A/N

Sorry for being later than usual! Between birthday parties and midterms, I didn't have nearly as much time to write. And on that note, the chapters will slow down because I have a giant research paper (that's pretty much my whole grade in the class) and midterms coming up. For whatever reason, real life actually is important (who knew?). Anyways, away with the excuses! You guys are awesome, and I got a record 13 reviews in a single chapter! Really love you all (non-creepy, author to fan way...). This chapter will not be Hibari joining our gang (sorry to disappoint), however we do find out what that giant room that was apparently large enough to fight elephants in (Oh, Tsuna...) is for. So enjoy, and thanks for reading!

iJutsu and Guest: Thanks for answering my question!

Lost Innocent: THANK YOU! For both the criticism and the love, you have my gratitude. I will watch for that from now on, so stop in to see if I get any better (or worse!). And no, I find it more flattering than creepy, so you're fine.

DISCLAIMER: Tsuna never officially became Decimo, so I don't own it.

9.

When Tsuna woke up, it was 7:00 according to his clock. He was going to miss dinner if he didn't hurry! Tsuna straightened out his suit, trying to look a little less crumpled. Running out the door, his shoes already on his feet, he made it to the cafeteria in record time. Entering, he noticed that attention was focused on him. It had begun with the people closest to him and quickly spread as everyone stared at the new arrival.

Tsuna was self-conscious under all the attention and went to grab his food, feeling the eyes follow his every movement. Quickly going to sit down with the others, he noticed the whispers persisted, people removing feet from his path as he all but ran to his seat. Sitting down, he noticed even the people at his table were staring at him. "W-what's wrong, guys?" Tsuna asked, a little afraid of the answer. Due to the quiet, the question traversed the whole room, making Tsuna feel as though he was addressing the whole room and not just his group of friends.

Yamamoto turned a growing grin at the boy, Ryohei gave a hearty laugh, and Lambo looked at Tsuna with a beaming admiration. Chrome just silently pointed at Tsuna. Mukuro was the one who actually said something, "You're famous,my little Tsunayoshi."

"Huh?" Tsuna asked, trying to think of what he could've done to gain fame.

"Tsuna, you EXTREMELY beat up all those guys in Storm! Everyone's EXTREMELY talking about it," Ryohei clarified helpfully. Tsuna paled before looking around the whole room, everyone's eyes on him expectantly.

"B-but that wasn't... I didn't…" Tsuna stammered, unable to form a coherent answer.

"You did!" came another voice. The boy he had saved was walking up to him, a grin on his face. "It was amazing! You suddenly show up and explode into your Flame. No wonder you didn't want to show it at the class-picking! It was huge!"

Tsuna didn't know how to react to the boy's enthusiasm. He had merely done what he had thought right at the moment, yet if it had this big of an effect, Tsuna almost wished he had left it well-enough alone. But he knew he couldn't have. Tsuna sighed. What a mess this is. "It was a fluke, I swear! It was just… spontaneous. I don't think I could do it again."

With that, the rest of the room let out almost a collective sigh of disappointment, hoping to have found another strong fighter in the school at last. A few people still kept an eye on his though, only half-listening to the conversations at their tables, but Tsuna could ignore them.

The silver-haired boy looked put-out. "Can I at least sit with you then?" he asked, convinced that his savior was being humble. His savior was a thing of awe to the boy now, someone who could do no wrong after his earlier heroics showed his true character.

Tsuna thought for a moment. "I don't see why not," Tsuna said, looking at the others for confirmation. There was a general agreement – if Tsuna didn't mind, they wouldn't – so the boy took a seat to the right of Tsuna. As it now stood, Tsuna was at the middle with the boy to his right and Yamamoto to his left, leaving the last seat in the row open. On the other side of the table were Ryohei with Lambo next to him. Mukuro and Chrome sat next to each other with Ken, Chikusa, and M.M. taking seats at the connected table. "I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi. Friends just call me Tsuna," Tsuna said, smiling at the boy.

He didn't expect the boy to blush profusely and say, "I could never call my savior by his first name, Sawada!"

Tsuna shook his head at the formality but let it go, "So, what's your name?"

The boy looked at Tsuna, open-mouthed, before recovering, "I'm Gokudera Hayato. You may call me whatever you wish."

"Thank you, Gokudera," Tsuna said, returning the courtesy. It would be uncomfortable calling someone by their first name when they wouldn't return the favor. All of a sudden, his eyes began to heat up, the originally irritating burn just a pulsing heat. He smiled weakly at Gokudera before rubbing his eyes, remembering it would at least get rid of the sensation.

As with the last few times, Tsuna missed Gokudera eyes widening. The teen began a, "Sawada…" but was quickly interrupted by the tap of a sheath against his back from further down the line. Frowning, Gokudera leaned back and opened his mouth to yell when he saw a serious face on Yamamoto who was mouthing quite clearly, "Don't tell. Just shut up." Feeling gazes from the rest of the table, Gokudera realized that they all knew but were keeping it from Sawada for some reason. Confused but unwilling to make enemies of Sawada's companions, Gokudera nodded and shut his mouth just as Tsuna raised his head, the heat alleviated.

Gokudera was then introduced to the rest of the table. He seemed to have a very volatile personality when it came to anyone except Tsuna. Yamamoto and Gokudera got off to bad start due to the overfriendliness of the former. Lambo had managed to annoy Gokudera, earning himself a shouting fight within moments of meeting the other. Ryohei had been criticized for how loud he was, and Mukuro had been deemed too creepy to be anywhere near Tsuna. Chrome was approved of, partially because Gokudera turned into a complete gentleman when he addressed women. Ken, Chikusa, and M.M. hadn't left much of an impression and the reverse was true, just a couple of exchanged insults. Theirs were the most normal introductions.

"Hey, Tsuna," Yamamoto said suddenly, breaking off mid-conversation with Ryohei, "congratulations on earning your colors!" Yamamoto then put his arm around Tsuna's shoulders as his smile grew. Tsuna looked confusedly at Yamamoto, who pointed at the shirt he had in. Tsuna took a chance to properly assess what he looked like, surprised to find that there was indeed orange where the gray had been.

"But I've been wearing these clothes all day. They were gray when I went to sleep, how did it…?" Tsuna trailed off, suddenly not wanting the answer. This school had too many secrets, but that was one he didn't really need to know.

Yamamoto looked at him with a question in his eyes, but Tsuna waved it off. The rest of the table looked at Tsuna, noticing that the boy had indeed had color added into his uniform. There was a quick round of congratulations, everyone knowing how important it had been to the brunet, Ryohei's being the loudest of course.

Tsuna couldn't help the smile on his face, feeling as though he'd finally set himself on the path he needed to. He didn't realize the grin was contagious as everyone else began to grin as well, some smaller than others but the sentiment was shared nonetheless. Amid the jovial atmosphere, dinner ended far too soon.

They walked to the stairs together, continuing their banter until the girls said good night. The boys then climbed the stairs losing their members one by one as they left for their rooms, conversation slowly losing to yawns. Waving good-night, Tsuna once more entered his room to properly sleep, stopping mid-yawn in shock as he took in the room.

The floor with a now orange rug set off the brighter orange walls with its contrast. His desk chair had an orange seat cushion; there were orange pens and orange-bordered paper sitting on it now. The window now had orange curtains and the glass was tinted with a very subtle orange that seemed to disappear when you approached and grew more prominent as you got further to the side. His bed had various shades of oranges on the sheets, the comforter being a darker orange and his sheets a pale orange. It was like walking into an orange wonderland. Not that Tsuna minded; orange was his favorite color. Walking into the bathroom, Tsuna couldn't help but laugh at the shower curtain that had been turned orange as well with little smiling oranges randomly placed. The floor mats were orange as well, but luckily the floor tiles remained white. That would've been a bit much in Tsuna's opinion. However, the bath towels had also been dyed orange.

Tsuna took a quick shower before looking through his closet, already knowing what he'd find. And sure enough, his pajamas were now orange. His uniform was now orange where the gray had previously been. It was strangely fitting, but Tsuna did wonder how they had managed to completely re-do the room in the time it had taken him to eat dinner. There was even an orange alarm clock next to his bed.

Tsuna shook his head in wonder before noticing one new addition to his room that hadn't been there before. There was an orange-tinted glass shelf along part of one wall, his drawstring bag lying on the top. Reaching inside the bag, Tsuna began to personalize the room properly. He pinned a calendar up on the wall to keep track of what day it was. He placed the family photo he had brought on the shelf, where he was sure to see it. The small box of snacks he'd brought from home went also went on the shelf. It was just a simple box of grape candies; he decided to start keeping one in his pocket from now on. Maybe Lambo would like one? Tsuna would have to see. There were also various school supplies in there, but Tsuna decided to just leave those alone for right now.

Tsuna properly went to bed, snuggling underneath the covers. Things were looking up.

The next morning, Tsuna didn't even have trouble waking up, energy buzzing through him at the thought of what the day would bring. He'd finally lit his Flame! That meant that he was officially a student, not an outcast. Putting his suit on and liking the orange on him, Tsuna felt a grin form. When he left this room, he nearly rammed into someone. "Good morning, Sawada," called a familiar voice. Gokudera was grinning, his hands behind his back as he waited for Tsuna. It was a little weird to have someone waiting outside his door for him, and Tsuna had a bad feeling this was only the beginning.

He was right.

Gokudera had insisted on carrying his food, taking a little for himself to taste for poison. Tsuna had never heard anything so insane before, but he let the boy do as he liked, thinking he was just looking for a way to repay Tsuna for helping him with the bullies despite Tsuna's emphasis that it really was unnecessary. After finally giving Tsuna the okay to eat, Gokudera had continued to watch him, a puppy in everyone's eyes.

Tsuna sighed. "You'd better eat before the food gets cold," Tsuna advised.

"Ah, thank you, Sawada!" Gokudera said. "As expected of you. Your care for others knows no bounds!" Without hesitation, he was on the floor bowing, to which a flustered Tsuna quickly waved him back up to the table before anyone could see such a spectacle.

Tsuna was blushing at the high praise. It wasn't that big of a deal. This boy kept blowing things out of proportion. Luckily, the others seemed to have already brushed it off as a quirk and ignored it. Yamamoto began talking sports with Ryohei, the only other person who knew what was he was talking about. Gokudera and Lambo got into a kicking fight under the table in the seconds that Gokudera had returned to his seat. Mukuro and Chrome were just eating normally, Mukuro seemingly planning something with the other three. Tsuna almost didn't want to know what they had in mind. He could already tell that they were a disturbing group when left to their own devices.

Tsuna couldn't help but feel a stark contrast between who he was now and who he had been just a few days before. He didn't just sit silently in the classroom and eat, praying no one came up to him; he knew he had a place at a table if he wanted it. His teachers didn't ridicule him. Then again, they hadn't seen him try to do school work yet, but Tsuna was trying to be more positive than he had been. Must be Ryohei's influence, Tsuna thought fondly.

Even their group of friends seemed happier. They all seemed to balance each other out well: the creepiest and the sweetest; the youngest and the eldest; the calmest and most volatile. Tsuna couldn't help but think that for a bunch of Mafiosi – he still choked a little on the word, but he was getting better – they weren't all that different from regular teenagers.

From across the room, a certain boy bunched his fists into tight balls as he watched the group and their loud conversations. Something about the male with the pineapple haircut got on his nerves, but the whole group was too loud and was crowding way too much. He smirked to himself. Yes, he would have to bite those herbivores to death. Especially the one that took on five other students single-handedly. It would be fun.

On his side, Tsuna felt his skin crawl. From what, he wasn't sure, but someone certainly wanted something less than friendly with him. He shook it off, trying to enjoy the rest of his breakfast in relative peace. How he managed to do so amid the yelling, threats, and occasional bits of flying food, he wasn't sure, but he did. Breakfast finished and Tsuna once more headed for his class, unaware there was one who had taken a very dangerous interest in him.

All the teachers had been notified when Tsuna had awakened his Flame, not that they hadn't already noticed. It wasn't as though the Flame had been small, and what kind of teachers would they be if they couldn't even detect a Flame? But it was a formality. Regardless, when Tsuna walked in, Luce's eyes automatically jumped to his clothes, noting with satisfaction that they were indeed orange. Now that all her students had properly introduced themselves and their Flames were confirmed, she could do more with them. This is going to be fun, she thought, an amused gleam taking up residence in her eyes.

When all six students arrived, Luce ushered them through the doors to the left – the giant room, Tsuna noted – where Aria was already waiting. "We start the good stuff now," Luce said happily. "Now we get to play with our Flames. So first, everyone light up. The key phrase is Sorgi, Fiamma del Cielo. Try to hold the Flame in your hands. If you control it well enough, it won't burn you."

With a small grunt of the phrase, Xanxus was the first, holding his Flame in his hands. It had a red tint to the outside, indicative of his powerful affinity to the Storm Flame as well. He looked impatient as he regarded the other students, who were slower to light theirs.

Byakuran managed to light his the same way, but had a bit of trouble getting the Flame off his back – where it had appeared for whatever reason – and into his palms. After a little bit of concentration, he managed to do it. At about the same time, Yuni managed to capture her Flame in her hands as well.

Dino had his face screwed up in concentration. It was a little comical to watch, but with a determined mutter of, "Sorgi, Fiamma del Cielo," he too eventually got a Flame flickering in his hands. Enma wasn't having any luck with his Flame though. After several frustrating moments, Luce shared an indescribable look with Aria before walking over to Enma and whispering something into his ear. He looked startled at whatever the woman said, before nodding and mumbling the phrase underneath his breath. With a cry of delight, his Flame appeared but there was a darker tint to his, almost a burnt orange. It would've been something close to having an impure Flame, but that wasn't the case; it was the same color through and through, just darker. Tsuna would wonder about that when he wasn't trying to desperately light the Flame he needed.

After several minutes, Tsuna still couldn't make it appear. There didn't seem to be any kind of reaction at all; the warmth completely evaded him. His classmates began to get restless and he could feel the glare of Xanxus stabbing into his back. Luce nodded at Aria to go help the boy. Tsuna looked up as Aria approached, wondering if he was going to get yelled at for being inadequate.

"Tsuna, you know Flames are fueled by the Dying Will, a fierce determination, right?" Tsuna nodded, remembering what he'd been told yesterday, and Aria continued, "Then think about what happened yesterday when you managed to light it. Just feel those feelings once more." Tsuna looked at her in surprise; he hadn't expected the teachers to know about it.

Tsuna thought hard, remembering exactly what had happened the moment the burning had begun. It first started appearing when Gokudera was getting beat up, but what had sent him over the edge were the insults towards his family. "I just need to think about that?" Tsuna asked, receiving a nod in confirmation.

Concentrating on what happened yesterday, Tsuna thought about how hurt Gokudera had looked when his mother was called those horrible names. No one deserved to be called that. Then they had proceeded to beat him. It was five-on-one for crying out loud! There was no way he could handle all five at once. Tsuna felt his blood begin to boil with his desire to protect, the burning beginning to return to his body. But it wasn't hot enough yet; it wasn't almost unbearable yet. After all, he had taken care of that situation and now Gokudera was fine. Safe.

Tsuna continued to think, remembering Lambo's tears the other day after being called useless, how he had nearly believed it, how he wasn't safe from those biting words when Tsuna wasn't there. Tsuna felt his righteous anger flare up at the cruelty of others who were jealous of those who were different from them. The burning intensified and Tsuna realized he only needed one small push to light up. As he searched for the final push, the rest of his class was staring, including his teacher.

Tsuna's hands were beginning to turn orange, a Flame flickering over them. But it wasn't only his hands; his forehead was also nursing a small Flame. The whole time he'd been getting his Flame fired up, his presence had gradually demanded more and more respect, a pressure that could be felt by everyone in the room. Luce couldn't help but look in slight awe at the boy, admitting Reborn did know how to pick them.

Tsuna found the final straw: Chrome. He relived the moment he saw her fall to her knees, how horrified he was that he could do nothing against whatever was hurting her, how much he wanted to just take all her pain away. To keep her safe. The burning grew unbearable and Tsuna just let it out, releasing the heat into the outside world.

With a whisper of "Sorgi, Fiamma del Cielo," a whumpf of something catching on fire was heard and Tsuna lit, Flames licking up and down his whole body. Dino whistled in shock. Xanxus merely raised an eyebrow, and Byakuran looked at Tsuna with interest. Yuni mirrored Byakuran's interest and Enma could help but have his eyes widen at the size of the Flame. Luce placed a hand over her eyes at how bright and pure the Flame was, the smile on her face growing larger. Luce began to walk up to Tsuna when Tsuna opened his eyes. Luce's smile twisted into a puzzled frown as she saw orange overtake brown and an abnormally calm expression fall over the boy. She'd have to ask Reborn about that.

Tsuna felt the calm begin to descend on him, embracing it. It was a feeling that he was actually in control of his actions; that he could do anything he wanted with the Flame without thought. He saw Luce approach, a strange expression on her face. "Tsuna?" Luce asked, puzzlement lacing her voice. This is the same boy that sat in my class the other day, isn't it?

"Yes, Luce?" Tsuna said, his voice holding undertones of excitement within the calm.

Luce was relieved as she noted the undertone. He was still the same person. "Tsuna, dear, I need you to reduce your Flame to something you can hold in your hand. It's a little too big for what we need to do."

Tsuna frowned slightly, "How do I do that?"

Luce, happy she finally got a Tsuna-ish question, proceeded to show him herself. Bringing her own orange Flame into the mix, she went step-by-step, "You want to keep the Flame contained within your skin and feel as though you opened a small gap in your palms where the Flame can escape. Then you can form it with your thoughts into a sphere. Just imagine it as you're holding a globe of fire." With a flourish, Luce banished the Flame once more.

Tsuna wrinkled his brow at her response. He didn't want that boiling to remain in his body; he wanted to let it out. "But it hurts."

Luce was taken aback by that. There could be discomfort, but it shouldn't hurt. She took the sympathetic route though, saying, "I know, dear, but it will only be temporary."

Tsuna shook a bit as he attempted to retract his Flame, gradually reducing the size until it disappeared back into his skin. It kind of hurt. It was almost comparable to getting a caffeine rush and being forced to stay still despite the energy running rampant within. The Flame on his forehead never diminished though, nor did the orange in his eyes. Biting his lip against the burning in his body, Tsuna concentrated on his palms, releasing his Flame bit by bit.

The class watched as both of his palms lit up simultaneously, each holding a large orb of writhing orange fire. Luce was once again taken aback by the size of the orbs. That's more Flame than some students had in their whole bodies!

Tsuna looked expectantly at Luce. Noticing all her students were waiting for what to do next, Luce composed herself and continued, "Line up in front of Aria and me. We'll do some basic tricks with our Flames and you're going to try to copy them to the best of your ability. It'll help with your control."

The students lined up and Luce and Aria lit up their Flames. Sky Flame students seemed to have an ingrained control over their Flames. It commonly resulted in a faster learning rate, and Luce knew it would be a job-and-a-half to keep them occupied. They began with a basic sequence, making the globes of Flame float above their heads before having it orbit them. Tsuna was actually the first one to be able to do it, being able to move both globes at the same time. Xanxus was the second with Dino and Byakuran quickly behind him. Enma had a bit of trouble with his flames, seeming to have trouble keeping it in the air; they tried to sink to the ground every time. Yuni simply waited until everyone was having success before doing what her mother and grandmother were doing with as practiced ease.

They didn't move much further than that, ending with a test of how far they could send the orbs from their bodies without losing control. By this time, Tsuna began to feel exhaustion creeping up on him, a drained feeling filling him. With one last heave that sent his orbs just over the halfway across the room, they disappeared. Tsuna sat down heavily, having lost all strength in his legs. "I'm done," he wheezed, his eyes turning back to brown.

Luce watched the sudden transition from calm Flame master to tired student. He didn't have nearly as much stamina as the other students, but he held the greatest amount of Flame stored in his body. It was a curious trade-off, and if he was given training to increase his stamina while still handling both orbs at once... Perhaps he would take the job as a favor to me, Luce mused. And considering who his classmates were, the boy's raw potential was truly something to marvel at.

"Okay class, good job today. You're dismissed, but be back for afternoon lessons," Luce said, ending the class with a clap.

The Flames disappeared one at a time, the students all showing signs of exhaustion at keeping the Flames going for so long. But that was what they needed. They needed someone to push them every day so that they got better and better. They were the future leaders of the Mafia; Skys were always given the heavy task to lead others.

The students left, Tsuna being the last as he heaved himself up. It was easier than he thought to control the orbs, but the burning underneath his skin and the length of time in which he had to keep that control really drained him. Shaking out his limbs, he exchanged a weak smile with Luce as he passed through the doors; she returned it with a strange tentativeness. What's that about? Tsuna wondered, turning from the room. Yawning, he shook it off.

.

He went to the cafeteria and sank into his seat. There wasn't anyone there yet as it wasn't lunch for another hour, but Tsuna didn't think he could make it to his room at the current moment. Putting his head on his crossed arms, Tsuna closed his eyes with the intent to sleep.

If only the bloodlust wasn't trying to burn a hole through me.

Looking up wearily, Tsuna saw the dark-haired boy – Hibari was his name – watching him from the entrance to the cafeteria. He obviously didn't want to talk; that was clear by the barely restrained bloodlust. "What do you want?" Tsuna mumbled, trying to pitch his voice across the cafeteria.

Hibari continued staring at the seemingly-weak herbivore. "Fight me."

Tsuna sighed, too tired to be intimidated, "No. Too tired."

Hibari frowned slightly, but accepted the answer. He'd rather fight the boy at full strength than his weakest or else it wouldn't even be a challenge. He left the boy in peace… this time. Next time they'd finish this.

Tsuna closed his eyes and laid his head back down. Within moments he was out.

.

A/N

Word Count: 4,481

Ignore the random periods... They're there so the line breaks work properly. So! Hibari's interested, Tsuna's tired, Luce's scheming, and I'm going to bed soon! What a group we make! This is the second-to-last chapter in this arc, the next being the lift-off into the more creative part of the story (THE END OF THE BEGINNING IS NEAR!) and hopefully this hasn't dragged too much. I will screw with your minds and the story starting next arc, so stay with me. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if you see any mistakes, feel free to tell me!

See you next time!