Byakuran catches the bag of marshmallows, opening it and eating. Shoichi, for his part, looks exasperated at Byakuran and this introduction. Yona seemed like an annoying character but not as terrible as other people Shoichi had to deal with before.
"He's my best friend, Yona-chan! We met in college! He's the most trustworthy and reliable. If you run into problems, bring them to Sho-chan! If someone bothers you, tell Sho-chan! Try not to cause him too many problems though, ok?" Byakuran played with Yona's hair to show affection. Shoichi noted the behavior and simply kept a neutral face. "I like to mess with him the best, cause he's my faaaaaaaaaaavorite out of everyone. Oh, and don't tell anyone I said that. I'd be a baaaaaad boss if I played favorites, you know?"
Shoichi cleared his throat. "You flatter me, Byakuran-san." He was probably the only person to refer to Byakuran as "-san", when the rest of the Millefiore called him "-sama".
A wry smile graces his features and he laughs a little bit, though there isn’t any of that characteristic lightness to his tone. He may be smiling, and his laugh may suggest otherwise to any random passerby, but a single look into his eyes would reveal how beneath that calm façade was a torrential downpour of something dangerous.
Yamamoto was normally respectful of the boundaries of others, and willing to comply to their wants, but even he had his moments when he’d put his foot down stubbornly to state his case. Water, takes the shape of whatever containment it’s in, but given the right conditions, water can burst out and take whatever shape it wants.
“Let’s get you somewhere safe first.”
There was no room for negotiations. Hibari could fight him or lash out all he wanted, but Yamamoto wasn’t going to budge once he’s made up his mind. The Rain guardian was upset, and his patience to keep his friendly and easy going demeanor was dwindling. His usual behavior was great for team-centric circles, but there is a time and place for everything.
As much as he wanted to hunt down whoever had done this to Hibari, without the enemy in sight, his priority instantly shifted to making sure Hibari was okay. Concern came to the forefront, just barely masking the rage bubbling underneath the calm surface. He leads the way to a safe spot so they could assess the damage.
Haru had visited the others and she thought to check in on how the bir- a certain prefect who owned many birds was doing. Her main reason for visiting the office wasn’t to see the birds, no sir. It was to feed them and coddle them.
It seemed she came in at the right time considering she was told to keep the little ones entertained. “Hahi? Ah… yes. Sleep well, Hibari-san.” She mentally sheds a tear. She was going to drop off a few treats for the birds and then go and visit Tsuna-san, but… who knew how long she’d have to birdsit for.
Well, she could probably stick around for a couple of hours before she’d have to go. Haru Miura, the ever busy bean, had places to go. She sits down and watches as all the tiny birds flock over to her. She whispers for them to be quiet before she starts laying out the bird seeds she prepared for them on a towel. That shouldn’t make too much noise to wake him up?
Well, the birds were cute, at least. She can always visit Tsuna-san another day. Another (dramatic) mental sniff.
God damn it.
This wasn't what he wanted to have to do. He knew damn well how stubborn the Cloud could be, it took a hell of a fight to even get him to help the 10th to begin with. However Gokudera wasn't about to ignore his duty as the right hand.
It was his job to keep an eye on every member of the family and keep things running smoothly. Be it the youngest, Lightning Guardian. The tranquil Rain Guardian, or the ever aloof Cloud.
"You need to take a damn break, Hibari."
Like Gokudera had any room to talk when half the time he was found collapsed after battles.
Yamamoto settles onto the couch next to him with a smile. The one thing he appreciated about Hibari was the fact that he never saw fit to pry for information, and likewise never expected others to do the same- rather he’d prefer you didn’t. He kept to himself and dealt with his problems on his own, similar to how Yamamoto acted.
The main difference was that Hibari was quite honest about how he felt, whereas Yamamoto sometimes hid behind veiled smiles as to keep the peace. He didn’t want to worry everyone else. Did it mean that all of his smiles were fake? No, of course not, but the fake ones were sprinkled in here and there.
“Alright, I won’t try it.”
He wasn’t the sort to force others into speaking if they didn’t want to, so he wouldn’t do anything Hibari outright rejected. Sometimes, he felt a sense of kindred understanding, in the way that they both kept a lot to themselves. Hibari probably picked up on it- his veiled smiles. It was just a gut instinct, really.
“Maybe I was the one who just wanted some silent company.”
His tone slightly apologetic that Hibari was getting roped into it by giving him some room, but maybe… he was expecting this too.
"Look, I know this isn't exactly the situation you wanted to see yourself in, Hibari but try not to panic, you'll be back to the precious school in no time."
They'd get out of there soon enough. All else failed, Gokudera could blow up the elevator to get them out.
[Original] ||Accepting|| @ukigumos
From a meme tag in my other blog
Readmore, because it got long (~18k) when I went through canon source, because there isn't too much content for me to go through in threads (yet).
When thinking about Hibari, you mostly think about his grouchy cat-like temperament, but there are sides to him that make him an interesting person to figure out. Sure, he’s got a temper and sure he seems uncaring at first, but that’s not necessarily true- if you know where to look. Each person has various facets to them, ‘duality’ if you will.
There were some memories that Yamamoto had of Hibari that could give others some insights into the otherwise ‘fightophile’ skylark that everyone feared (for good reason).
To begin with, the time when the Ring battle between Vongola 10 and the Varia were going on, Hibari had left some lasting impressions on Yamamoto. What sorts of impressions you ask? Haha! Alright, alright, he’ll tell you.
During his battle with the Gola Mosca, anyone could tell just how formidable it… no, he was? Man, the arena sure looked intimidating. There were gatling guns around the perimeter that would shoot any moving object it sees within 30m radius, pressure sensitive mines buried underground, and the walls were entirely covered in barbed wire.
Hibari, named the strongest of the guardians, is their ace. The way he walked into the arena so calmly and confidently—man… he’s just really cool! Gola Mosca could fly like some kinda jet pack fighter all Zuzuzuuuuuu, and Hibari went bakbak!
That was it.
So anticlimactic, but that’s what makes him so cool. He walks in, wins without breaking a sweat, and hands the ring off. That really was what gave off a dominant stalking black panther vibe to Yamamoto.
“Now, you, the one sitting over there. Come down here. Until I bite you to death, monkey boss of the mountain of monkeys, I can’t go home.”
This fight was way more interesting to watch. Xanxus stepped on a landmine and used the propulsion to launch himself to the side. He drew Hibari into the line of fire of the gatling guns, but both of them seemed unperturbed by the nuisance around them. The only thing on their minds was to fight- and win.
Hibari managed to force Xanxus to raise an arm in battle though he said he won’t raise an arm. Pretty sure he fought aiming to force him to raise an arm to gnaw at his pride a little bit. Just a theory of his.
Gola mosca started going crazy then after having shot Hibari in the leg.
Some stuff happened after that but… that’s not really relevant right now.
The next thing that happened during the Ring Battles was when everyone was poisoned by the uh… huh, they never were given a name, were they? Whatever it was! They were all poisoned with something that could subdue an elephant- but that’s not enough for Hibari!
Yamamoto distinctly remembers hearing the heavy sounds of metal slamming into metal as Xanxus and Tsuna were having their own battle. That stubborn guy really managed to get himself up onto his feet, beat a pole to death and free himself of the poison.
He then fought Prince Belphegor, the genius. He couldn’t see the battle happening himself, but he knew that Gokudera was helped by Hibari’s quick thinking and swift actions. With him released from the poison, he could help Lambo.
The guy is secretly a team player when he needs to be. He came all the way to help Yamamoto get the Rain ring to be freed from the poison.
“You would mess up the discipline if you die don school grounds. If you want to die, go do so outside.”
That is so like him to say. Yamamoto likes to believe that Hibari was really telling him to get out there and do what he does best: be there for his friends as support. Even though he was beat up pretty badly, he still tried to move- probably to seek the others who were in need of help. That’s when Yamamoto suggested a player change, which he agreed to, handing off his ring to Yamamoto.
In the meanwhile Gokudera saved Ryohei and ye, the rest is history!
The stoic guy may mask some of his concern or care behind Namimori, but he does have the ability to work with others… on his terms. There was something about seeing him beaten but still silently intending to do more made Yamamoto realize just how much responsibility and drive Hibari had.
It was so much that even Yamamoto had to feel impressed by it. That’s their ace for ya! Leading by example, showing the rest of the guardians the kind of level they have to get to.
No wonder he considers them all as weak herbivores, huh?
(ref ch. 118-120, 127-128, 130)
-
What else was there? Ah! That representative battle with the little guys? He can’t forget about the time Hibari really joined another team JUST so he could have his fun in fighting strong opponents and also be unhindered by ‘crowding’. That is so like him, haha!
Hibari came out with a baby atop his head instead of one of his little birds. The resemblance of the two is uncanny, and someone may have leaked the information to the rest of them at one point that the two were actually related. How exactly, he didn’t know, but it seems that the bloodline runs strong.
Anyways, it really didn’t take long for Ryohei to have lost his ‘match’ against Hibari. Yanno how it is, Ryohei runs in head first, forgets about protecting the watch and loses instantly. Really speaks to Hibari’s focus, Yamamoto thinks.
He may like to fight, but he’s goal-oriented. He won’t forget about his task: defeating his opponents. Any opening to destroy a watch will be taken advantage of, even if it means the ‘fun fight’ comes to an end quicker.
“There was actually one other reason that I didn’t join your team… your team is full of people I really want to bite to death.”
Yanno? Yamamoto was kind of excited to hear that from him at first. He’s usually only ever referred to the guardians as weak bugs or herbivores, so acknowledging that he wanted to bite some of them made it seem like he acknowledged their strength a little bit.
Yamamoto really admires Hibari’s strength and his drive, so being regarded as worthy enough to want to bite to death (and it not being something related to having broken a rule to warrant it in the first place) was a good thing.
Okay, it’s also kind of a bad thing, ahaha! Yamamoto doesn’t know how to feel about having Hibari boring holes into the back of his head because he wants to fight.
As much as Yamamoto find challenges to be fun, Gokudera and he had their roles to play as support for their boss.
“You aren’t the same species as me, you’re just bugs. Weak little bugs.”
Ah… maybe he should take that back. Maybe he didn’t quite see them as worthy then. Maybe that’s just him taunting them, trying to goad a reaction out of them to rile their fighting spirit?
You think he’d answer if asked?
(Ref ch. 361 + 363)
-
Hmm… some other memory that made a lasting impression on him? Ah, there was that one time he found Hibari injured and had coaxed him into allowing being escorted to the hospital. On one hand it was shocking to see him injured to begin with. It wasn’t anything fatal, but it was still significant enough to be worrying.
Initially, Hibari was being stubborn in wanting to be left alone, to deal with his injuries by himself- but you know Yamamoto! He’s a stubborn one! Like one of those Shibas who will stamp their butts to the ground and allow their leash to squish their face beyond recognition as their owners desperately beg to go home.
Hibari has a nice view of Shiba Inus, finding them loyal and intelligent- which isn’t wrong! Many know them for their willful nature. They’re quite loyal and loving if you’re close to them.
He still thinks about it every now and then, but maybe it’s the whole tranquility thing, that allowed Yamamoto to slowly coax Hibari into allowing him to take him to the hospital. If you were to ask him, he thinks the big turning point is the apple rabbits. His tune really changed once Yamamoto mentioned cutting some apple rabbits for him.
Not only that, when they approached the hospital, he not-so-subtly reminded Yamamoto about the promised apple rabbits. Guess it’s true that the guy has a soft spot for cute little animals. It as a bit of ‘gap moe’ as Haru termed it.
“Hahi? Sure, Hibari-san is still a bit scary, but when he’s surrounded by cute birds or a little hedgehog, the cuteness factor cuts some of his scariness! He gives into them if they speak upon Haru’s behalf you know? It’s scary and cute!”
When Hibari asked if Yamamoto would allow it to be lonely, he honestly… thought it was kind of cute? For a guy who was a lone wolf and hated crowding, he was quick to suggest allowing the lone apple rabbit to have a friend. He did hear that rabbits were social creatures and should ideally be kept in pairs, and if that was the thought process, it was kind of cute that Hibari would be so considerate towards apple rabbits.
It was like he could see what Haru meant by Hibari’s consideration to cute little animals by listening to them or by wanting for them to have a companion to not feel lonely.
Now if only he could be that considerate towards his human companions, right? Haha! That would be a dream- or maybe a nightmare in Tsuna’s case. Poor guy would probably have a heart attack.
Now, Yamamoto had absolute confidence in his vision. As not only an athlete but a swordsman, his vision and his hearing were sensitive. He didn’t miss the smallest hint of a smile upon nudging the two apple rabbits closer together.
What neither of them would know was that both parties were thinking something was cute in that very moment.
It came as a surprise! Hibari and cute in the same thought? Gokudera and Ryohei both would rush him to the hospital for a brain scan if they’d heard him say so. Mn? Maybe Haru would agree with him?
Not gonna lie, it was kinda nice sharing apple rabbits together. It is possible to have a conversation with Hibari and it not evolve into: Let me bite you to death for [insert some kind of Namimori rule here].
Huh? Cheating? Look, Yamamoto can’t remember all the rules, okay? There are some real arbitrary rules there- like, ‘no crowding’!
Eh? What was so impactful about this? Ahaha! Yeah!
No, huh? Hahaha! YEAH! That’s all you’re getting from him!
Truly, Yamamoto isn’t beating the Shiba Inu allegations.
A peaceful life preparing tea and listening in on gossip from the neighbourhood mothers? Pfeh, in theory the lifestyle sounded amazing, but the thrill and undying curiosity burning inside Yona was a force to be reckoned with.
Scrummaging through the drawers of some important-looking-guy's room, Yona stamped his hammer to duplicate any documents. "Ohhh, that looks important, riiiight?" Eh. He'll just read these later!
The priority was to smuggle out whatever inside the Varia Mansion undetected and leave with no traces. It should be easy enough! He had already set up plenty of distractions for the idiot ass squad.
...Or so he thought.
The weight of the situation didn't hit him until the creak of the door cut through his focus.
"Fff-SHIT."
Yona dove under the desk, the drawer still open by just a crack. He held his breath, hammer close to his chest as he pulled his long hair in for better coverage.
[Unprompted ask] ||Accepting|| @ukigumos
Quietly, the skulking man approached his office. Even with his languid movements, he hardly made any sound as he approached. Just like a cat, able to move so quietly through the space they felt most comfortable in.
Pushing the door open with more force than was necessary, he quickly eyed his desk. There lay his papers (that Squalo ‘begged’ him to attend to).
The man pauses, muscles in his body tense, and every part of his body was on high-alert. Lazy as he may seem, he was the leader of an elite assassins’ group for a reason. His capabilities were insanely high, and the same went for his instinct. Even if he couldn’t pinpoint the source, there was something amiss.
Slow and deliberate steps approach the desk, eyes scanning over the room meticulously in search for anything suspicious.
There, a drawer left slightly ajar. Only a crack, but Xanxus knew the last person in his office had to be Squalo if he’d nagged him about letting his paperwork pile up this much. That man would never leave his room without ensuring everything was in pristine condition. (Just once, some paperwork was left slightly askew and that sent Xanxus into a fit of rage)
Fucking annoying.
Without warning a shot rang out, just barely missing Yona hiding underneath the desk.
