! Trigger warning for abuse and gaslighting !
DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN
The city of Ripartizione was beautiful under certain conditions. From the distance, in the night time, all the horrid things were covered up. The sparkling city lights made it seem like nothing was wrong. It was all a lie though. Everyone knew that. Yet they still chose to live here. Whether out of familiarity or not having any other choice, people still lived here.
Whenever Haru was tired she liked to stare out the window at it. It helped distract her from the mission tonight. After every mission actually. The image of Hayato after killing was fresh in her mind. She was glad that she was able to take him out before anyone found them but he was still shaken up when driving back.
She didn't even know how to comfort him. She knew exactly why he looked the way he did. There was nothing she could do about that. It was a consequence she was prepared for when she hired him. Didn't mean she prepared himself for his reaction to effect her. Even if she did, his kill was supposed to be for the traitor. It would have been for the last time he took a life. The last time they ever saw each other. With this mission, he was only increasing his body count.
The Namahage keychain never left her hand since coming back. Funny that the first gift she ever got was this. That it was him that gave it to her.
A knock came at her door. She stuffed the keychain into her pocket before responding. "Come in."
She stood up to greet them when she saw that it was just Takeshi. She returned to her position. "Little late for you to be visiting me. Something on your mind?"
"I could say the same to you. You're probably exhausted with all the bridesmaid duties."
"Says the best man." He stood in front of her. For a moment he just stared at her.
"Haru-chan, how long have I known you?"
"What's with that?"
"Just asking." She raised her eyebrow but still answered.
"Hmmm, we met when Tsuna-san became Decimo and I became second in command to Hibari-san. So I would say nearly 6 years now."
"And then how long have we been dating?"
"You officially asked me roughly 2 years ago. A bit longer I guess. Again, why are you asking? Is something wrong?"
"Were you ever gonna tell me about your father?" Haru tensed up, then relaxed. She sighed. At some point in their relationship she knew that she would have to tell him. She just never knew when. It wasn't easy talking about her past.
Judging from the way he asked she knew that he already had all the information he wanted. It was amazing he didn't figure her out earlier on in their relationship. Would have been nice if he asked before snooping. "How did you find out?"
"Basil was looking into something for me when his information popped up. He's your family. I deserve to know a bit more about him and you. But for as long as I've known you, I don't remember you once talking about your family. What happened between you two?"
Tachibana Haru wasn't born nor raised in Povero. She never dared to step into that side of the city. Any child with a brain would do the same. It didn't mean that she was living the glamorous life she does now. She lived with her widowed father. Being a university professor he gave her family a comfortable life. Or should she say the two of them have a comfortable life. Her mom died when she was young. Maybe around 8 years old? She was too young to remember a lot.
Her mom was definitely someone she loved. She always made Haru fun costumes that made everything fun. One day she could be a princess. Helping citizens with her kind acts. Next day a pirate. Finding treasure and running from the law. Not only that but her hugs always made Haru feel safe.
When Haru's mother passed, she was filled with uncertainty about everything. Losing someone so prominent in her life was tough. Her father wasn't a lot of help as he started to shut himself in more. But she loved him. She understood that he was hurting just as much as she was. Probably more. She viewed supporting him as a part of her role as her daughter.
"Papa? Dinner is ready." She poked her head into his room with a small bowl of rice and a burnt piece of meat on top in hand.
No response made her fully open the door. Same as the week has been, he hadn't moved from the bed. "Papa? Haru made dinner."
She slowly moved closer to set the bowl on the bedside. "It's not the best but I tried my best. There were some cookbooks in the kitchen that I found. I couldn't understand some of the words though."
She kept trying to get him to say something. Anything. "Mama would always-"
"Will you shut up!" The bowl was knocked onto the floor. In the moment, the same hand that trashed the food, slapped her on the face. The force was enough to knock her down onto the floor.
This was the first time that he reacted this way. In a physical way. Haru didn't know what to do. Sitting on the floor she stared at her father with tears in her eyes. Seeing her face her father quickly saw his mistake and went to hug her. She didn't move.
"I'm so sorry Haru! I didn't mean to hit you. You know your dad wouldn't do anything to hurt you. Right? This was an accident. You understand that, right?"
To a kid, adults don't realize the effect they have on them. Which is funny given that they were once kids themselves. If you tell a kid a fairy tale of magic and adventure, they will believe without a thought. If you tell them a lie, that is no different than the truth. Maybe because they were older that they forgot what it meant to be naive. To be hopeful in people.
Haru placed a hand on his arm, no longer holding her cheek. "It's okay Papa. I know that you're not like this. It was only an accident."
He gave a sigh of relief, hugging her tighter. "Thank you Haru. You're such a good girl. I'm glad that your heart is so big for someone like me."
He cleaned up the mess. Like it never happened. He made dinner again that was properly cooked. They didn't speak about the incident again. He stopped sheltering inside his room and raised his daughter in the highest esteem. The best education, any materialistic thing she requested, and overall, a loving father. In his own special way, he loved her.
However, she would be lying if she didn't say that it was the same form of love that she was used to. Yet, people change. She knew that. She was mature for her age. Without her mom around, she would have to be. For both her and her father's sake she had to be. They were family.
There were good times. A lot of good times. Whenever she got a high grade he would take her out. Try to buy her shiny, expensive items that she didn't want. Oddly enough he never contributed to her dress making hobby. Claimed that it was too expensive for him. But the pieces of jewelry were investments in her appearance. For her future.
But there were happy memories. She liked seeing how proud he was of her. Sometimes she would listen in on conversations that he had with his colleagues about all their kids. Her father always spoke like she was a golden child. On her part, she was. Her grades were high, she kept herself clean and always listened to him. Compared to that were other kids that would run around in mud with bad influences while screaming their lungs out.
She was perfect that her father had nothing to complain about. Every time she got that compliment she would be happy. It was a happy memory with her father.
"Come on Haru-chan. You really don't have a problem with your dad? Mine is so annoying at times. Always telling me to clean my room and junk." One of her friends told her as they hung out.
"I mean you shouldn't be so irresponsible to have them find the need to tell you. You're the one that is only causing problems for them."
They were a bit thrown off by her not agreeing with them. "W-well yeah I know that but I want to relax sometimes."
"So do they. Did you ever think that way? They work day in and out. Coming home to only find their child's room a mess. Doesn't that make you feel bad for bothering them?"
"We're their kids. It's up to them to support us. Why should we be expected to repay them when it was their idea to bring us into the world? Yeah, I sympathize with them at times. But that does not mean I have to agree with them over every little detail. If that was the case, then why shouldn't I hold them to the same standard?"
Haru couldn't answer back properly. The only thing on her mind was the way her father plunged into despair after her mom's death. She didn't want to be the reason that he was hurt. All because his daughter couldn't do something as simple as clean her room. The room that he filled up with trinkets that he worked for.
It was even weirder to hear that they could talk back. She couldn't think about doing the same. Then again, she hardly got scolded for things she did wrong. She was the perfect child. If she did get in trouble it was because she was at fault. There is no other explanation. If a child did something wrong, it was up to the parent to correct it. It wasn't like parents punished their kid for no reason.
A kid wouldn't survive on their own. A kid didn't have the same responsibilities of paying for everything. Wasn't required to be a functioning member of society nor take care of another, smaller, weaker, form of life. A kid's only responsibility is to listen and fix their own attitude. The fact that Haru's friend thought otherwise just meant that their parents didn't care enough to teach them properly.
"Haru feels sorry for you."
One thing that both Haru and her father valued, besides family, was education. Being a university math professor, he received a lot of comments from people, thanking him for his support in class. He honestly enjoyed that students became eager in the subject after him. They looked up to him for being able to handle such a draining job while raising his daughter all by himself. There was only praise for him.
In turn, that standard went to his daughter. Sometimes his colleagues would ask if she was ever interested in what her father taught. Originally, she wasn't. School was boring. Making clothes and playing with the outfits she made up was way better. It was unrealistic to think that she had a future with it though. She had to get a job that would pay well and bring pride to her father that had high expectations of her. It was only right that she devoted a large portion of her day into studies instead of playing around with fabrics.
She may have been called an air head a few times but her grades always counteract that statement. She got into one of the most prestigious middle schools with no difficulty. A lot of studying but that wasn't difficult for her. She grew up studying. If anything, she had her father in the room next to her in case she ever did not know an answer. Very rarely was that the case. She was an independent girl who didn't find the need to bother him. She did everything herself.
"Amazing Haru-chan! You actually managed to beat out the top student! You know that they've held that position for their entire time there?" Pride and happiness filled her as she was walking home with her friends.
"Haru knows! I can't believe it myself, honestly." She held tightly onto the sheet of paper that had her results on it. It was a great accomplishment that she thought that it was a dream when she saw it. More so, she knew that her father would love it. She smiled at the thought of him being happy.
"Hey, why don't we go to the small cafe by the shopping district? The one that you always do your appreciation day at?"
There was some hesitation in wanting to go out more. She saved Haru appreciation day as a day to praise herself for all her hard work. Doing it on a random day felt a bit off. Plus, if she ate too many cakes, she wouldn't be able to eat dinner back at home.
"Come on Haru-chan. You deserve it today." She looked down at the paper in her hand. She was happy with it. If there was a day that would make sense to celebrate, it would be today. Haru deserved it today.
"Let's do it-desu!"
It was fun. A lot of fun. Haru appreciation day was usually spent by herself. It was pure bliss to be surrounded by cakes without having to uphold an image of her happy, perfect self. Today didn't feel like that with her friends. They had a good conversation and even shared bites of their sweets with one another. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed this much that her cheeks hurt from all the smiling.
The day was filled with good things that she knew was only going to get better when she got home and told her father the good news. She even had high hopes that he would buy her cake to celebrate if she didn't mention that she already ate some. That was going to be a secret though since she really enjoyed a tasty, sweet cake. It was going to be a perfect day for her.
Haru happily skipped through the door. Excited to tell him that she was the top student in her school; she already had the paper in her hand all ready to show him. She was sure that he would be happy with the results. "Guess what Papa? Today I-"
Once the door shut behind her she heard a crash coming from the inside. Her father stormed his way over to her. "Where have you been?!"
She flinched when he slammed his hand down on the nearby table. Her eyes fell to the empty alcohol bottle on the floor. Her happiness drained fast seeing that. She held onto the side of her shirt. Briefly reminding herself of the faded bruise underneath. The light brush of her fingers brought back the pain. It was a way that she learned to distract herself from the smell of his breath.
She wanted to know why he was drinking in broad daylight again when he promised multiple times not to but realized that it was probably her fault. Without her around he always fell back into his slump. If she didn't go out, this wouldn't have happened. A slip on her part to keep him above the influence. At least he wasn't fully drunk yet. She knew that would be worse for his overall health.
"I just went out with some friends to the cafe. I'm sorry. N-next time I'll ask for permission-desu." There was a temptation to tell him now the good news and explain that's why she was out so late. It didn't feel right to do that right now. Reasoning didn't.
"If you want to stay out so late then might as well go live in Povero. Those kids spend all their days outside. Doing who knows what. I'm sure that their parents wouldn't care enough for their kid like I do for you."
"Haru's sorry."
"Why do you talk like that?" He disregarded her apology.
"L-Like what?"
"You speak in third person. And the '-desu' at the end. Both are grammatically incorrect. You shouldn't do that or people will make fun of you. Of course, I won't but many others could." Haru only bobbed her head to confirm. She didn't say anything in case she did something else wrong.
"You know Haru, I don't think it's appropriate for you to be going out so late. I was worried sick and your food was getting cold. Do you realize how dangerous it is out there? Next time you shouldn't hang out with people that make you late. If you have any place in your large heart for me to take up a tiny amount of space, you'll listen to me."
He made good points. It was almost dark now. She didn't have a phone to call her father so he must have been scared that the worst could have happened. He already lost one person in his life. Taking another person would just be cruel. She couldn't do that to him solely because she wanted to hang out with her friends for a few extra hours. She would see them at school if anything.
"You're right. I'll be careful of that next time." He went back to his chair, picking up a newspaper. Holding it in a way that he couldn't see her anymore. This way, she couldn't see him either.
There really wasn't a next time. Each time her friends asked to hang out after school, she was reminded of his words. Of how she no longer wanted to be around him when he was mad. She wished that she could stay out more though. Away from this house. Yet it was easier to be in the house than dread the idea of eventually coming back and the possibility of getting him worried again. She never even got the chance to show him her test results.
Heading home after school was a routine that Haru could do with her eyes closed. It took exactly 15 minutes and 23 seconds. A bit more if the weather was bad. That wasn't the case today. It was completely peaceful with the sky only having one cloud out. She was expected to be home soon. Most of the time she would try to take advantage of the peace and quiet to study. A distraction in a way. A productive one at least.
Loud drumming broke her attention. Raising her head from her notes she found that along with the drums, she heard a lot of people. Never before had she heard such a commotion walking down this way. She chose this path for that specific reason. There should be nothing close enough that would be making this much noise. It almost scared her how loud the unknown source of noise was.
For the first time in a long time, she drifted away from her straight line path. If anyone would ask her why, she wouldn't know how to answer. Maybe it's because of how new it was to her same, repetitive path. She was drawn to the neighborhood shrine where a group of people gathered. People? She didn't immediately recognize the large costumes that they wore.
Namahage she believed was the name. Haru heard of the stories before. Instead of telling kids they'll end up in Povero, they tell them that the monster Namahage will take them away. Every year a pair of them would come to people' doors to ask the famous question. 'Are there any bad children here?' Their large, hairy, inhumane features and paper mache weapons were meant to intimate kids in a way that parents couldn't
Over time this tradition died off that they had to ask for permission from the adults if they wanted to have the pair of demons show up. Even though it wasn't extremely popular, it was still a tradition that every kid in Ricco had experienced at least once in their life. Haru's father opted out so they never visited her. She didn't understand the harm of participating in the fun activity. He told her that it was for her own good since the masks were scary. He was worried that she would get scared at them so he didn't let them come by. For her sake is what he told her.
She was getting too old for such stories anyways. She was a big girl that didn't cry or complain. Listened to everything that she was told. There were little incidents that called for physical retribution. As long as she behaved, there weren't any problems.
For a kid, lots of things scared her. The dark, bugs, vegetables, those kinds of things. It was her father that scared those fears away. He killed the bugs that appeared in her room and got her night light. Eventually she grew to not care about those things. She knew scarier things that appeared in front of her. She was grateful for the life she was given. Anything was better than living in Povero. A monster that she knew was completely fake was nothing compared to the threat that Povero had over her.
She wasn't the only one that thought that way. Many adults looked down at the other half of the city. It was dirty. Filled with lowlifes always begging for necessities. Compared to that Ricco, everyone worked hard for what they got. They kept the city clean and tidy. Upheld an image and respect for one another. It was a utopia that would rather bury thousands than admit to their mistakes.
Hatred is a learned trait. Ricco kids learned to hate Povero. Fear it. It was another form of punishment. 'Behave or get sent with them.' A very effective strategy that even adults still had that mentality. Holding tightly to that image. Her father had used it a few times on her.
Staring down the main road towards the unofficial border between the two sides felt like a movie. A different filter that was put over it. It was hard to imagine that life could be harder than what she was going through. Then again, she had a home. Food, water, warmth. Haru had a good life because of her father.
Still, a part of her blamed Povero for being a threat to her lifestyle. They were a constant reminder that she couldn't hate her life. Only a short distance away there was someone else praying that they could be in her position. She had to be grateful for everything that was happening to her. Everyone had bad memories. She had good ones. Small amounts to treasure. That's a lot more than most people can say.
Haru hated Povero. But at the same time she found peace in knowing that someone else was suffering more than her. It was a sickening way that she thought.
"I want the Namahage to take me away."
She shook her head at the thought. Like everyone else that lived in Ricco, she turned her back against the border. Ignoring the monsters' gathering she went back to studying her notes. Heading back to the building that she forced herself to call home. She would have to increase her speed a bit if she wanted to be back on time. She didn't really have it in her to do that though. Hopefully a minute longer wasn't too long for her father to be alone.
In the distance, one red mask Namahage turned in her direction. The person in the inside of the costume watched the girl trudge away. Their intuition and her hunched back to them told everything that they needed to know about her. They weren't happy with what it was telling them.
The sound of the house doorbell interrupted the Tachibana's quiet family dinner. The two were equally confused as it was late in the night. "Are you expecting someone, Papa?"
"Not that I am aware of?" Thinking that it was one of their neighbors, he went to open the door. Haru was curious as well that she walked slightly behind him.
Nothing would have prepared them for 2 straw covered beasts greeting them with a plastic mask. It took her father a second to process what they were. "Sorry fellows. I didn't request to participate this year in the festival. I think you may be looking for the house 5 over. They recently had a kid from what I remember."
"No. We received the request that there was someone here that needed to be taken away." He didn't need to see their eyes to see that their attention was on his daughter frozen behind him.
"Haru? Don't be silly. She's already in middle school. She doesn't believe in this childish nonsense."
"Professor Tachibana. We ask that you corporate. If there isn't anything wrong, then we'll get out of your hair faster."
"So you know that I'm a professor. Are you one of my students? Is this a prank? Kind of a weird one if you ask me. Never in my years did I get such a creative one. Fine, fine. I'll play along. Haru, come here." He gestured for her to come closer. Placing an arm over her shoulders for a second to pull her along. She was fully in the spotlight that he wanted physical contact to show that they were close. The Namahage only visited for the sake of punishing children. If they saw that she was well behaved, there was no reason for them to be here.
"Happy? Now remove those ridiculous masks."
"Nice to meet you Haru-chan. Or I guess I should say, nice to see you again."
"Do I know you?"
"I heard your wish." The red mask stood in front of Haru. The mere size of the costume made it impossible to tell the type of person was inside. It fully covered Haru's vision. It was both intimidating and captivating how a monster was in front of her. She took in everything that she could about the design. How much detail was put into the old tradition. Despite the plastic wild teeth threatening to attack, she wanted to smile at it.
"Wish? What are they talking about Haru?"
"Nothing papa. I don't-" The blue mask stepped into the house without even thinking about it. The large body standing in between Haru and her father.
"Professor Tachibana, you are now in question for child abuse. We will now separate you and your daughter until further investigation." Both her and her father were in shock.
"Hold on there. Child abuse? I think there has to be a misunderstanding here, fellows. I have never done anything that was out of the line. You can ask her this yourself. Tell them Haru." Her father tried to give one last show to the two strangers to leave. He was confident in that confused face that Haru had, that she was not the one that filed for abuse.
Her father tried to grab her when the blue mask stabbed a knife into a wall. The sound proved that it wasn't paper made like they were supposed to be. "We'll ask her the question. Stay out of it."
The red mask kept Haru's attention on himself. She didn't see the scene going on behind her. Including her father's anger. "Alright then. Haru-chan, are you a good girl?"
It was a strange question. Then again, it was the role of the Namahage to only take away naughty children. "Haru is a good girl."
"We see. You definitely are a good girl. So then is your dad a good parent?" She stuttered with her answer. "Little girl. Are there any bad dads here?"
"Papa... Papa isn't a bad dad. He feeds me. Let's me live with him. With pretty clothes. He gives me an allowance unlike my classmates. Other people praise him for being a good teacher. He's a good dad."
"See! I told you so. Now leave." They disregarded him. The blue mask was way more intimidating than their partner and good at keeping the family members separated.
"Is that so? Let me ask a different question then. Who is scarier right now? Me or your dad?"
Haru started to avoid eye contact. She started to become restless. Looking around the room she tried to distract herself from the question. Everywhere she looked, there was only darkness. The streetlights weren't enough to light up deep into the house. The small entry way they stood in didn't have anything. No pictures on the walls or her owned objects to distract her. Suddenly the few happy memories were painted dark. Too many bad ones surfacing at once with the monster's question. She wouldn't have been able to clearly see the Namahage if they weren't so close. They were the only distraction from the memories.
She slowly turned her head to face her father. He was usually kind. He had his off days but everyone did. She couldn't blame him for wanting to raise her right. People often tell her how good she was. It was exactly as he said. He was only raising her in a way that would make sure she would become an ideal citizen. Haru was a good girl because of him. She had to thank him.
Turning to him he had his teeth bared, shaking a fist in anger, breathing heavily. He was in a bad mood. The light clearly showed it.
"Papa is scarier. Scarier than Namahage-san." The words left her mouth without a thought.
"Haru!" She curled into a ball, holding her ears. She refused to cry. A few hits and it'll be over. Screaming only hurts the ears. Let it happen and she'll be fine.
Haru didn't move until she felt a gloved hand on her head. How long has it been since someone touched her without it hurting? It felt so warm. In her mind she saw a flame comforting her.
"Say Haru-chan, do you know the story of the Namahage? We're supposed to kidnap naughty children. Away from their parents. You may not be naughty but I can make an exception. Do you want me to take you away?" The soft voice was muffled by the mask. But she heard how sincere they were. So different from her father's.
She could feel warm tears slide down her face. It had been a long time since she cried out loud. "Help me."
"Alright. Hibari-san please take care of it." Getting the go ahead, the blue masked instantly removed the costume.
Haru was surprised to see a teenage boy a little bit older than her inside. He carried two metal weapons she couldn't name. Her father was in shock of everything going on; he didn't have a chance to defend himself. Not that he could if he wanted to.
One good hit to the face was enough to send the man flying. A part of Haru looked at her father and wondered if that's how she looked when he hit her. Was she that defenseless? Was that why it made it that easy to take advantage of her? The only difference was that he was putting up a fight. Trying to plead for them to stop. Asking for her to do something at first. Then swearing at her. Saying that she changed. That she didn't care for him anymore. That she was a heartless monster.
She never did fight back. With each hit, she always braced herself. She would fight back her tears and screams. Never her father. It was only now, seeing the way that he looked, did she realize that what he was doing was wrong. No one should show that kind of fear for their life. Say all those profanities to someone else. It hurt more than all the past times he hit her to see that this was her father. That she put up with all of that.
The red mask was the one that landed the last punch, knocking him out. How many times had she dreamed of this moment? To repay the damage done to her. Were bruises always so fast to form on the face? Did she walk around with those visible injuries as well? She released the breath that she always held around him.
"Oi herbivore." She turned to the, no longer, blue mask. "We're going to take him away now. Is there anything you want to say to him that we should pass along?"
Looking at the unconscious body there was only one thing that came to mind. Haru yanked the knife out of the wall. A quick slash down was all she needed. To finally rid herself of this living hell. Payback all the years of pain she suffered. There was nothing more that she wanted than to end her so-called father's life.
A hand around her wrist stopped her.
"This is not the answer." Was all the monster said.
"Yes it is. That man tortured me all this time. I deserve to be the one to return that pain. Now let go." She furiously pulled at the Namahage to let her go. To no avail, they wouldn't let her complete the task.
"You're right that he deserves a punishment that you see fit. And I have no right to comment. But I know that someone like you doesn't deserve to have blood stained on her hands. You deserve time to heal. The image, the feeling, of ending a life doesn't and won't leave you. He's not going to feel pain if you kill him now. The way you get your revenge will not equal the pain he gave you. Not by a long shot."
"Then you just expect me to forgive him?"
"I never said that. Look at me. I'm the monster that will get rid of him. I want you to look back at this memory and remember this face. Not his covered in blood. That you were strong enough to ask for help and to stop yourself from making an irreversible action. I'm not asking you to forgive him. I'm asking you to leave nothing of this man's touch on you. That you are stronger than him to not resort to his methods." It scared Haru how calm he was. It scared her that she was so close to her breaking point.
"You lay a hand on him and that's you making the decision to touch him. After today you'll be free. Don't complete that relationship."
"I don't deserve to be free." The words of her father were burned into her mind. Beat into her skin with each time he touched her. She was dirty. Weak. Ugly. Worthless. Disposable. Useless. Stupid. "Without him I'm nothing but a heartless monster. I'm better off dead."
The Namahage slowly held her other hand. They placed it over her chest. "Do you feel that? That's your heart. It's beating because you're human. Not a monster. You're a beautiful human that has become a victim on someone else's demand. You have a future away from here. By yourself. Please."
Haru felt it. A faint pounding coming from her chest to her hand. She wasn't heartless. Her father had lied to her. Everything he tried to teach her was a lie. He wasn't her father. He didn't care about her. He didn't love Haru.
"I'm not a heartless monster. Papa isn't kind. Haru is Haru." The knife dropped out of her hand. With both hands holding the Namahage's, she held tightly. "Please take me away."
"You've done well." The monster's mask remained stoic but underneath they smiled. She found comfort. A place that she could finally call home.
That night the police investigating the scene found signs of property damage from unknown intruders. Neighbors said that they heard screams but didn't think much about it. From the brief glances in the direction, some thought that it was just a prank by the Namahages that visited. Hearing the presence of the monsters, the police dropped the case entirely.
Haru later found out that the one in the red mask Namahage costume was none other than Vongola Decimo's candidate Sawada Tsunayoshi. Under his command Haru's abuser was removed from the picture. On paper he died of 'natural causes'. She never saw him after she was saved. And she liked it that way.
In a way, she was reborn. Tachibana Haru was someone that mysteriously disappeared the night of a break in. Instead, she took on her mom's maiden name. Thus Miura Haru lived.
She completely devoted herself to supporting Tsuna. She lived at the Vongola HQ as a live-in maid, studying and training in her free time. Slowly integrating more of herself into the Mafia life. By the time Tsuna officially became the Don, she was already well versed in any way that she could help him. When Hibari recruited her to be his second in command it wasn't even a question of whether she should follow him. The rest becoming history.
Leading it up to today. Back to Takeshi's question she continued to stare out the window. It's been a while since she remembered her past. "It doesn't matter now. I don't have any family outside of the Vongola."
She turned her head towards the window again to signal that she was done with the conversation. Looking out over Ripartizione, she didn't feel like she had a place in either Ricco or Povero. She didn't carelessly live like the fortunate of Ricco nor did she fully became at a lost like those in Povero. All she had was Vongola. She didn't complain about that. She loved it here.
"Haru." She made a humming noise. He didn't continue until she looked at him. "Let's break up."
A/N: I just want to clarify that Tsuna letting Haru not kill was not out of 'no one deserves death' sort of mindset. What Tsuna wanted was for her to not act so feral because this could come back to haunt her. Instead, he (and Hibari) took care of it. Haru needed to separate herself from her father and she wouldn't be able to if she took his life. ALSO my writing is nowhere close to what a real victim of abuse may face nor is it a proper representation of everyone's experience with it. I can not do it justice and I have no words to describe my hope for those to live a life that is without that kind of pain.
Foxamine: I'm glad that you still like it. We are getting to the climax of the story soon so I hope you look forward to it :D. I'm excited too honestly.