An honest to god update.
I am thankful for all of your seemingly everlasting patience for me. I have a 12 hour workday and by the time I get home I just want to shower and go to sleep. Moreover, when I do get a day off I'm too unmotivated to write anything OTL. But some KHR fan art I saw earlier in the week cured this problem :) I'm also currently working on some oneshots that I'd really like to upload by the...uh...end of the year (there, not expecting too much out of myself).
Again, sorry for the wait guys! I've settled with revising my chapters as I go. The severity of the corrections are listed on the top of each chapter; I doubt I'd do anything that would change the plot (what plot?).
Enjoy!
Notes: Leilei Brothers are canon (though I made up their names because such information has not been disclosed yet, and probably will never be). Kaichou roughly means president (of a group).
I've been neglecting some grammar in favor for more informal and easier to read prose, but from now on I've corrected two mistakes I frequently make. Skylark stands in for Hibari. There should be no reason for it to be lowercased unless I am referring to the actual bird (e.g. The Skylark's scowl deepened; correct - The skylark's scowl deepened; incorrect.) Referencing him as 'the skylark' would be like saying 'hey, smith!' (Given that Smith is the last name). That, and the word tonfa. Tonfa's plural is simply tonfa without an s.
Sorry for that short rant. :'D Just wanted to clear some things up.
Kyoko blinked innocently and opened her mouth to answer, but Mukuro got to it first.
"Kufufu…didn't you hear, Tsu~na~ru-chan?" he said in a singsong voice. "We're going to a hotel…"
Tsuna glared daggers at the vice president of the S4 (something he had unluckily found out the hard way), keeping his frosty countenance when asking Kyoko in a barely level voice, "Why are we going to a hotel?"
His sister leaned over the table to poke him playfully in the forehead before sitting back down. "Were you on this planet when we were discussing things? There's a parade in front of the Tri-Ni-Sette Hotel. We thought it would be interesting to go to, since there'll be stuff like weaponists and martial acrobatics," Kyoko said with a sparkle in her eye.
"Oh." Tsuna's anger deflated. "Oh." He sat up straight, his eyes taking on the same gleam as Kyoko's. "That sounds fun."
Hibari raised a brow at how mercurial Tsuna's moods were, silently noting that they were especially capricious when concerning her sister.
Mukuro paid their tab (Hibari's eyes had narrowed at his vice as he said in a scathing tone: "Do not think that will appease me, Rokudo.").
"And…cut!" Ogata motioned at Spanner to change the props. The director checked his watch. "Go take a rest. There's a lot that still needs to be moved in. It'll probably take a half hour or so. Grab some lunch if you're hungry, the caterer's on floor 8~".
Tsuna nodded while wondering just how big Ogata was going to make this scene. The script had included many details about how the scene should play out; he could almost say there was an excess of decorations and attractions.
"Want to grab cake with me and Haru, Tsu-kun?" Kyoko said in a soft voice, breaking his thoughts. Tsuna ruefully shook his head.
"Sorry, I already ate before coming on set," Tsuna apologized as he stood up to let Hibari out. "I'm going to go take a rest—" he stifled a yawn with his hand before continuing, "I didn't get much sleep last night." He hadn't calculated that Daemon and Giotto would wake up so early in the morning—apparently they had an early press conference. He hadn't been able to fall asleep after that, no matter what he tried. He had assumed it was due to the excitement of filming a new drama. Now if he remembered correctly, there were certain very comfortable couches on the fifth floor.
"Rest well, Tsu-kun!" Kyoko called out behind him, causing the brunet to smile appreciatively as he waved goodbye. Kyoko's polite farewells to the other two actors went unacknowledged.
Hibari's glare intensified when Mukuro wouldn't flinch from their staring contest. "I'll bite you to death, Rokudo."
"Kufufu. Well, you have always proved to be a promising spar mate."
"Take it to a different floor," Ogata interfered wisely. "And if you happen to get any scratches on your face or bruises on your body…" Both actors twitched a little when the room was flooded with the director's demon aura.
"What a two-sided coin," Mukuro muttered as he punched in the floor number on the elevator's panel. He raised an eyebrow as Hibari remained outside.
"Don't expect me to share that close of a space with you," Hibari spat as the doors slid closed.
"Very well then. Have fun taking the stairs," Mukuro snarked.
"Tch." They were on the second floor, and an empty set was on the sixth floor. Four floors were nothing. He smirked. He could probably show up before Mukuro did if he took the stairs anyway.
…That would have been the case if he had not seen Tsuna dozing against the wall halfway up to the fifth floor. That herbivore was none of his concern! But his arms were acting against his will as they scooped him up.
Tsuna awoke from Hibari's rough pace. "Hie? Hibari-san!" he exclaimed in surprise.
"Why would you sleep on the stairs of all places?" Hibari said, not unkindly as he shoved open a door with his shoulder. He proceeded to drop Tsuna on a couch.
"Reborn!" Tsuna coughed to hide his mistake of blaming his agent out loud (Reborn probably had cams hidden everywhere). His agent always told him take the stairs rather the elevator to beat the laziness out of him (it wasn't like he could help it; any normal teenager would take the elevator!). And later, running up and down the stairs of the blasted Empire State Building was incorporated in his training program! He shuddered just at the thought of it. "Thank you though, Hibari-san!" He smiled gratefully, not noticing the effect he had on his co-star: nostalgia. "I'll repay you later with a meal." Although Hibari wasn't like most people per se, food was a universal language. And didn't he say his favorite food was hamburger steak?
"Hn." It wasn't like he chose to bring him here. Damn subconscious. The skylark whipped around and continued on his way to the sixth floor. He was exactly one minute late and suffered from the snide quips Mukuro made at his tardiness for the whole span of their spar.
Tsuna was the picture of innocence while sleeping. So very much so that Hibari almost regretted having to wake him up. Key word: almost.
Cue rough shaking.
"Mmn, five more minutes," Tsuna mumbled groggily out of habit before sitting up immediately (the intensity of Hibari's glare could do things like that). He rubbed sleepily at his eyes before smiling (Hibari's eyes widened fractionally when the foreign word "adorable" came to mind).
"Thanks for waking me up, Hibari-san!"
The Skylark nodded and waited a few extra seconds for Tsuna to fully reacquaint himself with the world of the living before entering the elevator.
If Tsuna was considered half awake when he entered the lift, the sight that greeted him on the revamped second floor was enough to shock him into full consciousness.
Ogata was known worldwide to be extremely extravagant, but this time he had really outdone himself. Every inch of the vast set was occupied with one attraction or another, but Tsuna's attention was stolen by the main show near the back that was going to be the star feature in the script.
"Glad to see you already getting into your act," Ogata boomed, startling Tsuna out of his reverie. The brunet actor sweatdropped. I was just thinking about just how far you went with the parade...
Ogata chuckled before clapping his hands. "Alright, time to get into character!"
Despite being wary of what Mukuro had in mind at first, Tsuna loosened with each passing attraction.
"Kyoko-chan wants to do it! Over here!" Tsuna yelled when an escape artist asked for a volunteer to drop him in a tank of water, his body bound with locks and chains. Mukuro looked a bit queasy as Kyoko blushed when the escape artist nodded at her to come up on the stage.
"What's with you?" Tsuna said to Mukuro after waving to Kyoko, a bright smile on his face. "You look really weird."
"Kufufu...nothing, this just doesn't sit well with me. But," Mukuro turned to smirk at him, the whole effect contrasting with his pale face, "You can fix that."
"Dude, no thanks. Watching you get weirded out is hilarious," Tsuna replied. Hibari shifted next to him, obviously uncomfortable with the massive crowd. Tsuna shifted too, restless as he glanced around. He always found shows like this to be somewhat boring with no edge of danger at all. Where were the weaponists and martial artists that Kyoko said there were going to be? He momentarily cursed his shortness before hoisting himself up on Hibari's shoulders. He was almost immediately swung off, and he would've been faceplanted on the ground right now if not for his sudden death grip. "Let me use you for just a second, kaichou," Tsuna said before standing up fully on Hibari's shoulders. He hoped that the wind wouldn't blow hard enough to lift his skirt, because he was dead set on not completely turning himself over to the feminine disguise. He prided himself in his boxers, dammit. He itched for pants, though Kyoko's skirt would have to do for now—a tasteful navy number with slits up its sides paired with the protection of built-in shorts. Wearing pants wasn't really an option, given you know, his package and all.
After testing his balance, he quickly surveyed the area, immediately enraptured by the sight of martial excellence that was only fifty feet or so ahead of them. How could he have missed that? Holy shit, they were demonstrating muay thai! He opened his mouth to announce that they were going to that show ASAP—only to have Hibari jerk from underneath him and destroy his balance. He was about to catch himself in midair when Hibari—that bastard—pulled him down further by yanking on his leg. He flopped over Hibari's shoulder like a potato sack with the grace of an elephant. "Unf."
"You are too troublesome." The Skylark glared up at him. Tsuna suppressed his rage, sorely tempted to perform a move that involved a lot of drama and flair that would allow him to move from this humuliating position. However, that guaranteed the dislocation of Hibari's shoulder and he was almost 100% sure that Kyoko would definitely not appreciate that. Life was unfortunate.
"Oh, hi Kyoko." His darling sister was back from her adventure with the escape artist. He scowled when her eyes widened at his position, but his bad mood quickly lifted when he pointed ahead of them excitedly. The Leilei brothers are performing! Kyoko visibly brightened.
"Let's go!" In her excitement, she tugged on Mukuro's hand. The vice blinked, surprised, and Kyoko dropped his hand shyly, only for her face to color a very becoming shade of crimson when Mukuro picked up her hand again. Hibari and Tsuna simultaneously rolled their eyes at the display of affection. Normally he would be like, "Gross, get a room," but this was his sister he was talking about here. You know, holy saint, blushing virgin, and his sister, meaning that no one on this Earth could possibly be good enough for her. Again, life is unfortunate. He'd have to settle for cross-examining each suitor until he found one that was satisfactory.
"I would really appreciate it if you let me down," Tsuna said, still embarrassingly flopped over the S4 president's shoulder. Hibari walked on. "O mighty kaichou-sama, I will attempt to appease you with offerings—" With a rough jerk, Tsuna flew off and thanked his reflexes for landing upright on his feet instead of faceplanting on the ground.
"That was really helpful, white knight," Tsuna said sarcastically. Was it just him, or did Hibari appear the slightest smidgen surprised? But anyway, now that he was free, he bulldozed through the crowd, effectively saving them a spot in the front. He impatiently waved them over, not wanting to take his eyes off the show—their skills with the spear were just spectacular. He didn't hesitate to jump onstage when they started calling for volunteers.
"Hey miss, that's the wrong spot to be!" a spectator called out. Tsuna frowned when one of the guards moved towards him in an attempt to restrain him, thinking that was a "menace to the public and the performers." Fucking retard. He twisted out of the hold with ease (they really needed to amp up on the security if they were this easy to take out), bloody murder etched on his face as he yelled, "Take this! Missile kick!" He flashed a grin to Kyoko as she giggled. She had specifically named that move for him.
The Leilei Brothers looked at each other than turned towards Tsuna, their interest and curiosity levels piqued. Finally, someone who was genuinely interested and seemed competent enough to face them in a mock match (they would go easy, of course).
"Alright challenger, you'll need a partner. Choose someone to be on your team," the shorter brother—Chenglei—said. The crowd cheered, thinking that he was humoring the girl, who appeared to be no older than a high-schooler.
"Uh..." Tsuna scratched his cheek. He wasn't sure if any of the S4 members could fight. He was plenty shocked when Hibari jumped gracefully onto the stage and stepped over the fallen security guard without making it seem comical. "Color me surprised." Hibari glared at him, then at Mukuro, although that glare was accompanied with a smug smirk, as if saying, beat you to it, bastard. Chenglei chuckled before tossing armor at them. It wouldn't do for them to underestimate who she chose as her teammate—his stance was quite formidable. Then again, the girl's was impressive too, but it took more than a belt in karate to defeat them. He watched with growing amusement when her she threw the armor back at her teammate when he had discarded it on the floor ("Don't be an idiot. I don't plan on attending a funeral anytime soon.")
"Oh my god," Tsuna said, realization dawning on him when Hibari refused the armor again. "Are you one of those people that think you're invincible just because you've beaten tons of people who are weaker than you? And you're just planning to rush in and overwhelm them with your strong when you haven't analyzed them at all? You're an idiot!" Tsuna said, a past memory resurfacing painfully. One that he'd rather forget. "Besides, they won't allow you to fight without it on anyway." Hibari finally saw reason in that and reluctantly slid the protector on.
"Choose any weapon you'd like," Chenglei said, mirth coloring his voice when Hibari immediately drew out his tonfa from its hidden confinements (like, seriously, they just popped out of nowhere). Tsuna inspected the weapon rack closely before drawing out a spear that was almost twice as long as his body length. Chengli—the taller and quieter of the two—raised a brow, slightly disquieted.
"OK, their strong point is strength in teamwork so—"
The second the bell rang to indicate the start of the match, Hibari rushed at the taller brother. Typical macho guy, assuming that the taller one was stronger.
"That moronic kaichou," Tsuna muttered. Their fight was based on a point system similar to the one used in kendo. If he charged in and left himself open like that, Chenglei could quickly score a point while he was attacking Chengli.
Cue superhero music. Tsuna to the rescue. He tossed his spear up, taking advantage of Chenglei's surprise as he ran to save Hibari's ass. He deftly leapt out of the way of Chenglei's long-reaching sword and lured him backwards. With a sharp shing, the spear landed. Chenglei possessed enough experience as a fighter to dodge the incoming weapon, but he failed to calculate in his clothes. The spear nailed its mark and pinned the martial artist securely as Tsuna scored the first point. Chenglei's disbelief was written clearly across his face as he saw Tsuna's weapon of choice.
Tsuna grinned as he removed his hands from Chenglei's throat. "I don't like using weapons. Hm...I suppose there's a reason why you're wearing such baggy clothes," Tsuna mused offhandedly as he observed Hibari and Chengli. So he was a fighter. And from what he could see, a skilled one at that. He scowled But that didn't excuse him for being a poor teammate. "Missle kick!" Hibari stepped out of the way just in time as Tsuna effectively put a stop to their brawl. "The round's over," he supplied helpfully. He wanted to gloat when Hibari's eyes widened in shock, but he didn't know the S4 president well enough to consider it a victory against his pride.
"How did you—"
"Na-ah-ah," Tsuna said playfully as he cut him off. "Strength isn't everything. I told you, we need teamwork. Especially for the next round." He was caught off-guard when the crowd started clapping thunderously—they had been unusually quiet so he hadn't taken much notice of them. Cries of "You go girl!" filled the air. Tsuna smiled sheepishly when he realized they were directed at him. Should he be disturbed that there were some cat calls? Hmm...
Hibari was getting some pretty hardcore shrieks himself.
The Leilei Brothers got into a well-known offensive stance.
"We're totally screwed if we don't cover each other," Tsuna whispered as he nudged Hibari. "And I'm not up for saving your ass a second time." He received an intense glare as an answer just as the match bell rang.
"You're right. There's a reason my clothes are loose," Chenglei said as countless weapons appeared from hidden sleeve holes. Tsuna smiled brightly at their seemingly imminent demise.
"You really need to teach me how to do that!"
The brothers exchanged glances, each sharing their own different opinion about whose opponent was stronger. It was readily apparent that they had no need to hold back. The devilish grins they wore widened.
Tsuna casually checked his nails. "Hmm...last time I heard about them was like, a decade ago? Maybe they got weaker," Tsuna remarked as his food prodded at their crumpled bodies.
Hibari snorted. "Waste of my time."
"If I may ask, how long have you two known each other? Your teamwork surpasses my brother and I's," Chenglei said weakly.
"Him? I just met him today," Tsuna said truthfully. Chenglei fainted.
They finished up the rest of the scene and ran through all the minor parts in Act 1 before retiring. Tsuna checked his watch after he bid Kyoko and the other actors good night. It was close to dinner time. He didn't see a point in postponing his promise to treat Hibari for his kindness, so he shot a nervous smile towards Hibari's direction. "Care to join me for dinner, Hibari-san?"
The "Missle Kick" is actually derived from Guilty Crown. It's an awesome anime. I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.