Title: Of Sparrows and Princes

Author: sllebswap

Beta'd by: MelissaRose85

Characters/Pairing: Miura Haru and Belphegor

Type: OneShot Collection (InComplete)

Genre: Romance/General/Humor

Word Count: 2442

Rating: T (Contains content not suitable for children)

Disclaimer: Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn belongs to Akira-san.

Summary: TYL ficlet. Various one-shots depicting the complicated relationship between Belphegor and Haru.

Chapter Last Revised on: 27/11/09

Chapter One

The Varia Headquarters really was huge, Haru thought warily to herself as she trailed behind her guide. It was based within a stately, majestic-looking castle, and everywhere she turned, the proud crest of the Varia could be seen in one form or another.

The Vongola Famiglia's elite, independent assassination team.

Not for the first time, Haru had to suppress a small shiver of dismay at the fearsome reputation of the Varia.

Inner Haru cried a waterfall of tears. She hadn't wanted to come here at all, utterly alone in a foreign country and surrounded by a group of possibly hostile strangers, but there was simply no choice. Her specialty was required right here in Italy and the fact that she was part of the Juudaime's family, and by extension, the Vongola, quickly made her the perfect candidate for the job.

It was only mere months after the war with Byakuran and the Millefiore Famiglia ended, and everything was still a big mess. In the digital age that they were in now, where sensitive information could be easily accessed and stolen through the skillful hacking of encrypted files and heavily protected and firewalled servers, it was imperative that the many secrets of the Vongola clan remain concealed from the prying eyes of their enemies and foes. The all consuming war with the Millefiore Famiglia had taken its toll on the Vongola's manpower and resources, and of course, now that it was over, the other power hungry scavengers emerged from their dens, gleefully scrutinizing the wounded predator for any signs of weakness, probing, waiting, watching.

The Varia were more than happy—and capable—to remove any physical threats to the Vongola, but it was the virtual ones that they could not protect against. Their skills were that of assassins, not computer techs, and when it came to matters of information security and networks, the same group of lethal men quickly found themselves at a complete loss.

And that was where Haru conveniently came in. At the age of twenty-four, she was probably one of the youngest and most talented in the field of information technology. When her fourteen year old self had travelled a decade into the present-future, she had been so impressed by Irie Shouichi-san's skills—one of which had indirectly helped turned the tide of war in their favor—that she had immediately put her mind to working hard to enter the world of digital technology when she had returned to her past time.

Haru was a very smart girl, and she also knew that she would never be able to have the sort of awesome powers like Tsuna and his six Guardians. However, that didn't necessarily mean she couldn't help support them in other areas instead.

The result of her determination and hard work quickly bore fruit in the form of her outstanding academic achievements. Like her father, she was naturally gifted in mathematics. Computer programming and advanced algorithms were a breeze to tackle, and she found great joy in solving difficult problems that even her professors had trouble decoding. Therefore, it surprised no one, when at the tender age of twenty-four, Miura Haru already had a PhD in Information Technology under her belt, from the prestigious Tokyo University.

And now, the skills that she had originally taken up to help Tsuna and her friends were urgently requested by the Vongola Famiglia in Italy, to safeguard the sensitive information that the large clan possessed. Haru wasn't quite certain of the details, but it seemed that the servers that archived everything related to the Vongola were kept in the hearth of the Varia Headquarters, which made some sense.

After all, no matter how tempting the rewards might be, not many would dare enter the lions' den and still hope to emerge alive.

Depressively, Haru only wished that she didn't feel as if she was about to be eaten as well. Tsuna, she thought as a wailing Inner Haru returned with a vengeance, help me!!

The young woman was startled out of her thoughts when the servant brought her to the entrance of the formal drawing room that the executives of the Varia were supposed to receive her in. The man knocked politely before grabbing the twin handles of the French doors with an elegant flourish. He retreated slightly after to allow Haru entrance first, and nervously, the pretty brunette stepped into the room.

With mild trepidation, Haru stood uncertainly at the entrance and stared at the five uniformed men lounging around in various areas of the large room, before her eyes finally alighted on the only one of them whom she was only remotely familiar with.

Superbia Squalo, the Battle Commander of the Varia troops, crossed his arms against his chest and scowled. This Miura Haru was supposedly the same age as Sawada Tsunayoshi and a computer genius as well, though at the moment, the silver-haired swordsman only saw a timid looking girl who was almost scared out of her wits, frazzled and exhausted from her long intercontinental trip here. She had been a lot younger the last time he saw her, which was only months ago for him, but of course, probably a decade or so for her. Her youthful features had not changed, though her hair seemed to be shorter. Not for the first time since this decision had been made by the higher ups, Squalo wondered if this child-like woman was up to the task allotted to her.

Sitting beside him on the couch, legs crossed elegantly at the knees, an elbow resting negligently on the armrest and head tilted slightly at the sight before him, Belphegor snorted softly under his breath, apparently not impressed by the slender female's wary countenance.

Squalo decided to get this 'welcoming session' of their newest, albeit temporary, member over and done with quickly before the woman could pass out from fright.

"Come closer, Miura Haru," the silver-haired swordsman commanded sharply. "You are amongst allies and we will do you no harm, so you can stop acting like a skittish rabbit."

The blonde prince chuckled at that. "I don't think she's acting," he commented archly, his soft tone rich with sardonic humor.

Lussuria, the flamboyant martial arts master of the Varia, decided to take pity on the poor, bewildered woman. The peculiar-haired man strutted over to the stiffening brunette, gave her a kindly smile, and extended his hand out to her.

"Hello, Haru-san," he spoke in impeccable Japanese. "My name is Lussuria, nice to meet you."

He was radiating such good vibes that Haru could only take his hand and gave it a firm shake. When he finally let go, Haru gave him a polite, earnest bow. "Haru is happy to meet you too, Lussuria-san," she spoke for the very first time, her normally vibrant voice somewhat subdued but still confident, and Lussuria laughed.

"Ohho! You Japanese are all so cute and polite!" the tall man chortled with amusement. "Tell me, how is Ryohei-kun? He hasn't visited for months and I want to spar with him again!"

The mention of the Sun Guardian seemed to be the correct thing to do, for Haru's dour mood lifted at the thought of her friends back home. "Ah, Ryohei-san and some of the other Guardians are busy assisting Tsuna in resetting the operations in Japan," Haru replied. "They are all doing quite well, Lussuria-san."

"That's wonderful! Come now, Haru-chan! Oh, do you mind if I call you Haru-chan? No? Then come, Haru-chan, let me introduce you to the rest!"

Before Haru could prepare herself, she was dragged right into the middle of the large room. Now surrounded on all sides by the Varia executives, Haru froze slightly, but Lussuria did not seem to notice.

"See, that tall man leaning against the wall there?" the overly cheerful man all but trilled out in joy as he pointed to the intimidating-looking person with a shock of wild black hair, a goatee, and a moustache that seemed to stick straight out on either side of his face like a pair of horizontal handlebars. He looked to be equipped with umbrellas tucked in a crisscross fashion behind his back, and was looking fiercely at her. "That's Levi! Levi has a not-so-secret crush on our boss, but it's okay to tell you since you are one of us now."

Haru was momentarily speechless by Lussuria's happy commentary, but thankfully enough, there seemed to be no need for her to acknowledge his statements. She bowed quickly to acknowledge the man before Lussuria turned her gaze to the next member. "And that is Fran. He is our newest Varia, before you, of course. But since you are only a support member, he's still the newbie!"

Haru looked at Fran. He looked younger than she was, and she was almost certain that he was only a teen still. Haru did not know what to make of the large frog hat that the turquoise-haired youth wore, though she greeted him politely as well. Younger or not, Fran-san had most definitely earned the right to be here amongst these dangerous assassins and Haru decided to give him the same respect that she would give all of the Varia. Fran looked at her apathetically from his perch on the window ledge, but surprisingly enough, said nothing. He also didn't acknowledge her greeting, but once more, Lussuria hustled Haru away before she could think too much of it.

Her attention was finally brought to the last two occupants of the room, one sprawled indifferently on the couch with careless grace, the other frowning subtly at her almost as if displeased by the sight of her.

"Well, the shaggy blonde one is Belphegor, but we all call him Bel for short. You should call him that too-" Lussaria would have blathered on some more if not for the fact that the 'Bel' in question swiftly interrupted him with a blade to the face. He moved so fast and Haru didn't even see him produce and throw the wing-shaped knife until Lussuria cheerfully caught it between his index and middle fingers.

"You will address me only as Belphegor-sama, woman, is that clear?" There was something eerily dangerous in the golden-haired man's deceptively pleasant tone, and even though he looked to be smiling at her, Haru thought that his eyes would probably be cold as ice had her sight not been hindered by the long fringe that covered a good half of his face. Still, it chaffed her to be spoken down to like that, and she stiffened slightly. Her earlier subdued, unsure demeanor was swiftly brushed aside as her normally more assertive personality took its place. She would not tolerate being treated like some second rate citizen, especially when it was they who required her expertise, and not vice versa.

"Haru will not do that," she declared firmly as she gave the blonde a small frown. "Haru does not give respect to people who are rude and mean."

Then, resolve made, she proceeded to completely ignore the not-so-nice Belphegor, narrowly missing the way Squalo had to reach over to pluck the blade that the prince had been about to aim at her head out of his hand.

"Stop that!" the bad-tempered silver-haired man beside the blonde barked out at last, startling Haru with the sudden rise in volume. "The woman can call you whatever she damn well pleases. She belongs to the family of Sawada Tsunayoshi; hurt her and you can answer for it yourself, Bel." Lifting his hard gaze to Haru next, he continued. "Miura Haru, welcome to the Varia Headquarters. Do you remember me?"

Haru nodded.

"Yes, Squalo-san, I remember you. You helped trained Yamamoto-kun to activate his Vongola Weapon Box during the war."

Squalo nodded. "In that case, you should understand that you are in no danger here. We are Vongola," the silver-haired man stated matter-of-factly.

Haru nodded slowly, not sure if she should believe him, especially with that blonde smirking oh so insanely beside him. She was polite enough not to voice her doubts, though. "Alright."

"With the exception of our leader, Xanxus, all the Varia executives are here. This meeting is more for our benefit than yours; some of these idiots here like to attack first and ask questions later, so I want them to recognize you on sight. No doubt Sawada Tsunayoshi would be displeased should something happen to you."

"Geh. I still might attack," Belphegor threatened with a charming grin, and much to Haru's alarm, he was brandishing a few of those deadly-looking blades in his hand again.

"Ohohohoho! He will do no such thing, of course!" Lussuria laughed genially, seeking to reassure the skittish woman. "Our Bel is just full of humor today, isn't he, Fran?"

The teal-eyed youth did not seem to care one way or another. "Not really," he finally spoke in his dull and indifferent manner. "Bel-sempai is twisted and insane every day."

The fact that the man in question only chuckled with amusement made Haru wonder just what sort of madmen lived here. She felt a headache coming up, and surprisingly enough, was beginning to lose her temper as well. She was not the only one.

"Voi!! Do not interrupt me, you bastards!" Squalo's eyelid ticked with agitation as he yelled at his fellow members, and when they finally settled down again, he took a deep, irritated breath and turned back to the brunette.

"As I was saying, no one will dare harm you here. You are under the protection of the Varia, and we will ensure a safe environment for you to work in. The Vongola archives are situated in the underground dungeons of this castle, protected by the best security systems in the world as well as by our own people. Only the Varia executives have the authority and the pass codes to access the restricted area, so you will need to be accompanied by one of us at all times when you work."

Haru nodded once again, clearly agreeing to the terms. It wasn't as if she could say otherwise, anyhow.

"As such, Bel will be your designated guide for the duration of your stay here."

This time around, Haru's expression of dismay could not be hidden. The stab-happy blonde was to be her shadow for as long as her services were required here. Belatedly, she realized why the man seemed to dislike her so. He was her glorified babysitter, and Haru cringed inwardly when he flashed her an extra large, cocky grin.

"Well then, my little spring sparrow," he seemed to purr whilst radiating hostile intent. "Let's get along well, shall we?"

Inner Haru whimpered.

::owari::

Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

In this fic, Haru is twenty-four years old and Belphegor is twenty-six.

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Yup, you read correctly. Haru is a computer geek, or rather, a techie, and one who's exceptionally good at what she does. I have no plans to turn her into some super powered Mary-Sue, but I believe it is reasonable to assume that Haru has the intelligence and drive to succeed in whichever field she chooses to work in. Her father is a math professor after all, not to mention that she herself once studied in a prestigious girls' academy. I really believe that Haru is a lot smarter than she lets on, so it's really a joy to write her TYL and imagine what she would be like. Of course, she's still physically weak compared to any of the Varia and the Vongola protagonists, but she won't lose to any of them when it comes to brain power!

…at least, that's my story and I'm not changing it for anything else!

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While this is not my first foray into FF Net, it is definitely my first time writing for KHR, so I hope I haven't botched up the characters' personalities too much.

…By the way, dear readers, there will definitely be bits and pieces of M-rated material scattered throughout the entirety of this fic. I have warned you!

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Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

--sllebswap