Hello! Today is a rather special day. Today is the third year anniversary of my presence on this website! In honor of today, I am updating all of my stories that are not completed.

I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

Ephemeral: (Adj.): lasting for a very short amount of time

His life seemed to have gone by in the blink of an eye, too short and over too soon. It was a glorious life colored red with the blood of herbivores, lit with the bright silver of his tonfas, but he realized now as he lay helpless and unable to move that it had been wasted in its hapless violence.

Hibari was blood splattered, painted with the red fluid that had sprayed from the numerous lacerations covering his body. Never before had he been so thoroughly overwhelmed, but there were so many of them and his tonfas had been shattered. The steel weapons were in scattered shards around him, completely useless to him now. He hated how helpless he was without them.

Through the ringing in his ears, slowly growing more deafening as his world darkened, he heard a faint twittering. A weak smile passed over his bloodied lips and more of the precious liquid dribbled out. He coughed weakly, drawing in a shaky breath. He could see the blurry outline of the bright yellow feathers, hear the frantic cheeping of his companion.

"N-no..." He managed to say in a garbled voice. His throat was sore, unbelievably sore, having been forcefully strangled until he was on the brink of unconsciousness. He was humiliated to be seen like this, even though it was merely his bird.

Hibird regarded him for a moment, the little bird clearly upset and knowing it was far too late to do anything. So he did the only thing he could in a situation like this.

He sang.

Hibird sang with all of his little heart, knowing it would be the last thing Hibari would hear. He wanted Hibari's final moments to be spent listening to the song that he had taught him, the song of the school he loved so dearly.

It seemed to work. Hibari kept that soft smile on his face even as his breathing grew more labored, even as his chest heaved with an unbidden cough and yet more blood dribbled down his chin.

Hibird sang as Hibari's breathing stuttered and slowed. He sang through Hibari's final breath and as the light drained from his eyes. He kept singing to the body of his kind master would keep doing so until he was forced to stop, whether it be by his own death or the Vongola family. Hibird would sing.

And it was so that when the other guardians finally found Hibari, it was with a smile gracing his lips and with Hibird perched on his chest, still singing miserably.