It was daytime in Namimori.

The sunlight filtered into the reception room, brightening the interior in a way the fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling could never achieve. A wooden display case in the back corner held literature of all sorts, the glass front of it cleaned every day before the first toll of the school bell. The hardwood floor was swept and the small potted plant watered. A comfortable sofa inviting guests to sit was placed in the middle of the room before a coffee table. The wind outside today was particularly strong and forced its way through the mesh screen of the open window, upsetting the thin layer of dust on the windowsill inside, but it was clean and crisp and made the room feel fresh.

It was these little things that made Hibari love Namimori Middle School more than any other place in town, especially at the end of the school day, where the halls would be easy to maneuver with most - if not all - students gone. And with the chit chat of students and shoes running or squeaking down the halls absent, the silence was a comforting sign of finally being alone in his second home. He was sitting on the sofa with a book, and in his other hand was a ring – or half of one.

Hibari thought it was deadweight; a useless, ugly lump of circular metal. It was clear from a basic inspection that it was incomplete, being cut in such a way you could still slip it over a finger, but the top of the band and part of the design was missing. Instead, there were grooves to click in the other half, and he had been fiddling with it for the past hour between his fingers, absent mindlessly memorizing the feeling of the bumps and curves engraved into its surface.

Early in the morning before the start of school he found a small white envelope in his shoe locker. He would have thrown it away without a second thought if his curiosity had not been piqued; Hibari was usually the last one to leave the premises and always the first one to arrive. Yesterday when he left Namimori Middle there was nothing, but today as he went to exchange for his indoor shoes it had been lying there, and he wondered who could have beaten him to arrive to school first.

And of all things, to put a piece of paper into his locker.

He had seen people receive love letters before. Most of the time they were decorated, maybe cute stickers like a heart at the enclosure, and sometimes the envelope colour would have meaning too like a soft pink or yellow or blue. Hibari knew that there was no chance this was a confession; the sickly sweet colour pallet and decor was absent, and nobody in their right mind would ever consider him a possible romantic candidate, or much less hope to have their feelings returned. He was better than that.

When he had picked up the envelope he realized that it was too heavy to contain just a sheet, so he turned it upside down and out dropped the ring into his waiting palm. He then took out the letter and began to read.

Hibari Kyouya,

You have been chosen to fulfill the role of the Cloud Guardian in Sawada Tsunayoshi's family. Consider your decision carefully.

- Reborn

He had pocketed both the ring and letter. It figured that the only person who could put something into his locker without notice would be the baby. And while his mind was adamant on refusing the position, if this was important enough that he had to send a personal, handwritten letter he could at least find out what this 'family' was about.

The rest of his day had gone normally after that. He was still patrolling the grounds and bringing down his version of discipline. The students in the halls would scamper away into the safety of their groups and clear a path for him when he would pass by, careful not to say anything out of line when he was within earshot and careful not to make any physical contact whatsoever. He would go to the rooftop and sleep during lunch period. Kusakabe would regularly walk into the reception room and give updates as to how much order was being maintained. Sometimes he would end the report with a small note about the affairs of the other students like how Goro, in their class, was having girlfriend issues or that the Sawada kid was getting lectured for his poor grades again, and you could hear the teacher yelling from the opposite side of the door when you passed.

"Because," as Kusakabe had put it, "you seem to be getting pretty involved with Sawada's affairs. I thought you might've liked to know." Hibari had responded with a grunt; he didn't particularly care what that one was up to, but acknowledged the information anyway.

Now, he sat with his legs crossed at the knees as his eyes scanning through the pages of a book. He could comprehend the text well for having his focus divided; his thoughts kept going back to the ring. He didn't find it important at all, especially if this piece of metal would force interaction with others – he told himself that was all the reason he needed to decline the offer. Being the leader of the disciplinary committee was enough, they respected his need for privacy and didn't go out of their way to try and be friends. Family implied communication, commitment and trust; Hibari wasn't ready for that even with a handwritten notice.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall made Hibari lose his place in the text, gradually getting louder as they moved closer to the reception room. He expected them to pass by, assuming that they belonged to teachers who still had work to gather and bring home. But the noise outside fell silent and he heard two male voices conversing lowly to each other. His gaze left the book and he turned his attention to the door. Keep on walking, Hibari thought. He was hoping they decided to tie their shoelace or pick up some fallen papers, and that stopping in front of the entrance was a mere coincidence.

But when he heard the door sliding open, his hope was gone and replaced with mounting irritation. Everybody from students to teachers knew better than to suddenly interrupt his privacy. Even committee members never burst through the door when they were giving him reports. He had trained them to knock before entering, unless they wanted to find themselves at the wrong end of his tonfa.

There were two of them, and the elder of the pair was lingering behind as they made their way into the room. He had black hair, glasses and wearing a simple suit. He appeared mature - if it wasn't for age, it was the demeanor he carried about him; the way he quietly walked into the room as if he tried to lessen the fact that he was imposing, and the calm expression on his face. However, no matter how many years older he was than the younger man, his position behind the other - following like a dog to its master - told him that he wasn't the important figure.

On the other hand, the lazily smirking blond one was irritating. Slightly ruffled hair, a fur trimmed hooded jacket and cargo pants. Scuffed white sneakers that – Hibari thought – made too loud of a thud against the floorboards as he stepped closer. If it wasn't obvious he was too old to be attending Namimori Middle School, it was how he was casually dressed.

Completely out of uniform.

At least the older male could pass as a teacher with his attire. Appearances aside, their complete and utter disregard for the rules was another sign that they did not belong. First, no one was to disturb his privacy; second, if the cause for disruption is necessary, you knock before you enter; third, you must always be in uniform or properly dressed within the building. The blond one spoke up.

"You are Hibari Kyouya."

Definitely foreign. Though well spoken, the accent in his Japanese was a giveaway if his hair colour wasn't enough. Hibari wondered about his reason to be here.

"... You are?"

"I'm like an older brother to Tsuna, and an acquaintance of Reborn. You have the cloud ring, right?"

"The baby?" Hibari responded, finding something in the man's sentence worthy of attention. Nothing else he said mattered. "If you know him, shouldn't you be strong?"

The whip coiled in his hands – definitely looking for a fight, Hibari concluded, there was no other reason why he would be brandishing it in full view. Either way, he looked too soft to be carrying such a weapon, much less possessing the expertise on how to use it. But if Reborn had taught him anything, it was not to take appearance lightly.

"I don't care about the ring," Hibari said, rising up from the sofa. "I just want to bite you to death."

Dino's smirk grew. "Problematic as ever."

AN: The conversation between Dino and Hibari is roughly taken from the translation of Chapter 86 on Mangafox. I want to give credit where it is due, and there will be some more of these mentions as I try to follow the canon as closely as possible. And happy (belated?) D18 Day, guys!

Constructive criticism always welcome.