Hi everyone! I'm back again with a short story, well maybe not short if it gets out of hand. But then again, I was inspired by the appearance of new stories about 18I that I couldn't help but write as well. So if the authors of those stories can read this, thank you!

I know it took so long before I wrote again, but please enjoy.

I do not own KHR.

Warning: this story is AU and I had a plot bunny so I cannot assure the quality of the plot at all.


The Wall You Call Apathy

-Touch Me Not-

"Another day in hell, huh?" asked a bored boy as he roused from his dreams. He wiped at his forehead, apparently he was having a nightmare; a nightmare he couldn't remember but all too well he knew that it was of importance.

You see, sometimes dreams reflect memories. But all in a twisted manner. It changes constantly, morphing, connecting different memories and then inciting the will of the subconscious thus allowing extraordinary powers to come into play.

But that has nothing to do with today.

He went on with his preparations to go to school, his beloved school, so that he can protect it from other students who wish to deface it. That and he must see somebody that has aggravated him from before to dish out punishment.

Time passed by slow, or maybe he was simply thinking too much and his brain functioned at the speed of light, or simply that he was anticipating a pretty good fight. But everything seemed to pulse as he stepped into the school grounds. Excited as he was, he could not wait to encounter that herbivore who had guts of steel to stop his rampage the other day.

"Where is she?" he hissed.

The other boy of this scene, the one whose hair was coiffed, could only offer a deep scowl as he was also afraid that his boss would get out of control again. With the task at hand though, he can't help but answer to the rhetorical question posed earlier,

"Chairman, she is a freshman in class B. Her name is Sawada I-pin."

The so-called Chairman stopped and his eyes glinted like that of predator. He replied, his voice a cool baritone, "Sawada? Is she related to that Sawada?"

"Yes, she is, sir."

A somewhat happy snort came out of the Chairman's lips. It was gonna be a good day.

Half a day had passed and the young girl that was named I-pin could only stare at her lunchbox as she took it out of her bag. She was not in the mood to eat as a great misfortune looms over her and has yet to claim her poor soul.

As it is, earlier in this story, it was stated that the Chairman was looking for her. And that was what that troubled her. The feeling is like a prisoner on death row on whom the new day rolls upon, with no knowledge if it would be his last day on earth.

So she felt that way all day, considering only a half had passed, and she was expecting him to be at her throat the very moment she arrived at school. And to this, her friends and sibling have been worried of her state the same length of time.

Her brother, Tsuna, had been aware of it since the evening they met up to go home but his sister refused to yield. So he asked again, "Come on I-pin, you can tell us. I know we can help!" He said, his honey eyes squinted in worry.

But his sister slammed her hand at her desk in resistance, "I told you before Tsu-nii, I just can't! I know that you know you can help," it sounded painful to the others that had crowded around her, "But I don't want you, alright? Just… just leave me alone, please."

"But you should at least eat." Kyoko, on whom I-pin's brother is enamored with, said softly as she pat the other girl on the head.

Yeah. Like a prisoner's last meal before she dies…

Thus they proceeded to have a peaceful yet awkward lunch on the rooftop. Since I-pin was still being silent with an obvious problem, no one couldn't bring themselves to speak of happy thoughts, not wanting to mock the already poor girl.

A carefree laugh erupted, piercing the dense veil that surrounded them, "You're gonna waste that lunch you made if you're just staring at it," Yamamoto chided I-pin, well, of course in his special baseball-nut way, and took a piece of egg from her lunch. "Still as good as ever, eh, I-pin?"

I-pin slowly turned to him and then handed him her lunch, "You should have it. You'll need the energy for after class training."

The boy took the lunch enthusiastically, as I-pin was the best cook amongst the girls present. "Oh wow! That's great, I-pin. Maybe we should get hitched!" Yet he mumbled "Just kidding!" when he felt the brother somehow glaring at him.

The mood lightened a bit and has continued to do so until,

"Done with your last meal, herbivore?"

The deep voice scared I-pin so much that she stood quickly and separated from her friends in hopes of protecting them. Trying her best to stand tall against the demon that is the Disciplinary Committee Chariman Hibari Kyoya, she felt her legs jiggle a bit from fright. This, her sign of defiance from authority, made the boy smirk; he has never met such challenge as of yet.

"When I'm done with you, you'll never go against me ever again!"

Hibari charged at her, tonfa in each hand, and began swiping at her whilst she deftly avoided. Once the chance appeared to her, I-pin grabbed his hand as she blocked them with her palms when he punched and did again with the other. Twisting them outwards, the only reaction she ever got was a sneer from him.

Feeling jitters come down his spine, Hibari's eyes widen in disgust. "Do not touch me, herbivore!" and then threw her to the wall that enclosed the exit. He, about to deliver the finishing blow, was met by a bamboo sword pointed at his neck, the then happy Yamamoto not so happy.

"I didn't think you hit girls but now you're the lowest kind of dirt," the baseball player said, a slight growl emanating from his throat.

I-pin looked up. She now knows why her Yamamoto-senpai kept that sword, and not a bat, around him all the time. From where she was, she couldn't see what Yamamoto looked like but what she knew was that Hibari had a face as placid as a deep river. She had never seen a face so serene despite being in a heated battle.

She found herself losing her fright and her head slowly cleared as she rose from where she plopped ungracefully a little earlier.

Quickly, the Chairman reacted to her movement by swatting Yamamoto away and then aiming a punch to her stomach to which she stopped a mere inches from losing her puny lunch, both of her hands gently but firmly holding at his forearm. When she realized this and that he was looking at her, more like glaring at her, a slight blush crept on her face and she was quick to apologize; her twin braids swishing as she bowed.

Shock. Pure and utter shock. But only for a few moments, that is. It was the best time to strike, now that she was bowing like that and Hibari wasn't going to let that chance get away.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break.

-cloud-

Hibari's arm was a hair-breadth away from her nape when the school bell rang. And Yamamoto was about to thump him real hard on the head with his sword. The former boy straightened and lowered his tonfas to his sides, called the boy in pompadour and left.

I-pin straightened as well, not really sure of what was going on and had unconsciously followed the Chairman's path with her sight. Another thing is, she touched her face, as if testing if she was still alive of sorts.

"I… I'm alive, right?" she said, a bit too unbelieving, to Yamamoto's chagrin.

"Saved by the bell, is it?" was the reply of the confused boy, who had also put his weapon aside. He couldn't help but smile, "Besides I don't think he was trying to kill you."

"Just trying to put you in the hospital in a vegetative state is all!" Irritated was Gokudera, the platinum-haired boy amongst their friends, and he continued, "I don't understand why he's still here! Why isn't he expelled yet!?" and was about to start an uproar until Tsuna calmed him down.

"We're late!" I-pin was the one to throw this line to which everyone laughed; they gathered their stuff nevertheless.

They were reprimanded when they returned to their respective classes.

-cloud-

I-pin still doesn't know what to feel after that encounter with the Disciplinary Chairman.

I am now officially on his hit list…

She sighed. But what surprised her more is that she wasn't feeling as down as she was before. Probably because she is confident that she can handle him. Oh well.

"Are you feeling better?" Tsuna asked her as they all got together to go home, to which she answered with a nod.

"Are you really feeling better?" Yamamoto reiterated the question.

She didn't know if she's the one who isn't feeling better.

"Are you feeling better?" She returned the question and got a sigh for an answer. She guessed that Yamamoto-senpai, and all the other seniors, were more affected than her. "Why does it feel that you're the one who doesn't feel better?"

The boy she was directly speaking to did not answer and instead ran a hand through his hair. And then placed his big hand over her head.

Kyoko answered for him, "Seeing you almost killed back there made us worry, you know. We're all just glad you're fine."

Ryohei, Kyoko's older brother, was all too happy to see her unscathed, "And I heard you did a great job against Hibari! So, are you going to join the boxing club any time soon?"

She shook her head negative.

-cloud-

I-pin was actually adopted into the Sawada family. Her master, she practices martial arts, left her in their care since she was five. Apparently, her master and Papa were acquainted. And to compensate for her stay, she works part-time for a ramen shop when she has time; by all means her employee was very kind.

That same night, she got a delivery to some apartment, a big and luxurious apartment at that, and had planned that it will be her last delivery for that shift. She still has her studies waiting at home and the boss wouldn't mind anyways.

So she pressed on the elevator button that corresponded to the customers address and when she got to the floor, she stumbled a bit looking for the right door. Once the right place was found, she rang the bell and spoke through the intercom (?) that delivery has arrived.

The door slowly opened but she was tending to the heavy box that she was carrying that she didn't see the astounded face of the person at the door.

"You," there was only one voice with that venom.

"You're the one from before." Hibari sneered at her. She could only cringe and then slowly offer the delivery to him. Surprisingly, he was about to take it without as much as a drop of aggression. Only when their fingers met that he growled at her not to touch him, prompting her to pull her hands quick lest she wants them safe.

From his pocket, Hibari fished out his payment and had made it an effort to not touch her in the process of handing it over. Once the ordeal was done and over, he closed the door without slamming it on her face.

"Hibari-san, you were polite after all!" I-pin said then left.

On the other side of the door though, Hibari stood there to listen through the scrappy speakers.

"Stupid herbivore."

-cloud-

The next morning, I-pin was thoughtful as she took her breakfast, and Mama was happy for that because she was eating again, not like before.

When Mama swung out of sight, she tapped Tsuna and whispered, "I didn't know the Chairman was rich."

Tsuna looked exasperated at that, "He probably got it from extortion."

"I guess you're right." She was back to her thoughts again and because of that, she arrived at a thought, a thought that she herself thought was so disgusting that she wished she can unthink that but she can't. It was already there planted in her mind. And she cannot rest until she told someone of it, "Tsu-nii, I think Hibari-san looks like my master…"

There, she said it! And it left a very bitter taste in her mouth that she was quick to drink her milk to wash it down. But no, it was still there.

Tsuna couldn't agree more.

-cloud-

She was thinking so much about it, of how much the evil Chairman looked like her master. She also remembered that moment in the rooftop where he was looking straight into her eyes. And that moment on his doorstep, where he was surprised to see her. Of course he was surprised by all means.

She sighed. Why was she thinking about him all of a sudden? Maybe it was the heart-racing action yesterday that made her brain think of it as attraction. She sighed again.

I will simply put it as that.

Before she reached the corner of her street though, a certain black-haired boy appears and blocks her way and her brother's. Though he wasn't doing that intentionally and it was only for a few minutes as he was greeted by another boy in pompadour.

His eyes flickered to her, she knew it. But they weren't as predatory as they were like before. Too bad.

What am I thinking!?

Days had passed and the Chairman had never bothered I-pin again. Maybe he thinks she is dead already, by his blow no less.


That's done! And yes, I have decided to make this multi-chap so… hurray! Thanks for reading this far and please don't forget to leave a review.