Hello dear readers! I apologize for this very late update! I am really sorry. Life happened.
I just had a new job, which took up most of my time. This is the most literal meaning of torture!
I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE!
RESIGN! RESIGN!
The job took out nine hours of my time (which is baaad enough to push me forward), my house is two hours away from the place (which is waaay worse than the first one), and I couldn't focus on my writing anymore (tch, don't get me started).
Inhale. Exhale.
Anyways, I became hooked up with the song 'All About Loving You' by Bon Jovi. This story is based from what I'd heard from the lyrics.
So basically, it's full of sadness (emo mode with tears available). Get your tissues ready, because this is really sad.
It is better if you listen to this song while reading the fanfic (and oh my gosh, trust me, you will cry more!).
And don't skim! You will never understand the meaning of the song and the fanfic altogether! I tell you.
And by the way, I reread this multiple times, and it never failed to amaze me how much sad this fic is.
Promise.
Disclaimer: Kyoya, Haru, and Dino of Katekyo Hitman Reborn are the characters molded by Amano Akira-sama, as well as the song All About Loving You by Bon Jovi. This fic is absolutely OOC, because I will not cry if it is, duh.
Please spare your precious time and read this one.
oooOOOooo
Re:Love
oooOOOooo
The morning skies in Namimori High was very cloudy. Its winds were especially chilly, perfect to wear thick and warm clothing in this weather.
White, soft white cotton droplets softly landed on the ground. Chunks of ice glistened among everything it landed, to be either compared or revered to the fairest lady of them all.
It looked peaceful for someone who was looking above, the peacefulness was his only companion, for his feathered friend went out to look for something...
Or someone who managed to leave him in the state of hollowness...
Emptiness... like an endless abyss...
And that emptiness he felt right now was calling him.
Pulling him down.
Hn.
Such herbivorous thoughts.
And he's right. Jumping from the top of a 24-storey building is a work of a coward. Those who thought taking their own lives as a solution to their problems are those who lacked pride. They were worse than a mere herbivore who eats grass and give people milk and dairy.
A good-for-nothing.
But, he felt that, too. The nothingness nagging within his stomach.
That nagging feeling when he forced down his emotion and harden his own façade of impassiveness.
Everytime he see her.
And as he looked down the building, holding the stout vertical posts and bracing against it, he thought he might want to see her.
To speak to her.
To touch her.
To hold her.
Just once.
Before he left.
OooOOOooo
Minutes turned into hours.
Hours turned into days.
Days turned into weeks.
And Haru just realised, as she stared at the calendar sitting on the kitchen countertop, that today marked the third month of their separation.
Too long
And she still hadn't moved on.
She could still remember that day as it was fresh minutes ago.
She was happy back then, she had just finished her celebration with her auburn-haired friend in their favourite cake bakery. She had just been informed about her first love's engagement to her dear friend, and she was delighted to be their wedding planner!
Nothing could ever replace her bright smile...
However, things turned into a complete opposite when she opened his room's door...
And there, she saw it.
She could see his nude, tensed muscular back, covered with his oh-so-familiar navy blanket. On his skin was a set of red streaks caused by those treacherous painted fingernails clawing his shoulders. Some of the lines were bleeding.
To add fuel to the fire, she heard the creaking of his bed and a long deep breath from the one beneath him, to be accompanied by his growl, piercing every corner of her soul...
"K - Kyoya... what's this?"
That man, Kyoya, frantically turned towards her. "Haru... No, no, that's not what you think."
Blinking her eyes dripping with tears, the woman sadly smiled, turned away from the sinning couple, and turned the knob as she went out of the room.
"We're... over... Sorry, I disturbed you."
She sat at the counter nearest to the window to glance at the white sheets she hang to dry in the opposite room where her sewing and costume supplies were stored, while nursing her mug of chocolate.
Now that she thought about it, she knew that he was not the one who was at fault. She just couldn't accept the fact that she was, too.
We're over.
How many times did she saw him walking with a clinging harpie? Once, twice, she didn't know.
Yet, she didn't take any action to resort,thinking that he would be too loyal to replace her with another...
What is she - a martyr?
No, she could compare herself in par with a coward.
She cried.
oooOOOooo
There they were again. In the park, by the swings under the shade of the big tree he usually rests. He sighed.
Stalking was bad. Especially if the person you were stalking to had a greatest attachment to your own.
But, it was not stalking. Stalking was a work of a coward.
He was taking a surveillance to be able to learn of her whereabouts. In other words, he was patrolling.
He snorted.
Yeah, right.
He is a coward. He just proved to himself that he was one since that fated event.
That person he was dealing with was that damned illusionist, playing them both with his degrading tricks. Whatever Haru saw was just a lie. A heart-wrenching, stomach-turning scenario.
He wanted more than to himself to run to her, to wipe her eyes, to comfort her, to kiss her...
But he couldn't, because of his bulging self-esteem. Carnivores do not apologise. Was he just being proud or or just a coward?
He could see her laughing face, must be something her blonde companion had said.
Out of anger, he punched the nearby tree.
Closing his eyes, he forced his tears down. He briefly remembered those clinging herbivores around him.
Trully, he wanted to punch their lights out with his metal tonfas, but he was afraid she would avoid him, fear him. Or worse, never face him at all.
God knows how he loved her.
"Kyoya?..."
When he opened his eyes, he saw the scene he least wanted to see. She was clutching the herbivore's clothes, hugging the other for dear life.
He swallowed the lump in his throat to not break down in front of them. Then, he spoke.
"Haru... Bucking Herbivore... congratulations."
Then, he walked away, his back turned, as he bowed his head, letting his raven fringe cover his face.
And for the first time, he cried.
oooOOOooo
She was worried. Really worried.
Pant... Pant... Pant...
Her chest was burning.
Pant...
Her feet were throbbing.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Her eyes were starting to blur.
"Hahi! N - no... "
CRASH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! SPLAT!
But she stood up again... and ran.
As if she was running away from her destiny.
But, as she wiped her eyes dry from her tears, she ran, like she was racing against it.
Against time.
Tap! Tap!
Would she make it?
Of course she could make it! She was the very epitome of 'Never Say Die,' of course she would not!
Tweet-tweet!
Her sweet companion, the man's pet, was twittering while flying around her. It was as if it was asking if she was alright. She crashed into a bunch of trash bins, after all.
And not to mention, she sprained her left ankle.
Sigh.
How would she join the annual gymnastics meet now? In just three month's time, she would be graduating as a college degree holder.
If only did she not infatuated with him. He was a playboy, after all.
But more specifically, if she invented a time machine, if not only with her involvement with Mafia, she would have told herself a warning.
She shouldn't have like him.
Or love him.
Or meet him.
"Shit!"
She cursed for the very first time, wiping her eyes harshly with a coarse material of her knitted cardigan.
His gift.
Tweet-tweet...
Glancing at the yellow bird, she noticed that they had already arrived at this building. She darted her eyes upwards, scanning each crook and neck of its windows and corridors, searching for him.
And there he is. At the rooftop.
The place they first met.
His black hair was swaying with the wind. She noticed his old school coat with the armband of the Discipline Committee, sitting proudly like the owner.
But his inner clothes... Those were her gifts, weren't they?
Suddenly, he locked his eyes at her. They were saying something.
Then, she saw it.
His smile.
A true, genuinely... sad smile.
"No... NO!"
oooOOOooo
BLAG!
There was blood splattered on the white tiled floors of his beloved school's rooftop.
"Don't you dare mock me!"
The man scorned as he threw his second blow. Then third, and fourth.
He never did noticed the clear salty liquid flowing through his face.
As he threw his sixth punch to the other's face, the blonde man beneath him dodged it, breaking the tile beside his head.
CRACK!
"... But Kyoya, it's true! What you've seen earlier was just a friendly gesture... I do not even like her that way - "
"I WILL BITE YOU TO DEATH!"
From his crouching position, the raven-headed man abruptly stood up, pulling the blonde's neck collar as he lifted him up.
The other one was trying his best not to choke as he answered, "... Kyoya... will you stop punching me and start listening?!"
In response, Kyoya roughly rocked him more, making the other struggle to breathe.
"Haru is not a toy that you own!"
"Kyoya, listen here - "
"No, Cavallone, you listen here - "
"Will you stop being a coward?!"
After hearing those words, the proud skylark stopped throttling the struggling Bronco as he let go of his collar, dropping him in the process.
The blonde older man coughed hard, warily glancing at the diffusing ravenhead as he slowly collapsed to the floor, weakly punching it until his knuckles reddened.
Heavy silence enveloped the air as he let Kyoya cool down.
Wiping his face clean with his signature white handkerchief with their family's embroidered logo on it, the sky guardian of the Cavallone ring spoke.
"That was the first time she smiled for real."
The sulling man in front of him abruptly stopped his abuse on his hands as he looked up and studied the other's face to gauge his expressions.
The blonde continued, "She had been crying for the last three months... She went to her friend Kyoko, as well with Bianchi and Chrome... She bickered frequently with Hayato, yet she was not really focusing on it...
"She went to Takeshi's shop once as she asked him out... she was not happy, though."
Kyoya sniffled, as he continued. "She even kissed my 'little brother'... heck! She even attempted to kiss me!"
"What?" The onyx-eyed man outraged.
From his serious expression, the older man took a silly turn and flailed his hands in front of him while defending himself casually.
With a hint of amusement, and not surprisingly, fear.
"Ha - ha - ha! Kyoya, I'm joking, I'm joking! It's only Tsuna, I swear!"
The outraged ravenhead gulped a big air and expelled it forcefully, making it sound like an exasperated sigh.
The Bucking Bronco then looked at him with sad eyes as he spoke. The other one just stared at him, not preparing himself for the next set of words which would come out of his mouth.
"Haru smiles a lot after declaring to us about your separation... "
No response.
"But everyone knows she's not really smiling... Her eyes do not shine anymore... "
He then took a deep breath and finished his statement. "She... she was really devastated... And if you asked me... I know I'm a female charmer - but this is something I've learned from my experience of being involved, okay?... I think she loves you, Kyoya."
Ironically, the wind blew harshly, flowing past the purple flame user's wild black fringes. At the same time he realised his big mistake.
Whooosh... Whooosh... Whoosh...
When he last saw her, at the park, she was laughing. She was happy, just like the blonde herbivore said.
Though he couldn't help but admit, the clumsy idiot was right. Haru was not happy. Ever since...
He gritted his teeth silently, staring at the blotch of red on the tiled floor.
She still loved him...
And he is still a coward.
He tried to reminisce her facial features from the first time they spoke to each other to her weakening façade when she opened his bedroom door while he fought that idiotic piece of an illusionist. Until their last encounter when she was with his clumsy teacher.
He could still remember her eyes. Those chocolate orbs shining with sadness, guilt... some fear of his wrath at his discovery... but the largest part of it all... Her eyes reflected with too much loyalty and love towards him. She still missed him, after all.
God, he was such a fool, huh?
And not to mention, a coward, as well.
A coward who dwell in his own pride, not noticing her suffering inside.
He was a selfish idiot, which was not a very good description of a carnivore.
Well, not anymore.
After a long while, the blonde Cavallone spoke by calling the other's name, conveniently breaking the man's stupor.
The man looked at him briefly, then closed his eyes, standing up as he did so. He dusted himself off.
"Kyoya?" He repeated. "Where are you going?"
The other turned his back, slowly walking towards the rooftop exit. "... Somewhere I couldn't see or hear your voice... "
"But, Kyoya - Haru is - "
"I know... And I know what I will do with it, Bucking Bronco."
"That's harsh."
The cloud guardian of the Vongola family turned the knob of the door, then pushed it. But, before he went out, he spoke...
"Dino, I know we've known each other for around nine years... And I know that you knew how much I prided myself to ask errands... "
... and the next words made his blonde former mentor completely froze.
"... but it would be of my pleasure if you accepted to be my groom's man, wouldn't you?"
Silence...
The blonde Cavallone chuckled lightly as he smiled at his mysterious yet endearing student.
"... Of course."
oooOOOooo
They were getting attention.
That statement made Haru felt awareness as she felt other people's presence around her. And for the first time of her life, she was annoyed.
Annoyed at herself for being an air-headed stupid woman, annoyed for being a selfless mother instead of a passionate woman, annoyed at him being a self-esteemed jerk, annoyed at him being a chicken always hiding in his shell of an ego, annoyed at these people who were screaming nonsense, and annoyed about herself being helpless when it comes to him.
Always depending on other people. Weak, a plain herbivore who always seeking help.
She hated it.
She should be the one who is supposed to plead him not to jump. She should be the one to attempt a rescue and climb that stupid ladder and cradle him in her arms, not them.
Selfish, be damned!
She had been the social butterfly ever since she was young. Always trusting. Always loving.
Always thinking for the best to the people around her.
Had she ever get tired?
Perhaps, a large part of him rubbed on her. She had never been doubting herself before, until she saw that incident.
Perhaps, that's what overwhelmed her when she saw that yellow canary tapping on her kitchen window while she was wallowing on her sadness with her drink, screaming for his last name.
Perhaps that's what made her decision to run towards him like a mad woman chasing her destiny. Perhaps that was the reason she had lots of scratches around her torso, her hair burnt into crisp, and her left ankle swollen.
She was selfish, okay?!
But that selfishness made her resolve. She loved him and she will never let him go.
And when she saw him at the rooftop of a 24-storey school building - Nami-Chuu building nonetheless - she went berserk. And she screamed when she saw him spreading his arms like an eagle and bent his knees.
Time seemed to slow down as he dropped from where he stood. And she yelled the words she never expected to come out when she opened her mouth.
"I STILL LOVE YOU, KYOYA!"
She bowed her head looking at the ground with tears continuing to overflow throughout her fear-stricken face. She knew Kyoya could jump from the top of a building, but at 24-storey high mass of concrete without any safety would surely take him away from her for eternity.
Thinking about his unreasonable death made her dizzy and her world spinning, so the newly short-haired woman completely shut her eyes while closing her cold and damp hands, not caring for those kibitzers watching him there with hopeless words.
However, only one voice speaking - or yelling - made her lose her focus on praying, and her head to snap up.
"I ALREADY KNEW THAT!"
For a brief moment, Haru felt anger well up inside herself. She just wanted to take back her words and walked of the scene. But, with the happy twittering of the yellow bird and the 'What's he doing?' from the people around her, she cleaned up her eyesight by rubbing them with the sleeves of her tattered and dusty cardigan.
It seemed as if he was pulling a string behind his -
... since when did he wore a backpack?
She didn't eve notice it when he jumped.
When he pulled the string, a safe parachute opened. It was one of those things only expect sky- divers use. It was like a banana fruit, with the color she loved...
icy blue.
The color of his eyes she learned to love.
Yet, the one that made her heart skip a beat and the others gasp out of amusement or irritation was not the stunt he performed.
It was the one single question showed up in black, bold capital letters, asking herself like its the least thing she had in mind.
She tried to rub her eyes vigorously and pinch her own arms, but she couldn't make fool out of herself when she read it again.
Slapping her by the reality of the present.
'WILL YOU MARRY ME?'
Haru couldn't help but to cry again. Tears of joy. She kept on crying non-stop while blocking her face with both of her arms still aware about her twittering companion singing the Namimori Middle's Hymn.
While she was crying, the man felt humiliation for a lot of stares he received from the people around him.
He hated herbivores.
And she was standing in the middle of the crowd.
He hated crowds. He loathed them so much he wanted to bite them out of irritation.
But he promised himself that he will not be a coward, not anymore.
He is a carnivore. A carnivore in love.
He tipped his feet to steady himself upon seeing the ground in view, making sure to land himself in front of her. And when he did, he immediately saw her so near for him to touch, to kiss, and to comfort with.
He saw her wearing his first gift given by him on their very first date, the cardigan witnessed his first kiss and his promise about her being the only one he would only love. Now, it was dirtied and ripped at the sewn part where its armholes were linked with its torso.
Not to mention, her hair, once long and lustrous, was now shortened and burnt. He could smell the char of a burnt part wafting through his nose. There was also a yellow candy wrapper sticking out of her fringe.
He walked towards her, plucking out the wrapper, and held her hands which were clutching her face. He gently pulled them apart from his sight, as he wiped her tears away, straightening her by holding her face up to his eye level.
She opened her eyes, and he forced himself to contain his emotions when he saw her sadness and steadfast affection directed solely for him.
"Hi." Was the only word he said after a calm silence.
Instead of replying to answer, Haru held his face while screaming, "Yes! Yes, Kyoya! Yes, yes, yes!"
He knew he couldn't fight his feelings anymore. So he smiled and hugged her as she cried on his chest. After a while as the cries of accomplishment died down from the audience, Kyoya asked her again formally on a bended knee and Haru responded by kissing him on his lips.
oooOOOooo
"... And that's how your father and I become married, before you were born."
The thirty-six year old, mother of two sat on her favorite red couch – his seat – as she told her 15-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter their love story.
Her son, with wild black hair and brown eyes, responded by casually saying, "That's a nice story, Mom."
" I totally agree with you... That's so romantic, I could see dad as you prince charming with his noble steed." Said the girl with sapphire eyes and brown mushroom hair. Their mother chuckled at their silly antics.
" I think your dad is more of an angel who fall out of the sky, who fell in love with the most beautiful human being in the whole wide world."
Shocked, the three turned their heads to the main entrance, only to see the man of the household walking towards them.
"DADDY!" The girl jumped to run to the older man's kneeling form. The other one slowly walked to pick up his belongings.
"Hi Eru! Hello, Princess Akane!" The ravenhead hugged the two, placing a kiss on their foreheads, to which responded with a happy face by the boy and a sour look on the girl.
"That's not my name." Akane pouted, crossing her arms out. Kyoya looked at the other man.
"... She wanted to change it to Empress or something - "
"Goddess!"
Kyoya chuckled as he called his daughter and playfully answered her, "As you wish, Your Highness."
Eru snorted as Akane brightened, "No, I changed my mind. Call me that from now on."
"Yes, yes. Your Highness, let's eat. Dinner is ready." The woman of the household scooped her down from her father's arms as the younger girl yelled in excitement, "Yay! We're eating, we're eating!"
When night time came and their children in their rooms sleeping, Haru stood up at the balcony staring at the moon. Suddenly, she felt her husband's warmth embracing her from behind.
"Hi Haru, I'm home." He kissed her cheek.
"Welcome home, Kyoya... Angel, huh? Did Dino taught you another one of his womanizing lessons?" She leaned her head to his shoulder as he placed his chin on hers.
"No, my dear... In fact... " He turned her around gently, making her face him. "I would never be an angel if I didn't meet my heaven."
"Eh?" Haru snickered, "Kyoya's teasing will never work on me."
In response, Kyoya grabbed her hips as he spoke, "Well... I want to go to heaven... Do you want to follow?"
Haru bit his clothed shoulder gently as she parted away from him. The other seemed to understand as he put his hands on his sides. That's when Haru responded with an "Actually... " and held one of his hands to touch her stomach.
Shocked with this surprise, Kyoya suddenly kissed his wife's pink lips and lifted her up bridal style towards their bedroom.
Yes, Kyoya thought. Choosing Haru is his best decision he would never regret.