Luna: To Lexie-chan94, it's still a risk that Tsuna didn't want to take. But I feel bad for him, and I'm the one who put him in this situation in the first place… *slaps herself* To Soul Vrazy, yes, Hibari is male in this fanfiction. I'm sorry for the previous confusion! DX To Final Syai Lunar Generation, that's okay, you take your time reading~ As long as I know you're reading at all, I'm content! =w= I have to admit, I hate cliffhangers, but I also love using them. /shot Thank you very much! To YueRyuu, thanks! Here's an update (that took way too long to get out DX)! To Raevi, I know… why am I involving civilians!? DX Here's an update for you! To Swanfrost15, thanks~! To Tiger723, th-thank you very much! *flattered* Here you go! And I like your penname very much, for personal reasons! ^_^ To pinkus-pyon, why, thank you~! XD
And to my older sister, Merry Christmas! *hugs*
Tsuna: (DISCLAIMER) Luna-san does not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! or any of its characters! ^_^
"Sacrifice yourself and come over quietly, or this child will not live another minute."
Tsuna glared at the assassin, letting him know just how pleased he was with his involvement of innocents. "Don't worry, ma'am," he told the girl's mother soothingly, slipping his gloves on and switching the song playing under the cover of talking. "Your daughter will be just fine. I'll make sure of it."
The assassin smirked. "The only way to ensure that is to turn yourself in, Vongola Decimo," he drawled, the pistol pressing harder against the girl's forehead. "And quickly."
The girl shivered, terrified. The two Mafioso held each other's stares, both seemingly calm and collected, but Tsuna's mind was racing as he restrained his Sky Flames from bursting to life. Normally, I would blast him with the X-Burner, but that takes too long and my life isn't the only one at risk right now. If I race forward and knock the pistol out of hands or punch him, he'll still be able to easily pull the trigger and kill the girl, which I'm sure he has no qualms about. His now-amber eyes were nervous. Is turning myself in really the only thing I can do!?
The assassin grinned, seeing defeat flash through the Vongola Decimo's eyes (which were curiously now orange, but his Dying Will Flame hadn't shown itself yet, so he was safe). "I see that you've come to the right decision."
Tsuna sighed bitterly and took a step forward-
"Herbivore. For causing chaos in Namimori, taking a child hostage, and attacking a Namimori Middle student…"
Tsuna gaped. Wh-what's he doing here!? I thought Yamamoto said that he only patrols Namimori once in a while!
"…I will bite you to death."
The assassin shuddered involuntarily at the icy and threatening tone of the newcomer. Steadying himself, he turned to his right. "Hm? Has another hostage presented itself-"
Hibari Kyoya's tonfa made contact with his jaw, knocking the assassin into the air as he lost his grip on both the girl and the pistol. Tsuna saw his unexpected yet much-welcomed chance as he leapt forward and grabbed the girl, bringing her over to her mother and telling them both without a second thought, "Run." The two females nodded in fright and fled as the assassin crashed to the cement a few feet away.
Tsuna turned to give his assailant a piece of his mind, allowing his Sky Flames to burst from his forehead and X-Gloves at last, but Hibari was already there, his foot grinding into his victim's stomach painfully. "Tell me why you saw fit to do what you did, herbivore," the skylark stated coldly, digging the heel of his shoe even harder.
"S-sei un bastardo! Agh!"
Hibari raised an eyebrow, unrelenting in his torture of the assassin. "Hn? What language is that?"
"It's Italian," Tsuna blurted out against his better judgment, quickly clapping his hands over his mouth right after the words came out.
Hibari glanced at him. "You understand Italian, herbivore? What did this herbivore just say?"
Tsuna paled, despite being in his Hyper Dying Will Mode. "Erm- he said- that is-"
"Tell me, herbivore."
"H-he just called you a-a… bastard…" Tsuna mumbled awkwardly.
Hibari's gray eyes flashed and he stomped down on his victim. He smirked at the yelp and writhing of pain as he stepped back, raising his tonfa. "Do you know who I am, herbivore?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "I am Hibari Kyoya, the Leader of the Disciplinary Committee, and the enforcer of Namimori."
Self-proclaimed enforcer, Tsuna added mentally.
"And you, herbivore, have to be disciplined for your actions in Namimori."
Tsuna watched Hibari thoroughly punish the assassin. I'll interrogate him after Hibari-san is done, he decided, wincing throughout the Mafioso's pummeling.
"Oh mio caro Dio! P-per favore, signore, vi prego di smettere! Peeerrrrrchéééé!?"
Ten minutes later, Hibari was satisfied. He stepped back as the screams died out, allowing Tsuna to approach the assassin. He grabbed the now-shivering man by his hair with his flaming glove and brought his face right in front of his. He hesitated and decided that, since Hibari already knew that he could speak and understand Italian, not to mention that the assassin was after him, there was no further harm in speaking openly. After all, the three were the only ones left in the area, everyone else having deserted the place.
"Who are you and who sent you to kill me?" Tsuna growled, getting straight to the point.
The assassin was finally able to speak Japanese coherently. "I-it was the Bovino Famiglia- I-I'm just a hired assassin! Th-they told me to kill the Vongola Decimo and then go back to Italy and el-eliminate the traitor, Lambo Bovino-"
Tsuna snapped and grabbed the mercenary's throat, effectively cutting off his speech. "Listen to me and remember everything I say, because I'm not going to say it twice," he hissed darkly. The Mafioso nodded with difficulty. "You can go back to the Don of the Bovino Famiglia and tell them that they can send as many people as they want to attempt to kill me, but threaten Lambo, whom they abandoned, or any of my Famiglia for that matter, and they will wish they had never been born. Understood, signore?" The assassin nodded again, frightened by the brunet's fierce glare. "Good." He released the man, who scrambled to his feet and scurried away, wincing with every hurried step he took.
Tsuna let his Sky Flames go out with a sigh, the song having ended just in time. He stuffed his mittens into his pocket again before hesitantly facing the prefect who had been watching the entire scene with interest.
"Herbivore, you have some explaining to do."
Tsuna gulped. "Well, I better go back home now, bye, Hibari-san!" And he sped off in the direction of his house before the skylark could stop him.
Only when he stepped onto the porch of the Sawada household did Tsuna start breathing properly again. He warily looked over his shoulder to see if Hibari had followed him, gratefully noticing that he hadn't. Something delicious wafted past his nose as he took out his key, and he knew that Nana had finished cooking up her feast.
The brunet inserted the key into the lock and turned it, unlocking the door. He opened the door slowly, allowing the aroma of his mother's delicious food to gradually flow out of opening. "Okaa-san, I'm back... sorry if I'm late, I was taking a walk," he called, finally stepping over the threshold.
Nana's voice came from the kitchen. "Tsu-kun, you're just in time! Your friend decided to come over, too!"
Tsuna frowned in confusion, closing the door behind him. "My... friend?" Could it be Yamamoto? But I never told him where my house was...
Nana grabbed Tsuna's arm as he neared the kitchen, pulling him in cheerfully. "I can't believe you made a friend already, Tsu-kun!" she gushed.
Tsuna gaped at the figure who was sitting at his table, surveying the feast laid out in front of him with interest. "H-Hibari-san!?"
"Yes, he said his name was Hibari Kyoya," Nana confirmed happily as the black-haired man turned and inclined his head slightly. "What a handsome boy he is!" She gestured towards the table. "Take a seat; the food is ready!"
Tsuna awkwardly plopped down onto his seat (which just so happened to be right next to the skylark's) and reached for his plate gingerly. And here I thought that I could avoid having to explain until tomorrow! he moaned inwardly.
The food was scrumptious, as expected of Sawada Nana, but during the entire meal, butterflies fluttered in his stomach. The fact that Hibari hadn't said a word since his arrival, the small nod being his only greeting, only made the butterflies flutter about faster. How am I going to do this!? After all, I slipped up so badly that Hibari-san will know if I lie during my explanation! Tsuna thought, panicking.
Riiiiiing.
"Ah, Tsu-kun, could you answer the phone?" Nana asked brightly.
"O-okay, Okaa-san," the brunet answered quickly, only too happy to have an excuse to get away from the black-haired male beside him. He stood up as quickly as he could and raced for the phone in the hallway, picking it up with a breathless "Hello?".
"What's this I hear about an assassination attempt by the Bovino Famiglia, Dame-Tsuna?"
"Reborn!" Tsuna had never been so glad to hear the babyish voice of his Spartan tutor, Reborn, before. Normally, he would cower in fear, even over the phone, but this time, he really needed the Sun Arcobaleno's help. He lowered his voice so that his mother and Hibari wouldn't be able to hear him. "Thank goodness you called me!" he whispered.
"I also heard that someone named Hibari Kyoya was the one who dealt with the assassin," Reborn continued, ignoring his student's frantic words. "One hostage and you're rendered helpless, Dame-Tsuna? You're lucky that I'm not there right now to whip you into shape-"
"There is something much more important at hand, Reborn!" Tsuna interjected before hastily lowering his voice once more, urgently saying, "I...I accidentally revealed that I can speak and understand Italian, and Hibari-san was watching me as I interrogated that assassin. Right now, he's sitting at the table in the kitchen of my house, eating dinner. He hasn't said anything yet, but after dinner, he'll probably ask about the situation and he's the kind of person who just can't be lied to! What do I say, Reborn!? What do I do!?"
There was silence on the other end. Then, "...Tsuna, has your Hyper Intuition been trying to tell you something lately?"
"Eh? Y-yes, actually... it was when I was thinking about the recruitment of two other Guardians, I think."
"I thought so."
"Wha-"
"...I think Hibari Kyoya may be the one who is destined to be your Cloud Guardian."
Luna: Time for some translations!
Sei un bastardo! – You bastard!
Oh mio caro Dio! – Oh my dear God!
Per favore, signore, vi prego di smettere! – Please, sir, I beg you to stop!
perché!? – why!?
signore - mister
There weren't any songs or further explanations pertaining to Tsuna's reliance on headphones in this chapter... there will be in future ones, though! Also, if Reborn's proclamation seems too sudden, know that the next chapter will reveal more. Thank you! ^_^
Tsuna: Please review! All criticism is welcomed!