"Hayato, Lambo." Katrina called. "ready to go?" she pushed her door open revealing an odd scene. Hayato was standing perched on a stool, his head in a noose. Underneath him, Lambo was lying, asleep.
"no, I'm not ready to go. Because the ngày I go to one of Yamamoto's practices will be the ngày I commit suicide." Hayato remarked. Katrina rolled her eyes and walked over to him. She untied the noose and pulled Hayato away.
"stop being such a jealous little prick Hayato." Katrina smirked.
"I'm not jealous!" Hayato shouted.
"you just keep saying that, I just keep not believing you." she replied. "come on, let's go."
"you owe me so so much for this. I better get some goddamn thực phẩm after it! Let me change and then I'll tham gia bạn and Lambo..." he snarled. Katrina grinned in a satisfied manner.
"see, bạn are nice." she mused. "I'm going to change too then i guess." she pushed Hayato into her closet and then slammed the door shut. Katrina also shoved Lambo out of her room. She slid out of the ripped formal dress and pulled on a tank hàng đầu, đầu trang and some shorts. Katrina marched over to the doorway and then waited. Hayato came over soon after, cursing and kicking the ground.
"it's not that bad. It's just a two giờ long baseball practice and then we'll grab some grub. I'm paying too." she smiled.
"damn right bạn are. Freaking two hours in hell... bạn better be ready to pay for an, at least, three course meal." Hayato grumbled. Katrina grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the warehouse. She quickly typed in a code and then walked through the booby traps. "how come bạn don't have to do your little dancey thing on the way out?"
"Hayato, Hayato, Hayato... This security system is one of the finest in the world. It's specially programmed to be impossible to trip from the other direction. So if I'm going out, none of the traps go off. I put motion sensors on the mine field and the trip wires were made to know which way they're being pulled." she said, as if it were extremely obvious.
"fun..." Hayato rolled his eyes. He was in an insanely bad mood at that point.
"Lambo! Where are you?" Katrina cried. Lambo popped out of a bụi cây, cây bụi, tổng thống bush and waved.
"right here!" he chimed. Katrina held her arms open and Lambo jumped into them. She set the boy on her shoulder with a smile.
"explain this to me, how did bạn ngày Lambo?" Hayato raised an eyebrow.
"long story, but we should have time." Katrina said. "let me start at the beginning. I was young, fresh, new to the world of mafias and hitmen. But I was lonely too, hopelessly lonely. I hadn't met bạn yet and at that point, my only Những người bạn were Dr. Shamal and Gianni. As bạn can imagine, they weren't a whole lot of a family. Of course, Gianni was exceedingly nice to me and let me stay with him. Dr. Shamal hit on me constantly but I didn't mind, that was just him. But anyway, I was really lonely and I was still doing mainly solo missions. So that was just a few weeks before I met bạn and my dad was still alive back then too. I was looking for a place to sell some weapons and one ngày a saw this little tail disappear behind a corner. Being the curious person I am, I followed it. At first, I thought it was some kid of deformed cow but then, I got closer. The thing turned out to be a he and that he turned out to be two năm old Lambo. He was young and fresh too. I was concerned because over the course of a few weeks, I noticed he was often alone. One day, I stopped him and asked who he was. Lambo told me he was a hitman and was on his way to becoming the boss of the Bovino family mafia. I figured he was like Reborn, very strong and savvy. But he wasn't, he was... different. Anyway, over the tiếp theo few months I'd play with him and tickle him and I really acted like a mom for him. And bạn know how em bé are sometimes, toddlers and young kids. He asked me out one ngày and playing around I đã đưa ý kiến yes. It was a cute plaything for a while but eventually it just stopped. Of course, every time he shoots himself with that bazooka I totally swoon. Adult Lambo is beyond extremely attractive. However, I was only eleven then and bạn were still training under Shamal. Hahaha remember the ngày I met bạn Hayato?"
"unfortunately I do. Worst ngày of my entire life." Hayato grumbled. Katrina pushed him lightly on the shoulder and rolled her eyes.
"what happened that day?" Lambo asked, still perched on Katrina.
"well, let's start at the beginning." Hayato mocked. "I was eleven as well and for three years I'd been trying to get into a mafia and training with Shamal. The ngày the Vongolas finally accepted me was also the ngày I met the other hitman people. There were a few older men and such, just kind of regular looking people, and then there were thêm interesting ones like Reborn. That first ngày I had not yet seen Katrina because apparently she was out on a business trip. So I went about my usual things and killed my first target. Then the tiếp theo day, I was with Shamal training with knives and spiky things.
'I'm going to call in a really awesome expert for you,' he said. I agreed because I wasn't very good with knives and could have used a little help. A few hours later I got pretty impatient and went to go grab some food. Out of nowhere this thing lands on me and starts punching me in the sides and stomach. I threw a stick of dynamite in the heat of the moment and then passed out from loss of blood. The last thing I saw before I passed out was, of course, a licorice whip. And, sadly, the first thing I saw when I woke up was Katrina. She was bandaging my stomach and as bạn could imagine I was a bit confused.
'I'm Kat candy.' she said. 'and in going to be your hitman partner. Can't fight it I tried but the fat cat is pretty strict about this stuff. Now get your đít, mông, ass up so we can train. I made some stuff special for this so hurry it up.' and that was the worst ngày of my life."
"I didn't say it like that!" Katrina growled. "you and your stupid mocking voices..."
"you and your stupid real voice." Hayato snarled back at her. Katrina narrowed her eyes and shoved Hayato through the school gates. She half pushed half dragged him to the bleachers. Katrina waved to Yamamoto and smiled. He jogged over and then did a few stretches.
"you shouldn't have come if bạn two were sick!" Yamamoto cried. Katrina cackled and then winked.
"sometimes, sickness leaves the body quickly. It was probably just some simple thực phẩm poisoning from my cơm, gạo balls. I'll admit that they weren't the smartest thing to cook." she laughed. "plus, I didn't want to miss an opportunity to watch bạn practice Yamamoto!"
"haha I see what bạn mean. Well, thanks a ton for coming. I'm surprised Hayato came," he dropped his voice into a whisper. "to be honest I don't think he likes me much..."
"don't be silly," Katrina grinned. "Hayato loves you!" She nearly burst into hysterics at that point. Hayato's anger was easily seen as his face turned red. Katrina giggled and then blushed. Her gaze shifted over to the other side of the bleachers. An assortment of girls were happily chatting and watching the hunks play baseball. Lambo had sat down in Katrina's lap and curled into a ball. His huge hair brushed against her legs and she laughed. Hayato eagerly lit a cigarette and blew smoke into the air. Katrina sniffed the smoke and then exhaled deeply.
"want one?" Hayato asked, holding out the box of cigarettes. Katrina pondered in she should hoặc shouldn't for a moment. Deciding that she'd probably die earlier then she already would, Katrina pushed them away.
"too young to smoke. But thanks..." her voice trailed off.
"I'm the same age and I smoke." Hayato remarked. Katrina gnawed the inside of her cheek and then sighed. Another puff of smoke burst into the air. Katrina breathed that in as well and then laughed nervously.
"secondhand is enough." she replied. Katrina sat back and then peered at the group of girls near the two. They were laughing and throwing their hands into the air. Nasally voices echoed through her ears and she gulped. Katrina leaned back cautiously and then huffed. She pulled a bag of kẹo out of her pocket and then carelessly shoved the gummy chunks of sweetness into her mouth. Her stare continued, watching the girls idly as if they were wild animals. However, for Katrina, they were. She knew she could never be like them, act like them, talk like them, hoặc live like them. Ever. Her life had already been decided for her and in some ways it was good, but in others it was bad. Katrina would never be trapped in a dead end pencil pushing job, in fact, she'd probably be put in history books. But she would also never experience the carefree naive life they led. Katrina would always know more, and would never know less. She would also never get to experience tình yêu hoặc romance. Because, for someone in her line of work, it was considered and unneeded distraction. And the only Những người bạn she would have in life would most likely be Hayato, Yamamoto, Lambo, and Tsuna.
"are you... Okay? Your death staring at those girls really intensely." Hayato waved his hand in front of her face. Katrina snapped out of her trance like state and gasped.
"yeah fine thanks." she blurted. Hayato furrowed his brow, somewhat concerned about her. Katrina was almost constantly talking about something and only death stared when she absolutely despised someone.
"are they bothering bạn in some way?" Hayato asked. Katrina shook her head and then moved her gaze to the baseball diamond. Yamamoto was up to bat this time. He held the wooden stick and dug his feet into the ground. Yamamoto narrowed his eyes and the pitcher and then nodded. The pitcher threw the ball as hard as he could straight at Yamamoto. With his bat raised, he swung it at the flying ball with extreme power and determination. He took off from first base and sprinted all the way around the diamond with ease. The pitcher moved from his mound and clapped his hand against Yamamoto's. The group of girls clapped and winked at him while Katrina remained stationary. Naturally, Hayato only huffed out some thêm smoke. Katrina inhaled the đám mây and then leaned back. She clunked her head against the metal backing and sighed.
"seriously, what is wrong?" Hayato đã đưa ý kiến in a very demanding tone.
"just tired..." Katrina lied.
"tired my fucking đít, mông, ass Katrina. What is wrong?" he snarled. Katrina shrugged and licked her lips. She closed her green eyes and ignored Hayato. phút passed, then ten, then fifteen, and then an hour. Katrina continued to breathe in the smoke from Hayato's cigarettes the entire time. Finally, she cleared her throat and decided to say something.
"those girls," Katrina began softly. "I'll never be like them. That's all." Hayato could scarcely believe what he'd just heard. A statement like that was nowhere near what Katrina was normally like. He wanted to give her a hug and tell her it would be okay, but that style never worked with her. However brutal Hayato was to his enemies was nothing like the person he was to his friends.
"yeah bạn won't be like them. Never will bạn be like them. You're better. bạn honestly want to be some primped up little slut? A goody two shoes? I bet you, bởi thirty they'll all be fat whores on corners, no doubt." he retorted, scowling.
"and what will I be in thirty years? Dead? hoặc even worse, unloved?" she grumbled.
"there is a good chance bạn will no longer be alive. But you'll never be unloved." Hayato said. He was somewhat used to be kind and compassionate to Katrina when she was upset. For years he'd consoled her about things and he knew just how to make her feel right again.
"you really think so?" Katrina asked, sitting up a little straighter. Hayato gulped and took a puff from his cigarette for what he was about to say was extremely cheesy and overwhelmingly stupid.
"I know so..." he grumbled, a tad hostile. Katrina let a smile perk up on her lips.
"Hayato, bạn are sweet no matter what anyone says." she giggled.
"fuck no am I sweet." he growled.
"okay, okay. bạn aren't sweet to anyone but me and 10th." she held her hands in the air. Katrina glanced at the girls residing in the corner and noticed that they had all stopped talking. The group was now staring, wide eyed at a black van. A man stepped out, clean cut and recently shaven. He wore a black suit with a red saying áo sơ mi and tie. A pair of sunglasses were pushed up on his nose and he had a scar running from his right temple to his left cheek. He was slightly tanned and he had masculine hands. The baseball team stopped in their tracks as two other men joined the first. Uzis were held in their hands and their outfits matched the bosses. Katrina's eyes widened and she nearly choked. Hayato glanced at her and then let his mouth drop open.
"are they?" he gulped. Katrina nodded mindlessly and placed a hand on Lambo.
"they are. We have to get out of here. We better get Yamamoto too, they've seen us watch him. They know he's a friend of ours." Katrina said. She watched as the group of girls skittered away. The men assembled in the center of the baseball diamond and held a gun to one boys head.
"Kat Candy! Get out here right now hoặc the boy dies." he ordered. The man, Teru, carelessly waved his pistol around. Katrina lightly dropped Lambo onto the floor where he landed with a thud. She stood from her place and then peered down. Yamamoto and others on the baseball team were crouched underneath her. She sighed with relief, glad she wouldn't have to tell her friend about this. Hayato also stood. As Katrina plunked down to the man, he followed carefully. Hayato already had sticks of dynamite ready, a few gripped in his hands.
"Kat kẹo here, can I help you?" she asked, immediately assuming her role as and arms dealer. Katrina reached into the pocket of her shorts and gripped her knife.
"my executive sold bạn bad cocaine so bạn sold him bad guns. I apologize for the cocaine but when I was making my daily rounds, he, and three others, turned up dead. My main guard died of and explosion and the other two of spikes in the head and chest." Teru said. Katrina sucked her chest in and puffed it out slightly.
"I killed all of them. They tried to kill my business associate. I had a problem with that." she remarked tastefully.
"they tried to kill that?" the man pointed to Hayato who scowled at him.
"yes, they đã đưa ý kiến I was a liar because I told him specifically last night that the súng worked. So he held us hostage and asked us questions. One mishap made it so he tried to shoot my friend. I am loyal to my Những người bạn and I would not let this happen. In the moment, I sprung into air and crushed his skull. Anything else you'd like to know?" Katrina smirked. Her easy going attitude while under pressure amazed Hayato. The boy placed a hand on her arm and then coughed, pointing to the súng in the other men's hands. Each one was engraved with Katrina's sign, a cursive K.C. On the trigger just above where the finger covers. Katrina, understanding Hayato was hoping they didn't work because off what she'd done earlier, shook her head. Obviously, they had removed the block she put in the safety, on that made it impossible to turn safety off. She could also see specks of dried blood on the barrel tip, indicating that they had been recently used to kill someone at point blank.
"so bạn are. I'll tell bạn what, we will give bạn a ten một giây head start before we start lighting this place up like the fourth of July of steroids. One..." the man began counting. Katrina grabbed Hayato and pointed to Lambo.
"get him! I'll get the baseball team!" she shrieked.
"three, four." Teru continued. Katrina sprung off her feet and over to the bleachers. She ripped away at a rusted and torn fence which separated her from the boys. After a few unsuccessful rips, she turned to her hand spikes. The tore throughout the brittle metal with some ease. She kicked it away and then started pulling them out.
"GO! GO! GO!" she roared. Hayato, with Lambo inhis arms, was already thundering down the street. Katrina grabbed Yamamoto's hand and jerked him out.
"nine," the man cackled. His henchmen cocked their súng and aimed them at Katrina and Yamamoto. "ten." a burst of ngọn lửa, chữa cháy exploded into the air, bullets went every which way as screams cut through the dusky sky. Katrina peered back to see a bullet hurtling towards her. The silvery object gleamed lightly as it shot through the air. Time seemed to slow as Katrina tried to di chuyển out of the way. Behind her, the men were being enveloped in a huge explosion which Hayato had obviously caused. She noticed the men who were now on ngọn lửa, chữa cháy running around and screeching. The scene was reflected off their black van with gleaming poise. Katrina pushed Yamamoto down to save him from any other oncoming bullets. However, as she tackled him to the ground, a bullet struck her shoulder. It ripped through her flesh like a saw blade through wood. Unfortunately, the bullet was now lodged inside her. The frantic screams died away as the whole neighborhood went silent. Things seemed to speed back up now, Yamamoto clawed out from under Katrina and then stared. The wound was spewing blood all over the place and she moaned in pain.
"Yamamoto... My shoulder... Shot..." she gasped, panting hard. The boy put a finger to her lips carefully.
"don't talk," he said. "just breathe." Katrina nodded weakly and then used her left arm to point to Hayato. She pointed back at herself and then stared at Yamamoto, pain in her eyes. "GOKUDERA! OVER HERE!" he waved anxiously. Hayato shouldered his way through the crowd and then sprinted over. The gunshot wound began to throb and Katrina growled through grit teeth.
"holy shit did bạn get shot?!" he cried.
"no, the large hole like wound has always been there. Yes I got shot!" Katrina snapped, in too much pain to care to be kind. She began to sweat profusely, tiny beads of salty water gathered up on her skin. Hayato stared at the wound and then a Yamamoto. The boy continued to believe that the mafia talk was all just a game so there was no chance they could take him to the warehouse. Hayato also knew that Yamamoto would persist and probably follow them if they ditched him. Feeling out of any other option, Hayato sighed.
"Yamamoto! bạn have a house right?" he asked.
"of course I have a house, why?" Yamamoto replied. His cellphone dangled from his fingers and Katrina's eyes widened. If he were about to call 9-1-1, she was dead.
"are your parents trang chủ right now?" Hayato inquired, plan brewing.
"no... My moms working until tomorrow morning... Why?" he said, becoming suspicious.
"I have a pathological fear of hospitals, if I step foot inside one, I'll run straight out no matter what the circumstances are." Katrina panted, playing along with Hayato.
"we need to get this bullet out of her so she can heal, can bạn help with that?" he grinned. Yamamoto pursed his lips and pondered the thought.
"I don't know... Why don't we use one of your guys houses?" he shrugged.
"no!" Katrina and Hayato screeched in unison.
"my mom just got back and she's a drunkard." she protested. Katrina didn't normally like to lie to people but for some reason, she felt like she needed to in Yamamoto's case.
"my parents are also trang chủ and they'll try to send her to a hospital." Hayato said. Yamamoto sighed and pawed at the dirt with his foot. He knew that any một giây the police would be at the area and snooping around.
"alright, we can take her to my house. I'm thinking we should di chuyển her kind of like a human xe nâng, xe nâng hàng so her back stays straight and she doesn't have to di chuyển her arms that much. Keep your arms where they are okay, Katrina?" Yamamoto asked, smiling to try and make her feel better. Katrina, whose face was now flushed of all color, nodded weakly. Hayato put his arms out in front of him and steadied them. He shoved them under her, causing a searing pain to ripple through Katrina. She cringed as Yamamoto put his hands under her.
"on three," Hayato said. "one, two, three." both boys hauled Katrina upward, causing thêm pain to splash over her. She started to breathe unevenly and take quick breathes.
"wait!" she gasped. Hayato and Yamamoto stopped immediately. "my blood, its all over the field. They'll try and find me and take me to a hospital..."
"my house is right in front of the school. When we get inside I'll come over and clean it up." Yamamoto said. Katrina nodded and then laughed weakly. The sound of faint sirens whirred in the background.
"hold her while I get some towels." Yamamoto ordered. Hayato nodded and propped Katrina on his leg, careful to keep her steady. bởi now, Katrina was close to fainting and freezing cold. Her hair was sticky with sweat as well as her shirt. She blinked a few times and then giggled deliriously.
"why is the world spinning Hayato?" Katrina asked, crazed from pain. Hayato stared at her nervously, wondering if she would be okay. He brushed wet hair out of her face with a free hand and smiled.
"because we're on a carousel." he lied.
"are there any pandas? I bought a panda..." Katrina mused. This times, Hayato ignored her. Yamamoto had set towels over his phòng bếp, nhà bếp bàn and grabbed a huge first aid kit. He quickly jogged over to Hayato and Katrina before plucking her up. Yamamoto cautiously set her on the bàn lying face down.
"what should I do?" Yamamoto asked. He was extremely nervous about the entire thing and he gnawed on the inside of his lip. Hayato shrugged and pointed at Katrina.
"she should know." he remarked.
"I do know... bạn have to dig it out of my flesh. There's going to be blood and gore so whoever is the least faint of tim, trái tim should do it. Get me a wooden spoon, okay?" Katrina grumbled, flashing back into reality.
"um... I don't know how to say this but... Your áo sơ mi is covering it. I might have to cut it off..." Yamamoto frowned. He grabbed a wooden spoon and tossed it to Hayato. Yamamoto also grabbed a pair of scissors before jogging back over.
"do it, just get this over with. Hayato, put the spoon in my mouth so I don't scream hoặc bit my teeth when bạn do it. Ready?" Katrina ordered, taking slow deep breaths. Yamamoto gulped as Hayato shoved the end of the spoon in her mouth. The boys exchanged worried looks and then nodded.
"ready." they answered in unison. Hayato grabbed the scissors and sighed. He gravely began to snip away at the gray tank top. Katrina started to shake and quiver from the extreme pain. Meanwhile, Yamamoto dipped the tweezers in alcohol and used a lighter to sterilize them. Once they cooled and Hayato had pulled the áo sơ mi away, the two boys stood over her. A huge tattoo enveloped her lower back. 'welcome to the jungle was scrawled in a unique font. Just underneath it lay a pistol which looked exactly like the ones she had được trao Tsuna.
"what is that?" Yamamoto asked.
"her dad forced her to get a tattoo like this before she left Italy..." Hayato lied. He knew she intended to keep the mafia business a secret from Yamamoto until he could handle it.
"can't bạn just get on with it?!" Katrina snarled.
"sorry! On the count of three I'm going to put the tweezers in..." Yamamoto blushed. He steadily moved toward the hole in her back, breathing heavily. Katrina reached her hand out and Hayato slid the găng tay off it. He wrapped his fingers over hers and nodded reassuringly. "one, two... Three!" Yamamoto plunged the tweezers into the wound. Katrina gripped Hayato's hand and the edge of the bàn with insane strength. The wooden spoon in her mouth nearly snapped as she slammed her teeth down on it. Yamamoto reached deeper inside until he felt the tweezers clank against the bullet. Katrina stared at Hayato with her large green eyes. They seem to ask 'why?' and Hayato responded bởi patting the hàng đầu, đầu trang of her hand. Katrina moved her gaze to the floor, cheeks burning bright red. Yamamoto let the tweezers open slowly. He pulled them open and then pushed down. The small medical tool dug into the fleshy tường of Katrina's wound. Searing hot tears began to pour out of her eyes and she moaned, nearly snapping Hayato's fingers. Yamamoto bit his lip and he shoved the instrument down. The flesh gave way and he successfully grabbed the bullet. He gnawed on his cheek and then began to slowly pull the bullet out. A pain that Katrina had never experienced before filled her. It clouded her mind and her vision fogged. Katrina felt a heave in her stomach and she tried to gulp it away. However, the spoon was blocking her from doing so. She heaved again an the colorful contents of her stomach emptied onto the tile floor. Yamamoto let the tweezers slip from his fingers and they sprung open in the wound. Blood bubbled over as Katrina let out a blood curdling screech. Hayato clasped his hand over her moist mouth and growled.
"I'm sorry!" Yamamoto cried. He shoved his fingers into the gunshot wound and gripped the tweezers. Katrina screamed again and squeezed Hayato's hand so hard he thought it would snap. Yamamoto dug back into the hole and searched for the bullet. This time, he managed to pull the metal đạn, hộp mực out. Katrina howled as he ripped the bullet from her flesh. He placed it on the towels and then snapped open the first aid kit. A rapping on the door interrupted there makeshift operation. Yamamoto rushed over and pulled the front door open.
"can I help you?" he asked, staring up at a nearly seven foot cop.
"yeah, I've gotten two noise complaints and we're scanning the neighborhood asking about what just happened." the man replied calmly. He peered behind Yamamoto to catch a glimpse of Hayato tearing through the black box of medical equipment.
"oh, what just happened?" Yamamoto asked, shutting the door and stepping outside.
"some kids were practicing for baseball and apparently a few guys jumped out and started exploding. We expect just a few kids out for some kicks. However, we found some blood and it appears that a little girl got shot. Probably around seven hoặc eight, we're guessing she went to get her brother from practice. And it seems, bởi the high amount of sugar in her blood, she was pretty unhealthy. Anyway, what's going on inside?" the cop began to poke at the door.
"my friend and I were just... Messing around." Yamamoto gulped. The man stared at him and pushed at the door.
"messing around doing what?" he pried.
"just screwing around bạn know, doing what we do." Yamamoto guarded the door. The policeman, growing impatient, pushed him away. He shoved the door open and walked, hoặc rather strutted, inside. Katrina was sitting on the table, clutching her arms around her chest. Hayato emerged from a hallway, holding a robe.
"I found this, it's like a robe." he threw it to her. Katrina pulled the large fluffy áo choàng tắm over her shoulder and tied it on.
"what're bạn doing in here?" the cop growled.
"I was just getting a robe." Hayato snarled back at him.
"I was just putting a quần áo, áo choàng on." Katrina snapped. Hayato helped her off the bàn and set her down gingerly. She made sure to keep her right arm straight to minimize pain. Most of it was gone bởi now, thanks to five rapid release aspirins and a bag of gummy worms.
"sit down, we need to have a talk." the man ordered.
Katrina, Hayato, and Yamamoto sat down on a floral print couch. The officer made himself comfortable in a recliner chair across from the three. He pulled out a pocketbook and then cleared his throat.
"names." the officer grumbled.
"Hayato Gokudera." Hayato sneered, death staring at the cop.
"Takeshi Yamamoto..." Yamamoto groaned, imagining how much trouble he might be in.
"Xyliar... Xyliar Zento?" Katrina lied. She knew how risky it was to go under a fake name but if they found out she had been using a fake address and that she was an orphan, it would be much worse.
"mhmm... Alright, bạn are going to have to answer some các câu hỏi about earlier today. First," he paused to wet his lips. "where were bạn all at four thirty seven?"
"here." the three đã đưa ý kiến in unison.
"why?" the policeman asked blankly. He scrawled a few notes on his pocketbook and then returned his gaze to the kids.
"well... He's my boyfriend." Katrina said, pointing to Hayato. "and he's my best friend. We came over to do homework with each other."
"yeah, we all lived in the area so we decided we'd just get it all over with and then maybe go for a walk." Hayato remarked. Yamamoto nodded and smiled but remained silent.
"okay, so bạn all came over to do homework with each other. Believable enough... Did bạn notice anything suspicious on your way here?" the man inquired. His sniffled and rubbed his bulbous nose. From the looks of it, Katrina figured he was an alcoholic.
"no, nothing out of the ordinary. Why? What happened?" Katrina said, trying to portray cluelessness in her green eyes.
"I didn't see anything." Hayato muttered. He leaned back and placed an arm around Katrina. She snuggled into him, playing the part perfectly.
"neither did I." Yamamoto đã đưa ý kiến with a small nervous laugh that came out to be thêm of a cough. The officer paused to write down a few thêm notes and then moistened his lips again. Katrina stared at him cautiously, hoping he wouldn't ask for an address.
"apparently, some guys in vans jumped out onto the baseball diamond and bombed it. Some girl got shot in the process," the man said. Instantly, Katrina's chest tightened with worry and she shivered. "but we ran a blood test and couldn't get a match." she let a sigh of release escape her mouth and the tightness lessened.
"that is just terrible! Hopefully she'll turn up at the hospital soon. I can't believe someone would do something like that. Can you, Hayato?" Katrina đã đưa ý kiến in a faux high pitched voice.
"not at all. I wonder why someone would bomb our school." he answered calmly.
"well, it seems bạn three were innocent. Alright, I'll let bạn get back to your work then. Buh-bye." the man waved. He marched out the door diligently and the three kids inside waited. They stayed completely silent until the whir of his motor died away.
"kudos guys! Nice acting!" Katrina beamed. She held up her left hand and gave them high fives. Some color had returned to her face and she felt a little better. The asprin was in full lung lay, swing and with the pressure of the bullet gone and a fresh dressing on it, Katrina felt okay.
"second cop we've fooled." Hayato cackled.
"I've never done that to a cop before. It felt... Kind of good." Yamamoto laughed. He pulled the bloody towels off his bàn and then disappeared. Yamamoto bleached them and threw them in the washing machine quickly. On his way back into the main room he pulled a few sodas out of the fridge. Yamamoto tossed them to Hayato and Katrina. Katrina, however, simply let her fall to the floor. She did a one armed shrug and then plucked it up.
"what can I say? I am not even a tiny bit ambidextrous. Could bạn open this for me?" Katrina threw the can to Yamamoto who gladly opened it and handed it to her. His trademark white toothed smile had returned as he flopped down on the couch.
"hey, I have a treo lên, sling from when I broke my arm. If bạn want to, bạn could borrow it to keep your arm from moving too much." he suggested. Katrina nodded somewhat dizzily and smiled back at him. Yamamoto set the can on the coffee bàn and jogged into his room.
"see! He's not that bad Hayato!" Katrina đã đưa ý kiến the moment he left the room.
"I still don't like him very much..." Hayato grumbled. She punched him in the shoulder clumsily and then groaned.
"I won't be able to cú đấm people! I hate life right now!" Katrina whined. Hayato punched her back and then rolled his eyes.
"suck it up! What are we? In mambie pambie land?!" he cried.
"yes, I got shot in the shoulder I think I deserve some whining rights!" Katrina stuck her tongue out at him.
"pft, hell no. Break a bone hoặc get punched with your gloves in the side, then bạn get whining rights." Hayato teased.
"but I get bragging rights because I got shot! đường phố, street bragging rights. I got hit bởi a truck once, that counts as bragging rights too." she nodded as if to approve herself.
"what kind of truck?" Hayato asked. Katrina laid her head back and then snapped it back up. Immediately, she remembered something vital.
"oh my god, Hayato. Wheres Lambo?" Katrina said, stricken with realization.
"probably at the warehouse shooting himself with the ten năm bazooka hoặc trying to kill Reborn." Hayato retorted blatantly. Katrina pursed her lips and then leaned back again.
"you better be right Hayato..." she pointed a finger at him. Yamamoto came walking out, holding a blue treo lên, sling proudly.
"found it." he đã đưa ý kiến in almost a boastful voice.
"awesome! Would bạn help me with it?" Katrina grinned. Yamamoto nodded and then sat tiếp theo to her. He put her arm carefully in the treo lên, sling and then put the strap around her neck. Yamamoto slowly attached the velcro together and then nodded.
"all done." he smiled.
"thanks a ton Yamamoto. If it weren't for bạn I'd be dead right now. Thanks to both of bạn actually, I needed your help." she said, taking on a serious persona. Katrina wrapped her left arm around each of her Những người bạn and then laughed. "what time is it?"
"six thirty seven." Yamamoto replied, pointing to his watch.
"really? I'm so beat... I guess getting shot really takes a lot of of a person, doesn't it?" Katrina asked crookedly.
"you should definitely rest up. I know bạn heal faster when bạn do." Yamamoto suggested. Katrina stood up and then shook his hand gratefully.
"you saved my life Yamamoto, it is a debt I intend to repay." she said, staring him straight in the eyes.
"I guess I better go too. See bạn later..." Hayato waved half heartedly and then followed Katrina out the door. The two stomped back to the warehouse, Katrina stumbling over things and often falling onto Hayato. She pressed the sheet metal down with her foot routinely and the gate slid open. Katrina half walked half drunkly stumbled over to a corner. She pressed a code into a keypad carefully and then grabbed the cổ áo of Hayato's shirt. Katrina pulled him through the field with ease and then she unlocked the warehouse door.
"you just have to enter a special code for the traps to deactivate?" Hayato grumbled.
"yeah," Katrina paused to yawn. "it's a trick I have. I don't normally do it that way though, I actually like the hectic runs and jumps through the course. It's fun..." she yawned again and then shut her eyes.
"right... Hey, let's go over to Tsuna's tomorrow. Just for the hell of it. I'll pick up a dưa hấu hoặc something, they're supposed to be really sweet this times of year." Hayato said, pulling on a pair of long fleece pants. He shrugged off his áo sơ mi and then sighed. Hayato had just remembered the earlier incident with his cot.
"oh yeah... It's broken..." Katrina đã đưa ý kiến dopily. She giggled a little and then blinked extremely slowly. "I guess when bạn want to go sleepy, bạn can bunk with be for the night."
"great... That sounds like loads of fun." Hayato muttered sarcastically. Katrina nodded and then shut her eyes. She began to fall backwards without even realizing it. Hayato stuck his hands out instinctively and pushed her upwards.
"you saved me... Yay Hayato!" Katrina cackled. She poked his nose and then grinned. "so cute."
"let's get bạn too bed..." Hayato growled, trying not to cú đấm her in the face. He pushed Katrina over to her room and pulled the door open. Hayato shoved her inside and then threw a dirty nightgown at her. "put this on and go to sleep."
"okie dokie Hayato-ie!" she smiled and then waved cutely. Hayato rolled his eyes and blew a huff of air out his mouth. He shut the door behind him and then locked it.
"that way she can't hurt herself... Hopefully..." he grumbled.
As the night grew older and Hayato grew thêm tired, he finally decided to retire. The boy rubbed his tired gray eyes and then yawned. Hayato stretched out his arms and remorsefully unlocked Katrina's door. Blankets were spread out on the floor and Katrina was lying, out cold, on the king size bed. She was sleeping right in the middle of it, legs and arms sprawled out leaving Hayato very little room. Her giant spiked boots were still on her legs and one of Katrina's gloves was on her right hand. Hayato grumbled and angrily ripped her boots and gloves off. He threw them in a corner and then shoved Katrina away. He tossed a blanket over her and grabbed one for himself. Hayato curled up and shut his eyes. A few silent moments passed and just as he was about to fall asleep, something slammed into the back of his head.
"FUCK!" he shouted. A loud groaning grumbling noise broke the night. Hayato whipped his head around to see Katrina with her mouth wide open and her foot tiếp theo to him. She was obviously sound asleep bởi her loud noisy snores. Katrina unknowingly shoved her hand into the side of Hayato's head. She felt his face an then laughed.
"face..." Katrina mumbled. Another snore cut the air and she jabbed her leg into his back.
"SHIT!" Hayato screeched. Katrina stopped and then rolled over. A loud grunt echoed out of her mouth and then she screamed. Hayato instinctively flung his hands above his heads and then fell off the bed. Katrina snapped her head off the giường and glanced around. She placed a hand on her shoulder and moaned.
"Hayato... Why'd bạn wake me up?" Katrina whined.
"you started kicking me for no reason! Bitch..." Hayato snarled. Katrina grabbed a can with her left arm and threw it at him. Inevitably, she missed and only succeeded in making her shoulder hurt even more. Katrina groaned and then flopped onto her face.
"I should have told bạn about that... I fight in my sleep. Heh-heh..." she said, voice muffled bởi the sheets. Her wound ached and her forehead felt extremely hot.
"can bạn not do that?" Hayato hissed, scowling.
"well... That's why my dad made me sleep on the floor. He thought I was going to break the couch... So, no I can't stop it. I guess I'll just go do... Something outside then. I can't sleep anyway, aspirin wore off, too much pain." she said.
"you don't have to sleep outside..." Hayato grumbled, feeling slightly guilty for shrieking at her. After all, she had just gotten shot. Hayato sighed and then motioned for her to come over. Katrina obeyed and scurried to him, staring up like a child being told a story.
"get in bed." he ordered. Katrina slumped onto the mattress. "shut your eyes and try to dream about something... Non violent."
"that's going to be a problem... For twelve years I've had dreams about zombies. It's not like a nightmare but I fight zombies in my sleep." Katrina shrugged. She innocently rubbed her head and laughed. Another wave of pain hit struck her down and she screeched.
"that makes sense," Hayato growled sarcastically. Katrina didn't make any reply and began to snore again. Hayato sneered before shoving her onto the floor. A loud yowl broke the silence and Katrina pulled herself up. She dragged her left hand across the sheets and Hayato noticed her găng tay was back on.
"I'll fucking kill you!" Katrina snarled.
"ill fucking kill you!" Hayato said, reaching for a stick of dynamite.
"looking for this douche bag?!" she snapped, holding up a bag full of dynamite. Hayato growled at her and narrowed his eyes.
"how the hell did bạn get your claws on that?!" he demanded. Katrina cackled and grinned crookedly.
"I woke up while I was fighting bạn in my sleep and took it all." she answered. Hayato chim bồ câu, bồ câu across the giường and Katrina jumped up. She danced across his outstretched body and then hopped down. Katrina stuck her tongue out at him. Hayato huffed hot air out of his nostrils. He charged back over the giường and grabbed Katrina's sling. She kicked him away and scurried over to the door. Hayato made a flying leap at her and Katrina ducked. He stuck his foot out and the flimsy door broke down. Katrina lightly trampled over Hayato's body again and clawed up a stack of crates. She flipped down the column before taking off again. Katrina paused and turned her head back around to check for Hayato. As she whipped back around, Katrina slammed into him. He grabbed her and Katrina kicked him in the groin. She went sprinting away, clutching the nightgown. Hayato's face burnt with rage as he pursued her. He reached the middle of the warehouse and glanced around, seething with fury. Katrina dropped down from the roof and tackled him to the ground. She put her găng tay spikes to the back of his neck.
"admit defeat." Katrina cackled.
"never..." Hayato replied, gritting his teeth.
"say I beat bạn hoặc I'll kill you." she demanded.
"you beat me..." Hayato spat, diễn xuất as though the words burnt his tongue. Katrina jumped off his shirtless back and reached a hand out, smiling. Hayato swept her feet out from under her but Katrina stuck her hand out to catch herself. She began to laugh and then Hayato joined in. For some reason, they both found the quarrels and fights humorous. The two walked back to Katrina's room, stepping over the broken door, and soon were asleep.
"no, I'm not ready to go. Because the ngày I go to one of Yamamoto's practices will be the ngày I commit suicide." Hayato remarked. Katrina rolled her eyes and walked over to him. She untied the noose and pulled Hayato away.
"stop being such a jealous little prick Hayato." Katrina smirked.
"I'm not jealous!" Hayato shouted.
"you just keep saying that, I just keep not believing you." she replied. "come on, let's go."
"you owe me so so much for this. I better get some goddamn thực phẩm after it! Let me change and then I'll tham gia bạn and Lambo..." he snarled. Katrina grinned in a satisfied manner.
"see, bạn are nice." she mused. "I'm going to change too then i guess." she pushed Hayato into her closet and then slammed the door shut. Katrina also shoved Lambo out of her room. She slid out of the ripped formal dress and pulled on a tank hàng đầu, đầu trang and some shorts. Katrina marched over to the doorway and then waited. Hayato came over soon after, cursing and kicking the ground.
"it's not that bad. It's just a two giờ long baseball practice and then we'll grab some grub. I'm paying too." she smiled.
"damn right bạn are. Freaking two hours in hell... bạn better be ready to pay for an, at least, three course meal." Hayato grumbled. Katrina grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the warehouse. She quickly typed in a code and then walked through the booby traps. "how come bạn don't have to do your little dancey thing on the way out?"
"Hayato, Hayato, Hayato... This security system is one of the finest in the world. It's specially programmed to be impossible to trip from the other direction. So if I'm going out, none of the traps go off. I put motion sensors on the mine field and the trip wires were made to know which way they're being pulled." she said, as if it were extremely obvious.
"fun..." Hayato rolled his eyes. He was in an insanely bad mood at that point.
"Lambo! Where are you?" Katrina cried. Lambo popped out of a bụi cây, cây bụi, tổng thống bush and waved.
"right here!" he chimed. Katrina held her arms open and Lambo jumped into them. She set the boy on her shoulder with a smile.
"explain this to me, how did bạn ngày Lambo?" Hayato raised an eyebrow.
"long story, but we should have time." Katrina said. "let me start at the beginning. I was young, fresh, new to the world of mafias and hitmen. But I was lonely too, hopelessly lonely. I hadn't met bạn yet and at that point, my only Những người bạn were Dr. Shamal and Gianni. As bạn can imagine, they weren't a whole lot of a family. Of course, Gianni was exceedingly nice to me and let me stay with him. Dr. Shamal hit on me constantly but I didn't mind, that was just him. But anyway, I was really lonely and I was still doing mainly solo missions. So that was just a few weeks before I met bạn and my dad was still alive back then too. I was looking for a place to sell some weapons and one ngày a saw this little tail disappear behind a corner. Being the curious person I am, I followed it. At first, I thought it was some kid of deformed cow but then, I got closer. The thing turned out to be a he and that he turned out to be two năm old Lambo. He was young and fresh too. I was concerned because over the course of a few weeks, I noticed he was often alone. One day, I stopped him and asked who he was. Lambo told me he was a hitman and was on his way to becoming the boss of the Bovino family mafia. I figured he was like Reborn, very strong and savvy. But he wasn't, he was... different. Anyway, over the tiếp theo few months I'd play with him and tickle him and I really acted like a mom for him. And bạn know how em bé are sometimes, toddlers and young kids. He asked me out one ngày and playing around I đã đưa ý kiến yes. It was a cute plaything for a while but eventually it just stopped. Of course, every time he shoots himself with that bazooka I totally swoon. Adult Lambo is beyond extremely attractive. However, I was only eleven then and bạn were still training under Shamal. Hahaha remember the ngày I met bạn Hayato?"
"unfortunately I do. Worst ngày of my entire life." Hayato grumbled. Katrina pushed him lightly on the shoulder and rolled her eyes.
"what happened that day?" Lambo asked, still perched on Katrina.
"well, let's start at the beginning." Hayato mocked. "I was eleven as well and for three years I'd been trying to get into a mafia and training with Shamal. The ngày the Vongolas finally accepted me was also the ngày I met the other hitman people. There were a few older men and such, just kind of regular looking people, and then there were thêm interesting ones like Reborn. That first ngày I had not yet seen Katrina because apparently she was out on a business trip. So I went about my usual things and killed my first target. Then the tiếp theo day, I was with Shamal training with knives and spiky things.
'I'm going to call in a really awesome expert for you,' he said. I agreed because I wasn't very good with knives and could have used a little help. A few hours later I got pretty impatient and went to go grab some food. Out of nowhere this thing lands on me and starts punching me in the sides and stomach. I threw a stick of dynamite in the heat of the moment and then passed out from loss of blood. The last thing I saw before I passed out was, of course, a licorice whip. And, sadly, the first thing I saw when I woke up was Katrina. She was bandaging my stomach and as bạn could imagine I was a bit confused.
'I'm Kat candy.' she said. 'and in going to be your hitman partner. Can't fight it I tried but the fat cat is pretty strict about this stuff. Now get your đít, mông, ass up so we can train. I made some stuff special for this so hurry it up.' and that was the worst ngày of my life."
"I didn't say it like that!" Katrina growled. "you and your stupid mocking voices..."
"you and your stupid real voice." Hayato snarled back at her. Katrina narrowed her eyes and shoved Hayato through the school gates. She half pushed half dragged him to the bleachers. Katrina waved to Yamamoto and smiled. He jogged over and then did a few stretches.
"you shouldn't have come if bạn two were sick!" Yamamoto cried. Katrina cackled and then winked.
"sometimes, sickness leaves the body quickly. It was probably just some simple thực phẩm poisoning from my cơm, gạo balls. I'll admit that they weren't the smartest thing to cook." she laughed. "plus, I didn't want to miss an opportunity to watch bạn practice Yamamoto!"
"haha I see what bạn mean. Well, thanks a ton for coming. I'm surprised Hayato came," he dropped his voice into a whisper. "to be honest I don't think he likes me much..."
"don't be silly," Katrina grinned. "Hayato loves you!" She nearly burst into hysterics at that point. Hayato's anger was easily seen as his face turned red. Katrina giggled and then blushed. Her gaze shifted over to the other side of the bleachers. An assortment of girls were happily chatting and watching the hunks play baseball. Lambo had sat down in Katrina's lap and curled into a ball. His huge hair brushed against her legs and she laughed. Hayato eagerly lit a cigarette and blew smoke into the air. Katrina sniffed the smoke and then exhaled deeply.
"want one?" Hayato asked, holding out the box of cigarettes. Katrina pondered in she should hoặc shouldn't for a moment. Deciding that she'd probably die earlier then she already would, Katrina pushed them away.
"too young to smoke. But thanks..." her voice trailed off.
"I'm the same age and I smoke." Hayato remarked. Katrina gnawed the inside of her cheek and then sighed. Another puff of smoke burst into the air. Katrina breathed that in as well and then laughed nervously.
"secondhand is enough." she replied. Katrina sat back and then peered at the group of girls near the two. They were laughing and throwing their hands into the air. Nasally voices echoed through her ears and she gulped. Katrina leaned back cautiously and then huffed. She pulled a bag of kẹo out of her pocket and then carelessly shoved the gummy chunks of sweetness into her mouth. Her stare continued, watching the girls idly as if they were wild animals. However, for Katrina, they were. She knew she could never be like them, act like them, talk like them, hoặc live like them. Ever. Her life had already been decided for her and in some ways it was good, but in others it was bad. Katrina would never be trapped in a dead end pencil pushing job, in fact, she'd probably be put in history books. But she would also never experience the carefree naive life they led. Katrina would always know more, and would never know less. She would also never get to experience tình yêu hoặc romance. Because, for someone in her line of work, it was considered and unneeded distraction. And the only Những người bạn she would have in life would most likely be Hayato, Yamamoto, Lambo, and Tsuna.
"are you... Okay? Your death staring at those girls really intensely." Hayato waved his hand in front of her face. Katrina snapped out of her trance like state and gasped.
"yeah fine thanks." she blurted. Hayato furrowed his brow, somewhat concerned about her. Katrina was almost constantly talking about something and only death stared when she absolutely despised someone.
"are they bothering bạn in some way?" Hayato asked. Katrina shook her head and then moved her gaze to the baseball diamond. Yamamoto was up to bat this time. He held the wooden stick and dug his feet into the ground. Yamamoto narrowed his eyes and the pitcher and then nodded. The pitcher threw the ball as hard as he could straight at Yamamoto. With his bat raised, he swung it at the flying ball with extreme power and determination. He took off from first base and sprinted all the way around the diamond with ease. The pitcher moved from his mound and clapped his hand against Yamamoto's. The group of girls clapped and winked at him while Katrina remained stationary. Naturally, Hayato only huffed out some thêm smoke. Katrina inhaled the đám mây and then leaned back. She clunked her head against the metal backing and sighed.
"seriously, what is wrong?" Hayato đã đưa ý kiến in a very demanding tone.
"just tired..." Katrina lied.
"tired my fucking đít, mông, ass Katrina. What is wrong?" he snarled. Katrina shrugged and licked her lips. She closed her green eyes and ignored Hayato. phút passed, then ten, then fifteen, and then an hour. Katrina continued to breathe in the smoke from Hayato's cigarettes the entire time. Finally, she cleared her throat and decided to say something.
"those girls," Katrina began softly. "I'll never be like them. That's all." Hayato could scarcely believe what he'd just heard. A statement like that was nowhere near what Katrina was normally like. He wanted to give her a hug and tell her it would be okay, but that style never worked with her. However brutal Hayato was to his enemies was nothing like the person he was to his friends.
"yeah bạn won't be like them. Never will bạn be like them. You're better. bạn honestly want to be some primped up little slut? A goody two shoes? I bet you, bởi thirty they'll all be fat whores on corners, no doubt." he retorted, scowling.
"and what will I be in thirty years? Dead? hoặc even worse, unloved?" she grumbled.
"there is a good chance bạn will no longer be alive. But you'll never be unloved." Hayato said. He was somewhat used to be kind and compassionate to Katrina when she was upset. For years he'd consoled her about things and he knew just how to make her feel right again.
"you really think so?" Katrina asked, sitting up a little straighter. Hayato gulped and took a puff from his cigarette for what he was about to say was extremely cheesy and overwhelmingly stupid.
"I know so..." he grumbled, a tad hostile. Katrina let a smile perk up on her lips.
"Hayato, bạn are sweet no matter what anyone says." she giggled.
"fuck no am I sweet." he growled.
"okay, okay. bạn aren't sweet to anyone but me and 10th." she held her hands in the air. Katrina glanced at the girls residing in the corner and noticed that they had all stopped talking. The group was now staring, wide eyed at a black van. A man stepped out, clean cut and recently shaven. He wore a black suit with a red saying áo sơ mi and tie. A pair of sunglasses were pushed up on his nose and he had a scar running from his right temple to his left cheek. He was slightly tanned and he had masculine hands. The baseball team stopped in their tracks as two other men joined the first. Uzis were held in their hands and their outfits matched the bosses. Katrina's eyes widened and she nearly choked. Hayato glanced at her and then let his mouth drop open.
"are they?" he gulped. Katrina nodded mindlessly and placed a hand on Lambo.
"they are. We have to get out of here. We better get Yamamoto too, they've seen us watch him. They know he's a friend of ours." Katrina said. She watched as the group of girls skittered away. The men assembled in the center of the baseball diamond and held a gun to one boys head.
"Kat Candy! Get out here right now hoặc the boy dies." he ordered. The man, Teru, carelessly waved his pistol around. Katrina lightly dropped Lambo onto the floor where he landed with a thud. She stood from her place and then peered down. Yamamoto and others on the baseball team were crouched underneath her. She sighed with relief, glad she wouldn't have to tell her friend about this. Hayato also stood. As Katrina plunked down to the man, he followed carefully. Hayato already had sticks of dynamite ready, a few gripped in his hands.
"Kat kẹo here, can I help you?" she asked, immediately assuming her role as and arms dealer. Katrina reached into the pocket of her shorts and gripped her knife.
"my executive sold bạn bad cocaine so bạn sold him bad guns. I apologize for the cocaine but when I was making my daily rounds, he, and three others, turned up dead. My main guard died of and explosion and the other two of spikes in the head and chest." Teru said. Katrina sucked her chest in and puffed it out slightly.
"I killed all of them. They tried to kill my business associate. I had a problem with that." she remarked tastefully.
"they tried to kill that?" the man pointed to Hayato who scowled at him.
"yes, they đã đưa ý kiến I was a liar because I told him specifically last night that the súng worked. So he held us hostage and asked us questions. One mishap made it so he tried to shoot my friend. I am loyal to my Những người bạn and I would not let this happen. In the moment, I sprung into air and crushed his skull. Anything else you'd like to know?" Katrina smirked. Her easy going attitude while under pressure amazed Hayato. The boy placed a hand on her arm and then coughed, pointing to the súng in the other men's hands. Each one was engraved with Katrina's sign, a cursive K.C. On the trigger just above where the finger covers. Katrina, understanding Hayato was hoping they didn't work because off what she'd done earlier, shook her head. Obviously, they had removed the block she put in the safety, on that made it impossible to turn safety off. She could also see specks of dried blood on the barrel tip, indicating that they had been recently used to kill someone at point blank.
"so bạn are. I'll tell bạn what, we will give bạn a ten một giây head start before we start lighting this place up like the fourth of July of steroids. One..." the man began counting. Katrina grabbed Hayato and pointed to Lambo.
"get him! I'll get the baseball team!" she shrieked.
"three, four." Teru continued. Katrina sprung off her feet and over to the bleachers. She ripped away at a rusted and torn fence which separated her from the boys. After a few unsuccessful rips, she turned to her hand spikes. The tore throughout the brittle metal with some ease. She kicked it away and then started pulling them out.
"GO! GO! GO!" she roared. Hayato, with Lambo inhis arms, was already thundering down the street. Katrina grabbed Yamamoto's hand and jerked him out.
"nine," the man cackled. His henchmen cocked their súng and aimed them at Katrina and Yamamoto. "ten." a burst of ngọn lửa, chữa cháy exploded into the air, bullets went every which way as screams cut through the dusky sky. Katrina peered back to see a bullet hurtling towards her. The silvery object gleamed lightly as it shot through the air. Time seemed to slow as Katrina tried to di chuyển out of the way. Behind her, the men were being enveloped in a huge explosion which Hayato had obviously caused. She noticed the men who were now on ngọn lửa, chữa cháy running around and screeching. The scene was reflected off their black van with gleaming poise. Katrina pushed Yamamoto down to save him from any other oncoming bullets. However, as she tackled him to the ground, a bullet struck her shoulder. It ripped through her flesh like a saw blade through wood. Unfortunately, the bullet was now lodged inside her. The frantic screams died away as the whole neighborhood went silent. Things seemed to speed back up now, Yamamoto clawed out from under Katrina and then stared. The wound was spewing blood all over the place and she moaned in pain.
"Yamamoto... My shoulder... Shot..." she gasped, panting hard. The boy put a finger to her lips carefully.
"don't talk," he said. "just breathe." Katrina nodded weakly and then used her left arm to point to Hayato. She pointed back at herself and then stared at Yamamoto, pain in her eyes. "GOKUDERA! OVER HERE!" he waved anxiously. Hayato shouldered his way through the crowd and then sprinted over. The gunshot wound began to throb and Katrina growled through grit teeth.
"holy shit did bạn get shot?!" he cried.
"no, the large hole like wound has always been there. Yes I got shot!" Katrina snapped, in too much pain to care to be kind. She began to sweat profusely, tiny beads of salty water gathered up on her skin. Hayato stared at the wound and then a Yamamoto. The boy continued to believe that the mafia talk was all just a game so there was no chance they could take him to the warehouse. Hayato also knew that Yamamoto would persist and probably follow them if they ditched him. Feeling out of any other option, Hayato sighed.
"Yamamoto! bạn have a house right?" he asked.
"of course I have a house, why?" Yamamoto replied. His cellphone dangled from his fingers and Katrina's eyes widened. If he were about to call 9-1-1, she was dead.
"are your parents trang chủ right now?" Hayato inquired, plan brewing.
"no... My moms working until tomorrow morning... Why?" he said, becoming suspicious.
"I have a pathological fear of hospitals, if I step foot inside one, I'll run straight out no matter what the circumstances are." Katrina panted, playing along with Hayato.
"we need to get this bullet out of her so she can heal, can bạn help with that?" he grinned. Yamamoto pursed his lips and pondered the thought.
"I don't know... Why don't we use one of your guys houses?" he shrugged.
"no!" Katrina and Hayato screeched in unison.
"my mom just got back and she's a drunkard." she protested. Katrina didn't normally like to lie to people but for some reason, she felt like she needed to in Yamamoto's case.
"my parents are also trang chủ and they'll try to send her to a hospital." Hayato said. Yamamoto sighed and pawed at the dirt with his foot. He knew that any một giây the police would be at the area and snooping around.
"alright, we can take her to my house. I'm thinking we should di chuyển her kind of like a human xe nâng, xe nâng hàng so her back stays straight and she doesn't have to di chuyển her arms that much. Keep your arms where they are okay, Katrina?" Yamamoto asked, smiling to try and make her feel better. Katrina, whose face was now flushed of all color, nodded weakly. Hayato put his arms out in front of him and steadied them. He shoved them under her, causing a searing pain to ripple through Katrina. She cringed as Yamamoto put his hands under her.
"on three," Hayato said. "one, two, three." both boys hauled Katrina upward, causing thêm pain to splash over her. She started to breathe unevenly and take quick breathes.
"wait!" she gasped. Hayato and Yamamoto stopped immediately. "my blood, its all over the field. They'll try and find me and take me to a hospital..."
"my house is right in front of the school. When we get inside I'll come over and clean it up." Yamamoto said. Katrina nodded and then laughed weakly. The sound of faint sirens whirred in the background.
"hold her while I get some towels." Yamamoto ordered. Hayato nodded and propped Katrina on his leg, careful to keep her steady. bởi now, Katrina was close to fainting and freezing cold. Her hair was sticky with sweat as well as her shirt. She blinked a few times and then giggled deliriously.
"why is the world spinning Hayato?" Katrina asked, crazed from pain. Hayato stared at her nervously, wondering if she would be okay. He brushed wet hair out of her face with a free hand and smiled.
"because we're on a carousel." he lied.
"are there any pandas? I bought a panda..." Katrina mused. This times, Hayato ignored her. Yamamoto had set towels over his phòng bếp, nhà bếp bàn and grabbed a huge first aid kit. He quickly jogged over to Hayato and Katrina before plucking her up. Yamamoto cautiously set her on the bàn lying face down.
"what should I do?" Yamamoto asked. He was extremely nervous about the entire thing and he gnawed on the inside of his lip. Hayato shrugged and pointed at Katrina.
"she should know." he remarked.
"I do know... bạn have to dig it out of my flesh. There's going to be blood and gore so whoever is the least faint of tim, trái tim should do it. Get me a wooden spoon, okay?" Katrina grumbled, flashing back into reality.
"um... I don't know how to say this but... Your áo sơ mi is covering it. I might have to cut it off..." Yamamoto frowned. He grabbed a wooden spoon and tossed it to Hayato. Yamamoto also grabbed a pair of scissors before jogging back over.
"do it, just get this over with. Hayato, put the spoon in my mouth so I don't scream hoặc bit my teeth when bạn do it. Ready?" Katrina ordered, taking slow deep breaths. Yamamoto gulped as Hayato shoved the end of the spoon in her mouth. The boys exchanged worried looks and then nodded.
"ready." they answered in unison. Hayato grabbed the scissors and sighed. He gravely began to snip away at the gray tank top. Katrina started to shake and quiver from the extreme pain. Meanwhile, Yamamoto dipped the tweezers in alcohol and used a lighter to sterilize them. Once they cooled and Hayato had pulled the áo sơ mi away, the two boys stood over her. A huge tattoo enveloped her lower back. 'welcome to the jungle was scrawled in a unique font. Just underneath it lay a pistol which looked exactly like the ones she had được trao Tsuna.
"what is that?" Yamamoto asked.
"her dad forced her to get a tattoo like this before she left Italy..." Hayato lied. He knew she intended to keep the mafia business a secret from Yamamoto until he could handle it.
"can't bạn just get on with it?!" Katrina snarled.
"sorry! On the count of three I'm going to put the tweezers in..." Yamamoto blushed. He steadily moved toward the hole in her back, breathing heavily. Katrina reached her hand out and Hayato slid the găng tay off it. He wrapped his fingers over hers and nodded reassuringly. "one, two... Three!" Yamamoto plunged the tweezers into the wound. Katrina gripped Hayato's hand and the edge of the bàn with insane strength. The wooden spoon in her mouth nearly snapped as she slammed her teeth down on it. Yamamoto reached deeper inside until he felt the tweezers clank against the bullet. Katrina stared at Hayato with her large green eyes. They seem to ask 'why?' and Hayato responded bởi patting the hàng đầu, đầu trang of her hand. Katrina moved her gaze to the floor, cheeks burning bright red. Yamamoto let the tweezers open slowly. He pulled them open and then pushed down. The small medical tool dug into the fleshy tường of Katrina's wound. Searing hot tears began to pour out of her eyes and she moaned, nearly snapping Hayato's fingers. Yamamoto bit his lip and he shoved the instrument down. The flesh gave way and he successfully grabbed the bullet. He gnawed on his cheek and then began to slowly pull the bullet out. A pain that Katrina had never experienced before filled her. It clouded her mind and her vision fogged. Katrina felt a heave in her stomach and she tried to gulp it away. However, the spoon was blocking her from doing so. She heaved again an the colorful contents of her stomach emptied onto the tile floor. Yamamoto let the tweezers slip from his fingers and they sprung open in the wound. Blood bubbled over as Katrina let out a blood curdling screech. Hayato clasped his hand over her moist mouth and growled.
"I'm sorry!" Yamamoto cried. He shoved his fingers into the gunshot wound and gripped the tweezers. Katrina screamed again and squeezed Hayato's hand so hard he thought it would snap. Yamamoto dug back into the hole and searched for the bullet. This time, he managed to pull the metal đạn, hộp mực out. Katrina howled as he ripped the bullet from her flesh. He placed it on the towels and then snapped open the first aid kit. A rapping on the door interrupted there makeshift operation. Yamamoto rushed over and pulled the front door open.
"can I help you?" he asked, staring up at a nearly seven foot cop.
"yeah, I've gotten two noise complaints and we're scanning the neighborhood asking about what just happened." the man replied calmly. He peered behind Yamamoto to catch a glimpse of Hayato tearing through the black box of medical equipment.
"oh, what just happened?" Yamamoto asked, shutting the door and stepping outside.
"some kids were practicing for baseball and apparently a few guys jumped out and started exploding. We expect just a few kids out for some kicks. However, we found some blood and it appears that a little girl got shot. Probably around seven hoặc eight, we're guessing she went to get her brother from practice. And it seems, bởi the high amount of sugar in her blood, she was pretty unhealthy. Anyway, what's going on inside?" the cop began to poke at the door.
"my friend and I were just... Messing around." Yamamoto gulped. The man stared at him and pushed at the door.
"messing around doing what?" he pried.
"just screwing around bạn know, doing what we do." Yamamoto guarded the door. The policeman, growing impatient, pushed him away. He shoved the door open and walked, hoặc rather strutted, inside. Katrina was sitting on the table, clutching her arms around her chest. Hayato emerged from a hallway, holding a robe.
"I found this, it's like a robe." he threw it to her. Katrina pulled the large fluffy áo choàng tắm over her shoulder and tied it on.
"what're bạn doing in here?" the cop growled.
"I was just getting a robe." Hayato snarled back at him.
"I was just putting a quần áo, áo choàng on." Katrina snapped. Hayato helped her off the bàn and set her down gingerly. She made sure to keep her right arm straight to minimize pain. Most of it was gone bởi now, thanks to five rapid release aspirins and a bag of gummy worms.
"sit down, we need to have a talk." the man ordered.
Katrina, Hayato, and Yamamoto sat down on a floral print couch. The officer made himself comfortable in a recliner chair across from the three. He pulled out a pocketbook and then cleared his throat.
"names." the officer grumbled.
"Hayato Gokudera." Hayato sneered, death staring at the cop.
"Takeshi Yamamoto..." Yamamoto groaned, imagining how much trouble he might be in.
"Xyliar... Xyliar Zento?" Katrina lied. She knew how risky it was to go under a fake name but if they found out she had been using a fake address and that she was an orphan, it would be much worse.
"mhmm... Alright, bạn are going to have to answer some các câu hỏi about earlier today. First," he paused to wet his lips. "where were bạn all at four thirty seven?"
"here." the three đã đưa ý kiến in unison.
"why?" the policeman asked blankly. He scrawled a few notes on his pocketbook and then returned his gaze to the kids.
"well... He's my boyfriend." Katrina said, pointing to Hayato. "and he's my best friend. We came over to do homework with each other."
"yeah, we all lived in the area so we decided we'd just get it all over with and then maybe go for a walk." Hayato remarked. Yamamoto nodded and smiled but remained silent.
"okay, so bạn all came over to do homework with each other. Believable enough... Did bạn notice anything suspicious on your way here?" the man inquired. His sniffled and rubbed his bulbous nose. From the looks of it, Katrina figured he was an alcoholic.
"no, nothing out of the ordinary. Why? What happened?" Katrina said, trying to portray cluelessness in her green eyes.
"I didn't see anything." Hayato muttered. He leaned back and placed an arm around Katrina. She snuggled into him, playing the part perfectly.
"neither did I." Yamamoto đã đưa ý kiến with a small nervous laugh that came out to be thêm of a cough. The officer paused to write down a few thêm notes and then moistened his lips again. Katrina stared at him cautiously, hoping he wouldn't ask for an address.
"apparently, some guys in vans jumped out onto the baseball diamond and bombed it. Some girl got shot in the process," the man said. Instantly, Katrina's chest tightened with worry and she shivered. "but we ran a blood test and couldn't get a match." she let a sigh of release escape her mouth and the tightness lessened.
"that is just terrible! Hopefully she'll turn up at the hospital soon. I can't believe someone would do something like that. Can you, Hayato?" Katrina đã đưa ý kiến in a faux high pitched voice.
"not at all. I wonder why someone would bomb our school." he answered calmly.
"well, it seems bạn three were innocent. Alright, I'll let bạn get back to your work then. Buh-bye." the man waved. He marched out the door diligently and the three kids inside waited. They stayed completely silent until the whir of his motor died away.
"kudos guys! Nice acting!" Katrina beamed. She held up her left hand and gave them high fives. Some color had returned to her face and she felt a little better. The asprin was in full lung lay, swing and with the pressure of the bullet gone and a fresh dressing on it, Katrina felt okay.
"second cop we've fooled." Hayato cackled.
"I've never done that to a cop before. It felt... Kind of good." Yamamoto laughed. He pulled the bloody towels off his bàn and then disappeared. Yamamoto bleached them and threw them in the washing machine quickly. On his way back into the main room he pulled a few sodas out of the fridge. Yamamoto tossed them to Hayato and Katrina. Katrina, however, simply let her fall to the floor. She did a one armed shrug and then plucked it up.
"what can I say? I am not even a tiny bit ambidextrous. Could bạn open this for me?" Katrina threw the can to Yamamoto who gladly opened it and handed it to her. His trademark white toothed smile had returned as he flopped down on the couch.
"hey, I have a treo lên, sling from when I broke my arm. If bạn want to, bạn could borrow it to keep your arm from moving too much." he suggested. Katrina nodded somewhat dizzily and smiled back at him. Yamamoto set the can on the coffee bàn and jogged into his room.
"see! He's not that bad Hayato!" Katrina đã đưa ý kiến the moment he left the room.
"I still don't like him very much..." Hayato grumbled. She punched him in the shoulder clumsily and then groaned.
"I won't be able to cú đấm people! I hate life right now!" Katrina whined. Hayato punched her back and then rolled his eyes.
"suck it up! What are we? In mambie pambie land?!" he cried.
"yes, I got shot in the shoulder I think I deserve some whining rights!" Katrina stuck her tongue out at him.
"pft, hell no. Break a bone hoặc get punched with your gloves in the side, then bạn get whining rights." Hayato teased.
"but I get bragging rights because I got shot! đường phố, street bragging rights. I got hit bởi a truck once, that counts as bragging rights too." she nodded as if to approve herself.
"what kind of truck?" Hayato asked. Katrina laid her head back and then snapped it back up. Immediately, she remembered something vital.
"oh my god, Hayato. Wheres Lambo?" Katrina said, stricken with realization.
"probably at the warehouse shooting himself with the ten năm bazooka hoặc trying to kill Reborn." Hayato retorted blatantly. Katrina pursed her lips and then leaned back again.
"you better be right Hayato..." she pointed a finger at him. Yamamoto came walking out, holding a blue treo lên, sling proudly.
"found it." he đã đưa ý kiến in almost a boastful voice.
"awesome! Would bạn help me with it?" Katrina grinned. Yamamoto nodded and then sat tiếp theo to her. He put her arm carefully in the treo lên, sling and then put the strap around her neck. Yamamoto slowly attached the velcro together and then nodded.
"all done." he smiled.
"thanks a ton Yamamoto. If it weren't for bạn I'd be dead right now. Thanks to both of bạn actually, I needed your help." she said, taking on a serious persona. Katrina wrapped her left arm around each of her Những người bạn and then laughed. "what time is it?"
"six thirty seven." Yamamoto replied, pointing to his watch.
"really? I'm so beat... I guess getting shot really takes a lot of of a person, doesn't it?" Katrina asked crookedly.
"you should definitely rest up. I know bạn heal faster when bạn do." Yamamoto suggested. Katrina stood up and then shook his hand gratefully.
"you saved my life Yamamoto, it is a debt I intend to repay." she said, staring him straight in the eyes.
"I guess I better go too. See bạn later..." Hayato waved half heartedly and then followed Katrina out the door. The two stomped back to the warehouse, Katrina stumbling over things and often falling onto Hayato. She pressed the sheet metal down with her foot routinely and the gate slid open. Katrina half walked half drunkly stumbled over to a corner. She pressed a code into a keypad carefully and then grabbed the cổ áo of Hayato's shirt. Katrina pulled him through the field with ease and then she unlocked the warehouse door.
"you just have to enter a special code for the traps to deactivate?" Hayato grumbled.
"yeah," Katrina paused to yawn. "it's a trick I have. I don't normally do it that way though, I actually like the hectic runs and jumps through the course. It's fun..." she yawned again and then shut her eyes.
"right... Hey, let's go over to Tsuna's tomorrow. Just for the hell of it. I'll pick up a dưa hấu hoặc something, they're supposed to be really sweet this times of year." Hayato said, pulling on a pair of long fleece pants. He shrugged off his áo sơ mi and then sighed. Hayato had just remembered the earlier incident with his cot.
"oh yeah... It's broken..." Katrina đã đưa ý kiến dopily. She giggled a little and then blinked extremely slowly. "I guess when bạn want to go sleepy, bạn can bunk with be for the night."
"great... That sounds like loads of fun." Hayato muttered sarcastically. Katrina nodded and then shut her eyes. She began to fall backwards without even realizing it. Hayato stuck his hands out instinctively and pushed her upwards.
"you saved me... Yay Hayato!" Katrina cackled. She poked his nose and then grinned. "so cute."
"let's get bạn too bed..." Hayato growled, trying not to cú đấm her in the face. He pushed Katrina over to her room and pulled the door open. Hayato shoved her inside and then threw a dirty nightgown at her. "put this on and go to sleep."
"okie dokie Hayato-ie!" she smiled and then waved cutely. Hayato rolled his eyes and blew a huff of air out his mouth. He shut the door behind him and then locked it.
"that way she can't hurt herself... Hopefully..." he grumbled.
As the night grew older and Hayato grew thêm tired, he finally decided to retire. The boy rubbed his tired gray eyes and then yawned. Hayato stretched out his arms and remorsefully unlocked Katrina's door. Blankets were spread out on the floor and Katrina was lying, out cold, on the king size bed. She was sleeping right in the middle of it, legs and arms sprawled out leaving Hayato very little room. Her giant spiked boots were still on her legs and one of Katrina's gloves was on her right hand. Hayato grumbled and angrily ripped her boots and gloves off. He threw them in a corner and then shoved Katrina away. He tossed a blanket over her and grabbed one for himself. Hayato curled up and shut his eyes. A few silent moments passed and just as he was about to fall asleep, something slammed into the back of his head.
"FUCK!" he shouted. A loud groaning grumbling noise broke the night. Hayato whipped his head around to see Katrina with her mouth wide open and her foot tiếp theo to him. She was obviously sound asleep bởi her loud noisy snores. Katrina unknowingly shoved her hand into the side of Hayato's head. She felt his face an then laughed.
"face..." Katrina mumbled. Another snore cut the air and she jabbed her leg into his back.
"SHIT!" Hayato screeched. Katrina stopped and then rolled over. A loud grunt echoed out of her mouth and then she screamed. Hayato instinctively flung his hands above his heads and then fell off the bed. Katrina snapped her head off the giường and glanced around. She placed a hand on her shoulder and moaned.
"Hayato... Why'd bạn wake me up?" Katrina whined.
"you started kicking me for no reason! Bitch..." Hayato snarled. Katrina grabbed a can with her left arm and threw it at him. Inevitably, she missed and only succeeded in making her shoulder hurt even more. Katrina groaned and then flopped onto her face.
"I should have told bạn about that... I fight in my sleep. Heh-heh..." she said, voice muffled bởi the sheets. Her wound ached and her forehead felt extremely hot.
"can bạn not do that?" Hayato hissed, scowling.
"well... That's why my dad made me sleep on the floor. He thought I was going to break the couch... So, no I can't stop it. I guess I'll just go do... Something outside then. I can't sleep anyway, aspirin wore off, too much pain." she said.
"you don't have to sleep outside..." Hayato grumbled, feeling slightly guilty for shrieking at her. After all, she had just gotten shot. Hayato sighed and then motioned for her to come over. Katrina obeyed and scurried to him, staring up like a child being told a story.
"get in bed." he ordered. Katrina slumped onto the mattress. "shut your eyes and try to dream about something... Non violent."
"that's going to be a problem... For twelve years I've had dreams about zombies. It's not like a nightmare but I fight zombies in my sleep." Katrina shrugged. She innocently rubbed her head and laughed. Another wave of pain hit struck her down and she screeched.
"that makes sense," Hayato growled sarcastically. Katrina didn't make any reply and began to snore again. Hayato sneered before shoving her onto the floor. A loud yowl broke the silence and Katrina pulled herself up. She dragged her left hand across the sheets and Hayato noticed her găng tay was back on.
"I'll fucking kill you!" Katrina snarled.
"ill fucking kill you!" Hayato said, reaching for a stick of dynamite.
"looking for this douche bag?!" she snapped, holding up a bag full of dynamite. Hayato growled at her and narrowed his eyes.
"how the hell did bạn get your claws on that?!" he demanded. Katrina cackled and grinned crookedly.
"I woke up while I was fighting bạn in my sleep and took it all." she answered. Hayato chim bồ câu, bồ câu across the giường and Katrina jumped up. She danced across his outstretched body and then hopped down. Katrina stuck her tongue out at him. Hayato huffed hot air out of his nostrils. He charged back over the giường and grabbed Katrina's sling. She kicked him away and scurried over to the door. Hayato made a flying leap at her and Katrina ducked. He stuck his foot out and the flimsy door broke down. Katrina lightly trampled over Hayato's body again and clawed up a stack of crates. She flipped down the column before taking off again. Katrina paused and turned her head back around to check for Hayato. As she whipped back around, Katrina slammed into him. He grabbed her and Katrina kicked him in the groin. She went sprinting away, clutching the nightgown. Hayato's face burnt with rage as he pursued her. He reached the middle of the warehouse and glanced around, seething with fury. Katrina dropped down from the roof and tackled him to the ground. She put her găng tay spikes to the back of his neck.
"admit defeat." Katrina cackled.
"never..." Hayato replied, gritting his teeth.
"say I beat bạn hoặc I'll kill you." she demanded.
"you beat me..." Hayato spat, diễn xuất as though the words burnt his tongue. Katrina jumped off his shirtless back and reached a hand out, smiling. Hayato swept her feet out from under her but Katrina stuck her hand out to catch herself. She began to laugh and then Hayato joined in. For some reason, they both found the quarrels and fights humorous. The two walked back to Katrina's room, stepping over the broken door, and soon were asleep.