AUTHOR'S NOTES: I work tomorrow and I have to go see my niece for her birthday since I didn't get to see her on her birthday last Saturday, hopefully updating it today will be all right ^_^

Katekyo Hitman Reborn! and its affiliated characters are the property of Akira Amano-sensei and don't belong to me. This storyline, the original characters created for it, etc. are mine.

Thank you for reading (and reviewing when you have time ^_^)!

Next update will be around August 21st.

See you next time!

Target 14-02: Smoke Screen

"I'll pick you up after school today," Gokudera told Haru as they made their way to Midori Junior High. "I'll go get some stuff and drop it by your place and give you back the key then."

"Sounds good," Haru said.

She hesitated a moment as they reached the school and glanced up at him. "Thank you," she said shyly.

"For what?" Gokudera asked.

"For offering to stay with me," Haru said. "I should be able to get the guest room in order tonight so you don't have to sleep in the living room again."

"The futon was comfortable, don't worry about it," Gokudera said.

Haru shook her head. "I'm not going to make you sleep on a futon in the living room if there's a room available for you to sleep in," she said.

He chuckled. "As you wish," he said. "See you later."

Haru watched him leave and made sure he was gone before she deviated from the gates of Midori Middle School and met up with Akai on the other side of the school.

"Are you sure about this, Haru?" Akai asked as she handed her another bag and they made their way to one of the stores that had a public restroom.

Haru nodded and Akai sighed.

Haru disappeared into the ladies' room with her clothing and Akai leaned against the wall next to it and pulled out her cell phone and sent out a text.

Haru emerged dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark t-shirt with a stylized Nadeshiko flower screened onto it. Akai chuckled at the flower, "Keeping Nadeshiko alive?" she teased.

"I don't know enough about what my mother did when she was Nadeshiko to answer yes or no on that one," Haru said. "I just liked the design and it's darker than I normally wear so…"

They stepped onto the bus as it rolled up and Haru took her seat and Akai settled beside her. "Your mother was the type of hitman your Judaime would have liked," Akai murmured.

Haru smiled and turned her attention to the window to watch the landscape slip by as she formulated a plan for what she was going to do once they actually reached the town.

"Do you know anything about your mother's childhood?"

Haru's eyes flashed to Akai in surprise several minutes later and she shook her head. "Not really, Mother didn't seem to have a lot of remnants from her childhood," Haru said. "She usually just talked about college, meeting Father, and things like that…"

"Nadeshiko was left at the Broken Butterfly when she was about six years old and Madame Cho took her in. We never found out why her parents left her with Madame Cho and if Nadeshiko knew, she never felt the need to tell us. Madame Cho says that at first she was very quiet and withdrawn, but as she interacted with the other members of the Hanatachi Clan she started to bloom. She was a lot like you in many ways, bright, cheerful, and always went out of her way to the best she could by those she was closest to. Nadeshiko was also one of Madame Cho's star pupils at Willow House and was an accomplished geisha as well as an accomplished hitman. She was my mother's oneesan when she was first starting out with the Hanatachi Clan," Akai said. "She taught her everything to know about being a hitman and about working in Madame Cho's tea house. However, Nadeshiko always wanted a husband and family to give the kind of life that she didn't have when she was a child and that's when she met your father. I was only about two or so at the time, so I don't know what in all went with her leaving the Hanatachi Clan. I know my mother was angry, but Madame Cho gave her blessing. Not long after Nadeshiko's wedding, my mother left the Hanatachi Clan without a word to anyone and my brother and I were entrusted into Madame Cho's care."

"What happened to your mother?" Haru asked curiously.

"Honestly? I neither know nor care," Akai said. "Madame Cho is the only 'mother' I care to acknowledge. My mother wasn't around even when she was at the base and I remember overhearing that she never wanted us to begin with. We were only three when our mother left us—I can't even remember her face. From what I understand my mother was an accomplished assassin and often took jobs Madame Cho did not approve of."

"What about your father?" Haru asked.

"I don't even know if my mother knew who our father was," Akai replied. "If she did, she never passed the information on to anyone in the Hanatachi Clan."

"Oh."

Akai chuckled at Haru's subdued tone. "It's nothing to feel bad about," Akai said. "I am content with what I have now and having you around is like having a little sister, albeit one who gets in far too much trouble for her own good…"

"Akai!" Haru protested.

The other girl laughed as the bus pulled in to their stop and the girls gathered their things and stepped out. Haru came up short as she came face-to-face with a pair of furious green eyes glaring at her through a haze of cigarette smoke.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Haru?" Gokudera bit out.

"G-Gokudera, I—" Haru began.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" he demanded, grinding out the cigarette and tossing it in the ashtray.

"No, I—"

Gokudera gave an exasperated sigh and scrubbed his hands through his silver hair before he stepped in closer to Haru and caught her shoulders in a firm grip, leaning in and pressing his forehead to hers.

"Haru..." he trailed off as if trying to formulate his thoughts. "Haru, you need to stop trying so hard to prove yourself. I know you're trying to justify your place in the Famiglia. You don't have to."

"Yes I do," Haru snapped. "Judaime never texts me when he texts all of you. He doesn't try and include me in on the plans even though I'm standing right there. He—"

"He's trying to protect you from yourself if nothing else," Gokudera said firmly. "Getting yourself hurt or killed in the process isn't going to help matters at all."

"But—"

"Instead of running off on your own, let us know," Gokudera said. "When you find information, tell us. When you have a plan to go after someone who is threatening the Famiglia let us help you. Show Judaime that you're not going to run off and get yourself killed every time he turns around. Prove to him that you know your limits. To Judaime, nothing in this entire world is worth your life. He'd rather lose the rings or lose the battle than lose his friends—any of his friends."

Haru's hands clenched and she glared at the ground, she knew Gokudera was right, but she wanted Judaime to acknowledge her as more than just a liability to the Famiglia.

"This isn't a single person game, Haru, it requires a team. That goes for both of you."

Yamamoto strolled up with his bat bag on his shoulder and a serious look on his face.

"What are you doing here, baseball idiot?" Gokudera scowled.

"I got a text from someone telling me that Haru was going to be going to try and do something dangerous on her own," Yamamoto said, glaring at Haru for a moment. "We're Famiglia, let's work together and try and keep Tsuna from having to worry too much."

Haru's eyes went to Akai. "Akai…" she said.

"You're the one that left your phone in easy access for me to get their numbers," Akai displayed her red phone and smiled. "I sent one to the Vongola Decimo as well, but he never responded. No good teacher lets their student go into a situation like this unprepared."

Haru wanted to get angry at Akai for alerting the others, but a more rational side of her prevailed and she took a deep breath. "We need to get to the place where they're holding the tournament, the Trabuchet are planning to attack there and get their hands on Sasagawa-san's Vongola Ring."

Akai explained where the school the competition was taking place at was located and the four teenagers raced towards it.

"You are going to explain where exactly you heard this plan, yes?" Yamamoto asked as their feet ate the distance.

"Um…" Haru began.

"There will be an explanation," Yamamoto said firmly, glaring at both the rookie hitman and the silver-haired demolitionist.

"I don't have to explain anything to you," Gokudera snapped.

"For a right-hand man you sure have a lot to learn about working with people other than Haru," Akai observed.

"Wha—" Gokudera spluttered and the older girl laughed.

An explosion ripped through the street ahead of the teenaged hitmen and they skidded to a stop. Akai stepped to the front igniting a box weapon that put up a solid wall of force that the debris crashed against and then she dropped it. "It looks like we're too late. Let's see if we can salvage this," Akai said grimly and they plunged into the smoke and debris, dodging the screaming people racing away from the building.

Gokudera caught Haru's wrist and they ducked behind a large piece of concrete as another explosion rocked the gymnasium. "What the fuck do they think they're doing?" Gokudera snarled.

"We need to find Sasagawa-san and Kyoko-chan," Haru said.

"I know."

He grabbed her hand and they raced deeper into the building, they'd lost sight of Akai and Yamamoto in the smoke and confusion. Sounds of conflict ahead drove the two faster, Haru pulling slightly ahead of Gokudera and letting go of his hand as she burst through the door.

It took only a moment and her white needles came into hand and she flung them at the four men closing in on the white-haired boxer and there was an electrical crackle as they activated, freezing the men in place.

Kyoko was on the ground behind her elder brother and Haru's eyes focused on the blood trickling down the side of her face in horror.

"No," she whispered.

Gokudera followed her gaze. "Go to her, I'll distract them. Keep her safe while I handle this…"

Haru wanted to protest, but nodded and raced across the floor only to be intercepted by a large man. "So we meet again," he said.

Haru's eyes widened, recognizing the man from the hideout that had discovered her and Gokudera and her hand went for her kanzashi.

"Nuh-uh, none of that, girl, or your friend will really be dead," he smirked, leveling a gun at her.

Gokudera moved in against one of the men and blocked the knife that came at him and moved in quick motions to disarm and disable the attacker, unwilling to use his dynamite in an enclosed space like this. He swore again at his stupidity in losing the Sistema CAI to these bastards and let loose his rage on his opponent.

Ryohei's fist slammed into the cheekbone of his opponent and Haru noted that he wasn't using his Vongola gear. "She's unconscious, Sasagawa-san, she won't know…"

The white-haired high schooler was too lost in his fight to hear Haru and she glared at the man in front of her, trying to figure out the best way to wade in and protect Kyoko so the others could let loose.

Ryohei's guard dropped for just an instant and he was knocked across the room into one of the remaining walls and dazed for long enough for the man who'd punched him to cross the floor and wrench the necklace the boxer was wearing off his neck before landing another solid hit that had Ryohei slumping over.

Haru watched in horror as another man moved past an unconscious Ryohei and gathered Kyoko into his arms. "We've got what we came for today," the man with the gun said. "Tell your Judaime we'll be in touch."

The man dropped a tear gas grenade and before Haru's eyes could clear enough to move, they were gone.

Two hours later, Haru slipped into Ryohei's room, finding the boxer on a hospital bed with his head wrapped in a bandage as well as both of his hands. "Where's Kyoko?" he rasped.

"They got her," Haru said, "as soon as they had you down, one of them grabbed her and another threw down the smoke screen for their escape. We couldn't get here fast enough…"

Ryohei's gray eyes were grim and he cracked his knuckles, flinching a bit. "Where are they taking her?" he asked.

"We're working on finding out right now," Haru said. "Our information network is still in its beginning stages, but we're working on it as quickly as possible."

"They're going to regret this to the extreme."

There was a tone in Ryohei's voice that Haru had never heard before and it almost scared her.

She exited the room and nearly ran into Yamamoto and Gokudera. "How is he?" Yamamoto asked.

"Angry," Haru said. "They've made a bad miscalculation here. They should have never pulled Kyoko-chan into this."

"No, they shouldn't have," Gokudera said. "Judaime is going to be furious."

Both of the boys in front of her had a few bandages over some minor scratches and burns and Haru herself was sporting a few as well. "Where's Akai?"

"She said she was going back to Namimori to start hunting for Kyoko," Yamamoto said. "She wouldn't even let the paramedics treat her and left directly from the school."

"She'll have Dr. Tanpopo take care of her injuries when she gets back," Haru said.

"Who is Dr. Tanpopo?" Yamamoto questioned. "And more importantly, how did you know about this attack?"

"And why didn't you tell us, Haru?"

Haru froze as Judaime's voice came from behind and her face paled and she swayed for just a moment. Gokudera caught her arm to steady her, but his gaze was not forgiving either.

"I think it's time you came completely clean with us, Haru," Reborn said. "Tell us everything."

Haru closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath.

"Okay."