A/N: Oh boy. Hip hip horray, we've got one more chapter to go... Looking at the word count, I had close to 5k words last chapter. And looking at the 2k this chapter has. It just makes me sad. After school starts again, expect longer chapters and longer waiting times, because school is meannn. (Btw, thank you for 975 views! It's been what, two weeks since I first started posting this? Maybe? Even if it's just random people clicking on the first chapter and then clicking away to never read this story again, it makes me happy watching that number go up! :3)

- = - = - = - = - = - (Chapter 10) - = - = - = - = - = -

(Mitsuki's POV)

I groaned, flopping down on my bed as I recalled the conversation I had with Haru a week ago.

.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.

"I'm home~!" I called through the flat, towing Aki behind me. It had been another rough day of Hibari chasing me. The assumed Cloud Guardian's son had taken an interest in the two of us, which didn't scare me as much as the fact that it had become routine to run from him in the mornings and after lunch. Aki often joked that at least we were getting our exercise in.

It's only been a few months since we were wearing diapers! Oh, the horrid memories. The first time… Haru had tried breast-feeding… and then the diaper fiasco… Well, Namimori Shopping District certainly had a wide variety of stores, one of which had some of the best baby formula around. And, being the picky little princess I am, I would only settle for the best.

Carrying an unconscious Aki halfway home had hurt my already aching arm, and just my luck, I winced just as Haru came in the entry-room to greet us.

"Oh, my little kittens are hurt!" she exclaimed, immediately rushing to my side. She was completely convinced that I looked cute enough to be a kitten, but my claws were sharp enough to draw blood. By extent, my twin was a kitten as well. I grimaced up at her concerned face, less from pain and more from the fact that someone was all up in my personal space and while that was all fine and dandy to some people I did not like it when people did so without my consent. Grrr. You're more like a kitten than you realize~ Or maybe a lion cub? Shii-shii-shii~ I'm real tired of your shit Mi-chan. Now's not the time.

Haru suddenly straightened, a determined gleam in her eyes. Uh oh.

"You've been getting hurt a lot lately…" she started, the gleam never diminishing. "and from what you've said, you haven't been learning anything but social skills in pre-school. It's practically daycare, and I don't want you to be getting hurt like this unless it's absolutely necessary. So, I think it's best if I pull you and Aki-kun out of pre-scho-" "WHAAT?!" I exclaimed, not even letting my mother finish.

She sent me a disapproving glare but I didn't care. "Do you know how boring it is trying to grow up while being as aware as we are?!" my voice escalated, bordering on the edge of hysteria. "Besides, 'Kaa-san, the reason we're coming home bloodied and bruised is because of a particular boy. Before you say anything, no he's not a normal boy, he's Hibari Akira-" her whole form tensed up at the mention of the name Hibari, and I couldn't stop myself from inwardly smirking, knowing she would see my side of things now, "- and he won't stop bothering us, even if we pull out! He's… fixated, as weird as it sounds, on the idea of fighting us," Even if you say 'us', eventually you've got to accept that you've gotten yourself a grade 'A' stalker, Aki has nothing to do with it~ "so if we stop going to school to fight him he'll probably start coming here instead!" By the end of my rant I was panting, and Haru was eerily quiet, so the silent house echoed around my panting.

A moment later, in an almost 180 in mood, Haru started giggling.

She's… insane… I thought as she continued giggling madly. Before I could confidently draw the conclusion that she was going to draw a meat cleaver from nowhere and hack us to pieces like some corny horror film- or him – she quieted down. Shooting me a bemused expression, she turned on heels and went further into the house, leaving a dumbstruck me looking stupid in the doorway. Unbalanced, carrying an unconscious twin while heavily battered, I barely heard what Haru shouted over her shoulder.

"Then I'll just have to call your father, and either he or one of his associates can teach you how to fight~"

Wait.

How does she know we know what Bel does for a living?!

Maybe she's not as oblivious as you thought, Tsu-ki-nee. Her dry tone combined with her stretching each syllable did nothing to help my mood.

.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.

Shaking myself out of my flashback, I decided to take a nap. I felt like changing into my pajamas; my tiny, embarrassing, one piece, pink pajamas with bears on them. Suddenly I felt really, really tired.

I snuggled into the comforting sheets of Aki-nii's and my bed, extremely glad that Mi-chan was choosing this time to sleep. Apparently, Mi and Hiko had to 'sleep', so to speak, which really meant that they were resting their consciousnesses from watching over us all the time.

I really can't blame you; if I had to watch over an annoying idiot all the time, I would want to sleep my sorrows away too.

The comforting blankets worked their magic, and I fell into the recesses of the dark dream world. It had been a while since I hadn't been asleep and in my mindscape at the same time, and it was refreshing.

A few minutes later, I was rudely awakened by the loud doorbell.

"Five more minutes Mama…" I murmured, before shooting straight up as I realized I'd spoken in English. Shit. I quickly looked around before realizing that no one heard. That would have been hella hard to explain.

I snuck out of our room while straightening my shirt, leaning partly off of the banister to see if anything was happening downstairs. I froze as I took in the now familiar face of onyx eyes and black hair that in the right light looked almost golden, not as raven black as his father's. Shit shit shit.

I promptly turned around, went back into the room I had been asleep in less than a minute ago, opened the window, and jumped out.

No, it didn't matter that I didn't look before I jumped and could have broken so many bones Haru would have put me in a straight jacket, thinking that I would be safer there.

No, it didn't matter that if there wasn't a fairly soft hedge there, I could have easily scratched myself and the stench of blood surely would have attracted the bloodhound I was trying to avoid.

Because the bloodhound was Hibari Akira. And when Hibari Akira shows up at your front door, speaking seemingly kindly to your mother, you don't wait patiently in your room. You don't cry out in anguish (because if Hibari was being nice the world was ending!) no matter how much you wanted to. You. Simply. Run.

It just so happened that the two-story window looking out at our backyard was the best escape route. Aki-nii be damned, I was not sticking around.

.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.

When I returned an hour later, looking disheveled and dirty, Haru didn't question it. She simply picked out the sticks and leaves from the hedge out of my hair, and motioned to the first aid kit on the kitchen table. Aki was sitting on one of the chairs, his face bandaged. Apparently his escape attempt didn't go as smoothly as mine did.

I glared at Haru, my expression meaning 'I told you so' in every way possible. Haru opened and closed her mouth a few times, before sighing.

"I'll go call your father."

.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.

I half listened to Haru, who was muttering about how she didn't care if it was Mammy or Froggy or even Same-chan, that her kittens needed to learn how to sharpen their claws. The rest was droned out by Aki-nii's snoring.

Drowsily, I yawned and left the kitchen, trudging up to my room.

I didn't even bother to change into my bear pajamas. Flopping down onto the comfortable bed for the second time today, I welcomed the darkness that was sleep without dreams.

.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.

(Akira's POV)

I paced around the large, traditionally-styled house I called my own. No, I was not anxious. No, nothing was bothering me. Well, no, that would be lying. After chasing Miura Akihiko down and giving him enough wounds to satisfy me, but not cause any permanent damage, I had searched for over an hour for Miura Mitsuki. That girl, even though she was barely seven, eight months old, was able to hide from me.

A month or two ago I had asked my father to look up in his databases who Miura Haru's children were, as I never learned the names of her… spawn. He had simply raised an eyebrow, before agreeing. I had taken an interest in the database, making sure I knew almost all of my schoolmates' names and their histories, but never had I asked based on their parent's name.

"Miura Haru has two twins… A Miura Akihiko and a Miura Mitsuki." Akihiko was a boy's name, so Mitsuki must have been the female twin.

"I don't know how these two caught your interest though. They barely turned six months old a week ago, and while it seems they're intelligent for their age, they should barely be able to walk at this point," my father said, his hair shining a bright gold in the light as he swiveled in his chair. I snorted at the last comment, and he simply shook his head.

"Well, I have to get back to my medical work," he sighed. "The hospital, even if I'm only funding it and agreed to teach a few nurses and doctors as a mentor, never ceases to give me less work." I snorted again, basically translating to, 'Dad, you've told me this before. I get it.' "Hai, hai!" the blonde finally said, raising his hands in defeat. He swiveled back to his computer, and started chatting animatedly with someone on the phone. "Hai, this is Valentino…"

Turning away from him, I decided to go search for my other father.

Her laughing eyes as she ran away with her not-so-herbivorous brother flashed through my mind suddenly, frustrating me. I punched the wall without thinking, and a few cracks appeared for my efforts.

"Wao," a praising voice echoed. He was a man of few words, but he meant what he said and said what he meant.

"Tou-san," I bowed, before practically demanding to go straight into training. He raised an eyebrow, like my other father had not too long ago, and agreed, although he scolded me on treating my elders with more respect. His tone was almost amused. Almost.

As we both brandished matching tonfas, I lost myself in the clashing of weapons. Every time I felt even remotely tired, the image of those twins would flash into my mind, mocking me, and I would continue with renewed rigor. The sounds of metal clashing against metal could be heard, albeit faintly, all the way at the other end of the house, where an irritated blonde was trying to talk himself out of even more paperwork.

.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.=.-.

(Mitsuki's POV)

As I sneezed again, I had to wave off Aki-nii who was on the verge of charging out and out-right fighting Akira-san (The child didn't deserve the honor of me calling him by his last name) for potentially giving his adorable little sister a cold.

I of course smacked him upside the head for thinking even for a second that I would stand by and play the role of 'the adorable little sister'.

A/N2: Nothing much this chapter. I'll add another omake next chapter, and then close off this beginning arc. Mafia stuff is coming. And it will destroy these two twins. Hehe.