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.
"I've heard a lot about you, Nanami. Nice to meet you. I'm Dino from Cavallone and Tsuna's older brother, in the sense that we were both trained by Reborn." He extended a hand at her.
It took Nanami a while to respond as she was awestruck by his handsome features. Ah, what a sight! His blonde hair, in particular, reminded her of her favorite character, Usui Takumi!
Gokudera cleared his throat, taking Nanami out of her reverie. She rushed to shake the visitor's hand. "No, the pleasure is mine! But... What exactly did you hear about me? And from whom?"
"From Varia. They seem to like you a lot, particularly Squalo," said Dino, quickly sharing how he was classmates with the renowned swordsman. "He is also thankful to you for blowing up Belphegor."
She let out an awkward chuckle. "I see. Please tell him to say hi to Miss Lilian for me."
"Oh, you're friends with the new Varia Cloud Guardian? That's amazing, Nanami!"
The brunette blushed at the repetitive use of her first name. It wasn't something she was used to hearing. "It's nothing. We just happened to work together during the banquet."
"It's good to have connections with Varia. They can be reliable with certain matters," Reborn mentioned with an unreadable smile.
"Certain matters? You mean—"
"Yes. Like this."
Shivers instantly went down Nanami's spine. The sensation of bloodlust!
Before she could even realize what was happening, her hand had already moved in reflex, grabbing the barrel of the gun that was pointed at head and redirecting it towards the ceiling. A loud POOF was heard.
Confetti fell like rain from above. It was only then did she realize who attacked her.
Tsuna dropped on the floor while Dino yelled at their mentor. "Reborn, what the hell?!"
"See? Nanami is strong, isn't she?" Reborn declared proudly as if nothing unusual just happened.
Dino remained flustered. How could he not be, when someone was almost shot point-blank in front of him? "I already know that much! You didn't have to do that little show to prove it to me!"
"I didn't do it for you."
The Cavallone boss followed Reborn's line of sight and found Hibari Kyoya standing behind them. He obviously witnessed what occurred, if the shocked expression on his face was anything to go by. His eyes, however, reflected something that Dino had never seen before.
The Disciplinary Committee Chairman strode towards the group and stood in front of Nanami — an action that was easily missed by everyone, except for Reborn.
"Infant. Attacking a student is a violation of school rules."
"Attacking people is bad, in general!" Tsuna protested after finally regaining the strength in his legs. "Seriously, what were you thinking?!"
Reborn shrugged. "Just played a little prank on Senritsu, that's all."
That wasn't a prank. His bloodlust was real. Nanami watched Reborn warily. She had no memory of doing anything that could've angered him, so it only meant one thing.
"Were you testing me?"
"Not really. It's just a hobby of mine to shoot people. Probably because of my profession as a hitman," he answered nonchalantly. "Ask Tsuna, I already shot him multiple times."
Nanami paled. "Huh?!"
"Infant." The temperature in the corridor seemed to drop drastically when Hibari spoke. Everyone turned to him, sensing his cold anger. "Don't do it again. I won't tolerate it even if it's you."
Tsuna gulped. There was no killing intent behind his words, but it wasn't an empty threat.
A small smile crept across Reborn's face, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "Of course," he turned to Nanami. "Sorry for surprising you, Senritsu."
She only nodded in response, still at a complete loss.
"And you, Haneuma." Dino flinched at the sudden shift in attention. Hibari's glare remained unrelenting. "Outsiders without a pass cannot enter school grounds. Leave or I'll bite you to death."
The mafia boss released a heavy sigh. "It's been years since we last saw each other and this is how you greet me? You haven't changed a bit, Kyoya."
"I'm busy." Hibari turned to Nanami. "Let's go."
Surprised that he was talking to her again, Nanami hesitated. "What, where?"
"You called a meeting with the Disciplinary Committee, correct?"
"Right." She invited Kusakabe, not him, though. "But we still have visitors—"
Patience obviously wasn't Hibari's strong suit. Before she could protest, he had already grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the group.
"Sorry, Haneuma-san. I'll be taking my leave!" Nanami barely managed to say goodbye before disappearing into a corner with Hibari.
Shocked, everyone only stared at the now empty corridor in silence.
...
"So, why did you do that?" Tsuna stared at Reborn accusingly. "That was too random even for you."
Gokudera nodded. "I agree. The only time I saw Reborn-san shoot Tenth was during training."
After Reborn was sure that the two Cloud users were out of earshot, he finally spoke, "Hibari had been avoiding Senritsu since the baseball incident."
Judging by the surprised looks on their faces, Tsuna and Gokudera had no idea at all.
"I'm worried that because he considers her an equal, witnessing Senritsu in a weakened state might have disillusioned him," Reborn explained. "But what Hibari fails to understand is that Senritsu was simply distracted at that time. She could have easily caught the baseball if he wasn't standing so close to her."
"Did you just admit to stalking them during their time together?" Tsuna gave Reborn a look of disbelief.
"I have many hobbies aside from shooting, you see."
"That's not something to be proud of!"
Reborn ignored him. "Hence, I decided to do a little showcase of Nanami's battle instinct and reflexes to remind Hibari of her strength. But—" he paused, "it seems that I was wrong."
The hatted infant retraced the changes in Hibari's expression as he pointed a gun at Senritsu:
Fear, and subsequent relief.
It was only then did he realize: Hibari wasn't disappointed in Senritsu. He was afraid that she had gotten hurt. And it was, most likely, the reason he avoided her — because fear wasn't an emotion that their Cloud Guardian was familiar with. It must have caused him a great amount of discomfort; hence, the avoidant behavior.
Then, does it mean that Hibari... towards Senritsu...
Reborn couldn't help but smirk. "This is unexpected. Ah, no. I expected it but not this soon."
"What are you talking about, Reborn?" Tsuna frowned at his cryptic words.
"I can't tell you. It's none of my business."
"Says the man who stalked them!"
Nanami looked at the hand around her wrist before throwing a disapproving look at its owner. "I thought the sight of me made you nauseous?"
"How is that even possible?" Hibari answered without looking back. The brunette felt her blood pressure rise.
That's my question! It took all of her willpower not to retort.
For some reason beyond his understanding, Hibari felt a lot better after that little stunt that Reborn pulled. He no longer had headaches at the simple sight of Senritsu Nanami. If anything, the idea of her eliciting such a reaction from him seemed so ridiculous all of a sudden.
He soon let her go. "Why did you call him that?"
Nanami raised an eyebrow. "Call who what?"
"Haneuma."
She blinked. "Oh, isn't that his surname?"
Hibari turned away, barely holding back a laugh. "Yes. Yes, it is."
Nanami only watched the skylark, who was obviously in a good mood. His unpredictable mood changes confused her. Now, she was the one getting headaches!
She sighed. "Well, as long as you're happy."
"Do I look happy to you?"
"Compared to the previous days, yes."
Before they knew it, they had already arrived at the Disciplinary Office.
"Kyo-san and... the president?!" Kusakabe rushed out of his seat after the two entered the room. He turned to Hibari, surprised. "I thought you were doing patrols."
"I saw her loitering around when it's time for the meeting so I brought her here myself," explained Hibari.
"I was entertaining visitors," argued Nanami.
"Visitors without pass."
"Why are you so rude? You and Haneuma-san seem to know each other very well. He even calls you by your first name!"
"He's a foreigner. Of course, he calls everyone by their first name." He gave her a scolding look. "Don't get strange ideas."
Wait, did he see me fawning over him? Nanami cleared her throat. "Anyway, let's start the meeting."
...
Barely a few minutes into the conversation, Hibari already wanted to kick a certain brunette out of the room.
"Do you hear how unreasonable you are?" He glared at her from his table. "You expect us to do something else in addition to the patrols and the bonfire?"
Nanami took a deep breath. Seated beside her on the couch was Kusakabe, who was reviewing the papers that she brought. "It's not my fault you skipped out on helping your respective classes. Everyone is expected to participate in class events. You should've prioritized them instead of your committee."
"If I had prioritized them, you wouldn't be having your bonfire."
Touche. Her harsh tone shifted to a more tolerant one. "Look. I'm super thankful for what you did, but I can't arbitrarily make an exception. You'll either have to help your own class or do something else for your committee. At least, only during the first day since you'll be busy with the bonfire on the last day."
Hibari still didn't look convinced.
"I think my suggestion is the best option for you," Nanami insisted. "Make your patrol the main event by doing a small twist."
The mischievous smile on her face gave him goosebumps. "I'll never do something like that again."
"C'mon, it's not like I'm asking you to walk around in a bird masco—"
Hibari threatened to tear the endorsement for the bonfire.
"Just kidding!" Nanami raised her hands defensively. "My class will help your committee find a suitable outfit for your patrols. We got assigned with Maid Cafe so we already made arrangements with a rental shop."
"Assigned? More like rigged."
Nanami feigned innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Hibari scoffed. He didn't have to be present in the meeting to know what happened. 'The President is a Maid' was Senritsu Nanami's favorite book. It didn't take a genius to realize that The President who is Delusional was trying to live a day as her favorite character.
He challenged the brunette with a knowing smirk. "Should I tell Kusakabe the contents of your book that I previously confiscated?"
"You must've been so invested to remember the details."
Despite the brewing commotion, the committee chairman couldn't be happier. Oh, how he missed their banters! It was good seeing them on good terms again.
"That aside, if you're so adamant to my idea, feel free to help your class out instead!" Nanami said, before promptly escaping the disciplinary office.
Somewhere, sometime. Under the moonless sky, a breeze blew against a wind chime.
"Are you sure about this, Hibari? I think it's better if I go."
The man dressed in a suit — a katana hoisted over his left shoulder — followed Hibari Kyoya insistently, his heavy footsteps echoing loudly against the wooden floorboards. He was about to follow the skylark into his office, when the room across it caught the man's attention.
The Japanese door that was keeping the room closed had multiple tears in it, allowing him to see the complete mess that was inside. Broken glass, overhauled tatami mats, and all sorts of things were scattered on the floor. At that sight, the man felt like he had a glimpse of Hibari Kyoya's despair.
If he remembered correctly, that was the room that they shared.
"Yamamoto Takeshi, you should mind your own business."
Forced out of his reverie, Yamamoto turned around and found Hibari glaring at him. "Sorry, but now I'm more convinced that you shouldn't go."
"I don't remember asking for your opinion."
Hibari's attention was already back to his table. He retrieved a ring from the drawer and placed it inside his pocket. Yamamoto frowned.
"Mukuro will also come. I'm sure you won't like that."
If looks could kill, Yamamoto would already be dead. "You must be insane to think I'll prioritize him over her."
"Hibari," the swordsman sighed. "We only want what's best for you."
"You mean, what's best for Sawada Tsunayoshi?" Hibari scoffed. "To hell with the alliance. I'll kill that man even if it's the last thing I do."
His grip on the ring tightened.
This time, I'll protect you.
Author's Note:
Finally, we're getting near to the good part! u
I honestly wanted to go straight to the Cultural Festival as early as Chapter 21, but the romance had to have developed in a reasonable amount because the NEXT ARC is based on established relationship. Whose? You already know the answer to that!
Anyway, Happy Lunar New Year!