Word Count: 1184 (O.O The longest one yet)

Age: Kurama- Almost 2 (Birthday: December 29)

Tsuna- Infant (Birthday: October 14)

"You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you."

~Walt Disney

Kurama didn't like the wrinkly, little mess of an infant everyone called his brother. The fact that the child's birth led to the most infuriating week of his life most likely added to his dislike. Though, even if he hadn't had to sit in a hospital waiting room with nurses and the elderly neighbor, from across the street, mothering him for seven hours as his 'mother' gave birth he would have still disliked the child greatly.

Of course the human simply had to be born early. Which led to both the mother and infant remaining in the hospital for longer than normal. Which led to Kurama being stuck with that elderly neighbor he never bothered to learn the name of, because his father was still caught up in his work, wherever that was, and thus was unable to take care of Kurama. Not that he would have anyway, but Kurama ignored that fact while he grumbled and complained within the safety of his own mind.

The previously mention elderly neighbor was a very strait laced traditionalist sort and apparently got it in her head that his 'mother' wasn't as faithful as she appeared. As funny as it was at first it very quickly became rather annoying to listening to her fluttering between cooing at him and muttering her disappointment at his 'mother'. Between his red hair and bright green eyes he didn't quite blame her for making assumptions, but her constant spew of derogatory comments became as irritating as her insistence in treating him like the two year old he technically was.

At least his weak and decidedly strange human 'mother' was observant enough to realize how much he hated such treatment.

Kurama was almost happy when he was finally returned to his 'mother' and new 'brother'.

That almost happiness was immediately shattered the first night the new occupant of the house started screaming routinely every night. Needless to say he was not amused from that point forward.

Things only got worse when his 'father' finally decided to make an appearance.

His constant attempts to seclude him were as pathetic as they were exasperating. Kurama became even more surly and retreated to his room as often as he could in order to work silently on both his motor skills and harnessing his demonic energy. Both of which were severely lacking.

Time passed and his 'father' left, allowing their household to fold back into its normal routine. He started showing up for meals at the table again, despite his utter disgust over the new infants eating habits. He knew that despite being the same position he had never been that messy. All of his 'mother's' insistence on him spending time with his 'brother' were ignored or turned down immediately.

It was nearly a year after the birth of his loud and messy little 'brother' that something completely out of the ordinary occurred.

For some reason, Kurama would never be able to fully understand, his 'brother', Tsunayoshi, had decided he, Kurama, was the best thing in the world. Due to this strange decision he would somehow always manage to gravitate towards Kurama whenever he was in the room. Kurama simply ignored the odd human child as much as he could and continued with his own activities. After all, the child was too young for his subtle manipulations to work and frankly too weak to be of use anyway.

Unfortunately, while Tsuna was still trying to understand how legs worked he managed to knock over a full glass of water, sitting innocently on the coffee table, onto his older brother and the book he was reading at the moment. Kurama's anger was fierce as he turned to the pathetic mess of a human child with his small fist raised...

Only for Nana to jump in snatching Tsuna off of the floor, away from her eldest child's reach.

They started at each other for a brief moment before Nana opened her mouth and lectured Kurama for the first time. Kurama could only stare in shock as the woman shouted and pleaded tears in her eyes. She spoke of family and brotherhood. How each should be treated. She told him he could hate her and hit her all he wanted, but please, please don't hurt Tsuna. She clutched the babe to her chest as her voice cracked as if to trying to protect the child.

Her breakdown didn't last long before she grimaced and walked out of the room. Kurama could hear her shushing the crying Tsuna and putting him down for a nap before she walked back into the room tears still in her eyes.

She sat down on the floor next to her still wet son and pulled him into her arms for the first time in years. She sat there rocking back in forth as she cried and talked.

She told him about her childhood. About coldness that seemed to seep into every centimeter of the old mansion. She told him how she had tried so hard to gain her parents attention, but they were always busy and had no time for the clumsy, naive girl they called their daughter. She couldn't do anything right. She wasn't smart and didn't have any skill in business.

She told him how she ran away from home and lived in the ghettos for a while, barely scraping by with her lack of knowledge of how the real world worked.

She told him about meeting his 'father'. How he had helped her and gave her confidence in herself. How she fell so deeply in love with him.

Then she talked about how happy she was when she realized she was pregnant with him. She told him about her promise to herself. How she would be the best parent she could. She would accept her children as they were. The way her parents never had. She explained how scared she was when she thought she'd lost him and her utter joy when he was born.

She apologized over and over again for yelling at him and all of her self-perceived faults and flaws as a mother.

Kurama simply sat there tense and confused through-out this sudden break in normalcy. He listened quietly to the woman's words and didn't push her away even though her tears dripped into his hair.

When she had run out of words she gave him a shaky smile and loosened her grip. She picked him up and got him cleaned up before tucking him in for a nap of his own. For the first time he simply went to sleep without a fuss.

He dreamt of the warmth he had felt on the verge of death. Wandering the human realm without a goal or a purpose other than to survive, somehow. He dreamt about the gentle soul of his mother brushing with his own damaged one chasing away the pain and the fear.

He told himself later that he didn't protest any of her words or actions because he was in shock over her strange behavior.

He completely ignored the dream.

He didn't have any excuses prepared for that.

This one has been in my head for a while, but I never wrote it down. Mainly because I wasn't sure how to word it. I finally just started writing today and this is the result.

Review and let me know what you guys think. Good? Bad? I'm getting a little nervous. The statistics tell me people are reading it, but I don't know your thoughts on it. Though I suppose that should be expected with a crossover, especially considering there's only four other stories here. XD