Author's Note:

I would like to take time to mention that I haven't yet completely decided what time this takes place in. I'm thinking after the conflict with the Simon Famiglia.

...Yeah. I'll go with that. Resolved!

Onto the next chapter!

...

The next day ran its course peacefully, until a point - Starting at homeroom...

"Alright, class," the teacher said cheerfully. "We've got a new student, so please, give her a warm welcome!" She turned towards the doorway - "Please, come on in!" For a moment, no one entered. Then, a slightly paleskinned girl, with blue hair in a pineapple haircut and an eyepatch over her right eye shuffled in; holding a binder decorated with a skull print in the center, and a skull-engraved zipper. Actually, her eyepatch had a skull on it, as well...

Brightly, the teacher said, "Why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself?" The girl flinched slightly, and bowed her head, shifting around. A few thoughts ran through the heads of the various students...This girl is pretty weird, or I wonder why she's so shy?, and some thought secretly, She's kinda cute. Finally, she gave a nervous ulp.

She said quietly, staring at the floor, "M-my name is...Chrome...Dokuro. I-I hope...We get along..." Now, many thoughts turned to how peculiar her name was. Sweating slightly, the teacher ushered Chrome to her new seat. The girl found herself sat right next to Yamamoto...The baseball enthusiast smiled to her as the class milled about before any work actually started.

"Hey, Chrome-san! How's it going?" He kept smiling, even as Chrome flinched slightly. Truth be told, Chrome liked Yamamoto better than some of her other fellow Guardians...He was usually nice and calm, which Chrome favored compared to, say, Gokudera's constant irritation, or Ryohei's explosive love of all things extreme.

Chrome said shyly, "I'm doing...Well...I think..." She looked over at Yamamoto - Still smiling, he seemed to be waiting for her to say more. Looking down at her hands, folded in her lap, Chrome continued. "Um...I'm looking forward to my classes today...I think...And...I hope I make some...Friends here..." She kept her head bowed.

Yamamoto's smile became a bit calmer..."I'm sure you'll make friends, Chrome. You're such a sweet girl, I think it'd be hard for most of the students here to not like you." Winking, he said, "Just try to take it easy, okay?" Turning back around, Yamamoto turned his attention to some other friend of his.

So, he didn't notice Chrome blushing at the compliment.

...

At lunch, Chrome sat mostly apart from everyone else...She simply watched them, occasionally lifting an Oreo cookie to nibble at. That is, until someone sat next to her. Jumping slightly, Chrome looked to see who it was.

"Hey, Chrome-chan!" Kyoko smiled widely. Chrome's thoughts were scattered - She tried to form a reply, but Kyoko frowned slightly... "Is that all you've got for lunch?" The girl looked down at the box in Chrome's lap. Blushing slightly, Chrome gave a slow nod...All she had in the rather beaten container was an empty potato chip bag, a drained juicebox, and a small packet of Oreo cookies; of which there were only two left, not counting the third in Chrome's hand.

Kyoko smiled brightly - "Oh, okay! Well, if you want, you can share my bento with me!" She set out a bento on the table. ...Then another. At the curious look Chrome gave her, Kyoko chuckled awkwardly..."I already made mine, but my mom thought I hadn't, so she made a second one...If you want to have the one I made, it's fine!" She smiled, offering one of the boxes to Chrome.

Shyly, Chrome took the box...Opening it, she found three onigiri and a pair of skewered tempura. Looking at Kyoko, Chrome said quietly, "Um...You're really...Okay with this...?" She blushed faintly as Kyoko nodded. Taking up the chopsticks, Chrome began eating. At this, Kyoko smiled - And began eating the other bento.

...

The class Chrome found herself in after lunch was Writing. In the same class were Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei; though Yamamoto was nowhere in sight. Ryohei decided to give her a friendly enough greeting just outside the classroom, but the sheer volume with which he greeted her and the lack of prior warning hadn't had the best effect.

"Hey, Chrome! I hope your first day of classes is going extremely great!"

He showed a look of great confusion at Chrome's reaction: She clutched her binder to her chest, eye wide open, her knees quaking faintly. She was giving what disturbingly resembled a thousand-yard stare, hardly even registering as Ryohei cautiously waved a hand up and down directly before her face. At this, Gokudera proceeded to smack Ryohei upside the back of his head. Spinning, Ryohei yelled, "You better be ready to hit harder than that, Gokudera!

Gokudera snarled - "Just look at Chrome, Turf Top! You know the Tenth told us to try and make it easy for her to get used to this school! Not everyone wants to be extreeemely greeted like that! Now she's just extreeemely freaked out by your extreeemely loud and extreeemely obnoxious voice!" He gave a more audible growl as Ryohei grabbed the front of his shirt, a vein bulging on the Sun Guardian's temple.

"Don't you dare make fun of my extreme way of life, Gokudera Hayato! I'm gonna pummel you with extreme prejudice, so you'd better be ready to go all fifteen rounds!" The two shoved each other away, surrounded by a purely aesthetic aura of the Storm and Sun Flames - Respectively - Before they heard a calm chuckling.

Yamamoto said to them, "Hey Gokudera-san, Senpai! Isn't it great that Chrome's in our school now?" The two turned to glare at the smiling Rain Guardian, but he was unphased by their anger. He said calmly, "Senpai, we all appreciate you taking time to greet Chrome. Gokudera-san, we all appreciate that you're trying to watch out for her, even if it's more to do with Tsuna-san's request. But don't you think that getting into an all-out brawl because of her is going to, ya know, alienate her?"

...

The two immediately started to calm down. Ryohei scratched the back of his head, as Gokudera rubbed the back of his neck. Both mumbled an angry "Whatever.", and turned to look for Chrome. However, they discovered that she had simply disappeared. Yamamoto put his hands on both of their shoulders, smiling and leaning in.

"Oh, yeah. She ran inside around the time Gokudera yelled 'Turf Top'. Let's go inside, yeah?" He gave both a light pat, hurrying in. Grumbling, Ryohei and Gokudera glared at each other. They both held out a hand to offer the way in.

Ryohei furrowed his brow - "I'm not an extreme idiot like you. I'm not letting you get behind me."

Gokudera grinned - "Yeah, that's what she said - Urk."

He grunted as Ryohei grabbed his collar again, fist brought up and back for a jab to Gokudera's nose - Gokudera immediately had his own fist back, ready to give Ryohei a left hook to the jaw. However, they suddenly felt a terrifying presence off to the side. Both turned to look, glaring despite the clear feeling of being a pair of rabbits before a lion...

Calmly, Hibari said to them, "Not starting a fight outside class, are we...?" He was simply leaned up against a locker, arms crossed, as Hibird fluttered circles around his head. Giving a snort, Ryohei let Gokudera go, and both unclenched their fists. The Head of the Disciplinary Committee glanced back and forth between them. "...Calmed down? Good. I'll ask that you refrain from making a scene until our newest student has had time to adjust.

"The only reason that I don't bite you two to death where you stand is because my latest instructions..." - He spat the word out like the most bitter, unpleasant rotten meat - "...Entail not terrifying the new student. The Mist Puppet is a burden for me to take care of as is - I will not have idiots like you making her even more of a terrified kit for me to watch over." He leaned in...

"Have we come to an understanding, gentlemen?" However, the looks he got were quite different from what he intended. Both Ryohei and Gokudera's eyes were bugged out, and their mouths hung open slightly...Hibari said coldly, "What? Has intense fear left you two herbivores so stunned you can merely stare, jaws agape?" Once again, he got no reply - Ryohei and Gokudera whispered conspiratorily.

Gokudera said in a hoarse whisper, "This is horrible."

Ryohei whispered shakily, "Extremely horrible."

"For once, you're using that word at the right time. Cherish this moment - We might not live to see you say 'extreme' at a proper moment ever again."

"...I choose not to dignify that with a response. But you're right - We're in danger."

"Hibari has not attacked us openly for disturbing the peace."

"Hibari's not carrying his tonfas for slaying his enemies."

"Kyoya fucking Hibari is taking instructions, and is standing up for a new student."

"There is only one logical explanation for this...!

"Yes - Only one explanation...!"

...

"You're not the real Hibari!"

"Some kind of extreme evil has replaced Hibari with a clone!"

"What do you want here? Are you after the Tenth?"

"Give Hibari back to us, you monster!"

Abruptly, Hibari slammed his fist into the locker beside him. Watching for a moment to make sure the two were keeping quiet, Hibari said in a low, caustic voice, "Get the hell into that classroom." The two only left dustclouds behind, the door already slammed shut.

Sighing, the Head of the Disciplinary Committee gazed at the door...They were right. In a way. He could explain away the first two of their concerns - Part of his instructions were to keep from open violence and carrying his tonfas as much as possible, so as to make things easier on Chrome. He only took Reborn's instructions because they made some sense - In the bizarre, twisted way that anything involving Reborn made sense. However...

"...Am I really standing up for her?" He didn't think it was possible...But yes, looking back over the previous confrontation, he could see it. Despite not intending to, Hibari had given the slightest of implications that he cared about her.

This was a drastic misstep on his part. If I give any hint of compassion to students like her, who have done nothing to prove their loyalty to this school, Hibari thought to himself, Then the student body may become distracted by trying to earn my approval...He snorted. They'll think I care for them unconditionally...

Allowing Hibird to land on his head, Hibari spun and headed for the Disciplinary Committee's Office. He narrowed his eyes, at the thought that anyone would presume him to be caring for a new student to Namimori Middle School...Someone who couldn't truly love the school yet.

"We'll see...About that." Abruptly, the bell finally rang. Hibari stopped, and sighed.

"...Firstly, I have to fix whatever's wrong with the confounded bell schedule."

Hibird gave a chirp.