Title: The Unlikely Duo

Summary: No one ever thought that the shy, easily-scared, five-year old Sawada Tsunayoshi and the aloof, very scary, six-year old Hibari Kyoya could become friends—much less best friends. It was such an unlikely pair after all, a really unexpected duo. But to everyone's surprise, they still did, eventually.

Warnings: OCs, since they're kids and almost (or more than?) half of the crew is from Italy or is not from Japan, and of course, OOCness—but hey, since they're still young and all, their personalities have to yet develop to that of we know (that's what I would argue anyway).

... .. .

Chapter 27: From now on

Tsuna could not believe it. It was just a short, careless question. A thoughtless query, actually. He thought Hibari would just brush it off, give him a vague answer, or ignore the question entirely.

"Ne Hibari-san, would you like to visit my house?"

He could never have imagined the older boy's answer.

"Alright."

Tsuna thought of taking it back, since it only came out of the blue, but then had second thoughts since Hibari visiting his house didn't sound so bad.

... .. .

"I-I'm home!" Tsuna was nervous, even though he was at his own house. It was understandable though, since today was the day Hibari was going to visit.

And also because the said skylark was just behind him.

Nana popped her head out from the kitchen. "Oh, welcome ho—" she stopped, and her smile widened when she saw Hibari. "Oh my, Tsu-kun! Is he the friend you were talking about?"

Tsuna could only nod, a bit embarrassed, though he couldn't understand why.

'Tsu-kun?' Hibari repeated in a whisper.

Tsuna blushed even more.

"Good afternoon. My name is Hibari Kyoya. It's a pleasure to meet you," Hibari said and bowed.

"My, what a polite child!" Nana exclaimed as she clasped her hands in joy.

"Okaa-san also said to give this to you, Auntie," Hibari said as he extended his hand that held the white box of cream puffs.

Nana took it gratefully. "Please, call me Nana." Hibari gave a curt nod to this. "Also, tell your mom I said thank you," she happily said.

"Oh and lunch is almost ready!" The brunette mother then straightened up and started for the kitchen, before she paused and turned to the two boys. "Tsu-kun, you and Kyoya-kun have a seat first. We'll also have this later for dessert!" she announced as she held the white box up, finally disappearing to the kitchen after.

... .. .

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..." Tsuna sat rather uncomfortably on the wooden chair, shifting his weight every now and then as he constantly searched for that comfy spot—or to at least distract himself from the ever growing silence between him and the skylark seated next to him. The situation really made him confusedly nervous. Normally he would start some kind of conversation with Hibari—may it be one-sided at times—but never had he shut up for this long, except maybe when Hibari ordered him to—and in this particular situation the skylark hadn't even spoken yet, not since he gave the box of cream puffs to Nana.

So again, Tsuna was confused, and really, really queasy. W-What am I even nervous about?! the brunette asked himself. It's just Hibari-san! Though that may be the reason why he was so nervous—because it's the Hibari Kyoya who was visiting his house, and maybe because it was Tsuna's first time of ever bringing someone, let alone a friend, to his home. He was then reminded of a certain episode of a TV drama Nana used to watch, the episode where the protagonist took his girlfriend home to meet his parents (he had asked then what a girlfriend was, and Nana giggled first before answering along the lines of "Someone you want to be your wife in the future."), nervous all the while as he did so, making Tsuna wonder if this was what the guy felt like then.

He quickly shook his head and vehemently pushed the thoughts away. Hibari-san's my friend! Not my g-girlfriend!

"Herbivore."

Tsuna jumped at the call, but before he could respond, Nana came to the table with a tray of food. "Lunch is ready!" the young mother exclaimed as she placed the dishes on the table. Tsuna sighed, relieved that the silence was now broken.

"So, Kyoya-kun, how is my Tsu-kun at school?" Nana asked as she seated across from the dark-haired boy. She then rested her chin on her propped hands, waiting for the answer.

Hibari paused for a moment, deciding how he would. "He's... loud sometimes, talks a little bit too much, gets excited and cries easily, most of the time annoying, and is really, really pushy."

"Oh my," Nana said, a bit worried.

Tsuna on the other hand, paled. I-I'm sorry, Hibari-san!

But Hibari wasn't finished.

"But," Hibari said as a faint smile crept to his lips. "It's really comfortable whenever I'm with him."

Tsuna's eye widened slightly, surprised, while his pale cheeks reddened.

"My, my." Nana just smiled.

"H-Hibari-san's really nice too!" Tsuna suddenly exclaimed, not wanting to be the only one to be complimented. "H-He's also really good in taking care of others..." he added as he remembered how Hibari did his best to fix Isamu's broken wing, and how he bandaged his scraped knee.

Nana continued to smile warmly, while Hibari's eyes softened.

Though the latter's expression quickly turned dark as Tsuna rambled on. "...even though most of the time he's scary and intimidating, ignores you at times when you talk to him, and gets angry easily when you don't follow him..."

A vein finally popped on the skylark's forehead.

"But, just as Hibari-san said," Tsuna continued, making Hibari pause from the act of kicking him from his seat. "I always feel comfortable whenever I'm with him."

Nana squealed in delight at what her son admitted, while Hibari slowly lowered his foot and let another smile grace his lips.

... .. .

At some point after they ate their lunch and finished their dessert, Hibari found Tsuna's photo album as he searched the bookshelf in the living room for anything interesting to read. The baby blue book immediately caught his eye. Tsuna tried to stop him, but Hibari's slightly longer and definitely stronger left hand stopped the heavily blushing brunette from coming more than a foot near him, letting him smirk in peace as he gazed at the many younger Sawada Tsunayoshis, snorting at a particular one that was clothed in a very pink princess dress.

"Now we're even," Hibari said as he finally let Tsuna snatched the album from his lap. Tsuna pouted angrily at the raven-haired, before he remembered some of the embarrassing stories Yuuki had told him when he visited on the skylark's birthday.

Tsuna decided to forgive Hibari then.

... .. .

"Is your father working right now?"

After the fiasco with Tsuna's photo album, the two decided to draw.

"Yup," Tsuna answered as he drew another colorful line on the paper.

"Even though it's Sunday?"

Another line. "Yeah."

"What does he do?"

The last color. "Mama said he's a working at a con—construction site."

"Is that so..." Hibari trailed off as he continued his drawing.

"It's finished!" Tsuna suddenly exclaimed as he marveled his work. He excitedly showed it to Hibari.

The skylark squinted his eyes as he tried to decipher the drawing before him. "Is this... us?"

Tsuna's smile widened. "Yeah! This is you, me, and Isamu!" he said as he named each of the small, barely recognizable figures.

So those things at the back are trees... Hibari chuckled lightly.

"What's so funny?" Tsuna pouted.

"It's... nothing." Hibari looked up to Tsuna, a small smile on his face. "Your drawing's really unique, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna blinked, blushed, and looked down on the floor. "T-Thanks..."

"Oh, what a cute drawing, Tsu-kun! Mind telling me who these are?" Nana asked as she seemingly came out of nowhere, kneeling down on the floor as she smiled.

Tsuna kneeled down too as he placed the paper on the low table. "This is me, Hibari-san, and Isamu. We're all at the back of the school building, at the garden, where the cherry blossom trees are."

"Hmm? Who's Isamu? Another friend of yours?"

"He's a bird we're feeding," Hibari explained. "Every day after class, and in the mornings during the weekend."

Something clicked in Nana's mind. "Oh, is that why you asked us to pick you up an hour late every day Tsu-kun? To feed Isamu?"

Tsuna nodded.

"Who would have thought!" Nana exclaimed as she proudly hugged her son. "You've really grown so much, Tsu-kun! Oh, and Kyoya-kun," Nana then turned to Hibari. "I heard you earlier call Tsu-kun by his full name. I don't know why you do, but why don't you try and call him by his given name? You're friends after all, ne?"

Hibari averted his eyes from Nana's motherly ones, a speck of red on his cheeks. "I'll try..."

How cute, Nana thought as she looked fondly at Hibari before patting his head. "You know, you're the first friend Tsu-kun took here. He's actually shy, so I was really glad when he said the other day that his friend was coming over." She then stopped patting Hibari's head, though her hand stayed. "That's why Kyoya-kun, if it's alright with you, could you stay as my son's friend forever?"

"I don't mind," Hibari answered immediately. "I don't dislike him."

Nana smiled.

"Well then, please take care of my Tsu-kun from now on."