Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! is owned by Akira Amano. The Gamer belongs to Sangyoung Seong and Sang-a.
Also, I figured I should mention: a good part of this fic, the fic not the chapter, was born from a desire to mess with Reborn's head in retaliation for all the times his messed with ours. The other part was born from the desire to read a gamer fic that's "realistic" with character development and not just MC becoming OP and curbstomping people/dealing with silly situations. No offence to the other gamer fics, I'm a big fan of the silly and comedic ones, but it has so much potential if it's done seriously, and I want to see what I can do.
Oh, there will be silly parts (plenty), and there will be curbstomping (some), but I don't want the focus to just be silly parts and curbstomping. So let me know how I'm doing, if you think Tsuna's becoming too OP, or if there's a topic you think would be worth exploring! Just FYI, I'm planning on ending this fic at the end of the Varia arc, so Byakuran, the Simon Famigalia and the Ring Battles will not play a part.
…
Tsuna wasn't sure how he got through that battle without accidentally killing Kuro. It definitely meant that he couldn't fling Molotovs everywhere, because Kuro apparently didn't care if he got hurt. Tsuna definitely had burns on his hands now rescuing Kuro from the fire.
Although, Tsuna wasn't certain what to make of the approving light in Hibari's eyes when Kuro launched himself at the faces of his enemies. I mean, Hibari liking Kuro meant less chance of him squishing Kuro, but Hibari also only seemed to like fighting so…
Tsuna decided he wouldn't think about it.
On the flip side, Hana seemed to have adjusted well. She didn't seem to mind the dungeons so badly, and she even smiled when she hit that cockroach in the middle hard enough it actually bounced on the pavement…
Nevermind, that was something else Tsuna wasn't going to think about. He didn't want more friends obsessed with fighting!
…
"So, that's the last of the dungeons we can go to right now?" Hana asked.
"Yeah," said Tsuna, unwrapping his hands. He was glad Ryohei had taught him how to, because otherwise his hands would have probably been a lot more injured.
"Interesting," Hana murmured, pulling out a note pad and a pen. "Do you mind if I come up with some plans?" she asked as she starting writing something down.
"Sure?" said Tsuna. "As long as you're okay."
She smiled at Tsuna. "Thanks, but I thought it would be way worse than it was. Although," she looked askance at the other two girls, "I'm still concerned about those two…"
Tsuna laughed uneasily. "Yeah, me too."
They sighed in unison.
"So, mind if I come over tomorrow? See what else we can figure out?" Hana asked.
"Sure."
"Great, see you then."
"Bye!"
Tsuna watched Hana leave. Somehow, he felt a lot better now about doing dungeons with someone reliable like Hana.
Now… Tsuna looked his shoulder. Kuro looked back at him. Now he had to worry about how he was going to explain Kuro to Mama.
...
Tsuna took a deep breath, steadied his nerves, and opened his front door.
"I'm home!" he called out. Maybe if he was quick he could sneak upstairs before Mama saw Kuro…
"Welcome back!" Mama poked her head out of the kitchen doorway. ABORT MISSION ABORT MISSION.
Tsuna froze up. Mama didn't notice, focusing on Tsuna's shoulder.
"Oh? What's this?" she asked with a smile.
"U-um, this is Kuro, I found it, its-my-pet-now-kay?" Tsuna finished in a rush.
Mama blinked at Tsuna, and then beamed at him. "That's wonderful, Tsu-kun!"
She switched her attention to Kuro. "And what a cute spider!"
"…" Tsuna's Mama really concerned him sometimes.
..
Hana had suggested to him to research spiders online and see what it would take to take care of one. Tsuna had agreed, as he didn't want to hurt Kuro, but at the same time he had his doubts as to how well regular spider care translated to dungeon pets, as he didn't think regular spiders ate steak like Kuro had at dinner that night.
Most of the information online was for tarantulas, which were about Kuro's size, but Kuro was a jumping spider, so Tsuna didn't know if it would work. Kuro would definitely need water and food though. But it was late, so Tsuna set out a small plate of water and a few crackers. He'd buy something tomorrow.
..
The next morning Tsuna decided to call Hana, because if it involved Kuro, there might be new game mechanics involved. And Hana was the best for figuring out game mechanics.
Hana was fine with that, as she didn't have anything until the afternoon. Then both she and Tsuna would be meeting Grandma to go over medkit details.
They met at the park near the center of the neighborhood. Kuro was riding on Tsuna's shoulder. Tsuna could just tell that this was going to be his favorite spot. From the eyebrow Hana raised, so could she.
"You're just going to let him?" she asked.
"A-ah, well, it's not like it's doing any harm," Tsuna said, embarrassed.
"Okay, just don't come crying to me if he gets too big and still insists on sitting there."
"H-Hana!" Tsuna hadn't thought about that. Great, now he wouldn't be able to stop.
Hana laughed at him. Meanie. But, it seemed like she was much happier today. She must have been really stressed before.
"So," Hana asked. "Where's the petshop?"
Tsuna… had no idea.
Hana sighed at him when he told her that. Tsuna ducked his head, embarrassed, but Hana just ruffled his hair and told him to open his map.
"You think that there is a symbol for pet shops?" Tsuna asked.
"Maybe, maybe not, but I haven't gotten a good look at your map yet and it is still a map."
"Okay…"
Hana leaned over his shoulder, looking at the map. She pointed to Tsuna's house. "Was their ever any sign over that?"
"No."
"Can you make a sign?"
"I don't know."
"Try."
Tsuna looked at her. "How?"
Hana frowned. "Try pressing the house."
Tsuna did so. A small circle appeared and slowly filled in with color. When the circle was full, a small box popped up. "Area selected: Add marker?" Then there was a small empty line beneath it with a red x and a green checkmark below. Tsuna poked the empty line and wrote "My House." Then he poked the checkmark.
"Marker Added!"
Hana and Tsuna looked at the dot that was now over Tsuna's house. Above the dot was listed "My House".
"Cool," decided Tsuna. Hana just narrowed her eyes.
"Tsuna, make a party and add me," she commanded.
"Y-yes!"
Once she was added Hana opened her own map. "Huh," she said. "So it looks like markers aren't shared."
"Huh?"
Hana gestured at her map. "I don't have markers that you put on your map on my map."
She added a marker for her house. "Okay, now end the party, create a second one and add me again."
"O-okay, but, um, why?" Tsuna asked as he did so.
Hana opened the map again. "Because I want to see if map makers are saved. And they are."
"O-oh. Cool."
Hana closed the map. "Okay, if you don't know where a pet shop is, let's just go to the shopping district. We can look there."
With that, Hana spun on her heel and marched off like a woman on a mission. Tsuna followed in her wake.
...
Tsuna had never really appreciated how big the shopping district was before. Then again, he'd also never had to keep up with a determined Hana in such a big place before. Hana didn't really window-shop. She charged right ahead, scanning for an info booth, a map, or a pet shop, even though some of these shops looked really interesting. Tsuna resolved to come back later to check some of these things out, maybe with Kyoko. That would be nice.
"Aha!" Hana suddenly shouted. She changed directions, heading towards a little shop Tsuna hadn't noticed. Tsuna jogged to keep up with her. It was a small corner store, clearly not a franchised place, but certainly well-cared for. The door was brightly painted, and there was a nice, handmade sign in the window. Inside, the floors were cheap linoleum, but were clean, and there wasn't a lot on the shelves, but what was there was placed in neat rows. Aside from Tsuna and Hana, there was one other person, a "Kobayashi Yui Store Owner LV14", a cheerful looking young woman in a white blouse and cat-themed skirt.
"Hello," Kobayashi chirped when she saw them, "Can I help you?"
"Yes," Hana said. "What do you know about spiders?"
Tsuna glanced at Hana. That seemed abrupt and kinda rude.
Miss Kobayashi blinked. "As pets?" she asked.
"Yes," said Hana. "My friend," she gestured at Tsuna, "just got a pet spider and we were wondering how to properly care for it."
"A-ah, hello," said Tsuna, who wanted to be polite "This is Kuro." He held out a hand for Kuro to crawl onto and then showed it to Miss Kobayashi.
"Oooh, you're a big boy aren't you," she cooed at Kuro, who waved a leg at her. Miss Kobayashi looked at Tsuna. "I'm afraid I don't know much about caring for spiders, but I do know that they eat insects and bugs, although there are some that eat birds. I have some mealworms as protein supplements you can buy, and various water bowls, but I don't really have any terrariums or books. Although, if you like, I can order something specifically for you."
"Like what?" Hana asked.
"Well, like a terrarium for spiders or live crickets. Or, if I can find it, a book on caring for tarantulas. I haven't really looked specifically for spiders, so I don't know off of the top of my head." Miss Kobayashi smiled apologetically.
"Let's look at the mealworms, and go from there," suggested Tsuna.
"Right over here then."
Miss Kobayashi walked over to a shelf with various packets on them. "I have whole mealworms and powered mealworms, but no live mealworms. I'd recommend the whole ones, as the powered ones are really meant for fish. If you want though, the best choice would be the live ones, and I can get those in about five days. I'd also recommend crickets, but you'll want a terrarium for those." She paused, then asked, "Do you know what kind of tarantula Kuro is?"
"A-ah-""It's not a tarantula," Hana cut Tsuna off. "It's a jumping spider."
"Really? I didn't know they got so big. Are you sure?"
"Yes, you can tell by the eye pattern. What kinds of terrariums would you recommend?"
"O-oh, if Kuro is a jumping spider, I'd recommend a larger tank, so he's have more room to move around." Miss Kobayashi seemed a little confused by Hana's aggression. Tsuna felt bad for her.
"U-um, you sure seem to know your stuff! I bet you're really good at running your shop!" he said, trying to make her feel better.
"Oh, thank you. But how did you know this is my shop?"
Tsuna froze up. Luckily, Miss Kobayashi didn't seem to notice. She had a soft smile and was looking off into the distance. "It's actually because I know so much that I own my own shop, instead of working for a larger franchise. It might seem strange, but a lot of the animals sold in pet shops are injured or sick because of the poor conditions they are kept in, and because it benefits the corporation to sell as much as possible, they don't let people know things that would discourage them from buying a pet. Like how beta fish actually need about five gallons per fish, and the reason they die so quickly normally is because they get stressed being in such a small environment. They can live for over seven years if treated right!"
Miss Kobayashi was talking rapidly now, waving her arms around. "I love animals, that's why I want to help people understand them better, but I can't do that in a corporation. So I started my own shop. I want to teach others how to care for animals properly! Although…" she looked sheepish. "I haven't really had a lot of customers. I can't afford a lot of advertising, and since I only stock quality items, I tend to be more expensive then the bigger stores. I want to improve but… it takes money, money I don't have."
"Quest Alert! Yui's Littlest Pet Shop of Dreams! Raise 120,000 yen to help Kobayashi Yui pay for an advertising campaign and improve her store. Time Limit: None. Reward: Increase Reputation with Yui Kobayashi, Small Business Owners, Namimori Humane Society, 10% discount on all items bought at "Our Animal Friends", Unlock "Our Animal Friends" Personalization +1000 XP. Fail Penalty: None."
Beside him, Hana made a noise of surprise. Apparently she could see it too.
Tsuna considered the quest. 120,000 yen sounded like a lot, but he got plenty of money from running dungeons, and there wasn't a time limit. Well, it didn't seem like Tsuna could fail, so why not?
"I'll see what I can do to help," he promised as he hit the accept button.
"Oh! Thank you!" Miss Kobayashi sounded surprised. "But don't worry if you can't. You are still kids after all."
Hana huffed to Tsuna's left. Tsuna just smiled.
He ended up buying a case of mealworms and a proper water dish for Kuro, as well as ordering a book on spiders and some live mealworms.
..
"I wonder what personalization means?" Hana wondered as they walked through the plaza. Tsuna shrugged next to her, preoccupied with licking ice cream off of his fingers. He still had plenty of money, so they both had got popsicles after leaving the shop.
Hana looked off into the distance, brows furrowed and not noticing the cool liquid dripping off of her hand. Tsuna did, however.
"Ah, Hana? You're getting ice cream on your dress."
"Eh?" Hana blinked and looked down. "Eek!"
She threw the remains of her popsicle in the trash and headed for a restroom. Tsuna walked to an empty bench nearby and sat down. He finished his popsicle and wiped his hands on his pants while he waited.
Hana came out a short while later with wet spots on her dress. She spotted Tsuna and sat down next to him.
After a moment, she turned to him and asked, "So how do you normally prepare for a dungeon?"
"Well, Hibari likes to call me out a few times a week to "spar"…" Tsuna made a face.
"You have my pity," Hana said.
"And I have baking practice with Mama and Onii-san insists on teaching me how to fight, but that's about it," Tsuna said.
"Have you ever thought about creating a sort of unified practice time? You know, like get everyone together and spar in a group?"
Tsuna gave Hana a deadpan look. "You really want to set Hibari against Kyoko and Haru?"
She winced. "Good point. But you are already fighting him regularly, and since we can heal Ryohei just fine, if you are Ryohei switch off, you could both get better and not be his sole focus. Plus," and here she grimaced, "I'm concerned that Kyoko and Haru aren't practicing as hard as they need to be because they're so certain it will work out just fine. If we practice together, I can check up on their progress and maybe suggest things."
"Oh, that kinda does make sense. It wouldn't surprise me either."
"But the biggest reason is that if we party while training, we can take advantage of your ability, and I think that would really help us get stronger faster."
"Ah. That sounds like a really good idea, thanks Hana! I can text Hibari and Onii-san and ask them now, if you think I should."
"Sure. I've got Kyoko's and Haru's numbers, so I'll text them."
They spent a few moments texting their friends and relaxing. Within a few moments, Tsuna's box popped back up and Hana's phone dinged.
"What an Extreme idea! Let's do it! Where are you!?" yelled Ryohei.
"U-um-" Tsuna looked over at Hana who looked just as surprised. She held up a cell phone that read, "Sounds great XO! Let's start rite away ~desu XOXO :-D!"
"Herbivores," Hibari said as Tsuna clapped a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from screaming. "Where are you?"
"AH! Hibari! Will you be extremely joining us too?!"
"Oh no," Hana whispered as Hibari and Ryohei broke out fighting over Tsuna's chat system.
Tsuna screwed his face up in horror. If this continued, it could mean war! They had to start the meeting quick, but he and Hana were nowhere near ready. So… more time!
"W-wait! Me and Hana are in the shopping district, and we're not wearing exercise clothes. Meet us at Namimori Park in, like, half an hour? Please?" Tsuna was not ashamed to admit his voice squeaked at the last part.
"Hmph," said Hibari.
"Sounds Extreme!" said Ryohei.
"Oh! Ryohei, bring exercise equipment too!" yelled Hana from over Tsuna's shoulder.
"And snacks! Please!" Tsuna tacked on.
"Great!" "Fine." And the boxes dismissed themselves.
"Good thinking," Hana breathed as she typed. "Although," and here she grimaced, "I'm gonna have to run to make it."
"Yeah, me too." They glanced at each other, then smiled and started jogging.
..
Tsuna was out of breath by the time they made it to the park. So was Hana. In contrast, Kyoko and Haru looked fresh as daisies and Ryohei… never ran out of energy, period. It was so unfair. There was a small pile of food in the center of the clearing, from chips to energy bars and muffins. Next to it sat a red duffle bag. Tsuna and Hana dropped their offerings in the pile and sat down for a quick breather.
After a few moments, Hibari strode into the clearing like the black fog of death he was. He dropped a handful of energy bars and a single loaf of sliced bread into the center.
Then he took out his tonfa's and looked at others.
"Ah-ah, wait!" Tsuna yelped. "M-maybe we should see what exercise equipment Onii-san brought first?" he ended meekly.
Hibari blinked, and then turned expectantly to Ryohei, who beamed.
He upended the duffle bag to show various weights and some kind of blow-up thing. Ryohei picked the weights and held them up. "These are weights!" he proclaimed proudly. Next to Tsuna, Hana face palmed. "You can hold them while you run or lift them to increase strength and stamina!"
Tsuna eyed the weights. He didn't know you could run with them.
"Cool! Haru thinks we should run for a bit!" said Haru brightly. Tsuna stole a glance at Hibari before agreeing strongly.
Hibari hmphed as the others voiced their agreements. "I'm taking a nap then," he said.
"But that's not Extreme! We should Extremely train together!" Ryohei immediately disagreed.
Sensing a fight brewing and not wanting to be in the center of it, Tsuna hurriedly stepped in. "U-um, Onii-san! Maybe Hibari already ran today! If he's tired, then shouldn't he rest?" Seeing Ryohei pause, he mentioned, "You don't want to fight a tired opponent, right?"
That clinched it. Ryohei nodded brightly at Tsuna, picked up his weights and started running. Tsuna set Kuro down, picked up a pair of weights as well and started jogging after Ryohei.
..
The sun was beating down, Ryohei was yelling "Extreme!" and Tsuna wanted to die. He was just barely dragging his feet trying to keep up and his arms felt like lead. Why did he think this was a good idea?
Even worse was that he realized now he needed to bring a water bottle next time. There were water fountains, but he still felt like dying. What was worse was that Ryohei was just as happy as ever, and was now trying to encourage the rest of them, Tsuna most of all, as the others were girls. Even Kuro wasn't jumping as far as it was in the beginning.
"We are Extreme Men, Tsuna! C'mon!"
Tsuna shot a half-hearted glare at Ryohei. He was going to die. Forget Hibari, forget the dungeons, he was going to die right here, right now, from stupid running.
"WE ARE EXTREME!" Ryohei yelled in Tsuna's face. Something inside Tsuna snapped.
"Heh-heh-hey, huff, I bet, huff huff, Hibari's awake now," he said to Ryohei. "Why, huff, don't you, huff, show him, huff huff, how to be extreme?"
Ryohei beamed at Tsuna. "What an EXTREME idea!" he yelled and ran off.
Tsuna collapsed. He laid face down in the dirt. Kuro jumped on his back.
"Thanks," Hana gasped.
Tsuna gave a mumble from where he was lying.
Kyoko and Haru caught up a few moments later. Ryohei hadn't wanted to make Kyoko run as hard and Haru stuck to Kyoko like glue.
"Huff, huff, is it over?" Haru asked.
"For now," said Hana.
"Hahi," Haru said as she and Kyoko collapsed, sitting on the ground. "That was really hard."
Kyoko, breathing heavily, smiled and said, "E-huff-effective though. I got a point in con-sti-tution."
There was nodding all around. Tsuna pulled himself up off of the ground and stumbled to the nearest water fountain, leaving his weights on the ground. He swallowed what had to be a gallon of water and then just put his head in the stream.
Hana and Kyoko had water bottles, but Haru hadn't thought of it so she dragged herself after Tsuna and drank when he was done.
Then they, collectively, picked their weights up and stumbled, wincing and moaning, back into the clearing.
The damage… wasn't as bad as Tsuna feared it would be. Sure, the ground was torn up and trees were missing branches, but the food was okay.
Hibari and Ryohei were doing their best to rip each other apart. Even after such grueling exercise, Ryohei was holding his own, and Hibari was- Hibari was Hibari.
"Ugh. They're both monsters," Hana muttered next to Tsuna. Tsuna nodded.
Then they both sighed and got to their respective tasks. Tsuna wrapped his hands and started practicing his punches, Kuro on his shoulder once more. Hana organized the girls and had them spar- well it was more like play-fighting-each other, and then she set up a target, strung her bow and started shooting.
They continued for about fifteen minutes, occasionally moving to allow Ryohei and Hibari's fight through.
Then it started to rain.
Tsuna was the first to notice. He put a hand up to feel the light droplets. Something felt… off.
"Hey Hana?" he asked.
"Hmm?"
"Is there supposed to be a storm today or anything?"
"A storm?" Hana looked at Tsuna. "I don't think so. Why?"
He pointed up at the swirling clouds above them.
"That's odd," Hana murmured. "It was sunny just a few moments ago."
"Yeah. There wasn't a cloud in sight."
Kyoko and Haru looked over from where they were "sparring".
"Is something wrong?" Kyoko asked.
"I'm not sure-""Yes," Tsuna interrupted Hana. "I don't know what's going on, but something is wrong."
He could feel it in his bones.
"Hibari, Onii-san! Something weird is happening," he yelled.
The sounds of battle stopped. Without them, the clearing was eerily quiet.
"Hey, where did the sounds of children playing go?" Haru asked as Ryohei and Hibari made their way over.
"Or the animals," Hana said grimly.
Tsuna kept glancing around, beginning to feel paranoid. Then he saw it.
"Look!" he pointed. It was a short, stubby boy, wearing an umbella like hat and kimono, with a red something on his wrist. Above his head were the words [Rogue Amefuri Kozou]. The boy giggled, waved his hands, and then it started raining harder.
An orange box appeared in front of Tsuna. "Special Event Occuring! A Rogue Amefuri Kozou on the loose! A Rogue Amefuri Kozou is making it rain all over town! Stop him in 1 hour or it will rain for the rest of the week!"
The Amefuri Kozou giggled again and ran off.
"Hey, wait!" Tsuna yelled, and with that, the group ran after the yokai.
It was a swift and nimble thing, the yokai. Tsuna, Hana, Kyoko and Haru were panting in minutes, and Ryohei and Hibari weren't able to slip through the cracks the yokai could.
"Huff, huff, hey, huff, Tsuna, huff, open your, huff, map!" Hana told Tsuna. He blinked at her but did so.
Hana stopped, holding out an arm to stop Tsuna. When he looked at her, she pointed to a blue raindrop on his map. "That, huff, the yokai. Huff, we're not, huff, going to outrun it. Maybe, huff, we can go around?"
Tsuna frowned. "I'm not sure, huff, if we could outrun it even then, huff. Maybe if we trick it?"
"Like, make a trap? That could work."
...
Tsuna had the stick with a piece of candy and bells tied to it. Kyoko and Haru had the ends of the rope. And Hana had the binoculars.
"Here they come! Get ready!" she yelled.
Tsuna hid behind the lightpole, and dangled the candy out, shaking the stick to make the bells ring. Kyoko and Haru hid behind trash cans on either side of alley.
The Amefuri Kozou came up the intersecting road. You could pinpoint the exact moment it saw the candy, because its eyes and smile widened. It changed directions and shot down the alley.
"Steady," said Hana. "Steadddyyy… Now!"
Kyoko and Haru pulled the rope tight. The Amefuri Kozou cried out as it hit the ground, hard. As if the sound was a summons, Hibari appeared and flew at the unfortunate yokai. He fell upon it like a demon upon a helpless victim.
"Gaah, I'm sorry, stop! Please!" the yokai cried out. It sounded… exactly like a young boy. Exactly like Tsuna did when his bullies hit him.
Now Tsuna felt like a scumbag.
"H-hey, Hibari?" He tried. No reaction. "Hibari, I think that's enough." Didn't even pause. The yokai gave out a particularly heartwrenching cry. Tsuna had it.
"Hibari, stop!" Tsuna put a hand out to stop Hibari. As soon as he touched Hibari's arm, Hibari froze. He stood stock still for a second, before shaking himself and glaring at Tsuna. Tsuna flinched but held his ground. "That's enough," he repeated.
Then he turned to the Amefuri Kozou, who was wimpering on the ground. "I just wanted to have some fun…" it mumbled.
"Er, hi," Tsuna started. "I'm Tsuna, and these are my friends. Ummm… you said you just wanted to have fun?"
The yokai turned and looked up at him with tearstained eyes. It hesitated and nodded. "Well, me and my friends like to have fun too," Tsuna started. "But to do that, we rely on the weather station to tell us what the weather is going to be. If you mess with the weather, you make it so other people can't have fun. Do you want that?"
The yokai sat up and shook its head. "Sorry," it mumbled. "I wasn't thinking."
"That's okay," Tsuna instantly said. "Just- please don't do it again, okay?"
"I won't," the yokai said as it got up. It hesitated, then slipped the red thing, a ribbon attached to a red bell, off its wrist and held it out to Tsuna. "Here," it mumbled again. "As an apology."
"Oh, you don't have to-" "Take it," the yokai insisted.
"O-okay." Tsuna slipped it onto his wrist. "Thank you."
Then the yokai smiled at Tsuna. It wasn't a particularly pretty yokai, but the smile was brilliant. It waved at them, then jumped into air, vanishing along with the rain. The sounds of life in Namimori, oddly absent before, came back into being.
"Special Event Concluded!"
Tsuna ignored the pop-up to use [Observe] on the bell. "The Rain-Giver's Bell," he read aloud. "This magic bell can be rung once a week to cause steady rainfall on a square mile for one (1) hour." He blinked at the bell. "Huh."
"That could be useful during a drought," Hana murmured.
"Yeah," Tsuna agreed. He raised the bell to get a better look at it. The movement cause the bell to ring, and then it was raining again.
"Oops," said Tsuna. Beside him, Hana face palmed.
..
Because he caused the rain, Tsuna paid for everyone's umbrellas. Unfortunatly, the sudden rain had ruined most of the snacks, so they had to throw those away. It was too bad, Tsuna hated wasting food.
Still, it wasn't as uncomfortable as the looks Hibari kept sending Tsuna throughout the walk back. He didn't seem angry, more… confused? Or maybe wary. He didn't seem upset though, it was just odd. After they had thrown away the food, Hibari took one last look at Tsuna before turning on his heel and striding out.
Ryohei and the girls lived in the same direction as Tsuna, so they walked together.
Tsuna noticed Hana kept gnawing on her lower lip. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Ye-. No. Not really. I'm not hurt," she said, seeing the look on Tsuna's face. "It's just that Hibari and Ryohei outstripped us by far during the chase. What if we had been running from something, or something was chasing us? Could we have gotten away then?"
"Do you really think Hibari would run, from anything?" Tsuna joked weakly.
Hana smiled briefly at him. "No, but, you see where I'm coming from."
Tsuna nodded. "I do," he said.
They were silent for a moment and then Tsuna said, "I thought about that a lot before I got the gamer thing. Not in the same way, but like, can I get a good grade? Will I trip and fall in gym class? But, I'm not so scared about that anymore."
Tsuna swung the arm not holding the umbrella back and forth. "I was alone then, so if I couldn't do something, that was it. But now, now I has you, and Hibari, and Onii-san and Kyoko and Haru. So if I can't do something, I can ask for help! A-and, I might not be able to do much, but I'll help if you ask me to too." He peered up earnestly at Hana, who seemed surprised for a moment.
Then she gave him the gentlest smile he had ever seen on her, possible the only real smile he had ever seen on her and reached up and ruffled his hair.
"Thanks," she said. The she sped up, with Tsuna at her side, so that they were next to Kyoko and Haru. "Hey you two," she said. "Think we should make this something regular?"
"Hahi! Yeah!" "Yes, that sounds fun," the girls agreed. Then Haru turned to Kyoko. "Although, Haru needs to get better exercise outfits if we keep doing this. I only have gymnastics exercise clothes."
"Oh, we can go shopping tomorrow for cute exercise clothes!" Kyoko said. "Tsuna-kun, Hana, would you like to join us?"
"A-ah, me?" Tsuna asked. He blushed and looked at his feet. "S-sure, if you don't mind."
"Of course not. Hana?"
Hana smiled and tugged at her tracksuit. "Dad just bought this for me. Be rude if I got something new immediately."
"Okay. Tomorrow then Tsuna?"
"S-sure!" Tsuna felt as though his face could have split from his smile.
..
The thermometer in Tsuna's mouth beeped.
"Oh dear, that's definitely a fever," Tsuna's Mama said.
It looked like Tsuna couldn't go out today.
It was alright though. Kyoko and Haru got sick too. They said it was from running around in the rain.
…
AN: So it turns out good reviews are really nice when you don't do good on a test. And really good at motivating me to write. I was not expecting to get this chapter out so fast.
Anyways, here we see a bit more Hana. She's bossy and has a bit of trouble with tunnel vision, but she's also logical, intelligent and loyal. That bossiness is going to be troublesome when Reborn shows up though.
As for Hibari, I don't really think he gets touched a lot, unless it's in a spar. I'm also not sure Hibari fully realizes that.
On that note, most of the character development will happen under Reborn. Sure Tsuna and his friends are incredible, but they are ultimately kids, that don't have the experience or maturity of an adult. Or, as mature as Reborn gets, anyways.
Good news on that front, we are about halfway chapterwise through the "introduction" arc, which is basically everything before Reborn and justification for a lot of what I have planned later on. Only about 6, give or take a few chapters, to go until we get to Reborn and the meat of the story.
As a side note, I found the yokai mentioned her at yokai . com, under Amefuri Kozo, but with a line over the o, which I don't know how to do. So, Amefuri Kozou it is.
So let me know what you think!
Sawada Tsunayoshi
Vongola Heir
LV 6
HP 93
FP 70
Strength 10
Constitution 15
Agility 10
Intelligence 8
Wisdom 14
Luck 4
