Diclaimer: I don't own the characters or the series. Amano Akira does. I'm just playing with them for a bit.

Vistas of Spring

The night was getting darker, the air growing cold as a small breeze picked up. Dino's arms were on goose bumps as he stuck his hands deeper into his pockets, leaning his head back to look up to the sky.

The lights of the town were making it hard, but he was sure he could pick out a couple of lone stars twinkling in the vast emptiness. The sky was almost completely clear, a huge blank canvas on which only one lone cloud had decided to mark its path, dark and gloomy as the night started to fall.

His gaze inched to the side, to the solitary figure sitting on top of the river bank, and he chuckled to himself. Dark and gloomy clouds were definitely quite an ordinary occurrence, especially in his life.

He let his gaze wander lower, down to the scene opening before him on the riverside. They'd collected a huge bonfire on the sand and lit it all on fire, now enjoying the light and warmth though sunset had gone a while ago. There was some music though he was yet to figure out where it was coming from, music and laughter and chatter and all the other things that made up the noise of a party, all arranged into a wonderful little symphony of cheer to the quiet accompaniment of crackling fire. It would have been quite enough to bring a smile to Dino's face if he hadn't already been grinning quite actively.

He spotted Tsuna a bit away from the others. Not only Tsuna, either, but Kyoko-chan as well. The two were apparently talking with each other, completely oblivious to the racket going on around the bonfire as their friends laughed and danced and chatted and enjoyed their snacks. Kusakabe and Romario sat a bit to the side, both enjoying a nice cup of sake but supposedly still sober enough to watch over the kids. Dino had made it very clear they were to chaperone the young Vongola generation's antics before they were allowed to get properly drunk. Of course, technically Kusakabe was still too young to drink in Japan, but it wasn't like anyone was going to tell him off.

As was only to be expected, the thought of Kusakabe led to the immediate thoughts of Kyouya, making him glance up to where his first and best student was seated, apparently quite content to alienate himself from all the fun and life on the beach. Instead, he sat alone up on the river bank, overseeing the entire event like some kind of a less than benevolent deity. Dino wasn't exactly sure at which point he'd appeared there, but he did know that Kyouya had made no attempt at approaching the rest of them. Not that he had ever expected that. Quite frankly, he was somewhat surprised Kyouya had decided to make an appearance at all.

Debating his options for a moment, he finally decided to walk closer to his student. Kyouya didn't immediately leave at the first sign of his approach, which he took as a rather good sign. Perhaps he might actually get some conversation out of this, unlikely though it might have been.

"I didn't think you'd show up," he said as he got close enough to actually make some kind of a conversation. He sat down on the ground next to Kyouya, though not close enough for the other to strike him without moving. He wasn't quite that presumptuous about the younger man's good mood. "I mean, Tsuna did mention inviting you to join them, but I didn't really assume you would take the invitation."

"I would hardly wish to join those herbivores for their little celebration," Kyouya replied wryly, not looking at Dino. The distant flames cast slightly flickering shadows and lights, giving Kyouya a rather eerie appearance in the falling night. "I'm merely making sure they do not cause too much of a disturbance."

"Ah, yes. The ever vigilant guardian of Namimori's peace." Dino nodded sagely. "And obviously mere threats weren't enough to accomplish that?"

"You know these idiots, Cavallone," Kyouya replied, a rather displeased sneer on his face. "No matter how strictly they are warned beforehand, the moment they get a chance at causing havoc, they forget all about sense and good manners."

"Ah, yes. Those pesky little herbivores causing trouble." Dino tsked, an amused grin on his face. "I see you haven't at least stopped them from dancing." He nodded down to the side of the river, where the other younger people were pretty much all now dancing to the music, laughing as they did so. "I would have thought such tastelessly cheerful activity would earn your scorn."

"Contrary to the popular belief, Cavallone, I have nothing in particular against people enjoying themselves," Kyouya said, giving him something rather reminiscent of a lazy glare. "It is merely the noise and crowding that often accompanies such activities that I actually dislike."

"Oh, certainly." Dino smiled, looking over to the moving shadows around the bonfire. Tsuna seemed to be rather clumsy in his steps, but Kyoko-chan didn't mind, laughing happily. He'd probably have to give his sort of little brother some lessons in dancing. It wouldn't do for a future boss to be unable to dance at all. "I don't see you breaking down this gathering, though."

"As though that would accomplish anything." Kyouya leant slightly backwards, his eyes travelling up to the sky. "And besides, soon they'll all be gone. I won't have to deal with their constant noise then."

"Hmm? Do you mean you are not going as well?" Dino raised his eyebrows. "I was rather under the impression the offer was extended to you as well." In the best interest of the Vongola family, as Reborn had put it, the family would make sure the next generation boss and guardians got the best education available. After their high school graduation, Tsuna and his friends would move over to Italy, where they would start at one of the most influential mafia-run universities in the autumn. It was quite a prestigious opportunity, one that only a fool would have passed up on.

"...I have no particular desire to leave." Kyouya's eyes fell closed. His eyelashes seemed even longer and thicker than usual, resting over the pale cheeks. "I plan to protect Namimori, Cavallone. That does not require me to travel half the globe to deal with even more crowding herbivores."

"Don't you want to reach your full potential, though?" Dino asked. "Think about what your future self had accomplished. He had Foundation, travelling every corner of the Earth to find out more about rings and boxes. He gathered more strength and the information required to utilize that strength… and even then, he didn't fail to protect Namimori." It was strange, remembering things he had never actually lived through... but he wasn't going to let go of those memories. They were rather powerful reminders of what could be, and what had almost come to be. The dangers his young friends had lived through to protect their world from falling into such ruin.

He sometimes wondered how the people of that future lived on. He hoped they were happy.

"I do hope that was a joke," Kyouya snapped. "Did you see what happened to Namimori? The way enemies tore right into her heart like some vicious rats building their nest? If that is what follows from Foundation, I will rather be happy with what I have right now."

"That was the work of Millefiore, though," Dino pointed out. "They do not exist now, nor will they ever again. You could do it better, Kyouya." He smirked. "Wouldn't you like to do everything your future self had, only better?"

"...You are strange, Cavallone." However, he did spy a hint of a smirk on Kyouya's face. "But even then, I'm not exactly desperate enough to move along with the Vongola group like a big happy fuzzy family."

"Then don't. Go alone," Dino said. "I can certainly arrange for the practical matters. It's not like you have to necessarily live in the Vongola manor or even on a Vongola estate to attend a university in Italy. I can get you a place to stay just as easily – one without herbivores crowding you at every opportunity."

"And one where you could constantly reach me whenever you wish, as you neglected to mention," Kyouya pointed out, though he did sound almost... amused. It was certainly better than sounding angry. Dino was sure he could live on quite happily even if he failed to be struck by Kyouya's tonfas at some point of the night.

"You know I only want the best for you, Kyouya." His voice was somewhat softer than he had intended for it to be. It gained him a brief sideways glance from Kyouya, one that he ignored in favour of a quick laugh. "What would you say to some dancing, Kyouya?"

"I would say you must be out of your mind to even suggest that," Kyouya replied smoothly, his eyes now opening properly again just to glance down at the happy little crowd. "I don't dance."

"Oh, don't be like that, Kyouya!" Dino complained, standing up. It might have been called whining except he refused to do so. "It's not like you have to dance well or anything just to have fun. I mean, look at the kids over there! The only one who's actually trying to dance properly is Hana-chan and Ryouhei's doing a pretty good job of ruining that for her!"

"And that's supposed to be an argument for your suggestion instead of against? I think one of us is missing a rather significant point here." Kyouya gave him a wry smirk. "I don't plan to dance, Cavallone. I simply see no point to it."

"Even if it would make me happy?" He gave Kyouya his most disarming grin. Of course, it turned out to be quite ineffective.

"I'd say that is more of a reason against than for said activity," Kyouya replied dryly.

"So you're saying you can't do it any better than poor Ryouhei?" Dino nodded sagely even as he offered his hand to pull Kyouya up. "In that case, it might be for the better that you stay away from such activities."

"...If you think I'm quite that simple to manipulate, Cavallone, you're in for a big disappointment." Nevertheless, Kyouya did stand up, even if he refused to take the offered hand. "...Give me one good reason why I would want to leave Namimori."

"You would get stronger." Dino looked him in the eye, serious for once. "I know you love this place as much as you could love anything, but... it's just a small town, Kyouya. Just a small, insignificant little town. When Tsuna leaves and takes his family with him, it's unlikely to attract any particular dangers that you would need to protect it from. You will simply be sitting here all alone, never becoming anything more, never learning anything more, just a sad little boy who can't quite face the fact he's entirely too old to go back to school anymore." He was rather surprised he'd gotten this far without getting bitten to death. Taking it as a somewhat encouraging sign, he went on, "There's a big world out there, Kyouya. A big world with plenty of strong people in it. If you stay here, you will never meet them. If you want to grow stronger – if you want to fight stronger people – you will have to leave. Get out of here. Explore."

"Under your watchful eye, I presume."

"As though I could ever watch over you if you didn't let me." Dino extended his hand towards Kyouya again. "You can always come back, Kyouya. I'm sure Namimori will be waiting for your return. I just want to borrow you for a little bit from her."

The hand that grasped on his was pale in the darkness, yet surprisingly warm.