Collection of Flames

UKIGUMOS - »❝浮雲❞«

His yellow companion pecked at the crumbs on the counter, lost in the meadows of junk food. Kyouya took his chopsticks, politely thanking them for the meal before taking a bite out of the nigiri.

The rice was well prepared and soft, with the fish seemingly melting in his mouth. This was worth savouring with all certainty. Kyouya chews slowly, reveling in the flavours. The expression his face carried was rather deadpan, but the way his chopsticks went in for more should serve as an adequate response to the question.

It seemed that his bird was also enjoying its meal, so much so that it started to peck at the rice still stuck on his plate.

Kyouya simply let it.

"Did you eat already?"

Though Yamamoto wasn't the most well-versed in the ways of Hibari-ese, he could tell that the elder enjoyed the food. If he didn't, Hibari probably would've left wordlessly... or maybe Hibari would jam a tonfa into his jaw. (Yike, that would hurt!)

Again, Yamamoto had full faith in his pops, so it was no worry!

"Huh? Me? Uh-"

He thinks about it. He did eat a bit earlier along with his pops... but... he was a growing teenager. He could eat. There were still some onigiri that he didn't have the chance to eat yet in the back. There was always some prepared for Yamamoto to snack on in between customers.

They also came in clutch right after practice when he was absolutely starving! You gotta have a light snack before a proper meal, you know?

Walking in to the back of the store again, he grabs a few onigiri and sets them on a plate to join Hibari. At least... it felt like it was an invitation to eat together? If he's wrong, he'll accept sporting a new bruise on his chin, haha!

"Onigiri is a staple for our household. Quick an easy, so you can eat on the go as you attend to customers."

Right now, it was just him and his pops, so Yamamoto had to be ready to move at any given moment.

"Is there anything that's a staple in your household?"

Hm, was Hibari the type of person who enjoyed conversation during meal times? What a surprise! Maybe he should let Tsuna know later?

Oh it was that shitty storm guy. Bel felt like he was waking up from a nap with how sluggish he had been lately.

"Uh....." Shit. Where had she gone? "Who cares? You need something?"

It was annoying enough to know that Haru was opening up to Belphegor for whatever reason (she refused to divulge details to any of the guys. Tsuna assured them that they didn't have to worry from what he heard from Kyoko). Are you telling him not to worry after hearing that?

"What kind of game are you playing at? If you're going to stay married to Haru, at least treat her like a wife and not a pet you picked up on a whim."

Was it a disservice to talk about Haru like that? It was, but from how he saw it, that's how Belphegor was treating her and that was wrong.

UKIGUMOS - »❝浮雲❞«

Maybe he should be more concerned if his way of obstruction actually worked! With the speed that grumpy-pants was coming at him with, Yona knew for a fact that he wouldn't make it in time.

"Nuh-uh! A trim means at max three centimetres, not my whole head!"

Not that he was here for a haircut. But the Varia should never try to become hairdressers.

Yona switches course and uses his mallet to propel himself away from the two Varia. Maybe he needed to provide some other form of distraction and then find a way out.

What did that one comic he really liked claim again? Excite your opponents then beat the shit out of them when they're emotional or something? Grumpy-pants seemed like someone with zero emotional regulation. There could be a self destruct button hiding somewhere. The long haired one though... That one seemed harder to pin down.

"Sheesh, who would've thought that the Varia would have THIS many secrets though! I would also keep this shit under cover because eeeee-yikes! Not such a good look to the public eyes, riiight?"

Xanxus hadn't been in his office for some time to know the what the contents of the papers on his desk contained, but Squalo did. He was aware that a report of some recent findings of their investigations of the Cervello was there.

Given their track record of staging a coup, investigating into the self-proclaimed direct reports of Nono couldn't be a good look. Of course, it wasn't as though there weren't ways to mitigate the risks- or that they couldn't talk their way through any speculation.

After all, was it not the Cervello who had apparently switched sides to work alongside Byakuran? This was even before the Vongola fell, so it made no sense. If they were a bigger entity than they let on, however, that would make sense.

Perhaps, Xanxus could have reacted harshly to Yona's actions, but he was regrettably (for Yona) unaware. Squalo had a good handle of his emotions and was able to stay level headed. "You dying here would solve everything, wouldn't it?" Squalo gives Xanxus a look, and he understands to open fire at Yona.

Squalo was ensuring that there was an appropriate amount of space between him and the door that Yona could not easily think to escape from the doorway to utilize the spacious hallways. Xanxus had blocked the window, so Yona was quickly losing his options.

UKIGUMOS - »❝浮雲❞«

He mustn't think that the puffier birds would be even more charming. He mustn't. However, the imagery was... indeed, quite irresistible.

Kyouya clenched his teeth then relaxed his jaw, eyes following Yamamoto Takeshi going back and forth.

The little yellow bird flapped over eagerly as soon as it spotted the crumbs. It chirped out his name as if it were cheering and made itself comfy on Yamamoto Takeshi's hand.

[ HIBARI ! HIBARI ! ]

"...This is Yamamoto Takeshi."

A soft laugh was beneath the gentle correction, a tone rarely heard by most. There was something magnetic with the contrasting size of the bird and Yamamoto Takeshi's hand.

Watching the excitable little bird peck at the crumbs, calling Hibari's name with gleeful cheer, he couldn't help but wonder if the birds just shouted his name any time they were excited. If so... that was kinda... cute.

"That's right, the names Yamamoto Takeshi. This lil guy is cute."

A tiny chuckle. Yamamoto pets the top of Hibird's head with his finger, feeling the soft feathers move underneath his fingertips. It was similar to Kojiro... and yet somehow, different.

He hears his dad call for him and Yamamoto gently sets the bird down before he dips into the back to see that his father finished the orders and plated everything on the good plates. "Got to make a good impression on your senpai, right?" Yamamoto grins and thanks his dad before bringing out the dishes Hibari ordered out for him.

"Orders up! Dig in!"

Of course, Yamamoto had all the faith in his father's work, but it was just something else to watch people enjoy what they ate. It was even more imperative to watch his friends. He didn't know if it was validation or what, but it always made him swell with pride.

"Pretty good, right?"

UKIGUMOS - »❝浮雲❞«

These birds were almost on their way to expose his certain biases, but Kyouya was adamant on feigning indifference to this possibility.

"Mm. The pet-sitter...Miura."

Quite the enigma, that one. But Kyouya must admit that her handling of animals was adequate. The birds were kept in good condition and seemed to trust her.

[ MIURA HARU! MIURA HARU! ]

His yellow puffy companion bounced on his finger, delighted to hear a familiar word with positive association.

"Bread crumbs are the equivalent of junk food for birds," Kyouya responded, "...It'd be wise to feed them with moderation, no?"

As much as he wanted to keep the little one healthy, he did have a small temptation to witness Yamamoto Takeshi feeding it.

“Haha! It really does know her name!”

Not that he actually doubted Haru’s story of the birds knowing her by name, but it was impressive to see it in real time. All Hibari did was mention her as the pet sitter and the bird was already announcing her name.

“Ah, got it. Gotta feed these guys in moderation. If they get too fat, they’ll turn into yellow puffballs that can’t fly.”

Like those pigeons in America that can’t fly- or was it that they were too lazy to fly? He forgets. He saw a funny video about it before.

“Can I? It does deserve a little treat for being so clever.”

Yamamoto gently taps the top of the birds head. It was like an excited toddler that was trying to show off all the knowledge it knew. Positive cement, right? Haru mentioned it before to help Lambo form better habits.

“Hold on, I’ll get some bread crumbs. Pops, I’m taking some bread crumbs for our tiny customer.”

The athlete disappears in the back for just a brief moment, since he knew where they kept the bread. He comes back and holds out his hand of breadcrumbs for the little bird.

“Eat up, lil guy.”

 Seriously, how could anyone hate him with his boyish smile and all?

UKIGUMOS - »❝浮雲❞«

As expected, the aim and shot itself was agile. Yona watched as strands of his hair tore off from the impact, barely having dodged the deadly firing.

"This is noooot the kind of trim I had in mind!"

Dammit! There's no way that he could handle mister grumpy pants here alone- especially if that one swordsman joined. And if they made any more noise, he'll have to handle the whole loser squad sooner or later.

He's gotta get outta here quick.

"Seems like you need some help organizing these papers, riiight? Howsabout I pass y'all these?"

With a large but swift set of swings, Yona duplicated a batch of books on the desk to use as a shield of obstruction and hurled them at the Varia. The movement was subtle enough to hopefully not give away his skill.

Yona knew well enough that if he targeted something as large as a desk to duplicate and throw, his identity (although not very well hidden at the current state either way) would be out in the open.

"You're welcome!"

A trim was the least of his worries. Xanxus fully intended to fully roast this guy bouncing around like a rabbit.

Squalo and Xanxus both watched as items on the desk were duplicated for the dual purpose of obstruction and cover and logged that information to the back of their minds for review.

The Varia mostly operated solo except for missions of utmost importance, but through the continued forced tolerance on either end, the vice-commander and the commander had an eerily telepathic way of working together.

The theories shared among the lower ranks was that Squalo had brushed past death so many times due to Xanxus’s temper tantrums that he’d simply memorized all of Xanxus’s attack patterns to know how to dodge them effortlessly. Fluid like water.

Squalo gave chase to the pouncing rabbit, slicing through any obstacle that came his way. A predator with his eye on the prize couldn’t be distracted by mere paperwork and books that could be replaced with effort. Xanxus prioritized using his firepower to disrupt Yona’s escape path by focusing the shots at his feet. His doing so doubled as his propulsion backwards to race Yona to the window.

UKIGUMOS - »❝浮雲❞«

Kyouya took the warm tea into his hands and took a slow inhale, appreciating the aroma. This was a classic, and a good sort of tea to savour nigiri.

Hm. Yamamoto Takeshi's work-mode drink. Something about it felt special indeed.

"Ah." Kyouya pulled back his jacket ever so slightly to reveal the pocket of his dress shirt. Resting comfortably inside was the yellow companion in question. It poked its head out.

[ HIBARI ! HIBARI ! ]

Kyouya gave the bird a few pets before letting it hop onto his finger. It puffed itself up, ruffling its wings before looking straight up at Yamamoto Takeshi.

[ YAMAMOTO TAKESHI ! YAMAMOTO TAKESHI ! ]

...Oh.

...

Yamamoto wasn't expecting to see a little bird resting in Hibari's dress shirt pocket like that. How it could so comfortably nestle in a cramped space and sleep was astounding.

[Maybe the Hibirds are like cats?]

He knew that animals just seemed to love Hibari, including all the box animals. It was like... that one disney princess, Snow White?

"Oh? It knows my name too! Haha! It's so smart!"

Yamamoto chuckles, impressed by the intelligence of the bird- not that it should be surprising at all.

"Haru mentioned that some of them knew her name before. Something about how she feeds them seeds any time she comes across them."

They could probably learn everyone's name soon enough if they haven't done so already. There had to be a reason why the birds were used as emergency distress signals, right?

"Is it okay for birds to eat bread crumbs? I'm sure we got some."

Can't let any human or bird leave feeling hungry, yanno?

UKIGUMOS - »❝浮雲❞«

...Sublime. No need to cast light on the unnecessary details.

Kyouya equips himself with a pair of chopsticks, ever so eager to satisfy his hunger... In more than one way, it seemed. His gaze followed Yamamoto Takeshi like a homing bullet, observing the way he hurried back and forth. Something about his steps felt utterly mesmerizing and pleasant to the eyes. Kyouya could've spaced out if he wasn't spoken to.

He blinks back to the menu. Hm. Special. What could that mean?

Something warm... they did have genmaicha, but he did really like mugicha.

"Alright! I'll be right back."

He disappears into the back again and prepares the tea, two cups of it. If he was going to be chased out of the back to keep his senpai company anyways, might as well share a cup of tea together, right? He returns with two warm cups of mugicha.

"Hope you don't mind that I join you for a cup of tea. I opted for mugicha. Somehow, I prefer it on the days I'm working."

He didn't know why, he just did. Maybe it was something he picked up in his past and he can't remember.

Yamamoto stares at the top of Hibari's head to not see a yellow avian nestled in the dark tresses.

"You don't have one of your Hibirds with you today?"

It almost felt weird not seeing one of them hovering around him. It was like they were a set deal.

UKIGUMOS - »❝浮雲❞« cont. @hiddenwillflames

Shit, fuck, god damn- mother of-!

Yona recites every swear and curse in his head, staring at the shot that had blared inches away from him. If that landed, he'd be cooked rabbit dinner.

-And sheesh, what sort of fucked up intuition did this guy have? The drawer didn't give him away, did it? Bah. Either way... If he had to guess who stumbled in, it had to be the notorious leader.

Just his luck.

And here Yona thought that the rumoured lazy-ass wouldn't even get up.

The rogue brown noser couldn't even plan an impromptu escape route being crammed under a desk with a hammer almost 1.5x his size. He'd have to make an opening then make a run for it.

"Peek-a-boo?"

Yona laughed, swiftly rolling out from his hiding spot and hopping onto his feet with a pounce so high that you'd think there was a trampoline beneath him. His massive hammer rested casually on his shoulder. While his heart pounded, Yona knew that he had signed up for one thrilling night.

Peek a boo?

Balls of steels on this one. Boldness it is. Initially, he was only going to wield one of his guns, but Xanxus’s patience was always started at a value of 1 at the start of every day. Being nagged into finishing his work used up that one value, and now every minor inconvenience or convenience was going to be seen as a fast pass ticket into Hell.

The pounce up high was a surprise, but humans didn’t have much in the ways of aerial maneuvering, so when the point in which the upward velocity balanced out with the pull of gravity, he was a sitting duck.

He took aim with one gun and fired a shot, his other gun poised to take another shot should the offensive man have some tricks up his sleeve. No doubt a shark will come up from the waters to nag at him soon enough.

“VOOOOOI!!! JUST BECAUSE I ASKED YOU TO DO PAPERWORK, YOU’RE GOING TO PITCH A HISSY FIT!? Who the fuck is that?”

“You shitty trash let this intruder in during my nap.”

UKIGUMOS - »❝浮雲❞« cont. @hiddenwillflames

Yamamoto Takeshi's toned figure came out from behind and Kyouya's gaze followed. He responded with a small nod before picking up the menu resting on the counter, pointing to the kanpachi letters then showing two fingers up for two plates.

"..."

It wasn't until he finished paperwork that Kyouya had noticed the emptiness in his stomach. A momentary pause from his duties hurled him right back into physical reality. And the need for sustenance was almost shameful.

In fact, his belly would betray him promptly with a sound signalling obvious hunger, bringing the embarrassment straight to the surface. Grumble.

"..."

Kyouya refused to acknowledge it.

He knew better than to make an obvious comment about the grumbling sound coming from Hibari's stomach. Embarrassing a customer, especially one who could cause major damage was never smart was it? Good thing he was more socially smart than he was book smart (and even then that wasn't because he didn't have the ability).

"Two plates of the kanpachi and a plate of engawa. We'll get that out for ya right away! Pops! We got an order!"

Yamamoto disappears into the back again to relay the order so his dad could get started. The customer was an upperclassman who was really hungry, so he'd make sure to get the orders out ASAP. If Yamamoto was specifically mentioning an upperclassman, they had to be someone that Yamamoto thought highly about.

He didn't mention every single one of his school mates, after all. Of course, the way Tsuyoshi would prepare the food wouldn't change just because you were kind to his son, he could at least make sure that the plates used were prettier and maybe add a bit extra as service.

Perks, you know? Tsuyoshi chases his son out of the back of the store to have him keep his upperclassman company. The store was pretty empty at the moment, so it must feel lonely sitting in his lonesome.

"The orders will be out shortly. Did you want anything special to drink while you wait?"

I asked my sister to help me scan the cards, so the quality should be higher than the ones from the previous post. Click on the image and zoom in! Enjoy!

[ID: Official art of multiple characters from the manga and anime Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

They're all drawn as if taking a selfie, most of them smiling and/or doing a peace sign or another playful gesture with their hand.

Reborn, Colonnello, Viper and Fon are in their cursed forms, with Viper pulling their hood down, trying to hide more of their face.

Gokudera waves at us, with "Vongola Famiglia" written on his palm and the Vongola's emblem drawn on it too. Lambo is in his Ten Years Later version, Tsuna's shown both in his normal state and in Hyper Dying Will mode, Basil is in Hyper Dying Will mode too and Chrome's wearing cat ears.

Squalo and Xanxus are scowling. /End ID]