"Storms make oaks take deeper roots." – George Herbert

"Your uncle…?"

Kyoya didn't respond. Licking his lips, Tsuna prayed to every god he knew that Kyoya's uncle was some random turd.

They turned a corner and walked into a longer hallway. The lights dim, it was quiet, too quiet. Their slippers and soft breaths were the only sounds that breached the silence. Clutching his bag tighter to his chest, Tsuna hummed a nameless tune under his breath. It was more of a way to stop his ears from ringing.

Kyoya's voice was soft. "Are you afraid?"

Tsuna realized then how his heart thumped erratically against his chest, making it almost hard to breathe. He cleared his throat. "I'm fine. Just cold."

Tsuna nearly jumped when something light and warm draped over his small body. Kyoya had taken off his black haori and placed it around Tsuna's thin shoulders. He turned away too quickly for Tsuna to gauge his expression, but it was still odd. Tsuna just couldn't think of Decimo's Cloud Guardian as being so out rightly…kind. The haori smelled like green tea, reaching down to his calves and reminding him how short he was compared to Kyoya. He huffed.

"Giants," he mumbled. "Just fucking giants."

"You're just small, little animal."

Tsuna's brow twitched. "Why, thank you for reminding me, Mr. Giant. I didn't ask to be the size of a beansprout. How far can you hear anyways?"

Kyoya tilted his head slightly. "How far?" He mulled it over a second or two before saying, "Very far."

Tsuna deadpanned. "Oh, wow, I figured."

His breath hitched when they reached a large door. Kyoya slid it open without knocking. Tsuna almost gulped but coughed into his fist instead and forced himself to follow the other teen.

"The carnivore won't bite," Kyoya said softly in his ear, making Tsuna jump.

"Personal Space 101: Don't do that," Tsuna said, pushing him away, "unless you want to be labeled a creep."

Kyoya's lips twitched into a slight smile before leading him to another door. They entered a small room, which seemed more like a lobby of sorts. A painting hung on the pale walls, depicting a beautiful river with a tiger resting under a tree. There was some Chinese written at the bottom corner, but Tsuna couldn't get to read it when Kyoya opened another door.

His hands trembled when he smelled oolong tea in the air. Tsuna clutched his backpack tighter while following Kyoya inside, his steps almost dragging behind him.

"Kyoya, what a pleasant surprise," a familiar voice said.

Tsuna could only stare at the infant that sat on the small table. A cup of tea was placed in front of Fon, and his red pacifier hung around his neck, a sign of the curse. However, that wasn't what made Tsuna's breath hitch—Fon wore a black changshan instead of a red one.

Fon, he wanted to say, Fon, I'm so sorry.

But he couldn't. This wasn't his Storm.

Kyoya bowed—he actually bowed—towards his uncle. Decimo's Cloud Guardian rarely ever went near Fon unless it was absolutely necessary, which was always a stretch, a very thin one.

"Carnivore."

Fon nodded back in greeting. His unnervingly sharp eyes soon caught Tsuna's gaze. God, he looked like Fon—but he wasn't his Fon. The cursed infant still had braided hair and wore traditional Chinese clothing, but his smile, no matter how pleasant it seemed, didn't reach his eyes. They looked anything but friendly. The infant in front of him wasn't his kind and gentle Fon—he was…

Tsuna didn't know and he didn't want to.

"And you brought a little chick with you, I see."

Tsuna had to stop himself from gaping. He tried to find the words to speak, but quickly went against whatever popped up in his head. Fon just said that. He really said that. Not once did his Fon ever indulge in Decimo's Cloud Guardian's bizarre animal analogies—he complained about it, not encouraged it.

"Your uncle…is a baby," Tsuna finally said, not caring how meek he sounded.

"He is a carnivore," Kyoya said, as if that justified everything.

Fon's smile never wavered, but there was a curious glint in his dark eyes that wasn't so innocent. Tsuna couldn't help but shudder.

"Where are my manners? Please, do come and sit. I was just enjoying some tea."

Tsuna didn't move from his spot, even when Kyoya walked over and sat down across from Fon.

"I—I shouldn't," Tsuna said, mentally cursing his stutter.

Fon tilted his head slightly. "Ah, but I insist." He brought up one of his long sleeves to cover his mouth. "I assure you, young one, I won't bite unless necessary."

Tsuna made a small face. "How is that supposed to reassure me?"

Fon's eyes somewhat crinkled, his amusement apparent. "I suppose it doesn't. But please, I won't ask again."

Fon spoke so pleasantly, Tsuna almost believed him—almost. However, he wasn't stupid. Though that wasn't the ideal trait this Fon shared with his Storm, he knew Fon—patient, kind, and gentle Fon. Ignoring his heart squeezing in his chest, Tsuna slowly walked over to sit beside Kyoya and placed his bag to the side.

Fon glanced at Kyoya's haori on his shoulders. "I see my nephew has taken a liking to you. You must be quite the catch. Are you perhaps interested in imprinting him, Kyoya?"

Tsuna clenched his jaw to keep it from dropping. "Excuse me?"

Fon chuckled, but it didn't sound reassuring, and glanced at Kyoya who looked a bit amused. The joke was lost to Tsuna. He was still reeling from the fact that Fon of all people indulged Kyoya with his animal, herbivore, carnivore bullshit.

"Perhaps I was too forward?"

"Very," Tsuna deadpanned.

"I apologize. My nephew rarely brings anyone home, much less a little chick, so I can only be curious, you see."

Tsuna felt like he just stepped into the twilight zone. What the fuck was he hearing? Shrugging off the haori from his shoulders, he roughly shoved it into Kyoya's hands.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said. "But please stop calling me a 'little chick'. This situation is already less than ideal for me and you're not helping in the slightest."

Sometimes his Storm could be dense and all Tsuna had to do was be blunt with him to get his point across, but this… This was just a whole other level.

Fon's lips twitched into a small smile. "I understand. You see, the best way to communicate with Kyoya is to refer to animal terminology, which I recognize is uncomfortable for many people. I hope you understand."

Tsuna furrowed his brows. "I'm sorry? Your nephew's also a human being and you're talking to him like he's some kind of, well, animal."

Kyoya huffed. "I am a carnivore."

Tsuna gaped. "Did you not hear what I just said about"—He clicked his tongue—"Never mind. Forget it. I'm too tired for this shit. And stop calling me 'little animal'. I have a name."

Fon chuckled. "My, it appears you really found an interesting chick, Kyoya."

Tsuna's brow twitched. "If you call me chick one more time, I'll personally see to it that you never see daylight again, sir."

Fon just smiled. "Ah, where are my manners? I am Fon, Kyoya's uncle. And you are?"

Tsuna pursed his lips. God, he should've just went home. "Tsuna."

"And no surname?"

"I'm only returning the same courtesy. Also, I'm not an idiot. I know you people…aren't normal."

Definitely yakuza, Tsuna thought wearily.

Fon chuckled. "You are quite an amusing boy, Tsuna."

Tsuna's heart ached when he heard his name. It was too painful, too surreal, yet it felt so wrong and so right at the same time. He was looking at Fon again, his Storm. But this Fon wasn't his Storm. This Fon wasn't his Fon.

"Thank you," he said tightly. "I live to please."

Fon turned to Kyoya as he sipped his cup of tea. "And what brings you here, Kyoya? This is a rather pleasant surprise, but you rarely come without reason."

Kyoya had his eyes focused on the table, not looking up once during the one-sided conversation. It was an odd display of respect towards his uncle, and Tsuna couldn't help but be a little creeped out. Decimo's Cloud Guardian never saw eye-to-eye with Fon, who kept quiet about how much it hurt to see the only blood-relative he had left brush him off so easily.

"You heard about the herbivore," Kyoya said.

Fon sighed. "Yes, I have." He narrowed his eyes, which instantly put Tsuna on edge. "Yuji is a fool for going in the first place. He never heeds my warnings. Did you deal with his men?"

Kyoya looked rather proud when he spoke, "I culled them from the herd."

Fon nodded. "As it should be." He regarded Tsuna with a thin smile. "Isn't it fitting to cut the weak at the roots immediately to allow others to grow further?"

Tsuna widened his eyes. He didn't speak, too afraid of telling Fon that he agreed—Tsuna was the one who thought that way, not his Fon. But… this wasn't his Fon.

"Why not…cultivate them?" Tsuna said almost meekly, repeating what his Storm had always told him. "Even if they were weak, they…had their uses."

Fon's eyes turned colder despite his pleasant smile, sending shivers down Tsuna's spine. "In our world, it is kill or be killed, Tsuna. There is nothing in-between. Their incompetence in protecting my brother is unacceptable. We do not accept mistakes here." He picked up his cup of tea. "They are replaceable. We are not the strongest yakuza in Tokyo for nothing, you see."

Tsuna clenched his hands into fists on his lap. Blood rushed in his ears, and he felt his heart pick up its pace while this Fon's words repeated over and over again in his head. If Tsuna wasn't so weary, he would've snickered at the idea of having Fon agree with his ideologies—but this wasn't his Fon. It had always been a fun little hobby to test the other man's patience and see when (and if) he'd snap. It had only happened once when Tsuna encountered some violent patients and nearly lost an arm if Fon hadn't swooped in like a raging typhoon; but even then, Tsuna hadn't done it intentionally. There had been a large turf war that night and it wasn't like Tsuna could turn the Mafioso away.

"I don't see any point in punishing others for what they lack in, Tsunayoshi. You were quite hard on Viola. She's still young and has much to learn. Guide her, teach her, be patient—then she'll eventually be the person you can turn to with confidence. I believe you can do it."

Tsuna released a shaky breath. "Yakuza, huh?"

Fon tilted his head. "Are you alright, Tsuna? You look pale."

"I'm fine. Just…cold."

This time, he wasn't lying. Kyoya huffed before draping his haori again over Tsuna's shoulders. "You will be useless if you get sick, little animal. Keep it on."

"Stop calling me 'little animal'," Tsuna said, unconsciously pulling the haori tighter around his body. "I will punch you."

Kyoya slightly smirked. "You can try."

"Just wait and see, you little prick."

Fon watched the small exchange with a slight smile. "You certainly picked up an interesting one, Kyoya."

Tsuna just sighed. He wasn't even going to bother. The other occupants in the room merely glanced at him in amusement.

"He saved the herbivore's life," Kyoya said.

Fon raised a brow. "As in he was the one who performed the surgery? My, you are becoming even more interesting by the second, Tsuna." He tilted his head. "And you are only twelve, I presume?"

"Fourteen," Tsuna deadpanned.

"Ah, how young. But still, what you did was a magnificent feat. I must admit, you don't exactly look much."

Tsuna couldn't even bring himself to smile at the blunt way Fon addressed him. "His femoral artery took the most damage. I just stabilized it in time before it got worse. Sutured the artery. Great medical equipment you guys have. Deserves a gold star. Give the inventory guy a raise."

Tsuna left out the part about how the boss' subordinates flailed like a bunch of idiots. He internally grimaced. Ah, fuck, he didn't want to agree with this Fon or his Fon for that matter. If Fon was like this in this world, he didn't want to know how the others were. God, just thinking about it already elevated his blood pressure. He really needed that whiskey—now.

Fon smiled. "Why thank you. We only acquire the best."

"The little animal should stay," Kyoya said.

"Oh? But he is young, Kyoya."

"As a herd doctor."

"Ah, well, that doesn't sound terrible; however, how do we know if he can be trusted?"

"You don't," Tsuna said, his brow twitching. "Look, I just want my clothes back. I'm not a threat to any of your turfs or alliances, I have no affiliation with any yakuza here whatsoever—I only moved here a few weeks ago. I don't know you or whatever business you have going on in Kokuyo, Tokyo, Japan, whatever. I just want to leave. Isn't that better for both of us?"

"He has fire inside him," Kyoya said, disregarding everything Tsuna just said.

Tsuna pinched the bridge of his nose. He wondered how long it'd take for him to get mauled into pieces if he punched Kyoya right now or if he'd be able to at all. Well, he could try—nah, that was basically suicide.

Fon tilted his head. "Oh?"

"But they are small."

Fon raised a brow. "Small?"

"Don't even think about it," Tsuna said, grabbing his backpack. "I don't want any of you near me."

He flinched when Fon raised a hand and released a small red flame on his palm. It pulsed with suppressed power that made shivers crawl up Tsuna's spine. There was a warmth to it, but it wasn't as prominent as the raging crackles underneath the pale inner layer. What was worse was the very faint trail of Harmonization that hummed around the flame—Fon already had a Sky.

Tsuna didn't know how to feel about that. For one thing, he was frustrated that Fon already harmonized; but on the other hand, this wasn't his Fon. He just…didn't know. Was he supposed to be angry? He should be, right? But this Fon was different—he just wasn't his Storm.

"Don't be afraid," Fon said softly. "It can't hurt you." He chuckled. "Well, unless I say otherwise. Are you familiar with this, Tsuna?"

Tsuna held his backpack tighter. "I don't—Why are you showing me that?"

"These exist in everyone," Fon said casually. "But they only manifest when a person's resolve is very powerful." He captured Tsuna's gaze then, his dark eyes almost taking on a reddish glow. "What is yours, Tsuna, to have manifested your own flames?"

Tsuna's knuckles turned white. "I—I don't know what you're talking about. You're all a bunch of lunatics."

"He's warm," Kyoya said, almost wistfully. "They are small but still warm, like Mother."

Fon tilted his head. "May I, Tsuna?"

Tsuna glared. "No." He stood up quickly, trying hard not to trip over his own feet. "Thank you, but this is as far as I'll let this go."

Smiling slightly, Fon distinguished his flame and retracted his hand in his long sleeve. "I apologize. I did not mean to frighten you."

Tsuna's heart clenched when he tossed Kyoya's haori on the teen's lap. "I hope I never see you again."

He didn't look back when he left the room or uttered any thanks when a maid returned his clean uniform. He didn't speak when he returned Kyoya's clothing or slipped on his shoes.

He only moved forward, feeling even worse with every trembling step.

"Are you alright, Tsu-kun?"

Tsuna continued stirring his miso soup with his spoon. "Hm?"

He flinched when a cool hand rested on his forehead. Nana frowned. "Well, you don't have a temperature."

Tsuna shook his head. "I'm fine. Just…tired." He forced a smile. "I had a lot of homework last night and didn't get much sleep. I guess…I had too much fun yesterday."

Nana laughed. "Well, young boys play hard. Don't push yourself too much." She squeezed his shoulder. "You can always come to me if you need anything, you know that, right?"

Tsuna nodded. "I know. Thank you, Mama."

Nana ruffled his hair and Tsuna wasn't lying about missing her warm touch already. His grip tightened around his spoon. He didn't know how long he could keep this up. Honestly, it'd be so much easier to let this all go, but he couldn't. After meeting Fon yesterday though, he was even more terrified to meet the others.

"Can I ask you something, Mama?"

Nana paused in washing the dishes. She peered over her shoulder with surprisingly determined eyes. "Of course. Don't be afraid to ask me anything, Tsu-kun."

"How do you cope?" Tsuna averted his gaze down to his barely touched rice. "When Otou-san isn't around?"

He heard dishes clink in the sink and the water running at a leisurely pace. He wasn't sure why he asked that or why it bothered him. Nana didn't talk about Iemitsu a lot and the only traces of the man were his late-night phone calls and monthly bank deposits. Tsuna knew little about the man from his world—Iemitsu had been a civilian who just happened to be a descendant of Primo. Here, he was the head of CEDEF.

When Nana spoke, her voice was soft. "I do what I can. I take care of you and the house, but"—She wiped her hands with a towel—"sometimes, I still feel like I'm not all there." She chuckled. "You might not understand, Tsu-kun. Maybe not until you're older."

"I know you cry sometimes at night," Tsuna said, making her tense. "I know you clean your wedding photo every chance you get. I know you're hurting inside." He set down his spoon on his table. "I know things, Mama. I'm not stupid."

Nana widened her eyes. "Oh no, Tsu-kun! That's not what I meant!"

Tsuna smiled almost bitterly. "Yeah, I know. That came out wrong. I'm sorry. I was just curious, that's all. You don't have to tell me anything but know that I'm here…if you want to talk, too. I'm…young, but I'm not dumb."

Nana let out a shaky breath before smiling brightly. She reached over to ruffle his hair. "You're truly kind, Tsu-kun. Thank you. The same goes for me, okay?"

Tsuna returned her smile much easier now. "Yeah."

For a moment, he felt just a little whole again.

Tsuna somehow managed to get through Thursday even if he ended up dozing off in some classes.

Yawning, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and left homeroom when the dismissal bell rang. He maneuvered his way through the throng of students with ease, his thoughts wandering here and there. Ah, fuck. Right—join a club. He clicked his tongue. Before he knew it, he ended up outside the same science lab he went to yesterday. The door was closed but he could hear some students chattering inside.

Tsuna wasn't so sure he wanted to go in. Seeing too many faces from his old life wasn't exactly the greatest thing that was happening so far and with his rotten luck, he might as well dig himself a deeper grave.

"It's you again."

Tsuna flinched. He slowly turned to see the Goro-poser walk up to him. The other man held some textbooks, a bizarre image when his Goro never even touched magazines.

Tsuna mentally cursed at his sudden inability to speak. "Um, I—I was just looking."

Goro's thin lips slightly twitched upward. "You seemed to have left in a hurry the other day."

Tsuna flushed. "Oh, that's because…there was something else I had to do that I forgot…"

"I see. Will you be joining us today then?"

Tsuna took a step back. "I—I have to think about it more…"

Goro nodded. "Alright. Well, we'll be here tomorrow as well. I hope to see you again, young man. No pressure though."

"Tsunayoshi." Tsuna swallowed a small lump in his throat. "Sawada Tsunayoshi. You can call me Tsuna."

Goro smiled then, looking infinitely kinder than Fon yesterday. Tsuna mentally shook his head. Fuck. "It's nice to meet you then, Sawada-kun. I hope to see you tomorrow."

"Yeah…"

Turning, Tsuna walked quickly through the empty hallways, the air too quiet save for his rushed steps. His legs nearly gave out when he finally exited the building. Taking in some deep breaths, Tsuna forced himself to move again. He just couldn't face any of them. Why? Why couldn't he? Just, why?

What the fuck was wrong with him?

His thoughts were cut short when a black car suddenly skidded to a halt in front of him. Yelping, Tsuna fell back onto his butt and winced. He rubbed his tailbone when the backseat window rolled down.

"Fuck," he said, biting his lip.

Tsuna's heart sank when he heard, "Get in the car, little animal."

A/N …Wow, look at that… That's Fon… :^)))

So, there are some minor differences I made in Fon in this world, ahaha. Let me know what you think, yeah? :^D

Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites, and follows! (showers you all with chocolate)

Thank you for reading as well! I hope to see you again in the next chapter!

Have a lovely day~

Little Miss Bunny

Revised: 4/23/2018