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Takara is still twelve in this chapter.

Also, timeline wise this is about three months before the beginning of their first year (So, about the beginning of January – as school in Japan starts in April). Which means about five-six months before canon starts (which is late June).

Making Ryohei thirteen right now; Hibari fourteen; Tsuna, Takara, and their cohort twelve.

Tsuna turns fourteen during the Daily Life Arc (October) and then fifteen during the Varia Arc, and everyone else will age accordingly as well.

Though I might tweak that a bit because that would make most of them nineteen by the time they graduate high school.

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Family, without question, has always been important to me – more so in this life, as I'd taken mine for granted before. It also helped that tou-chan always had us visiting kaa-chan's family in Kokuyo when we had the time, and this weekend had been no exception – except that we hadn't visited them in Kokuyo, we came to Namimori's other neighboring town of Shinkawa to help them move.

Well, that was the pretense – they only have a few boxes left to unpack, so it was more of an excuse to get us to visit. And it was much appreciated and very nice to be so loved, even if it meant having my five-year-old twin cousins clinging to me. It was a day full of tea-parties with Momoko and action-figure fights with Momoshiro (my aunt really loves peaches; they were practically all she ate when she was pregnant).

"Ne, ne, Taka-nee," Momoko held up her little plastic teapot, "Let's have tea 'gain!"

Momoshiro stomped his foot before raising the two superhero figures clutched in his pudgy hands, "No! No! No! Play 'eros with me, Taka-nee!"

"Ne, why don't we go see if there are snacks in the kitchen instead?" Their eyes lit up almost instantly and their little hands took hold of mine as they took off, making my hunch over and stumble along behind them.

"Kaa-chan!" The twins chanted in unison, "Kaa-chan! Snacks?"

Auntie Emi ushered the two away to their little table perched in the corner with promises of juice and fruit – and maybe cookies, if they were super-duper good – and I almost breathed a sigh of relief. Almost, because the two turned to look at me almost instantly. I knew what they were going to say, and I really didn't want to squish myself into a seat at the toddler-table.

Because I knew I would do it, if they asked and if they stared up at me with their wide natural puppy-eyes.

"Taka-nee," Momoshiro reached out a hand.

Momoko took it upon herself to finish, "come have snacks with us!"

I was ready to make my way to the table when Auntie Emi swooped in and turned me towards the hallway, telling the twins that 'Taka-nee has to run some errands for kaa-chan.' The tears of relief I wanted to cry at this very moment were real – not that they showed their salty little faces – and Auntie Emi was a certified angel.

"You've been going at it since you got here, dear," Auntie chuckled as she smoothed down my hair, "Go take a break and look around town."

"Emiko," my father broke in from the living room, "As much as I trust Takara, she doesn't know her way around here."

"If she had her own cell phone this wouldn't be a problem," at this she pulled out her own phone and some yen, "She can take mine for now and use it if she gets lost."

She leaned down to stage whisper to me, "I suggest this delightful ice-cream parlor by the park. Just go a few blocks to the left and you shouldn't have a problem finding it."

My father acquiesced – he trusted me enough to be fine, which made me feel wonderful – but wouldn't allow Auntie to be the one to give me money, saying something about his many pride. But by the time I was out the door it was my aunt's money in my pocket instead of my father's, and he was none-the-wiser at the moment.

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The streets were decently busy considering the time of day, and the fact that school wasn't in session. People were rushing either to or from their lunch break and kids were being kids and teens, teens. And a few blocks to the left had led me to a park and street lined with little shops and boutiques.

But no ice cream parlor in sight.

I should have known better than to not ask Auntie Emi for more clarification. Though in hindsight I probably wouldn't have been able to get any if I had asked – she had been too busy bickering with tou-chan. Which left me almost lost as people whizzed by and as the occasional person got accidentally jostled by other passersby.

Including one who wasn't so accidental if the perpetrator's snickers had anything to say about it. But that was also when I registered a cyclist heading straight for where the red-haired boy was falling.

It was instinctual when I lunged forward to snatch the wrist of his arm that was extended out and it was adrenaline and weight training that gave me the strength to yank him out of the annoyed cyclist's path as they shouted something intelligible about 'kids' and 'in the way'. Though it seemed my strength or the adrenaline assisting it was greater than I could handle, seeing as I was launched back with the momentum as the red-haired boy was pulled forward.

"Ah, geeze…" My hands tingled and my palms numbed slightly; the tell-tale sign of minor scratches and bruises.

His voice was quiet. "I'm sorry." His eyes were averted and his face somewhat melancholic.

"For what?" I laughed, pushing myself up to my feet before extending my non-bleeding hand out to him, "Would you rather have been hit by a raging cyclist and have tire tracks across your face?"

There was a moment of hesitation before he grabbed my hand and I managed to catch a glimpse of an odd, four pointed pattern in his eyes. A familiar pattern that I couldn't quite place – and I didn't want to stare trying to figure it out.

"I save your pretty face and you apologize?" I laughed again, my nose crinkling with my trademark grin and my tone teasing before turning more serious, "Seriously though, are you alright?"

His cheeks colored a bit and he gave me a small, almost timid smile – his eyes were the most catching though, because they seemed to reflect his feelings at the moment as they almost shimmered with something akin to maybe relief and something else; I couldn't really read him, as I didn't know him.

"Yeah," his voice was still quiet though, "Thanks, I'm fine. But you're hurt, aren't you? Your hand?"

I flipped my left hand palm up and gave a lopsided grin at the small bleeding scratches, "Yeah, but it's not anything serious."

"Here," after rustling around in his pocket for a second he pulled out a small square bandage, much like the ones on his face, "…I can do this much at least."

Why is he so familiar?

Is he from the show? I don't remember seeing him.

"Thanks," I eyed him for a moment as I applied the bandage, "I'm Yamamoto Takara by the way, the enemy of out of control cyclists everywhere."

While I meant for the tacked on comment to be taken lightheartedly, it only served to make him send me a somewhat apologetic look as he introduced himself –

"…Kozato Enma."

My hands settled on my hips as I brushed off another surge of familiarity and let a bit of hope settle over me that he would give me a positive response, "Say, Kozato-kun, would ya mind showing me around? It would be really helpful."

He seemed a little surprised at the request and he met my eyes, slightly curious, "So you don't live here?"

"Nope," I grinned, "Just visiting some family that just moved here, so I'm pretty lost. I was serious when I said it would be really helpful – if you're not busy, that is."

Enma shook his head and a ghost of a smile seemed to be on his face, "…I'm not busy. I wouldn't mind showing you around, Yamamoto-san."

I waved a hand at him, "Ne, don't be so formal, alright? I'm rather informal myself."

He shuffled in place and his shoulders hunched a bit – he seemed unsure of the situation, to say the least. It made me wonder what had made him so shy, and if I could get him to relax a bit, because it seemed like he needed to do just that.

"I promise I'm nice… Most of the time."

Maybe I shouldn't have tagged on that last bit…

…Nah, it'll be fine.

But why is this boy so darn familiar?

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…I feel like I'm not doing Enma's character justice in this (He'll be more… Enma next chapter, I hope, as Takara pries his shell open). He's not very good with people, not at first – so… I think I did okay?

Did I?

I'd really love to hear some opinions/feedback.

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