5986 & 2795 & B SHORT-STORY ~ RUNAWAY DAY
ONE DAY IN THE VONGOLA BASE DURING CHOICE PREPARATIONS
"Kyoko-chan! Haru! WATCH OUT!"
Tsuna's call makes both girls startle and they stare with incredulous eyes at the shape of metal dashing their way like a bull destroying everything on its path.
The air is sizzling of electricity and hypnotizing them into a blinding flash of pure light.
WHITE.
Kyoko and Haru gradually blink their eyes open, surprised that nothing painful happened.
"EX-TREME STOOOP!" Ryohei is roaring while focusing his entire determination into the flames fuelling his boxing gloves – freshly out from Kangaryuu's active pocket – to block by the horns the Vongola Box of Thunder.
"Our bad. Lambo got a little out of hands. Are you alright?" Tsuna's calm voice from his Hyper Dying Will mode startles Kyoko and she stares absentmindedly in his eyes of orange-gold in fusion, not yet processing how he has managed to lift her in his hands in the blink of a second to get her away from the bull's trajectory.
"Oy, Stupid Woman…? Still alive?" But Gokudera's question for the one he has also dragged away from danger only finds answer in Haru's blank eyes as she stares without realizing at Tsuna and Kyoko, on the other side of the dented trail still sizzling of green electric flames separating the corridor into two.
An hour later.
"Oy, Stupid Woman…?"
"Ahiii…?! W-what is it, Gokudera-san?"
"That stupid cow finally calmed down and we managed the seal his damn Animal Box Weapon back. But this brat doesn't stop crying, tsk… Do you have anything we could… Oy?"
"Ahiii…?! Ah, hum, yes, Haru is listening… so Lambo-kun, hum…"
"Tsk, you've been spacing out since before, what's your damn problem?"
"N-nothing-desu."
"Liar."
DOKI. Haru's eyes widen despite herself, surprised to have been seen through so easily, and she noms her lower lips to hold back.
"Don't mess up with me and serve me that crap. What the hell is wrong?"
"… it has nothing to do with Gokudera-san…"
Something inside Gokudera's chest tightens at the cold remark and he frowns with an aggravated expression, stumbling like he isn't stumbling often on what to answer to that.
"W-what the heck…?! You girls made such a big fuss about boycotting living together because we were hiding things from you, worrying the 10th so much and everything, and now you damn hold things back?! Just spit it!"
BAM. Haru startles when Gokudera's hand nails in the wall next to her, cornering her back to the wall and unable to escape his stubborn green eyes. His tone is annoyed and impatient, but not as violent as usual.
"Just what is damn troubling you, spit it…!"
Haru's wavering eyes fall under the shadow of her hair and her lips start trembling.
"… Haru… knew… already… b-but… but… sob sob…"
BAM. Gokudera has barely time to grab her shoulders that she collapses on the floor, her knees having surrendered under her, due to all the feelings she had kept in until that moment suddenly flowing out.
"Haru knew Tsuna-san always puts Kyoko-chan first! Tsuna-san, he… even when he calls our names, it's always Kyoko-chan first… sob sob… Haru always knew… b-but Kyoko-chan is a good friend, sweet and gentle, Haru knows it! And Tsuna-san is… always… being kind to Haru, even though Haru is not… his… first… so… sob sob… So Haru hates it! I hate myself! I knew but it still feels so horrible inside, sob sob…"
Gokudera can only listen quietly as the downpour of words accompanies the downpour of tears on his shoulder.
He could be comforting her, telling her the 10th cares for her and that she shouldn't make herself sick like that, but comforting people is really not his style… He could be ignoring her, telling her she's annoying to make such a big fuss for just a crush going nowhere, but abandoning a member from his Family when they are in trouble is definitely not his style… He could be encouraging her, telling her to just keep trying like the hopeless stubborn idiot never-giving-up she is, but something is holding him back inside, something completely not his style squeezing something in his chest and making him unwilling to let her run after the 10th any more, especially less if it is going to risk her crying more like right now…
TILT. His hand stops just before reaching her face and he forces himself to pull it back, inwardly cursing himself for whatever weakness inside him has caused this impulse.
A couple more minutes pass, watching over her sobbing pass in heavy silence, and aggravating Gokudera to the point that his fists clench until they become white. Finally his lips parts, unable to take it anymore.
"Just... stop crying..."
"A... hi...?"
"Just stop crying! So irritating!"
ZAAA. Haru instantly stops sobbing, her breathe blocked in her throat at the crushing pain of hearing something like that from the one she had unconsciously clung to for comfort.
Her watery chestnut eyes rise gradually towards Gokudera's face, and her lips tremble of shock at meeting with a pissed-off frown.
BAM. Haru has left running out of the door with whatever she was able to keep of her composure.
Behind her, Gokudera has frozen on the spot, still squatting on the floor and his balled-up fists clenching more and more until they bleed at realising what has just happened.
Behind the door in the corridor, a familiar silhouette with googles is sighing wearily, scratching her head while wondering what to do with this bunch of hopeless kids.
The next morning.
On the way to the kitchen for breakfast, Gokudera can't help thinking and thinking again about the one he'll need to face normally despite all her tears the prior day and the dark circles under his own eyes for having spent the entire night thinking about it.
But when the door of the kitchen opens and he only finds Kyoko and I-pin standing at the cooking station, his legs freeze at door-sill.
What the… where…?!
BAM. A side kick sends him crashing in the corridor wall at some distance and he soon faces the dangerous flames of Storm Scorpions aiming at him.
"Guuh, Aneki…?! What the...?!"
"Haru left."
Gokudera freezes completely on his spot.
"A hopeless idiot messed up yesterday and she said she'd leave since nobody needs her here! So what the hell are you still doing there, Hayato?!"
"… I…"
"I don't care if you have to kneel in dogeza and admit you're the stupidest in the world but fix your mess and bring her back!"
BAM BAM BAM. The detonations of the Storm Scorpions attacks echo in the corridor while Gokudera is kicked out by the base hatch.
Left behind in the corridor, Bianchi smirks under her googles.
"Hum, you're tougher with your brother than with Tsuna…"
"Reborn, my love! Awww but of course, this hopeless Hayato doesn't have the guts to be honest, after all. It was the same for the talk he owns me since Melone Base, sigh…"
"They all need to grow up, hum… Or the Family won't stand a chance against the Millefiore."
Outside the base, Namimori Streets.
BAM. Gokudera bumps his shoulder into a mail box, too deep in thoughts to pay enough attention to his surroundings. A kick in the damn box stupidly coming to bother him on his way when he has other things to mind, and he's back on track.
Damn it… His fault, it's all his fault… If it was going to be like that, he shouldn't have hold back the day before… If she was going to leave anyway, he should have at least… at least… Damn, what is it exactly he would have wanted to say or do…
About five minutes of running around later, randomly aggressing the rare passerby still out so early on morning to ask them if they've seen a brown-haired teenage girl, Gokudera finally slaps himself to recover his cool.
Analysing… He should be thinking instead of running around like a damn fool… Where would this Stupid Woman go…
TILT. Nine minutes later, he's catching his breath in front of the Miura's Residence. No sign of her or even her having come by.
Damn… Where… Where has she gone?!
Eight minutes later, he's panting heavily while leaning on the closed gate of Midori Middle School. But once again no sign of her passing there…
Damn damn DAMN! Where?! Running away from the base, where can she go?! Her family is not there anymore in this era… Nobody is waiting for her at school either… Where does she have left…?!
The more Gokudera thinks about it, the less it makes sense, but the faster he runs, forgetting to breathe, forgetting to provide his brain and heart with needed oxygen, forgetting everything except finding her.
Six more minutes of intense searching in almost apnea and a familiar silhouette finds its way inside his aggravated green pupils.
Tsk…!
A skid and he dashes the other way, shouting to pedestrians on his way to move away as he passes the bridge at full speed to reach the other side of the river banks. He trips a bit at jumping the last steps going from the bridge so the side walk but only focus on the back of the silhouette he's chasing.
"HARU!"
BAM. Haru hasn't even have time to turn to answer the call that two arms fall on her after another tripping, clasping her firm in a cross hold for her attacker to recover balance and make sure she won't go anywhere else either. The leather bracelets and rings just under her nose feel at the same time familiar and completely unexpected, just like the warmth of the hold.
Long seconds pass in silence, only troubled by the loud panting of Gokudera trying to fuel his body with oxygen again now that he has reached his target.
"… huf huf… c… come back…!"
Haru's eyes widen of disbelief, too shocked by the murmur that blew a couple strands of hair of her ponytail.
"Please come back…"
DOKI. Something in Gokudera's quiet murmurs is unsettling, making Haru's heart about to burst, especially when her nerves are still highly-strung since the day before.
Why is he here… Why is he holding her…
"H… Haru needs to go… P-please let go, Gokudera-san…" Her voice is not as serene as she had intended and she doesn't know herself why.
GRIP. But his arms tighten around her shoulders instead of releasing her, and even his hands clench harder on her.
What is she saying, pretending to go just like that as if it was an errand matter… Just don't mess with him saying it doesn't concern him again… So aggravating… And crap, his head is spinning… shouldn't have run so hard…
"Don't go… I said don't go, damn it! About yesterday, I… I mean… S-stay!"
"A…hi…?"
"For the 10th, for Sasagawa, for the brats too… Everyone needs you so… damn… I mean…"
Haru's expression has closed, not wanting to have another debate about Tsuna and her feelings when she hasn't yet gotten over the one from yesterday.
"Gokudera-san… Please let go of Haru. Haru needs to go."
Gokudera's expression crumbles noticeably but he doesn't let go. Something inside is shaking really hard and he can't help feeling insecure and almost scared.
He already talked about the 10th, so why isn't she accepting to come back… She can't really be planning not to come back no matter what he'll say…
The idea of failing to convince her aggravates Gokudera further and he just pulls on her arms forcibly to make her turn his way, lowering his hands on her waist planning to lift her on his shoulder and bring her back to the base by force if needed.
TILT. But upon making eye contact, he can't help lowering his hands again, making her feet touch ground again after having barely rose of twenty centimetres.
If he brings her back like that… won't she run away again as soon as she has the chance… won't she resent him… won't she hate him…
DOKI. Something even more painful than the idea of failing to bring back their Family Member to the 10th is crushing his chest at the possibility of her hating him and never behaving the same as before again.
Damn, he forgot to breathe again, his head is really dizzy… so dizzy that he's missing half the words of her question, only seeing her frowning chestnut eyes gazing deep into his.
"… okude… -san… feeling…?"
Feeling…? His feelings…? Damn, why is she asking him about something as meaningless as his own feelings on the matter…?! Yesterday and even today are such damn troublesome days, messing up with him… She wants to hear his feelings? Bring it on…
"I'm pissed off because you left, here, happy?!"
"Ahiii?!"
"Crying like that without being able to do anything, it just felt so damn irritating! Leaving out like that this morning, leaving us behind, leaving me behind without even being able to do anything again, it just pisses me off to no end! So come back with me! Even if you don't want to come back for the 10th or for Sasagawa, or even for the kids, I don't care! Just come back for me!""
DOKI. Haru's face is slowly and gradually freezing into a dumbfounded expression turning redder and redder, even redder than when Tsuna had thanked her for her support to their training.
"A… hi…?"
Why is Gokudera-san holding her so close to tell her that… Why is he insisting to go back while Bianchi had said it was fine to leave the hide-out to shop for lunch… It's not like everyone else can't prepare breakfast if she's not here for a couple hours… Why…?!