Within the week that had passed by, Mukuro had been living with Tsuna. Fran had stayed as well, but Ken and Chikusa had eventually been coaxed into finding an apartment to stay in as it was no secret both of them were uncomfortable here, and Tsuna didn't have room for everyone. For reasons no one but Mukuro knew, the blue-haired teenager had opted to stay with the Vongola Decimo instead. Tsuna, of course, didn't mind; he felt better knowing that his Mist Guardian was somewhere he could be helped if he needed it.

As Tsuna had discovered, Mukuro was quite a polite person when he wanted to be; he understood that Nana had no idea of the mafia world and instead believed her son was nothing but a hapless student who was always out with his friends. The illusionist could respect her, and truth be told, he kind of liked having someone there to dote upon him in a way that wasn't flat-out annoying and unwelcome like M.M's attention was; Nana was like the mother he had never had, and it made him feel warm to be cooked such delicious meals on a daily basis and have his head injury tended to when it needed it.

Fran also greatly liked Nana, having lost his own parents not all that long ago in an accident – the main reason Mukuro had kept the little brat by his side instead of forcing him on Chikusa and Ken; he wasn't cruel enough to deprive the teal-haired boy of love he probably missed more than anything.

Currently, Tsuna was sitting in his bedroom with the two illusionists on his bed, watching the TV as the brunet did homework. Yamamoto and Gokudera were still on their way out, and Reborn seemed to have disappeared somewhere.

Tsuna didn't mind; his guests were always quiet – at least, Mukuro was; Fran just didn't seem to know when to shut up and always had an endless barrage of snarky comments to throw at people.

With a sigh, Tsuna dropped his pen to the desk as he reached up to ruffle at his hair, frustrated over the fact he didn't understand most of these mathematical questions. "Reborn...! Why'd you have to leave now when I need you...?"

Mukuro blinked at the younger's voice, his attention grabbed from the anime he had been watching. He looked over at the Vongola Sky, his playful smirk as wide as ever.

"Would you like some help, Tsunayoshi?" The blue-haired teenager tilted his head as Tsuna froze at the question, soft laughter escaping his lips. "Kufufu~"

"U-umm..." Dark eyes avoided heterochromatic ones as he shook his head, not wanting to tell the older male he felt uncomfortable about accepting help on his homework from someone who had been intent on destroying him and his friends. "It's okay, Mukuro-san; Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto should be here any minute now, and – hiee! M-mukuro-san, it really is okay!"

Tsuna was horrified by the fact that, despite his protesting, Mukuro had completely disregarded it and instead stood up, making his way over to the desk. His eyes widened as the taller teen took the pen and the sheet of homework from the desk, not knowing if he could trust Mukuro in this moment or not; he wouldn't put it past the other to purposely teach him everything wrong and cause him to fail more than he already would – Mukuro had a sense of humour like that.

"How can you not understand this?" Heterochromatic eyes stared deep into brown ones, an amused look in the orbs. Mukuro pointed to the first question, an algebraic question. "This is one of the easiest mathematical questions I've ever seen."

"..." Tsuna frowned, hating that Mukuro – albeit probably unintentionally in his surprise – was putting him down like this; just because he didn't understand a stupid algebra question, Mukuro didn't need to rub the fact that he was smarter in the brunet's face. "...I'm not very good at maths... Really, I can wait for Yamamoto and Gokudera-kun, Mukuro-san..."

Mukuro completely ignored the younger as he put the paper back down on the desk, scribbling away beneath the question. Brown eyes looked over the neat hiragana that was quickly spreading across his page, finding that the blue-haired teenager was writing an explanation of the formula down.

Tsuna didn't trust it to be the right one, so he would definitely have Gokudera take a look at it when he arrived.

Mukuro didn't stop there; he continued writing down formulas for the rest of the questions, simple explanations of where he had gotten the numbers from accompanying them. Once he was done, he slid the paper back in front of his host and dropped the pen to the hardwood, returning back to the bed.

Tsuna stared at the older male for a few minutes before he read everything the Mist Guardian had written. If what Mukuro had explained was correct, these questions did make more sense to the brunet now, but he was still definitely going to get his friends to check it for him before he tried to do anything further.

"Yo, Tsuna."

Tsuna, who had started daydreaming a while back, snapped out of it at Yamamoto's voice. He turned to look at the doorway, finding Yamamoto stepping into the room with his usual bright smile on his face. Gokudera was following behind reluctantly, seemingly annoyed that he hadn't been the one to greet Tsuna first if the scowl on his face was anything to go by.

"Hey, guys." Tsuna grabbed the homework he had been working on and moved to sit around the small table instead, dropping his things onto it.

"Good morning, Tenth!" As always, Gokudera was far too excited to see the younger male.

"Ah, hello, Mukuro." Yamamoto beamed at the other before he turned to Fran, pulling two chocolate bars from his bag. He gave one to Mukuro and the other to Fran, as happy as ever. "Yo, Fran."

Mukuro nodded appreciatively at the Vongola Rain as he took the treat, unwrapping it eagerly. Fran was already devouring his chocolate, smudges of it around his mouth as the apple illusion rocked slightly with his movements.

Tsuna smiled at Yamamoto, just glad that the taller male was so easily accepting of others; Mukuro needed friends, and everyone knew Gokudera didn't want the two illusionists around. "Thank you, Yamamoto."

"Any time, Tsuna."

While the three Namimori students started on their homework together, Mukuro watched them curiously. The TV was still on in the background, Fran paying no attention to external stimuli as his emerald eyes stared at the screen, but Mukuro wasn't that trusting; he hated the way the silver-haired teenager sent filthy glares his way when Tsuna wasn't looking.

"Oh, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna, who had just remembered, slid the paper Mukuro had written on to his friend. "Does this make sense to you?"

Green eyes scanned the neat handwriting quickly before he blinked, looking at the brunet. "That's the short way of doing all this. Most people don't actually realise this formula is quicker and easier, so they do it the hard way instead. Who wrote this?"

"Mukuro-san." Lowering his voice, Tsuna added, "I thought he may have been sabotaging me..."

Gokudera scowled again before he looked up at the blue-haired male. He sneered at the other before he turned back to Tsuna, giving back the paper. "No; that's all correct."

"Of course it's correct; I wrote it." Mukuro smirked at the group from his position on the bed, his heterochromatic eyes shining with malice. "You don't trust me?"

"Not since you last meddled with his homework, you bastard!" Gokudera snapped.

"Tsunayoshi had annoyed me, so I thought it was fair."

"Now, now, guys." Yamamoto raised his hands in the air, trying to diffuse the situation. "No need to fight; Mukuro gave Tsuna the right formulas and that's all that matters."

"Yeah, that's right." Tsuna reached out, putting a soft hand on Gokudera's shoulder. "Let's forget about last time and get this done; Mukuro-san helped out today."

Mukuro just smirked in amusement as he continued watching the others; it satisfied his sadistic streak watching Tsuna struggle to comprehend what he was being taught, but at the same time, he almost pitied the younger; how hard was it to understand such simple questions?

Sometimes, Mukuro wanted to join the group and snatch the pen and paper from Gokudera and instead teach the other two how to do maths – he was sure he'd do a better job than the volatile teen, after all.

"Master, let's watch something else." Fran tugged on Mukuro's jacket before he yawned, curling in by the teenager's side. "This is getting boring."

Mukuro sniggered as he reached up, rubbing at the stitches in his forehead. He stood and crossed the room, searching through Tsuna's DVD collection for something to put on. Fran soon came to help, insisting on something that was most definitely aimed at kids like Lambo, much to Mukuro's displeasure.

After putting on the DVD Fran wanted, the two made their way back to the bed. Mukuro was careful to kick Gokudera as he passed the other, smirking widely as he heard the Vongola Storm swear at him.

In all the time that Mukuro had been here, he had hardly noticed that, with Tsuna usually in the room with him, he didn't feel as bad as he had been – instead, it was almost as if the brunet's presence was enough to help get him through the day without having his mind plagued by memories he didn't want.

~~XX~~

"What? You didn't hear about it?"

"No. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. I heard it from Rikako who heard it from Namiko who saw No-Good Tsuna walking home with him – a Kokuyo student, Namiko said."

"Who would want to stay with No-Good Tsuna?"

"I know, right?"

Hibari blinked, the conversation of two female Namimori students walking past him catching his attention. He grabbed one of his tonfa, moving to block the students' path through the mostly-empty street.

"There's another herbivore staying with the Sawada herbivore?" Hibari questioned, his dark eyes sending shivers down the females' spines.

One of the students – a long, brown-haired girl – trembled as she explained, knowing what would happen to her if she didn't tell Hibari what he wanted to hear. "O-one of my friends saw that No-Good Tsuna has a Kokuyo student staying with him! S-she said they've been walking to and from school together – that's all I know! Honest!"

"What does the Kokuyo student look like?" the skylark growled.

"I-I don't know! I haven't seen them! I-I think my friend mentioned different-coloured eyes and that's -!"

In the blink of an eye, Hibari was gone, leaving two shell-shocked girls behind who really had no idea on what had just happened.

Hibari himself was too angry to even pay attention to how long it had taken him to arrive at Tsuna's home; all he knew was that he had eventually invited himself into the house and stormed upstairs, kicking open the closed door that he knew led to the brunet's bedroom.

The skylark was emotionless as five sets of eyes fixed on him, caring nothing for the three Namimori students on the ground; all that mattered was that the pineapple herbivore was seated comfortably on Tsuna's bed, a sly smirk on the younger's face.

"H-hibari-san...!" Tsuna jumped to his feet, getting in between the older two as he realised a fight was about to break out; he had no idea what Hibari was doing here, but he knew it was solely because he must have somehow found out that his enemy was here. "Hibari-san, no!"

The kanji in Mukuro's eye had already changed as he eagerly awaited Hibari's approach, only to become annoyed when Tsuna stepped in front of him, his arms out as it to keep the two away from each other.

Hibari paid no heed to the brunet as he instead charged at the blue-haired male, swinging his tonfa viciously as he did so. He quickly changed direction when he felt someone catch his wrist, only to turn his feet and instead aim at whoever had dared stop his attack. A tall blur quickly jumped out of the way, soon to be revealed as Yamamoto, the younger male trying to calm the situation while Gokudera stood by his boss' side.

"Don't fight!" Tsuna ordered, confused about how this had come about but knowing now was the time he had to take charge; he couldn't let his guardians kill each other, after all. "I don't want you to fight!"

"He shouldn't be here," Hibari growled. "Get him out, herbivore."

"Hibari-san, if I want Mukuro-san to be here, than he can be," the younger argued. "He's here because he has nowhere else to go – just like how I'd let you stay if the positions were reversed."

Hibari was startled by Tsuna's words, but he didn't let it show; he instead said, "That doesn't matter; I don't want him here."

Mukuro laughed as he clicked on to what Hibari was bothered about; the older male was jealous that he was here with Tsuna.

Reaching out, the blue-haired teenager tugged Tsuna onto the bed, wrapping his arms around the smaller male as he pulled Tsuna's back against his chest. "Is Kyouya jealous~? Kufufufu~"

Hibari narrowed his eyes at the sight before him, but what really made him see red was watching as that damn illusionist pressed his lips to Tsuna's cheek, just on the corner of the younger's lips, earning a bright red blush from the Vongola Decimo.

"Hibari! Stop it!" Gokudera threw small bombs at the skylark once the other charged at them again, knowing nothing good was to come out of this.

Yamamoto was quick to restrain Hibari, using all the strength he had to keep the older from breaking out of his grasp. "Hibari... Calm down..."

"Kufufufufu~" Mukuro held Tsuna tighter to his chest, not letting the squirming body out of his hold once. He could feel emerald eyes fixed on him, but he didn't look at Fran; a Hibari raging in jealousy was much more entertaining than a snarky little brat. "It seems we made him jealous, Tsunayoshi~ I'll get rid of him for you."

The kanji in Mukuro's red eye changed once more as he cast an illusion over Hibari, knowing the smaller male was far too enraged to even notice that the Mukuro he saw jumping out of the window was not real.

Hibari was quick to go after what he believed was the real thing, blinded by his hatred for Mukuro to even think of the possibility of this being a distraction.

"He's gone for now, Tsunayoshi." Mukuro released his grip on Tsuna, intending on letting the younger up from his lap. Instead, he was surprised by the fact that the brunet just lay against him, his face red from embarrassment as timid eyes looked up at him, small hands clenched beneath his chin. "Oh? What is the matter, Tsunayoshi?"

"Get your hands off him!" Gokudera snapped, tugging the Vongola Sky from the bed. "Filthy creep! Putting your lips all over the Tenth!"

"Tsuna, are you okay?" Yamamoto leant down, putting his hands on his knees as he regarded his friend with concerned eyes. He could see that brunet orbs darted in between the three of them continuously, but he didn't know much else; he hoped Tsuna was going to be alright.

After minutes of trying to get Tsuna to speak, the brunet eventually let out a squeak before he ran from the room. Gokudera and Yamamoto chased after their friend, leaving Fran and Mukuro by themselves.

"Did you break him, Master?" Innocent eyes looked into heterochromatic ones, Fran not understanding what had just happened; why would a simple kiss make someone react the way Hibari and Tsuna had? "How?"

"I just kissed him." Mukuro shrugged. "I didn't break him. ...I think."

"Why?" Fran moved closer to the teenager, his eyes shining with curiosity.

"Why what?"

"Why would you kiss him?"

"To make Kyouya jealous."

Fran tilted his head, not understanding how someone could be jealous of a kiss. "I don't understand."

"It's something I'll talk to you about when you're older, Fran." Patting the boy on the head, Mukuro turned back to the TV. "You don't need to know these things just yet."

Fran blinked before he leant up, kissing the corner of Mukuro's lips like he had seen his Master do to Tsuna. He instead crinkled his nose up as he pulled away, his eyes as dull as ever. "That seems like a waste of my time, Master; nothing happened."

"As I said, I'll talk to you about it when you're older. And, Fran?"

"Yes?"

"Please do not kiss me like that again."

"Sorry, Master."

~~XX~~

It had been a long time since Hibari was so worked up, he wanted to kill anything and everything in his path; he had chased after an illusionary Mukuro for an hour, only to finally corner it and have it dispel within seconds. He had no idea why seeing what he had had made him so angry; just that Mukuro had no right to be touching that herbivore the way he had – hell, Mukuro shouldn't even be there in the first place!

What had happened made Hibari want to go back to the Sawada household and bite them all to death, but he knew he wasn't in the right state of mind to do such a thing yet; if he went back, the results would only be the same, and he'd be damned he let Mukuro make a fool of him again.

Slamming the rice paper door to his bedroom shut, Hibari kicked at the wall in anger. He heard his father shout at him from somewhere in the house to be quiet, and it only made his temper worse; he didn't need his father's shit after today – he just needed to cool down and find a different strategy if this was the game Mukuro wanted to play now.

Throwing himself onto the futon, Hibari stared up at the roof as he heard the wind raging outside. He growled to himself as he rolled onto his side, hating the fact that, no matter how hard he tried, Mukuro seemed to be better in him than everything – and that apparently included Tsuna liking the Vongola Mist more than him.

Hibari had never before given a damn about who liked him and who didn't – much less who liked him more – but when it came to those two herbivores, having the brunet appreciate him more than Mukuro was all that mattered. He couldn't explain it; it all came down to that feeling of superiority knowing you're better than someone you resent.

Closing his eyes, Hibari tried to calm himself down, refusing to sleep until he had come up with a plan to finally beat Mukuro once and for all.