Lost... [Open]

[C.C.]

The back alleys were silent, the shops all had their shutters closed, the darkness closed in on her. Every step seemed to increase the ominous silence. Uni's blue eyes flickered to the sides, her mouth drawn in an uncertain line. Where was this place? It certainly wasn't anywhere she had ever been. It certainly wasn't home.

She had been playing hide and seek, and had accidentally ran too far away from her home. Confused, she had walked around in circles for hours on end, hoping that someone would come and find her. Nobody did.

Uni unconsciously hugged herself, feeling goosebumps erupting on her skin. One hand crept up and grabbed the necklace she had been given two years ago tightly, though careful not to break it. It was something hopeful, a light in the dreary place. It was the only thing she had now. The young girl blinked back tears, wiping her eyes hastily on her sleeves. It wouldn't do to cry now.

Spotting a dim light in the distance, she hurried towards it. It was a street lamp, the only source of light in the whole street. But even the light seemed cold rather than welcoming, as if it was only here to create a false impression. She slid into a crouch, with her back against the street lamp and her hand still holding the necklace tightly.

It was dark. It was silent. And she was scared.

[Pedo-Pie]

Ryohei watched, fascinated, as his breath misted up in front of him while he panted. It never got cold this early in the year back in Japan. It was a good thing Kyoko had warned him to bring a jacket along. So, the cold wasn't problem, then. What was the problem?


Ah, yes. He was lost.


Ryohei huffed and slowed to a walk. This ALWAYS happened, dammit. He'd go out for an EXTREME jog, something light, maybe just a couple of rounds around Italy, and he'd end up completely lost and have to wander around for a few hours before ending up somewhere familiar. Always.


And he was hungry, too.


Ryohei harrumphed and looked around again for a sign of life. Geez, these Italians went to sleep at the crack of dusk, didn't they? Not even the streetlights were on. How stupid. What would happen if someone were driving, and there was no light, and then he missed a turning and then...


Ryohei clamped down firmly on his train of thought. Master had told him that if he allowed his mind to wander during a battle, he'd lose. And this was definitely a battle. A battle with direction. To the extreme.


Seeing a dim light somewhere on the horizon, Ryohei sped up. At least he could stand under it for a while and gather his thoughts, because these shadows were starting to creep him out. Upon closer inspection, however, Ryohei noticed a tiny figure hunched under the light.


"Hey! You! What are you doing out here by yourself? Are you EXTREMELY lost?" he called in his broken Italian, jogging up to meet it.



[LOL I just ruined the mood, didn't I?]

[emayex]

[OOC: Right...here we go..don't shoot me if it's really bad.]

A small, yellow bird fluttered overhead, above the streetlights in the chilly evening, softly singing a familiar, high-pitched song.

"Midori tanabiku, namimori no~..."

[/b]

Hibird looped around another lampost before drifting down towards the pavement. It landed on an outstretched finger, plopping down safely. Without a word, Hibari placed the bird on his shoulder, continuing on his way down the street.

The street was unusually empty at this hour. Usually it would at least have a few stalls open, bright and welcoming. In other words, a crowd.

However, this evening they were all closed, even though the cold evening air would have attracted more customers than usual. Hibari blinked, feeling his eyes stinging from closing them after keeping them open for so long - especially with the wind blowing into his face.

A street lamp flickered and died as Hibari passed it. He sent it a brief glance before turning back around. A distinct breeze drifted past, and the Cloud Guardian unconsciously flexed his fingers. Although his hands were cold, his Vongola ring had a suspiciously warming presence.

A voice broke through the peaceful evening, shattering the welcoming silence. "Hey! You! What are you doing out here by yourself? Are you EXTREMELY lost?"[/b]

Hibari scowled. That voice alone was enough to end his good mood. Hibird shifted on his shoulder and he stopped, absently raising a finger to pet its feathers.

"Sasagawa, what are you doing here?"[/b] Hibari asked calmly, his hand dropping back down to his side. He stepped to the side, intent on avoiding the extreme man, and in the process seeing what Ryohei had been blocking with his body.

Hibari hadn't been able to see before, because the Sun Guardian had been covering his line of sight, but now he realised that there was a small figure crouched beneath a lamp post, huddled below the light.

"Oh? What's this?"[/b] Hibari asked, walking closer.[/blockquote]

[OOC: Agh, Hibird's yellow writing kills my eyes.]

[C.C.]

[OOC: Wow, Max, that's good! xD]

It wasn't long after that a person came into view, jogging as if he had ran around all his life. As the figure drew closer, Uni could make out some of his features. He seemed to be a man in his early twenties, with a bandage across his nose and silver hair, and also seemed to be extremely fit.

"Hey! You! What are you doing out here by yourself? Are you EXTREMELY lost?"

Surprised by his loud voice, Uni stopped herself from wincing just in time, and rose from her crouched position. Of course, she was nowhere near as tall as the man (age difference, naturally), but it did seem much more polite. He was most likely not Italian, judging from his accent. And a warm part of her could also tell that he had good intentions. Aria had always told her to listen to her intuition, and she did so now.

"Um,"

[/color] she began, "I am actually a little lost,"[/color] Uni admitted, smiling as gently as she could. This was the first person she had met in the lost hours who didn't sneer at her, and it wouldn't be too good to scare him away. "Could you point me to-- I mean, I don't really know...Sorry, but where is this?"[/color] she asked, remembering her manners just in time.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to apologize again, a cold voice interrupted. "Sasagawa, what are you doing here?" Uni stifled a gasp as the second figure stepped into sight - an obviously Japanese man around the same age, with a cute yellow bird on his shoulder. Although she got the feeling that he wasn't particularly 'bad', she also knew, somehow, that it wasn't good to step out of line while he was around. She hoped that he wouldn't notice her, maybe...

"Oh? What's this?"

He noticed.

Uni bowed immediately, smiling radiantly as she rose to face him. "My name is Uni, I'm sorry for bothering you,"[/color] she said in perfect Italian.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[OOC: AHH, I so shouldn't have applied for her >.> Don't I fail?]

[yumesuishou]

Hakuren wandered about through the streets of Italy as the sound of her footsteps echoed everywhere. After a few more minutes of walking she stopped and looked around worriedly, glancing up at the sky seeing as how it was starting to get dark.

'Hm...That's odd, that person should have been around here, somewhere,' She thought to herself. 'Maybe I took a wrong turn around the last corner...'

Just as Hakuren was about to turn around and head back, she heard a VERY loud and familiar voice break the silence around her.

"Hey! You! What are you doing out here by yourself? Are you EXTREMELY lost?"

Upon hearing this voice, Hakuren merely gave an exasperated sigh, repositioned the thick glasses that hid her eyes, and headed straight for the source of the ruckus. As she got closer she saw three figures.

"Oya? Sasagawa Ryohei-san and Hibari Kyoya? What are you both doing here?" She asked curiously. The she notice a young girl beside them. " Ara, and the little principessa too!!" Hakuren bowed towards the little girl. "I've been looking for you. Where have you been? You had me worrying."

[emayex]

Hibari half turned to face the newcomer smoothly, movements not betraying any surprise at all. "Have we met?"

[/b] he asked, an unspoken question following: Who are you?

It was just the four of them on the street. Hibari was acutely aware of the fact that two of them could possibly be enemies, and one of them would be a nuisance if the others turned out to be enemies after all. "Is she yours?"[/b] Hibari inquired, pointing towards Uni.

The other woman was definitely a strange one. Although she barely looked the part, this newcomer had a strange feel about her. And that...irritating...!

Hibird flapped its wings, shifting again before taking flight. A short while later, it nestled comfortably on Hibari's head.

Hibari made no move to stop the bird from doing so; rather, he maintained his pose, staring blandly at Hakuren, arms by his sides. "Crowd here for any longer and I'll bite you to death,"[/b] he said quite calmly, before directing his gaze back to Ryohei.

"Sasagawa. This girl is lost."[/b] His gaze flickered, going to Uni before returning to the extreme boxer. Hibari's mouth clicked shut, and he did not elucidate any further than that.

Turning fully this time, the Cloud Guardian started to move away. "I'm leaving."[/b][/blockquote]

[OOC: Mm. Muse isn't coming to me at 11:30 D:]

[Pedo-Pie]

Ryohei tilted his head slightly as the woman approached. By the looks of it, the woman was familiar with the little girl. That was good, wasn't it? That meant she was in safe hands. Grinning widely, Ryohei realised that if the woman was a friend, that meant he wouldn't have to worry about the little girl and could instead go home to Kyoko.


Seeing Hibari turn away to leave, Ryohei suddenly stuck out an arm and grabbed on to his sleeve. "OI! HIBARI! Don't leave, I'm also EXTREMELY lost!" [/color]he huffed, vaguely wondering if Hibari would be kind enough to give him a ride home...or at least let him play with Hibird.

"LITTLE CHICK!" he called, turning to the helpless child previously crouching under the lamp post. "You know this lady?" he asked, jerking a thumb towards the aformentioned lady. Even though it would be easier to just leave the child in this woman's care, it wouldn't do to walk off without verifying her safety first. Kyoko would kill him.


[*HAS THE SUDDEN URGE TO MAKE RYOHEI GO ALL GAY FER BARI-BARI* *TONFA'D TO THE EXTREME*]

[C.C.]

As Uni bowed and waited for a response (which wasn't going to come), another voice interrupted them again. "Ara, and the little principessa too!! I've been looking for you. Where have you been? You had me worrying."

Uni blinked in surprise, but quickly recovered and smiled. The newcomer was a female in her early 20's with purple hair, and she was quite sure they had never met. But once again, like the first two people, there was no sign of hostility about her. "You are..."

[/color] She paused, wondering if she had merely forgotten the name. No. "I'm sorry, I don't recall us meeting,"[/color] she said as politely as she could.

But then the second man turned to walk away, and the cute yellow bird took flight, before landing a moment later. Uni couldn't help gasping slightly at the bird. It was fluffy, yellow, and reminded her of a big ball. "Your bird...it's cute,"[/color] she smiled, keeping her eyes trained on the bird even as the owner turned away.

"LITTLE CHICK!"

Although Uni wasn't quite sure that she was being addressed, she turned anyway.

"You know this lady?"

She opened her mouth slightly, and then closed it again. It would be impolite to say no, but Aria had always told her to tell the truth instead of lying. So, smiling timidly, as if afraid the lady would do something, she shook her head. "I'm sorry,"[/color] she apologized again formally.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[emayex]

[OOC: Ew. Piezen, really? I'm inching closer and closer to the hills..
Hibari: I'll tonfa bite you to death.]

Hibari shook his sleeve loose from Ryohei's hands. "Don't touch me,"

[/b] he said without turning, a hint of a frown appearing on his face. He prepared to leave, but the girl spoke up before he could take another step.

"I'm sorry, I don't recall us meeting."[/b]

Hibari blinked, stopping. Oh? So that young girl didn't know the purple headed woman after all? Perhaps it was worth staying after all...something about the woman rubbed the Guardian the wrong way, and he wouldn't mind...taking care of her.

"Your bird...it's cute."[/b] Hibari could practically feel the smile radiating from the girl. Despite himself, whatever remnants he had had of the frown dissolved, and the corners of his lips curled upwards into a small, slight smile.

"Its name is Hibird,"[/b] Hibari announced, raising a finger to his head. Obediently, the small, yellow bird hopped on, and he lowered it, absently petting Hibird with his other hand.

Subsequently, while 'chatting' with the girl, Uni, Hibari had been quite blocking out Ryohei's extreme yells in his ears.

"You're useless,"[/b] Hibari said, before proceeding to ignore him again, entirely dismissing the Sun Guardian's presence and directing a stare at Hakuren.

"What did I say about crowding?"[/blockquote]

[yumesuishou]

"Have we met?"
"You are... I'm sorry, I don't recall us meeting,"

Realization hit Hakuren upside the head.

"Oya! Pardon me, where are my manners. Mi chiamo Hakuren Kuromori." She replied in perfect Italian, ignoring Hibari's question. Wait, that's strange. She's speaking perfect Italian and yet she's Japanese. Wait, she IS Japanese isn't she? I mean her name is Japanese and all. Oh well... Maybe she's just mixed.

"And you're right we haven't met before. However, I have been hired by your mother a few times. I must say, the resemblance is quite uncanny."

Then she got down to Uni's eye level and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "But between you and me, I think you're much cuter~" After that she winked, or at it seemed it like I mean its pretty much impossible to tell from those thick glasses she was wearing.

"Anyways, I have been hired by your family to escort you to your destination. However, due to my own ignorance, it would seem that I had gotten lost. I apologize for my delay" She finished and bowed, watching as the little princess play with Hibird.

"What did I say about crowding?"

" 'Crowd here for any longer and I'll bite you to death,'?" She mocked. "Kusususu~ As much as I'd like to see you try, I'm afraid you won't be doing any of that in front of the principessa here." She giggled, giving off a taunting and somewhat familiar tone of voice at Hibari.

[OOC: There anyone else here beside me suffering from writer's block? Dx
@ Piezen: SHOULD I GRAB THE CAMCORDER OR CAMERA? >D]

[Pedo-Pie]

[Max: TOO LATE *advances with manic grin*
Ren: DAMMIT, GET BOTH.]


Ryohei sniffed and rubbed at his face with his sleeve, a simple childish gesture he'd never quite kicked. Realising he was being ignored, Ryohei lasped into silence for a while, tilting his head to listen to the Hakuren-lady.

"I've been hired by your family to escort you to your destination."

Deep in the recesses of Ryohei's addled thoughts, something clicked. Family? Did that mean the girl was rich or something, and her family had hired a nanny to keep track of her? Or did it mean the girl was in the mafia, a family like Ryohei's own?

Stop. Hammer time.

How could a teeny tiny little thing like this one belong to the mafia? Impossible. EXTREMELY impossible, in fact. Why, this girl was so small and fragile that Ryohei could squish her with one hand. Not that he'd try. The kid reminded him of Kyoko, in a way. Same sweet smile and polite way of speaking.


Then she spoke again.


" 'Crowd any longer and I'll bite you to death?' "


HOLD UP HOLD UP HOLD UP. WHUT?


"YOU!" Ryohei exploded, pointing an accusatory finger. "WHY'D YOU SAY THAT? HIBARI! DO YOU KNOW THIS WOMAN OR SOMETHING?!"[/b]


Instinctively taking a step back, Ryohei took a closer look at the woman. Layered lavender hair, black trench coat and boots, and a pair of glasses completely obscuring her eyes...she and Hibari looked nothing alike.


"YOU TWO MUST BE RELATED!"[/b]


[COME ON, HOW MANY OF YOU FACEPALMED AFTER THAT?]

[C.C.]

[OOC: Piezen-sama, that is the most spectacularly awesome thing I have read all week! xDD I shall now worship you! (Even though I do already)]

"Its name is Hibird."

Watching the man extend a finger to pet 'Hibird', an inner glow seemed to fill the young girl. The relationship between the owner and the pet was something unique and sincere, something that couldn't be replaced. It was something she admired. The movement was a simple one, but she could see that it was absolutely different from the cold outer shell he possessed.

"Hibird? That's a nice name."

[/color] Somehow, without knowing the man's name, Uni could tell that it was fitting. There was some instinct telling her. The same instinct which told her whether people were friendly or not; the same instinct which guided her towards the correct choices; the same instincts she was born with as part of being, even if she did not know it, a Sky Arcobaleno.

"Oya! Pardon me, where are my manners. Mi chiamo Hakuren Kuromori."

Uni nodded her understanding and respect, and patiently waited for her to continue. It occurred to her that, apart from herself, Hakuren was the first to provide some sort of introduction.

"And you're right we haven't met before. However, I have been hired by your mother a few times. I must say, the resemblance is quite uncanny."

She allowed herself a small smile, although not quite willing to interrupt. "People say that, sometimes,"[/color] she said quietly, almost to herself. But then Hakuren knelt down, and Uni couldn't help her eyes opening slightly in surprise.

"But between you and me, I think you're much cuter~"

Having no idea how to respond, she merely kept silent as Hakuren continued.

"Anyways, I have been hired by your family to escort you to your destination. However, due to my own ignorance, it would seem that I had gotten lost. I apologize for my delay."

"Not at all,"[/color] Uni replied immediately, in the most respectful tone she could muster. Although she sensed Hakuren was saying the truth, Aria had always taught her to only go with people who could be trusted. "I'm sorry, but my mother hasn't informed me about any of this,"[/color] she began formally. "And although I would like to believe you, unfortunately nothing is safe in this day and age.

"I'm sorry,"[/color] she apologized again.

Surprisingly, the boxer (she guessed he was a boxer, or martial artist of some kind), suddenly yelled out. Something about relations and...biting to death? Was that something new everyone was interested in? Nonetheless, she kept silent, in case a stupid comment slipped out.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[emayex]

[OOC: I AM ALIVE. I think.]

"Uni."

[/b]

Hibari sent a flat stare towards Hakuren. "Haven't you even heard about stranger danger?"[/b] The Guardian didn't know why, but something about the purple haired woman made him instantly distrust her. Was she an illusionist? Hibari couldn't tell.

Did he care for the girl? Hardly. He didn't even know her, after all. But he was curious to know why Hakuren wanted Uni to go with her; here in Italy, especially at this time, with no one around watching, it was easy for older, experienced people to prey on the young and naive.

However, due to my own ignorance, it would seem that I had gotten lost. I apologize for my delay."[/b]

Hibari almost scoffed. Lost? Please. If she really was part of a mafia family, she wouldn't be lost along these streets. An exception would be the enthusiastic boxer next to him. Ryohei, even though he had been here for so long, had apparently lost his way.

Speaking of which...

"Sasagawa, be quiet,"[/b] Hibari ordered. "I do not know her. However..."[/b]

Even though Hibird was once again nestled on his head, it did not diminish the mood as Hibari smiled once more. With a quick twitch of his ring to a box tucked safely into a pocket, he would be holding his tonfas.

"This place belongs to the Vongola,"[/b] Hibari informed Hakuren, tilting his head slightly. "Like I said before. Leave, or I'll bite you to death."[/b][/blockquote]

[OOC: Oh this is horrible...someone keehl me! Or get a Tuna in here! ]

[yumesuishou]

"This place belongs to the Vongola. Like I said before. Leave, or I'll bite you to death."

After that little sentence, Hakuren was starting to get irritated.

"I am aware of that." She started as a dark aura emitted from her body. What was strange was that, though the aura was dark, it did not seem to have any sinister intentions in it.

" I'm not trespassing though, fore I have pledged my loyalty to the Vongola. If you want proof then I have it right here," She spoke, once again there was something familiar about the tone of her voice. Unhooking a strange chain around her neck, Hakuren then held up a ring which had the Vongola family emblem engraved onto it. You could tell that the ring was genuine because the engraved detail was far too complex to be forged and inside the ring behind the emblem was an 'X', the Roman numeral for ten.


"I'm sorry, but my mother hasn't informed me about any of this. And although I would like to believe you, unfortunately nothing is safe in this day and age."

The minute Uni had finished speaking, the strange dark aura subsided and Hakuren smiled.

"Oya, but of course. If that is what Uni-chan wants, then I shall respect the principessa's wishes." She then bowed and put a small bundle of money in Uni's hand.

"Since you do not trust me yet, return this money to your mother. Tell her I cannot accept this money because her request was not fulfilled."

She then gave a warm smile and keeled infront of the younger girl. "However, I will still escort you. And you cannot do anything about if because I'm will do this out of my own free will. Besides, it's dangerous for a cute little girl like Uni-chan to wander around the streets of Italy alone. The human world can be a tainted place." Once again, though there was no sinister intentions behind it, Hakuren's voice seemed somewhat different and somewhat familiar to the Vongola cloud guardian as she spoke the last sentence.

[Pedo-Pie]

[Ryohei is not posting yet because he EXTREMELY doesn't know what to say So go ahead.]