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.
"What are you hiding from me?"
Nanami gave him a confused look. "If you're thinking I brought another manga with me, don't worry. I—"
"I'm not talking about your silly book," Hibari grunted, obviously running out of patience. "Let me dumb it down so that even a blockhead like you can understand."
"What—!"
"You've been avoiding me for 3 weeks now."
At the mention of the real issue at hand, Nanami flinched. Right, she silently scolded herself for forgetting about that! It seemed that almost getting revealed as an otaku got her distracted.
As if realizing her slip of emotions, the brunette changed to a neutral expression in an attempt to feign ignorance. Unfortunately, her reaction did not escape Hibari's scrutinizing gaze.
"Obviously, you did something wrong to fear my wrath," he stated, now sure of her recent avoidant behavior. "What is it?"
The gears in Nanami's mind ran a mile.
Think. Should I tell him it's nothing, or do I make up an entirely different reason? Ah, but if I create a lie that I can't follow through, he would realize it. But it's not like I can say the true reason either!
In the end, Nanami decided to fake it until she makes it!
"Ah, the thing is, Hibari-san—" she hesitantly spoke but was immediately cut-off by the skylark.
"In case you didn't know, you shift to honorific speech when you're lying."
Dammit! If defeat is imminent, retreat is the only option.
Nanami immediately turned on her heel and decided to run for the exit. While it broke her heart to abandon her favorite manga in the arms of her mortal enemy, she made a silent vow to retrieve it another day. By asking Kusakabe to get it for her, that is.
However, before she could take another step, Hibari effortlessly grabbed her wrist. He pinned the brunette to a nearby desk, effectively trapping her in between his arms. "You underestimate me if you think you can run away from this distance."
Heavens forbid that her heart race from such rough actions, but a heated blush spread uncontrollably on her cheeks. It was all that stupid rumor's fault! Yes, that was definitely the reason, Nanami insisted. Not something else!
She looked downward to hide from his gaze. "Let go, idiot! Your actions are making things worse!"
Hibari was thrown off by her sudden outburst. He almost budged when she pushed him away, but the pain immediately regained his senses. His grip on the desk tightened as he leaned a bit more forward to prevent her from running away.
And this went on for another minute. Nanami attempts to flee, Hibari stops her by getting closer. With bodies merely an inch away, the brunette lost all sense of reason.
"Fine, I'll tell you!"
Hibari scoffed. It was fun while it lasted, especially with the unusual sight of the brunette looking vulnerable and flustered, but even he knew it was time to stop fooling around.
"Speak."
Nanami took a deep breath. "Because of your... ministrations, the entire school thinks we're going out."
Hibari raised an eyebrow. "They're not mistaken. I can take you out."
"Not in a murderous way!" she grumbled, fighting the urge to literally knock some sense into his head. "I'll dumb it down so that even a blockhead like you can understand."
Annoyed that she used his own line against him, the skylark was about to summon a tonfa when—
"Going out! Dating!" Nanami emphasized, before pointing at her favorite shoujo manga that Hibari had chucked to a nearby desk.
He begrudgingly followed her gaze. It was only then did he realize that their current position was painfully similar to the malicious display of affection found on the cover of the book.
"Get it? Like lovers!"
An electric current surged through Hibari's veins and he instantly let go of Nanami. He glanced at his hand that was visibly shaking before making a fist and turning away. Was it disgust, rage, or excitement? He did not know. But, he was sure of one thing.
Someone needs to be bitten to death.
A pair of tonfas appeared in his hands. With back still facing Nanami, he declared, "I don't love anyone. I'm no herbivore."
Nanami sighed. She wanted to refute his logic regarding herbivores, but deemed it was pointless.
"I know. I don't love you either."
A twinge.
Although her tone was that of empathy—of understanding—somehow, and for an unknown reason, her answer irritated Hibari. Would he simply let it go? Leave it as an afterthought in his mind?
No, because irritation is what fuels him.
Hibari turned back to Nanami. At the same time, a flash of light entered his vision.
An echoing shatter filled the room.
It felt cold. Everything felt cold — that was until a hand touched me. And then I realized, it was me who was cold. My body, to be exact.
Am I dying?
The realization sank in as my head throbbed manically. It hurts.
It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.
"Nanami."
This voice—it's familiar.
"Nanami, wake up."
I opened my eyes, but I could barely make an image of the man holding me. It was dark. My vision was getting blurry. Ah, it seems that I really am dying.
"Please." Although he said it in a whisper, I heard them very clearly. His pleas, with a voice that sounded familiar. Until it started to break.
"Stay with me. Don't go."
The man pulled me closer to him. I could feel his warmth seeping through my body. It felt nice.
Slowly, the pain started to fade.
"I'm sorry, Kyoya."
Nanami woke up to the scent of antiseptics filling her nostrils. When her eyes opened to the sight of an IV bag hanging above her head, she realized she was again brought to the hospital.
"Hibari, that piece of shit," she cursed, while trying to sit up. Almost immediately, her head throbbed and she cried out in pain.
"Senpai, you're awake!" Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto rushed inside the room. Reborn followed them and closed the door behind him.
"How are you feeling, Senritsu?" asked the hatted infant.
"Like I'm dying," she answered weakly, her hands moving to clutch her head. Upon feeling layers of bandages, a nerve finally snapped within her. "Call the police. I'm throwing Hibari Kyoya in jail."
Reborn lifted his fedora in confusion. "Hm? Why Hibari?"
Nanami explained what happened during detention. How after informing Hibari of the rumor, he went mad. "He pulled out his tonfas! The next thing I knew, everything went black."
"Dammit, I gotta start writing a diary," she huffed, massaging her still aching head. "With the amount of times he hit me, I won't be surprised if I wake up amnesiac tomorrow!"
The brunette was angrily muttering to herself when, suddenly, a loud thud was heard. She looked beside her bed and found Tsuna in a dogeza!
"S-Sawada?!"
"I'm sorry, Senritsu-senpai! It was me. I was the one who hit you!" he confessed, prostrating himself. "I was practicing baseball with Yamamoto for P.E. when the ball accidentally hit you!"
Nanami frowned. "Wait, the room was in 3rd floor. How hard did you hit to reach that high?"
"Isn't Tenth just great?" Gokudera cackled, arms proudly crossed against his chest. "He hit it so hard, the ball looked like a shooting star!"
"Yeah, and that star hit me, you inconsiderate prick. Just shut your mouth."
"Right. My bad."
Yamamoto bowed as well. "I'm sorry, senpai. It's my fault for not properly teaching him."
Nanami sighed. "It's no one's fault, Yamamoto. Though, I can't say I'm completely fine with it since my head hurts like hell."
Tsuna, who was on the verge of tears, screamed and buried his head further on the floor. "I'm sorry! Please throw me in jail! I deserve it!"
"It's an accident, Sawada. No one's going to jail," she said, before pausing in thought. "Still, are you sure my injury was due to a baseball? I swear I saw Hibari with his weapons out before I lost consciousness."
"Oh, that." The freshmen trio looked at each other in awkward silence, earning them a confused look from Nanami. It was Gokudera who broke the ice. "Remembering his face still gives me the goosebumps. It was my first time seeing Hibari like that."
"He was running in the corridor while carrying you when we bumped into him. His face was so pale, it made us think you were dying," narrated Yamamoto.
"Senritsu was dying. If Hibari didn't get her to the hospital in time, she could have died from blood loss," scolded Reborn before letting out an exasperated sigh. "You three should start writing your last will. I believe you were warned."
Blood drained from their faces. Nanami gulped nervously, "Wait. What did Hibari tell you?"
"That he'll bite us to death and feed us to Hibird."
Hibari sat in the outer hallway of his room, leaning against one of the pillars. Silently, he watched the pond in his garden and the ripples that formed whenever a gust of wind passed by.
For some reason, he couldn't sleep. The incident from earlier kept replaying in his mind.
"I know. I don't love you either."
The moment he turned around to face her, the windows shattered and something hit Senritsu Nanami on the head. She instantly lost consciousness and the collision caused her to fall on Hibari.
While the sensation of something soft on his lips momentarily distracted the skylark, the urgency of the situation took him out of his reverie.
Was she shot? Hibari carefully moved her body as he checked for injuries. He almost froze upon seeing her bleeding profusely from the head. Thankfully, it wasn't from a gunshot which could have instantly killed her.
A baseball caught his attention. Seeing how it was smeared with blood, the ball was most likely the object that hit her head.
Hibari then took out his phone and called for an ambulance. Knowing that rescue will arrive soon, he lifted Nanami from the ground and rushed out of the room.
.
For the first time, he felt fear. It was unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time.
The sight of her dying—bleeding from the head. It plagued him until he himself started to have headaches. Why? It wasn't him who was hit by that damn ball.
The pain made him nauseous. Resisting the urge to vomit, Hibari covered his mouth.
All of a sudden, he remembered her soft lips against his. It was warm—a proof that she was alive. His gaze slowly softened and, soon, calmness returned to his senses.
"I don't love anyone. I'm no herbivore."
Love wasn't for the strong. Not for the logical. It makes someone weak. And, being weak is what Hibari Kyoya hated the most.
Love was simply impossible for him.
Yet, at that moment, it felt like he had a glimpse of it.
Author's Note:
I made the kiss the focus in the title, but when I wrote the chapter, I couldn't find a way that would make Nanami and Hibari willingly do that without making them out of character. So, this is the result of that effort. I hope you guys still liked it anyway! ^^
