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MtNG Chapter 28 Rewrite

Yeah, I really wanted to keep going and then do some more major editing later to fix my perceived pacing issue. But then I just had to try to fix it. And that took way too long. Not overly happy with all the editing, and this will definitely need more later. But enough is enough. Here’s the rewrite of this chapter (now with added scenes.

Chapter 28: On Guard

The door moved away from Lancia’s back, prompting the man to straighten to keep from falling over.

“Lancia-san?” asked the young boy to whom Lancia owed his life. The one who he had left unprotected for more than 12 hours, like the others had when Lancia had met. How could he have blamed them? “A-are you okay?”

“Sawada Tsunayoshi,” said Lancia, standing until he was towering over the boy. Brown eyes followed his rise nervously. “Where were you?”

“I-I was with a f-friend,” said the boy, and a pang of conscience pounded Lancia’s soul. But he could not let up. He could not make the same mistakes again.

“Why would that require leaving my protection?” asked Lancia.

“L-Lancia-san, you don’t nee—”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Lancia interrupted, trying to keep his words cool. The boy let out a small noise of surprise, but Lancia pressed ahead. “What were the conditions for my release from Vindice custody?”

“U-um…you’re supposed to stay with the Vongola Decimo,” the boy responded quietly. His gaze hardened and glowed orange as he looked back up at the man. “But Lancia-san, I’ve a-already told you that I am not the Vongola Decimo.”

“The Vindice do not know that,” said Lancia, attempting to keep his tone hard and not sharp. “If I am found with someone else, your whole famiglia will be in danger.”

“I don’t have a fam—”

“Your family then,” Lancia conceded, allowing that discussion to remain between the sun arcobaleno and the child. “Your mother, brothers. Your little sister and your best friends. Even those you only know in passing at school. The Vindice would not hesitate to eradicate them to send a message.”

Shadows and brown hair soon obscured the man’s view of the boy’s face, and Lancia bit back a grunt. He did not want to be hard on the boy. This child had enough people around him that were harsh enough to get him back on his feet. But Lancia was responsible for bringing the Vindice’s attention on this boy, and he would not bring ruin to another famiglia.

“I’m sorry,” the boy said in a whisper so quiet, Lancia wondered if he had heard it.

“Apologies have their time and place,” said Lancia softly. He bent down onto his knees to lock eyes with the guilt-ridden gaze hidden in shadows. “But there is a time for actions. Show me that you understand the dangers and allow me to stay by your side. Consider that there are those who have more right than me to be there as well, ones who would fight with and for you if you let them. People who want to remain under their sky and never see it fall.”

“Why?” the boy said quietly.

“You should ask them,” said Lancia with a shrug and a small smile. The boy unbent and looked straight at Lancia.

“Why do you?”

Lancia clicked his tongue and ruffled the wild mane of brown hair on the boy’s head.

“Do I need to answer that, Tsunayoshi?”

The boy paused and then shook his head. He blinked and tilted his head.

“Tsunayoshi?”

“You have not taken on the mantle of Vongola Decimo, so it would be unfair of me to call you that,” said Lancia. Wait. In Japan wasn’t it rude to call someone by their first name—oh, it was. The man’s cheek reddened, and he gave the boy a crooked grin. “I apologize. I forgot about your Japanese culture. Sawada then.”

“No,” the boy said with a firm shake of his head. “Call me Tsuna. Please?”

“Tsuna,” said Lancia, testing the name out as he stood. “Then you should call me Lancia. Should we hurry down and help your mother prepare breakfast?”

Tsuna nodded, and Lancia let the boy go down the stairs first as the man made sure no threats had entered the house since his last check. He was glad to note that most of the gloom from yesterday had disappeared, and he (along with many others) would do his best to keep it that way.

-break-

Kentaro Katsuya entered his classroom two minutes before the bell rung. He had no need to come early, seeing as he had no one to talk to and his seat was usually taken when he got here. No one sat in it today, but Kentaro inwardly shrugged. Apparently Dame-Tsuna’s group was running late today.

Plopping his bag beside his seat, Kentaro swung into his seat and slumped into his arms. Another day of trying to keep his grades high enough to enter high school and hope his life will get better when he gets there. Maybe find someone who will talk to him more than just occasionally or as part of a project.

He used to be able to tell himself that at least he wasn’t Dame-Tsuna, but…people talked to Dame-Tsuna. People who were too good to talk to him. Both school idols, the top female and male students of their class, and even Hibari who no one thought talked to anyone. And yet not one of them took notice of Kentaro except to ask to use his seat. Like only Dame-Tsuna mattered to them…

As expected, Dame-Tsuna ran through the door seconds before the second bell rang. The strange, Italian man that had also taken to following Dame-Tsuna stuck his head in the door. His gaze fell on Yamamoto and Gokudera. The rude transfer student nodded while Yamamoto looked away. Huh. The second was a strange reaction.

Dame-Tsuna plopped into his seat and made a quiet, yelping sound. Kentaro turned to see the small brunet cowering under Kurokawa’s sharp gaze. He must have set her off again. Kentaro decided to leave for lunch in the cafeteria faster than normal today. He had accidentally stayed once a bit too long when she had that look on her face and nearly been pushed from his seat.

The teacher entered, and math class started. A brief peek to the side revealed that Dame-Tsuna was working on those older worksheets again. He had fallen behind, Kentaro noted. The boy was pathetic, as he had always been. As he had been since Kentaro had known hi—

A paper landed on his desk. Kentaro blinked and then picked the paper up. He made to open it when a rolled-up bit of paper hit Kentaro’s hand. Looking up, wide brown eyes filled a face that shook back and forth. A tint of red filled the cheeks under the alarmed eyes before Dame-Tsuna calmed down enough to point backwards to where Yamamoto sat.

The former baseball star (the news that he had quit the baseball team had shocked the whole school) had already slumped behind his propped-up book in an effort to hide his napping. Huh. Strange thing #2. Since becoming part of Dame-Tsuna’s group, Kurokawa hadn’t let Yamamoto sleep in class. Not without boring a hole in his head with her glare.

With an annoyed grunt Kentaro passed the note back to Himiko and pointed to Yamamoto. She gave a face of disgust at Dame-Tsuna before handing the note back with the same non-verbal instruction. Kentaro subtly followed the note’s journey through three more desks before it landed next to Yamamoto’s head. The book obscured Kentaro’s view, but a hand snatched the note fairly quickly.

The book suddenly fell forward, and a sharp gaze overlooked Kentaro and fell on Dame-Tsuna.Dame-Tsuna matched the sharp gaze with a hard one of his own, one that glowed with that orange tint those narrowed brown eyes sometimes gained. And then Yamamoto grinned widely, one of those that only appeared around Dame-Tsuna.

Kentaro instantly turned his attention back to the formulas on the board. He had nothing to do with Dame-Tsuna and his posse. He was an average (at best) middle school student. One who would pass with passable grades and go to some mediocre high school. Hopefully one far away from no-good classmates who somehow garner a false popularity without even trying.

Scribbling down notes, he did not turn to the side again.

-break-

Takeshi swung his sword a couple of times slowly enough for the Shigure Kintoki to remain in its wooden form as he looked back at the entrance to the park. Tsuna hadn't come yet, but according to the note he would be here soon.

Hana had already claimed a swing, and Gokudera had leaned against the large dinosaur that kids used to crawl in and out of. But Tsuna still wasn't here. The sword came down harder than Takeshi meant, and it flashed into katana mode before Takeshi loosened his grip and returned it back to bamboo sword. Tsuna would get here. The small brunet didn't break his promises.

The tall brunet hadn't expected Tsuna to agree to a fight so soon. Not that Takeshi was complaining. The whole day at school had been boring without Tsuna. They were in the same classroom, but Takeshi had not looked at Tsuna once after the note, knowing that doing so might make Tsuna forget the importance of this fight.

Tsuna had eluded both Hana and Gokudera's attempts to get close to him after the note too, and that had Takeshi thinking that maybe he hadn't picked the right swing. But the tall brunet had to take a crack at it. Tsuna wouldn't get it if Takeshi used words. Hana had used words, and Tsuna still didn't get it. So Takeshi had to try to get to Tsuna without words, or else Tsuna would never get it. And they would all lose.

Lancia walked into the park, and Takeshi grinned at the tall man. Wherever Lancia was, Tsuna couldn't be too far away. The tall man didn't like letting Tsuna out of his sight.

"Are you ready?" asked a quiet voice. Takeshi's eyes widened, and his grin fell. When had Tsuna gotten so good at hiding even when he wasn't really hiding?

Takeshi nodded, and Shigure Kintoki changed into a katana. Fon gave the swordsman a knowing smile and a slight bow before taking his place directly between the two. The small brunet pulled out a pair of orange rimmed glasses and put them on before he took a deep breath and shifted into a stance that Takeshi had not seen before. Leaning back a bit, Tsuna lifted and bent his right leg in front of him as he balanced on his left. His left arm stood bent in front of him, and his right stretched prepared at his side. But it was the small brunet's hands that worried the young swordsman.

They usually sat palm upwards or out, fingers close together and pointed in the same direction. But the fingers were curled into the palm, almost as if into reluctant fists, and the pointer and middle fingers of each hand stood hooked above the rest. Takeshi could only hope that his dad's gift would throw the small brunet off enough to keep Takeshi from getting beat up too badly. Tsuna would never forgive himself if Takeshi ended up in the hospital, and that would be the out that ended the whole game.

The kid-sized martial artist lifted his hand, and Takeshi pulled back his sword. The hand fell, and Takeshi swung his sword forward, but he had to shift the swing to block the hand headed for his head. Immediately, he used the Shigure Soen Ryu's seventh form to block the blows he could barely see coming. He dug his feet into the ground to keep from being pushed back.

Takeshi opened his mouth and kept spinning his sword. Tsuna became visible for an instant (hadn't Tsuna put on regular glasses? Why was he wearing an orange sunglasses that looked like a visor?), and Takeshi quickly took the opportunity to match the small brunet's breathing. The strikes came at that hopelessly unseen speed, but Takeshi stepped around the hands that shot towards him, trying to bite into him with those hooked fingers.

A grin tugged Takeshi's lips briefly. Tsuna wasn't holding back.

A hand attacked his face, and Takeshi brought up his sword to deflect the blow, and a second closed in on his stomach. Takeshi slipped one of his hands off his sword and tugged on the emblem that hung from Shigure Kintoki's hilt. The emblem flashed bluish-purple. A second sword blocked the second blow, freezing all action as Tsuna stared at the second sword.

"Hey Tsuna," said Takeshi quietly. "Did you know that the emblems that Dad gave us grant wishes?"

The small brunet continued to stare from behind the orange tinted visor, and now that Takeshi was closer, the swordsman could see a flame the same light orange as the visor flickering on Tsuna's forehead. The pressure from both the attacking hands lessened as confusion painted Tsuna's expression.

"Wishes?" the small brunet whispered in that deep tone that Tsuna used when he would not be ignored.

"Yep," said the young swordsman. He narrowed his eyes and changed his grip on both swords. "And Dad's granted mine."

The swords flashed as Takeshi thrust them at a speed equal to Tsuna's in Takeshi's own ninth form, Ni Tsubame no Kuchibashi. The blades grazed the small brunet as they thrust at Tsuna like swallow beaks, and Takeshi changed to the eighth form, Shinotsuku Ame, and aimed around Tsuna instead of at the small brunet, hoping to confuse the young martial artist.

Tsuna's uniform gained a few more tears, but none of the slashes cut into the small brunet's skin. Both blades soon met nothing but air. Takeshi let the two slip out of his hands and grabbed the twin emblems hanging from the two swords. The two became four, Takeshi dropped the extra two, using one to execute the Shigure Soen Ryu's third form and kick it towards the small brunet.

Tsuna dodged the sword, but the second nicked the small brunet's shoulder. Takeshi used the resulting wince as an opportunity to move in and thrust his two remaining swords at Tsuna. But Tsuna caught one and blocked the other. The caught sword was yanked out of Takeshi's grip, but the taller brunet let it go and used Samidare, switching the remaining sword to the hand that was now empty and slashing at Tsuna's injured shoulder. Tsuna stopped the diagonal slash.

"Sorry," whispered Tsuna, and Takeshi's sword was knocked out of the young swordsman's hand. An instant later, Takeshi found himself on the ground with Tsuna's curled knuckles digging into his throat.

"The fight is over. The winner is Sawada Tsunayoshi," said Fon, in a voice that held a quiet pride. Takeshi grinned to hide his wince as Tsuna's fingers released the force biting into Takeshi's windpipe. The hand uncurled and stretched out towards Takeshi as brown eyes flickered worriedly over Takeshi's prone form. Takeshi's grin widened, as he took the hand and let it help him up.

"You're really strong, Tsuna," said Takeshi. The brown eyes hid behind brown hair and their new layer of uncolored glass, and Takeshi let the hand go to wrap an arm around Tsuna's shoulders, leaning onto them more than he meant as a spike of pain shot through him and causing the worried gaze to return. "But I'm not bad either."

"No," Tsuna said, his expression going from worried to relieved. A small smile lit the small brunet's lips. "Takeshi is strong too."

Takeshi's grin stretched his cheeks further. Home run!

"I have to say, when Takeshi claimed you were holding back, I thought he might have been exaggerating a bit," said Hana, coming towards the two. "But I see that you were acting more monkeyish than what I had thought."

"Shut up, stupid wench," growled Gokudera. "Tsuna-sama had every reason to hold back if he wanted."

"Maybe against you," Hana said. "But against Takeshi, holding back was ridiculous. I can almost sympathize with our violent head prefect now."

"Are you saying that I am weaker than the sword freak and that man?" demanded Gokudera, his hands twitching over his pockets.

"Well, you are, aren't you?" said Hana. Before the silver haired teen took out those strange fireworks, Takeshi threw his other arm around the angry teen's shoulders.

"Now, now, Gokudera, Hana just hasn't seen you fight lately," said the young swordsman.

"Let go of me, sword freak!" yelled Gokudera.

"I would, but then I might fall," said Takeshi, shifting his weight to lean more on Gokudera. The swordsman squeezed the small brunet's shoulders to keep that worry from creeping back onto Tsuna's face. "Making more than one sword is tiring."

"How did you do that?" asked Hana, scrutinizing the remaining Shigure Kintoki critically.

"I wished for it," said Takeshi, his grin refusing to leave his face. His dad's emblem had given Takeshi a great gift, and Takeshi would use it to protect Tsuna and those important to both of them.

"You wished for it?" the tall girl said skeptically.

"Yep. The Augurio grant wishes," said Takeshi. The tall girl stared unbelievingly at him, but Gokudera stiffened under the tall brunet's arm.

"The Augurio?" said Gokudera. Takeshi's grin shrunk faintly under the silver haired teen's tone. Gokudera had used a similar tone to explain the Vindice. And Lancia, who had been standing nearby silently, had also started at the name.

"They belonged to my ancestor and his…friends," Tsuna whispered. "They were meant to help them. But they didn't know what they did."

"I guess that means your ancestors and mine were friends too then," said Takeshi. He liked the idea. It was almost like Tsuna and him were related even if they weren't.

"So they multiply swords?" said Hana.

"No," said the kid from Tsuna's head. Maybe Tsuna had learned his new sneakiness from the kid. "That is just what the young Yamamoto's does."

"So they all do different things then?" asked Hana. "What does Tsuna's do then?"

"We don't know," said Fon as he glanced at Tsuna's shoulder. Takeshi would let the martial art master have the space on Tsuna's uninjured shoulder, but Takeshi hadn't been exaggerating when he said he would fall over if he let go of Tsuna and Gokudera's shoulders.

"Guess the mystery can wait," said Hana. "Takeshi needs to get back to his house before he wastes all his energy trying to stand."

Takeshi let his lips fall into an appreciative smile as hands came from both sides to support him as they began to go back to Takesushi. Takeshi couldn't wait to tell his dad all about the fight, and maybe Dad would explain why Gokudera and Lancia associated his dad's Augurio with Tamaki's mafia game.

-break-

The alarm beeped insistently, and for the first time in a long while, Tsuna glared at the device. His arms groaned in pain, and his legs protested every move, painfully. And Hibari would no doubt want to fight today. Or Ryohei-sempai would want to drag Tsuna into the boxing club. Then Gokudera would try to blow the boxer up, and Tsuna would have to stop the bomber. Hana would make a quip about monkeys, making Gokudera angrier and harder to calm down. And Takeshi wouldn't be there to try and help Tsuna calm everyone down and make it worse somehow, because Yamamoto-san had basically tied Takeshi to the bed until his body was rested enough. Apparently, Tsuna and Takeshi's fight had taken a lot more strength out of the former baseball player.

Tsuna didn't know whether to be impressed or distressed that Takeshi had decided to honor their deal by returning to the baseball club for a day and then quitting again. Tsuna snuggled under the covers and wondered if just this once he could take the day off.

He rolled out from under the covers, but he couldn't completely avoid the kick that sent him flying out of bed.

"Ciaossu, Dame-Tsuna," said a mean voice. Tsuna sighed, wishing the demon would go away. It wasn't even 6 yet. He could afford a few more minutes yet. A green gun sat inches in from Tsuna's face, and Tsuna smiled slightly.

"Good morning, Leon," Tsuna whispered. The gun glowed and changed into the chameleon, who proceeded to jump onto Tsuna's head. Reborn muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "traitor," before turning to leave.

"By the way," said the hitman with a smirk, "if you're not ready in ten minutes, I'll make sure to add something special to your bentos."

Tsuna immediately shot up and hurried to change and get downstairs. He had no idea what the hitman would be put in the bentos, but he didn't want to find out. In three minutes flat he had changed and was hurrying downstairs. He tripped and fell down. Or he would have if Lancia hadn’t caught him by his collar from behind (when had Lancia become so background to his life that he didn’t even blink at his sudden appearance). He did hit his shin against the railing though.

"Tsu-kun, are you alright?" asked his mother, and Tsuna blinked wearily down at her. Leon scuttled out of Tsuna's hands where the boy had instinctively put him. The green chameleon jumped onto Tsuna's shoulder and licked Tsuna's cheek. Tsuna smiled.

"You shouldn't ignore your mother,” Lancia gently reminded Tsuna as the man helped the teen regain his balance.

"Ah, sorry. I'm alright," said Tsuna, righting himself. The trip and catch had irritated the muscle pains, and Tsuna flinched. Hopefully the tumble wouldn't wake Fuuta. The boy was currently sleeping in the downstairs guestroom that he shared with Lancia whenever Tsuna could convince the man to sleep (he did sleep, didn’t he?).

Tamaki wasn't pleased with the arrangement, but Yamamoto-san didn't have any more space and Lancia refused to leave Tsuna's side whenever possible. The man had given the excuse that the Vindice could come at any time. And Fuuta couldn’t be separated from Lancia, so he came too.

"Are you sure, Tsu-kun?" asked his mother, looking him over as he reached the bottom step. He realized that she was holding a spatula, meaning she had left breakfast on the stove in order to run over and check on her clumsy son. How long had it been since Tsuna had seen such a face on his mother? Tsuna could not help but smile to dismiss her worry.

"Do you need help?" asked Tsuna, gesturing to the spatula.

"Tsu-kun," said his mother quietly. She squatted down a little to lower herself to Tsuna's eye level. "Mama was worried when you didn't come home the other day. I didn't want to interrupt you since you seemed so focused when you came back, and you looked so much like your father but…Mama can't keep pretending."

Tsuna froze as she wrapped her arms around his head and pulled him into herself in such a way that he could barely breathe. He couldn't move his arms to return the hug.

"Mama knows that Tsu-kun doesn't need her," she whispered so quietly that Tsuna couldn't help but think of the whistling wind. "But Mama needs Tsu-kun. So please." The whisper became more like a fluttering breeze, and Tsuna could hear his heartbeat over it. "Please be careful."

The trembling of his mother's arms shook Tsuna, and he wiggled in her grip. Her arms loosened, but Tsuna quickly threw his now free arms around her.

"I will," he whispered. A knock on the door made Tsuna jump, and Nana smiled at Tsuna's wide eyes.

"I wonder who that could be at this hour," said Nana, letting go and going to answer the door. Tsuna stretched his arm to stop her but pulled it back. He could tell there wasn't any trouble on the other side of the door despite the early hour, so she would be alright opening the door. But Tsuna had hoped to have his mother to himself for a little longer. "Good morning. And who are you?"

"Good morning," said a tall white-haired teen Tsuna hadn't seen before. "Is this the Sawada residence?"

-break-

"I told you it's too early! We'll come back later," said Shoichi protested. His red hair bobbed as its owner bowed at the woman at the door. Why did his companions have always go out of their way to embarrass him? Shoichi wasn't even sure this was the place. He had never been to Tsuna's house before. "Sorry, m'am. We didn't-"

"Irie-kun!" cried a familiar voice, and Shoichi looked up to see a familiar smile.

"T-Tsuna-senpai," said the redhead, jerking out of his bow. His glasses nearly fell off his face, but he caught them and clumsily straightened them. "Y-you're awake."

"I told you he would be," said the white haired teen. "Good morning, Tsunayoshi-kun."

Tsuna gazed at Shoichi's companion warily.

"G-good morning," Tsuna whispered, the stutter less noticeable than Shoichi remembered. And did the small brunet look taller somehow? "W-w—who are you?"

"So direct. That's unusual coming from you," said the white haired teen. "My name's Byakuran."

"Byakuran?" Tsuna repeated.

"Just Byakuran," said the white haired teen smiling in a way that creeped most people out. Shoichi held back another sigh at the white haired teen's behavior. The redhead had not wanted to bring Byakuran to meet Tsuna for this very reason. Now Tsuna would shrink back further and…Shoichi stared. Other than slightly wider brown eyes and uncomfortable shifting of his feet, Tsuna didn't move. "And he's Fran."

"Yo," said another shorter teen from behind Byakuran. Tsuna blinked but didn't jump into the air like most people did when Fran popped out of nowhere. The small brunet did stare at Fran's hat.

"Um…Fran has a…unique fashion sense," said Shoichi, rubbing the back of his head like he had picked up from Takeshi. The habit distracted him from his churning stomach. A stomach that churned painfully as Shoichi caught sight of the man standing behind Tsuna. Shoichi bit back a yelp, and Tsuna blinked and looked over his shoulder.

“O-oh, sorry, I forgot,” said Tsuna with a sheepish grin that looked like Takeshi’s. “Th-this is Lancia. He’s b-been staying with us.”

"Not very welcoming is he," said Byakuran, amusing himself with Tsuna's reactions, or rather lack of reactions to his creepiness. The interest in the white haired teen's violet eyes made Shoichi's stomach twist further.

“H-he takes a while t-to warm up to s-strangers,” Tsuna defended. “Lancia, this is Irie-kun and h-his friends.”

“I’ve heard of you from Gokudera and the others,” said the tall foreign man. He nodded slightly at Shoichi, easing the redhead’s stomach. “It is a pleasure to meet you.” His light green eyes narrowed into a glare and fell on Byakuran. “However you have questionable tastes in companions.”

“L-Lancia,” Tsuna cried.

“I wasn’t expecting this watch dog,” said Byakuran, his own eyes narrowing into slits. “Interesting.”

"Please stop," said Shoichi, pressing a hand against his swishing stomach. The last time those violet eyes had gone so sharp, the man they had been directed at had ended up in an asylum.

"Tsu-kun, you're being rude. Invite your friends in," said the woman. Her smile reflected the one Tsuna had worn upon seeing Shoichi. "You are staying for breakfast?"

"Of course. Who would miss a meal from such a beautiful woman?" said Byakuran smoothly, making Shoichi more worried and embarrassed. There was no reason for the white haired teen to turn on the charm. The woman blushed at Byakuran's manners and lead them inside, oblivious or ignorant to the dark disapproval on Lancia’s face. Tsuna had sent a pleading glance at the man that Shoichi had often seen directed at Gokudera and Takeshi, and the man shifted to move to remain close to Tsuna’s shoulder. "So this is the great Tsunayoshi-kun's house."

The tall white-haired teen continued to wear that deceptively sweet smile as he looked around the small eating area. Shoichi was sure his face had reached a shade of red that matched his hair at the comment. He risked a glance at Tsuna who had on a strange expression that looked between uncomfortable and wary.

"I expected more," said Fran. Shoichi glared at the frog-hatted teen.

"Ah, but Irie-kun has never been here before, has he?" asked Byakuran, strangely startling violet eyes landing on the small brunet. Tsuna nodded in a jerky manner. "Still, it is rather hard to believe that this is the great Tsunayoshi-kun that we heard so much about."

"Heard about?" asked Tsuna. Shoichi's face heated to a shade that had to be redder than his hair.

"Inventor-chan talked about you all the time," said Fran flatly. "He would get all excited when he received an email from Genius-chan and would go all fan-mode and tell us everything that was written in it. He was worse those three times you sent one."

"You didn't have to put it like that!" cried Shoichi, clutching the sides of his head to cover his embarrassment. "And please, don't call Gokudera-san that."

"T-That's okay," said Tsuna, quietly. The soft tone convinced Shoichi to look up at the small brunet. A small smile rested on Tsuna's face, and the heat in Shoichi's cheeks cooled. "G-Gokudera was happy to receive your emails too."

"Did he…did he read them to you?" asked Shoichi. He realized he was acting like a child and peeking from behind his fingers, but he couldn't help it. Ever since the small brunet had lead (because Tsuna had lead, no matter how much he protested) the rescue of Shoichi in that alley, a brightness seemed to envelop the image of this small brunet in Shoichi's head.

The brightness had grown when Tsuna had risked himself to protect Shoichi and the Box despite not being a skilled fighter. And each email that Gokudera sent only made the brightness worse as the other genius recounted stories of how Tsuna was getting stronger and fought Hibari daily and was the one who made the bentos and even more recently fought off some very strong delinquents. Somehow, Shoichi had begun to consider this small brunet's opinion almost more important than those of the scientific community or even Gokudera. If Gokudera had been sharing those emails with Tsuna then…

"Y-yes," said the small brunet, a redness dusting his cheeks. Shoichi's stomach settled and warmed under the word. "I-I wanted to know how you were doing, and since Gokudera and you exchanged emails, so I-I asked him. A-and then he always wanted to read the emails…"

"Senpai, is it strange to call two male teens adorable?" asked Fran.

"Not when they are adorable," said Byakuran, making both Shoichi and Tsuna turn deeper red.

"Byakuran! Stop playing around!" cried Shoichi, hands in fists at his side. "And it is weird, Fran. Don't say that!"

"What a lively group of boys," said the woman who had to be Tsuna's mother as she bought in several dishes full of food. Tsuna took a few of them and helped her place them on the table, Lancia still hovering nearby. "It's so good to have Tsuna's friends over."

"We're not friends," said Byakuran, staring intensely at Tsuna before closing hard violet eyes. Tsuna moved to stand between the teen and his mother, and Shoichi couldn't blame the small brunet. The redhead knew a meeting between Tsuna and Byakuran wouldn't end well. The two were too different, and Tsuna was the sort that Byakuran would want to tease mercilessly. But given Lancia’s own shift to stand an inch in front of Tsuna’s shoulder, this meeting could not have gone worse. "We were merely accompanying Irie-kun."

"Oh," said Tsuna's mother, her shoulders slumping a little.

"W-what he means i-is we h-haven't met before," said Tsuna quickly. "B-but maybe we can get to become f-friends later. A-and Irie-kun is already my friend."

"Irie-kun?" said Tsuna's mother. "Isn't that Gokudera-kun's pen pal?"

Tsuna nodded, and his mother's smile brightened.

"Enjoy the food as my advanced thanks for taking care of my Tsu-kun," she said as she went back to the kitchen. Shoichi inwardly groaned. She probably meant well, but…

"So we can eat as much of this as we want?" asked Fran sounding as interested as he only did when it came to food. Tsuna nodded and placed a plate on the table in front of where Fran was standing. The monotone teen sat down in the chair facing the plate, and Tsuna handed Fran a serving spoon. Without hesitation, the monotone teen started piling food on his plate.

"My, my, our Fran is hungry," said Byakuran, taking a seat across from Fran. Tentatively Tsuna handed the white haired teen a plate which Byakuran took with that same unnerving smile. "You should sit too, Irie-kun."

"Is that alright?" asked Shoichi moving to sit beside Byakuran.

"Mom likes it when people eat her food," said Tsuna, putting a third plate down a seat over from the one Shoichi had headed towards and directing the redhead to sit away from the white-haired teen. Shoichi would have argued over the seating, but Byakuran interrupted the redhead before Shoichi could even begin.

"So I get to sit next to the great Tsunayoshi-kun?" said the white haired teen, and the small brunet's shoulders tensed as did the man near him. "What an honor."

"Byakuran! Don’t you think that’s enough?" Shoichi pleaded. He moved to grab the plate and placate Byakuran by sitting down next to the white haired teen, but Tsuna caught Shoichi's nervous gaze and gave the redhead a reassuring smile. The small brunet sat in the seat next to Byakuran, and Lancia stood behind Tsuna’s chair. Tsuna handed a plate back to Lancia, and the man filled his plate without taking his eyes off the creepy albino.

"H-how are long are you staying?" asked Tsuna, keeping his brown eyes on Shoichi.

"Mom says I can't go overseas for another year," said Shoichi, calming down and taking his seat. "The company who bought my Box design said I could continue work on the Boxes in Japan. Otherwise I would have lost a once in a lifetime deal."

"They only agreed on the condition that you let Senpai continue stalking you in Japan," said Fran, half the food on his plate gone. Tsuna wisely served himself and Shoichi before Fran finished his plate.

"I am keeping Irie-kun company. That is not called stalking," said Byakuran. Somehow his smile had become even creepier. Shoichi hadn't seen it get this bad before.

"It's stalking when Shoichi-san says to leave him alone," said Fran as he reached for more food. Byakuran grabbed the smaller teen's wrist.

"Irie-kun was just playing," said Byakuran. The white haired teen's tone made Shoichi shiver. "And I think you've had enough food."

"Shoichi-san, senpai's trying to starve me again," said Fran in a childish whine that didn't match his indifferent expression.

"Byakuran, please let Fran eat," said Shoichi with his hand back on his stomach. "You know how he gets without food."

Slowly Byakuran let Fran's wrist go, and the frog-hatted teen piled up his plate with twice as much food as before. Shoichi put a full spoon into his mouth in case Fran decided this was one of those times the constantly hungry teen would make the others' food "disappear." A groan came from Shoichi's side.

"Reborn," said Tsuna as if the name was the source of all his trouble. "Why'd you take my food?"

"A mafia boss that doesn't use his mouth properly shouldn't be allowed to eat," said a weird grinning baby as he ate Tsuna's food on the other side of the table. Tsuna groaned again and muttered something unintelligible under his breath. "You should have thought of that before you spoke in a way unbefitting of the Vongola heir."

"T-Tsuna-senpai," said Shoichi softly. "Is that your brother?"

"No!" Tsuna yelled. Shoichi jumped at the uncharacteristic outburst. "T-this is Reborn. He's my-he's my brother's tutor."

"Your brother's tutor?" said Shoichi as he stared with worried shock at Tsuna. What kind of brother did Tsuna have to need a baby as a tutor? Maybe it was a joke or a game Tsuna played with the child?

"Your brother must be a weirdo like senpai then," said Fran.

"Who's a weirdo, Fran-chan?" asked Byakuran, and Fran subtly straightened at the added suffix.

"No one, senpai," said Fran.

"Good boy," said Byakuran. "So tell us more about this brother of yours, Tsunayoshi-kun. I have never heard of him before."

"W-w—well, he's—"

"What's with all the freaks in here so early in the morning?" asked a harsh voice. A boy who looked exactly like Tsuna (except Tsuna wouldn't wear such an expression) stomped into the room. Shoichi noticed vaguely that Lancia didn’t even look at the loud look-alike. "And you! Stop waking me up with electric shocks!"

"I just want my student to be charged for the day," said the baby with a pout, making Shoichi more worried. This was a game, right?

"I'm not a battery!" growled the Tsuna look-alike.

"This is interesting," said Byakuran, and the violet eyes sharpened further. "I didn't expect twins."

-break-

Seeing Tsuna already in his seat when she entered the classroom didn't surprise Hana. The white haired foreigner sitting in Kentaro's seat did.

"Who are you?" asked the tall girl, automatically getting in between the foreigner and the small brunet. The way this monkey had been looking at Tsuna had Hana on edge.

"H-he's Byakuran," said Tsuna, pulling at her arm and trying to move her to the desk in front of his and away from the white haired teen. The white haired teen continued to wear a smile matched a cat's expression as it played with its food. "H-he's visiting b-b—because he's thinking of transferring to our school."

"It would be fun to be in the same class as the great Tsunayoshi-kun," said the white haired monkey. "And Fran wants to transfer here too."

"Only because you'll steal all my food if I don't," said a new voice flatly. Hana jumped as another boy appeared from nowhere, literally. The desk in front of the white haired monkey had been empty, and now a boy around Fuuta’s age with a weird hat sat in it.

"Fran-san, please don't scare Hana," said Tsuna. "And stop hiding Irie-kun too."

"Why?" asked the new teen.

"Because I'll make you a bento later," said Tsuna. Irie suddenly appeared in the desk behind Tsuna's.

"Thank you, Tsuna-senpai," said Irie. "I really wish I knew how he does that."

"Uncle Kawahira can do the same thing too," said Tsuna as calmly as if people were not appearing out of thin air. "I could ask him how they do it."

"Is this the same Uncle Kawahira you insist on meeting yesterday before your fight?" asked Hana, taking her cue from Tsuna and ignoring the fact that people were popping out of thin air. That sort of weirdness seemed to follow Tsuna like Gokudera and Lancia did.

Speaking of, this weirdness might be why the tall Italian had been glaring into the classroom so attentively. Too bad that he only had a pass to follow Tsuna around everywhere except inside the classroom. He might have been helpful with this new bunch.

"Ah, so Tsunayoshi-kun has an uncle nearby here too," said the white haired monkey, making Tsuna stiffen.

"He's not necessarily his uncle," said Irie, and Hana's shock had lessened enough for her to realize who exactly was in the desk two seats behind the one she had just sat in. She would have to remind the redhead how one is supposed to greet their friends instead of ignore them later. "He might be an older man who Tsuna respects and cares for like an uncle."

"Especially if he is the Kawahira," said the white haired monkey.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Hana, glaring at the white haired monkey.

"Nothing," said the white haired monkey. She continued to glare at him until a gentle pressure settled on her arm. When he had her attention, Tsuna shook his head as he withdrew his hand. Frowning, Hana crossed her arms. She didn't need to be treated like the stupid monkey. This white haired menace was asking for trouble.

"Where will you be studying, Irie-kun?" asked Tsuna, not fully turning to look at Irie. Good. The small brunet was smart enough to know to keep an eye on the white haired monkey.

"He's a genius," said Fran, leaning back in his desk. "He doesn't need to study anywhere."

"Is that true?" asked Hana, enjoying the redness of Irie's face. She had missed the redhead's modest demeanor. One only had to try listening in on a conversation between him and the idiot monkey to know that under that mop of red hair lay a brilliant mind.

"Yes," Irie whispered, but then he straightened. "B-but Mom wants me to go to keep studying, and I want to go to school with Takeshi-san, Gokudera-san, Hana-san, and Tsuna-senpai."

"With your intelligence," said Hana. "I'm sure that the principal would let you transfer into our class easily."

"It would be fun to have Irie-kun in our class," said Tsuna.

"Would your class allow three transfer students in the middle of the year?" asked Fran, and Hana wondered how the weird boy kept his tone so flat as he asked the question.

"They allowed a stupid monkey in," said Hana. "I don't think they will keep you out, even if one of you is an albino monkey in disguise."

"And who would that be?" said the white haired monkey, violet eyes flashing darkly.

"Only one of us in this room has white hair," said the tall girl, glaring at the albino monkey.

"Enough," said Tsuna. His voice had that will-not-be-ignored tone. And that orange tint was back in his eyes. "What is it that you want?"

"You," said Byakuran leaning closer to the brunette who didn't budge. He smiled that too-loose smile and left a finger hovering millimeters from Tsuna's forehead. "I want what makes you you."

"And what is that?" asked the small brunet, not shirking backwards or showing the least bit of discomfort. His sideward glance held Hana in place, but she itched to knock that pale hand away from Tsuna. The smile on the albino monkey's face stretched into a grin that twisted his face.

"You make the perfect sky," said the creepy albino monkey. "And what appears here makes you that."

"My flame," said Tsuna calmly. The creepy albino monkey didn't move. "You can't have it. I need it to protect those important to me."

"Then maybe I will take your brother's," said the creepy albino monkey, pulling back his hand. Tsuna grabbed the withdrawing hand.

"Why?" asked Tsuna, and Hana could hear the tone cracking. Not again. He wasn't going to sacrifice himself for his brother again.

"Let go of him," said Hana. Violent violet eyes turned to her, but she ignored them. She was not talking to an albino monkey. "He's bluffing. If he was really after your brother's flames or whatever, he would be bothering the moronic monkey king, not here trying to convince you to give yours up."

"A good observation," said the creepy albino monkey, his eyes disappearing behind their lids. "But I was just giving Tsunayoshi-kun the option before heading to talk to his brother."

"W-what are you talking about?" asked Irie-kun, getting out of his chair. He sat back down under the combination of three glares.

"It's best to remain quiet, Inventor-chan," said Fran. So the weird teen wasn't a brainless monkey. "Especially when senpai is acting all creepy."

"You shouldn't interrupt your senpai's negotiations," said the white haired monkey.

"Yes, sir," said Fran, saluting sharply and disappearing with Irie-kun. Hana blinked, but the other two returned to staring at each other.

"You're not lying," said Tsuna calm again. "But Hana's right."

"Maybe I am lying," said the creepy albino monkey, but Tsuna's gaze remained unfazed. "Can people lie to you here?"

"No," said Tsuna, the word full of truth. Hana watched as other students came into the classroom, but didn't come close to their area. Of course, they usually stayed away, but not so far, and not before the idiot monkey had come in. Where was the idiot monkey?

"Then I must be the first," said the creepy albino monkey. "What a different life you lead here. The ending will be the same."

"The ending?" said Tsuna.

"The end to our game," said Byakuran. "You always lose."

Silence filled the room as even the new arrivals stayed silent. The atmosphere lightened as Tsuna's orange filled eyes blinked back to brown but still retained their scrutinizing gaze, only a softer version than Hana had yet seen.

"Game?" Tsuna whispered, and light confusion colored his expression and hesitation flittered through his features. "Aren't…Don't you play games…aren't games things you do with friends?"

The hard violet eyes widened slightly, and the grin shrunk to a smile.

"You are a powerful sky, Tsunayoshi-kun," said the albino monkey, standing from Kentaro's seat. "We're leaving."

"Yes, senpai," said Fran, making himself and Irie visible again and startling the whole class. Many rubbed their eyes and mumbled about the weirdness that Tsuna attracted. Every time Hana thought the blindness of the monkeys in their class could not get worse, their classmates proved her wrong. They had seen this side of Tsuna and could still call him Dame-Tsuna.

"Irie-kun," called Tsuna with a warm smile. "After school?"

"Of course, Tsuna-senpai," said Irie with a wide relieved smile.

"Fran-san, you can come too," said Tsuna, getting a head nod from the strange teen, "… and Byakuran-san—"

"I wouldn't think of refusing an invitation from the great Tsunayoshi-kun," said the creepy albino monkey, cutting the small brunet off. "Besides we have to see who can be the greatest sky."

An instant after the creepy albino monkey had exited the classroom with the strange teen and Irie (who Hana hoped she would be able to actually talk to later despite a certain idiotic brunet's friendliness to dangerous albino monkeys), the stupid monkey finally appeared, rushing towards Tsuna and making unnecessary apologies for getting lost. Like Tsuna cared as long as the stupid monkey showed up.

Then the first bell rang, and everyone ran to their seats in one rushed motion. Only Kentaro stopped to gaze annoyedly at his seat before plopping into it after Tsuna gave the slightly taller black haired boy a shy, reassuring smile. The idiot monkey went to his seat after Tsuna gave the monkey a hard, pleading look.

The teacher entered the room as the second bell rang and opened the attendance book. Before he could read the names from the open book (which was a waste time—Hana could tell the teacher only Takeshi was absent with one look), the door banged open. The teacher's face stretched in horror.

"Other Sawada!" yelled Ryohei as the teacher back away from the loud boxer and started mumbling something no one could hear. "I heard you extremely finished your fight with Yamamoto."

Given the way Kyoko had slumped in her seat, Hana knew exactly where the boxer gotten that information. Hana had hoped that the cute girl would have kept the details of that fight from the boxer. The cute girl didn't like fights, so Kyoko had declined to watch the boys' "spars" both times. But that dislike hadn't stopped Kyoko from bombarding Hana with questions later. Next time, Kyoko would have to find answers to her questions elsewhere. Why were Hana's two best friends acting like idiots today?

"Stop bothering Tsuna-sama!" yelled the stupid monkey, making the teacher mutter more. Was the teacher seriously trying to shut the two up at that volume? He either knew the futility of trying to stop Ryohei or Hana's ears had stopped working properly when the boxer had come in the room.

"I wasn't talking to you, Octopus Head! I came to have my EXTREME match with the other Sawada."

"Hibari!" cried Tsuna, jumping out of his seat and startling the whole class, including the stupid monkey and the boxer.

"Not you too, Sawada," the teacher groaned loudly.

"S-sorry, sensei," said Tsuna, "but I n-need to go to the D-disciplinary Committee."

Silence followed that statement, and Hana idly wondered how many people's mouths now sat on their desks. No one asked to go to the Disciplinary Committee. Teachers threatened to send their students there and avoided the Disciplinary Committee office themselves. Tsuna took the pause to take out a purple bento from his bag and send the teacher a hard, pleading look that almost matched the one he gave the stupid monkey. The teacher dumbly nodded, and Tsuna quickly made his way through the desk and out the door.

"Wait for me, Sawada!" yelled Ryohei, running after the small brunet.

"Come back here, Lawn Head! I told you to leave Tsuna-sama alone!" cried the stupid monkey getting up from his seat and racing after them, once again leaving Hana alone with only Kyoko for company. But given that the teacher hadn't gone back to the attendance book in favor of staring mindlessly at the door, Hana would be kept entertained.

-break-

Random Notes (Short edition):

Byakuran

-this Byakuran does not have evil take-over-the-world plans (or whatever other Byakurans do); he can’t for one very good reason: [REDACTED]

-he is not the Gesso heir since he cannot inherit the mare rings, so no last name since [REDACTED]

-bit of a loose cannon before his “best friend” Shoichi appeared

-still has an unhealthy interest in Tsuna since he is the one that fought against him in the other dimensions (and Tsuna is one of the purest of skies)

-jealous that Tsuna has Shoichi’s admiration (and that Tsuna is a sky in all known dimensions [REDACTED])

-keeps Fran in line by threatening secret exposure

-secretly likes the idea of being Tsuna’s friend in this dimension, if only to keep observing him and stay close to Shoichi (who is his only friend in a lot of dimensions)

Fran

-somewhat amused by the goings on, but fairly young (like around Fuuta’s age)

-is technically Byakuran’s apprentice

-knows M.M.; they’re from the same famigilia

-hates [REDACTED]

-knows how it is to go hungry and so eats a lot whenever possible

-used to pretend to live with grandmother after the fall of famiglia about a year before the story; was too young to know about a lot of the mafia besides that specific French branch

-hides [REDACTED]

Chapter:

-I really like how Takeshi ended up using the Cloud Augurio. A swordsman with near endless swords (with the Cloud’s ability of propagation). Honestly this style fits him (I think) given the four irregular swords from Asari’s time he uses later. Except instead of four he has as many as he wants. As for them changing length like lengths like the three short swords, we’ll see. Maybe I should leave the Augurios in…

-A lot of little sentences have been added here and there to make Lancia’s characterization more consistent. I can’t believe I was so negligent of him the first time around, just having here and there when I remembered he existed. Poor Lancia. I think it’s fixed more this time around.

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