Title: "When the Skylark Met the Bomber"
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Hibari Kyouya and Gokudera Hayato (1859).
Word Count: 1,318
Rating: T for some light violence and Gokudera's mouth. :/
Notes: Originally written for RodickParker on Livejournal for the KHR_Exchange09 community.
If one asked Hibari Kyouya what he liked, he would probably ignore the person and the question altogether. But his faithful second, Kusakabe might supply a few things. Hibari liked the Namimori school anthem, worth noting only because he was the only one who did. Hibari liked keeping order in the school, and by extension, the town of Namimori itself. He liked Hibird, and some other small animals. But what Hibari liked the most was biting people to death.
Gokudera Hayato's transfer in the middle of the year was easily one thing Hibari did not like. The boy was loud, rude, and a disturbance to the peace that the Student Discipline Committee Prefect guarded so closely. When a nail stick out, it must be hammered down.
"Ah, thank you for coming early, Hibari-san. I hope it wasn't too much trouble..." Namimori School's principal bowed anxiously to the larger-than-life student.
Hibari bowed back silently and glanced to the third person in the room.
"Ah, yes. The reason I asked you to come early - Hibari-san, this is Gokudera Hayato. He's transferred to us all the way from Italy. Gokudera-san, this is Hibari Kyouya, the head of our school's Discipline Committee," the school's principal announced when he introduced the two. Hibari gave the newcomer a thorough once-over through narrowed eyes. The boy's hair was too long, his clothes unkempt, and he smelled suspiciously of gunpowder and cigarettes.
"Do you smoke," he asked straight-fowardly.
"Eh?" the foreigner scowled. "What's it to you?"
"Smoking is against school regulations," Hibari's hands curled around the handle to his tonfa.
"Hibari-san," the principal interrupted nervously, "of course Gokudera-san doesn't smoke. You're both minors, after all." A thin layer of sweat shone on his forehead. "Would you please show Gokudera-san around the school before classes start?"
Before Gokudera could interrupt Hibari's lips lifted in the faintest of smirks. "Of course, I'll also take the time to inform him of school policies."
With the introductions completed, Hibari led his new classmate out into the hall. Near the staircase, out of sight of the Teachers' Room Hibari stopped suddenly and spun on Gokudera, swiping his arm in an upward arc, aiming for Gokudera's face.
The three-quarters Italian was caught off-guard and barely stepped back in time to save himself from the uppercut. It took skill to dodge Hibari's attacks, but only one of them knew this. Pleased with the discovery of a new challenge, Hibari continued his onslaught, the metal of his tonfa occasionally slapping against the chains Gokudera wore from his belt to the wallet in his back right pocket. The slight bulging in the boy's other pocket caught Kyouya's interest.
He maneuvered the new boy into the stairwell. Gokudera believed he had the advantage with the higher ground, but mistook his attacker's reach and stumbled upwards as a tonfa slipped out in front of one of his ankles, tripping him. It was enough that the carton of cigarettes slipped out from their hiding place and fell onto the step between the two students.
Hayato dove for it but Hibari was faster. He stepped on the carton, twisting his foot on the cardboard to make sure the contraband was destroyed and pressed one of the metal pipes against the rule breaker's torso, his hand just brushing against Hayato's jaw as he pushed him into the wall.
"Smoking is against the rules of this school, Gokudera-san," he said icily.
"You think that'll stop me?" was the quick reply spat out. Hibari could smell the tobacco on the boy's breath. It was disgusting, sweet with an edge of poison.
"Breaking the rules leads to certain... consequences. We are not lenient here, this is your one and only warning. And I'm only granting it to you because you are new."
Gokudera's lips curled into a snarl. "Che. I'm not afraid of you or any of the other Disciplinary Prefects. What're you going to do, report me?" His green eyes were cold, angry. He definitely had a chip on his shoulder.
Which only made him more interesting.
"No. I'll bite you to death."
Gokudera's eyebrows drew together as confusion painted itself across his features. In the split second it took to absorb the other's words, Hibari drew back his arm and held it perpendicular to Gokudera's chest, ready to ram it forward like a battering ram.
"Shit!" the transfer student muttered, ducking low and pushing himself past Kyouya, fisting his hand to punch the boy as he got away. Hibari blocked the swing with his other tonfa, and the metal clanged against Hayato's rings.
"Those rings... you'll have to leave them at home tomorrow," Kyouya told Gokudera calmly, quickly charging up the steps to close the distance between them.
"I don't think so, they're coming in hand, don't you think?" Gokudera reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out his lighter. He tossed it easily into his other hand while running up the stairs and reaching into his sock.
Hibari's eyes widened at the object the new student held firmly in his hand. He stopped in his tracks and raised his weapon in a cross in front of his chest.
"Oh ho, this scares you, huh?" Gokudera twirled the explosive stick with one hand, pleased with his discovery.
Hibari clenched the metal in his palms. "What are you carrying around a stick of dynamite for?"
"Back in Italy they call me 'Smoking Bomb Hayato'. Care for an explanation on how I got that name?"
Kyouya stared coldly at the boy. Without another word Hayato flicked open his lighter and a small flame popped up. He held the dynamite's fuse to the flame and instantly the stairwell echoed the sizzling noise created as the fuse burned. Hayato gently tossed the stick towards Hibari. The prefect raced up the steps to meet its downward plummet and dropped his tonfa to catch the stick, slicing the fuse with his nails before the stick could detonate.
Hayato's eyes widened as Hibari gave him a fox-like grin. "You've had your warning, now I'll bite you to death."
"There's more where that came from!" Before Hibari could catch him, he reached into his school blazer and pulled out another stick. He lit it and threw it out of the open window on the third floor landing. Hibari followed its progress out over the front entrance.
The school bell was ringing, chiming out the eight o'clock hour. Students involved in club activities were milling around as they headed to their various changing rooms before classes started. Hibari's eyes widened as he saw the fuse burn out. In time with the last chime, the dynamite exploded. Its force shook the building, and the boom as it discharged was deafening.
The head of the Student Discipline committee rushed to the windowsill to look out over his beloved school's grounds. Outside a few students were looking up, dazed.
"....Fireworks?" one male student asked loudly.
"In the morning?" a girl replied incredulously.
"It's a bit late for Obon," another boy commented.
"And too early for the Sports Festival..." the first girl offered.
Hibari pulled back from the window and turned to face Gokudera. But the transfer student was gone, having fled while Hibari was destracted.
Kyouya glared at the spot the boy had been and tucked his tonfa away. He bent down and picked up the useless explosive, nose crinkling at the heavy scent of gunpowder. "I will bite you to death, Gokudera Hayato. Sooner or later."
He pocketed the dynamite and checked to make sure the stairwell was otherwise clean. Satisfied that it was, he continued on his way towards the conference room. He had some research to do on this new curiosity from Italy that had found its way into his domain.