HibarixLal isn't a common pairing, so I thought I'd give it a shot. This might be a one-shot, it might not. I'll just see how it works out.
Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Of course, I wish I did, but I don't :(
Summary: He was her brave soldier. And now he's gone. Colonello was killed by Bermuda during the Representative battle. A year later, Lal Mirch is still not over him. And while trying to deal with all her grief, the last thing she wants to be doing is dealing with a certain aloof Cloud who constantly gets on her nerves. But maybe the demon prefect of Namimori can help her more than she ever thought possible. HibarixLal plus other pairings(maybe).
"I'm back!"
A blonde-haired combat and trap expert greeted his insturctor. Blue hair bellowed from below a brown cap as the female COMSUBIN leader turned to face her student with cold, calculating eyes.
"C'mon, can't you be more happy for my return?!"
"You bastard!" Lal scowled. "You took too long! What were you doing, fooling around?!"
"Of course not, idiot!" The young soldier yelled angrily. Lal brought her fist down on her student's head disapprovingly.
"Don't talk to me so informally, you brat!"
"Ow!" Colonello winced, stumbling on his feet. He rubbed his head with a sly grin. "And here I thought you'd finally become more womanly. Guess I was wrong."
"Why you-?!" Lal waved her fist at her student in rage.
"Ha! You tomboy!" Colonello playfully grabbed his instructor around her neck with his arm. Lal, cheeks deepening into a blush, struggled under his grasp.
"Let me go, bastard!"
"Make me!" Colonello teased. "Promise me you'll welcome me with a pretty, girly smile whenever I return!"
"Ha?! Don't be stupid!" Lal retorted.
"C'mon, promise me!"
"Never!"
"Never..."
Lal Mirch opened her moist eyes on her side. Tears were gathered at the corners of her eyes as she exited her reminiscent dream. A single drop of liquid escaped, dripping down her cheek to her chin.
She grimaced, gripping the blanket draped around her body, for starting the day in such a weak state. She wore a white T-shirt and blue sweatpants, sprawled across the small bed in the corner of her nearly empty bedroom.
"How pathetic." She scolded herself as she sat up, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. Once dry, she glanced to the side at a camouflage bandana lying on the nightstand to her side. Without thinking, her hand reached for the cloth. Her fingers gripped the soft fabric and brought it to her face. The nostalgic smell of gunpowder filled her nostrils, bringing tears back to her eyes.
"It's been a year..."
She was awake, but the clear voice from her dreams still rang in her ears. The grinning face of the young underling was still fresh in her mind.
"since I lost him."
Gritting her teeth in grief, she squeezed the bandana and brought it close to her chest. Her thoughts were drawn back to that melancholic memory.
"Promise me!"
"Hmph." Lal's face contorted with raw irritation as she crushed the bandana in her hand.
"Colonello..."
"I hope she's alright."
Tsuna stared at the wrapped-up bandana in his arms with a worried expression. Reborn strolled along besides him. Although he was now physically three-years old, he still had the appearance of a small infant. Still, ever since Tsuna had defeated Bermuda and the Arcobalenos had filled Talbot's jars with their flames, they had been properly aging like regular babies.
Unfortunately, not all of them were able to experience the joy of slowly growing out of their wretched curse.
"You're talking about the former, fearless leader of Comsubin." Reborn reminded his student. "She wasn't given that position for nothing."
"Th-That's true." Tsuna smiled, slighly relieved. But Reborn immediately ruined his brief moment of consolation.
"Which shows just how serious this is for her." Reborn added. Tsuna's face fell, and he looked back down at the bento.
"Lal..."
They rounded the corner leading to Lal's apartment which had become Lal's home ever since she had decided to "temporarily" stay in Namimori. Of course, Tsuna had offered her a place at his home, but she refused. Being the difficult woman she was, Lal had insisted on living alone. Although Tsuna and some others had protested, she claimed that Tsuna's house was far too crowded with all the freeloaders they were housing. In the end, she had found a place of her own and had been staying there ever since.
"Of course we're all sad," Tsuna began climbing up the stairs of Lal's apartment. "but Lal's probably the one who's suffering the most."
"Well, she probably remembers how she lost Colonello in the future." Reborn pondered. "For such a fate to be repeated is tragic."
It had been a year since the Representative battle. They had successfully freed the Arcobaleno from their curse, but unfortunately Colonello hadn't made it before their victory. Having lost Colonello a second time, Lal was probably suffering more than anyone at the moment.
"Yeah." Tsuna stopped in front of Lal's door, hesitating. "D-Do you really think she'll open the door?"
"If not," Leon crawled down from his perch on Reborn's fedora to his hand, morphing into a gun. "I'll open it myself."
"Ah, w-wait, Reborn!" Tsuna yelled frantically at his devilish home tutor. "Don't be so violent! We're here to cheer Lal up, not anger her!"
"Open up!" Reborn went on and banged his fists on the door.
"He isn't listening to me!" Tsuna deadpanned, though he was used to it.
There was no response. Reborn stepped back with a huff.
"M-Maybe she isn't home?" Tsuna voiced, but as soon as he spoke, the front door swung open. In a second, he was knocked back by the force with a cry, falling into his bottom with a thud.
"What the hell is with all the noise, bastards?!" Lal roared from inside. Eyes brewing, she glared at Tsuna who was busy rubbing his throbbing forehead. "Sawada! What are you doing?!"
"I-It wasn't me, Lal!" Tsuna protested as he got back up on his feet. "It was Reborn!"
"Don't go around blaming me, Dame-Tsuna!" Glaring, Reborn pointed his gun at Tsuna. "Hieee!" Tsuna stumbled backwards. "B-But it was you!"
"Stop lying!"
"The liar here is you!"
"What do you want?" Lal demanded, placing a hand on her hip. She had changed into a red tank top and jeans, hair brushed and tumbling down her shoulders.
"W-We just came to see how you were doing." Tsuna stammered and raised the bento he had managed to save. "A-And mom made this for you. I-I thought you might be hungry, so..."
"I don't need your sympathy!" Lal snapped.
"A-As I thought, she's tough." Tsuna thought. Lal's gaze softened, and she reached for the bento. "Whatever. Thank your mom for this."
"U-um, yeah." Tsuna rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"Is there anything else?"
"Uh, are you..." Tsuna paused for a moment. "Are you doing okay, Lal?"
Lal faltered for a moment. She was aware of how worried Tsuna-everyone-was for her. But the fact that she was being pitied on made he feel uneasy. She was supposed to be a ruthless combat expert, yet such a trivial matter was bothering her and others so much that it frustrated her.
"Why would I be?!" Lal snapped. She immediately regretted it when Tsuna shrunk back, guilty he had angered her.
"Sawada..." She grimaced, clenching the door knob by her side. Regretful, she eyed him with remorse. "I'm no weakling. I'm fine, so stop worrying."
"L-Lal?"
"Later." Lal quickly closed the door shut between her and outside, ending their short conversation abruptly.
"Ah, Lal!" But she was already gone. Tsuna sighed in defeat, looking down at Reborn. "Are you sure she's ok?"
"Can't be sure." Reborn admitted. "She's not the type to show weakness easily."
"True." Tsuna greed. He thought back to the tough attitude she had given them when they had first met. Ever since then, he had learned that the older woman was strong, independent, and hated being looked down upon by others. The fact that she had been part of a such a major Italian combat force made it easier to understand.
"Still..."
Lal was still human. And any human would mourn over the death of a cherished loved one.
Tsuna, of course, missed the brutal Rain Arcobaleno as well. Colonello had been there for them for the Ring Conflict against the Varia. He helped them during their succession tests and had appeared to announce their victory in the alternate future after he had defeated Byakuran. "They were supposed to live happily together, but..."
"Don't tell her yet." Reborn warned Tsuna. The brunette looked back at the apartment door, as if debating whether he should check on the former Arcobaleno again. "But she's going to have to find out eventually."
"I know that." Reborn folded his arms, seemingly troubled. "But now's not the time."
"Th-Then when?!" Tsuna demanded. "It's been a year, Reborn!"
The strongest hitman in the world eyed his student. Tsuna, being the compassionate person he was, was also greatly affected by Colonello's death. Losing an important comrade was a terrible nightmare to the caring middle-schooler. Ryohei, having been Colonello's student, was also deeply troubled. Even the upbeat Yamamoto Takeshi was down. Colonello had helped him when he had struggled to inherit the will of the first generation Rain guardian in the past, after all.
"No matter what she says, Lal Mirch is still emotionally unstable." Reborn stated. "Even if she doesn't want to admit it."
"Reborn..."
"We have to wait until she's ready." Reborn said. "Let her take her time."
"I-I guess so..."
"Let's go." Reborn turned on his heel. "There's no point in loitering around here."
"Y-Yeah." Tsuna followed Reborn with a heavy heart. He gave Lal's apartment door one last, longing glance.
"But I wonder how she'll react..."
"Tsuna!"
"I-I'm coming!"
He ran down to catch up with his tutor, the thought still lingering in his mind.
"when she finds out Colonello was planning on proposing to her."
Lal sat at her dining table, leaning her forehead on her folded hands, her elbows propped on the table. The bento made by Nana sat in front of her, open but otherwise untouched. The container was still packed with rice and all the side dishes Tsuna's mother had stuffed inside. She'd pretty much slept through the entire afternoon and had woken up around dawn, starving. Yet she couldn't find the energy to eat. The tempting aroma wafting from the bento stirred her hunger, but she still refused to dig in.
"I can't be like this forever." Lal scolded herself.
"This is killing me."
Lal gathered herself and grabbed a denim jacket before heading outside, the bento forgotten on the table.
She walked with her hands in her jacket's pockets. To be honest, she had no real destination. She had just needed some fresh air. The thoughts of her deceeased student had nearly suffocated her.
Namimori, being the quaint town it was, was easy to navigate around. Lal Mirch had already taken liberty to memorize every crook and nanny of the city in case of certain emergencies when a strong sense of the area was necessary.
Other than that, it was a very uneventful place. Lal, having been raised in a loud environment filled with blood-rushing action and murderous intent on a daily basis, found the tranquility strange.
"It's so quiet." She noted. "Unlike that noisy bastard."
The noisy bastard who was no longer by her side.
She stopped in her tracks, reaching into her pocket where a round object rested within the cloth that was Colonello's bandana. She never left home without the two objects. She brought the round object out within her view, her palm unfolding to reveal a blue baby pacifier, dim and lifeless.
The cold surface of the pacifier brushed against her curled-in fingers. They gripped the pacifier as if searching for any bit of warmth left in them, but there was nothing.
"After I received the memories from my future self...I became terrified." She contemplated her fears. "I was afraid that I'd lose Colonello like I did in the future. So I was determined to live on alongside him, together, and later overcome this damn curse with him. But...I...!"
All the regret that she had felt in the future was nothing compared to the present, for she had experienced the loss of Colonello twice.
"I'm feeling this regret all over again! Is that even fair?!" Her lip quivered, and a small cry escaped from her mouth. "That's so damn cruel!"
"Haha! Look at this thing!"
Lal was snapped out of her thoughts and looked up to find a trio of middle school boys gathered ahead of her. In their hands was a puff of yellow fluff. They held the object harshly, laughing as it struggled in their grasp.
"I'll bite you to death!" The small yellow ball tweeted.
"That's...!" Lal recognized the small animal. It was Hibird, the pet that belonged to the demonic leader of Namimori Disciplinary Committee and Cloud Guardian, Hibari Kyoya.
"Are they from out of town?" Any residence of Namimori would know better than to mess with Hibird or anything under Hibari's name. Basically the entire city.
Lal had interacted with the bird a few times. Sometimes it would appear at her windowsill whenever it strayed from its owner.
"None of my business." She continued to walk, eyes closed in indifference as Hibird was held indelicately by one wing. The little animal noticed Lal Mirch and flapped its free wing pleadingly.
"Lal! Lal!"
She stopped in her tracks, internally startled that the bird had called out for her.
"Lal!"
Lal scowled, all the emotions that had swelled up and gathered inside her exploding. She marched over towards the boys and, without thinking, balled her fist and landed a hard blow on the face of the boy holding Hibird. She caught the creature midair as the young teen fell back, startled. He collapsed to the ground, knocked out cold.
"Wh-What the hell, you woman?!" The boy's friends shouted, but they shuffled backwards. They could literally see the dark aura emitting from Lal Mirch's body. Growling, Lal prepared to attack again.
"You bastards!"
But a blur of black and silver beat her to it. In one second, the other two boys were knocked back into the wall behind them. Their backs hit the brick surface hard, and they both crumpled to the ground in pain. Lal stood in awe, Hibird in her hands.
"You people..."
A deep voice brewing with rage spoke threateningly to the defeated three sprawled across the ground. Lal blinked in surprise as a black gakuran top fluttered in front of her. Raven hair swished from side-to-side as the prefect lifted his tonfas.
"How dare you lay your hands on something of mine."
The prefect's name exited Lal's lips. "H-Hibari Kyoya!"
"I'll bite you to death."
I'd love some reviews! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!