Warnings: Rated T for themes and language. I will be using both manga and anime b/c I like parts of both plots. And errors in grammar, spelling, etc.

Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn anything, but I hope to bring my OC into the world of KHR.

Italicized words = I use them to emphasize, when there is a different language, and when the characters are thinking. If it gets confusing - sorry.

To Belladu57, vale7887, arisasonoda84, tenimyuohtori, merendinoemiliano, LairaCapulet, foxchick1, Misaki Vanderwood - THANKS FOR REVIEWING! I'm glad you guys like the story so far! (^u^)/

Misaki Vanderwood: I say that that's rather fitting to the situation. Pretty cool. What's your language?

tenimyuohtori mentioned that Hibari means 'skylark' and that's is totally true. I forgot to mention that 'Hibari' when written in Kanji - which is written like Chinese characters - is when it translates to 'cloud flinch.' Sorry for the confusion.

Also, just so everyone remembers, Nadeshiko is 11 years old (1st year), Tsuna is 14 years old, and Hibari is 16 years old. Nadeshiko is young for her school grade – let's just say she skipped a couple of grades in Midori Elementary. If anyone has a problem with the romance between Nade and Hibari b/c if their 5 yearage difference…oh well. But know that things like kissing on the mouth or anything sexual will NOT happen unless I'm talking about their future selves and even then, will be brief. This is rated T for teens lol.

Enjoy!


The sound of a door sliding open echoed through the Reception Room. In stepped a small blonde-haired amber-eyed girl no one in the Disciplinary Committee - besides Hibari - had seen in Namimori before.

"Hibari-san, I'm here to report for duty." She sent their stoic leader a two-fingered salute and a smirk as she leaned against the side of the entrance. They noticed the same type of effortless grace exhibited by their very own leader. The few Disciplinary members in the room all winced anticipating Hibari's 'I'll bite you to death' and pitied the girl. Their leader didn't discriminate when dealing with people he considered annoying and if she dyed her hair blonde it'd just add to her 'crimes.'

"Mashiko, you will oversee most of the secretarial duties of the Disciplinary Committee including but not only documenting reports, handling files, and organizing the Committee meetings. You are also tasked with liaising with the herbivorous clubs," stated Hibari behind his steepled fingers. In the next moment, he grabbed something from one of the desk drawers, then threw an armband at the unknown girl.

She caught it with one hand, slipped it on, and approached their intimidating leader with a soft smile, "Whatever you say, Hibari-san."

After a brief staredown between the two, Hibari got up to leave the room. To say they were confused was an understatement. The leader was almost out the door when he said, "Come."

Without a second glance at his followers, he headed toward the roof. The girl turned and gave a short bow to the rest of the room. "Since Hibari-san didn't introduce me properly I'll make this quick. My name is Nadeshiko Sawada and I'm a first-year. Hibari-san asked me to be the Committee's secretary so you'll probably see me around. Please take care of me." The now dubbed Nadeshiko Sawada hurried out the door likely to follow their esteemed leader. Their last sight of her being the flicking end of her braid as she turned out the door.

Even Tetsuya Kusakabe, second-in-command for their leader was equally bewildered - although even that was a major understatement. How and when did their anti-social belligerent leader meet and - from the looks of it - get along with a girl at least 3 years his junior?

The same thought raced through each prefects' mind: The coming days would be interesting.

Figuring Hibari and their new secretary would be on the roof, Kusakabe headed to join them - if only to be vicinity for when his leader called for him.


The last thing he expected was to see the new girl expertly dodging fierce blows from Namimori's resident demon.

Nadeshiko appeared to weave around Hibari's attacks and dropped last minute into a split to dodge the swing of his tonfa. Kusakabe admired her skills as he watched her performed a backward roll to gain space between her and Hibari while maintaining a calm and determined demeanor. Neither moved as they studied the other.

Nadeshiko also used the time to gain back her breath. She wasn't expecting that the first bonding moment they'd have at school would be fighting. How would she have known that her first day for secretary duty would begin with avoiding her friend bludgeoning her head? Oh, wait...he's Kyoya Hibari.

He never tried forcing her to fight after her training at the dojo for some reason, but she supposed that now that she was in Nami Middle that Kyoya deemed it was time.

Whatever that meant.

She knew she wasn't as strong as the fight-loving prefect, especially now that she was handicapped by the arrival of one of his members. It ticked her greatly that she had to face him without her favorite 'weapon' but she'd make due. Based on Kyoya's favorite weapon and his performance so far, she knew he had more experience in heavy hits and striking with his upper body so there was no hope for her in starting a fistfight. He was also fast which made it more difficult for her to execute her techniques.

Her best strategy – wait and react. And survive.

Bringing her attention back to their spar, she assumed a fighting stance and kept her hands open. If I have any chance against him, then I'll have to use judo since he's not used to it, I think - although even that seems bleak. That doesn't mean I'll go down without a fight though.

He lunged forward executing a left hook with his tonfa. A light layer of cloud flames - unseen by Kusakabe – coated her palm as she grabbed his oncoming wrist. Using his momentum, she grabbed his other arm and dropped onto her back as she used her foot to push his hip up off the ground and around as if he were doing a cartwheel. Not one he could land though.

She reveled in the slight widening of his eyes as he felt his body being twisted midair with gravity smashing him onto his back. A grunt left his mouth accompanied by a deep thud. Meanwhile, Nadeshiko continued to roll back and sideways to straddle his waist and readied to punch him in the face before he collected himself.

Not fast enough.

Next thing she knew, her punch was caught by his hand and she was flying off him and near to the visibly worried Kusakabe. Immediately she returned to her feet and prepared herself, wincing at the ache she felt in her ribs from the last hit.

"Wow, I'm glad I waited," he told her with a slight grin. He resumed his attack, opening with an uppercut with his tonfa aimed for her chin while his other twirled in preparation.

Honestly, she didn't mind fighting with him – it was educational and thrilling to fight someone as strong as Kyoya– but she knew the fight wouldn't last much longer with her winded as much as she was already.

She dodged his swings, moving the slightest bit to the side and back after each strike. At the end of one of his swings, she noticed an opening and threw a sidekick in the hopes that it'd land true. He blocked it. Of course.

She recovered her leg before he could use it to his advantage and ran away briefly to jump off the wall behind her for more height, twisting to send a roundhouse kick to his head as he followed right behind her. He was prepared and blocked her attempt with an arm. Once grounded she tried kneeing him in the stomach which was swiftly blocked then followed up with punches until he caught her arm between his tonfa and his own arm. He pulled it outward to open her up for his other hand to strike.

Nadeshiko counterattacked with a crescent kick to dislodge his hold or risk getting hit in the face then spun around with an ax kick. Hibari barely had the time to dodge the last kick but finished the fight with a well-placed jab to her middle pushing her to the wall. He pinned her with his tonfa across her throat.

"You're not strong enough yet, Mashiko." He was still keeping her pinned when they both knew the fight was over.

She scoffed, "You know my talents lie in something other than hand-to-hand combat – or rather hand-to-tonfa combat. Seriously, Hibari-san, it's an unfair fight if you can use your weapons and I can't," she sent a glance at their one-man audience, "It probably wouldn't change the outcome of our spar either way, but I'd at least have a better fighting chance. Ugh, I think you bruised something that should never be bruised."

"Kyoya-san, perhaps Sawada-san requires medical aid?" Kusakabe interjected to help the girl who could surprisingly keep up with their leader.

"Hmph, get stronger, Mashiko. I want to see you fly." She couldn't tell if he meant that figuratively or not since he knew she could make wings. Hibari stepped back and walked to a secluded corner of the roof to nap.

"Dang it, he wasn't even going full out," she pouted. She collapsed against the wall as the tall prefect approached her.

Being the well-prepared henchman he was, Kusakabe took out a first-aid kit and helped clean the scrapes and bruises from their spar.

"It was still a very good fight Sawada-san. Not many can last more than a few seconds with the leader nor do they usually leave with only scrapes and bruises." He introduced himself and explained he was the vice-leader of the Disciplinary Committee.

"I suppose, Kusakabe-san. But next time I'm gonna throw him way more." She aimed a glare at her already napping friend. "If he wasn't so quick to strike I'd have more opportunities to use judo, but since he's him I'll just have to adapt and react faster. Hmph, bring it Hibari." Smirking at the idea that she'd see his shocked expression again when he gets flipped in their next spar.

Yup, way more interesting, thought the prefect.


Nadeshiko settled into a semblance of a routine since then. On the days she didn't train at the dojo and all her secretarial work was completed, she and Kyoya would spar after school on the rooftop. Most of the time resulting in aching muscles and bruises, but she could feel herself getting faster and stronger.

After Kusakabe felt comfortable enough with their sparring, he no longer watched for more than a few minutes – which meant the kiddie gloves were off.

She was able to practice fighting with her wings and incorporating her cloud flames into her muscles to give her more strength in her attacks. She used the smallest amount of her attention to redirect onlookers' attention from the rooftop as well so, yay, multitasking.

Not to mention the instant gratification when she could make the ravenette stunned after an illusion here or a toss there. It made up for the immediate 'Hibari beat down' – which she believed could be much worse than what he dealt. Over the course of the week, she's witnessed several beat downs of Namimori troublemakers and rule-breakers which typically resulted in hospital stays and broken bones. None of which have happened to her…yet.

She trusted him not to seriously injure her and he trusted in her abilities to defend herself or dodge.

She also appreciated how her position as the Disciplinary Committee's secretary and her armband could de-crowd a hallway faster than the school bell. She'd exit her classroom and it was as if everyone would either get to class or paste themselves against the walls of the hallway. It was amusing even if it made it hard to communicate with her peers when she was unintentionally intimidating them.

She had Tsuna and Kyoya…and Kusakabe and Tsuna's friends by extension now that she thought of it so no loss for her in her opinion.

She still ate lunch with her brother and his friends although there were moments when Kyoya would show up, cause a group heart attack in her brother and his friends, and claim her help as the secretary was needed immediately. Often, it was more of a 'do this because I don't want to' situation with him.

Currently, it was after school and while Kyoya had nothing better to do than nap, she had paperwork to finish. She knew he used school as a place to relax and that he took paperwork home to do later at night. If she could minimize his burden by even the smallest bit by doing as much as she could after school, then she would.

She knelt beside the napping skylark, her back against his side. She offered to sit further away so the rustling of the papers wouldn't disturb him, but Kyoya had said it was fine and parked himself beside her.

She was used to working with soft background music, and unknowingly began softly singing as she worked.

"The flowers that blossom in spring

And the wide sky of summer

These things will stay in my heart

And glitter

Grey eyes opened quietly as they thoughtfully studied the back of the blonde Mist-user with a leveled gaze.

"Rain that falls in the morning

Even on days I close my window

The light that flows from my heart

Is above the clouds

Around them a warm glow shined. Grey eyes closed as the soft tune continued and the skylark drifted to sleep.

"Joy and sadness

I will embrace them all and walk

My hand

And your hand together"

The gentle smile that showed on both their faces would have been seen by any that witnessed the moment.


"Members of Namimori's Disciplinary Committee are being attacked and seriously injured - assailants remain unknown."

Despite his relaxed appearance, Nadeshiko could see the tenseness in Kyoya's muscles. His sharp eyes narrowed into slits.

"Has it been just our members, Kusakabe-san? No one else? Not even outside of Namimori? Are there similarities that tie the attacks to one another?" She wondered, why the Committee members?

It was currently 7:00 AM. Nadeshiko, after receiving a text from Kyoya to report to the school immediately around 6:30 AM, headed to school before her brother was even awake only to be informed of the recent attacks on her fellow prefects by Kyoya and Kusakabe.

"Mochida Kensuke was the only non-Committee member so far, Sawada-san. Each victim was found with a pocket watch with the hands appearing to go counter-clockwise after each victim. The first attack the watch read 12:55, the next 12:50, Mochida was 12:45, and the latest attack which occurred late last night read 7:35"

"Wait, how did it jump from 12 to 7? What were the times before 7:35?"

"Before that it was 8:40, 9:45, 10:50, 11:55, 12:00, 12:05 and so on."

It seemed like a countdown but why? If she ignored the minutes and looked at the times as if both hands of the clock were hour hands she could see the message. 23. 22. 20. 7, 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

If the perpetrator wanted to, they could have counted up to show an increase in their victims, but they hadn't. Something was wrong.

Nadeshiko shared her thoughts with the others. They agreed, it was a countdown - and they had no idea why.

"Tch, bottom-feeders who are too weak they can only attack other weak prey deserve to be bitten to death. I intend to extinguish the root of the threat soon." Kyoya stood from his position. "Tetsu, have Disciplinary members patrolling the area at all times. Class will begin soon."

He exited the Reception Room leaving Kusakabe and Nadeshiko alone. She gave a sharp glance to the second-in-command, "Kusakabe-san, I know Hibari-san dislikes crowding but make sure they patrol in at least groups of 2 or 3. We don't know if they're being ambushed or challenged up front and I'd rather we didn't take that risk nor make it easier for them to pick us off. Understood?"

"Hai, Sawada-san."


Nadeshiko stood beside Kyoya as they monitored the students entering the school. She's seen just about every student flinching at the sight of the mass of Disciplinary members.

Upon seeing her brother and Reborn approaching the gates, Nadeshiko released a sigh of relief and neared the duo.

"Tsu-nii!"

"Ah, Nade, there you-hie Hibari-san!" Tsuna blanched as he watched as his little sister - followed by Hibari - joined him and Reborn.

"Good morning to you as well Reborn-san," she nodded her head slightly to the hitman. "Did you hear about the attacks on Nami students?"

"We have. Your mom was giving Tsuna self-defense fliers this morning."

"Nade, will you be alright? We heard it's someone with a grudge against the Disciplinary Committee and now that you're a part of it - "

"No," Hibari interjected. Worried as he was about her, Tsuna forgot about Hibari's presence. "They will be dealt with soon enough."

At the same time Nadeshiko felt a breeze brush against her legs, Hibari lashed out with his tonfa.

The recipient of his attack let out a yelp of pain. "Ow, what was that for?" Complained Shamal.

"I sensed malicious intent. I suppose it was my imagination."

Malicious intent my ass. The pervert was definitely in the middle of lifting my skirt. She held a pinched expression, inwardly proud that she got into the habit of wearing shorts beneath her skirt and thankful that Kyoya's instincts included perversion prevention.

"That doesn't mean you should suddenly attack me," Shamal grumbled. His complaints were ignored.

"Mashiko, come." The ravenette began to walk away.

"I'm not a dog, Hibari-san. Stop telling me to come all the time," she half-heartedly protested. Her statement was also ignored by the prefect.

"Hovering over green from Namimori lain with verdure. Neither big nor -"

Nadeshiko attempted to hide her laugh with a cough, but based on the glare thrown her way by Kyoya she was unsuccessful. Pft, I told him to change his ringtone but no~. His pride for Namimori knows no bounds. She was even more amused by the disbelief on her brother's face.

"Oh, I see." Hibari turned toward Tsuna. "Wasn't Ryohei Sasagawa is an acquaintance of yours?"

"Uh, yes."

"He's been beaten up." Reborn told her he was being considered as a potential guardian for Tsuna so she knew he wasn't a weakling.

In fact, none of the people attacked should have been an easy fight.

"Another person not related to the Disciplinary Committee. Not good." It really wasn't good. They had no idea how the victims were being chosen or why there was a countdown. "Tsu-nii, you're going to see Sasagawa-san right?" He nodded. "Then a pocket watch would have been found with him. Text me if the time reads 6:30."

"6:30?"

"Yes. Each victim was found with a watch counting down from the last victim. We still don't know how they're choosing targets but Hibari-san has a plan."

Probably.


Unheard by the three was a conversation between Shamal and Reborn.

"It was a conditioned reflex. It should be alright since cherry blossoms aren't in season now. He won't develop the symptoms of the Sakura-kura Disease."

"Also known as Verginious Cherryitis. In the presence of cherry blossoms, he will weaken. Sometimes to paralyzation." He gave the perverted doctor an admonishing look.

"Eh, not my fault. I was simply protecting Hime-chan when that delinquent attacked me."

"..."


She watched Tsuna and Reborn run in the direction of the hospital while Hibari headed in the opposite direction. As she moved to follow the skylark, she noticed the tail end of a familiar striped scarf.

Futa? Isn't he suppose to be at home?

Against her better judgment, she followed the boy who she had started to see as a little sibling like Lambo and I-pin. "Futa-kun! Futa!" Calling out to the running child did nothing. "Futa-kun stop! Where are you going? Mama will be worried, Futa!"

She recognized where he was running to - the abandoned Kokoyu Land her family frequented till the day they closed. Those were some of the times she respected her Papa. He'd go on the rollercoasters with her since Tsuna was too afraid to.

She finally caught up to Futa who was standing frozen in front of the decrepit building that used to be where games like bowling and the arcade used to be. She slowly reached for his shoulder, "Futa-kun, is everything alright? Why were you running?"

As her hand made contact, he spun around and clung to her middle. But unlike the first time he did it when he first appeared, something felt wrong to her.

Bringing her hands to 'Futa's' shoulders and squeezing down painfully, she none too gently pushed the 'boy' off of her.

"Who in Kami's name are you and where is Futa?" She demanded with an ice-cold calm.

An eerie laugh that sounded like nothing that could ever pass through a young boy like Futa's mouth echoed in the air. "Kufufufu, I was wondering how a little girl like you was ranked the second strongest fighter in Namimori."

It was then that the countdown for the attacks made sense. Futa's rankings. Based on what he said, it was the rankings for the strongest fighters in Namimori.

"Ken and Chikusa are already hunting numbers 5 and 4, but I was just too curious about you, Nadeshiko Sawada - only eleven years old, a freshman of Nami Middle, barely past five feet, with a loser for an older brother. Yet you were ranked second, a member of Namimori's laughably weak Disciplinary Committee, and a close friend to the strongest fighter in Namimori." In front of her very eyes 'Futa' transformed in a flare of purple flames - Mist flames - into a purple-haired teenage boy wearing what she recognized to be Kokuyo Middle's uniform. As he made eye contact with her she noticed one of his eyes was red and the other was blue. The red reminded her of the Sharingan and thought it fitting for an apparent illusionist.

"Can't say I can give you the stalker-worthy report you gave me," that earned her a glare, "but it's obvious you or this 'Ken and Chikusa' are responsible for the attacks on Nami students and that you used Futa's rankings against his will."

"Kufufu, guilty as charged, Nadeshiko-chan. Ah, I haven't introduced myself, have I? I am Mukuro Rokudo." The way he purred her name sent shivers down her spine. "Are you going to turn me in? Because you'll be sorely disappointed when you fail."

She took a page out Kyoya's book and without warning leaped forward with a kick to his head only for her foot to be blocked by a trident. She bent back her leg to aim another at his side but he anticipated her attack and jumped out of range. With a spin of his trident, he smashed the end of it into the ground. Columns of lava erupted around her. Feeling the heat - it's not real - approach her from behind she materialized her Mist wings.

"Oya oya, so that's why you're the second strongest - you're an illusionist."

" I could say the same about you, Rokudo-san."

A battle of illusions commenced. When he conjured snakes she'd blow them away with a flap of her wings. When he'd throw flames at her she could tell which were real or held hidden debris in the illusions. She noticed that with each new attack, his red eye would show a different character. Totally this world's version of the Sharingan.

But she made a fatal mistake when she allowed herself to be distracted by the observation and felt it when her opponent's trident nicked her arm. It was a small cut compared to others she's received when fighting Kyoya.

Blood trickled down her arm but she barely gave it a glance and instead brought her full attention to the illusionist who looked like the cat that caught the canary. "It's been a while since I've fought another illusionist, but it's your lost, Prefect-chan."

She didn't understand what he meant until a cold chill overtook her entire body. She fell to her knees unable to do more than breathe as her limbs numbed. She hadn't noticed Mukuro's approach until he was standing in front of her with an annoying smirk.

What an interesting mind.

No.

Tell me. What is your greatest fear?

The smell of salt in the air.

What is your deepest secret?

A crashing wave.

Kufufufu.

Numbing darkness.

I see.


THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! (^u^)/

The song is "The Day That Will Come (Ashita Kuru Hi)" from the anime Kobato. I felt like those first few lines fit what I wanted. ALSO, I'd like you to imagine it sung in Japanese because I liked those versions better than any of the English translations and to imagine it not as high pitched at those specific parts because that'd be hard to sing softly in real life lol.

I've literally been searching for a song for Nade to sing since I started writing this fanfic. I thought about using "Aimo" because it did have 'skylark', 'sea', and 'sky', but then I felt like I needed to change the lyrics to fit the KHR theme better and sadly didn't get to doing that. Any songs you think would fit either now or in the future?

I felt like messing with the rankings and victim stuff a little so I hope you like the changes. Clarifications? Just ask.

Sorry for the delay in the chapter.

I've been on a cruise with absolutely no internet connection and no laptop and when I tried writing it on Google Docs it didn't save b/c again no WiFi. I think that was the saddest moment I've had this month. First time I've ever gone on a cruise so I was completely unprepared for the seclusion. (=_=)

Just saying but I just spent 30 or so minutes trying to figure out how to upload this chapter from my phone so it was sharing, downloading, and switching emails to get this thing uploaded while I'm sitting in the airport.

This chapter will be updated by tomorrow once I get back to my laptop to fix grammar, word choice problems, etc.

Review! What will happen next? Can Nadeshiko fight off Mukuro?

1/7/20