Disclaimer: Naruto does not in any way belong to me, it's the property of Kishimoto, etc. Likewise, KHR! does not in any way belong to me, it's the property of Amano, etc.

Learning Curve

05.

Their walk ends in front of a large building, with a solid stone fence surrounding it. The sign on the posts marks it as Namimori High School.

A dark-haired boy around their age is loitering just inside the gates. There are several students walking in, and it could be Kakashi's imagination but it seems like they're trying to stay as far away as physically possible from the boy.

His appearance is nondescript, apart from the sharp, predatory gaze that sizes the three of them up as they approach. He has a black and red band around his upper arm, and a black jacket hangs off his shoulders.

"That's Hibari-san," Tsuna tells them. Then adds, to himself, "At least we're not late..."

The boy steps in front of them when the walk through the gates. Tsuna stops, and Kakashi and Obito follow suit.

"Good morning, Hibari-san," Tsuna says.

"Sawada. Class is about to start. Don't be late," the boy says coolly. He doesn't spare Tsuna so much as a glance.

"Of course. But, ah, Hibari-san... These two are new to this area. They don't know much about things yet..."

"No crowding," Hibari says pointedly, turning to look at Tsuna.

"... Of course," Tsuna repeats, and walks toward the main building. He casts one worried glance at them over his shoulder before entering the doors.

"Take off the mask," Hibari says, without preamble. His tone makes it clear that there is no room for discussion.

Kakashi tries discussing anyway. "I'd rather not- germs, you know. And I feel uncomfortable when people stare at my face," he explains, smiling.

"Take it off, or I'll bite you to death."

Kakashi stares, not quite certain how to respond to that. He can't recall ever facing such unyielding resistance; the first time he'd been eighteen, he'd made a name for himself as the legendary Copy-Nin. The moniker made people wary of him, and superiors were more willing to overlook his... eccentricities in light of his abilities.

Well, face masks were more common there, too.

Also, no one had ever managed to make the threat 'I'll bite you to death' sound quite so threatening. It should have been laughable, but like Reborn's assertion that he was the best hitman in the world... it isn't.

"Herbivore," Hibari adds, and two tonfa - collapsible, Kakashi's never seen the like before - suddenly appear in his hands.

Kakashi's eyes widen, his left eye warning him of what's about to happen a second before it actually does. Nevertheless, he's caught off guard and slow enough to dodge that one metal tonfa nearly grazes his cheek.

Tonfa are uncommon weapons - shinobi rarely use them, apart from weapon specialists like Gai's pupil Tenten - because it's difficult to kill a person with them. Messier.

Judging by the fierce light in Hibari's eyes, Kakashi feels confident enough to guess that Hibari enjoys the challenge. And the ensuing carnage.

"Whoa, hold on," Kakashi protests; he'd been decidedly unthreatening, but the prefect hadn't hesitated to launch an attack anyway. His hand falls to his thigh, but there's no weapons pouch. Judging by the speed those tonfa are moving, Kakashi imagines that being hit by one would not be pleasant.

"I don't negotiate. Especially with weaklings," Hibari informs him.

"Eek! Hibari-san's punishing someone," a girl shrieks nearby; Kakashi had nearly forgotten that other students were arriving. They're all clearing a wide space around the three of them, but don't stop to watch. That last fact surprises Kakashi - usually people stop and stare whenever a fight occurs.

"Oh, I see," Kakashi says, not sparing any further glances for the other students as he tries to stay one step ahead of Hibari. Most of them are staying away, and more than of them break into a run when Kakashi (and by extension Hibari) come near. "It's easy to call an unarmed individual weak when you attack them with weapons."

Hibari's eyes narrow. "Enough talking." Incredibly, his movements become even faster, the lethal aura that Hibari's exuding increasing at the same time.

This isn't the strongest killing intent Kakashi has ever faced, but he's never felt the like in someone this young.

"Kakashi." A kunai clatters to the ground a few feet away; Kakashi's trace its trajectory to Obito's outstretched hand, but he doesn't have time to do more than register the unreadable expression on the Uchiha's face.

Kakashi dives for the weapon and rolls to his feet, bringing it up just in time to block what would have probably been a devastating blow to the head; Kakashi's feels the impact all the way up his arm. He throws himself out of the way as Hibari brings the other tonfa around, taking advantage of his unprotected back.

Ambidextrous opponents, Kakashi decided back when he was a newly-minted jounin, were a pain in the ass. Hibari is no exception.

He's hard-pressed to find an opening, but now that he has the option of blocking Hibari's attacks instead of being forced to dodge all of them, Kakashi at least has a chance.

Hibari is a good fighter - hell, he's one of the best that Kakashi's ever seen - but Kakashi's beginning to see the pattern of his attacks. Against a regular opponent, Hibari's fighting style would probably seem flawless; he moves far too swiftly for a person with normal vision to be able to make out his attacks. But Kakashi's left eye gives him the edge he needs to find an opening.

Kakashi doesn't hesitate to take it when the opportunity presents itself. He slips under one of Hibari's spinning tonfa, stepping into the prefect's space and stopping with the point of the kunai pressed against the fragile space between his ribs; if Kakashi had wanted too, he could have stabbed Hibari in the heart.

Hibari steps back and smashes his other tonfa into the side of Kakashi's head; he hears a sharp crack, and judging by the blinding pain that suddenly radiates from the lower half of his head, it wasn't just from the tonfa.

Kakashi's feet actually leave the ground from the force of the blow and he barely manages to regain his footing as his shoes slide against the pavement. He opens his mouth to say something - anything - to Hibari, but that motion multiplies the pain tenfold. He presses his empty hand against his jaw gingerly; no matter where he touches, it hurts.

Did Hibari really manage to break his jaw-?

Belatedly, Kakashi realizes that blood is filling his mouth. He must have cut his cheek.

"He beat you," Obito snaps, breaking the silence that had dominated the courtyard. Kakashi dimly recalls hearing some bells sound while he and Hibari were fighting, presumably signalling the beginning of the school day. That explained the lack of students.

"He hesitated," Hibari corrects. His tonfa are still raised, but he makes no move to close the distance between them.

"Bullshit," Obito snarls.

Hibari turns to face him; Kakashi does the same.

"You're late for class, herbivore," Hibari remarks.

"No one fucking told us where to go. And we would've been fine with Sawada, if you hadn't stopped us here," Obito says furiously.

"I only stopped that." Hibari jerks his head in Kakashi's direction, then turns away from them. "But since you're here- Escort him to the nurse's office, then report to the administrative office for your schedule," he says, striding away.

They watch Hibari disappear around the corner of the building. Kakashi tucks the kunai into his pocket, for lack of a better place to put it. When he looks at Obito, his expression is still enraged.

Deciding not to press his luck, Kakashi starts walking towards the main entrance. For whatever reason, Hibari seems to have let them go - he figures he should do as he's told before he's attacked again.

Kakashi hears hurried footsteps behind him, and Obito falls into step beside him. The halls are deserted when they enter the building, but he can hear several adult voices speaking nearby. Teachers, presumably.

As they stand in the middle of the hallway, at a loss, a student slides open the door of a nearby classroom and walks out. When she spots them standing there, she smiles and hurries over.

"You must be Hatake-kun and Uchiha-kun," she says brightly. "We were watching the fight from the window. That was very impressive, ah-" She looks at Kakashi expectantly.

Kakashi gestures at his jaw, hoping that expresses his inability to introduce himself. It's interesting that she seems to know their names, but not who is who. Another of Tsuna's... acquaintances? They're in the same school, after all, though it's a large institution.

"He's the Hatake," Obito says curtly, after a few moments.

The girl inclines her head. "Thank you, Uchiha-kun." She purses her lips, giving them a slow once-over. It isn't sexual, though, which actually serves to make Kakashi more uncomfortable than if it had been. He can see Obito's shoulders approaching his ears the longer her scrutiny lasts.

"Well! I suppose we should take you to the nurse's office, Hatake-kun."

Kakashi lets his eyes fall closed, projecting a smile of gratitude to her.

This mysterious girl, whoever she is, has more than a passing resemblance to Tsuna's mother, though she seems considerably more tactful. She chatters away about the school, giving them information about several main areas - the cafeteria, the gymnasium, various offices - as she leads them to the nurse's office.

A slovenly man is napping at the desk when they enter.

"Really," the girl mutters under her breath and marches over. "Dr. Shamal!"

The man snorts, sitting up abruptly. His gaze is sleepy, but there's something sharp in those eyes. He sizes them up with brisk efficiency before turning to the girl. "Hm, what's the matter? Do you need a breast examination-?" He leers at her.

Obito makes a noise of disgust.

"No, I don't," she says firmly. "But Hatake-kun's jaws is hurt - possibly fractured, maybe even broken. If you could do something about that..." She leans forward, bats her eyelashes. "I would really appreciate it, Dr. Shamal."

Shamal goes a little cross-eyed, a slow grin breaking across his face. "Yeah... yeah... Wait, no." He shakes his head, casts a glare at Obito and Kakashi. "I don't treat male patients. Besides, how can you tell that kid's jaw's broken? He's wearing a mask."

The girl pouts. "But what would the administrators think if they heard about this, sir?" she asks earnestly. "Not to mention... They're Tsuna-kun's friends."

Recognition flickers across Shamal's face, but he remains resolute. "Then shouldn't Sawada take care of this? How did the kid's jaw get broken in the first place, anyway?"

"He got in a fight with Hibari," Obito puts in. "And after that, Hibari told me to take to the nurse's office." He glances around the otherwise empty room pointedly. "I can always tell Hibari you were too busy to treat him, though."

Shamal shudders dramatically. "I don't get paid enough for this shit," he mutters, levering himself to his feet with obvious reluctance.

"I'm sure you could find employment elsewhere if you really tried, Dr. Shamal," the girl says brightly, all sunny, meaningless smiles again.

"No," he says curtly, striding over to Kakashi. "You're gonna have to pull that mask down, kid," he informs him.

Kakashi does so, though not eagerly; the girl glances at him briefly, but with the same impersonal detachment that she'd given them when she'd first seen them. She wanders over to look out the window as Shamal starts prodding at his throbbing left cheek.

Obito's staring openly, an expression that can only be described as disgruntled on his face.

"Right, here's some ice and painkillers," Shamal says a few minutes later.

Kakashi swallows the pills dry with ease of practice, though the actions causes his jaw to hurt even more. He pulls his mask back up and then presses the icepack over it.

"Your brother or Reborn could fix this easily enough," Shamal adds, his tone bordering on accusatory, to the girl.

The girl turns away from the window and shrugs. "I know."

Shamal mutters something under his breath and slumps back into the chair. "Now go away," he says, crossing his arms on the desk and dropping his head on top.

"Thank you, Dr. Shamal," the girl says brightly, beaming at him. He ignores her, a muffled go away! the only answer she gets.

"Well, we shouldn't keep him," the girl says, walking back over. "He's a very busy man."

"He would be, with a demon like Hibari for head prefect," Obito says.

The girl laughs, startled and genuine.

If Kakashi hadn't been walking a few paces behind them, gingerly holding the ice to his face, he probably wouldn't have noticed the way the back of Obito's neck reddened - the old tell for when Obito was embarrassed or angry.

He files this observation away for further examination and quickens his pace to fall in next to Obito.

The pain's receding much faster than Kakashi would have anticipated. Perhaps these are different analgesics than the ones in their dimension? He really has no way of knowing.

"Excuse me," he says, slowly and with difficulty, when the girl's laughter fades.

She glances at him. "Yes, Hatake-kun?"

"Hibari had a uniform jacket. Could I..?"

"Oh, you want one?" the girl asks. "I think there's some spares... They'd be at the lost and found, which is by the administrative office."

"Hibari told us to go there after..." Kakashi gestures back the way they'd just come.

"Great. I'll take you there, but then I should probably get back to class," the girl says.

Kakashi smiles at her. "Thank you for your help."

The girl nods, as if this whole experience has been just another normal morning for her. "Of course, Hatake-kun. It was my pleasure."

Obito scowls. "The administrative office?" he asks impatiently.

"This way..."

A/N: Up next, Kakashi and Obito attend their first high school class!