jychan: And just like what I have said, I was going to make a story based from the other Guardians of the Rose Noire. This time, the characters I have chosen are Kyoya Hibari and Tan Li-Chen. This could also be a companion fic of Black Rose (check it out please. :))

Summary: She was the Wind. He was the Cloud. They were both the aces of their own Mafia Famiglia. The only difference was that while one was the cat, the other was a rat. HibarixOC

6

A man in a tattered black suit was sitting patiently on a rock while he stared at the fire before him. He was currently in a forest after the Rose Noire HQ in China had blown up after an attack by the rival famiglia. For the meantime they had to back down since his partner had fainted after being beaten up by her own sister. He sighed at the complication of the situation. He was already about to win against his opponent who was really weak but since his opponent's partner (his partner's sister) had won already, they had left ahead, leaving them in the already burning HQ. Fortunately though, he was able to get outside the HQ with his partner on his back.

Speaking of his partner, she was already awake. She was staring at a blank space, her eyes void of emotion. Despite waking up from a nightmare, she had not spoken a word to him, even question on why her clothes were different from her usual red Cheongsam dress. He was, however, not surprised on her reaction. It would be pretty natural for her to act that way, especially since she had just found out that she had an older sister, who was supposedly killed since she was supposed to be stronger, and yet the older sister who wasn't killed off yet had beaten her up, taking away the Éventail du vent.

He brushed his hair with his hand as he sat still on the rock. He was getting bored, but it was dangerous for her to be left all alone in the forest, especially since it was already dark. He wasn't sure what time it exactly was, but his instincts told him that it was very late already. Obviously, he hated it that his partner was bringing him down, but he couldn't blame her at the same time. He wanted to, but he couldn't.

Tan Li-Chen stared at a space. She still couldn't get over the shock that she was experiencing right now. To be beaten up was the most shameful and disgraceful situation that she could be in. She was the dubbed as the Strongest Guardian of the Rose Noire, and yet she was beaten up by someone she had won over a long time ago. Perhaps, she had slacked off a lot. Perhaps, she had not trained enough, but that wasn't the case.

She knew that she had let her personal affairs affect her work, her fight earlier. She had failed to be a professional as she was supposed to be. She wasn't fit to be the Rose Noire Wind Guardian after all. Tears were swelling up her eyes. She knew she was going to break down any moment and that was the part that would truly confirm that she wasn't a professional worker after all.

"Here are your clothes." Hibari handed a tattered red Cheongsam dress towards her as she was brought back to reality. Li-Chen looked up to Hibari, who had an annoyed look on his face. She swallowed and took the Cheongsam dress. She blinked for a moment. Wasn't she wearing a red Cheongsam dress earlier? She looked down on her clothes to find a Japanese yukata clad all over her. She swallowed and looked at Hibari who seemed to smirk for a second. She blinked.

Why was she wearing a Japanese yukata and how was it possible for a Japanese yukata to exist in mainland China? Then again, Hibari was Japanese. She swallowed and blinked. No. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be. No. It couldn't be. The words continued to go on inside her mind as she was staring dumbfounded by the possibility that Hibari had changed her clothes. If Hibari had changed her clothes, then he would have seen her- She swallowed as her eyes widened. She stood up immediately as she stormed towards Hibari who raised an eyebrow.

"Is there anything you need, Tan Li-Chen?" He asked. His voice cold and distant as usual. He seemed to be angry or furious with something, though. Then again, she wasn't sure since he always sounded that way, but she had to get this over. She had to confirm it directly from him.

"Hibari-san, were you the one who changed my clothes?" She was direct. She had asked straight to the point without any unnecessary words, phrases or flowery sentences. He knew that she was scared to approach him, but since she was unsure whether he had done so or not, she had to ask him. Directly, that is. Now since she had wanted to get the truth from him, what was the use of denying? He replied firmly, "Yes, I did."

"You did what?" Li-Chen's voice was shrill as her eyes widened while Hibari frowned for a moment. She swallowed. She didn't want to get killed by him, especially since she couldn't defend herself anymore. She frowned as she remembered how she lost her weapon. She was utterly use- "Your clothes were tattered and it was more revealing in a sense."

His voice disrupted her thoughts as she widened her eyes upon what he said. More revealing? Wasn't he seeing more especially since he had changed her clothes? His statement had become an understatement after he had changed her clothes, making him see more! Now, what kind of a bride was she going to be? She was going to be called a whore or whatsoever. She couldn't marry anymore, especially since some man other than her to-be husband had seen her body. She was impure in a sense.

"I'll take responsibility if I have to." He said as Li-Chen looked at him with her eyes widened. "Do you exactly know what you mean by that, Hibari-san?"

"Yes, I do. Rest now. We'll have to leave once the sun rises." He motioned to her as she was still dumbfounded. She could not believe what the older man had just said. Did he just say those words? Did he just say that he was willing to marry her since she was supposedly impure? She could not believe it. She shook her head as she turned around and went back to her former place and sat on her place.

"I'll be looking for more twigs for the fire." Hibari said as he stood up and left her. He supposed that she was already fine. She was focused with what he had said earlier. Once again, he was teasing her and at least she wasn't sullen anymore. He preferred not to have her depressed. What was worse than having a depressed partner in the middle of a forest with different enemies who were out to kill you? Well, he wasn't afraid for himself, he could just bite them all to death, but the woman was the problem. He sighed and stared at the sky.

She was honestly disturbed with what he said. He didn't really mean those words, right? He might have the wrong idea with what she had just said. She nodded. He should have the wrong idea. He wasn't like this at all. Of course. She sat and stared at the sky. What was she supposed to do now? She was powerless. She was weak. She had no Éventail du vent to aid her in battle. She looked at her side. It was her trusty pair of arnis sticks. She frowned. Even with the arnis sticks, she was still very weak. What was the use of it? She threw her arnis sticks to the air. She had already lost, what was the use of fighting once again? She had failed already. What was the use of everything then? She might as well end her life out here.

"OUCH!" She exclaimed as something had hit her hard on her head. It was her arnis stick. "I remember bringing it here." He had returned from picking up twigs, which were on his left hand. On the other hand, there was the other arnis stick. "Did you throw it away?" She nodded. There was no use denying it, as well.

He sighed. She was depressed and angry at herself, alright. She was probably thinking that it was all to useless to fight once again and had thrown her weapons away, after which, she would have to find a way to kill herself. He shook his head. This was all too typical. He knew a lot of people who did this already. It was such a shame, yes? "Now, how are you going to fight?"

"I won't fight already. I've lost. I have failed already." She said as she looked away from him. She couldn't face him. There was shame and embarrassment plastered all over her face. She couldn't let him see it. She still had some of her pride left.

"Once." He said, "You have only lost once, but that doesn't mean you can't fight back." He added as her face was still obscured from him. He had not tried to make her look at him, though. He knew that she felt ashamed of him. "So, are you going to let her kill all your fellow herbivores? Are you just going to be a coward, running away from all your responsibilities? I never expected that you were such a weak person."

"Tell me what am I going to do then, Hibari-san?" She asked as she turned to him. He was surprised, but he frowned and replied, "Think about it, Tan Li-Chen. What is it that you are supposed to do?"

"I can't fight! I don't have my Éventail du vent! I'm a weak person now." She replied as her voice had reached its peak. She panted as tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. She was frustrated, alright. She was angry, but not with him. She was angry with herself. She couldn't be angry with him, not when all of what he said were true.

"You have that." He pointed to her arnis sticks as she replied, "I can't win with this. She has the Éventail du vent."

"Is this the Ace of the Rose Noire Famiglia then? The Ace of the Number One Mafia Famiglia in Northern Europe?" He replied, "I would rather think that your boss chose you without you having to use the Éventail du vent in the past. I believe Éventail du vent was given to you after you were chosen to be the Wind Guardian."

She nodded. That was true, in the least. She was not sure of how Hibari found out, but what he said was true. Haru-san had gave her the Éventail du vent after seeing her abilities. Now, that didn't mean that even if she was stripped off her Éventail du vent, she was not the Ace of the Rose Noire Famiglia. She became the Ace of the Rose Noire Famiglia before she had held the Éventail du vent. She became the Wind Guardian of the Rose Noire Famiglia before she held the Éventail du vent. She smiled.

He smirked. At least, he was able to move her a bit. She spaced out once again as he looked at her. She was thinking deeply. At least, he got her into thinking positively. Now, she was certainly going to improve some more after this. They were going to have another good fight after all of this.

"Shall we see my master tomorrow, Hibari-san? I have the need to see my master." She asked him as he looked at her. He nodded. She smiled and replied, "Thank you very much, Hibari-san." She replied as he nodded and turned away from her. He looked once again at the sky. There were the clouds, hiding the moon from his view. The clouds were free to do so, after all. He chuckled lowly. He was the aloof, drifting Cloud that protects the Family from an independent standpoint, and whom nothing can ever bind.

She turned to the other side as he turned away from her. She was thankful to him that he had lifted her spirits, albeit in a harsh manner. She felt the wind blowing towards her as energy and determination had filled her. She was, after all, the Wind that nothing could bound and capture, that continually blows all misfortune towards the Famiglia and she was going to prove to everyone that she was one.

jychan: HERE YA GO, GUYS. It's a pretty long chapter. I used French words: Éventail du vent means Wind Fan; Now, reviews would really make my day... I'm just saying and implying... ;)

thearistocrat: Oh yes. I noticed that my Hibari here is a bit OOC. . I had to edit this chapter a lot of times. XD And thank you very much. :)