Tsuna slept in the next day. He didn't do that often, since he always woke up before Nii-chan on the weekends so he could make breakfast. But when he sat up in bed, he looked across the room at the digital clock on Hibari's bedside cabinet and saw that it was 12:18. Hibari's bed was empty.

Shimatta! Tsuna thought as he shot out of bed. He hurriedly made the bed and went to get together his things so he could go and have a bath.

He paused in the doorway of the room and glanced across the hall at the kitchen door. He couldn't see anyone through it. He checked the living room on his way to the bathroom but that was empty too. He guessed Nii-chan had already left, but why hadn't he woken Tsuna up before? It was usually Tsuna's job to make the food.

He deduced that it was work-related and put it out of his mind as he had a bath. Nii-chan was a busy person, after all.

He then went to get himself some breakfast. There were washed dishes set at the side of the sink to dry. Hibari had at least eaten then. Tsuna set about making his own breakfast.

He was eating when the phone rang. He nearly choked on his rice. Who would call this place? Hibari had threatened to bite salespeople to death if they dared bother him. Only rarely did anyone ring this number. But sometimes, ignorant salespeople did still ring so maybe it was one of them.

He got up to go answer it. He lifted the receiver and held it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Yo, Tsuna!" Dino's voice came over the line.

"Dino-san!" Tsuna said cheerily.

Dino chuckled, "you should like you're in a good mood. You busy?"

"Um, not really. Why?"

"Come to Nami-chuu."

The boy frowned. "Nami-chuu? Why?"

"Just come. I'll see you in a bit." And the line went dead. Tsuna stared at the receiver as if it might give him some sort of explanation. Nami-chuu? What for?

He finished breakfast and cleaned the dishes and then went to the bedroom. He dug out a pair of socks from the drawer on the side of his bed and slipped them on. He paused to grab his apartment key from the desk, where he'd left it last night, before he raced out. He stopped by the closet in the hallway and pulled out a white sports jacket and shrugged it on and went to get on some shoes.

Trainers on, he shot out of the front door, closing it shut behind him and locking it. He was so curious. Why had Dino-san called him over to the school? It was shut on Sundays, unless…maybe Hibari was there too? He was even more curious now.

On the way down the stairs, in his hurry, he slipped and thudded all the way down. "Oof!" He groaned as he lay there. How stupid. Why did he always have to slip when he was in a hurry?! He scoffed as he picked himself up and hurried out the building. Once a klutz, always a klutz. No wonder Nii-chan always called him a stupid herbivore.

So he tried to slow down. But he was too curious so he raced. And fell a few more times. One would think he'd learn his lesson but he could be quite obstinate at times (at all the wrong times). By the time he got to the school, he had multiple bruises on his face, was out of breath, and was limping a little.

He stepped through the gates and heard a whistle. He looked around but saw no one. Everything was deserted. The whistle sounded again, accompanied by a distant "Tsuna, up here!"

He looked up. Dino was standing on the roof, one arm resting above the fence while the other was raised, going to and fro in a vigorous wave. Tsuna smiled and waved back before heading into the building.

It was strange being here when there was nobody else around. Nii-chan was usually really strict about people being here outside of school hours. Was he really here? The boy raced up the stairs that led to the roof and opened the door.

There, he saw a strange scene. Dino and Hibari were there. The former sat at one side of a red and white sheet which had been spread out on the floor. The latter was leaning against the wall, some ways away from the door Tsuna had just emerged from, arms folded across his chest and his expression one of disinterest.

On the sheet was a big basket. "Yo, Tsuna!" Dino greeted.

Tsuna stepped through the doorway. "Good afternoon, Dino-san." He looked at Hibari. "Good afternoon, Nii-chan."

Hibari said nothing.

Dino motioned for the boy to come closer. "Have a seat. We're having a picnic!"

"Um…why?" Tsuna looked down at the basket.

Dino grinned, "Doesn't really have to be a reason, does there? I just wanted to hang out with you, little bro."

Tsuna smiled and sat down. Dino-san was far too concerned with Tsuna. It was almost overwhelming; normally, he never got this much attention. He'd grown used to that so he didn't really know how to respond. "I've already eaten though."

"Doesn't matter. I thought you might like a taste of Italian cuisine so I bought some." The blond man opened the basket and pulled out loads of dishes that Tsuna had never eaten before. He did recognise pasta, though he'd never tasted it before. It was prevalent in many of the dishes. "You might want to familiarise yourself with this kind of food," Dino continued, "Since you'll be going to Italy someday."

Tsuna froze in his inspection. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nii-chan's posture stiffen. He frowned. "Going…to Italy?"

Dino looked like he'd not meant to let that slip. He scratched the back of his head. "Um…don't worry! It won't be right away! You've got ages! And until Kyouya gives consent, you won't have to go anywhere!"

Inexplicable dread filled Tsuna's heart. He'd have to go away. And if Nii-chan gave consent, Dino-san could even take him away right now! But Dino-san had said that he wasn't going to!

Dino's stammering came to a halt as he saw the look on Tsuna's face. His expression softened and he sighed. "I'm not here to take you away from anyone, Tsuna. I said so, didn't I?"

There was a lump in Tsuna's throat. "But…" His eyes wouldn't go back to their normal size. Some time, somehow, he'd have to leave Nii-chan…? But, why? "What…" he cleared his throat when the words came out a little hoarse, "what…do I have to do in Italy? Why…do I have to go there?"

Dino gave him an apologetic grin, "I can't tell you that just yet. I'm just here to assess you."

It was kind of aggravating, not knowing anything. Tsuna sighed. "Why can't you tell me? What is all this?"

Dino ran a hand through his hair, "all I can tell you is that, one day – when you're an adult, of course – you'll go to Italy to work for the family, if you're suitable."

"Suitable…? What? What family?"

"Um…our family. The Vongola."

"And what do they do?"

"That's a secret. But, Kyouya knows."

"Huh?" Tsuna turned his head, surprised, as he glanced at Hibari. Hibari hadn't moved an inch since Tsuna had gotten here. "Nii-chan?"

Hibari kept silent. His head didn't even turn. He was sitting with his hands crossed behind his head, looking up at the clear sky.

"He won't tell you." Dino said.

"Wha-what?" Tsuna stammered. "Why not?"

"Since it's a…um, delicate subject," Dino replied awkwardly, "you're not allowed to know about it until it's deemed that you're suitable for the job."

None of this was making any sense! What job?! What was with this "family"?! Who was Dino, really?! "But…why was I chosen?" the boy asked.

"Because you're a descendant of the family's founder, I told you. Anyway, forget the questions, little bro. I'm sorry but I can't tell you much more than that." Dino started laying out the food again, the easygoing grin back on his face. "Let's eat for now, okay?"

That was when Hibari stood up and left. Tsuna blinked as the door slammed shut. "Nii-chan…?"

Dino chuckled, "I'm surprised he lasted that long."

Question marks appeared around Tsuna's head. "Huh?"

Dino shrugged, "he said he'd allow me to have a picnic here with you, but only if he was there to…um…"supervise"." he laughed. "But I knew he'd get annoyed sooner or later. Three's a crowd, right?"

Tsuna frowned. Was Nii-chan still angry about yesterday? "Did he seem…mad to you?"

Dino scoffed. "Yeah. He doesn't want me hanging around with you."

"But…why?"

He grinned, "Cuz he's protective of you."

Tsuna snorted. "He doesn't care that much about anything."

"Ahaha, I'm sure you're an exception."

"Cuz I have to keep the apartment clean and cook the food?"

"You're not a slave, little bro. He doesn't think of you that way."

Tsuna stared down glumly as Dino passed him a plate and filled it up with some chicken pasta. He didn't think Nii-chan thought of him as a slave either, but he certainly did not think of him as an actual family member, right? That was why he didn't call Tsuna by his name. Never once had Tsuna heard Hibari use his name.

So, where did that leave them? Mere housemates? But it wasn't like they split the rent halfway or anything, and Tsuna got an allowance from Hibari. So, really, he was just a freeloader. How depressing.

"Hey, cheer up, Tsuna." Dino said. "Besides, you don't know what the future holds."

Tsuna gazed at the blond man in puzzlement. "What do you mean, Dino-san?"

Dino waved a dismissive hand. "Just like I said; you don't know what's going to happen in the future. Anyway, let's just eat."

"I'm quite full already, Dino-san."

"Just try a bit anyway."

So Tsuna did, as he tried his best not to let his depressing thoughts get to him.

Tsuna returned home at around four in the afternoon. He'd been hoping Hibari would be home but the place was empty. He wanted to ask Nii-chan if he might tell Tsuna what this "job" that Dino had mentioned might be.

Since they'd first talked about it before the picnic had begun, Dino hadn't mentioned "the family" and all the other stuff again and Tsuna had doubted he'd get any answers so he'd not brought it up either. Besides, it had been fun talking with Dino about things in general and hanging out. He never usually got to do that so it was kind of refreshing.

Dino was like the perfect older brother; he was caring, he liked to spoil Tsuna, and he pressed him for the littlest details about his everyday life (like who he had a crush on, something which Tsuna had given away with great difficulty and embarrassment). And he always made Tsuna laugh.

Much as Tsuna tried not to think about it, he realised Dino was like the complete opposite of Hibari. Hibari was always apathetic, he never asked if Tsuna needed anything, and he cared for nothing past the boy's grades at school. But Tsuna wasn't too bothered; he'd been living with that attitude for five years now. And he knew Nii-chan cared – at least just a little, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered letting Tsuna stay here. That would have to be good enough.

In the kitchen, he pulled out a thick cookbook from one of the cupboards and sat down at the table. He flipped through the book, wondering what to make for dinner. Nii-chan would probably come back in the evening, so he'd expect the food to be ready.

As he cupped his chin in his palm and looked through the detailed instructions on the page, he began to doze off. He was quite tired. Dino, even though he knew that he was a danger unto all without his men around, had still insisted that they go to a nearby park. He had two sides; sometimes (though Tsuna had witnessed this only a little), he could be extremely mature and complicated while, at other times, he could be fun loving and easygoing.

So, in the park, he'd fallen a lot and dragged Tsuna down with him, leaving the two of them with many bruises. It was exhausting even thinking about it. Not to mention that convincing Dino that that was enough fun for one day had been a chore in itself. But, luckily, he'd felt his phone vibrate and, when he'd looked at the screen, it had said that he'd received several calls. The calls had been from Romario and when he rang the older man back, he'd replied that all the guys were worried and had been searching for him for hours. So Dino and Tsuna had parted ways.

At some point, Tsuna tipped forward. His chin slid off his palm and his head thudded on the table. "AAH…!" He jerked upright, clutching at his forehead. But the cry of pain ended quickly when he realised something.

Hibari was sitting opposite him. "N-Nii-chan!" he cried. "Wh-when did you get here?!"

"A while ago." Hibari replied, impassive as usual.

It really wasn't fair how Hibari managed to sneak up on people but was always aware of others' presences straight away. Tsuna sighed and looked over at the oven clock. It was past five 'o' clock! How long had he slept for, in that weird position?!

He shot up, "I-I'll make dinner."

"Sit down."

He paused. "Huh?"

Hibari gestured at the empty seat. "I said sit down."

Tsuna lowered himself down, now feeling quite puzzled. "I-is something wrong, Nii-chan?"

Hibari gazed at him unblinkingly for a few seconds, "not really."

Tsuna shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. "Then…what is it?"

"Nothing."

Then why did he have to sit here? There was awkward silence – at least, to Tsuna it felt awkward. He looked down at the tabletop to avoid meeting Nii-chan's eye.

"Tell me," Hibari said finally, making Tsuna jump a little, "what's so good about being in the company of that loudmouth herbivore?"

Tsuna frowned. "You mean Dino-san?"

"Hn."

"Dino-san is…like an older brother, I suppose," he shrugged.

Hibari's eyes were shadowed by his fringe. "What was that?"

Tsuna's back stiffened. He had to proceed carefully. Danger lay ahead. But what did he say wrong? "Um…N-Nii-chan asked what's so good about being in Dino-san's company…he treats me like a little brother and it…feels kind of nice…"

"Is there a problem with the way I treat you?"

The question caught the boy off-guard, although Hibari's tone and expression remained blank, giving the younger male not a single indication of what the other was feeling and thinking. "Um…n-not at all." Tsuna stammered. "I-I have a lot to be thankful to Nii-chan for, so…I-I'm fine with however Nii-chan treats me." He felt a bit stupid saying something like that. It sounded like he was asking to be pushed away and treated coldly. But it was true. He couldn't afford to be picky about the way he was treated by this man. "Wh-why would Nii-chan ask that?"

"No reason." Hibari stood up. His eyes were still shadowed. "I'll leave dinner to you. I'm going to go for a walk."

With a puzzled frown, Tsuna complied. "Hai." But, before Hibari could leave the kitchen, Tsuna turned in his seat and called out, "Ano…"

The man turned back. "What is it?"

Tsuna looked down at his hands. "Um…about what Dino-san said…does Nii-chan really know what he was on about…?"

There was silence. He glanced up to see that Hibari was gazing at the door on the other side of the kitchen. But when he noticed that Tsuna was looking at him, turned his gaze on the boy instead. "Yes."

"Then…can I you tell me…please? E-even…a hint…will do…" Tsuna mumbled, looking down once more.

"No." The answer came fast this time. Tsuna glanced up in dismay but Hibari had already exited. The brown-haired boy sighed. So much for that particular hope. He got up and set about making dinner.

Hibari's tonfa were drawn and one of them bashed into the head of a thuggish boy with short black hair. An aggravated growl escaped Hibari's lips when the boy staggered back but didn't fall over. He lashed out with his tonfa again, this time putting all his strength into the thrust. Of course, the boy went down easily.

Hibari flicked some blood off his weapons and sheathed them. He looked around him. Nine bodies of high school students littered the ground. For all the biting to death he'd just done, his annoyance was still there. Why couldn't he get this irritation out of his system? Because of that damned Bucking Horse, he'd eventually end up unleashing his anger on the clueless herbivore.

Tsuna. He certainly knew Hibari was angry but he was too cowardly to demand why he was being treated like that. Even if he did ask, Hibari would probably bite him to death so it was just as well.

Ever since that damned Cavallone idiot had shown up, Hibari had been angry. Every time he saw that faraway look on Tsuna's face, he felt angry…

Because it wasn't just Dino's presence and his laidback friendly personality but the news that he'd brought which made Hibari feel this way. It had taken him a while to realise it but Hibari had found that he was actually anxious.

The first bit of news that Dino had given him had made him anxious and, somehow, Dino knew this and he'd known that Hibari would cooperate easily for the rest of it too. Damn, he'd been played like a fool! Well, it was no big deal really, but he'd been manipulated and he didn't like the feeling. He wanted to find that fool and bite him to death.

But, lucky for that blond imbecile, it was time for dinner. So Hibari turned and made his way home.

But if he heard the name "Dino" one more time today, he really wouldn't be able to hold himself back, whether it was the herbivore who said it or someone else.

He trudged up the stairs when he got into the apartment building. As he opened the door to the apartment, he took in the delicious smell of dinner. Tsuna had gotten really good at cooking these past few years. Sure, he was clumsy as hell but, once he was given a little bit of time, he got into the swing of things.

Tsuna must have heard the door close because he poked his head around the protruding corner of the living room. "Welcome back, Nii-chan!" He smiled.

Hibari took off his shoes and went inside. "Is dinner ready?"

"Hai."

So he went to the kitchen. Tsuna brought the food to the table and they ate. Hibari was thinking about what to do after he'd finished.

There were some reports from the Disciplinary Committee that Kusakabe should have included in the file Hibari brought home earlier so he'd have to read over them. A part of Namimori Junior High was going to undergo some development soon so he'd have to read out the report for that too, along with a bunch of other stuff related to the school. At this rate, he might as well be the principle…well, he kind of was, really…unofficially.

He finished eating and stood up. As he was walking to the door, however, he heard the herbivore call out to him.

"Would Nii-chan like some coffee?"

He looked back over his shoulder. Tsuna's eyes were innocent and earnest as he gazed at his benefactor. Hibari nodded once before quickly turning around and striding out…probably to hide the minute, amused smirk curving one corner of his lips. The herbivore was trying to be good. Kind of cute.

Hibari went to the bedroom and, sitting on his bed, he opened the top drawer of his bedside cabinet and pulled out the first file. He crossed his legs on the bed and opened the file and began to read through it.

As usual, Namimori's crime rate was far less than that of the surrounding cities. Namimori was the best, after all. It was his so he had to make sure of that.

Tsuna came in about three minutes later, violet and black striped mug in hand. "Here you go, Nii-chan." He put the mug down on the bedside cabinet but, before he could go, Hibari spoke. "Sit." He didn't look up as he pointed at the foot of his bed.

Tsuna paused for a second, confused, but did as asked. For a while, he just sat at the edge of the mattress, wary, but when Hibari neither said anything nor looked at him, he pulled his legs up and crossed them.

Hibari paused in his inspection of the reports and he picked up his coffee mug. He took a sip of the bitter liquid. He put the mug back down and resumed his "work".

"Ano…" Tsuna mumbled.

Hibari glanced up at him briefly. "What?"

The boy looked a little uncomfortable sitting there. "Is there…anything that Nii-chan needs?"

"What makes you say that?"

Tsuna shook his head. "Nothing."

Hibari went back to the file. He didn't really have a purpose for making Tsuna sit there. There didn't have to be, did there? Once in a while, he liked for Tsuna to be close by. He was concerned for this little herbivore, after all.

The minutes passed by in silence, with the only sounds coming from the regular turning of pages in Hibari's file and Tsuna shifting around to get more comfortable. Hibari occasionally drank his coffee. He was almost at the end of the file. All the statistics and the bigger reports were carved into his mind.

When he finally closed the file, he looked up at the herbivore properly. Tsuna had tipped forward onto the bed. His posture was reminiscent of a dogeza, except his arms were folded under his head and his face was turned to the side. He'd sat there so long he got sleepy? If he'd been feeling that tired, he could have just gotten up and gone.

Hibari felt amused. He put his file away and downed the last of his coffee before sliding further down the bed. He raised his hand to rap his knuckles against Tsuna's temple thrice. "Wake up, herbivore."

Brown eyes opened slowly. But then Tsuna saw Hibari's face and bolted upright. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep!"

Hibari slid off the bed and got to his feet. "It's fine. If you're tired, you should get to sleep."

"H-hai, sorry." Tsuna apologised too much. Hibari didn't really care about half the things the kid did wrong…he just cared about the big things, like failing tests, getting low grades, making noise (like those times when he got surprised and shrieked like a girl), etc. The herbivore should really stop being so…herbivorous.

As Hibari took his mug back to the kitchen, he realised he was in a much better mood.

Thank you to all who're reading this.

Omake (i.e. crack section that has absolutely nothing to do with the story):

Tsuna was, as usual, zoning out and thinking about Kyoko-chan. They were in homeroom.

Something strange happened though. Actually, two strange "somethings" happened.

Strange thing number one: the teacher announced. "...and today, we have a new transfer student." Following his statement, the door to the classroom opened and a boy walked in.

The second strange something that happened was: as soon as the teacher spoke, something hit the back of Tsuna's head. Well, it wasn't that strange, really. Other students always picked on him. "Waah!" the brown-haired boy cried out as he looked around.

"Ah, Sawada, so you're offering to be the transfer student's partner for his introductory week? That's great!" the teacher said.

"H-huh?" Tsuna faced front.

And nearly died.

As it was, some of his soul broke free and soared up to heaven. Lucky bastard.

Because, standing at the front of the class, beside the teacher's desk, was one pineapple-haired boy with mismatched eyes. Mukuro Rokudo was dressed in the Nami-chuu uniform. He smiled at Tsuna and put his hand up in a wave. "Hi!"

"Hii!" Tsuna shrieked as he shot to his feet, bolted to the nearest open window, and jumped out. "I'LL NEVER HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT CREEP! SOMEONE CALL HIBARI-SAN...!" he yelled as he went. It must have been a long way down.

Gokudera's eyes were wide as he stopped at the window Tsuna had jumped through. His eyebrows quivered as he turned to Mukuro, dynamite in hand. "You just caused Juudaime's death. I'll f***in kill you!"

Yamamoto laughed. "What kind of game is this?"

Gokudera scowled. "It's called "kill the pineapple" game." He lit his dynamite and, much to the horror of everyone in the classroom, he threw them towards Mukuro.

On the school roof, one Kyouya Hibari got to his feet. His tonfa were in his hands as he made his way towards the door. He'd heard Tsuna's shout. Either that or his Mukuro senses were tingling.

And the rest is up to you :D thanks to Ellis for the idea. But apparently, Mukuro would have nothing to do with Tsuna's school. He likes Japanese school uniforms but he wouldn't wear Nami-chuu's, simply because it's Tsuna's school...at least, I think that's what he said. Got the info from Haru's Haru-Haru Interview a while back. :\