gaze following.
Kyoya is standing in the doorway, blood dripping from his nose and mouth, a scrap of his shirt hastily tied around his hand. Blood dripping, a tooth missing-the boy is an absolute mess. What's more interesting, though, is the smaller figure next to him.
Watching cautiously, Hideko moves forward as they step through the doorway, the girl with ink black hair and flame bright eyes holding her son's hand.
Reaching out with her flames, she stops in shock, practically tasting the burning sky beneath her tongue. Practically tasting the flames in the air-and her son's flames too, cloud wrapped around sky.
The girl strides forward, smiling up at Hideko, her son's blood sticky on her cheek as Kyoya follows.
"He's my new nii-san," the girl declares, and Kyoya nods shakily behind her, still staring, seemingly enraptured, at the younger girl.
Well. Hideko thinks, staring blankly at her husband. Apparently they did have something to gain from this.