Miura Haru's heart was beating violently against the inside of her chest and her cheeks were warm from the deep pink flush. She had passed so many sleepless nights to knit him a scarf with her own two hands. Now that it was finally complete, she couldn't wait the two more days to Christmas to deliver the ultimate token of her love to her schoolgirl crush: Sawada Tsunayoshi, the teenage mafia boss-to- be who had so fearlessly jumped into the river just to save her. She had told herself that she would be the future wife of a Mafioso since then.
Hugging the red package to her chest, she knew exactly what the contents looked like. The image of the tan scarf with a dark brown "V" (for Vongola) was burned into her memory. Would he like it? How would it look on him? Questions flooded her mind as she smiled at a fleeting daydream and quickened her pace down the evening street.
Finally at his house, Haru gave three distinct knocks on the door. "Oh, Haru-chan! I had thought Tsuna only invited the boy over. Come in! Come in!" Sawada Nana smiled warmly and invited the teenage girl in.
"Thank you, oba-san," the dark haired girl said with a shallow bow of her head as she entered the house. "Haru just came to give Tsuna-san an early Christmas gift!" the girl spoke energetically, wearing a grin. She had always liked Tsuna's mother, she was very welcoming and generous. Often, she liked to imagine calling Nana her mother. The day would come, she was sure of it!
"I'm sure Tsuna will be very happy," the motherly figure said. "Why don't you go on upstairs and I'll bring some snacks for all of you," she suggested as she closed the door and moved aside Haru's shoes for her.
Thanking the older woman once more, Haru quietly snuck up the stairs—she wanted it to be a nice surprise when she burst into Tsuna's room. Finally at the door of her crush's room, Haru flattened herself against the wall. The people in the room were talking and her instincts told her the subject was something very interesting.
"Come on, Tsuna, it's Truth or Dare and you picked Truth!" It was Yamamoto Takeshi—that baseball maniac friend of Tsuna—who spoke. "You have to answer honestly whether it's embarrassing or not!"
"Very true," Reborn spoke this time. "Besides, there's only four of us here right now, that's not too bad. If you don't answer…" the baby let his words trail off and Haru could only imagine what he meant by that.
"Lambo-san wants to hear the answer too!"
"Hiieee! Fine!" Tsuna yelped in pain—Reborn must have restrained his arm again. "I'll tell! I'll tell!" he exclaimed before letting out a sigh of relief.
"So, your biggest wish for ten years from now?" Yamamoto Takeshi enquired playfully.
Haru inched just a little closer to the door, she wanted to hear this. Just what kind of admirable, large-scale dream did Sawada Tsunayoshi who will be boss to a mafia have? Tsuna was quiet. "Promise that what happens in this room stays I this room?" The others gave general sounds of agreement and reassurance. "Well... I mean, I know it's ridiculous but..." He took a deep breath. "I want to be married to Kyoko-chan."
Miura Haru felt her heart freeze over.
Even though, somewhere deep inside herself, she knew the meant subject of his warm smiles was not herself. Even though she knew he didn't return her feelings. Even though she had always known her love had a bleak future. It still hurt so much. But Kyoko was her friend too. She should feel happy for her, right? It would be wrong for her to feel jealous and hateful of her good friend, right? Even if it was a little painful, she should cheer them on, right? Since she loved Tsuna, she should wish him the best, right?
Unwilling to cry and show her weak side to the one person she admired most, Haru turned away from the door and headed back down the stairs. She held the package so tightly that the perfect wrapping was all lined with wrinkles now. It didn't matter anymore, because no matter what she did, her feelings wouldn't be delivered to him. Even this gift she had poured her heart into creating would mean nothing next to a smile or a simple "Merry Christmas" from Sasagawa Kyoko.
"Haru-chan? Going home already?" Tsuna's mother enquired as she caught sight of the girl at the base of the staircase. She held a tray of biscuits and glasses of juice, the snacks she meant for her to enjoy too.
"Hahi! Well, it would ruin the surprise if I gave him his present early, so Haru will give it to him on Christmas day!" Haru said with a smile. Lucky for her, Sawada Nana wasn't much of an expert as reading one's expression or seeing through their lies. "Sorry for intruding so late in the evening," Haru apologized as she slipped het feet into the girly ballet flats among the boys' sneakers.
"Oh, it's fine!" Tsuna's mother smiled as she held the tray. "You'd best be careful on your way home; it isn't a good idea for a pretty girl like you to be out alone at this time!"
Just as Haru opened her mouth to assure her she would be fine, the house door opened behind her. She turned around in surprise and was greeted with the familiar scowl of Gokudera Hayato. He was such a nasty guy, always making that pissed off face at everyone and calling them all annoying. He was making that angry face at her again, as if bothered by nothing more than the fact that she existed.
"What perfect timing! Gokudera-kun, could you see Haru-chan home? I don't feel easy having a girl walk around alone at night," Tsuna's mother said with an unknowing smile.
The white-haired boy gave Haru a sideways leer and said, "Eh? You can walk home alone fine, can't you? You afraid of the dark or something?" He was mocking her in that condescending way again. He was such a bad influence on Tsuna, he would one day wreck Tsuna's innocence, Miura Haru was sure of it.
"I guess, it can't be helped then, I'll get Tsuna to walk you home. Tsu-"
"No!" Haru and Hayato both objected at once, wide-eyed.
"I'll be fine walking home alone," Haru said at the same time Hayato insisted, "I'll make sure she gets home safely, no need to bother anyone else about it."
"Oh, well it's settled, then!" The middle-aged woman smiled. "I'll go ahead and tell Tsuna you'll be a little late, then."
"No need to tell him I was here, I mean, it'll only ruin the surprise!" Haru laughed nervously as she buttoned up her coat. "I'll come visit some other time, oba-san." With that, Gokudera Hayato and Miura Haru backed out of the house. Both faking smiles as the door to the Sawada home closed. The two let out sighs in unison.
"That was close," Hayato said, his shoulders slumped.
"Hahi..." Haru also closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.
"Oi, what were you doing at the Tenth's house anyway?" Hayato asked with his face in that signature scowl yet again as he jammed his fists into his pockets. The two started walking down the dark street. "I don't remember him inviting you to just barge into his house uninvited." Haru rolled her eyes at his usual attitude; same old Gokudera.
"Haru doesn't need permission from you to visit Tsuna-san!" the girl argued as she challenged the angry boy with a defiant glare. "Why don't you just go back to Tsuna-san's house? Haru doesn't need a dangerous man like Gokudera-san escorting her home."
"That would make me seem like the bad guy!" Hayato rebutted, with lines clearly visible between his brows to display his frustration.
"Gokudera-san, you're more dangerous than any man Haru might meet on the street!" she said accusingly. "Haru can take care of herself!"
The two squabbled nonsensically as they often found the two of them did, thanks to their clashing personalities. Once the argument died out, the pair walked in silence—an awkward distance between them as they walked side by side. Haru turned to the green-eyed boy when they finally reached her house.
"You can go now."
"Yeah." The two stood in eerie silence before Hayato spoke up again. "What is that anyway?" he asked, pointing toward the red package she was still holding close to her chest.
She had being clutching it so close to her chest this whole time. Haru had almost forgotten she still had it. There was no way she could give it to Tsuna anymore, though. What would she do with it? She didn't want to keep it; it would just remind her of everything she heard him say. Throwing it out was the logical but it would be regretful after all the trouble she went through to make it.
"This?" It was a rhetorical question, but she had to say something to fill the awkward void. Then she thrust it into Gokudera Hayato's hands. "Consider it a token of appreciation for walking me home," she muttered as she looked away. "It's just since Haru has nothing to do with it!" she said defensively.
The white-haired boy accepted the gift with wide eyes. A part of him was about to instinctively reject someone else's trash, but he was curious to know what the worn, red wrapping paper held. It was curious, how she was holding onto it so protectively until now only to speak of throwing it out. "Thanks... I think."
With that all dealt with, Haru wheeled around and vanished into her house without looking back at him.
# # # # #
When questioned about the red package back at Tsuna's house, Hayato fibbed and boasted that it was an early Christmas gift from a fangirl of his. They made him open it on the spot, and Hayato was taken aback by the thought that Miura Haru might have considered throwing the item out. The time and effort that must have gone into the scarf was plainly visible. He then masked his surprise by mocking Yamamoto Takeshi for his inability to get such heartfelt gifts from a girl, which made Tsuna enter a state of depression due to the fact that he had never received a gift of any sort from a girl.
But deep inside, it kind of stung to know that heartfelt effort wasn't meant for him.