Okay, so it's been more than a year since I last updated this fic.

And...OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY!

I know people read this, as surprising as that is, and a few even liked it, which is even more amazing, so I'm sure many of you are disappointed. But I've been in a really bad place this past year and a half, and I've only just now come out of my despondent state. (If you want to know how bad I was, I stopped watching anime and reading manga O.o)

I'm going to re-read this fic, since I've all but forgotten what it is about. I hope it's salvageable. I may need to brush up on my KHR knowledge too, since I don't want to make them all that out of character.

So, anyway, I apologize for the long wait. And thank you for your support.

...

Here's a little gift for Christmas!

Are they as soft as they looked?

Tsuna didn't understand girls. They tended to be very...inconsistent. At first, he thought all girls were like his mother-soft, optimistic and naive. Kyoko was the very embodiment of his dream girl, but even Kyoko was made of tough materials on the inside, as the years showed. Other girls were like cheap knock-offs of the real thing, they didn't really interest him.

But then she met this crazy girl who threw his life around.

Maybe it was just the timing. He met her just as all his troubles (read: R-E-B-O-R-N) came like a tidal wave, knocking him off his ass. But while everyone else was trying to kill her, she was there cheering for him and giving him the support he very much needed. (Gokudera doesn't count. Though he doesn't mean to, he's still accidentally hurting him with his bombs.) She's soft, optimistic, and naive in a way that was different from his mother and Kyoko.

And, he really liked her hair.

"Tsuna-san!" Tsuna turned just in time to catch a jumping Haru off the air. He developed enough muscles in the past year to be able to carry her weight without toppling over, though he did step back.

"What are you doing here, Haru?" Takeshi asked brightly from behind them, ignoring Gokudera's outraged yells.

Haru jumped back and graced them with a grin. "I finished all my exams early, so i have the rest of the day free." She rummaged through her overly large backpack and handed a black box to Tsuna.

Tsuna, who was blushing for reasons he didn't yet understand at the time, was surprised to find the box shoved in front of his face.

"Uh, what is this?" he said suspiciously, born from excessive exposure to the most dangerous pranksters in the world.

"A gift, silly," Haru giggled.

Tsuna frowned. "What for?" He turned to Takeshi. "It's not my birthday, is it?"

Takeshi shrugged. "I don't think so. That was two months ago, I think."

Gokudera grabbed the little box from Tsuna's hands. "Do you want me to torch this, Tenth? Anything from that Devil-Woman is surely dangerous."

"Your face is dangerous!" Haru said indignantly, but with a smile on her face. She shyly returned the box to Tsuna. "It's an advanced Christmas present. My parents and I are going to Tokyo for the holidays so I won't be here on the day itself." Tsuna noticed the tips of her ears are turning a bbright pink. "Um, well, that's all. I should go!"

The three boys watched as the girl hopped away and turned a corner.

Takeshi was the first to say, "So, want to find out what that is?"

"It could be a bomb, Tenth!" Gokudera cautioned.

Tsuna looked at the black gift box on his hand, feeling something he hadn't felt before REborn came to his life. It was a soft, delicious feeling.

HE smiled. "I think I'll open this at home. Let's go, we don't want to be late."

He ran to the school, face breaking into a smile.

Christmas, huh?

Merry Christmas, Tsuna-san!

May you receive plenty of happiness on this day, and the many days to come!

Love, Haru.