Date: Sunday, October 17, 2010
Title: The Journal of Memories
Author: Gin Nanashi
Creation Type: Fanfiction
Main Rating: K+
Main Genre: One-Shot Series; Fluff, Friendship
Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman REBORN! belongs to Amano Akira; Sasaki Li, Sasaki Xue Fang, Sasaki Daisuke, Sasaki Kiyoshi and every other non-identifiable characters belongs to me (Gin Nanashi).
Summary: Sasaki Li came from a bloodline that allows her to gender-bend. Unfortunately, Li has yet to figure out how to control her ability. Fortunately, it leads to a whole bit of fun for the readers!

The Journal of Memories

Event 28: True Gifts

Li hummed softly, swinging around a large bag that rustled with treats as she hopped down the stairs of her house.

Poking her head into the kitchen, she grinned before bounding inside.

Thump!

The bag was dropped onto the table as she hopped onto a chair and rustled through it.

A woman sipped at her tea while raising a brow before sighing, "What are you doing this time, Kyuu-chan?"

Li grinned and pulled out two magpie plushes cuddling, presenting it to her parents, "TA DA~!"

The adults blinked before Daisuke sweatdropped at the addition of a fake frying pan and knife in one of the birds' wings as a vein irked on Fang's temple.

"Kyuu-chan…" She started, knife glinting in one hand when-

WHOOSH~!

-the child had already ran out of the room, leaving a dust trail.

"YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT!" Fang shouted, waving around her weapon, "YOU BETTER RUN!"

"Pbbfft-!" Daisuke attempted to stifle his laugh but-

BONK!

-the hilt of the knife was brought down on this head, making a bump grow as Fang sulked, "Not funny."

The man chuckled lightly, rubbing his head, before hugging the woman, "Now, now, love. It's all good."

A raspberry was her mature response.

A kittenish grin played on Li's lips as she bounded outside when-

"XIAO LIIIIIIIII~!"

THUMP!

-a blur tackled her to the ground.

Dot. Dot. D-

BAM!

A small fist embedded itself into the older gender-bender's face. Tears coursed down his abused cheeks as Kiyoshi sniffled, "Why do you hurt me so, Xiao Li~?"

A vein throbbed on the younger one's temple as she snapped, "I wouldn't hurt you if you'd stop glomping me!"

"B-But-! Xiao Li~!" The boy whined, attempting to hug the girl close, "I love you~!"

A foot replace the fist as Li growled and pushed her brother back, "Go love Hage-jii!"

Kiyoshi pouted, "I do love him!"

Li scowled, "Go love him more!"

Cat-ears drooped at the rejection as grey eyes shimmered with unshed tears. The boy's tail wrapped dejected around his leg. Violet will-o'-wisps made themselves known around him. Kiyoshi bit his thumb and whimpered, "Do you hate me, Li…?"

The girl froze at the scene before sputtering, "I don't hate you!"

His ears perked up as his eyes sparkled before-

"You're just annoying."

-a dark cloud hung over him at the add-on.

Li crossed her arms and frowned, "I keep telling you that I don't wanna be glomped, but you never stop!"

"Th-That's because-!" Kiyoshi sniffled, ears dropped again, "I want Li to know I love her…"

A vein irked as she kicked her brother, "I'm right here so quit talking in three-person view!"

"Li…" Kiyoshi murmured, taking the hit in stride, before he crouched down to her height and whispered secretly, "… It's third-person view."

Dot. Dot. D-

WHAM!

The sole of her sneaker implanted into his face as several veins throbbed. A bright, red blush covered her cheeks as Li snapped, "I-I knew that."

She abruptly retracted her attack and turned away, arms crossed. Her lips were pouted out as she sulked about her mistake. Grey eyes blinked before softening as their owner pulled his sister close. She tensed before looking up with a caret-frown, "What are you doing?"

Kiyoshi merely grinned and wriggled around, "You're so cute, Xiao-Mmrph-!"

He blinked before pouting against the small hands that covered his lips.

"Hn." Came the snort and turn of Li's head.

Grey eyes suddenly perked up with a mischievous glint before Li jumped and abruptly pulled away while wrinkling her nose. She waved her wet hand and whined, "Kiyoshi~! Only I can do that~!"

"Sorry~!" Came the cheerful reply as Kiyoshi hugged the girl close again, "But, you're so cute when you whine~!"

Once more, a vein throbbed before-

SLAM!

-a blur hit the boy's face as Li bolted for it before the object slid down and dropped into his lap.

Blinking in surprise, Kiyoshi looked down before his eyes softened.

"Li…" He started while brushing against the soft fabric.

In his hands was a plush comprising of the head of a golden pheasant, the body of a mandarin duck, the rail of a peacock, the legs of a crane, the beak of a parrot and the wings of a swallow.

A smile graced his lips as he brushed his lips against the object's head.

"Thank you."

After sprinting down several blocks...

BAM!

"I'M HERE~!"

Li called out happily with a kittenish grin before waving to the surprised two, ignoring the others, "TSUYOSHI-JII! TAKESHI! KONNICHIWA~!"

"Yo, Li!" The baseball fan called out with a grin as the man chuckled, "Come on in, Li-kun! It's been a while since I've last seen you! How's Dante-san?"

"Hage-Jii's doing great! I think he's in Germany, right now." The dark brunette grinned, bounding in and sitting on a tall stool.

Tsuyoshi laughed, continuing with his work, "Is that so? Despite his age, he's a real adventurer!"

"Yup!" Li chirped happily as Takeshi took a seat next to her.

The chef grinned lightly at the sight before moving along to his customers

"So…" The boy started with a wide grin, "How did it go with him?"

The dark brunette hummed and waved her legs a bit before grinning back, "It worked!"

"Hage-Jii told me a lot about Mama and our family in general!" Li explained as Takeshi listened quietly, "I didn't know that Hage-Jii fought in a war before! Apparently, it was a war between families, but he wouldn't go too much in depth with it which sucks."

At this, she pouted, earning a laugh from the boy, "Maa, maa, Li. Don't worry too much about it!"

"I'm not worried~!" Li whined, waving an arm at Takeshi, "I'm impatient~! There's a difference!"

"Wari, wari!" Takeshi chuckled before prodding, "And, then?"

Li perked up again, "Then, he told me all the embarrassing things about Mama!"

"Like the time she ran out of the house naked 'cause she didn't wanna dress up! And," Her bangs shadowed her eyes as she cackled lowly, "I can't believe Mama's also afraid of clowns!"

The boy blinked innocently, "Are you afraid of them?"

The gender-bender froze before turning robotically towards him, "… Why do you ask…?"

A carefree smile was on his lips as he chirped, "You said your mom was 'also' afraid!"

Dot. Dot. Dot.

Dark-brown eyes looked away shiftily, "… No, I didn't."

"Eh?" Came the surprised look before his eyes glittered briefly as Takeshi persevered, "But I heard-!"

"NOOOOOSH~!" The girl waved her arm at him again, "I REFUSE TO ANSWER!"

Takeshi laughed at the flustered face before ruffling the girl's hair, "Hai, hai!"

"… Meanie." Li pouted before crossing her arms and huffing, "Maybe I shouldn't give it to you."

The boy blinked and tilted his head, "Give me what?"

A raspberry before the dark brunette hopped off of the stool and bounded towards the man, "Tsuyoshi-jii~!"

"Hai~?" Came the response as Takeshi's dad looked up and blinked.

Li winked and held out two wrapped bags, singing, "I'll give you Takeshi's present too~!"

"Eh?" Came the startled cry from the boy as he scrambled off of his seat and pouted, "Are you serious?"

She merely blew a raspberry and pranced out of the shop.

"LI! Wait-!" Takeshi started before turning to his laughing father, "O-Oyaji! Was Li being serious?"

Li flashed the man a thumbs-up, causing him to nod and laugh louder as Takeshi began panicking.

"Li! Hold up! I-!"

She left.

A deep breath in...

"Kyuu~!"

... and an exhale before Li grinned happily, swinging her bag around and chirping, "One debt down!"

She hummed for a moment before slouching as a dark aura hung over her, "And two more to go…"

Li sighed a bit before perking up when her eyes caught sight of a familiar copper plaque.

A light grin danced on her lips as she slung the strap over her shoulder, adjusting it, before grabbing onto the metal gates of Namimori Shougakkou. Climbing upwards, she swung her legs over the top and shimmied down before dropping onto her feet.

"SAFE!" She cheered with arms up in the air when-

WHOOSH!

-she ducked as-

CLANG!

-wood hit metal.

A kittenish grin appeared on the dark brunette as she waved happily, "Kyouya-nii~!"

BONK!

The tonfa bopped the girl on the head, making her whine incoherently, before the boy grunted, "What are you doing here?"

Li perked up and ruffled through her awesome bag before pulling out her gift and chirping, "Here you go~!"

Grey eyes blinked slowly at the object before Kyouya asked slowly, "What is that…?"

The gender-bender pouted, "Can't you tell? It's mini-Hane! Since you seemed to like Hane-chi, I thought-!"

SLAM!

Her face met the ground as Li twitched, letting go of the plush. The wooden tonfa never left it's seat on her spiky head. Slowly, she turned to glance up at the glaring boy and pouted, "What'd you do that for?"

Kyouya snorted and retracted his weapon, "I said to never speak of it, itoko."

"B-But-!" Li whined while waving her arms around, "You do like Hane-!"

WHAM!

Make that three bumps on her head as the gender-bender twitched on the floor.

POOF!

White smoke billowed as Kyouya walked away nonchalantly.

"I'll see you later for training."

Tears ran down Li's face as he sniffled, "Meanie…"

He never saw the gift tucked into the other's pocket.

"Kyuu…" Li sighed as he dragged his feet down the sidewalk, "Kyouya-nii can be so cruel…"

"Ara?" Came the surprised voice as the dark brunette blinked and looked up to see a familiar housewife ask, "Li-kun! What happened?"

Dark-brown eyes glittered at the woman before the boy glomped her, sniffling, "Nana-san~!"

Nana blinked before patting him on the head, "There, there, Kyuu-chan. Tell Kaa-chan what happened."

Li nuzzled against the woman's warm body before grinning brightly, "Don't worry, Nana-san! It was something boring! It happens all the time when I meet up with Kyouya-nii!"

The woman hummed softly before smiling, "In that case, do you want to go shopping with me?"

The gender-bender perked up, "Yeah! What are you buying?"

Nana held onto the child's hand and chattered happily, "I'm thinking of making Tsu-kun's favorite tonight!"

Cat-ears perked as the boy's tail quivered gently, "Hamburger?"

"Mm hm!" The woman nodded before tapping the boy's nose, "I'll make sure to save you some too!"

"BANZAI!" Li cheered before tugging the woman forward, "Let's go! Let's go!"

The woman laughed as she allowed herself to be dragged before noticing a sign on Amori's Boutique, "Ah…!"

Li blinked and paused in his actions before tilting his head slightly. Dark-brown eyes glanced up at the woman before flickering over to the sign. It said: Clearance Sale! All items are 50% off!

A kittenish grin appeared on his lips as Li tugged on the woman's hand, "Ne, ne, Nana-san! Let's go check that out!"

"Eh?" Came the surprised voice from Nana before she smiled and nodded, "Hai!"

Dark-brown eyes sparkled at the variety of things in the store, but one definitely caught his attention. It was a giant yellow plush of a baby chick. Li wriggled around a bit with his hands on his blushing cheeks, 'It's another Hane-chi~!'

POOF!

White smoke filled the store as several customers coughed in surprise. Nana simply continued on with her own browsing, not at all worried, and soon became preoccupied.

Back with Li, she coughed a bit and waved the smoke away before scratching her head in embarrassment, "Whoops! I gotta-"

"KYOUKUGEN!" Came the loud shout, making the gender-bender jump in surprise before her eyes widened in glee.

"THAT WAS STRANGE TO THE EXTREME!" A familiar white-cropped boy shouted with his hands in the air. Meanwhile, an orange-haired girl attempted to calm him down, "Onii-san! Please lower your voice!"

"Ah?" The boy blinked before grinning sheepishly, "Sorry, Kyoko! I-!"

"RYO-SENPAI~!"

THUMP!

A blur tackled the boy to the ground as the redhead gasped in surprise, "Sasaki-kun?"

Li grinned from her perch on the older one before giving the girl's a thumbs-up, "YO, KYOKO-!"

"SASAKI~!" Ryohei shouted, hoisting the smaller one into the air, "THAT WAS AN EXTREME TACKLE! TAKE UP BOXING!"

Dot. Dot. Dot.

"When did we get onto boxing?" Li deadpanned to the other girl.

Kyoko smiled and laughed softly, "Gomen ne, Sasaki-kun. Onii-san recently got into the sport."

The gender-bender scratched her cheek before shrugging, "Okay."

She then turned to give the expectant boy an apologetic grin, "Sorry, Ryo-senpai, but I'm more of a leg-person!"

The boy visibly deflated before perking back up again, "Then, take up kick-boxing!"

A sweatdrop rolled down Li's face before she crossed her arms firmly and shook her head, "Iyada!"

"Why not?" Ryohei demanded before aiming a few punches as demonstration, "Boxing is EXTREME!"

Dark-brown eyes glinted as Li smirked, "I bet your extreme boxing skills can't beat my EXTREME throwing skills!"

Grey eye glinted at the challenge as Ryohei smirked up, "Yosh! It's another FIGHT!"

Kyoko giggled a bit, "They're both all fired up now."

And, indeed, they were.

Their auras crackled and burned as the two marched towards the back of the store, which was conveniently empty.

"Here's how it works!" Li started as she pointedly ignored the fact that they were in a store and ripped open a darts board, "If I can throw all the darts into the center, then I win."

She looked around and twitched a bit when her eyes landed on an inflated clown doll. Backing away, Li hid behind Ryohei and pointed to it, "And, if you can make that burst with your punches, then you win!"

"Yosh!" Ryohei cracked his knuckles and set up the Bobo Doll, "What's the time limit?"

Li smirked and rotated her shoulders, "Three minutes."

Grey eyes glinted, "Just like a boxing round."

Kyoko smiled at their eager expressions, "Ready?"

Both contestants nodded, readying their weapon of choice.

"Start!" The redhead chirped.

Ba-bam! Thunk.

Thunk. Ba-bam!

Ba-BOP! -unk.

Everyone jumped at the loud popping noise before-

"YATTA!"

-Ryohei cheered, pumping his fists into the air as Li gaped, "USO!"

What was once a creepy clown doll was now nothing but shredded plastic. Li twitched before sinking to his knees as a dark cloud hung over him.

POOF!

White smoke filled the area as the siblings coughed a bit before blinking in surprise. Violet will-o'-wisps hovered around the gender-bender as he sniffled. They sweatdropped.

Ryohei grinned before clamping a hand on Li's shoulders, "Better luck next time, Sasaki!"

Li simply tended to mushrooms.

Their sweatdrops doubled before Kyoko crouched down to the gender-bender.

"Sasaki-kun?" She started before smiling brightly, "Don't worry! You did well too! All three darts hit!"

The dark brunette sniffled a bit before continuing to sulk, "Yeah, but Ryo-senpai finished first…"

The aura became heavier as the mushrooms seemed to have tripled in size. The siblings opened their mouths to say something but-

"WHAT DID YOU DO?"

-a loud shriek stopped them. Fortunately, or unfortunately, a worker stomped up to them, face red with anger.

Li blinked and looked over to the worker before his brow twitched, "No. Way."

Cheeks puffed out in a familiarly evil way as the woman flicked her silky hair behind her shoulder before placing her fists on her hips, "What do you brats think you're doing to the store's good?"

The dark brunette twitched before looking away flatly, 'She looks so much like Squirrel-teme! Only she has brown hair…'

"Well?" The twin of the evil squirrel lady of doom shouted, tapping her foot and glaring down at the three. Kyoko whimpered softly and hid behind Ryohei who sweatdropped and attempted to placate the woman, "We're sorry! We-!"

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" The Satou-look-alike snapped, "You deliberately destroyed the store's things!"

The boy couldn't help but look down in shame. Li scowled, feeling the familiar feeling of irritation bubble within him, before stepping forth, "They said sorry and it wasn't even their fault!"

Blue eyes looked sharply at the gender-bender before their owner snorted, "What was that, warugaki? I wasn't even talking to you."

A vein throbbed on the dark brunette as his memory briefly flashed back to the Miss Tanabata who said the exact same thing. Li growled lowly and stood in front of the siblings, "What? Gone deaf with your old age?"

The woman turned a bright lobster-red as two pairs of wide eyes locked onto the gender-bender.

"S-Sasaki-kun…" Kyoko whispered timidly as Ryohei shuffled nervously, "This is dangerous, Sasaki."

Li blinked and raised a brow at the nervous siblings, "Why? It's just a kusobabaa."

A vein throbbed on the woman's temple as her aura crackled. The gender-bender merely snorted and crossed his arms, glaring back defiantly, "You don't scare me, Debu-teme."

"THAT'S IT!" She shrieked, grabbing the nonchalant boy as the other two startled, "I'LL TEACH YOU TO RUN YOUR MOUTH WITH ME!"

"SASAKI/-KUN!" The siblings cried out in alarm as Li blinked while dangling precariously in the woman's hands. The gender-bender merely smirked, irritating the woman even more, "What? Kusobabaa, are you going to actually hit a kid?"

She sputtered and hesitated before hissing, "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

Dark-brown eyes gleamed, "That you're a disgrace to all brunettes."

The evil woman snapped, "YOU-!"

"LI-KUN!" Came the sweet interruption.

Nana jogged lightly up to the children as Li widened his eyes dramatically, tears clinging to the edges, and hiccuped, "N-Nana-s-san…!"

The worker startled at the sudden change as Nana snatched the dark brunette out of the grip and fussed over him. Li sniffled and rubbed at his eyes, "I-I was just p-playing with my friends. I didn't know th-that I wasn't supposed t-to!"

Nana softened her gaze and rocked the child gently, cooing with her eyes closed, "There, there, Kyuu-chan. It's okay now."

As Nana was distracted, Li winked towards the siblings. Grey and gold eyes brightened in understanding before their owners clung onto the housewife, cowering behind her and shying away from the worker. Nana's heart called out to the pitiful looks they threw at her before she crouched down and gathered them all into her arms, "It's okay. Everything's fine."

"I-I-!" The worker started before freezing when the sweet woman threw a surprisingly dark gaze at her. Nana breathed deeply to calm herself before smiling brightly. A freezing wintry wind blew pass the Squirrel Lady as the housewife calmly stated, "We'll be leaving now. Goodbye."

With that said and down, the four left the store leaving the frozen worker to gape at the silent raspberry that Li sent her way.

"Here you go~!" Nana chirped cheerfully, handing a crepe to each child.

"Arigatou, Nana-san~!" The three chorused as they sat on the bench in Namimori's park.

Li and Ryohei, being the rambunctious children they are, eagerly bit into the sweet pastry as Kyoko followed in a more calm manner.

The housewife smiled at the sight before remembering, "Oh! Li-kun!"

The dark brunette blinked before looking worriedly at the woman, "What's wrong, Nana-san?"

She pressed a hand to her lightly blushing cheek, "I just remembered that dinner's a surprise for Tsu-kun!"

Li perked up before grinning and saluting, "Ryokai! I'll distract Tsuna-Fish~!"

"Arigatou, Kyuu-chan~!" Nana thanked the boy, "He's over at Shouichi-kun's home."

The dark brunette winked and gave a thumbs-up, "I got'cha!"

The woman smiled and leaned down to peck his cheeks, resulting in a faint blush, before hurrying off to shop.

Finishing his crepe in record time, Li licked the chocolate from his lips before jumping off of the bench, chirping, "I should go now!"

"Aa!" Ryohei nodded, ruffling the boy's hair, before grinning, "Arigatou na, Sasaki?"

"Honto ni!" Kyoko added in firmly with a smile, "Arigatou, Sasaki-kun!"

"No need for thanks." The gender-bender smirked, "We're friends, aren't we?"

A startled look overcame both siblings before they smiled widely and nodded.

"Hai!" Kyoko chirped before her brother added in, "FRIENDS TO THE EXTREME~!"

Li nodded and stretched before his eyes lit up. Ruffling through his bag, the gender-bender grinned as the siblings looked on in confusion. Li quickly stuffed two small wrapped packages into their hands before prancing off, cackling, "NO TAKE BACKS~!"

They blinked at the distancing boy and looked at the gifts. A blush blossomed over Kyoko's cheeks as she held the small Koala keychains in her hands.

"W-WAIT!" Ryohei sputtered in surprise, "WE DIDN'T GET YOU A PRESENT TO THE EXTREME~!"

But, Li was already gone.

Looking up at a familiar house, Li grinned as he spotted red and light-brown movements near a window. Cackling lowly to himself, the gender-bender snuck through the gates and creeped towards the metal drain that ran up the house. Grabbing onto it, Li shimmied skillfully up the pole before leaping onto the balcony. He knocked and called out cheerfully, "Guess who~?"

The two boys startled from inside before their eyes widened. A wide smile played across their lips as Shouichi opened the window, "Li-san! There you are! We went over to your house earlier but Daisuke-san said that you went out!"

The dark brunette jumped into the relatively tidy room and grinned, "Sorry! I was busy visiting everyone."

"It's okay! At least we're together now." Tsuna chirped happily before stuffing a wrapped box into his hands, "Here! This is from both of us!"

Dark-brown eyes widened before admiring the object. It was wrapped in white paper with a purple ribbon.

"Waaa~!" Came the excited squeal from Li as he shot sparkly eyes at the other two, "Thank you so much~!"

Heat flushing their cherubic cheeks, the smaller two wore sheepish, yet proud, smiles. Gently placing the gift onto the floor, the dark brunette rummaged through his bag before pulling out the last two gifts. Li pushed the orange-wrapped present towards Tsuna and the green-wrapped one towards Shouichi while chirping, "Here ya go~!"

Their flushes darkened as they stuttered out their thanks before Li turned back to his gift with his cat-tail quivered in excitement, "Can I open it now?"

The boys startled before shaking their heads vigorously, "N-Not yet!"

"Eh~?" Cat-ears drooped as Li pouted, "Why not?"

They glanced at each other nervously. Dark-brown eyes narrowed and scrutinized the box. The redhead panicked a bit before a lightbulb switched on, "Ah! Li-san! Guess what?"

Li perked up at the energetic tone, "What? Did something happen?"

Tsuna glanced at the redhead in confusion but Shouichi was confident, "There's a special event going on at the shrine!"

Instantly, dark-brown eyes lit up as the presents were forgotten.

"WOW!" Came the excited shout as Li looked at the decorated temple, "There's so many things!"

"Yup!" Shouichi nodded, pushing up his glasses, "There's everything from omamori to trinkets to-"

"UDON~!" Screamed the gender-bender as he bounded towards a direction.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

The other two sighed before slowly following with a small grin.

'There's just no way to keep Li from udon.'

Upon entering the stall, the two had to roll their eyes at the sight as-

"Seconds, please~!"

-Li ordered for more.

Sighing, Shouichi took a seat on her right and mused, "You never get tired of it, do you, Li-san?"

In answer, his lips merely curved into a kittenish grin as he thanked the chef and started on the food.

Tsuna chuckled a bit as he took his seat on Li's left, "If Li does get bored of it, then the world will end."

"WILL NOT~!" The dark brunette snorted into his soup before-

POOF!

-white smoke exploded from the gender-bender.

The boys simply waved the wisps away and gave the baffled chef two innocent smiles. The man scratched in head in confusion before carrying along. Shouichi grinned lightly before elbowing Li, "Still haven't gotten it?"

A pout made itself known on her lips as she whined, "It's not fair~!"

Tsuna patted the girl on the back, "Don't worry, Li. You'll get it… eventually."

Thunk!

Her head slammed onto the counter, mindful of the bowl, as Li whimpered, "It's too hard."

Green eyes sparkled as Shouichi snickered, "Your head?"

The girl jerked up and huffed at the redhead, "Meanie! I think I'm rubbing off'a you waaa~aaay too much!"

The bespectacled boy merely widened his eyes innocently and blinked, "Really?"

Li pouted, "You can't do that! That's my (not) innocent face!"

Shouichi responded by pulling his expression into an all-time cutesy face, complete with sparkles and bubbles, resulting in the girl's slamming her head back onto the counter and groaning, "Shou~!"

The redhead grinned triumphantly at the light brunette who shook his head, laughing softly. Li turned to face Tsuna and pouted, "Don't encourage him!"

Light-brown eyes blinked before widening as Tsuna tilted his head lightly, "But, he's my friend. I should encourage him."

Li's lips puffed out as she complained, "I'm your friend too, y'know~!"

Tsuna held his fists to his chin and blinked slowly, batting his lashes, as his eyes misted over, "Are you mad at me…?"

The girl froze at the look of dejection before jerking up and shaking her head vigorously, "N-No!"

Tears began to cling to the light brunette's eyes as he rubbed at them, "I'm sorry, Li. I didn't realize that I… That I…"

His lips trembled as Li panicked and gripped the boy by the shoulders, squeaking, "I'm NOT mad! PROMISE! Don't cry, Tsuna!"

Tsuna covered his face with his hands as his shoulders quivered. The dark brunette paled at the reaction before pulling the boy into a hug, "C-Come on! You know I don't like to see you cry!"

In the background, Shouichi was having a hard time not bursting into laughter. The chef gave the trio a questioning look but the redhead shook his head and explained quietly. The man shook his head before putting forth some orders.

"Please don't cry…" Came the barely audible voice.

The light brunette froze at the painfully low tone, 'Li…?'

The gender-bender slumped against him, "I… I never want you to hurt."

His hands lowered, displaying his shocked expression. Shouichi caught sight of it and frowned with furrowed brows, mouthing, 'What's wrong?'

Tsuna pursed his lips before leaning against the still girl and mouthing back, 'I don't know.'

The redhead blinked, worried, and was about to go forth when the chef piped up secretly, "If there's one thing to know, kid, it's that you don't play with a girl's feelings."

Green eyes blinked in surprise before their owner sputtered, "W-We weren't playing…!"

The chef simply shook his head, "You think you weren't."

Shouichi frowned and looked over to the girl as she continued to lean against the light brunette. He hesitated, feelings of doubt bubbling within him, 'Were we…?'

His eyes dulled as they met with equally guilty brown eyes. The boys shuffled uncomfortably before both opened their mouths to speak when-

"Kyuu~!"

-a light snore interrupted them.

Dot. Dot. Dot.

The boys sweatdropped at the peaceful expression the girl held as the chef simply whistled and turned away, focusing on his job. A vein throbbed on the boys' temple before Tsuna gathered the girl onto his back and stomped off. Shouichi stayed simply to pay before he too left, grumbling under his breath

The chef shook his head, "Kids. So naive."

Sitting under one of the shrine's cherry blossom trees, the boys relaxed as Li slept undisturbed.

"I can't believe we were tricked." Tsuna grumbled, picking at a blade of grass, "And by that Udon-Ossan."

Shouichi sighed and leaned against the trunk of the tree, nodding in agreement, "Yeah. I really thought that Li-san was hurt."

The light brunette looked over at the gender-bender before softening and inching closer, "… I was really scared."

Green eyes blinked at the confession and looked over at the younger one before their owner nodded, "Yeah…"

Silence reigned over them as they vaguely noticed the cool breeze.

"Ah~ Kyuu!" Came the sneeze as the boys jumped before relaxing when Li shifted around to a more comfortable position. She sniffled a bit before sighing with a smile, calming down.

Tsuna played with the dark-brown locks before piping up nervously, "Shouichi-kun…?"

"Hm…?" Came the somewhat drowsy voice of the redhead as he scooted closer to the other two.

The light brunette hesitated, fiddling with Li's hair some more, "Were we…?"

Shouichi became alert again and frowned in thought.

Were they playing with her feelings?

They gazed at Li's sleeping face.

Well, they were playing, but…

"Tsuna-Fish... Shou…"

The two tensed at the soft murmuring before calming their tense bodies as a kittenish grin appeared on Li's lips.

"Let's eat so'more…"

Sweatdrops trickled down their face before-

"Pbbfft-!"

-the two boys had to stifle their laughter.

As per usual, Li's thinking about eating udon.

They sighed after taking a moment to calm down and slumped against the tree.

It's true that they were playing...

They huddled near the dark brunette for warmth as their eyes began to droop.

But, not with her feelings...

A smile crept up on their lips as they relaxed.

After all, their feelings always were and always will be true.

(Extended Ending)

The green grass bended to pressure upon being stepped on.

"Honestly!" Came an exasperated sigh as a shadow casted over the three sleeping children, "I keep telling her to be more alert!"

"Oh~?" Came an amused voice as a larger shadow casted over the trio, "They fell asleep?"

"Daisuke," The first started with hands on her hips, "You can at least look worried!"

The man chuckled softly and wrapped his arms around the other, "Calm down, Fang. They're fine and well. No need to dwell upon it."

Fang sulked momentarily and leaned into the warmth before relaxing, "I know, but…"

Daisuke nuzzled her neck and whispered, "Don't worry. We're safe."

She pursed her lips and turned away, "But, for how long?"

There was no answer.

Author's Note:

I'm still on hiatus, but I was greatly encouraged to write by three specific people: 4shadowedice4, jestie kiryuu and kimkakashi.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALWAYS SUPPORTING ME!

This chapter is dedicated to your honor. :'D

Nevertheless, I thank ALL of my readers as well so THANK YOU FOR READING/REVIEWING/ETCETERA-ING THE JOURNAL OF MEMORIES.

I'm always touched by those who bother with my still-lacking skills. :'3

Loose Translation:

(1) Ryokai! - Understood!

(2) Omamori - Japanese amulets of protection

(3) Udon-Ossan - old Udon-man

Preview: None right now, sorry... ._.'