From Spring, Summer Grows
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Chapter 1: Safekeeping
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It was still quite early in the morning when Haru woke up, but it was Saturday and she had a half-day at school, so she promptly dragged herself into the bathroom. She almost tripped over the poofy princess costume she made last night, one that took her most of the night to make. She had to make sure it was perfect, because Kyoko-chan was wearing it for the annual school play at the school festival. Haru, making costumes favour to Kyoko-chan and Namimori High's sick head seamstress, would not allow anything less than amazing to be worn by her best friend, the female lead of the school play, especially since everyone at Namimori High was pretty much enamoured with her.
Haru rubbed her eyes sleepily, barely able to see her reflection in the mirror through her sagging eyes. She knew she had matured, she knew she had grown. But looking into this mirror, Haru almost didn't realize she was seventeen. She had the same shoulder-length hair, and the same cute hair whorl, and the same baby face. She hadn't changed at all, but Kyoko-chan... Kyoko-chan had grown her hair out, and she grew a little taller and her curves blossomed but Haru was pretty much the same as always. People often told her she hasn't changed a bit, and she hated it.
Haru had moved on to Midori High after graduation from Midori Middle School. Midori High wasn't as far away, which Haru was grateful for. She could spend more time with Tsuna-san and the others after school! But that still meant they were going to different schools, and Haru was sad that she didn't get to attend classes with Tsuna-san and Kyoko-chan and the rest of them. They were all in their third year, with all these funny stories to tell and in the future, they would lament about the same teachers and think back to all those nostalgic memories that Haru wouldn't get to share in.
She paused as she turned the water on to let it run warm. Three years, right? Since the first day she met Tsuna-san, it had been three years. So much had happened in between then and now. Tsuna-san was still being tutored by Reborn-chan. He and his Guardians were still getting into fights, protecting students of Namimori High, settling disputes between other mafias. Haru and Kyoko even got to spend a summer in Italy while Tsuna-san helped Vongola Nono with a little mafia problem!
But otherwise, it was business as usual. Tsuna-san was still Tsuna-san. A bit clumsy, a little forgetful, and a lot in love with Kyoko-chan.
Haru sighed. She didn't want to think about that so early in the morning. She forced herself to focus on getting ready for the rest of the day. While brushing her teeth, Haru stared blankly out the window. It was the same window she stared out of three years ago, to see the cutest baby in the world walking on top of her fence. That day, Haru thought she had fell in love. And she had. But not with the baby walking on her fence. Haru grinned at the nostalgia of that day, leaning down to spit her toothpaste out. When she straightened up, she almost choked on her rinsing water.
"Ciaossu!"
"HAHI!"
Haru, from the shock of seeing Reborn, tripped on the rug under her, splashing water all over her uniform. Now with an empty plastic cup in her hand, and sitting owlishly on the floor of her bathroom, Haru looked up at Reborn sitting on her bathroom's windowsill. He was smiling cutely down at her, prompting another, "Hahi?" from her lips. "Reborn-chan, you scared me! What are you doing here? Where's Tsuna-san?" she asked. Reborn hopped down off the windowsill into the bathroom, landing in front of Haru.
"Dame-Tsuna is still sleeping," he told her, standing straight like a prince, or something of the sort. Haru always thought Reborn-chan had such graceful posture. "I have a favour to ask of you, Haru-chan." Haru blinked in surprise, leaning forward on her hands to get closer to Reborn, as if he was speaking too quietly for her to hear.
"Of Haru?" She pointed at herself, as if to confirm. Reborn nodded, and took her hand, placing something in it. It was large, heavy, and cold. She wanted to look at it, but Reborn was blocking her view with his hands. He was staring at her with this deep, serious look on his face.
"If you agree to do this favour, Haru-chan, there is a chance you will be put in dangerous situations." Haru blinked, still somewhat sleepy in the early morning and also a little dumbfounded that Reborn was in her house, standing on her bathroom floor.
"Dangerous?" she said, head tilting. "Will Haru die?" Reborn shook his head.
"Tsuna will save you if anything happens," he told her, and Haru's face lit up almost immediately.
"Then Haru will do it!" she exclaimed. Reborn nodded in satisfaction, then took his hands away to reveal to her what she was tasked with safekeeping.
"Please take care of this for Tsuna. Don't let it out of your sight." he instructed her. Haru looked down at her cupped palms, spying Tsuna's ring glinting up at her. It was the one he always wore, that underwent so many different changes it was pretty much unrecognizable by now. Haru held it up to the sunlight streaming in from the window, admiring it. This was the ring that Tsuna wore every day, the ring that he treasured. Haru was determined to take the best care of it, especially since Reborn had asked her to.
"He will need it soon," Reborn told her, "But until then, please keep it safe for him." He grinned when she enthusiastically nodded her head, leaving the way he came when she went back to admiring the ring. Well, rings. It was really two rings, one large, one small, linked together with a delicate silver chain. The large one was really massive, and made up most of the weight. It looked like it would cover the entire length of one of her fingers! And it was so intricately made, she thought, peering closely at it. Was that a cat at the top of it, surrounded by flames? She ran her finger over it, almost like she was stroking the flames. Haru could have sworn she felt it warm to the touch, but she figured it was probably her body heat being absorbed by the cool metal.
Deciding that she had dallied long enough, Haru quickly brushed her hair and twisted it up into her usual ponytail. She grabbed the Vongola rings and placed them in the pocket in her skirt. Reborn-chan had told her not to let them out of her sight, so Haru figured she'd take them to school with her. Should she tell Tsuna-san she had his Vongola rings? Haru thought, but decided not to. If Reborn-chan had come to her on his own then it was a secret that stayed between the two of them. Whether or not Tsuna-san knew she had them was irrelevant, unless Reborn-chan made it relevant.
It was a gut feeling, Haru thought. In her stomach, somewhere, Haru could feel that Reborn-chan didn't want Tsuna to know where his rings went. And Reborn-chan rarely did anything unless it was for Tsuna's sake, so Haru decided she could go along with it just this once.
Haru got dressed and went downstairs, eating a quick breakfast before running back up to her room. She grabbed her school back and opened her window, before leaping out onto the fence of her house. Midori High was walking distance from her house, and there was this park she always passed by to get there. Haru decided to stop there for a few minutes, and dug out the Vongola rings in her pocket. She was just so fascinated by them, this gear that Tsuna wore all the time. Haru especially loved the cat at the top of the rings, baring his fangs cutely at her. She giggled, stroking it, but then looked closer. Could it be?
Haru blinked when the ring started warming to the touch. This time, she knew it wasn't her body heat being transferred to the metal, but the metal started getting warmer than her body heat. It wasn't hot enough to burn, just warm like putting your face near a fire, letting it flare across your skin. Haru, surprised, almost dropped it when it started to glow orange-red, like embers. The next thing Haru knew, a little lion cub outfitted with armor was glancing curiously up at her.
"Gao?"
"Hahi?"
The two stared at each other for quite some time.
