What Hibird Did
by: RoyaleDeuce
Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! is not mine.
Note: Sequel to 'What Haru Did'.
Target locked on.
Her eyes were fixed on the retreating figure of Hibari in the deserted street.
Leaving her hiding spot behind the electric post, she hurriedly ambled after her target and jumped on the cement hedge dividing the houses. With the poise of a tight-rope walker, Haru hastily treaded the narrow, elevated pathways, her arms stretched laterally to help her balance like she had done many times before, all the while fixing her gaze on the Vongola Guardian walking not too far away from her.
When he threw a quick glance over his shoulder, Haru immediately plastered herself behind another post in an attempt to conceal herself. At least in her position high up in the wall, she had the option to jump on a stranger's backyard and hide behind the bushes if all hell broke loose.
After mentally counting to ten, Haru took a small peep and inclined her head to the side, only to have her stomach coil at the realization that the lane was empty.
Hibari was gone.
Where'd he go? She pushed herself away from the post and directed her full attention towards the road Hibari was previously walking on a few moments ago, wondering whether he used his Guardian ability to disappear from sight.
Disheartened, she turned around.
"Hahi!"
Hibari was standing directly below her. And he was staring at her. Hard.
"Why are you following me?" His voice was silent, demanding.
Quickly regaining her senses, Haru jumped off the wall, landing right beside the boy whose onyx gaze made her cringe. A thick, awkward silence enveloped them before Haru decided to return the favour.
"Hahi! Haru was following Hibird, not Hibari-san!"
Snugly perched on the Discipline Head's shoulder, Hibird chirped at the mention of its name.
Hibari's eyes narrowed.
The deadliness of his glare reached an all time high when Haru closed the five feet gap between them and casually leaned towards him, her eyes twinkling in excitement. She was a mixture of vanilla and cocoa.
"I brought you something, Hibird!" She laid out her palm in front of the bird on his shoulder, trying to win over his little companion. She giggled when Hibird pecked the teeny sweet off her hand.
Getting another whiff of her intoxicatingly sweet scent, Hibari stepped back, greatly vexed.
Haru remained clueless at her invasion of his personal space and merely pouted, "Haru's just trying to befriend Hibird!"
Hibari held her fiery gaze.
"A bird." His gaze was suddenly directed toward the sky.
Intrigued, Haru whipped her head up, only to be immensely disappointed. All she saw were clouds.
"Hahi! There's no bird—" She looked back.
For the second time that afternoon, the Vongola Cloud Guardian and his pet bird were nowhere in sight.
As soon as the lunch bell rang, he hastily exited the classroom and made his way towards the rooftop. The idle chatters echoing throughout the hallway irked him in some way that he was keen on seeking his usual solitude with his favourite companion. Crowds suffocated him. Reaching the top floor, Hibari immediately pushed the double doors open.
"—such a good girl! Haru brought a lot of chocolates just for you!" Haru gushed, preoccupied with the little bird currently munching on the candies scattered on the floor that she failed to see Hibari enter.
"What are you doing in here?"
"Hahi!" Haru jumped slightly, the idea of Hibari's uncanny arrivals never getting old. "Hibari-san, you're here!"
"What are you doing in here?" he repeated, this time his voice more guttural.
He was taken aback when she flashed him a big, bright smile, "To visit, of course!"
Hibari turned wary, "The league's finished."
"But Haru's not here for a picnic! Haru's here for Hibird!"
"Leave. You're not a student here."
"But Haru is Hibird's kaa-san!"
Haru's reasoning was met with a cold, probing look. Gathering her courage, she held his gaze. She was not going to back down and lose to him after the things he had asked her to do. This was payback! Scooping some crackers from her pocket, she lifted the bird from the floor and placed it on her shoulder. And then she brandished satisfying Hibird with her feeding.
"Hibird," Hibari called.
Hibird continued to devour Haru's treats.
Haru looked smug.
Evidently displeased, Hibari took his tonfas out, the metal sticks listening dangerously in the sunlight. He noted with satisfaction the sudden apprehension which bloomed on the girl's face.
Haru allowed Hibird to finish the last bit of cracker before sauntering towards the guarded boy across her and replacing the bird on its owner's shoulder. Annoying him even further, she handed Hibird another piece of sweet before finally taking her leave.
"It was nice seeing you again, Hibird! Haru will be back with more chocolates!"
The rooftop doors shut close, and all was silent.
Hibari turned to the bird happily munching on a biscuit on his shoulder, "Stop it."
His words fell on deaf ears.
"It's nice seeing you again, Haru."
Haru looked up from the picnic basket she was currently unpacking and blushed when Tsuna kneeled beside her and began to arrange the plates and utensils on the chequered cloth spread out in his backyard. It was the weekly Vongola picnic; after that year's league finished with Namimori Middle School reigning as champions, the mascot deal was off, leaving the teens to set their meetings in the weekend instead.
"Hahi! You don't have to do that, Tsuna-san! Leave it to Haru!" The girl made an attempt to grab the plates from Tsuna, but the boy kept it from her reach.
"It's fine! I want to help," Tsuna assured with a smile.
Haru blushed and watched him resume his task. "T-That's Haru's job you know! Since Tsuna-san was kind enough to lend his yard today, this is the least Haru can do... You should just wait for the others!"
Tsuna turned to look at her, his smile still in place. "Oh come on, Haru. I can't just let you do all the work."
His words, smile, and the fact that they were all alone would have caused her to swoon right there and then if it weren't for the unexpected appearance of Hibari who randomly dropped (out of nowhere) beside them.
The moment was broken.
"HAHI!"
"HIBARI-SAN!"
Both Haru and Tsuna lay disconcerted on the ground, undiluted shock painting their faces.
Hibari stood erect, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "Where's Hibird?"
"H-Hibari-san, why are you looking for Hibird in here?" Tsuna was the first to recover.
Hibari snapped his head towards the boy and responded with a glare. Then he shifted his gaze towards Haru who was intensely scrutinizing him. She seemed as lost as Tsuna was.
Without a word, he turned around and was about to leap over the hedge when he felt a small tug on his left arm.
"What happened to Hibird, Hibari-san?" Haru asked, the usual eagerness on her face gone, now replaced with worry. Her small hand still enclosed his wrist.
Hibari merely stared at her and pulled his hand away. "She's not with you." It was a statement.
He turned to leave.
"Wait, Haru can help you look for Hibird!" Haru cried as Hibari jumped on the hedge.
He spared her a final glance. "I work alone."
And then he was gone.
Hibari knew Namimori like the back of his hand, so navigating around the city without having to bump into crowds went off without a hitch. Moreover, it wasn't a huge town, so the number of possible spots attractive to birds was relatively small. He checked the gardens, the play park, the riverside, and the pet shops. But there was no sign of Hibird.
The Cloud Guardian was the kind of person who wouldn't easily give up, but he was also sensible and pragmatic. A few hours without Hibird wouldn't have worried him because he was fairly certain the bird would come home sooner or later, so there was no use fretting over her absence. And his deductions were always correct. However, this situation begged to differ. Hibird had been gone for three days.
Turning around the corner, Hibari realized this was third time he passed by Tsuna's house. His eyes narrowed at the boom of familiar voices, and he was hoping he could slip past unnoticed when Gokudera and Yamamoto suddenly emerged from the gates.
"Hey, Hibari!" Gokudera called.
Hibari continued walking.
"Isn't Haru supposed to be with you?" Yamamoto asked.
That caused him to stop for a moment and look at them over his shoulder.
"Tsuna said she had to leave early and do something with you. She said she'll be back, but she hasn't returned yet."
As the first few raindrops fell from the sky, Hibari was left to ponder over this little revelation.
Rain poured not long after.
Haru ignored his mother's fussing and relentless lecture when she appeared in the doorway dripping wet. Rushing to her room, she dried herself with a towel and changed clothes before grabbing her knapsack and stuffing it with assorted paraphernalia. She noted it was eight in the evening; she knew her parents won't be pleased to know she was still in the streets at such an ungodly hour. And it was raining at that! However, all thanks to her fruitless hunt that afternoon, she was a little frenzied at the moment, and she won't be able to rest until Hibird was found.
Poor, poor Hibird.
After everything was set, she approached her window and slid it open. A gust of wind forced a random branch from the nearby tree to rattle against her window shield.
"Hahi!"
It was raining awfully hard.
Just as she was about to slip out the window, her ears perked at a familiar tune echoing underneath the patter of rain.
Her eyes widened in recognition.
The Namimori Middle School anthem!
"Hibird," she muttered under her breath and quickly stepped outside. "Hibird!" she cried, firmly clutching on to the branch of the tree as she climbed towards the roof. She slipped twice, and luckily, the branches of the tree cushioned her fall. Her hood fell off as she tried reaching for the gutter for more leverage in her ascent.
"Hibird, hold on!"
The tune was getting louder.
Hibird was close.
Hibari saw yellow-hooded figure enter the school gates from where he sat. He was currently sheltering himself from the downpour under a shaded region in the rooftop, a little detour he made in his relentless search for Hibird. He had a faint idea who the intruder was, so he didn't bother putting up his guard and flee.
He waited, his eyes fixed on the door. It wasn't long before it burst open.
"Hibari-san!"
Haru was out of breath when she breathed his name. She was drenched from head to toe, the yellow raincoat cloaking her actually tattered, and there were stray leaves caught in her hair. She was a mess. But what really caught his attention was the small bundle in her arms.
He continued to stare at her, not saying a word.
Taking his unwavering attention on her as an assurance, Haru slowly walked towards Hibari. She stopped when he was directly in front of him, carefully dropping the pink bundle – which he noted was actually a handkerchief – on his lap.
"Haru found her on the roof," she muttered, fiddling with the hem of her sleeve.
The awkwardness hung thick in the air as Haru fidgeted in place, waiting for Hibari to respond.
"B-Bird medicine will make her feel better."
Hibari unsheathed the wraps and took interest in his quivering companion caught in the bundle.
Sensing that she wasn't going to get any form of response from Hibari, Haru tottered towards the exit without a backward glance at the boy whose onyx gaze remained glued to her retreating form. After a few minutes, she appeared on the school grounds, approaching the gates.
He continued to watch until she disappeared in the heart of the night.
Haru's heart swelled with gratitude as her friends crowded at the foot of her bed.
"Don't strain yourself too much, okay Haru?" Kyoko smiled.
"Stay in bed and drink lots of water. You'll feel better in no time," Yamamoto assured.
"Geez, feel better already and stop making Decimo worry," Gokudera snapped.
Haru's irritation towards the Storm Guardian dissipated when Tsuna spoke up, consequentially calming her down.
"Get well soon, Haru," Tsuna smiled, causing the bedridden girl to blush like crazy. "Hopefully, you'll be there for our next picnic?"
"Hahi, of course!" Haru beamed.
The day passed by like a blur. Haru remained stationary in bed, her sneezes and coughs the only sounds echoing in the silence. Numerous times, her mind drifted to the rainy encounter two nights ago, but she willed herself to stop thinking about Hibird and its bewildering owner and chose to preoccupy herself instead. After several attempts to finish a cross-stitch, Haru gave up – seeing that her hands couldn't seem to stop shaking – and opted to sleep in for the rest of the day. But before she could snuggle comfortably under her blankets, a soft tapping noise kept her from bed.
"Hibird?" she whispered, surprised to see the yellow bird twittering effervescently outside her window.
Quickly, she got to her feet and let the bird in.
"You're well!" Haru gushed when the bird continued to flap excitedly on her study table. "It's nice seeing you again!" she offered the bird a piece of chocolate biscuit from her cookie jar. Hibird wiggled around even more.
And it was then she noticed something tied to the bird's leg.
Stroking the bird to calm it down, Haru lifted it up and freed the tiny items securely tied to its leg. A note and small packet dropped on her table. She picked the paper and unrolled it.
Take it. It works.
Haru's eyes widened in realization. Hibari-san.
She suddenly felt all warm and fuzzy inside. He actually cared.
But as soon as she picked the small packet and read the label, Haru resisted the urge to slap her forehead. The packet read:
Bird-biotic.
A/N: And this is Hibari's attempt to make amends and express his gratitude, lol. Watch out for: "What Hibari Did". That will be the conclusion to this series. Anyhow, I hope you liked it. Reviews are greatly appreciated.