A/N: quick word here, I got a couple reviews that I could sadly not reply to, as they were in a different language :( I regret to say I only know English fluently, though I am learning basic German. So to those whom I did not reply, I apologize, but Google Translate is, quite frankly, horrible at its job. I couldn't quick make out were you were saying, so if you had questions, maybe some of them will be answered in the next couple chapters . . . ? Also, this is a short chapter, but that is because the next one will be long, and I just needed to end here for the right effect ;)
Chapter Eight
Inklings of Trouble
"H-hello," she stammered, "Wha-what are you doing out of the gym?"
Akane tried to formulate a sentence, while thinking alongside 'Why is it always the cute ones?'
Hibari leaned his shoulder against the fence. He had climbed to the highest precipice the building had to offer, in hopes of spotting someone to fight. His already low hopes had been squandered, naturally. Roll murmured and curled tighter into his ball as he snoozed on his master's shoulder. Hibird was too restless to perch, and fluttered between his head and the chainmail fence. The Cloud sympathized with the puffball – all the action around the school, and none of it here.
Hibari weighed his bloodlust against the wrath of Decimo for leaving, when his eye caught the slightest movement in the front yard. His eyes latched onto a patch of bushes where he had seen it. He knew that it was most certainly the wind, as he had felt it blow at the same time, but sheer boredom drove him to investigate anyways.
The skylark jumped between levels and roofs until he was close enough to the ground to land safely. Most people would still brake a bone, but he had always been superior, and the training in the Mafia had made him even stronger. The foliage wasn't far from where he had landed. He approached, but stopped halfway. What was that sound?
A strange ringing was bouncing around in his skull; the kind one heard during long periods of silence, or when machinery was nearby. He looked around in irritation – the noise wouldn't have bothered him normally, but during the chaos that swept over the school, he should not have been able to hear it. Roll lifted his head and sniffed the air sleepily.
The hedgehog stiffened and started to squeal. He was wide awake in a matter of seconds, unfurled and shuffling closer to Hibari's head. The Cloud knew better than to ignore the behavior of his box animal. He leapt away from the building's concrete wall and into the open, spinning around. Hibari did a 360, scanning for what had set off his companion. There was nothing. The courtyard was completely empty, and he would have seen anything enter while on the roof. Roll continued to whine, poking his cheek to get Hibari's attention, and then gesturing to the hedges.
He almost didn't believe it – that little motion actually was something? Still, he trusted the hedgehog. The Cloud debated whether to go closer or to back away. He knew it was not a person, he would have sensed them by now. Roll was getting so loud; it was almost a scream now. Then he smelled it. Smoke. It was already too late by the time he had figured it out, a bright light was searing through the branches. A greedy yellow-orange flame consumed the plant, and started to spread to the others like a disease.
Hibari grit his teeth and lost more ground in order to avoid the heat. He needed to put out the fire before it spread to the building – already he could see the wall was singed black. However, he was stopped before he could even start. The ground under his feet trembled, and several patches of dirt sifted to reveal a prize underneath. Different types of metal appeared from each hole. He spotted the classic land mines scattered around, in about every other spot. The rest seemed to be miscellaneous traps; he even saw a bear trap's open teeth half submerged in soil.
A fire at his back, threatening the entire school, and a field of snares in front; the Cloud had to admit it was a clever trap. It also would have taken a lot of planning ahead – so when was this set up? The skylark didn't have time to simmer over the answer. He was, quite rudely, reminded that there was a sniper on the loose when a dart burrowed into the ground a meter from his foot.
Great, the Cloud hissed mentally, just fucking great. Even when surrounded, there's still no one to fight!
Lambo giggled as he slid between the wall and the door. A few seconds later I-pin came barreling into the room, glancing side to side. She peeked under Tsuna's bed, climbed on his desk to look behind it, and crawled under the table. She came back to the middle of the room, hummed, then decided to look elsewhere, closing the door behind her.
Lambo put a hand over his mouth to stop his victorious laughter. He was the king of hide-and-go-seek! With his current place foiled, he looked for another in the room. He had gone to Tsuna's room immediately to find a hiding place; the room was already so full of clutter that it was hard to find anything out of place. Opening the closet revealed it to be equally messy. He had time before I-pin would come back to this room, because having checked it once she didn't expect him there. Spotting a side door, he discovered Tuna's closet. The walk-in closet was small, but shelves lined the walls, and a few tubs covered in dirty laundry were pushed to one corner. He inspected the bins closely, tapping on it to see it was plastic, and too full to climb in as is. Popping off the lid, Lambo snickered and started removing items.
He froze when he heard light footsteps tapping down the hall. What!? The Thunder Guardian looked around in panic. He hadn't thought I-pin would come back so soon! He didn't have enough time to perfect his first hiding choice. Fearing capture, he hopped on top of the bin and grabbed the shelf above. He climbed up to the highest shelf, as if they were rungs on a ladder, and lunged for a folded blanket. He heard the bedroom door open as the cloth settled over him.
I-pin shuffled through multifarious things in the Sky's room. She had already found Fuuta, who had hid in the laundry room. He was admittedly easier to find due to his larger size, and therefore fewer hiding places. Lambo was another story. He took his games very seriously. He had grown over the years, but had retained a slender frame that allowed him to squeeze into various nooks and crannies. His startling afro had also calmed into unruly curls, and didn't give him away anymore. He had exchanged his obvious cow-pattern body suit for jeans and a tan jacket, though refused to completely give up his favorite pattern, which reflected in his shirt choice. In appearance, one could even go so far as to call him normal. While I-pin was glad for a style improvement, it made him a lot harder to find.
I-pin was currently tearing the comforter from the bed when she heard a commotion coming from the closet. With a bang, Lambo tumbled out in a tangle of blankets and sheets. "Lambo! What —?" I-pin was cut off by the little cow.
"Is Tsuna-nii still at school?"
" . . . What?"
Lambo clambered over to the window and pulled himself onto the sill. He pressed his nose to the glass and fixed his eyes on a point in the distance. Something was bothering him. He couldn't place it, but he knew that something was amiss. He jumped down, threw off the stray cloth, and flew down the stairs. I-pin followed moments later.
Fuuta looked up as the Thunder Guardian came charging through the kitchen archway. He twisted in his chair at the table when the cow child ran right on past. He then proceeded to claw his way up the counters, and then over the fridge. Fuuta glanced back when I-pin trotted up, at a much more moderate pace.
"What's he doing?"
I-pin shrugged. "Don't know," she replied.
Their attention was recaptured when the Thunder gave a jaunty laugh. He now held a flat, circular object, and stared intently at its surface. Fuuta recognized it as the clock that had previously been knocked down during a food fight. Lambo turned from the clock to his fingers, while he muttered in concentration.
"Twenty."
The other two children shared a glance. "What?"
"Tsuna-nii!" Lambo cried, as if it was obvious. "He's twenty minutes late!"
Fuuta frowned. He hadn't seen any clocks lately, so he wasn't sure of the time. Normally, he wouldn't have given a second thought to Tsuna being late. However, for the little Bovino to have given the effort of math to figure out just how late their boss was, was enough to convince him. It was no secret how lazy the kid was; but he was also awfully attached to the boss they had all come to know as their older brother.
Being oldest, Fuuta took charge of the situation. He locked eyes with I-pin, then with the distressed Thunder Guardian. He spoke slowly, and with a forced calm. "Where is Reborn?"
A sharp hissing noise pierced the air and made Tsuna's head throb. He hesitantly blinked his eyes open, only to squeeze them close again. He groaned in agitation at the bright lights that were assaulting his pupils. His headache doubled as thanks for the effort.
"Oh~? Is our little guest awake~?" a sickeningly sweet voice rang out. It disturbingly reminded him of Lussuria, before the Varia had relented to his reign. Sweet, but bitter like bad almonds.
Tsuna moaned a bit and tried to move. He felt so stiff. His mind was foggy, and he couldn't quite remember where he was. The light hurt his head so much; he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes again. He felt tired, completely drained in fact. He did his best to raise his head, but ended up resting it against the wall instead. He wanted to go back to sleep. . . . He drew his knees closer, only to be stopped by some unidentified force.
The Sky frowned and pulled his leg again. It held tight. He tried to move his arms, and realized they were suspended above his head. Decimo tensed, fighting off his drowsiness. He tugged on his limbs, finding them all equally stuck. He caught the rattle of loose metal pieces hitting each other. Was he handcuffed?
The voice that had awoken him chuckled. "Oh, that won't work, honey. You're not exactly in your prime right now!"
The Vongola boss grit his teeth, and forced his eyes open. The exposure made his eyes burn, and involuntary tears threaten to spill. He could make out a black silhouette, framed by an orange glow. The sunset color reached the seated figure's knees, before turning to a neutral gray, with the harmful rays coming from the ceiling lights. Everything was blurred and fuzzy, and made him want to rub his eyes.
The person laughed again and stood. They took slow, deliberate steps closer – Tsuna could feel his conscious retreating again. The Sky struggled to stay awake as the person lifted his chin and smiled in his face.
"Oh, yes," they cooed. "We're going to have lots of fun with you, ne?"
Tsuna wanted to bite that hand, possibly kick them in the gut if his feet were free, but it was already too late. His eyes were closed, and the last thing he felt was his back sliding back down the wall, obnoxious laughter echoing through his head. Then there was black.
A/N
DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUN. There you go. In exchange for a short chapter, you get some Tsuna at the end :3 Fair trade? Fair trade. Ahhh, I can already feel the boiling anxiety attacks some people are going to have.
Ha, you didn't think that this would be part of what looked like another "Protect the school or blow cover" fic, did you? Or maybe you did, I don't know. You could tell me in a review though~~
No seriously. If you are raging right now, or are extremely giddy, feel free to just spazz out on your keyboard and send it as a review. Seriously. I'll still love you and reply.
Yes, there is some Lambo in this story. He's a Guardian too! Just . . . a very small one, and therefore has a smaller role . . .
Departing with wishes of sleepiness because it is one thirty in the morning ~ Rose
