Why did I think today was going to be somewhat normal? This damn town is far from normal. Each day is another day full of insanity. It's only a matter of time before I succumb to Namimori syndrome. In class, we had a transfer student.

"Class, this is Gokudera Hayato. He just finished his study abroad from Italy." The teacher announced from the front of the room.

My ear twitched at the information. No wonder he had an attitude. He must have been in the parts of Italy full of mafia and wanted to impersonate them. I've seen plenty like him when I was in Italy. That makes sense. Maybe I can have a decent conversation with him. It'll be nice to exercise my Italian again. I looked at him with indifference unlike the other girls in class. They were younger than me which could be why they're so smitten by Gokudera. That's when he walked over to Tsuna and kicked his desk for no reason. Never mind. If Tsuna is the center of the syndrome, Gokudera will eventually fall victim. Maybe he has already has and I haven't noticed. I could never tell. I let out a sigh. At lunch, Gokudera approached me.

"You."

"Yes?" I looked up and saw him glaring.

"Watch where you walk this time."

"I'll…try not to bump into you." He stormed off.

"Woah, plain Jane. What did you do to deserve that?" My neighbor in front of me asked. He's the only one in class that actually talks to me.

"I accidentally bumped into him yesterday." I put my attention back on my lunch.

"Seems like an unpleasant guy. He's still glaring at you." I looked over and saw Gokudera. His glare got worse when he saw I was looking.

"I see."

"It must suck being you, plain Jane."

"You have no idea." He turned back with a chuckle. I ate silently. I just wanted to go home. Actually, I didn't want to be in Namimori anymore. I want my old life back. Maybe the amount of people around me made me feel less lonely.

The rest of the day thankfully went by without anything happening. However, by the next day, Gokudera was as happy as can be by Tsuna's side. I took out my notebook and wrote everything down. I need more data, but the current evidence points to Tsuna playing a big role in the Namimori Syndrome. Gokudera kept glaring at me from across the room. I crossed out my statement. It's just Gokudera's strange personality. Why did he not like me? I only bumped into him on accident. This guy can't possibly hold a grudge over something so small. Right? Maybe he had some bipolar disorder. Well, at the end of the day, Gokudera slammed his hand on my desk. I jumped and looked up.

"What do you want?" I asked, irritated and unhappy with his behavior.

"Listen here, woman. Don't go near the tenth." Gokudera threatened.

"Huh? Who is that?" I asked, totally confused.

"You know who! I don't trust you."

"Okay." He stomped out of the classroom. "What a strange person." I packed my things and went to my locker. Outside, I could see more men. "I'm really regretting not taking that last study abroad in Russia, but no. I wanted to spend more time with my family." Also, a war in Russia was going on. Well, there was a 'rumor' going around about one starting soon. I put my shoes on and walked out of the back entrance. I could see men in the woods. "They really have this whole place covered. How will I escape this time?"

I went back to the front and decided to swallow my fear. They noticed me and turned towards me. "We'd like for you to follow us." The presumed leader of the group said.

"I can't. I have a lot of homework."

"We can get that waived."

"I really want to do well without other people interfering. I do want a good education after all."

"Yet, you don't think you're getting an adequate education here." So, these guys are the ones watching me.

"I'm sure there's a misunderstanding. Now, I must be getting home. My parents will worry if I'm late."

"We cannot allow that. Our orders are to bring you with us." I wondered who their boss might be.

"Are you going to use force if I refuse?" They all nodded. I internally sighed. We're going to go through the same damn thing again.

"There's no use in running like last time. We have the entire area covered. Even if you run, you can't hide from us for long."

"I'm aware, but why go through so much for a high school girl? Shouldn't you be doing this to an actual bad guy?" They were hunting and watching me as if I was a criminal. It didn't sit right with me.

"All information will be disclosed when you come with us." I started to stretch. I needed to loosen up my muscles for the impending action. "Well, this isn't going to be much fun for any of us." I commented. I was glad I iced my legs the other night. "You know, you lot are really sketchy. Not even real Yakuza do this. You and your boss should be ashamed." I commented nonchalantly.

"I already told you there's nowhere to run." The man said.

I ran right at them and dove underneath their legs. Someone caught my arm as I got up. I turned and pepper sprayed him in the face. He instantly let go. That's when I ran. They didn't follow me like last time. They're full of empty promises. Either way, I kept running just in case. I did not want to get caught.

The entire month went smoothly. The men haven't bothered me and I was able to finally apply to a cram school I wanted. Today was a weekend where I had nothing to do. I didn't feel like going to Tokyo. This was mostly because my internet was working just fine after a few adjustments. Mom walked into my room.

"Haven't you made any friends yet? Go spend time with them instead of lying around. It isn't good to be held up in your room all the time."

"Okay."

I didn't want to worry my parents. So, I told them lies about school and how I made a couple of friends. Telling them I made a lot would send red flags. Though, I'm sure they knew I lied. I got dressed and went to the train station for an adventure. Kyoto seemed like a good place to go for the weekend. I haven't been there in years. I wonder how everything is doing. The two hour train ride was quiet. It was almost too quiet. I think this is why I like the city more. The noise occupied me from my thoughts. It helped suppress feelings of loneliness. That made my situation a lot more depressing than it really is. I shook my head and smiled.

"Things will be just fine." I muttered to myself quietly.

I got off at the train station and walked outside. It wasn't entirely warm out and it wasn't too cold. I still wore a long sweater jacket on top of my sailor-like dress. I was sensitive to the cold unlike a lot of people and loved the warmth. So, I wore black tights for a small barrier for my legs. My nose was met with all these different smells. The air was a little more polluted here than it was in Namimori. I'll get something to eat and then go explore.

Thankfully, the takoyaki stand I found a while back was still here. I ordered a regular size and was handed one a few minutes after. Takoyaki were supposed to be enjoyed hot and right off the pan. Unfortunately, I did not have a mouth of steel. So, I ripped open a small hole in each to cool them off. When I did eat them, they were just as I remembered. After eating, I went and walked around the city and made it to the country side in fifteen minutes of walking. Throughout the entire time, I felt like I was being watched, even followed. I'm hoping it's nothing, but my intuition has never wrong in these situations. It's probably some Yakuza members wanting money. Either way, I ignored it for now and kept sight-seeing. The entire area was beautiful. It was almost fall which meant the trees were starting the transition into beautiful colors. Just thinking about how everything would look put a smile on my face. I'll have to come back later in the year if I have time. I found an abandoned playground while doing some more exploring. The only way I knew it was abandoned was from the condition of the playground. It was all rusted and looked like it'd break at any moment. Plus, I had passed one that had kids all over.

I sat on one of the swings. Even though I was at a playground, the view was extraordinary. Though, I found out why the playground was probably closed down. It was near a pretty steep cliff. If I were to fall, I knew I wouldn't die. I'd get at least a broken arm or leg. It was a lot better than death. I stepped back and saw a gymnastic set a few feet away. The one that caught my eyes were the uneven bars. They were my forte and favorite event. I always felt like I was flying. No matter what dangerous stunt I did, I always trusted myself and my abilities. It's what divided me from everyone else. I lifted my hands up to the shorter bar and pulled myself up. It was like second nature for me. That's when my hands slipped, sending the bar straight into my stomach. I let out a noise from pain and then groaned as my body hung over the bar like a piece of laundry.

"That didn't go as plan." I muttered in discomfort.

I heard someone laugh close by and looked up. No one was there. I looked behind and saw no one either. I swear I heard someone's laugh. Could it be from the people following me? I pushed myself up and stood on the bar. I looked everywhere around me. I guess it was my imagination. I turned my back towards the taller bar and fell backwards, catching the bar. Instead of doing a routine, I just swung. I'm glad I did. The bar and poles were fragile. I still put a lot of force on it though. I swung to the shorter bar and then swung off. Landing on my feet, I smiled. "Just like old times."

I went to a couple of shrines and then went to eat again. I was still being followed. At least, I hope it was my imagination. Namimori might be affecting my mental state. Great. That's exactly what I wanted to happen. My nose followed me to another great food stand. This time it was a stand that had a little bit of everything. So, I decided to treat myself and get a little bit of almost everything. From noodles to squid, I got most of it. After all, it is good to treat yourself once in a while. Plus with my black hole of a stomach, this amount of food I got was child's play. I sat on a bench on the main street and watched everyone walk by. A man sat next to me.

"What's a girl like you doing in an unfamiliar city?" My ears twitched. I ignored him and didn't even look at him. He hummed in interest.

"You can clearly hear me. Why ignore me? I'm not dangerous." My legs froze. Not even the yakuza put me on edge like this. I kept eating, trying my best to enjoy my food. He inched closer to me. I could smell orchids and cherry blossom on him. It was familiar. Who have I ran into that smelled like this?

"You're more of a prodigy than you let on, Shiori Mori." He even knew my name. I cut ties to everyone I knew in Kyoto. Even if people who knew me came over, I didn't know anyone who had that voice.

"Still not answering? Oh well. My older brother has wanted to meet you for a while and yet you keep running away. I commend you for being able to outrun them. That's quite a difficult task. However, there's no running from me."

Everything made sense. He was part of the family that ran Namimori. "Why does your brother want to talk with me?" I questioned.

"Ah, you do speak. My brother just wants to talk about certain things."

"Like what?" The man inched closer. The fragrance grew stronger.

"Everything. By the way, have you checked your application for that cram school? I'm sure you'll be surprised at what my older brother did. You see, you angered him. You're lucky I'm the one that ran into you. I'm the calm brother." My hand froze. Great. This probably means more fines.

"He seems like a great guy. You know, trying to kidnap a teenage girl and fining my family because he didn't get his way makes him seem like a good guy." I replied sarcastically.

The man laughed at my sarcasm. "You're a strange bird." Bird? "However, every action you take that defies us will only make you one of our enemies." He said right in my ear. I put my food down between us. "Did I scare you?"

"I ate too much." I stood and rubbed my stomach.

"Will you come with me? My older brother just so happens to be visiting."

"I don't understand a lot of things about the world. Your family is low on that list. If someone defies your absolute law, you punish them despite your logic being flawed. You distort that flawed logic to manipulate everyone to believe you're right. It also helps when you can easily intimidate people with your strength and political power."

"You don't understand why our logic is right and yours is wrong. Why not try to understand? I'm sure you will over tea." The man commented.

"No thank you." My answer was abrupt.

"Oh?" I looked at him right in the eyes. He seemed on edge. No one probably looks him straight in the eyes.

"I refuse to go anywhere willingly near your family."

"Do you not trust us?" He asked.

"My answer is rather obvious, isn't it?"

"I guess you're right. Are you willing to go up against an entire family of carnivores as an herbivore?" No wonder Hibari says that a lot. Children learn from adults after all. He stood up and glared at me. He was much taller than me.

"You seem to not understand the basic fundamentals of biology, but I don't blame you. After all, you were once manipulated by your family to have that demented thinking." I said with no emotion.

His eyes narrowed. "Elaborate. What do I not understand?"

"You're just as human as me. Just because your family labels people in society a certain way doesn't mean everyone else has to abide by those labels. I never have and never will."

His glare got even worse. It didn't bother me like he wanted it to. "I'll tell my brother this is a declaration of war."

"War?" I questioned with slight disbelief.

"Be prepared, little bird. I was going to be nice and treat you gently. Yet, you not only trample on me but my own family and ancestors with your disgusting words. I'll make sure you have a hard time escaping from Kyoto because I won't be so nice like my brother has been." So, trying to kidnap me was being nice?

"And here you said you were the calmer of the two."

"I am. You just knew the right words to push my buttons."

I chuckled innocently. "It's because I saw through you."

No matter how much he worsened his glare, it didn't do anything to me. "You didn't see right through me."

"I did though."

His hand cupped my cheek. "I really didn't want to hurt you. Birds are meant to be caged and protected. The ones that escape their cage will die. You will die if not contained." He's threatening to kill me. I couldn't help but lean into his warm hand, surprising him.

"If birds are meant to be caged, why do they have wings? Why do birds fly?" I questioned with a light voice.

"They fly to scavenge for food."

I sighed and took a hold of his hand. "I've asked a lot of people that question and yet no one gives me the right answer."

"Why does my answer matter?"

I gently squeezed his hand. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"What's the right answer?" I let go of his hand and turned my back to him. When I started walking, he caught up to me. "Where are you going? I demand an answer."

"Brother." We both stopped and saw a man with black hair and cold eyes. The man looked at me. "You must be the one causing me trouble."

"I'd say the same." I commented.

"Are you accusing me of causing you trouble?" I looked at the man next to me, ignoring the older brother. "Can you leave me alone now? I want to go home and the last train will be leaving soon." I asked.

"You will be going with me." I looked back at the older brother who spoke.

"And if I refuse?"

"I will send my best men to bring you to me."

I tilted my head. "Why do you want me? It can't be to just talk. No normal person would send their best men to capture a girl to talk."

"What are you doing out, brother? I thought you were still at my house." The man next to me said.

"I was, but then one of my men spotted the bird. I wanted to meet her in person. I wanted to meet the one that was able to escape some of my men." He sounded like Hibari.

"It still won't change my answer. I don't know what you want from me and I'm not going to unfamiliar territory alone." I learnt that the hard way. Never go somewhere dangerous alone unless you have backup.

"It seems like this bird is smarter than the other herbivores." He commented, walking closer to me. He looked familiar. Was he Hibari's father? "You may have outrun my other men, but I assure you can't run from my best."

"Don't hurt her, brother." The younger brother pleaded.

"I don't plan on it as long as she comes peacefully. What do you say, little bird? Will you come have tea with me? We have a lot to discuss." He held his hand out. I hesitated but grabbed his hand. It was warm, unnervingly warm. I quickly pulled away. "What's the matter?" He asked.

"Your hand is warm."

"Do warm hands make you uncomfortable?"

"They make me cautious. At least I know to not trust you or your words. You have no warmth in your heart." He didn't answer. I tried walking away but was caught by him. His hand burned my wrist.

"I wasn't finished with you."

"Unhand me."

"You seem to not understand your circumstance. Your life is in my hands." He said with no emotion.

"Does it seem like I take you seriously? You'll say something about you being stronger to intimidate me." I knew he'd fall for the oldest street trick in the book.

"Do you not care about your life? I'm much stronger than you. I'll really hurt you." He froze after he spoke. I had read his mind, though it was a trick I learned. His types were easy to figure out what they were thinking. "I'm tired." I shook my wrist out of his grasp and walked away.

Surprisingly, I wasn't followed. I looked at the time and saw it was almost time for the last train. By the time I would get there, the train would have left already. I was screwed. I went into a convenience store and got myself a tea and a snack. Upon exiting, I heard some people arguing in Italian nearby. I walked over and saw five guys. Some were arguing, laughing, and keeping quiet. Everyone seemed to avoid them. They looked like rough figures.

"Uh…" I tried to speak up, but they were too loud. They noticed me.

"VOI! Who the hell are you?!" I grumbled with discomfort. That was the loudest thing I've ever heard.

"Do you need help?" I asked in Italian.

"You can speak Italian? You're Japanese." The blonde guy asked.

"I studied in Italy for a year. Do you need help finding a hotel or something?"

"We're fine. We don't need help from a girl." A large guy with spiky hair and piercings yelled at me.

"Don't yell at her, Levi. She's just trying to help us." A very flamboyant man said. He walked over to me. "What's your name, dear?" "Shiori." "Such a pretty name. We're trying to find a hotel, but we can't find it."

"Can I see the address? I might be able to help."

"Are you not from Kyoto?" "No. I'm originally from Tokyo but I live in a cursed town two hours away." The man gave me the piece of paper with the address. "Oh." I said in realization.

"You know where it is?"

"You're in the wrong city. Your hotel is in Tokyo."

"Where are we?" The silver haired man asked. "Kyoto."

They were all silent. "VOI! Levi, you said you knew where we were going, you useless trash." I fought the urge to cover my ears. "How long will it take us to get to Tokyo?" The loud man asked.

"It'll take two hours, but all the trains are closed and the taxis will make you pay an unreasonable amount of money."

"How much money are we talking about?" The blonde asked.

I hummed, calculating the prices in my head. "Probably…about two hundred."

"They make you pay that much?!" Most of them yelled.

"It's after hours and only few drivers will actually bring you."

"We're stuck in this shit city." The loud man said again.

"There's at least good food." I said, trying to help them stay pessimistic.

"What are we talking about?" The blonde asked.

"Takoyaki."

"What's that?" Levi asked.

"They're small balls with octopus and other spices inside." Their stomachs all roared in response. "Can you be a dear and bring us to where the food is? We'll reward you." The flamboyant man asked. They all nodded. "I'll bring you, but I don't need to be rewarded." I started to walk and they all fallowed me.

I stopped at a stall. "Are you back for more?" The man asked with a warm smile.

"No. I brought a few people here. Your stall is the best in the city after all." I said in a sweet tone.

"Really? I'm not the best here at all." The man said, waving his hand up and down.

I shook my head. "Your takoyaki is light and fluffy with the right balance of flavors and ratios. It's perfect."

He laughed. "I haven't had that big of a compliment in years. Most youngsters like heavy takoyaki. It's refreshing to know you have good taste. How about I give you and your friends some takoyaki on the house?"

"That'll be wonderful." I turned at their shocked expressions. "What?" I questioned.

"Did you just get us free food?" I nodded with a smile. The man gave me my portion. Once everyone got theirs, they just stared.

"What the stuff on top? It's moving." Levi asked. "They're bonito flakes. It's dried fish." The silver haired man took a bite and yelled. "It's hot."

"Open them with your chopsticks to cool them a little bit." I explained. "They're delicious!" I was happy they all found it appetizing. There was a man with red eyes just staring at me with indifference. Red eyes are pretty uncommon and they seemed natural.

"Where to next, Shiori? We're still hungry." The flamboyant man said. All of their stomachs roared.

"What do you guys like to eat?" "Meat." I should have seen that coming. They didn't seem like the kind to reach for a salad. "Well, there's a steakhouse that is Brazilian style." "That sounds exotic." "It just means there's unlimited meat of all kinds."

These somewhat terrifying men became children when it came to food, especially meat. While walking to the steakhouse, I could see the two brothers watching. I slowly hid from them by shielding myself using the large Italians. I picked up my pace while I was told everyone's names thanks to Lussuria. Then, I stopped in front of the restaurant.

"Well, this is it." We could all smell the meat from outside. My stomach softly roared. It smelled delicious.

"Aren't you going to join us?" Lussuria asked me.

"I don't have enough money to eat here. It's too expensive for me."

"We'll pay for you." He said, looking at everyone behind him.

"Mammon wouldn't like that." Bel said. Mammon must be one of their friends. Though, none of them seemed like friends.

"I'll take care of him. Besides, Shiori was the only one to approach us." Lussuria reasoned with Bel.

"Really?" I asked a little surprised.

"Really. Everyone else is afraid of us." The blond said.

"I can see that. I'm surprised a Yakuza member didn't approach you."

"You're not afraid of us." The silver haired man said, getting right in my face even if he had to bend a little bit.

"Don't get in her face like that, Squalo. You're just hungry." Lussuria scolded.

"I'm not afraid because I have no reason to. You haven't showed me a reason to be scared." I explained honestly.

"Our appearances are scary." Bel said.

"I'm originally from Tokyo. I'm used to rough characters and went to school with a lot of Yakuza members. They'd always fight every day. Besides, I'd rather not impose on your dinner."

Squalo turned to Xanxus. "Well?"

"Let her join." I don't know why, but his voice was comforting to me. I wanted to hear more of it. We all walked in. A waiter looked at the men with fear. "Table for six." I spoke. He looked down at me and relaxed. "This way."

We all sat down at a table. At the head was Xanxus. Beside him were Squalo and Levi. That made me the head at the other end of the table with Bel and Lussuria on either side of me. I was way out of my element. They were all semi-dressed up and here I was in a simple dress. The waiter would ask me everyone's order since he was too terrified of the men. It didn't bother me. Strange enough, I felt comfortable around them. I was happy it actually gave me a chance to get in the swing of using Italian again. The men all ordered large portions of meat. I was almost afraid they'd eat everything in the restaurant. The waiter walked over and handed me a note. It smelled like orchids.

Lussuria noticed and stared with interest. "Did you get a boy's number? I hope he's good looking."

It was far from that. It was a threat. In their eyes, it was an official declaration of war. To me, it was an annoying message that meant more fines for mom and dad. I could feel two pairs of eyes glaring at me from the outside. They were going to do anything in their power to capture me.

I gave Lussuria a small smile. Not even my parents could see through it. "It's just something I dropped on the way in."