Ornithophobic

Real Chapter 1: The Demon And The Boy

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There was one risky thing that Canary did while attending Namimori- one single thing. On the days when Tsuna and company decided to spend lunch time indoors, and Hibari seemed to be occupied by something or another elsewhere on campus, she would spend lunch on the roof. She knew it was dangerous, but the view from up there on a clear day was almost heartbreakingly peaceful. And she was always very careful about it- it had never been an issue before.

But there'd never been a Hibird before.

Which was why Canary had been calmly eating as she gazed down at the trees when the yellow demon had suddenly appeared before her, landing a mere foot from the edge of her bento. She froze, breath caught in her throat, every muscle in her body stiffening.

Abject terror filled her being.

The yellow puffball tilted its head one way and then the other, watching her with soulless black eyes that turned her blood to ice. When the creature didn't make any move to leave, she attempted to ease back, but that was quickly ended when the demon chirped and hopped after her. Unsure, she glanced down at her bento and quickly tossed some rice at the bird- which was eaten within a mere blink of her eyes, not giving her time to even attempt to get away.

She tried again, this time throwing the rice a little further from both herself and the bento- it was ignored, and the bird instead hopped onto the edge of her lunchbox.

Which she was holding.

In her lap.

She whimpered.

Canary spent a good five minutes trying to figure out some way to distance herself from the bird so she could make her escape, but even the slightest shift was met with that cold stare. Not even when she was willing to leave what was left of her bento did the beast let her go free.

She was getting desperate, panic beginning to cloud her mind- when the sound of the door opening caught her attention. Fear-sweat rolling down her neck, she turned her head and caught sight of Hibari. A sigh of relief bubbling up, she glanced almost desperately at the demon in her lap, mentally pleading for him to return to his master.

He simply blinked up at her. All cute head tilts and plush feathers- Hibird even gave a teasing flap of his wings, but still, he did not move.

She released another whimper, quieter this time- knowing Hibari would be annoyed by her weakness. The scuff of shoe on ground told her that the prefect was moving closer, but this time her eyes remained on the bird.

There was a silence, then- "Hibird." That was all the boy had to say, his pet demon giving one last hop before taking wing and resettling on his head.

Canary was quick to take advantage of the situation, scrambling to pack away her bento and get to her feet. She bowed respectfully to Hibari, meeting his eyes with a fearless gaze. Well, fearless until it flicked upwards and caught sight of yellow feathers. She scrambled from the roof.

Damn, she hated birds.

———

Hibari almost felt the stirrings of curiosity as he watched the fleeing boy's back. That face had been unfamiliar, not someone he'd had to punish before, and those eyes- a yawn tugged at his throat and whatever budding curiosity he felt died in the face of the nap he'd come up for.

Hibird, while settled happily in his master's hair, still looked after the strange girl. And it was a girl he saw. Canary had made a foolish mistake- she'd focused her illusion work on people. Animals could see right through it.

And smart as Hibird was, he could sense something was... amiss.