1 ½ hours of typing. That's why it's so sloppy.

Sigh. Wow. Another quick update. The only reason I'm updating as soon as I can is because this will probably be the last time I'll be in front of the keyboard. Next week I shall probably be out in Pampanga for a quick check-out in a contest. This will probably be my final update this week since I'll be then busy to type another story of mine as well as reading some articles for the said competition.

I love you, ZiaLiaLis. I'm really thankful you like the development. Hope you'll continue to. :D

Anyway, for the reviewers… umm, can you please tell me if you loved/hated a chapter and WHY? I know it's probably because you aren't in the mood, but please try to be. It'll also help in the future in critiquing others' works and building up the reviewer's professionalism. It will not only boost writer's morale, but also improve their skills. Thank you.

Warning: OOCness due to the author's choice of character development, typos, and a not-so incredible imagination. There is still the angst and melodrama present, but you should know that by now. I'll be not repeating this warning again to disrupt the story's flow.

And I'm not the writer I was when I first wrote Romance as the main genre.

~K27~

I never thought that it'd be easy

Coz we're both so distant now

And the walls are closing in on us

And we're wondering how...

-'Down to Earth' by... who else?

I'm a fan of his songs. :D

~K27~

Rain replaced the sleet last week. Despite the fact that the new semester meant snow (and swapping of classes were common in this school). It meant simply that it was too hot to have snowflakes fluttering all over the place.

Yet why does it feel like I'm frozen in a block of ice?

I look at the person beside me and then covered my face entirely with my long hair. He looks really inferior to the old Tsuna-kun I had the courage to say 'hello' to. But this Tsuna-kun... he seems so unreachable. The way he moves himself... the way his mannerisms go, like looking at the area with so much alertness, and the way he puts his hands on his pockets... this cannot be him. No way.

"Is your brother at home?" He then asks in his deep, manly voice. The shock of it all makes me wonder if Tsuna-kun ever existed inside this person. He flashed me this grave look that burrowed deep into my eyes.

And if he really saw what I am feeling right now, he should perhaps tell me an assurance that I was all right.

None came. I immediately flash a weak, forced smile.

"Yeah, he's home." Waiting for me, not you.

I stop. He keeps on going. What was I talking about? This was definitely not me. Why would I give a rude reply in my head like that? This was not me at all. I did a check to keep myself from going nuts.

He doesn't even pause and look back to check me.

It felt really cold now.

I have to run to him to be by his side once more but from there, I kept a fair distance. I looked down and notice my slippers, blinking from the lights. It blinded me but also gave me a little reason to shed a few tears, which I wiped immediately. I wanted to go to the house NOW. I hated it here. I feel like I'm drowning and trying to cling onto something to survive.

But what if that thing you're clinging on left your side, leaving you to drown. What will you do? Die?

I laugh and silently wish that thing I was clinging on now didn't leave my side, yet.

He stops walking. I do too. He doesn't acknowledge me or anything, but makes a finger gesture to the right. I nod, yet he doesn't even return the favour.

"Onii-chan?" I call out at the dark house. "Onii-chan? Please open the door!" Yes, please. Please do open the door right now. I don't want to be here with S-sawada-san. Oh gawd, please open the door!

It felt as if onii-chan understood me. Suddenly, the house is flooded with lights. And I hear him saying my name...

"KYOKO-CHAN? OH, WITH SAWADA? WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO SAY AGAIN? OH YEAH... EXTREME!"

And just like that, he jumps from the open window and to our side.

I'm now wondering if the Vongola has a thing with jumping into windows.

"Did your date go well?" He winks at me, who immediately turns red. This Tsuna with onii-chan thinking everything went fine. This wasn't the situation I imagined to have by the time I returned. I would be at the resto, taking orders... and not dark out and walking with a smiling Tsuna-kun...

"Yes, yes we'll discuss those things later." Tsuna-kun... no, Sawada-san says immediately, giving onii-chan a bow. "I just want to warn you how you let your sister run around this late hour. It'll be a good chance when rival families will try to use her to make us surrender Namimori."

Instead of being angry at Sawada-san for not saying he was the reason I was prancing around this late, I could only stare and not understand at what they're talking about. Was this involved with the sumo matches?

"Uh-huh. Uh-huh." Onii-chan nods while noticing us together. Oh gawd, haven't he realized yet Sawada-san was making a fool out of me?

"And Ryohei-san," he adds, bowing his head again, and acknowledging us two. I just couldn't bear it that he was calling my brother in his first name and me with my LAST name. "I was out with Colonello-san in the mountains for a few-days' worth of training. I wanted to tell you because I want to be admitted at the boxing club."

I immediately stare, wide-eyed at my dear brother. This isn't supposed to be the reason why he's been out and not seeing me. For the boxing club? But Sawada-san... he said to me three years ago that he'll think about if he wanted to join it again.

I guess the three years of thinking it over made him to finally make up his mind for this.

"You want me to test you?" says onii-chan, who was folding his arms and becoming all 'bossy'.

"If I need some testing," says Sawada-san simply, now raising his head.

"Good. I'll see you after class. It'll be just a one-round spar. With me. I won't be holding anything back." This is the first time I've ever seen my brother as serious as this. For Tsuna- no- Sawada-san to talk like this and at the same time make onii-chan look like this... heavens, who is this Tsuna?

"I'll be going then." He says, bowing his head, before darting out in the streets. I look at him, his suit making him look like a shadow as he becomes a small dot in the horizon.

A shadow... without the light.

"So, how was the date with Sawada? Was it extremely romantic? Reborn-san said he wanted it to be the best date both of you will experience."

I didn't want to make brother look dejected when I tell him the truth, so I smiled.

"It was great! You should've tasted the food." I beamed, making him look satisfied enough to let me go inside.

I'm really thankful onii-chan didn't ask many questions.

~K27~

Like what I'm hearing now.

"That's Tsuna, right?"

"No-good Tsuna? Nah, it can't be."

"Come on, who has his hair messed up like that?"

"OMG. Who the hell is that kid beside hot Yamamoto and hotter Gokudera? He's really hot."

"He's cute, idiot!"

"But seriously, that's really Tsuna? He looks... I really need to wear glasses."

"Good thing he made you four-eyed."

"Yeah. And I'm being gay for him. That Tsuna's really something. Just look at him! I don't believe it!"

I look at the window. Monday. I already apologized to Haru-chan and returned the dress, slippers, and earrings as politely as I can.

But can't help craning my neck at the window. Many kids were now pointing at Sawada-san, who was wearing the standard uniform and walking between Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto-kun. The two were now looking straight ahead, as he is and as protective to him as ever. He looked at the window, at our room's direction. Three-fourths of the girls fainted at the spot.

"He really makes me fly!" mutters a girl before going into a conditional nosebleed.

"Yeah!" The other girls reply. "Like a G6!"

Haru was now shaking her head.

"Quit the fainting, dammit! Seriously, these girls need to get a life. Like, hel-lo? He already has a girl in his sights." She says out loud, but not enough for the swooning girls to hear her. "Gawd, you're so lucky Kyoko! Who in the world can have a killer boyfriend like Tsuna? But no way am I touching him. Tell that to the Octopus Head! Ask him if I'd even try touching Kyoko's boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend!" I hiss low and putting my palm over her mouth just in time for the girls not to hear. "Look, I already told you that he's not the same Tsuna since three years ago. He's really cold and uncaring."

"Oh, you can easily melt that ice he has," assured Haru-chan, now taking a seat beside me.

I was then surprised to see another familiar face taking the seat in front of me.

Gokudera-kun.

"Heya, Kyoko-san!" He waved, grinning. I waved back awkwardly.

"W-why are you here all of a sudden?" I asked now shaking. Oh my god, this was the thing I absolutely dreaded.

"Reborn-san's orders."

"Where's Sawada-san?"

I got my answer when the teacher entered the room. There he was, looking as different and as real as the person I met yesterday. His eyes... they were looking at me, coldly.

"Like Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto-kun, we have another transferee in this class from Italy. His name's Sawada Tsuna-kun. Anything you have to say, Tsuna-kun?"

"Yes." He nods before brandishing a gun. A REAL gun.

"Bang." He says unfeelingly as he pulls the trigger and aims it straight at me.

~K27~

Next chapter: Tsuna-err... Sawada-san likes playing baseball against Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto-kun.