katekyo hitman reborn!
dino cavallone / hibari kyouya

aftereffect.

Hibari protected Dino's son to the very end.

He didn't know what possessed him to do so—throw the boy behind him—it wasn't as if he liked the kid. Maybe it was because he looked so much like his father.

There was hardly any trace of his mother in him, although Hibari wasn't quite sure if he'd be able to tell, since he scarcely met the woman. It was probably for the better, though.

And maybe it was because not only did he look like Dino, he acted like him as well. He had the same silly smile and clumsiness that would leave with age. Hibari hated that smile, and especially the same sad one that Dino offered him on the day of his wedding.

His gut twisted disgustingly as a particular memory resurfaced. The afternoon Dino had burst into his room, beaming, and disturbing Hibari's rest. But that day was different, he realized, when Dino announced that he was getting married. He could have been the happiest man on Earth, but at this moment Hibari hated both Dino and the woman he'd never met.

"Kyouya, won't you come?" Hibari slammed the door in his face.

"Please, Kyouya?" Hibari snapped his phone shut.

"For me, Kyouya?"

Hibari straightened his jacket and tie, and dropped the wedding invitation into the fireplace and watched the flames lick it up. He arrived at the wedding chapel half and hour late, yawning boredly as he made his entrance, enjoying the surprised expression Dino wore.

"I thought you weren't going to come." He later murmured into the younger boy's hair, and Hibari bit his neck in response.

"I won't bite you to death today." He said, through a mouthful of fabric. "But if you let me see your face tomorrow, you're dead."

He didn't need to look up to see Dino's rueful face.

"I'm sorry, Kyouya. I really am." He said.

"Shut up." Hibari replied, ripping a hole in Dino's expensive shirt.

"I really am." Dino repeated, before Hibari's fist slammed into his chin.

"I told you to shut up." He growled, shoving the Italian to the side and stalked off. But before he managed to exit the building, he caught sight of a pretty looking girl gazing after him in fear. She was dressed in a white gown, so Hibari assumed she was Dino's bride. He smiled at her, showing all his teeth, filled with an intense dislike, and she gave a start before scurrying off.

She didn't deserve him, he thought. Somebody like her. But herbivores always grouped with herbivores, and the one herbivore he thought he might have been able to tolerate decided that he'd rather stay a herbivore.

Hibari would have liked to think that he didn't care much, but he wasn't sure anymore. Dino's apologies echoed in his mind; useless words, although he knew it was necessary. After all, a mafia boss needed an heir.

The woman died after giving birth to Dino's first and only son, and nobody needed to ask why. She went without a word, and Hibari was grateful for this, because he'd rather not complicate things anymore. Hibari disliked complications, so he'd destroy them. He'd also destroy things that had finished their job.

Dino didn't speak to him for a long while.

He was brought back to current events by the tugging behind him, and he turned to face the boy that looked so much like Dino, slapping him across the cheek and ordering him to shut up. He was greeted by a stunned silence.

Hibari pushed the kid even further away (he didn't think he could look into that face any longer), an unspoken command uttered between them.

"Don't." The boy whispered, giving him the same look his father did that day a long time ago.

And Hibari returned it with the same smile he'd given Dino, and his wife, and now their son. A life for a life.

"Tell him this is repayment." He replied, eyelids fluttering to a close.

a/n; guh. angsty. ):

i love D18 but it would be a problem 'cause Dino needs an heir! if only hiba was a girl.
well actually no, hibari is a sexy male. but still. (maybe this is why i like 6918 betterrr)

anyway i feel bad because obviously D18 is doomed to fail. XD

actually there are lots of subtle hints and details. i wonder if you spotted any?