When he took his first breath of air in his fourteen year old body, Tsunayoshi Sawada swore a blue streak quietly...so his mother didn't hear him.

His life before Reborn showed up had been nothing less than singularly awful, and now he would have to go through the motions all over again. This was going to suck.

Tsuna went to class, and half-assed everything without caring. It wasn't like the teachers gave a damn if he paid attention as they had long since given up on him years ago.

It wasn't until he spotted a familiar face that a crazy, wild idea occurred to him that would make it all bearable.

First he would have to confirm a few facts though. It would be just his luck that frequent exposure to that marshmallow addict would result in him being thrown into an alternate past.

It only took a week, and like clockwork he saw Hibari getting vastly more irritable and 'bitey' around the students. Seeing everyone avoid them like the plague on instinct was all the confirmation he needed.

With a wicked smile he had learned from the best, Tsuna began his plot. At the very least this would effectively kill time until Reborn showed up and with any luck avoid several hoops he had to jump through the first time.

It was a mystery that would plague Namimori for well over a year before Hibari finally had enough and tracked down the culprit. It had taken Kusakabe far too long to find out what exactly was going on, and when he did he was kicking himself for not thinking the obvious.

It all started with a bird. A tiny yellow puffball that was rather adorable and was capable of limited human speech. It certainly mastered the words "Hibari", "herbivore" and "bite" fast enough.

Hibari named it Hibird, and within a week it was soon never seen far from his side. It was strangely fitting to see the little ball of feathers on his shoulder, or flying around him when he was biting someone to death.

However once a month, shortly before the most dreaded time of the month started, Hibird would disappear for a few days and return with a box carried by several of it's friends.

The contents of which initially made Hibari livid with rage and a fierce desire to bite the sender to death.

Because it took all of two months before Hibari realized the meaning behind it...namely that whoever had sent it via messenger bird knew he was in fact a she.

Kusakabe almost pitied whoever was stupid enough to reveal they knew Hibari Kyouya was in fact Hibari Kiyohime. Except they had firmly brought it on themselves sending those herbs that were pretty much a dead giveaway that they knew Hibari's actual gender.

Every month after Hibird's arrival, it would disappear and then return with a similar box.

Eventually Hibari got over her anger at being found out to try one of the chocolates it always had inside...and melted.

Maybe she wouldn't bite the foolish herbivore to death. At least not until she found out where he got this absolutely divine chocolate first.

(Kusakabe discreetly started searching for it himself, because it seemed to have a sedative effect on his boss to the point she was less grumpy compared to usual. He had little to no luck in that regard.)

White Day came and this time whoever the mystery sender was stepped it up a notch, because there were a pair of tonfas made entirely of white chocolate, caramel and berry filling wrapped in a very attractive white bow delivered outside the door of Hibari's personal den...aka the receiving room of Namimori Middle School.

Kusakabe silently applauded the brass balls on whoever pulled that off. It took guts and skill to deliver something like that to Hibari's door and not get caught.

However the meaning behind it was blatantly clear. Whoever was doing this was discreetly courting Hibari.

Originally Hibari had dismissed the sentiment as 'too herbivore' for her tastes.

One bite of that white chocolate changed her mind. Now her eyes were full of intent to find out which student was so brazen as to court her in the first place and to see if they were worth her time.

What really tipped the scales was the package delivered to her actual doorstep. Hibari didn't live with the rest of her family... it was too crowded and the elders were idiots who kept trying to marry her off because they didn't like her untamed spirit.

(If she had been born a boy, it would have been different and no one would have cared. But she was a woman and therefor had to be married off to better the family...hence why she hated being reminded of her gender.)

Finding that heated box with the most delicious hamburger steak cooked exactly how she liked it said quite a bit about whoever her mysterious admirer was.

Namely that they knew entirely too much for her paranoia to particularly like. According to all the administrative records, she lived in the Hibari mansion just outside of town. Only two people knew her actual address.

It took her a full two and a half months before she finally caught the one responsible.

She just didn't expect it to be the weakest herbivore in the entire school.

"Sawada. How do you know my address?" she demanded, trying to ignore the food in his hand.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you?" he offered sheepishly. She had to give him credit...he wasn't averting his eyes from hers and she had to wonder if his had always been that brilliant shade of amber orange.

It took her a few seconds to shake off that thought, before she glared at him.

As if it wasn't damning enough that she busted him delivering her lunch, Hibird flew out of the door and started making circles around his head chirping "Fox! Fox!"

Her glare doubled. She was able to ignore the fact that Hibird seemed entirely comfortable using his hair as a nest, and idly wondered how soft his hair actually was.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't bite you to death," she growled. Her tone made it clear he would be hospitalized in short order if he didn't come up with a compelling reason for her to temper her ire.

What happened next took her several seconds to register, but when it did she had to stare at him in absolute shock.

Because the weakest, most timid herbivore she had ever met hadn't tried to give her any number of 'reasons' for why she should allow him to leave unharmed. He gave no excuses, and he certainly didn't try to run.

He had kissed her, on the mouth and did something with his tongue against the roof of her mouth that had her stifle a moan because it felt entirely too good. It ended far too soon and it was only her iron control that kept her from reacting...that and the shock.

The impish look in his eyes and the calm expression on his face said volumes of what his intent was.

Finding the little box of chocolates on her personal desk in the office the next day with a little note that had a well drawn kitsune made it clear that Sawada intended to be a bit more open of his courting.

It only took one bite to confirm he was the one who delivered Hibird and all those little presents to her.

She...wasn't entirely sure how to feel about this.

When Fon came to Namimori to see his little granddaughter, he wasn't expecting the minor amount of chaos that would have given Reborn endless amounts of entertainment.

It took him all of an hour after having one of his play fights with Kiyo before he tracked down Kusakabe and demanded answers.

Kusakabe merely directed Fon to the box he had been collecting, rather than say a word.

Fon took one look before an incredulous expression came across his face.

"Someone is courting Kiyo-chan?"

"I'm certain she has found out who it is, but every time I ask who they are she clams up and her ears turn red. I'm fairly certain they did something to short circuit her," said Kusakabe blandly. He might look uninterested but you could tell from his voice he was openly amused by this turn of events.

Fon had a conflicted expression on his face, before he settled down...and just started to laugh.

If someone had tried to hurt her, or worse, Kiyo-chan would have dealt with them herself. It wasn't the first time someone had tried to get handsy with her.

However from the sound of it, someone had managed to get past her defenses enough to get her interest, without being too forward about it.

It looked like his dear granddaughter had finally entered the springtime of her youth, and had found a boy who could potentially keep up with her for once. Or at least spark an interest in finding one who could.

He had to know who had the balls to openly court Kiyo, because this was hilarious. It took little time to follow the fluffy looking boy from the general vicinity of her apartment to a discreet little treehouse.

Inside he found quite a few things that amused him, namely the source of the mystery chocolates that his granddaughter had gotten addicted to that had such a pacifying effect.

Seeing a smile pile of obviously homemade sweets, he swiped one from the counter to see if he could figure out what it was that Kiyo liked about them so much.

The spicy content was mixed perfectly in a way that didn't make his eyes water and the sugar wasn't so overbearing that it cloaked the taste of the spices. He could absolutely see why Kiyo liked them so much, if her little suitor was this skilled at making them.

It took a second one before Fon realized that perhaps the boy's courtship of Kiyohime was more than just a boy showing attraction to a girl he liked.

Kiyo's suitor had Sky Flames.

Suddenly the boy's intentions took an entirely new spin, and in a way Fon was very pleased. If he was right and the boy courting Kiyo was a Sky, that meant he was potentially courting her as a Guardian and a girlfriend. It also meant Kiyo wouldn't have to suffer those idiots trying to marry her off anymore.

Fon was enjoying the sweet treats so much he failed to register someone coming in.

"You know if you wanted some of the chocolates you could have just asked," said a voice amused.

It took him all of three seconds to register the fact he had been busted. Fortunately the boy was a civilian so he allowed himself to drop his guard.

He knew most of the Skies the same age as his Kiyo, and none of them fit his description.

The boy had wild caramel colored hair that almost made him look like a fluffy lion cub. His eyes were a warm amber colored orange (thus confirming that he was at least an inactive Sky) and very gentle. It was as Fon took notice of the callouses on his hands that he had to wonder if the child practiced some form of martial arts. He was petite and had a runner's build, and his very aura said volumes of what a gentle and kind soul he was.

All in all, it was slightly surprising he had chosen his violent Kiyo-chan as a potential Guardian and girlfriend, unless he was doing it instinctively.

"My apologies. I was just curious as to how exactly you caught my granddaugther's attention with chocolate of all things," said Fon pleasantly. He wanted to know more about the boy before he gave his blessing.

"Would you like some tea?" the boy asked.

"Yes please," said Fon, smiling. Such a polite child!

The boy pulled out a canister of oolong, which made Fon's estimation of him go up. From what he could tell, the teen was adding his flames to his cooking on instinct, though it did wonders to relax his guests.

"So...what is your name?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," the teen replies, making Fon almost start at the name.

He only knew of one man named Sawada who had Sky flames, and he was hoping he was wrong. Iemitsu was not exactly a pleasant person to be around, according to Lal.

The boy seemed to sense Fon's surprise at the name, before he sighed.

"Let me make it absolutely clear that I have long since renounced anything to do with that man who claims he's my father. I can count the number of days he's actually spent around me, and as far as I'm concerned he'd a deadbeat bum who pays alimony and child support to my mother. I wouldn't be the least bit shocked if I have bastard half-siblings running around at this point," said Tsuna tiredly.

"You know who your father is?" asked Fon seriously.

"Iemitsu Sawada is not and never will be my father. I don't care if he did donate half his genetics to me...it takes more than blood to make one a parent," said Tsuna with conviction. "And if he tries to dictate how I live my life, I have absolutely no issue with punching him in the balls, tying him up and then throwing him in the river after a storm."

Fon had to admit, he was starting to like this boy. Talk about entertaining.

"So, what are you intentions with my granddaughter?" asked Fon, semi-serious with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"I just wanted to avoid several of the hoops she would have made me go through in order to date her by being a sneaky fox about the whole thing and getting her attention that way," admitted Tsuna. "If I tried to approach her directly I never would have gotten the time of day from her, never mind the amount of bruises and broken bones she almost certainly would have given me."

Fon chuckled, because he was entirely correct. Kiyo would never look at someone like him if he had approached her directly. Forget her nature as a true warrior, Clouds were always difficult to court. Making light sneak attacks was far more effective than frontal attacks.

And that was before one took into account that Tsuna looked and felt like a 'small animal', and was therefor not worthy of her notice.

Hearing the chittering sound, Tsuna turns to find...a white monkey?

"That is Lichi, my partner," said Fon pleasantly.

"...Does your friend like dried fruits? I think I have some here they can have."

Hearing the word 'fruit', Lichi perked up and happily accepted the treat.

Fon had absolutely no issue with Tsuna dating Kiyo. Not that his opinion would have mattered, as his granddaughter was strong willed and stubborn, but his blessing would at least appease the rest of the clan.

"So Tsuna, do you like martial arts?" asked Fon.

If the boy didn't like them now, he'd have to develop an interest to survive Kiyo-chan.

"I'm pretty mediocre at it...mosty because all the places that teach it around here are more interested in sport competitions than the real thing. If I tried to learn in order to keep up with Hibari the instructors would always get a pained look on their face and tell me that they only focus on earning belts, not being violent demons," said Tsuna with scorn. "Besides, a few of my classmates go to those lessons and the last thing I want to deal with is being made a punching bag."

Fon wondered if the scorn was for the fact that they taught only for sport instead of actual training...or if it was because they had indirectly disparaged Kiyo-chan for being so violent with others. Either way it made the estimation of the boy only go up.

He planned to properly investigate young Tsuna before he would alert the clan to Kiyo's suitor.