AN:

Wao. I never expected to get this many reviewers/readers/alerters. You guys never cease to amaze me. ;3
Thank you all so, so, so much.

So I tried dropping a few more 1800 hints this time, but nothin' serious, of course. I don't want the plot to move too quickly or else this story will be done in seven chapters. Do not like. D8
Enjoy the read ~

1800 fans, FTW !

Shades of Solitude
stage two

befriending danger

By the words, 'protect yourself', Enma took the stranger's words to mean 'do whatever you think will benefit you'. In this case, it was following orders, even if unwillingly. And it wasn't like he was friends with Hibari Kyoya anyway; the guy wasn't even remotely friendly, and he didn't even bother trying to be. Kyoya was Kyoya.

Everything ached when he woke up the next day. When he tried reclining into a sitting position on his bed, his lower abdomen throbbed and it felt like the pain one would get after laughing for an hour straight. He groaned, clutching his stomach; he didn't want to check how many dark purple bruises would be under his shirt. He attempted to stretch his arms up in a lethargic yawn, but that was hopeless too. Getting out of bed was another case; his legs had gotten tangled within his thin, white sheets and in no time, he rolled off the edge and landed on his already-sore face.

As he was about to leave the washroom, he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. A ring of black was forming nicely around his left eye, and he winked it shut, feeling the ache. His head drooped; he should have put a hard-boiled egg on it yesterday after he had gotten it. Maybe the swelling wouldn't have been so bad. He lifted his shirt up to his shoulders and looked down; he was not happy with the sight. Pushing his school shirt back down, he sighed as he dropped his toothbrush into his cup with a loud clank and left the bathroom to go into the kitchen.

His parents had already left the vicinity, so it was only him and the still air of the apartment. Spooning in cereal and milk into his mouth, he wondered how he was going to get through this day. The bullies were literally asking him to do the impossible; getting close to Hibari was almost as unfeasible to do as getting bitten by a radioactive spider and gaining super human powers. No, Enma was not a closet Marvel fan. Suddenly losing his appetite, he sighed and picked up his school bag. Incredulously, his pencil case was still intact, but his school shoes were still missing; he would have to find them another day.

Hopefully, Hibari would not notice them a second time.

Enma attracted even more stares this time when he walked into his class with his head bent and his out-of-uniform shoes dragging along the floor tiles. Taking his place beside Tsuna, he slid out his binders out of his bag (he had remembered paper this time). He turned his head to the other side and found that the tiny brunet was staring at him in horror.

"Enma-kun, your face looks worse than yesterday!"

The redhead's left hand automatically reached up and touched the bandage on his cheek. "Ah…" He chewed on his bottom lip and nodded solemnly. Tsuna's eyes widened in understanding, and Enma got the impression that he wasn't the only one in the school that got bullied this badly. He was immensely grateful that Tsuna let it drop, though. He turned to his other side and noticed Yamamoto Takeshi grinning at him. Enma was wondering why when Gokudera passed by the other's desk, his backpack held over his shoulder.

"Forgot to refill your binders again, baseball idiot?" Gokudera scowled in annoyance as he sat down in his seat. Enma unclipped his binder and handed Yamamoto a sheet of paper. Note-taking was nearly all they did last class, anyway. And Enma was pretty sure that there was going to be a mini-quiz next week. Yamamoto smiled gratefully.

"I'll remember tomorrow. Thanks, Enma!"

"You're welcome."

Yamamoto's eyes widened, for it was the first time that Enma had exchanged words with him. Before he could rejoice in the matter, however, the teacher had tapped his meter stick onto the desk, calling for everyone's attention.

"I have your tests from last week marked. The highest mark, as always, is Gokudera Hayato with one hundred percentile. I won't mention anything about the lowest mark…" His eyes fell on Tsuna, and the brunet instantly slid down a little in his chair. He held the papers in his left hand, waving them with a flick of his wrist. "Come get your test when I call your name. Sawada!" he barked, making Tsuna jump, which also resulted in the brunet's knee colliding with the bottom of his desk.

"Ouch." Tsuna quickly got up from his seat and snatched the test paper from his teacher's hand. He held it to his stomach, not once glancing at it; it seemed like he didn't want anyone to see his mark. He had pressed the wrong side of the test against his stomach, however. Enma tilted his head at the upside-down five.

"Ah, Tsuna…" Yamamoto politely and discreetly pointed at the paper. Tsuna looked down.

"HIII!" He hastily flipped the paper onto his desk, facedown. The teacher merely rolled his eyes as he called up another student. Gokudera went up after three names, and by that time, Tsuna was complaining, "You're so lucky, Gokudera-kun. I wish I could be as smart as you."

"Tsuna…" Gokudera's hand reached out to pat Tsuna on the shoulder comfortingly, but he pulled back at the last second at a sudden change of mind. Tsuna's face planted into the surface of his own desk and a groan could be heard.

"I hate math…"

I'm no good at math, either, Enma thought as he watched Tsuna's friends frantically trying to cheer him up. Again, Enma's heart felt warm. Just watching these two earnestly trying their best to make Tsuna feel better was an uplifting feeling. The brunet eventually raised his fluffy brown head, but the moment he did, his elbow knocked over a blue pen over the side of his desk and it rolled underneath his chair and behind him. Enma was about to reach over and retrieve it, but Tsuna was already leaning his chair back to get it. Dangerously balancing himself on the chair's hind legs, the tips of his fingers managed to touch the pen before –

CRASH!

Tsuna's chair flipped and after two seconds of chaos, Enma found the brunet's back on the ground with his feet in the air like a bug. The class burst out into mocking laughter, and in a matter of seconds, Gokudera was on his feet, shouting at them reproachfully. Tsuna raised his hands over his head, sighing at how hopeless he was, but when he glanced over at Enma, the boy was smiling for a second time. It wasn't scathing like the others', but it was more of a mutual understanding of how alike they were. Tsuna couldn't help but smile weakly as well. A few people started to crowd around Tsuna to either laugh at him some more or to see if he was alright, and the teacher raised his voice to regain control of his classroom. It was two words that directed the class's attention back to the front:

"Hibari Kyoya…"

Even the teacher seemed shocked, but that was nothing compared to the scrambling of bodies and the clattering of chairs as every student rushed to get back to their seats. The Discipline Leader was standing at the doors, his glare on one particular boy, and that was Tsuna, who still had his feet up in the air. Said boy instantly picked himself up and plunked down into his chair, his brown eyes focused on the desk in front of him. Enma immediately stopped himself from smiling any further; the sensation in the classroom was everything close to dark and fearful.

Hibari's unfaltering cobalt eyes slid from Tsuna to Enma…then down. The redhead hurriedly hid his feet behind his bag, shading them from view. Hibari's face hardened, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he turned to the teacher and said in a cool voice, "I apologize for interrupting but…" When his eyes roved over the heads of the students, the air fell heavy again and the nearest boy gulped. "…I do hate crowding."

The teacher seemed quite appreciative. "I have the class under control now, thank you."

Hibari raised a perfectly arched eyebrow, his eyes landing once again on Enma; the boy could already feel his neck warming up from the unwanted attention. He dropped his eyes to his knees, and he didn't breathe until he heard Hibari's retreating footsteps. The detention that he was supposed to serve that day never crossed his mind.

It was safe to say that the rest of the class went by rather smoothly, with no more useless tunas falling off their seat and no intimidating Discipline Leaders interrupting the lesson. As the lunch bell rang, Enma turned his head side to side to see Tsuna stretching his arms above his head wearily and Yamamoto staring out the window at the baseball field with a slightly dreamy expression; Enma's hand was aching from the large amounts of note-taking, and Gokudera may have not been paying attention the whole time and everyone would still expect him to get perfect on his next test.

Tsuna stood up, rubbing his eyes wearily. "Finally! Lunch…"

"Sitting by the fence again?" Yamamoto piped up as he gathered his things together and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Where else?" Gokudera scoffed. "Let's go, Tsuna." Yamamoto and the silveret strode side by side towards the door, with the latter elbowing the other aside to get to the door first. Tsuna smiled at his friends, slinging his bag over his shoulder before whirling on his feet to face Enma. The redhead had his head bent, crimson eyes vacant and unseeingly staring at the desk. Tsuna's forehead creased with worry, but he had a feeling that the new boy would just refuse lunch with him again. He started to turn around…

Until he felt a small tug on the back of his school vest.

He spun around on the heel of his foot and saw Enma's hand falling back to his side. Confusion clouded the brunet's mind for a moment in time, but then he realized what Enma was trying to say. He shrugged, nodding towards the door. "Come have lunch with us, Enma-kun."

Without any hesitation this time, Enma dragged his bag up from the ground and trailed behind his new friend. He had no interest in meeting with the bullies again, and this time, with three people with him, he doubted that they would attack him or question him. Yamamoto's and Gokudera's eyes both widened simultaneously when they saw the redhead following Tsuna out the front doors, but they said nothing of it. If Tsuna accepted Enma, then they would as well.

"Wow," Yamamoto said in amazement when Enma opened his lunch box. "That looks good."

Enma nodded quietly, gazing at his bento box in a proud manner; his mom always left one before leaving for work. On top of that, it was always decorated nicely, with onigiri, rice, and tempura filling the container. Enma had been moving his rice to one side with his chopsticks when Yamamoto placed a piece from his sushi lunch into his box. "Here, have one."

Enma blinked at the salmon, then jerked his head up to mumble, "Thank…you." He immediately averted Gokudera's eyes, afraid that the silveret would contradict him on tentatively uttering his thanks, but it didn't seem like the rebellious teenager minded too much, especially when it had something to do with Yamamoto. Enma was grateful for the gesture of friendliness, anyway. As he was thinking of this, he faintly heard the black-haired male saying,

"You know, Enma – I can call you Enma, right? Well, Enma, you know you can always have lunch with us."

"Who died and made you leader?" Gokudera snapped, exasperated, but he stopped talking when Tsuna murmured his agreement. The silver-head instantly changed directions in the subject at hand. "Well, if Tsuna agrees, then I do too."

Yamamoto laughed, running a hand through silky ebony hair. "Of course."

The corners of Enma's lips curled a bit, but something was bothering him. He felt like he really had something to do during this lunch, like he shouldn't really be here, sitting with Tsuna's friends and enjoying lunch. He had a strong feeling that he had an appointment…somewhere…

"Hibari-senpai is really scary, isn't he?" Tsuna managed to say as he forked a slice of pineapple into his mouth. Gokudera only rolled his eyes in response, and a hint of remembrance flickered in Enma's mind.

"That bastard takes his job too seriously," Gokudera spat, his hand crushing the plastic bag enclosed in his fist. "No, he abuses his position."

"A lot of people hate Hibari-san?" Enma questioned, speaking up for the third time that day. There was silence between the four as they took in the fact that he had indeed spoken out. Tsuna's eyes hastily darted around the area, as if worried that a certain someone would be lurking around and eavesdropping.

"Well, we don't hate him, but—"

"He's not well liked," Yamamoto finished bravely.

"Shouldn't be a surprise," Gokudera grumbled, his arms folded in front of his chest.

"Speaking of Hibari…" The baseball player's dark eyes wandered down to Enma's sneakers, a sympathetic smile on his lips. "He didn't get you for that yet?"

Violet-red irises expanded as Enma finally realized what he couldn't remember: he had detention with Hibari during his lunch for wearing improper shoes the day before. His bento box was only half done, but he instantly rushed to his feet, handing his food to Tsuna. He picked up his bag and quickly heaved it over his shoulder, brushing the dust off his pants.

"E-eh? Where are you going?" Tsuna asked, and he jumped in alarm when Enma started running, tripping over his baggy pants and sprawling onto the pavement. The redhead didn't pick himself up right away, but Tsuna heard a soft mumble that sounded suspiciously like 'I need to go somewhere right away'.

It was moments later that the new student found himself lost in the maze of hallways. Reception room – where was that again? He peered around every corner, but to no avail; if this kept up, he would never arrive and he would have skipped detention. Hibari wouldn't hunt him down, would he? A faint light bulb lit in his head as he abruptly remembered where to go. But to make matters worse (Enma really had no luck at all), he traipsed around a corner only to find the injured bully from the day before. Red eyes met with the blue, and Enma started to back away, retreating in his steps.

Only to bump into another boy.

"Well, if it isn't No Speaks."

Enma received a rough push forward and he found himself tripping towards the injured teenager. Instead of catching him, the bully drove him against a nearby wall, drawing a gasp of pain from the redhead. This time, there were only three, but it was enough to make fear restrict his throat and stop his breathing.

"Have you thought of our offer?" A round of snickers encircled the group. "Not that you can reject it, but we want a straight answer."

"Where ya headed, No Speaks?" They followed his gaze down the hall: the vague direction of the Reception Room, the domicile of a certain Discipline Leader. A smirk followed the mocking words, "Off to see that Kyoya bastard, huh?"

A silent nod.

"S'that mean you'll be listenin' to us, then?"

Another bow of a head. Enma really didn't know what to think. All he knew was that he wanted out of this suffocating circle; he wasn't even given space to breathe since they were so close to him. At his pathetic excuse for a nod, they grunted in satisfaction and moved aside to let him pass. Enma wasn't watching the ground though, so he never expected a foot to shoot out just when he was about to walk by one of them. He was so eager to leave that the moment the toe of his shoe made contact with the unyielding leg, he was sent flying forwards and his arms flew out to break his fall. He landed on the ground, on his stomach, with a dull thud; the air was knocked out of him and his whole frame shook with agony.

It hurt.

"Hurry up. You might want to think of a good way to get close to him or you'll be getting yours."

Arms aching and old bruises throbbing (not to mention new ones forming), he cast a fearful glance at the bullies and struggled to get himself onto his two feet. He staggered on the first step, but when one of the bullies stomped his foot forwards to scare him, he immediately scrambled back up to get away, much to the others' approval. This time, he had no choice.

He knocked once this time, on the Reception Room door, but he swung it open before he heard the consent to come in. He heard the door click shut behind him. Hibari was lying languidly on the couch, his head resting on the armrest and his arms crossed over his chest, but the moment Enma took a step forward, those thin lips parted. "You're late."

Enma wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. "I forgot."

One eyelid fluttered open and they immediately landed on Enma's shoes; it seemed like they were getting a lot of attention today, but Hibari's focus flew to Enma's face in a matter of milliseconds. He took his time swinging his feet over the side of the couch as he righted himself up; he covered up a lazy yawn with his hand. He stood up, draping his black coat over the couch. "Herbivore, what part of 'improper shoes' did you not understand?"

"I-I couldn't…"

"The consequence will be worse this time," Hibari interrupted in a warning tone. "Serve your detention after school. Now, leave."

Enma didn't budge from his spot near the door. He squeezed his eyes shut, his voice flooded with misery. "I can't." Dark orbs flashed dangerously, but the redhead plucked up the rest of his courage to continue. He didn't know where it was coming from, but the moment the words were out of his mouth, he felt his entire body weakening. "Please, let me be in the Discipline Committee."

If the atmosphere in the room could darken anymore, it would have. "What did I say yesterday?"

"You said 'no'."

"That is my answer today." He turned his back on Enma, expecting the redhead to give up and leave. When he didn't hear the awaited rush of cool air from the hallway, he knew that the new student was still standing inside the Reception Room. Hibari stiffened, his patience now running short. "You still stay?" he asked testily. Enma didn't get a chance to answer. Hibari lifted his arm with the slightest movement, tonfas in hand.

"What is your name?" The question was filled with authority, but masking it was a shadow of menace.

The answer was barely above a whisper, "Kozato Enma."

"Wearing abhorrent shoes, late for detention, and disobeying the orders of your elders. Kozato Enma, I will bite you to death."

The redhead barely had time to raise his arms to defend himself from the incoming hit; he had managed to hoist his left hand up to shield the tonfa aiming for his face, but he doubled over when the other rammed into his stomach. He clumsily fell back, spine colliding against the door. With no other way to run, he darted to his left, only to be blocked off by Hibari. The slight uplift at the corner of Hibari's lips could be defined as a smirk.

What confused Enma the most was how wherever Hibari attacked him, it would throb more than how a usual hit would be. He felt that the tonfas should be breaking his ribs by now, seeing how fast they were moving, but they weren't. Then, he realized why. It was like the Discipline Leader was hitting the already-bruised areas on Enma's body deliberately – to either avoid making new bruises, or to make the pain double. Either way, it was tiring Enma out a lot faster and it was making Hibari's job of beating him down a lot easier.

Not once did he cry out in absolute pain. He only gave away a weak whimper when Hibari's weapon made contact with his leg, causing him to fall onto his knees. Not even two minutes had passed when Enma received the final jab in the lower abdomen from the silver tonfa; his frail frame collapsed into the cold wall and he slid down, eyes sliding shut from exhaustion. He heard a barely audible huff of disappointment, and then the thudding of pacing footsteps. Enma tilted his head up and weakly opened his eyes to see Hibari's shadow towering over him.

Hibari propped his left knee between Enma's legs, and with his other, he straddled Enma's left leg so that the redhead could not escape, least of all, attempt. Raising his right arm, he watched as Enma's head drooped; he was phasing in and out of consciousness. He twirled the tonfa in his hand so that he could place the tip of it under the redhead's chin, tilting his head up so that their eyes could meet. Enma's breath hitched in his throat, and he maneuvered his head so that he could get away from the metal weapon; at this, Hibari only positioned the tonfa closer to his neck, constricting his breath.

"You still won't leave?" Hibari's voice was soft. Enma's only response was a delicate shake of his head. He was afraid that he would get beaten up again, so he flinched, allowing his eyelids to fall over carmine orbs. He heard a clatter on the ground beside him; Hibari had placed his tonfa on the ground, though he did not know why. With his eyes still closed, he sensed a hand reaching for his hair, and he jerked back in alarm when Hibari grasped crimson strands, tugging until the boy's head angled back. Enma was yet again forced to open his eyes and look into those tantalizing, dark irises.

"Stay awake, Kozato Enma."

Enma was finding it very hard to follow those instructions; he was so very fatigued, and he found that he could barely keep his eyes wide open. His hair was yanked again, and this time, a feeble cry escaped his lips, bringing him back into attention.

"Herbivore," Hibari snapped threateningly. "I said stay awake." After making sure that Enma would not slip into unconsciousness, the Discipline Leader took his time straightening up, and he brushed himself off, turning his back on the fallen redhead. "You have learned your lesson, I presume, but your detention has been extended for another week." Inwardly, Hibari would never admit it aloud, but he had been impressed how Enma never cried or made any sort of sound when he was being punished. He didn't feel particular regret for beating this fragile boy, but why did this student seem so fervent to be in the Discipline Committee? Hibari could never allow that, but…

"Make yourself useful during these detentions." Hibari took a quick glimpse around the room; the wastebasket was overflowing with crumpled sheets of paper, and there was dust collecting on the window sills. An idea lit up in his head, but his expression remained straight. "You can clean up this room." When he received no answer, he glanced back to find the redhead lying on his side, seemingly cataleptic. It wasn't until he narrowed his eyes and took a threatening step forwards that Enma shifted.

"…M'not sleeping…I'm awake…" As he struggled to sit up, he winced as excruciating pains shot up. He didn't want to go back to class, but he really had no choice. Hibari-san is really strong… Enma thought as he stood, his balance wavering. The flat of his hand pressed against the wall as he steadied himself, and the other teenager just stared. "I'll clean," he mumbled. It was at least one step closer towards his goal.

"Good. Now get to class."

Tsuna had returned Enma's bento box at the end of school, with the food still in the container and everything. "Where did you go?" Tsuna questioned.

Simultaneously, the reminder brought flashes of pain coursing through Enma's body. "I had detention with Hibari-san. Except…" He looked away. "I forgot."

"HII? And you're still alive?"

Enma didn't know what he meant by that. Did Hibari usually beat delinquents up until they were unable to move or until they were lifeless? Was Hibari going easy on him? It didn't seem like it. Enma bit down on his lip anxiously. Their conversation died when Yamamoto jogged up towards them. "Tsuna! Want to go to my dad's sushi place to eat? You're welcome to come if you like, Enma." He gave him a friendly grin.

"I can't," Enma replied apologetically. "I've got detention."

"With who?" Gokudera had abruptly joined the conversation as well; Yamamoto was gazing curiously at the new boy. Detention…on the second day of arrival? Tsuna quickly started to urge the two out the classroom door, sending a concerned glance at Enma. Giving his new friends a final wave, Enma picked up his bag and headed towards the Reception Room. Politely knocking this time, he limped in and plunked his backpack near the door. Not knowing where to start, he cast a fearful glimpse towards the Discipline Leader, who was still resting on the couch. This time, it really seemed like he was sleeping this time.

Tentatively, he picked up the wastebasket and watched as sheets of paper floated down to the ground. Sighing, he kicked those along as he strode out into the hallway; he had passed by a recycling bin a while ago. Ah, there it was. Dumping the contents inside, he didn't waste time in hurrying back to the Reception, hugging the wastebasket close to his side. He dropped it beside the desk with a disturbingly loud clatter. Hibari stirred.

But he didn't wake, much to Enma's relief. He didn't think he could stand the pressure of the teenager's resolute stare on him while he worked. He wet a towel and started wiping the window sills, which looked like they had been collecting dust since the age of the dinosaurs. Enma had opened the window slightly, just so he could get within the cracks, but when he stole a glimpse back up, he saw that the same fluffy yellow bird from yesterday had flown in. "Ah." He reached up, attempting to shoo it back outside, but it only dodged around his hands and perched itself on the backrest of the black sofa.

Walking around would only alarm the bird, making it fly away again. Enma dropped the towel onto the sill, taking slow, hesitant steps towards the bird. Carefully propping his knee on the edge of the sofa, and making sure that he did not disturb Hibari, his hand gradually inched towards the animal. It was only centimeters away when he heard an annoyed voice drifting into his ear.

"What are you doing?"

Quick as a flash, Enma's eyes bugged and he retracted his hand, causing the bird to yet again soar away. His gaze dropped down to Hibari's face; the latter was now blearily glaring up at the offender.

"You."

A blush from humiliation crept up Enma's neck as he shifted uncomfortably. "I was…I was…" If he continued the sentence and said 'chasing after a bird', he would've looked like more of an idiot. He stopped his sentence there and he leaned back, muttering an apology under his breath. He went too far, since he was starting to fall; he swung his arms like a windmill to regain his balance, but he was already tipping backwards. Hibari's hand shot out and grabbed the front of Enma's shirt, impatiently yanking him back up.

And causing him to fall on top of the Discipline Leader.

"A-ah…" Enma stammered; his hands were placed on Hibari's chest to keep from completely crushing the latter. Hibari's eyebrows knitted together as he glowered at the boy on top of him.

"You woke me up." Though Enma already knew this, the statement made the situation a whole lot scarier. The redhead couldn't move; his fingers were trembling and his right hand was shaking so much that it slipped off Hibari's chest, causing him to roll off. He landed with his back on the carpet, and his eyes widened impossibly when he saw Hibari standing. He immediately felt really small, comparing his height with the other. Scrambling back onto his feet, he bowed his head, allowing vermilion bangs to cover his eyes.

"I'm sorry." His body went rigid as he, again, feared for the blow to come. He was surprised when all he heard was a light yawn, and not the noise a tonfa would usually make. When he bothered to see what was going to happen, he saw that Hibari was standing merely a few feet away from him. Enma found himself trembling under the taller boy's death glare, and his back met with the wall again when Hibari neared him. He had raised his hand up, and Enma cringed. However, all Hibari did was hold out his forefinger to have the yellow bird flutter onto it.

"Do you know what happens to those who wake me up?" Hibari didn't wait for an answer before replying. "I bite them to death." His voice dropped to a low whisper, and Enma had to strain his ears in order to hear him. "I will have dealt with my fair share of delinquents after I finish with you."

That was all the prompting Enma needed to exit the room, and he didn't waste a second doing so. He could still feel Hibari's steely glare pelting into his back, so he dared not turn around. Still, he couldn't help but think over what had happened today. Hibari had not bitten him to death at all – sure, he had attacked him with his tonfas a few times until he could barely stand, and his words were always harsh, but if he could even treat cute birds nicely, then maybe befriending Hibari wouldn't be that hard of a task.

…or maybe that was just Enma's imagination.

The first thing Enma did when he came home was walk into the bathroom. To check his wounds, he pushed his shirt up and stared at the mirror in revelation. The only new bruise that had appeared was when the bullies had tripped him, but there were none from his punishment given by Hibari. Enma swallowed hard, a feeling of grudging respect aimed towards the black-haired male. He stumbled into his room and collapsed onto the bed. Almost without thinking, he picked up his phone. Skylark's number was the first thing that came to mind.

"Skylark?"

If the receiver would agree to continue these texts, Enma wouldn't mind. He was immensely happy to feel his phone vibrating.

"What."

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't hard to admit this certain thing, since it was already to be expected:

"I couldn't protect myself."

"I have to hide behind someone else's shadow in order to keep myself from getting hurt, and in the end, I'm being forced to have to use him."

Herbivores will always be herbivores… Hibari thought half-heartedly as he read the message. Having never been in this type of situation before, he couldn't give advice. He wouldn't even if he could, anyway. Advice was something that Hibari Kyoya never gave out. He didn't think it was his interest in helping weaklings out, but then again…just earlier today…

"Wearing abhorrent shoes, late for detention, and disobeying the orders of your elders. Kozato Enma, I will bite you to death."

The moment the edge of his tonfa made contact with Enma's stomach, he felt the body giving away and he lessened the force of the blow only at the last instant. Realizing that he couldn't use the full extent of his power on this boy, he decided that he would have to finish this as quickly as possible without harming the kid too much. It disturbed him how he was going easy on him, but there was something so pitiful about the boy, like a helpless animal, that he couldn't help it.

The very memory caused his fingers to press harder into his phone:

"Get him to protect you, then."

It was only logical, so why didn't this stranger think of it?

"He's intimidating, and he's mean."

Hibari smirked at the trepidation embedded in those words, and he began texting back:

"All the better."

When he received a reply, he noticed the hesitance in the message. Something about this person reminded him of another certain someone, but he couldn't put his finger on it. After all, he knew a fair amount of useless herbivores at his schools, and there were barely any that he actually pitied. Save for…Kozato Enma…and this thought unexpectedly put him back into a bitter mood. He read the stranger's message again:

"Well…he has protected me once."

Hibari rolled his eyes; the way this person was talking, it made the stranger sound like a girl. How did this make the boy mean? How frustrating. So what exactly obligated him to respond again?

"Then there is no doubt he will do so again."

After getting no immediate reply, he asked with a splash of exasperation:

"Can't a girl even protect herself once?"

Enma buried his face into his pillow and groaned. Minus one for self-esteem. It would soon be in the negatives.

Resting his head against his bed post, Hibari heard the soft buzz from his cell phone, but he didn't look right away. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was answered reproachfully:

"I'm a boy."

With awkward tension holding out between the two cell phones, despite the distance, neither one wrote anything back for the rest of the night.

AN: Because because because... "...I'maboy ._. " -insert irresistible Enma pout- My throat hurts, my head hurts, and I'm sick. For the first time this year. Ugh. So I didn't go to school today, for the first time. I will update as soon as I can, but updates may or may not be as frequent as this one was. Slow moving plot is slow, but it takes time to ... even get remotely close to Hibari. D8 I abused page breaks because they were being difficult.

ENMA IS SO SHORT OMNOMNOM. Uke-material ~

See you when I update~ LOVE YOU!

edit: wao, i failed. i wrote "enma enma" instead of "kozato enma". mm, that's what happens when you're lazy and you do ctrl f replace.