Diclaimer: I don't own the characters or the series. Amano Akira does. I'm just playing with them for a bit.

Keeping Company

"So, how long until the pick-up gets here?"

"Another half an hour or so." Hibari glanced at his watch, then sat down under a tree, leaning his back against it. "Could just as well make ourselves comfortable."

"Che. Why is it that the schedule is always off?" Adelheid sighed, then sat down next to him, crossing her arms under her breasts. "You would think they'd know by now exactly how long it takes us to eradicate an entire household."

"One should always allow for unforeseen circumstances." The Cloud let his gaze momentarily wander over to where a rather extravagant mansion was currently in flames, obscuring the stars in the night sky stretching over them. "Swiftness is good, but impatience rarely yields results."

"Don't talk to me like that." Adelheid scowled. "You are not my teacher, Hibari Kyouya."

"Then why does it appear there are still things I might teach you?" Hibari let his head sink back against the tree, eyes closing. For a moment, he looked almost vulnerable. However, Adelheid knew better. If anyone had sought to attack him in this rare moment of relaxation, they would have come to regret it sorely indeed.

"Tch." She stretched out her legs, eyes wandering up to the sky. She could barely see a few stars here and there, the flare of the destruction they had left behind concealing the rest. "Why do I have to get paired up with you, anyway?"

"Because the two of us together are the most efficient combination either of our families can offer for utter and total destruction," the man pointed out calmly. "And because the outcome of this mission is, indeed, important to both our families. Why complain, anyway? It is rare that we get such legitimate reasons to actually let loose."

"...I suppose." Her lips twitched. It was true indeed that the two of them could rarely fight to the best of their abilities, as their strength even individually was too great to take the risk of the inevitable casualties and collateral damage. And when combined... well. No other two people in the entire mafia world could indeed be quite as efficient about suppressing a looming rebellious family as they. It was a fact, as evident by Ranking Fuuta's opinions. "Both our families? So you actually admit your connection to Vongola, darling Hibari?"

"I bear the bracelet of their crest," he replied simply. "As such, I'm as attached to them as you are to Shimon, like it or not." He paused. "Try this."

She glanced over to him, seeing a box in his hand. Taking it, she raised her eyebrows. "What am I supposed to do with this?" There were, to her knowledge, no boxes associated with the flames of Earth.

"As I said, try it." Hibari opened an eye just enough to glance at her. "It is a little project of Foundation's."

Giving him a doubtful glance, she nevertheless lit her ring, feeding the flame into the box. Just because she had never done it herself before didn't mean she didn't know what to do.

To her surprise, the box sprang open, a softly illuminated bird bursting free. Seeing her widened eyes, Hibari smirked. "She should be able to create a breeze. Try it."

Still somewhat doubtful, she glanced at the bird that now settled on her hand. It was fairly large for a bird, though apparently not a bird of prey, a strangely blue glow enveloping its body. "...Fine." She pointed towards the flaming mansion in the distance. "Blow over there."

The bird glanced at her, then took flight, a ghostly image as it rose to the sky. She saw it flying towards the mansion until it paused, circling in the air some ways from the mansion.

Then, it struck its wings, once, twice. Even from the distance, she could see trees bending out of the way, a layer of frost forming upon their leaves.

"Much better," murmured Hibari as the flames died out, unable to continue burning without heat. "Now we can see the stars properly."

Adelheid couldn't help but chuckle as she watched the bird flying back towards them. "I should have known you had selfish motivations."

"Why complain? You gained a box for it." He glanced at his watch again. "...The pick-up should be here soon."

"All the better," she said, her tone full of the kind of fondness that could only be born between two equally skilled rivals after years upon years of mutual competition and grudging respect. "Less time I have to spend with you."

He did not answer, but the smirk on his face told her more than any words could have, anyway.