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I do not own KHR...sadly.
Cries of the Heart, Echoes of the Night
Chapter Ten: No Chocolate, Please
"Ah, this one too please."
I swiftly wrote down the signatures.
"And here."
I found the 'x' and marked another.
"These three too."
I shifted through the papers and wrote down the names.
"And I need you to file these and write up detentions."
I dropped my pen to the desk and groaned, looking up at Kusakabe pleadingly. "Is that all?"
Kusakabe looked away sheepishly and left another stack on my desk. "Sorry Tatsudoshi, we've got a lot of work back here in the Disciplinary Committee, and it helps a ton having you here."
I sighed, dabbing my pen and pulling out the first sheet on the top of the stack with a look of reluctance. "I hate paperwork."
"You're telling me." Kusakabe sighed, running a hand through his thick...'head' of hair and shaking his head. "What I'd kill for a break now and then."
The two of us released simultaneous sighs and shook our heads, eyeing the stack of paperwork with dread.
"Oh," Kusakabe blinked, looking to me he began, "I have something for you."
Surprise flittered across my face as he dug into his pocket and pulled out the familiar red armband with gold writing. I blinked as he held it out to me, looking rather expectant.
"It's your armband," He explained, as if I hadn't understood what it meant. "Since you're technically a member of our force now, you deserve to carry the band."
I stared at the band before me. It was odd, and as much as I despised this job (thanks Reborn), it felt...nice to be accepted into something. Tsuna was usually the only one I thought capable of being accepting of myself, but seeing this band before me...
I offered a small smile to Kusakabe and took the band; slipping it over my arm and watching it nestle contentedly below my shoulder. "Thank you."
Kusakabe nodded, scratching the side of his head awkwardly before slipping out of the room with a quick 'good bye.' He was nice, honestly, like a...awkward big brother. You don't see too many of his types around here.
"Herbivore...why are you dazing off?" A cold voice questioned and I flinched, turning my head slowly as Hibari glared at me, seated calmly behind his desk.
"M-My bad..." I murmured, shaking as his glare intensified. "I'll get back to work..."
Hibari made a small noise and glanced back down to his desk, before resting his head in his arms. His eyes shutting as he let out a yawn and slumped slightly.
...Unfair. Totally unfair.
I bristled slightly, here I was battling my growing insomnia, trying to catch any possible sleep I could get my hands on, and while I'm being worked to death, he just naps? This is like slavery!
I bit my lip and narrowed my eyes, but before I could speak, the most unexpected thing happened.
Hibari sneezed.
...No, I am not pulling your leg, the one and only Hibari Kyoya sneezed.
Like a puppy.
I blinked, surprise evident on my face as he blinked once after the quiet and rather puppy-like outburst, his eyes had a dazed look to them, reminding me of Tsuna after he just woke up.
It would have been almost cute, had it not been for him catching my stare and glaring coldly, eyes menacing and a number one death trap.
"Bless you." I offered, turning back and scratching the pen over the papers.
The room was silent, save for the scratching of pen on paper and the slight shuffle from time to time. I could feel his eyes boring holes into my head, causing me to snatch a quick glance up – yup, still looking.
"May I help you?" I questioned, finally setting down my pen and biting back the urge to scream and run as he stared coldly at me.
"...herbivore."
"What?"
"Act like an herbivore."
I stared, unsure of what to do when he cast me another glare and returned to resting his head on his desk. A sneeze leaving him once more before he shut his eyes. I contemplated alerting him that most bosses wouldn't just leave all the work to their subordinates, but he didn't seem to care.
God, I would kill Reborn.
Scratch that. He'd kill me first.
"Tsuna...isn't home?" I echoed, staring curiously at the smiling woman before me. "Where is he?"
"Ah, I think Reborn took him out with his friends to do some outdoor training!" Nana smiled, causing a frown to touch my lips. "Perhaps they didn't want to trouble you."
"Maybe..." I murmured, slightly dejected that I hadn't been aware of Tsuna's absence, before Reborn I was everywhere he was. For once, actually realizing that I wasn't with Tsuna...was...odd.
"Thank you, Mama." I bowed slightly and Nana smiled, waving me off as I exited the Sawada household, pondering what my next move should be.
Then again, as much as it bugged me not being able to be next to Tsuna, especially if he was in danger, this meant that Reborn would have also taken Yamamoto and Gokudera with him. As well as considering how much that stupid hobo had been around, he would probably be with them too.
So...I was technically alone.
...Odd hearing that. I'd been surrounded by strangers for awhile now, not being bugged by at least one person was a change of pace. I must say though, it was rather nice.
A sigh escaped my lips and I shoved my hands into the depths of my hoodie pockets, the weather was slightly windy and the clouds were loitering the sky like an incoming storm. Considering how valentine's was coming up, it was mildly surprising that the weather wasn't more pleasant.
...Valentines...
I stopped, looking up I glanced at the street I was on and was pleased to realize I was not to far away from the grocery store. That meant I could finally get done with that well needed trip and get some extra items as well.
"I wonder what kind of chocolate I should make for Tsuna..." I murmured, tapping my chin in thought. "Last year I made stars...this year... Tuna?"
A smile touched my lips, the poor boy was never the center of attention on Valentine's Day, and so it was always me who littered his locker and desk with the chocolaty gifts.
I found my mind wandering to the different shapes and flavors I would be needing as I strolled through the shopping district. I felt a strand on the side of my head quiver, and my nose twitched. I blinked, categorizing these signs as a meaning that someone I didn't like was approaching.
But Dino was with Tsuna... False alarm?
I found my face slamming smack dab against a wall.
My nose and head throbbed from the sudden impact and I barely managed to save myself from slamming into the floor. I furrowed my brows and grimaced, who put a wall in the middle of the road?
"Kufufu, you should watch where you're going."
...kufufu?
I glanced upwards, blinking in surprise at what was the first thing that caught my attention about this strange man standing before me.
His eyes.
They were two different colors, that much was interesting at first, but it was the odd gleam that seemed to radiate off the red orb. An eerie feel seemed to float form its ruby depths, promising no return for whomever so much as dared to spend too much time being caught in its stare.
But besides his eyes, his hair caught my attention as well. Not the color, which was a nice shade of navy blue, but the style. It made me think of a pineapple.
"Your hair looks like a pineapple." I commented, feeling the words fly from my mouth before I could think of what I had just said. The man's pale face seemed to twitch the slightest bit at the comment and a 'kufufu' escaped his lips.
...Kind of creepy of you asked me.
"It's impolite to make comments about other people so boldly." The mysterious pineapple haired stranger stated, his voice was like mist to my ears; alluring and dangerous.
"My bad..." I apologized, rubbing my head gingerly I added, "It's impolite to stand in the middle of a road you know."
"Ah, but it was you who had your eyes trained elsewhere." Pineapple-head argued, a sly smile playing about on his lips as blinked, silently accepting the fact that this run in had been my fault.
"Sorry," I offered, brushing myself off. "Well, have a nice day."
I stepped past the man, ignoring the fact that his eyes were trained on my form until I was behind him. After a few steps away, I glanced back and furrowed my brows.
He was nowhere to be seen.
...
I shook my head, muttering something about pineapples as I continued on my way to the grocery store, unable to shake off a rather unsettling feeling that had blanketed me after the encounter.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, eye twitching as I gripped the basket in my hands tightly.
The hospital room door was completely normal upon first glance, but knowing what lay behind it was what really caused the chills to go up and down my spine. The thought of entering anyplace he was in willingly was scary...
Deep breathes, Ketsui. Deep breathes.
I knocked, not hearing a reply I quickly slipped into the room, tossed the basket onto the nightstand and slipped out.
I'm alive!
Feeling slightly victorious of my feat, I hummed contentedly to myself, thoughts completely on leaving this hell hole of a place and finally getting started on those Valentine's chocolate.
"Ah, Ket-chan! What a pleasant surprise," Nana greeted and I blinked, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the woman at the hospital. "Momma? What are you doing here?"
"Visiting, Tsuna." Nana replied and I froze, twitching at her words.
"...why is Tsuna at the hospital?"
"It seems he was playing a bit rough with his friends." Nana sighed, shaking her head. "The silly boy."
Nana blinked at the cloud of dust before her, smiling lightly as she realized where Ketsui must have dashed off to in such a hurry.
"Such a sweet girl." Nana smiled, walking off with a slight hum.
"Tsuna!" Ketsui exclaimed, slamming the door open and exhaling loudly.
The occupants in the room jumped, three boys Ketsui did not know, and a startled Tsuna. Of course, the startled Tsuna was the only thing that caught her attention.
"K-Ketsui?" Tsuna questioned, eyes wide with shock at the sudden intrusion. "W-What are you doing here?"
Wordlessly, the ink haired girl quickly made her way through the room, stopping at the side of her childhood best friend's bed. Tsuna blinked up at the girl as she bit her lip, a slightly depressed aura hanging about her.
"K-Ketsui?"
"...I'm a failure as a friend." Ketsui mumbled, slamming her head into Tsuna's bed. "How could I let Reborn kidnap you without me there to save you? I'm awful!"
"You're not a failure!" Tsuna began, patting her head awkwardly. "I'm glad that you weren't involved, the less people the better."
Ketsui was silent, feeling warmed by her friend's encouragement, though inwardly she was taking this a little to low. Even if this wasn't a serious injury, nor was it the time she was waiting for, it was still a bit of a practice drill, and if she wasn't able to stand by his side through something so trivial, how could she stand by his side when the time came for it?
"Ketsui?" Tsuna questioned, looking questioningly at the girl whose face remained implanted into his hospital bed. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Ketsui smiled, glancing up impishly at her friend. "I guess considering it was Reborn, I thought it would have been a little worse."
"Tell me about it." Tsuna sighed, leaning back into his pillow. "He made me go through this life-threatening training, and he brought Kyoko-chan and everyone else too."
Ketsui frowned at this news; Reborn really was serious about this, wasn't he? Ketsui caught Tsuna's eyes on her, a worried look through his warm brown orbs. The dark eyed girl offered him a smile.
"Hey, Tsuna?"
"Yes?" Tsuna questioned, confused at his friend's curious expression.
"Would you pat my head again?"
...
...
...
"H-Hiie? Why?" Tsuna questioned, his face lightly dusting with a blush as Ketsui's smile went a little wider, small and warm, the kind she would show only to him. "I liked how it felt."
The brown haired boy's blush deepened and he rubbed his head awkwardly with his free hand, reaching down and patting his friend on the head. Ketsui's smile threatened to form a grin at this, the warm feeling she felt whenever she was around Tsuna enveloping her like a blanket.
Safe and warm...
A shuffle and whispers brought her out of her warmth and the stoic expression hit her eyes as she glanced over to the three strangers she had seen earlier. Tsuna's roommates by the looks of it.
"Hey, new guy." One boy with glasses greeted, a sly smirk on his face.
"Nice ta meetcha." Another, this one with a normal appearance also greeted while the larger one grinned up at Tsuna from his comic book.
Ketsui blinked at the three, sitting diligently by Tsuna's bedside as he confronted the three. "My name's Sawada, nice to meet you." Tsuna offered, rubbing his head awkwardly with his hand.
"You're in middle school, right?" Mr. Normal grinned, "That means you're below us."
"Huh?"
"A new gopher has been born." The large one grinned.
"You can use walking crutches, right?" Mr. Glasses stated more than questioned, "So why don't you go buy us some juice?"
Tsuna sweat dropped, reaching over to get his crutch when a soft hand brought his downwards. Ketsui stood, smiling down at Tsuna as she drummed her fingers on her case. "You should rest, Tsuna. I'll go get it for you, is there anything you want?"
"I'm f-fine." Tsuna stuttered, noting the dark aura that crept around his friend as she turned to the other three boys.
Drumming her case, Ketsui stared blankly at them, the warm smile she saved only for Tsuna evaporating within record time as she 'tch'ed, Gokudera-like at the three. "Anything else you want?"
The three boys stiffened, quickly shaking their heads at this suddenly dangerous presence. Ketsui made no comment as she turned around, about to step out the door when it was slid open, revealing a large mass of black suites.
Her eye twitched and she watched the large mass of black part, the familiar yet unwelcome blonde grinning as he gazed at Tsuna.
"Hey, Tsuna. We stopped by to see you." Dino grinned, his eyes flickering towards the mess of black he added, "Hey to you too, Ket-chan!"
Ketsui visibly twitched and cast a dirty look Dino's way, eyes narrowed spitefully as the blonde sweat dropped, spinning around as the rustling of papers ensued.
"Romario! I thought you said she'd warm up to me if I called her that!" Dino whispered as Romario shrugged, glancing down to the papers in his hands. "That's what Reborn said..."
Dino's eye twitched and he laughed nervously, turning back around to grin sheepishly at the only female occupant. "...Ketsui, what brings you here?"
"I should be asking you that." Ketsui stated coldly, her eyes narrowing at the blonde she added, "And you have no rights to call me by such formalities."
"M-My bad..." Dino grimaced, noting that the girl was obviously not pleased by his appearance. "Well, we just stopped by to check up on Tsuna and say sorry –"
"For not being a responsible, 'older brother' like you so proclaimed yourself to be?" Ketsui spat, contemplating whether or not to smack the blonde with her case. "I knew I could never consider you as Tsuna's, I was right to trust my instincts. You're just a no-good-hobo."
"K-Ketsui," Tsuna began, attempting to move from his position in the bed. "It's not Dino-san's fault..."
"You shouldn't move." Ketsui chided gently, instantly rushing to his bedside as she sat down dutifully, having completely ignored Dino and was now eyeing Tsuna worriedly. "Do you want me to get you anything?"
"No, I'm fine." Tsuna sweat dropped, noticing Dino's slightly crestfallen expression.
"I'm sorry, Tsuna." The blonde apologized, a truly sincere look on his face. "I was there and allowed you to get hurt."
"It's not your fault." Tsuna argued, while Ketsui scoffed beside him, muttering a low 'yes it is' under her breath. "You helped me a lot by bringing me here from Death Mountain."
"You should thank Romario." Dino amended, "He took off his vacation to do that."
"Thank you, Romario-san." Ketsui began, bowing her head slightly as she turned to the older male. "I'm very grateful that you helped my dear friend when he needed it."
"It's no problem." Romario laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "And please, just Romario is fine."
"D-Dino-san," Tsuna began, catching the blonde's attention. "Thank you and all, but I think having so many people around is starting to scare the other people here..."
"Figures he can't do anything right." Ketsui murmured, crossing her arms.
"Really? Since you'll be with them for awhile, I might as well introduce myself." Dino glanced around and walked towards Mr. Normal, crouching down and staring eye to eye with the other boy. "You take good care of my little bro."
"He's not your 'bro.'" Ketsui practically hissed as Tsuna attempted to calm her down.
The boy screeched, jumping out of his bed he shoved Ketsui aside as he sprinted out of the room, the other two boys following suit. Ketsui blinked at the pair of arms keeping her from falling face first and promptly slammed her heel down on the foot of her savior.
Dino yelped, releasing the girl and rubbing his foot gingerly while flashing Ketsui a shocked and confused look. "What was that for?"
"Touching me." Ketsui answered flatly, her eyes bristling. "I don't need your help."
"It doesn't hurt to be nice." Dino answered gently, his eyes watching the girl carefully as she fingered her case.
"K-Ketsui," Tsuna began and the blackette instantly turned towards her friend. "Dino-san doesn't mean any harm."
Ketsui's eyes softened and she stood next to Tsuna, closing her mouth and choosing instead to shoot quiet glares Dino's way.
"The Tenth Vongola Boss has got her whipped." Romario commented, causing Dino's mouth to drop slightly as Tsuna shook his head furiously, stuttering out how they were merely best friends.
Footsteps hit the occupants ears as a rather intimidating nurse with auburn hair put her hands on her hips, glowering angrily at Tsuna, Dino, and Ketsui. "Sawada-san, it's very troublesome for you to have visitors that scare the other patients!"
"I...I'm sorry." Tsuna sweat dropped as the three boys cowered behind the nurse, her eyes narrowed. "This is a hospital. This kind of ruckus is not welcome. We'll make you leave the hospital if this kind of thing happens again."
Ketsui bit her lip, tempted to protest against the lady, but that would merely put Tsuna into more trouble. The girl was lucky enough not to be kicked out like the rest of Dino's men.
"Either way, due to the requests of your roommates, we'll be moving you to a different room."
"Eh?"
"Wow. A private room." Tsuna commented, his eyes filled with awe at the hospital room.
The nurse flashed him a warning look, "Now, no more causing trouble for the other patients." With a swivel of her heel, she turned, closing the door behind her in a rather intimidating manner.
Tsuna blinked and then sighed in relief, stretching upwards with satisfactory noise. "Ah, it's easier to relax when I'm all alone."
"Should I go?" Ketsui murmured, tilting her head worriedly, afraid that her decision to stay by his bedside while he recovered may not have been in the best intentions. "I don't want to be a bother."
"Not at all!" Tsuna quickly supplied, waving his hands. "You're nice and quiet, so it's okay! I mean, not that you're like a dog or something."
Ketsui smiled at her friend's nervous habits, he really was such a sweet boy. She was more than blessed to have been given him as her friend, she couldn't ask for anything more. As long as she had Tsuna, she was complete.
The door slid open slightly to reveal a sheepish looking Dino. Ketsui's eyes narrowed instantly in a glare while Tsuna blinked in surprise. "Dino-san!"
"Sorry for causing trouble, Tsuna." Dino apologized while Ketsui scoffed as he walked into the room. "I told them to wait outside."
"Why don't you wait with them too?" Ketsui muttered crossly, glaring coldly at the sheepish looking blonde.
"I should be sorry; I sort of got them kicked out." Tsuna offered, smiling nervously. Ketsui smiled warmly at her friend; he really was too nice for his own good.
Dino seemed to catch on to this smile and he grinned at Ketsui. "You really care for Tsuna, don't you?"
"I thought you already knew that." Ketsui stated flatly, the warm smile she had given Tsuna replaced by a thin line for Dino. "I have to care for him; otherwise creepy hobos like you will end up getting him killed."
"...my bad..." Dino murmured sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
"Hey, Tsuna!" Yamamoto greeted, his head peeking through the open door. Ketsui twitched slightly at the other occupant entering the room, seeming to believe that it was starting to get a tad bit crowded. "I came to see ya!"
"Yamamoto!" Tsuna exclaimed, "You came all the way over to see me!"
"You're well-liked by your subordinates, Tsuna." Dino commented, a pleased smile on his face. Ketsui's eyes narrowed as she turned to the blonde, "Did you think we hated Tsuna?"
"No, that's not what I—" Dino began, looking startled as Ketsui scoffed and crossed her arms tighter to her chest, glowering darkly at the exasperated blonde.
"Yamamoto's my friend, not my..." Tsuna trailed off as the perky blackette strolled over. "I wasn't sure what I should bring with me and then my old man..."
Ketsui looked up and blinked, unsure of what to make at the sight of the older man standing hunched in the doorway, Yamamoto had described him as his father, and sure enough, there was a similar resemblance between the two.
Yamamoto's father grinned, "In these cases, you eat good food and recover your strength!"
"Eh? Yamamoto's father?" Tsuna echoed, looking surprised by the new guest. Yamamoto's father strode forward, the large bag on his back hitting the floor with a loud thud. "I need to use my skills, if it's Takeshi's friend who is in need."
Ketsui's mouth widened slightly in awe as the man quickly set up what reminded her of a miniature sushi shop, his hands working with what appeared to be years of expertise.
"What is all this?" Tsuna questioned, his eyes widened in awe as well as Yamamoto laughed. "We run a sushi shop."
The trio watched in awe as the man quickly made the sushi, different types of all kinds being laid out neatly in rows, practically sparkling with the genuine goodness coming from them.
"So, this is genuine Japanese sushi." Dino murmured, looking amazed.
"It looks delicious." Tsuna agreed, mouth watering slightly as Ketsui paled slightly.
"Eat as much as you like!" Yamamoto's father grinned, turning to Yamamoto he added, "I've got to run the store, so I'm heading back. Take care of the rest, Takeshi!"
Yamamoto nodded as the man quickly exited the room, Tsuna glanced over to Yamamoto a wide smile on his face. "Thank you very much!"
"Now, eat up." Yamamoto smiled, placing a plate in front of Tsuna. Ketsui's eye twitched and she turned her head, gazing out the other way.
"Sushi huh..." Ketsui murmured, not looking too pleased.
Yamamoto glanced to the girl, raising an eyebrow, "Do you not like sushi?"
Ketsui rubbed the back of her head and nodded while Yamamoto blinked in surprise, "How come you don't like sushi?"
Ketsui bit her cheek and shrugged, turning away awkwardly. "I just...don't like how it looks."
"That's no reason to judge food." Yamamoto chided, grinning lightly, "You should try some! There's plenty."
"I'll start with the toro." Tsuna began, reaching for the fatty tuna piece only to have it slipped from his grasp.
Ketsui's eyes flickered to the perpetrator in question and inwardly grimaced, noticing the familiar black fedora lying peacefully against a familiar child head.
"Reborn! When did you get here?" Tsuna exclaimed as Reborn shoved another piece into his mouth. "This is pretty good."
"Don't eat my food without my permission1" Tsuna growled, shaking his fist angrily at the baby.
"Haha, it's good, huh?" Yamamoto boasted, voice rather proud. "My dad is number one in Japan! He's good enough o make you like sushi, Ket-chan!"
"I'm not sure about that..." Ketsui murmured, sweat dropping. "And stop calling me that...Ketsui isn't that hard to pronounce..."
Black eyes trailed over to where a certain blonde was helping himself to the sushi as well. Ketsui scoffed, "I knew he was nothing but a no-good hobo..."
There was a loud 'pop' and a pink gas trailed into the room, eyes moved to the man in cow print leaning against the doorframe in an attempt to regain somewhat of his dignity. "Well, well, if isn't young Vongola the Tenth. You've been hurt?"
"Adult...Lambo?" Ketsui questioned, tilting her head to the side as a scene of what could have caused this played through her mind.
"I suddenly came from ten years in the future, so I couldn't prepare anything." Adult Lambo apologized while Tsuna smiled sheepishly. "It's alright."
"I know, I'll give you this." Lambo began, digging through his pockets while Ketsui silently wondered what was the point in keeping one of his eyes closed.
Ketsui eyed the white clothed wrapped gift that Adult Lambo set in Tsuna's hands, inwardly running through her head if it could be of any danger to her friend. Seeing as which that he was hurt enough from being around these people.
Adult Lambo glanced over to where Ketsui sat and he offered her a smooth smile, "It's nice to see you well, young Ketsui."
Ketsui arched an eyebrow at the comment, she didn't get sick ten years from now did she? It couldn't be, affects would be minimal, a bit of a hindrance, but there was no way it could process to a point where she would be hospitalized, save for a rare occasion or two. Perhaps it just progressed harder than she had predicted, or maybe she just had a cold ten years from now.
She hoped for the latter.
"This is given to the most valuable family member every month." Adult Lambo explained, as Tsuna's eyes widened in awe as he began to unwrap the gift.
Black eyes twitched at the sight of the golden toilet sitting in Tsuna's hand while Adult Lambo smiled his suave smile. "It's a "Good Job Cleaning Toilets" award."
Ketsui sat her case in her lap, wondering if she should consider this an insult on Tsuna's behalf and smack the oddly dressed man with one eye closed.
A creepy/depressed aura wafted from the front of the room and Ketsui's eye twitched once more, her gaze glaring at the head of silver peeking halfway through the doorframe.
"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna exclaimed, glancing up in surprise.
"What are you doing over there?" Yamamoto questioned curiously. "Didn't you come to see Tsuna?"
"What are you doing here to start with?" Ketsui grumbled.
A shameful look came over Gokudera's face as his eyes darkened, lowering his head he rushed out, running over to Tsuna and kneeling with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. "I'm sorry for not being able to protect you, Tenth!"
"Huh?"
"I've failed as your right-hand man." Gokudera explained, lowering his gaze to the floor. "I... I..."
"Am a no-good piece of trash." Ketsui finished, slamming her foot down on the silverette's head with a yawn. "You should be sorry, letting my poor Tsuna get so hurt he had to go to the hospital... And you dare tell me you're Tsuna's right-hand man."
"You're no one to talk, street rat!" Gokudera hissed, grabbing the girl's foot and knocking her over. "Where were you while the tenth was working his hardest at Death Mountain? What kind of friend are you?"
Ketsui froze and a depressed aura wafted over her like a gray cloud, causing the girl to pale slightly. "...what kind of friend am I?"
"A good one!" Yamamoto offered helpfully, grinning at the situation before him.
"It's neither of your faults." Tsuna sweat dropped at the two depressed followers.
"Yes, it was." Gokudera began, his solemn expression returning. "Because I was so useless..."
"Do not fail."
"I must agree with Goku-dog," Ketsui sighed, looking down distastefully at the silverette. "He is pretty useless..."
"What happened to the depressed aura earlier?" Yamamoto questioned, tilting his head to the side curiously while Ketsui faintly grinned. "I can't afford anything so small to set me back, I'm Tsuna's best friend, if I fail once, I'll just make sure I don't do it twice."
"Failure is not an option."
"I don't have any right to be near you!" Gokudera exclaimed, standing up and sprinting out of the room.
He hadn't gotten far when a flash of dark pink blocked the way, causing Gokudera to halt and fall to the floor with a weak groan.
"Oh, Hayato."
"S-Sis..."
Bianchi glanced upwards and her eyes widened as she stared at Adult Lambo. "Romeo!"
Adult Lambo blinked as pink smoke enveloped the older male, leaving a confused looking child in his place. Bianchi blinked once more and shook her head, "Must have been my imagination."
Ketsui sweat dropped at the turn of events, tensing warily as Bianchi approached Tsuna with the deadly looking cake. "Here, eat this instead."
"Eat this?" Tsuna murmured, grimacing at the ominous purple aura. "I'll pass!"
"Ah, Tsuna..." Ketsui began, standing up as her friend began tot hastily make his way to the door.
"Hey, don't push!"
"This one has a lot of handsome guests!"
"I want to see, too!"
The large wooden door fell open with a slam. A cloud of dust trailed outwards as the group blinked in surprise at the group of nurses scattered along the door's frame.
"T-Tsuna!" Ketsui exclaimed, quickly making her way over to where her friend was pinned beneath the door. "Are you alright?"
"...ugh..."
"Poor Tsuna." Ketsui murmured, sliding her hands into her jacket pockets as she made her way to where her friend's new room should be. "He keeps getting kicked out of every room."
The girl paused, feeling the corner of her eye twitch as she recalled the reasons as to why he was kicked out. "I knew getting involved with strangers was never any good."
Dull orbs flickered to the room number and Ketsui titled her head to the side. An odd feeling of déjà vu welled up within her and she pondered if she had been to this room before.
Probably not.
"Tsuna~ How's the new room—"
Ketsui blinked.
Hibari stared.
...
...
"AHIIIIIII! H-Hibari?" Ketsui stuttered, scooting backwards as the prefect narrowed his eyes at the sudden disturbance. "W-What are you doing in Tsuna's room? What did you do to Tsuna?"
"Herbivore. You're too loud." Hibari began coldly, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Do you wish to be bitten to death?"
Ketsui trembled at the dark purple aura that began to ooze off of the dangerous teen as she quickly shook her head. "M-my bad, wrong room. I'll just be going now..."
A loud explosion shook the hospital and Ketsui cringed as a deeper look of annoyance crossed over his features. "Herbivore...is this your doing?"
"Of course not!" Ketsui snapped, "I'm right here! How could I have done that?"
Hibari's glare, if possible, grew colder as Ketsui flinched. "U-um...s-sorry, h-have a nice day!"
Hibari watched as the girl sprinted for her life and quickly left him to his own. The prefect glanced over to the fruit basket on the side of his nightstand and nestled his head back into his pillow.
She was off the hook.
For now at least.
I stared at the line up of ingredients scattered across my counter.
I glanced over to the book that lay open to my left and to the group of kitchen supplies to my right.
"Alright," I murmured, tightening the apron around my waist. "It can't be too hard."
Walking over to the counter as I began to prep the mixture, my eyes wandered to the different assortment of cookie cutters lined up in a neat row. The main one being a tuna fish shape, but the baseball and dynamite stick shapes looked at me neglectfully.
...Well, it wasn't like I had too.
Would Tsuna want me too? It would be nice of me, and he was always telling me how I should open up to people more...
But then again, the only person I needed was Tsuna, doing something nice for them would just give them the idea that I wanted to be friends with them.
...did I want to be friend's with them?
...
Nah.
I hummed contentedly to myself, swinging the bulging bag in my hand as I made my way to school.
After several attempts the other day, a few batches of chocolate had come out unscathed, perfectly fine, and unburnt.
A funeral was held for the other dozen batches that were not so lucky.
There was a shadow and a second to blink before a wall rammed itself into me.
Instead of falling backwards and onto my butt like I had done so many times, I smirked in satisfaction upon righting myself up and surviving with only a slight stumble.
Progress!
"Kufufu~ It seems that you have a bad habit of not paying attention to where you go, little kitten."
I blinked at the familiarly creepy laugh and glanced upwards, eyes flickering faintly in surprise at the familiar pineapple haired boy I had seen a few days ago.
"My bad," I apologized, picking up my bag and rubbing the back of my head.
Mr. Pineapple glanced downwards to the bag in my hand and smirked, his heterochromatic eyes not leaving my own. "You attend Namimori?"
I glanced down to my school uniform. "Um, yeah."
His flickered downwards once more and a slightly different tone entered his 'kufufu', "Why are you wearing a boy's uniform?"
"...It's more comfortable?"
"Kufufu. Such a sad waste." The strange teen brushed past me and continued on his way, raising a neatly wrapped blue bag in his hand. "I shall be taking this in apology for running into me twice now."
I blinked and whipped my head from the bag to his hand and gaped at the man in shock. "Wha..."
Eyes of rubies and sapphires glanced back at me, the sly glimmer ensuring that this may not be the last time we would be seeing each other. A smirk played upon his lips as turned his head back around and continued on his way.
"Farewell, Tatsudoshi-san."
"Tsuna~" I began cheerfully, slipping into the classroom and successfully evading the large mass of girls crowding the entrance. "Where are you?"
The familiar head of spiky brown hair shifted slightly and I grinned. I glanced down to the neatly wrapped chocolate bag in my hand as I made my way towards the dejected looking boy.
"Kya! Yamamoto-kun~ Please accept my chocolates!"
I blinked as I was suddenly tilting sideways.
It took me a few moments to realize that the average human girl should not be facing the world sideways, thus meaning that I was once again, falling.
Aw, crap.
The sound of screaming fan girls was hushed for a moment as large, slightly calloused hands gripped my shoulders as I stared up into a pair of light, honey brown eyes.
"Haha, you've got to be more careful, Ket-chan!" Yamamoto grinned, pulling me upright and a bit to close to him for comfort. "You're always so wobbly!"
"...wobbly?" I echoed, blinking at the odd term. "...Er, right. Thanks."
The seething air of the fan girls surrounding the baseball star was thick enough to kill a newborn puppy. I found myself sweat dropping as the group of girls gripped their chocolates as if they were gripping my own neck.
...Sheesh.
"No problem, Ket-chan!" Yamamoto smiled, patting my head (much to my distaste). "You better watch out now!"
There was an awkward moment of silence as I shifted, stretching my neck upwards in an attempt to catch a glimpse of Tsuna behind the wall of seething girls. Yamamoto seemed to find nothing awkward in just standing there smiling.
"...right, well, thanks again, Yamamoto!" I thanked hastily, scrambling to escape the vicious girls and odd tensions in the air.
The baseball star blinked, realizing that I was no longer in his line of sight and he pouted. "Ah, Ket-chan, hold on a sec—"
"Kyah! Yamamoto-kun~ You're so cute with that pout!"
"Ahah, thank you—"
"Please accept my chocolates!"
"Thanks!"
"Mine too, mine too!"
I frowned at the sight of an even depressed looking Tsuna and grinned down at the chocolates in my hands, this was bound to cheer him up!
"Gokudera-kun! Please accept my chocolates!"
"Tch, stay away from me!"
"Kyah! He's so handsome when he's angry!"
I glanced over to the epidemic of fan girls quickly getting under the silverette's skin and smirked. Served him right.
"Hi, Tsuna." I smiled softly, pulling up a chair beside the boy with the chocolates tucked safely in my pocket.
"Hi, Ketsui." Tsuna sighed, leaning his cheek against his palm in a dejected manner. "Yamamoto and Gokudera-kun are sure popular."
I glanced over to the two being swarmed and shrugged, crossing my arms on his desk and looking up at him. "I think you're way cooler."
Tsuna's cheeks flushed lightly and I smiled softly, he really was too great of a guy. Kyoko better look up and realize what an amazing boy is following after her.
"T-thanks." Tsuna murmured, scratching the side of his cheek awkwardly. "Neh, Ketsui?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you giving any chocolates to anyone?" Tsuna questioned, looking off to the side.
I blinked at the question, mildly surprised. Tsuna should have been used to me always giving him chocolates now, why would he think I'd give them to anyone else?
"Yeah, I am." I answered, thinking to the nicely wrapped package in my pocket.
Tsuna's head whipped around so fast, the poor boy almost slipped from his chair. "You are? To who?"
I resisted the temptation of giving him a blank stare. What was up with him today?
My eyes caught sight of bright caramel and I glanced from a pleasant looking Kyoko to a dejected Tsuna.
...
...
He must be depressed that his crush isn't giving him chocolates!
"Ah, Tsuna, speaking of chocolates, I actually—"
Ding. Dong.
"Dame-Tsuna! Sensei wants you!"
"A-ah, y-yes!" Tsuna exclaimed, shooting from his chair and quickly slipping out of the classroom.
I frowned, standing on my tippy toes as I scoured the crowded room for my childhood friend.
"Ah, where could he be?" I sighed, shifting from side to side as I looked around.
"I told you, stop following me!"
"Kyah! He looked this way!"
"His angry face makes my heart skip a beat~"
I glanced over to where an exasperated Gokudera was being stalked by a mass horde of girls. I blinked, raising an eyebrow at the sight before catching the bomber's eye.
I promptly stuck my tongue out at him.
Gokudera's eye twitched in anger as he curled his hand into a fist, raising a few sticks of dynamite up threateningly.
"Gokudera-kun! Look this way! Look this way!"
His eyes flickered over to the mass crowd and I snickered, making my great escape.
Ryohei Sagawa was on his way to his next class. Jogging back and forth to the extreme as he got himself pumped up.
Though the white haired senior was not expecting to see a girly looking boy, or more so, a boyish looking girl hanging in a tree, upside down, clinging for her life.
The not to bright teen blinked at the sight, scratching the side of his head as he looked up at the pale faced girl. "Oi!"
Ketsui flinched, digging her nails into the tree at the loud voice. "Yes?"
"What are you doing up there?" Ryohei shouted as Ketsui warily glanced downwards.
"Um..."
"Are you working out to the EXTREME?" Ryohei suggested, jogging in place in example.
"Uh, not really."
"OH." Ryohei paused and scratched the side of his head again. "AREN'T YOU ONE OF SAWADA'S FRIENDS?"
"I would assume so." Ketsui replied.
...
...
...
"What are you doing up in the tree then?" Ryohei questioned, watching the black haired girl curiously as she attempted to inch her way down the branch. "Uh, I just got stuck trying to help a cow is all."
"A cow?" Ryohei echoed, blinking. "THAT WAS EXTREMLY KIND OF YOU THEN."
Ketsui grumbled under her breath, fat lot of good helping Lambo did her. The little boy just ran off with the chocolates she gave him and ended up getting her stuck in a tree!
Ryohei shrugged, prepared to be on his way when he heard a loud snap. The older boy glanced up in time to have a high pitched "AHIII" reach his ears as the girl came tumbling down.
The snowy haired teen blinked as the mess of black and leaves tumbled down to the ground, landing flat on her face.
"Ow..." Ketsui groaned, her voice muffled by the ground.
"SAWADA'S FRIEND!"
"Yeah?"
"YOU SHOULD JOIN THE BOXING CLUB!"
"...what?" Ketsui questioned, lifting her head to look up at a shining Ryohei. "To be able to survive a fall like that and somehow manage to push a cow out of a tree, you must be super strong! Strong to the extreme! And we need extreme fighters like you to be in our club!"
"Um, no thank you..."
"JOIN!"
"AHIII!"
"Tsuna~" I groaned, dragging myself into the classroom. "Where are you?"
My quickly depleting hopes were suddenly brightened as I spotted Tsuna once more, at his desk, watching Yamamoto and stupid Gokudera receive gifts from their adoring fans.
But before I could even reach the brunette's desk, a shot of red flared and hit him square in the head. I blinked at the bullet and grimaced as the boy suddenly shot forward, shouting "Kyoko" as he shot out of the room.
I really hated that baby.
"Ah, Ket-chan!"
I glanced backwards to a grinning Yamamoto and sighed, still bummed about not being bale to give my chocolates to Tsuna. "Yamamoto."
The baseball star grinned at the reply and glanced down to the chocolate in my hands. "Oh? Who are those for?"
I looked downwards and hugged the chocolates tighter to my chest. "Tsuna."
"Eh?" Yamamoto grinned, a bright smile on his face as he lowered his head down to my level, pointing a finger towards himself. "Do I get one too?"
I blinked, my face stoic as I recalled having my conscious overpower me. I dug into the bag at my side and promptly pulled out a light blue wrapped bag.
Yamamoto looked surprised that there was actually one for himself. He glanced down to the brightly wrapped bag and blinked.
I glanced downwards and bit the inside of my cheek.
What was meant to be baseballs came out rather oval shaped, a few turning out nicely, while others...not as nicely.
I gave him a blank stare, holding out the bag. I wouldn't be surprised if he decided not to take it, since a few were deformed. That, and the fact that his arms were stock full of chocolates.
"Thank you, Ket-chan!" Yamamoto grinned, reaching with a free hand to grab a bag and place it nicely on top.
I blinked mildly in surprise; he was probably only being the nice person he was.
Yamamoto glanced down at all the chocolates in his arms; a slight frown touched his lips as he looked around, as if trying to find a way to store all the chocolates. He looked to my chocolates in his other hand and grinned, looking back to me. "Neh, how about you help me eat these?"
I raised an eyebrow, and Yamamoto took that as a sign to explain further. "Since I have so many chocolates, I want to taste yours first!"
I blinked at the boy.
Yamamoto merely smiled in response as he took a seat at my desk, pulling up a chair beside him and patting the seat with a happy look on his face.
...I needed to work on evasion tactics. For it seemed that whenever Yamamoto was involved, I was forced to endure social situations I would much rather avoid.
Shifting the case strapped to my shoulder, I took a seat beside the happy go lucky boy, ignoring the seething glares of the girls who had been previously crowding him.
Yamamoto began to unravel the wrapping and picked up a deformed baseball, looking at the treat happily as he promptly tossed it into his mouth.
I contemplated gaping at the boy as he munched on the treat without a care. I had expected some sort of gag reflex, especially since making chocolates wasn't my specialty. I usually practiced making them for weeks before I was able to give Tsuna a decent batch.
Yamamoto glanced over to me, a smudge of chocolate on the corner of his mouth as blinked. "How come you're not eating one? They're delicious!"
I raised an eyebrow at the boy. "Are you sure about that?"
"They're really good!" Yamamoto persisted, a huge grin stretched across his face. "Try one!" His fingers were suddenly in front of my face, a milky brown piece pointed towards me.
I stared at my own creation and glanced up to an expectant Yamamoto. Grudgingly, I opened my mouth to the sweet treat. The chocolate went past my lips as I tasted the sweet concoction. Fingers like feathers brushed my lips as Yamamoto pulled away, smiling expectantly as I chewed my own creation.
...surprisingly, it wasn't that bad.
"See?" Yamamoto grinned, looking proud of himself. "Good right?"
"Mmm." I agreed, shifting uneasily. "It's been nice talking—"
"Street rat!" A hand came crashing down on my head, causing me to yelp in pain and glare up accusingly at the attacker.
"What was that for?" I snapped, glaring harshly at the smug looking silverette. "I didn't do anything!"
"Where has the Tenth gone?" Gokudera commanded, his eyes narrowed as he held up Tsuna's bag. "Tell me!"
"How am I supposed to know?" I muttered, feeling my eyes darken. "Reborn shot him with that stupid bullet and he ran off."
"How dare you—gah!"
I smirked triumphantly as the bag of chocolates hit him square in the face. The bomber fell backwards due to the sudden attack, furthering my smugness.
"Enjoy the chocolates, Goku-dog. I've got a best friend to find!" I grinned, grabbing my case as I slipped out of the classroom.
"Ah! Stupid street rat! I'll be the one to find the Tenth!" Gokudera exclaimed, throwing the bag of chocolates into his own bag as he chased after the girl.
"Haha, this looks fun!"
"Ah, cupid's work is in the air." Hana murmured, resting her cheek against her palm.
"Stupid...problems..." I muttered, panting heavily as I slowly inched my way along the neighborhood. "At this rate, I'll never get to Tsuna's house..."
Why was it that today of all days had to be so hard to deliver Tsuna his chocolates? It was never this hard the past years...
I blame Reborn.
"P-Please, s-s-stop!"
"That's what you get for messing with Namimori!"
"You better think twice before starting up a gang around here!"
I blinked at the sight before me. A large group of what looked to be disciplinary committee members were smirking victoriously as a beat up group of teens ran off, limping with bruises scattered across their faces.
Just what I need, more trouble...
"Eh? Who're you?"
I glanced upwards and blinked as the group turned their heads towards me, eyes narrowed and odd hairdos bobbing in the wind as their bright armbands shone brightly in the light. "Me?"
One of them squinted at my left arm and I blinked, glancing downwards at the armband around my own arm. "Um..."
"Oh! Isn't she the new secretary?"
"Eh? Really?"
One of them stepped forward, clasping me on the shoulder with a wide grin on his rough looking face. "Welcome to the group, Secretary!"
I blinked. "Hah?"
"We members have to stick together." Another grinned, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Especially with all the weird beat downs that have been going on."
The one whose hand had been on my shoulder offered a smile. "It's nice to finally meet the person who's been taking such a work load off of our committee! It's thanks to you that we can get a lot more done, like beating up punks who try to mess with us."
There was a chorus of agreements from the group and though my face remained blissfully confused, I felt an odd trickle of warmth inside me.
Must be the heat.
"Oh," I blinked, reaching into my case and pulling out a larger bag. "These are for you, I'm not sure how many people there are in the committee, but split them up evenly, okay? The purple one is for Kusakabe, and...be sure to give him the dark purple one too. He should know who it's for."
The group blinked in surprise as I quickly ran off, not wanting to be stuck with more socialization.
I yawned tiredly, climbing slowly to the top of the tree that would reach Tsuna's window. It was nearing a day's end and all I wanted to do was just hand Tsuna his chocolates.
I huffed in determination and continued making my way up the tree, hoping I would be able to get down much smoother than last time.
Peeking my head over the sill, I prepared to tap the thin glass to alert the boy of my presence when something made me pause.
A bright smile was stretched across Tsuna's face, his eye bright wit happiness as Kyoko and Haru brought down the steaming pots of what looked to be chocolate fondue. Gokudera and Yamamoto were at his sides, grins on their faces as they laughed over some silly thing.
I found my eyes staring solely at Tsuna as he simply smiled, a box of chocolate sin his hand.
His smile...
I felt a small smile touch my lips as I reached into my case, slipping out the bag and setting it gently against the sill.
I glanced upwards to the darkening sky, and with a final glance at the smiling face of the only person I held dear, I slipped away without a sound.
Just as I had been so used to doing my whole life.
With a tired yawn, Gokudera tossed his bag lazily onto the floor, slipping his shoes off as he prepared to make his way to his room to fall into a blissful sleep.
A rustle caught his well trained ears as he glanced downwards, a red ribbon wrapped bag slipping out of his bag and onto the apartment floor.
Annoyance flickered through his eyes; it was probably some chocolates some annoying girl had managed to slip into his bag.
But as the bomber bent down to toss the candy away, a tag caught his eye. The word's 'To Goku-Dog' stared back at him expectantly. A scowl touched his lips as he raised the bag above his trashcan, full heartedly prepared to toss the most likely poisoned sweets away.
...
...
Gokudera slammed open a cupboard, tossing the bag of chocolates in with such ferocity, there was a loud thud as it bounced off the wall. He quickly slammed it shut and stormed off into his room.
Hibari blinked at the neatly wrapped package sitting atop his desk.
The small, dark purple ribbon wrapped bag staring back at him. Chocolates the shapes of herbivores staring back at him as well.
The chairman unraveled the bag, reaching in to take one that looked like it was supposed to be a rabbit. Hibari examined the treat a moment before popping it into his mouth. The older teen leaned back into his chair, shutting his eyes for a well deserved nap.
"Ah~ What a day..." Tsuna sighed, flopping down into his bed with a small smile. "At least I got chocolates from Kyoko-chan... Well, sorta."
"At least you're popular with the elders." Reborn smirked, petting Leon. "I'm surprised you haven't noticed something."
Tsuna raised an eyebrow, slightly wary of what the baby meant. But what the young boy did notice, was that Reborn was getting chocolate crumbs all over his room!
"Who gave you the chocolates?" Tsuna questioned dully while Reborn merely smirked. "Ketsui."
"K-Ketsui?" Tsuna repeated, eyes wide with surprise. "Wha? Speaking of Ketsui..."
Tsuna frowned, realizing he had not gotten his yearly chocolate from the girl. A frown touched his lips at the thought; Ketsui always gave him chocolates on Valentine's. He had grown so accustomed to it, but seeing that his friend hadn't given him one this year brought a slight pang to his chest.
"She gave one to Yamamoto, Kyoko, Haru, Gokudera, Kusakabe, Momma, even Hibari got one too." Reborn continued, causing Tsuna's eyes to widen.
The spiky haired boy frowned and shivered at the cold breeze flying in through the window. Making his way to the opening, he blinked at the small, neatly wrapped bag sitting alone on his sill.
Clutching the bag and shutting the window, he opened up the orange ribbon holding the bag's contents and blinked at the tuna shaped chocolates inside.
A smile touched his lips as he rewrapped the bag and set it gently beside his nightstand.
Right beside a framed picture, containing two smiling children.
Wowzah. This was a pretty long chapter. 0-0 I guess that's good, right?
I seem to have positive feedback on this reverse harem idea, so I'll go with it and see how it flows! Maybe towards the end of this story, I'll have a poll for who you all want her to end up with, but it seems a lot of you have picked out your shippers already. XD
CAN ANYONE GUESS WHO THIS PINEAPPLE HAIRED STRANGER WAS? KUFUFUFU~
AnonXD: Haha, I'm glad you like it! Thank you for reviewing!
Fye Chroix: I got a lot of people on that one; her appearance seems that way, huh? Haha, thanks for the review!
SkyLion27: I'm glad you love it! :D It just might be~ We'll never know! As you can see, I think it's going downhill. Thanks for the review!
An Echo In Time: I'm glad so many of you like the idea. It's nice to get some feedback on it and how you guys think it'll go. :D But thank you for having so much faith in this story! And thanks for the review!
Whitewhite: Hmm, I'll try to fix that. I don't exactly want it to seem that they fall for her so easily; only a few or two characters will have that affect, while the romance will take some time to progress. But I'm glad that you like it so much! I personally enjoy making them hate each other; it's just fun to write the little rivalry they've got going on. XD Thanks for the review!
Hayate The Soul Reaper: Aw, thanks~ And no problem! That's what these replies are for! I like to get some feedback from my fans and get a chance to reply to any questions and or concerns they have. :D I do have this Yamamoto craze going on, so fluff between the two will really show. But fear not! The other characters have scenes yet to be seen! Hopefully I'll see another review with this update! Thanks for the review!
nadzuke eno mono: Haha, I'm glad you love it! Thanks for the review!
Kimichee: Byakuran, huh? If Ketsui were to meet him, the poor girl would die of personal space invasion. XD Thanks for the review!
TheKawaiiStar21: Haha, that's alright! I'm glad you're reviewing now! I'll be sure to send Ketsui the love, XD. But I'm glad you enjoy her character, I have fun writing her. Thanks for the review!
MusicOfMadness: Really? I'm so glad to know that I actually took away a few hours of someone's time to read this story! XD Thank you for liking it! And thanks for the review!
Sharkdude: Thanks! And thanks for the review!
Lady Syndra: Hoho~ The mystery that is our dear Ketsui~I can't wait to see either! :D Thanks for the review!
Akira45: Thanks! Thanks for the review!
XxXTwilight-SinXxX: I hope she doesn't seem Mary-sue because of it. Haha, but thank you for the courage! I shall proceed onwards with the best of hopes! –heroic laugh- Thanks for the review!
THNAK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS AND SUPPORT. I HOPE YOU'LL ALL CONTINUE TO HELP ME FURTHER AND SEND ME A REVIEW!
Marshmellow-
-OUT!