A/N: Woot! I updated in a day. Because of the wonderful reviews! -sparkles- *w* I got really motivated since you guys seemed to like it. Thanks for the support! So, I present to you, the 2nd chapter! Enjoy~ Review if you like it (it makes me happy~) or if you want to give constructive criticism or advice. Thanks for reading!
Once again~ Enjoy~
Hana stood over her elder son's bed, a pot in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other. His alarm clock had been going off for ten minutes and yet he was still sleeping like the dead. He was the one who had insisted on getting up early today, for heavens know what. Even Senri's brother had woken up from the alarm (and he slept two rooms away). Hana had been making breakfast in the kitchen when she couldn't tolerate the annoying beep beep beep of her son's alarm any longer.
"Sasagawa Senri! Wake up this instant." His furious mother pounded the steel pot loudly right next to her son's head. "If you don't wake up RIGHT NOW, I'm suspending your baseball practice for a month. Do you hear me? A month!"
The dedicated baseball player shot up in bed, his hear sticking up, and his hands in surrender. "Alright, I got it, I'm awake!" Satisfied to see her threats had worked, Hana slammed the couch pillow (her back-up plan) into his face.
"Now come down for breakfast, or you can go to school without eating. You woke up your brother, you know." Hana returned to the kitchen, but not before angrily reminding her son that he had to get his school uniform from the laundry. She had washed it yesterday when she had discovered pieces of his lunch dried to his blazer and pants.
"Here, Aniki, I got it for you," said Benjirou as he tossed his brother's school uniform onto his bed. "Mom's pretty mad right now, so you better hurry."
"Thanks Benji," groaned Senri, slamming the "sleep" button on his alarm. "Tell her I'll be right down."
"You can tell her yourself. I got your clothes for you, but I don't have to do everything you say." Benjirou stuck his tongue out and retreated back to his room.
"You're not five years old, you know!" shouted Senri, shaking his head at his brother. "He's been influenced by Momo, huh?" The boy quickly got dressed and ran downstairs, gobbling his breakfast with practiced speed, inhaling sharply when he burned his tongue on the fresh out of the pot soup.
"Senri, if you eat that fast, you'll get fat," commented his mother coolly, gracefully drinking her miso soup across the table from him.
"It's alright, I do sports," smiled Senri half-heartedly, trying not to wilt under Hana's disapproving gaze. "I'm going now!"
Hana sighed and gave him a rare soft smile. "Have a safe trip, Senri." As the door slammed shut, Hana wondered aloud, "Why did I decide to have kids again? I hate kids." But she knew the answer. It wasn't like she had planned on marrying Sasagawa Ryohei either, that idiot brother of Kyoko's. Her plans for the future had been ruined, yet, it hadn't turned out that bad after all.
Ding Dong! Ding Dong!
Senri pushed the doorbell excessively, shifting his weight around, running a hand through his hair that was still sticking up."Hurry up and open the door," he muttered underneath his breath. As if hearing his complaint, the door slammed open.
"WILL YOU SHUT UP?" shouted Momoka, an apron on over her school uniform, a sudsy sponge in one hand. "You don't have to ring it that many times, I can hear you!"
"Momo," cheered Senri happily, "good morning!"
Momoka growled at his carefree greeting and ushered him into the kitchen to help her with the dishes. "Start drying."
Senri grinned and accepted the wet dish, polishing it dry with a washcloth. It wasn't often he got to see Momoka in an apron and he quite liked it. Aprons were a secret fetish of his and he was always extra happy the days that the girls had home ec.
"Where is everyone? Your house is dead silent for once," commented Senri, sneaking another peek at Momoka, or rather, Momoka in her blue apron.
"Mom's away on a business trip, Dad's at Uncle Hayato's house, and Ryu ditched me last night for his friend's house and never came back," listed the girl on her fingers.
"So, we have the whole house to ourselves?" asked Senri with a mischievous waggle of his brows. "What about your grandpa?"
"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose yes. Ah, Grandpa flew to Hokkaido for his friend's daughter's wedding."
"Great! Then I know just the thing we can do," smiled Senri, pulling Momoka from the sink and drying her hands with his shirt. He dragged her upstairs and barged into her room. Lifting her with some struggle, the teenage boy threw the girl onto her bed, getting on next to her, bouncing slightly as he went. He leaned over her, brushing the hair out of her face, holding her eyes with his gaze.
The boy smiled, his breath tickling her nose when he spoke, "Are you ready, Momo?"
"Senri! We have to finish cleaning the dishes," protested Momoka, already climbing off, sliding underneath him. The Sasagawa boy grabbed her wrist and looked at her with woeful puppy dog eyes.
"Please? It'll be fun, I promise," he pouted, tugging the hem of her apron teasingly.
Momoka thought about it. No one was home. Just her and Senri. She looked over at her best friend, who was still making pitiful eyes at her and slapped him, hard across the face. No pity from her at all.
"OW! What was that for?" Senri cradled his cheek, starting to smile despite the blossoming pain. Maybe he was masochistic; it felt kind of good to be slapped by Momoka, her hands had been soft like a caress, until the stinging began. But he knew that was her way of saying "yes."
"For going into my room without permission, duh. If we want to do this, it has to be fast, or we'll be off schedule."
"Alright!" Senri raised his fists in a victory pose. He got off her bed and quickly threw her pillows and blankets onto the floor. Nimbly, he had her mattress stripped in seconds. Momoka messily threw her bed things onto her desk, and together, the two hauled the mattress into the hall, to the top of the stairs.
"Why'd you have to throw me onto my bed anyways?" asked Momoka, as they trundled the bed and sloped it so that it was slanted on the staircase.
"I wanted to test its bounciness," replied the boy cheekily before climbing onto the mattress and patting the spot in front of him. "Come sit in front of me, Momo."
Momoka rolled her eyes and sat between Senri's legs, clutching his knees for support. On the count of three, he shoved off, and the mattress went whooshing down the stairs, bumping up and down slightly. The brunette giggled, bouncing slightly so that Senri ended up with a mouthful of her hair.
"Mpf." The boy spat out the lock of hair. Apologetically, he helped her stand up, offering his hand to her. "Was that fun or what? Let's do it again!"
"Don't eat my hair," she swatted his arm in mock anger. "No, we have to go to Nao-san's house, remember? Maybe some other time, Senri. Now help me put my bed back in my room."
Senri sighed, disappointed that they weren't going to mattress slide again. But he gave Momoka a thumbs up and carried the bed back into her room. When they were done, there wasn't enough time to finish cleaning the dishes and to visit Nao, so they left the dishes in the sink.
"LISTEN UP NAO," roared Ryohei, pounding his fist on the kitchen table in frustration, "You should listen to your dad to the EXTREME, even if he is an octopus head."
"So, you think it's a bad idea to join the Disciplinary Committee?" Nao glared at the prickly boxer. "So it's okay to have disorder at school? You agree with my father, Uncle Ryohei?"
Ryohei faltered at this, "Nao-chan wants to join the Disciplinary Committee?"
The petite girl glanced at her father, who was sitting next to her, pretending to read the newspaper. "My father didn't mention this when he called you two over?" She laughed bitterly, "How stupid of me, my father never mentions the important details."
"Mah, mah, calm down Nao-chan. I bet your dad has his reasons for not letting you join the Disciplinary Committee, right, Gokudera?" Yamamoto looked at Gokudera with an encouraging smile.
Gokudera stiffened, looking up from his newspaper. Avoiding, the expectant Guardians and his daughter, he called to his wife, "Haru! I need more coffee."
"Hahi! Haru will bring it over soon. Nao-chan, do you want anything?"
"Can I have some green tea, Mother?" Nao broke her glare at her father and smiled tensely at her mother, who was standing next to the coffeemaker; Haru responded with a cheerful yes and bustled to pour the tea.
"Oi, Octopus Head, say something," poked Ryohei, with a baguette. "Nao-chan is waiting for your answer."
"You'll be hanging out with a bunch of delinquents, Nao," said Gokudera angrily, tearing into a piece of bread. "The Disciplinary Committee used to be headed by that bastard Hibari, you know. They weren't up to any good back in my day, and they aren't up to any good now either. Just a bunch of punks. Do you want to be like that, Nao?"
"What if I do?" shot back the redhead, slamming her palm on the table. "We're keeping the peace at Namimori Middle, not the other way around. It's not something you would understand, Father," sneered Nao, standing up. "I now know why Hibari-sama called you an herbivore; you're so weak and cowardly."
"Nao-chan, isn't that going a bit far?" Yamamoto reprimanded, not liking the direction this conversation was going. "Hibari is Hibari. Gokudera is Gokudera. You can't really compare them like that."
"How come you let Reiji do what he wants? Isn't it dangerous for him to be playing with rockets and explosives? What if he blows himself up with one of those stupid rockets? I don't see how the Science Club is any less dangerous than the Disciplinary Committee. We are helping the school and this town. We regulate the rules. You should be proud of me! They accept me for who I am," shouted Nao, clenching her fists, "—unlike you."
"Nao! I said no is no. You are NOT going to be consorting with those delinquents, you hear?" Gokudera tried to keep a stern face, he didn't want to yell at his baby girl, but he didn't want her to hang out with Hibari-type people either.
"Nao-chan," called Haru, from the front door, "Senri-kun and Momoka-chan are here."
"Good morning to the EXTREME, SON!" Ryohei hugged Senri the moment he walked into the kitchen. He then proceeded to glomp his son's best friend. "Good morning to the EXTREME, Momoka!"
"Haha," giggled Momoka, slipping from his grip, rubbing her neck. "Good morning Uncle Ryohei."
"Good morning Dad," chipped in Senri. "Uncle Hayato and Uncle Takeshi too. Oh, and Auntie Haru, Nao-san, Reiji-kun, good morning!"
Reiji, Nao's twin, entered the kitchen, waving a hello to his unusually crowded kitchen.
"Ah, Dad, Ryu ditched me last night," complained Momoka to her father. "I told you he couldn't cope without Mom."
Yamamoto chuckled, "Oh, so you were alone last night, Momoka? Sorry about that. He probably went to Tsuna's house, right?"
"Probably," replied Momoka. She gave a small wave to Nao. "Nao-san, let's walk to school today."
"What are you two doing here?" Nao asked, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Haru walked behind her daughter, handing her a comb to brush her short, spiky hair. "Don't you two normally walk together?"
"We are walking together, but we decided, hey, let's have Nao-san join us today," interjected Senri, taking the seat Nao had occupied, sipping her untouched cup of green tea. "Of course, Reiji-kun is free to join us."
"I refuse," stated the redhead. "Senpai-tachi was probably ordered by their parents to escort me to school, right?"
Noticing the guilty look on both Ryohei and Yamamoto's faces, it was time for Haru Intervention!
"Nao-chan, why don't you just go along with them, today? Reiji-kun can help do the dishes, and you can get to school early to take care of your classroom duties, right?" Looking at it that way, Nao grinned at her mother.
"You're right, I can organize those papers that the Chairman wanted me to do yesterday. Thanks Mother!' Nao gave her mother a peck on the cheek and skipped out the door, with a flabbergasted Momoka and Senri following suite.
"Haru, you're amazing," commented Yamamoto. "Nao-chan just looked really happy right now."
Haru giggled and beamed, "A mother knows her daughter's heart the best!"
Gokudera looked down at his newspaper, disappointed he hadn't been acknowledged or given a farewell by his daughter. Ryohei laughed when Reiji complained about being left behind to do the dishes, offering to help him out, only to have Haru stop her son from letting the clumsy boxer handle her fine china.
"So, Nao-san, you want to join the Disciplinary Committee?" Momoka gave her kohai a weird look. "Your situation is the complete opposite of Aoi-chan's then, haha."
"What's wrong with Hibari-senpai?" asked Nao, curious about anything relating to the Hibari family.
"Just that her dad wants her to join the Disciplinary Committee but she doesn't want to have anything to do with it. She hates violence. She'd rather tend to her plants," explained Momoka.
Senri grinned, "Well, speak of the devil. There she is!" Waving his arms wildly, he shouted, "AOI-CHAN! OVER HERE!"
The dark haired girl straightened from where she was watering the school's garden. She gave a halting wave and bow, returning immediately to watering her plants. The group soon came upon her, noticing that her long black hair was covered in dirt at the tips.
"Aoi-chan, good morning," greeted Momoka and Senri. Following suit, Nao gave a hasty and shy, "Good morning, Hibari-senpai."
Taking out a handkerchief, Nao wiped the dirt off Aoi's hair, before folding it and putting it back into her pocket. When the gardener spun around with surprised eyes, Nao blushed; after all, it was Hibari-hime, the revered daughter of the infamous former Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, Hibari Kyouya.
"There was some dirt on your hair," the redhead pointed out shyly, studying her shoes, her different treatment towards Aoi obvious.
"Ah, thank you, um…" Aoi looked uncertainly toward Momoka and Senri. "Good morning Yamamoto-san, Sasagawa-san. I'm sorry; I don't know your friend's name."
"No need to be so formal," said Senri, patting her on the back with a friendly smile. "This is Gokudera Nao, she's a kohai of ours."
Aoi stood up and bowed, "It's nice to meet you. My name is Hibari Aoi, a third year like Yamamoto-san and Sasagawa-san."
"It's Momoka and Senri, Aoi-chan! We said it's ok to call us by our first names, remember? How are your plants doing? They seem to be doing okay, but you seemed awfully attentive, so I thought something might be wrong." Momoka bent down to observe the plants that Aoi had been watering.
"Right, Momoka-san, they're doing fine. Thank you for asking. I need to keep the plants hydrated since it's getting warmer. Plants need a lot of water in the summer."
Nao stood on the side, fascinated by Aoi's elegance. She could see the stoic likeness between her and her father, their hair the same shiny black, the same graceful posture. "Um, Hibari-senpai, do you think I could join the Disciplinary Committee?"
"Look at that, Nao-san's blushing." Senri nudged Momoka playfully. "She must be a fan of Aoi-chan, ne?"
It was Aoi's turn to be shy. "No, it's nothing like that. There are still many people who admire Father, so they just associate me with him, but I'm nothing like him…" She trailed off, her face pink, as she started her watering again. "If Gokudera-san wants to join, she can join. But if she wants to meet my father, he visits the school every Friday. You can find him in the Reception Room, if that information helps."
Nao's eyes shined, her voice squeaking in disbelief, "Really? REALLY? Hibari-sama is coming on Friday? I can go see him?"
Aoi nodded, her sunhat bobbing up and down. Nobody could see it because her back was away from them, but there was a small frown between her brows. "You can go see him."
In her excitement, Nao bowed three times consecutively and on the third bow, she clapped her hands. "You're such a good person, Hibari-senpai!" Tears pricked her eyes as she sniffled in joy. "Thank you so much, for giving me this opportunity, Hibari-hime!" Eager to share her news with her Disciplinary friends, Nao raced off to catch the ones who were on patrol.
Momoka smiled, "Well, that was an unexpected side of Nao-san that we just saw."
"I'm going to the other side of school to water the plants, so if you'll excuse me," said Aoi politely, bowing before walking off, swinging her watering bucket.
Senri and Momoka took their leave as well, heading into the school, but they hadn't been in the school building very long before Kotori found them.
"Momoka-chan, Sasagawa-kun, goooood morning," she sang, coming to a halt in front of Senri. Kotori looked at him with a grin, "Hey, Sasagawa-kun, can you go on a date with me?"
Senri looked amused, folding his arms across his chest and turning his full attention to Kotori. "Is this a confession, Naito Kotori-san?"
A/N: A recap of the new characters:
Sasagawa Benjirou: Sasagawa Ryohei and Kurokawa Hana's son, Namimori Middle 1st year (the only ones who call him "Benji" are Senri and Momo)
Gokudera Nao: Gokudera Hayato and Miura Haru's daughter, Namimori Middle 2nd year, admires Hibari, wants to join the Disciplinary Committee
Gokudera Reiji: Gokudera Hayato and Miura Haru's son, Namimori Middle 2nd year, Nao's twin, part of Science Club
Hibari Aoi: Hibari's daughter, Namimori Middle 3rd year, President of the Agriculture Club, dislikes violence
So which character are you most interested in so far? =) Leave a review with your comment (just curious~~) Don't forget to leave a lovely review...because it makes Tune happy ^_^
Hope you enjoy it so far! XD