Sparring with the little Jewel summoner after class hours was fun. Not only could the girl go into Hyper Mode, but she didn't complain when he sent her into walls with his guns. She had clearly been training with the red dragon that was Hibari's demon partner.

Most summoners didn't really bother to learn how to defend themselves without a focus, and it was a common weakness among the ones that did dabble in Jewel summoning to be left completely exposed when fighting without their precious gems.

This girl though... even without her jewels she was a real spitfire.

"So Spitfire, any idea who your demon partner is going to be?"

He knew it was about that time of year and that Honoka's class was about due to start summoning their partners, or at least learn the basics.

"I have some idea, but I'd rather not get my hopes up. All I know is that more than one high ranking demon has taken a strong interest in me to the point they likely wouldn't mind being my partner even if I do screw it up."

Like Fon, for instance. He had made it very clear that even if she did somehow mess up and no one came forward to act as her partner that he would be happy to fill the role. There was also the fact that Hibari wouldn't be too displeased if such a thing happened, though he would still support I-Pin as a familiar if it did.

Xanxus snorted. Honoka was no tame house cat...she was much like her own cub Natsu or even Bester after a good grooming session. And he particularly enjoyed watching her learn how to hone her claws and be even more devastating in a fight.

Watching her beat the crap out of the gossiping twits that she went to class with during combat lessons was very satisfying.

He was almost tempted to give her a job offer once she graduated. She might be one of the rare females who could stomach the hard work they did on a daily basis.

Xanxus grunted as he sent her flying with a hard kick. He knew she would be bruised in the morning, but she still came to practice anyway.

"That's enough for today spitfire. No training tomorrow, unless you're practicing with Fon."

Honoka grimaced at the pain, but said nothing. She didn't come to the Academy to be coddled...she wanted to do something useful with her life rather than be a professional groomer like everyone assumed.

He was still more than a little bit amused at the fact she had managed to tie a leather cord with feathers into Bester's mane the same way he had feathers tied into his hair. And that they were almost color coordinated to match.

Once they had finished eating, Xanxus went to do some paperwork one of his co-workers had brought with them. The peacock and vulture hybrid demon was rather flamboyant, but there was no doubting how deadly he could be. Xanxus knew for a fact the man had a very nasty kick and he could peck holes into steel with that beak of his.

"Who put such an adorable fashion statement into your familiar's mane boss? It's so perfectly matched with your own!" asked Lussuria.

"A little spitfire of a jewel summoner with the balls to actually have an Inugami-hybrid as one of her familiars. She takes better care of her demons than over half our rookies combined," said Xanxus gruffly. "She might actually be Quality, rather than trash like half the idiots who graduate from here."

That was high praise coming from him.

Lussuria's special glasses glinted hearing that. Anyone who had the Boss' interest like this had to be interesting.

Xanxus took particular glee in singling out the girl for the demonic hybrid. Lussuria took one look at how frumpy her appearance was, in comparison to how immaculate her demons looked and decided to Do Something about it.

The red-eyed summoner would deny laughing his ass off at the yelp she made when Lussuria promptly kidnapped her for what could only be a long-overdue shopping spree and makeover.

Later that night...

"What the hell happened to you and what's with all the bags?" asked Hibari baffled.

Honoka looked like she had been run over by a very large truck of some sort. There were bags upon bags sitting on the floor of the living room, and closer inspection revealed most of them to be clothes and the odd make-up and hair accessory. There wasn't a single thing in there meant for any of her familiars, and it was clear they were all in her size only.

"One of the demons hybrids that work for Xanxus took one look at my appearance and decided to kidnap me for a shopping spree. He was very unhappy when he heard how little I actually had in my closet and the fact I didn't actually own a dress for the formal dances. Never mind that I would be more inclined to avoid those parties in the first place! It's not like I can dance!" she openly whined.

Fon wasn't the only one to snort hearing that.

"So basically someone finally decided to give your wardrobe and your appearance a full overhaul, since you would never have done it yourself until you could no longer fit into the clothes?"

"What's wrong with my wardrobe?" said Honoka. "They fit, they're comfortable and I don't have to worry about them getting fur, scales or feathers on them."

"They are also worn and in dire need of replacing, never mind that some of them are clearly one good rip from being unacceptable to the school's casual dress codes," said Hibari flatly. "The only new outfit you even had in there was the mandatory uniform."

"And if you really don't know how to dance you could have said something. Martial arts isn't that dissimilar and it would only take a little adjustment to add that into our training sessions," said Fon.

Honoka looked absolutely miserable. She grumbled something under her breath.

"What was that?" asked Hibari.

"I said I hate dances. Every time I was forced to go to one by my mother I always ended up standing awkwardly near the wall because no one wanted to dance with the girl who wore a dress that was so obviously handmade. I know my mother meant well but I always hated having to go to them because the girls would be so snide about my appearance and the fact I never came with a date," said Honoka bitterly. "And then the teachers would get on my case because some of the dances were mandatory and I always got the one boy who would step on my feet to the point they were aching for days after."

The two were silent, though Fon was definitely baffled as to why Honoka had never had a date before. She was definitely cute enough to attract the attention of at least one or two boys. Then again she was particularly oblivious to some of the looks she got from the other male summoners in her class. The only thing that kept them from trying their luck was her roommate and the fact she had Hayato as a familiar.

Was it the jealousy of the other girls, perhaps? It wouldn't be that surprising if the females around her decided to scare off any potential dates for the dance and made it clear that boys should stay firmly away.

In any case Honoka spent the next few hours sorting through her new wardrobe and reluctantly turning some of her older clothes into scraps and possibly makeshift buffing cloths. By the time she went to sleep her closet had made a major transformation from the threadbare state that she had started with, and her dresser had more than her grooming supplies on it now.

The next afternoon

Xanxus took one look at her harried expression and cackled. She punched him as hard as she could, which barely made him move.

"You are an ass. What did I do to deserve being dragged around by a bird hybrid on a shopping spree?" she hissed at him.

She hated shopping unless it was for her grooming supplies or new jewels. It wasn't like she enjoyed trying on new outfits and generally having people look at her. And some of those skirts were far too short for her liking, but he had insisted they suited her.

Xanxus smirked at her.

"You needed it, spitfire. You take better care of your demons than you do yourself," he commented.

Now that she had an outfit that actually fit her and was suited to her frame, her appearance had changed considerably. She didn't look like a frumpy nobody anymore...she looked more like someone even he might take an interest in as a possible bed mate, once she got a bit more experience in her.

Honoka still had a bit of growing to do, but she definitely needed some help shifting from the old her into the one that would become a powerful summoner one day.

In any case Xanxus had far too much amusement laughing at the annoyance she felt towards him for sicking a fashion-obsessed Lussuria on her.

It was almost like she was the little sister he always wanted, but never got.

Once Honoka got done pouting at the overdue make-over...Lussuria had despaired of such a cute girl being satisfied with such a frumpy appearance and no idea how to use make-up...training resumed as usual.

Though it didn't stop Xanxus from laughing even harder when a bewildered Honoka recounted the tale of an older summoner from two years above her own class asking her out, in full view of her familiars.

Honoka fiddled with her new dress nervously. This was the first time she would be going to a formal dance with a date and the last dance before she took the tests to determine if she was skilled enough to become a second-year summoner. They were mostly a formality but there was always one or two fools in the batch who never took their studies seriously and were either held back or thrown out.

Not that she had any worries of being one of them...she had one of the highest grade point averages in her year and her demons were all well above the rest when it came to their bond.

It was just that she didn't have many positive social experiences with other humans.

"Are you nervous, little one?" asked Fon with some amusement. He was in his 'adult' human form and would be sitting this one out to watch over Lambo and I-Pin, since the dance itself would go on well past their bedtime.

Hibari, in an effort to keep the lesser females from irritating him with requests to be their dance partner, had preemptively asked Honoka as his date.

She was so used to his anti-social behavior that she wouldn't be overly offended when he slipped off every other dance to remind people to behave, so long as he was at least a little social with her. At least she knew he wouldn't step on her feet repeatedly, as dancing was one thing he could do.

Like Fon said, martial arts and dancing were rather similar in many respects and merely required an adjustment to how one moved. She was surprised how easy it was to switch between her martial arts footwork and several popular dancing styles.

"I've never had a very pleasant dance experience," she replied.

Fon hugged her, mostly out of sympathy.

"Then again you're still in shock when boys openly ask you out to a simple date these days. It's only natural you have little idea how to actually enjoy something like this."

Honoka blushed in embarrassment. It was like the floodgates had suddenly opened and she was rather grateful for Hayato's presence because he deterred the more irritating ones. She was very baffled as to what was going on, because all she had done was change her clothes and maybe did a few things with her hair when she normally stopped at brushing it. About the only thing feminine about her was the jewelry, but that was standard because of her chosen profession!

She couldn't understand why she had suddenly gone from someone who was laughed and mocked by both genders to one of the most popular girls in her year. The other girls might have made a lot of snide remarks about it, if Honoka hadn't proven time and again her own counterattacks were far more vicious and aimed to cut their ego down to size without any hesitation.

She might not be comfortable with the idea of dating or doing anything very social with other humans, but she wasn't going to take their shit any more than she had to. If being nastier than them when it came to her remarks got them to leave her the hell alone, then she would gladly do it.

(Xanxus had certainly been amused when he witnessed that particular side of her. Honoka had been surprised, then openly cackling when he started giving her new barbs to use on the other girls. She had them reduced to tears within a few well placed words.)

Hibari came in, took one look at her and a rather odd expression crossed his face. It was hard to put into words, but then again she had an easier time reading a demon's expression than a human's. People were so contradictory that oftentimes what they said and what they meant were very, very different things.

She preferred demons...when they gave their word you knew it could be trusted to an extent.

So her monumental blush that turned her face into something closer to the shade of a tomato could be excused when Hibari easily bent down on one knee, took her hand and kissed it. Much like a knight or noble would to a princess.

Fon chuckled at the sight. Hibari didn't often show it, but he had been raised a gentleman and he did know the proper way to court a young lady or at least show respectable behavior. He just never found anyone worth the time to use those skills.

Honoka was going to have a rather...amusing...time, if he was in the mood to pull something like that on his roommate.

"Have fun," said Fon cheerfully, resisting the urge to cackle at the look on Honoka's face.

She really needed something to remind her that she was a girl. The poor girl's self-esteem as a female was very low indeed if she was so confused by the sudden interest of the older male summoners.

At the dance

Honoka felt so out of place it wasn't even funny. Fortunately her date wasn't the most social person and was fine with silence. It was actually rather nice to go out on the dance floor and not cringe every time Hibari moved his feet anywhere near hers.

She found it rather fun, to be honest, though he preferred the older, slow dances to the loud and rather irritating fast paced ones that most of the other summoners were 'dancing' to. Which looked more like a undulating mob of bodies that crushed and grinded against each other than real dancing, in her opinion.

That was not her idea of fun, at all.

Hayato looked somewhat uncomfortable himself, but at least he had managed to skate on the whole 'date' thing by dragging Takeshi with him as his partner. The slightly older swordsman was openly enjoying the whole thing and seemed to take great amusement at the expression on Hayato's face whenever his hands happened to 'stray'. It was rather fun to watch...if you weren't Hayato that is.

"Where's Hibari?"

"Finding out who spiked the punch, as is tradition, and then scaring the piss out of them," replied Honoka. Her eyes glinted with mischief. "I bet you anything it was Xanxus or Squalo who did it this time and that they used the really good stuff for the laughs."

"No bet. I saw Xanxus putting hard whiskey into the punch bowl an hour ago," laughed Takeshi with open amusement.

Honoka eyed the bowl thoughtfully, before a wicked idea came to her.

"You're planning something."

"Just thinking of a way to one-up the whiskey...and possibly get Xanxus and Squalo both with a good prank."

She didn't get much of a chance to do it, at least not this go around anyway, as Xanxus took initiative and brought her out to the dance floor. He looked particularly amused hearing her squeak.

"I would almost say you were a mouse and not a great cat, spitfire," he commented.

"And I would say you're more of a dragon than a great liger, big brother," she shot back impishly.

It took a few seconds for the last part of the sentence to sink in, but when it did there was a subtle shift in the way he acted around her. He gently ruffled her hair with open fondness, and she could tell Squalo had noticed the change.

All in all it was the best time she had ever had in one of these infernal things.

Though she definitely wasn't expecting Hibari of all people to steal her first kiss, much to the cackling amusement of Fon.