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Tsuna would never forget the way his entire world splintered and fractured when Byakuran had called and informed him that Tera-chan had been attacked.

Not only attacked, someone had shot his baby sister.

Tsuna's breaths had stayed steady but he could feel his own inner fire begin to simmer dangerously as he listened to Byakuran's eerily flat voice explain that Terasu had been taken to Namimori General via an ambulance. The youngest living Hibari had called her injury in- and everyone in Namimori knew that the Hibari family owned Nami General- and one of Byakuran's mother's people had swooped in to take over her care upon her arrival.

It was a good thing, too.

According to what Byakuran had learned- he had spoken with the Hibari boy before calling Tsuna- Terasu's powerful secondary Flame had positively erupted. By Hibari-san's account her body had suddenly been bathed in a deep, golden cocoon of Flames that burned off all of her clothes- save her undergarments. When the Flames had abated and Hibari-san had been able to approach her, he could no longer find any sign of the gunshot wound he had seen her get hit with. There was a small, semi-circular, golden edged mark just below her modest breast bindings. Byakuran reported that Hibari had rolled Terasu over and noted that there was a corresponding mark on Terasu's back- meaning that the shot went through her- but the wounds, themselves, had miraculously been healed.

"Hibari-san reported- and I have confirmed with the Yamada-sensei at Nami General- that Terasu's wounds mended themselves." Byakuran informed Tsuna in a crisp, businesslike voice that somehow radiated dark intent towards the bastards who had dared harm Terasu. "The x-rays showed no outstanding trauma to the bones and the CT scans also came back clean. Tera-chan still needed six units of blood as well as the usual intravenous infusion of fluids, however. Yamada-sensei said that he will be asking Mama for permission to do a MRI tomorrow, but for now he wants Tera-chan to rest."

Tsuna had still run all the way to the hospital.

Normally Tsuna would have shown some fear or his shyness would have come crashing back down on him when Hibari-san had met Tsuna at the front desk. However, this was the second time Terasu had been badly injured- the first time had been almost four years ago when they had met Byakuran and Shōichi.

Tsuna was a peace lover. He did not enjoy violence and was forever willing to hear other peoples' side of the story.

But this was his baby sister. His baby sister who had been walking down a side street in their hometown.

Not on my watch. Not while I'm here. Those phrases had been roaring in his ears as he had run towards the hospital. The phrases tumbling through his mind in an endless loop; only growing louder and fiercer with each mental recitation.

So when Hibari Kyouya intercepted Tsuna before Tsuna could make it to the welcoming desk, Tsuna had simply looked at him and said. "Take me to my sister."

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"Okaa-san, why don't they like me?" A young Kyouya asked his mother, tears pooling in his eyes only to be angrily pawed at by chubby baby hands.

"Don't let their words harm you, little one." His mother said, her voice smooth and calm as she picked up her small son and sat him in her lap.

For a few moments there were only the sounds of the garden's visitors, the clicking of the shishi odoshi, and Kyouya's muffled sniffles.

"They are weak." Kyouya's mother said at length, absently passing her hand through Kyouya's baby-soft hair. "They cannot think for themselves, so they look to those who seem stronger to make their decisions for them. They group together and attempt to tear down all those who are brave enough to walk their own path." Kyouya's mother hummed lightly. "Unfortunately, age does not cure the majority of this pathetic behavior. It persists until they are cut down or death comes for them. They are weak, so seeing the strong prosper angers them greatly."

A loud screech rent the air and both mother and son looked up to see a large bird carrying a smaller bird in in its talons, the large bird angling towards the forested area that the back yard faded into. The other birds that seemed to have been flying with the captured littler bird scattered, leaving the struggling, screeching bird to fend for itself as in the firm grip of the bird of prey.

"They are like the coward people that I was speaking of, Kyouya." His mother told him when he asked why the birds had not attempted to help the captured bird. "They fly together and torment the others of their species, but when confronted with a true predator they scatter to the winds like the cowards they truly are."

"Predator?" Kyouya asked his mother curiously, peeking up at her with red-rimmed slate-grey eyes.

"Predator." His mother confirmed with a smile. "Like- ah. Like a hunter- or, or a carnivore. One who eats prey instead of grass."

"Carnivore, huh?" Kyouya said, looking back towards the forested area intently. "Carnivore."

His mother tickled his side and he squirmed away from her searching digits with a laugh. "Yes. A carnivore." She bared her teeth at him before sweeping him up into her arms and playfully pretending to gnaw on him. "A true carnivore eats meat, not grass."

"Okaa-san!"

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It had been a long time since he had thought about that day. One of the last afternoons he and mother had spent in the garden together, before she had become bedridden entirely. After she had died, Kyouya had gone back out and sworn that he would never be a weak herbivore; that he would be above such nonsense. Okaa-san had fallen ill because of an old wound she had received while still a member of the Triads, before she had met Otou-san and escaped.

Escaped to Namimori, under the protection of the Hibari Clan.

Kyouya had stood on that porch, looking out towards the woods and swore that he would never be someone's expendable lapdog. That he would be a true Hibari.

Yet…..

Looking at Sawada Tsunayoshi, having been saved by Sawada Terasu, Kyouya felt both lost and found.

Lost, because he knew he was not weak.

Found because- well, because that fire dancing behind Tsunayoshi's normally timid eyes looked a lot like the kind that had enveloped Terasu. Brilliant, deep, and kind and yet so very, very dangerous when crossed. Warmth that could heal, mend, and bring together even as it shattered, slashed, and ripped apart. The sort of power that could belong to a hero or a villain, it merely depended on which path the bearer chose to walk and whomever was speaking of them.

The sort of power that Kyouya knew rested in his own soul, one that he feared, yet craved.

So when the faintest smile curved at his lips and he stepped aside as he gestured Tsunayoshi forward while he murmured the room number was more than just a hollow movement. It was more than just a simple gesture between two children.

It was a dare, a plea, and a challenge.

Following- guarding- Tsunayoshi's straight back down the hall, his footsteps unwavering and steady despite the heavy breaths he was dragging in and the sweat that soaked his clothes-

….well, that felt a little too right.

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"Mama, I'm fine." Terasu assured her mother for the tenth time in as many minutes. "I promise. Yamada-sensei said I can go home tomorrow, once my blood work comes back."

Sawada Nana smoothed her daughter's hair back with gentle hands, tucking some of Tera-chan's rebellious curls behind an ear as the woman smiled tenderly at her daughter. "I know." Nana told her daughter hesitantly, in a voice that shook lightly even as tears filled her eyes. "I know that there's something broken in me and I-I'm not always a good mother."

"Mam-" Terasu tried to protest, only to be gently cut off by the elder woman.

"But you- and Tsu-kun- the both of you love me anyway." Nana continued as she fussed with Terasu's hair a little more and fluffed the pillows and rearranged the blankets even as tears tracked down her cheeks. "And that makes me love you even more. I love you both so much- so very much that I think I would go positively mad if either of you-" Nana's voice broke and she pressed a lingering kiss to Terasu's forehead before she settled back and clutched her daughter's hand tightly. "I won't ask what really happened and I love that you did not lie to me." Nana sighed heavily and pulled their linked hands to cover her heart. "Mama isn't strong and brave and spirited like Tera-chan or Tsu-kun. But that's ok. Because Tera-chan and Tsu-kun love Mama anyway and they bring home friends to fill her kitchen with laughter."

Mama…" Terasu whispered softly, filled with compassion and awe at seeing her usually ditsy mother so raw and vulnerable.

"But Tera-chan has to promise Mama that she'll be safe. That she'll always remember the way home. That you and Tsu-kun won't leave Mama all alone." Nana smiled tremulously at her stricken daughter. "Will you promise your Mama that much, Tera-chan?"

"I promise." Terasu hiccupped as she reached out her arms and her Mama gathered her up in a careful, but tight embrace. "I promise."

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Hibari Kyouya smirked coldly at the soundly defeated yakuza boss in front of him. To the right of the eleven-year-old Hibari stood Sawada Tsunayoshi, the fluffy brown haired boy's usually smiling face set in a firm frown.

Kyouya did not know the names of the others, but he was sure that he was in the presence of true carnivores here. Perhaps they were only baring their teeth as retribution for the attack on Sawada Terasu, but Kyouya made a mental note to not mistake herbivores for omnivores in the future.

"So you see~." The smiling white-haired boy with the dangerous aura that made Hibari's instincts twitch. "We have discovered a major flaw in Namimori. One that we are more than happy to allow your little gang to fix, so long as you abide by our rules." Lavender eyes slit open and bore mercilessly into the terrified coal eyes of the downed man. "As you are aware, we have defeated your entire syndicate by ourselves and I'm sure you've heard of our …ah, associate's work by now, yes?"

The downed man nodded warily. The massacre of one of the darkest, most feared branches of that national yakuza organization had crashed through the yakuza community with all the force of a tsunami.

"You see, we really don't have time for most of your schemes, but we want to ensure that Namimori stays safe, ne?" The white-haired teen's eyes slid shut again and the oppressive atmosphere lightened a bit. "But since you're being so accommodating, I'm sure that we won't have much of an issue! Now, to business! Kikyō-chan~!"

"Hai, Byakuran-sama." Kikyō shuffled forward, sank down into a crossed-legged position gracefully and opened a laptop. After a few moments of typing, he placed the device between himself and the man so the man could read the screen. "Now, as Byakuran-sama mentioned, we care little for your petty operations. However, you will need to go about things a bit differently if you wish to keep operating in this region…."

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Motori Kimura took a few deep breaths as he watched the children who had brought his entire syndicate to its knees exit the building.

Well they certainly know how to make a lasting impression. The man thought wryly as he stared at the laptop that had been left behind for him. Truthfully this 'takeover' is relatively painless for us, especially considering what could have happened. The man's lips twisted into a grimace as he considered the possibilities. And it's not like their requests are something I'm opposed to.

While Kimura was a yakuza, he also believed in the law. He mostly believed that for the law- and therefore law enforcement's efforts- to be effective there needed to be a resistance to it, else the system would become corrupt.

Yin and Yang, so to speak.

Kimura was not a stupid man by any stretch of the imagination, but he knew police precincts that were dirtier than the syndicates they hunted. The opposite was quite true as well, but the eternal struggle between dark and light kept the majority safe.

At least in Kimura's mind.

After all, what were a few incidents of yakuza and law enforcement struggles spilling over into the streets as opposed to an all-out civil war?

No, abiding by the rules of the newly established Yorugao family's would not be a hardship. Kimura had always loved the fairytale about the poor farmer and his wife being gifted a daughter by the moon, so changing the name of his syndicate was no real loss.

Especially as the people who had forced the name onto them were all dead at the hands of that rather subtly terrifying white-haired teen's associate.

No, Kimura was quite pleased with the direction that he would be leading his people in from here on out, and more than a little happy to hear the end of the seemingly endless 'peach' puns.

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"Tera-chan you look so pretty, desu!" Haru exclaimed as Terasu twirled lightly in her Turandot: The Second Act costume.

Haru had been working overtime to finish the costumes for Turandot: The Second Act and the Tanabata plays. Well, her and her entire Club, but Haru had put in hundreds of extra hours into research and what she called 'authentic-izing' the costumes.

Terasu was guiltily glad that next summer would be her final play. As much as she loved acting she wanted a bit more time to spend with her friend as just friends.

To say that Haru had been quite distraught over Terasu's short stay in the hospital after being targeted by would-be child traffickers would be a gross understatement. Terasu knew that the other girl had purposefully shuffled her already busy schedule around in order to be able to walk Terasu home ever since; never mind the fact that Tsuna was always available nowadays. Let alone the Disciplinary Committee members patrolling the streets fairly heavily from the time school let out to at least an hour after the last Club let out.

It was touchingly endearing but Terasu didn't want to cause her friend any extra stress.

Especially as Haru would be working extra hard in the upcoming two semesters to get into Midori Middle. Haru's birthday was early enough in May that she had started Elementary just before she turned six. So she was in her last year of Elementary now, as she had recently turned eleven. Terasu would turn ten in just a few weeks and Tsuna would be catching back up to Haru in October, when he turned eleven.

So, while Terasu would most likely be assisting with productions beyond next year, she was looking forward to no longer having to bear the mantle of being the 'lead'.

"Only because you put together such a magnificent outfit!" Terasu gushed to her best girl friend as they clasped hands and performed a strange little dance-jig together. "You did so much research and put so much hard work into this, Haru! It's gorgeous!"

"Indeed, well done Haru-chan~!" Byakuran sang brightly as he bounced into the dressing room like he owned the place. "Tera-chan's hair sticks look particularly lovely. You should wear them in the play, dear~!

The white-haired Italian twirled both young ladies around in a graceful circle before he collapsed back onto the only garment-free seating place in the entirety of the dressing room.

"Haru agrees, desu!" Haru laughed as she turned back to look at her best friend. "They just look so lovely that they accentuate anything."

"Haru-chan is the best! Her outfits make me seem like royalty all on their own!" Terasu enthused as she turned back to the mirror and made silly faces at herself. "By the time I go through hair and makeup I'll really look like a princess!"

Byakuran scoffed and smiled indulgently at Terasu. "Hardly, darling. You're already a Queen."

Terasu rolled her eyes even as Haru chimed in her agreement of the statement.

"Well." Terasu huffed exasperatedly as she spun to face her friends, her hands resting lightly at her hips. "If I am a Queen then I name you both Lords- err, and Lady."

Byakuran nodded regally while Haru giggled and curtsied.

"As you wish, milady."

Terasu burst into a fresh wave of giggles which prompted Haru to respond in kind.

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Tsuna breathed in deeply, the air steadily trickling into his lungs via his nose. When he felt as if his chest could hold not a single scrap more air he stopped. He then held the breath inside him for exactly ten seconds before he deliberately exhaled through his mouth.

An indeterminable amount of time later Tsuna's eyes blinked open lazily, his concentration disrupted by the soft tap of the folding door being drawn back.

"Ready, omnivore?" The Hibari asked Tsuna levelly, an anticipatory light dancing behind his steel grey eyes.

"Almost, I need to stretch." Tsuna told the other, unfolding from his position on the tatami mat and briskly rolling his former seat into a neat cylinder before he padded over and replaced it in its designated holder.

Tsuna had been attempting to meditate in the small garden at Byakuran's house. Trying to see how long he could hold his Flames just under his skin yet fully powered. It was an exercise that they had come up with once they realized that materializing Flames was actually the easy part- fine control was another thing entirely.

Tsuna could actually make a passable kangaroo with his pretty orange Flames nowadays, but the exercise he had been doing for the past few hours was what had granted him the fine control he needed to accomplish such a feat. Otherwise their attempts at making animals out of their Flames was more akin to cloud-watching and creative interpretation than actual distinct creatures.

He and Kyouya- Tsuna had earned the right to call Hibari by his given name through blood, sweat, and Flames- met up at here at least three times a week to either spar or run one of Spanner and Shōichi's increasingly imaginative obstacle courses.

Speaking of which, their resident genii in all things mechanical, electronic, or generally tangible had just cleared their newest Train Room for full use.

"Are we sparring or running the obstacle course?" Tsuna questioned the other as he stretched.

"Hn." Kyouya grunted noncommittally, but Tsuna was more than patient enough to allow his taciturn friend some time to make up his mind. "Did Irie upgrade the course again?"

"Kyouya-kun." Terasu laughed as she spun around to walk backwards, facing the scowling boy behind her. "Shō-kun and Spanner-kun, can make awesomely challenging obstacle courses and training simulations if you just ask nicely." Terasu arched a brow and stared meaningfully at the darkly glowering boy. "That means using their names."

"Yes." Tsuna replied, mentally cheering at his sister's adorable deviousness since had Kyouya actually used Irie's name. "They- Shō-kun and Spanner-kun- made a new one in Training Ground Delta. It has laser trip wires, too. They even put in some extra features. Red paintballs for bullets- Spanner-kun said they even put in the appropriate sounds, for with or without various silencers. Shō-kun said that there are random Flame attacks, they show up as a blue square and if you trigger it you get a unique attack. Then there are black traps."

"Hn?" Kyouya inquired attentively as he dropped down to stretch as well.

"They modeled the room off of their favorite video games, so it actually has four parts or 'zones'." Tsuna explained as he twisted from side to side before rolling to his feet and methodically testing his body's state of readiness. "The areas spawn randomly- you remember that Mist that Bya-kun sent over, right?- well, Spanner-kun and Shō-kun- along with some help from Spanner's grandfather and some of Byakuran's other handpicked assistants- were able to build a device that mimics Mist Flames, so the room is….formidable. And unpredictable. There are a number of real-world scenarios as well as video game types. I think Spanner said that the materials they used were mostly padded training stock but with some sort of smart tech that overlays a realistic illusion, which keeps score somehow. Gives you a score at the end with a breakdown of everything, takes about ten minutes for it to print out, though. The failsafe passphrase is 'Cupcake'."

Kyouya's grin was rather unholy. "Obstacle course, omnivore. We won't need that herbivorous word."

The underground rooms to Byakuran's house had been quite busy in the past half year. Ever since Terasu's nearly fatal encounter with those…those bastards the tech-savvy minds in the group had been brainstorming ways that they could be better prepared.

Granted, they had taken over the both of the region's major yakuza presences and Byakuran's people were deeply committed to managing those aforementioned syndicates. The crime rate in Gunma- their prefecture- had dropped drastically and the domino effect was also making waves in the nearby prefectures as well. Not too much of an impact on the larger cities but the last seven attempted kidnappings of young children or teenagers had been handled rather pointedly.

All of the attempts had failed, of course, and the underlings had been made examples of.

Byakuran and Kikyō had officially handled the negotiations but the Varia had been called to stand in as impartial witnesses- the reason why the meetings had been held in Tokyo, as the Varia were still being watches quite closely. The terms that had been hammered out among the so-called 'ambassadors' were actually quite generous for all involved. For the yakuza syndicates it gave them a 'clean' source of income and directed operations on to a cleaner- at least morally, not so much legally- path. For the Namimori crew the agreements allowed them a decent amount of liberty in resolving issues as well as granted them the right to expand their operations to the entire prefecture- thereby granting Namimori a fairly good sized buffer zone.

Other people could save the world, Tsuna just wanted his Mama and Tera-chan safe. Guaranteeing the safety of others was more of a by-product than a goal.

Tsuna wanted other girls like Tera-chan to be safe, of course, but he definitely was not interested in being a crusader.

"Chase two mice and you'll catch neither." Mama used to tell them. It was a saying that had stuck with Tsuna and so when it came time to secure his sister's safety- because his no-good Dad was obviously not going to do it right- Tsuna merely planned for what he knew they could sustain. He had a great deal of help from his friends, naturally, but he was quite happy with how things had ended up.

Even still. Tsuna thought somewhat disgruntledly as the digital voice counted down to the room's activation, which would unlock the door and allow them in. I wish Tera-chan had never gotten hurt. Again. What the hell is that no-good Father of ours good for if he can't even keep us safe? You'd think he'd at least do that much right, given how he never comes home and makes Mama cry all the time.

"Focus, omnivore." Kyouya muttered as the door's magnetic lock clicked and the Hibari grabbed the handle. "If you perform pitifully because you are distracted I will bite you to death."

"Sure, sure." Tsuna chirped with a grin as he quickly slipped in behind Kyouya, the door swinging shut behind them. "Winner picks Saturday supper?"

"Hn. Prepare to have hamburger steak, Sawada."

That was all the warning Tsuna got before Kyouya barreled forward, tonfa slipping out in a bright flash of metal as the first wave of monsters came to life.

"Oh, joy." Tsuna muttered drolly as he dodged and slipped on his gloves. "The Diablo inspired zone, right off the bat? Jerks."

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Terasu laughed brightly as she slipped around Haru and tipped her neatly cut vegetables into the piping hot pan. "You're it!" She sing-songed cheerfully to her Mama.

"Ara?" Nana said as she tugged her daughter close with one arm and stirred the vegetable around with the utensil held in her other pan. "You think you can just tip things into my pan and run away, Tera-chan?"

"Yep!" Terasu laughed as she tipped up onto her toes to kiss her mother's cheek before she slithered out of Nana's gentle hold. "I'm the wok ninja!"

"Oho?" Byakuran said from his spot across from Kyouya out on the deck.

Haru nodded seriously from her place at the table, thinly slicing the onions. "Super sneaky, that one."

Terasu rolled her eyes expressively as the younger Sawada settled back into her seat, determinedly setting to grating the carrots.

"So much sass in this kitchen." Terasu snarked, sharing a bright grin with Haru as the two girls bumped each other's shoulders together in a friendly, conspiratorial manner.

Nana's laugh carried easily through the chaos, seemingly brightening the room even more as she took to swaying in time with the newest song on the radio.

Byakuran had insisted on a mandatory weekly dinner at the Sawada home- something Mama had been delighted by- and thus every Saturday afternoon the Sawada house would fill with Terasu and Tsuna's growing collection of friends.

Kyouya would set up a game of Go or Shogi on the back porch, the netting usually being unrolled to keep the bugs outside. Kyouya's opponent would vary, but someone would inevitably plop themselves down across from the young Hibari and a battle of wits would ensue. Terasu and Nana would dance around the kitchen- usually assisted by Haru- chopping, dicing, and chatting with the sounds of the satellite radio lightly playing in the background. Shōichi, Spanner, and Tsuna would usually congregate in the living room and play video games, while Kikyō and Kyouya's Disciplinary Committee second-in-command Kusakabe Tetsuya would work on their not inconsiderable amount of paperwork at the kitchen table.

Everyone usually had some finger foods available and the mood would be pleasantly chaotic for most of the afternoon.

Terasu just wished that Prince Bel and Luss-nee could be there with them, though.

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