I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
Midnight Snow
Bare feet padding against the cold hardwood floor, I-Pin yawned softly as she made her way from the bathroom back to her bedroom. As she walked past the large bay window, she took a glance outside. She stumbled to a halt, eyes wide with awe. To make sure she wasn't imagining things in her half-asleep state she rubbed at her eyes.
But it was real. It was snowing.
Grinning widely at the fat fluffy flakes that fell from the dark sky, illuminated by the silver light of the stars and moon, I-Pin turned on her heel and hurried in the opposite direction from her room. Her feet barely touched the floor as she moved, soundless and quick like Fon had taught her.
She reached the wing that housed Tsuna and his Guardians. She opened up the door to her best friend's bedroom and crossed the carpet. She crouched beside his bed, hands moving to shake the snoring form. "Lambo! Lambo, wake up!"
"Wassamatter?" he slurred, green eyes cracking open.
"It's snowing!" she informed excitedly.
"Oh…that's nice," he mumbled, head sinking back into his pillow.
I-Pin pouted. "No, you have to look at it! It's pretty!" She stood up and went over to the window. She pulled the drapes back and pressed her face against the glass. There was a thin layer of snow building on the ground.
With a defeated sigh, Lambo pushed himself up and ran a hand through his messy curly hair. He trudged over to the window and stared at the falling snowflakes, a grin forming on his features. "The first snow of the Christmas season."
I-Pin nodded happily. "If we're lucky it'll keep snowing until there's lots and lots."
Lambo glanced at her. "How am I supposed to sleep now when I'm all excited to play in the snow?"
She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. But I got so excited myself that I had to share it with someone." She paused as an idea struck her. "You know…maybe we don't have to wait until morning to play in the snow."
Ears perked in interest, Lambo said, "I'm listening."
"It's a midnight snowfall!" I-Pin stretched out her arms. "I've never played in midnight snow before. Since we're not going to be able to sleep anyway, why don't we have some fun?"
Lambo grinned. "Now that's what I call an idea. Let's go."
The pair went into the hall and moved as silently as they could, a feat which was not so easy for Lambo as it was for I-Pin. Reaching the foyer, Lambo went to the coat closet and removed their jackets and mittens. I-Pin wrestled into her dark red coat as she shoved her feet into her boots. Lambo was quick to follow her and they disarmed the security system so they could go outside without setting off the alarms.
"Hopefully we'll get some decent snow days this year," said Lambo, spinning through the snow and kicking up clouds of white dust.
"Never mind the snow days. I want a White Christmas." I-Pin bent down and gathered some snow into her black mittens. She pushed her fingers into it, enjoying the chill that seeped through the material.
Lambo dropped to the ground and lay flat on his back. He moved his arms and legs up and down so that he could form a snow angel. I-Pin joined him in the activity and it soon became a contest of who could make the most.
"All right, all right," panted Lambo ten minutes later, sprawled in his half-finished snow angel. "My arms hurt."
I-Pin grinned teasingly at him. "If you stopped playing so many video games and started doing more physical activity, you wouldn't be out of energy so quickly."
"Shut up. Not all of us can be ninjas."
She set her hands on her hips. "That's not even close to what I practice."
"I know. But you move like one."
"I need some way to sneak snacks from the kitchen when I'm not supposed to," replied I-Pin. She looked around the snow-covered landscape. She flinched slightly at the dozens of snow angels imprinted in the snow. "Uh…guess we can't really cover our tracks with this one."
"Maybe it'll snow harder and cover them," said Lambo optimistically. "Let's go back inside. I'm tired."
They went to the door and Lambo pulled on the handle. But it remained firmly shut. "We're locked out," said Lambo in disbelief. "What the heck?"
"Automatic locking feature," recalled I-Pin with a groan. "We turned off the alarm but not the automatic locking feature."
Lambo's shoulders slumped in dismay. "Oops. Guess we're going to have find someone to let us in." A sharp gust blew over them and he shivered. "Let me tell you, I'm not spending all night out here." He picked up a handful of snow and threw it at his best friend. "You and your stupid ideas."
I-Pin retaliated by throwing snow into his face. "You don't get to play that card. I've gone along with so many of your dumb schemes I sometimes wonder what's wrong with me."
"Probably the same things that are wrong with me," quipped Lambo.
They wandered down the steps, lazily walking in circles through the snow. Their flesh was numbed by the frigid wind but it was not an entirely unpleasant sensation. I-Pin stared up at the night sky, smiling at the snowflakes that fell softly to her face. She stuck out her tongue and caught some in her mouth.
"It's really peaceful out here," remarked Lambo. "But we better figure out how to get inside. I'm cold."
"Maybe there's someone still up. We have plenty of insomniacs in our family."
The two circled the mansion, peering through the windows in hopes of finding someone that could assist them.
"Oh…no," whimpered Lambo when they spotted a figure through the kitchen windows. Reborn stood with his back to them, in a pair of black silk pajamas. From the way he hovered near the counter, there was no doubt that he was making a cup of coffee. "I changed my mind. I want to spend the night out here."
"I'd rather not freeze to death," replied I-Pin. She approached the window and rapped on the glass lightly with her knuckles.
Reborn whirled around instantly, his dark eyes sharp. He stared at the two kids peering at him through the glass for a moment before a severe frown dominated his features. He gave his head a jerk, indicating for the pair to move to the front entrance.
"Idiots," he growled when the two scampered off. He left the coffee machine to continue percolating and reached the entrance hall with quick strides. He took once look at the alarm panel and his scowl only deepened when he found it disarmed.
He yanked open the door and Lambo and I-Pin scurried in, shivering and damp with melted snow. They knew better than to just take off so they stood in front of the hitman with nervous expressions.
"What do you think you're doing outside, alone, at one in the morning?" Reborn snapped.
"Sorry," said I-Pin. "I saw the snow and woke Lambo up. I thought we could play in it for a bit. But we forgot to dismantle the automatic locking feature."
"You shouldn't have messed with the alarm system to begin with and you shouldn't have been outside in the first place. Especially without the proper clothing on. Are you both stupid?"
"We're sorry," said Lambo in a soft voice.
"Oh, you're not sorry yet. You will be once I figure out the perfect punishment for this one."
"Yes, Reborn," the two kids said obediently.
"May we please have some hot chocolate?" added I-Pin hopefully.
Reborn reached out and pinched her nose, which he noted with inward concern that it was cold to the touch. "Do you think you deserve hot chocolate?"
"No, but I'm hoping you'll take pity," she mumbled.
Reborn smirked. "I don't take pity. But Tsuna will not be happy if I leave you to freeze, so I'll make an exception. Get your butts upstairs and change first."
"Thank you, Reborn," they said happily. They rushed for the stairs, neither able to escape a smack to the head, and Reborn watched them go. Shaking his head, he activated the alarm panel and went back to the kitchen, a slight smile on his lips.
Morons, he thought fondly.
