!Strawberry Kisses!

Word Count: 2,122

Nana giggled as she continued to snap pictures and recordings of me while I bounced and climbed about, exploring the cat tree that had been awarded the higher purpose of entertaining and accommodating the extravagantly beautiful me. She cooed as I peaked out of the cubby and swung from ropes, tweeting happily at the soft material that padded the surfaces.

Tap! Tap!

"Hey! Strawberry!"

Ooh, there's a fluff ball on the string.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

"Strawberry! Hey, hey. Hey! Strawberry!"

I wonder if I can stretch my wings out here or if it's too small.

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap!

"Oh my- Tori, what do you want?!" I squawked, sticking my head out of the cubby and hissing at the crow.

"I found something! Come look!" Tori cheered, waving a kind of material from the window.

Oh God, he's stolen some kid's handkerchief again. It's probably because of the embroidery - hopefully, he doesn't pluck that out this time. Nana had been feeling guilty for the whole weekend.

"Give it back, Tori," I groaned, crawling up onto the top level of the tree. "You can't keep swooping children for their loose feathers."

"But it's got writing!" he chirped in defence, wiggling under the cracked open window until he popped up inside, the cloth in his talon. "Besides, they always grow a new one!"

"Doesn't mean you should take it - and who said you could come inside!?"

"Oh! Look 'Berry, your boyfriend is here to see you!" Nana cheered, pocketing her phone and dashing off to the kitchens to fetch some fresh fruits.

No, fleshy, you'll encourage him!

"Take it back, Tori," I urged tiredly, watching him bounce up to my fluffy tree. "Some kid's probably having a heart attack after having his stuff swiped right out of his hands."

"Wow! What's that! Did your humans build it! Humans are really good with their talons I hear."

"Tori," I warned, keeping him on track as I eyed him from over the edge as he played with the ball and string. "Did you even ask for it?"

"…No..." he chirped, ceasing his messing.

"Did you even say anything?" I asked, seeing how he shuffled on his feet.

"...I screamed 'mine' and flew off."

"I'm ignoring you now."

"No, wait, Strawberry!"

I turned around and stared out the window pointedly while the crow bounced around on the floor, flapping his wings and clambering about as he whined in isolation.

"Oh, hey, more writing! Strawberry read these for me!"

I groaned and looked to the crow before yelping and flying over as he pulled at the papers in Nana's drawers, hisses and squawks coming from me as I ushered him away from the documents.

"That's my fleshy's! Don't play with them!" I snapped and Tori withered at the scolding, chirping a quiet apology.

I made a face at his guilt and rolled my eyes before looking to the papers he had tackled. They weren't something I had seen before and I couldn't deny; I was curious - Tori saw that too and I could see his excitement as I hopped over to the files and began to read to myself carefully.

Credentials? Certifications?

I tilted my head as I read through achievements and a gratuitous amount of Masters Degrees from a range of universities and faculties until I tugged to turn the page and gave a noise of understanding.

Good fleshy Nana, making sure those who come into my nest are safe.

I yawned and preened at my colours as the sounds of Tsuna fumbling around, half-asleep, came from his room after he had slapped at his alarm.

The fleshy had finally learnt to wake up at a reasonable hour - though the process of dragging himself from his bed still took nearly as much time. But, the chaos that usually came with school-day mornings were no longer a daily occurrence as he shuffled his way through the house and towards success.

"Tsu-kun!" Nana called and I looked up as the fleshy peered out of his room with squinting eyes. "Breakfast is ready, time to come down!"

Tsuna groaned and slunk back into his room, tampering around for a couple minutes before he stumbled into the open with his school tie hanging crookedly around his neck as he dragged his bag behind him.

Another lovely morning.

I bounced along the railing before landing on the youth's head and wrapped my talons around his thick locks, holding on tight as he trudged down the stairs. His exaggerated steps made me rock back and forth on his head but I had anchored myself well and rode him all the way into the kitchen before dropping down onto the counter where Nana placed a plate of honeyed seeds for me.

"Good morning, Tsu-kun," she cooed, kissing her son on his brow making him grumble as he stumbled over to the breakfast table, head bobbing over his bowl dangerously. "You stayed up watching videos again, didn't you? Oh, I thought I told you not to do that anymore!"

I chirped as the mother urged me up onto her shoulder and clambered on, tugging at her earring and tweeting sweetly as she touched at my crimson feathers. I settled down in the crook of her neck as she sat beside her son, taking long sips of tea as she watched the young teen rock in his chair.

"Come on, sweety. Earth to Tsu-kun!" she laughed, tapping the boy's forehead and making him jump.

"Mama!" he whined, and I paused my preening to glance at him for less than a second.

"Eat your breakfast," Nana urged, "You're going to need the energy since you didn't sleep well."

"Okay," Tsuna grumbled and shovelled a spoonful into his mouth.

I tweeted and cooed as my fleshies ate together, the little one sliding me small pieces of his eggs and letting me nibble them off of the pads of his fingers. Jumping off Nana's shoulder, I fluttered over to my lovely new glorified perch and sang in operatic volumes as she bustled Tsuna about, shoving random assorted items into his book bag - that was 'somehow' already beat up.

"Mama, Strawberry's screeching again," he whined.

I whipped around and squawked at him in outrage.

How dare?! My melodies are sought after far and wide and when I am so generous as to bestow you an impromptu, free listening you insult me!? The audacity!

"She's just sad to see you go, you know how much she misses you when you leave for school," Nana chuckled and I really did screech in indignation then. "See? She agrees!"

EEERR! Wrong!

The Sawada mother smiled at me and reached to scratch at my nape but I ducked out of the way with a huff and stormed off to the edge of my pedestal.

"She's sulking."

I am not!

I puffed myself up and hissed when Tsuna tried to sneak a kiss making him draw back and sigh before running off to grab his lunchbox, running out of time before he had to leave for school. I grumbled and twittered in annoyance as Nana cooed at me, cupping her own cheeks as she spoke in a baby-voice that was reserved specifically for Tsuna and me.

"Mama! Do you know where my bottle is?!"

"It should be somewhere in the fridge," she called before a knock came to the door and I finally turned around to watch as she floated over, always ready to chat the ear off of every door-to-door salesman who came along. "Oh, hello! My, what a well-dress young man!"

I tweeted loudly at the woman when she stepped into obscurity; the wall covering both her and the doorway and making me annoyingly anxious. When she didn't respond I flapped about and squawked for her attention before kicking off the platform and soared around the corner, landing on the stair banister with a huff.

"Strawberry, honey, you've gotta be patient!" Nana scolded with a soft laugh as I glared at her before turning my eye on the figure taking up...a portion of the doorway.

Who was letting their infant walk off? Where is your mother?

The baby looked up at me with wide, unblinking eyes and I made a face as he tipped his fedora at me and got Nana to squeal at his 'cute' behaviour.

"Mama, I put the pan in the sink to soak, oka- what is that?" Tsuna blinked, walking into the hall to stand beside me close enough that I scuttled over to stand on his shoulder.

I think it's a fleshy child, but I'm not sure, you know?

"I am Reborn, and from today forth, I will be your tutor, Dame-Tsuna," the baby declared, chin lifted confidently.

Dame-Tsuna?

"Dame-Tsuna?" Nana echoed, smiling tensely.

"They have called you that since Elementary school due to your apparent 'no-good' nature, correct, Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn hummed easily and I felt Tsuna flinch under my talons.

I turned my head and tugged on a tangle in his hair when he withered under my gaze, Nana's eyes boring into the boy as well as we silently interrogated him as to why he had absconded to mention the rather demeaning name. When he averted his eyes, I craned my body to face him inescapably.

"Tsu-kun," Nana breathed. "...We'll talk about this later."

"Okay, Mama," he muttered, and I huffed loudly. "But since when did I have to have a tutor? I'm doing fine!"

"This is Middle school, Tsu-kun, you're going to have to work a lot harder there in order to keep up with the other kids. Reborn-san here is going to help you do that!" she smiled, quick to flip her internal switch even as I simpered to myself and made plans to watch my fleshy at school again.

No fleshy of mine shall be tormented; 'tis a direct insult upon my person!

"But he's a baby! Mama, a baby!"

I gave a screech as Tsuna went down hard, outrage clear in my voice as Reborn landed upon the banister with a flourish, the Sawada youth sprawled on the ground and clutching his face.

Did that kid just kick my fleshy!?

"Now, Tsu-kun, don't go judging people by their appearance," Nana scolded, putting a hand on her hip as she wagged her finger at his strewn figure. "Reborn-san has shown me proof of his accreditations and he is more than suitable to be your tutor!"

Fleshy there are more pressing matters at the moment! He hit my little fleshy!

"Now, it's time for school. Reborn-san will be here for your first lesson when you get back so don't worry, we'll deal with the details then!"

I frowned and fluttered over to set down in front of Tsuna's face as he stubbornly remained laid on the floor beside his bookbag. A chirp came from me as I eyed how red his forehead was from the assault and hopped forward to give the spot a loud 'mwah~!'

"Thank you, Strawberry," he pouted before getting to his feet and letting his mother kiss his cheek and squish his nose until he regained some enthusiasm. "Mama!"

"Now you can go. Have a good day at school, sweetie."

Tsuna huffed but took off after a glance at the clock and I landed on the mother's breast pocket, hanging off by my talons as I eyed the baby who had watched the interaction.

Reborn hummed after a moment before smiling up at Nana and folded his hands behind his back politely.

"I think I will spend today observing your son in his classes to see how he performs normally in that environment."

"Thank you, Reborn-san, really," she nodded, her hand raised in case I was to fall or just wanted to hop down. "Tsu-kun's never been the academic type, he prefers to trial-and-error his learning, but he doesn't allow himself enough time to do so effectively and it shows in his scores."

I chirped a bit; she was right, with all the video-games the boy played he was well-versed with puzzles because of the sheer number he had come across with the excess of Tomb Raider and Uncharted making up his game stack along with gratuitous RPG-Makers. The little idiot just didn't seem to realise that certain subjects were very puzzle-like and that he had to apply some of those skills.

"It's no problem, Sawada-san. I will be going now," he said and turned to leave after the boy.

I blinked as a green lizard stared up at me from the back of the baby's hat, its tail curled in a spiral that bobbed with Reborn's movements. It finally blinked - one eye at a time - and followed me with its eyes before its mouth opened.

"Later, roomie."

Oh my God-