As soon as she left the safety of the building walls the wind lifted and lashed her hair crazily about her face, she smiled and enjoyed the feeling. Like the wind was ripping away any of her cares, the sadness of her father's passing the awkwardness at home with her grandmother and the strangeness of knowing she was going to be staying in one spot for so long. Ren gripped the chain link fence as she thought about that particular annoyance, she had never stayed in one place for longer than a year, and now it looked like she would be staying here for the rest of her school years. Her hand gripped the fence harder the pain from the metal biting into her hand and chasing away the pain in her heart as thoughts of her time with her father tried to overwhelm her. She had no memory of what happened that day and it left her with a never-ending sense of unease like there was something important that she was desperately trying to forget.

The hairs on the back of her neck prickled to another presence and her quick reflexes had her ducking and jumping to the right landing in an awkward crouch. Where she had been standing just a second ago a glimmering rod of silver stood now.

"hum, you dodged that, but that still doesn't mean I won't bite you to death in the end." A guy said as he retracted his weapon, he was tall, had Ren by an inch or two, with short messy black hair and gleaming purple silver eyes. Ren stood straight and watched as this guy moved, there was no wasted movements, each one having a purpose, and each one could be as deadly as innocent. When she looked at him one word came to mind, predator. "Who are you, I haven't seen you here before?" he asked.

"I just transferred," She was about to say her name when a strip of red caught her eye, an armband that said discipline was on his left bicep, and she knew who he was now. "You must be this Hibari Kyoya I've heard about."

"And?" Kyoya asked, there was something about this herbivore, and not quite as irritating as others especially not other females, there was a gleam in her eyes that spoke of something and a grace and fluidity in her movements he saw that reminded him of a wild cat. He took a closer look at her, she wasn't wearing the uniform, which was against the rules, both of her ears were pierced twice holding a small silver hoop and a silver stud. Her face was rather pleasing to the eye a strange mixture of delicate and stubborn, there was a scar showing by the right side of her chin; it would mostly have been hidden by her hair if it wasn't for the wind. This girl was not ordinary, and it caught his attention.

"And? And I hear you're strong." Ren said as she slid her left foot back in a strong stance her body easily balanced on the balls of her feet. She saw with delight that spark in the other's eyes as he saw the challenge in her own.

"It's not every day that a herbivore willingly walks into being bitten to death." Kyoya said as he took a firm hold on his tonfas.

"I think you'll find I'm no measly animal of prey." Ren said back and gripped the heavy cylinder from the holster on her belt and extended it. She ground her teeth against the grating sound of the metal screeching and catching as it extended, her poor weapon was already quiet abused when she had acquired it and the shape it was in now wouldn't last for too much longer.

Kyoya smiled at the challenge this piece of prey was presenting to be, he struck at her and she easily stepped out of the way with easy movement and no wasted energy. Ren twirled the staff in her hand and took a step toward him and aimed a blow to his stomach but as she expected he was no easy prey either. She blocked his next attack and returned with one of her own using the staffs momentum to propel her own kick at his side, she smiled with satisfaction when it connected and was even more pleased when she heard a quiet grunt of pain come from him. But even if he was in pain it didn't stop him, as he lunged toward her again. She dodged and returned her own attack but was interrupted when a knee connected to her stomach and sent her flying back into the wall.

She barely had time to take a breath before he was on her again, trying to limit her movement by pinning her to the wall. Quickly she brought up her staff to block his tonfas, she did but he had the upper advantage and used his weight and strength to bare down on her. She let out a string of curses all in different languages as she heard the distinctive screech of metal as her staff began to break because of the force he used. Thinking fast she pushed back just enough before dropping to the ground and using her hands to propel both of her feet into his stomach. The strength in her attack made him skid several feet away and gave her the chance to get to her feet, she glanced at the weapon in her hand it was practically useless now and would no way hold up to her opponents strong and swift assault. So she was going to use it for an attack, without waiting a heartbeat she charged Kyoya coming in low she planned to disarm him of his own weapon it worked on the first tonfa he was using to guard with but the second he twisted and locked with her staff. The strain was too much as she moved away she watched as the other half of her now broken staff landed a few feet away. With a sigh she dropped the useless piece she still held, if she was going to continue this fight she would be doing it hand to hand, mentally cringing at the idea. If she did she would probably not come out of this fight with just a few bruises, not with the kind of strength her opponent held, but then again Ren didn't meet someone with this much ability every day and even now her blood was running thick and hot with the excitement of their battle.

Ren braced herself when Kyoya charged at her, she would need to avoid those dangerous tonfas of his if she planned to escape without any broken bones. She side stepped again and aimed another punch at his side but he evaded, she waited for his next attack but was surprise when he was stopped and even more surprised at what stopped him.

"Ciasso Hibari." An infant in a black suit and fedora said as he walked up to them.

"Baby, why are you getting in the way?" Kyoya asked annoyed at the baby he knew was strong.

"I came to see the new student, she's strong." The baby said as if Ren wasn't even there and that annoyed her.

"I'm standing right here, so do me a favor and not talk like I'm not here." Ren said as she bent down to be level with the baby and glared at him. "Who are you?"

"Ciasso, I'm a hit man for the Mafia and No Good Tsuna's home Tudor, Reborn." He introduced himself. Ren looked at the baby for a second, there was a strength coming from the child, and it peaked her interest.

"Alauda Ren." I said back to the baby, Reborn smiled and laughed.

"Two Skylarks in the school, won't that be interesting."

Ren stood up confused for a second then it donned on her when Kyoya spoke up, in Japanese Skylark was called Hibari. "Baby why did you stop our fight?"

"Because I wanted to ask Alauda-san to join Tsuna's family."

"Reborn! What are you doing asking her that, she a girl!" Tsuna yelled coming from nowhere.

"And what's wrong with my being a girl?" Ren asked Tsuna as he came to a stop, her silver eyes narrowed dangerously and her voice cold.

"Hiee! I-I m-mean that it's t-the mafia n-no one in their right mind would join, let alone a girl." Tsuna said as he tried to explain his way out of the icy stare that at the moment resembled Hibair's own tremendously, he thought he had done a good job of it but the stare was still on him. He tried to stutter something else out but didn't get far before being kicked in the head by Reborn.

"Stupid Tsuna, she's going to be part of your family so don't insult her."

"Hey, I haven't said I would join yet." Ren said irritably, she didn't like being looked down upon and she really didn't like having her decisions made for her.

Reborn looked at her, "Of course you can have time to decide, but I would really like for you to be a member of his family. And so would he if he was thinking straight."

"Well before I decide why don't you tell me more about this Mafia." So Reborn did, giving her the short version, of the Vongal and Who Tsuna was going to be and his other family members. She was about to ask a question when she was interrupted.

"Baby, you and the herbivore are in the way of my fight."

"But it you fight her later then she will be stronger, she's lost her weapon as pitiful as it was."

"Hey!" Ren protested but was ignored.

"If you wait a bit then she'll be a better opponent." Reborn finished and she watched as Kyoya thought it over before putting his weapons away.

"Fine but we will fight again Carnivore." Kyoya said as he walked away.

"Ren."

"What?"

"It's Ren."

"Hn, we will fight again Carnivore and I will bite you to death." Kyoya said before leaving. Ren smiled, the thoughts of fighting him again were making her excited with anticipation, she wanted to fight this fellow predator. To see if she could best him or him her, it made her fighting spirit sing. Maybe just maybe this school wouldn't be so boring after all, as a bright spot of deep purple appeared among all the grey. She glanced over at the mangled pieces of metal that had once been her trusted partner, picking up one piece she looked at it longingly, she had never gone anywhere without her weapon and now she had none.

"Well partner, you've served me well but this is the end." Ren said and dropped the lump of metal. "So what's this about me joining the Mafia? I admit I like Tsuna and his friends, but I haven't seen anything that really makes me want to follow him."

"Why You!" Gokudera yelled in outrage, "There is no one better than the tenth!"

Ren gave him an apprising look, the silver haired punk did hold an unnatural loyalty to the kid and considering he didn't like many people there was probably something that made him follow Tsuna, but she hadn't seen it yet. "That may be so, and maybe you know what it is and have seen it, but the fact is I haven't and that makes me hesitant to give my loyalty or possibly my life for someone." She looked back to Reborn, "I'll take some time to think it over, then give you my answer, but even if I don't join your family Tsuna, being your friend is a different thing." She smiled at him and Tsuna gave a hesitant embarrassed smile back. "We should probably get to class, wouldn't want to anger Kyoya."

Reborn watched as his student and his family walked back through the roof door, he smirked his knowing mischievous smirk. He had watched the entire match between Hibari and Ren and he saw an almost endless amount of potential in her as well as in Hibari, and they seemed to suit each other well. He would need to keep an eye on her she had the potential for something that very few people did, and he would need to keep an eye on how the two Skylarks interacted. Because there was defiantly something there, but there was also something else and this made him frown. Her smile while it seemed real enough it wasn't, if held amusement only but it wasn't a real smile something more to a smirk but wasn't. And her name it sounded familiar he would have to do some research on her.