Chapter 8: Changing

0700 hrs, Friday; 8January, Year 2100

Tsuna had been mopping the floor of the main hall, when Yamamoto called her out, holding a leash in his hand.

"Sawada! I need you to do me a favour!" he had said quickly, one hand casually stuck in his pocket, and the other holding up the leash. "I need to rush for work, so will you help me walk Jirou?"

Tsuna stared at his hand for a moment.

"I-I guess! You don't have to ask that, Yamamoto-san. It's my job!" she nervously said, adding a chuckle at the back that sounded a bit more like strangled coughs. She passed the mop to one hand, taking the leash from Yamamoto.

"Sorry bout' this!" he smiled, waving his hand quickly before he jogged off. Tsuna could hear Gokudera's faint shouting in the background, presumably telling Yamamoto to hurry up. She stared at the leash in her hands, and only two words resounded in her head.

Oh crap.

She gave the floor one last mop, before picking up the bucket and walking back to the storehouse to put the items aside.

After she had finished that task, she began her journey to the Pet Shelter, each step filled with dread. Tsuna knew she had to try get over her fear of animals if she wanted to keep her sanity. Then again, she heard all those dreadful stories about maids who had lost their mind anyway, so things were looking quite bleak. She pursed her lips as she pushed the shed's door open.

Jirou was already awake, chasing his own tail happily, since his partner, Kojirou, was still perched on a shelf attached to the wall, sound asleep. When he heard the door open, he immediately stopped what he was doing, staring at Tsuna for a brief moment before spotting the collar. He wagged his tail furiously, dashing up to her and standing on his hind legs, pawing at her apron.

"Geeea – ah!" Tsuna took a step back, placing her hands in front of her in a defensive stance. Jirou persisted at doing so, scaring Tsuna out of her wits.

Alright Tsuna. Stay calm, you can do this. He's not going to kill you.

Hours seemed to pass as she made that self-assurance.

Tsuna stopped backing away, slowly getting down on her knees. She patted his head as gently as she could with shaky hands, and he sat on the floor in response, waiting for her to put the leash on. When she was done, he got back up, jumping up and down in the same activity level that he held before. Tsuna went to the cupboard, taking out a small bag that contained plastic bags and tissue.

"Let's go, Jirou," Tsuna tugged lightly at the leash. Jirou, being the intelligent dog that he was, walked up to Tsuna, and gave a few cheerful barks.

They were soon outside the mansion, Jirou bumbling way ahead of Tsuna, or at least, as far as his leash allowed him to. Tsuna walked slowly, looking at her surroundings. The last time she had been at the back of the mansion was when she first arrived here, but it still looked as magnificent as ever, although the trees were bare and the plants but mere branches.

It was a slow walk, but somehow, Tsuna did not mind. It was relatively warmer than the other days that day, as there was less wind. She seemed to forget about her fear for animals when as she looked around. The mansion looked beautiful from the outside, from its brick walls to the Victorian style architecture. It was a rare sight now – land was so expensive, it seemed impossible to get such a large plot of land to house just a few people, no less. Tsuna wondered why the Vongola Company had given such a beautiful home to just a few of their employees. It was only a fleeting thought, for it went as soon as it came.

Before Tsuna knew it, she was back at the back gate, walking back to the Pet Shelter again.

That was fast…and alright.

She was surprised at herself, for she managed to take Jirou for a small walk with few to no troubles at all. Jirou was still as bubbly as his owner. The moment they had gotten back, the pets were already awake, and Jirou bustled up to Kojirou happily. Tsuna had to struggle a little while to remove the leash and put the items back in the cupboard.

It was noon.

Yamamoto flopped back into the soft, velvet cushions, heaving a deep breath.

"Aaaah!" he yawned. His eyes were closed, but he could feel a presence before him; a shadow blocking the light.

"Oi! Yamamoto, we aren't done with the photo shoot yet. Get your lazy ass up!"

"But it's lunch!" he opened one eye, to see Gokudera's silhouette blocking his view. Gokudera's arms were folded, and his mouth curved into a displeased grimace.

"Our schedule is tight today. No time for lunch. Look, we have to finish this, and then go for practice. We have a concert tonight, for goodness' sake!" said Gokudera.

"Isn't that great? All the tickets sold out!"

"You fail."

"At?"

"Changing the topic."

And then a brief pause.

"Hey," Yamamoto started.

"What is it?"

"What do you think of Sawada?"

Gokudera seemed to be caught by surprise at this question, but he held his breath for a few seconds before opening his mouth again.

"That worthless maid? Eyesore." He folded his arms again, turning around.

"She reminds me of things I don't want to remember," Gokudera continued, in a softer voice this time.

"Why not? Those were good times," Yamamoto leaned back, looking at the high ceiling.

"…That are gone. That could have continued. She's dead, Yamamoto, dead. Just because some fool that looks like an older version of her comes into our lives doesn't mean she's going to resurrect!" Gokudera sounded frustrated now.

"All this stiff work. We came into this industry because of her, didn't we?"

"So we did. Don't complain."

"I'm not."

The photographer waved his hand impatiently at the both of them now.

"Hey, Yamamoto?"

"Hm?"

"Don't let that maid fool you. She's just a maid, you hear?"

"I won't," Yamamoto said with an air of finality, getting up and walking towards the stage.

"Come on."

Gokudera jogged up to his side, and the both of them resumed their hard work.

Tsuna sneezed as she opened her lunch box. She sniffed a bit, using a little handmade handkerchief that she always carried along with her to wipe her nose.

Lunch had consisted of mainly rice with seaweed on top. At the side was a small serving of salad, and two small pieces of fried chicken. It was not much, but then again, Tsuna figured that it would sustain her till the day ended.

She was eating alone, again, in the maids' break room. Somehow, Tsuna could not help but to miss I-Pin a bit. The young teen had been quite kind to her on her first day of work. At least the following day would be Saturday, and it would mean that I-Pin was coming back to work for the weekends.

Tsuna smiled to herself at the thought. I-Pin was Tsuna's one and only friend. Tsuna had spent years with her social calendar empty, relentlessly teased and bullied in middle and high school. Not scoring enough to get into college, she had to start working. Reborn left her to her own devices, leaving the town as soon as she was eighteen.

"Be independent," he had said. He did leave their apartment for her to stay in, but to prove her worth, Tsuna worked hard and long hours, saving the money that Reborn sent her occasionally, till she could afford to rent her current shoddy apartment. Her old home was now empty, waiting for Reborn to come back, if he ever would, and reoccupy it.

When Tsuna was done, she repacked her lunch box neatly, placing it back in her bag. There was work to do, and she now felt more reenergised and motivated. At that moment, her obsolete cell phone rang.

"Eh?"

Tsuna walked over and picked it up, only to hold the phone at arm's length.

"H-Hello?"

"Tsuna-kun! It's an amazing opportunity!"

"Huh?"

"My friend can't make it to a concert today!"

"And?"

"I have a spare ticket and no one to go with!"

"I think you're mistaken Miss Miura. I don't have money to pay for it and I'm not exactly…"

"Nonsense! It's free, and you'll love it!"

"I haven't been keeping up with musicians or bands lately! I don't think I'll … "

"Your employers are performing."

These were the magical words that made Tsuna pause for awhile. She wondered how Yamamoto-san, or Gokudera, or even Mukuro performed on stage. She was considering, but she never really was interested in these sorts of activities.

Curiousity, however, triumphed yet again.

"A-alright… I'll go. When is it?"

"Tonight!" Haru cheerfully spoke.

"What? That's too soon! And wait, I don't think I have the proper attire."

"I'll dress you up!"

Tsuna hesitated for a moment. Those words seemed very hard to trust, knowing Haru – she would go all out and probably put her in some ridiculous clothes.

"Leave work early today – meet me at the shop, six thirty sharp. We'll get you all dolled up and we can go together!"

Beeping sounds followed, indicating that their conversation was over. Tsuna was left staring at her phone for awhile.

Tsuna stepped into the shop cautiously.

"Miss Miura!" she called.

"I'm up here!" Crashing noises could be heard, followed by a loud yell of pain. Tsuna, upon hearing these noises, dashed up the stairs as fast as she could, which was not very fast. She was horrible at athletics.

The sight that greeted her was Haru, lying in a deep pile of clothes that were strewn all over the place. A box lay next to her, the clothes inside spilling out.

"Eheheh!" she chuckled nervously, looking up at Tsuna's horrified expression.

"W-what…"

"I did say I was going all out to dress you up nicely!" Haru cut her off, gathering herself again. She shuffled her hands in the pile of clothes, pulling out something from beneath.

"Tadah!" she said happily, showing Tsuna a beautiful white dress. It was sleeveless, and simple, with just a black silk ribbon tied under the chest area; the bottom was ruffled. Haru set the dress aside, pulling out something else.

"And this cute shawl to go with it!" Haru said, showing Tsuna a translucent white shawl. Tsuna could only hold a look of terror on her face. The items looked so expensive, and she felt uncomfortable having to wear something so nice.

"Hmm," Haru mumbled something under her breath, looking at Tsuna from head to bottom.

"You need to get rid of those ugly strands of hair at the back," she said.

"Eh! What?"

Haru went over to the drawer, pulling out a comb and a pair of scissors.

"Haru is going to get rid of it!"

"Hiek!" Tsuna shrieked. She really loved that lock of hair! It was not ugly at all! Haru however, ignored her call of protest, lunging for her.

At the end of the one hour, Tsuna had transformed. She looked startlingly sweet in Haru's dress, and her hair was tied up with her black ribbon, to create a nice short ponytail at the back. She had no idea her hair was long enough to be tied up again. Haru had applied some simple makeup for her, just a bit, because according to her, Tsuna looked better with a more "natural" look. Haru had also lent her a white purse so that she could put her valuables inside and not "carry that ugly bag" of hers.

"Let's go!" Haru said, taking Tsuna's hand.

Haru was wearing a black dress with a white rose belt, and looked incredibly pretty in it. She wore a similar looking white shawl as Tsuna's. She had let her hair down, pinning her fringe to the side with a simple black clip.

She had also taken the liberty of replacing Tsuna's shoes, and Tsuna stumbled a few times on the way to the car park, not used to wearing heels.

"M-miss Miura!"

"Call me Haru!" she said firmly. "Yes?"

"I might not be able to survive a whole night in…in these…things! "

"Oh, relax, you will!" she said, unlocking her car. The light in a red sports car parked nearest to them flashed on.

Tsuna got into the seat next to Haru, and soon they were on their way to the venue – it was a pretty posh club in the western area of the city. The car journey was silent, until Tsuna, in spite of her shy disposition, started the conversation.

"Hey, Miss – I mean, Ha-Haru?"

"Hmm?" she said, keeping her eyes on the expressway.

"Why are you so kind to me? I mean, I'm just your…employee, there isn't a need to go this far," she said, fiddling with her fingers again.

Haru tilted her head a bit, as if choosing words to carefully answer the question.

"Because…" she drew a small breath, "you looked like you needed a change in your life for once."

"Eh?"

"I can see it in your eyes, Tsuna-kun. You seem to always just get on with life as though it's a chore. You're living to die at the very end – you…"

"…Don't seem to have any goals."

Tsuna's breath hitched. She was astounded at how accurate Haru was. At the same time, she was touched by the gesture. She gave a wide smile, although Haru could not see it.

"Thank you, Haru!" it was full of appreciation, for she barely knew Haru, nor did Haru know much about her. She was just a stranger up to a week ago.

"Don't mention it!" Haru replied happily.

Tsuna laughed – it was not a loud, hearty laugh – but it seemed like the first time she had felt truly happy in awhile.

Truly happy, because someone cared.

A/N: Haha, I feel like I butchered Yamamocchi's character down here. Damn.

-Arashi-Storm-Guardian: It means "murmur".

Seriyuu: Yeah, left out on purpose. Sorry. D:

kikyokyoyahibari: Reborn knows everything. He's watching you sleep. /Jk. I'm not revealing what Tsuna said...yet.

Mashimaro: Maybe.

Queen Phantomhive: Maybe.

Everyone: And a big thanks for reading and reviewing! :) Sorry for the cryptic answers, but really.

I need sleep. Nao.