AUTHOR'S NOTE: ACK! Sorry I'm late guys, I got caught up in something yesterday and didn't spend a lot of time in front of my computer.

I think this is the first time in a while I've written Kyoko and Haru in a long time.

Anyway, here's chapter eight, I hope you all enjoy it. There's only a few more chapters left of this one to go (and yes, there will be a followup) so please stay with me to the end.

Katekyo Hitman Reborn! isn't mine, it's Akira Amano's, the storyline and original characters are mine.

Next update will be around February 19th.

I am going to attempt to do a Valentine's story between now and Valentine's Day, but I'm not sure if it will be KHR or something else. It's been a while since I did a one-shot *laughs*

Take care!

~ Yuki

Target 08-03: Clearing the Air

Haru's phone rang shrilly and she scrambled out of the shower, recognizing Kyoko's ringtone. She managed to catch it just before it went to voice mail.

"Hello. It's Haru."

"Did you get one too?"

Kyoko's voice was vibrating with nervousness. "One what?" Haru prompted.

"An invitation that had orange fire burst from it…" Kyoko said. "I…"

"It's okay, Kyoko-chan," Haru said gently. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, they didn't hurt or anything and they have a marking like on that ring that Nii-chan and Tsuna-kun have," Kyoko said slowly. "It says there's going to be a party at that fancy hotel downtown and I'm requested to attend."

"I have one too," Haru told her. "It says evening wear is required."

"D-do they mean something really fancy, like on TV?" Kyoko asked.

"Probably," Haru said.

"I-I don't have anything like that…" Kyoko said, "and we really don't have the extra money for an expense like that, and…"

"Don't worry, Kyoko-chan, I've got this handled," Haru said firmly. "We'll meet on Wednesday and go shopping. Your parents are allowing you to go?"

"Yes, I managed to talk them into it. Tsuna-kun came by and formally requested that I accompany him," Kyoko sounded somewhat bemused. "Father was going to say no, but decided to relent at the last moment. I just…"

"Trust me, Kyoko-chan," Haru smiled.

"A-all right," she said. "Is Chrome-chan coming as well?"

"Yes, her invitation is on the table waiting for her to return and open it," Haru said.

"Maybe we can all go shopping?" Kyoko asked hopefully.

"Indubitably," Haru smiled.

The girls met up for the first time in what felt like a long time and Kyoko was all smiles as Haru and Chrome joined her. For the first time since just before Tanabata, Haru saw Kyoko's smile reach all the way to her eyes and they tried to catch up on all the weeks of silence with nonstop chatter. The girls went through some of the pricier boutiques before finally finding appropriate clothing and accessories. Haru paid for all of it, deciding she didn't have to let Kyoko know that the money came from the Vongola Nono via Iemitsu Sawada unless she asked. Akai met up with them after the dress shopping and they took up residence at one of the booths in their favorite cake shops.

Time slipped away from the girls only interrupted with Kyoko having to pause and send a message to her father about where she was and what she was doing every fifteen to thirty minutes or so. "How are things going with your studies?" Haru asked Kyoko as they made their way through along the sidewalk as dusk settled in.

Chrome and Akai had departed earlier and it was just the two of them for the first time since their interrupted conversation in the hospital room so long ago. "Good," Kyoko said. "I talked my father into letting me study at one of the schools with a really good science track. They have a lot of graduates that go on to University of Tokyo Medical College. I toured the school while you were in Kyoto, so I haven't had a chance to tell you much about it."

"I'm happy you found someplace down there you wouldn't mind going to," Haru said.

"I'd still rather stay in Namimori, but my parents aren't budging on it," Kyoko said. "Ryohei is going to be staying with Yamamoto while he's in school so that my parents can sell the house."

"They're pulling that far out of Namimori?" Haru asked.

Kyoko nodded. "Yes. They'd be happier if Ryohei would agree to transfer down into one of the Okinawa high schools too, but he's determined to stay. He says he can't abandon the boxing team."

They walked in silence for a while longer and then Kyoko veered off the sidewalk into one of the small parks that populated the city. Haru followed her automatically and settled in one of the swings next to Kyoko. "Haru-chan, tell me what's happening with you and with everyone. Please? While we still have time…"

Haru was silent for a moment then dug her feet into the sand and pushed off, starting the swing moving. "Are you sure you want to hear all of it?" she asked.

"It's the least I deserve, don't you think, Haru-chan?" Kyoko replied.

"If I tell you all of it, everything is going to change…" Haru said softly.

"It already has," Kyoko replied. "Please, Haru-chan. I need to know before I go to Okinawa or whatever I make up in my head is probably going to be fifty times worse."

Haru laughed humorlessly. "I'm not so sure about that, Kyoko-chan…" she said.

Kyoko's expression was hard to decipher through the shadows cast by the nearly full moon overhead, but Haru was pretty sure she'd seen a similar determined look at other points in their acquaintance—like the day they'd commanded Tsuna to tell them everything or they'd go on strike. "Okay, here goes nothing," Haru said and slowed her swing down to a near stop and began to speak.

They'd had to pause in the conversation for a moment to go grab juice from one of the vending machines and returned to their seats as Haru gave her best friend exactly what she requested.

"You went through all that…alone?" Kyoko's eyes were sheened with tears. "You should've talked to me or something…"

"You are the most important thing in Judaime's world, Kyoko-chan," Haru said. "Everything we keep from you is because he doesn't want to tangle you up in the darkness that bogs down the mafia world. He wants to protect your happy smile forever and even if he can't escape from the mafia world, he doesn't want you to have the need to escape. He wanted it that way for me as well, but more for you…"

"Oh Haru-chan…" Kyoko said. "I—"

"Don't be sorry," Haru smiled. "I still love Judaime, but it's different now. I have someone else I care about like that and who returns my feelings—I'm okay."

"I…I never realized that he felt that way about me," Kyoko said slowly. "I like Tsuna-kun well enough, but I don't think it's the same as he feels for me…"

"Maybe that will change, Judaime really is a special person," Haru said.

"Maybe, but we're going to miss so much of each other's lives once we finish junior high," Kyoko said.

"Wait and see what happens," Haru said. "You can't be sure of what the future holds."

"What about you and Gokudera?" Kyoko asked.

Haru jumped. "What about Gokudera?" she asked.

Kyoko giggled. "You don't think I haven't noticed how you two have been acting around each other since June or so?" she asked. "He's the person you love now, isn't he?"

Haru cleared her throat and twisted the strands of her ponytail around her finger as she tried to figure out how she was going to answer her best friend's question. "You can't lie to me, Haru-chan, even if we haven't been around each other near as much as we used to be," Kyoko said. "I can see that you're blushing."

"I am not!" Haru protested, jumping up from the swing and taking a couple steps away, even if she hadn't been blushing, she was now.

Kyoko giggled and rose from the swing and dashed across the sand and caught her arm. After a long moment, Haru dissolved into laughter as well and finally admitted that it was Gokudera she was in love with.

The girls chatted happily all the way back to Kyoko's house and they stopped outside the gate.

"It was so good to be able to hang out with you again," Kyoko said. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Haru smiled. "I'll see you Saturday night?"

Kyoko nodded. "I'm going to see if Mom and Dad will let me hang out with you again as long as I send notifications to them the way I did tonight. If I'm only going to be here for another six months or so, I want to cram as much time in with all my friends as I can. Maybe they'll see that I came out of tonight unscathed and can be made to see reason—at least about keeping me away from everyone. I don't think they'll be swayed at all from moving to Okinawa."

Haru nodded and then paused. "Kyoko-chan…"

"Hmmm?" the chestnut-haired girl asked.

"Are you really okay with everything?" Haru asked, uncertainty tinged her voice, she hadn't held anything back while talking to Kyoko.

"Haru-chan is Haru-chan still; you're still you even if things have happened that you never wanted to," Kyoko said. "I'd be a worse person if I pushed you away. You're still my best friend, Haru, and when I become a doctor I am going to be right back here in Namimori where I belong with you and everyone."

Haru's eyes flooded with tears and she flung her arms around Kyoko and the chestnut-haired girl hugged her back.

"Kyoko, is that you?"

Ryohei's voice echoed in the dark and the two girls pulled apart.

"I'm home, Onii-san," she said. "I'll be in soon."

Haru took a couple steps back and smiled at her friend. "See you on Saturday."

With that, the brunette dashed into the night and Kyoko smiled and turned and walked in her family's front gate.