The teacher led Kazumi from the main office all the way to the classroom, and the pair remained silent the entire way there. The teacher, Takamura, was looking through various papers as they walked, not even sparing Kazumi a glance. Prior to their departure through the hallways however, he had instructed her to remain in the hall just outside the classroom door so that he could properly introduce her to the class. Kazumi had simply nodded, not in the slightest bit concerned about whether or not she would be properly introduced to her new classmates. She would have been perfectly happy just walking in and taking a seat somewhere. In all likelihood, she wouldn't be staying here very long anyways.

So as they walked through the corridors, Kazumi took the silence as an opportunity to glance around and get a feel for the school. It wasn't until they turned a corner that she began to notice a strange but familiar feeling tingling under her skin; one that no matter how she tried, she couldn't quite identify the source. But once she and Takamura-sensei were in front of the door to the classroom, it hit her like running into a brick wall. She was only half paying attention when Takamura-sensei reissued the instruction to stay outside the door; she was far too distracted by the excited feeling inside of her to even really truly notice it.

But even still, Kazumi didn't move. Her Flames were bucking like a wild horse, rampaging so furiously against her mental cage at the presence on the other side of the door. They screamed and yearned to be released, to be allowed to reach out for it. And suddenly she could feel a wicked and excited grin morph onto her face as she recovered from her moment of shock.

There was a Sky here.

And a strong one at that.

Again she felt her Flames begging to be allowed to reach out with such strong desire, and it made her wonder just who could this absurdly massive Sky be?

"Please come in and introduce yourself." She heard from inside. Without hesitation, eager to find out who the Sky Flames belonged to, Kazumi opened the door to walk in and look around quickly, only to falter in such a way that thanlfully could have passed as her nervously tripping over her own feet, barely catching herself on the nearest desk.

HIM?! Her mind screeched as her eyes landed on the scrawny and possibly too kind looking boy with messy brown hair standing in every direction. His expression hadn't supplied a much better impression. He almost looked as though he was in the midst of having a panic attack. On instinct, Kazumi's Flames tried to reach through their cage to calm him. No, he WAS having a panic attack! WHAT. THE. HELL?!

And then, as if noticing her presence for the first time, the Sky boy looked in her direction, taking her in as she collected herself, nervously laughing off her stumble as she appologised to the person sitting in the desk, and made her way to stand next to the teacher's podium. Suddenly his expression softened and she almost thought she heard a relieved sigh. Kazumi didn't understand it. What on earth would he have to be so nervous about a new student for?

"Hello everyone, my name is Yamashita Kazumi; written as kazu and mi." Ignoring her confusion, she began to introduce herself once she had written the characters of her name '山下 和美'' on the board. "It's a pleasure to meet you all." She bowed politely upon facing her fellow classmates. "As Takamura-sensei has previously explained, I've transferred from a school overseas in Italy, so I hope you will all take care of me." She put on a jovial smile, and it was as if half the class was already mentally fawning over her. She could almost feel the hormones filling up the room as her eyes scanned each face as she spoke. It also didn't go unnoticed, the short and brief whispers that went around.

"Another one from Italy? That's so crazy." And the like. She mentally frowned at that. Clearly she hadn't been the first person to come here looking for the Vongola Decimo.

Vongola Decimo.

Kazumi's gaze shifted back to the brown haired Sky. It wasn't entirely impossible for him to be the person behind the mysterious identity. The Decimo was supposed to be young, it's the whole reason why she even enrolled into this school, and still in training after all. Besides, his flames were absolutely incredible!

"Yamamoto, could you please share your textbook with Yamashita for today?" Takamura called out to a boy with short black hair.

"Sure!" He displayed a wide and eager grin when Kazumi turned her attention to him. That was when she was finally able to notice something about him.

Rain flames! Her mind supplied. And then it was like a magic bullet had drawn a path across the room. Suddenly she was able to detect the other flames in the room that had been so well hidden under the protection of the Sky. Storm. Mist. Her eyes landed on a male with silver hair, and then a petite female with an eyepatch. Their Flames were larger than she would have ever imagined. She began to sweat and mentally panic.

This was not good.

"Yamashita, please take your seat next to Yamamoto." Takamura instructed just before turning to his papers and then the board, erasing her name as he prepared the lesson. Kazumi complied silently, taking the empty adjacent seat and sliding it over to be next to the Rain boy.

"Yamashita, right?" He asked and she simply nodded. "I'm Yamamoto Takeshi, nice to meet ya." Did he ever stop grinning?

"Thanks. You can call me Kazumi though, if you like. I haven't been addressed by my surname in years so I might not notice." She said with a bit of a grin of her own.

"Alright, then you can call me Takeshi." Again with that grin. Kazumi let out a small laugh.

"I'd like that." Kazumi answered with a soft smile as Takeshi flipped open the textbook.

xXx

Science, Kazumi quickly realized, was absolutely gruelling. Especially at the high school level. By then end of the lesson, all she wanted to do was emphasize with most of her classmates and slam her head onto her desk. Though she decided to hold restraint, even if she thought she could never be more bored in her entire life.

"Oi, Kazumi." Takeshi called from above her. He had already gotten out of his seat. "It's a break; why don't you come sit with us?" Us? She had an uneasy feeling about the use of the word us.

"Uh, sure! I'd love to!" Enthusiastic. Remember to be enthusiastic! Though that was kind of hard to do once she noticed all of the large flames gathering around the Sky. She sighed. What kind of hell had she gotten herself into?

"Yo, Tsuna!" Takeshi cheered, greeting the Sky boy with a grin.

"Takeshi-kun." He greeted in return with a soft smile. So his name is Tsuna. Kazumi's mind recorded the information.

"I invited Kazumi to sit with us." Takeshi shot a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to the girl in question as he pulled a chair close to Tsuna's desk, sitting in it backwards.

"Baka, like Juudaime has time to spend with the new person." Juudaime...?

"Ah, no it's fine Hayato-kun." Tsuna appeased and turned back to Kazumi. "It's nice to meet you Yamashita-san" And just like that he sent her the warmest and most welcoming smile she had ever received in her life. Kazumi's Flames started to rattle their metaphorical cage again. They were so exceptionally drawn to his Sky flames, she couldn't even force herself to walk away.

"Thank you. But please, call me Kazumi." Three of the flames identified; Takeshi. Hayato. Tsuna. Perhaps it was worth sitting here with them after all.

"Kazumi-san then. I'm Sawada Tsuna." Tsuna said, smile still gracing his features. Kazumi mentally cried; he really was too sweet. "So, you used to live in Italy?" That snapped her out of her trance. She was quick to take in their expressions; nervous on Tsuna's part, the others a bit shocked by the question, which just made her more curious.

"Yeah, my dad works for the international bank as an investor and got transferred there when I was young. I decided to come back to Japan to finish my schooling here." Kazumi watched as Tsuna seemed to heave yet another sigh of relief. She forced herself not to visibly frown. Suspicious. Not that she could talk…

"So then, Kazumi-san, you live alone?" Tsuna asked, his expression slowly forming into a concerned frown. Shit, she just fell into a dangerous question.

"Ah…" She hesitated. "Yes... But I have my dad's trust fund, you see." It was actually her own money. "And I know how to cook a decent meal, so I'll be fine." She was an excellent cook if she did say so herself. Kazumi gave a nervous laugh when she noticed his astonished expression.

"Amazing, I can barely stop tripping over my own feet, let alone even think about living on my own." He looked truly amazed. Even his Flames gave off the feeling of amazement.

"You get used to it. My dad works all the time, so I learned to make use of the house for myself." She explained, hoping with all hope that it was a feasible excuse.

"Well, if you ever need anything, Kazumi-san, please just ask." His overly kind expression had her flabbergasted to the point where she was speechless and a light blush formed on her cheeks. These damn Skies and their overly potent personalities.

xXx

Other than those who stayed behind for clean-up, Kazumi was the last one out of the classroom that evening. The hallways were nearly empty as well, with students either on their way home or already participating in after school activities. She was well aware of the four Flames from her class still lingering around on the campus, having been properly introduced to Hayato and Chrome just before their conversation took a turn to random things Kazumi barely had the capacity to follow.

Hayato though hot tempered and intelligent, Kazumi learned when it came to Tsuna, he was loyal to a fault. He was otherwise the perfect definition of a Storm. Chrome was incredibly shy and weak bodied, but despite that had an incredible supply of Mist flames at her disposal, leaving Kazumi believe that she was likely a true illusionist. That would certainly explain it; those who could actually make illusions real often did have the superior power to back it up, but often avoided close combat.

Kazumi sighed again. And then there was Tsuna himself. Kazumi learned that he had miserably horrible grades. It was a wonder how he even made it into high school in the first place. His physical fitness was also something left to be questioned. And she certainly didn't need to think about just how utterly…. Dame he was. There really was no nicer way of putting it and she was already getting a headache just thinking about the poor kid.

"Crowding herbivores will be bitten to death." A new Flame presence abruptly struck Kazumi's scenes, the intimidation alone was enough to freeze her in place for the slightest second before her instincts took over and she quickly slipped into hiding. She stared at her feet from her position, sweat already pouring down her face. What was with this monstrosity of a Flame? She dared to peek around the pillar that was her impromptu hiding place. Immediately she spotted a tall, black haired teen wielding tonfas and Cloud Flames embracing just about nearly every part of his body. But it wasn't just his Flame that had her completely immobile. There was another; a Sun flame that was figuratively bursting at the seams.

Her eyes physically widened. What was with these people? What was with this school? Why were there so many people here with such massive flames? She needed an answer to this immediately. But even the best info broker would still take at least a week. No. She knew someone who could definitely connect her to the right people and get her at least basic information in at least a day or two.

Letting out an uneasy breath and calming her features into a neutral expression, Kazumi vacated her hiding position and made to continue past her classmates without interacting.

"HIBARI!" Well, she had thought of remaining composed, but that Sun had other plans apparently. Startled, she openly stared at the light haired boy, completely gobsmacked. He was quite literately POURING Sun flames! "We aren't crowding! We're doing EXTREME TRAINING!" He shouted, as he entered a boxing position. Ah, so he's a Boxer.

"O-Onii-san, we're literately just walking home from school." Tsuna stuttered, distress clearly written on his face. "And please don't bite us to death Hibari-san, we really were just on our way out." Kazumi watched the interactions between the group. She could tell that Gokudera Hayato was quite near his breaking point; his Flames were practically begging to be let loose. Yamamoto Takeshi, while laughing off the situation, was making vain attempts to break up the dispute. Or maybe he was just enjoying himself too much to even bother trying to break it up. Chrome on the other hand, stood near the back clutching her bag closely to her chest while seemingly unsure of what to do. And back to Tsuna and this Onii-san; while the Sun boxer was just barely up front and personal with the Cloud, Tsuna appeared to stand between them all trying to prevent any fighting from happening.

"Oh, Kazumi!" Takeshi called, finally noticing her presence. Well, she should hope he noticed. She had only been standing there for a good, solid five minutes just… staring. Oh God this was so unprofessional of her. Kazumi meekly raised her hand to give a small wave to the large group. "We're about to walk home together, want to join us?"

"Only weak herbivores flock together. Leave or I'll bite you all to death." Kazumi's meek grimace quickly turned into a confused scowl at the Cloud. What kind of person went around biting people? To the death at that?

"Sorry Takeshi-kun, but I have some things to do before I get home. I haven't had the opportunity to fully stock up on food, so I'll be stopping by the store on my way." Well, it was partly true. She did need groceries.

"No problem, next time then." He waved at her as she began to walk past them.

"Absolutely. See you all tomorrow!" She walked outside the gate and heaved a sigh. Did she really, just so easily, give them the slip like that? She was a PROFESSIONAL damnit! How had she resorted to such a low calibre and sub-par performance? Even beginners would be laughing at her right now.

From the other side of the school gate, Kazumi felt the Cloud begin to distance himself from the group. Had he gotten bored of the situation? She didn't feel like finding out. She just wanted to get the information she needed. So she continued down the street like nothing was out of the ordinary.

xXx

Night had already fallen and Kazumi walked down the road, staying close to the shadows of buildings as she went, unitl she reached a pair of buildings that sat closer together than any other on the street. The alley between them was as dark as it could possibly get; not a single street light shone into it, and all the way at the end, a dark-clothed and hooded figure was already waiting for her.

"Why have you called me out here?" The person asked, standing up from the wooden crate they were using for a bench, clearly annoyed.

"I need information on some people, and I need it fast." She saw the frown on their lips. "You know I have the money, I'll even pay you double if you can get it to me by tomorrow." Kazumi stated, presenting the thin folder that she had been carrying to the obsured figure.

"Consider it done." The figure took the file and briefly flipped through it, examining the work that Kazumi had been able to put together on her own in just two days. She watched patiently as the person took out the photos and names she had been able to secretly snap. Finally, with a soft huff her dear informant had nodded, satisfied with the basics provided to begin the search.

"You know where to send it once you're done. I'll transfer half of the money in three hours." The two didn't bother with goodbyes. They both simply disappeared into the night.

xXx

By the next evening, Kazumi was looking at papers on the kitchen table, inconspicuously hand delivered before she even made it home. She had her own hand written notes jotted down next to them, summarizing what had been given to her.

Yamamoto Takeshi. Baseball team captain. Father Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, owns a sushi shop and unconfirmed assumptions that he taught Takeshi kendo. (*)

Sasagawa Ryohei. Boxing team captain. Has one younger sibling in your class, Sasagawa Kyoko.

Gokudera Hayato. Also known as Smoking Bomb Hayato. Half sibling to Poison Scorpion Bianchi. Previously under the care of Trident Shamal.

Hibari Kyoya . Namimori Discipline Committee Leader. All other information unknown.

Dukuro Chrome. Unknown.

Sawada Tsunayoshi. Abismal scores in all academics. Son to Sawada Iemitsu who is the leader of CEDEF, Vongola's Outside Advisor, and is otherwise known as the "Young Lion" of the Vongola.

Kazumi wasn't sure if she wanted to die or jump for joy. There was not a doubt in her mind now; Sawada Tsunayoshi was definitely Vongola Decimo, if only by relation to his father. What concerned her was that, despite the broker not supplying much more than what she had already been able to put together on her own, Kazumi was convinced that his close friends were most definitely his so called Guardians. And then to add insult to injury, she was surprised that the broker had absolutely nothing on either that Chrome girl or Hibari. To be fair, Chrome was a bit of an odd name, so it could have been alias, but that was beside the point. Normally they would get something.

In summary, Kazumi was sure that if she didn't play her cards carefully, she was quite literately, and royally, fucking screwed. After all, six out of seven of the Flame elements were in this school and were all so very closely tethered to this Sky.

Six out of seven...

What was she going to do?

She gathered up the papers and brought them to the fire place and tossed them inside. Perhaps right now, it was simply best for her to sit back and watch events unfold. As she was right now, she couldn't face even two of his Guardians, let alone six. She sat in the leather chair with her chin in hand, watching the paper burn to ash and sighed before letting a frown grace her features.

Assassinating Vongola Decimo was going to be one of her most dangerous and difficult missions yet.

* - Purely based on memory, but I don't recall Takeshi ever actually telling anyone that he learned kendo, ever mind who taught him. (Unless we're supposed to assume it happens off screen, but I like to think it's a unintended secret on his part. :P)

Hello everyone!

First of all, I'd like to inform those who have already read this that this HAS been edited. In fact I added nearly 400 words to the first chapter alone (bringing the word total to over 3K). xD I was aiming to have a bit more uniformity, better flow of the story, as well as better sentence flow by fixing word usage here and there. Over all not much has changed except for maybe a bit of rewording and additional context for some situations. I've also decided to remove Enma since he currently has no relevance in this fic. I might introduce him in a later arc. (Yes, this is planned to be a multi-arc fic).

Secondly, new readers. Thank you so much for showing interest in my fic, despite that it is OC-centric. I know OC's in any fandom aren't usually popular, but Kazumi has been a character I've had sitting on the back my mind for a while now. Plus she will eventually have her purpose in this series. I hope you all will stick with me until then! In the meantime, thank you again for reading, and don't forget to leave a review! I love reading your thoughts, and opinions. (And of course any suggestions for outlanding situations to occur are more than welcome!) If you have any questions regarding this fic, please feel free to ask! Though I can't guarantee I'll answer if it has something to do with what will happen in future chapters. ;P

Happy reading!

~Rahxe