Let's add a sprinkle of action, shall we?

Tsuna drops some eaves

Nana worries

Bianchi loves her brother and hates Romeo

Lambo loves Nana, always

Fighting in a Sushi Shop is ill-advised

Tsuna and dogs do not mix

Kyoya is growing up

Someone call a doctor

-00-

Growing Up

-00-

"Wake up Tsuna."

"Hieee!"

Tsuna rolled out of bed as fast as he could, covering his head as he screamed. Several, eerily quiet seconds followed. Blinking quickly he lifted his head.

Reborn stood at the foot of his bed, a large hammer in hand.

"Well done Tsuna," he praised. "Any slower and you would have died."

"I hate this," Tsuna cried under his breath. Pushing himself into a sitting position he squinted at his clock. It was seven in the morning. "Why did you even wake me up this early? It's Saturday, you usually let me sleep until eight at least."

He only went running with Dad on weekdays now (after he almost passed out last time). Dad told him to treasure his free days so that's what he planned on doing.

"Your subordinates are coming over to do homework."

Tsuna scowled. "Not until three! And they're my friends, not my subordinates."

"The early bird gets the worm Tsuna," Reborn tucked the oversized hammer away in his jacket, which was only one of the many points in the long list of bizarre things Reborn had done that made no logical sense.

"The alligator."

Reborn stared at him.

"The early bird gets the alligator," Tsuna elaborated. "That's what Dad says. He says if you're getting up early then it's not going to be for something like a worm. It's going to be for the biggest catch of your life. Otherwise, what's the point of waking up early when you could sleep."

Tsuna was starting to get better at reading Reborn. The toddler still seemed like the emotionless face of death most of the time but the way he closed his eyes for an extra second longer than usual reminded Tsuna of Hibari-san when he thought Dad was being weird.

"Just because you are not running with Nana does not mean you get to skip out on your mornings entirely. It is good to get into healthy habits."

Tsuna squinted at him now. "You said that habits lead to weakness and death."

"They do," Reborn sounded smug. "Now get dressed."

Tsuna sighed heavily before standing. It was useless to argue.

Ten minutes later he was walking down the stairs as quietly as he could. Dad was out of the house by now but everyone else was probably asleep.

Or at least, he had thought so. Shouto was at the sink rinsing out a bowl and Michelle was leaning against the counter next to him.

"-hear they are looking for you," Michelle was saying calmly, stirring in some creamer for her coffee.

Tsuna froze, foot halfway off the ground when Shouto glared at her.

The soft, lazy look he carried around him melted into sharp knives and a threatening cold. The usual gently flickering haze of red Tsuna often saw roared to life, turning a dark maroon. When it brushed the slow, consistent blue of Michelle's colors Tsuna half expected her to recoil but she just kept stirring her coffee.

"Did you tell them?" Shouto asked, calm but with an undercurrent of- of something that made goosebumps race across Tsuna's skin. He set the bowl to the side with a deceptively soft clink.

"No," Michelle tapped her spoon to get rid of the extra drops, setting it in the sink. She inhaled the warm fragrance, smiling in a pleased little way. "I don't need to. They'll find you either way."

Shouto exhaled, the long sigh stripping away the darkness behind him, leaving only tension and an exhaustion Tsuna hadn't seen since his first few days in Namimori.

Now Michelle frowned. She reached out, laying a hand delicately on his shoulder. "Your concern is appropriate for the situation you are in, but keeping everyone in the dark will only leave you defenseless."

Tsuna watched, fascinated, as her blue surrounded him like a shroud from where she had touched, gently pressing until the burning red was at its usual wisping state.

Shouto glanced at her, the tension in his shoulders dropping. "...Thank you, Michelle."

Michelle hummed, a little displeased sound as though it had started raining on a walk home from work. "Keep in mind that while your plans work out in the end, the consequences are not always what those around you would consider worth the risk."

"I know," Shouto bowed his head a bit, shaking it and then straightening. "That's why we're here."

Michelle rolled her eyes in the strongest show of irritation Tsuna had ever seen from her. "I meant the consequences that affect you. Your Famiglia always knows what they are getting into, it is your path that worries them."

Shouto laughed, small and breathy. "...Yeah. They're good people."

Tsuna gapped, mouth wide. Shouto-san was part of the mafia too?! That meant Ryu-san was…

"As are you," Michelle patted his shoulder twice before returning to her drink. "Oh, and you are going to be late for your 'surprise' date."

Shouto's head whipped to the side where the kitchen clock was. He grabbed his jacket off the back of one of the dining table chairs, swooping down to place a kiss on Michelle's cheek. She returned it, smiling pleasantly, and then he was out the back door and hopping over the fences like an Olympic gymnast.

Michelle took another long sip of her coffee. "You can come in now Sawada-kun."

Tsuna jumped, letting out a tiny shriek. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I-"

Michelle smiled at him. "We weren't being very subtle, don't worry about it. You didn't hear anything bothersome anyway."

"O-okay," he said, not really agreeing. "Is everything… okay?"

Michelle hummed. Looking out the window she closed her eyes to bask in the warmth of the sun as it rose. Tsuna blinked, squinting. Sometimes random darker spots of blue would appear around Michelle, but the way the light was reflecting off her it almost made them look… purple. "I'm sure it will be."

Well, that filled him with confidence.

A harsh alarm, like a foghorn, sounded from the phone resting on the table. Tsuna shrieked a bit, jumping at the sudden sound.

Michelle tapped the screen lightly, silencing it. Finishing off her coffee she peacefully moved the empty cup to the sink.

"W-what was that?" Tsuna wondered.

"I have a meeting to get to," Michelle smiled at him, quickly washing out her cup. "Have a nice morning Sawada-kun."

"J-just Tsuna is fine," he tried for about the hundredth time.

"Of course, Sawada-kun. Good-bye."

Tsuna watched her go with a deadpan expression. She really didn't have to go the same way Shouto-san had. Hopefully, none of their neighbors noticed the two strangers running through their backyards.

"Cry-baby Tsuna?" A small hand curled into the bottoms of his pants.

Tsuna sighed at the nickname, smiling down at Lambo. He was rubbing his eyes tiredly, cow-print pajamas askew. His usual chaotic green was wavering weakly, muted by his sleepiness. "Good morning Lambo."

Lambo yawned widely. "Breakfast?"

"Sure. Eggs and toast?" If luck was on his side for once that would be enough. It was the only thing Tsuna could really cook with a %50 success rate since Shouto-san had clearly eaten all the cereal.

Lambo nodded and went to climb into his chair, falling asleep again as soon as he was seated.

"Okay," Tsuna said to himself. He could do this. The toaster was already pre-set, he just had to put in the bread and hit the button.

The eggs…

It would be fine.

-00-

"So," Nana started, touching his head to his knee as he slid into the splits, "I heard you've been setting up a different patrol thing for your Disciplinary Committee?"

Kyoya, mimicking his pose, grunted. "It was weak."

They were stretching in the backyard of the Hibari home, cooling down from their morning hike/spar/murder attempt.

"I thought it was pretty good already," Nana disagreed. "I mean, it's already impressive that students are doing safety patrols around town, but that they actually keep all the crime down is a whole new level of badass. What made you think it was weak?"

Kyoya rolled his eyes, wrapping his hands around his foot. "There were too many holes. Rats have been slipping in."

Nana wasn't sure if he should feel worried yet. "Like, actual rats or people rats?"

Even if Kyoya looked at him like an idiot Nana believed the question was still valid. Kyoya hated rats, he didn't doubt the teen would do something if there was a sudden increase of them.

"You're not answering my question," he switched to his other leg.

"It was a stupid question."

Nana rolled his eyes. "Fine. How's Tetsu-kun?"

Kyoya's eyes darted to the treeline.

Nana shot to his feet. "Is he here?! Tetsu-kun! Stop hiding and come join us!"

A moment passed before Kusakabe Tetsuya walked stiff-backed towards them from where he had been behind one of the trees.

"What were you doing over there?" Nana tilted his head.

"My job is to keep Hibari-sama safe and to always be readily available," Tetsuya said, stopping a few feet away from them.

Nana had many questions about the Kusakabe family. Who the rest of Tetsuya's family was, for one. Natsuki had said they were some kind of distant cousin that owed them their loyalty (what was this, olden times?) but Nana hadn't met either of his parents. Even though they apparently knew Nana. Natsuki told him that Tetsu's father was usually around her and that his mother was around Kouske but Nana had never actually met, or even seen, them. Ever. Hell, he only met Tetsuya three years ago.

It was a little unnerving. Where they ninjas or something?

"Did you need me for something Nana-sama?" Tetsu pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah," Nana nodded. "Come join our stretches. You must have climbed The Mountain too right?"

"I… did," Tetsuya hesitated, glancing at Kyoya. "But I must refuse Nana-sama. This is a time reserved for you and Hibari-sama."

Nana smiled fondly, if a little exasperated. "You won't be getting in the way. Right Kyoya?"

Kyoya didn't deign to reply, leaning back and stretching his body into the bridge position.

"See?" Nana grinned, turning so that when he made a bridge with his back as well he was still facing Tetsuya. "He doesn't care. Do you stretch a lot Tetsu-kun? You don't have to follow everything we do. If anything starts to hurt don't push yourself."

Tetsuya looked from Nana to Kyoya a few times.

Kyoya glanced at him again, nodding.

"Thank you Nana-sama," Tetsuya smiled a bit, matching their poses perfectly. Nana blinked at the fluidity of his movements. "I will be fine. I stretch every day."

"Good for you!" Nana praised. "You've got to have a lot of strong self-motivation to be able to keep up with that."

Tetsuya seemed a little surprised by the sudden compliment. "Thank you Nana-sama. It is simply something I must do in order to keep up with Hibari-sama."

Nana smiled, even happier. "I'm glad Kyoya's got a friend like you."

Tetsuya's lips twitched, his ears a tinge red. The smile died a little when Kyoya scoffed, rising to his feet and turning to leave.

"Kyoya?" Nana frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Patrol," he said shortly, throwing on the jacket he had discarded earlier as well as his tonfas.

Tetsu got up quickly, bowing deeply to Nana before following.

Nana stayed where he was, frowning. Something was wrong with Kyoya. He'd been acting… off, for a while now. Nana had been giving him more self-regulated lessons lately, alongside their usual sparring sessions, so he hadn't been around often enough to place when exactly the change had started but it was worrying.

Kyoya wasn't like Tsuna. When Tsuna was upset Nana could usually at least tell that he was feeling down, even if he couldn't always place the cause right away. So long as Nana approached his son openly and honestly nine times out of ten Tsuna would open up to him. With Kyoya…

Kyoya fought his problems away. Literally. He placed his emotions in his fists (or tonfas) and took them out on the most readily available opponent. And that seemed to work for him, so Nana wasn't going to put a stop to that unless his opponent ended up being someone that really didn't deserve the ire of a Hibari. But it couldn't work for all of his problems and it clearly wasn't working for whatever this one was. Even Kouske had to talk through his problems sometimes, but he had Natsuki at his side to support him whenever he needed it. Kyoya didn't have a Natsuki. He had his parents, his friends (even though he refused to call them that), and Nana but he didn't have anyone he felt comfortable talking to about his emotions and that made moments like this all the more worrying. Emotions were confusing, especially for people who liked to pretend they didn't have any and even more so for teenagers, so there was a good chance that even Kyoya didn't understand what he was feeling right now. If he couldn't find a way to process what he was feeling, pinpoint the problem, and thus know how to start handling it then it would only continue to build.

"Do you-" Nana froze, mouth open. His heart clenched. Shaking his head harshly he stood up and started slipping his shoes back on.

Today, after lunch, he needed to talk to Natsuki and Kouske.

-00-

"What is that smell?" Hayato gagged a bit, lifting his shirt to cover his nose when he walked into the kitchen.

Tsuna sobbed a little harder.

"Tsuna?! What's wrong? What happen- what the fuck is that?!"

Tsuna looked down at the horrible black sludge monstrosity sitting in the skillet. "They're… scrambled eggs."

Hayato couldn't quite help the horrified expression that crossed his face. Tsuna's shoulders slumped.

"Those are… really? They look- great! They look… really good Tsuna," Hayato beamed, giving him a thumbs up.

Why were his friends so nice? It was clear how disgusted the other teen was from the way his nose was scrunching and it looked like he was starting to sweat a bit.

"You don't have to lie," he sighed heavily. "I don't know how they turned out like this. I went to check on Lambo for one second and they caught on fire somehow but when I tried to put it out I only made it worse."

"I'm sure they still taste fine-"

"NO," Tsuna threw the entire pan into the trash without a second thought.

"Why would you throw that away?" Bianchi appeared at her brother's shoulder, looking genuinely disappointed. "It was such a pure creation."

The way Hayato's eyes rolled into the back of his head before he passed out showed exactly how he felt about the 'pureness' of Tsuna's cooking.

"Hayato!" Tsuna rushed over. "He's been passing out so much lately…"

He didn't have the same thing Aunt Lavina did, did he? The thought made his stomach clench.

"This is normal," Bianchi assured him, holding the tall teen easily against her side as she brushed his hair out of his face fondly. "Hayato has always been a little frail, ever since he was young."

Frail? Hayato? That didn't sound right, he was one of the strongest people Tsuna knew.

"...I feel like I should know that?" Tsuna tilted his head.

Bianchi reached out, patting Tsuna's hair now. "Hayato is always strongest when he's around you."

Tsuna suddenly couldn't meet her eyes, his face heating up. That wasn't really something people just openly stated.

"Hayato's always strong," he said instead, trying to turn the attention away from himself as fast as possible.

Bianchi smiled. "I'm going to go put him in his room so he can rest. Don't throw away your food next time Tsuna-kun, I would like to test it."

"Uh," Tsuna sweat-dropped, side-eyeing the trashcan. "Sure."

Bianchi nodded. "Alright. I'm going to be sunbathing if you need me."

Tsuna blinked. "...What?"

"It's almost fall. I want to appreciate the warmth while it's here."

"Okay?"

Was she going to the pool or something? It was kind of far...

Bianchi threw Hayato over her shoulders like a sack of flour. Tsuna's eyes went wide. He had not realized she was that strong.

"Tsunaaaa," Lambo suddenly whined from the table. "Lambo-san is hungry!"

"Agh," Tsuna stumbled over his own feet to the fridge. "I know, I'm sorry Lambo. Do you want, uh, a sandwich?"

That didn't involve the stove at all! That would work.

"Pancakes!" Lambo demanded, eyes sparkling.

Tsuna shrunk. "I don't think I can make those…"

"A Boss who never tries is a Boss that dies Tsuna." Reborn was there by the stove, because of course he was. How someone as brilliantly yellow as Reborn could sneak into a room without anyone noticing was beyond Tsuna, but nothing really made sense when it came to the hitman.

"Reborn!" Lambo jumped up, grinning from ear to ear. Tsuna flinched away, shielding his eyes when his already erratic green sparked an even brighter shade.

"This time, Lambo-san will win!"

Tsuna tried to grab the toddler when he suddenly pulled a rocket launcher from his hair (where did he keep getting these things?!) but was a second too slow. Lambo fired and Tsuna could only watch in awed terror as Reborn hit the rocket back, the resulting explosion sending Lambo sailing out the window and into the neighborhood.

"Lambo!" Tsuna screeched, rushing to the window. "Reborn, what the fuck?!"

"He'll be fine," Reborn shrugged, hopping over to the fridge. "The Bovino Famiglia is known for being as resilient as cockroaches. We're out of eggs, go get more."

Even if Tsuna had seen Lambo take full-on explosions to the face only to come out of it with a puff of smoke and a dizzied expression before, that didn't mean he was ever going to get used to it.

"We can't just leave him out there," Tsuna argued. "We need to go get him."

"Go get who?" Nana called from the entryway, the sound of the front door closing echoing down to them.

"Lambo went out into the neighborhood to play," Reborn explained easily. "But Tsuna needs to go replace the eggs he ruined."

Nana rounded the corner looking concerned. "By himself? Namimori is safe, but someone should still be with him." He sniffed, face crumpling like paper. "...Tsuna, did you try to make eggs again?"

"Y-yes, but Dad Lambo is-"

"Nearby," Reborn hopped up onto Tsuna's head, settling in easily. "He'll come home eventually. Tsuna, let's go to the store."

"But-!"

"Hey," Nana soothed, placing a hand on his shoulder. Tsuna leaned into it, easily distracted by the orange flare where their hand touched. "Don't worry Tsu-kun, I'll go find Lambo, okay? And I can run by the store too, so you just enjoy your day off alright?"

"I-!" there was a slight tug at his hair. Tsuna deflated. "Alright Dad."

Nana ruffled his hair, smiling a bit. "I'll be right back, and then we can make breakfast together okay?"

Tsuna perked up a bit more. "Okay!"

"Ah, Nana-chan," Bianchi re-appeared at the entrance to the kitchen. Tsuna squealed, face flaming red as he covered his eyes. "Welcome home. Would you like to join me?"

"Uh," Nana blinked at the tall woman wearing a bikini with a lawn chair tucked under one arm. "Are you going swimming?"

"Sunbathing."

"I… guess it's still warm enough for that," Nana shook his head. "I've got to go find Lambo. I'm sure Lavina would be happy to join you though. She should be waking up soon."

Bianchi looked thrilled. "That would be wonderful. Reborn, will you join as well?"

"Sure."

Tsuna watched them all leave, deadpan. If his life kept flipping between pure, unfiltered chaos and dull silence like this he was going to get whiplash. At least this meant he had time to himself for a bit. That was a rarity.

"Tsuna," Reborn appeared again, now dressed in a weird-looking Hawaiian shirt with a sun hat. "Finish your homework before Nana gets back or face the consequences."

"Ugh," Tsuna moaned. He stomped over to and up the stairs.

At least he only had a bit of history left. Maybe he'd have enough time to play a game or something.

Ten minutes later there was an explosion from the front yard.

Tsuna laid his head on his desk and sighed.

-00-

"Lambo-kun!" Nana cupped his hands around his mouth to increase his volume. "Lambo-kun, it's time to go home! Where are you bud?"

He was torn on how to feel about this. Namimori was incredibly safe, so much so that Nana only ever felt paranoid when Tsuna was out after dark. Any concern Nana had about kids being out at night was a by-product of his last life (their neighborhood had not been a kind one) but with the Hibari family keeping the streets as safe as possible it was easy for him to push away his concerns when his son was a little late. So he was sure Lambo was safe, wherever he was, but he was still only five-years-old. While he doubted anyone would hurt him that didn't mean he wouldn't hurt himself.

"Lambo-kun!"

Nana sighed, running a hand through his hair. He'd made Lambo an info necklace (his name, Nana's phone number, and the address to the house) just like he used to make for Tsuna and Kyoya. Tsuna had never had to use it, considering he rarely ever left Nana's side whenever they were out when he was younger, but there had been plenty of times where someone had called for them to pick up Kyoya whenever they were on a trip somewhere. Not that Kyoya had ever used it willingly, half the time it had been someone complaining about property damage and fights.

...Hopefully Lambo would actually use it how it was meant to be used. The Disciplinary Committee was easily recognizable thanks to their uniforms, and Nana had made sure to always point them out so Lambo would recognize them. All he would need to do is go up to one of them and hand them the necklace.

Nana pulled out his phone. Kyoya always seemed to know where everyone was, he'd ask him if he'd seen Lambo.

Turning the corner to head back home (he doubted Lambo went very far) Nana bumped into someone that had been running from the other direction. He blinked, barely even shifting, while the person he bumped into fell over.

"Ah, shit, sorry," Nana leaned down to help them up. "Are you okay?"

Brilliant green eyes looked up at him, filled with tears.

Nana blinked. "...Lambo-kun?"

The man gaped up at him, lips wobbling.

Oops. Not Lambo. Even if this guy looked a lot like Lambo (had the same shade of green in his eyes Nana had never seen anywhere else) he was a grown man. Clearly not the toddler Nana was looking for.

"Sorry," Nana grinned sheepishly, holding out his hand, "you reminded me of someone. Are you okay?"

The man accepted the hand up, holding onto it like it was a lifeline. It was kind of weird that he wasn't letting go, but not as weird as him wearing a yukata usually found at hotels or hot springs. He also wasn't wearing any shoes?

"Are you okay?" Nana asked. He kind of wanted his hand back but this dude looked two seconds away from sobbing. If he pulled away it might make the poor guy lose it.

"I'm f-fine," he wiped at the back of his eyes furiously with his free hand, still holding onto Nana with his other. "I can… tolerate this much."

"Okay," Nana said, trying to sound soothing even though he was confused. "You gonna let go of my hand any time soon?"

"Sorry," he let go. He smiled calmly even though his eyes were still red. "It's good to see you."

Uh-oh. Did Nana know this guy? Shit, did he forget him from something? Nana was usually good with faces, and this guy did seem really familiar. The fluffiness of his black hair was eyecatching enough, but it was his eyes that would have cemented any meeting with him.

"Are you looking for something?" The man suddenly perked up, saving Nana from having to admit he had no fucking idea who this guy was. "I can help!"

"I am..." Nana tilted his head. Seriously, how did he know him? "How'd you know?"

"There's a mountain between your eyebrows," he grinned suddenly, pointing at Nana's forehead. "It means you can't find something."

Nana blinked away the image of Lambo's wide smile that suddenly overlapped with the man's face.

"That's… a super cute way of putting that," Nana locked the saying away to use later.

He seemed confused. "But that's what you always-"

"Romeo!"

Nana shivered reflexively when every hair on his arm stood up. It was like a blanket of static had been thrown over him and suddenly the man was halfway down the street.

Nana blinked. It almost felt like when he used his Flames, but he was pretty sure he was the only Flame user in Namimori right now.

"You can't run forever!"

Nana watched as Bianchi, still in her bikini, power ran down the street with a gun in one hand and a plate of something purple in the other.

There was a puff of pink smoke where the man was still running.

Nana reached up slowly, pinching the skin of his forearm when the smoke dissipated and Lambo was suddenly sitting on the sidewalk with a wide grin and a happy little blush.

Bianchi ran right past him, still looking for the man she had apparently been trying to kill.

"Maman!" Lambo cheered, catching sight of Nana still staring blankly at him. He ran over, climbing up his leg until he could hang off Nana's neck like a jungle gym. "Where's your monster make-up?"

Shoving the questions about how reality worked skillfully away into a familiar little box Nana smiled down at Lambo and settled him into his arms. "Hey bud. What do you mean monster make-up?"

Lambo beamed up at him, reaching up to pat the left side of his face. "You were dressed like a monster. You told me you were going to a party."

"Well, I am going to a party in a little bit," Nana told him, thinking about the lunch with his friends he was supposed to have. "But I won't be needing any monster makeup."

"Can you still do Lambo-san's make-up?" he bounced excitedly in Nana's arms. "You promised! Lambo-san wants to be a zombie!"

Nana laughed. Seriously, this kid was too cute. "Sure. Wanna come to the store with me and pick out what colors you want?"

"Yeah!"

Nana set him on the ground, hunching over a bit so they could hold hands. It was easier to carry him, honestly, but with how much he squirmed it was safer to let him walk on his own.

It took them a while to get around the store. Lambo was still at the point where he would cry if he didn't get something so Nana had to keep stopping to calm him down and explain why they weren't going to get any candy or toys. Tsuna had a phase like that when he was around Lambo's age, but it was a little more exhausting with Lambo. Nana had to keep reminding himself that this was a temporary thing and that as long as he kept calm Lambo would eventually break the habit.

The moment they got home Lambo charge inside with thrilled laughter, his little bag of Halloween make-up held tightly in his hands. Nana stayed outside for a moment to stare at both the scorch marks in front of his house and the group lounging in his yard.

"Hello Nana-san," Bianchi waved lazily.

Reborn tipped his hat in greeting.

"Nana!" Lavina waved happily, stretched out on the third lawn chair Nana hadn't even realized they owned. "I see you found Lambo-chan. A young man came by earlier to drop him off but he ran off again right after."

"Mh," Nana grunted, ready for a mid-morning nap. "Don't forget about lunch."

"Alright," she chirped, adjusting her sunglasses.

Nana sighed, shaking his head before going inside. "I'm back."

Tsuna bounded down the stairs. "Welcome back Dad."

They both paused, looking down the hall as Lambo's giggled echoed from the bathroom.

"...How about sandwiches?" Nana tried.

Tsuna laughed. "Sure. Those will be quick."

Nana ruffled his hair. "Lambo! Come make sandwiches with us first, then we'll use the make-up!"

The whine of impatience was impressive but Nana had long since learned to tune out certain octaves of sound.

"Make-up?" Tsuna asked.

"He wants to be a zombie."

"Oh." Tsuna blinked. "Okay?"

"Let's get started, he'll join us soon."

Hopefully they would be able to finish everything in time for Nana to squeeze in that nap.

-00-

The nap was a fruitless dream and Nana really should know better by now. Still, making food with both Tsuna and Lambo had been fun (and very messy). The zombification process had been an adventure on its own too (...and very messy). Nana didn't regret it, even if he had to stifle a few yawns in his shoulder as he pushed Lavina's wheelchair to the Sushi Shop.

Huh. They had closed up shop again. They really didn't do it that often, once or twice a month for their get-togethers, but it still seemed like a bit much to close down the whole shop just so they could all hang out. Ah well, Nana wouldn't complain. It was nice, having all that time to themselves.

"We're here!" Nana called loudly, wedging the door open with his foot and sliding it out of the way so he could wheel Lavina over the threshold.

There was no answer.

"Aiko-chan?" Lavina wrapped her shawl a little tighter around her shoulders. "Tsuyoshi-kun?"

Nana frowned. All the lights were off in the restaurant but he could see the light in the kitchen was still on. All the shutters were drawn too, leaving the room much darker. "Kouske and Natsuki should be here too. Hey! Are you guys here?"

Lavina reached for her purse when the silence stretched on too long. "Nana…"

"I'll check it out," he promised, stepping around her wheelchair and closing the door softly. "You got the door?"

Lavina nodded, eyes narrowed in a way that made her the mirror image of her son.

The hairs on Nana's arms raised as he let his Flames start to flow slowly over his skin. Not enough to show, but enough that they were a simple thought away. Walking along the sides of his feet he moved swiftly to the kitchen entryway.

Using his phone he turned on the camera, flipping it and poking it a little around the edge to see the kitchen.

It was spotless, which made no sense when the lunch rush would have been merely an hour ago. Especially since they were closing early, they always had more people come grab take-out on days like this. The only thing out of place was one of Tsuyoshi's knives, which had been left on the cutting board.

Nana looked back at Lavina, shaking his head.

Lavina pursed her lips.

Nana reached around the door and quickly hit the light switch. His eyes were already fairly acclimated to the dark thanks to the main room, and if someone left the light on on purpose then he didn't want to give them any advantage.

Once he was sure nothing had changed he gave Lavina a thumbs up and slipped into the kitchen. Even if he hadn't adjusted to the dark he knew the path to the stairs by memory. Halfway up, against the sides to avoid the creaks, he had half a second to process the sound of whistling air. Throwing himself back over the railing he barely dodged whatever it was that sped past his face and embedded in the wall.

'Was that an arrow?!' Nana stayed crouched, bewildered.

Who the fuck used arrows anymore?

Nana shook his head. It didn't matter what out-dated weaponry was being used, not when it was being used in his friend's house. Normally Nana would approach this more carefully, but he didn't know where Aiko or Tsuyoshi were. They could need help and the faster he got to them the better.

Besides, it didn't matter if the archer could see him. Not if their arrows were made useless.

Nana's Flames lit the room in a dark green, his skin sparking. As soon as the majority of his body was covered he charged up the stairs.

The arrow that shattered against his hip carried the sound of a surprised gasp with it. The next two met the same fate. Nana was almost at the top when he had to dodge the two aimed at his knees.

'How the fuck are they reloading so fast?!' Nana twisted away from another, letting it hit his upper arm instead of his elbow. The spiked tip fractured against his skin, falling without leaving so much as a mark. Three more, all aimed at his knees were cut in half with a swift strike of his arm. 'Aaaand now they know to aim for my joints.'

Apparently arrows weren't so out-dated after all. Still, Nana had the advantage in speed. The moment his foot hit the top floor he rocketed towards where the arrows had been coming from.

The figure at the end of the hall startled but continued to draw back another arrow.

A flash of silver, reflected only by Nana's Flames, had him throwing up his arm. The sword that struck out from Takeshi's bedroom caught on his arm, and even though it didn't pierce through his skin it still pushed him down enough to stop him from advancing.

His Flames were really doing a piss poor job of lighting things up so he couldn't really see who had just taken a swing at him but Nana could tell they were tall.

Nana glared up at them, twisting his arm so the sword dragged down and away from him. He punched out only to have his momentum stopped by another arrow.

'Did they just- did they shoot my fucking hand?! From that angle?!"

The archer had to go.

The sword flashed again. Nana ducked, kicking out. He might be able to stop the blade from hurting him but the power behind each swing would push him back towards the stairs. It would be better to avoid it.

The blade turned, impossibly controlled, and caught his foot mid kick. Nana had enough time to blink before his leg was thrown with enough force to send him flipping back. He caught himself on the wall, foot landing for a moment before another arrow knocked it off and sent Nana to the ground.

Fuck, the archer needed to be taken care of. Nana was starting to run out of options if he wanted to knock whoever these people were out. He tried to avoid seriously damaging people whenever he could but if they kept pushing him back like this, when his friends could be hurt or worse, he was going to have to get a little more lethal.

The blade came down again. Nana kicked at it, matching the force enough to help him spin back up to his feet.

Every time he went for the archer they teamed up to send him further back. Nana wasn't getting anywhere in the hallway.

Fine. If he couldn't get the archer out of the way, he'd get the sword asshole out of their line of sight.

Sacrificing the defense around his torso Nana poured more Flames into his arms and legs. Crouching down he launched himself at the sword wielder, crossing his arms in front of him to catch the blade that came down in response.

The force sent them both into Takeshi's room and out of the hallway.

With maybe ten seconds before the archer would be able to make it down to the door, Nana turned their full focus on the sword wielder.

"Go down you fucker," Nana cursed when they matched his hits blow for blow. They weren't using Flames. All they had was a blade and Nana could see it shake every time he hit it but the person holding it never faltered, keeping up through what must have been reflex alone.

There was a tiny huff of laughter, and that was all that kept Nana from grabbing one of Takeshi's strewn about comics to cut at the fingers holding the blade.

"Tsuyoshi?!"

"Oops."

The swordsman giggled again.

There was a sigh of disappointment and Nana had to bend all the way backward, utilizing the bridge stance he had worked on with Kyoya that morning, to avoid the tonfa that had shot out of the closet to hit him in the head.

"Must you ruin everything?" another shadowed figure stepped out of the closet. Nana didn't need to see their face to know who it was.

"Sorry," Tsuyoshi laughed, still swinging at Nana causally. "Nana makes me laugh."

"Tsuyoshi," the archer was at the door, sounding fond, and exasperated, and exactly like Aiko what the fuck-

"I would say we should finish this but I doubt your son would be very happy with the state of his room if we did," another figure appeared at Aiko's shoulder, clearly Natsuki.

"What the fuck?!" Nana shrieked, catching Tsuyoshi's blade in his hand and pulling it. Tsuyoshi went willingly, coming close enough that his grinning face was clearly visible in the light of Nana's Flames.

The lights clicked on.

"Why are you like this?!" Nana whirled on Kousked, pointing a finger right in his face.

Kouske looked down at it, unimpressed. "There are four of us here, clearly I am not the only one involved in this."

"It's your fault, I know it is," Nana glared at him. "Tsuyoshi goes along with anything fun and Aiko is too nice to say no to you!"

Kouske rolled his eyes. "And my wife?"

"Spoils you fucking rotten, of course she would do this."

And instead of looking affronted or embarrassed, like a normal grown-ass man accused of being spoiled like a baby, he looked pleased. Proud.

"This was actually my idea Nana," Natsuki said, amused.

"Natsuki," Nana turned betrayed eyes to the tall woman. Aiko looked guilty but she was still smiling beside her.

"They were in no danger," Natsuki assured, resting a hand lightly on Aiko's shoulder. "Kouske and I were close enough to intervene if needed. We also had Beni-kun and Jenna-chan behind you just in case."

Nana grimaced. Tetsu-kun's parents… had been behind him the whole time?

He shivered. They had to be ninjas.

A heavy pat on the back made him stumble.

"That was so cool Nana!" Tsuyoshi cheered, resting his fricken samurai sword on his shoulder without a care in the world. "How'd you stop the blade from cutting you? Kouske said you'd be fine, but I didn't think it'd work like that! Do you use magic?"

"And the arrows!" Aiko popped in, clasping her hands together. "That was amazing! I had been so scared to shoot at you at first but Natsuki bumped my arm. I thought I was going to hurt you but then it- it just bounced right off you!"

Realization dripped into Nana's brain like a leaky faucet.

"You two-," he pointed between them. "Are awesome! Tsuyoshi, I knew you were good with knives and shit but a sword?! And the way you moved it, it was like water! Aiko, you shot my hand mid-punch! And my foot off the wall! How'd you reload so fast? Have you always been an archer? How'd you guys get so good?!"

"Ugh," Kouske pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is never going to end."

Natsuki huffed out a small laugh. "How about we all rejoin Lavina downstairs and get lunch started?"

"Oh shit," Nana rushed for the door. "Lavina! You're never going to fucking believe this!"

-00-

"Blegh."

"Lambo," Tsuna sighed, wilting under the afternoon sun. "We need to go home. My friends are going to be there soon."

"Blegh!"

Around the block twice, that was what Tsuna had promised. He didn't realize they were going to be moving at a snail's pace.

Lambo hobbled along, hands held up stiffly in front of him as he moaned and groaned. His entire face was an ashen pale shade that was definitely not healthy and there were a few spots that looked like his skin was degrading. For grocery store-bought make-up Tsuna thought it turned out pretty good. That didn't mean he wanted to be outside any longer than he had to though.

"Lambo."

"BLEGH!"

Sigh.

At least they were almost home. They'd have to pass the dog again (the big one that was always angry and trying to eat them through the gate) but once they were past that they'd be within eyesight of their house at least.

Tsuna shivered. He could already hear the barking.

"L-Let's go a little quicker, okay Lambo?"

Surprisingly, Lambo listened. Not by much, he was still hobbling, but it was a quick little hopping movement now. Maybe he was scared of the dog too.

Something flared in the back of Tsuna's head, making all the hairs on his neck and arm stand up. A split-second later there was a crash.

Tsuna stared, horrified, as the dog barreled into the gate and broke through.

Lambo screamed.

Scooping Lambo into his arms Tsuna turned on his heel and booked it the other way.

"Hieeee, please don't eat us!"

There was no way they were going to outrun this dog. What should he do? He could toss Lambo up onto the stone fence next to them and try to climb up but if he didn't make it in time-

Something small flew past his head.

"What was- a baby?!"

A little kid, barely as tall as Lambo stood between them and the dog. Tsuna stumbled over his own feet, twisting to try to grab them to.

"No! Stay away from-!"

Spreading their legs for balance the kid pulled their arm back. Right before the dog reached them they pushed forward sharply, open palm facing forward. The dog flew back with a whine.

'They didn't even touch it!' Tsuna thought it awe. He fell to the floor, cradling the shaking Lambo carefully. "U-um, thank you!"

The dog ran away, not willing to try again.

The kid turned to look at them, the little braid on top of their head swaying back and forth. Their face was furrowed so tightly it looked nearly painful.

'A-are they angry?' Tsuna gulped. "S-sorry to bother you. Thank you again."

They bowed sharply before running the other way.

Tsuna breathed out shakily. He looked down. "Are you okay?"

Lambo shivered, looking up with watery eyes. Tsuna grimaced at the snot along the front of his shirt. "L-Lambo-san is brave! L-Lambo-san wasn't scared."

"Yes, yes," he patted his back. Let's go home, okay?"

"...okay."

Lambo refused to be put back down on the way back, clinging to Tsuna harshly.

Lambo was kind of annoying, and he didn't really get that you shouldn't use people's shirts as tissues. Still, Tsuna couldn't quite help the fond smile on his face when he went back to groaning like a zombie.

-00-

"That's where you went on mother's day?" Nana looked surprised.

Aiko nodded proudly. "Yes! Takeshi had inspired me and I wanted to try again. Tsuyoshi set it all up for me so I just had to show up. I've been going as often as I can to get back to where I was."

"You mean you were better before?!" Nana leaned forwards in disbelief.

"That's amazing Aiko-chan," Lavina marveled. "You too Tsuyoshi-kun. I had no idea you've been training to use the sword since you were a boy."

"Yup!" he patted his own chest. "It runs in the family!"

"Do you plan on teaching Takeshi-kun?" Natsuki wondered.

Something odd passed through the tall man's eyes, but it was gone too quickly to place. "Maybe. If he needs it."

Kouske looked over at him, eyes narrowed.

"So what was up with all that?" Nana waved their hand towards the stairs. "You could have just told us you guys were badass, you didn't have to lunge at me from the dark."

Tsuyoshi laughed. "Natsuki said it'd be more fun if we showed rather than told. She also said you could use more practice."

"Of course she did," Nana muttered, squinting over at Natsuki who was smiling back.

"It was a valuable experience," Natsuki said. "It is just a shame that Miyu-chan was working and could not join in. I had also wished for you to see that your friends are more than capable of defending themselves."

Nana didn't like the hidden message in that. Aiko, Tsuyoshi, and especially Miyu would not be getting involved. Ever.

"I think it's time we started heading back," Lavina looked at the clock. "It's almost dinner time at this point."

"Oh jeez, you're right," Nana stretched. Their eating schedule was totally going to be thrown off by this.

Kouske was already by the door.

"Whoa, wait a second," Nana scrambled up.

Natsuki was grabbing her things off the bar counter but he couldn't let either of them leave without talking to them first.

"Hey," Nana grabbed Kouske's arm lightly. He looked down at them, eyebrow raised. "Can I talk to you and Natsuki about Kyoya?"

"Ah," he said. Looking over his shoulder he motioned for Natsuki to join them.

"What do you mean 'ah',?" Nana frowned. "Does that mean something is wrong with Kyoya? Is he okay?"

"Is this about Kyoya?" Natsuki stepped up next to her husband. He nodded. "Ah."

Nana resisted the urge to wring his hands together. "Is Kyoya okay?"

"He will be," Natsuki assured.

Nana waited a moment. That seemed like all they were going to say. "What's going on with him?"

Natsuki gave him a small, comforting smile. "Don't worry Nana, what Kyoya is going through is completely normal and not something we can really help with. He's just trying to adjust to the changes going on around him."

"Changes?" Nana wondered.

Natsuki crossed her arms, tapping one long finger against the crease of her elbow. She looked thoughtful. "I suppose it is something you should know, as his teacher. My family is rather… unique."

Nana snorted. Kouske smacked the back of his head. Nana flipped him off.

"Children, please," Natsuki said, amused. "Nana, my side of the family has always been very particular about the way we view and pursue any kind of social relationship."

"Uh, okay?"

"Using a commonly coined term, you could consider us lone wolves for the majority of our lives," Natsuki explained, only confusing Nana more. "We thrive off of challenges, and reject connections as potential weaknesses."

Slowly, Nana nodded. He definitely saw that in Kyoya at times, but he'd never seen it in Natsuki before. "That sounds more like Kouske than you though."

Natsuki let out a small laugh, the corners of her eyes crinkling in amusement when Nana stared at her with wide eyes. "I'm surprised you haven't noticed how much of a social butterfly Kouske is."

"Natsuki," Kouske said sternly. He sighed when she rested her hand on his shoulder, smiling at him.

Kouske. A social butterfly? Nana almost laughed. That man and social interaction were like two magnets with the same poles. No matter how hard you tried to push them together, they always repelled one another.

"You don't have to be good at interacting with others to enjoy it," Natsuki said, as though reading his mind.

Nana pursed his lips, doubtful. He guessed it was true that Kouske hung out with all of them more than Natsuki did. He baked with Lavina all the time, went to the movies with them, and Nana had even seen him walking around with Tsuyoshi or Aiko sometimes downtown. Actually, now that he thought about it, he'd never seen Kouske turn down an invitation to hang out from any of them. And Natsuki… they had meals together sometimes. Besides occasionally eating together Nana only really ever saw her when they had something important to talk about or when Kyoya was around. Looking back, it did kind of look like Natsuki was the more introverted of the two.

"I don't mind interacting with all of you," Natsuki promised. "I simply find most social settings stifling. It is… difficult for those on my side of the family to make connections with others strong enough to go against our natural instinct and desire to stay isolated."

Oh. That was totally Kyoya. The more people around him the more agitated he got and then the more aggressive he became. People put him on edge. Nana always thought it was a type of social anxiety so he'd try to keep an eye out for it, to make sure Kyoya wasn't overwhelmed or overstimulated. Nana had assumed it was a byproduct of living in a small town where everyone avoided him because he was a little murder monster, thus making him unused to human contact, but it looked like it was more genetic going by what Natsuki was saying.

"So…," Nana tapped at his chin, thinking it over, "Kyoya is upset right now because he's being surrounded by too many people?"

Kouske shook his head. "The opposite."

"Okay," Nana threw his hands up a bit. "I'm even more confused now."

"It is difficult to form strong, mutual connections," Natsuki repeated, reaching out for Kouske's hand and twining their fingers together. "Most of my family members do not find anyone they can interact with on such a deep level until they are much, much older. Some never find anyone at all. When we do find someone, we get rather… possessive. It is such a rare thing, and such a unique feeling, that we find it very difficult to give it up for any reason."

Kouske rested the side of his head against hers, turning just a bit to brush a kiss against her hair.

Nana observed their easy affection with a warm heart. They were always very open with how much they adored each other and Nana remembered a conversation with Natsuki where the woman had actually admitted to hiring people to make sure Kouske was never too busy to spend time with her and their son.

"Kyoya is extremely fortunate," Natsuki continued, leaning against her husband. "He has already found several people with which he can have small connections with, which is rare enough on its own, but he has also found those he can build that deeper bond with over time."

Nana frowned. "I don't think I've seen him around anyone like that though. He's definitely fond of people, like Tsuna and Takeshi-kun, but I haven't seen anything like you're describing."

"That's because he is a teenager and a Hibari," Natsuki sighed. "Finding someone we feel drawn to is a very strong experience, and very confusing. I met Kouske when I was already an adult. For Kyoya this will be much harder to figure out."

"You're also an idiot," Kouske chimed in.

Nana reached out to punch him in the shoulder. He didn't even budge. "If you're going to add to this conversation at least make it something useful, asshole."

Kouske reached out and flicked his head. "You are one of the people Kyoya feels strongly connected to."

Nana froze, hands cradling his forehead. He looked up at Kouske with wide eyes.

"Nana," Natsuki pulled his hands away, holding them in her own. "Both you and Tsuna are very important to our son. You have had rather large impacts on his life, and it is only recently that he is truly starting to understand that."

Nana fidgeted, fingers twitching in her grasp. "We've both been so busy though, we've barely even seen him lately."

Natsuki's eyes were warm and understanding. "That's why he's upset."

Oh.

"Every child values a certain level of consistency in their life," Natsuki patted his hands. "Even Kyoya. Now that Tsuna-kun is growing up and you are starting down your new path you won't be in his life as much as you always have been."

Nana's stomach curled. Guilt weighed down his words. "I never meant-."

Kouske flicked him again. "Only apologize if you are at fault. This would have happened eventually and Kyoya is growing up himself. He needs to find his own path before he starts worrying about others."

Nana held tightly to Natsuki's hands, brow furrowed. "Is that… is that why he's been so busy with his committee lately?"

"We've entrusted Namimori to him," Kouske nodded. "It will help him focus."

Most parents, when faced with their child's search for a place in life, would recommend hobbies or that they get their first job to start exploring what they want to aim for. To give them a sense of purpose. The Hibari family gave their child an entire fucking town to rule over.

"Don't worry about Kyoya," Natsuki advised, squeezing his hands once more before letting go. "This is just a part of growing up he needs to figure out himself."

Kouske's eyes narrowed when Nana looked away. "Do not put anything off to spend more time with him. Only give the time you actually have to spare. Do not discourage his growth."

Nana pressed his lips together. That made an irritating amount of sense, even if it had been phrased coldly. He hated thinking that Kyoya was upset because he'd been spending less time with him (even if it also made him feel so loved he wanted to cry happy, blubbering tears) but it was true that Kyoya was at an age where degrees of separation were normal. Difficult and scary, sure- Nana remembered when his siblings had moved out and his dad had gotten more busy with work to cover medical bills and the crushing loneliness that followed- but it was also one of the most important times of self-discovery. Being alone was never easy, but it wasn't always bad either. It gave the ability to focus fully on one-self, and the growth from that was not something that could easily be found without solitude in some manner.

Nana sighed deeply through his nose. "...Okay. I can't promise I won't try to spend at least a bit more time with him, but I won't push anything. I'll let him grow on his own."

His eyes shot wide-open, a blush bubbling furiously up his neck to the tip of his ears when a hand came down to ruffle his hair a bit.

"Good," Kouske said, short and to the point. He pulled his hand back, nudging Natsuki towards the door. Apparently the conversation was done now. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Nana," Natsuki sounded like she was laughing. She probably looked like it too but Nana couldn't look up past the debilitating feeling of 'holy shit he just praised me and touched my hair'.

The door closed with the gentle ring of a bell.

Pounding footsteps were the only warning Nana had before he was bombarded by his friends.

"Oh my gosh, Nana," Aiko shook his arm, practically vibrating with energy. "What did you do?! He was smiling! Did he say something nice? You're blushing! What did he say! He patted your head! What did you do?!"

Tsuyoshi threw an arm around his shoulders, jostling him in some kind of rhythmic beat with his wife's insistent pulling. "You guys looked so serious! Everything okay? Natsuki-chan held your hands for a long time, and I've never seen Kouske touch someone willingly… ever! Are you best friends now? Lucky! I want to be their best friend too! How'd you do it? Give me some pointers, haha!"

"Good job Nana!" Lavina called from where she was still sitting at the bar. "I don't know what you did but they looked really happy and proud! Well done!"

"Agh!" Nana roared, batting away at the hands tugging at him. "Buzz of you nosy flies! Stop touching me!"

They were not to be deterred.

"But Nana, I need to know!" Aiko insisted, grinning so wide it made her eyes close.

"Yeah!" Tsuyoshi agreed. "No fair getting on their good side without getting us in too! I called dibs on being Kouske's best friend years ago!"

"You're the only one that wants that!" Nana shouted back, desperately fighting to get his blush to disappear. "I'm pretty sure you're delusional cause even Kouske doesn't want that."

"Ha!" Tsuyoshi laughed, putting Nana into a near headlock at this point as Aiko shook his shoulders. "Of course he does! And if he doesn't then I'll show him! I'm a great friend to have, you know."

Aiko was still babbling away, lost in her own little world. "-can't believe how happy they looked, this is wonderful! They're always so stoic, I worry about them all the time, but now we're all friends and they're so happy and-!"

"Lavina! Help me!" Nana cried desperately.

Lavina laughed, leaning her cheek against her palm as she watched them.

"Lavina!"

-00-

Why was everything so hot? No wait, now it was cold.

...It was hot again.

Tsuna rubbed at his eyes, groaning. He wasn't going to be able to sleep like this. It was already four in the morning. He had gone to bed as soon as Dad got home, feeling exhausted after running for his life earlier (Lambo took full credit for the rescue, of course). He didn't realize something else had been adding to his exhaustion.

It might explain why Reborn actually let him sleep though.

A mark on his hand caught his eye. It was too dark in his room to really make it out but it seemed like something was smeared on the lower half of his palm. Squinting at it Tsuna used his other hand to turn on his bedside lamp.

He paled.

"What the heck is this?!"

The little black skull looked inked onto his skin, but it was clearly moving.

"I've never gotten an A on any of my tests," the skull suddenly spoke, sounding like it was echoing up from underwater.

Tsuna screamed.

-00-

Did I shove as much daily life arc as I could in one day? Yes. Yes I did. Do I regret it? Not really. It didn't mess up the pacing I want besides making this chapter hella long so it's all good.

bloodshound: I'm so sorry! T-T T-T I honestly thought I had replied because I thought about your review for so long and it made me giggle! I have seriously got to stop finishing up chapters so late at night, it's making me make stupid mistakes. I'm so sorry friend! For this time's review (and thank you for responding again even though I'm a complete dunce) Snake is going nicely through some self-realizations and he shouldn't be gone for too long. The reunion is going to be a blast! I actually have pretty much all of it written out, I just need to get to it. *sigh* so much stuff! For the brawl the winner is currently undecided because the main mission (protect Tsuna) kinda... didn't completely work. Not for lack of trying! But Tsuna was totally covered in paint (paintball bullets, they hurt like B) so they technically didn't complete the first mission enough for the second to count. They live to fight another day! Snake gets all the hugs! All of them! ...You're really too nice. It is kind of scary to post stuff, especially when you do and then realize no one really likes it. I've had stories like that (a lot T-T) and it kind of sucks but the stories were still fun to write and think about, plus they gave me the experience I needed to make future stories (this one included) better. Take your time and I hope one day you feel confident enough to share your own stories with the world. I'm sure the colors you create will be really cool. For example, I already adore Laurie. She sounds like a fricken delight. Her and Nana are gonna hit it off like nobody's business. Seriously, their personalities are going to mix so well. I keep getting a lot of bar owner/worker OC's too so now I can create a kind of inner bar circle for the mafia world that has ties, like, everywhere because alcohol is universal. It's gonna be a blast!

Tsuki Banritt: Thank you! That's very kind of you to say, I appreciate it!

Guest: This will definitely sound stupid (and hopefully it's just because of how late it is and how sleep I am) but I'm totally blanking on what M.o.D stands for. *sweatdrops* Tying Snake to anything Harry Potter thought is just Mwuah *chef kiss*. Wonderful. I love it!

Yuki Nagasawa: Always my dear! I enjoy chatting with you! *sitting there, avidly waiting, with a cup of tea looking like Edna Mode*

Anya: Kyoya is adorable! In a scary, murder gremlin sort of way XD Dang, that's a lot of Haru hate. Which is chill, I hated her a lot too when I first read this. I just have to deal with a lot of kids like her, and that's kind of changed my perspective. I'll try to make her more relatable and likable, so I hope that turns out well! No worries if not, but let me know what you think of her going forward. Liked or hated, feedback on how a character is responded to is always valuable (you won't even believe the kind of feedback I got on Iemitsu whenever he was in a chapter XD). So far I have no pairings really planned, but I can definitely say that HaruXKyoya has never really been one on my mind. You're definitely safe there. Sorry about the sporadic updates, I really am trying to keep up with this as best I can. Life just grabs free time and smushes it like a grape. Hope you like the next one! I'll definitely let you know if I write anything for Natsuki, Kouske, and Nana!

ADDBaby: Ahahahaha! Oh my gosh, you just made me think of Snake as the Charlie Conspiracy Wall meme and now I can't get it out of my head! XD XD Seriously though, this is the nicest call out for writing crimes I have ever gotten. You've crushed my doubts with a solid gavel strike and a cry of GUILTY! The way you summarized the chapter made me positively giddy. Thank you! I hope your holidays were as wonderful as you! And may your new year be as kick-ass as Kouske!

S-Lioness: You're half right! I hope you like how it turned out!

ChaosHearth: Oh sweet, thank you! She actually fits perfectly into a plot point I was going to have come up. It does involve Enma so she might not show up for awhile. I hope that's okay. When she does I promise it's going to be for a nice, impactful introduction. Agh, I'm so excited for it already! I gotta pick up the pace!

zakuranavarro: All in one day?! Holy smokes, you are a dedicated reader! And I love it! Thank you for your kind words friend, I hope you continue to like it!

Mel writer: Thank you! It's always nice to hear from you Mel. Dang, Snake's got all these secret fans coming out of the woodworks. He won't know what to do with himself XD Nana has plans! Snake-like plans, and they shall not be foiled!

mikanMD: Snake *shocked Pikachu face* XD When I was a kid I actually used to hate Haru. She reminded me a lot of my siblings (who I didn't get along with at the time) so I automatically just projected my frustrations with them onto her. Now though, she's super cute. And brave/crazy as heck. She's gonna be a blast to add to the story. Kyoko is a force to be reckoned with, let me tell ya. XD I might write a thing later about that one time when they were kids. It's a fun story. Kyoko and Tsuna are adorable! I adore them!

random-k: Aww, thank you! Double thanks for taking the time to come back and tell me that you liked it! You're awesome! I am still accepting OC's! I will be for a while, so feel free to PM whenever you want.

katsekala: the first arc is so fricken long, I'm glad I'm able to spice it up enough to make it enjoyable! Seriously, thank you, that comment made me a lot more confident in how I'm approaching it. I know the lack of serious action can get boring. We shall resist the zombification process together! Huzzah! *many hugs and kisses back!*