-FORESEEN-

Chapter 4: Choice

Haru

This moment could really change things. She had two choices. Either tell Tsuna and Kyoko about the awful events she watched unfold before her eyes or just make up something else and not make them concerned.

So what should she do? Haru herself was acting peculiar enough already by knowing what she knows. That news is going to have the same effect on Tsuna and Kyoko too. Hence she could just make something up on spot.

Well, she is almost certainly going to regret this later, but here goes.

"It's nothing really." She started. Lying about something like this has already left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"J-Just lately I-I kind of had a crush on G-Gokudera-san." Haru lied and the very second those words left her mouth, a waterfall of guilt came rushing over her.

Was that what she should have really done? If she told them, maybe they could do something to help Gokudera. Bianchi did mention that they found out about the illness too late. So if anything, was Haru jeopardizing Gokudera's life?

Nevertheless, the lie has already taken its toll and Tsuna and Kyoko were stunned. Why wouldn't they be? After all, Haru and Gokudera were always bickering and nobody would even imagine them together.

"Oh, Haru-chan!" Kyoko gave a sympathetic smile and gave Haru a hug. Kyoko probably assumed that Haru is distraught by the fact that the guy she 'liked' is already taken. No other choice than play along.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Kyoko continued while Tsuna stood by uncomfortably.

Not to mention that Haru was feeling equally uncomfortable and completely like shit.

"No Kyoko-chan. I just wanna go home now..." Haru reassured her.

The last thing she wanted to do was have a conversation regarding that lie. She could only hope that that lie doesn't travel back to Gokudera and the rest of her friends. Imagine the embarrassment.

"Do you want us to walk you home?" Tsuna asked with a worried expression.

"No, No. Its fine, its close by so it'll be fine." Haru answered with a smile.

During the span of those five years, Haru's parents had gotten divorced. Haru and her mom managed to find a nice apartment near the school and not so far from Tsuna's house. Though, It was mostly Haru alone as her mom was a lawyer and travelling around was part of the job.

"Oh... See you at school then, Haru" Tsuna said with a wave of his hand.

Haru waved back and walked slowly back to her apartment. The question of whether she should have told Tsuna about the whole future story was still hanging over her head like a heavy rain cloud. Not to mention that the guilt has started eating her up already.

…..

Few days has passed since that incident. That guilt was still there refusing to go away. Little did Haru know that today was going to be the day that everything was going to take a different turn.

School was in session as usual. Ever since that little white lie she told Tsuna and Kyoko, they are always gawking at her waiting for her to clarify something about it. So far, she has managed to avoid that subject which would be very humiliating if they did manage to talk about it.

The day flew by and before she knew it, it was lunch period. It was also the time when Kyoko is going to be expecting an explanation.

Haru sighed.

Needless to say, Haru didn't want to deal with it all that. She excused herself and decided to head to the school roof for some solitude. Kyoko was upset but didn't press Haru on that subject anymore, which she was thankful for. Right now, she needed time to contemplate everything. Maybe reflect on taking a different approach to everything concerning the future trip.

The walk to the roof was silent and Haru was lost in her thoughts. That little trip to the future has left Haru in a mess of emotions.

On the other hand, there was something she never really thought about. That little girl Bianchi mentioned. Lilia. Who was she?

"I-I just hope, Lilia-chan doesn't suffer the same fate like her father and grandmother. You must look after her well, Haru."

That line Bianchi has said to her with so much agony suddenly engraved itself in the back of her mind. The question Haru asked herself on that day came back.

Why was Bianchi asking her to take care of the girl? Chrome is surely her mother, isn't she? Or maybe they broke up and Gokudera married someone else?

As Haru made her way to the door to the roof, another bizarre thought crossed her mind. Her eyes widened at this.

Could it be that, ten years in the future, Haru is working for Gokudera? She is his daughter's nanny? But why? She is working hard to reach her dream career and all. But she is going to end up being a nanny? Sure, she loved kids. And she was looking forward to having her own kids. But working as a nanny? She didn't want that.

The next theory that crossed her mind was even more bizarre. Could it be that; SHE was the one who married Gokudera. And SHE was Lilia's mother. That's not possible, is it? The whole thing was reeking of ridiculousness.

"Yo!" Out of nowhere, Gokudera appeared a few inches away from her face, causing her to tumble a few steps back with her face red as velvet.

"G-G-Gokudera-san!" Haru stuttered, struggling to regain her composure. Her face was still the colour of tomatoes.

"You were walking straight looking like a ghost, stupid." Gokudera muttered putting his hands in his pockets and walking back to where he was sitting.

"A-Ah." Haru stuttered again.

Haru mentally slapped herself for stuttering and for thinking about that weird scenario earlier. That was obviously senseless and surely unlikely. Also the fact Gokudera was looking at her weirdly right now was making her blush furiously out of humiliation.

"So, what are you doing?" Haru asked, slowly reassuring herself.

"Lunch." He answered shortly and was fixated on a book he had.

He was holding an advanced maths book in one hand, eyes scanning the book. It was no secret how clever he was, so it was no surprise that such books are a piece of cake for him.

Haru gave a short nod before examining the surroundings.

Right now it was quiet. It was just the two of them there right now.

That suddenly brought back the crazy theory of how she might marry Gokudera in the future. This caused her to blush yet again.

Again Gokudera was looking at her like she was crazy.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat after putting down the book.

"Are you all right, Haru?" He asked scratching his head. He was without doubt, wondering why she was acting so quiet and odd. At least he didn't call her stupid woman this time.

"Yeah." Haru answered avoiding eye contact and looking at her lunch box instead.

"Get your head out of the gutter, Haru!" She scolded herself.

The tension in the air was thick. Normally any interaction between Haru and Gokudera would involve some form of bickering. Or their friends would always be present.

Right now, they weren't bickering and certainly none of their friends were there. So the awkwardness was just lingering in the air.

"You really like those books don't you?" Haru asked. The awkwardness was starting to get to her. She had to say something to soothe the atmosphere.

Gokudera looked up from the book, looking slightly annoyed. Now she felt like a pest just being there.

However, he chose not to ignore her. Which was sort of surprising for her.

"They can make my dreams come true…" He replied while grinning at Haru.

"I want to become a scientist for Vongola. It would be a great achievement to aid Tenth in any way." He continued softly with a confident smile, flipping through the thick book without taking his eyes off it.

Haru felt a sense of that never-ending guilt flow through her again. There he was looking forward for so many things in life. While she already saw how his life comes to an end. Exactly ten years from now…

"You already assist him so much. Vongola must mean a lot to you." Haru responded with a gloomy smile.

"It means everything to me." He answered.

Haru felt herself standing up abruptly. It was as if it wasn't even deliberate.

The burden of that guilt has suddenly increased by tons. She can't do it. She can't keep it a secret anymore. She has to tell Tsuna and Reborn. They are the only ones who could possibly fix it.

"Sorry." Haru muttered as she sprinted towards the exit, leaving a very confused Gokudera behind.

This is the right choice. She was sure of it now. There was no way she was going to let him die. She was going to save him.