AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hi there, I'm sorry about the super lateness of this particular chapter, vacation threw things off worse than I thought it would, but that's a ramble for a blog entry or something. *laughs* Anyway, to make up for the fact that this is a little over a week later than I intended it to be, I fully intend to have another chapter out in the next week.

This month is Camp Nanowrimo (a interval variation of the infamous Nanowrimo of November fame) and while I do have an original project in the works I need to jump start this month, I will be concentrating on Oncoming Storm for the first half of the month. Why? Because I don't like being late for my own deadlines XD

Despite it being a bit different than I originally intended it to be, I think overall I rather like this chapter.

As always, Katekyo Hitman Reborn! doesn't belong to me, the brilliance of this particular world belongs to Akira Amano and I am just frolicking in it for a while (and, gods, these plots are turning into monsters).

Let me know what you think ^_^

Next chapter update will be sometime between now and April 10th.

Thank you so much for taking time out to read. I appreciate it!

~ Yuki

Target 04-02: The Point of No Return

"Something about those attacks is bothering me," Haru commented as she dipped her chopsticks into the ramen.

"Huh?" Gokudera glanced up at the girl across the table from him.

One finger was tapping on the table and a slight frown marred the brunette's usually cheerful face. Haru met Gokudera's eyes. "The two men they sent after Chrome and me were men I'd already defeated, by myself. They may think that Chrome-chan is weaker because she doesn't have the Vongola Ring in her possession anymore, but it feels…wrong."

Gokudera straightened in his chair and set his chopsticks aside for a moment. "They only sent four guys after Judaime and me, five after Hibari, and I don't know how many against turftop and the baseball idiot."

"That seems a little underpowered given the things that you guys can do," Haru continued. "I haven't ever seen you all at full power really since the Choice game and from what Reborn chose to brief me on; your strength has grown exponentially since then."

"Of course it has, we have to keep training harder," Gokudera snorted.

"Then why didn't they come at you with full strength?" Haru asked. "The only ones plausibly in danger were Sasagawa-san and Yamamoto…maybe."

"Turftop and the baseball idiot were probably the targets," Gokudera said, "and the others were just to keep us from coming to their aide."

"But did they really think they were going to get by Sasagawa-san and Yamamoto?" Haru asked.

Haru reached down for her bag and pulled out a notebook and set it on the table and began to write a list, which she then turned over to Gokudera. Gokudera frowned a bit and then held out his hand for the pen and added a few more things to the list and made some notes next to a few of the other items.

Haru took the list back and read through Gokudera's notes. "Oh, I didn't think of that, but why would it all have been just a set-up? They lost four men…what kind of data could they have gotten from that?"

"I guess we'll have to ask them when we find them," Gokudera said and rose, putting his chopsticks aside.

Haru followed suit and rose herself, grabbing her bag and glancing at Gokudera. "Would you mind going someplace with me?" she asked.

"Where?" Gokudera asked.

Before Haru could answer, her text message tone chimed and she pulled it out for a moment and read it then texted back before turning to Gokudera. "To see Madame Cho," she said.

"Who?" Gokudera asked blankly.

"One of my tutors that wasn't trying to kill the Vongola," Haru said.

"And what's that going to accomplish?" Gokudera scowled.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," Haru said, "but you told me one of the first things to do as a hitman is to utilize all your resources, correct?"

"Yes," Gokudera replied.

"Madame Cho has the key to one of the resources I may have available," Haru replied, "this way."

Gokudera shoved his hands in his pocket and followed Haru, keeping an eye on the surroundings. Haru didn't seem to be looking anywhere else but straight ahead and he sighed. "Haru."

The girl paused mid-step and turned to face him. "Are you looking anywhere but straight ahead?" he asked, stopping just in front of her.

"Well, you're here…" Haru trailed off.

Gokudera shook his head. "Look everywhere, all the time. Even if I'm not likely to miss anything, you may notice something that I overlook."

"I do that with Chrome or when I'm by myself…" Haru said.

"All. The. Time."

Each word was emphasized and Haru nodded. "I'll do better," she said firmly. "We need to hurry. Madame Cho doesn't have a lot of free time."

She turned and broke into a slight jog and Gokudera lengthened his stride and easily kept up with the brunette. It occurred to him belatedly that he hadn't actually heard Haru refer to herself in third person in a long while and he mulled over the change in his head, his steps slowing just a fraction. The buzz of the crossing light shook him from his thoughts and he swore as he watched Haru dash across one of the crosswalks just as it turned red and cars swarmed between them.

Haru was nearly to the end of the sidewalk when she realized that Gokudera wasn't following and turned to try and figure out where she'd lost him. She pulled out her cell phone to call him and just barely managed to sidestep a pair of arms that seemed to come out of the crowd towards her. She whirled and brought her hands up into a defensive stance as the crowd cleared and a man she didn't recognized leered at her. "Foolish of the little rookie to step out on her own," he said, "makes my life easier."

Haru noted a flash of metal and her breath hissed out as she recognized a gun pointed straight at her. The gun itself was hidden from the passerbys by his unbuttoned coat and the building. "I'm not that easy," she stated.

"No matter how fast you move, girl, you can't outrun a bullet and you can't reach one of those damned hairpins of yours before I can fire the gun," the man smirked. "I'll—"

The statement was abruptly cut off as a hand connected with the side of his neck and Gokudera claimed the gun. "Don't ever run off from your partner again," Gokudera said, his green eyes meeting hers.

Haru wanted to get furious and declare that she could have taken care of herself, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words. "I thought you were right behind me," she finally said.

Gokudera caught her arm in a rough grip and Haru flinched a bit, but the strength in it didn't lessen. "Be aware of everything around you, stupid woman. Your enemies. Your allies. Even the dog that's crossing the street ahead of you."

"You're going to bruise my arm, Gokudera," Haru said.

"Good, maybe you'll remember next time," Gokudera said, "he could have killed you."

They were garnering a few looks from the people around them and Gokudera slipped the gun into his pocket and his grip eased a little bit. "Just don't be stupid, Judaime would be upset if you got hurt and, as his right hand man, I wouldn't be able to face him."

His hand dropped. "Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir."

Haru gritted the words out and took a deep breath. "We need to turn left up there and then right on Hana Street. The café we're going to is called Hanaki."

Gokudera nodded, but matched his steps to Haru's so that the girl wouldn't be able to get away from him as easily.

Haru could feel her body trying to shake as the realization of what just transpired sank in and she clenched her hand hard, letting the pain of her nails digging into her hand distract her from the fact she could've been killed. Gokudera reached out again and caught her hand and Haru turned to look at him as he pulled her back from the edge of the sidewalk into a quiet area between shops. The silver-haired young man sighed and reached out and pulled her into an awkward embrace. Haru stiffened for a moment before her hands clenched tightly in the material of his Namimori Middle School jacket and she could feel the heaviness of the metal gun in his pocket just below where the material in her hand bunched.

"I-I'm fine," she said firmly. "I just—"

"This is one of the realities you're going to face every day, Haru," Gokudera said, his tone oddly gentle. "Unfortunately, he sought you out, they know who you are. There isn't an escape route anymore."

Haru screwed her eyes shut fighting off the urge to cry, she'd known when she stepped on this path it was a possibility she could find herself on the wrong side of a gun and she knew there would be a point of no return. A tremor shook her body and she gritted her teeth. She. Would. Not. Cry.

"Am I interrupting a liaison?"

The melodic voice interrupted Haru's reverie and her eyes went wide and she abruptly released Gokudera's jacket and whirled around to face Madame Cho. "M-madame Cho, I—"

Gokudera stiffened as a stern-featured woman with black and silver hair secured in a bun with kanzashi similar to the ones that Haru had taken to wearing approached. The intricate butterflies that hung from the pins chimed softly as she cocked her head at them and Gokudera didn't relax when Haru identified her as the one they were meeting. Idly Gokudera wondered if Madame Cho dipped her hairpins in the same tinctures that Haru had—they'd gone over all of Haru's various weapons at one of their early meetings after Gokudera had agreed to help her.

"Yes they are, young Vongola," the woman said, an amused smile crinkling the corners of her dark eyes.

He jumped and his eyes narrowed at the woman wondering if she somehow possessed the same ability to read thoughts the way Reborn did at times. "The question is fairly obvious in your expression, Gokudera-san," Madame Cho said and then focused on Haru. "I was worried that something had happened when you were late, Miura-san, you're never late."

Haru's eyes went to the digital time on one of the signs, it was only a minute past the time they'd planned to meet—Madame Cho must know something. She bowed low. "I'm sorry."

"I think we will be meeting down in the shop today instead of at the café, there are a lot of strangers about," Madame Cho announced. "He'll have to be blindfolded when we reach the entrance point. He hasn't earned this secret."

"What?" Gokudera exclaimed.

"You call it Omerta, yes, Gokudera-san?" Madame Cho said. "Miura-san has earned her place amongst our Clan; you have yet to prove yourself an ally or an enemy. We will not lay our secrets bare to you."

Haru turned her brown eyes up to Gokudera's. "I know it's a lot to ask, but trust me for this, Gokudera?" she said.

Gokudera scowled down at the girl and then turned to the older woman. "If anything happens to us…"

"Nothing will happen to Haru while within the bosom of our Family," Cho stated flatly. "She is one of us. By extension, you will not be harmed during this excursion as long as you make no moves against us, on my Family's honor."

Gokudera took a deep breath and Haru's hand came up to rest uncertainly on his arm. "It's okay, please, Gokudera?" she said quietly.

"Fine," he said.

They moved through the shopping district and paused outside of a couple different shops and Madame Cho moved forward and drew a embroidered handkerchief from one of her pockets and wrapped it tightly around Gokudera's eyes. A small hand slipped into his that he somehow immediately recognized as Haru's. "I'm right here, Gokudera, I won't let go," Haru said.

Every instinct in him screamed danger, but he fought against his instincts to let loose with his dynamite and felt himself tugged into motion. He heard the jingle of a shop bell and he stepped into something that smelled of perfume and the cloth that brushed his hands was usually silk with the occasional scratch of lace. There was a brief conversation murmured between Madame Cho and a person he didn't recognize and another door opened and a grating sound echoed and he stepped into another space that smelled damp.

He kept his ears opened and tried to keep track of the twists and turns. "You'll just get a headache trying to track it," Haru said. "We're headed down though."

"No kidding," Gokudera snorted.

He thought he heard a chuckle that he would attribute to Madame Cho, but fell silent. Before too long he began to pick up sounds ahead and frowned. They stopped and the blindfold was removed and he stared over the bustling undercity and his eyes flashed to Haru in question.

"Welcome to the Underground," Haru said simply.