Apricity

Meaning: Describes the universally enjoyable sensation of feeling the sun's radiant heat onto your body on a cold winter's day. A clear bright and serenely beautiful corporeal sensation

It was the middle of the night when Takeshi found himself wake up all of a sudden. Honestly, he didn't even know what woke him up so abruptly. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Sometimes his instincts would suddenly sharpen in some situations, and this usually happened on interesting occasions. Though he had no idea why these instincts would act up now of all the times.

His dark eyes flickered blue for a second as he turned his head to scan his surroundings. It was a good thing he chose to sleep on the topmost bunk bed, since it really provided a great vantage point of view, though the darkness in the room made it hard to see. Maybe he should've agreed with Tsuna to let the night-lamp be lit for the rest of the night. At least he wouldn't have trouble seeing in the dark then.

His eyes narrowed on a particular short figure as they walked into their assigned room with silent footsteps, and he couldn't make out who it was because the darkness was making that person seem blurry. He wondered if it was some thief or some other kid trying to pull a prank on them. The teachers won't approve, and most likely would punish the prankster if they ever came to know about this, well if Hibari-sempai didn't get to them first. Now to think of it, it's strange that Hibari-sempai hadn't bitten the intruder to death by now. The older Hibari had seemed like a paranoid person with sharp –almost animalistic- instincts. It's weird that he hadn't attacked their intruder by now.

Hm…. maybe he was a heavy sleeper?

Takeshi eyed the person as they slowly made their way towards the corner of the room where the three of them had dropped their unpacked bags in exhaustion last night. He tensed, and wondered if he should attack the intruder….. Maybe the noise from their confrontation would wake up Hibari-sempai? Well, that'd be good, considering sempai looked like someone who had experience dealing with these kinds of things.

The intruder dropped something metallic next to a bag –what were those? Pipes?- and started rummaging in a bag for something. Takeshi tensed his limbs and finally decided to pounce on the other person, when he felt someone a smaller hand pat his hand –that had been gripping the edge of the bunk bed tightly- in a gentle manner. Startled, Takeshi immediately looked down, only to find himself staring at Tsuna –who had been lying on the middle bunk- his amber eyes glowing in the dark. Tsuna shook his head, and Takeshi pursued his lips, but agreed to Tsuna's wordless command and did not attack the intruder.

The intruder pulled out something from one of the bags and then headed to the other door inside the room and walked into the bathroom. It wasn't until the light from the bathroom was switched on and fell over the dark figure when Takeshi realized that the person he had been thinking of as an intruder all this time happened to be Hibari-sempai. He blinked his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness in the room, and for some reason, his eyes zeroed on the patches of dirt on Hibari-sempai's clothes and the bruises that peeked beneath the hem of his jacket. Hibari-sempai hesitated and glanced towards them –and both Tsuna and Takeshi immediately closed their eyes to feign sleep and only opened their eyes when they heard the footsteps sound distant and the door of the bathroom click shut.

When Takeshi heard the sound of shower being turned on in the bathroom, he immediately opened his eyes and pushed off the covers and peered down from the edge of the top bunk bed at Tsuna in the middle bunk, who was staring at the bathroom door with a solemn look in his amber eyes.

Takeshi hesitated for a while before he asked, "Ne, Tsuna? Where had Hibari-sempai been till now?"

Tsuna blinked and glanced up at Takeshi. "Cloud-san must've been on his night patrol duty." tsuna mused. "He always sleeps after finishing his night patrol in Namimori's streets. Since we are not exactly in the town, Cloud-san must've gotten twitchy, which is why his patrol took much more time than it usually does."

Night patrol? What is he-some self-proclaimed policeman?

Takeshi tilted his head and asked, "I think something happened. He was wounded. What do you think had happened?"

Tsuna's eyes darkened as he spoke, "Some herbivores must've been wandering around after late hours then." Seeing Takeshi's concerned expression, he quickly reassured him with a smile and said, "Don't worry though, I'm sure Cloud-san must've punished them."

Takeshi watched Tsuna as he glanced back at the bathroom door with a worried look in his eyes, and for a moment he felt a pang of jealousy inside him. Hibari-sempai was really lucky to have such a loyal friend like Tsuna who worries for him. From the way he had seen Tsuna interact with the Nagi and Hibari-sempai, it's obvious that Tsuna had been friends with the Hibari siblings for far longer than he had known either Kyoko, or Takeshi –to say nothing of Haru, whom they had only met that day. Being friends for so long, their bonds must be rather deep if Tsuna could just deduce the situation from Hibari-sempai's actions. Sure, Takeshi acknowledged Tsuna as his friend –a real friend, unlike those hypocrites that usually crowd around him- and maybe Tsuna too thought the same way, but it doesn't mean that their friendship would be as deep as the bond Tsuna had with Hibari siblings. Can their friendship grow stronger too? Will a day ever come when Tsuna would be able to decipher what was bothering him with just one look in his eyes? Will Takeshi ever find the courage to tell Tsuna about his mother?

Can he trust Tsuna to not leave when he knows the truth one day?

A soft, warm hand wrapped around his hand that tightly held the edge of the blanket in a fist and his trembling body calmed slightly at the touch. Takeshi blinked away the tears that filled in his eyes and glanced down at Tsuna, who patted his hand softy and smiled at him.

"Rain-san, don't think about stupid things in the middle of night. It will affect your sleep." Tsuna said softly.

Takeshi couldn't help but grin brightly at his words. "Hai, Hai." he said sheepishly and settled back on the bed and draped the blankets over himself that he had pushed off in haste earlier. Tsuna's next words made him freeze for a moment.

"And do try to trust us, okay? We are not so superficial as to judge a book by it's cover." Tsuna said with a cryptic smile on his face before he turned his back towards Takeshi and got back to sleep.

Something curled inside him warmly at Tsuna's words and he couldn't help but let out a goofy smile. In his oblivious happy mood, he hadn't noticed the door of bathroom being opened and Hibari-sempai stepped out in his pajamas, rubbing a towel over his damp hair as he made his way towards the bed, and narrowed his eyes at the chibi-Rain on the top bunk who was grinning like a fool.

"Did you hit your head this late at night, herbivore?" Hibari-sempai asked, to which Takeshi just looked at him obliviously.

"Ah? I don't understand what you mean, sempai." Takeshi said to which Hibari-sempai scoffed.

"Typical Rain herbivore." he muttered under his breath, to which Takeshi tilted his head in confusion. What did he mean? Rolling his eyes at the chibi-Rain's denseness towards everything except baseball, Kyoya threw his now damp towel on Takeshi's face, making him sputter, and grunted at him, "Staying up late at night is not permitted for baby herbivores. Go back to sleep."

Takeshi picked up the towel Kyoya had thrown on his face and dropped it to the side, and glanced back at Kyoya –who had picked up his phone (Why would any sane being give a nine year old a phone?! Are Hibari-sempai's parents as crazy as him?)and typed a message and sent it to someone before dropping it on the side table and got into his bed on the lowest bunk.

Takeshi lay down on the bed and thought of all the new friends he made today. He thought of Kyoko-chan –sweet, sweet Kyoko who treats everyone with kindness; Haru-chan –of the lonely look in her eyes that the girl hides with sarcasm and fantastical humor; Nagi-chan –of her seemingly mood swings (one minute she's sweet and shy –with a spine of steel hidden beneath all that shyness- and the next moment she's sadistic and bloodthirsty –with a side note of amusement); Hibari-sepmai –with his unflappable demeanor and violent ways that seem rather oddly endearing than threatening; and Tsuna –with his kind smiles and orange eyes that seemed to glow in understanding.

A day ago he had been the same lonely boy with brittle smiles and too many issues weighing down his shoulders. But now, now he wasn't lonely, because he had friends –true friends who would rather stay with him than just pretend to be his friends like his hypocrite classmates.

And, that is all that mattered to him.

A knock on the door snapped Yuna out of her thoughts. She pushed away the paperwork she had been trying to do –keyword "try", because damn it paperwork is so boring, and she would rather kick ass than sit on a chair and be forced to sign off documents she had no idea about- and eagerly looked forward to whatever distraction she had been mercifully provided with for now, only to deflate at the sight of her Second-in-command opening the door of her office with even more paperwork in his hands.

"Oh my God," Yuna moaned as she let her head fall into her hands and let out a suffering sigh. "It's past midnight, and I haven't even completed one pile yet –and don't fucking tell me I have to review that bundle too before I can retire for the night!" Yuna hissed as she grabbed a pen from her desk and pointed it threateningly towards her 'Second-in-command'-slash-assistant, who just shot her an amused look.

Tsukasa Yuiichi, with his years of experience in dealing with Yuna and her mood swings, just walked into the room –more like glide on the floor gracefully rather than walk, damn Yuna really envied his graceful movements that make her look like a drunken chicken in comparison- and placed the new bundle next to the pile of paperwork Yuna had been looking into earlier.

"Don't worry, this pile isn't due until Friday." Yuichi said and couldn't repress a chuckle when Yuna let out a relieved sigh.

"Thank Gods for small mercies…" she mumbled under her breath and rubbed her temple.

Yuiichi sat on a chair and grabbed some documents from the pile Yuna had been working on and started helping her out. Yuna stared at him gratefully, before she too continued filing paperwork.

Soon, the sound of scratching of the nib of pen against the paper, and the occasional turning of pages filled the room as the two of them worked in compatible silence. The silence wasn't depressing, and for once in these past few weeks, Yuna didn't feel as stressed as she usually did these days. It was almost pleasant, and dare she say, normal.

So of course, just when Yuna had almost relaxed, Yuiichi –the utter sadist- poked her sore spot with a metaphorical stick -like the insensitive asshole he was- with his words. "So Yuna-sama, when are you going to end this cold war that has been going on between you and Seiji-sama?"

Yuna clenched the pen between her fingers so tightly that-

Crack!

-it split into two. Yuna glared at him murderously and say, "That is none of your business."

"You're right. It really is none of my business." Yuiichi admitted. "Except, this time the argument between you two is not only straining your relationship, but is also affecting your health in worst ways." Yuna wanted to argue, but Yuiichi's next words made her shut up. "No, my Lady, don't think I haven't noticed the dark bags under your eyes, your poor appetite as well as your temper these days. You have neither been eating or sleeping properly, and it shows from your attitude." Yuiichi sighed when Yuna looked away uncomfortably, unable to look him in the eyes because she knew what he was saying was true. "You can't keep doing this, Yuna-sama. Your health is already a fragile matter, you should not mess it up even more."

"You think I don't know that?" Yuna muttered s she clenched her fists and said with gritted teeth. "You think I want my health to deteriorate like this? You think I'm masochistic enough to do this to myself for some sick pleasure?"

"You know that is not what I mean-"

"No, listen to me Yuiichi." Yuna said sharply, making the man shut up abruptly because his Boss had never ever called his name in such solemn tone even in most desperate situations. "It's not that I don't care about myself, it's just- right now, we have something much more important to look out for, and that is my son's life. My husband –being the utter naïve idiot he is-" Yuna sneered, "is being too blind in his devotion to his brother to notice that Brother-in-law is just using this opportunity to divert the attention of those bloodhounds-like opposite factions towards Kyo-chan, so as he can get time to gather evidences against them and stirke them while they're busy taking out the "heir". They're just playing bloody politics, and they intend to drag my Kyo-chan in it –which I will not let happen." Yuna's eyes flickered purple for a moment, and she resisted the urge to flinch when the seal once again slammed onto the remnants of flames that had escaped from it in her fury, and continued on her tirade, "Ever since Brother-in-law has declared my son as his heir, the foreigner presence inside Namimori has risen and the frequent assassination and kidnapping attempts on my children's lives has increased –which has only be thwarted thanks to the diligence of my men. And of course, we can't forget that my oblivious husband is still denying to see my point! Why would I not be stressed when some supposed idiots want to drag my children into a mess which has nothing to do with them?!" Yuna had been panting by the end of her tirade. Her eyes blurred with tears which she hastily wiped, and glowered at Yuiichi.

"I have been burned and scarred too many times in the past Yuiichi-san." She admitted softly, her hands trembling just the slightest bit to show how shaken she was. "Time and time again my freedom taken away from me, my courage had been shattered and my trust had been broken into pieces. By a brother who promised to protect me, but ended up as a grieving mess because of a curse, and was too shaken up to protect me from anyone. By my so called 'family' who didn't even hesitate to sell me out to our enemies and let my Flames, my will be sealed. I dare not believe in anyone anymore- except my son." her eyes softened and glazed over as she thought of her son. "He is my Kyo-chan, my precious little Cloud, and I'd rather die than let him come to any harm."

"Is this because he's your son?" Yuiichi asked in a quiet tone.

Yuna's lips quirked up in a mirthless smile as she answered honestly, "Do I need any more reason than that?"

Yuiichi stared at Yuna with an unreadable look in his eyes. "I understand." He said with a nod as he got up grabbed a jug and poured a glass of water for her. He pushed it gently towards her as well as her pills, which he reluctantly took. After taking her medicine she took a few deep breaths. "Have you calmed down now?" Yuiichi asked softly. Yuna nodded.

"Good." Yuiichi said, and acted as if Yuna hadn't just had a mental break down right now, and sat back on his chair. "I had actually came to tell you something. Kusakabe Tetsuya had called me earlier to inform that Young Master Kyoya had found some suspicious people sniffing around the Camp area during his night patrol, and had apprehended them."

"Damn, they move fast." Yuna grumbled. "I thought we still had at least a day or two before they realized that Kyo-chan isn't in Namimori anymore." A thought occurred to her and asked, "Has Kyo-chan and Na-chan's protection detail arrived yet?"

Yuiichi shook his head. "No, they're a bit late."

"Damn that rascal!" Yuna cursed and got up from her desk. She grabbed her phone and was about to walk out of the office when Yuiichi stopped her.

"Your paperwork-"

"I'll handle it tomorrow. Right now, I have a moron to lecture for their late arrival." She scowled and was about to walk off, but then remembered something and asked, "By the way, has someone been sent to clean up the corpses after Kyo-chan was done with them?"

"Kusakabe has sent someone to deal with it." Yuiichi informed her, to which Yuna nodded.

"Good to know."

The next morning, Tsuna and his friends -sans Kyoya- found themselves in the canteen, having breakfast. The five of them sat together in a circular formation around the table. Haru looked around the table, and finding the presence of their resident demon child missing, asked, "Hahi, where's the Vampire this morning?"

"He's still sleeping." Tsuna answered her as he sipped his chocolate milkshake.

"Onii-sama likes to sleep in." Nagi added in her own two cents before she nibbled a cookie.

"And the teachers didn't try to wake him up like they did to us at the crack of dawn?!" haru asked in disbelief.

Tsuna chuckled, "They don't dare to, Psyduck-chan. After all, Cloud-san is quite infamous back at home."

"That's unfair!" Haru cried out. "Why does he get to sleep in and we don't?!"

"Because he is Hibari Kyoya, and you are not." Kyoko quipped in with a cheery smile on her face, making Haru sulk in a corner, depressed.

"You guys are so mean, and biased." Haru's sulky tone made the others giggle.

"So, I've been meaning to ask yesterday," Takeshi spoke up, making the others turn to him. "Which activities have you joined for Summer Camp?"

Kyoko answered, "Well, I chose Cooking."

"Me too!" Haru beamed and she shared a high-five with Kyoko. "I also chose Knitting & Sewing Class."

"That's great!" Kyoko exclaimed. "Maybe I'll try that out too."

"That'll be awesome!" Haru cheered.

Kyoko then turned to Nagi and asked, "Nagi-chan, did you choose Cooking too?"

Nagi immediately shook her head. "Ah, no….. I choose the Arts and Craft club."

"Aw….." Kyoko pouted in disappointment.

"Why not join the Cooking class too just like us? I've heard we can choose more than one activities for the Summer Camp." Haru asked.

"Um….." Nagi replied hesitantly, "I don't think it's a good idea."

"Yeah," Tsuna piped in with a chuckle, "Unless you want to burn the kitchen, then don't ask Mist-chan to join the Cooking Class."

The two girls winced. "That bad, huh?" Haru asked.

"Worse…" Nagi mumbled, embarrassed, "The last time I tried to make tea for Onii-sama, I burned even water."

The two girls stared at her, speechless.

"Let's take a two minute silence for the tea. Amen." Takeshi said in a mock solemn tone, making Haru and Kyoko smack the back of his head and exclaim in disapproval-

"Yamamoto!"

Takeshi couldn't help but laugh. "Ahahaha-! Sorry, sorry, I just couldn't resist."

Tsuna's lips twitched upwards and spoke up to divert the girls' attention, and in turn saved Takeshi from a beating from girls, "Well, I myself chose Photography."

"Why Photography?" Kyoko asked curiously.

Tsuna shrugged. "I dunno. I thought it'd be nice to learn about it. Kaa-chan likes to take photos and I guess it'd make her really happy if I learn photography. Besides, I think capturing our novel experiences in a photo would make for good memories when we grow older."

"Photography classes are in the evening, right?" Takeshi asked with a grin, and when Tsuna nodded, he eagerly asked his proposal, "That's great! I have Parkour classes in the morning. Why don't you join me for that? We'll be together then, won't that be nice?"

"I don't know…." Tsuna asked uncertainly, and Takeshi's enthusiasm dimmed at his words.

Nagi noticed that and decided to give Tsuna the push he needed to agree with Takeshi. "Aw…. too bad. If you had joined the Parkour team, that'd have been nice, since you' could have given Onii-sama company too." At Tsuna's stunned look, she smiled and nodded, "Yup, Onii-sama has joined Parkour, as well as Extreme Sports for the Summer Camp."

Tsuna immediately turned to Takeshi, and the dark haired boy was almost blinded by the brunette's sparkling eyes and bright grin as he spoke, "Alright! Where do I sign, then?!"

Takeshi stared at him, speechless. Hasn't he been uncertain about joining the parkour team just now? Why the sudden change in attitude?

The girls just giggled at the boys' antics. Nagi especially couldn't help but chuckle.

Really, you want Tsuna to do something? Just drop Kyoya's name in your conversation, and Orange-san would even bend backwards to do your bidding. That's Orange-san for ya.

After breakfast, the kids all went to attend their respective activities, and those who didn't have classes in the morning were being huddled by Nayuki-sensei who was readying them for a walk around the forest.

The children from the parkour team were standing under a shade of a particularly large oak tree, waiting for their teacher/mentor to give them their instructions. Tsuna bounced eagerly next to Takeshi, as he looked around for Kyoya, and deflated when he couldn't find him.

"I bet he's still in bed." Takeshi said to Tsuna.

Tsuna pouted glumly. "Isn't that obvious….."

Suzuki-Sensei arrived five minutes later, talking on the phone with someone, and the way she spoke harshly it was obvious that she was arguing with someone.

"-can't just do that! You promised you'll be here by six in the morning!" Suzuki-Sensei said in annoyance.

The children hushed as they watched the woman's expression turn angrier as she exclaimed, "What do you mean you forgot?!"

The person on the other side seemed to explain their circumstances, but Suzuki-sensei was having none of it. "Look, I don't care how you'll do it, but I want you here by noon. Capische?" After hearing the reply from the other side, she clicked her phone shut, and took deep breaths and then turned towards them.

The children eyed her warily as Suzuki-Sensei –who had been as angry as a fire-breathing dragon a while ago- smiled brightly at them –that made them even warier, honestly, women are so weird- and said, "You're the kids who joined the Parkour team, right?"

When the kids nodded, she sighed and said, "Unfortunately, your teacher is running a bit late, so we'll have to cancel today's session." seeing the disappointed looks in the kids' eyes, she said, "Hey now, no need to be so sad! Why don't we do something fun for today?"

"Like what?" One of the kids asked.

"We can play a game, for one. What game would you like to play?" She asked them sweetly.

"Basketball!"

"Hide and Seek!"

"Kick the can!

"Baseball!" Yamamoto exclaimed predictably.

Soon, more and more kids offered their own ideas, and before their conversation turn into an argument –or worse, a brawl- Suzuki-Sensei put a stop to it by declaring that they'll play tag. And so, Tuna and Takeshi spent their first activity session playing tag.

Haru dragged Kyoko with her to the Sewing and Knitting club, which was being led by a female teacher from Namimori North Elementary. Hisako-sensei seemed to know Haru quite well, since she had greeted Haru warmly, and even agreed with Haru's request of letting her new friend Kyoko look around for a while.

Kyoko guessed it was really nice, working with threads and needles and fabrics to make something new. Hisako-sensei was a nice woman, she would often advise Kyoko about which color combinations would look best, and what type of fabric is best suited for what kind of thing. She was patient and would help the beginners out in their sewing –though some of the girls would often not take her advice and poke their own fingers with the needle, and then they'd cry when their little wounds bleed a bit. Hisako-sensei had no choice but to send them to infirmary.

For the first day, the task wasn't that hard. Hisako-Sensei asked the girls to sew their names on their assigned handkerchiefs. While the beginners –the ones who had picked up the needle for the first time I their life- were asked to just sew five straight nine on the handkerchief of different colored threads.

Kyoko had helped her mother out at home a few times in sewing her brother's shirts, so she didn't have any problem sewing her name on the handkerchief in capital letters. Though Haru-chan's work had been amazing, compared to her simple sewing, Haru-chan had somehow sewed her name on the handkerchief in pretty cursives that had made even Hisako-sensei sigh in admiration.

"Haru-chan, you're amazing!" Kyoko gushed at Haru, who didn't seem to pay her any mind. Instead, there was a sad look in her eyes as she watched another girl who wore a pretty flower headband.

"Haru-chan…" Kyoko asked uncertainly, wondering what made her new friend so sad.

"Ne, Kyoko-chan….." Haru whispered. "You know, compared with her I don't think I'm anything amazing."

"What are you-"

"Oh my!" Hisako-sensei exclaimed as she peered at the pretty girl's handkerchief in admiration. "Ami-chan, this is fabulous! I didn't expect you'd do such beautiful embroidery of a rose, Ami-chan. Also, the way you've sewed your name with golden thread is really adorable! As expected of my star pupil!"

The pretty girl -Ami-chan didn't let the praise go to her head. Instead, she just nodded and accepted the praise as if it were expected of her. Her eyes though caught Haru's eyes for a second, before she looked away as if Haru wasn't worth her time. For some reason, that made Kyoko bristle a bit.

Haru sighed and turned away from her and turned towards Kyoko. When she saw the frown on Kyoko's face, her expression softened and she bumped Kyoko's shoulders and smiled, "It's alright Kyoko-chan. Don't mind Ami-chan, she's sort of a prodigy in our school. She is so perfect, she can do almost everything, you know!" Haru's eyes seemed to sparkle as she talked about Ami.

"So, is she your friend, Haru-chan?" Kyoko asked, curiously, wondering if she got it wrong. Haru was so enthusiastic about Ami-chan, maybe they were good friends or something?

Haru's grin faltered and she shifted nervously, "Ah….. no. She's just- well, she's my classmate."

Kyoko's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Haru's dejected expression, and then glanced back at Ami who was now being surrounded by a few girls who were gushing at her talent and admiring her work and wished Hana-chan was with her here. Maybe she'd then help her understand what was the deal with Haru-chan and Ami-chan and why the heck was she feeling the sudden violent urge to punch this 'Ami-chan' for no reason.

Nagi enjoyed her first Art and Craft Class in the afternoon. The class was being held a few hours before lunch, and they had plenty of time to complete their task. Today their teacher Tatsuki-Sensei was teaching them how to make origami things. It had been easy at first to create an origami dog and bird –just twist the paper this way, fold it that way, cut off this bit –and Viola! The Origami Bird is ready!

It got a bit harder after that- creating dragons, roses, lotuses, penguins etc from Origami papers was a bit mind-numbing, but an exciting task. Sure, she did felt frustrated sometimes when she folded the paper a bit too less or a bit too more, or when she twisted it the wrong way or when it somehow turned out the exact opposite of what she wanted –it really was a test of her patience that she managed to complete all the Origami projects Tatsuki-sensei had assigned for today. She even got a gold star badge for her good work!

Nagi hummed under her breath and skipped towards the canteen with a book in her hands that Tatsuki-sensei had lent to her so as she could look into it for some nice Origami designs. Maybe she should find the instructions to create an origami pineapple for Mu-kun too. She was sure he'd appreciate her efforts.

(Somewhere in Italy, Mukuro sneezed. he then frowned and wondered why did he feel the sudden urge to strange Nagi –or maybe stab her with his trident- because of annoyance.)

Nagi waved at Tsuna and Takeshi, who had already gotten there before her and were just waiting for their friends to arrive. She then sat down next to Tsuna, and looked around and furrowed her brow in worry. "Where are Kyoko-chan and Psyduck-chan?"

"They're running a bit late." Tsuna said. "Their Cooking class still hasn't ended till now."

"Ah, I see." Nagi nodded. "And Onii-sama?"

"He-"

"There he is!" Takeshi cut off Tsuna from speaking and pointed at the entrance of the canteen as one Hibari Kyoya walked inside wearing a cute Pikachu shirt and blue shorts and walked towards them. Tsuna's ears reddened a bit, while Nagi couldn't help but giggle at her brother's cute appearance. Even Takeshi seemed to find it funny, since he himself was trying his best to suppress his laughter –and failing spectacularly at that. Kyoya grabbed a chair and pulled it a bit away from the three of them and glared at them with half-lidded eyes which only seemed to make him look even more adorable.

No wonder her Onii-sama doesn't like wearing anything but dark colors and uniforms. Dark colors make him look intimidating and dangerous, while uniforms helped in making him look even more graceful and sophisticated. Whenever Kyoya wears light colored outfits or adorable shirts, it'd make everyone dumbfounded and resist the urge to squeal –or pinch his cheeks- because damn can Kyoya look good. His dark hair that contrasted with his fair skin, his pretty grey eyes, the baby fat that clung to his limbs –coupled with the cute Pikachu shirt and blue shorts made him look adorable –and for once a normal kid, and not the demon child the people of Namimori know him as. The dumbfounded and speechless looks of everyone in the cafeteria –including the teachers and the students- is so worth it.

"Onii-sama, what happened to your usual clothes?" Nagi asked with a cough while trying to smother a giggle. She did not want to be bitten to death, thank you very much.

Kyoya shot her a glare –which showed her exactly how much she had managed to hide her amusement from him (aka, not at all)- and he reluctantly replied with a scowl, "Kaa-san must've messed with my bag after I had finished my packing, because there's not even a single shirt inside my bag that I recognize from my closet."

The corner of Nagi's lips twitched up in a smile as she admitted, "That does sound like her."

"Haha, Hibari-sempai, you look really cute! Doesn't he, Tsu-" Takeshi asked, and before he could complete his sentence, Kyoya threw a can of juice at him, which he dodged with ease –the light flicker of blue dancing in his eyes almost made Kyoya blink in surprise. "-na?"

Tsuna blushed and averted his eyes from Kyoya and just nodded in reply.

Kyoya bared his teeth threateningly at his Baby Sky and baby Rain and hissed, "I am not cute." He said, as if disgusted by their using of his name and the word "cute" in same sentence.

Before Takeshi could argue with him, Kyoko and Haru appeared –is it their imagination or did Haru look a bit dejected?- carrying a plate of Onigiri. "Hey there everyone!" Kyoko chirped happily. "The two of us made some Onigri in our Cooking Class. Would you like some?" she offered the others their inconsistently shaped onigiris –some were round, some had a bit pointed end, some frankly looked as if they'd crumble if they were touched. "I apologize if they look a bit funny." Kyoko apologized to them. "This is our first time making onigiri, so we might've messed up a bit."

"It's fine." Tsuna shook his head.

"I'm sure it tastes better than it looks!" Takeshi insisted, and earned a smack from Nagi.

"Are you suffering from foot-in-mouth disease?" Nagi sighed in exasperation.

"Ah? No, I think I'm healthy enough….?" Takeshi said in confusion as he scratched the back of his head. Nagi couldn't help but face palm at his words.

Tsuna patted her back in sympathy. Haru, who had been silent all this time, couldn't help but chuckle at their antics.

"You guys are really something." She said fondly and shook her head.

Seeing her smile again relieved everyone's worries. Though they were curious about what made Haru's mood sour like that, they weren't foolish enough to outright ask her. So instead, each one of them took an onigiri from the plate –even Kyoya who just shot the onigiri a skeptical look before stuffing it down his throat.

"Oh my!" Nagi muttered, surprised as soon as she tasted the rice balls. "It tastes really nice."

"Yeah," Tsuna chewed slowly and spoke, "It tastes just the right amount of salty."

"Give me two more!" Takeshi exclaimed as he grabbed two more and placed them in his plate.

"It's edible." Kyoya mumbled reluctantly as soon as he swallowed and took another odd-shaped onigiri from the plate.

"Really? Thanks!" Kyoko exclaimed and sat down next to Nagi, with Haru right next to her. The two of them too grabbed an onigiri and started eating. The others shared the lunch they had picked up with the two girls and soon, all of them were eating together and joking around with ease.

Kyoko had been taking a sip of tomato soup when her eyes zeroed on Kyoya's outfit, especially the Pikachu shirt of his, and complimented him, "By the way Hibari-sempai, nice shirt you've got there."

Kyoya, who had been drinking water at that moment, splattered the liquid right back out in surprise and shot her a glare at her untimely comment.

"Pfft- hahahaha!" Nagi, Tsuna and Takeshi couldn't help but roll in laughter at her words –and Kyoya's reaction to her words only made them roar even louder in laughter- as they leaned against each other and laughed –and tried their best not to fall off the chair in their mirth.

Haru, who had only noticed Kyoya's shirt because of Kyoko's comment, agreed with Kyoko. "I totally agree with Kyoko-chan!" she then tilted her head and eyed Kyoya contemplatively and asked, "Hm….. Don't you think a Pikachu-eared headband would go spectacularly with his shirt?"

Kyoya's glare intensified at her words, and suddenly, he conjured his tonfas and pounced at the two girls, as he hissed, "I'll bite you two to death!"

What about Nagi, Tsuna and Takeshi? Well, the three of them couldn't control themselves before they fell off their chairs, laughing, and pounded on the floor in laughter.

All in all, a normal days in lives of the chibi-Vongolas.

EXTRA- 1

"Look at every nook and cranny of the forest and find him for me. I do not want even a single spot left." An eight year old Byakuran ordered as he stuffed marshmallows in his mouth.

That is fine, Byakuran-sama, but…." A teenage Kikyo asked hesitantly as he eyed the vast stretch of forest surrounding Sicily on the map that had been laid down on the table. "The forest area is too big and a detailed search would definitely take a lot of time."

Byakuran waved his hand in a dismissive way and said, "It's fine since we have more than enough resources to conduct a detailed search around these parts."

"Isn't this area under Vongola's protection? We would need Nono's permission then, to conduct a search around these parts or else they'd think we're rebelling against them or something." Zakuro pointed out gruffly.

Kikyo replied to him, "Byakuran-sama had already appealed to the Vongola, and they have agreed to it –especially when Aria-sama of the Giglio-nero backed his proposal." He then muttered under his breath, "But I do wonder why Aria-sama agreed to Byakuran-sama's proposal so quickly?"

Bykuran chuckled. "Well, that's because she just wants to show a good impression to her soon-to-be 'cousins'."

"Pardon, Byakuran-sama? I do not understand…." Kikyo asked, confused, while Zakuro just scratched the back of his head, puzzled.

"You'll understand it when the time comes!" Byakuran said cheerily. He then blinked and looked around in contemplation, "By the way, where are Bluebell and Daisy?"

"What the-? They were here a moment ago, I swear!" Zakuro cursed as he turned around and found that the resident kiddos of their bunch were absent.

Kikyo sighed and said "I'll bring them back, Byakuran-sama." saying this he walked out of the room, and a few minutes later came back dragging Daisy –who looked his usual fearful self- and Bluebell as the latter glared at the back of Kikyo's head and pouted sulkily –the leftover cookie crumbs around her mouth clearly hinted what she had been doing a while ago.

"Ne, ne Bluebell-chan, am I really boring you so much that you dare to skip the meeting to eat cookies?" Byakuran asked with a grin, though the dark look in his eyes made his guardians flinch. Byakuran pouted. Aw, they really were no fun. In that other world if other-Byakuran had such an expression on his face Yuni-chan would've smacked the back of his head in exasperation while Tsu-chan would've shoved marshmallows into his mouth and demand him to stop messing around. But in this world, Yuni-chan hasn't been born yet, while Tsu-chan of this world would rather be busy pining over his 'Cloud-san' than to pay him any attention.

Aw man… He was clearly feeling neglected.

Bluebell averted her eyes and grumbled in apology, and well, Byakuran guessed that's as far as he should take it for now. Their Guardian bond is a fledgling thing, and it will take some time for them to get to know him. Unlike him –who knew about their habits and quirks thanks to the knowledge of Parallel Worlds- they knew nothing about him. Who knows how much time it will take for them to realize that this particular expression on his face only means that he's messing around with them and is not genuinely upset?

And while his Guardians take all the time they can to get to know him, he guessed he should use this time to do what he does best -messing around with the world, causing mayhem, egging on Tsu-chan knowing or unknowingly –

-Ahem, he means visiting his favorite Mafia Boss –chibified, for now- and mess around with his precious 'Cloud-san' for now, that is.

But to do that he'd have to get the tenth Generation's mascot, for starters –as a sort of peace offering.

(Pfft, what were you thinking? Did you seriously think that Kyo-chan would just let him meet his Tsu-chan without the usual biting him to death? What are you high on, dear readers?

… Maybe he should stop breaking the fourth wall so casually. Writer-san is looking pretty pissed for a while now.)

….And now he's digressing. Where had he been, anyways?

"…I just don't see the need to do all this." A six year old Bluebell grumbled as she gestured towards the map spread over the table and the others surrounding it.

Byakuran's lips twitched at her words. it's not that he's patronizing her or anything, it's just…. her serious tone clashed so horribly with her chibi self –with baby fat clinging to her limbs- and the cookie crumbs over her mouth only added to the hilarity. He stuffed more marshmallows in his mouth to suppress his giggles and turned towards Daisy as he nodded, as if agreeing to Bluebell's words. While Kikyo and Zakuro exchanged an uneasy glance, and finally Kikyo asked with a bow, "Forgive me, Byakuran-sama, but Bluebell has a point. What are we looking for anyways?"

"Yeah, what idjit thing is so precious that you won't hesitate to waste money -as if it were paper- in it's hasty search in such a vast stretch of forest around Sicily, Byakuran-sama?" Zakuro grumbled.

"Don't say 'what' or 'it'. Say 'who' we're looking." Byakuran said cheerfully. The four of them leaned forward a bit in curiosity, and the chibi Mare Sky finally quelled their curiosity. "We're looking for a bird, actually."

That… had not been what they were expecting.

"A bird?" The four of them deadpanned in unison.

"Yup! And not just any bird, mind you." Byakuran notified them with a grin, "After all, Hibird-chan is not just any bird. He's Kyoya's bird, and that makes him someone under Tsu-chan's protection, which means I can get a chance to worm into their group-and mess around for shits and giggles-much, much earlier than my other selves. Yay! Go, me!" Byakura cheered.

(Somewhere in the Future!cannon Parallel World, Vongola Decimo Sawada Tsunayoshi felt a chill run down his spine, and wondered if Reborn was plotting something again for his Intuition to go haywire like this. Or maybe it's Mukuro this time. or maybe Byakuran.

Who knows? He can never tell with those three.)

EXTRA 2-

Hibird abruptly woke up from his sleep and scanned around his surroundings with his beady eyes warily. His instincts were screaming DangerdangerdangerdangerdanGER-! which was ridiculous. Nothing was wrong, at least. His so-called parents were resting some distance away from him in the nest, cuddling with their newly hatched chicks, as they wrapped their wings around the chicks in a protective embrace, while he stayed away from them. A few crickets chirped at night, and there might be an owl or two who hooted in the middle of the night, but there was no danger around him –he'd know, after all, he had lived with is human who was the epitome of everything ViolentPeriliousDangerousPredator- and hence become highly attuned to danger.

-Which is why it was so weird that everything was fine. Because if nothing was wrong, then why did he feel a chill ran down his spine? Why were his instincts screaming that somehow he would end up as a sacrificial offering under someone's schemes?

….Maybe it's just because of the hunger pangs. He must be delirious.

So, shrugging off the weird sensation, he fluffed his feathers, closed his eyes and went back to sleep. it must've been a false alarm anyways.

(He would regret that later. Definitely.)

Omake-

the Godparent Question, Pt. 1

When Fon entered the Meeting hall that day, he immediately knew that something was definitely wrong and wondered if he should just turn right back and walk out. But in the end he just shrugged it off and continued walking in the room. Whether it was because of the solemn atmosphere that hung over his fellow Arcobaleno as they glared at each other –more like Colonello, Lal, Skull and Verde had ganged up on Reborn and Viper who paid them no mind- or maybe it was because of the presence of another person who was attending this meeting for the first time in months –unlike them who had been meeting on and off these few years, and most of the time it was because of the shenanigans that ensued because of the mention of Kyoya and Nagi.

(Huh… Now to think of it, they had always wasted most of their time in their meetings in these past few months talking about nothing else but the (supposed) love affair between Fon, Reborn and Viper and their (obviously not real) children, and hence they hadn't gotten any work done these few months. No wonder Aria had to put her foot down to finally visit them and give them a piece of her mind.

…Thank goodness he had been absent during that particular lecture. He would never, ever dis Iemitsu ever again because that man had indirectly saved him from the ultimate torture he'd have definitely suffered from if he too had been unfortunate enough to be present in the Arcobaleno mansion during Aria's visit.

Hm… maybe as thanks he should ease his negotiations –*cough*harassment *cough*- against Iemitsu for trying to force bond on his precious little sister?…Never mind, he'll just treat Lal a few drinks on Iemitsu's behalf.

No way is he going to go easy on that asshole who dared to force Sky bond on his sister whose flames were sealed-! )

"Aria, fancy meeting you here." Fon nodded as he greeted the Sky Arcobaleno, who smiled at him in turn and shifted her big belly to sit comfortably –Colonello offered a pillow to ease her comfort and the pregnant woman thanked him softly- and he tilted his head and asked, "I thought you went back to Giglio-nero Headquarters?"

"Ah, I was going to go, but I was stopped because of some…. pressing issues." Aria shrugged.

"Oh? And what could those issues be?" Fon asked calmly as he made his way to the meeting table and sat next to Aria.

"Listen Fon, and listen well, coz I won't repeat this again. This is a matter of life and death, kora." Colonello said in a solemn tone, and Fon tensed, wondering what had happened. Did something happen while he had been harassing- ahem, negotiating with the CEDEF? Why hadn't he been informed of it, then? Colonello stared at Fon with a serious expression, making the Storm Arcobaleno uneasily lean forward a bit."Fon, my friend, we cannot put this off any longer." Colonello then spoke in an entirely serious tone –devoid of any humor-

.

.

.

"You have to choose one of us as godparents for your children, kora."

Fon's calm façade cracked a bit and a vein throbbed over his forehead as he couldn't help but glare at the Rain Arcobaleno, "Are you serious?!"

Colonello nodded seriously. "One-hundred percent sure."

Fon resisted the urge to throw his hands up in the air in exasperation and annoyance. By Trinisette, they can't be serious. This was the serious issue they had to discuss with him?! He had thought something really serious had happened –like that Vongola's cradle affair that had happened a few years ago. He had been so worried, and it all turned out for naught.

He was so done with them. Fucking idiots, the lot of them.

Fon resisted the urge to roll his eyes at their stupidity and glanced at the others, wondering if they too were feeling as incredulous as he was feeling at that moment, only to stare dumbfounded as the others –except Aria who was trying her best to smother her giggles (and failing spectacularly at that)- too stared back at him with utmost solemn attitude –as if what Colonello had said hadn't been some ridiculous shit and was actually something legit and worrying issue.

"Are you all high on something?" He couldn't help but quip when he saw that they were entirely serious.

"Don't joke around Fon, this is a serious matter." Reborn said solemnly. "This will affect the future of our children, how can you take it so lightly?" He admonished Fon.

"Are you seriously going to pretend that you really had children with me and Viper?" Fon asked in disbelief.

"What's the use of denying? It's not like they'll listen anyways, since these morons suffer from selective hearing. Besides, I like my child." Reborn said with a smirk. "See? The boy isn't even here and is still somehow causing chaos with his mere name. I wonder how much chaos he can cause in person…? He's truly worthy of being my son." Reborn said smugly.

"I feel that as long as I stay in your company my sanity will be chipped away even faster." Fon deadpanned.

Reborn waved his hand dismissively, "Why would you need sanity anyways? it's so overrated."

Fon sighed in exasperation and turned to Viper, "And why are you still going through with this nonsense?"

"It's good for business." Viper said with a shrug.

"Of course." Fon groaned. "Why did I even ask?"

"Are you done?" Lal asked impatiently. "We don't have all day, you know."

"Yeah!" Skull exclaimed. "Tell them Fon, that I'm the Godfather of your children!"

"Get lost, lackey!" Colonello exclaimed in annoyance as he kicked Skull away, making the Cloud fly from his seat and smash into a wall that crumbled on impact. "How dare you hog the Godfather rights all alone, kora? Obviously, I'm going to be their godfather."

Verde pushed his glasses up his nose and stared at Colonello with a sharp glint in his eyes. "Excuse me? I thought we agreed to leave it to the actual parents to decide who'll be the suitable godparents for little Nagi and Kyoya."

Lal scoffed. "Like hell they'd chose you as a godfather, Verde. You and your mad Science are obviously a hazard for children's health, Verde."

"You're the one to talk." Verde retorted. "You can't even fight for the godfather rights, because of something as trivial as your gender."

Lal smirked. "Which is why my position as the Godmother is obviously fixed, being the only female among the Cursed infants. Lucky~"

"If Lal will be godmother, then it's obvious that I am the right choice for Godfather!" Colonello boasted, and in turn earned the ire of Lal and Verde with his thoughtless comment.

"What are you implying, huh, lackey?" Lal glowered at him and hit him with the back of her rifle.

"Don't count chickens before they hatch." Verde shot him a stink eye and zapped him with lightning flames.

Fon groaned when he saw the argument getting worse –and even Rebon and Viper joined them some time later- and before he knew it they had started brawling in the Meeting Hall. He couldn't help but face-palm. Why did their meetings always ends up in a brawl?

Fon turned to the only sane person among this bunch of morons who wasn't participating in the brawl –not that she could in her pregnant state- and even had the authority –as the present Sky Arcobaleno- to stop this nonsense before it escalated further.

"Aria, Help!" Fon mouthed to her desperately, but Aria just waved off his concerns with a smile on her face.

"Oh, let this continue for a while. I haven't had this much fun in years!" Aria chuckled. "Let me laugh at your expense for a while. Don't you know that laughter is good for pregnant ladies?" Aria giggled. She then patted her big tummy and cooed fondly, "See Yuni-chan, your Great Uncles and Aunt are so funny, aren't they?"

The foetus kicked inside her belly, as if agreeing with her. Aria couldn't help but laugh.

A/N:-Byakuran is a manipulative asshole who likes to break the Fourth wall. Fon is still in denial. Aria is so amused with the Arcobaleno's antics and is wondering why the heck she hadn't joined them sooner. Viper is in for the money, while Reborn is only there because of the chaos the sheer mention of Kyoya's name causes. Colonello, Lal, Verde –and Skull- are the three stooges (plus one) whose only purpose of existence in this fic –for now- is to provide humor to the fic.

All in all, a normal update like usual. (Lol.)

A-Ahem. so... Reviews? Anyone?