A/N: Hey guys! I'm really glad that my other story was so well-received :) Seems like I have sort of dedicated this account to 1827... Well then, let's see how it turns out. In any case, hope y'all enjoy my second 1827 fanfic!
Disclaimer: Don't own KHR!
The nine-year-old boy was running as fast as he could go, urging his legs to move forward, just one more step, but he was exhausted and his bullies were more persistent than they usually were. His feet pounded against the cement, speeding through back alleys and rounding bends, trying to lose his pursuers.
But he felt as though those taunting, cruel voices were getting closer and closer, and they would back him into a corner and trap him soon, their relentless insults drowning him.
His speed was decreasing. His legs were cramping up, and his bag bumped heavily against his back. He knew, and had expected, that this was going to happen.
Panting, he skidded to a stop as he ran into a dead end – it came as no surprise; he had just been taking random turns the whole time. In fact, it was a miracle that his luck had held out for so long, such that when the bullies caught up, they were gasping for breath as well.
Unfortunately, this also made them angrier than Tsuna would have appreciated.
Sneering, snarling, they slowly pressed forward, degrading and humiliating comments spouting carelessly from their lips. He stumbled back, one step backwards for their every step forwards, until his back was against the wall and he was surrounded by seniors bigger and stronger than he could ever hope to be, with no way to escape from his fate.
That was, of course, until a metallic glint caught in the sunlight and a cry of pain alerted everyone to another new presence. The bullies whirled around to see who it was, but they barely had the time to shout 'r-run!' before they were a twitching, bloody pile on the ground.
Tsuna looked up to see Namimori's protector (otherwise known as the Demon prefect – even at the young age of eleven, Hibari had made quite a reputation for himself) standing triumphantly over the bodies of the perpetrators, casually cleaning off his tonfas.
Without warning, Tsuna suddenly declared, voice shaking excitedly, "Y-you're like the knight!"
The prefect turned to the little brunet, an eyebrow raised in question.
"In all the fairy tales, there's always a knight who goes boosh! and wham! and defeats the scary dragon! I-it's really awesome! You saved me, so you are the knight!" Tsuna gushed, eyes practically sparkling.
Hibari scowled, not entirely appreciative of the fact that he was being compared to a character from a fairy tale.
"Hero?" Little Tsuna suggested, not discouraged in the slightest.
The black-haired boy's scowl deepened.
"B-b-bringer of justice…?" the brunet tried, brows furrowed in concentration as he attempted to remember the phrase that he had heard only once, rather long ago.
The older of the two turned away for a while, contemplating, before finally allowing the title, "Hn."
The eight-year-old was ecstatic. "R-really?!"
Hibari glowered, which the other gleefully took as a yes, promptly leaping up and hugging his savior tightly. The prefect stiffened, unused to the physical contact, before reluctantly reaching out and patting the brunet once on the head.
Tsuna released his hold on the lightly blushing boy and grinned, not at all disturbed by the unusual fact that his first friend was the single person most feared in Namimori.
Since then, the prefect could never understand why some girls would giggle as he walked by, Tsuna trailing happily behind him. It irritated him to no end, but one good thing that came out of the whole fiasco was that the little brunet never got bullied again.
On a separate note, Hibari also refrained from mentioning that if he were the knight who killed the fire-breathing dragon, Tsuna would have been the princess.
He couldn't help but shudder at the thought.