here's a "double update" because I forgot to upload twice this week aha whoops

Chapter 8: My Italian Roots Are Tingling

I found myself going to the Hibari residence on auto-pilot, even though I had finished my deliveries for the day. My mind was overflowing with a mixture of emotions, and my brain needed an outlet to let it out...

Well... what better outlet was there than Hibari Kyoya, the bastard who never turned down the opportunity to beat the shit out of me?

As soon as I arrived though, my rationality returned. Sighing, I hopped off the scooter and walked towards the field nearby, the area that Hibari often chose to spar with me. Today, it was empty, and it was a perfect place to just live in the moment, I guess.

I collapsed onto the bed of grass, feeling like a starfish.

The mafia business was one that I didn't quite understand fully. Even before I had been included in it, my lack of active participation caused my perception of the mafia to be awfully skewed, with the only information I had of the mafia being confined to what I saw (or heard) in Namimori, like the explosions or Tsuna's screaming.

Perhaps that was why I just didn't understand why Tsuyoshi-san was so reluctant to tell Takeshi about his involvement in it, when he should've fully known that Takeshi was in it as well. Tsuyoshi-san knew Reborn, after all, and what with the "training" Reborn was implementing even during my work and school hours, it seemed that Tsuyoshi-san even knew why he had me delivering to Hibari in the first place.

Which pegged the question: Why exactly did Hibari constantly order sushi?

I had just assumed that he liked it - sushi is a delicacy after all - but after his constant demands for sparring sessions and the consistent orders, I couldn't help but wonder if Hibari actually liked sushi or just used it as an excuse for a battle.

I mean, he almost ordered it everyday, did he not get tired of eating it?!

…Did he even eat it?!

What a waste.

"What's a waste, Onee-san?"

I jumped, but when I looked up I met an innocent gaze. Sitting up, I recognized the owner of the voice to be one of the little kids of Tsuna's household, the one that seemed like the most normal. He continued to stare at me curiously, and I just smiled, reaching down to ruffle his light brown hair. "Just talking to myself. Are you lost, by any chance? I could help you back to Tsuna's house, if you want. That's where you're staying, right? I live near there anyway - "

He averted his gaze. "You know Tsuna-nii, Onee-san?"

I blinked. Oh, duh. Stranger danger and all that. I kneeled down to meet his eye level and offered a hopefully friendly smile. "Yep! My name is Kamiya Izanami, Tsuna's long-time neighborhood older sister of sorts. I've been really busy with work, so I haven't been able to formally introduce myself to Tsuna's growing family, but I've really been meaning to!" That was partly a lie, since I avoided the entire house like the plague because I didn't want anything to do with their shenanigans, but he doesn't need to know that.

His smile was blinding. "Really?! You must be great, Onee-san! Does that mean you were Tsuna-nii's role model?!"

Blinking rapidly, I let out a laugh. "Whatever you want to think."

"Oh, right!" He smiled shyly. "My name is Futa de la Stella. It's nice to meet you, Nami-nee!" His smile turned awkward. "I know where I'm going, so I should be fine! I don't want to bother you, after all! Thank you though!"

I blinked. "But it's not safe for you to-"

But off he went, along with that giant ass book he carried around, something I didn't even realize he was holding until now. Did that not weigh twice his weight? How in the world did he lug that around like it weighed nothing?

Still, I smiled at his retreating figure. "How cute."

"What's cute?"

My gaze met a strange pair of heterochromatic eyes, belonging to a head of indigo pineapple-like hair. It took me a moment to fully register that he had spoken Italian, causing me to get as far as I could from the teen. I stood with hesitant fists raised in defense. "W-w-who are you?" I tried demanding but my voice cracked in fear.

If there's one thing I realized during this whole fiasco, it's this: if a stranger speaks Italian, they're related to the mafia.

"Kufufu~" He smiled at me. "I was just checking on my Ranking Prince, but what are the odds that I'd meet the daughter of the Sanguigno Nono here... now isn't this quite a lucky coincidence?"

My eyebrows creased together in frustration. "That name again… What's a Blood-Red Ninth? Why does everyone keep throwing around that name?"

He looked surprised for a split second, before looking incredibly amused. "Oh? So it is a coincidence, considering you don't even know that basic piece of information. Fair enough. Can't say that means you don't know information about the Vongola Decimo though, right?"

I frowned in confusion, Clam Tenth?, when I remembered the very first encounter I had with Reborn.

"So you knew. That your neighbor's going to be the next leader of the mafia underworld."

I froze, and at that the pineapple-haired teen smiled. "Kufu~ That's quite the expression, there. So you do know. Won't you be a darling and tell me who he is and where he lives, Izanami Sanguigno?~ Can't say this is a request... more like an…" The kanji in his eyes changed, and my instincts screamed at me to get the fuck out of there. "Order."

Whether it was the fear that seized my body or the killing intent that leaked out of him, my body refused to listen to my instincts. Nothing moved.

He raised an eyebrow. "What's with the tenseness? Just tell me and you'll be on your merry way, mafia." The mere mention of the name mafia caused the killing intent to thicken, and he spat out the name in disgust. "Isn't selling out your comrades what you filthy scum do best?"

Help.

Someone, anyone... Why isn't there someone around here?

"Kufu. Guess that means you won't be spilling, huh?" His eyes narrowed. "How annoying."

"I…" I tried to stomach the fear pooling inside of me. "I don't know."

Please, I'll take anyone…

"Kufufu~ Do you think I'm stupid or something?"

He started to come closer, and all I could see was his flashing red eye, the kanji 'one' flooding my entire vision and I felt my eyes shut in fear.

SomeoneHELPMeANYONEwillDOiSWEARI'lleventake…!

"Outsiders are not allowed to intrude on my territory. You realize you are breaking that law," a familiar steely voice cut in. Standing in front of me with his proud Disciplinary Committee badge pinned to his arm and his tonfas raised, Hibari Kyoya flashed a bloodthirsty grin. "For that, I'll bite you to death."

The Italian stranger raised an eyebrow. "The skylark? I'm afraid it's a bit too early for your turn. Ah, a shame… Well..." He smiled over to me. "It was nice meeting you, Izanami Sanguigno~"

He dissipated when Hibari swung at him, who looked disappointed when his tonfa made no contact.

My knees wobbled, and I fell to the ground, petrified with leftover fear, anxiety, relief.

So that was a member of the mafia.

...

That's the mafia.

Hibari turned around, examining my state, and he narrowed his eyes. "You've got a herbivorous expression on your face, carnivore."

"…Thank you." He looked confused, but I could provide no other words. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Kyoya."

His eyes narrowed more, and I was met with a blur of black before it landed on my face. It had a soft texture, smelling like fresh soap and sushi. I grabbed the item to examine what it was and realized it was his blazer. I turned to look at him with confusion, but he was already leaving to go inside his house.

"Wash it and bring it back by tomorrow. You owe me, carnivore."

The door clamped shut, and I stared for a while before clutching the blazer tightly and holding back the urge to cry.

I'm weak. In the face of danger, I cowered in fear and froze up. The pineapple-haired teen didn't even do anything, yet his killing intent was enough to make me drop to my feet and sob. In what way am I considered a carnivore, Hibari? How do you perceive me? In what way am I strong?

I didn't realize that I had been shivering, or the fact that my arms had goosebumps, but maybe it was because the blazer was warm.