Our beliefs strengthen us.

Seven

Orithyea

Chapter 8: The Fourth Day

Tsuna had a dream; an extremely bizarre dream. He dreamt of spending the day in the amusement park with Hibari. He tittered at the last part. Even if he lost his sanity, the day he'd agree to go out with Hibari Kyouya was when pigs grew wings and learned to fly – in short, never. However, in the dream, it appeared he was enjoying the time with the prefect. He cringed at that very thought.

Besides, he bet when he flips open his phone, Hibari's name wouldn't be in it. Smiling to himself, he removed his covers and stretched his limbs. He brought himself up and ambled to his desk. He flipped the gadget, sure of himself that his contacts only had two people in it – but there were three.

He dropped the phone in utter surprise, uttering a small shriek. Memories of yesterday returned to his mind. It was real, he managed to conclude, feeling half-pleased and half-rueful. If that was the case, Hibari was bound to contact him later in the afternoon, they had set another date. He looked at the clock, which read nine in the morning. Probably more than four hours to go, Tsuna thought, astonished at the current events playing in his life.

Sighing, he sat down on the edge of his bed, carefully pondering over the happenings. He idly wondered if yesterday was just something that resulted from going with the flow. He didn't particularly mind it, he had fun, and it had been a while since he went out with a friend. Nonetheless, Tsuna believed he was starting to become self-centred and selfish. He was supposed to help Kyoko with her relationship with Hibari, not think of himself and his merriment.

The feeling of wanting to talk with Kyoko overwhelmed him. He loved her; he should be true to his word and help. Yet, Tsuna can't help but feel selfish. But he knew that it was wrong to keep it from her. Determined, he opened his phone again and dialed the brunette's number, hoping for her to pick up. The sound of the other end picking up cheered him up; he immediately asked, "Kyoko-chan?"

"Sawada? Kyoko went out extremely early this morning! She forgot her phone," answered back the male quite loudly.

"O-oh... Ryohei-san," he mumbled, recoiling at the sudden increase of volume. "What time is she coming back?"

"I don't extremely know! Do you want to leave an extreme message?" asked Ryohei.

"N-no thanks, Ryohei-san. But...uh...thanks." Tsuna hanged up and rubbed his ears. Sometimes he wondered how he and Kyoko were related. Kyoko's brother was so loud, constantly shouting even when the person he was speaking with was so close. He was a third year, if he remembered correctly, in the same class as Hibari, who was famously known for not attending any classes.

Tsuna snorted. How can a person from the Disciplinary Committee not be present in his classes? Talk about proper discipline.

Oh, well. There's still some time. Tsuna yawned, deciding that he would pass the time by napping. He was sure he'd wake up again at around noon anyway. He snuggled on the bed again and his snores filled the room.

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A sharp tone of ringing was unwelcomed in the brunet's ears. He unconsciously covered his ears with the pillow and grumbled. Fortunately, the ringing stopped. Sighing in content, he burrowed himself further under the covers when the ringing continued again. Annoyed, he finally stood up and went to his desk. Whoever was calling him was going to receive an earful.

Or not.

Tsuna looked at the caller's name and read Hibari Kyouya. Fumbling for the answer button, he managed to click it and hurriedly greeted. "S-Sorry, Hibari-san. I kinda fell asleep." He glanced at his wall clock and was surprised to see it was already half past three. Why didn't his mother wake up him? His stomach growled, reminding him of his empty stomach.

"I'm outside your house. Get ready, we're leaving."

Leaving? Leaving...Eloping? Tsuna blushed. "E-eh... Isn't it too fast for that?"

"What herbivorous things are you thinking? We're going to watch a movie, weren't we?" growled the other. "I sent a message earlier."

Tsuna should learn to stop watching soap operas

Tsuna should also learn not to make the prefect wait.

"R-right. Would you give me around ten minutes?" he asked, praying his nominal lover would agree.

"Be late or I'll bi—" Hibari abruptly stopped and, without warning, hanged up, leaving the brunet confused and in a frenzy to get ready. He hurriedly took a five-minute shower and rummaged through his closet to get a random outfit. Not even bothering to look, he swiftly put on a shirt and a pair of jeans. He ran downstairs as fast as he could and shouted a short greeting to his mother, forgetting to ask why she didn't wake him up.

Because of their date yesterday, Tsuna expected his lover to have on a fancy yet simple outfit. But another learning he had today was to not assume anything. When he caught sight of the prefect, he did not in any way think that he'd appear wearing black slacks and his infamous dark gakuran with the Disciplinary Committee's yellow and red badge on his left sleeve.

"Hibari-san... Why are you wearing your school uniform?" he asked bluntly.

Hibari smirked. "I don't think you're in any position to question my clothing."

Confused, Tsuna looked down at his own clothes and flushed immediately. The shirt he threw on was upside down and his pants had a hole in the knee, which his mother already reminded him to bring it to a tailor. He didn't also exactly notice that he was barefooted. He gave his little shriek, ran back to his room, and opened his closet, this time, more focused on choosing his outfit.

"It seems like Tsu-kun doesn't know what to wear for the date." A woman behind him giggled.

"Mom!" Tsuna turned around. "Why didn't you wake me up for lunch or even for breakfast? Hie! Hibari-san might be mad at me for making him wait. I have to hurry," he said as he faced his closet again.

"Then Mama will help you." Nana smiled. She lightly shoved her son away and looked thoughtful for a while, digging through Tsuna's cabinet. She picked up a white undershirt and an orange polo, and placed it on his hands. Nana scrutinised Tsuna and slowly shook her head. "Tsu-kun, how many times have I told you to bring that to the tailor? Here, wear this." A clean and newer pair of trousers appeared on his hands. "Now go and get change. I'll place your shoes on the mat and tell Hibari-kun to wait, okay?"

Nodding, he started swiftly changing, eternally grateful for his mother's helpfulness. He felt more embarrassed now. Not only did Nana see how clumsy and brainless his son was, so did Hibari. Admittedly, for once, he felt compelled to stop showing his uselessness towards the prefect and, instead, he wanted to act as best as possible in front of him. Tsuna realised how much a single date with Hibari could change his feelings. He had fun. So, so much fun.

Tsuna suddenly became gloomy. Maybe it was just out of desperation to gain friends that he felt this way. Now that he thought of it, he also had fun at Takesushi with Yamamoto and Gokudera. Yes, that must be it. He simply wanted to have new friends.

Finally finished changing, he ran down again and saw the shoes his mother prepared for him. He hastily put it on and went outside, finding Hibari and Nana speaking with one another. Instantly paling, he raised a hand to cover his face. Just what more embarrassing things was his mother saying now? "W-what are you guys talking about?" he butted in, bracing himself for some abashing.

"Tsu-kun... Do you love Hibari-kun?" asked Nana hesitantly.

Tsuna stood frozen. Of course he didn't. He loved Kyoko and she loved the prefect. He felt stupid just opening and closing his mouth. Eventually, he managed to ask, "What?"

"I told her about the Vongola," Hibari spoke up.

"Oh. No, Mom. I'm not in love with Hibari-san," he answered.

Nana placed both of her hands on his shoulder, looking him directly in the eye. "I don't want Tsu-kun to go out with such a guy who just dates anyone with no attachments. I want you to be happy. It's already hard with him always far...and I don't know what he's doing right now," she said under her breath.

He knew who she was talking about. "Come on, Mom. Dad's too stupid to cheat on you. I bet he's just lazing around on his job. And...Hibari-san's not that bad. Don't get me wrong, I'm not in love with him, but he's actually a really great person, so I'd appreciate it if you don't question him too much." Not like I know why he even joined Vongola, Tsuna added mentally.

Nana giggled. "I guess you're right. Sometimes I overreact, don't I?" She added, "All right. Have fun you two. I'm sorry for bothering you too much." She smiled and walked back inside the house.

Tsuna sighed. It wouldn't kill his father to send a postcard once in a while. When his father goes back home, he was so going to get a beating. The brunet looked sheepishly at his lover. "S-sorry for that, Hibari-san. Sometimes...," he trailed off.

"It's alright. Though I do commend you for your proper clothing," said the prefect, amused.

Tsuna flushed and looked away.

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When they arrived downtown, Hibari stopped in front of an elegant small restaurant. Tsuna observed the place and found the exterior quite pleasing to the eyes with its classic designs. He did expect to watch a movie first since the prefect did say that they were going to watch a movie and have dinner. So he asked, "We're going to eat first?" He had no intentions of arguing with the other's decision though.

"Supposedly, I planned for a movie first, but it seemed your stomach begged to differ."

Coincidentally, the brunet's stomach growled, reminding him that he had not yet eaten anything for this day and it was already past four 'o clock. Embarrassed, he laughed lightly and scratched his head. "Thanks, Hibari-san."

Hibari said nothing, but led the way inside. Tsuna, eager to fill his hungry belly with delicious food, promptly followed. The interior design perfectly matched the exterior, Tsuna noticed. While he did have to praise the creative style of the restaurant, the heavenly aroma of the food left him in a dazed state. The food was so near; he could already taste its mouthwatering goodness.

"Tsunayoshi, I doubt the other customers would appreciate you looking like that," said Hibari.

Tsuna snapped out of his dithering, feeling flustered. "You can't blame me. I haven't eaten anything since this morning yet." He followed Hibari to the table at the far end. Tsuna noticed that it was the least crowded area. How typical. He was about to sit down when Hibari pulled the Tsuna's chair. Feeling frustrated, Tsuna simply allowed him to do the gentlemanly act.

"Hibari-san, I'm not a girl," he hissed once the other also took his seat.

"This is how I treat all my dates," answered Hibari nonchalantly.

"Still... I'm not a girl, so I would be thankful if you don't do that again." Tsuna took the menu handed over by the waiter and gave the other one to his companion.

"I don't see what the problem is."

"The problem is I'm not a girl."

"A date's a date."

"A boy's a boy."

"I don't see what the difference is in dating either a girl or a boy, Tsunayoshi." Hibari clenched his teeth.

Exasperated, Tsuna asked, "All right then. What do the other boys tell you when you do that to them?"

"None. You're the first male I've ever dated."

That surprised the smaller one. With his looks and nice personality, which was hidden deep – very, very deep – inside the prefect's violent and impatient attitude, he expected that a lot of people, disregarding genders, would fall for him. But well, Hibari was so frightening that Tsuna had to understand why most of the people keep their distance from him. Even he had avoided the scary teen as much as possible.

Guilt all of a sudden shot him. If it weren't for the misunderstanding, Tsuna wouldn't have changed his impression on the other. Yes, the way he was fearful towards Hibari was still there, but it harshly lessened to the point that Tsuna would probably stop avoiding him once their week was over. Unless Hibari was going to bite him to death, then he'd probably run as fast as his short legs could carry him.

"Have you decided what to order?" asked Hibari.

"Ah, not yet." He hurriedly opened the menu and discovered something. "T-this is an Italian restaurant?"

"Wasn't it obvious?" Tsuna noted sarcasm in his remark.

Now that he mentioned it, the restaurant did have piles of vertical green, white, and red flags hanged up on the walls. He mumbled, "I was...busy thinking of something."

"Food?" Hibari smirked.

Tsuna flushed and named a random appetising-looking food in the menu. Hibari growled for a waiter to take their order. It didn't surprise the brunet when there was a waiter at their side in exactly three seconds. When Hibari finished ordering, the two of them remained quiet. Tsuna didn't know what topic to bring up, so he decided to ask something regarding the Vongola. For some reason, he thought of a certain someone.

"Hey, Hibari-san." He waited until the prefect was looking at him, affirming his attention. "Do you know Lussuria-san from the clothing line somewhere near here?" He saw him nod and continued, "What if he asked you out on a date?"

Tsuna swore his lover's grey eyes widened slightly. This was new to him. Greatly finding this funny, he fought back a snicker and retained a straight face. Hibari, without any hesitation, snarled, "I would probably bite him to death."

"That's mean. Wasn't Vongola's rule to not reject anyone no matter what gender or status he or she has?" asked Tsuna teasingly.

"That only applies for the school, Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna chuckled. "Then maybe Vongola should be more specific in their rules. If anyone finds out about that, everyone would probably ask all of you out. Including Lussuria-san, knowing his...uh...her tendencies, and he or she might target you." He tried to imagine the flamboyant person on a date with Hibari, but the image wasn't exactly...good. More like he felt pity for Lussuria.

"I do wonder how you can come up with a question like that." Hibari snorted.

Tsuna laughed, happy at seeing a new expression from the prefect. "Sometimes I do surprise myself."

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Tsuna was definitely glad that the cinemas weren't crowded, void of the throng of people that they had seen in their last date. He hated it when Hibari appeared to get irritated or when he was about to bite someone to death. With no crowds around, Tsuna's spirits lifted. He went over the movie line-up and thought of what to watch. There were three choices: mystery, a zombie movie, and a sci-fi one. None appealed to the brunet. He glanced at Hibari, wondering what he would choose.

"We'll watch the zombie one."

"Z-z-zombie?"

"I don't believe you would enjoy the other two that would require a lot of thinking."

How blunt, Tsuna sighed. But he had a point. The movie had the genres horror and romance, which he thought was actually better than thinking. Since he was a child, he was already fond of soap operas; hence, his interest in romance was triggered, although he had never admitted this to anyone, unless he wanted to worsen the teasing and bullying around him.

While he waited at the front of the door, Hibari bought the tickets. After wondering if he should pay him, he shook his head, certain that the other would refuse it. Hibari bought a bucket of popcorn and two colas. Tsuna hurriedly took the popcorn to help in carrying, allowing his lover to bring the beverages. They entered the large room and the brunet was surprised yet grateful that there weren't a lot of people. He noted that it was almost empty.

They each took a seat in the center, hoping for a better view of the movie. Tsuna started poking around in the bucket of popcorn, eager to eat already. He fished a handful and swallowed it immediately, licking his lips in satisfaction. He was about to dive in again when his companion spoke up, "Can't wait for the movie?"

His hand lay frozen in the air. Slowly, he retracted it, embarrassed. "Uh." The place began to darken, cueing the start of the film. "It started," whispered Tsuna and dove his hand again in the tub giddily. He had always loved the taste of popcorn.

Halfway through the movie, Tsuna regretted agreeing to see this movie. There were so much blood and lacerating, he wondered how long his heart could take it. Through his peripheral vision, he could see the prefect attentively watching the film. Figures. Tsuna rolled his eyes. Deciding to be attentive also, he fixed his eyes on the screen, hoping that it wouldn't get any gory as it was already. Alas, fate was always against the brunet.

The next scene surprised Tsuna so much that he literally shrieked and jumped, throwing off the tub of popcorn lying on his lap. Unconsciously, his trembling hands latched on Hibari's right arm, his fingers dug into the black clothing. But Tsuna did not once leave his eyes from the screen. Every time a zombie popped up, he heedlessly scratched the prefect, ignorant of the glare the other was giving him.

"Tsunayoshi," called Hibari, teeth clenched. "Would you stop clawing me?"

Tsuna looked at him in ignorance until his eyes finally took notice of the way he was attached to Hibari. "Hie!" He released his grip on his lover. He mumbled apology after apology incoherently.

Hibari sighed in frustration. "Just pay attention to the movie."

Tsuna nodded numbly and redirected his attention to the film once more. This time, more aware of his actions. He watched as the scene about the lovers continued. The woman, who had already been infected, was begging for her lover to kill him before she completely transformed. On the other hand, the man was in denial that the girl he loved had to die. The woman grabbed a knife in her belt bag and placed it in the man's arm.

"Kill me. I want to die as a human."

"How could I do that? I love you!"

"If you really love me then you'll set me free."

The man's grip trembled, still conflicted on what choice he had to make. For her to die by his hands as a human to free her or let his raging emotions blind him? A determined look appeared in his eyes. Slowly, he raised his hand, tears falling down from the man's brown orbs.

"I love you."

"I love you too... Thank you."

The knife went straight to the woman's heart, ending her life in one swift move. The man, anguished, knelt beside her and freely allowed his tears to cascade. He started shouting about how cruel the world was. The man gripped the knife again, obvious torment showed in his eyes. He pointed the knife directly at his own heart and plundered it. He fell on his side, life steadily leaving him. Before he was completely gone, he whispered in the air:

"I'm going with you."

As the scene faded, the credits started to roll. Tsuna sat frozen on his seat. After a few seconds, his tears started to fall down, touched at the moment of the lovers. The man loved the woman so much that he decided to follow her. So sweet, so pure, so full of love. Tsuna sniffed and sniffed, granting his water droplets to gush.

He heard a sign beside him. "Here." Tsuna looked at his companion, a hand holding a purple handkerchief stretched out. Surprised at the foreign gesture, the brunet gratefully accepted it and wiped his eyes alongside with his nose; too emotional to feel humiliated.

Hibari grabbed his hand and led him to a restroom. After splashing his face with cold water, Tsuna began to calm down. He glanced at the mirror and saw Hibari leaning against the wall, observing him. He blushed, knowing how stupid he must have appeared. He muttered, "S-sorry."

Hibari walked forward and stood beside him. "Do you feel fine now?"

Tsuna nodded. "Y-yeah.

"I'll send you home then," said Hibari.

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Sighing, Tsuna wondered just how many times more would he humiliate himself in front of the prefect. The scene affected him so much that, in no time at all, his tears began to explode. Stupid Tsuna, he angrily thought. Can't even control his own feelings. Quite opposite of Hibari though. The prefect didn't even comment on his outburst or the movie itself. Curious, he decided to ask, "What did you think about the movie, Hibari-san?"

"Idiotic," answered Hibari bluntly. "The man was foolish to end his life over such a trivial happening."

"It's because he loved the girl! I thought it was very sweet the way he killed himself to follow her," he answered back, offended. "And feelings of love aren't trivial."

"It's because of that herbivorous emotion that led to his demise."

"It's because of their love for one another that they were able to survive for so long, which was a miracle considering their situation," retorted Tsuna, remembering how many times the couple had been on the edge of losing their lives. "Love is a very wonderful thing, Hibari-san."

Hibari narrowed his eyes. "I do not need anyone to preach over something so insignificant."

"You've never been in love, haven't you, Hibari-san?" asked Tsuna.

"As I've said before, it's insignificant."

Tsuna smiled. "Then you'll know when you fall in love. When that happens, you'll realise how marvelous love is."

"You speak from experience." Hibari glanced at him.

The brunet scratched his cheek. "I guess I do, huh," he said, thinking of Kyoko's face.

Tsuna snapped out of his reverie when he noticed that they were already at the front of his house. "Thank you for today, Hibari-san," he said as he opened the gate. Pausing, he whirled around to face the prefect. "And it's not bad to fall in love, you know. It's not as herbivorous as you think."

Hibari smirked and kissed Tsuna on the cheek. "Maybe."

Tsuna stood gaping, only able to watch the prefect's retreating back. What just happened? It was only on the cheek, but Tsuna couldn't stop blushing.

Hibari Kyouya did not just kiss him.