Summer showers to was away the doubts, and let the buds bloom

The relationship between Kyoko and Tsuna had definitely changed over the last year since Dino last saw them. He noticed it straight away. They were not gravitating near each other, as though they could not bare to be apart. They did not move in symmetry like they had when Dino had first met them all those years ago, and Kyoko went straight to Haru without even looking to check whether it was okay with Tsuna for her to leave, as she had always done before.

Dino could only conclude that the twins were starting to get on in life without depending on the other. They had always had their own personalities, but they didn't even look like each other any more. Tsuna was an inch taller, his skin more sun-kissed, his nose a little higher up on his face, his eyes wide and a warm brown rather than Kyoko's lighter hazel. His hair was thicker and lighter now, and although you could tell they were siblings, you couldn't get confused between the two anymore. When Kyoko left, Tsuna walked up to Hibari and smiled happily. "It's been a while, Hibari."

Which was another surprise to Dino. Since when had Tsuna ever been HAPPY to see him?

After Tsuna found out that Kyoko and Haru wrote to each other that summer, Tsuna had tried to write once to Hibari, and to his surprise, he got a reply, from Hibird none the less! It was a shock to Tsuna to wake up one morning to the song of the bird chirping the National Namimori Anthem.

Still, it was usually Tsuna who did all the conversational talking in his letters. Hibari simply responded with very short responses, more like reports than informal letters to a friend. Sometimes he would put bird feathers into rolled up script before sending it on, as a sort of souvenir for Tsuna of the type of bird he'd spotted that day, or something. Tsuna was used to his strange quirks and hobbies by now though.

Time away from Tsuna had put stress on Hibari. Like an elastic band, the cold winter season made Hibari irritable and tense, and the time seemed to stretch on and on, until it reached breaking point, at which point Hibari snapped back to Tsuna's side during summer, lax and warmed by his presence, and felt no inclination to wonder off and leave him. Another two summers passed them by this way.

"You know what we haven't had in a long time?" Haru said one June afternoon. The other three royalties sitting on the stairs of the Namimori castle looked up at her. "Those special grapes from the Bovino farm. Remember those?"

"Ah, yes, I do remember those!" Kyoko said, smiling at the memory,"they were delicious! I remember the lady was very nice..."

"I remember that their kid was crazy. He stole all of mine and ran off with them. You had to share yours with me." Tsuna said to Kyoko, and Kyoko giggled.

"Ah, I remember that! You came back from the toilet crying like a baby and wouldn't let go of King Iemitsu." laughed Haru, making Tsuna turn red. "And you weren't making any sense at all! I didn't think you were telling the truth, to be honest."

"About what? My grapes being stolen?"

"Well sort of, because you were saying something like a little boy that looked like a cow had taken them."

"Yes, that's exactly what the thief looked like! I was telling the truth!"

"So was it a cow that ate them, or a boy?"

"I...It was definitely a boy! And he definitely had big hair, and he wore a cow skin suit, or something...honestly! Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I think you must have dreamt it. You were always telling little stories as a kid."

"No way! Like what?"

"Oh I can't remember all of them, can I? We were only little. I just remember the boys you said you saw by the forest, and then my Mum sent loads of men to search for them and didn't see anything. You must have been dishonest."

"Why would I do something like that! I was telling the truth, and...Hibari, you saw them too, didn't you? Hibari saw them too, Haru! He did....you did, didn't you?" Tsuna said, turning to Hibari sitting opposite him on the stairs, a heavy book on his knees.

Hibari said nothing, just silently turned a leafy page of his book.

"Just tell your sister what you saw by the river when we were kids...remember? The summer we had the picnic? And we went swimming in the river..."

"You know, that was the first time we ever visited this place." Kyoko said thoughtfully. "Doesn't it seem like it was only last year or something?"

"Hahi, I think you're right!" Haru exclaimed, "that was the very first summer we met. I must have been...eight? Nine?"

"You were six." Hibari said suddenly.

"No way! It's been ten years? That long?" Kyoko exclaimed, "It's definitely been a while since we had those grapes!"

"That decides it, then." Haru nodded, slapping her knees and standing up. "We're going to the Bovino farm, for some grapes, and to see Tsuna's imaginary friend."

"He was real!" Tsuna said insistently, but Haru just waved him off with a limp hand gesture.

"Sure, sure, we'll see for ourselves. Hibari, you're coming too."

Tsuna thought that the way Hibari looked up from his book and blinked at his sister was as if to say, 'are you crazy?' or 'do you want to be bitten to death?' or something like that.

Tsuna tried instead. "We're just going to get some grapes from the village. It's a really nice day, and we could look at something at the blacksmiths if you like."

Hibari turned the same look back at him. Still a 'no' then.

"But if you don't feel up to walking in this weather, I can understand. Sometimes Kyoko gets ill in the heat, too, and it's quite a long walk when you-"

Hibari snapped the book closed and stood up at that. "I think you underestimate the future king of this country, Herbivore." Hibari said suddenly, "this weather means nothing to me."

And you'll walk with us to prove it, as predicted! Tsuna thought, and when Hibari descended the stairs before him he smiled to himself at his cleverness. Hibari was easy to persuade once you only understood how he worked. If the proverbial carrot doesn't work, then poke fun at his pride, at a great distance, and with a very long stick.

But you have to try and do it before Hibari can give a real 'no' for an answer. Once that is said it would be threatening his pride to go back on his word. As a king, he probably thinks his word is law, and becomes incredible stubborn, is what Tsuna thought on the matter. Tsuna knew this about Hibari. and since he didn't want to go alone with the girls if he could help it, as they would surely pick on him, he felt no guilt in tricking Hibari to join them.

Haru convinced them all to walk the hour into the village on that sunny day. "It is very cloudy, so the sun shouldn't bother us too much!" she reasoned, and took her sun umbrella, just in case, "for a princess' skin should be white as snow and smooth as silk!" she declared.

The servants and some guards had volunteered to go with them, but Hibari had sent them away with a look. They were insulting his strength by thinking he needed assistance, Hibari said. He and Tsuna walked side by side behind the girls, who walked and talked on the road ahead. Haru with her frilly umbrella hanging off her arm, and a pastel green dress, Kyoko in a baby pink dress with a white shawl.

"I wonder, will you be shopping for very long this time?" Tsuna said at some point, "we only went to the village last week, and we spent a whole five hours outside three shops that looked exactly the same! This time, would you mind if me and Hibari did our own thing, too?"

"What a cruel thing to say, Tsuna! What a gentleman you are! And you call yourself a prince!" Haru scoffed over her shoulder as she marched on. "My own brother would never do such a thing as to abandon me!"

"You are very protective of your sister, aren't you Hibari?" Kyoko said quietly. However, he did not see fit to dignify that question with an answer. "Well, I've always thought so." Kyoko finished, unfazed. They were all used to Hibari's ways by now.

Hibari was not in a very talkitive mood until the village came into sight. Then the people were too noisy, the market place too crowded, the children running around undisciplined. However, in the presence of three other royalties, rather than the paralyzing fear the villagers usually had about them when Hibari was in sight, they only bowed nervously or otherwise waved and smiled at the passing royalties. As though his aura was diluted by more gentle souls around him, he did not have much effect on the atmosphere in the market place anymore. Haru greeted them all as she passed, though not by name like Tsuna and Kyoko did in their own kingdom.

"What brings you here today, your majesties?"

"Care to try some new flavored shortcake, Princess Haru?"

"The florists have just restocked their wares, Princess Kyoko!"

"It is wonderful to see you all, your majesties!"

And this last statement spoke true for everyone. The villagers loved to see the young royalties together in a group like this. The elderly knew about the marriage arrangements, and looked forward to a royal wedding. They loved to speculate on the relationship between the four.

"Did you see Princess Haru arguing with Prince Tsunayoshi just now? They are getting along so nicely!"

"Prince Hibari is very kind to Princess Kyoko, is he not?"

"Don't the twins look adorable! So alike..."

"See how Prince Hibari and Prince Tsunayoshi walk side by side? They must be the best of friends!"

Everyone delighted in their company, the awe of meeting a national celebrity never gets old. Most of all was how beautiful they were, though...For Haru had beautiful dark eyes with thick lashes and a vibrant smile. Kyoko was fair and very lovely in the face, her brother the same in almost every respect, except for his thicker, messier hair and boyish features. His large eyes and slim frame could get him mistaken for a girl, though, whereas Hibari was taller than Tsuna by a head. His raven hair contrasted boldly with sharp pale eyes that seemed to always say 'I wish you were dead', and his strangely pale complexion giving him an unearthly beauty to the princes face. They were all breath-takingly beautiful, and handsome, and young. They stole no few of the ladies, and the mens, hearts with their odd trips to the village.

As feared, on this day Tsuna and Hibari were fated once again to wait outside many shops for the princess's to browse. Worse, they never came out with anything straight away, so it seemed like they were waiting for nothing at all! (The items wanted were mostly sent to the castle later in the day).

By the time they made it to their destination it was lunchtime, and the majesties were looking forward to the grapes.

The farm came into sight at the edge of town, and it was exactly as they remembered it, if not a little smaller to their older eyes. They walked up to the little house with vines growing up it and a green door, feeling welcomed by the homely feel to it. Haru was the one to knock, though it got no reply.

"Do you think they've gone out?" Kyoko said, when Haru knocked again to no reply.

"We've come all this way, there must be someone in!" She rapt in the door for the third time, louder and more impatient than the rest.

"I-piiiin." A low voice called from the inside of the house. "Door!"

"Ah, coming!" Called a muffled girls voice, followed by a cry and a large crash of what sounded like pans, and some smaller crashes of something like glass breaking.

"Nevermind. I'll get it!" Said the males voice lazily, sounding close to the door, and a moment later it finally opened.

A young man stood before them, dressed in black trousers and a cow print shirt. His raven bed-head of hair flicked out to cover one of his heavy lidded bedroom eyes, which were a bright green and looked at the four majesties at the door with a bored expression on his face.

"Can I help you?" He said, putting his hands in his pockets and leaning against the door frame.

Haru and Kyoko looked at him with little stars in their eyes. He was...so cool!

"Hello!" She clasped her hands together and said in a really cute voice, "erm...this is the Bonvino farm, right? Is Mrs. Bovino in?"

"My mothers gone shopping, it's just me and the girl." Said the guy, "Nice to see you again, Your Majesties. Would you like to come in?"

"Mrs. Bovino's your mother?" Tsuna said, "You're her son?"

Everyone stared at him for the stupidness of such a question. "Yeah..." The teen said slowly, as though to a child. "She's my mother, I'm her son, that's how it works, right?"

"You're Lambo?!" Tsuna cried, "no way!"

"Well I was the last time I checked," Lambo said, moving a side from the door to let them in, "though it's hard to keep track sometimes, what with me switching places with my younger self at times."

"But...you've grown!" Tsuna said dumbly.

"It's been ten years, young Vongola." Lambo said, "it was bound to happen."

"I mean...you've matured." Tsuna back-tracked, only realizing too late how utterly retarded he sounded. But he was just really surprised! This cool, handsome guy was nothing like the snot nosed kid that stole his grapes from him! "I mean, changed a lot. Since the last time. I mean back then you were...back then I was...never mind." He blushed, painfully conscious of how dumb he was being.

"Ah, I apologize for my younger, less civilized five year old self." Lambo said, leading them into the kitchen, "I was rather thoughtless, I must admit. Please take a seat, your majesties." He gestured to the kitchen table and drew one up for himself, when Hibari caught his attention. "Are you not going to take a seat, your majesty?"

"I am comfortable here." He said, and stood like a statue watching over them. Lambo shrugged.

"Suit yourself. Well, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company, your majesties?"

"Well, we've just come to say hi, really! And wondered if we could have some of your famous grapes for lunch." Haru said, a little shyly now.

"Ah, it's the grapes, is it?" said the boy. "I-pin? Have you finished cleaning up yet?"

"I'm finished!" said the girls voice again, "I just finished – oh, hello, your majesties!"

The girl blushed and bowed, and when she looked up they saw she had a pretty little face, and was dressed like a maid. She bowed very low, too. "I'm sorry for not opening the door right away! I was out delivering something to next door, so I didn't hear anything, and then when I was just about to answer it I dropped the-"

"It's fine, it's fine, you don't have to explain or get upset over it." Kyoko soothed with her calm voice, "it's nice to see you again, I-pin. It's been a while!"

"Yes it has!" I-pin said, and then her eyes were drawn to Hibari.

"H-hello, Prince Hibari!" She stuttered a little too loudly, her face turning bright red.

Tsuna heard the shy tone in her voice and sensed straight away that she must have a crush on Hibari, which was only affirmed throughout their stay there. She kept glancing up at him from beneath her eyelashes and trying to talk to him while the four of them were shown around the farm by Lambo and I-pin.

He started to get a little jealous. Tsuna would never get such looks from a girl, after all. Being so small with his ugly high set nose and wide mouth. 'Cute' is not the same as 'handsome', and is just a kind way of saying to a boy that 'you will always be a friend' material with your less-than-average-looks. Hibari was tall, dark and very handsome, and very strong. He knew a lot about a lot of things, was good at almost everything he did, was exciting, though sometimes very scary, to be with...Tsuna was as dull as mud and boring to be around.

Before he realized it Tsuna had been thinking of Hibari throughout the whole time they were at the farm before the cold air penetrated his thoughts and made him shiver. But hadn't it been hot a minute ago?

"Is it just me, or has it gotten a lot cooler all of a sudden?" He said aloud, rubbing his bare arms.

Hibari craned his neck to look at the graying sky. "We should be there soon. Those clouds don't look as friendly anymore."

"Yeah, maybe we...should...hey," Tsuna suddenly realized that it was just him and Hibari walking the way back home again. They had already passed through the town and were on their way on the path through the fields back to the castle. No one else was in sight. "Where has everybody gone?"

"The girls had already left with Lambo and I-pin, about twenty minutes before us." Hibari said. "You were staring at nothing, so I left you there and you followed."

"What, and they didn't even bother to wait for us, after all the waiting we've done for them?" Tsuna cried, "I don't believe those two!"

And as though heeding to his internal emotions, it started to rain.

"Ah, it was sunny a moment ago!" Tsuna cried, cringing at the coldness of it. "What is this, witch-craft?"

"There's shelter over there." Hibari said, and started walking towards a tree squatting on the side of the dirt road further up. Tsuna spotted where he was heading towards and started running towards it, tugging Hibari by the sleeve as he went.

"Hurry up, Hibari! We're going to get soaked!" He said, and in response Hibari merely shrugged off the jacket he was wearing and held it over his head. "What good is that going to do!" Tsuna cried, but Hibari only continued marching. Instead of running ahead without him Tsuna ducked under the jacket too, and they made their way to the tree in Hibari's own good time.

Underneath the tree was only partly dry, as rain drops fell through the gaps in the leaves, but better than no shelter at all. Tsuna crouched down by the trunk to get warm and Hibari stood beside him, shaking his jacket off. "It doesn't look like the type of rain that will last very long, it's so heavy," said Tsuna, and then shuddered. "Ugh, I'm wet all over after all," he moaned, "I knew that jacket wouldn't do us any good. We should have run for it, we wouldn't be this wet if you hadn't taken your time!"

"A little rain cannot harm a prince." Hibari said, "and a prince should not be seen running away from the rain as though afraid of it, like a commoner."

Ah, is that it? I should have known Hibari would say something like that. Tsuna thought to himself. "That's no good reason to get cold and wet"

"You could have run ahead for yourself, if that is how you really feel." Hibari said quietly. Tsuna looked up in surprise, since they hadn't said anything for a minute now. Was he still thinking about it?

"Well, I guess, I-I didn't want to just leave you to get all wet by yourself. It didn't seem...right." Tsuna said nervously, not sure what he meant. He felt Hibari's eyes on him and saw that familiar unreadable expression on his face. Tsuna looked away, feeling embarrassed.

"That's no good reason to get cold and wet." Hibari said.

Tsuna was so surprised by the response that he laughed under his breath. He didn't know why he found it funny, but he did. "I guess so!" He grinned, and felt a lot better about it. He felt Hibari slide down the trunk to crouch on his heels next to Tsuna. Beside him now, Hibari could feel Tsuna's cool skin shaking against his shoulder. His eyes narrowed and he frowned at his discomfort.

"Do you think the girls are okay?" Tsuna said out of nowhere.

Hibari glanced at Tsuna, thinking how typical it was for him to think of others in his situation. "They have a half an hour head start on us. No doubt they've made it back to the castle by now." Hibari replied, "besides, Haru has her umbrella with her."

"Ah, yes. That's a relief, then." He sighed.

They didn't say anything for a while. Fat droplets rolled from the leaves of the tree, dripping a little onto their heads. Tsuna shivered as one slipped down his shirt color. "Ah, cold!" he exclaimed, leaning back onto the trunk a little to get rid of the feeling.

Tsuna's hair was still as lively as ever, having been protected by Hibari's jacket. His shirt clung to his body in wrinkles though, making him look skinny and boy-like, with strands of hair plastered to his cheek bones. He didn't look anything like a prince.

Suddenly Tsuna felt a heavy material being draped over him. Hibari stood up and crossed his arms, leaned against the tree. "Hibari? Wha-"

"You'll catch cold like that." He said, gesturing to Tsuna's state at the moment. "You are much too skinny."

"I am not wearing much more than yourself!" Tsuna said, noticing that Hibari only wore a long sleeved white shirt. The way it stuck see-through to his body was the only indicator that he was wet himself, and he had crossed his arms as though it was his final decision. Even with just that, he looked like a king.

"But, if that is how you feel about it," Tsuna said, blushing a little. "at least sit down, since it's warmer when you do." But Hibari didn't move. Tsuna used his secret technique instead, "Unless you're afraid to get your trousers muddy. I understand that a prince is told not to get them dirty, and especially your mother..."

Hibari suddenly sat down cross legged on the grass without a second thought. "No one tells me what to do, herbivore." He growled, and Tsuna tried to keep a straight face over his triumph. He was amazed that it worked as easily as it did. Surely Hibari had noticed his tactics by now? He'd used them since they were kids, after all.

Hibari's eyes snapped open and narrowed dangerously. "Scared?"

"The fish won't hurt you, and water is just water!" Tsuna said, splashing his hands for effect. "Or maybe it's that you cannot swim?" Tsuna did not sense the danger he was in using such words. "It's warm and it's-" SPLISSSH!

Hibari jumped right into the river in his shirt and trousers before Tsuna even realized what he was doing, splashing everyone. He then swam flawlessly up to Tsuna (and he could barely touch the bottom!), and went right up to his face to say, "I fear nothing, herbivore. Say such things again and I will definitely b-blub!"

"THAT's the spirit, your highness!" Said the King, dunking the kids head below the water. "Isn't this fun?"

Tsuna giggled to himself at the memory. Yes, even when they were kids, Hibari would never back down from what he saw as a challenge.

Tsuna sat right up to Hibari until they were very much side by side. "It's a little warmer this way, isn't it?" he said quietly. Hibari blushed a little, and tried not to look at him. He felt very much warmer, though he felt it was due to something somewhat different than to what Tsuna had in mind. ,

Hibari recalled a time when Tsuna would have cried over something like this. Tsuna had matured.

Suddenly Tsuna felt a hand snake behind him around his waist, and he was pulled a little into the crook of Hibari's shoulder. Tsuna's eyes widened.

"It's a little warmer this way, isn't it?" Hibari said quietly into Tsuna's ear. Tsuna was very glad that Hibari couldn't see his bright red face just then. Unable to speak, he nodded, and he felt Hibari's arm squeeze gently as if to hold him closer.

For a while he could not stop himself from tensing up, his thoughts becoming white noise in his head. What the hell! What is he doing!? Oh my GOD, Hibari...why is he holding me so strangely!

To distract himself, Tsuna tried to think of something to occupy his mind. I wonder what's for dinner today? Probably not Salmon fish, we had that yesterday. I wonder if it's true that fish tastes better if you catch it yourself. Dad's pretty good at catching fish. So is Hibari, but he doesn't like it very much, being a King-to-be and all that.

But Tsuna knew that deep down, Hibari never wanted to be king. He could still remember that day when Hibari had confessed that to him....it was a while ago now, but it seemed like it was only the other day. He confessed, right after the worst period of knowing him. After all that mistreatment, for Tsuna, it was like sunshine at the end of months and months of monsoon season.

As though, everything that Tsuna had perceived him to be before that moment was shattered, and his perspective was irrevocably shifted following those words, so that Tsuna could not see him the same way anymore. Suddenly Tsuna felt closer to him, less of a nuisance and more like a brother. Hibari became more touchable, more...human.

Tsuna tried to recall all the times Hibari had claimed it wasn't 'princely' or 'kingly' to do something or other. It stunned him a little – not just because the idea of a prince not wanting to be king was incredulous, since he himself had always rejected the idea, for obvious reasons, his incompetence and cowardice to name a few – but because Hibari was a king, through and through. He was perfect, and what's more, he had never shown any inclination to not wanting to be king before that day.

Tsuna almost wanted to laugh. Hibari and him...were more similar than he once thought. When he thought about it, it wasn't like they had nothing in common. They were both princes for a start, raised in neighbouring countries under similar circumstances. Neither of them were average (Given, Tsuna being way below and Hibari being way above), and that abnormality sometimes led to feelings of isolation and loneliness – Tsuna was not the most social creature you would find. Though friendly, he was terribly shy, and Hibari was downright anti-social all together. They both liked little kids, and they both hated being cold. Just little things like that.

(A/N: A good song here: Maybe – Yiruma, can be found on youtube. Such a beautiful song!)

The rain fell with a muffled patter on the leaves above them, and curtained all around them underneath the tree. The air smelt metallic fresh, but mostly Tsunas senses were filled with Hibari, subtle and familiar. Without realizing that he had been, Tsuna eventually stopped shivering. Then the rain began to thin. It faded into odd drops, and the shadow underneath the tree became darker as the grass Tsuna could see began to sparkle in the sunlight, the world becoming brighter.

"Er...Hibari? The rain has stopped." Tsuna said attentively. With Hibari's arm still wrapped around him, Tsuna turned around saw that he was asleep.

"This guy – I thought he was a light sleeper!" Even so, Tsuna knew by experience that to wake a sleeping Hibari was begging for a beating. So, he sighed a long suffering sigh and sat under the tree in the arms of another prince.

A/N: I know that I said 'a week' but this turned out to be 20pages long somehow :S so I split it up, and the next chapter WILL be a week (cause it's already completed) which gives me time to write the NEXT one to follow the week after, so you guys get a chapter every couple of weeks (instead of months) and I can get this work over with. I got exams coming up, so I'd rather get this out of the way instead of letting it eat into my revision time. Ja ne x