Tsuna leaned his head against his hand lethargically. He sighed as Gokudera sketched some complicated system next to his notes. Yamamoto was dead asleep. What a day to spend a late summer's day. It would be fall soon. A leaf, still green, swirled past the window. The brown haired boy yawned. Everyone jumped suddenly.
"Weewhoo. Weewhoo. Fire. Fire. Weewhoo." The fire alarm screeched.
The teacher groaned in annoyance at the interruption. "Fire drill, everyone out."
Gokudera shot up to make sure he was next to his boss.
"Yamamoto." The teacher called. "Yamamoto Takeshi!" He shouted trying to rouse him. The professor sighed. "Whatever, just a drill. Everyone out."
"That baseball idiot." The silver haired male hissed. "Nice time for a drill though, middle of the lecture."
Tsuna nodded. "Maybe Professor will give us a break and not assign tonight's homework. We might not get a chance to learn it."
They listened carefully as the teacher called out roll. The typical 'oh I heard it's not a drill' talk ran about. It was only hope though. A small fire to get them sent home. They stood around shuffling their feet until it ran around on the radios that everyone could go back in.
"Shoot, that didn't last very long at all." Gokudera said rather sadly but dispassionately.
Tsuna shied away from a figure appearing next to him. "Hibari-san!"
Thankfully the grey eyed head of the disciplinary committee was just brushing by quickly. People cleared the way for him. He looked like he had somewhere to be urgently. His coat fluttered behind him as he treaded down the hall of his beloved Namimori. He was headed for the main office Tsuna guessed. He shrugged just glad he hadn't been hit by the dangerous metal weapon the skylark possessed.
"Boss?" Gokudera asked as Tsuna walked into a wall from not paying attention.
Tsuna fell back with a cry holding his nose.
"Are you ok Boss?" Gokudera scrambled down a few stairs.
Tsuna stood up quickly to avoid getting trampled. "Yeah."
They went back to class and sat down again. Yamamoto's hand was hanging off his desk and his paper was damp with drool. Gokudera sneered in disgust. Tsuna just wondered how he could sleep so soundly.
"All right where were we?" The teacher settled his radio and attendance sheets on the desk.
Tsuna faded back to his dim hazy way of learning. Gokudera started calculating whatever it was he was doing. It didn't look like math anymore to Tsuna. There was like an entire alphabet in it and not just one either. Greek too maybe? The brown eyes drifted out to the window. A small grey feather drifted down passed the window. It twirled lightly in an elaborate dance of flight. How boring. He sighed recalling that he hadn't even seen Reborn today.
"Weewhoo. Weewhoo. Fire. Fire. Weewhoo."
Everybody jumped. It was fearful this time. The alarm shut off abruptly. The speaker beeped signifying an announcement.
"Please disregard the alarm. We are having trouble with the alarm system at this point. Disregard the alarm and any ones to follow. Repeat. We have a maintenance team working on the fire alarm please disregard any alarm sounding after this. Thank you and we are sorry for the interruption."
The announcement turned off.
"Stupid old school." Someone murmured.
The teacher groaned in frustration. He set his hands on the desk. "If I hear anymore talking there will be punishment. Got it?"
"Hai!" The class said fearfully.
Gokudera just reclined in his seat and snorted. The professor continued on. Tsuna zoned out yawning. He jumped.
"Weewhoo. Weewhoo. Fire. Fire. Weewhoo."
Everyone silently shared glances of annoyance. They were fine with fire drills but being expected to learn through an alarm? It was ridiculous. This one was only an hour from the last. The professor looked as if he might try to give the office personnel a detention at this point.
"We will continue with our lesson." The teacher snarled.
He started teaching with much more volume. The guy was nearly screaming his lesson at them. Tsuna could not figure out how Yamamoto kept sleeping. This style of teaching worked though. Everyone was startled into paying attention. People who Tsuna had never seen write a word in his life were actually taking notes! Better than he himself was doing. He just couldn't concentrate with someone yelling at him.
"And that's why" The teacher's voice cut off suddenly.
There was a shriek from hallway. That wasn't unusual if the Head of the Disciplinary Committee was out and about. But the sound kept multiplying. Suddenly someone ran by the door. Then another. A whole bunch of people ran by screaming and panicked.
"What's wrong?" The teacher yelled to someone running passed.
"Fire!" The girl screamed.
"Fire! Nami Middle's on fire!" An older boy was yelling as he ran down the hall.
"Fire? Fire!" The teacher yelled to his student hurriedly grabbing the radio and attendance. "Everybody up!" There was a panicked lunge from the class and he led the way out in a hustled jog.
Everyone scrambled out of their seats pushing and shoving in fear. Tsuna covered his mouth as they reached the hall. Now you could feel the fire. The heat was coming from it even though you couldn't see it. Why did they have to be on the second floor? The brown haired boy's eyes watered. All the smoke was seeping up to the second floor.
"Watch it!" Some shouted fearfully as Tsuna knocked into them.
They gave his a push and he ran into another person. People started pushing and shoving him. He hit the floor. Immediately the boy tried to cover his neck.
"Tenth!" A hand picked him up off the floor and helped him rejoin the flow of the crowd. "Are you okay?" Gokudera yelled.
Tsuna nodded coughing. Finally the smoky tasting darkness gave way to the sun outside. People spread out huddling by classes as far away from the school as the fence would allow. Teachers were screaming out roll call the best they could. Radios were buzzing with kids that had come out the wrong exit and were stuck with another class. Missing people were being radioed in by the dozens. Voices were high and panicked.
"Sawada Tsunayoshi!" He heard his name.
"Here!" He cried out waving his hand.
They were part way through roll. One of the windows to the school exploded and finally the people stopped pouring out of the school. The doors shut fast and the last few people came out hacking and coughing.
"Gokudera Hayato!"
"Here!" The taller student called out.
The roll kept running. Several other teachers were yelling out names of various people.
"Yamamoto Takeshi!"
Tsuna looked around to spot his friend and guardian. There was no one calling out for that.
"Yamamoto Takeshi!" The teacher yelled then paled dramatically. "Who saw Yamamoto last?"
A few people stirred murmuring.
The teacher picked up his radio. "I have one missing student. Yamamoto Takeshi. From Class …"
Tsuna stopped listening and turned back toward the school. "Yamamoto." He said softly as if calling him would bring the guardian forth.
"I'm sure the baseball idiot will be fine." Gokudera comforted awkwardly. Even he looked worried though.
The windows to the school were melting. A few exploded outward making the girls shriek. Red and orange fire licked at the sides of the buildings. Tsuna cried out. One of his friends was in there somewhere.
"Look!" A guy shouted.
The doors to the school burst open in a cloud of black smoke. A figure stepped forward with a person held in their arms. The guy stepped forward with a familiar gait. There were others behind him with their mouths pressed to their sleeves.
"Hibari-san!" Tsuna said.
The violent person set down the girl he was carrying and turned back. The people he had been leading spilled out smudged with soot and coughing.
"Baseball Head!" Gokudera yelled.
Yamamoto came over wiping at his eyes. "Yo."
The teacher looked relieved and radioed in the students who had just come out. The black haired head of committee strode forward.
"Hey!" Tsuna's teacher yelled. "Don't go back in there!"
Hibari ignored him and was again consumed by the black smoke. The door propped themselves open when he pushed them out.
"Are you okay Yamamoto?" Tsuna asked concerned.
The guy half smiled. "Yeah. That is one of least favorite ways to be awakened though." He laughed which quickly turned into a cough.
"Idiot." Gokudera growled though he looked relieved.
Tsuna turned back to the building. "Do you think Hibari will be okay?" He worried at his lip.
Yamamoto looked seriously toward the school. "He knows that building better than anyone. Hibari knows where to go to find people. If you need to get students out there isn't a better person."
Another window exploded outward.
"What did you do Dame-Tsuna?"
"Hieee. Where did you come from?" Tsuna jumped as Reborn landed on his shoulder. "I didn't do anything. The school caught on fire."
Reborn made a noise and looked at it seriously. A cacophonous noise rose. Five Firetrucks sped to toward the school.
"Finally." The teacher sighed.
"Look, he's back!"
Hibari wasn't carrying anyone but he led the last five missing people out. The pale gaunt face was smudged with ash and his serious eyes were rimmed with red from the irritation. His jacket looked ragged.
"Thank goodness." The teacher sighed.
Water pumped from the wells beneath the city out of the hoses in high speed jets. The water poured over the building. Hibari had come to stand by the fence. Hibird was perched next to him. Tsuna froze looking at his expression. He had seldom seen any extreme expression on his face. Really the only emotion he had actually seen other that annoyance was shock. The grey eyes showed differently now. Hibari was … sad? Tsuna glanced to the school and back. He felt his heart sink. That school was his cloud guardian's life. His kingdom, his love, his obsession, call it what you will and now it burned.
"Tenth?" Gokudera asked. "What's wrong? We get a bunch of days off school now. Trust me I had a school burn down once and it took them forever to fix it."
Alongside of the some firefighters were talking. "There isn't much financial benefit to saving it. We're just going to let it burn down."
"No." A voice interrupted them. Hibari stood in front of them, terrifying even for his shorter stature. "Put it out."
The big guy rubbed the back of his head. "Look kid we can't just"
"Put. It. Out." The student threatened.
The fireman next to the main one shivered. "Uh boss. This is that one kid I was telling you about."
Hibari was re-evaluated in the man's eyes.
"Put the fire out in Namimori." The predator said again.
The man raised a radio on his mouth. "We are going to go ahead and put the fire out for the safety of these kids." He said glancing fearfully at the student.
Hibari walked back to his place with a nod, apparently satisfied. He crossed his arms and stared at the sky above the building. Hibird hummed a tune and played with his hair comfortingly. The stormy cloud barely noticed.
"Will he be okay?" Tsuna asked quietly to Reborn.
The infant shrugged. "How should I know?"
Tsuna looked at him again. People were slowly disappearing from the area. Parents had come to get their kids. The fire went down to smolders but the building collapsed. Hibari's eyes twitched as it fell inward with a great crushing sound.
"Let's go home Tenth." Gokudera cheered.
Yamamoto frowned at the out building that held all the sports equipment. The fire was subsiding though and the firefighters were keeping it from jumping buildings. After the baseball player decide the sports stuff would be safe the trio turned and started walking home. Slowly and carefully people left to go back home. The fire crew left too. The principle stayed a bit talking and sweating over what to do with a few teachers.
"Hibari! Hibari!" The little bird quietly questioned.
There was only one person left at the school by the time the night fell. And he responded with silence.