Haru Loves You
note: High school. Not that bad...but I just wish summer was here. I NEED TIME TO WORK ON MY FANFICTION. Oi vey... 2786.
Chapter 16-Tests
Haru moved as silently as she could. Colonello had always reminded her that it was vital to remain quiet-it was handy for missions. He also had told her to always be unnoticeable, which was what she was trying to pull off right now. There was nothing what kind of challenges laid ahead in the building. She was full of determination. She was absolutely sure that she'd manage to pass the test with flying colors. After all, she'd trained seven years to get to where she was. There was-
"Ha!"
Haru jumped in the air and swung her arms in three directions. With a resounding crack, ten wooden puppets fell to the ground; each one containing a fist-sized crater. Haru chuckled. This really was too easy. If this test was nothing but what she usually did, then she was sure that this was going to be like taking a walk in a park. Don't get cocky-kora!
Colonello's words struck her mind and she swallowed down the arrogance that had shown. That was right. This test wouldn't be easy at all. She couldn't get cocky. She couldn't do that. That was how most assassins died. Those who got arrogant died rather quickly from their over-confidence. Haru didn't plan on dying. She walked down a darkened corridor and ducked as something flew past her head and collided with the wall with a solid smack. Haru groaned. There was sure to be more traps that was exactly like one she'd just survived from. She needed light to see.
But there was no light.
She couldn't see any switches and if she tried getting up, some trap would probably get her. Haru rubbed the surface of her ring and held tight to it. It really was too bad that she wouldn't be able to do anything with her flame. Her flames would be no help-
A light bulb went off in Haru's mind. Lightning was kind of like a light…There was a chance she could use her flame as a light instead. What did she have to do again? Ah, right. She had to transform her resolve into flame. But really, what was her resolve? Her resolve…Her flames had been at their strongest when she'd thought of her home. When she'd thought of-No. Her mind shied away from the thought of him. Her resolve was to protect those she held dear. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips to the surface, desperately trying to channel her determination into a flame.
Resolve into flame, resolve into flame, resolve into flame- she'd done it! There was a faint sound and then Haru's face glowed with the color of the green flames that radiated from the ring in the form of lightning. Okay, so she'd summoned her flame… Now she had to expand it till it was big enough to use as a light. Haru blanked. How the heck was she supposed to do that? She didn't have a single box weapon. Haru recalled some advice Colonello had given her not too long ago. When you run out of resources you always rely on-or if you find yourself in a situation with nothing, think outside the box-kora! Haru looked at down at her ring. Just as she was entering the building, she'd taken off her ring and slipped on her lucky black gloves.
The gloves had been given as a present three years ago from Colonello. It was easier to punch, grab and hit when she had the glove on. She wanted to be prepared for anything and everything. As she'd been punching the life out of five training robots twenty minutes ago, she had somehow slipped on the ring on her right hand at one point.
Haru would think outside of the box.
She swallowed and brushed the ring against her left glove. She braced herself for the electric shock but felt nothing but a tiny tingle. Then bam, she punched the ring against her left hand till the flames formed into a ball of electricity. Haru jumped forward and threw the ball above her and then quickly formed another ball of electricity with her ring. Up went the ball and this continued for a while till Haru could make out a ceiling from the long strand of flames that hung from it. Haru reached out and grabbed the strand with her right hand and was surprised that the flames felt solid, like clay.
Stretch, she commanded the flames.
And they did, till she had a long coil of sparking green lightning around her. Something huge came crashing in towards Haru's right. Quickly, she grabbed the coil and swung it at the object. She felt a jolt in her left hand as the coil connected and then came a heavy boom as the object fell. Haru could hear objects clattering onto the floor. She looked over and gasped. It was a huge sack full of stones that had been split in half after coming into contact with the coil. Was Colonello crazy-?!
"Colonello-san, I could've gotten killed!" Haru yelled. Even though he wasn't here, she knew that somehow he was watching over her as she progressed through his test. Haru breathed hard through her nose. There was sure to be more traps like this one up ahead. She couldn't keep on making coils- that'd take too much time and effort. She tightened her grip on the coil and lassoed it high over her head. One more swing, two more swings, three more swings-
She closed her eyes and listened hard. Now that she was paying extra attention, she could hear tiny shudders up ahead. Which meant that there more of these dratted traps. She'd have to strike through all the traps at once. Haru continued to lasso as she listened. She'd have to time herself precisely- if she miscalculated, she'd miss one or more of the traps.
Now!
With all her might, Haru took a step forward with her right foot and swung the coil.
"Juudaime! Juudaime! I think I…Juudaime-?"
Gokudera stared at the sight before him. Kyoko's left arm was wrapped around Tsuna's right arm as they walked. The two were talking quietly with both of their heads very close to each other. Gokudera's mouth moved but no words came out. What was going on? Had he missed something? "J-Juudaime," Gokudera said after clearing his throat. "What are you doing?" Tsuna and Kyoko shared a look before they looked at Gokudera.
"We're…"
"Dating."
Gokudera's mouth opened and closed. Slowly, his lips curved upwards in a smile. "Congratulations, Juudaime! I wish you two happiness and good fortune! Now if you excuse me, I have to get going…Goodbye!" Gokudera walked away as quickly as he could. What had happened? Hadn't Juudaime been moping about Haru? Why was he so-so close to-
"Gokudera! Oi, Gokudera! Goku-" "Shut up!" Gokudera hissed. He tugged at Yamamoto's shoulder and dragged him off till they reached the park. "Gokudera, what's wrong? You look kind of confused." Gokudera sighed and leaned forward. "Juudaime's with Sasagawa-I mean, Kyoko." Yamamoto frowned, his eyebrows narrowing. "So?" Gokudera groaned and rolled his eyes. "Why do I try to explain myself to you?!" He hissed before straightening his back. "Baseball idiot, it's not like that. They're not just together as in they're in each other's presence, it's more like they're…together, together." Yamamoto's eyebrows lifted in surprise and then a blank look appeared on his face. "I don't get it."
"How can I say this in a way you'll
understand, Yamamoto?! Ugh. How about this…Will you understand if I say that they're dating?" Yamamoto frowned as he thought. "But…Tsuna likes Haru. Doesn't he?" "Well I thought he did! But with his own lips…Juudaime just told me in person that he was dating Kyoko now." A crease in Yamamoto's forehead slowly made its appearance.
"But isn't that unfair to Haru?"
"We don't even know where she is right now. We don't know if she stills likes him or not. Heck, we don't even know if she's alive, if she's dead-if she's on the border of either. We don't even know if she still likes him or not if she really is alive. We haven't seen for seven years." Yamamoto patted his head and then pointed at Gokudera. "You need to have hope, Gokudera. She's alive. I'm sure of it. All we have to do is keep on looking."
Gokudera frowned. "But if we did find her, would we really want to bring her back here?" Yamamoto blinked. "D-Don't you want to see her again? She's a friend, you know." "I know that! But if she sees Juudaime and Sasagawa together, won't she be sad?" Yamamoto sighed and tucked his head atop of his arms.
"Let's find her first. Then, we can worry about those kinds of things."
"You're right…"
As the two males conversed, Kyoko and Tsuna were in another part of town, walking side by side, arm in arm. The two wore bashful looks as the people of the town looked at them with amused looks. "Why do they keep on looking at us like that?" Kyoko murmured embarrassedly. Tsuna shrugged. "Well, if we're linked like this, won't people look? Don't mind it, Kyoko-chan." The two continued to walk on in silence.
"Hey, Tsuna-kun."
"What?"
"Are you upset?" Tsuna halted and looked at Kyoko with a puzzled expression. "That-That I made you this offer?" Tsuna looked away and then faced her again. "Do you think I would've accepted your offer if I didn't want to?" "N-No…Well, maybe. Because you're nice." Tsuna chuckled. "Because I'm nice?" He repeated in a hollow voice. "I don't think I am." Kyoko smiled. "Well, you are."
"Thanks, Kyoko-chan. Ah…Hibari-san."
Hibari stood before them with his usual stoic face. Tsuna could make out a slight scowl on Hibari's face. "Hibari-san, are you alright?" Hibari did not move, nor did he speak. He gave no implication that he'd heard Tsuna's question. He continued to stare, a look of slight disapproval on his face. "Hello, Hibari-san. It sure is a nice day today, isn't it?"
Slowly, Hibari's head turned to Kyoko's direction. She had a polite smile on her face as she talked. Hibari walked, making his way around Tsuna and Kyoko. He brushed past Kyoko and 'hmmed' as he did so. "Goodbye, Hibari-san!"
"Feel better, Hibari-san!" Tsuna called out after Kyoko's farewell. "Feel better?" She asked. Tsuna nodded. "Mm. I saw…Never mind. Let's go to the movie theater, okay? I heard a bunch of really good movies came out!" Kyoko giggled and nodded.
"Okay, Tsuna-kun."
The two had no idea that Hibari was stopped by Ryohei when they met on the street. While Kyoko and Tsuna were watching their melodrama movie, Ryohei was accompanying Hibari who had told him that he'd felt like drinking.
A lot.
"YAH!"
Haru ducked and gasped as she felt something strike her stomach. She snarled and gave a great shout as she kicked as hard as she could at her opponent. "Who the heck are you guys?!" She demanded. "What the heck do you think you people are doing here?"
The silent men clothed in black gave no answer, but instead moved forward. "So that's the way it's going to be…" Haru whispered to herself, moving slowly to her right. Is this part of the test? Haru wondered. Colonello hadn't mentioned anything about this to her…She straightened her shoulders. There was no time to be thinking about things like that! She sized up the men. They were all a good head taller than her. Each of the clothed strangers had the same broad shoulders and huge body; meaning that it'd be awful hard to fight them. They probably had two times more power than her and these strangers would be able to utilize their strengths against her small, frail form.
Well, her body was small and frail compared to them, but she certainly wasn't as small and frail as she looked! Haru launched herself at the man closest to her and swung her leg upwards in a kick. Her leg swept through the air and Haru gasped in shock. Had-Had her leg just gone through that man?! No way…Haru twisted her body into a low crouch and swept her leg out in a clean half-circle, intending to trip the same man.
This time she felt something solid hit her leg-yet not quite solid. Something really wasn't right…She could feel all the blows and pains that'd come with the blows she'd been unable to dodge. Because of that, she knew that it couldn't possibly be an ill-
Haru's eyes widened and then narrowed. "Stupid illusions!" She shouted. Haru closed her eyes shut and willed herself to break out. Get me out, get me out, get me-aghh!
Haru let out a scream of pain as something connected with her backside. When Haru's vision was clear once more, she saw one of the men towering over her. What the…Hadn't they been illusions? Hadn't they been illusions?! She fought as hard as she could, but there just too many of them and too few of her. So as she was kicked and hurt, Haru silently whispered her want to no longer hurt in her mind. Perhaps her flames would activate as a result…
But nothing.
And there was nothing Haru could do.
Suddenly, she heard six sharp whacks and the pain stopped. Trembling, she uncovered her face and groaned. The men were lying down, all aligned in a circle with her in the center. She spotted a pair of black shoes and slowly her eyes trailed upwards.
"T-Tsuna-san?!" She croaked. What was he doing here? What-What-hadn't Reborn-san promised? Hadn't Bianchi promised? How had Tsuna-san found out? Why was he here? He wasn't supposed to be here-He wasn't supposed to be here and she-
She wasn't supposed to be feeling this way for him anymore.
She drank in every contour of his face, every spike of his hair; every particle of warmth that was radiating from his body. But it was all blurry…so blurry. "Tsu-Tsuna-san. What are you doing here?" He looked at her with a look of remorse and all she could do was take in his presence. He was here.
He was here with her.
She had to go-she had to leave-if he was here, he messed up her focus up and that would set her whole training back. Haru got up, trying to ignoring the pain. She felt warmth on her hand and looked up in alarm. Why was he looking at her with such a gentle look? Why…?
"I'm so sorry, Haru. I'm sorry that this had to happen to you. It must've been tough, right? I'm sorry. You don't have to do this anymore. I'm right here." Haru felt her cheeks heat up. Why was he saying such pretty things to her? He couldn't. He wasn't supposed to be saying such things to her. Hadn't he been dumbfounded by her confession? Hadn't he hurt her?
She built up her courage and gently pushed his hand away. "No, Tsuna-san. It has been tough," Haru replied in a cool voice. "But it's nothing I couldn't handle…Boss."And just to add effect to her statement, she started to walk away at a slow place. A few steps later, she was sprawled over the floor in an unconscious state.
She'd fainted.
When she woke up, Bianchi was looking down at her with a look of alarm. Haru moved her head and felt the sound of cloth rustle below her head. With a jolt, she realized that she was in a white bed that smelled of hospital. She was in a hospital! "Haru!" The woman embraced Haru and patted her hair. "Thank the heavens."
Haru blinked. "What's going on? I-Is there something wrong? Where am I? What happened?" Bianchi stared at Haru with a dead serious look. "Haru, listen to me. You were asleep for a long, long time. You could've lost your life if we hadn't gotten you to a hospital so fast. It's been a year since you've fallen asleep. You're in Namimori right now." Haru laughed a weak laugh that sounded rusty and cracked.
"Bianchi-san, you must be joking….You really aren't joking..." Haru's voice faded away. "Haru, there's something else that's going on." Haru sighed wearily, burying her head into the pillow. "What is it? I'm not allowed to be an assassin? The world's going to end?"
"Tsuna's marrying Kyoko."
Everything was blank since that day. For Haru, nothing had color. It was cold and all she could think of was a train of thoughts centered on one prospect.
'Tsuna-san's marrying Kyoko-chan?'
She laughed at herself. She wanted to laugh at herself. She knew. She'd seen this coming. And yet…This whole time, Haru hadn't believed that this would've happened. Kyoko had been ecstatic when she'd told Haru. And Haru had yet to see Tsuna. If she had known that this would've happened, then would she have gone to train with Colonello? Or would she have stayed in Namimori, wooing Tsuna? Well, it was too late.
Haru scowled, disgusted at herself. Her best friend was getting married today and yet she still carried those lingering feelings…She couldn't like a married man! It was wrong. If Kyoko knew about her feelings then…Haru shook her head. She didn't even want to imagine it. She could only plead to the heavens for time to go back. She could only plead to the heavens that she'd forget about her feelings and meet someone new.
Haru felt a warm hand on her shoulder. "Bianchi-san," Haru murmured. Bianchi frowned. "Are you upset that Kyoko didn't choose you as her bridesmaid?" Haru shook her head. "No. I'm not upset-it makes sense. After all…I was gone for seven years. And Hana is Kyoko-chan's best friend. It's only logical that Hana would be her bridesmaid." She expected Bianchi-san to carry on but instead, the older woman gripped Haru's shoulders with a firm hold.
"Or….are you upset about what's going to take place today?"
Haru stiffened and Bianchi's eyes softened. "Haru…Let me tell you something. If it's too painful, then leave. If you can bear the pain, leave anyways. Are you really alright with being hurt like this?" Haru smiled. "Bianchi-san, I'm fine. I need to witness my best friend's marriage with a heart full of joy. Marriage is a beautiful thing after all." Bianchi gestured to the white door, directing Haru into the room behind it.
"Then…let's go."
Haru could see that every face in the grand room carried a smile. Immediately, she urged herself to do the same but…The smile she put on felt fake. It felt cracked and unreal. Just like the event that was going to take place before her eyes. Time flew by her and soon enough, a man was walking down the aisle in a black tuxedo. He walked at a slow tempo, walking in time to the music that was playing in the background.
Haru swallowed hard. That was Tsuna-san. It was strange. He looked so young…So, so young. As if time had barely left a trace on him.
When she came to her senses again, Kyoko-chan was walking down the aisle with a small smile on her face. She sure looked beautiful in that wedding dress. The fabric whirled and moved like ripples on water and Haru could only stare. Kyoko-chan seemed young too…It seemed like the whole wedding procedure was being rushed-everything was going in fast motion till it came to a screeching halt.
Their vows were echoing in her mind, leaving huge gaps in her senses of feeling. Was she really going to leave it like this? Already, Haru could feel something painful clawing at her heart; she could already feel herself in heartbreak's grasp. Tsuna-san would not ever be hers. He was all Kyoko-chan's now. The chance of him walking by her side was impossible.
And Haru-
Her fists tightened.
Didn't-
She swallowed.
Want that.
"NO!" Haru pushed through the guests sitting beside her till she was standing before the altar. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to focus on Tsuna-san's face. "Tsuna-san! I'm sorry!" The man before her stiffened and Haru could make out a slight look of puzzlement.
"I said I'm sorry! I'm sorry for leaving Namimori and I'm sorry I wasn't brave enough to stay and try to woo you! I'm sorry that this day had to come. I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough to stop liking you. I thought about you every day when I trained-I…I still…About you…Nothing's changed. Nothing's changed so…Can't you think about this? I truly love you. And…Kyoko-chan. I'm sorry. Even though he's the one you love…I love him too."
Tears she'd been holding back for days were welling up, streaking down her cheeks.
"Tsuna-san, I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry. I'm apologizing now…so please don't marry her!" Desperation rang with every word. Haru stood, waiting for a reply. She was waiting for something to happen. Rejection? Acceptance? Resistance? She didn't know. The thought of losing him…Hurt too much.
"Haru-kora."
Colonello-san's voice…?
"That's enough-kora. I'm sorry to say this but you failed the test-kora." Haru's knees sunk to the ground, shaking as they did so. Of course…she should've realized it from the moment she'd been surrounded by those men. This whole time… This whole time…
"An illusion?!"
"Tsuna-kun, that movie sure was fun to watch. What should we do next?" Tsuna smiled. "Well, what would you like to do?" Inside, Tsuna marveled at the scene unfolding before his very eyes. As a young boy, it'd always been his dream to be walking side by side with Kyoko. It had been an unfathomable dream. Unreachable. Untouchable. Intangible. And yet, here he was…Walking with the woman he'd always longed for.
If it'd always been his dream then why did he feel so ridiculously unhappy? His mind was telling him that he was happy. Why wouldn't he be? His dream had finally come true. But his heart was telling him otherwise. His heart was telling him that it wasn't right. Because some other female had taken Kyoko's place. And he knew the person who was guilty of the deed. But no, he couldn't admit it.
How could he? He was dating Kyoko-chan now.
"Hey, Tsuna-kun. Can I call you something else? I want…If it's okay with you, I'd like to call you Tsu-kun." Tsu-kun? Already? Tsuna opened his mouth and immediately a rushed 'yes' spilled from his lips once he saw the hopeful look in her eyes. "Thank you, Tsu-kun." Tsuna had to admit, Kyoko looked wonderful at the moment, with her cheeks all tingly pink and her eyes all big and doe-like. But it wasn't enough-No, it wasn't enough. He was trying to envision someone else.
Immediately, he berated himself. What was he doing?! Hadn't he sworn to forget? Move on? He'd done so when he accepted Kyoko's offer. Going back on his word now…wouldn't be right. No, it'd be wrong. So profanely wrong. "Tsu-kun, are you alright? You look…" Kyoko's word died away and she offered a tiny smile instead. "Never mind. Let's go to the park. Can we?" Tsuna nodded. "Of course."
What else was he supposed to say to his girlfriend?
As he allowed himself to get pulled along, his heart left his body for a while, searching and pounding for the sole existence of a girl who went by the name Miura Haru.
"Colonello-san…Did I really fail?" Haru shook her head once she saw Colonello's mouth moving. "Never mind, Colonello-san. I know. I know that I failed. I'm sorry to have disappointed you." Colonello shrugged. "Don't be-kora. I was actually kind of expecting something like this to happen, you know-kora. Anyways, would you like to meet the person who designed out the whole illusion-kora?" Haru nodded slowly. Did she know the illusionist? She had to know-otherwise, how could've the illusionist managed to portray the familiar faces she'd grown up with her whole life?
"Maya, come out-kora."
Behind the trees, a woman dressed in white came out. From head to toe, everything she wore was white. The woman wore a hood to cover her face and the dress she was wearing seemed to be made of glowing fabric. Haru bowed . "Hello, Maya-san. You have…exceptional powers. I'm very impressed." Once Maya tilted her head, Haru could make out the woman's face. She saw a narrow nose, soft round cheeks and the flash of silver-tinted eyes. "Colonello offered me to set up an illusion, you see. I had training under both him and a rather skilled illusionist-"
"Don't know why she did-kora."
"So I accepted his offer. He was my teacher after all. I must admit, I got a bit rusty." Haru's eyes widened. "Rusty? What do you mean? It seemed so…It seemed so real." Maya offered a gracious smile. "Thank you, Haru-san. However, there were many faults in my illusion. Because I have not ever lay eyes on Sawada Tsunayoshi and Sasagawa Kyoko, I was not able to conjure the way they'd look now. Colonello did provide me with pictures of them when they were much younger but I wasn't able to memorize them perfectly, you see. So I blurred their faces when I could. And when you were fighting those opponents, I lost focus and some energy. You noticed it, I'm sure."
"I did. I have a question for you, Maya-san. When exactly did the whole illusion start?"
"From the moment you stepped into those doors."
"And where were you?"
"I was hiding the whole time. I was very careful to make sure that you could find no trace of me. If you don't mind advice from a stranger, I'd like to offer you some." Haru bowed. "I would be honored." A serious look came over Maya's face.
"Haru-san, I do not think it'd be best for you to take on the life of an assassin." Haru's face went blank. "You think quickly and precisely. You are strong, and most of your strengths lie in your wisdom and planning. However, you lost yourself when I pulled in Sawada Tsunayoshi into the illusion. Colonello had told me beforehand of your soft spot for Sawada Tsunayoshi. It would not be wise to enter the mafia world. It is dirty and tainted, I can assure you that. It's not a place for a child such as you."
"Maya-san, I am no child."
There was a hard glint in Haru's eyes as the words left her mouth. Maya shook her head sadly. "I know this, Haru-san. I see that you are not a child. But your eyes-they say everything. They carry the look of a child. You're not yet ready. So, you can continue to train yourself for the next ten years or you can return to your old life. It will not be a waste if you do so. You will return with all your newly-acquired skills if you choose to go back home." Go back home? How could she do that? She'd thrown everything away-How could she ever go back? Haru looked away. For some reason, Maya's stare was piercing.
"It's just advice from a stranger. You don't have to take my advice too seriously, Haru-san." The older woman flashed a smile before disappearing. It was an illusion. Haru knew that. She threw herself onto the ground and stared at the surface with a hard stare. "Colonello-san, I'm truly sorry."
"For what-kora?"
That was a good question. What was she sorry for? Haru searched for the answer. She was sorry for failing the test. She was sorry for being unable to let Tsuna-san go. She was sorry for being sorry. She was sorry. The question was, would she be sorry for leaving?
"Isn't it so selfish of me? Even though I have to focus on my 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. So… I guess I'm sorry for that."
"Tsu-kun, don't you love this time of the day? I love it with all my heart. It's just…so beautiful. Don't you think so?" Tsuna had to admit, the way the setting sun cast a soft glow on everything was just too breathtaking. Like her. Sunset wasn't his favorite time though. It used to be his favorite time of the day. No longer. Now, nighttime was his favorite time of the day. It was the part of the day when you could bury your head into the pillow and just try to forget everything. He was able to forget her in his sleep till she haunted him in her dreams.
She was everywhere. There was no escape.
And then he saw her. Her bright smile, the crease in her forehead that made it's appearance whenever she get upset, the worry lines that marked her eyes whenever something didn't go right. She'd been flitting through his mind the whole entire day. It'd been impossible to focus on Kyoko. But how could he say that to Kyoko? How could he tell her that when it'd been only one day since his agreement to her? He blamed himself. Tsuna sighed. He was no good with females; he never had been.
"Tsu-kun!"
Tsuna jumped and managed to come up with an uneasy smile. "Kyoko-chan." Kyoko frowned. "You…Tsu-kun. Something's wrong. Can't you tell me what's wrong? Is it about the mafia or is it about us?" Kyoko was staring him down. He'd never received such a powerful look from her before. This was the first time in his life that he'd ever received such a look from the gentle girl. "Kyoko-chan, I-I do have something I want to say. But I think…I think you'll get mad." Kyoko frowned and Tsuna recoiled in his mind. He needed courage to say what he wanted to say, he needed it so badly…
I, Miura Haru, have loved you since the moment I've met you.
He remembered the determined look Haru had worn on her face. But he'd seen fear, too. Fear of rejection. Fear of hurt. Confessing was no easy thing, he knew it himself. But she'd done it. All he needed to do was summon up the same courage she had mustered…A moment passed. And then another moment passed. He couldn't do it.
It was strange. He'd fought the Varia. He'd fought Byakuran. He'd fought so many countless enemies. And yet-
-He'd never been brave like the way she was. Not in this sense.
"Are you going to make that poor child suffer? You need to gather some courage young man. Like the way Haru-san did. She left for you and because of you."
When Tsuna blinked, he swore that he'd just seen a tall figure with a hood. His mind was just playing tricks on him. "Tsu-kun, tell me," Kyoko persisted. She left for you and because of you. And without a reason, without an explanation, something snapped inside of Tsuna. All the fear and self-control he'd been harboring vanished. He just had a single purpose now. And once he'd found that purpose, he'd seek out Haru once more.
"Tsu-kun, I want to tell you some-"
"Kyoko-chan! I…have something I need to tell you too. It's really important, so sit down and listen to me." Kyoko sighed wearily and put up her hand to stop him. "Tsu-kun, I already know what you're going to say. You want to end it, right? Our agreement? I'm not blind, Tsu-kun. I could tell from the minute I proposed it." The words that had been itching to slip out of Tsuna's mouth halted. "Huh? But if you knew-" "I wanted to try my luck anyways. Oh, well. Tsu-kun, I'm sorry that I was so selfish. Just…Just take good care of Haru-chan if you find her, okay?"
Tsuna nodded, looking down at the ground. "Mm. I know. Thanks, Kyoko-chan."
"No problem, Tsuna-kun. It was fun while it lasted."
Although it'd been easier for him in the end…Tsuna couldn't help but help but feel a dreadful, terrible feeling of guilt creep onto him. How could he have hurt Kyoko-chan like that? How could he have betrayed Haru so easily? There was only one thing he could do to atone for his sins.
Haru lazily dipped her finger into the dirt, making patterns of incomprehensible symbols and shapes. Colonello glanced over at her. "Haru-kora. What are you doing-kora?" Haru smiled. "I don't know, Colonello-san. Just…drawing I guess." She was, wasn't she? Haru ignored the fact that her finger was getting dirtied by the soil but she could hardly care. "Maya-san sure seemed like a decent person." Colonello nodded. "She is-kora."
Haru stared at the dirt for a long, long time. Then suddenly, the hairs on the nape of her neck stood on end and she lunged to the right.
"Get down-kora!"
"Colonello-san!"
There was the sound of guns being fired and then the sound of a smokescreen being set off. "Colonello-san?!" Haru called out. There was an exasperated sigh. "I'm fine-kora! It's just that we have an idiot here who didn't feel like introducing himself properly-kora!" The smoke quickly faded away and Haru smiled at the sight of the baby next to her mentor. "Reborn-san. You gave us quite a fright."
"Fright-kora? Me-kora? Never-kora. Not with this guy-kora."
Reborn pointed his gun at Colonello. "Quiet, you. You didn't think I'd just come in politely, did you? I wanted to see how Haru was doing." Haru smiled. "Reborn-san. It's been a while. I was starting to think that you left me all alone. How is everyone doing?" "They're still looking for you. Honestly, they should've searched other areas too...But that's beside the point. I need to talk to this idiot for a minute," Reborn said with a tilt of his head in Colonello's direction.
"Shut up-kora. Talk."
"Not here. Somewhere in private."
So after Colonello issued instructions for Haru, he led Reborn to a secluded area where Haru wouldn't be able to hear. "What is it-kora? It'd better be worth it-kora. Listen, I've been thinking; Tsuna is disrupting Haru's progress-kora. Today I gave her a test and-"
"Someone in Namimori's been hurt."
Colonello broke off and immediately his eyes flared. "Reborn! What do you mean, someone from Namimori got hurt-kora?! Who is it-kora?!" Reborn's eyes darkened and the slightest hint of a scowl appeared on his face. "Who do you think? It's Tsuna, that…I don't know what he was thinking at that time."
"So you came here-kora?"
"I need to take Haru back."
Colonello shook his head. "No way-kora. She's made progress and she needs to focus on her training-kora. She needs time away from Sawada so she can focus properly and –" "We've been telling ourselves that for several years. If Haru sees Tsuna, there's a chance that her new skills will refine themselves. You know as well as I that the reason for Haru's progress is because of him." "What happened to Sawada anyways-kora?"
"Yamamoto and Gokudera were tailing Tsuna for a while in town for some reason and then saw him throw himself into the ocean from a reasonably high height."
Colonello stayed silent for a few moments and slowly came up with a response. "You can take Haru-kora. Just make sure she doesn't get too unfocused-kora. And tell Haru what happened-kora." "I will."
"I hope Sawada gets better."
"…Thanks."
a/n: Forget it! I can't, I can't possibly do it! From now on, I swear that I'm going to do monthly updates. Oi vey…Sorry guys, this chapter took a while to work on. But it's out! Finally! Expect another update in October, ne? I'm also currently working on four other upcoming projects…I think that until I finish Haru Loves You, other current works such as Never Will Be will be on hold for a short while. Because let's face it fellas, I think that Haru Loves You will be reaching its finale pretty soon…Sorry I haven't replied back to the reviews. I'm just so grateful to all of you that I can't put it into words. It's so late..One in the morning and I have to wake at six later…
Note: I would have updated this on the 24th of September but it was my birthday so my family threw this kind of celebration…And then I had to edit and go back and…Gah. It was a nightmare. Sorry I wasn't able to update earlier D: Please accept my utmost sincere apologies…
thakn you, thank you and thank you to the following : Dark Gothic Lolita, celina2818, Yuki Chronos, Guest, Spirit kagome, Dream-Eating Monochrome, Xx4EverFantasyStudiosxX, sakura tsukiyomi lefey, Nightstar09
thanks to those who follow/favorited this story: BruMoscardi, Yuki Chronos, EternalWritersBlock, crazyblondefanfictionlover10 1, Dream-Eating Monochrome, Titti R, Xx4EverFantasyStudiosxX, .92, Sidewalk Chalk, sakura tsukiyomi lefey, Nightstar09, traddy, abstractpatterns, saske92 and MacadamiaMistress
Haru Loves You is reaching its end…And yet there are too many questions that have to be asked. Just how exactly is this story going to end?
(Next time on Haru Loves You…)
"I…Must I go? If I go back now…"
"I sure must've been stupid. I'm sorry. Don't look at me like that, please. I'm sorry for making you guys worry. I just…I just couldn't think of anything else. How else could I have-No, never mind."
"You're so stupid! You could have died!"
"Surely….Surely there was a reason for why I fell in love. I've never forgotten. Nor have I ever been able to. I tried. It was just too hard. So, should I try asking again? But if I do, then won't all my hard work have been wasted?"