groans, and tries to bury her head under the pillows more. No use though, sleep has totally left her.

(I AM TEMPTED TO BUG YOU WITH YAMA-CHAN. IS THAT GOOD?)

(Y!!! )

(Okey~ will wait for Chrome to be in a more convenient position for bugging. XD)

(... she's going to make her way to the kitchen. STOP HER YAMA-CHAN 0__O)

wandering around the wing reserved for the family's Guardians. No one seems to be up for bugging. .-.

did not want to remember last night's encounter with the cloud guardian (as much as possible she didn't want to even think of his name now)

dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom to dunk herself into a bath full of cold water. Afterwards, got dressed and got ready

to go to the kitchen to get a very late lunch.

rounds a corner-- and nearly runs headlong into Chrome.

Ack! o_o;

Oof! 0__o!

just smacked into someone tall... and gangly.

"Ahaha! Sorry, sorry!" he scratches the back of his head and steps back, steadying the person he rammed into by the shoulders--

Oh. o_o

Hey, Chrome~

Ah. Good afternoon, Yamamoto-san...

I... just woke up. You?

Nah, I've been up for a while. Training and all.

studies the girl's face as he talks, hoping that she doesn't notice. She looks kind of worn out. o_o

Um, you can call me by my first name, y'know. No need for formalities.

slightly notices the scrutiny, but was taken by Yamamoto's smile and all, that she manages a half-hearted grin of sorts.

... Takeshi-san then. Training? Where? With whom?

Oh, just on my own, actually. :0 Reborn gave me this really awesome regimen to get stronger!

And, Kyouya kinda-sorta coaches me every now and then. Without really coaching me. o_o Um.

Ahaha! Does that make sense? Sorry if it doesn't. Ahaha!

On your own? Ah, that's...

's smile falls at the mention of that name though .__. "... ah, okay..." she was able to mumble.

intrigued at the training though. Maybe she can ask Reborn for something like that as well, when they go back to Japan.

noticed that falter, but he has no clue what it could mean.

Are you having trouble with training? o_o

I mean, uh, I kinda noticed that you don't really hang out with us much.

means no malice by that statement, and he makes sure to show that he doesn't with his smile.

It's more of... I don't know *how* to train... with illusions, I mean. And... um, I guess I was used to Ken and Chikusa leaving me alone...

A-ah! But I *do* want to go with you and the others! I mean.. with the other guardians too!

Then why don't you? It's as simple as tagging along with us whenever you feel like it.

I mean, Ryohei-senpai's really great, & Lambo's always looking for a playmate & you know Tsuna definitely won't mind having you around--

--and Hayato may LOOK like he's angry all the time but he really isn't, or well, even if he is, it's really okay to just hang around him--

--you're close to Mukuro too, so I doubt you'll have any problems, and we're talking now, so that should show you that I'm cool with it!

Oh, and Kyouya's actually a nice person too. Kind of like Hayato. Huh. Wow. Never realized they were similar that way til now. Ahaha!

The girls will definitely like having you around too. And Tsuna's mom makes the BEST onigiri ever.

finished, and will now catch his breath. XD

staring at Yamamoto, amazed that he was able to say all that in a single breath

Onigiri? Really? I've never eaten one made by my mother. I mean... she never cooked...

frowns. She never had any memories of her mother doing motherly things. It was always a party or cocktails that occupied her nights...

remembers maids taking care of her. And her mother not even touching her...

Then you should definitely come over to Tsuna's place when we go back to Japan!

You might want to try Kaoko-san's also. She's great at making them too. o_o

nods. "Onigiri with everyone... sounds great, Takeshi-san"

... ah, Kaoko-san too?

to ask her that sometime. If she can stop being too awe-struck around her xP

"Yep! " he pauses, suddenly remembering everyone else's reactions when they found out about him and Kyouya.

Er... I guess you must be wondering why I'm pretty intimate with the Hibaris, huh. Ahaha.

waiting for the explanation. She did notice that Yamamoto was the one who always approached Hibari first.

"Um." He leans against a wall, looking sheepish. "Kyouya and I kinda go back a long way. Ahaha. He was sort of my pet when I was a kid."

I mean, he kept getting beaten up and I kept kinda picking him up & fixing him since we're in the same neighborhood. o_o

...We didn't really talk for a few years though. And now... what do you know. We're part of the same family now.

whether he should go into more details.

opts to watch Chrome's reaction first.

surprised. Really surprised. "... Hibari was...?" That sullen, silent, strong guy?

... go on.

not surprised by Chrome's reaction. It seems as though he & Dino are the only ones who've seen past Hibari's Biteyoudead facade.

Ahaha, well~ we're back to being pretty close because of, um, stuff. I think Kyouya & I live to look out for each other--

pauses, and laughs again. "Don't tell him that, though! He's going to get really mad!"

...Because... um. I might be going a little too far by saying this, but...

stops again, trying to find the right words. He's not the smartest boy around, so it's a little difficult.

Kyouya *looks* like he doesn't care, and most of the time, that's true. But, his sense of honor's too strong to let certain things slip.

And... once he's established the idea that you're a friend -- or, more like, that you're part of "the pack", he'll fight for you.

Inch by inch, tooth and nail. Heck, he'd kill for you, which is kind of why you have to be careful. o_o

Just, it's really hard to get to him. I don't know whether he's scared or something, but he just doesn't let people near him.

ask Kyouya about this someday, when he thinks the other boy will finally be willing to answer him.

Ahaha, sorry! I hope that made sense.

silent for a while. And with a tilt of her head, along with a sort-of-understanding look to go along with it,

You really care very much for him, don't you?

Yeah! I think I like him just as much as I like Hayato, if it's possible to like two people at the same time.

not afraid to admit to this sort of thing. Not anymore.

... you don't show it much, Takeshi-san, but you're pretty... very understanding. More than you let on.

new-found respect for Yamamoto Takeshi, get! ^^

E-eh? o_o Um, thanks?

totally clueless over where that came from!

... is it okay for me to sit in and watch you train sometime?

Oh, sure! We can even spar, if you want to~

'Course, I think you're best off training with Kyouya. He's awesome. :0

... I don't know how to handle a sword, but okay...

huffs. "... do you always think so highly of him?" >_<

Yep. :0

If it helps, though, I think highly of everybody.

But, um, do you have some sort of problem with him? o_o

if there is anything at all that would dampen Takeshi's spirits.

that Chrome seems to be more annoyed with Hibari beyond the usual levels of annoyance that people have for him.

Really, you can tell me if something's up!

that she could trust him, she really did. Only..

sighs, and says "... let's just say he wasn't exactly the person I thought I knew."

o_O?

Time for distraction! She suddenly grabs Yamamoto's hand and begins to drag him... somewhere.

Takeshi-san! Give me a guided tour! I haven't explored the grounds much anyway!

U-uh...

Only if you tell me what you meant by that! D:

can't help it, okey, he concerns himself with Every Aspect of Kyouya's Life!

looking for a way to avoid answering that. So...

... I promise to answer that after we get the chance to spar with each other. Is that okay?

looking at Takeshi. *Earnestly*... ^^

I'll hold you to that then.

knows an evasion when he sees one. Kyouya's too good at maneuvering like that, for one.

nodding. "I promise..." she says, not shaking the feeling that she never completely convinced the boy, but was thankful nonetheless

So, I guess we're wandering around then? I don't really know the place too well myself, but I can show you what I've seen so far~

now tugging on Takeshi's hand. "Where to then?" ^^

alright!

that Chrome really is a nice girl. He never really had his doubts, but it's good to be affirmed!

starts off in the first direction that comes to mind, and continues to rattle on about menial, Yamamoto-esque things.

today is going to be a good day!