Reborn barely made a sound as he strode through the bar, making his way toward the very back corner. The smoke-filled establishment was blasting loud music through the speakers, which, while rough on the senses, created the perfect place to have a private conversation. One could never be too careful or wary of prying eyes and ears.

"Evening," He said casually, sticking his hands in his pockets as he approached the nondescript door. It sat inconspicuously against the back wall, and unless a person specifically knew to look for it, they would pass right by none the wiser. "The stars are pretty bright tonight."

A moment passed silently before he was able to hear the click of a lock being slid aside. As the door swung open, he stepped in quickly before it could slam shut again. "You know, that's a stupid thing to have people say when it's the middle of the day."

"Well, we don't usually have that issue," The sentry manning the door replied with a lighthearted grin as he stepped out of the shadows. "But everyone out there is drunker than a skunk no less than one hundred percent of the time, so it doesn't really pose much of a problem."

"That's not how I remember it."

"Things change."

"You don't say…" Reborn's eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at the shotgun slung casually over the man's shoulder. "Running into some issues?"

"You know how it is," He shrugged. "The more progress we make, the more opposition we'll have to deal with. We don't exactly hold a popular opinion, but it's nothing we can't handle."

"It's the third time you've relocated."

"The afore-mentioned opposition is getting bolder, more aggressive, but the boss is adamant that we hold off on…well, you know. She wants to keep bloodshed down to a minimum."

"I'm aware."

"Speaking of, you probably shouldn't keep her waiting," Pulling strap of the rifle further up his shoulder, the man pointed down the dimly lit hall. "Welcome back, by the way."

"Thanks," The hitman replied curtly as he left, making his way down the hall and coming to a stop by the only door left slightly ajar in the area. "Ciaossu."

"Are you not going to come in?" A feminine voice called from within – the clear undertone of irritation hidden in the sound brought a smirk to his face.

"It's considered good manners in most parts of the world to wait until you've been invited," Stepping in, he found the room to be even darker than the rest of the building. A set of heavy curtains covered the only window in the room, though slivers of light still managed to sneak around its edges, illuminating the silhouette of a woman sitting in the center of the room, a glass of wine in her hands. He frowned, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the new level of darkness. "Light sensitive?"

"It's about time you visited," She commented with a sigh. Though she didn't answer his question directly, his frown only deepened as he interpreted her response.

"Has it been that long already?" He asked, hopping up onto the table.

"I guess we've both been busy," She murmured.

"Still…I assume those sunglasses aren't just a fashion statement." She only scoffed in response, lifting the wine glass to her lips and taking a large swig of the red liquid.

"The migraines," She muttered as an answer. "They wait for no man. And, well…newbies are starting to pour in. I got used to it a long time ago, but all the staring really starts to slow things down sometimes."

As his eyes adjusted, Reborn could clearly see that her hair was pulled back, revealing the scars stretching up the side of her neck and face, right up into her hairline. She was wearing a pantsuit, so he couldn't see the state of her shoulder and arm, but he could see the inflamed tissue peeking out under the cuff of her sleeve.

"It's no wonder – they're getting worse." He could only imagine what she was hiding behind those glasses.

"Are they now?" She snorted.

"Don't kid around," He scolded. "If I need to stay-"

"Oh, don't get so agitated," Tilting her head back, she swallowed the last of her wine and set the glass down on the table. "That works just fine for them, but you and I both know we'd sooner go crazy. I know my limits – I just lost track of time, that's all. In fact, even with all of this," She waved her hand over the scarred tissue. "I'd probably still be insisting that less time had passed if it weren't for the fact that you've grown."

"Oi," Reborn snapped as she took off his hat and placed a flat palm against the top of his head, measuring his height.

"This is kind of exciting. I can't wait to see you twenty years from now."

"It'll be just like old times."

"I should hope not," She groaned, placing her head in her hands. "By then my work had better be finished. Everything had better be different."

"You've been more active than usual lately."

"No kidding…but I can't really complain. Aura's plans are starting to come together – I feel like I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for the first time, and I think I might even be catching on to what she's trying to do."

"You've been talking to her?" Reborn blinked in surprise. "Regularly?"

"Oh, don't be like that," She frowned in response. "You know that she'll contact you when the time is right. I have a feeling it might be sooner than you think, too, and then you'll see that being a part of her plans isn't all rainbows and sunshine."

"Are you talking about the Tri-ni-set?"

"The Tri-ni-set!" She exclaimed, tossing her hands up in the air. "Oh yes, that's been a real walk in the park! You know, that student of yours is clever – the pacifier jar isn't a bad idea at all, and I can't say it isn't eons better than the alternative. It's still unstable, though. Bermuda's doing an impressive job of maintaining it, but…"

"You've been putting in an impressive amount of effort yourself." She let out a bitter laugh in response.

"Well, my motives aren't any nobler than Bermuda's. I only took on the job for the sake of the others, to make sure there wouldn't be any more like us. Now that the entire curse has been nullified, I'm not really sure why I'm doing it." Resting her chin against her knuckles, she sighed heavily and lifted a finger to point at the pacifier around his neck. "It hurts to see that, you know, more than the headaches or the scars. Every time I see it, I know that it should have been mine, and I don't know whether to hate you or thank you for taking it from me."

"It wasn't my choice, either way," He stepped forward as she let out a long groan, taking a seat directly in front of her.

"I know. I don't-"

"Just shut up and let me do what I came to do already," He chided curtly. "You get annoyingly chatty when you're even just slightly drunk."

"Fair enough," She sighed, reaching her fingers into the collar of her shirt and pulling out a chain necklace, a pacifier dangling from the end. Spidery hairline cracks ran along its surface, and a dull opaque smoke swirled slowly within.

"That looks bad," He muttered. "Hang on."

Reaching out, he gingerly placed his fingers against the surface of the cracked glass, the area around his hand already glowing yellow. Slowly, his flames began to seep into the pacifier through the cracks, mixing with the smoky substance like an injection. Gradually, the cloudy color began to dissipate, its rotation growing faster and faster as the sun flames activated it, until they could no longer tell that it was moving at all.

"That should do it."

She let out a relieved sigh as she took the pacifier, now perfectly clear, save for a subtle distortion of the light here and there, and tucked it back under her shirt with one hand as she rubbed at her neck with the other. Reborn could already see the agitated red scars beginning to calm down and recede, right before his eyes. Within just a few minutes, they were back to being contained on her jaw and neck, pale and only slightly puckered.

"That's…much better," She sighed, her fingers still tracing the outline of the damaged tissue on her neck. "I owe you-"

She was about to continue speaking, but a knock on the door from the other side of the room interrupted her.

"Scusi, Signora Trinity?"

"Just a moment!" She replied.

"I guess I should take my leave then – is there anything else?"

"Just one thing," Taking off her glasses with a small grin, she blinked hard several times. Her right eye was its usual shade of amber, and the smoke was receding from her left, though it was still a milky white. "Have you seen Yuni recently?"

"Relatively," Reborn replied, frowning slightly in concern. "What do you need from her?"

"Just to know that she's well," Trinity replied, standing and walking over to the window. Grabbing the curtains, she flung them aside, bathing the room in the waning mid-afternoon light. "We're quickly approaching the point where her role will come into play."

"…and what will that entail?" She glanced over her shoulder, giving him a knowing smile.

"All in good time. Patience is a virtue." Turning around, she leaned back against the window, her expression turning into one of sympathy. "I'm aware of all that she's been though. I'd never dream of asking for more sacrifice…there's been too much of that. The tides are turning, and not a moment too soon."

Another hesitant knock came from the door as she finished speaking.

"I'd better let you get to it, then." Reborn muttered, hopping off of the table.

"I guess so," She chuckled, moving towards the door. "Things to do, places to be...take care, Reborn."

"Ah." As he squeezed back through the door he had entered through, Trinity moved to open the other one.

"Yuriko," She grinned as the younger girl bowed her head slightly in greeting, holding out a thin folder as she did so.

"I know it's premature, but-"

"I heard." Stretching her hand out, Trinity took the folder and began flipping through its contents. "When do you leave?"

"In just a few hours."

"I'm glad to hear it. Thank you for all the work you've put in."

"No…thank you," Running her fingers through her hair, Yuri glanced out the window. "It feels like this place is the only thing that kept me sane over the years. I had no reason to believe things would ever get better, and if it weren't for you…well."

"Don't act like this is the last time we'll ever see each other," Closing the folder, Trinity nodded towards the ring that now adorned Yuri's finger. "You'll be invaluable to us now, you know. When's the next time you'll be visiting?"

"I'm not sure," Yuri admitted, lifting her hand to stare at the ring herself. "But I don't have any doubts left. It's him. I'm sure of it."

"It's good to hear your vote of confidence. Things have been set in motion, after all. If we have to backtrack, it'll be a real pain in the neck." Lifting her fingers to the scar on her neck, she winked playfully. "No pun intended."

"I had my doubts at first, but they were…misguided. He won't let you down. None of them will." Trinity's eyebrows lifted in surprise as she spoke.

"You're pretty loyal." It was more of a statement than a question, but Yuri still nodded in response. "Well, if they've managed to gain your trust this quickly, they must really be something special."

"…well…" It was neither an affirmation nor a denial, which made Trinity chuckle.

"You never were very good at expressing your feelings – work on that while you're away. Imagine the day when you can crack a smile around me." Setting the folder on the table, she turned to look out the window again, her lighthearted smile slowly being replaced by a thoughtful frown. "Ushering in so many changes…we're kind of like ducks, aren't we?"

"…Ducks. As in…?"

"Calm on the surface, but paddling like crazy where no one can see."

The box was thin and black, small enough to fit in Yuri's pocket, though just barely. It was plain and unremarkable, with nothing to connect it back to the Vongola.

"Well, I think that just about wraps things up," Lyric said, uncrossing her legs and pushing herself out of her seat with a groan.

"You're sure you want to trust me with these?" Yuri asked hesitantly.

"You've proven yourself to be capable," The Ninth repeated for the third time that evening.

"Besides, you're in the best position to find the rest of them." Lyric added.

"I don't quite understand that part," Yuri muttered, setting the box gingerly on her lap. "These Negatives, they're just…people that have had a hard time? That's a pretty broad demographic, and I don't think I'm exactly the type of person anyone would want to bare their soul to."

"It's more than that. Just trust me, you'll know. It's a gut feeling more than something that you can intellectualize. Have a little faith in yourself." Giving Yuri a reassuring pat on the shoulder as she passed, Lyric pulled open the doors and began shouting out into the hallway. "All right boys, this may not be an airport but I still have a flight plan to follow! In exactly ten minutes, I will be taxiing down the runway regardless of whether or not you're on board! Let's get moving!"

"Ah, wait wait wait!" A familiar voice cried out in panic, closely followed by a loud crash.

"T-Tenth! Oi, woman-!"

"Now now, Gokudera, calm down! Let's just hurry and get the rest of this packed up, we're almost done!"

"Well how do you suggest we get this suitcase clo-? O-oi, Turftop, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Onii-san? W-what are you doing all the way up the-?"

"EXTREME JUMP!"

"Oh for crying out loud…" Lyric muttered as another loud crash and several raised voices filled the building, finally letting the door shut as she left to conduct damage control.

"…" Even after the noise died down, Yuri could only stare blankly at the door. "I've made a terrible decision." She whispered quietly, making the Ninth laugh.

"They're certainly lively. Speaking of packing, I hope our last minute briefing hasn't kept you for too long."

"Not at all, I finished packing this morning. Thank you for the clothes, by the way." Glancing down at her small duffel bag, she let herself smile slightly. It was the first time in years that she had the freedom to wear anything long enough to completely cover up her legs.

"I just wish you would let us give you more."

"No, this is really more than enough. I'd prefer to travel light for now, until I get things…sorted out."

"Fair enough," Standing, the Ninth gestured toward the door. "I suppose I should let you get going, then. I'm looking forward to the next time you visit. There are plenty of materials on the Negativi's history that have been locked away for years; I've been waiting for an excuse to get them back out."

"In that case, I can't wait." Stepping towards the door, she bowed politely. "Thank you, for ev-"

"FIVE MINUTES!" Lyric's voice blasted through the hall as Yuri opened the door, and she had to step back as several figures shot by quickly enough to rustle her hair and clothes.

"Extremely late!"

"Go, go, go! Tsuna, hurry!"

"Wait, where's my-?"

"I have it, Tenth!"

"…" Taking a deep breath, Yuri stared ahead expressionlessly. "Hm."

"Well, that's probably your cue to take off, then." The Ninth smiled good-naturedly.

"Yuri!" Gokudera came to a clumsy stop in front of the door, Tsuna just a few feet in front of him. "What are you doing? Come on!"

Grabbing her by the wrist, he took off yet again, yanking her along behind him.

"Ow, quit pulling! I'm going already!"

"A-ah," Tsuna stuttered as they passed him, turning around to call out to the Ninth over his shoulder while following them. "Thank you for everything! We'll see you next time!"

"Have a safe trip!"

Falling off balance, Tsuna quickly turned back around to make sure he didn't fall as he caught up to the other two. Together, they stumbled out onto the runway, where the plane's engine was already running; Yamamoto and Ryohei stood on its steps, gesturing wildly as they tried to yell loudly enough to be heard over the deafening sound.

"Glad to see you could make it," Lyric chuckled as the five of them all crashed into the cabin. "Get yourselves buckled up."

"Crazy woman," Gokudera growled as they slowly picked themselves up.

"Wow, kid, you've got a temper that could have matched Coyote's back in the day." She commented, lifting a hand to her mouth in an attempt to hide her amused expression. "Yuriko, you can head on back – we've got someone there to forge you some new papers."

"Forge?" Tsuna asked as the girl nodded wordlessly.

"You're still too naïve, dame-Tsuna," He let out a small yelp as Reborn suddenly leapt on top of his head, kicking off of it painfully in order to board the plane. "And don't stand around blocking the entrance."

"O-ow…" Tsuna groaned, rubbing his head. "Naïve?"

"She's been living in Italy her entire life, the last several years of which were spent as a hitman. At the very least, she'll need a passport and some form of identification that won't lead back to her history here."

"Hm…" Tsuna hummed thoughtfully as they all made their way into their seats. "I guess I just never thought about it…"

"Decimo," A man sitting in the back stood, bowing awkwardly in the confined space. "It's an honor."

"A-ah," Though the man surprised him, Tsuna found himself lowering his head automatically. "It's all mine."

Nothing about the exchange seemed particularly strange, except for the odd look Yuri shot him.

"That response was…faster than usual," She said after a moment, making Tsuna and the others blink in surprise. When had he begun reacting naturally to his title?

"You must be Yuriko," The man turned to her, completely oblivious to the others' reactions. "Here have a seat."

Hesitantly, she slid into the spot beside him as he began to pull out various odd looking tools. Curious about the process, Tsuna decided to take the seat in front of them while Gokudera claimed the one beside him, both of them twisting around to peek over their headrests.

"I assume you don't have any official paperwork of any sort at the moment – birth certificates and the like?" The man asked, rifling through several folders and spreading them out across the small tray in front of him.

"No." Yuri replied quietly.

"Alright, then I'll need you to fill out a basic form," Pulling a small packet of papers and a pen from his briefcase, he slid them over to her. "You can use your real information for things like date of birth, blood type, height and weight, et cetera. Anything that relates to your past, however, you'll have to fabricate. Your place of birth, mother's maiden name, education…keep it simple, something that you'll easily be able to memorize and recite if you need to."

"Fabricate her entire history?" Tsuna asked in disbelief as Yuri began writing.

"Sounds fun!" Yamamoto laughed. "How often do you get a chance like that?"

"Put down that you're an extreme boxer!" Ryohei jumped in, straining to see what she was writing. "You can join the boxing club as soon as we get back!"

"I'm not going to put that down, Sasagawa," She replied tersely, pressing her lips into a thin line. "You said I have to lie about my place of birth?"

"That's right." The man replied. "Is there a problem?"

"You're assuming I was born in Italy?"

"Were you not?" She frowned, shaking her head.

"I don't remember it, but my mother and I came here when I was about two. I was born in Japan."

"Eh?" Tsuna asked in surprise. "Really?"

"Hokkaido," She said with a nod, "I think. A village in one of its subprefectures, um…Oshi…?" She glanced up, trying to recall its name.

"Oshima?" Yamamoto provided.

"Yes," She affirmed with a surprised tone.

"I didn't know you were good at geography," Tsuna spoke up, no less astounded.

"Lucky guess!" The swordsman replied with a lighthearted laugh, drawing a skeptical sound from Gokudera.

"In any case," Yuri turned back to the man before the conversation got derailed. "I want to put that down."

"Well, if it was that long ago, I don't see any reason not to." Though her face didn't change as she nodded and went back to writing, Tsuna could see her shoulders fall subtly, as though she were breathing out a small sigh of relief. "Oh, and don't forget to choose a new surname."

"Wha…e-even her surname?" Tsuna stuttered.

"It's probably the most important thing to change, actually. No point in fabricating a new identity when your name gives it all away."

"B-but…" Biting his lip, Tsuna looked down. He couldn't argue against it, but he found the idea too sad. As it was, there was so little that Yuri had to call her own, and now she had to get rid of something as abstract as her own name, the only thing she had been able to protect over the years. An identity couldn't possibly be something that could be so easily overwritten, could it?

"…Boss," He glanced up in surprise as Yuri spoke, her lips curled into a small reassuring smile. "It's fine."

"But-"

"It's fine," She repeated, bending back over the paper. "It's hardly even a sacrifice, considering what it gains me."

"Eh?"

"A family," Gokudera prompted softly when Tsuna's confused expression persisted.

"Oh." The bomber understood, Tsuna realized. Gokudera had faced and felt nothing but rejection throughout his childhood. Many saw him as a high class pianist rather than a young boy, other mafias hadn't allowed him to join when he tried, and he had no way of knowing how his parents truly felt about him. It wasn't until he came to Japan and became a member of the Vongola, of their family, that he felt accepted as a person.

The thought made Tsuna's chest grow warm. Though his own story wasn't nearly as tragic, he had that in common with the bomber – before meeting his family, he had never experienced so much happiness. Even though the trials they faced were scary and difficult, he would never regret having met all of them.

"Right," He murmured with a smile.

"What are you going to pick?" Yamamoto asked, taking note of Yuri's befuddled expression as she chewed on the end of the pen.

"Sasagawa!" Ryohei immediately suggested. "I'll have two extreme little sisters!"

"…" She could only give him an exasperated look as the pen fell from her mouth. "For the last time, I'm not going to-! Wait, you have a sister?"

"AH, KYOKO IS EXTREMELY-!"

"Save it," Yuri interrupted preemptively, putting her hand up to quiet him. "I would like to hear about her, but I think I should finish this up first. I'll just wait to…" She paused for a moment, blinking as though something had just occurred to her. She couldn't help smiling slightly as she quietly finished her sentence, "to meet her myself."

It clearly took quite a bit of effort, but the boxer nodded, literally pinching his lips between his teeth in order to refrain from speaking.

"Do you need help thinking of a name?" Tsuna asked, eyeing Ryohei with a slightly disturbed expression.

"I'm not very familiar with Japanese names," She admitted, though she began scribbling furiously on a napkin as she spoke. "But I'd like to pay some sort of…homage to my mother, so I thought I could have it share a character with her first name."

As she wrote, she pushed her fingers into her hair and rested her forehead on her palm, biting her lip as she scratched out what she was writing over and over again.

"I'm not as good at writing as I am at speaking. I don't…" Slapping the pen down, she held the napkin out to Tsuna with a frustrated sigh. "Do any of these look right?"

"Um," Taking it, Tsuna scanned over the characters. Her stroke order was clearly wrong, and some of the characters were completely illegible, but several weren't. "Ai…Aika?"

"Y-yeah…" He smiled as she nodded nervously.

"I'm not so sure about the second character, but it looks like you're writing the 'ai' that means 'indigo', those are fairly consistent. Let me think," Turning his gaze upwards, he tapped his chin thoughtfully for a minute, before snapping his fingers and reaching for the pen. He scratched something out quickly, before handing the napkin back to her. "What do you think of this?"

"Ai…zawa?" She enunciated slowly, squinting slightly as she read the characters.

"It's a fairly common name, so nobody should find it suspicious."

"Aizawa Yuriko…" For a moment, she simply repeated the name over and over again under her breath, testing out the sound and feel of it in her mouth. Finally, she gave a small nod, leaning over the paper to fill it in with slow and careful strokes. "Okay."

"Done?" The man beside her leaned over to glance over the page. "Oops, looks like you missed one – right here, date of birth."

"Oh…right." Though her hand moved, fingers poised over the blank space, she hesitated. Twice, she touched the inky nib to its surface before pulling back again, chewing viciously on her lip.

"…Do…do you not know your birthdate?" Tsuna quickly deduced the reason behind her uncertainty.

"My mother was always busy with her work when I was younger, and she didn't always remember it whenever it passed." Yuri looked curiously ashamed to admit the fact, obscuring her reddening face behind her hands. "I had a few small parties when I was younger, but it was too long ago for me to remember what day they fell on."

"I'm sure we can figure it out," Tsuna encouraged. "The year should be easy enough to work out. You're sixteen, so-"

"What?" Her head snapped up. "That much time can't have already passed."

"Huh? But the Ninth said you were about a year older than me, and I'll be turning sixteen this October…"

"That can't be possible," She muttered, sticking her fingers out one by one as she counted out the years, her brow creasing in agitation.

"Can you remember what the weather was like on your birthdays?" Gokudera prompted. "If you can figure out the season, you can narrow down the months."

"Winter," She replied automatically. "There were snowmen, and…and Christmas trees."

"December, then?"

"It must be," Again, she began counting on her fingers, letting out a small breath of relief as she finished. "No, I should still be a few months away from sixteen."

"Eh?" Tsuna's eyebrows lifted. "Then why would…?"

"They must have guessed – I never told anyone my birth year. I shouldn't be sixteen until this Winter."

"That would be about right," Gokudera mused. "You and I should be around the same age, and my birthday is in September…"

Slowly, a mischievous grin began to spread over his face, and she let out a large groan.

"No." She sighed heavily as he began to chuckle, dropping her face into her arms so that her voice came out soft and muffled. "You are not older than me."

"How long ago did we make that bet?"

"Long enough ago that it's now null and void."

"So you remember, then?"

"No," She hissed out adamantly, lifting her head back up to glare at him. "There's no way you're older."

"It sounds like I am, by at least three months."

"You can be so insufferable," She grumbled, face growing red.

"Well, Gokudera did once say that he considers anyone older than him to be the enemy…" Tsuna mused quietly.

"I'll take that over this any day."

"Is that any way to talk to your senior?" Gokudera teased.

"Oh, forgive me. Should I call you 'grandpa', then?"

"Wha-?!"

"You old geezer."

"Just try saying that again," Though it was an irritated one, he wore a teasing grin.

"Oh no," She gasped dramatically. "I think I can see your hairline receding!"

"You're just bitter because I'm older and taller, aren't you?"

"If you're older, you'll be the first one to need a cane! Who'll be taller then, huh?"

At this point, the other three boys had begun dissolving into badly contained snorts of laughter. It wasn't the first time Gokudera had participated in a childish argument, but it was strange to see Yuri on the other end of it, and the odd combination was turning out to be more entertaining than any of them would have expected.

"W-wait," Tsuna created a barrier between them with his arm as he tried to get his snickers under control. "I don't understand, what's so important about this?"

"Please don't ask," Another small snort escaped from him as Yuri let out a low wail, pulling the hood of her sweatshirt over her face.

"It was a bet we used to have," Gokudera explained, "On who was older and who would end up taller. The loser would have to shave their head."

"Don't be so juvenile," Yuri moaned pathetically as the boys let out another peal of laughter at the mental image of either them with shiny bald heads.

"We both know you'd do the same if our positions were switched!"

"Well…okay, probably. But look at how little I have as it is!" She leaned forward, gesturing at her hair frantically. "It wouldn't even be satisfying!"

"Your eyebrows, then," The bomber deadpanned.

"No!" She practically screamed, stretching the last syllable out as she slapped her palms over her eyes.

"A bet's a bet!"

"I refuse!"

"You can't just ref-!"

"Help me choose a birthdate!"

"Don't change the subject!"

"Wait, I can just put an earlier month down."

"What?!"

"Ha! Who's older now?"

"That…that's cheating!"

"Nobody will believe you! The papers don't lie!"

"Don't you dare!"

"I'm doing it," She teased, moving the pen towards the paper. "Should I put January or February?"

"Put the pen down!" With a wild growl, the bomber lunged over the seat and wrapped his fingers around the writing utensil, trying to pry it from her fingers.

"Wh-? Hey, stop-!"

"Give it to me!"

"You are such a child, oh my...let go!"

"Ow, that hurts, damn it!"

"Then let go!"

"Oi!"

"Why are you doing this to me?" At this point, they were just flailing their limbs wildly like toddlers throwing a temper tantrum while the others tried to keep a safe distance. "It's my pen!"

"It's not yours!"

"It's yours less!"

"What?"

"He gave it to me, so it's more mine than it is yours!"

"What kind of stupid logic is that?"

"Y-your face is stupid!"

"Is that the best you can come up with? You had better comebacks when we were eight!"

"Shut up!"

"Give me the pen!"

"No!"

"Let go!"

"Augh!"

"Crap! N-napkin!"

"It's in my mouth!"

"Whose fault is that?!"

"Yours!"

"…so," Tsuna said softly, long after the pen debacle had more or less resolved itself. "Why the 24th?"

"What?" Yuri glanced up with a confused expression as Tsuna slid into the seat next to her. Over the last several hours, each of them had begun drifting to sleep as day turned to night around them. When he got up to grab a cup of water, Tsuna was surprised to find Yuri curled up with a blanket and a book, the space around her illuminated by the overhead reading light.

"Your birthday," He explained. "I got a glimpse of the papers – you put December 24th."

"Oh," Closing the book, she shifted slightly so that she was facing him. "It's just a stupid old thing I used to tell myself…that my mother used to forget my birthday because it was on the same day as Christmas Eve. I thought it made sense, having it so close to such a big holiday – like trying to notice a crumb when it's beside a loaf of bread. It made it easier not to blame her."

"Oh…"

"Don't give me that look, boss," She said with a reserved smile. "It's just an idea that I got used to, and I guess I'm sort of attached to it now. It's really no big deal."

"I guess you're right," He rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward laugh. "Although Gokudera really thought you were going to put down an earlier month."

"Do not tell him." Her expression grew deadly serious, making him chuckle.

"That argument was kind of unexpected." As he spoke, her cheeks grew red.

"It was…childish, I'll admit."

"I thought it was nice. You're always so serious – I think you only just convinced us all that you're actually human." Her mouth hung open for a few seconds, before simply closing and curling into a smile so small that Tsuna couldn't tell whether or not he was imagining it. "Oh, speaking of birthdays…I don't think Gokudera's ever brought his own up before, and we've never celebrated it with him. Earlier, he said it was in September – that's this month. You wouldn't happen to know which day, would you?"

"The parties his father threw for him were fairly memorable," She replied. "Always on September 9th."

"We missed it?" Tsuna asked with dismay. "That was almost two weeks ago."

"I don't think he'd be too hung up on the details. I'm sure we'll have at least one free day, too." Though she was trying to act uncaring, Tsuna could tell she was interested in the idea of organizing a party.

"…maybe a surprise party?" Tsuna mused with a broad grin. The more he thought about it, the more excited he grew.

"Maybe," Yuri agreed with a small twinkle in her eye, though she was making a strong effort to scowl. "He had better not expect a present from me. If anything, he owes me a new shirt."

"I'm surprised you haven't changed out of that yet," Tsuna laughed.

"Eh," She glanced down at the blotchy stain where the ink of the pen had landed when it finally snapped earlier. "I was barely able to get the ink off of my face, I don't think I have any hope of it washing out. Besides, I kind of like it – the shirt felt kind of boring before, but now it has a battle scar."

"If you say so," Tsuna laughed. "In any case, have you gotten any rest?"

"I'm not a very heavy sleeper," She replied, voice dropping to a whisper as Gokudera shifted and mumbled something in his sleep. "I have an especially hard time in foreign environments."

"Will you be alright?"

"Hm? Oh, I'll be fine. I've grown accustomed to functioning on a limited amount of rest, don't worry." Turning to look over her shoulder, she lifted the window shutter, revealing the sky slowly growing lighter outside. "Shouldn't we be getting close by now? You can see the city from here."

As if on cue, Lyric's voice crackled to life over the intercom.

"Good morning!" She was keeping her voice soft, but chipper enough to rouse the others from their slumber. "Sorry to wake you, kids, but I'm going to need to ask you all to make sure your seats are upright and your seatbelts buckled. We're beginning our descent, and we'll be touching down in about ten minutes. Take a minute to wake yourselves up and get your stuff together."

There was a short pause as everyone began shifting sleepily, before Lyric turned the intercom back on, "Oh, yeah – welcome to New York City, kiddos."