Dislciamer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

a/n;;; Alright...I think this is the final chapter I can force out of myself before Winter Break officially comes to a close. I know this is more of a drabble like chapter than anything else, but I wanted to include Akira and Yamamoto's family somehow, and this was the best way I could do it. Happy 2010 everyone, and remember to spend some time with not just your friends but also your family members, because they are our closest kins.


Chapter Eleven: The Importance of Home

She stared at him with her mouth open. P-part of the Discipline Committee?! Whatever for?! Akira didn't exactly disagree with the idea, but she saw no good reason for Hibari to do this. To speak on fair terms, the Prefects of Namimorichu did not only rule the school, but the whole of the city as well. Tsuna-kun had informed her of this after the rumors began to fly around, and she had come to him puzzled about why some bizarre students were avoiding her like the plague. The uniform did feel nice under her hand though, its material soft and smooth as silk. She ought to know this already, because she's worn it before…although it was only "borrowed".

Hibari smirked at the youth standing across from him like a hungry predator. The metallic taste of her blood still lingered on his lips, and the sweet aroma of her frame clung to his clothes like dandelion seeds. Sticky. Dripping with honey. He was taunting her, daring her to speak up against his commands. The skylark leaned back in his chair, and entertained himself with the herbivore's facial reactions. Her hair, a little messy and wild, stuck to one side of her face, hiding an emerald eye. Her lips were slightly pouty, her chest thrusted forwards in a display of pure stubbornness followed by the entire of her curvaceous body. That posture again.

"You're taking up too much of my time herbivore." the Head Prefect fixed the girl with a piercing glare to make his point final. "There needs to be compensation." He nodded at the envelope that she clutched tightly between her fingers. "You will be responsible for everything. Use anyone you like. I don't care. If you don't get it done on time, I'll bite you to death."

Akira glared at him, and only if looks could kill…She didn't understand why she was attracted to him. To this…this…uncompromising…arrogant…full-of-himself bastard! There must be something wrong with her brain. A serious illness or deadly virus of somesort was driving her thoughts off its usual course of logic. The youth was utterly flabbergasted with herself. Welcome back to square one Sakamoto Akira. Gathering up her dignity, or rather what was left of it, she stomped towards the door, and pulled it open so violently that it rattled at the hinges. But before she could leave, Hibari's emotionless, but taunting voice flowed to her ears, swarming her with its irresistible charm.

"Don't decide anything without my approval herbivore. Bring me a finished copy of everything you've done." She could feel his eyes boring a hole in her back.

Akira scowled heavily. Just who did he think he was?! Did she have to have his permission to live, to breathe, and to sleep?! She stomped out, and slammed the door as hard as she could behind her. 'But don't you like it Akira?' Her inner voice teased her maliciously. 'Don't you like it when he takes such a claim to you? It gives you the fantasy that the two of you are in an intimate relationship, and makes you all warm and fuzzy inside. No. Don't lie. You're better off not wasting your breath.' What was this?! Akira threw up her hands in frustration. Did the entire universe hold a grudge against her today?! She growled, like an irked lioness, and traipsed to the tennis courts in quick strides with a sinister smile upon her face, completely unaware of the citrus scent that fastened itself to her skin. May Kami bless the poor souls who will play against Sakamoto Akira today. Amen.

-080-

She stepped out of the shower, steam tumbling out in great clouds around her. Akira stretched her arms like a pampered kitten, her raven locks damp with water. A content sigh escaped her lips as she let herself fall onto her twin sized bed which smelled of fresh linen. It was definitely smaller than Takeshi's queen, but there was ample space for her to lie about, spread out on her back like a sea star sunbathing at the beach.

Her room was cool, the air conditioning working with scarcely a noise in the background. She loved technology, especially when it makes her life so much easier. It was still hot outside because of a sudden heatwave that descended upon them mercilessly this particular afternoon. Akira shook her head. She didn't like excess heat much, even though she adored summer with all of her being.

Spread around her petite frame were notebooks, a few pens with their caps tightly screwed shut, some pictures, and her cellphone. Air from the air conditioner flew directly into her face. Akira lifted her head, enjoying the tingling sensation it left on her skin. The silence was blissful, until her phone started vibrating and all but jumped off the side of her bed. She quickly clamped a hand over it. Thank Kami for fast reflexes. Akira didn't need the entire neighborhood to hear her ringtone at precisely nine o'clock pm.

"Mom!" She wailed into the phone. "Whatever Uncle Tsuyoshi told you about Hibari isn't true!" It was her mother, calling from Los Angeles or some other large urban city in the States. She could hear her father in the background, trying to pretend that he was only a patch of space full of nothing but troposphere. It wasn't working. She would still catch him there even if she put both of her hands over her ears.

Her mother was laughing heartily. "Oh come now sweetie. You don't have to deny anything. Just don't go too fast. It makes you seem desperate." She sounded playful. "That's no way to win a boy over. Be a little mysterious, and distance yourself. Don't give him what he wants right away. That'll leave him wanting for more."

Akira could only gape at the opposite wall that stared blankly back at her. "Don't give him what he wants huh…" She murmured, a giant sweat-drop the size of a watermelon rolled off the side of her head. She could do that…but it would be the equivalent of inviting the skylark to bite her to death. Akira rubbed her neck, feeling the bruises which were turning a dark blue. She was still sore.

"And remember dear, no action in the bedroom until you're at least eighteen!"

"M-MOM!!!" Akira screamed at the top of her lungs. "I-I-It's nothing like that! Uncle Tsuyoshi misunderstood everything! They're only rumours! Only rumours!"

"Oh? Even about the hickey? I'm disappointed. Possessive boys are indeed aggressive and maybe a little violent, but their fierce loyalty and commitment balances everything out perfectly! And here your Father and I thought we had found a perfect son-in-law already…" Mrs. Sakamoto sighed, and Akira could picture her with a hand to her cheek, pouting ever so slightly.

She paled instantly at the mention of the love bite, and then almost had a stroke at the words "perfect son-in-law". The Head Prefect…a flawless husband? Akira shook her head so many times that she thought it might unscrew and fall off on its own accord. Marry him? He'd no doubt haul her to their room and f*** her six ways till Sunday even before their wedding night. She was now blushing six different shades of red as some promising images came to mind. "E-eh?! N-no Akira! Stop thinking bad thoughts! Pervert! Pervert! Pervert!"

"Honey?"

Akira wanted to crawl into a hole and die. "Ahahaha…" she laughed nervously. She was just talking to herself wasn't she? Babbling away like an idiot while her parents listened at the other end, very much amused. "Y-You didn't hear anything!" she screeched like a chicken who was looking for her head.

"O-kay." Mr. Sakamoto replied a little awkwardly, and then his voice bounced right back. "We haven't got very much time dear. Your mother and I only called to see how you were doing, and wish you the very best. We're extremely grateful to Tsuyoshi and Takeshi for treating you so well. You make sure that you help out around the house with chores alright?"

Akira nodded her head affirmatively. "I will Dad. Don't worry. I'm doing fine, really good actually. Look after yourselves well, and make sure you eat warm meals if you're going to work late. Cold food is bad for your stomach. Mother too."

"Aww. Sweetie you're just so adorable. We'd best let you sleep now. You still need to go to school tomorrow."

"Good night Mom, Dad. I love you."

"We love you too dear. Sleep tight."

Akira rolled over, and tossed her phone over to her pillow. She was smiling widely, like a child who had gotten many presents on Christmas Day. There was no place like home, and no refuge like family. Averting her gaze to the window, where the moon shone brightly even through the silken curtains, Akira's smile widened. "La bella luna. Mom, Dad, can you see this too? I love you and I can't wait to see you. So hurry up and come back to Japan for the holidays! Haru-nii too. Did you forget about your little sister because of all that modeling? You had better not, or else I'll bite your head off." Akira paused, and then laughed at herself. "Listen to yourself, Sakamoto Akira. You're starting to sound like Kyouya." Wait. Kyouya? The youth sat right up, and stared at her surroundings, puzzled. Where on earth had that come from?

Knock knock!

Startled. She screamed.

"Haha. Did I scare you Akira?" Yamamoto laughed cheerfully from the other side of the door.

"T-Takeshi!" She blushed heavily from embarrassment. "Don't do that ever again!"

"Maa maa. Alright. I'm sorry. Do you want a glass of water? I've put ice in it."

"Sounds great! Oh wait. Coming in a sec!"

"Haha. Alright."

She quickly shuffled her notebooks onto her writing table, and threw the photographs onto their covers. The pens went inside the pencil case and the pencil case went into her schoolbag. Yamamoto laughed vigorously when she finally let him in. "Where you cleaning Akira-chan? I heard you rearranging stuff in here." He set the tray down on her desk, careful not to spill anything.

"Well…" Akira smiled sheepishly. "I had a lot of things alll over my bed. You know how I like to be a little messy Takeshi." she said, and took a seat on the carpeted floor.

He grinned and plopped down beside her. "I know. Here. Take this and drink it while it's still cold."

"Mmm. Thanks. That was some work today. Tennis and baseball practice was twice as hard in that choking heat. It's almost as if Mother Nature wanted to test our durability all of a sudden."

"Maa maa. Then I hope she's happy with our results."

Akira grinned as well. "You're as naïve as ever Takeshi." she said fondly.

"Eh?"

"Haha. Forget it."

-080-

Their glasses were finally empty. The water had a sweet, almost honeydew taste to it. The ice was crunchy and rebellious against their teeth, although they knew that resistance was futile. Yamamoto and Akira's heads were bent over some pictures, and the two of them were smiling widely.

"Remember this one Akira-chan?" the baseball star pointed to a group shot, where his cousin and Gokudera were glaring each other to death like there was no tomorrow. Behind the two growling teenagers stood the oblivious and good natured Rain Guardian and Tsuna. The former grinning and the latter sweat-dropping. It was a silly picture, but Akira wanted to keep it anyways. Reborn was also there in that picture. Perched on the Vongola Decimo's shoulder like a parrot. He was smirking at the camera, completely unbaffled by the bomber and tennis star's more-than-obviously placed threats.

"Of course I do. That was a chaotic day wasn't it Takeshi?"

"Eh? It was a lot of fun!" Yamamoto rubbed the back of his head, his smile reaching 100 mega-watts effortlessly.

Akira peered at him through her lashes, and then smirked evilly. Standing up, she barely gave her cousin enough time to blink before smothering him with a tackle. The two of them crashed to the ground in a great heap of arms and legs.

"Whoa! Haha! Akira-chan! Why didn't you give me warning?!" Yamamoto laughed. He didn't mind that she rough-played like a boy. But then again, there were a lot of things that Yamamoto Takeshi didn't mind.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Too bad for you then Mr. Baseball Star. Why weren't you on your guard?" His only response was a playful push and roll, and she was pinned to the floor beneath him. Akira scowled. "Oh no you don't!" She said, and there was more wrestling.

Downstairs, Tsuyoshi raised his eyebrows at the shaking ceiling, and wondered just what on earth those two rascals were doing up there? Sumo-wrestling? Needless to say, his customers agreed one hundred percent, although they were more amused than anything else.

"That niece of yours is just like another son!" one man commented, and they all broke out into good natured laughter.

-080-

Tired. They sprawled on their backs, their limbs aching from trying to out-do the other.

"Hey Takeshi."

"Hmm?"

"Reborn-kun said something about official training today didn't he?"

"Oh right. Haha. The kid said to meet him on the rooftop tomorrow. He'll have more information for us then."

She rolled over, and flicked his forehead playfully. "You're so forgetful."

He only grinned in response.

"Hey Takeshi?"

"Mmm?"

There was a short pause.

"I'm glad I came to live at Namimori with you and Uncle Tsuyoshi."

"Akira-chan?"

"Mmhmm?"

"I'm glad you came to live with us too!"


Thank you so much everyone for your heart warming reviews! Please keep them coming even throughout the new year~! Best wishes for the upcoming year to my dear readers!