5986 & 27 SHORT-STORY ~ BELIEVERS DAY

Inspiration: AMV by xavierblooregard on YouTube "Ｉ'Ｍ ＨＥＲＥ (GokuderaxHaru)" watch?v=tZvKSEnWtPY

"Ahiii! G-Gokudera-san, huf huf… Haru… can't… anymore… huf huf…" "Don't you dare give up, Stupid Woman!"

Gokudera pulls on Haru's hand which he has been holding all along to make her run at full speed after him amidst a maze of back-alleys.

"Double Bomb!" "Ahiiiiiiiiii!" BOOM.

The explosion disperses the men chasing after them armed with things that Haru would rather not see close to her.

"Ahiii, dangerous-desu!" "That's why I told you to stay away from me, Stupid Woman!" "But Haru just wanted to ask if you were also on your way to Tsuna-san's home!" "Can't you tell these guys are not the damn type I would chat friendlily with?! Take the hint, you stupid!" "Haru is not stupid! It's your hints that are too complicated!" "Tsk!"

Gokudera clenches his teeth while shooting glances at the ones he's unable to distance even after so much running.

Why, for Hell's sake, did this stupid woman have to wave at him while he was in the middle of being picked for a fight by hired yakuza… Is she really so senseless and unaware of danger or just plainly stupid… And when she saw there was trouble ahead, why didn't she run away as he told her, instead of throwing a garbage bin metal lid to these punks… Did she seriously expect him to need her help or something… how stupid…

"Double Bomb!" "Kyaaa!" BOOOOOOM. The draught of the explosion sends Haru flying forward a little, and Gokudera is obliged to pull on her hand in a swift U-turn to receive her safely in his arms, his feet skidding on the ground to deaden the landing.

A second later they are back to running at full speed, jumping over garbage littered here and there in these deserted back-alleys behind Namimori's shopping district.

"Tsk…! Learn how to deal with explosions!" "Ahiii?! What are you talking about, Aho?! Unfair-desu! Don't expect Haru to know how to deal with this kind of dangerous things!" "If you knew it was dangerous, why the heck did you stay?!" "Haru will never run and leave you behind!"

TILT. Gokudera averts his eyes with an abashed expression, tightening his grip around the hand of the one he'll definitely not leave behind either, even if it means facing them all on his own.

"Ahiii, Gokudera-san…! Dead-end-desu…!" "Crap!"

Gokudera pulls Haru behind him while turning to face their pursuers, his hands already pulling dynamite out while mentally calculating his chances of success.

They're definitely too many for him to handle… Tsk, as expected of pros to be armed with this kind of things nowadays… How is he supposed to hold them back without any of these damn things reaching her…

"G-Gokudera-san…" "Shut up and let me handle that, Stupid Woman…" "Gokudera-san! Haru thinks we can climb over this fence." "Don't kid yourself, it's four metres high and there's no climbing grips on plain steel like that, tsk." "If Haru helps you jump, I'm sure Gokudera-san can do it! Believe-desu!"

TILT. Gokudera can't help shooting a flabbergasted glance at the one behind him who sounds everything except desperate.

Now that he thinks about, isn't this stupid woman almost as smart as him in general… If she calculates they can climb up through three steps… considering their respective athletic abilities…

Gokudera's lips stretch is a faint smug smile of surrender.

"You'd better be right, Stupid Woman… I can't buy us a damn second try." "Believe-desu!" "… fine! DOUBLE BOMB + SMOKE SCREEN!"

BOOOOM. BOOM BOOM BOOM. The multiple explosions at close range send both Gokudera and Haru flying backwards, his back hitting violently the steel fence as he holds onto Haru to make her avoid the biggest of the shock.

"Kof kof… Get them!"

But Haru has already settled back to the fence, her knees bent and her fingers interlaced to form a stirrup with her both hands. Gokudera has already taken a run-up to dash towards her, placing his foot in the stirrup for her to give him a jumping leg-up.

GATCH. Gokudera's hand reaches the top of the fence and grabs onto it to pull himself up, sending his legs on the other side to use as counterweight as he bends over the fence to extend his other hand towards the one still down.

But Haru's first jump is not high enough and she misses Gokudera's hand by almost twenty centimetres, giving him the most aggravating bitter feeling he's felt since a long time.

"Don't mess with me, Stupid Woman! Catch it!" "Haru is… trying…"

Behind her, the men are finally walking across the smoke screen, quite pissed at the turn of events.

"Stop trying and just do it, damn it!"

BAM. Another trial and miss makes Haru land loudly on her bottom, and cold sweats run down her spin as she sees the yakuza reaching for her.

"DAMN IT, STUPID WOMAN, LOOK AT ME!"

Gokudera's loud roar makes Haru turn back to look at him with surprise. His green eyes look both burning and cold, dead-serious.

"Jump with everything you have and believe in me!"

Haru breathes in and bends her knees, preparing to push as high as the absence of run-up allows her, despite knowing that not preparing her landing might mean falling back right in her assailants' hands. Gokudera clenches his hand on the edge of the fence, getting ready to dive even lower despite knowing that counter-action will pull him backwards just after to compensate the impulse.

Chestnut eyes lock into green ones as they both strive towards the other, adrenaline pushing them farther.

All-or-nothing!

GRAB. Gokudera's hand closes on Haru's wrist as her fingers clench on his, and he sends his legs flying backwards while pulling with all his strength, completely abandoning the support of the fence edge to free his other hand and reach for Haru.

The two of them fall backwards towards the other side of the alley, Gokudera tightening his hold in mid-air in apprehension for the shock, but what is a little fall when adrenaline is flushing in one's body.

BAM. The landing on the cold alley ground brings them back to their senses, as they start panting heavily, still too tensed to let go of what they have clenched their hands around – namely the uniform jumper of the other.

They managed it… She managed to push him up… He managed to pull her out…

HRRR. The noise of theirs pursuers trying to tear the fence apart but not managing to scratch it also comforts them and helps them to calm down gradually.

"Th… thank you… Haru/Gokudera-san…" Their mumbling whispered in synch loses itself in the one of the other, as they close their eyes to focus on catching back their breath, before blinking awake again and standing up to leave towards their initial destination.

A while later…

"Good afternoon, 10th/Tsuna-san!" "Geeh? Gokudera-san, Haru, what are you doing here?" "Well, I was in the area and…" "Haru wanted to come and see Tsuna-san!" "Hey, don't copy me, you Stupid Woman!" "Buuh, then you can just leave, you baka!" "Ah, hum… let's just have tea all together, alright…? So please just quiet down a little, you two…" "Ojama shimasu!" "… sigh… so, anything new for you two…?" "Nothing worth your interest, 10th!" "Nuuh… Haru is always bored without Tsuna-san!" "I see…"