AUTHOR'S NOTES: Dear readers I am deeply apologetic at the lateness of this chapter. Up until now I've only been off my posting schedule by a day or so on occasion, but this one carried over into almost three weeks. Usually before posting a story I try and at least be three or four chapters in before I post the first part or better yet at the midway point or done, but I wanted to start this one on Haru's birthday and so I published it without my usual buffer. This story is being oddly difficult, I'm sorting through what I had planned, how I want the characters to be portrayed, and what the goals for this installment were. It's proving to be a little bit of a troublemaker, but I think by finally getting this chapter done I may have broken through the block, so please look forward to more timely updates in the future.

As always Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano and I don't claim any credit for Haru or the other characters in the original manga or animé nor did I have anything to do with the story line. What is mine are the original characters created for this story as well as this stupidly far-reaching story line of mine that wouldn't shut up until I wrote it all down and likely will continue to yammer in the back of my mind until I've written it all the way until the end.

Thank you for your patience with me and if you have time please read and review, I'd like to hear what you think so far.

Next update is slated for 06/07/15 (and I swear I'm going to have the bloody thing written in time!)

Regards,

Yuki Seki

Target 01-04: The Kyoto Princess

"So today's the day?"

It was eight in the morning in Japan and Haru glanced at her laptop screen with the video image of Gokudera watching her and she nodded. "Yes, today is the day that the girl my father agreed to board will be coming," she replied. "I got most of the house cleaned last night and had to clear out the room you were using last year. You left a few things behind…"

She held up three sticks of dynamite for Gokudera to see and chuckled at the expression on his face. "Thankfully, I do most of the cleaning in the house so I didn't have to come up with a creative explanation for why there was dynamite in the spare room."

"Sorry," Gokudera mumbled.

"It's okay, I have a backup weapon now," Haru teased.

"You don't even know how to use them!" Gokudera protested.

"I could learn," Haru grinned.

"With three sticks?" Gokudera asked skeptically.

Haru looked over the dynamite for a moment. "I can probably find a way to get more," she said. "Are you saying you think I'm less capable than you are when it comes to this?"

"What, no, not…exactly…" Gokudera's voice cracked just a bit.

Haru giggled again and set them down on the desk. "I'll practice carefully," she promised with a mischievous grin.

Gokudera finally picked up on the fact that she was mostly teasing and chuckled himself.

"How is Tsuna-san doing with his Italian language studies?"

"About as well as you probably think he is," Gokudera replied. "Hopefully he'll at least understand most of it by the time school starts in September."

"And everything else?" Haru asked.

"So far, so good, nothing major has happened, but it's only been two weeks since we arrived," Gokudera said. "Most of his time is taken up studying Italian and working with Reborn on things I can't be there for."

Haru heard the bell ring and rose. "You should get to sleep it's midnight there and you probably have an early day tomorrow."

Gokudera nodded. "Yeah. I'll talk to you later," he said and they closed the video window and Haru stowed the dynamite in a drawer under her bed and hurried downstairs.

She reached the door just as a second ring echoed and opened it. "I'm sorry to make you wait…" she trailed off as her eyes landed on the girl standing outside her door.

"Is this the Miura house?" the girl asked, her voice was soft and gentle.

Haru suddenly felt severely underdressed as she regarded the girl in full kimono with a parasol held over her head standing outside of the door. She looked like she could have stepped out of the Emperor's court or a fashion magazine spread. Her long black hair was intricately styled and her make-up was done perfectly.

"Uh, yes?" she said.

The girl gave her a relieved smile. "Thank goodness," she said. "I'm Ishida Chiharu. Pleased to meet you."

"Miura Haru," Haru replied. "Pleased to meet you as well. Please, come in?"

"Thank you," the girl said and stepped in. "Sorry for the intrusion."

Haru stepped aside and let the other girl pass finding herself enveloped in a delicate perfume mixed of lilacs and something else and her eyes went to the black car pulling away from the curb. "Is your escort not coming in?" Haru asked. "My father isn't home yet and…"

"It's nothing to worry about. He will be joining us this evening. He's going to check on the truck bringing my things from Kyoto," Chiharu said and turned to face her handing Haru her parasol. "If you would be so kind?"

"O-of course," Haru stuttered and took the item.

Chiharu withdrew some slippers from her bag and handed Haru that as well and stepped out of her geta, slipping the house shoes onto her tiny feet. Haru trailed after her and felt awkward as she gestured for Chiharu to take a seat and informed her that she would return shortly with tea and snacks.

Haru retreated into the kitchen and busied herself getting the tea service together and her phone rang. "This is Miura," she said.

"Haru are you busy?"

Haru blinked at Akai's voice coming over the line, the number on the caller ID wasn't the older girl's usual one. "What's going on?" Haru asked her fingers automatically pulling everything together on the tray.

"When is the girl your father is boarding for the school year going to get there?" Akai asked.

"She just arrived," Haru said.

Akai swore and Haru frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"Maybe," Akai said. "I'll investigate it myself and report back."

There was a click and Haru stared at the 'Call Ended' screen on her phone for a long moment before snapping the cell phone shut and finishing up the last of the tea preparations. She lifted the tray and summoned an apologetic smile for her guest. "I'm afraid I forgot something for tonight's dinner and I'm sure you are tired after your trip today," Haru said. "Please allow me to show you your room so that you may rest after you've had some tea and snacks."

"You're abandoning your guest so soon, Miura-san?" Chiharu asked her violet eyes meeting Haru's. "Is this common in the way those of Namimori treat them?"

"It isn't common at all, but unless you would like plain rice for dinner instead of the stir fry that I planned. I must go," Haru said.

"Show me my room and then I will accompany you. I need to learn this town anyway as I will be here for a while," Chiharu said and rose.

"Wait, I…" Haru started and was silenced by a look from the smaller girl.

Haru's shoulders slumped a bit and she took a deep breath to compose herself. "This way please Ishida-san," she said and led the way upstairs to the room that Gokudera had occupied over the summer.

She collected the small overnight bag Chiharu handed her when she arrived and Haru placed the bag on the bed. "I apologize for the plainness of the room, but we weren't sure how you would like your room decorated. My father says that you may do whatever you wish to the room for the duration of your stay here."

Chiharu looked around the room and wrinkled her nose a bit. "It smells of cleaning chemicals. Do you not use potpourri sachets or candles to clear the smell of the chemicals before your guests arrive?"

Haru gritted her teeth but managed to summon a smile. "I apologize for the oversight, I will take care of that later today," she said proud that she managed to keep her voice level.

Chiharu looked at her for a long moment. "It will do for now," she said. "Give me a moment to freshen up before we go."

Haru nodded, exiting the room and heading downstairs to gather her bag. She subconsciously checked her kanzashi and cast an apologetic look up the stairs before opening to the door. She pulled out her cellphone and shut the door behind her. It was beyond rude to leave her guest like this, but she had to find out what was going on with Akai.

She called the number Akai had used, but there was no answer. Worry clouded Haru's eyes and she almost made it to the gate when the door was slammed behind her. Haru turned and saw Chiharu stalking towards her. "This shopping excursion is so important you'll abandon someone who does not know this place?" she questioned.

"It's…" Haru trailed off and shrugged helplessly.

"Did your mother teach you any manners?" Chiharu sneered.

Haru's eyes narrowed. "My mother died when I was ten, but I assure you that she taught me everything I needed to know," Haru stated.

Something that could've been chagrin passed over Chiharu's expression but no apology was forthcoming. "Shall we go if you're in such a hurry, Miura-san?"

Chiharu popped the parasol up over her head and moved past Haru with her chin lifted proudly. Haru watched her back for a moment. "Do you know where we're going, Ishida-san?" she asked. "The grocery store is this way."

Chiharu froze and Haru shook her head and turned towards the other direction. Her mind churned for ideas to secure Chiharu somewhere so she could go take care of her duties, but, so far, she was coming up with nothing. She kept her pace just fast enough that unless Chiharu abandoned her small, ladylike steps she would stay just a bit behind and dialed another number.

"Yamamoto."

"It's Haru," she said though the introduction wasn't likely necessary given the Vongola Rain Guardian had her number in his phone. "I got a call from Akai a little bit ago, but I can't investigate right now. She called from a payphone about a block away from Take Sushi. Can you…"

"I'm not at home right now, but I'll head that way," Takeshi Yamamoto told her. "Do you want me to report back with anything I find?"

"Yes, please," Haru said. "I'm headed to the grocery store right now with the person who was set to arrive today. I'll get away if I can manage something, but, for now, she's my guest and I can't just abandon her."

"Roger," Yamamoto said. "Are you going to make it to the meeting tonight?"

"One way or another," Haru said. "My father and her escort should be there this evening and her things are supposed to arrive. Chances are she'll want to get her living space in order before school starts day after tomorrow."

"Let me know if anything comes up," he said.

"Will do," Haru said, "and thank you."

"It's what you pay me for," Yamamoto said jokingly.

Haru giggled and hung up the phone.

She slowed her pace just a little bit allowing Chiharu to catch up.

"You realize if this treatment continues I'll be speaking to my father about this don't you?" Chiharu asked coolly. "First you try to leave me alone in your house without a bodyguard then you nearly leave me behind on the streets of Namimori, how am I to remain safe this way?"

Haru stopped in her tracks and Chiharu moved ahead of her several steps before she realized that Haru was not there. The kimono-clad girl turned and regarded her with hooded violet eyes. "Do you have a problem Miura-san?" she asked coldly.

Haru took a deep breath. "No, Ishida-san, I do not," Haru replied. "Shall we continue?"

They made their way to the grocery store, Haru tuning out a litany of complaints that her companion started when she realized they weren't walking for just a block or so. "If your feet hurt so badly, Ishida-san, please rest here while I get the things that I need for dinner," Haru said, pausing by a bench outside the grocery store.

"You'll leave me unprotected out here?" Chiharu demanded.

Haru closed her eyes. "I'm sure things are very different where you're at in Kyoto, but Namimori, Ishida-san, is not so dangerous," Haru said opening her eyes, she didn't mention she'd spotted at least a couple Vongola agents in and around the grocery store. "You will be fine for the few minutes that I need to go in grab what I need and return. Or, if you like, you can keep the complaints down and come inside with me."

"Well, I never," Chiharu huffed and settled on the bench. "Very well, I will wait out here for exactly ten minutes. If you do not come before then I will see to it that you regret abandoning me."

"As you wish," Haru replied and went through the doors of the grocery store.

"Well that's going to complicate things."

Haru jumped at the sound of Akai's voice behind her and whirled around to see her friend picking up and examining some green onions. Akai was dressed in an artistically 'tattered' dress and had a red scarf tied loosely around her neck, her hair uncharacteristically loose. "Is everything all right?" Haru asked moving in next to Akai to lower her voice so their conversation wouldn't carry.

"Depends on your definition of all right," Akai said. "Are you going to make the meeting tonight?"

"One way or another," Haru said. "I asked Yamamoto…"

"I saw the baseball idiot just before you showed up. I sent him back to the batting cages," Akai said. "You worry too quickly."

"What else am I supposed to do when you call me from a payphone and say something may be wrong but don't elaborate?" Haru demanded softly.

Akai chuckled and reached out, ruffling Haru's hair. "We'll talk tonight, make sure you can escape for the meeting," she said. "Something tells me that ohimesama out there is going to make things…interesting."