The long absences were not unnoticed by Hibari. After quite a few days spent with Dino and Tsuna and their families, the prefect made himself known by personally hunting her down. As she prepared for the special class event they were having that day, he appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her, dragging her back to the reception room. "Are you trying to escape from me, sensei?"
Eyes wide with surprise, she shook her head, "I'm sorry Hibari-san. I've been a little busy lately."
His eyes narrowed, "With that Dino herbivore you mentioned?"
Had she mentioned Dino to him before? He whipped out his tonfas, "Fight me now."
"Wha-" The weapon was swinging at her head before she knew it, forcing her to duck and then jump backwards. "Hibari-san, I don't-" She dodged another attack.
"For crowding with herbivores, I'll bite you to death." The boy stated before attacking again.
Fuyu continued avoiding attacks while avoiding the furniture arranged in the room. Finally, she darted forward and caught the tonfas as they were coming down on her head. Wincing at the force, she nevertheless held onto them firmly and looked straight into Hibari's eyes. "Hibari-san, I assure you, I haven't done anything wrong with Dino. He's a childhood friend of mine, nothing more."
The boy frowned and slowly lowered his weapons, tucking them back where they belonged. "You will call me Kyouya."
"What…?"
"You call that herbivore by his first name, do you not?" He glared at the confused girl, "As your mate, I deserve such treatment as well."
"Ah…then, K-Kyouya," she stuttered over the name, "Was there a reason you brought me here? Other than to fight?"
He didn't respond, choosing to force her down on the couch where he rested his head on her lap. They sat like that in silence for a moment before Fuyu asked nervously, "Um… is it really all right for me to skip parent participation day? Shouldn't I take the chance to become better acquainted with the parents of my students?"
"Hn. There are too many herbivores crowding in that classroom." Hibari mumbled, yawning sleepily on her lap. "Be silent. I'm going to take a nap."
As expected of Japanese schools, Valentine's day was loud with girls scrambling over each other to get to their crushes. Yamamoto and Gokudera in particular were extremely popular. The baseball player accepted all the chocolates with a smile whereas the bomber growled at the girls following him and attempted to avoid them like the plague. On the other hand, Tsuna was looking very out of place; not a single girl had approached him and he was staring at his friends enviously.
Deciding it was too troublesome to force her way through the hordes of girls, she kept her chocolates hidden in her bag. Sneaking out during the lunch break, she made her way to the reception room. She peeked into the room and saw to her relief that Hibari wasn't there. She wasn't sure what he would think about her participating in such an "herbivorous activity", as he would put it.
As she was about to leave the room, the door slid open and she came face to face with a surprised student. Said student had a rather odd but well groomed regent hairstyle. She stared at him for a moment before moving to the side to allow the boy to enter the room. Noticing the uniform he wore, she commented, "Ah, are you part of the Disciplinary Committee as well?"
He nodded, "I'm Kusakabe Tetsuya, Hibari-san's second-in-command. Could I ask what you were doing in here?"
"Ah…um, well…" She cleared her throat awkwardly, "I was just dropping off some chocolate for him. No one should go without chocolates on Valentine's Day, right? And since I'm the advisor responsible for the committee, it makes sense that I do it."
He slowly agreed, still a little suspicious. She rummaged around in the bag and grabbed an extra package of chocolate that she had been saving for later. "Here. Happy Valentine's Day."
She spotted a familiar regent haired boy making his way towards her and sighed. What did he need now? The boy stopped in front of her and bowed politely, "I apologize for not recognizing you earlier, Yamada-sensei."
The bruises on his face and limp in his step had her eye brows raised. "Did…something happen to you, Kusakabe-san?"
"Ah no. The Chairman was simply displeased with me."
She frowned at that, but chose not to comment, instead patting his shoulder, "Well, I hope you enjoyed the chocolates at least."
The boy paled a little and her eyes narrowed, "Why exactly was Hibari-san displeased with you, Kusakabe-san?"
"Uh well, it's no big deal, but he was rather angry at the idea of you giving chocolates to others." The boy paused, "Actually, Yamada-sensei, the Chairman was asking for you."
She frowned at his response, but replied, "He is? Then I'll go see him now." She bowed politely, "Thank you Kusakabe-san. Stay safe as you're going home." The boy nodded and left.
Fuyu made her way to the reception room wondering what the prefect could want with her. "Sensei." A voice from behind her made her stop in her tracks.
"Hibari-san" she paled at the look on his face and quickly corrected herself, "Kyouya, I mean. Kusakabe-san told me you were looking for me. Did you need something?"
The boy's eyes narrowed, "You are awfully familiar with Kusakabe Tetsuya."
"I met him earlier today when I went to your office to give you your chocolates. He seems like a reliable second-in-command." She stopped in front of the reception room. "Actually he said that you were displeased with him earlier today. Did something happen?"
"He was participating in an herbivorous tradition. As my second-in-command, it was only natural that he be punished."
"Herbivorous tradition? You mean Valentine's Day?" So he considered the holiday to be a nuisance after all. She would have to note that for future reference. "Well then, I can take back the chocolate I left on your desk if you don't want it. Anyways, was there something you needed? I was just about to go find the others so I can give them their chocolate."
"Others?" In one fluid motion, Hibari had her pinned against the wall with a tonfa at her neck. "There will be no others. You are my mate now. Therefore you will only look at me."
This was new; this possessive streak he was showing could be troublesome. If it affected the way she worked, then it would need to be taken care of immediately. A low growl escaped her throat and she shoved him away from her with all her strength. "Don't give me that. Is this how you treat a mate? Using violence when you don't get what you want or things don't go your way? I went along with this because you weren't doing any harm. But I am not a prize to be owned, Hibari-san. I am an individual with my own thoughts, desires, and actions."
The boy stared at her for a moment before snarling, "Then leave. Do not return to this school herbivore." He pushed past her and stormed into the reception room, slamming the door behind him.
She slowly slid down the wall. That wasn't how it was supposed to have gone. What had meant to have been a lecture to clarify boundaries had turned into a break up? In the beginning, she had found Hibari intimidating but had gradually gotten closer to him. When he had asked her to be his "mate", she had agreed because there had been more pros than cons to do so. However, the boy's actions had grown more and more perplexing. He had been fine in the beginning, and she had enjoyed their time together. However, a sudden uncalled for bout of violence had her alert again. The boy had calmed down immediately after that, but now again, he had without reason turned on her. If this was what being his mate dictated, then she didn't need it.
She silently bid the boy farewell and then set off to find the others who she would be gifting chocolate to.
"Serena! You came! I've been waiting for you!" Dino called joyously.
The hotel was completely empty except for a single table in the center, and the mafia boss was dressed in a fancy white suit. She sighed, "How much money did you spend on all of this Dino? It really isn't necessary. This isn't how the Japanese celebrate their Valentine's Day, and only lovers go to such extravagant ends."
The man shook his head, "Only the best for my Serena." And then he held out his hands expectantly.
She placed the neatly wrapped chocolate in the man's hands. "Happy Valentine's Day." Her chest felt tight and she frowned absentmindedly, trying to force the pain away.
He grabbed her by the shoulder, "Serena…? What's the matter? Are you not feeling well?"
She shook her head, "I guess I'm just a little tired. It's no problem." Shaking off the feeling, she looked around and asked, "So what do you have planned for today? I hope this wasn't a complete waste of money."
Believing the girl, the blonde led her over to the table in the middle of the room and sat her down carefully. She glanced around, "I don't see Romario. How is it you're not clumsy right now?"
He chuckled, "I couldn't force Romario to stay here on Valentine's Day. And what do you mean, I'm not that clumsy."
"Dino-" She started to say. Something in the man's expression stopped her and she fell silent once more. At his signal, a chef walked in with a trolley of food. To her surprise, when the cover was removed, what was awaiting her was not a complicated soup or appetizer, but instead the main dish. She looked up in confusion and Dino gave a sheepish grin. "I actually wanted to go all out and have the whole meal made, but I remembered how you always said that it was a waste of money to get more food than you could eat. I hope you don't mind that I ordered for you; I tried the primavera earlier and thought it would fit your tastes."
"I also picked out this wine to go with it. Pinot Grigio; it's a white wine, light, and it has a nice citrus flavor."
She raised an eyebrow, "When did you become a connoisseur of wines?"
"It comes with the occupation" he laughed.
She clapped her hands together and muttered a soft itadakimasu before trying the dish. Chewing slowly, she looked up to find the blonde's eyes fixed on her, waiting for a verdict. She finished chewing, swallowed, and then nodded. "It's good."
At the words, the man beamed and she felt the pain in her chest return. Hiding her discomfort, she continued eating, appreciating the rare chance to eat Italian food. The wine was a good match as well, not that she had much experience with such things. Dino was being unusually quiet, but it was a nice change from his usual prattle.
The chef came back out a moment later with a bowl of gelato. She stared at it inquisitively and looked up at the blonde who was grinning innocently. "We used to share as kids, right?"
Sighing, she grabbed a spoon and took the first scoop as per tradition. The gelato was everything she remembered, creamy and absolutely delicious. "I'm amazed you found a place that has both good primavera and gelato here. You've grown up Dino."
The man didn't respond for a moment and then he sighed and put his spoon down. "I guess I've stalled long enough" he murmured to himself. Taking a deep breath, he said slowly, "Serena, today is Valentine's Day and I couldn't think of anyone I'd want to spend it with more than you. Or really any day. I just really want to be with you. When you left, I was devastated." He ran a hand through his hair, "I guess I'm trying to say…be my girlfriend?"
She stared at the man in shock. This couldn't be happening, right? Not two hours ago, she had just broken up with Hibari and now her childhood friend was confessing to her? Before she could reply, he added, "Whether or not you say yes, I already consider you part of my famiglia, Serena. That will never change."
She bit her lip. That put even more pressure on her. He thought of her as that close? She realized he wasn't bluffing either; it was the reason he wasn't falling over himself despite the fact that none of his family members were nearby.
"Dino…I should tell you. Just today, I ended my relationship with Hibari Kyouya. To be honest, I don't believe I can give you a fair reply today."
Although he seemed surprised at the news that she had been in a previous relationship, he nevertheless shook his head, "I'm willing to wait for however long it takes Serena."
The words triggered something in her and she slumped over in defeat. "What is it that you see in me? There are millions of women more attractive, who would make a better match for you. So why…?"
"It's because it's you, Serena. You're the first person who ever accepted everything about me, who gave me the courage and determination to become a good mafia boss. You're the only person I can imagine by my side."
She shook her head weakly, "That's only because you haven't met anyone else." Abandoning her attempt to finish the gelato, she stood up to leave. "I do appreciate everything you've done for me today Dino, but I can't respond just yet."
"Let me walk you home then."
"No, I'll be fine by myself." She smiled weakly at him. "Thank you. And sorry again." She quickly left, trying to ignore the hopeful look she had seen in Dino's eyes. As if not rejecting him on the spot meant something. As soon as she got back, she locked herself in her apartment. Dumbly, she felt something wet streak down her face. Why was she crying? What was happening to her?
True to his word, Hibari had made sure that Fuyu was no longer needed at Namimori Middle School. Instead she busied herself with looking for another job. The ache in her heart had lessened considerably, although she would occasionally feel pangs of pain. But it wasn't like her to dwell on something for so long, so she pushed forward firmly.
"The sakura should be in full bloom today; it looks like a good day to go sakura viewing."
"It's still early; we should be able to get good spots!"
She smiled; at least Takeshi and Hayato were as cheerful as ever. She had been careful about not letting anyone find out about the turmoil her emotions were in. And since it had been awhile since she had spent time with the boys, she had agreed to go searching for a sakura viewing spot after she had received a cheerful call from Yamamoto.
"Ooh!" Sounds of admiration brought her out of her reverie and she looked up. To her delight, in front of them was the perfect spot for sakura viewing. The sight was absolutely breath-taking.
As the boys chattered amongst themselves, a voice said, "This place is off limits." They turned to see a Disciplinary Committee standing there. "All the sakura trees around here have been reserved. Scram."
"Hey, that's not fair. It's not like this is private property." Yamamoto commented.
"I never said that this was open for discussion. If you don't leave, you better watch out."
Fuyu walked forward, "Surely it's alright for us to be here. We're just here to admire at the sakura."
"No one is allowed here."
Gokudera stalked up to the boy and swiftly kneed him in the stomach, "Shut up. Don't you fucking talk to sorella like that, you bastard."
"Hayato!" She reprimanded, "Language! And that amount of violence is unnecessary!"
"I was just wondering who was being so noisy. So it's you guys?" A new voice asked.
"Hibari-san!" Fuyu felt her heart leap at the sight of the boy. Quickly, she looked away, avoiding the boy's gaze.
"I don't want to view the sakura with a crowd so I got him to chase people off." Hibari turned towards the boy on the ground, "But it seems you weren't of much use. I'll take care of the rest. Weaklings," his gaze sharpened, "should just decompose." The prefect struck the boy viciously. He then turned to them, "You guys saw it too. I'm not used to standing above people. I'm only assured when I'm standing above corpses." He seemed to be glaring directly at the girl.
Fuyu was staring at him in horror. Had he always been this merciless and cruel? True, most of the time she had spent with him was when he was in a good mood, but this wasn't right!
Behind them, came a slightly slurred voice, "Ah, what a nice view. Sakura viewing is such a nice thing." Shamal came into view, holding a bottle of vodka. "Ah, gross! It's all men!" His eyes slowly focused and landed on Fuyu, "Ohh Yamada-sensei, come give me a kiiissss." He ran towards her with open arms.
Hibari glanced at them with narrowed eyes for a moment before saying to Reborn, "Hey kid. It's nice to see you again."
The baby smiled, "We want to see the sakura too. How about it Hibari; Tsuna says to compete, using the spot as a prize."
As Tsuna shrieked complaints, the prefect smirked, "A game…fine, I've been wanting to kill you guys anyway. How about you four each fight me separately? Whoever has their knee touch the ground loses."
"What?! We're fighting?!"
Gokudera shouted energetically, "Let's do it, Tenth! Actually, let me do it!"
"There are rules, anyway." Yamamoto grinned sheepishly, "I want to see the sakura too."
"Are you guys for real?" Tsuna deadpanned.
"Don't worry, that's why I called over a doctor."
"That guy only helps women!" He turned to his last ray of sanity, "Sensei, you're not going to go through with this, are you?"
As she avoided Shamal's attempts to molest her, Fuyu said, "I would rather avoid a fight, but-" Shamal had cornered her and had his hands on her breasts. She bit back a scream and then brought her knee straight up into the man's goods. He collapsed with a groan and she ran to hide behind Yamamoto.
The man however clearly had balls of steel because he got up a moment later and stumbled towards them again, "Heey, aren't you feisty."
He passed by Hibari and the boy struck him with a tonfa swiftly, "Scram." This time, the man didn't get back up.
"Tenth, I'll definitely get the best sakura viewing spot!" Gokudera said, already running towards Hibari.
"You're always so straight forward. Easy to see through." The prefect commented before lashing out with a tonfa.
Gokudera dodged quickly and tossed a handful of dynamite at the boy. "Go to hell." The resulting explosion made Fuyu flinch and she scanned the smoke for any sign of the prefect.
"And…?" Hibari had his tonfas up in a protective shield. "Are we going to continue?" He rushed forward, "I'll make it so you can never view sakura again." He swiped, causing Gokudera to hit the ground in an attempt to duck.
"Gokudera's knee has already touched the ground. Time out." Reborn stated.
With a animalistic snarl, Hibari growled, "No way." However as his tonfa came down, it was blocked by a sharp blade.
"I'm up next" Yamamoto said. He shoved the boy back, "Looks like it should be even now."
As they fought, Hibari smirked, "You think? My weapon still has a secret." Yamamoto parried a blow and suddenly a hook popped up out of the tonfa, locking the sword in place. Unable to defend, Yamamoto was viciously struck down.
Hibari turned to wait for the next victim. Fuyu could feel Tsuna shaking in fear next to her so she stepped forward hesitantly. "I guess it's my turn then."
The boy didn't wait for her to take out her weapons, instead charging forward. As she avoided his swipe, she pulled out her chopsticks and returned with a blow of her own. She was no longer a teacher so she didn't have to hold back. She drove the boy back with swipes of the blunt end of her batons. Infuriated at her resistance, the prefect lunged forward and brought a tonfa crashing down on her dominant right arm. There was a loud crack as the bone broke and she dropped her weapon. Nevertheless, she brought up her other chopstick to defend. As the boy struck again, she jabbed her weapon towards his neck, causing him to dart back quickly. Surprised that the trick had worked, she faltered for a moment. The brief pause was enough time to allow Hibari to bring his remaining tonfa straight into her stomach. This time she crumpled to the ground.
Even angrier than before, he turned to face Tsuna. Having been forced to enter dying will mode by Reborn, Tsuna charged forward with a duster. The household appliance met the metal tonfa and the two pressed against each other in a test of strength. "You're sure inconsistent; sometimes strong, sometimes weak. I can't read you at all." Hibari forced the boy back, "I'll just kill you then" and the two started exchanging blows equally.
However soon the rush of the dying will bullet ran out and Tsuna raised his arms to protect himself. To their shock, Hibari was already kneeling on the ground, a bewildered expression on his face. "No way?! Did I do that?!" Tsuna asked incredulously.
"Of course not. He did it." Reborn said, pointing at the previous unconscious doctor who was standing up unsteadily.
"Hey, ow. It wouldn't do to wreck my handsome face."
"Shamal released the trident mosquito on Hibari the second he was hit." Reborn explained.
"Sorry, but I've faced far more life and death situations than you have. Shamal said, "As a side note, the disease he has is one where he can't stand up near sakura, the sakura disorientation syndrome."
Hibari slowly stood up and started walking away, "Rules are rules. Go ahead and enjoy the sakura." He cast a passing glance at Fuyu who was being helped up by Yamamoto and Gokudera and left.
"Sorella, are you okay?" Gokudera asked anxiously.
She winced. "I might actually need that molester's help."
Shamal came forward and professionally set to work on the arm, commenting, "I hope you can let me properly feel you after this." Fuyu wasn't paying attention, swept up in her own thoughts. Had fighting Hibari always made her hurt so much? She shook off the feeling as the rest of their sakura viewing group joined them.
Author's Note:
Help me. I'm stuck in a world of fluff and I can't get out... Although I guess there was "angst" in this chapter lol. Anyways, don't worry! Next chapter, I get back into the action. I've been away from action for too long haha. :3
I feel so bad for Dino Q_Q Why do I do this to myself...
Please read and review~
