Title: Cheering Up of Sorts
Posted: 04/05/13
Main Pairing: Hibari Kyoya & Gokudera Hayako
Rating: T

Summary: The door slid closed behind her, and she leaned back on it to steady herself. What had just happened? The prefect had tempted her to fight back on purpose? He had noticed there was something wrong? What was the world coming to? Had Hibari Kyoya just tried, in his own way, to cheer her up?

Disclaimer: I own what I own, nothing more, nothing less.

WARNINGS: This story contains a female version of Gokudera Hayato

© 2013, Reignstein, The plot of this story and the original characters belong to me. Any similarities that might occur are purely coincidental and I apologize in advance if such an occurrence ever does happen.

STORY START
"A Cheering Up Of Sorts"

"Mom!" Hayako shouted, sitting up, hurriedly, from her not-so-comfortable bed. Her hair was wet, plastered to her face, while cold sweat dripped down her pale white form. "Mom…" She whispered once again, the tears hastening down their fall as they cascaded down her cheeks. Why was it the same dream over and over again? Why did the memory of the beautiful, silver haired, woman torment her so? Was it guilt? Was it a manifestation of the anger she thought she had buried deep down? Hayako wondered, every morning, what it was that her subconscious was trying to tell her, and much like the ones previous, she could come up with no answer.

She sat there, on the mattress that she called a bed, and allowed the tears to fall further. What was she thinking? Each night it was always the same, each morning she was always a wreck. Not even Bianchi knew of the dreams, and the woman deemed to know next to everything about her little sister. Hayako smiled bitterly at the thought. What did her sister know about her? It was probably next to nothing than closer to everything.

Hayako allowed herself to cry, to sob, to suffer, to grieve. She never woke up to the sound of the alarm clock anymore, no. Lately, the alarm clock's role has been slightly altered. When the loud, annoying, fire alarm like sound finally blared out for everyone to hear, it meant that it was time to end her pity party. It was the signal that told Hayako that she needed to dawn on her mask, be the best right-hand-woman to the Vongola Tenth she could be, and live life as if everything was just dandy.

Then by night time, when she was all alone, everything came rushing back.

All the pain, all the misery, ready to torment her until the next day came and she needed to pretend once more.

No one ever witnessed it, no one knew anything of it, and Hayako planned to keep it that way. She did not need the baseball idiot seeing her so weak, she did not need the turf top teasing her about how she was still a girl, she did not need the Tenth to pity and sympathize with her, and she, most definitely, did not want that bastard prefect to view her as another one of those typical herbivores he called every student in their school.

Reborn could possibly know, Bianchi could have a suspicion, and Shamal never gave any hint whether or not he knew of her inner turmoil. It didn't matter to her though, cause she knew that the sun pacifier holder would not speak of it, and the doctor would never tell a soul—unless it somehow managed to land him a girl.

The thought of her ex-teacher's flirting made her smile. How could she have been so innocent back then? Thinking that all of those women really were his sisters! They never looked alike was one thing, but for the same girl to never be brought twice should have made the younger her suspicious.

Just as she managed to pull herself together, the loud, deafening, alarm sounded from her phone. Perfect timing, she thought to herself, flipping her phone open and silencing the noise. Why had she chosen the pesky sound as an alarm? Oh, yes, she was a deep sleeper and only the sound of an emergency could wake her up. Anyone who even attempted to shake her awake would receive a mini bomb in their face.

Bianchi, and Shamal should know firsthand.

Pushing the blankets aside, she got out of bed and stood up. Hayako yawned and stretched, not really minding the cold floor under her bare feet. Her curtains remained closed—she did not want the sun to be shining on her face so early on in the day—as she walked towards her closet and dug her uniform out. The blouse, the tie, the skirt, and the tights she wore them with.

Maybe to cause the Tenth less trouble she should just wear the clothes properly, but she liked the idea of pissing Hibari Kyoya off, thus keeping her own twist to the boring uniform that Namimori provided. With the skull necklace, the studded armband, and her various rings, her attire was completely set and layed out on her bed.

"Alright now time to take a ba—" A loud grumbling sound suddenly emerged from her stomach. "—breakfast it is then!" Hayako never questioned her stomach's needs. After all, to be the perfect right-hand-woman, she needed to be healthy and alert to protect her precious boss. Thus, Hayako trained herself to never skip meals and never allowed herself to go hungry for more than an hour.

Phone at hand to always check the time, Hayako left the comfort of her bedroom and made her way towards the little kitchenette that came with the small apartment she rented. She may be struggling to pay the rent, but at least the land lady was kind enough to be a little flexible.

Maybe Hayako pulling the living alone with no parents bid helped just a little bit.

Taking a skillet out, Hayako decided that she would make a simple breakfast for herself. There really wasn't any need to make anything special, especially since she was alone. She fried an egg easily, placing it on a plate after she was sure that the yolk would be mildly cooked but still runny. After this, she toasted some bread and took out some cheese and tomatoes. A good sandwich to accompany her protein.

Once her breakfast was assembled, she dug in.

Now, Hayako knew how to cook. She knew how to do so very well. Her sister may say that she was the better cook out of the both of them, but since Hayako's food was neither poisoned nor emitted a murderous intent, it was obvious to anyone who knew that at least what the silverette made was edible. Not many knew of this trait of hers though, especially because the girl claimed it to be too 'girly'.

Her phone suddenly began to vibrate on the table, warning her that she really should begin getting ready.

Sighing, the Italian shut off the phone.

She could risk being a good five minutes later than usual.

Believe it or not, Hayako was not in the mood to fight. She didn't have the energy to scold the baseball idiot, nor did she have the will power to scold the stupid girl that clung to the Tenth every morning. Normally, Hayako would have just followed her urges and left her friends to their own devices, but she also knew that her boss would immediately grow worried. Of course, as a right-hand-woman-to-be, she refused to distract her boss from the necessary tasks at hand with her own problem.

Thus, she did as she normally did.

"What the hell are you doing here again, stupid girl?!" The silverette shouted, face twisted in annoyance. Now, Hayako understood that Haru had feelings for her boss, being the admirable and kind man that he was, but admirers needed to distance themselves as well. They would suffocate him if they all mobbed him like the stupid girl that had weaseled her way into their small group. "You keep on disturbing the Tenth!" She tried not to show anything that would give any hints as to her mood, but Tsuna had hyper intuition for a reason.

"Tsuna-san likes having me here!" Haru exclaimed, rather loudly.

Tsuna watched the exchange between them, eyes focused more on the his silver haired friend. He didn't understand why he was feeling this way, but there seemed to be something wrong with her. Tsuna told himself many times that she was acting normally, and though she shouted and fought normally with Takeshi and Haru both, there seemed to be a lack of conviction in her voice. As if everything was just an act.

"Haha, you're both such good friends!" Takeshi commented, wide smile present as always.

"WE ARE NOT!" Both females responded.

Each movement the girl produced, each word the girl spoke, everything seemed to be lacking the usual anger and motivation that Hayako had behind them. The young tenth generation Vongola boss wondered if this had been happening previously, and he was only beginning to take notice now, or if it was merely today that the girl seemed to off of her A-game.

"Shut up you stupid baseball idiot!" Hayako shouted. "You don't even know what the hell you're job is supposed to be, let alone take it seriously!" Takeshi laughed at his friend's words, shaking his head as he walked alongside Tsuna on his left with Hayako on the Tenth's right. Haru walked beside Takeshi, but Hayako was thankful that they were nearing the school and the idiot of a girl would finally leave them. She didn't really have much fight left in her to continue an argument with the Miura and longer.

Namimori Middle School looked just like any other, if not slightly bigger. For being her first, actual, school, Hayako had no complaints about the learning facility. If anything, she just slept through her classes anyway. Was it that the education in Namimori was behind, or had she just experienced a more advance learning style from her tutors from her childhood? Whatever the case, she knew all the lessons and had no problem answering the questions directed to her about them.

This caused the teachers a lot of annoyance, especially because she was not exactly the best student to have.

"Ah," Haru suddenly began, walking ahead and turning to the group of three. "I'll see you later Tsuna-san!" She added, waving goodbye as she headed on towards her own school. Hayako actually found it hard to believe that the school the idiot was in was a place for students of a higher intelligence quotient. Well, flukes happened, she assumed. Even to an girl like Haru.

"Thank God, she's gone." Hayako let out, Tsuna wondering if she was glad that Haru was gone or if she was glad that she no longer needed to argue with the costume loving brunette. "I felt my brain losing a few IQ points just by being in her presence, Tenth!" Tsuna's sweat dropped. At least he knew that the girl could maintain an act for long periods of time.

Oh how he knew so little about her.

Entering the school gates, Hayako was relieved that she didn't have to keep up with the arguments and fights for much longer. Of course she didn't really have to fight with Takeshi, but it was something that she normally did, and so needed to hold it at least until class started. She also needed to do her duties as a right-hand-woman, as well. This day was not turning out very well for her.

"Gokudera Hayako," And the great demon, himself, decided to appear before her. "You're disobeying school rules, once again." Menacing voice, charcoal colored hair, blue—almost grey looking—eyes that stared at her with something akin to hate. It was concerning though, that they seemed to hold something close to curiosity. Had the skylark seen through her façade? Hayako wondered.

Tsuna mumbled his defense, ergo making it Hayako's defense, in hopes to avoid any trouble with the head prefect. Kyoya payed him absolutely no attention though, keeping his gazed locked on the silver haired girl before him. Just staring into her jade orbs spoke eons, and Kyoya knew that there was something wrong. She was not answering back—always being armed in a battle of wits, this girl was—she was not fighting back. Her eyes also lacked a spark that he usually saw when she was angered.

The prefect frowned.

Hayako's eyes widened when she felt Kyoya's hands wrap, strongly, around her wrist. Her surprise grew to heights unknown, too, when he suddenly began to drag her away. Had she crossed some line? Had she reached her quota of rules to break? She groaned slightly at the thought of a fight. She was not anywhere near the mood to put up with Hibari Kyoya and his 'biting'.

"Go—Gokudera-san!" Tsuna called after them.

"Have fun, Gokudera!" Takeshi called. "You can beat him!"

"Yamamoto," Tsuna began. "This isn't—"

Their voices began to die out as Kyoya dragged the girl into the school. He didn't stop when they entered the doors though. People stared in pity as they watched the girl get dragged off by the frightening Disciplinary Head. They all assumed that they wouldn't be seeing her for a long time, some even thought that the girl would be taking her last breath in a few moments. Hayako payed them no mind as she struggled out of Kyoya's grip, but—annoyingly—the prefect was indeed stronger than her.

Up the stairs, through more hallways, in front of classrooms, and passing the faculty room. Hayako wondered where it was that Hibari Kyoya was taking her, but she did not have to wait for long to find out. She probably should have guessed it though, after knowing the Committee Leader for a few months.

The sign was beside the door, saying, in bold letter, the Disciplinary Committee Room. In other words, Hibari Kyoya was taking her to his office. Perhaps if she was her normal self, Hayako would have found this rather comedic. Getting dragged to an office against her will, by Kyoya no less. This was just so bizarre. Sadly, she was not her normal self. Thus, she only wanted to get the fight over with and head on her merry—or not so merry—way. Was that so much to ask?

Kyoya slid the door closed behind them when they entered the room.

"Why am I—?" The question went unheard as the prefect suddenly released Hayako's wrist and swung his tonfa in her direction. Hayako, of course, dodged quickly to the side. "Not even an explanation as to what my offense is?" Hayako teased, dodging yet another tonfa attack from Kyoya.

She couldn't help but notice that the boy was not as deadly as he normally was, not radiating his menacing intent of his. His swings weren't as perfectly aimed as they normally were either, making them easy to dodge. Hayako even spotted a countless number of openings in his form, but took no bombs out in hopes that the prefect would tire out eventually and she would be able to leave when he landed a blow or two.

Hayako jumped up, moved to the left, swerved to the right, and stepped back, all to not get hit by the deadly weapons that Kyoya wielded. Her movements were well timed, and she was shocked that the black haired teen didn't even mind that he broke a vase filled with what seemed like chrysanthemums.

"Why are you not fighting back?" His voice seemed off-ish, to the silverette. Was it frustration or annoyance? Wait—what had he just said? Slightly distracted, Hayako barely dodged a hit to her side, the tonfa grazing her skin lightly. That would have been painful had she taken a direct hit from the thing.

"What are you talking about?!" Hayako asked, annoyed now as well.

"Why are you not fighting back?" Kyoya repeated, swinging a tonfa once again and Hayako avoiding it once again. He was getting frustrated. Where were the bombs and threats to blow him up? Where was the colorful language that she threw at him that made a hobo blush? Where was the cocky smirk and the teasing glint in her eyes? All of it was gone. What had happened?

"I am so!" The silverette answered, hitting one of the couches and falling on her butt.

Kyoya took this as a chance to advance, swinging the tonfa and aiming for her head. Hayako dodged by moving the side, her back now pressed against the soft cushions of the couch. The girl admitted it was the wrong move the moment she felt Kyoya's legs position her between them. Now he was straddling her, tonfa to her neck and face barely inches away from her own.

His breath was hot on her skin, and Kyoya felt hers—hot and intoxicating—on his own.

"What is wrong with you, herbivore?" Kyoya immediately asked. Never had Hayako heard his voice so scary. Perhaps this was how everyone heard his voice, or perhaps he finally reached his breaking point. Either way, this Hibari Kyoya was actually beginning to terrify Hayako. "No 'bastard', no 'I'll blow you up'? Have you finally submitted to me?" Now that crossed the silverette's drawn line.

Terrified or not, she growled and glared the prefect with much malice. "Bite me, bastard!" Hayako released, Kyoya smirking as she did. The girl knew very well her words were a response to Kyoya's most famous threat, but he was beginning to get under her skin. How dare he claim she submitted to him! She submitted to no one, only to the Tenth Vongola Boss! "See if you can get close!"

"Better," Kyoya suddenly commented.

The tonfa vanished from the girl's neck, Kyoya standing as well and leaving her there, lying down on his couch. "Go to class," He stated, taking a seat on the chair of his desk. "I will not tolerate lateness, herbivore. I'll bite you to death if you are caught." There was a twitch at the side of Kyoya's mouth, and Hayako could have sworn that the prefect was doing his best to stop himself from smiling.

Sitting up, she exited that Committee Room silently. The door slid closed behind her, and she leaned back on it to steady herself. What had just happened? The prefect had tempted her to fight back on purpose? He had noticed there was something wrong? What was the world coming to?

Had Hibari Kyoya just tried, in his own way, to cheer her up?

STORY END
A perfection of means and confusion of aims
seems to be our main problem.
~Albert Einstein

REIGN: So here it is, my second HibaGoku Story! So we have some confusion on Hayako's part, and we have some worry in Kyoya's part! Those two really, they need to get a freaking room—oh wait, they did! Kyoya even dragged her to the Disciplinary Committee. I hope there were no perverts who thought that Kyoya was going to do other activities with her!

SKULL: That's my student for you! Always ahead! Even in the way he handles his woman, he cares but in a way that is effective! I am the greatest tutor ever!

REIGN: You're just a stupid lackey! What are you doing here anyway?! Where's Fon?! He may aggravate me and try to put some calm into me, but he's way better than you! Just go back to your Octopus and cry already! Also, YOU?! Kyoya's master?! HAHA! As if.

SKULL: Why You—!

REIGN: So this story seems incomplete right? Honestly, I wanted it to be an open ending. I truly, really, honestly believe that it would take more than that to get Hibari to admit he had feelings for someone. Maybe I can write a sequel sometime, but probably not right now. I'm focusing on one shots because I've been busy these summer days…it's summer in my country at least! Shout out, hello if you are FILIPINO!

SKULL: Don't ignore—!

REIGN: So, what did you think of the story so far? What did you think of our my 1859 moment? No, I am not a fan of 5927, I'm just emphasizing her loyalty to Tsuna because the original Hayato always did so anyway! Leave your ideas down below and tell me what's in your minds! Author's love communication from readers, that way, the Author knows what the readers like and don't like!

SKULL: Attack her!