<<(Nura Mansion)>>

"Nana-chan~!  Oh, it's so good to see you~!"

Wakana hugged her distant sister tightly; Nana squealed as she returned the hug.

"Wakana-chan! I missed you too!"

As the two women chatted, Tsuna introduced two of his friends to Rikuo; the taller brunet smiled brightly as he gestured to Hayato first.

"This is Gokudera Hayato-kun, and this," Tsuna gestured to Takeshi. "Is Yamamoto Takeshi-kun."

The two said people made their own greetings.

"Nice to meet you/Haha, I hope to get along with ya'."

Rikuo smiled and bowed politely to them.

"I'm Nura Rikuo. I hope you'll enjoy your stay here."

"Tsu-kun~!"

The said brunet swiveled his head around to look at his mom.

"Hai, Kaa-san?"

Nana smiled brightly.

"Wakana-chan wants me to have a sleepover in her room instead of the guest room." Her brow creased with worry. "I hope you don't mind...?"

Tsuna chuckled and shook his head.

"I don't mind. Plus, I bet you two would like to catch up on things privately."

Nana giggled and swooped down to kiss Tsuna's forehead; she then grabbed her things and walked over to Wakana and waved back at her son.

"I'm going to settle down and catch up. You boys be nice now, hai~?"

Tsuna, Takeshi and Hayato responded.

"Hai, Kaa-san/Hai, Ma'am/Hai, Sawada-san."

Nana started chatting with Wakana again as they walked away from them; Rikuo started to fidget a bit nervously.

Rikuo then beckoned to Tsuna, who raised a curious eyebrow and bent down slightly to listen to a couple of frantic, whispered words in his ear.

"What about the other 'people' in my family?"

Tsuna straightened his back and put on a thoughtful expression; he turned to his friends.

"Hayato-kun, Takeshi-kun."

The two snapped to attention; Tsuna smiled and waved them over.

"Remember, we're a crazy family, no?"

The Storm and Rain raised curious eyebrows; Tsuna grinned.

"San-kun, could you please come out for a bit?"

The brunet felt a weight in his hair; the Decimo widened his grin at Hayato and Takeshi's baffled expressions.

"This is San-kun, a yokai."

The white yokai waved a tiny hand at the two teens.

"Hiya, Takeshi-san, Hayato-san!"

Hayato muttered to himself in near disbelief as he stared at the white figure in surprise.

".....UMA....."

Takeshi slowly grinned and stared at San with wonder.

"Woah! A yokai? Is he really real?"

Tsuna chuckled as he looked at both of them in the eye.

"You two.  I need you to keep this as a secret.  Kaa-san can't know about all of this as usual, but the others will be informed later when they come over."

Hayato and Takeshi managed to drag their gazes from San before nodding in Tsuna's direction.

Hayato's eyes sparkled.

"Does that mean that there are others here?  How many?  What do they look like?  Are some really as big as a blue whale?  Do they have a favorite foo--?"

Takeshi was sweatdropping as he clapped a shoulder onto the silveret's shoulder.

"Maa, Hayato, chill.  I bet we can talk about this later.  Plus, I think Tsuna's cousin looks a bit overwhelmed by the questions.  Let's put our things down first."

The Storm glanced at Rikuo, who was sweating and smiling nervously at him.

Hayato scowled at Takeshi before sighing.

"....Fine...."

Rikuo blinked owlishly in surprise.

'That....went better than I expected....'

~~

"Hm, Gokudera, Yamamoto."

"Hai, Reborn-san/Yeah, kiddo?"

Reborn smirked as he sat across from the two teens; Hayato and Takeshi looked at the hitman attentively.

"You'll be seeing something interesting tonight."

Hayato blinked in confusion.

"...And...what will we be seeing?  Does Tsuna-sama already know about this?"

Reborn's smirk simply widened.

"Tsuna knows.  And you'll have to see the surprise yourself."

The Storm and Rain sweatdropped; they both thought one thing:

'Usually, surprises from Reborn/the kid does't end well.'

~~
//(Nighttime)//

Takeshi had curiosity twinkling in his hazel eyes as he looked at the newcomer with surprise.

Hayato blanched at the other silver-haired teen across from him.

Tsuna quirked a nervous smile at his Guardians.

"Guys....I would like you to meet...Rikuo-san."

The said silveret raised an eyebrow at the newcomers.  When nothing was said, he broke the silence himself.

"Well?"

Takeshi was the first to respond and grinned widely.

"Waa~! Is he like some sort of werewolf that changes under the moon or something?"

Tsuna sweatdropped while Night-Rikuo held back a bark of laughter.

The Decimo sighed softly before chuckling amusedly.

"Takeshi-kun....he's a quarter-yokai--not a werewolf. But he does change into his yokai-self when it's nighttime."

Takeshi blinked and placed a fist into his open palm.

"Oooh~! It makes sense now."

Hayato blinked in slight surprise.

"So, Tsuna-sama....your cousin isn't all human?"

Tsuna inclined his head before nodding, grinning widely.

"Pretty much."

Rikuo scoffed and crossed his arms within his sleeves, hiding them from view; he smirked as his crimson eyes glowed in the darkness and turned his gaze to Tsuna.

"So....are these your 'Guardians'?"

Hayato and Takeshi stiffened in surprise and they looked at Tsuna for answers.

The brunet laughed sheepishly.

"Maa, Rikuo-san knows that we're in the Mafia.  But don't worry, he'll keep a secret."

The 3rd Nurarihyon narrowed his gaze at Hayato and Takeshi.

"I don't betray family members."

The Storm and Rain heard the honesty oozing from Rikuo's words; Takeshi chuckled and grinned back.

"We don't like betraying family either! Let's get along, Rikuo."

Rikuo let up his glare and sent a lazy smirk back.

"....So....you got any stories? Tsuna left out a few, saying that you guys should tell them to me yourselves."

Takeshi laughed brightly and started talking about his battle for a ring with a certain shark.

Hayato was a bit reluctant, but with a pleading gesture from Tsuna, the silveret relented and talked about his own battle with a 'knife-freak'.

~~

"....Your....'Day-self' won't remember any of this?"

Hayato blinked in fascination as he gazed at the 3rd Nurarihyon across from him.

Rikuo nodded and sighed.

"Yep. It's been like that for a while."

Hayato hummed thoughtfully.

"It's like you have two souls possessing one body....?"

Rikuo shrugged.

"We're supposed to be the same person. We just have...'different thoughts', I guess."

"And you're a swordsman too?"

Rikuo swiveled his head to Takeshi; the silveret saw that the ravenet's hazel eyes were looking at his katana, which was resting beside his thigh.

Rikuo lifted an eyebrow.

"Interested in swords....?"

Takeshi laughed brightly.

"Maa....I'm a swordsman too. Is that made of steel alloy by the way?"

Rikuo blinked in slight surprise before shaking his head, placing a hand on his katana and unsheathing it slightly, showing it to Takeshi.

"No...this is laminated steel. A bit lighter than steel alloy."

Takeshi nodded as he studied it; he saw a few nicks on it.

"Looks like it's been through a lot, huh?"

Rikuo smirked.

"Heh, I've had my fights..."

Takeshi nodded and sighed disappointedly.

"I wish I brought my training katana with me--of course, the airport didn't allow it."

Rikuo raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you want to bring it?"

Takeshi laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"I would've wanted to have a little match with ya'."

Rikuo's eyes glittered with amusement and interest.

"Hoh~?  Are you that skilled?"

Takeshi grinned.

"Haha, I don't really know.  Someone stronger than me can always come by and beat me."

Rikuo turned his gaze to Hayato.

"And you?  What's your weapon of choice?"

Hayato sighed and shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"Eh.  Bombs and arrows.  I'm more of a long-range fighter--unlike Sword-freak."

Rikuo turned to look at Tsuna.

"So...they have weapons...and you don't?"

Tsuna huffed.

"I have gauntlets."

"That's not a cool weapon though."

Tsuna rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he flopped onto the cool grass beneath him.

"Welp, you've never actually seen me in battle. Plus, I've trained with my tutor, the World's Greatest Hitman, and a friend, the Most Powerful Martial Artist."

Rikuo raised an eyebrow.

"Your tutor was that guy with the fedora, right?"

Tsuna grinned and nodded.

"Yep."

"That guy reminds me of Jiji for some reason."

Tsuna blinked in idle surprise at that.

"....Really...?" 'I suppose I do sense some sort of hidden power within Ojii-san....'

~~
//(The Next Day)//

"Be safe you four!"

"Hai!"

Rikuo fidgeted with his bag strap as he led the way to his school; Tsuna whistled a random tune as his Storm and Rain followed him.

After about twenty minutes of walking, the school came into view.

"Rikuo-kun~!"

The brunet jumped and turned his gaze to the side to find Kana there.

"Kana-chan!"

The girl giggled at his surprised expression before noticing the three new faces behind the brunet.

"Are?  Rikuo-kun, who are these people?"

Rikuo scratched his cheek nervously.

"Ah, well....this person here..." He gestured to Tsuna. "...Is my cousin."

Kana's eyes brightened up considerably and she smiled cheerfully at Tsuna.

"Uwah~! It's so nice to meet you, Rikou-kun's cousin!"

Tsuna chuckled amused.

"Maa, just call me Tsuna."

"Tsuna-kun then!"

Kana then turned her curious gaze to the other two unfamiliar teens.

"And~you guys are....?"

Hayato had a passive look on his face.

"Gokudera Hayato."

Takeshi grinned widely.

"Haha, just call me Takeshi!"

Kana smiled softly.

"My name is Kana.  Dozo yoroshiku!" (It's nice to meet you!)

Then the group headed towards the school together, jogging slightly so they won't be late.

~~

"Okay brats!  We have three new students, so listen up!"

The class quieted down as Tsuna, Hayato and Takeshi stood at the front.

Hayato stepped forwards first.

"Name's Gokudera Hayato.  Don't mess with my family or me."

He sent a narrowed gaze at everyone before becoming stoic once more.

Takeshi stepped forward next, grinning widely

"Haha, my name's Yamamoto Takeshi, I hope we get along or it won't be pretty."

Tsuna stepped forward next with a bow and a small wave of his hand.

"Heya.  My name is Sawada Tsunayoshi.  I can be nice or I can be scary.  Take your pick~"

The entire class sweatdropped.

'Did.....did they all just discreetly make threats to us....?'

~~
//(Lunch Time Because Who Needs School?)//

On the rooftop, Tsuna, Hayato and Takeshi got to meet the rest of the self-proclaimed Kiyojuuji Paranormal Investigation Squad.

Introductions were made and Kiyotsugu quickly started to talk about their adventures.

While Hayato and Takeshi listened--the silveret was annoyed while the ravenet interested--Yura took the time to sit closer to Tsuna.

The girl tapped the brunet on the shoulder to gain his attention.

"You're Nura-san's cousin, yes?"

Tsuna inclined her head at her before nodding. Yura blinked her brown eyes at him before squinting them.

"Your spiritual aura....is pretty strong."

Tsuna blinked in slight surprise.

'Is she a psychic?' "Really? How so?"

Yura suddenly poked Tsuna's forehead.

"It's all gathered up in your forehead," She then grabbed the brunet's hands. "And your hands."

Tsuna blinked owlishly in surprise.

'Huh...she's pretty sharp.' "Oh?"

Yura studied Tsuna's hands and frowned.

"It's covered with burn marks."

Tsuna carefully tugged his hands back into his lap, laughing nervously.

"Maa, maa. I'm fine, really, Yura-chan."

Yura squints at you.

"Eeh!? Tsuna-san has burn marks on his hands!?"

Tsuna found his left hand grabbed by Natsumi; the cat-like girl yanked it to her line of sight and immediately frowned.

"Uwah~! They look really bad! How did that happen!?"

Tsuna sweatdropped and glanced at his Guardians; they were also looking a bit worried.

"M-Maa....it was just a cooking accident..."

"It doesn't look li--!"

Slam!

The door to the rooftop was shoved open rather roughly.

"Ugh, it's the yokai-nerds!"

A group of teens, looking a little older than them, sauntered onto the rooftop; they sneered at Rikuo and the others.

"You guys should know that they aren't real."

Kiyotsugu fumed and stood up.

"What would you know? You've never seen it for yourself!"

The apparent bully smirked.

"Exactly! If I've never seen them before, they don't exist!"

"Maa....just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean that something doesn't exist."

All eyes turned to Tsuna, who was chewing on some of his bento peacefully; he was watching the other with a blank expression.

The bully sneered; his friends laughed obnoxiously with him.

"Are you one of these nerds?" He gestured to Rikuo and the others. "They're just a group of idiots believing in something that doesn't exist.  They're dimwitted sh--"

There was suddenly something pressed against his throat.

Tsuna was suddenly standing in front of the other; the points of his chopsticks were resting heavily on the bully's throat.

The brunet looked at the other evenly.

"Not only have you insulted him....but you also tried to curse in front of him."

Tsuna then flicked the bully in the forehead, causing the other to stumble backwards and clutch his head.

The brunet eyed him cooly.

"Don't let me see your face around them again, or.........hm, I'll think about that actually."

Tsuna smiled 'brightly'.

"Run along." 'You a**holes.'

The bullies didn't look phased at all, but they spat at Tsuna before exiting the rooftop.

Tsuna then returned to his seat between Yura and Natsumi.

The Decimo then picked up his bento before chucking his chopsticks into a nearby trashcan; he rummaged through his bag for a new pair and started to eat once more.

Hayato was hiding a smirk while eating his own bento.  Takeshi didn't even bother to hide his amusement and grinned widely.

'That's our Boss.'

Jirou was the first to break the stunned silence and jabbed a finger at Tsuna.

"Dude! Do you know what you've just done!? You've messed with the most violent group of bullies in this school!"

Tsuna calmly chewed his food before swallowing; he looked over at the blonde and looked him evenly in the eye, smiling amusedly.

"All I know what I've done is defend my cousin and my friends. I don't care if he was the most powerful man on earth--I stand up from my friends and family no matter what."

Jirou blinked with shock at the response.  As was everyone except Hayato and Takeshi.

Rikuo was the first to snap out of it; he frowned slightly with worry and tugged on his cousin's sleeve to gain the taller's attention.

"But Tsuna-kun....he really beats people up."

Tsuna sent a sharp look to Rikuo.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Rikuo rubbed his neck; Tsuna narrowed his gaze.

"Did.  He.  Hurt.  You?"

The shorter brunet quickly shook his head.

"N-Not really!"

Tsuna narrowed his eyes further into slits and his jaw clenched.

"What do you mean, 'not really'?"

Saori piped up.

"He gets pushed around or tripped sometimes."

Snap!

Everyone blinked in slight surprise at the broken chopsticks within Tsuna's grasp now.

Tsuna's expression was shadowed briefly for a moment before he lifted his head and smiled brightly at Rikuo.

"Rikuo-kun, I'm sorry, but you'll have to go on ahead home without me.  Takeshi-kun, Hayato-kun, can you accompany him?"

Hayato nodded; Takeshi grinned widely and knowingly.

"Sure, Tsuna!"

Tsuna had--luckily--already ate his bento, so he threw his empty box and broken chopsticks away.

The brunet then looked at the others before picking up his bag; he gave them a two-fingered salute.

"I'll be headin' for my next class. See you guys later. And it was nice meeting you, Kiyotsugu-kun, Kana-chan, Yura-chan, Jirou-kun, Saori-chan and Natsumi-chan."

With that, Tsuna exited the rooftop.

Hayato and Takeshi went back to finishing their bentos.

".....What did he mean 'go on ahead home' without him?"

Takeshi played with his eggroll for a moment.

"Maa, Tsuna's just being Tsuna. Protecting his pride."

Rikuo turned his gaze to the Rain.

"His pride? What is it?"

Takeshi merely grinned.

"You'll find out one day."

~~
//(Afternoon)//

Tsuna walked out of the school grounds slowly.

Rikuo and everyone else had pretty much gone hom--

"Oi, you piece of sh**!"

Tsuna slowly glanced over his shoulder.

It was the bullies from earlier; the leader and four others.

Oh joy.

(O.D.D.- Tsuna-san's got a bone to pick with ya'. ( ^ω^ ) ~*)

The bully leader sneered.

"You know, you've messed with the wrong person! But hey, I'm feeling merciful, so beg for forgiveness or you'll feel my wrath."

Tsuna turned fully to face them; the brunet kept a light smile on his face.

"Oh? I would say the same thing, but you've already said it for me."

The other's expression twisted into a scowl; he snarled at Tsuna.

"What the f***? What he** are you talking about?"

Tsuna smiled and cracked the fingers on one of his hand discreetly, keeping his eyes on the group.

"The rooftop today. Don't you remember?"

The leader snorted.

"That? I was merely telling the truth," The Decimo's hand twitched. "That piece of sh** Nura was always talking about yokai this or yokai that when he was little! He's so f***ing annoying with his friends too, but he's the main reason why they're so nerdy about their stupid yokai shenanigans."

Tsuna kept a leveled gaze with the other before dipping his head down, shadowing his gaze with his bangs; his smile disappeared.

"..........."

The leader smirked as he motioned his friends to surround Tsuna.

"We're the top-dogs in this school. If you mess with us, you better beg for forgiveness! This is your last chance."

Tsuna did not move.

Soon....his shoulders started to shake. The leader thought it was out of fear, so he grinned darkly.

"Heh, you sca--!?"

Tsuna chuckled.

A smile appeared on his lips.

The brunet lifted his gaze to look at the leader.

"....I guess...I gave you your chance. Here come the consequences."

Tsuna flicked his right arm to the bully--not the leader--that was closest to him and chopped his windpipe harshly; he was also the only one holding a bat.

The bully made a wheezy noise and keeled over.

Tsuna then sent a roundhouse kick to another's head, knocking the other out in an instant.

The brunet then turned to his next two victims--he'll save the leader for last.

Tsuna dashed forwards and slammed an open palm each into their guts.

He then proceeded to uppercut the one on his left before slamming his elbow down on the back of the bully's head on the right of him.

Silence filled the area...except for a few whimpers and groans of pain.

Tsuna turned his gaze to the leader, who apparently fell on his a** in shock of seeing the brunet take out four of his friends in an instant.

"F-F***--! Sh**, why are you so pissed!? Nura's just some freaky nerd and I've never seen you around before! Who the he** are you!?"

Tsuna walked over to the leader and looked down at the other.

"......I'm his cousin and his brother. Mess with him, and you'll wish you'd never been born. I'm leaving you injure free because I think you've seen enough of what I can do to you. Consider this a warning. Next time....well, let's just hope there won't be a next time.

Tsuna then turned away on his heel and walked away, leaving the bully in a trembling heap.

The leader slowly lost his fear as Tsuna walked away; it was quickly replaced by anger.

'Who the f*** does this son of a b***h think he is!?'

The bully quickly grabbed the bat that was dropped by one of his friends and dashed at Tsuna, raising it over his head.

"TAKE THIS YOU PIECE OF SH*--!"

Tsuna spun around, caught the bat with one hand and used his other hand to form a fist and punch the leader's diaphragm.

The bully made choking sounds and immediately released the bat, falling to his knees and pressing his face into the dirt while clutching his stomach.

Tsuna looked at the other with a grimace.

"I thought you would be smarter than that....."

The brunet shook his head and tossed the bat to the side, which landed conveniently on another bully's head who was trying to crawl away, knocking the brute out.

Tsuna then turned and walked away.

"Welp, I hope ya' learned your lesson. If not, it won't be pretty is all I can say on that matter."

The brunet whistled a random tune as he left the school grounds, a small smirk was present on his lips.

~~

Tsuna sighed as he walked towards the Nura Mansion entrance.

Once he got through a gate, a tall, long-haired man walked past him; Tsuna paused, causing the other to pause also.

The two glanced at each other; crimson clashed with brown.

Tsuna took in the other's aura.

Strong. Authoritative. Cold.

The Decimo lifted an eyebrow.

'A yokai leader, huh?'

Meanwhile the taller and older male was studying Tsuna sharply.

"......You must be Rikuo-kun's cousin."

His voice was gruff and deep.

Tsuna smiled tentatively and nodded.

"Ah, my name is Sawada Tsunayoshi. It's nice to meet you...."

"Gyuuki."

"Gyuuki-san--or '-sama?'"

The brunet smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry! I know that some of you guys are great leaders so--"

"'Gyuuki-san' in fine, Tsunayoshi." Gyuuki kept a blank face before turning his gaze to the gates. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to leave for some important business."

Tsuna rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"Ah! Sorry for holding you back! See you some other time, Gyuuki-san."

The man gave a curt nod before walking away; his sandaled feet barely made a sound on the ground.

Tsuna watched the other retreat before frowning.

'Something's.....off about him....'

The brunet shook his head and walked towards the mansion.

~~

"Tsuna-kun!"

"Mm?"

The brunet looked up from his homework and saw that Rikuo was approaching him; the Decimo smiled warmly.

"What is it, Rikuo-kun?"

The shorter brunet rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Eto....on this weekend, Kiyotsugu-kun offered all of us to join him on a little trip to these mountains where there's a rumored yokai named Umewakamaru. Would you....like to to join us?"

Tsuna blinked in slight surprise.

His Hyper Intuition was prickling.

'......'

Slowly...Tsuna smiled and nodded.

"Sure! I'll go. Is it alright if I bring Reborn, Hayato-kun and Takeshi-kun with me?"

Rikuo smiled brightly and nodded vigorously.

"Of course!"

Tsuna chuckled.

"Maa, you should head on to bed since your homework is already done. And we still have school tomorrow."

"Ah, right! Goodnight, Tsuna-kun!"

"G'night, Rikuo-kun."

The shorter brunet exited the guest room.

".....You're inviting me?"

Tsuna rolled his eyes and looked down at his homework papers.

"Shut up, Reborn. I just have....a bad feeling...."

Reborn looked up from the book he was reading and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Tsuna merely shrugged and sighed.

"We'll just have to find out."