Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
Genre: Tragedy/ Romance
Warning: Character death, slight language
Pairing: YamamotoxHaru
oOo
Smile for Pardon
Thunder boomed across the dark, ominous sky.
Rain poured down, beating away at the sodden ground as if it wanted to wash away its soiled pavement.
Lightning flashed, blinding temporarily the eyes of a lone female as she dashed through the canopy of a forest.
Soon, the water began to collect within the shoes of the female, yet it went unnoticed.
"Yamamoto-kun…"
Please. Let her be there in time.
oOo
"Yamamoto-kun!" A multitude of hammering feet echoed across the hallway.
"Yes, Haru?" A tall Japanese male shifted from his crouched position, unaware of the panic that arose within his presence.
"Hahi! Look! You've broken the windows again because you've played baseball indoors! How many times did Haru tell Yamamoto-kun not to play inside Tsuna-san's home?"
Before the young teenager stood a brown haired female, her hands on her hips as her delicate eyebrows furrowed in frustration as she stomped her feet on the ground.
"Ah? The window is broken again?" Yamamoto scratched the back of his head in confusion.
Haru sighed in frustration at Yamamoto's obliviousness, because there was a limit to being stupid and senseless for one's actions.
"Hahi! Yamamoto-kun's pitch ended up crashing through Tsuna's bedroom window across the hall! What will Haru say to her future husband?" Rubbing her temples from stress, Haru sulked at the prospect of letting Tsuna down once more.
"Ha ha ha! I'm sure Tsuna will forgive us if we fix his window now, ne?" He flashed his bright smile at Haru, hoping that the female would lighten up.
Blushing at the smile, Haru stomped off, rolling her sleeves as she prepared a broom to clean up the broken shards of glass.
Yamamoto merely laughed as he tagged along.
oOo
A torrent of wind blasted through the thick of trees, splattering mud and wet strands of the female's hair against her forehead.
Not bothering to wipe them off, Haru trudged on through the oozing mud.
Despite the roar of the wind, the crash of lightning, and the rumble of thunder, the female ran onwards. Her feet slipped from the slippery surface of wet grass, yet she shakily rose. Her pale fists coated in mud, and her pants retained a harsh rip.
Still, she ran.
oOo
She waited, looking at the clock nailed upon the wall of the train station.
Thirty minutes had passed since she had arrived at the designated area. "Hahi… What a rude thing to do, making a lady wait." Haru drew circles on the ceramic floor, noting the dirty spots of gum people had carelessly thrown aside.
She leaned against the green wall of the train station, fidgeting with her small bag.
Today was the day when Haru was shopping for Tsuna-san's birthday present. Yamamoto-kun had volunteered to come along, and now Haru was waiting at the train station for over thirty minutes in a thin shirt and shorts. Supposedly it was fall, yet the weather was bright and warm in the morning.
Haru was absolutely sure that it was going to be hot today, but the weather man lied (unsurprisingly). Now, the cold breeze was making Haru shiver.
"Hahi… maybe it would have been a better idea to bring a jacket with me…" She sighed dejectedly.
However, she shook her head. Today was the day that Haru was going to buy an amazing, Haru-tastic gift for her future husband! So, Haru would fight against all that went between her. Perhaps this cold weather was God's way of testing her devotion to Tsuna. She would not lose.
That didn't stop the waves of cold crashing down her spine.
A while later, she heard a familiar voice. "Haru-san!"
An apologetic look flashed across the honey brown eyes of the young baseball player. Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, Yamamoto gave his explanation for his late arrival.
"I got lost on the way here! I'm really sorry, Haru-san- I'll make it up to you!"
Haru crossed her arms as she sniffed. Carefully looking at the warm brown eyes and the unexpected worried expression, Haru let the last traces of anger melt away. "Apology accepted. But Yamamoto-kun has to treat Haru to lunch today."
Yamamoto grinned, his bright smile warming Haru despite the cold. "Ha ha! Shall we go to Father's sushi shop later, then?" He wrapped his jacket over the thin complexion, briefly meeting the widened eyes as he rested his hands over each of Haru's shoulder.
Haru spluttered at the warmth of the jacket that enveloped her, a rabid blush settling across her face once more.
"H-hahi! Yamamoto-kun is cruel…"
The said teenager laughed. Losing tail of Gokudera and Hibari to have his 'date' with Haru was definitely worth it… even if it meant wearing long sleeves to hide the bruises from tonfa and dynamite.
oOo
"H-hahi…"
A red pool of blood surrounded a pale body that lay on the muddy ground. Throwing the first aid kit upon the ground, Haru dashed over to the fallen Rain guardian.
Her hands trembled as they frantically checked for pulse. Weak beating against her two fingers.
Haru immediately set to work, her tears threatening to spill behind her lidded eyes. Her throat burned with despair as she scrambled for the emergency contact line within her trouser pocket.
Her fingers messily pressed the black buttons.
"Agent 80 has been found. Requesting emergency medical care. Requesting emergency…"
The transmission went dead. Somehow, the connection of the wireless transmitter failed.
Blinking away the hot tears of desperation, Haru grit her teeth as she hurriedly searched for bandages, for anything that would make the flow of blood cease.
"Yamamoto-kun is a liar…"
oOo
"Boo." A gentle voice reached Haru's ears, causing her to jump. No one was around, after all.
"Hahi! W-who are you?" She frantically looked around, rubbing away at her eyes.
Haru knew it was cowardly of her to cry in the basement of the Vongola headquarters. It was cowardly to not celebrate her best friend and Tsuna-san's engagement. She should be normally very happy for her friend, as she knew Tsuna-san and she were originally just friends. She was fine with it too, so why did it hurt so much when she saw Tsuna propose to Kyoko?
The voice laughed, snapping her from her reverie. "Over here. I'm the shiny black piece of metal that's beside you."
Haru's swollen eyes shifted to spot a small, sleek mobile, and clasped it gently within her hands.
"Haru-san, are you crying?"
Haru sniffed, wiping away the last of her tears with the palm of her hand.
"N-no. Haru was not crying."
The voice mock scolded her. "Haru-san, it's not good to lie."
"Haru already knows that."
"Ha ha ha! That's true. There isn't anyone who's as brave and true as Haru." The warm, bright voice lilted through the black communication device.
"H-hahi. Haru isn't brave. She isn't true either. She couldn't face her crush because she was afraid that her relationship with her best friend might change. She knew that her crush never looked at her at anything more than a friend. But Haru kept on pursuing him…"
The voice spoke to her softly. "Recognizing your true feelings is true courage, Haru-san. And I trust Haru."
Haru looked in surprise at the black mobile within her hand. "I know that Haru is someone who will try her best to help others who are in need. In fact, Haru-san works too hard. It's painful to see Haru work so hard and never tend to her own needs."
"W-who are you?"
"Ha ha ha! I'm a person who's been admiring Haru-san for a long time."
"Admiring… Haru?"
"Ha ha! No need to be embarrassed; Haru-san probably didn't notice that there are many people who admire her as well. Her fire is something we all need." There was a slight pause on the black mobile. "But, sometimes, when that fire is doused by Haru's sadness, this mobile will help Haru rekindle that strength again."
Haru clenched the mobile within her hands. "How does Haru know that the mobile-san won't leave Haru alone?"
The voice behind the mobile chuckled lightly. "Maa, maa… It's a promise. And the Rain Guardian never breaks his promises."
In the background, Haru heard a slight shuffle and a sudden surprised yell. Gokudera's voice rang outside. "Oi, stupid woman, stop sulking and come back!"
Tsuna's worried voice pleaded behind Gokudera's as well. "Haru-san, please come back! We miss you very much- please, just come back!"
Lambo shouted into the mobile, causing vibrations to settle in her hand. "Ne, Lambo wants Haru Nii-chan, because Tsuna is a stupid, useless person."
Wiping away her tears which had finally dried on her cheek, Haru stood up, clenching the firm metal piece within her hands.
Pushing aside the door of the basement, Haru jumped up the stairs and walked boldly into the kitchen where her family and friends waited eagerly for her.
Embracing one another, she smiled. The rain would always be the reminder of spring, and the flowers that would bloom. Her warm brown eyes met honey- a flash of understanding, compassion, and trust shone brightly in their eyes.
"Call whenever you have trouble. I'll be there." He whispered into her ear as he swooped down to pick up his katana on the ground. Haru blushed.
oOo
Haru bit her lip to try and choke back her tears. "Yamamoto-kun is a liar…. You promised that you'd always be there when Haru was in trouble…"
She wrapped the soaking bandages around his chest, cursing as the blood spurted from numerous wounds.
She cried. "Damn it, stop bleeding!"
A cold finger touched Haru's lips, causing her to jerk in surprise. "Y-Yamamoto-kun?" She grasped his ice cold hands.
The male's pale eyelids cracked open. "Haru… Don't taint your lips with harsh words…" He coughed, adding another pool of blood upon the sodden ground.
"H-hahi! Y-Yamamoto-kun, don't talk! Y-you'll strain yourself…" Haru wiped at her tears, leaving a streak of red. She tried to lift his carefully to carry them somehow back to the base, knowing it was an impossible feat. She was stopped by a gentle grip on her hand. The Japanese male chuckled as red liquid dribbled from his mouth. "Funny, huh… I'm the Rain Guardian, and yet I'm raining blood. Should've done something like that for Hallowe'en, ne, Haru?" He coughed, hacking up another patch of blood.
Haru couldn't stop the heated flow of tears. Her hair had already been soaked, causing them to stick to her face in an unkempt manner.
"Maa, maa… don't cry, Haru…" He lifted the corners of his mouth into a feeble smile.
Haru grabbed onto Yamamoto's wrinkled shirt, shaking his limp body as she shouted at him. "Yamamoto-kun is a liar! A big, fat, mean liar!"
Yamamoto smiled.
"Yamamoto-kun promised to come home safe! He said that he would keep his promises!" She stopped pushing his body, her hands dropping to her side as she let loose another torrent of tears. The wind howled, as if it knew the sorrow, the anguish, within the female's heart.
"Haru will never forgive Yamamoto-kun for lying to Haru!"
Honey brown eyes looked at Haru's shaking form sadly. "Maa, maa, Haru-chan. That's a little harsh, isn't it?"
"Haru doesn't care!"
"Besides, Haru-chan will forgive me if I smile, right? Just like…"
Just like every other time.
Haru blinked through her tears, staring into the warm pools of amber. "I'm home, Haru. Right here…" He placed his hand upon Haru's chest, leaving a trail of red upon Haru's pink blouse. The pink blouse that he bought for her birthday… "Maa, maa… that stain will be hard to remove, won't it?" He smiled, then cringed as he coughed roughly. His eyelids began to flutter in his effort to stay awake, to capture those warm brown eyes that embraced his forlorn ones, those pink lips that would always kiss his wounds after a mission… His breathing became shallow.
"Yamamoto-kun! Please, stay with me! Don't die yet, don't you dare leave Haru! Or else Haru will never forgive Yamamoto-kun!"
Yamamoto's eyes slowly closed.
"Yamamoto-kun!" Haru roughly shook his body, clenching onto his shoulders. "Yamamoto-kun! Haru still has a list of things Yamamoto-kun has to do in order to Haru to forgive him!"
The pulse on the Rain Guardian's neck barely made movement against his pale skin.
"We're going to go back home, do you understand? And then Haru has some costumes that Yamamoto-kun can wear for Hallowe'en… And we're going to practice baseball together with everyone, right? And then after that, Yamamoto-kun has to treat Haru to sushi because he came home late and worried everyone, especially Haru…" Haru hiccupped, her hands gripping the broad shoulders and shaking them, as if her sudden jerks could revive his fading heartbeats. "
"Haru…" The crying female strained her ears to hear the pleading, mellow voice.
"… Fine. But this is the last time, okay?" She sniffed, biting her mouth to prevent herself from making his departure painful.
Yamamoto let loose a relaxed sigh despite his wounded form. "Thank you, Haru…" And then, he left.
Haru couldn't help but let out a small, watery chuckle. "You jerk. Always getting out of trouble by smiling."
"Ha ha ha! Didn't you know? They say that a smile is the best way to avoid trouble, and sometimes resolve conflicts with the least harm."
"Hahi… Yamamoto-kun plays dirty." Now Haru can't get mad at you anymore.
-Owari-
Written by: Azurewishes (MoyaMetalDango13 at FF.Net)
