A/N: The progress of their relationship is much slower, as compared to the previous version. Just look forward to the next chapter! :) Thanks for reading!

By 8:50, Tsuna had eaten, showered, changed and packed several sets of clothing along with his homework. He'd never been known for being the most punctual person, taking his own sweet time whenever he could. The last ten minutes were spent working up a sweat and running all the way to school.

Normally, it took Tsuna around fifteen to twenty minutes to reach the school. Usually with Gokudera around, he had someone to constantly remind him to speed up. Now on his own and with a time limit, he couldn't help but start panicking. For Hibari, even the idea of seeing someone late by even one minute might seem repulsive.

An angry Hibari resulted in a violent Hibari, and that was obviously rated as Number 1 on Tsuna's "Top Ten Most Dangerous Situations". He turned white immediately and glanced at his watch, before speeding off as quickly as he could.

xxxXXXxxx

Inside his mind, Tsuna desperately prayed that the man's clock was slower than his by one or two minutes. Even if the clock were slower by a few seconds, that would be enough.

As soon as he caught sight of the Reference Room door, Tsuna let out a long breath even as he dashed for the handle and tightened his grip.

He couldn't be late, he couldn't make Hibari angry in anyway or he was truly, surely doomed. Groaning, he inwardly cursed his tutor for such a difficult arrangement. Who else would arrange something so outrageous? Who in their right mind would-

The feel of feet not meeting ground and face in some unidentified object caught him by surprise and he quickly closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact.

It didn't seem to hurt as much as it normally did.

Cautiously, he opened his eyes, only to meet with a Namimori school jacket and a warm, comfortable chest.

Ugh, no way…

His eyes trailed upwards, hoping that it wasn't as he had feared.

Hibari stared at him, repulsed.

At a loss of how to handle the situation, Tsuna, could only mumble several apologies and wildly flail his arms, wondering what he was supposed to do to save the situation.

Those eyes were most certainly glaring at him and he didn't have to hear Hibari's next words to know what was going to happen.

"Get off me before I bite you to death." Quiet and yet undoubtedly deadly, the threat hung in the air like a time bomb waiting to explode.

Tsuna fumbled even as he got into a standing position, hoping Hibari's wrath hadn't been incurred by his clumsy act.

Eyes squeezed shut, he waited for the impending strike that he knew would come. Hibari wasn't quite forgiving, from what he knew. Any body contact aside from the inevitable in fights would definitely anger or irritate the prefect. Hibari looked the kind who would unforgivingly bite all who broke that unspoken rule, and this didn't seem to be an exception.

It didn't come. In its place was a loud sigh, uncharacteristic of its owner.

"Hieeee-! I'm really sorry, Hibari-san!" Tsuna watched as Hibari got up, the slight frown an indication of his irritation.

"Stop squealing, it's noisy." The atmosphere around Hibari was getting even tenser as each minute passed by. Tsuna could only nod, not daring to make any more noise. "We're leaving."

xxxXXXxxx

The raven-haired prefect was silent throughout the journey to his home. It was rather close to the school and within walking distance, a fact that didn't seem too surprising considering how he was in school by five in the morning.

Kusakabe must be a really diligent follower. Tsuna was sure that wherever Hibari, Kusakabe had to be somewhere around, waiting to receive orders. Such a person seemed to be really difficult to come by.

The awkwardness as they walked had Tsuna's thoughts running wild. What kind of environment did Hibari reside in? He remembered Hibari from the future well- the man had a large dojo along with a whole compound that belonged to him. If Hibari had a house like that at his age, he honestly wouldn't be able to survive. If the prefect happened to realize that he could use this time to test his strength against the brunet… That would be bad.

"Herbivore."

"Hiee-!" Surprised at the sudden speech after maintaining silence for the past five minutes, Tsuna couldn't help but squeak in answer.

"Herbivore, you're giving me a headache. Stop it." Hibari wasn't one for words. He eliminated all unwanted words and was painfully straight to the point, uncaring of others' feelings. Perhaps he was trying to be nice though, as he continued with an introduction. "My apartment is on the top floor."

It was nice to feel acknowledged. At least, Hibari had not completely ignored his existence and had even gone out of his way to point out his living quarters. Tsuna followed Hibari into the lift which took them right into the apartment.

It had a lavish setting, the atmosphere warm. Clean and elegant, it reflected Hibari's personality at first glance. On second thoughts though, that could be his true character. Underneath the violence he personified, Tsuna was sure there was somebody he had yet to interact with and understand. Perhaps that could be his goal for his stay- getting to know his Cloud guardian better. That was his role as a boss, after all.

"Do you live alone?" he considered, overcoming his initial fear of the prefect. Inside, Tsuna was visibly shaking. However, to achieve his goal, he had to make the first move no matter how terrifying it might be.

The death glare that Hibari sent him informed him that question was not appreciated. Hahaha… He'd stepped on a bomb right there. Nervously, Tsuna tried to laugh it off in that awkward manner of his.

Totally ignoring the inquiry, Hibari went straight on to give the brunet a tour of his house, as well as curtly state the general rules he expected Tsuna to abide by. He was not allowed to enter Hibari's room at any point of time. He must be asleep by ten every night. He must not be too noisy when in his room. There was a whole list to remember. Once rules were taken care of, Hibari left Tsuna alone to retire for the night.

The room that he had been given was by no means small. It included a wardrobe, a comfortable bed, a study table and two chairs and some empty space that Tsuna decided he could use to stretch and roll around on. Perhaps it was weird behavior on his part, but it had become part of his routine for daily stretches to prevent him from getting too strung up.

Having nothing left to do after arranging his clothes in the wardrobe properly and neatly setting his homework on the table, Tsuna opened the windows, allowing the cool breeze to brush against his face. The view was good, especially since Hibari lived on the top floor.

He admired the night sky for a moment, then tucked into his temporary bed while watching the curtains gently sway along with the wind.

The crumpled paper lay in between his homework, forgotten.