When I wrote this, I had very little to work with, but I think it ended alright. I'm nearing the end, so, readers be warned, the next one may well be the last chapter. If I drag this on any more, Hibari will end up seriously OOC, all things considered and I've edited enough here to at least bring out that certain aspect of him... Well, enjoy and don't forget to let me know what you think!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters in this fan fiction story. I am only responsible for the plot and nothing else.
Chrome looked at the fake smile on his face and sighed. He had casually avoided all talk about Haru so far and she didn't want to pry. She had heard from Kyoko, however, that things were looking grim regarding their relationship. Kyoko had told her because she would be part of the support group necessary in case Haru couldn't bear the burden herself.
She picked up a strawberry scented tube of lip balm and idly inspected the contents. Yamamoto was standing beside her and browsing the CDs. He had asked her to come so of course she would come. It was his way of asking for support. He didn't come right out and say it, but she knew he just wanted company. No questions. No advice. No comments. Just company.
Chrome smiled again and put back the lip balm. She would get the orange flavoured one instead. It tasted much better anyway. She went to Yamamoto and tapped his shoulder.
"Ready to go?" she asked giving him a small smile. He seemed a little distant today, but it was to be expected.
"Yeah," he said putting on that smile again. He grabbed a CD from off the shelf and headed to the cashier with it. It wasn't even his favourite band and it was in his least favourite genre of music. Clearly he hadn't picked that for himself or he had absently.
"Who is that for?" she asked trying to subtly hint at his very obvious failed attempt at distracting himself.
"Hmm? Oh, it's for me. I wanted to see what it sounds like..." he looked down at the CD in his hand and paused mid-sentence. He looked back up and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Ah hahaha, I seem to have picked something else," he said. At least that sounded partly sincere. She could let it slide.
"Well, we could get something else, unless there's somewhere else you want to go," she said peering out the shop window to the media store across. He smiled down at her gratefully and went back to the shelf to get another CD, the correct one this time. They paid for the things then went out into the street.
"It's so busy today, nee?" said Chrome trying to start a conversation. Normally, she wouldn't bother, being shy and all, but she felt that this situation warranted her giving it a try.
"Mh," he said with a small nod. His hands were shoved into his pockets as they walked along. They stopped at a stall selling iced tea. He bought the each a cup and they continued walking. Chrome sighed for the fifth time that day. She had to give him time to trust her enough to tell him what was on his mind, but if he waited any longer, she had a feeling she would be the one going mad.
"Nee, Nagi-san," he said leaning against the bridge they came to and looking at the water. She turned to him and he took a deep breath.
"How do you know if... If two people are really meant to be? Is it an accident or are you born knowing?"
She looked at him and then back at the water and bit her lip. How would she answer that one? It was the basic equivalent of asking if he ever even had a chance to begin with. She would have to pick her words out very carefully if she was going to get this right.
"Never mind," he said suddenly. She met his gaze and saw the emotion there. A little bit of his joy had gone. He was happy now, but his eyes seemed... sadder, somehow. He reached for her hand and gave it a brief squeeze then let go again.
"Thank you for coming to stay with me. I didn't know who else to call. You don't mind, do you?" he asked not looking at her. She shook her head and smiled at him with a small smile on her lips. Well, at least she had (very narrowly) dodged that bullet.
Are two people meant to be together? She wouldn't know the answer to that question anyway. She had believed for years that Mukuro was the one for her. He had saved her life after all. Now she knew better. He had left her since he had been freed from the prison and she'd had to understand that he would never come back for her. While he was away, she'd had to create her own organs and support herself. She had done without the one man who had made her existence possible.
Were two people meant to be together from the get go or was it an accident?
She supposed it was one of those questions never meant to have a straight answer. Looking at the man beside her now, she smiled and patted his shoulder. The gesture was pretty simple but held a world of meaning for both of them.
For him it meant that she understood him a little better. It meant she would be there for him no matter what was bothering him. It meant he wouldn't be without a friend when things got too bad. It meant he could count on her. He wondered at that however, considering the fact that she was also very good friends with Haru. When it came down to it, he supposed it was little unfair for both of them to try to rely on her so much.
Still, he supposed he could at least be selfish this once. He needed help too and she was the only one he could talk to without feeling vulnerable. He supposed he was lucky. Looking down at her again, he realised he felt much better.
"What do you say we go to the park?" he asked with a grin. She smiled and nodded, happy with his change in mood. At least he was smiling a little more now. That was more like the Yamamoto she knew. He would be over this in no time.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*
Hibari stood looking out over the city, his fingers idly thumbing the silver pen in his hands. It had been another day of silence. He hadn't heard from Haru since morning and he had pushed the matter aside more times than he could care to count. He wouldn't normally mind waiting but in this case, the tension was driving him up the wall. He heard a snap and frowned down at the pieces in his hands. That was his favourite pen too. He sighed and shut his eyes.
"You broke your pen again," came her voice from the doorway. Hibari turned and there she was looking at him with a smile on her face. She stepped into the office and ran her fingers over the broken pieces of the pen.
"Tough day today?" she asked meeting his gaze. He didn't reply and didn't remove his gaze from hers.
"If you broke your favourite pen then it must have been pretty tough..." she said picking up the broken silver end piece of the pen. He watched her wondering what she would do. He knew very well what she had told him when he first broke a perfectly good pencil in a fit of rage. She went around the desk and stood in front of him. She took his hand in hers and traced her fingers over the fading scars. How many things had he broken with his bare hands since they had broken up? It seemed to be quite the number judging by the scars.
"I suppose it's my fault... You do remember my... policy on breaking things, don't you?" she asked looking up at him shyly and leaned her head to the side. He took the one step that closed the gap between them. She drew a sharp breath when his hand wrapped around her waist. She grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and didn't let go.
"I remember," he whispered and took her lips in one heart-stopping kiss. She sighed when their tongues met. His arms crushed her to him and she clutched at his shoulders and moaned into his mouth. She tasted of strawberries. She was soft and yielding. She felt as good as ever and she had come to him of her own free will. He pulled away and smoothed her short hair back on her head meeting her heated cinnamon gaze. He smirked and licked her lips making her shiver.
"Why did you come here?" he asked.
"I wanted to make sure you... hadn't changed your mind..." she said, her hands crawling up his chest. He smirked again and cradled her face in his hands. He lowered his lips onto hers and kissed her again. He wouldn't change his mind. He would never change his mind again.
The opening door interrupted the moment and Haru pulled away in a panic. Hibari's arm went around her waist holding her there. She looked at him momentarily in a panic, then decided it wasn't particularly a secret now, so why bother hiding.
Gokudera found them like that and sneered then tossed Hibari's papers on the desk.
"Have those filed by morning tomorrow. We need all the information we can get," he said on his way back out. Haru held her breath and bit her lip. If it was anybody else, she would simply blush. Gokudera made her very uncomfortable, especially when it came to her relationships. She let out a sigh and turned back to Hibari.
It couldn't be helped really, and if he had any problems with it, he could go climb a tree. She smiled at Hibari and put her hands on the arms that had returned around her waist.
"I have to go," she whispered.
"I'll come and see you tonight," he said, kissed her again and turned back to his work. Well, Hibari was never one for goodbyes so she supposed that would suffice. He had work to do after all. She turned and went to the door. She didn't notice him watching her until she turned to give him one last look. He didn't smile but he wasn't scowling either. She blushed and went on her way. She had to sort out a few things before she went home however.
She still needed to get her things from Yamamoto's house and say a proper goodbye. He said he would be there to help her if she needed it, but she had insisted that he didn't have to. He didn't argue and that worried her a very little bit. Still, she supposed things couldn't stay the same between them after everything that had happened. As she went she walked past the ice cream stand she and Yamamoto had visited a dozen times before. It had become a bit of a tradition for as long as she could remember.
She had to admit she had spent a lot of good times with him. She would have to remember to thank him for that. It was sad that she hadn't appreciated any of it before. She had taken most of it for granted and, now that she thought about it, she supposed she had merely used him. Surely she had to be very silly to pick Hibari after all he had put her through...
No, she couldn't think that way. She would just cause everyone more grief. Of course Hibari would have to work for her trust again although he did pretty much have her heart. She smirked and thought about it. It was alright. He would have a lot of making up to do, but if she played her cards right, she could get him to fight for her again.
It was wonderful how light she felt. She almost laughed, but if he did that, people would think she was mad. Ah, let them think what they wanted. Nobody in the world was as happy as she was and she would let them all know it!
