::I'm really, really sorry for the incredibly long delay. I don't wanna make excuses, but adjusting to college life has really been quite the challenge for me, that and a whole lot of things related to my life outside fanfiction writing has been taking up a lot of my time. Another reason was the sheer difficulty of writing this chapter – I know you guys only want and deserve the best, and I hope my efforts are acceptable enough.

::I don't own KHR.

".Truth."

Gokudera sat by the wall where he heard her voice, and she did the same. They were separated by only a few centimeters of distance, by a metallic wall. All she wanted was the truth, and he had done all he could to protect her from it – but now was the time for him to put an end to the deceit, even if he must expose himself as a lair.

There was no reason to hide anything anymore. He had already failed to prevent Haru from getting involved in this, and whatever he was going to say wouldn't really matter to the Estraneo – Haru didn't need to know about the box weapons, and besides, who in their right mind would believe that a bunch of teenagers managed to save the world in the future?...he hoped though, that she would, otherwise, what would be the point of all this?

"The Vongola is currently the world's strongest Mafia Famiglia, I was an outsider adopted into the family… but that's another story." Gokudera sighed as he narrated. "You see, it all started when I got an order from the Vongola Nono, to become the Decimo's Storm Guardian… I was sent to Japan, and that's where I met Juudaime, you and the others."

"Hahi? M-mafia?" Haru couldn't believe what she was hearing. But, we're all just middle-schoolers!

"You said you'd believe anything I say, Stupid Woman." Gokudera muttered under his breath. "Do you think I would tell you such a half-assed story if it wasn't the truth? Just shut up and listen – you asked for this, you know. Now, let me finish." Let's get this goddamn thing over with.

He told her everything he could remember, everything he thought she would have known had she not lost her memories. How the Tenth saving her from drowning, the events that transpired during the ring conflict with the Varia over the right to become the Tenth boss of Vongola, and even the little things, the small everyday events that he wanted her to remember… he found it strange, how quietly she was taking it all. I did tell her to shut up, but… It was when he started talking about their adventures in the future when he heard a reaction from the other side of the wall.

Shit, I made her cry again.

Tsuna's House.

The room was wrapped in a tense silence as the news of Haru's abduction sunk in. First Kyoko-chan gets taken, then Basil-kun gets injured, then Gokudera-san is taken hostage… now they've kidnapped Haru. Tsuna was unnervingly silent, his eyes shadowed and his fists clenched in both anger and worry. A flame suddenly lit from his forehead and his X-gloves went ablaze with a brilliant orange flame.

"What do you think you're trying to do, Tsuna?" Reborn asked him, his eyes hidden under the shadows of his hat.

"You always tell me that it's a boss's job to take care of his family, Reborn. I'm going, even if it costs me my life." He says, and runs out the door and flies off, regretting he didn't do it sooner.

"Hmph, dame-Tsuna trying to act cool." Reborn said, but the proud smirk on his lips gives him away completely.

Gokudera's father takes his hands off his face and breathes a heavy sigh. "The boy is right. I am the boss of my family, am I not?" He stands up and gathers his resolve. "I have to do something."

"But - father!" Bianchi grasps his hand to stop him from leaving. "You could get killed out there."

"Figlia mia, Bianchi, por favore, I cannot bear to lose my only son, knowing that there was something I could've done to save him." He says, his eyes full of a conviction she hasn't seen from him in years.

Bianchi let go of her father's hand and shed a tear. "I'm coming with you. Hayato is my little brother too."

"No, my daughter. Giovanni, these children, and this young lady need you to look after them. And I will not be able to forgive myself if anything happens to both my children." He says. "Let me be the father Hayato has always deserved to have, for once."

She nods and he wipes the tears off her face. "Be careful, father."

"Bianchi, have I not told you that your face is much more beautiful when you are smiling? Don't worry, everything will be alright." Her father smiles consolingly and walks out the door, followed by Guiseppe, who, after more than a decade of service, still refuses to leave his master's side.

At that moment, Bianchi wished she was a little girl again, because back then she could still believe everything her father said - back then, she still believed that he was invincible and that everything would be alright just because he said it would be.

Death Mountain.

"…there were a lot of hard battles in the future… the Milfiore were strong, they were smart – but in the end they underestimated the Vongola, and Juudaime…" Gokudera recounted. "…and he saved us all, and we were able to return here, to our own time. We later found out everything was planned out by Juudaime's older self though…" And his tale of the future ended there. "It's been a few months since then, and… and the accident that caused you to lose your memories was because of the Estraneo and their experiments, and the defectors from my father's family…" He gave a short sigh of relief, and apprehensively waited for Haru's response.

The next few moments of anxiety seemed like an eternity to him. She was silent, and said not a word, but he could hear her uneasy breaths and sobs. He knew that behind that wall, Haru was crying; crying because of him. He couldn't even bring himself to ask for forgiveness… he felt like he didn't deserve any. He wished she would shout at him, get angry, hit him – anything. Anything was better than nothing.

He heard a soft tap on the wall behind him and turned around to face the metallic wall. He prepared himself for whatever she was going to tell him. "H-haru… I'm-"

"T-thank you, Gokudera-kun." Haru's voice said softly. "…for helping me understand."

"I-" he began to say. I'm sorry. But it wouldn't really matter, an apology would hardly suffice… "Haru, I'm sor-"

"Please don't apologize, Gokudera-kun…" she said in a quiet voice. "…I understand now. It's all a little blurry, but… I believe you. I can tell that you're telling me the truth, I feel like it's real. I think I can remember a little."

"I lied to you, Haru." He said, punching the wall lightly with his fist. So get angry at me already, Stupid Woman.

"You were right… and you didn't lie." Haru said. "Not really. You told me you didn't make promises you can't keep. You promised Tsuna-kun you would keep me safe, away from the mafia. I understand, I think I always have." She started sobbing a little again. "…I'm not really much use to everyone – I always end up needing to be saved, and there's not much I can really do to help… it's only right. You did what you could to keep me safe. I should've accepted that. I should have respected your choice. I should've understood why you tried so hard to protect me."

He's already run through this scenario over a hundred times in his head. He's always been anxious and dreading the moment when the truth finally had to be told, when the lies had to be stopped and when he would have to just hope and pray that Haru would understand… and in all those scenarios, he not once envisioned what was happening to him now – Haru thanked him. She didn't want him to apologize, despite everything he's done. She was taking the blame and telling him she understood what he tried to do. But to him, it just didn't feel right – there was this nagging feeling inside him that he couldn't get rid of… he was pretty sure it was guilt.

"Stupid Woman. You've got it all wrong." He muttered. "It's not true that you're no help to anyone." She didn't know how much she's already 'helped' the silver-haired Storm Guardian, in her own strange way. What was it Reborn-san had said? "The Vongola are at their strongest when we have something to protect."

Namimori Hospital.

The night's lamplight filtered eerily through the blinds, shedding linear paths of light on the beds inside the sterile environment of the hospital room, the smell of antiseptics and medicines littered the air just as in any other hospital. Bianchi sighed as she put a blanket over the sleeping Fuuta.

The boy had insisted on coming with her to take care of the wounded Giovanni, the unconscious Kyoko, and Basil, who was still recovering and hasn't woken up since the attack at the Theatre. Of course, if Fuuta came along, then so did I-pin and Lambo. She doubted she'd be able to get any rest with so many people to take care of, but her current concerns about her brother and father would probably have prevented her from sleeping nonetheless.

Bianchi couldn't concentrate on the book she was trying to read. Her thoughts were racing, and she put the book down on the table dismissively and leaned back on the hospital chair. Why do all the men in my family have a hero complex? She smiled a little – noting that she was the same. She would've rushed in there and tried to rescue her brother in an instant, if only the little ones didn't need her.

So, for now, she was content, watching over them here in the hospital, keeping them safe. Like the perfect Italian daughter, she would be ready with a warm welcome once the others got back. She would stay put, and hope for the best.

Little did she know that the traitor they've been looking for was making his move.

I really wish I didn't have to do this, Master Bianchi. He thought desperately, as he held the drugged handkerchief to her face, her vision clouded and she fell to unconsciousness.

He looked hastily around the room. The little kids were little threat, and the girl was just too fragile to do anything against him. The blond boy from CEDEF was one to watch out for – but he had made sure his men would render him unconscious for at least a week, and even then, no one would be able to recognize him as the traitor, he had made sure of that.

He took one last look at the pink-haired girl that was once the object of his affections. He smiled sadly and touched her hair, gently placing it back, out of her face. She was still the most beautiful person in his world, and he had betrayed her – she would probably hate him forever. She would never understand. And maybe, they just were never meant to be.

He looked back on their childhood days – the copious batches of confectionery she served, the smile on her lips as she helped out in the manor's kitchen, treating the staff like equals, like teachers, and the anticipation in her eyes as she waited expectantly for their judgment on her cooking. Of course, he had lied about her food's quality countless times, but he meant it whenever he said he wouldn't mind having another bite, whenever he said he loved her cooking – because it was true, he would ask for more because that would mean she would spend a bit more time with him. And he did love her cooking, he loved it as much as he loved everything else about her.

And, even now that he had already turned his back on everything, he knew he still did.

He left the hospital room. The sound of the door closing was like a final note of confirmation – he would see this through to the end, there was no turning back.

And he would never see her beautiful green eyes that he so loved again.

Death Mountain.

Yamamoto, Chikusa and Shamal were quietly making their way around the Estraneo's hideout, Shamal's Trident Mosquitoes flying inconspicuously about, knocking out anyone without giving away their location.

"Shouldn't we try to not knock one of them out so we can ask them where Gokudera and Haru are?" Yamamoto asked in a whisper.

"These are the Estraneo we're talking about, they don't give in that easily." Chikusa said, straightening his glasses as he looked out into another empty corridor. "But, all their headquarters usually follow the same general design: we just have to keep going deeper inside - that's where they keep the hostages, prisoners, and test subjects. The high-level laboratories are probably on the top floors."

"Well then, let's keep going." Takeshi said in a way like it was as simple as a walk to the ballpark.

"I wish I was as calm as you two when I was starting out as a Mafioso." Shamal shrugged.

They continued down the dimly-lit hallway, stopping at a stairwell and then proceeding downward into more of the same boring gray hallways, and it continued on and on like that until it felt like they were stuck in an old computer's screensaver.

Just as they turned a corner, they heard footfalls from two people. One was a tall, red-haired man carrying a small wooden crate. The other was a young, brown haired woman. She seemed to be ordering the man around and arguing with him, while the man just looked like he wasn't listening. Shamal was about to order his mosquitoes to do them in, when he recognized who they were.

Yamamoto and Chikusa looked at him questioningly. Shamal just smiled and walked casually into the hallway. "Miss me so soon, Franca?"

She smirked. "And I thought you Vongola were supposed to be punctual – Master Hayato's getting desperate. I he was always a little hot-headed but he should know better than to -"

"It's not his fault Franca, they took his girl – any real man would –" Antonio tried to explain, but was interrupted by Yamamoto and Chikusa revealing their presence. "When they told us the Vongola were young, I never thought they meant they were kids." He said somewhat mockingly.

"How many times have I heard that before?" Yamamoto said cheerfully. "Who are they, Doctor Shamal?"

"Old friends from Italia." He answered. "I assume, since you didn't try to kill me, that you're back on Hayato's side?"

"I don't think we ever really left." Antonio smiled. "I guess we just got too attached to that little brat."

"Never mind that." Franca snapped, getting serious. "You're here to save Master Hayato and that girl, right?"

"Follow me." Antonio said.

There was a loud banging on the door and Haru gasped. Two men in lab coats entered the room and loomed eerily above her. Haru bit her lip and took a deep breath, bracing herself. She would put all her faith into a whisper from the wall behind her. She stood and the men took her away, she offered no resistance.

He had promised that everything would be alright. That she would be safe, that she would escape – that everything would go back to the way they were before. What else could she do but trust him? He no longer had a reason to lie, and her instincts were telling her that he was right – she should just stay calm and surrender. She might get into even more trouble if she struggled.

She was blindfolded, two hands latched on to her arms to guide her. Strangely, she did not feel as much fear as she had expected. She reasoned to herself that perhaps she was still in shock – who wouldn't be after just finding out she and her friends were involved with the Mafia? Not to mention travelled to the future and back. She knew it was logically impossible, but somehow she felt from the core of her being that it was the truth. She could see the snippets in her memories, the fragments in her dreams. She was certain she wasn't imagining them, for they felt too familiar – all too real.

And she knew why she wasn't afraid for herself as much.

Once, she thought that having a dashing knight-in-shining armor was such a romantic idea – that having someone you could rely on totally, someone who would save you whenever you were in a bind was a little-girl dream she kept somewhere in her heart.

But, now that everything was so real, she wished she had a way to save herself. She wished she didn't have him as her knight – not because she didn't like him, on the contrary, she was surprised at how much she cared about the silver-haired boy – but because, if he didn't care about her, he would never have been in the danger he was in now.

She hated how she was putting him in danger. She hated how, again, she was in trouble, and all she could do was wait for him to save her.

She told herself: No, not this time Haru. No more waiting. No more heroes.

::You didn't think I'd have Hayato re-word the whole of KHR's story did you? Now we all know who the traitor is… now we have to find out the 'why.'

::Again, to everyone who took their time to read and review this story up to this point, no matter how bad I am at writing it, my sincere gratitude, and my apologies for taking so long.