"Friends are the siblings God never gave us." – Mencius

When Hayato first saw Sawada Tsunayoshi, he immediately disliked him. Well, Hayato disliked everyone, except his mother, but he digressed.

After an intense custody battle back in Italy—he never knew how terrifying his soft-spoken mother could be—Lavina had taken her son away from his father's family and moved back to an obscure place called Namimori in Japan, her hometown. Hayato had gone with her willingly, eager to forget the miserable life he had and start anew with the only person who ever truly showed him kindness.

There were many things Hayato couldn't tolerate, ranging from stray eraser marks to stupid people, but the one thing he could tolerate was his kind and gentle mother. So, when she told him that they'd be meeting up with some old friends of her's, he just nodded and followed. This got an exasperatedly fond shake of her head that Hayato wasn't so sure about, but he got a hug, too, so he guessed that was okay.

When they got in the cab, the taxi driver had said some things to his mother that made her only smile and laugh politely. Her unease wasn't lost to Hayato so he made sure to glare daggers at the back of the driver's head, satisfied when he saw a bead of sweat on the other's head. After none-too-subtly kicking the back of the man's chair when they arrived at their destination, Hayato made sure that the driver didn't get too handsy when he helped his mother on her wheelchair.

The man left rather quickly after. Hayato couldn't help but smile a bit when Lavina patted his head before pushing her through the small gates of a modest-looking home. He reached to press the doorbell and patiently waited for someone to open the door.

"They also have boys your age, Hayato," Lavina rambled on with a bright smile. "It'd be wonderful if you become friends with them! They're also attending the same school as you, too!"

"I'm fine," Hayato grumbled.

He didn't need friends. All he needed was his mother.

Lavina looked at him with a heartbroken look on her beautiful face, making him shift uncomfortably. "Will you try for me at least?"

Hayato huffed. "Okay."

His mother instantly brightened and clapped her hands, making Hayato think that he must've fell under another one of her traps. "Thank you, Hayato! You're such a wonderful son!"

Thankfully, the door opened just in time to save Hayato from more embarrassment. A short boy with fluffy brown hair and caramel-brown eyes stood at the doorway. He glanced curiously at a smiling Lavina, which got him a harsh glare from Hayato, silently daring him to say anything. The brunet flinched but opened the door wider nonetheless.

"Are you Lavina-san?" he said a bit shyly.

Lavina smiled at the boy. "Yes, and you must be Tsunayoshi-kun."

Appeased by the woman's gentle nature, Tsuna smiled brightly. "You can call me Tsuna, Lavina-san! Ah, do you need help?"

"I'm fine, dear. Hayato is all the help I need!"

Said boy glared at Tsuna when he pushed his mother inside. The brunet ignored admirably him by moving the shoes that were in the way and closed the door behind them.

What followed was probably the strangest dinner Hayato had ever sat in on. The people who chattered the most was Yamamoto Amaya and her son, Takeshi, while her husband, Tsuyoshi, effortlessly reigned them both in when they talked a bit too much. Amaya was tall, easily the tallest woman there, with black hair tied in a ponytail and bright brown eyes. Takeshi looked like a mini version of Tsuyoshi, but had his mother's eyes and smile.

Hayato couldn't follow their flighty conversation for the life of him. Their attention span was the same as that of a goldfish. One moment they were talking about baseball and players' stats then they would move on to stray cats in the neighborhood and now…now they were talking about confetti?

He could only stare in slight disgust and bafflement while the mother and son duo dominated the conversation at the dining table. His mother seemed really happy though, laughing and even adding in a thought or two when she could, and that was enough for him to bear through this bizarre meeting. Well, Tsuyoshi made really good sushi, too—he'd give him that.

On the other hand, the Sawada duo seemed a bit tamer in comparison, though they tended to get excited, too, especially when it came to recounting their old volleyball days—well, more like the women's old volleyball days, but Tsuna seemed just as thrilled. Hayato was more shocked at the fact that his mother had been a part of their team.

"Ah, I miss this," Amaya said, grinning. "I even kind of miss Elda. Anyone know how she's doing?" She suddenly perked up. "Oh, remember that game we had against Kokuyo?"

Tsuna immediately brightened. "Which one, Amaya-oba-chan?"

Amaya grinned mischievously. "Well, it was when we first met Elda. She was the middle blocker on the opposing team. We were in what, high school?"

Nana nodded as she carefully peeled an apple. "Yes, one of our first matches, too. The very first actually."

"Oh, oh, and what happened?" Tsuna said, nearly standing on his chair.

Hayato had to move his cup away before the brunet could knock it over. He glared at Tsuna's elbow while his mother giggled.

"Elda was a bi—Uh, rude?" Amaya laughed sheepishly when Tsuyoshi gave her a pointed look. "Anyways, we actually lost to them, but there was no denying that she was a really good player. Had a weird way of blocking but it worked for her. Never understood it. One moment you'd think that she'd go to the left and then all of a sudden, she's in your face and smacking the ball back in your face." Amaya growled. "She always did that to me."

Takeshi laughed. "That sounds funny, kaa-chan. Did it hurt a lot?"

Hayato narrowed his eyes. Was it possible for a kid to be this stupid?

Amaya laughed, too. "Of course, it did! Elda was a skinny thing but she was really strong! Oh, and Lavina was the only one who could make her do anything."

Hayato blinked and stared at his blushing mother.

"Ah, well, she's not all that difficult to talk to," Lavina said.

Nana chuckled. "Well, Elda was always demanding, but without her, we wouldn't have gone so far." There was a wistful edge in her voice. "I really do miss everyone. Oh, and Tsu-kun is thinking of joining the volleyball team in Namimori Middle. Isn't that great?"

Lavina smiled brightly. "That sounds wonderful, Tsuna-kun! Why, I would do anything to play again!"

Hayato scowled at the way his mother smiled at the sheepish brunet, who mumbled some shy thanks; however, his mind was reeling at the fact that his mother had played volleyball of all things. She was a wonderful pianist so imagining her hitting volleyballs across the court was very hard to imagine.

Ayama pouted. "Takeshi, what about you? Why don't you give volleyball a go, huh? I promise that it's really fun!"

Her son just smiled at her. "I want to join the baseball team!"

"Tsuyoshi, fix your mistake."

The said man just rolled his eyes. "Baseball was and still is your obsession, too, dear."

Lavina quickly intervened before Ayama could punch her husband in the face. "Well, what were you thinking of doing, Tsuna-kun?"

Now, Hayato knew what volleyball was, but he was never privy to the rules of the sport. All he knew was that it was basically hitting a ball over the net countless times before one team screwed up and missed. Nothing really spectacular for him. Archery was his preferred sport—it was quiet and required less sweat. Plus, it was a solo sport (he'd never join a team).

Tsuna rubbed the back of his head. "I was thinking about being a libero."

Ayama grinned as she pinched the boy's cheek and cooed. "Oh, just like your mother."

The brunet nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, because the libero makes sure that the ball never touches the court and everyone gets to hit it over the net! It also looks really cool! You're running everywhere and having everyone's back and it's the best feeling ever when you pass the ball to a teammate! Kaa-chan said that as long as the ball never hits the ground, the game isn't over! So, it's my job to make sure it never gets to that point!"

Hayato furrowed his brows a little, unconsciously storing the term away in his mind. "Libero" meant "free" in Italian and with what little information Tsuna gave, he supposed it fit. Still, it was unnerving at how his mother smiled nostalgically and nodded in agreement while Tsuna talked.

"Nana was a wonderful libero," Lavina said. "Why, she was one of the best libero Japan has ever seen!"

"Oh, Lavina, don't say that," Nana said, smiling. "Don't forget that you were also an amazing setter, too."

Hayato widened his eyes. "Is that true, Mama?"

Lavina blinked. "Ah, well…"

"Come on, don't tell me you never told him about your glory days, Lavina," Ayama said, grinning. "Your mother was a hel—great setter. She made loads of close calls that saved us tons of time. Oh, like in—"

"Midori High!" Tsuna said, his eyes wide and sparkling. "Lavina-san, when you made that dump shot in the last minute, that was so cool! You should've seen the other team's faces!"

Lavina blushed. "Ah, that was nothing, Tsuna-kun. If Elda and Ayama hadn't blocked the ball a second time, we wouldn't have been able to go on to the next set."

"Geez, don't sell yourself short, Lavina," Ayama said. "You were just as important to the team like everyone else. Every point matters."

Nana nodded with a kind smile. "Yes, so don't put yourself down like that, Lavina-chan. And, Tsu-kun, it's not polite to interrupt someone while they're talking."

Tsuna flushed in embarrassment. "Ah, I'm sorry, kaa-chan."

Takeshi laughed. "Tsuna always gets excited when it comes to volleyball."

Ayama slung a long arm over Takeshi's shoulders. "Come on, Takeshi! Give it a shot, huh? I bet you'd make a great spiker! Maybe a blocker, too. You're so tall and you have great athleticism already!"

"I like baseball though."

"Volleyball is so much more fun!"

Hayato jumped a bit when a small plate of sliced apples slid in front of him. He looked up to see Tsuna smile brightly at him.

"Here, Gokudera-san! Do you like apples?"

Hayato pursed his lips, resisting the urge to retort with a smartass comment. And where were all those sparkles and flowers were coming from? He felt a small pinch on his leg that made him tense. Lavina gave him a sweet, innocent smile. Like hell he'd say thank you. He was still bitter at the fact that Tsuna knew something about his mother that he didn't.

"Thank you, Tsuna-kun," she said. "He does. That's very sweet of you."

Tsuna still looked a bit unsure but nodded nonetheless and returned to whatever conversation the others were having. Hayato didn't touch the apples.

After Ayama and Tsuyoshi offered to give them a ride back home, Hayato immediately searched some videos on his mother's volleyball team. It made him upset that he wasn't privy to this part of his mother's life, even though he barely got to see her while he lived with his father. They had bonded over the piano on their very short and restricted meetings and only grew closer after her car accident. So, yeah, he might be a little irritated that he didn't know about this, but apparently Tsuna did.

"What are you doing, Hayato?"

The boy nearly jumped out of his skin when his mother wheeled into his room. The video of one of her matches was playing a bit loudly on his screen and he tried not to stutter too much in embarrassment.

"I—Well—I just wanted…to see."

Lavina smiled as she drew closer to his desk. Hayato couldn't quite pinpoint the look in his mother's eyes when she watched what appeared to be a younger Ayama jump high in the air with another girl to block a harsh spike.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hayato said, almost petulantly. "I thought you'd tell me everything about you."

Lavina chuckled teasingly. "I never thought you'd be so interested in this, Hayato."

"That brat knew and I didn't."

"Don't call Tsuna-kun that, Hayato. That's not nice."

Hayato pulled a face that was a mix between a scowl and a pout. Well, he'd call it a scowl because he didn't do pouts. "It's not fair. It looks like a dumb sport, too."

"I thought the same thing."

Hayato blinked. "What? Then why did you join?"

A fond smile curved on Lavina's lips. "I preferred books to running when I was young and was never a strong child. But I found friends in the sport, people who would support me in and out of the court, and I never regretted joining them. They became my friends, my sisters, my famiglia." She reached out to take a hold of Hayato's hand, her hand cool against his warm skin. "And I hope you can find that here, too, bambino."

"I only need you."

Lavina gave him a sad smile, which made Hayato instantly feel like crap. "I thought the same, too, when I was your age. I always thought that all I needed was my grandmother. But later, you'll realize how lonely it is when you don't have many precious people in your life. That was why I came here, bambino—for you. I want you to make friends here. I don't want you to have any regrets when you're older."

Hayato scowled but couldn't help finding the genuine worry in his mother's voice. He crossed his arms across his chest.

"I can't promise anything."

"Just try. For me, bambino?"

There was a moment of silence before Hayato slumped in defeat. He directed his gaze at the video again to see his much younger mother set the ball fluidly to an intimidating girl, who spiked the ball with tremendous strength. Swallowing a small lump in his throat, he nodded tersely.

"Okay."

Lavina kissed his cheek with a grateful smile. "Thank you, Hayato."

The boy just flushed and scowled at his computer screen. "So, what did you exactly…do anyways?"

The joy that enveloped his mother's face and smile was enough to keep him at bay—for now.

School was a pain in the ass.

It wasn't difficult for Hayato to catch up since academics were never an issue for him. It was just the fact that he had to be surrounded by idiots for seven hours a day that grated on his nerves. Even though he promised his mother that he'd make…friends, everyone was making it difficult for him. Teachers were terrified of him—he wasn't afraid to correct them in class and who the hell wrote these textbooks?—and the female population was strangely taken with him. He wasn't all that comfortable with the lovey-dovey attention so he scared them off easily (though they always came back anyways).

All in all, it was pretty much uneventful. Takeshi always invited him to eat with him, Tsuna, and Nagi for lunch, and Hayato was always subconsciously guilt-tripped by his mother's sad smile to sit with them. Surprisingly, they weren't all that bad—well, Takeshi could get on his nerves just as much as everyone else, if not worse. The other boy's brain was probably just mush and Hayato wondered if he was dropped as a baby.

Tsuna was actually a bit more subdued in school, though seemed to brighten up whenever volleyball was mentioned. He had asked Hayato once about his mother's volleyball days, but never asked again when he got a terrifying glare in response. Most of the time, it was easy to forget that Nagi was even with them. She rarely spoke but when she did, Hayato had to wonder if she was some kind of ghost or a secret UMA.

When the dismissal bell rang, Hayato was always the first to leave. However, a loud shout made him stopped short.

"Gokudera-san!"

Hayato blinked when Tsuna suddenly appeared in front of him. It was always mind-boggling to see the brunet's speed so up-close, but he scowled when he remembered that the other wanted to be a libero, which was a touchy subject for the half-Italian. He remembered seeing a younger Nana in some of the videos—she sometimes blurred to the other side of the court to dive and send the ball flying back to her teammates.

"What?" Hayato said gruffly. "Hurry up and spit it out. You're wasting my time."

"Do you want to watch a volleyball match with us?" Tsuna said, his eyes shining with hope. "It's a mock match with another school, so it's not official or anything."

Hayato scowled. "Why would I want to do that?"

"Maa, it'd be fun if we could all go together!" Takeshi said, catching up with them.

Nagi trailed behind him, careful not to bump into other students. Hayato was always curious as to why she was wearing an eyepatch but kept his mouth shut. Hey, he had some tact. Give him some credit. Plus, Nagi wasn't as annoying as everyone else. She was tolerable.

"Please?" Tsuna said, clasping his hands. "I promise to never bother you for your homework for a whole week."

Hayato rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't last a week, much less a day."

Tsuna flailed his arms ridiculously in the air. "Yes, I can!"

"I'm not going."

Tsuna blocked him from stepping forward, his eyes suddenly flashing a golden-amber that made Hayato's breath hitch. That was most definitely a trick of the light…right?

"Please, or I'll tell Lavina-san!"

Hayato resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. How childish. He clicked his tongue.

"Fine. But I'm not staying long."

Tsuna grinned, pumping a fist in the air. "Yes!"

Hayato promptly flicked the small buzz of warmth in his chest and burned it to ashes. Ten minutes, he thought with gritted teeth. Just ten minutes.

"What the hell is this?"

Takeshi laughed. "You shouldn't say bad words, Gokudera."

"Shut up, baseball idiot. You can't tell me what to do."

Nagi shifted uncomfortably on the bench, her bag clutched tightly to her chest. "Don't fight, Yamamoto-kun, Gokudera-san."

Her voice was so quiet, Hayato had to strain his ears to make sure he caught what she said. Either way, that didn't distract him from the very pathetic display of volleyball in front of him. Granted they were only elementary students, it was still pathetic.

"I'm leaving," he deadpanned, grabbing his bag.

Nagi widened her eye. "Oh, Gokudera-san, you shouldn't—"

"Oi, heads up!" someone shouted from the court.

Hayato could only gape when a stray volleyball soared towards his face. Suddenly, a blur of brown and blue leapt in front of him and caught the ball easily in small hands. Takeshi reached out to steady Tsuna's landing, which got him a nod and smile in thanks. The brunet frowned when he looked down at Hayato.

"Are you okay, Gokudera-san? You should be careful. Sometimes they don't really pay attention to where they spike the ball."

Hayato just blinked before sputtering out a reply. "I'm fine. You didn't have to do that."

He didn't like the small, knowing smile on the brunet's face, but Tsuna didn't say anything much to his relief. He threw the volleyball back to a scowling teammate and slumped down next to him.

"Thanks for catching my landing, Takeshi!" Tsuna said with a bright grin. "I could've slipped."

Takeshi gave him a thumbs-up. "No problem, Tsuna!"

Somehow, this irritated Hayato more than he realized. Without knowing why, he sat back down, trying to process what just happened. He could see why Tsuna would be a good match for a libero—he had the speed, the stamina, and the instincts. However, he didn't get why the brunet was stuck as a water boy for the (pathetic) volleyball team.

He shook his head. Why was he thinking about that all of a sudden?

"Are you okay, Gokudera-san?" Nagi said quietly.

"Fine," Hayato responded roughly.

"Tsuna-kun does that a lot."

Hayato raised a brow. "Does what?"

Nagi smiled almost mysteriously. "He's always there for his friends."

Hayato mused over her words for a few seconds. Friends… Was that what he was to Tsuna? He didn't really feel that way towards him though.

Tsuna turned towards him with a smile. "Hey, Gokudera-san, what do you think about them?"

Hayato clicked his tongue. "Terrible. Our setter is never tossing at the right height for his spikers and our blockers aren't jumping high enough. The other team is crap, too."

Tsuna laughed. "Yeah." He gazed wistfully at the court. "That makes me kind of happy that I'm not playing with them."

"Why are you just a water boy anyways? I thought you wanted to play."

Tsuna shrugged. "I thought about that, too, but I don't really want to play with them."

Hayato frowned. "Then who do you want to play with?"

A small smile curved on the brunet's lips. "Who knows? But I know it's not them."

"Sawada! What are you doing up there? Where's our water?"

Tsuna stood up. "Oh, well, duty calls! I'll be right back!"

Takeshi smiled. "No worries, Tsuna!"

Nagi nodded. "Take your time, Tsuna-kun."

After Tsuna dashed down the bleachers to pass water bottles to the frustrated players, Hayato found himself lost in deep thought. He fiddled with the ring on his finger, a birthday gift that his mother gave him last year.

"I thought you wanted to leave, Gokudera," Takeshi said with a grin.

Hayato scowled. "Shut up."

The boy just laughed. Hayato rolled his eyes and leaned his chin on top of his open palm.

Maybe, his mother was right, he thought, watching Tsuna give an enthusiastic cheer for their team that no one acknowledged.

Maybe…he could try.

A/N Ahhh, so sorry this one took forever! Here's a somewhat lengthy chapter for the story's brief pause, haha.

Change of plans: I might go into their middle school arc a bit before they enter high school. I kind of underestimated the importance of that chapter in the characters' lives. So, expect their first match as a team soon (it's going to be a riot, lol)!

As stated or hinted to in this chapter, the positions for the characters are kind of clear (plus, badass mothers, hehe!). I won't go too much into it, but I'd like to state some of my reasoning for the characters' positions:

Tsuna: I decided to give him the libero position (not discounting the fact that Nishinoya is awesome!). Yes, he's short like Hinata and there's also the fact about his HDWM, but I couldn't really picture him as much of a spiker, frankly. Since the libero is responsible for a greater part of the court than the other members (all-encompassing sky, eh? Haha), he will also act as a defensive measure for the team to operate offensively. I see Tsuna as the team's main defense and helping them draw out their potential during matches. I'm not sure if this makes sense but that was how I see it, haha.

Hayato: I feel like the setter is the perfect position for Gokudera. Since the setter takes on most of the responsibility for the offensive maneuvers on court, they will have to think quick on their feet and make sure everyone on their team is accounted for. Gokudera is undeniably intelligent and observant. He will know what plays his team needs to get through matches and make sure everyone knows what they're doing. Of course, there's the issue with his temper, but what athlete/person isn't without their flaws? Haha.

Takeshi: There is no doubt in my mind that Takeshi would be a great opposite hitter. He is one of the taller, if not tallest, members among the guardians and I will take advantage of his height, lol. Not to mention that with his baseball experience, he will have great reflexes and be a well-rounded player, serving as both an offensive and defensive player. He is also much sharper than everyone gives him credit for, which is pointed out in canon, and would be a great asset on the front and backlines. Plus, also a great extra with the middle blocker for double blocks.

Mukuro: The middle blocker/hitter was created for Mukuro, lol. He and Takeshi are the tallest members amongst the guardians and his height is a great trait for being a blocker. Plus, he would serve as the team's decoy to confuse the other team's blockers when he's on the offense, which correlates to the Mist attributes. Mukuro is also very perceptive so he would also read the opponent team's setter and predict the other team's movements. This would cement his role as a tactician for his team, along with Hayato, in my view.

Kyoya: He's considered the strongest guardian so I gave him the position of ace and the outside hitter, hitting from the left side of the court. He will no doubt be a great athlete from his own physical training, but he works purely with raw strength, which will cement his reputation as a dangerous spiker. He can play both in the front and back row for his team and will be the one the setter mostly sets the ball to for scoring points. He'd be pretty above average when it comes to offense, but with defense, he'd have to work with Mukuro to block the volleyball, lol.

Ryohei: Another athletic guardian with great strength, Ryohei would take the position of being the opposite hitter, hitting from the right side of the court. Like Hibari, he has raw strength that can be useful in being another spiker for the team. He is also much more cooperative than Hibari and could also act as a "backup setter" if the situation calls for it. Ryohei isn't really stupid as people would expect, just very enthusiastic, lol.

I hope that the positions make sense. If you don't agree with them, I understand, but this was the way I viewed it. I didn't take their flame attributes much into account; they were only a minor factor and coincidentally matched in most cases, like Mukuro. I just tried to look at the bigger picture: their personality, height, and actual canon experience.

Though these might be their positions, they won't be perfect right away. Their clashing personalities will definitely be a major obstacle, but that's what makes it fun, eh?

Anyways, I can't wait to write their matches as a team, lol. It's going to be great. :^D

Thank you so much for reading! Leave a comment or two if you can and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible if you have questions.

I hope to see you again in the next chapter.

Have a lovely day~

Little Miss Bunny