Chapter 3

Too Close

Hibari and Tsunme walked together to school.

Hibari had his hands in the pockets on his slacks while Tsunme walked beside him with her hands holding her bag behind her.

The students of Namimori couldn't help but stare at them as they walked.

"Ne, Hibari-san, thanks for taking care of me last night." Tsunme said with a smile.

"That doesn't mean that we're friends." Hibari said coldly.

"Ne, you're so cold." Tsunme said with a pout.

Hibari didn't answer.

"Juudaime!" Gokudera yelled from behind them.

Both of them looked at the running Gokudera. She's wearing her long, silver hair in pigtails.

"Good morning, Hanaru." Tsunme greeted.

"Good morning, Juudaime!" Gokudera greeted back. She looked at the prefect then back to Tsunme confusedly. Just like Tsunme, Gokudera was also a transfer student from Italy. They've been friends since they were kids. "Good morning, Hibari-san."

Hibari just turned around and walked away from them.

"He sure is a snob." Gokudera said with an eyebrow raised.

Tsunme just laughed at her short-tempered friend. "He's not as snob as you think he is."

Gokudera shrugged.

"Tsunme! Gokudera!" Yamamoto came running towards them.

"Good morning, Yamamoto-kun." Tsunme greeted with a smile.

"Good morning, Tsunme!" Yamamoto greeted back with his usual grin.

"What's so good in the morning when you're here?" Gokudera asked sarcastically.

Yamamoto just laughed it off as they started to walk to school again.

~~~xXx~~~

Hibari was sleeping in his office at lunch time when somebody knocked.

"Come in." he said sleepily.

Tsunme came in with her smiling glory. "Happy lunch, Hibari-san!"

Hibari sat up from lying on the sofa. He looked at Tsunme as she entered and sat beside him.

"I brought you a bento. I hope you'll like it. I made it for you." Tsunme said as she opened the bento for Hibari. "Here, take it."

Hibari took it and started eating.

Tsunme watched as the skylark ate her home-made bento. "How is it?" she asked excitedly.

"It's okay." Hibari answered while munching a mini octopus.

Tsunme's smile grew bigger. "Great! I'll make you another one next time!"

Hibari just shrugged. This girl sure is persistent.

"Can we be friends now?" Tsunme asked.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

Tsunme pouted. This guy sure can annoy anyone with his attitude. "How about now?"

"No."

Tsunme leaned back. "Do you have any friends at all?"

Hibari didn't answer.

Tsunme sighed. "I'll go now then, Hibari-san." she stood up and started for the door.

~~~xXx~~~

Hibari stared at the half-finished bento on his lap. It tasted good but he couldn't muster the courage to eat it all after saying 'no' to everything that girl said.

He sighed. He closed the lid of the bento and put it on the table. He lay back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling.

What the hell is with that girl? She keeps pulling my leg up as if it was a normal thing to do. Tsk.

He closed his eyes and tried to sleep but Tsunme's sleeping face showed. She's cute but annoying.

~~~xXx~~~

Tsunme stared out of the window while her teacher kept blabbering about sine-cosine function. She didn't have to worry about not listening because Reborn had taught her all of that.

"Sawada-san." she heard her teacher call her.

"Yes, ma'am?" she looked at her teacher.

"Can you please answer this problem?"

She stood up and answered the problem on the board which earned an 'aww' from her classmates as usual. She went back to her seat as if it was nothing great and continued to stare at the view outside.

The sleeping face of Hibari wouldn't go away. It kept on showing itself in Tsunme's mind and it's making her insane.

She ducked and decided to sleep.

"Can we be friends now?" Tsunme asked.

"Yeah, whatever." Hibari answered coldly.

"Can you smile for me?"

Hibari did as she requested. Dark blue eyes showed their true light as he smiled at her.

Tsunme smiled back. "You're so handsome, Hibari-san."

"Call me Kyouya, Tsunme." Hibari said.

Tsunme blushed. "Y-yes, K-Kyouya." she said nervously.

"Juudaime!" Gokudera's voice woke Tsunme up.

"H-huh?" Tsunme blinked a few times at her friend.

"Why are you so red?"

"Yeah, Tsunme, why are you so red?" Yamamoto asked from behind Gokudera.

"N-nothing." Tsunme said with a forced smile.

"Do you have fever?" Gokudera asked as she put the back of her palm on Tsunme's forehead.

"No." Tsunme shook her head.

"Then why are you so red?" Yamamoto asked worriedly.

"Nothing." this time, giving her friends a genuine smile. "I just had a weird dream."

"What dream?" Gokudera asked.

"Secret." Tsunme put her finger on her lips in a hush sign.

Yamamoto and Gokudera just shrugged with a smile.

~~~xXx~~~

Hibari went on the roof top and found Tsunme leaning on the railings.

She looked at him when she heard the door open. "Hello!" she waved at the prefect.

The prefect just ignored her and lay on the floor. He folded his arms behind his head which served as his pillow. He closed his eyes only to open them again when he felt another figure embrace him.

He looked at Tsunme who embraced him. "What…"

Tsunme just put her head on his chest and closed her eyes with a small smile on her face.

Hibari sighed as he closed his eyes too.

~~~xXx~~~

Tsunme listened to Hibari's heart beat. It was so calm, so relaxing, so... beautiful. She closed her eyes as she willed herself to sleep. She wrapped her arms around Hibari's waist.

"Hey, Hibari-san...?" she called quietly.

"Hmm...?"

"Can we be friends?"

"No."

"Why?"

"That's just because."

Tsunme pouted but didn't remove her arms around Hibari's waist instead, she held on to him tighter.

Maybe next time, you'll finally answer me with a 'yes'. Tsunme thought hopefully. She smiled at the thought and slept.