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.


The beeping sound of a machine slowly brought Nanami to consciousness. Her nose was filled with the smell of antiseptics and she opened her eyes to the sight of an unfamiliar white ceiling above her. It did not take her long to realize that she was in a hospital.

Looking to her side, she found a ravenette silently reading a book on a nearby bed. He glanced at her as if sensing that she had aroused from her sleep.

Hibari immediately closed his book and pushed a button on the wall. Seconds later, a doctor and a nurse entered the room and helped the girl up. They moved the curtains to provide her privacy as they examined her body.

After they left, Nanami sat on the edge of her bed to push the curtains aside. She stared at Hibari who had already returned to reading.

"What happened to the banquet?" Her voice was slightly strained. "How long have I been sleeping?"

"It's been three days," he paused, contemplating whether to close his book again. "The rumble ended as soon as your mothe—"

"Bambina!"

A boisterous voice was suddenly heard and Senritsu Haruna came flying from the window. She tackled her daughter in a hug. "Thank goodness! I was afraid you would never wake up again!"

"Mom?! Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be in Italy?" Nanami panicked as she struggled in her tight embrace.

Haruna released her with a pout. "I was worried about you, of course! My heart almost stopped when I learned that Varia kidnapped you. I'm sure you don't remember, but me and Iemitsu saved you at the last minute!"

The older brunette took the honor of explaining everything: of how they learned of her abduction from Reborn, and that it almost sparked a conflict between CEDEF and the independent assassination squad Varia. The competition was forced to end prematurely, albeit temporarily, after Iemitsu threatened to report them to the Vongola IX for involving a civilian in their affairs.

Amidst the loud narration of her mother, Nanami was suddenly reminded of the fact that they were not alone in the room.

She nervously glanced at the skylark, afraid that her mother's appearance made him remember a certain incident where he was given a good beating in broad daylight. Much to her surprise, however, he paid them no heed at all.

"Mom," she whispered. "Can you apologize to Hibari? You attacked him before."

"I already did, back in Italy. Even though it's not my fault because he attacked me first!" Stealing a glance at the other teenager, Haruna harrumphed. "Anyway, all is well because I promised to fight him someday."

Nanami gawked in disbelief. "Why would you do that?!"

"He refused to accept my apology otherwise!"

"Oh." She slowly nodded in understanding. The idea of Hibari taking that opportunity to strike a deal with her mother made perfect sense to her.

Just as Haruna finished explaining everything, her phone rang. She hastily left her seat. "Oops, duty calls."

Nanami frowned. Her mother still prioritized her work even when she was confined in a hospital?

Noticing her reaction, Haruna smiled apologetically. "Sorry, bambina," she ruffled her hair. "Dad will come by later in the evening. He'll stay here until visiting hours are over."

She then leaped on the window sill and waved a hand at them. "Laters, youngsters!"

And the older brunette disappeared. Immediately after, a distant scream was heard, something along the lines of, "Oh my god, someone jumped!"

"Hibari," spoke Nanami following a short moment of silence. "What floor are we in?"

"11th."

She buried her face in her hands and groaned.

With eyes still on his book, Hibari commented, "You have a noisy mother."

"I know. I'm sorry." Nanami defeatedly mumbled against her palms.

"You may look identical, but it seems that you take after your father more in terms of attitude."

Her eyes widened and she raised her head to stare at him. She wondered how he knew her father but quickly realized that he had probably visited her while she was asleep.

"You're the first person to say that."

"Is that so?" He flipped a page. "It was pretty obvious to me."

Nanami lowered her gaze, her hand unconsciously moving to fiddle with her hair. For some reason, their conversation made her nervous. Was it because that was the first time they talked normally?

She racked her mind for a reply. "How about you? Who do you take after?"

The brunette received nothing but silence as a reply.

Is that a sensitive topic? Realizing that she had killed the conversation, a drop of sweat rolled down her temples. She subtly cleared her throat to break the ice. "Anyway, why are we in the same room?"

"There is a shortage of rooms because of a virus that is spreading around the town."

"Oh."

Another silence fell upon them.

This guy. He's only noisy when he taunts someone. Nanami thought as she watched him from the corner of her eyes.

Staring at him, she noticed a bandage around his neck and found his left arm suspended in a sling. Her mood instantly dropped. Feelings of guilt and regret flooded her at the memory of impaling him.

She muttered, "I'm sorry."

"For?"

"That."

Hibari finally tore his gaze away from his book. He followed where her finger was timidly pointing to and scoffed. His bandaged arm barely bothered him. "This is better than you holding back against me."

"You say that, but you were holding back as well," she countered. "That last move of yours before Sawada interfered—I'm sure you could have easily defeated me if you used it right in the beginning."

"Who knows," he muttered with a small smirk. "Using your trump card as a starting move is plain boring."

"Anyway, please accept my apology. I really feel bad about it."

At her insistence, Hibari shut his book close. He watched her with a measuring gaze. "Do you not plan on dropping that herbivore act?"

His question made her frown. "What?"

"For someone who is an expert at wielding weapons, you sure are good at pretending to be harmless."

Nanami stiffened at his statement, which Hibari noticed. Her reaction only urged him to continue. He was close to cracking the mystery that was her—a walking contradiction who had been bothering him since the start of the semester.

"I can tell from the way you move," he added. "You had your own share of battles. So why are you pretending to be weak?"

His words provoked a torrent of unpleasant memories in her mind. She was about to lash out at him but stopped upon noticing that his expression remained the same. He was calm, and almost serene, despite the sharp and sarcastic remarks that left his mouth.

Nanami was confused. If it was not his goal to agitate her, what exactly was he getting at?

Taking a deep breath, the brunette managed to maintain her composure. She decided to answer his question first. "I'm not pretending. It's true that I was trained to be strong—and I know that I am strong—but I hate fighting."

His eyebrows furrowed slightly. "You hate the very same thing you were trained for?"

"I believe that I was trained to protect, not to fight."

Hearing her own answer made some of her uncertainties (even the ones she was unaware of) fade away. She smiled upon feeling her chest grow lighter. "I know that there are moments when fighting is unavoidable, but I make sure that even then my morals remain intact. Otherwise, the thing I was fighting for would get lost in the process."

Hibari only stared at her in silence.

Well, he had a hunch, and it seemed that he was correct.

Senritsu Nanami was a strong woman, he acknowledged that much. She could make metal spikes be buried on the ground, implying that a single flick of her hand amounted to the force of combined repeated hammer blows. Her legs were strong enough to let her jump from high places without breaking a bone or destroying a muscle. Her flames were insanely tremendous that she had to be given a limiter to stop them from overflowing.

So, why?

Why did she always choose to run away instead of fighting back?

It always confused him, until he saw her expression.

"H...Hibari, are you okay?"

The expression she wore when she impaled him was of absolute terror. He was sure that, amongst all the instances when he had attacked her, she never made such a face.

It was almost ridiculous how hurting someone terrified her when getting hurt herself did not.

"I see." Hibari said in a whisper that Nanami failed to hear, "So you are of the same species as Sawada Tsunayoshi."

She blinked when he silently returned to reading his book. Was she able to properly deliver her message across?

Despite her doubts, the brunette decided to let go of the issue. She retreated to the comforts of her bed and watched the sky through the window in her boredom.

For the rest of the afternoon, two little clouds enjoyed the peaceful quiet of their room.


***EXTENDED ENDING***

It was almost midnight.

Hibari shot Nanami a warning look. "Just to let you know, even a falling leaf can awake me. And I despise having my sleep disturbed."

"Okay," she replied, unaffected.

Half an hour later, a certain brunette could be seen crouching beside the skylark's bed.

"If you have the ability, it is a crime not to use it." —featuring Senritsu Nanami and her pitiful excuse for using her ability to hide her presence and watch Hibari Kyoya sleep.

A falling leaf can awake you? That posed no problem to her at all since her footsteps were more silent than the wind, or at least, she claimed. It was during those times that she greatly appreciated her shinobi training. After all, not everyone gets the chance to see a slumbering Namimori Demon.

Nanami gazed at him for the longest time. She knew she was being creepy, but she couldn't care less. No one was around. No one would know. And it was not like she was doing anything bad.

She was just watching him. Silently, without any malicious thoughts.

Now that I get a closer look, Hibari is pretty handsome.

In her defense, that was not a malicious statement as she was simply making an observation.

His sleeping face is like an angel, but when he wakes up a demon ascends from hell.

If only he knew how to be gentle, she was sure that women would gather around him like pigeons craving for breadcrumbs. But then again, the man hated crowding, so she doubted that would ever happen.

Needless to say, the brunette had a lot of time in her hands. She continued to stare at him.

Anyway, this is such a rare occasion so— she brought out her phone and fiddled with it, before snickering in her mind.

Say cheese, Hibari.


Author's Note:

Nanami would make a terrifying stalker lol

Anyway, this chapter is focused more on the reflection of her character. She is strong, yes, but I can assure you that she is not a Sue. Her strength solely comes from her shinobi training and her short student-mentor relationship with Belphegor. At least, for now.

Oh, also if you have the time, do check out the Wattpad version of this fanfic. I upload special chapters there! ( DreamsDoComeTrue)