::Still don't own KHR!
".Vignette."
A few days later, where Gokudera had been too busy dealing with preparations for his own inheritance to interact with Tsuna and the others, the day had finally come. The grand hall of the Villa was filled with seats and every single member of his father's Famiglia was in attendance, along with the Vongola Decimo and his closest guardians.
Gokudera coughs a little to steady his nerves, and begins to address the crowd in front of him. "First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for coming here today… all of you here who have served my Father throughout the years and stayed loyal to him despite everything that has transpired."
Haru, as she sat in the crowd next to the others of the Tenth Generation Vongola, looked on in amazement at how put-together and controlled Gokudera was at this moment. Despite losing his father, and going through everything, at this moment he seemed like a real Capofamiglia.
"But I must also be truthful." He sighed. "I am far too young and inexperienced to take up the mantle my Father has left me…"
Unrest and uneasiness permeate the room's atmosphere. Gokudera sees a worried look on the Tenth's face, and a comforting nod from Giuseppe urges him on. "I know I ran away from this Family once, and it may seem like I am doing so again – but I am not. I believe that it will be best for the Famiglia, and for me, to step down as Capofamiglia until I come of age and am deemed ready. My father's Consigliere, Giuseppe, will be filling in for me until that time. But I will take responsibility and be present whenever the Family requires."
Most of the Mafiosi in their black tailored suits give understanding nods of approval. One mutters "It is wise of him to not take on too much responsibility if he deems himself not yet ready." The man next to him adds: "And Giuseppe is a trustworthy man."
"But before I temporarily step down, there are three things I must tell all of you – first, Mr. Innocenti will be joining our weapons design division. I assure all of you he is a very talented man, so please look forward to working with him."
A short round of applause and some murmurings of: "He used to work with Koenig. I've heard of him."
"Second, Francesco has been chosen as the Varia's new Mist Guardian. I have already spoken to him, and he has agreed to join them. Giuseppe has approved this and it is my hope that it will only help ensure our lasting friendship with the Vongola." He said. "I must be honest, and tell you that I am wholly loyal to the Vongola as well. My duties as the Vongola Decimo's Consigliere may conflict with our Famiglia's interests one day, and I cannot be certain that I will choose the Famiglia my father left to me, rather than the Famiglia that has found me."
He took a deep breath and said: "And that is why, for the Famiglia's best interests I shall be enacting the creation of an external branch. This branch of the Family will be free to act on its own and settle its own affairs, as long as they do not threaten the safety of the Famiglia itself. I know most of you might see me as nothing more than a puppet for the Vongola to wrest control of the Famiglia, but with this, I am giving each and every one of you a choice. Franca and Antonio will be heading the external branch until you have selected your own leader."
The room was divided between a confused reaction, while others wholly approved. Franca was smirking from her seat in the front row, and Antonio sweatdropped.
"…and with that, I leave you to your acting Capofamiglia – Giuseppe." He said and stepped down from the podium, letting the older man take his place.
"You were brilliant, Young Master." The man whispered to the boy as he went to speak to them all.
Gokudera smiled. "You will be too."
About an hour later, most of the Mafiosi had begun to leave, some of them expressed their approval of Giuseppe, some still unsure and worried for the future of the Famiglia, some talking excitedly with Franca and Antonio over the potential of an external branch – and some of the older ones just stopping by to give Gokudera a hug and look over him, telling him how long it was since they last saw him and taking in how much he's grown, how he had his father's eyes and mother's hair and how much they missed his piano recitals. It was a much lighter mood than during his father's burial.
Tsuna, Reborn, and some of the other guardians approached him. "Are you sure about this, Gokudera-kun?" the future Vongola Decimo asked.
"Yes, Juudaime." He answered with resolve. "I will go back with all of you to Japan and continue to serve as your Tempesta. This will probably mean I'll have to go to Italy more often, but please trust that I will be able to perform my duties adequately."
Yamamoto chuckled a little. "Don't worry, I'll handle everything when you're away."
The Rain Guardian was expecting an arrogant retort, or one of those I'm-the-right-hand-man-not-you arguments, but he got a "You better, Baseball-idiot." instead.
"So, this is what an Inheritance Ceremony looks like." Tsuna said, taking in everything. Reborn nodded and said: "One day you'll be the one addressing an entire family. You shouldn't let them down."
The Arcobaleno faced Gokudera and smiled at him. "I'm not your mentor, but you did well, Gokudera, better than anyone could have hoped for. I'm sure both your father and the Nono are proud of you. Iemitsu was right when he chose you to be Tsuna's Tempesta."
And then there she was… Haru walked toward them in a simple black dress and her hair down, and then he remembered. He remembered how it felt to have her arms around him as he prepared to sacrifice himself to make sure of their escape. 'You can do it, Gokudera-kun. Please come back soon. I'll be waiting for you.' The words she whispered in her ear still ran through his mind.
"Haru." He said, and suddenly the room seemed as if they were the only people there, and everyone else just smiled knowingly. "There's something I have to show you."
She nodded and followed him.
"I hoped your first visit to Italia would have happened under happier circumstances." Gokudera said after leading Haru into what was now technically his office. "Maybe one day I could take you to Roma… I remember you said you've always wanted to go there."
Haru smiled softly. "Gokudera-kun, I-"
"I've wanted to tell you something for a while now…" he said, looking away from her, and not meeting her eyes, obviously a little embarrassed. "But first, there's something you have to see. Antonio found it in the rubble of the Estraneo base when the Vendice came to clear it up." He opened the first drawer of what was now his desk, and took out a strange looking white cube that seemed to glow.
"Is that…" Haru said, eyes widening a bit in amazement. "…where my memories are stored?"
Gokudera nodded and put it in a strange looking device with a screen. He had it brought down from the labs yesterday, thinking of watching the contents of Haru's memories himself – but ultimately stopping because it felt wrong and unfair to her. "I'm leaving for a bit, and you can just call me when-"
Haru shook her head. "Haru wants Gokudera-kun to stay." She said. "…if he wants to!" she added hurriedly.
"But these are your memories, Haru. Are you sure-?" he asked.
She smiled. "I'm sure whatever's in there are memories I treasured… but what if what I see in there is someone who I'm not anymore? What if I don't recognize myself? I… I'm a little scared. I don't want to be alone. And I… I trust you more than anyone, and…" She said, cheeks visibly blushing a little. "…I'll cover your eyes if it's something I don't want you to see."
"…I – uhm… uh… okay." He said, uncharacteristically flustered. He pressed on the console of the device and on the screen was Haru, a Dying-Will-Flame-Mode Tsuna running past her in only his boxers.
"Was that… T-tsuna-san?" she said, holding back a giggle.
Gokudera sighed. "Long story."
And they watched her memories through a screen – some regular days going by in a blur, with nothing of note happening, and some things not showing up very clearly. Hayato felt that somehow he was getting to know her again, Haru from before she lost her memories seemed the same as how he remembered her – hyperactive, ditsy, and honestly kind of annoying. But there was always something about her he found different: a kind of silent strength and endurance.
And her two smiles. They looked the same on the outside, but if you really looked, you could tell they were different. He had always been able to tell when she smiled for real and when she smiled to show everyone she was going to be alright. Perhaps it was because they both had that – that façade.
He found out that she loved strawberries, and cakes more than he already thought she did, and flowers, that her best friends from school weres a short-haired spunky girl named Natsuki, and a more reserved, bespectacled Akiko, that she dreamed of being a costume designer… and that she truly was in love with Tsunayoshi Sawada.
After watching his memory-self blast her off the bridge and his boss having to save her from drowning, Gokudera gulped in his nerves. "Haru, I'm really sorry about that I-"
She giggled a little. "Look, everything turned out okay." She said. "I can't believe I we used to act so crazily. I… I really used to like Tsuna-san, didn't I?" she said, looking at her memory-self writing the Tenth's name over and over with hearts and flourishes.
"…uh… yeah." He muttered. And try as he might, he couldn't suppress the thought of hating how happy she looked when she was doting over his honorable Boss. "Haru this is some pretty personal stuff – are you sure I should be-"
Haru looked at him and nodded. "I involved myself in your personal business, in your past." She said, determination in her eyes. "…this way, we're even."
Gokudera paused the device. The image on the screen was the two of them having an argument about something small and petty, as it always was. "Haru, you don't have to do this, you know. You don't have to share your memories with me just because you got me to face my past." He sighed. "I know we hate being indebted to each other… but if you honestly-"
Haru chuckled a little and smiled at him. "No Gokudera-kun. This is different." She stood and pressed 'resume' on the device. Their memory-selves started arguing again. "This, everything in here…" she pointed at the screen "…this isn't who we are anymore."
"What do you mean?" he asked, clearly confused.
She took his hand and guided him back to their seat. "I'm pretty sure we'll still end up arguing about every little thing… but that silly little girl in there – that's not who I am anymore. I'm not watching my memories with you because I feel like it'll make things even between us."
They face each other and their eyes meet – his confused green, and her resolute brown.
"I want to share my memories with you. Yes, I do want to remember who I was before all of this happened, but this…" she points to herself. "This is who I am now, and even if I do get my memories back, it won't change that. Haru is Haru. The one who lost her memories, the one who wouldn't stop bothering you about facing your past, the one who was secretly thrilled to walk home with you after school, the one who unconsciously waited for you to call when you were in Italy, the one who took care of your cat and loved the way it smelled like you, the one who wanted to see you come back more than anything, the one who would never have forgiven herself if you didn't wake up at that hospital, and-" she suddenly stopped and turned bright pink as she realized just what she was saying.
Gokudera sighed, his blood rushing to his cheeks despite him willing it not to. "Goddamnit, Stupid Woman." He said, looking away from her eyes in embarrassment. "I told you I had something important to tell you, didn't I?! Then you go off and say so many things before I could! Damn, why does it always have to be so complicated with you?!"
"What do you mean I'm the one being complicated here? I was just telling you-!"
But she was stopped mid-sentence by, what else, but the silver-haired Storm Guardian's lips on hers.
"Shut up, Haru." He said, looking intently into her eyes. "Aishiteru." He lightly touches her cheek and moves the stray strands of her hair out of her face.
He mustered up all his courage. "I don't understand why it's you of all people, why you mean more to me than anyone, even the Tenth, even if I didn't think that was even possible. Why I call you stupid even though I know you're not, because that would mean we'd get into an argument again and I would get to spend time with you, even if you keep bringing the Stupid-Cow along. Why I feel like shooting the baseball-idiot into the next dimension whenever he manages to make you smile. Why I can't stop thinking about you. Why you make me feel so angry sometimes because it's like everything and nothing makes sense when I'm with you. Why I would do anything, anything at all, if it meant that I would never see you cry again… why I-"
Haru put a finger over his mouth and he stopped talking. "Gokudera-kun… shut up." She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he placed his hands on her waist and their foreheads touch ever so lightly. "Ti Amo." she whispered breathlessly as she leaned in and kissed him more fiercely than she thought she would ever have the courage to.
Their lips finally part and Hayato whispered in Italian into her ear, she could understand only some of words, and all of what she could understand proceeded to make her face flush even more, and her heart to beat faster than she ever thought possible.
Suffice to say, the screen where their memory-selves were arguing was forgotten, for the two were already far too lost in each other to care.
Less than a week later, back in Namimori…
"Oi, wake-up brat! Your shift's almost over." The old man in the bookstore says as he drops a small stack of books on the counter in front of the silver-haired bomber. "You're lucky there aren't many customers during your shift." He mutters. "Aren't you supposed to be on your way to meet that girl about now?"
Gokudera checks his watch and curses in Italian. He shouts "Sorry for sleeping through my shift again old-man! I'll make up for it next time!" before leaving.
The bookstore owner just shook his head and smiled. 'Young people these days.'
Gokudera was at Midori Middle-School's in no time, and greeted a flustered Haru. "You look… stressed." He said, suddenly unsure of how he should act around her in public now that they were… together.
"Yes, thank you for clarifying that, Hayato-kun." She said, mock-pouting at him and then looking at her clipboard with a sigh.
His breath caught a little – of course the cool, collected Mafioso in him would never admit it. He realized that while it was perfectly normal for her to call him by his first name, somehow it felt like it meant so much more – he realized just how much Japan has finally ingrained itself in him. Would he ever get used to it? Being called only by his first name by her?
"What's wrong, Haru?" he said, holding her arm and looking over the clipboard.
"Hahi!" Haru gasped a little and noticed how close he was, looming over her from behind to read the contents of her clipboard, and how they must look to other people. Blood rushed to her cheeks. "H-Hayato-kun…" she muttered, even more flustered than previously. "…people are staring at us."
"So what?" He whispered in her ear, pulling her closer just a little bit more.
'What is this all of a sudden?!' Haru's thoughts were running wild in her brain. She was a little worried of just how much she didn't care either.
"Hahi~!" she exclaimed as Hayato stepped away and took the clipboard from her.
"Sorry! I couldn't resist." He said quickly and dismissively, and preoccupied himself with reading through the clipboard. "Anyway, what's the problem? Why do you seem so troubled?"
"Well, other than boyfriends suddenly ambushing me…" Haru sighed. "…wow, are we ever going to get used to that?" she chuckled.
Gokudera laughed a little. "I'm wondering the same thing."
"Anyway, as I was saying… while I was away, it turns out one of our props accidentally fell down on the Grand Piano and our pianist is still in the hospital. Fuyumi-chan was the only one who knew all the pieces for the play." Haru said. "Why are you smiling? I mean, she's going to be alright, but-"
"Well you've got your replacement pianist right here." Hayato said proudly.
Haru burst into a fit of laughter. "I appreciate that you want to help, but-" she stopped laughing when she saw the stern look on his face. "W-wait, you're serious? But you suck at piano! Remember that one time we went to a music shop and-"
"I was faking it so you wouldn't suspect anything… and well, I used to hate playing the piano." He said the last bit as quickly as possible. "I know every piece worth calling classical music. I used to go on tours in Italy when I was little." He sighed. "Stop laughing, woman! If you don't believe me then I'll prove it to you."
"Stop fighting with Haru-nee, Stupidera!" The little boy in the cow suit exclaimed as he arrived with Tsuna, Kyoko and Yamamoto, all of whom were carrying various art materials.
"Shut up, Stupid-cow!" The silver haired boy answered. "No one told you to come! You'll just make things worse."
Haru laughed again. "Don't worry Lambo-kun. Hayato-kun was just being stubborn."
"Who's Hayato-kun?" Lambo said, clearly confused.
"Me, you damn brat." Gokudera said, sighing and taking some paint cans the group had brought to help bring to the Midori Middle School gym.
"No! You're Stupidera that's who you are!"
They continued arguing and the others simply shrugged. Some things never change.
They made their way to the gym to help set-up the props for their play. Tsuna and the others had agreed to help out under both Gokudera and Haru's request, happy that for once, after a long ordeal, they were back to doing ordinary, middle-school things again… well, sort of.
After the preparations for the play, the pair made their way to a familiar music shop. Haru had told him she believed he was good at playing the piano after seeing him say it so resolutely, but he had insisted he wanted to show her – to prove his point, rather than because he just felt like it… or at least that's what he said. And of course Lambo just had to insist on tagging along. The kid would never pass up the chance to humiliate the Storm Guardian.
"Why are you bringing the Stupid-cow along?" Gokudera said, looking at Lambo in Haru's arms disapprovingly.
"He said he wanted to come." Haru smiled at him. "It'll be fine."
"Fine. But make sure he keeps his mouth shut." He said grudgingly.
They reached the shop moments later and Hayato goes on to greet the old shopkeeper. "Uh… hello… grandpa."
"So they've told you who I was." The old man smiled. "I always knew you'd come back here. Ah, and you brought Haru-chan as well. I'm glad things are working out for you." He gives his grandson a bear hug. "I heard about your father. I'm sorry-"
"…I'm alright." He said, returning the old man's hug. "Can I borrow your piano for a bit?"
The old man chuckled and led them to the grand piano on display. "Of course. I've always wanted to hear you play for real, ever since you showed up here the first time."
"No don't let Stupidera play!" Lambo said, covering his ears. "He's going to make a lot of noise!"
Gokudera cursed under his breath. "Shut up damn cow!" He took a deep breath and put his fingers over the keys. "Your play is Romeo and Juliet, right Haru?" he asked rhetorically. Haru nodded. "What about 'Montagues and Capulets' by Prokofiev, then?"
His fingers glide over the keys to a familiar tune. He remembered seeing a ballet where the piece was featured. He remembered wanting to practice it with his mother… there was something different this time though. There was no more pain, no more somber shadow that seemed to loom over him, no more anger, no more guilt, no more ghosts.
There was only him, and the piano, and the music that flowed from it.
…and there was her. Haru watched, wide-eyed and slightly open-mouthed, 'He said he used to hate playing the piano… but he's so good at it! And… he looks happy.' She just smiled and continued listening. Lambo had a similar amazed expression on his face as he listened to the music. And the old man was positively teary-eyed and looked on proudly.
A week later, Midori Middle School's rendition of Romeo and Juliet was their most successful play ever. No small thanks to Tsuna and Kyoko, who helped Haru out at the props department, and Gokudera who took care of everything related to musical arrangement… and that they had convinced Yamamoto to play a role and many of his fans from baseball, from schools all-over Namimori had turned up to see the show.
The after-party was over and everyone was in high spirits. It went almost exactly like the school dance they attended before all of this happened, only it wasn't. There was no chasing Uri around, no stomachaches and fainting, no nervous Tsuna... and this time Hayato and Haru didn't need a spotlight and a crowd to urge them to dance. Though, Yamamoto still had a crowd of fangirls around him.
"You must think you're all kinds of perfect, don't you?" Haru said as they arrived at her house after Gokudera walked her home.
"Of course I am." He smirked. "I am three-fourths Italian after all."
Haru embraced him and gave him a goodnight kiss. "Thank you, Gokudera-kun… for everything."
::Only the epilogue left!I'll leave the long thank-you-so-much-for-still-following-this-story and all my other author cheese on that one… I'm just really happy I've finally reached this point for these two.
::BUT SERIOUSLY THOUGH, THANK YOU FOR NOT GIVING UP ON THIS. AND LEN THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR KEEPING ME WORKING ON THIS AND BETA-ING.
::I'll upload the Epilogue once I'm done fine-tuning it – maybe later or tomorrow. Promise!
