OpalescentGold: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

Progress

This is how they grow.

Slap

Noriko pays little attention to the insistent girl screaming at Tsuna until she raises a hand and would have slapped Tsuna had he not automatically stopped her.

Then, she is suddenly, completely, utterly focused on the one who dares to attack her Sky.

Reasonable

Regardless of her anger, there is a reason Cynthia was the Vongola Adviser. Noriko does not lose her cool, does not act rashly. Rather, she listens closely to the following conversation and decides that there was simply a miscommunication.

Well that, and this Miura Haru comes to conclusions far too easily and has a thing about babies.

Disease

Noriko frowns. "Tsuna's dying from a disease caused by the Dying Will Bullets?" she echoes, brow furrowed. That is not what she wants to hear first thing in the morning.

Reborn nods, looking annoyingly composed and not at all worried. "That's right. You should probably hurry if you want to hear his last words."

She ignores the slight taunting tone of his voice - he has been trying to get a handle on her since their first meeting and hasn't succeeded yet - to turn on her heel and make her way to the Sawada household.

Embarrassing

"Tsuna," Noriko says, exasperated, when he attempts to push her away, cheeks aflame with humiliation, to prevent her from reading the secrets written all over his skin. "Stop that. There is nothing that will make me turn away from you."

And she means it, too.

Tsuna's cheeks go even redder, but he lets her envelop him in a hug and call Takeshi and Hayato. Doubtlessly, they will want to know about this.

Doctor

Noriko narrows her eyes at the sleazy-looking man on the doorstep. For the first and only time since they have met - trying to kill Tsuna was a bad first impression - she is in agreement with Bianchi. Killing this man would be for the good of the world.

Alas, there is her dying Sky to think of.

"Hi, beautiful," Shamal leers at her, reaching out with hands that are nonetheless stained with blood. "How about a kiss?"

Noriko pins him with the flattest stare she can offer and steps away. "Cure Tsuna," she demands. "And stay away from me."

Hideout

Reborn tricks Noriko, Tsuna, Hayato, and Takeshi into a meeting with the Leader of the Disciplinary Committee. She isn't sure what he's trying to pull, but shrugs it off and watches as Tsuna smiles placatingly at an irritated Kyoya.

"Hamburger steak tomorrow?" he offers weakly.

"Hn."

Pole

Noriko isn't at all interested in the whole pole knocking event although Ryohei is rearing to go and Tsuna is panicking over his new position as leader. Takeshi and Hayato are just happy to support Tsuna...despite his futile protests.

Even Kyoya gets drawn into the chaos. Apparently, he wants to fight Reborn, a "carnivore."

As can only be expected with nearly the entire family thrown in the mix, the whole thing collapses in a fantastic turnabout. Noriko just shakes her head and eats her cotton candy.

Killing

Noriko carefully kneels down and checks the breathing and heartbeat of the body on the floor. A second passes. Two. Three. The tension rises like a swelling wave until she rises to her feet and turns to face Tsuna, eyes unreadable.

Then, she smiles and claps her hands. "Congratulations, Tsuna! He's really dead!"

Tsuna blanches and briefly looks like he's going to pass out. His unsteady state isn't helped when Ryohei helpfully clasps a hand on his shoulder. "It's extremely okay, Sawada!" he booms. "We'll get through this!"

"Wao," Kyoya murmurs, leaning against the open window. "Your fangs are growing, little omnivore."

"What's with the sudden increase in respect!?" Tsuna shrieks, grabbing his head in his hands and falling to the floor. "I'm doomed! Doomed!"

"Calm down, Tsuna," Noriko soothes, settling down next to him to comb through his soft hair. "Hibari-san can deal with the body, right?"

Kyoya nods sharply, retrieving his cell phone. "I'll send someone from the Disciplinary Committee over."

"You're using the Committee to cover up a murder?" Takeshi deadpans, poking the corpse with his toe cautiously.

Fraud

As it turns out though, the "thief" wasn't actually dead. He is just someone Reborn called over to give Tsuna his first taste of death and cause a heart attack for everyone else.

At this, every single person in the room turns around to aim a glare at the baby hitman, who merely sips at his coffee, unperturbed.

It's times like these that Noriko ruefully remembers that the one who was best at planning revenge was Dae -

She cuts that thought off before it can incapacitate.

Birthday

Noriko is the one who organizes both Reborn and Tsuna's birthday parties, one on October 13th and one on October 14th. She's displeased when Nana all but admits to forgetting about her son's birthday, but doesn't show it.

She has long since come to reluctantly accept that Tsuna's parents are highly negligent of him, both in their different ways. Her own parents are ignorant of her activities and constantly busy with work, but they love her and are always there if she needs them.

Sawada Iemitsu, on the other hand, has been absent for almost the entirety of Tsuna's life. The realization of his status as a mafioso is an excuse; if he truly wants to spend time with his family, he would, regardless of his job.

Sawada Nana...well, she is a kind person, but she puts down her son more than she helps him. Her ditzy ways and passive nature do not endear her to Noriko, who would rather Nana deal with her marriage problems outright.

But that is Tsuna's family. She knows he will straighten out the mess when the time comes.