OpalescentGold: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
Storm
This is how the Storm pledges allegiance.
Animosity
There is a transfer student from Italy, a delinquent boy with silver hair and emerald eyes named Gokudera Hayato.
Noriko takes in the way he glares at Tsuna, at the sticks of dynamite she can only just catch hidden on his body, and feels her heart twist in her chest.
There is something so very wrong with seeing the Storm threaten his Sky like this, but there's nothing she can do about it for now.
Dynamite
"Are you trying to kill him?" Noriko asks Reborn, hands clenched at her sides. She does not interfere in the fight between Hayato and Tsuna because this is between her Boss and his Right-Hand Man, but -
It leaves a bitter taste in her mouth.
"Of course not," Reborn says nonchalantly, holding up a gun that sings to her senses, whispers of flames and heat. "Dame-Tsuna can't become a magnificent mafia boss if he's dead."
"No," she finds herself responding, narrowing her eyes at him. "Tsuna won't become a mafia boss at all."
Dark abyssal eyes shift a fraction to stare at her chillingly, but before he can answer, there is a panicked scream from Tsuna. Hayato, it seems, has accidentally dropped a dynamite stick and will die by explosion soon.
"Do it with your Dying Will," Reborn says and fires.
It is only because Noriko has faith in Tsuna that she does not panic and run forward to tackle Hayato out of the way.
Devotion
"Who the hell are you?" Hayato snarls at Noriko after he has finished swearing his eternal loyalty to Tsuna, glowering at her with wary eyes. Tsuna frowns, glancing between them with concern, but Noriko merely smiles.
Hotheaded, this one. But loyal, so very loyal.
"Hello," she says. "I'm Reiki Noriko, one of Tsuna's best friends. Nice to meet you."
As she expects, Hayato accepts her easily after that. Takeshi and Ryohei, not so much. Kyoya just grumbles about herbivores and crowding before stalking off to his rooftop.
Uncertain
It unnerves Noriko to see Hayato so uncertain of his place at Tsuna's side. From the very start, Giotto and G. were friends, best friends, so perhaps that is why the hesitation in those green eyes makes her bite her lip.
Patience, she consoles herself, knowing her Sky has already began working his magic on his insecure Storm. Everything is falling in place, now there is only the Lightning and the Mist.
(Please - )
Still, Noriko does not hesitate to offer Hayato her smiles and hugs and affection. From the way he jerks subtly at every touch, every hint of warmth and acceptance, he needs it.
Passionate
Hayato is indeed hotheaded. His temper is unbelievably short, his dynamite sticks flung recklessly this way and that. He is so very desperate to earn his place at Tsuna's side that it only frightens him.
"You don't have anything you need to prove," Noriko tells him one afternoon, having invited him over to their tutoring sessions to help everyone else. The others have left, but she has asked him to stay behind for a chat.
He scowls, fidgeting in place, the vehemence in his voice not quite hiding the doubt in his eyes. "What are you talking about!?"
She smiles and rises from her seat to envelop him in a close hug, ignoring how he stiffens up and holds himself still as if a single move will shatter something. "Tsuna will accept you no matter what," she whispers. "You'll see."
Hayato
This is how the moon guides the storm.
Friend
Hayato first accepts Noriko's presence because he sees how Juudaime looks to her for advice, support. In turn, she dotes on Juudaime, and if this girl makes his boss happy, then of course Hayato will gladly accept her.
Strange
She's a strange one, Reiki Noriko. Rather than just tolerating Hayato like he expected, Noriko effortlessly pulls him into the already established group, admitting him inside without even batting an eyelid.
Worse, she does it so smoothly that he only notices after he is openly arguing with the baseball idiot and the turftop head, defending his boss from the damned prefect, and realizes that she is laughing, wild and silver.
Care
Noriko's hair is soft and silky and smells of lavender and vanilla. Hayato knows because she has the weirdest habit of ambushing him with hugs whenever he isn't paying attention and his nose frequently ends up in her platinum hair.
He tries not to think of why she only does that with Juudaime, Yamamoto, and Hayato.
Weapons
To this day, Noriko has never once flinched away from Hayato's dynamite, not even that one time her surprise hug startles him to the point that he whips out a fully lit dynamite stick on her.
She only laughs at the horror on his face when he realizes what he has done and tells him that it's alright. Apparently, the damned prefect does worse, although Hayato has never seen Noriko jump Hibari like she does to him.
Sister
When Bianchi arrives in town, bringing with her nauseating memories of poison and music and dark murmurs in the hallways, it is Noriko who finds Hayato huddled over Juudaime's toilet bowl, heaving his guts out.
Preoccupied, he does not even realize she is there but dimly registers the gentle hands that hold his hair back as he hurls. When he is done at last, she flushes the toilet and hands him a cup of cold water.
Hayato grimaces and washes out his mouth with the clean water, spitting it out in the sink. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and stares tentatively at his calm classmate, who just smiles sweetly at him.
There is no judgment in her eyes.
Soon, he learns that family, their family, is beyond such conviction.