Title: Doppelgänger
Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn is Amano Akira's
Timeline: 7 years in the future
Author's Note: This fanfic uses British English (some spelling and punctuation differences, such as single quotations for normal speech)
Happy birthday madamada_chan; this short fic is a present for you.
Yes, Hibari Kyouya was accustomed to see his tutor, Dino Cavallone, going out with women of Romario's recommendation. After all, the mafia boss was approaching his thirties; it was about time he – or rather, the people around him – started to show greater concern for the longevity of the famiglia. It was one of the head of the family's duties to provide an heir, wasn't it?
All those times, none of Dino's date routine was enough to trouble Hibari more than minor twitches and pouts, since Dino never sought the same date partner twice. That is, until the Japanese arrived at a crossroad on his way home from the Namimori Public Library one afternoon.
The traffic light was signalling red for vehicles and green for pedestrians. When he was about to cross the road, on the opposite side, he saw his blond tutor was escorting a girl with cascading dark hair whose gait was as graceful as a sylph's. As the distance between them narrowed, Hibari heard Dino calling his name, 'Kyouya.'
Before Hibari opened his mouth to rebuke the Italian for calling him when he was supposed to concentrate on the date, a soft, mezzo-soprano 'Sì, caro?' filled the air, injecting chill into Hibari's veins.
How dare the obnoxious girl answered when Dino mentioned the name reserved for him – the Bucking Horse's true lover?
The moment Hibari turned his head to observe Dino's date partner in greater detail, his pupils dilated wider than ever. Other than her feminine curves, the girl resembled him so much in form and stature. She smiled exuberantly to the Mafioso, as though this were the most natural thing in the world, and her date partner smiled back, saying, 'Kyouya, walking together with you like this makes me glad to be alive. This is truly a moment to treasure.'
She replied fondly, but whatever word that left her mouth did not reach the male Hibari. Dino smiled to almost anybody, but the smile he had just given to the female Hibari Kyouya seemed to be beyond blissful. Not that the Italian was unhappy when he was with the male Hibari, but at the same time, Hibari was not unaware how much his lover had to put up with his temper. He had taken Dino's kindness all for granted, but against the female version of himself, how could he stand a chance?
He cared for Dino, but so was she, if not more. He was an excellent partner to Dino, both in the battlefield and in bed, but there was no guarantee that she wasn't. She was genial to Dino – something the male Hibari would not relent to his lover. She could give Dino children; he couldn't.
The Vongola Cloud Guardian stood rooted to the ground, letting himself be swallowed by the shadows of the pedestrians for a while. On that street, the maple leaves fluttered and tumbled at the slightest touch of the wind. Yellow, orange, green, red and brown … the colour of the falling leaves. Autumn proudly displayed its splendour in the richness of colour. Whether he moved or stopped, the world went on. And so was Dino's life. That much he knew. He also knew that no such thing as invisible thorns existed. And yet, what was this pain that kept pounding inside his chest?
Pain, just go away!
But the pain lingered.
It perplexed the skylark how come at time like this he had the urge to turn back and deprive that accursed woman – she who'd better off not existed – of the Bucking Horse. Neither did he understand why it became so tempting to curse the so-called 'God' for His lack of creativity in creating such vile creature similar to Hibari's appearance and allow Dino to find her …
Hibari woke up with a start, his heart still thumping loudly from the nightmare. He was immediately forced into a squint, for the last auriferous rays of sunset lanced into his eyes. As the room swam into focus, he realised he was sitting on his armchair, and that Hibird, in a rosy-tinted soft focus with a backdrop of cinnabar from the window behind it, was perching on the windowsill. The raven-haired man removed the open book on his lap and put it on a coffee table nearby; he had fallen asleep while reading earlier that afternoon.
Rising from his seat, Hibari grabbed his tonfas. It had been less than twenty-four hours since they last saw each other, but he longed for the herbivore's goofy smile already. The Japanese man gritted his teeth for this weakness – the weakness that was truly his. No one else's. No excuse.
If this were the sole weakness Hibari had, perhaps he'd tolerate it. Unfortunately, weaknesses in his possession definitely numbered more than one. For instance, the inside of his stomach did a little tumble whenever he heard Dino calling his name; Dino's kisses made him weak on the knees even though he was no longer a teenager; Dino's cuddly embrace discouraged him from leaving their bed as soon as their sex ended; and many, many more…
Hibari drove his car to the Namimori's most prestigious restaurant; Dino had told him about having a dinner appointment there at six thirty, even though he did not mention who his date partner was going to be. Twenty-five minutes later, the Japanese stormed into the dining hall, past the pillared entryway, past the huge chandelier at the centre of the room, straight onto Dino's table, ignoring a waiter's question whether he had any reservation as well as several curious eyes of the onlookers.
Casting a glance at Dino's date partner, Hibari felt secretly relieved that she, although elegant and tantalising, looked nothing like him. He bent, snatched the Italian man's lips and secured the blond's chin with the grip of his fingers. When their kiss ended, Don Cavallone murmured a delirious, 'Kyouya…'
Hibari leered at Romario, who had formerly been waiting for his boss outside, but then followed Hibari inside, worrying in case Hibari came for a fight. The middle-aged bespectacled man dared to do nothing more than watching discreetly from the sideline. Tacit though it was, the message through his boss' inamorato's glance was clear: 'Set Dino in a date again and I'll be the one to ruin it!'
Dino's current date partner gazed in horror at the two kissing men before her. She could not even utter a word due to the shock, so Hibari spoke, 'Your dating session ends here, woman; I'll be taking him.'
She raised no objection when the two men left the restaurant – repulsed, grievous, daunted, or perhaps all – none of her emotion mattered to Hibari as much as Dino's payback kisses as soon as they were inside the car.
OWARI