A/N: I had troubles with Yuuki. First with deciding his name. Then with figuring out how to make him connect with other OCs since they all are in Europe and he is in Japan. And then I had troubles in figuring out how I get enough content to get this chapter to decent lenght... I've been neglecting my poor boy... But then I realized that he is in Namimori, I can make him meet Tsuna especially since they are the same age. Tsu-kun really deserves a friend. And I got more content!

Chapter 6.

Storm

1993

Yuuki was two years old when he met his uncle for the first time. Well, he met most of his extended family for the first time back then. Even though he was so young he already had a good memory. He remembered uncle Feng's stories of the Seven Flames and their adventures but not wondering why he was so small but talked like adults. He remembered older cousin Kyoya poking him and then deeming him uninteresting. He remembered mother and father talking with Kyoya's mother and father and some other uncles and aunts that in generally kept away from them.

Yuuki remembered hearing expectations laid upon him for the first time back then.

And he remembered never reaching those expectations.

Feng – or Arcobaleno Fon as people knew him as – had two sisters. Two sisters who married to well-off families in Japan. Yun married Hibari Satoshi and had son Kyoya. Lin married Minami Tomoharu had Yuuki who was two years younger than Kyoya.

There was always competition between the mothers which of the boys was better despite Fon trying to play negotiator.

Yuuki might've picked Chinese quicker and had good grasp of calligraphy for his age, but Kyoya won any fight in which they were pitted against each other. And having mothers that had been raised among Triads and who had a brother that was the World's Strongest Storm, that was all that mattered.

And in the end, it was always Yuuki, not Lin, that lost. Disappointment in her eyes, disinterest on Kyoya's face, gleeful scorn in Yun's smile… It was all he received.

He didn't even want to fight.

1996

Yuuki was five when he felt something was seriously wrong. Not with himself but with the quiet kid on his kindergarten class.

Sawada Tsunayoshi.

The fluffy-haired kid was nice but terribly shy and timid. Like a frightened bunny or something. Yuuki liked him. Usually they didn't talk to each other but sat by the same table and colored or made origami or something similar. Tsunayoshi was inviting and warm. And whenever Yuuki had troubled mind, sitting next to Tsuna gave him peace.

But then one summer day something felt weird with Tsuna. Cold. He felt cold and kept shivering and tripping. Tripping wasn't really that unusual since they were kids and some were already going through growth-spurts. But Tsuna was tripping more than usual and for some reason people were laughing at him for it. And no one was trying to help him. Not even teachers. Was the coldness driving people away?

Yuuki crouched next to Tsuna's once again fallen form.

"Are you okay, Sawada-kun?" He asked quietly. Brown eyes snapped up at him. There were tears in Tsuna's eyes.

"I… I'm not… Everything is so cold and people keep laughing at me." The boy whimpered.

"I'm not laughing at you now, am I?" Yuuki stood up and offered a hand. "Let's go to ask for some paper so we can draw, ne?"

"Okay…" Tsuna took the offered hand and smiled slightly.

It was… sort of okay.

1997

"Again." Kyoya demanded as Yuuki was picking himself up from the floor of the dojo. The six-year-old silently got on his feet and slid into position. Without warning, his cousin flew across the space between them and they began exchanging blows.

Yuuki did get some kicks and hits in, but in the end, he ended up kissing the mat.

Above him, Kyoya huffed.

"Herbivore." The eight-year-old stated and walked away. Yuuki got on his feet again. He was too tired to even cry because of his injuries. They were just bruises anyways.

"Minami-kun, are you alright? Where did you get those bruises?" Tsuna asked with his high-pitched voice.

"Training accident."

"Aah… Minami-kun is so strong. Training in martial arts."

"No, I'm not. I'm not strong at all." Yuuki thought bitterly. "I could teach you."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I wouldn't learn anything anyways. I'm just Dame-Tsuna."

"No, you're not." But even that thought Yuuki didn't say aloud. Tsuna would just laugh and deny it. "If you say so. The offer still stands."

1998

It was through pen-pal correspondence that Yuuki got to know Aada. It was set up to improve the children's English skills. There were students from several grades in. Aada was three years older than Yuuki but it was nice to talk with her through letters.

Tsuna also had a penpal. Her name was Leila. She was even older than Aada. She sounded nice too.

1999

The official time for the pen pal project had ended. There were still some people that continued with the contact but most had dropped out as soon as they were able to.

Aada still kept contact. Leila didn't. Aada wrote that Leila was dead. Tsuna didn't believe it but cried hard after getting the news.

"It doesn't feel like she is dead but she as well could be…" The boy explained later. "It just feels… Wrong."

Yuuki later learnt that it was the boy's Intuition talking.

2000

While Yuuki might've influenced Tsuna and kept him stable amongst the bullying and self-deprication, it also went other way. Tsuna influenced Yuuki, gave him peace even while cold and accepted him as he was.

Yuuki taught Tsuna about origami and calligraphy. Tsuna educated Yuuki about manga and games.

And through those, Yuuki got to know Spanner. The British boy liked everything Japanese. From anime and manga to green tea and zabuton pillows. And mecha. One shouldn't forgot the robots that the boy was also building.

But he was yet another person to talk to. To actually talk with. Yuuki's third friend. And how sad was that? He had three friends, two of which lived across the globe.

2001

"You are still full of bruises." Tsuna frowned worriedly at Yuuki's battered form. It was funny. Bullies roughed Tsuna up almost daily if Yuuki wasn't there. And Yuuki got roughed up at home in the name of training almost daily when Tsuna definitely wasn't there.

"Training." Yuuki smiled back. "I need to get better."

But it was never enough. He was never enough. He was always somehow wrong in his mother's eyes. And his father didn't care.

"Why can't you be like Kyoya-kun?"

"Why can't you be stronger? More agile? Faster? Like Feng-dàgē…"

"Why are you so indifferent? Don't you see how important it is for you to be better?"

"Why can't you be more masculine?"

"Why are you so weak?"

Yuuki tilted his head. Those questions always run in his mind he never really listened to them anymore. They became background noise. But they brought up a question…

"You know I just realized…" Yuuki began slowly. "I've never really thought of myself as a boy."

"You haven't?" Tsuna blinked. "What do you mean, Minami-kun?"

"I… I've just gone with the flow. I eat what the kitchen staff make. I wear clothes that mother has had bought for me. I go to school they picked and train according to schedule they set. The only thing that I really decided myself was… my association with you. I like origami and calligraphy and flower arranging… I sort of like helping your mother to cook too. None of those are very… masculine things to do." The boy frowned. "I don't feel like a boy even though I have a boy's body. But at the same time, I feel like this is my body and I don't want to change it. Even though my face looks just like Kyoya-itoko's…"

"Do you feel like a girl then?" The brunette asked.

"… I don't know what being a girl feels like so I can't say." Yuuki shrugged.

That year was a year of changes.

That year Yuuki realized that he didn't like the mold of a traditional man that he was being forced into. He did like traditional culture but he didn't like forced masculinity. With Tsuna and Nana's help he had the chance to explore his likes and dislikes in clothing style and hobbies alike.

That year Nana forgot Tsuna's birthday for the first time. Well, in the end it wasn't that surprising. The woman didn't remember even her own birthday but did remember her husband's as well as their wedding date. Yuuki treated Tsuna at Takesushi and took him to Arcade that year.

That year René Fontaine moved to Namimori and took both boys under his wing. The house he lived in became a sanctuary for both of them.

A/N: Reviews are still welcome.