A/N: I don't own KHR or any of its characters.
I can't hear anything.
I cough wildly, the smoke from the explosion quickly burning through my lungs.
I scream "OTO-SAN?"
Another room explodes in front of me and I'm pushed back by the pressure. My body flies through the room, crashing against my broken bed frame.
I struggle to push myself up. I don't even want to. I just want to lay here and let the fire now burning through the building take me. It would be easier. It would be quick.
Then I see Oto-san running toward me from the hallway. Hoshi, just a baby, in his arms. Blood soaks through every fiber of the blanket wrapped around him. Oto-san screams something at me, but I still can't hear a thing. The bodies of our attackers are sprawled throughout the building. And I'm sure more surround us.
"Oto-san…" and then another explosion erupts and Oto-san throws Hoshi in my direction just as he's flung against the wall. Glass shards from a broken window pierce through his body. It's instant - his body slackens and eyes dim.
Tears well in my eyes.
"Oto-san!"
I try to push myself up again. I'm weak, my body in more pain than I ever thought imaginable.
"OTO-SAN!"
My hand reaches for Hoshi. His tiny fingers weakly grasp around my own. Blood pools around his blankets.
I'm shaking, viciously. I'm desperate. I'm so fucking desperate to know what to do.
Then it overtakes me, in an instant. Something much heavier, much more powerful, and much more full of rage. Because it's then that I know...
I would do anything to escape.
I would do anything to kill whoever did this.
I would do anything for him to live.
And then everything goes black. It's pure darkness.
The sensation is akin to losing air, yet somehow being able to breath. Like losing all sense of hearing, yet knowing exactly what each sound in existence should be. It's extremely heavy, yet gravity doesn't exist. It is all those things and so much more - a power I'm unable to control nor describe now. Though it becomes me, and I to it.
It's the flame of night.
I SCREAM and SCREAM and SCREAM and -
Kyoya shakes my shoulder roughly "Hatsu."
My eyes open with a jolt. "Kyo? What're you doing in my room?" Fuck fuck fuck fuck, maybe I can play it off nonchalantly, maybe I didn't say anything.
His brows furrow. "You were screaming." Fuck.
"It was just a bad dream, I'm fine. You can go back to sleep." I smile at him. It's still pitch black outside from my window, so it must be early into the morning before dawn.
"No."
"Yes?"
"No."
"Kyo you're being difficult."
"What was it about?"
I consider lying, but how could I lie to Kyo? It wouldn't be worth it because one lie spirals into many lies. I sigh, loudly. "When my dad died."
His eyes widen. I'd never talked about my real family. Sure he KNEW about it, probably. The Hibari's have enough power to at least figure out some back story through their sources. Though I'm sure most of his secrets died with him. I wouldn't even know and I probably would never know the true extent of what was going on with my dad back then.
"I know a bit about it. An explosion." He admits, also deciding that lying to one another isn't an option. I's why I tell him more.
"Yeah. I was there with my brother when it happened." From the look on his face he didn't know that. "My dad said something to me, but -" I smile humorlessly "my eardrums were ruptured from the first explosion and I couldn't make it out. I wasn't trained back then, at all, so I couldn't lip-read either. I'd always had acute senses and athletic abilities, but it wasn't something… well it wasn't something I'd ever needed to develop. I'd had a very simple upbringing up until that point. Happy."
It's conflicting to put it simply. I hate it. All the words she's saying, the sorrow and the fucking pain - I want to squash it all. But I also, selfishly, never want her to stop talking. I want to know everything. And that need is insatiable, an appetite I don't think I could ever fully satisfy.
"Were you scared?" Both of us are the type that would never fear. That would find weakness in fear, and yet -
"I was fucking terrified." And instantly I move into bed with her. I pull her to lean against my chest as my arms wrap around her.
"What were you scared of?"
She hesitates and I slowly, instinctively, rub my thumb up and down her palm.
"It was… losing Hoshi. When I was lying there on the ground, I honestly thought I could just die." I freeze, heart stopping for a beat. She senses it quickly as my hold on her stiffens and I momentarily pause my ministrations. "I didn't have the strength nor the will I have now. I didn't know I needed to have that strength. Then I saw Hoshi, covered in his own blood, unable to do anything and I thought I CAN do something."
She thinks for a moment, unsure if that is quite the right way of saying it.
"No, I thought I NEED to do something. And - well, it's a story for another time, but I did do something and it cost me everything."
We sit in silence as my hand gently wraps around hers now, enveloping it entirely. Warm. Small. But certainly not delicate. Calloused. Scarred.
I steel myself to say something, without any of my simmering thoughts ebbing to the surface. "You're here now." I finally say, though my voice comes out raspier than I'd intended. Damnit.
She smiles. "Yeah, I'm here now, for now."
It's not 'for now', it doesn't need to be. I surprise myself as that thought bubbles to the forefront of my mind. What?
"I really am fine, you know. You should get some sleep, you're still not fully healed."
I pull her deeper into the covers with me as I get comfortable. "Night."
"Not here -" My arm tightens around her and she sighs. "You used to hate it when I crawled into your nap space."
"That's because you were always covered in dirt. Sleep."
"Bossy." She steals all the covers away from me, curling onto the opposite end of the bed. No doubt a punishment for my order. I chuckle lightly as we wrestle for the covers. Some things never change.
I yawn, stretching my arms out above me. I'm tired. Kyo got even less sleep, having left really early for prefect duties. The goody two shoes. To top it off, it's a gloomy day and I just want to snuggle right back into bed.
"AHHHH REBORN-SAN STOP!"
"GAHAHAHAHAHA~"
"No Lambo, come back here!"
"Stupid cow how dare you steal from Judaaime!"
"Hahahahaha this is a fun game!"
Oh boy.
A familiar cow print cannon-balls through the sky right in front of me. I move toward the quickly falling child - no, not to catch him, that would be stupid - to pull a cute boy with light brown hair out of the way from the projectile that is Lambo. Lambo crashes to the ground, and with him goes the plate of dumplings he'd just stolen.
"Gotta...stay...calm…" Tears prickle at his eyes. "WAHHHHHHHHH~"
For Fuck's sake.
I quickly veer away, but a small hand grabs my sleeve. "Thank you for helping me." He's holding a giant book under his arm that is basically half his size.
"Don't worry about it, just be careful neh?" I smile cutely in my school girl persona.
He glances at my uniform. "You go to onii-chan's school!"
"Onii-chan?" And then Tsuna appears, frazzled, half-dressed, looking like he literally just survived a minefield.
"Lambo are you okay?" He scoops a bawling Lambo from the ground. There is no greater torture than having to listen to this, I'm sure of it. "Eh? Fuuta? And Hatsu?! What are you two doing here?"
"I'm visiting from Italy Tsuna-nii! Your friend saved me from Lambo! Can she have breakfast with us?" WHY DOES EVERYONE I RUN INTO HAVE TO BE MAFIA? WHY? WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THESE SORT OF ODDS?
Tsuna looks at me with hesitation. Please say no. I will him with my eyes to just wish me well on my way, but this IS Tsuna we are talking about. Tsuna would feel bad denying a mouse even one crumb of food. And dammit I'm in character!
"U-um Hatsu-chan why don't you come eat with us? Thank you for helping Fuuta."
"Oh I wouldn't want to crowd -"
Reborn flies in, kicking Tsuna to the curb. "Ciaossu."
"AHHH REBORN!" Tsuna cries, nursing the bump on his head.
His beady eyes turn toward me. This spells trouble. "You should come to breakfast with the family."
"I should really be on my way to school -" He points his pistol straight at me and smiles. I sweatdrop. "… on second thought, breakfast would be nice. I didn't have a chance to eat before I left."
"You should never skip breakfast. Nana made plenty of food for everyone." He hops on my shoulder to catch a ride inside. Fucking brat. He pulls harshly at my hair. Fucking sadistic brat.
Hatsu-chan sits scrunched between Lambo and Yamamoto, eating perfectly, daintily.
So when she grabs Lambo (after his third attempt at stealing the bacon on her plate) and quite literally throws him across the room with ease, without even so much as glancing at the child, my jaw drops to the floor. Sensing my stare, she glances up at me and smiles with her cute head tilt. I can't help but break into a cold sweat. Wahhh she's so cute, but why do I feel an inner sense of dread?
"Yes, Tsuna-kun?"
"N-n-nothing! Nothing at all!" Please no more weirdos, please just some peace and quiet. Though I already know that's wishful thinking considering how many mafia members I have seated at my table right now...
"You should join the family." Reborn states to her.
"HAA?!" I jump out of my seat. "Reborn you can't just ask people that! We don't know anything about her!"
"She's strong." Strong? I had heard she was at the fight, but I hadn't actually seen her in action. But Reborn hardly ever calls anyone strong.
"Is she?" I turn to her. "Are you?"
"Shouldn't you be able to discern that on your own?" She asks with a smile. Wahhh so harsh!
"She's right about that. You need to train more." Reborn backs her up, unnecessarily so if I might add.
"Why don't I find out for you Tsuna-nii!" Fuuta opens up his book.
"Wait, wait -" But plates and furniture are already levitating. Hatsu barely even blinks, unperturbed by the change.
"This is Fuuta. I can hear you ranking planet."
Everyone quiets, curious about the girl who is more than she seems.
"Hatsu ranks 58th of hitmen who love sweets the most." I stiffen. This cute, fragile girl is a HITMAN? I carefully size her up now, rethinking our past interactions and our current one. She showed up in the middle of the year, and though not in my grade, she earned a reputation of being a kind-hearted, beautiful girl. She had a sort of naive air about her, similar to the innocence that embodied Kyoko. Even uttering Kyoko's name in my head sends a heat to my cheeks.
"Only 58th? Hmm." Hatsu responds, though hardly an active participant at the moment. But something… something about her has me on edge. I don't know how to place it, but there's some severity in her glance, a certain command in her presence... Reborn is right. I do need more training. I would never have had this sense even a month ago. But now I have some sort of inkling of aura around her. Of strength. I assume she isn't even attempting to mask it well. Applying her shroud to each situation as it so calls for it.
"Hatsu ranks 1st for fastest hitmen" FASTEST OUT OF EVERYONE? Seriously?
Yamamoto gives a whistle and Reborn smirks.
"Oi! There's no way she's faster than Judaaime!"
Hatsu just keeps munching at her eggs.
"Hatsu ranks 1st, by a landslide, for people capable of persuading Hibari"
"EH?!" Everyone shouts in unison
"Hahahaha that's amazing!
"Why would Hibari listen to her over Judaaime?"
The Hibari who can't be tamed by anyone. The Hibari who bristles at any human contact. The Hibari whose bloodlust staggers anyone in his presence.
"You must be very close." I say.
Her expression softens and loses any sense of false pretense. She disarms herself momentarily - purposely.
Fuuta suddenly fizzles, "I don't feel so good."
A crack of THUNDER sounds loudly. We all quiet, listening to the now apparent pitter-patter of rain as all the levitating items crash to the ground.
"When did the rain start?"
"No wonder his rankings were so off! There's no way that's true!"
"Haha guess so." She says happily. Her eyes meet mine and she winks, her hand now dangerously clasped around a kitchen knife as she cuts an apple into pieces for all the kids. Wahhhhhh I just want a peaceful middle school life.
"Ne are sure you want to eat that?" I openly stare at Kyo's bento box. I had shown up in the disciplinary committee room as promised for lunch.
He glares at me lightly, "You have your own."
I look at my bento, already gone, then back to his. "Just making sure, wouldn't want you to waste food ya know?"
He looks at me, incredulous, then smiles. He grabs his food with his chopsticks and lifts over to my bento box. My eyes brighten and then he suddenly pulls it back to him and into his mouth.
"..."
"Yeah this is delicious." He adds salt on the wound.
"Kyo, I'm still hungry."
"Get something from the vending machines."
"Don't you have stocks of snacks in here that you've swindled away from the students."
He scoffs, "I'm not a tyrant."
I look at him deadpan. Pretty sure you would be the exact definition of one if you asked anyone else.
"Fine, I'll get a snack.I have to head back to class soon anyway." I smooth out my skirt and sit up from the couch in the committee room.
"What do you want for dinner?"
"Ah, I might not be back tonight until late."
His brows furrow, apprehensive. "Why?"
"I'm looking for my brother. He's in another town over and I'll need to stake out, you know the normal stalker stuff. You'd understand." Lol.
"I'll wait."
"I really don't know how late it will be… you should eat."
"I'll wait." He presses harder.
"But -"
He sighs, cutting me off. He pulls open his desk drawer. Under a stack of books, hidden at a secret panel in the back, is a folder that he quickly tosses my way.
I skim through it - a quick 2 pages of condensed information outlining Hoshi's whereabouts from childhood to now, his general schedule, his interests, his friends, the food he likes, and… his general countenance: happy.
"I had someone keep an eye on him each year, just to check in."
"Why would you do that?"
I see him fight the urge to roll his eyes. As if questioning him at all was tedious and stupid. But I can also see a part of his brain churning that doesn't even have an answer himself.
"At first it was just curiosity - I knew he was important to you and I wanted to know why. And then I wanted to make sure if you came back… you knew he was ok."
I'm stunned. Well, stunned doesn't even begin to cover it.
Kyo isn't thoughtful, not really. I'd never used that word to describe him, even as much as I felt I knew him when we were kids. Certainly he was softer, gentler with me - that was obvious. But THOUGHTFUL? No, no Kyo was brute strength and no nonsense. He didn't have time or patience for sentimentality.
So what the FUCK is going on?
Is this the new side of Kyo that I have yet to learn?
Is this a side that always existed that I never truly grasped?
Is this - no, I don't even know what question to ask, like, what the fuck is this?
What it is, is the most anyone has ever done for me. It probably wasn't even that much energy or time or anything that went into it for him. But for me? It's everything.
All I can do is stare at him in wonder.
Kyo doesn't flinch from my stare - he accepts it openly.
I skim through Hoshi's schedule once more. Baseball practice after school. Then straight home. This certainly makes things easier.
"So what about sushi then?
"Hn."
"Okay, be back by 7. I'll pick it up on my way back!" I smile brightly at him.
"Good."
A/N I am SPEEEDDDD with writing these. Thank you for the review :) always encourages me to write faster.