Haru Loves You

note: A lot of time has passed since I've touched this story…The feeling I have? It's the sort of feeling you get when the amazing hero stands up ready for another round when everyone else thought he'd died. I'm BACK. WITH A NEW CHAPTER. THAT'S RIGHT. This fanfiction is back in business! Sorry for the long wait, minna!

Chapter 15-Not Expected

"You're good-kora. You're what Lal Mirch would call a miracle-kora. In fact, you're almost done with your training-kora!" Colonello told his student cheerfully. Haru nodded, her short hair fluttering in the breeze. Haru's hand quickly snaked out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Haru recalled the day she'd accidently cut her hair while learning how to throw knives. Although it had upset Haru a little bit that her long hair was gone, she'd eventually become very fond of her short hair. "Seven years…I still can't believe that it's been seven years." Haru murmured to herself. Colonello grinned. "I know what you mean-kora. It felt more like a couple of months; don't you think so-kora?" Haru jumped, a little surprised that he'd heard her words. "Yes."

No.

To Haru, it felt as if twenty years had gone by, as if time itself had decided to slow down for her. Every minute away from her friends, her father, her home and Tsuna-san had pained her; it was unbearable. At this thought, Haru immediately slapped herself, ignoring the surprised stare Colonello shot at her. Bad Haru, Haru mentally scolded herself. You're supposed to be over him. Done. Zip. Nada. You can't have any feelings for your Boss! That's forbidden! It's taboo! Get that to your head already!

One day during her training, Colonello had suddenly informed her that any assassin who worked under a Famiglia could not, ever, ever, harbor any feelings for the Famiglia's boss. When Haru had asked why, Colonello had explained to her that many famiglias had fallen due to the one-sided love between assassins, famiglia members and their Bosses. Some assassins had gone insane from their unrequited love, and then had killed their Bosses for not returning their love. Sometimes, it was just because the assassins wanted to make sure that no one else would be able to receive their beloved Boss's love. The reasons were numerous. Haru now understood that he'd said it because he'd been trying to warn her at that time.

It wasn't possible to love him while working as an assassin.

She understood. She understood it perfectly…It was just hard to obey. Liking and loving Tsuna had at first been a habit, then a duty…And one day, it'd just become a part of her. Trying to get rid of her love for him would be like cutting herself in half. It was just…Impossible. But you can't think like that, Haru silently told herself as she gazed into the distance. After all, Kyoko-chan and Tsuna-san are probably…

Haru's mind immediately withdrew from the thought, as if it'd been stung. Haru swallowed. At this point, she continued, forcing herself to finish the thought. Kyoko-chan's probably fallen in love with Tsuna-san by now. One week after her training had started she received a letter from Reborn. It had been a short letter. She'd spent so much time reading it over, that she could recall it from memory.

Are you doing well? Kyoko and Yoru have broken up. Will you still continue to stay with Colonello? Everyone is worried about you.

And she knew. She had known what Reborn was trying to tell her through those vague words. At that time, she'd known that he'd been trying to give her one more chance. She knew that he'd been trying to warn her. Haru knew that Reborn had been trying to tell her that with Kyoko single, the chances of her ending up with Tsuna was diminishing. She knew. She knew he'd been trying to give her a chance to escape from the mafia world. Haru had known. But yet…

She had turned her back on that chance. She had kept true to her new resolve. She had forged herself the path of an assassin. And there was no turning back. With a bitter smile on her face, Haru sighed. She was seven years too late.

"What's wrong-kora? Something wrong-kora?"

Haru jumped at the sound of her mentor's voice. "No, nothing wrong. I was just thinking. I promise you, Colonello-san, I won't disappoint you." Colonello shook his head. "Listen to me-kora. You haven't-kora. It took you seven years, but you're standing here as a brand new woman, aren't you-kora? You've already made me proud-kora. You're almost at the end of your training-but not yet-kora. There's something that's holding you back-kora."

He's holding you back.

Haru knew what Colonello was saying. "I know, Colonello-san," she whispered. "I'm working on it." "I'll believe it when I see it-kora." Then in softer tones, Colonello added, "But I'm sure you'll be able to succeed." Haru stared at her hand. Seven years. She'd spent seven years of her life with Colonello, training harder than she ever had before. The build and stamina she'd built up from gymnastics had given her a boost, but not much. It'd taken seven years for Haru to perfect her strengths in stamina, strength, speed, and all other areas necessary for the ultimate assassin.

But the most difficult to gain control of, had been the ability to control and wield her flames. The flames did not spring forth at will; rather, they only came out during moments of danger or at rare, unexpected moments. "Once you're able to control your flames, you'll be on your way back to Namimori-kora. You can do this-kora. You just need to focus-kora. Think of…Think of something that'll help you focus-kora." Haru swallowed. Break time was over. It was time to train again. "Ready-kora?" Colonello asked.

Haru squared her shoulders and tossed her hair back. "Ready." She answered. I'm ready.

Pant. Pant. Swallow.

He watched his sweat drip till it fell against the hard, hard concrete. He swallowed down his disappointment and then got up. It hurt so much...Every since the day Haru had disappeared, something inside him had been hurting. It was clear now. It had been clear all along. But he hadn't wanted to accept it. And now he had to.

Miura Haru was not in Namimori. She hadn't been in Namimori for seven years.

Tsuna could feel the worried glances of his two closest friends burning into his back. He knew how worried they were about him. "Juudaime…She's not here. You must've realized that by now." Yes, he knew. Haru wasn't in Namimori. He'd wasted seven years. While he could've been searching other places, he'd digging around Namimori, fervently hoping that Haru had been hiding somewhere he hadn't yet looked.

"Tsuna. Go home and rest. At this rate, you're going to run yourself into the ground. You'll find Haru soon, but making yourself this tired isn't going to help." Tsuna stood and nodded. "I know, Yamamoto-kun. It's just that-"

"Juudaime. The baseball idiot is right. Listen to him. Can't you listen to us just this one time? As your right-hand man…and as one of your closest friends…won't you listen to my request? Please. Get some rest." Tsuna half-heartedly chuckled and then turned around. "I'm sorry for all the trouble, you two. I promise that I'll go home now, Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto-kun. Sorry…for all the trouble." Immediately, the solemn expressions on Gokudera and Yamamoto's faces evolved into a look of satisfaction and relief.

"Juudaime! Would you like me to escort you?"

"That's not necessary, Gokudera-kun. But thank you anyways. I'll be fine on my own. Don't worry. I promise that I'm not lying. I'll go straight to my house and rest. Yamamoto-kun, something wrong?" The brief edge in Yamamoto's eyes vanished and he shook his head. "Nothing. Just go home already and rest, okay, Tsuna?" Tsuna nodded, a brief smile lighting up his face before the smile drooped into a thin line.

"If Haru isn't in Namimori, then she's probably out there somewhere. I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to search for her outside of Namimori once the holidays start. Reborn won't let me go now, -but once the holidays start, he'll be willing to let me go at least. I don't now about you guys, but I'm going to search for her outside of Namimori once I can leave. You can all stay here, but I'm going to look for Haru."

"Juudaime, don't leave me out. I'll go with you. I'm your right-hand man, after all. And a loyal right-hand man goes wherever his boss goes." Gokudera spoke in a grave voice. "And I'm going too! You can't expect to leave me all alone here, can you?" In contrast, Yamamoto's voice was cheerful. A soft smile appeared on Tsuna's face.

"Thanks, you two."

And with that, Tsuna walked off. When Yamamoto and Gokudera could no longer see a trace of him, they sighed. "Juudaime's changed." Yamamoto saw the stricken look on Gokudera's face and patted him on the shoulder. "He has…Seven years will do that to a person, won't it? But Tsuna's still Tsuna!" The words coming out of Yamamoto's mouth felt false and he pushed away the heavy feeling that was threatening to overcome him.

"His eyes…don't look very kind now."

"Kyoko!" "Sasagawa! When did you get here?"

The two boys-now men-whirled around and saw Sasagawa Kyoko staring sadly at the horizon. Her long hair fluttered in the breeze and the three stood in silence. "I got here when Tsuna-kun was just leaving. But…I wonder where Haru-chan is," Kyoko murmured to herself with a worried look.

"Juudaime needs Haru. If we can find her, then he'll return back to normal! Not that he isn't normal-well, Juudaime is superb in all ways- but he's just…He's just-"

"He's just not happy." Yamamoto finished for the blustering Gokudera. A determined look came over Kyoko and after a few moments, she took off in the direction Tsuna had disappeared. "Oi! Sasagawa, where are you going?" "I need to tell Tsuna-kun something!" The two males shared a puzzled look. "What do you think she's going to tell him?" Yamamoto asked. Gokudera shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. Although seven years had passed, his habits hadn't changed at all. "Whatever she needs to tell him, it must be important if she's running like that."

It seemed like only yesterday when he'd heard her final words…Why had he been so stupid at the time? If only he'd admitted his true feelings earlier…If he had…Then Haru wouldn't have disappeared. She would've been at his side-as his girlfriend. As his lover. He'd missed that chance. He was seven years too late. Tsuna continued to walk at a slow space. His feelings for Haru had grown, and ultimately pushed his feelings for Kyoko down to the ground. The two spots in his heart that had once been available broke down until only one spot for his special woman had remained.

And that woman was Haru. There could be no other. He'd been seven years too slow to realize that, and now he had, he was resolved to stay firm to his decision. Tsuna's shoulders unconsciously slumped. But as time dragged on, and with no Haru in sight, that resolve was slowly, slowly…

"Tsuna-kun!"

Tsuna turned around and his eyes widened at the sight of Kyoko running towards him. "Ah, Kyoko-chan. Did something happen?" A brief glimmer of hope shone in his eyes. Has she been found? Is that what Kyoko-chan's going to tell me? "Tsuna-kun. I have something important to tell you."

"Something important to tell me…?" The faint feeling of hope in Tsuna's chest died into disappointment. So she isn't here to talk to me about Haru. "It's really important," Kyoko said hesitantly. "So can you spare me some of your time and listen?" Tsuna nodded. Even if she wasn't the girl he loved anymore, Kyoko was still a good friend of his.

"Tsuna-kun…You've been awfully hurt, haven't you?" Tsuna blinked. This was not what he had been expecting to hear. "Tsuna-kun…You've been hurt a lot. I know that. Everyone knows that. And-I'm still hurting a lot. We've both been awfully hurt, haven't we?"

Tsuna frowned. "Kyoko-chan, I don't understand what you're trying to say." He really didn't. Was she trying to comfort him? "So…I had an idea. To make us both feel better." Tsuna nodded, urging Kyoko to go on.

"Tsuna-kun…We're both so broken. Don't you think? Haru-chan is gone…And Yoru is no longer by my side. Should…Should we try mending our pain together?" Tsuna's eyebrows shot up and then narrowed. "What do you mean by mending our pain together?" Somehow, he had a faint idea of what Kyoko was trying to tell him…

"You're hurting. And I'm hurting. Isn't it ideal for two people in pain to be together? What I'm saying is…Let's date, Tsuna-kun." Tsuna's eyes widened and he kept his head down. "You don't know what you're saying, Kyoko-chan. I-"

"I know what I'm saying! You miss Haru-chan a lot. Anyone can see that! And I miss Yoru-kun so much that it hurts! Even though it's been seven years! I don't want to be hurting anymore…You can't tell me that you're not hurting, because I know you are! Don't you want to get rid of your pain…? There's a chance that if we get together, we can get rid of what's hurting us…Tsuna-kun. I'm willing. But are you?"

Tsuna's head felt as if someone was crushing it down. If he took up Kyoko's offer, then there was a chance that all the hurt he was feeling from Haru's missing presence would be erased. And that did sound tempting but…How could he possibly do that? Had he not promised to devote himself to only one girl? Hadn't he-

"Tsuna-kun. Think about it for a while and then give me your answer…I had to think a lot before I came up to you with this offer anyways." With a small smile, Kyoko turned on her heel and walked away, leaving behind a bewildered Tsuna. This definitely had not been what Tsuna was expecting to hear.

"Haru-kora! I can see what's the problem now-kora!"

Haru's eyes lit up. "Really, Colonello-san? You've finally found the reason? What is it?" Colonello sat down on the ground with crossed legs and arms. "It's a lack of focus-kora. You're not really thinking about it-kora. What you need, is a sort of….what do you call it-kora? Motivation-kora!" He looked at the ring on her finger. As a present, he'd given his student the C-rank lightning ring two years ago. Colonello willed it to work. Haru felt like she could just pout. She wasn't focused enough? But she'd been putting her all into summoning her flames…

"If it helps, try to think of a purpose-kora." Colonello offered. Haru nodded and closed her eyes in concentration. Think of a purpose….Think of a purpose…Think of a purpose…

I need to live. I want to survive! I must live. I must survive!

With that thought, a tiny flame escaped from the ring and then blew out. Haru jumped ecstatically and punched her arm to the sky. "I did it, Colonello-san!" Colonello grinned. "You did it-kora. But not quite-kora." Immediately, Haru's celebrations came to a screeching halt. "Eh? Wasn't I successful? What do you mean by not quite, Colonello-san?"

"Those were weak flames-kora. If you want to be an assassin, you need a stronger purpose than the one you just thought of now-kora. Think of another purpose-kora." Once again, Haru closed her eyes and this time, clenched her hands together in prayer. She quickly found a thought that had always lurked in her mind and resolved to use it.

I want to go home!

Slowly, but surely, the flame was growing once more. It was a very faint flame, but much larger than the one Haru had summoned before.

I want to see my friends!

Her flames grew larger.

I-I want to see Tsuna-san!

The flame on her ring heightened in power and size, but this went without notice to Haru due to her tightly-closed eyes. "Haru-kora! Open your eyes already-kora!" The excitement in Colonello's voice made Haru's eyes snap open. Happiness bubbled inside Haru and she cheered. "I've done it!" Laughing, she twirled around in celebration and squealed. She'd finally done it.

"You're really close to finishing your training now-kora. But I just need to see something-kora. Come with me-kora. I just have to see something and then you can go home-kora." Haru's eyes widened as she followed the tiny Arcobaleno. "I can just go home? Colonello-san, you're not going to help me with my flames? I thought-"

"I want to see how you do by yourself-kora. After two months, I want you to come back here-kora. And then we'll work on whatever has to be worked on-kora." Haru nodded and then followed her mentor in silence until they reached a large white building in a forest.

"Colonello-san…? What is this place?" "Haru," Colonello turned around with the most serious expression she'd ever seen him wear. "This is where you will be tested. If you can pass this test, then you can go home and work on improving your flames and then come back. If you don't, then you continue to stay here." Haru pinched her cheeks and then saluted the tiny figure in front of her.

"I'll do my best!"

And with that, Haru took off and entered the white building. Colonello sighed and turned around, directing his attention to a particular tree. "It seems like she didn't notice you." He said in a half-heartedly cheerful manner.

Tsuna dug his head deeper into his knees and wrapped his arms tighter around his calves. He felt like he could just cry. Didn't he really like Haru? If he liked her so much…then why was he pondering so much about Kyoko's offer? Was that a sign that he really didn't feel what he thought he had felt? Had he just been lying to himself this whole time? It was just too unbelievable.

The pain he'd felt from Haru's disappearance had taken control of him…He knew that he wasn't himself. Even though his friends thought otherwise, Tsuna saw the worried and fretful glances. He knew what they thought. To be honest, hadn't it been his dream? To go out with Kyoko-chan? Here, he was handed a chance to go out with her!

But Haru…

A bitter look came over his face. Haru…She'd always weighed him down somehow. And Kyoko-chan…Had never done such a thing before. He just wanted to forget it all. A brief flash of Haru's sad face came into his mind and Tsuna pushed it down. He wanted to forget. He had to forget. If he didn't, he was going to go crazy.

Knock-knock. Tsuna looked up and rearranged his face into a cheerful smile. "Come in, Mom." When the door swung open, in came Kyoko. Kyoko winked when she spotted the stricken look on Tsuna's face. "Wasn't expecting me, were you, Tsuna-kun?" A serious look erased all signs of laughter from her face.

Tsuna gulped. He hadn't been expecting Kyoko to get his answer so soon! It hadn't even been a day yet…Somehow the moonlight seeping through his window and shed itself on the girl. "Kyoko-chan…It's late. And you came all this way here just to get your answer." Kyoko shrugged. "I really wanted to know, Tsuna-kun."

Tsuna got up from his bed and approached Kyoko with slow footsteps.

"So…do you like me as a friend? Or…do you like Haru as…more?"

Another footstep.

"But know this, Tsuna-san. I, Miura Haru, have loved you since the moment I've met you."

Tightened hands.

"I know that you like Kyoko-chan."

A sharp intake of breath.

There's no way I would ever likeboth of them.

"Kyoko-chan…I've decided. I'll accept your offer."

a/n: Ahem. Well, it's been a very long time. I'm pleased to say that my eyes have recovered, (which must've been pretty obvious from all the updates,) but it seems like they're returning to their old state…However, taking a break from Haru Loves You has really refreshed my mind. I'm bubbling with ideas that I didn't have before because my mind had been totally broken down. I hope that you've all been looking forward to this update. Please leave a review on what you think will happen next! It'd just be super amazing if you could actually correctly guess on what would happen next…

Ha. Anyways, thank you so much for the many reviews and I promise you that an update will be coming out soon, so expect an notification in your email boxes in about a week or so! By the way guys, thank you so much for your concern about my eyes; it just really broke me down to tears when I read some of the comments you left. Just thank you so much, readers.

Extra note: I've released a new story titled 'diamrem.' Check it out if you'd like! Also, as of now, Boss and Girl will continue to be on hiatus due to the fact that I can't think of any ideas…Sigh. Hopefully I'll get over it soon…I'd like to make an announcement that a couple of new stories will be up in a while, so please look forward to them!

Oh no! Tsuna's accepted Kyoko's offer! What will happen now? Just who was Colonello talking to? Will Haru pass her test? Just what's going to happen next? Stay tuned to find out what happens!

(Next time on Haru Loves You…)

"Isn't it so selfish of me? Even though I have to focus on training, my mind just keeps on drifting towards something, no…someone in Namimori. I'm pretty sure you know who it is by now, Colonello-san. You know, don't you? Since I'm so easy to read."

"Tsu-kun!"

"Kyoko-chan! I…have something I need to tell you too. It's really important, so sit down and listen to me."

"Reborn! What do you mean, someone from Namimori got hurt-kora?! Who is it-kora?"

"An illusion?!"

"Tsuna-san, I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry. I'm apologizing now…so please don't marry her!"