AN: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack! I'm gonna try work on this a bunch as well as my main fic during Camp Nano, so I'll hopefully get a few chapters out over the next few weeks :)
After the events of Kokuyo Centre, Haru's life fell back into a relatively monotonous pattern. Wake up, train with her mother, go to school, hang out with friends and go back home. As much as Tsuna seemed to be a magnet for danger and drama, that magnet seemed to need to recharge every now and then. As much as the peace was wholeheartedly welcomed, every week that went by with nothing absurd happening made Haru just a little bit more anxious. It was only a matter of time, and something told Haru that the longer it was, the worse it would be.
In order to pass the time, Haru decided to find herself a research project - science always helped to calm their nerves and keep them grounded. One afternoon, they were browsing the shelves of Namimori University's library, trying to find something of interest to read about, when a familiar voice caught their attention.
"Are you looking for something to read, young missus?"
Haru looked down, to see an infant at her feet. Reborn was wearing a wooly sweater, and glasses held to his face with a pearl strap. The complete miniature image of a stereotypical 'librarian' caricature. He was holding a thick hard-cover book with an eye-catching dust-cover.
"Might I suggest 'Elementary Electrodynamics: Lectures on the Shocking World of Electromagnetic Behaviour'?"
Haru looked at Reborn, and then back to the book. She noticed something suspicious at the bottom of the cover - the author: Dr R. Borin. Haru sighed. She didn't even bother asking about how he found the time to publish a whole textbook while working as a hitman. Haru knew better; they would only get a mysterious response that answered nothing.
"Reborn, what are you up to?" Haru asked wearily.
"I know not who this 'Reborn' you speak of is. I am but the humble librarian Noribo, doing my duty of ensuring that all of humanity can settle down with a good book." Reborn spoke with a tone that almost perfectly replicated that of an endearing elderly woman. He smirked, handed Haru the book, and vanished.
Looking again at the book, Haru had to concede that they at least did find the book interesting. She had no doubt that Reborn had chosen this book for some reason, but didn't even know where to start in deciphering why. Sighing for the millionth time in that short interaction, Haru went over to another librarian to borrow the book, and headed home.
Almost a month later, Tsuna's mostly absent father, who apparently hadn't visited in several years, returned from his work abroad. Understandably, Tsuna wanted to get away from home. Haru couldn't fathom what it would be like to see one's father after such a long period of absence. According to Tsuna, he hadn't taken any responsibility for being gone so long, which Haru just found to be disappointing.
Yamamoto had suggested that they go out to the local shopping district, have some fun and let off steam. For someone who acted like a total airhead, Yamamoto was surprisingly perceptive, and made the effort to support people around him. So, when Haru got the text that they were going out, she tore herself away from the miniature Faraday cage she was working on. It was a proof of concept more than anything - Haru always understood complex material better when she could apply and manipulate it herself.
Haru changed into a nice, comfortable outfit which consisted of a light blue hoodie and jeans, and set off for the shopping district. After meeting up with the others, they worked their way through the arcade, pet store and a couple of clothing shops. They took some photos together before deciding to settle down at a cafe for a light lunch - not that they actually got any food before shit hit the fan.
Disturbing what was supposed to be a peaceful day with good weather, several explosions went off on the roof of the building over from the cafe that Haru and her friends were at, releasing plumes of smoke into the air. A boy who had blue flames coming out of his forehead fell out of the sky and made a crash landing on top of Tsuna, which was somehow just unsurprising.
Everyone quickly ran over to Tsuna's side to make sure he was okay. Despite having been used as an emergency landing pad, he seemed unharmed. While the group were busy fretting over their friend, Reborn characteristically appeared out of nowhere, and asked the Italian boy what he was doing here. That was the final nail in the coffin for Haru to see that the nigh on unhinged drama had finally returned.
"VOIIII!" Came a shout from the smoking rooftop. It belonged to a silver-haired man in a black uniform of some kind, wielding a blade strapped to the back of his wrist. "Well, pretty noisy in the outfield! I'm gonna kill the scum standing in my way!"
"Wha-what's going on?" Tsuna stammered, panicked.
"Feels like a storm's coming," Reborn stated cryptically.
The swordsman didn't seem to have any interest in waiting for anyone to comprehend the current situation, and began swinging his blade. His swings had enough intensity that they produced shockwaves which travelled directly towards the Italian boy. Tsuna grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him away, whilst Haru followed her first instinct to get in front of Kyoko and Futa, who had no way of protecting themselves.
"Go! Get them to safety," Gokudera yelled, drawing a handful of dynamite from wherever the hell he kept them. Haru nodded, and led Kyoko and Futa away.
Once they had made a safe distance from the cafe, Kyoko urged Haru to go back. "I'll take Futa home, we'll be fine! Just go make sure they're okay!"
By the time Haru returned, the swordsman was long gone. Yamamoto and Gokudera were on their way out, bodies battered and faces crestfallen. When Haru asked for an explanation, none was given. Reborn was dragging a non-compliant Tsuna away, but stopped to speak with Haru - though only long enough to tell her to go home, as she wasn't needed. Though miffed by the lack of explanation, Haru ceded that it was probably serious enough that they'd hear about it later, one way or another.
The following morning, when Haru went out to bring in the morning newspaper for her father, there was a small orange postcard sticking out of the mailbox. She pulled it out, and noticed that it had her name on it, but no mailing address. Haru turned it over, and read the contents.
"Be at Nakayama Surgery at 7:30am."
Just as Haru was about to pick up the newspaper and go back inside, she noticed something shine inside the mailbox. It was a simple silver ring, with some sort of green gemstone. It didn't look like any kind of mineral Haru had seen or heard of before, nor did it feel normal. There was something about it that called to her, but Haru couldn't place the feeling anywhere meaningful. She picked it up, and noticed an inscription on the inside. It was in Chinese Hanzi, which Haru had only a limited understanding of. There was one symbol that Haru could understand - the symbol for 'power'.
Haru pocketed the ring and turned around to go inside - only to remember what she had originally come for. After picking up the newspaper, Haru went back inside and delivered it to her father. It was almost 7am already, so she quickly got changed into her school uniform and grabbed a slice of toast on her way out.
"Are you sure you won't reconsider? That child is absolutely useless, he'd only get in the way."
"I'm certain. His resemblance to the original is uncanny, and he will grow to fulfill the role as intended."
"Fine then, but don't complain if things don't go your way."
"...What are you planning?"
"You'll see."
Along the way to the surgical clinic, Haru crossed paths with Tsuna. Haru checked in with him while they walked, to see how he was doing after yesterday's big drama with that silver-haired swordsman, 'Squalo'. He seemed to have moved on from that, instead taking the time to express how frustrated he was with the presence of his father. Sawada Iemitsu apparently actively avoided acknowledging the fact he'd been gone for so long, instead walking around like he owned the place and had always been a part of the family. Haru was glad that Tsuna could get that off his chest, because it wasn't something good to keep bottled up.
When they opened the door to the clinic, Haru and Tsuna noticed that Gokudera and Yamamoto were already there. The silver-haired pseudo-delinquent enthusiastically greeted Tsuna, and then noticed Haru as an afterthought.
"Yamamoto, Gokudera, why are you two also here?" Tsuna asked warily.
"Ah, one of the Cavallone guys filled us in and told us to come," Gokudera responded.
"Oh, yeah, and something weird happened this morning," Yamamoto added in cheerily. "I opened my letterbox and there was this cool ring in there!"
"Me too!" Gokudera chimed in.
"Rings?" Haru asked, thinking of the strange green gemstone ring in her pocket.
Gokudera and Yamamoto both pulled the rings in question out of their pockets, and Haru very quickly noticed that they were markedly different to her own. They were dark rings, each with what appeared to be half of some kind of coat of arms.
"Ahhh! Why do you have those?! They're dangerous! If you have one of those you'll be targeted," Tsuna exclaimed in a panic. He revealed one of his own - the centrepiece of his was different to the other two, but the outer ring had the same design. And just like the other two, it seemed to only be half of a ring.
Rather than responding in some rational way to Tsuna's worries, each of Yamamoto and Gokudera got caught up in some other aspect of the moment. Gokudera was enthused about having the same kind of ring as Tsuna, whereas Yamamoto seemed excited by the prospect of being targeted by people like Squalo.
"Yeah, yeah, but why do you guys..." Tsuna began, but was cut off.
"Because they've been chosen," interjected the voice of Dino, who walked in accompanied by Reborn.
"These are Vongola rings," Reborn explained. "There are seven of them in total, and their significance can only be realized when seven members of the Family carry them. The other six rings were distributed to those fit to protect the next Vongola Boss - you, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Your ring is proof that you're the rightful heir to the Vongola."
What grasped most strongly to Haru's own mind was the question of her own ring. What was it, why was it different and why did she have it? Part of her was even relieved to not have been given one of the Vongola rings - perhaps it would save her from some of this insanity. But the other half was kind of upset at being left out.
"Wait, hey! How can you get everyone involved in something so dangerous?!" Tsuna protested.
"I'm truly grateful!" Gokudera shouted, clutching around the ring with a tense hand. "I'm totally pumped! Let's do this, boss!"
Reborn continued on with his explanations. "Gokudera's ring is the Storm ring. Yamamoto's is the Rain ring. And yours, Tsuna, is the Sky ring. The original Vongola had some... idiosyncratic members. Those characteristics were imprinted onto the rings - and beyond that, they represent aspects of a Family that are as old as the mafia itself. The first boss embodied the mafia symbol of the 'Sky' - as do many great leaders, but none as much as Giotto once did. He held an authority over all, alongside a deep level of understanding and tolerance for those around him."
"Again, as was greatly in line with the aspects of a Family, each of his six guardians were likened to various weather conditions. The passing shower that cleanses - the Rain ring. The gale that blows with fury - the Storm ring. The drifting, unbounded cloud - the Cloud ring. The unperceivable illusion - the Mist ring. The light which brings the day - the Sun ring. The bolts that pierce the air - the Lightning ring. But the rings you have are only-"
"STOP! STOP!" Tsuna yelled. "Honestly, I don't wanna hear this! You guys agree, right? Right?"
"Well," Haru piped in, "that was really cryptic and made no sense. Besides, nobody gave me one of those rings..."
"Yeah," Yamamoto agreed. "Sorry, but I play baseball, so I can't wear a ring. And Haru's right, none of this makes any sense."
"Right? Besides, bad things will happen if we carry these," Tsuna insisted enthusiastically, glad that his friends appeared to have a mutual disinterest for possession of the rings. I mean... that long-haired guy will come after us again!"
Yamamoto was half-way to Reborn to return the ring when he stopped dead in his tracks. "He's coming?"
"Yeah. Bad, right?" Tsuna waved his hands in mild terror. "And we only have ten days!"
"Ten days, huh?" Yamamoto's hand closed around the ring. "This is mine, right? I think I'll take it after all. Truth is, I can't stand losing!"
Yamamoto turned and ran out of the clinic, oblivious to Tsuna's attempts to question his motives. Gokudera ran past, turning to address Tsuna whilst jogging after Yamamoto. "I'll spend the next ten days making myself into a man worthy of this ring!"
"Wait, not you too!" Tsuna called after Gokudera, but it was too late.
"Good job, Tsuna," Dino spoke, a tone of benign sarcasm in his voice. "Your words inspired them to train as hard as they can!"
Haru heard a sound of soft ruffling, and turned to see Reborn changing into one of his absurd outfits. She recognised it as the persona of 'Master PaoPao'. Kyoko's older brother charged in noisily, and Haru took the chance to slip out. She clearly wasn't one of the guardians, and there was no need for her here. Dino's right hand man noticed her leaving, and put an arm in her wait at the door.
"Miura Haru, please wait. I would like to have a word."
"Romario, right?" Haru asked. The man nodded.
"It does seem that nobody explained this to you. Even if you are not one of the guardians, you are an important part of Tsuna's Family, so I'd like to fill you in. Will you stay and hear me out?"
Haru stopped, and looked at the man. He carried himself like a businessman, and seemed entirely like someone who ensured that there were no loose ends - which made sense, given that he was Dino's right hand man. "Sure, but can we go outside? It's a bit noisy in here."
Romario obliged, and the two stepped outside. They found an empty bench a few metres away, facing a small community garden. Haru bent over by a lovely lavender bush and took in the smell, allowing it to calm her mind. Then, she turned and sat on the bench beside Romario, and waited for him to speak.
"I will be direct with you. Your situation is particular, and I believe that you need the full picture," Romario began.
Particular, huh? Haru thought to herself, beginning to see that there was a reason for her to be summoned here.
"As you already know, Tsuna has been chosen by the Ninth boss of the Vongola as his successor. However, there is another who believes himself entitled to that position. He is Xanxus, the leader of the Varia - Vongola's top assassination division - and more to the point, he is the Ninth's son. But as many of us connected to and within the Vongola believe, Xanxus is not fit to lead."
Haru took it in. She should have been more shocked by the fact that Tsuna was now being pitted against a trained assassin, but at this point nothing surprised her anymore. She noticed that Romario had more to say, so she held in her thoughts and listened on.
"Squalo, who you encountered yesterday, is a member of the Varia. When he retreated, he made off with the other half of the Vongola rings. I'm sure someone as astute as yourself noticed that they are incomplete. In order to truly become the heir to the Vongola, a candidate and their six guardians must possess all of the complete rings. By now, Squalo will have delivered the half-rings to Xanxus. They do not yet know that the half-rings are only half, but it will not take them long to discover this."
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but where do I come into this?" Haru asked, a bit lost about her place in the context of this situation.
"You must not tell anyone that I told you this, but you were meant to be the Lightning guardian. Dino and Reborn both insisted on this, but instead another was chosen. You know of the boy Lambo, yes?"
Haru paled. "LAMBO?"
Romario quickly shushed them, and Haru's face flushed in embarrassment. "But seriously, you're telling me that that little buffoon is being made into a target of top-tier assassins? What the fuck?!"
"The choice to select and distribute the guardian rings fell onto the leader of an organisation called CEDEF - they are the Vongola's 'external advisors'. He thought that Lambo was the correct decision. However, it still stands that you were the original choice."
"Where's Lambo right now? I'll just go and take the ring. Who in their right mind would put such a responsibility on an infant - worse, Lambo!?" Haru's face grew redder, this time out of her intense indignance.
"Haru, wait!" Romario grabbed her arm before she could storm off. "Please, don't take the ring from him yet. We will make sure that he is safe, but it plays to our advantage if the Varia's scouting teams are misled to believe that Lambo is the chosen Lightning Guardian. What we need you to do right now is go home. Reborn has pulled some strings and brought over someone who will oversee your training. A clash with the Varia is inevitable, and you will need to grow stronger."
Even though it was very much implied through the whole conversation, hearing the words made a pit form in Haru's stomach. A clash with the Varia. They were just kids, what could they do against trained assassins?
"You look worried. I know how it sounds, but I truly do believe that you will be fine. Speaking candidly, if I were someone responsible for scouting future Varia members, you would be towards the top of the list. As would Gokudera and Yamamoto. It is not as hopeless as it may seem. Each of you has someone who will train them, and I am sure that you will grow strong enough. Do not get me wrong, though. I'm not saying that you will be able to equal the Varia in strength or skill at this point in time. After all, they are the best of the best. But they will be underestimating you, and that in and of itself is a weapon."
Haru looked Romario in the eye. As far as she could tell, he genuinely believed what he was saying. Still, if she had any common sense she would probably flee the country. Unfortunately for her, common sense was a rare resource in Namimori.
AN: In case anyone was confused, I have decided that Haru's pronouns are She/They. Knowing this, contextually hopefully y'all will be able to tell if I'm referring to just Haru or multiple people :)