Chapter 15 – A Glorified Errand Girl: Is still just a problem child

A pot of espresso sat between them. A stare down ensued. A one sided staring competition. An unreciprocated-

"-Reborn! You've got to be reasonable. Like me! Dorothy and I, we're like two peas – in separate pods – but we're both peas nonetheless. How could you separate us like this? How?!" An affronted finger was directed at the Arcobaleno, slightly shaky in its indignation.

Reborn took a long, loud slurp from his teacup. "It's rare for you to throw tantrums like this." He noted after a long while.

Camilla slumped, crossing her arms in silent fury. Leon pounced into her hair, nestling by her neck in consolidation. She predicted it would come down to this, although she had to admit she was hoping it wouldn't. Reborn usually despised giving lectures. He was more of a kick-the-baby-bird-out-of-the-nest-and-see-if-it-flies kind of guy.

"I understand that you and Iemitsu had an altercation." He prompted with probing, beady eyes. "Now that you're unemployed, are you satisfied?"

She clicked her tongue but didn't reply. Reborn sighed, uncharacteristically of him. Lately, he felt as if he'd just been a full time baby-sitter, swapping one problem child for another. But this one, this was his first problem child, yet to have been solved. She was always worried, which made her easily irritated and when Camilla got annoyed, she lashed out in terrible ways; namely aggravation. She put on that antagonistic smile and poked at your buttons, doing it in a way that ensured the buttons never broke so that she could continue playing them. Honestly that form of stress relief he cooked up to being his own fault. It wasn't that big of a stretch to say that she bastardised his version of tactical provocation. Key word being 'tactical'. There was a reason, always a reason for his actions. Camilla sometimes did whatever she wanted to, just for a smidge of gratification. Anything to make her temporarily forget her all-important mission and her most important brother.

"I've brought another 'pea' for you." That was really all he could do. If the buttons were the only things keeping her sane, he'd provide her all the buttons in the world. Until he could do something substantial for her and her brother, this was his and Vongola's current best.

Camilla perked up, tucking a curl behind an ear. "I'm listening."

"You've met him before. Bianchi's younger brother, Hayato Gokudera."

"The pyromaniac? You're giving him to Tuna-fish? Him?" She let out a high laugh. "I'm not letting that silver trash can anywhere near Tuna, you can take that rotten 'pea' back and use it to garnish Bianchi's cooking for all I care."

The Arcobaleno smirked behind his teacup. "Then you do something about it. If you can."

Hibari Kyoya liked his mornings noiseless and serene. So when the door to his office slammed open to reveal his number one, leading headache, it wasn't abnormal for him to lose it at them. "Herbivore. Rooftop. Now."

"Senpai, I told you I'm not that kind of girl." She replied blandly, trailing after him. Unbeknownst to the both of them, two pair of eyes followed the transaction, both with entirely differing thoughts.

She had her palms up in surrender when Kyoya's tonfa sliced through the air, narrowly coming to a stop at her neck. She smiled prettily at his infuriated expression. "Senpai, come now. Let's not play with weapons so early in the day. I'm here for a civil compromise. C-I-V-I-L." she punctuated, pushing aside his offending tonfas with a finger.

He grunted in response, tucking the weapon back into the folds of his gakuran jacket. Camilla resisted the urge to coo at his obedience and self-restraint. More important things awaited. She produced a picture of Bianchi's brother. "Do you know this boy?" From his frown, she surmised he had already seen his school application. "This kid is a handful. He's a pyromaniac, smokes, has dyed silver hair – completely unnatural by the way – and on top of all that…he looks like an octopus. In conclusion, we do not need this kind of problematic student desecrating the sanctity of Namimori Middle." She closed with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

"I agree."

She blinked at his easiness, coughed and continued. "Yes, well…good."

"-But. If his application is to be denied then you will need to leave also. As a similarly 'problematic student'." He smirked, taking a leisurely spot against the fence.

Camilla bit the inside of her cheek. She decided she'd have to adopt a more Kyoya-profitable stance, especially when Reborn had most likely already played his hand. "What did the suited baby offer you?" She scraped at the grit beneath her fingernails, blowing non-existent dust off them. "I can assure you, senpai. Anything he can give you, I can do the same and more. It'll be coming from a cute girl after all." She shot him a dimpled smile.

He said nothing, only watching her with a curious stare.

"Let me guess, he offered you what I tried to negotiate out of when we first talked." One of the things he wanted in exchange for turning a blind eye to her actions was undenied sparring on his terms. It didn't really agree with her back then but it was something she was willing to trade in for Hayato's dismissal. "Spartan Prof knows exactly how to manoeuvre him." she muttered to herself. But she had longer with the psychopath, they had history together. Was the sadist his senpai? No, he was hers.

"You want answers, Kyoya." She took the gleam in his eyes as a good sign, although it could be anything; an urge to cull her for using his name being a top contender. "You also want to fight and keep the peace in Namimori. I can give you the first two but the last one is on you. If you invite that delinquent into your school, you're inviting unchecked chaos. Once you start giving in to one of Reborn's requests, he'll have you answering to his beck and call. You won't be able to get rid of him – and the havoc, it'll follow you…stain you like some dirty, octopus ink."

She admitted the last bit could've used some work but the point had been driven across. Bianchi's brother was to be barred. "I know you want to know who Reborn is, who I am. And you have a right to know, just promise me that you won't accept Hayato Gokudera into Namimori."

"Enough." he said softly, straightening himself up. "There's one thing the baby offered that trumps all of your propositions."

"What?" she scoffed, "Other than the chance to spite m-" she stared at his retreating back incredulously. "You're joking, senpai." She'd done the calculations a hundred times in her head in the last ten seconds. There was no way that the grief she caused him outweighed the favourable things she had just served him on a silver platter. Unless, she'd grossly underestimated her actions during her stay in Namimori. She clenched her fist tightly at her side. The cheap bastard. That intolerant, unappeasable, sadi-

As if sensing the multitude of curses directed at him, Kyoya tossed a last few cold words over his shoulder, "I know it was you who defaced my bike."

-st. Merde.

Reborn reclined in his armchair, switching off the spying microphone smugly. Camilla had secured her own defeat ever since she stepped foot in Namimori Middle. Problem children, they grow so fast but never stop making mistakes.

A/N Well then, I'll see y'all around next year. :) Haha jks, unless...