Disclaimer: If Katekyo Hitman Reborn were mine, I wouldn't need to write fanfics. If any of these songs were mine, I wouldn't be writing fanfics.

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Minimal fluff 09!

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Claddagh

Kyoko felt her heart beat fast as she made her way through the crowded classroom to Tsuna. Absentmindedly waving Hana away as she neared his desk, she took a deep breath and ran over the words to what she had to say. After all, she was feeling anxious both at the confirmation of the news she had just heard and the implications it had. She had to make sure it was true before proceeding.

"Tsuna-kun? May I speak to you? Quietly?"

Tsuna shot off his seat, looking interested. Maybe he had sensed her excited vibes as well? The two made their way to the door before Kyoko shook her head. It wouldn't be wise to be caught by Hibari-senpai, would it? Not especially to what she had to ask Tsuna. Veering and walking to a more secluded part of the classroom, Kyoko turned to Tsuna.

Second time! Second time this week Kyoko wanted to talk to him! Tsuna wondered if his stars were turning the tables on his luck. Kyoko looked adorable in front of him, her face lightly blushing. There was a hint of a smile on her face, so this had to be a good thing. Trying not to have word vomit, Tsuna cleared his throat. "Um…so. What do you want to say to me?"

"Is it true?"

Tsuna blinked. "Is what true?"

"That…that you like someone." Kyoko stopped awkwardly in the sentence, looking down at the ground. Tsuna felt his face heat up. Did someone spill that he liked Kyoko-chan? Who would do such a thing? He doubted Gokudera or Yamamoto knew, nevertheless say anything. Gokudera was too loyal to say anything and Yamamoto would have probably forgotten the second baseball practice started. Did Reborn…?

"Um…" What to say?! He could lie and say no…but what if she was showing interest in him? Oh, he could never read girls. "Um…yeah, I guess it is."

Kyoko's face lit up. "Oh! Then it's all true!" The smile on her face filled Tsuna with security, but it turned out to be a false sense. "You see, a lot of people have been saying that you and Hibari-senpai have something going on…"

W-what what what?! Hold on! "Hi-Hibari-san?" Tsuna choked out.

Kyoko nodded eagerly. "Yes! They say Hibari has been stalking you or something lately! I was going to say they were wrong but they said you were also having run-ins with him and not getting hurt! And that ring as well…" Kyoko glanced at the silver Claddagh on Tsuna's finger. "You haven't taken it off since! I've never seen you not wear it!"

Tsuna was literally speechless. He was sure he could have come up with a retort, if his brain would focus on something other than Hibari-san. What were people saying? Oh what fresh hell?!

"Don't worry, though, Tsuna-kun, this still means we're friends." Kyoko gave Tsuna her best smile. "I support the two of you to the fullest. Please don't worry about a thing. I'll make sure no one teases you." Almost squealing, Kyoko barreled past him to Hana, who was giving her a strange look.

"What…?" Tsuna was aware that Kyoko was no longer in front of him when he finally regained the skill of speaking. As if by magic, Yamamoto clapped him on the back.

"What's wrong, Tsuna? You'll catch flies if you keep your mouth open like that."

"Ky-Kyoko-chan…she…she just…" Without warning, Tsuna spit out all the gory details, from Hibari's ring to Kyoko's excited face. "She…she just seemed so happy about it…"

"Why wouldn't she? Didn't you know? Girls consider gay guys cute."

"But-but I'm not--!" How could Yamamoto say something like that so effortlessly??

"Alright, so you're bi. No big deal! We're still friends!"

What was the craze with this 'we're still friends' phrase?!

"By the way, have you seen Gokudera?"

Finally, a pause from all this madness. "Gokudera? I don't know. I haven't seen him since yesterday when he disappeared after lunch. Did something happen?"

"Nothing major. Maybe's he just playing hooky or something. Or going back to Italy. He does that a lot."

That's odd…Gokudera just came back from Italy after restocking his dynamite. I don't think he was suicidal enough to use up his whole stock. Aware he was probably overthinking things, Tsuna shrugged. "He'll probably show up sooner or later. He can't stay away from his place forever."

Yamamoto looked distracted and Tsuna had to call his name twice before he finally answered. "Oh, yeah. He's a good student and everything…"

Tsuna blinked. In a stroke of genius, he realized something must have happened between the two. What it was exactly escaped him. They were always fighting even though Yamamoto was always trying to make peace. "Did something happen between you two?"

Yamamoto looked at him for a moment, as if pondering whether to say or not. "I pulled a Hibari the other day."

Tsuna nearly cringed. "You mean you bit Gokudera?!"

"No, but did he bite you? I've got to speak to that guy."

"No, don't bother." If Yamamoto confronted Hibari, Hibari would surely come over to kill him. "But what do you mean, you pulled a Hibari?"

Yamamoto grinned his easy smile, the slight sprinklings of red on his cheeks. "I gave Gokudera a Claddagh ring."

Tsuna stared at him, still noncomprehending. "Why would you do that?"

"I honestly don't know myself."

"I thought…" The stroke of genius struck Tsuna upside the head once more before taking its leave. "You gave Gokudera a Claddagh ring!" Tsuna thought he saw a question mark form above Yamamoto's head, but it didn't matter if Yamamoto knew what he was talking about. But that meant…but Gokudera hated Yamamoto!

Information overload…Tsuna grabbed his head. "My head hurts."

"Try not to think so much. That usually happens."

"That didn't sound very intellectual, Yamamoto-kun."

--

Stupid can…stupid weed…stupid stone…ouch, so he couldn't kick a brick. Trying to get the pain out of his toe, Gokudera hopped down the street, away from the school. He wasn't known for a perfect attendance, even in Italy anyway. He felt a bit bad for leaving the Tenth alone, but wherever the Tenth was, that guy was there too. And right now, he couldn't deal with seeing that guy.

What the hell was Yamamoto's problem anyway?! He thought his waves of pure hatred had gotten through! Maybe Yamamoto's brain was so primitive that he interpreted any intense feelings as attraction. Hah. As if.

Maybe if Yamamoto had been more of a cute type…but no, he was a stupid baseball jock. And as if that mattered! He wasn't into guys in the first place! And even though he thought he was pretty open-minded, this was Yamamoto he was talking about. That stupid smiley idiot! No way!

"Typical teenage angst?"

Gokudera glared at the person talking to him. Perfect, the first person he'd love to meet, pervert doctor. "Go away, Shamal, I'm not in the mood to talk to you."

"Come now, you were my student. The teacher doesn't just abandon the student."

"I perfected the rocket bomb, alright? Now scram."

"Is this relationship issues I'm sensing?" Shamal asked, looking interested. "I'm just sober enough to have a level-headed conversation."

"Fucking drunk pervert," Gokudera muttered, quickly walking past him. Maybe if he walked fast enough, the doctor would get the hint. He was wrong. Shamal quickly fell in step next to him.

"Tell papa the story."

"Take your 'papa' and shove it."

"Tell me all about her. Is she pretty? Ooh, she must be, for you to get so agitated! What did she do, reject you flat out? I'm not surprised. Since it took you so long to master the rocket bomb, I could tell your flirtation techniques could use work. You should have talked to me. I would have told you how to do it. What did you do, grope her? Wrong! Only when you're as veteraned as I am can you do that super level move. Ah, I remember when I was a young boy like you…"

"First of all," Gokudera shouted, drowning Shamal out, "I would not be able to grope this person as this particular person doesn't have a chest."

"Oh…flat chested? I'm surprised. Someone who said his flirtation technique was all about the erotic focuses on a curve-less girl? Oh boy, oh boy…"

"It's fucking Yamamoto we're talking about!" Gokudera yelled. He had no intention of telling Shamal, or anyone, this, but only to shut him up…!

Shamal didn't looked fazed, but sighed. "A guy…? What a shame. I can't help you there."

That wasn't really the reaction Gokudera expected, but at least now Shamal would leave him alone. Again, he was wrong with this, as Shamal continued to walk beside him.

"Don't you have women to feel up?"

"Are you skipping school because you don't want to see him? He's the baseball guy, right? The one who beat Squalo."

"Yes, and no I'm not avoiding him at all."

Shamal sighed. "Are you avoiding him because you like him?"

Gokudera felt his face heat up, a bit reminiscent of the time he had discovered the Tenth's kindhearted personality. But today, it came with a funny pang in his stomach, like even the mere mention was wrong, or at least taboo. "Of course not! I don't like him at all!"

"Then you should be able to face him without feeling guilty. In fact, if you're rejecting him, then he should be the one skipping school. Unless he's like me." For a moment, Shamal looked proud. "If so, he and I must talk sometime."

"It's nothing like that," Gokudera dismissed, waving his hand as if swatting away a mosquito, which happened to be flying around Shamal. "And get your disease friends away from me." Feeling a craving, Gokudera pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

"It's not my place to tell you smoking is bad for you," Shamal said helpfully. "You're still young and you need your lungs…"

Gokudera didn't say anything and instead blew a cloud of smoke in his face. It seemed that he couldn't get Shamal off his back anytime soon. Maybe he should just tell the guy what he wanted to hear. It was worth a shot.

"I'm just thinking. It's weird, right? This random guy you hang out with suddenly tells you he likes you. How would you react?"

"Well, I personally would tell him to get a sex change before we discussed it…"

"You…"

Shamal shook his head apologetically. "It's true. I would. But I think the question is, would you like to start something with him? Be open-minded."

"No. I don't know. It's…weird."

Shamal shrugged, before holding his hand out for a cigarette, which Gokudera grudgingly handed over. "Weird as in…weird because you don't like him? Or weird that you never thought it would get that far?"

"You're no help."

"Love is love, no matter what body encompasses it," Shamal said wisely. "Of course, I choose the attractive ones…"

"Go to hell."

"That is no way to speak to your sempai, Gokudera. You need to respect me. I'm giving you advice."

"Shitty advice."

"Language," Shamal said, shaking his finger. "I think you need to be a bit more honest to yourself."

"Fuck off, hentai. I can handle my problems by myself." Gokudera swatted at his neck. "And I told you to keep your stupid bugs to yourself! Geez." Gokudera pressed on as Shamal finally stopped at his temporary clinic. As he watched his sulky silver-haired 'pupil' storm off, he smiled to himself as a lone mosquito circled his head.

"I told you to be more honest with yourself. I guess you still need my help."

To be continued…

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Note: I honestly was NOT going to continue this. But then I read the Apple of Eden 1827 doujinshi and Kyoko is an apparent fangirl. So I wanted to embody that at least before I ended the whole thing. But now I've ended this chapter on an interesting note, and I want to write a bit more 8059 until I'm satisfied. So updates are back in the question. Let's say the next one includes a disease a bit weirder than the sakurara disease. Review if you want updates. Because if you don't encourage me, not even Reborn can get me writing again.