Title: The First Was A Tuna
Genre: Romance
Rating: K
Summary: "Don't you find it ironic that we met through him?" /9586/
A normal day as the sun shone brightly and the skies were filled with birds chirping to their hearts content and bright, colourful butterflies flying through the air moving from one place to another, beautifying the scene offered to them. The sweet aroma of different confectioneries filled the nostrils of the two young women.
Haru gingerly opened a small but dainty box, eyes and lips smiling as if already enjoying the sweet lying on her lap. She lifted her hand and brought out the cake and set it down on the rounded brown table in front of them. Kyoko did the same but the cake she set down was a different one.
"Hey, did you know that our Appreciation Day was always my favourite day during our middle school years?" Haru beamed.
"Well, if you didn't know, it was also my favourite day during those days." Kyoko returned the smile.
"It's been a while, right? I remember that day when we first learnt that we both had our own Appreciation Day."
"I thought I was the only one who did such things." Kyoko giggled. "Anyway, what's with the nostalgia?"
Haru stood up and leant down on the railings of the balcony, she paused for a while taking in the superiority of nature. The rays of the sun highlighted the features of the zealous girl who had grown up to be a fine woman. Physically and mentally she had matured, but her joyous attitude that her friends liked and attracted guys remained, a fact that her lover appreciated a lot.
Kyoko stared at her companion, clearly awed at the beauty of the woman she utterly loved. Sometimes, she wondered why Haru agreed to be together with her. She was completely sure she would get rejected because the girl, as clear as day, had feelings for the boy, now a man, who had saved her from drowning.
"I guess it's because it has been two years since we've been together and I can't believe it all started with a mafia famiglia and cakes."
Kyoko stood up and leant besides her, shoulders brushing. "Hey, you know what I find funny the most?"
Haru tilted her head. "What is it?"
"The fact that it all really started when we met him."
"Him?" said Haru, pondering for a moment of who was that person. Her eyes suddenly widened in realisation; she giggled. "Tsuna-san?"
Kyoko nodded her head. "It's really ironic to think that we met through him and during those days we both had the same feelings for him."
"But you never had the chance to tell him that, didn't you?"
"I was afraid of rejection, and I never knew he felt the same way. It was already too late when I realised I had feelings for him; he already fell in love with Hibari-senpai." Kyoko sighed; everyone was shocked when Tsuna announced that he was dating Hibari. No one in their sane mind would have ever thought that the man who loathed crowding would harbour feelings of love for the person he often called herbivore, and also the fact that Tsuna had feelings for a stoic man whom he thoroughly feared yet ironically admired.
Kyoko noticed Haru stiffened. Worried, she came closer to her. In return, Haru glanced away towards the opposite direction.
"Haru? Is there anything wrong?" asked Kyoko anxiously.
Still not facing her, Haru answered, "You regret it don't you?"
"Regret what?" Haru kept quiet. "Haru, please face me. What did you mean by that question?" Still not receiving a response, with overwhelming anxiousness and curiosity, Kyoko grabbed her arm and turned her around, surprise sheathing her as she saw her face.
Tears left Haru's eyelids and continued to do so. In an attempt to hide them, Haru covered her face with both her hands, trembling from head to toe.
"Haru, what's wrong? Did I do anything wrong? Haru, please talk."
Haru lowered her hands, her eyes directed at the floor. "R-Regret i-it... t-to me... y-you t-to m-m-me."
Kyoko shifted closer to her. "I can't understand you, Haru."
Taking a deep breath, Haru asked in a quivering voice, "Do you regret ever being with me?"
The other's eyes widened. "Never! I would never regret being with you, Haru."
"But the way you talked about your feelings about Tsuna-san made me believe that you still have those feelings for him."
Kyoko smiled and spoke in a gentle voice, "Haru, that was in the past. Yes, I used to have feelings for Tsuna-kun and I was sad to know his view of me as more than a friend vanished when I started to see him as much more. But, Haru," Kyoko lifted her hand and caressed Haru's cheek, "I have never regretted being together with you. To be honest, I was really happy that I wasn't able to confess to Tsuna-kun because if I did, we would never have gotten together and I wouldn't be able to have gotten such happiness at being with you."
Water once again started to appear in Haru's eyes. She hated herself for questioning her lover, but she wanted to make sure that they both had romantic feelings for each other and no longer to Tsuna. "K-Kyoko-chan, I'm sorry for doubting you." Haru took another deep breath. "In our high school days, the feelings I held for Tsuna-san started to fade slowly. In that time, my eyes started to follow you everywhere, even in your simplest movements."
"High school? But there was a time in those years that you challenged me to whomever will receive Tsuna-kun's love first."
Haru laughed with a slight strain. "I was trying to get your attention. My feelings for him were somehow transferred to you. At first I thought I was jealous of you for being Tsuna-san's crush that's why my eyes will automatically glance at you wherever you go. But I was wrong, dead wrong." Haru added quietly, "I started to realize that it wasn't jealousy, it was already infatuation. I hated myself for harbouring such feelings towards you that's why I kept my emotions in the dark. To not let you get worried and for you to be happy with Tsuna-san."
She wiped her eyes and hiccupped. "Then you confessed to me. I-I w-was s-so shocked but so happy. You have n-no idea how much happiness you gave me. I was so scared that my feelings would just end up being bottled inside of me."
"Haru." A sincere and affection-filled smile was etched on Kyoko's face. "Thank you for being with me through everything. It took all my courage to ask you out that time, so thank you. Thank you again for agreeing to be with me."
Haru smiled and stared lovingly at Kyoko, feeling the time pause as their eyes glanced through the souls of each. Both now knew how important they are to each other, and that without Tsuna, they wouldn't have been together.
Thank you, Tsuna-kun.
Thank you, Tsuna-san.
He was the glue that stuck them together.