Chapter 5
It was the weekend. Reborn invited Tsuna's family, the Vongola guardians and their friends, to a beach resort. He suggested that the guardians have some relaxation before they take his extreme training plan.
All the guardians accepted the invitation except for Ryohei and Hibari. Ryohei was going on a date with Hana that day. (That would be quite relaxing compared to swimming to the extreme the whole day, don't you think?) As for Hibari, going to crowded places such as a beach resort would just stress him out, so he immediately declined. Mama and Bianchi stayed at home for the day. No one would be left to look after the house if they went along. As expected though, Haru, Kyoko, Fuuta, and I-pin accepted the invitation.
The resort had a view of the wide sparkling sea and the beautiful white sand that lined the shore. There were also souvenir shops, food stalls and cottages along the shore. Just like other resorts, the place was filled with a lot of people. Luckily, they already had a cottage reserved for them. It had a big 'RESERVED FOR VONGOLA' signage in front of it.
The cottage was in a strategic location. In front, you could see the white sand and the sea right next to it. At the back, there were food stalls, and beside the cottage was a net made for playing beach volleyball. Everyone was excited.
Lambo, I-pin and Fuuta wanted to build sand castles while Gokudera and Yamamoto were excited for Reborn's beach volleyball challenge. Tsuna just wanted to spend the day with Kyoko while Haru and Chrome wanted to check out the shops. After settling their stuff in the cottage, they immediately rushed to the changing rooms to change into their swimwear.
The guys finished changing earlier than the girls and started the beach volleyball game right away. Tsuna decided to just stay in the cottage and wait for Kyoko but then,
"Oi, Tsuna" Reborn called his attention with a megaphone.
"What do I have to do this time?" Tsuna complained.
"Get out of there and play or I'll tie you to a coconut tree for the whole day." Reborn said with a grim expression on his face.
Knowing Reborn, there was no way he would simply tie him to a coconut tree when he could always untie or burn the ropes. He was probably planning something else. Being able to imagine his consequences, Tsuna quickly came out and played.
As soon as the girls came out of the changing room, they got surrounded by tons of admirers. Guys stared at them, making them feel uncomfortable. They walked as fast as possible and shrugged all their requests. When they reached the cottage, they saw that the boys were already playing. They decided to watch the game.
Chrome hid timidly behind Kyoko and Haru because she was too shy to show herself in swim wear. They pushed her to give her some confidence, but she blushed out of embarrassment.
"Wahh! You're so kawaii, Chrome chan!" Haru hugged her.
Throughout the game, random groups of girls squealed loudly each time Gokudera or Yamamoto hit the ball. Tsuna sweatdropped at the popularity of his two friends. His spirits suddenly lit up when he saw Kyoko watching the game. Kyoko blushed when she saw him looking at her. Haru glanced at them with a sad smile. Gokudera, on the other hand was secretly looking at Haru.
The opponent's team was composed of professional beach volleyball players, but the game still ended in favor of Tsuna's team. The opponent couldn't believe they lost the game against amateur players.
"Yosh! We shall practice better team!" The team coach said with determination. "We couldn't allow this to happen next time, understood?"
"HAI!" The team firmly responded.
After the game, Tsuna approached Kyoko.
"Ne Kyoko, do you-" Tsuna's sentence got cut off when Haru intervened.
"Tsuna san, can I talk with you for a while?" She asked.
Kyoko signaled Tsuna to go, so he did.
Tsuna followed Haru to a place that was away from the crowd. The place was quite peaceful. They were surrounded by shady coconut trees. Only the soft clashing of waves against the shore and the distant chirping of the birds could be heard.
Haru was turning her back on Tsuna as she tried to gain the strength to tell him how she felt. She inhaled deeply and turned to him. He looked at her in confusion.
"What is it, Haru?" He asked.
"I…Tsuna-san…I like you!" She said.
Tsuna was speechless, but of course he already knew how she felt. He smiled at her.
"Thank you." He said.
Haru burst into tears. She felt the container in her heart open. All the emotions she had kept deep inside were finally released. Her burden has lightened.
"Thank you as well, Tsuna-san." She smiled as tears still filled her eyes.
Later on, Haru was drinking a glass of shake at a shack nearby. As she sat there alone, a guy suddenly approached her.
"Excuse me miss," The guy inquired as he pointed on the chair across Haru. "Mind if I sit on this chair while I wait for someone?"
"Ughh… Sure desu." Haru replied.
They chatted a bit. The guy told her his name was Keiichi. Apparently, he was waiting for his friends. He said they were going to stay at the resort 'til night time. Haru also introduced herself. She told him they were here 'til the night as well. Soon, they had a pretty good conversation. They started laughing at each other's jokes.
_OOOOOOOOOO_
Gokudera was playing with Lambo, Fuuta and I-pin. They were making sand castles. Lambo was proudly running around his almost finished castle.
"Nyahahaha! Ore-sama's castle is going to be aweso-" Lambo tripped over a shell and ruined Gokudera's castle.
Gokudera just ignored Lambo and was looking at something else. As Fuuta tried to comfort Lambo, I-pin approached Gokudera.
"Can I-pin rebuild your sand castle?" She asked.
"Ughh… Okay." Gokudera replied without even knowing what she was asking for. He was way too focused on what he was looking at.
"Ne Reborn, do you think Gokudera-kun is looking at Haru?" Tsuna whispered to Reborn.
"I don't just think. I know." Reborn confidently replied as he sipped through his glass of coconut juice.
_OOOOOOOOOO_
"Hmm… I don't think they're coming." Keiichi worriedly said. "It's about an hour past our meeting time."
"What are you gonna do desu?" Haru asked.
"Since I still have a lot of time, I guess I'll look for them." Keiichi said with a smile. "You know the place right? Would you mind if you help me?"
"Okay desu." Haru agreed.
They went out of the shack and started walking.
"I think my friends mentioned something about a cliff near the ocean that they wanted to see." Keiichi suggested. "Oh and I heard that the view there is great. Maybe we should go there first."
"I know where that is desu." Haru led him there.
When they finally reached the cliff,
"As I know, this is the place you're looking for desu." Haru said.
"Yes this is the place." Keiichi said with a wicked smile.
Keiichi's friends suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They started surrounding her with scary looks on their faces.
Haru immediately knew it was a trap. She started backing off in fear until she realized that she was already at the tip of the cliff. She stopped in her tracks, but it was too late. Her foot slipped and she fell down.
She heard a violent voice call her name. As she fell, she heard sounds of strong punches from above. She could feel the wind hitting her as she was about to dive beneath the ocean. She closed her eyes in terror.
Just before she hit the water, she felt someone reaching out to her. The person held on to her hand and hugged her, protecting her from the impact of the dive. It felt warm contrary to the cold water that seemed to pull her down. She started to get dizzy and lost her consciousness.
Soon, Haru's eyes opened to see a rocky ceiling above her. She heard the loud roar of thunder and drops of rain pouring outside. It seemed like there was a ferocious storm, and it was cold. She noticed that she was laying down on something hard. She realized that she was in a cave.
'What am I doing here?' She wondered.
Haru turned to her side and saw Gokudera with his eyes closed. He was most likely asleep. She sat up and saw that a jacket covered her body. It was probably his. She wore the jacket and blushed. She could still smell his scent on the jacket. He was lying across her, sleeping helplessly on the ground. She lay on her side, supported by her elbow and stared at him intently. She couldn't resist noticing how handsome he was.
'Gokudera-san, you keep helping me. I wonder why.' She thought. 'This is bad. You're making me like you desu.'
Haru unconsciously leaned her forehead onto his. Slowly her face moved closer. Suddenly, Gokudera's eyes fluttered open. Haru jumped and immediately back away. Gokudera stared at her with wide eyes.
He touched his lips and looked at her. "Did you just-"
"No" Haru interrupted. "I didn't. I mean I was just….."
She stood up and winced in pain. She noticed that her ankle was sprained. She slid down the wall of the cave and sat on the ground in agony.
Gokudera approached her with an annoyed expression. His hand touched the wall as he moved closer. He kneeled down and trapped Haru.
"You've got guts don't you, stupid woman?" He arrogantly said.
Haru looked away to avoid his gaze.
"Umm Gokudera-san, you're too close desu." She said a blushed crept into her cheeks.
"You're too naïve. You're clumsy, too trust-worthy and idiotic." He said with a grim expression on his face.
Haru's heart clenched. She turned to him in anger.
"Yeah, well you're a je-" Her sentence got cut off.
She was surprised to find Gokudera's lips already against hers. Her eyes grew wide with shock. She tried to pull away from the kiss. She managed to release her lips shortly, but he pulled her back and kissed her once more. He was too strong. Of course he was, he was training to be worthy of being Tsuna's right hand man. Why wouldn't he be strong?
She tried to push him away with her hands, but he held them with a tight grip. She couldn't escape. She eventually gave in. The kiss was too passionate. It made her heart beat like a drum in her chest. She could no longer breathe. When he pulled away, he looked straight into her eyes. She could see his green eyes looking at her as if they could see right through her soul.
"Were you trying to make everyone worry?" Gokudera asked. "Were you that desperate to like someone else?"
He turned away. Haru could see his face turning bright red as well.
"Gokudera-san" She uttered his name.
The rain stopped. Gokudera looked outside and was silent. He faced his back to her.
"Hold on to my neck. I'll carry you back to the cottage." He said.
Haru held on to him and rested her head on his back. It was warm. She could feel the beating of his heart. He held her legs and stood up. She smiled as he carried her on his back.
"Thank you, Hayato-san." She said.
"Idiot, when did I give you the permission to use my first name?" Gokudera said in a vexed tone.
Deep inside, he was happy.