Title: Sentiment
Author: Kiku Nakamura
Disclaimer: I don't think I'm talented enough to create my own manga which has an anime adaptation, so excuse me for being a fangirl. Credits to Amano Akira.
Genre/Tags: Hurt/Comfort, slight Humor, confession
Rating: T
Characters/Pairings: 5986/GokuHaru, Sawada Tsunayoshi

Summary: In which they both learn how much asking someone out means as a part of the mafia.

"I don't think it would be right of me to ask you to tie yourself to a prospective cripple- or a sentiment..."

- Harry S. Truman to Bess Wallace

Everyone around them seemed to notice, the auras and trailing gazes. All except for them.

At seventeen, the Storm Guardian and the girl that he called "Stupid Woman" were first being aware of each other. They started to notice each other's quirks and habits.

He noticed the way that she chose to speak in first person whenever the situation was serious. He saw that she let her hair down when she was stressed or extremely upset. They were a little cover-up against tears that threatened to slip or something to run her fingers through. It seemed like a remedy to helping her think. He noticed when she took a liking to getting her hair trimmed every three months or so.

She noticed how he went shopping for new in-style clothing every two months, on Sundays, never with anyone, but she saw the bags from the darker boutiques that she tended to skip in his hands. He tapped his pencils whenever he was studying hard and couldn't afford the movement of bouncing his leg because it would cause a disturbance. She saw that he took Uri out of his box and showed the box animal affection that was just a step below her beloved Tsuna-san's.

They shared flitting glances from across roomfuls of people.

The mission was going to be difficult and more perilous than ones before. Reborn had made it clear when his tone was grave and solemn, if not cautionary. This speech made the previous ones sound like a parent warning their child not to eat snacks before dinner. It was then that Hayato knew, from the bottom of very being that this was no easy task as the last mission he had taken was.

This had, after all required a meeting between all the Vongola Guardians and other members of the famiglia, including Miura Haru. She was one of the planners in how the task should be handled. He had heard her shuffling papers, filing notes and information at the work table in her room that she prouded herself with behind closed doors. It almost made him pity her when he was finished with paperwork, walking towards the kitchen to get coffee that she was still up and working to combat the plans that she had in mind.

At one point, Hayato had made it an effort, to leave a platter with tea and a slice of her favorite chocolate cake that he cut from the main unit in the refrigerator beside her door. He would knock on her door and run, run all the way to the turn in the corridor.

He might've been a coward, (he was sure Giannini had seen him on the surveillance screens a few times already) but it was worth it because that look on her face that showed up every time was one of peace and gratitude.

Maybe today was the right day to say it. Commit a piece of himself to be revealed to someone whom he should've told for a while now. It was a pressing matter, loaded with terror and a fear of failure.

Leaving a quick message (a short request tucked inside a neat generic envelope labeled "To Miura Haru," Gokudera Hayato dashed out of the room.

If she ever read it, she should understand the situation right away. She was one of those girls who read shoujo manga and romance novels.

"At 10:30 meet me in front of the training room. Please go; there is something I need to say to you."

After eating dinner, Gokudera headed out to the training room feeling that he still needed to clean up on before the big mission. He needed to release the anxiety and tension that was pulled taught throughout his entire body.

When it was a minute before the designated meeting time, the silver-haired male got more intimidated by words that he were going to say- panicked that they would all tumble out. Yet there was a worse alternative. One where he spoke the wrong words, never getting to the point. There was an unpleasant fear of regret, not getting it right and missing chances, just one after another.

"Ano, Gokudera-san, did you say for Haru to meet you here?" an uncharacteristically shy Miura Haru said from the elevator door of the training room. She had avoided meeting his during dinner. There was an heavy blanket of awkwardness that went either unnoticed or ignored by the other members of the Vongola.

"Hey, Ahonna. You're here," Gokudera said, a realization more than anything. It was a soft, spoken statement.

"Yeah, Ahodera; damn right she is," Haru whispered.

They exchanged eye contact for a period of time before either one spoke.

"Why do you want Haru here?" she gently pushed at the topic.

"In the next few minutes, I might sound totally different from what you expect of me and you might even think I was abducted by those aliens that I like so much- yes, I am quite aware of the obsession," he said, taking a break to settle his hands on his forehead.

"You've been on my mind quite a lot for a while now. I think there's something about you that makes me feel like I'm complete when I'm near you.

"Don't say anything yet," Gokudera said as he saw the look on Haru's face. "I know that our jobs are something important and dangerous. They place a burden on who we can choose to properly and physically show affection for and I've thought about this for a great deal of time.

"Miura Haru, I can't make you love me if you don't." Damn. What the fuck am I saying? Gokudera was going through inner turmoil, but still he continued, Now or never, right? "But, I'm saying that I do love you and I just wanted to let you know before the mission...

"I'm not expecting you to give me an answer now. In fact, that isn't even what I'm here for. because if you say yes," he sucked in a breath, "I don't think it would be right of me to ask you to tie yourself to a prospective cripple- or a sentiment."

At some point, Haru had wound up crossing the room and had her arms wrapped around Gokudera's waist, her face buried in his chest, all the while telling him to stop. His eyes widened at Haru's embrace and he could feel the tears staining his white shirt.

He gently stroked Haru's hair and whispered "I'm sorry." They stayed like that until the sobbing stopped.

When they separated, Haru was on her tip toes, bestowing a kiss upon the male's cheek. And once again, Gokudera in his stupor only stared at the girl that was the cause, walking away in all of her glory.

Before leaving the room, the brunette turned around and said, "You better make it back, Hayato, because you should be expecting a positive answer to something!" And that daring girl decided to wink.

"Tch." He broke out of his state and when Haru left, he smirked and muttered under his breath, "She such a God damn tease."

Extended Ending:

That night, Hayato closed his eyes with a grin on his face -even through his whole sleeping phase into the morning- which scared the living hell out of Tsuna who decided to wake up his right-hand man. Poor dame-Tsuna.

Author's Note:

I am absolutely in love with that quote. Upon stumbling into it as I was doing research on US presidents, I knew that I had to use this quote somewhere and decided to put it in my little inspiration book. This is where the quote ended up! I hope you loked it.

This certainly took me a long time to finish and put up. Well, I hoped you liked it and have a nice day or summer or week, oh who cares anymore?

Volleyball team tryouts are coming for me next week and man, am I scared.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and leave a review on your way out (if you want to). Gokudera and Haru say bye. Tsuna is still scared.

-Ivy, out
Date Completed: August 8, 2014
Word Count: 1,230