Hello everyone, Naintarlow here.

I was completely blown away by all those reviews, I'm happy that the previous chapter was so well received. This chapter is a little on the shorter side, but I thought it had a nice ending, a little bit of cliffhanger for you guys. It's mostly a filler and the start of the introduction of Yukari. I am trying to set a few things up for upcoming chapters along with a few scenes between Moka and Tsuna.

I'm aware that Tsuna's personality is all over the place, but there is a reason for that that will become clearer as we go forward in the story, so bear with him.

Thank you for your support it means a lot to me.

I also saw on some fanfics that at the start of each chapter there would be a description of a cover, like in mangas and I thought I would try it out. What do you guys think? Here's a sample for this chapter:

Cover: In the background, Tsukune was running away from a large lion while Tsuna and Outer Moka set in the front at a table. Tsuna was dressed like Reborn and was drinking coffee, while Moka was dressed in the Namimori Middle's uniform and blissfully eating a strawberry cake.

Chapter 5: Peaceful days

Tsuna glared coldly at the figure bowing before him. The Chinese girl has yet to lift her head following her greeting, showing no hostile intentions, though he was well aware of how deceptive appearances can be.

"Lambo." the young boy turned towards him, but he kept his eyes on their guest."Go to Moka's room and sleep there for tonight. Tell her I will explain everything tomorrow."

"But-" Lambo tried to protest Tsuna cut him off.

"Go!" he growled, frightening the young boy. The fire beneath his skin receded slightly after his small trip to the future, but it was still there, feeding on his anger. Anger he had a harder time controlling than he would have liked.

His former guardian scampered away, quickly gathering his things before leaving. Neither Tsuna nor his unannounced guest moved until they heard the front door close.

"Guess I should offer you tea or something?" offered Tsuna sarcastically, warily watching the girl in front of him.

"Not at all, Sawada-dono. Allow me to take care of it." she said in a respectful tone as she raised her head, showing indigo eyes that matched her clothes. Before he could react in any way, suddenly there was a simple table between them, with two cups of steaming tea on it.

Tsuna narrowed his eyes as he cautiously sat down before her, subtly examining the illusion before him. Ever since the fight against Byakugan, he got very good at getting the feel of flames, able to spot differences even from the smallest amounts. That's why he could feel even the dormant flames from stronger youkai like Moka.

Thanks to this, he was able to tell, that the girl before him used no youkai energy, only pure mist flames. What was even more surprising that he could feel the high-quality of her flames, even though he could see no ring on her to amplify the flames. That told him two things: the girl was probably human and she was very strong.

"Which Family sent you and what for? You should be well aware of how little I mean to the Vongola." he stated bluntly, well aware of his own position in the eyes of the mafia."The omerta is the only reason I'm still considered part of the Mafia. So what would be the point of you visiting me here in this little school, totally separated from the rest of the world?" he asked curiously, also looking for signs if the girl sitting before him knew the exact nature of the school.

"Allow me to clarify, Sawada-dono. "she said respectfully, her stoic expression not leaving her face." I do not represent any family. I have only came to deliver an offer from my Mistress. She has several connections with various Mafia Families, the Triads and even a select few Youkai factions." his eyes widened a little at the last one, though he was quick to mask the expression from his face. But he had a feeling the girl saw it anyway, Mists tended to notice little details easier than most." You could call her a neutral identity. "

"And who is this Mistress of yours? What does she want from me?" Tsuna was still suspicious, an unknown variable was even more dangerous to him than the known dangers the mafia represented.

"She is known by many names, but among the mafia, she is mostly known as La Mercante della verità. Her offer is a simple invitation to visit her shop and she would like to extend the hope that she can do profitable business with you in the future." she slowly, carefully pulled out a business card, taking great care to make all of her moves easily seen. In the back of his mind, Tsuna found it a little insulting that she treated him as if he was a frightened or wounded animal. Ignoring his stray thoughts, he looked at the card that was placed in front of him. It was a simple card, with a name 'Treasures of the seven worlds' written curved letter in the middle and an address beneath him. What was curious, the shop was in the human world, the outskirts of Tokyo in fact, which was strange considering this mistress's apparent connection to the mafia and the triad. And he also doubted that the youkai were based in Tokyo.

"What would I have that your mistress would have a need for?" gone were the days when he was able to trust any strange figure who popped up in his life, no matter how much he yearned for those naive days.

"I'm not privy to the thoughts of my mistress, though she is eager to meet you, Sawada-dono." she replied diplomatically, completely dodging the question."Though she told me to convey that among the many wonders in her shop, she also in possession of the antidote of the deadly skull disease, the angel disease."

Tsuna narrowed his eyes at the last bit. It confirmed that this mysterious merchant was keeping tabs on him for a while. His mind quickly jumped to conclusions, thinking about all the info she may have on him and those close to him and the number of ways it cod be used to blackmail him. He had to restrain the sudden burst of anger at the thought of coming to any harm onto his friends.

The girl ignored the barely masked killing intent aimed at her and instead stood up and bowed to him. As she straightened up, he could already see her form was slowly becoming hazier, the illusion was beginning to dissipate.

"We will await your visit at your convenience. May we have a mutually beneficial partnership, Vongola Decimo." with her last words she disappeared along with the table and every other evidence of her presence, leaving Tsuna alone, sitting dumbfounded in the dark room.

She called him Decimo and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why. She had to know about what happened at the inheritance ceremony, yet she still used that title. Why?

That question kept him awoke most of the night.

-0-

"Tsuna-kun?" asked Moka, curiously looking up at the brunette in question.

"Hm?" hummed Tsuna as he absentmindedly turned a page on the textbook he was holding. He was sitting on a branch of a tree while Moka was sitting at the base of it, looking like he had no care in the world.

It was a few weeks after his fight with Gin and things finally calmed down. Gin and Tsuna mutually ignored each other most of the time, not having the energy to deal with the other with the midterm exams closing in. He still sparred with Haiji in the karate club's dojo every few days to keep himself sharp. He also started to meet with Moka early morning every day, so she could get her daily blood dose and he could get his 'treatment' so to speak, even if he still had more questions than answers about his own condition. He got frustrated so much with this mystery that he even considered reaching out to a few old allies.

"Is this a normal training regiment for that...that human power of yours?" her question pulled him away from his wandering thoughts, making him look at her curiously. This was new, he was getting more and more comfortable around her.

Ever since the ceremony, Tsuna tended to stay away from people. He felt uncomfortable around too many people, his paranoia instantly acting up. He also felt that no one needed Dame-Tsuna around, so he rather stuck to the shadows than be bullied once again.

Yet, ever since he met her, he tolerated hers and Tsukune's presence because she was interesting and he felt some kind of kinship with the latter. At least that had been the excuse at first. He began to spend more time around them, took part in the happenings and even started to care.

After his quick visit to the future, he found himself relaxing in her presence, it had a soothing effect on him. Whenever they talked or just sat silently, he felt a rare peace, he was slowly and surely letting his guard down, the more he spent near her. He was loathe to admit it but he was liking it.

He finally looked up from his book and looked at a struggling Tsukune. He had a rope around his waist which was tied to a large tire. On the tire, there was a large fridge with Lambo sitting on the top of it and shouted encouragements at the human boy. He had to drag the whole thing through a small field that was full of landmines that he had the teen plant himself the day before in the name of training. They were not so powerful to worry about any permanent injuries, but still, they left quite a sting. And if Tsukune even though about stopping, well Lambo was bribed to start throwing grenades at him along with any kind of weaponry he could get his hands on.

Tsuna only watched with apathy as he heard small whimpers of pain from his student, whose body was already sporting quite a few burn marks and other injuries, before turning back to Moka with a carefully blank face.

"There is nothing wrong with that." at the pout she sent his way, he sighed."Trust me, my own training was a lot more dangerous than this." he explained, before turning back to his book, only to place it down when he felt Moka reaching up tugging on his jacket.

"But why were you training for?" she asked, a curious look on her face, that Tsuna absently classed as cute."I mean Tsukune trains to be able to defend himself from monsters. So what was so dangerous that you had to train like that?"

"I had monsters of a different kind after me." he closed his eyes, contemplating, before opening them and staring into her eyes, face serious. "I was to take over the family business. And it was not a peaceful profession." he told her, thinking about all the battles he had in the past.

She stared at him, a small smile on her lips. Lately, Tsuna slowly began to open up. He would sometimes share tidbits about his last, a funny memory here or a few honest answers to her questions. He also became more open with the others. Even if it was a minuscule amount, like tolerating their presence for a second longer or smiling just a little bit more honest. Tsukune and Kurunu probably didn't notice, but she did and she couldn't be happier about it. In response, she also shared more about her past and family to him.

She began to giggle almost hysterically as an interesting thought occurred to her. Tsuna looked down at her, eyebrows lifted in a silent question.

"You are just like my sister, Akua-neechan. She was always so cold and strict on the outside, but whenever it was the two of us she would smile at me and act all cuddly, just like you." she explained, pointing up at him.

Tsuna looked affronted, quickly jumping down from his perch, glaring at the giggling vampire, though there was no heat behind it.

"I am not cuddly." he retorted, but his cheeks definitely warmed up. In the background, Tsukune continued to struggle while Lambo egged him on.

"But you are. Here, I'll show you." Moka said, opening her arms wide as if to hug him.

Before Tsuna could decide if he really wanted to avoid the girl slowly stepping closer to him or not, a loud boom rang out, distracting both of them. Looking in the direction where Tsukune was seen last, all they could see was a lot of smoke and hear Lambo cackling in glee.

"Tsukune!" she cried out in worry as she ran forward towards her other friend. Tsuna quickly grabbed and slowed her down before she could follow Tsukune's example and blow up. Without realizing it, his hand snaked around her waist and he gently lead her through the minefield. It also went completely unnoticed by him that the vampire blushed a bright red, before leaning into him.

Reaching the smoking crater, they found Tsukune at the bottom of it, out cold. He looked like a burnt caricature of the human they knew, but Tsuna knew from experience it was nothing serious. Hearing a groan from his student, he turned to Moka with a smile.

"See, he is breathing." the girl simply hit him in the shoulder, rather lightly though it still smarted a bit thanks to her natural strength and pouted angrily at him. "Okay, okay, I will get him out." muttering about bossy women he jumped down next to the unconscious teen.

-0-

"See nothing to worry about." Tsuna playfully jostled an unconscious Tsukune he carried on his back. The battered human who looked much better than they found him, with only a few scratches and light burns, let out a weak groan in response."I've had worse injuries than this. Give him a band-aid and he will be up in no time."

"There is nothing funny about that. He could have been seriously hurt." Moka continued to pout at him, not at all happy about his training methods. She was carrying a sleeping Lambo in her arms who fell asleep instantly after she worriedly picked him up."Lambo-kun also could have gotten hurt." she insisted, seeing no reaction from the former mafioso.

He simply shrugged in response and sent something eerily close to a fond look towards the boy.

"Nah Lambo is a lot tougher than he looks. Trust me on that. Also, it's better for Tsukune to be a little hurt now, so his body would be more ready when he gets into real trouble." he explained seriously."Don't forget both of us are humans. We need something to counter the natural advantages youkai has over us. And your other self won't be there always to bail us out." he couldn't meet her eyes as he walked forward. He obviously missed the sad frown she sent him.

They walked together silence, both of them deep in thought.

-0-

"You know it's a little strange that you want to walk to school early, just the two of us, leaving behind Tsukune. What is it?" asked Tsuna curiously. Strange, if it was anyone else he would have been suspicious as hell, but Moka was different. He trusted her more than it should be reasonable and that sometimes scared him.

She was blushing slightly, not meeting his eyes. She kept touching her rosary while she was walking with him.

"I asked Kurumu to make sure he gets to class all right. She seemed very happy to be alone with him. Also, it's been a while since it was just the two of us." she explained, sending a small smile to him."And Ura-chan also wanted to talk to you without the others."

"Ura-chan?" he rose an eyebrow in question, not familiar with the name. Moka chuckled sheepishly.

"I mean my sealed self. I thought it would be rude to always call her other me, so I thought of a nickname. And since she is most of the time in the rosary, I decided to call her Ura-chan." she said with a bright smile, before pouting."But she doesn't like it."

Seeing her expression, Tsuna couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Ura-chan. It has a nice ring to it. Then what will be your nickname?"

"Omote." she almost literally beamed at him, happy that he liked her nicknames.

"If I release the seal wouldn't that mean a gigantic eruption of youkai power? I don't know about you, but I don't want to attract a bunch of bloodthirsty idiots. And also wouldn't you be knocked out for a few hours at the least? Class starts soon." he reminded her, not understanding why couldn't he talk to... Ura Moka after their classes.

The rosary moved a little and she looked down at it, head tilted to the side as she listened to her other self.

"Ura-chan says that because she doesn't plan to fight at all, most of her power won't be released. And since our body won't be taxed by the release of energy, at most I will be a little sleepy afterward. At least in theory." she said the last part uncertain. Tsuna sighed seeing that there was no delaying their talk. The worst part was he had a suspicion about what the vampire side wanted to talk about.

"Here goes nothing." he said as he gently grabbed the rosary and pulled it down, the seal showing no resistance.

Without the usual fanfare, Tsuna watched on as Moka's pink hair turned to silver, her green eyes red and her body matured. That last part he never understood the reason for, but he usually simply ignored it and tried his body to do the same. With limited success.

After she fully transformed, Moka crossed her arms in front of her chest, staring at him with an odd gaze. It was a little different from the usually indifferent stares he got from her, little hard to interpret. It also didn't help matters that looking into her eyes reminded him of his encounter with a future version of her.

He cleared his throat, trying to tell himself to focus on the vampire in front of him, but it was no easy task. He stepped away from her, in case either she got angry at something and attacked him or he loses control once again and does something he would regret.

"So, what's up?" asked in a rather lame attempt at appearing flippant. The way her eyes narrowed told him he was unsuccessful.

Moka stayed silent for a whole minute, eying him. They were alone since usually, they took a little detour on the way to school that made them avoid most of the school's population. Which was not very easy to do with her increasing fan club slash stalkers trying to learn everything about her daily routine. At the very least Lambo had an ample amount of grenades on him and Tsuna got to practice his aim with explosives.

"You are dying, aren't you?" she asked bluntly, at last, just the barest amount of sympathy in her cold voice.

Shocked, Tsuna stared at her in disbelief, before he nervously began to chuckle, not noticing how he backed away from her. She walked closer to him, not letting him escape her sight, as if he would run the first chance she gave him. She was not particularly wrong there.

"What are you talking about? I have you know I'm the picture of health. You should worry more about Tsukune. Now, he is one unlucky fellow, if you know what I'm talking about." he rambled on, as he continued back away. Eventually, his back hit a tree, giving him no more room to retreat.

Moka stood before him, silently staring at him, not at all impressed by what he was doing. Tsuna tried to think of something, anything to change a subject but coming up blank. Suddenly, like the wind got out of his sails, he stopped. He felt tired, so tired. His shoulders slumped under invisible burdens and his eyes lost their light. He stared down to the ground, not meeting her eyes.

"Yeah, probably." he admitted quietly, both to her and himself, for the first time."No idea what it is, but it's killing me from the inside. Both body and mind. Honestly," he let out a humorless laugh at the whole situation." after everything I had to face, after so many hardships, that's what will kill me? Some kind of disease." he shook his head, trying to chase away the depressing thoughts. He knew that his method of pushing his problems into dark corners of his mind wasn't very healthy but it was working, up until he needed to face them.

"There is nothing you can do?" asked Moka softly, sounding a little sad. He was never sure, not with her released personality. Most of the time, she was hard to read, even for him.

"Not without giving out what remained of my pride." he admitted and that was the hardest part of it all. Ever since he lost everything following the inheritance ceremony, he tried to control everything in his life, not wanting to have anyone power over him again. Truth was a bitter pill to swallow, he couldn't solve this alone."You sucking my blood daily works as a temporary solution for some reason, but sooner or later either my body or my mind will give out."

She didn't say anything to that, only staring at him evenly. If anyone, Tsuna was sure, she would understand his reluctance in asking for help. From the brief time, he knew her, it was easy to tell she was as prideful as they come and wanted to do everything herself, without relying on others. It was a stark contrast compared to her outer self, once again reminding him of Chrome and Mukuro.

With that funny thought, he stepped next to her, giving her the rosary before walking towards the school.

"Let's get going. Omote-chan will scold both of us if we are late." he told her with an almost painfully fake smile on his face. Moka only raised a bemused eyebrow in response to her other self's newest nickname before following him, not putting the seal back just yet.

"Why tell me this and not my other self?" she wondered after a few minutes of walking.

They had yet to bump into any other students, which he counted as a blessing. Seeing how much attention Omote usually garnered just by passing by, he was generally afraid the amount of fanboying and fangirling that would wait for them if anyone saw Ura walking around casually with him. Objectively speaking her sealed self was the epitome of cuteness, but this Moka had basically reinterpreted the word sexy. Not that he had been looking at her or anything like that. Hopefully, she won't notice the blush that flared on his face at the unexpected thought.

She asked a question from him, didn't she? He shook his head a little, trying to clear it before answering.

"If I understand things right, she is not as aware of the outside world as you are when you switch places." Moka gave a slight nod in response."Guess I needed to tell this to somebody, but she would needlessly worry about me while she could do nothing to help. Besides," a small, but genuine small touched his face as he looked up at the clear sky wishfully." I want to enjoy these peaceful these while I can."

His only answer was silence, but there was nothing wrong with that. It felt nice, walking next to this Moka who usually had him on edge. There was a silent understanding between them, he felt as if he for once in a long time he wasn't alone in his burdens, that there was someone who if nothing else understood him much more than any other.

A soft growl came from his ring and he rolled his eyes with a fond smile.

"I know that already. Tell me something I don't know." he said, confusing Moka.

She was about to ask him who he was talking to, but Tsuna once again surprised her when he took off the ring on his right hand and placed it in her hands. She eyed the ring curiously, the small lion face on it seemed to vibrate in its place. She noted that it was the same ring that he took to wearing on his right hand ever since the incident with Gin. At first glance, it wasn't anything special, but the more she concentrated on it, the more she felt a faint energy coming from it, similar to those bullets he used on Tsukune.

"What is this?" she asked, giving him a sharp glare when all he did was chuckle before he began to walk once again. No matter how interesting she found him or how much her other self liked him, she would take disrespect from no one.

"It's just Natsu." he said after a few seconds, prompting a raised eyebrow from her."He's my...you can call him my animal partner. He's usually a scaredy-cat, but pretty reliable if things got tough. But he seems to like both you and Omote a lot for some reason. Consider it a good luck charm for both of you until the midterms." he told her, hands placed behind his head in a carefree manner. And he definitely did not blush. Not at all.

She looked once again at the ring, noticing a slight warmth she felt coming from it. And when she strained her ears she heard a small sound coming from it, similar to a kitten's, but she had the feeling the sound belonged to something stronger than an average kitten. It certainly sounded shy and a bit wary, as if it was afraid that she didn't like it. Overall the ring seemed as strange and contradictory as it's owner.

"It's not the only reason you are giving it to me, right?" she asked at last after she finished inspecting Natsu.

"Yeah." Tsuna agreed easily but refused to elaborate. As much Moka wanted him to tell her more, she was aware that he was almost as stubborn as she was. And the sound of chatting students reached them, she decided that this talk will have to continue at another time.

With one last look at the mysterious human walking next to her, she placed the rosary back on its place, letting her naive self once again take control.

-0-

"Moka-chan, play with me!" cried out Lambo in a loud, obnoxious voice, holding up a monster-themed puzzle, that no one had any idea how he got his hands on.

"Sure Lambo-kun." she agreed with a bright smile, before looking to the side a little worriedly."But let's be quiet okay? The others are a little tired, so let them have a little peace." she said, taking the young boy's hand and leading him to the other end of the classroom.

Tsuna opened one eye to look at them, before closing it once again and letting his aching head rest a little. They were in the newspaper club's room, Tsuna, Tsukune and Kurumu collapsed on top of their desks, utterly spent from their midterm exams. Unlike Moka, who had very little problem at academics, the three of them were on the other hand of the scale. After all, because of their less than average scores in middle school that both Tsuna and Tsukune ended up at Youkai Academy, one of the only places they could get into.

"My head...hurts..." groaned out Tsukune, not even having enough energy left to lift his head. It was an especially painful few weeks for him because Tsuna insisted that they continue to train even as midterms approached. It was especially unfair because while he was being mauled, burnt or simply blown up, his trainer continued to study without a care in the world.

Kurumu groaned something undecipherable in response, looking even worse than the two of them. Her clothing looked disheveled like she was so tired that she wasn't even able to get ready properly. Aside from that, Tsuna could also see her head emitting smoke as if her brain was fried. Though he intellectually knew that he must be seeing things, strangely he did smell something burning.

"What happened to you?" asked Gin as he stepped into the room. He didn't look as bad as them, but nonetheless he had 'I am done with the world' vibe around him as he seated at the teacher's desk as usual. Tsuna didn't bother answering him.

He and the werewolf agreed in somewhat of an uneasy truce. They tried to interact as little as possible and largely ignored the other's existence, since Moka seemed to forgive what happened after their first meeting, provided he behaves himself. Of course, it didn't really work at first, so when Tsuna finally lost his patience, he proceeded to take Moka's rosary off and let the vampire have a few words with the club president. Since then they learned to tolerate each other.

If he was honest, aside from the whole pervert part of Gin's persona, he found the older student to be someone who could be easy to get along with. He held a subtle to notice passion about the newspaper club and he had his moments when he acted as a responsible, mature upperclassmen. Each of those times he decided to ruin the effect with a poor joke or a perverse comment, but still, Tsuna decided to let bygones be bygones.

Tsukune, on the other hand, was following Moka's lead and decided to be friendly with Gin as long as he doesn't revert back to his ways. Maybe because of that or because he was not the one to beat him, the werewolf likewise was cordial with him. Though privately Tsuna had another theory about that, but it was too early to say for sure.

"They just a little spent after the exams." explained Moka while she continued to play with Lambo. From who knows where they got their hands on a color book and the young Bovino was busy showing her his work.

"What? A little studying is all it takes to tire you out like that?" Gin laughed so hard, he even had to brace himself on the desk and tears gathered in his eyes. Kurumu sent him a weak glare and some unintelligent curses that went unnoticed.

It took a whole minute to get himself under control. But as soon as he calmed down he walked up to Moka with a charming smile, completely obvious the glare Lambo sent him. Or the little purple grenade he pulled out.

"Well, it's not like it matters to me. If you lot fail and get stuck in afterschool classes, it will get me more private time with my Moka-chan, so go ahead." he told them while causally placing an arm around the vampire, though she quickly stepped away from him.

"Says the guy who last year had the lowest test scores of all of his year." Tsuna shot back, without missing a beat, causing Gin to facepalm onto the ground.

"How did you know that?"

"Haiji-senpai. We still par on Tuesdays and Fridays. He likes to chat. A lot." explained Tsuna as he stood up with a yawn. He looked a little unsteady on his feet, but managed not to fall over."Oh, you shouldn't ignore Lambo. He tends to get creative."

"What are you talking about?" asked the werewolf perplexed, before he caught something that Lambo threw at him."I caught your ball kid, now what do you-?" he cut himself off as he realized what he was holding. A very realistic, purple grenade. He managed to throw a glare at Tsuna before it blew up, cathing the smirk the former mafioso sent him.

Kurumu and Tsukubne both jumped up as the sound resonated in the classroom, the latter frantically patting himself down as if he thought he was the one who blew up. Black smoke filled the room until Moka hurriedly throw the windows open. As the smoke cleared out, Gin was revealed, standing in his place, dumbly looking at his hand. The grenade was not very strong, all it did was paint him black head to toe with soot. Lambo was laughing hysterically from next to Tsuna where he ran as soon as he could.

"That's not funny." Moka scolded the two of them when she caught Tsuna quietly snickering, though even she had a very small smile on her.

"Depends on where you are standing." he said before he walked out of the room with his young charge in tow."I need a long sleep. See you guys."

"Sawada!" Gin roared, running after him.

-0-

Tsuna yawned loudly as he walked to school with Tsukuke, Kurumu, and Moka. His uniform was a little disheveled like he didn't have the energy to properly dress up. There was also faint bags under his eyes.

"What's wrong with you? Did Moka once again drink too much blood from you? Or have the two of you been doing naughty things behind our backs?" asked Kurumu with a sly smile, enjoying Moka's blushing face and Tsuna's annoyed one. Unlike him, she and Tsukune looked normal, the stress of the midterms behind them.

"Nah, just having a little trouble sleeping that's all." said Tsuna, though he was not very convincing. Through to be told, his abysmal sleeping habits were just one of the problems in a long line. The appearance of that mysterious girl and her connection to the mafia worried him. He thought that his life involving the mafia was over, but looks like the mafia wasn't finished with him.

He was reluctant but had to admit that Moka and the others were his friends now and he didn't want them to be involved in the mafia in any way. He didn't want history repeating before his very eyes.

"What's going on over there?" asked Tsukune curiously, pointing forward. Before the entrance of the school, a large group of students were gathered before a large board. Many were crying, some were hugging each other in relief, while there some who looked as if their very soul was crushed.

"Those are the midterm scores for the freshmen." a lazy voice answered from behind them. Turning around they met with Gin who gave them a wolfish grin in greeting."The sophomore and senior scores are inside. Guess the school likes to humiliate the freshmen a little more than others." he explained the unasked question.

"Then why are you here?" asked Kurumu, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"So I could laugh when these two see their horrible scores." he said without a hint of shame as he pointed at the boys. Neither of them raised to defend themselves, more than aware of their academic performances.

"Let's get this over with." muttered Tsuna as he walked towards the board, the others following him, trepidation on their hearts. The large student body practically split in the face of Moka and Kurumu, the two idols of the freshmen year. The boys were treated to jealous stares and death threats from the assembled fanboys and fangirls as they strolled behind the girls, but it was nothing new to either of them.

Moka leaned forward eagerly, trying to spot her name among the listed scores. Out of the four of them, she was the one who studied and put the most energy into her studies and it looked like it won't be unrewarded.

"Ah, I'm 13th in their grade overall." she declared happily as she spotted her own name at the top of the list. Students around her looked at her in awe and whispered among themselves.

"Not only is she the most beautiful girl at the academy, but she's smart too."

"And she has a good personality and isn't stuck up at all!"

"She's perfect!"

"The number one ideal girl!"

"Marry me, Moka-san!"

As usual, she completely ignored the admirers around her and turned to face her friends with a bright smile. Gin was busy laughing almost hysterically at something he saw, while Kurumu and Tsuna stood their with hunched shoulder, defeated. Tsukune was the one who turned to her, giving her a sheepish smile.

"I'm 128th." which was the possible most average result because there were 256 students in their grade."You are incredible, I got to follow your example." he praised her. One could see a dog's tail wagging behind him as he eagerly tried to please his crush.

"222nd! But I tried so hard!" Kurumu cried, throwing her arms around Tsukune, clinging to him in sorrow. The human could do nothing but wrap an arm around her waist to try to keep her still. As soon as she noticed their positions, the succubus's expression turned sly as she coyly stared at him."I wouldn't mind if you were to give me a few private lessons to help me catch up." Tsukune face got redder with every minute, while a lot of boys watched on jealously.

Moka only smiled gently at her friends, before looking at her most enigmatic friend with curiosity. Tsuna's shoulders were slumped in defeat, but his eyes held a tired acceptance, not looking surprised at all by his overall score. He didn't even have to see her face, he already knew what she wanted to ask.

"199th." he told quietly, with an indifferent shrug of his shoulders. In the background Gin started laughing once again, several people looking worriedly on his direction."Could be worse I suppose."

„Don't worry. I could help you study if you want." she told him cheerily, gaining a hard to notice smile from the brown-haired boy.

"This is the part I tell you don't bother, right?" he asked, his eyes once again holding that spark of warmth that so rarely could be seen.

"Then why don't you?" she asked, playing along.

"Don't feel like that I suppose." he said, not being able to stop the faint smile appearing on his face.

"Then in return let me suck your blood." Moka declared with her cheeks a little pink as she stared at his exposed neck since Tsuna had the bad habit to forget to wear his tie most of the time and this was one of those times.

Gin was still laughing like a madman, while Tsukune continued the futile endeavor to get Kurumu off of him, none of them noticed a small figure watching the group of five a little ways away.

She was a young girl around eleven, a first-year student just like them. She ha short black hair and purple eyes. Over her uniform, she was wearing a black witch's hat, a long black cape that went down to her knees along with a pink bow. Her name was Yukari Sendo, a young genius who was accepted into the school despite her age. She was standing by herself, a hesitant and unsure air about her.

"Congratulations Yukari-san on placing 1st on the midterms." a slimy voice sounded behind her. Turning around she was met with a tall young man with brown hair. He was looking down at her with thinly veiled annoyance."As expected from the girl genius. Even though you are only eleven, it seems didn't get to skip to high school for nothing." his voice lost all semblance of kindness as he stared at her with a disgusted glare."But listen up, please don't start acting all high and mighty. Because in my eyes you are nothing more than an immature brat who reeks nothing but her mother's milk."

Two more men joined him, both looking like a typical thug as they pushed and scared away onlookers. Yukari was eying them warily, holding her arms around herself protectively.

"Class representative?" she asked softly, her eyes quickly moving around, trying to find a way out.

She did not get a chance to, because her hat was snatched off her head while she was pushed down to the ground.

"What's the big idea with this outfit? It's completely against the rules." the class representative ground out with clenched teeth as he creased the witch hat angrily."I despise those who stick out."

"Please stop that." cried out the young girl as she stood up and tried to take her hat back, but was pushed down again.

Other students nearby were looking on, whispering among themselves.

"Oh look it's that girl genius..."

"Her class representative bullying her again."

"Poor girl."

"Guess that's what she got for dressing differently."

Some looked on warily, some sympathetic, some even gleeful, but none of them dared to go closer. It was always like this. Yukari felt tears prickling in her eyes as she once again felt alone, even if she was surrounded by people.

Her bully thrown her hat down in the ground in front of her, she hurriedly snatched it up and shook off the dust from it. He only glared down at her.

"As class representative, your very existence causes me a headache." he gained a cruel smirk as he leaned down to her eye level."After all, your true form is a witch. How disgusting. I feel like vomiting just from the thought of being in the same grade as a half-breed like you."

Anger flashed in her eyes, and as the class representative stood up, out of nowhere a rock appeared, striking him on the head, almost making him fall down. Nobody said anything for a moment until Yukari could no longer hold back and began to laugh, clutching onto her hat.

"Hahaha! You deserved that."

Her bully didn't find it as funny as her and lunged at her furiously, his hand growing larger with green scales covering it. But before he could reach her someone stepped between them and a surge of killing intent stopped him in his tracks.

"Stop!" cried out Moka as she stood between them, arms wide, shielding a surprised Yukari."I don't know what's going on, but I can't let this go on. Using violence against girls is just wrong. Please leave her alone." she defended the young girl with a strong voice, her gaze steady.

Other students began to whisper around them, praising Moka for stopping the bullying. Almost every other pair of eyes were on them, making the three bullies a little nervous.

But what really alarmed them was the two people standing not far away. While Tsukune and Kurumu looked on, wary and surprised, Gin and Tsuna was much closer and eying the bullies warningly. Despite his goofy attitude, Gin had a reputation as one of the stronger monsters in the Academy. Tsuna, on the other hand, didn't look strong at all at first glance, he also had no reputation, yet him simply looking at them had their every instinct crying out in alarm. There was something in his eyes that told them that angering him would be something they would regret.

"You had better watch yourself Yukari." called out the main bully, apparently recognizing the losing battle for what it was."Let's go guys." with that he walked away with his henchmen, the boys easing their stances, once again looking completely harmless.

Moka eyed them as they retreated, her glare never losing its power. Only when they finally disappeared among the crowd, she turned to a shocked Yukari with a bright smile.

"Are you alright?" she asked kindly. The young girl stared at her blankly, before she gave an unsure nod.

"Yes, thank you. I'm Yukari Sendo. You are Akashiya Moka, right?" she asked shyly from the older girl, whose smile never lost its intensity. Her cheeks began to redden as she continued to gaze at her rescuer.

"Nice to meet you, Yukari-chan." said the vampire, before the ring of the bell was heard all around the front yard. Students began to walk into the school building, heading for their classes. Seeing her friends about to go too, she gave a last kind smile to Yukari."It's time for class. See you later, Yukari-chan." she waved in farewell as she rushed forward to catch up to the others.

Yukari silently nodded, deep in thought, before she noticed something on the ground next to her. Crouching down, she inspected the little silver ring. It had a cute lion face on it and she felt as if it was calling out to her. She hesitantly picked it up, holding it carefully in her hands.

"So warm." she breathed out in awe as a kind, gentle warm began to flow from her hand. For the first time since she came to this academy, she didn't feel so alone.

Tsuna, unlike the others, didn't leave, but instead, he watched the young witch carefully as she picked up Natsu's ring. He was eying not Yukari, but Natsu instead as if the two of them were silently communicating. In the end, with a silent shake of his head, he turned around and went to class.