Taming the Skylark (A Katekyo Hitman Reborn fanfiction)
Standard disclaimers apply. I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, Amano Akira-sensei does; though, of course, the OC is mine.
A week after, Nanami had yet to ignite a single flame. Her mother and Sawada Iemitsu had already returned to Italy and their summer break was ending soon, making her more painfully aware that she's running out of time.
She was beyond irritated and so was Hibari. He did say that he wanted to see her at her strongest, but he hated wasting his time on nothing.
He retreated his weapons. "This is useless. I'm going home."
Nanami did not stop him from leaving and simply went to rest under a tree. She looked at her calloused hands before closing her eyes.
Overwhelmed by fatigue, the brunette slipped into dreamland. Three hours had passed before she regained consciousness, awakened by a sharp peck on her forehead.
She slowly opened her eyes and found a yellow canary staring directly at her. It tilted its head before moving to her shoulders and repeatedly jumping on it, as if telling her to stand.
Already feeling better than before, Nanami easily lifted herself from the ground. She gestured a finger towards the bird who almost immediately perched itself on her hand.
"Wow," Nanami whispered in awe. She was ecstatic and her imaginations were running wild. "Aren't I like a princess right now? Like Snow White?"
An idea crossed her mind. She gave the bird her sweetest smile. "Nee, can you sing?"
The canary, much to her surprise, started to sing a song. The words that left its beak were so distinct, she was sure that she heard it somewhere.
Midori tanabiku namimori no
Dai naku shou naku nami ga ii
"It's familiar but I don't know the lyrics," muttered Nanami while rubbing her chin. "Do you know another song?"
The bird only repeated the same song as if to tell her that it did not know any other.
It had always been Nanami's dream to sing with little animals like a princess in a movie. She nodded her head determinedly and decided to learn the song instead of teaching the bird something entirely different since the latter would take more time.
By sunset, Nanami had completely memorized the song and even performed a perfect synchronization with the adorable little canary. She clapped her hands as if to praise the bird that had already nested atop her head.
There was a short moment of silence before the brunette dramatically dropped on the ground. Realization dawned on her.
"What the hell are you doing, idiot?!" she exclaimed, wearing a grave expression. Did she just wasted two hours singing with a bird?
She repeatedly slapped her cheeks. "You should be training right now!"
Nanami immediately took out a kunai and the canary flew away. She assumed that she scared the poor thing and apologized in her mind.
...If only she knew who it was constantly with.
The brunette trained alone, but immediately gave up an hour later, deeming it useless to continue since she had no idea how to release the flames. Hibari never taught her anything about it and even refused to give her the Hyper Dying Will pills.
She slumped on the ground and watched a lone cloud drift across the night sky. Her mind wandered to a certain memory.
"I want to see you at your strongest." Hibari declared with a cold, sadistic smirk.
Nanami closed her eyes and whispered, "So, if I'm not strong, you're just going to abandon me?"
She gave him a tired smile. "You don't really see me as a girl, do you?"
It had always been like that. People never saw past her identity as a shinobi. She didn't hate being one, but it always bothered her how it seemed to be the only thing that defined her. And, as if to confirm her worries, Hibari just had to slam it to her face that all she amounted to (at least for him) was that.
"Stop it. Don't let the stress get to you!" She let out an annoyed groan and abruptly sat up. Almost immediately after, she heard a scream.
"Woah, you scared me! I thought you were asleep!"
"Eh?" Nanami looked behind her and found a young man with short blonde hair dressed in a weird combination of stripped shirt and tuxedo. His eyes were hidden behind his bangs, thus the only expression she could discern was the surprised gaping of his mouth.
It took a while before she realized the situation that she was in.
—Since when had he been there? She did not notice him at all.
And that failure, in itself, heightened her sense of alarm. In just a second, Nanami brought out a kunai and positioned herself defensively.
"Who are you?" she asked.
The blonde man gave her a Cheshire-like grin. "Thank you for asking! I'm Belphegor, Prince the Ripper of the elite assassination squad of Vongola."
"...Assassination?" Nanami repeated warily, and another kunai appeared on her empty hand. She fervently wished that he was simply messing around, but the man sneaked up on her of all people. If he wasn't a fellow shinobi, he was mostly definitely an assassin.
Belphegor noticed her agitation. "Oh, don't worry. I won't kill you. If anything, I'm here to recruit you." His eyes then trailed on the pair of kunais on her hands. "You're from the Senritsu clan, right? And a Number at that."
"Number?" Her eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"Nana means seven. Your name is Nanami. Got it?" Belphegor playfully waved a finger at the brunette, who only stared back at him.
"If you're here to teach me basic Japanese, I'd rather have you leave."
"What, you really don't know anything?" Belphegor pouted. He wanted to tell her more, but that wasn't his job. "Anyway—! I didn't come here for that. Here!"
He then tossed her a small envelope. It was sealed with red wax, but Nanami could feel something other than the letter inside. She decided not to open it since it might had contained a trap.
"That's an invitation to the Banquet of the Clouds. I, the great Belphegor, nominate you as a Cloud Guardian candidate of Varia!" he explained before letting out a weird laugh and enthusiastically clapping his hands. "It'll be a fun party, trust me. So, are you going? Yes or yes?"
"No."
Belphegor chuckled again. "Wrong! Did you even listen properly?"
Nanami obviously had no plans of tolerating his nonsense. "And why should I listen to you?"
"Isn't that obvious?" he sighed and took out a knife. His grin remained, but the eyes that hid behind his fringes glinted dangerously.
"Because I'm a prince."
. . .
It was almost midnight. Hibari was already in bed when a familiar chirp awakened him.
"Hibari! Hibari!"
A frown had already formed on his face before he could begrudgingly open his eyes. He sat up and let out a tired yawn. If it wasn't his pet bird, Hibari would have already bitten it to death. Nevertheless, he wasn't exactly thrilled with his sleep getting disturbed. He gave it a warning glare, but it did not cease it panicked cries.
"Nanami! Nanami!"
"Nanami?" he repeated in a daze. "Ah, that woman. What about her?"
"Nanami! Gone! Enemy!"
A hint of dread almost immediately flashed in Hibari's eyes. Despite the bird's disconnected babbling, the message was delivered clearly. He rushed to the forest.
Indeed, Senritsu Nanami had disappeared and what remained were traces of a fight. He looked around and found a familiar sight: knives and wires. It reminded him of the man he fought when Namimori Middle was turned into a battleground.
Hibari took his time in properly examining the surroundings and noticed that every knife had her signature kunai beside it. He guessed that Senritsu had given her attacker a hard time and was, at least, able to stand her own against him.
However—
"Hibari. Hibari." The yellow canary landed on his shoulder.
"What is it?"
It took flight once more and led him to a nearby tree. There, Hibari found a familiar red armband.
—the fact that she was kidnapped remained the same.
Gokudera and Yamamoto just had their weekly sleepover at the Sawada household and were peacefully enjoying their breakfast with Tsuna and Reborn when Kusakabe came bursting through the door first thing in the morning.
"Reborn-san! The president was kidnapped by our previous enemies!" he exclaimed despite being obviously out of breath.
A loud clatter instantly echoed in kitchen as Tsuna and Gokudera stood at the same time.
"Senpai got—huh?!" the brunette screeched. "Who kidnapped her?"
"The one who wielded knives and wires and wreaked havoc at Namimori Middle years ago!"
Gokudera slammed the table. "It's that crazy blonde, Belphegor!"
"Are you sure? Why would Varia abduct Senritsu?" asked Reborn. Unlike the others, he made sure to remain calm in order to think logically.
Kusakabe shook his head in response. He had no clue either. "It was Kyo-san who saw the scene. She was already gone when he arrived."
Reborn mentally enumerated all the possible motives behind her abduction. A certain thought flashed in his mind and his eyes widened in realization. "...Could it be related to the new guardian selection?"
"What is that, Reborn?" Tsuna leaned towards his mentor, urging him to explain further.
"I've heard from Iemitsu that Varia will be holding a competition in search of a Cloud Guardian to fill in their ranks. They might have chosen her as a candidate."
Gokudera was noticeably furious. He dismissively waved his arm on the air. "What in the world would an assassination squad need from a civilian? She may have flames, but she's just a beginner!"
"That's right. We have to do something!" Tsuna clenched his fists and looked at his two friends. However, the hatted infant instantly shut him down.
"We can't do anything," said Reborn resolutely. "She is not one of your guardians. Being your friend does not invalidate her candidacy either."
"But she is from the Senritsu family! Senpai is supposed to be my serv—uh, retainer!"
"She never pledged loyalty to you."
Tsuna's shoulder dropped in dismay. "Then, what do we do?!"
Yamamoto spoke up. "Isn't it alright as long as she doesn't win? They'll return her if she lost, right?"
"If she's still alive by then," said Reborn, and everyone instantly paled. "An event held by Varia, an assassination squad, cannot be a light-hearted one. It probably involves dangerous challenges and fight-to-death matches. I heard that a number of assassins and hitmen will gather from around the globe. It's a stretch to say that Senritsu will be able to go back in one piece."
Gokudera, Yamamoto and Tsuna simply gave him a blank look. In desperate times like these, wouldn't it have been better to speak of something encouraging instead of totally crushing everyone's hopes with harsh facts? Unfortunately, Reborn did not know how to hit the breaks!
Tsuna finally broke into tears. "No, senpai, don't die!"
"Dame-Tsuna, crying will not solve anything. Use your brain." He gave him a flick on the forehead. "Think of a way to save Senritsu without breaking the rules."
As expected of the world's greatest hitman and home tutor, Reborn never missed an opportunity to teach Tsuna something new.
The brunette frowned as he focused his entire mental energy on the task that was given to him. A minute later, he muttered, "Maybe we can have someone sneak inside as a fellow competitor and save her?"
The infant smiled, pleased with his answer, while Gokudera clapped his hands and sang praises to his beloved Tenth.
However, Yamamoto seemed hesitant. "But we'll need to have someone with a cloud attribute to do that, right?"
An awkward silence filled the room. It seemed like everyone was thinking of the same person.
They all turned to Kusakabe. Before he could even speak, Gokudera scoffed. "Impossible, that guy won't agree to this."
Yamamoto nodded. Tsuna sighed and turned to his right-hand man.
"Gokudera-kun, don't you also have cloud flames?" he asked. Gokudera immediately gave a bow and apologized profusely.
"I'm sorry, Tenth, but I'm not able to use it much in a fight!"
Kusakabe took a step forward, drawing everyone's attention. "I will try to convince Kyo-san!"
He immediately took out his phone and dialed a number. Everyone, except for Reborn, watched him with anticipation.
It did not take long for Hibari to pick up his call. However, as soon as Kusakabe finished explaining the plan to him, a beep was heard.
Kusakabe gave them a dejected look.
"He said no."
Classes resumed a week later and, for some reason, many students seemed agitated. Was it because they weren't able to play much during vacation? For some students, that was exactly the case.
"Why did you cancel our practice match?"
"Hey, what happened to our budget?"
"Why is the volleyball club using our bus? We have a match this afternoon!"
"We used our own money because you didn't hand us the funds. Give us the reimbursement!"
Ogata Kazuki, the vice president of Namimori High, was on the verge of tears. The council was left in a state of panic after Nanami disappeared, leaving piles of unfinished paperwork. It was at that moment did he realize how much they relied on her. She was perfectly capable of working alone, but the council would collapse without her.
"President, please come back!" he whimpered as he tended to the grievances that had filled his desk.
Another knock was heard from the door and a teacher entered the room. "Ogata-kun, have you seen Senritsu-san? We have to talk about the Sports Day event."
In his mind, Ogata repeatedly apologized to Nanami for not helping her more. Now, the remaining officers had to pay the price.
. . .
The young members of the Vongola family watched from the corridor as a riot ensued in front of the Student Council office.
"We have to get her back or this school is finished."
Yamamoto laughed, his mood was the complete opposite of a certain silverhead. "That's an exaggeration, Gokudera."
Amidst the commotion, Reborn could be seen smiling as if he was pleased with the turn of events. "Yes. This is just what we need."
"Huh?" Tsuna blinked in confusion. As if on cue, Hibari emerged from the other end of the corridor with weapons already in hand.
"Herbivores who gather in a crowd—" he raised a tonfa and his eyes flashed dangerously, "will be bitten to death."
The students immediately tried to escape, but their actions only agitated him more. After all, running in the corridor was against school regulations.
. . .
After filling up the infirmary with injured students, Hibari walked back to the student council office.
He shot a deadly glare at Ogata Kazuki and ordered him to explain, and the latter admitted that everyone was at a loss after their president disappeared.
Kusakabe barely managed to stop Hibari from biting the entire council to death. He was aware that his leader always took his responsibilities seriously and despised those who did not.
"Kyo-san, if your hurt them, you will further disable the council!" Kusakabe clung onto his arm as if his life depended on it.
However, Hibari refused to relent. "What's the harm in disposing an already useless bunch?"
"The president will be troubled!"
At the mention of Nanami, Hibari noticeably stiffened. Kusakabe felt his resistance slowly disappear and he immediately let go of his arm before he could earn his wrath.
The ravenette silently made his way to the exit, but glanced over his shoulder before he could reach the door. Shivers instantly went down everyone's spines upon receiving the glare of the infamous Namimori demon.
"For not doing your job properly, you are to face the Disciplinary Committee by the end of this week."
After leaving the room with Kusakabe, Hibari found Reborn waiting at the side of the corridor.
He walked up to him. "Infant, I've decided. I'll take that woman back."
Reborn's Note: All according to plan. (•̀ᴗ•́)و
Next chapter: Prince Belphegor kidnaps Princess Nanami? Will she be successfully rescued by the Demon Lord Hibari Kyoya?
Wait, isn't it supposed to be the other way around? (・_・ヾ
