17Pillar of Strength
by: RoyaleDeuce
Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! is not mine.
i.
She was comparable to a robot.
Mechanically getting up from bed every morning, she was immersed in a job with monotonous endeavours she had willingly taken upon her shoulders. She cared for everyone in the base, and as much as she wanted to lend a hand in their struggle to go back to the past, she was physically weak and would only get in the way if she tried to force herself into their "business".
But despite her stand in the current situation, she was resolute. She may not be fit for combat, but she was headstrong and would not give in to her stupid, selfish emotions and whine about wanting to go home.
Instead she'd make it a point to smile every time, concealing her fright and utter loneliness behind the upward curving of her lips.
Every waking moment was allotted for creating a comfortable, homey atmosphere amidst the tension and lies. Every morning, she would take her usual route around the base, down the spacious hallways, past the guardians' rooms before she reached the kitchen where she would start her day by making breakfast with Kyoko.
And just like her everyday chore routine, as she ambled in the deserted hallways at the crack of dawn, one of the doors would slide open and reveal an infectious burst of morning sunshine in the person of Yamamoto Takeshi.
"Good morning, Haru," He would grin.
"Good morning, Yamamoto-san!" She would greet back with a bright smile.
Then she would walk past him and head towards the kitchen, torn between contemplating on what to make for breakfast and wondering what the rest of the boys would be doing for the rest of the day.
And as she chopped some vegetables with Kyoko in the kitchen, she would be reminded of Yamamoto's lackadaisical approach towards their predicament and the ever-present smile on his face. At mealtimes, he would immediately gobble up his food and would sooner or later flop down on the table dead tired. But despite all he had to endure, he would still have that smile plastered on and a "ready-to-go!" attitude.
It made her wonder where he drew his strength from.
Unlike Ryohei who had Kyoko's ardent support and Gokudera who had Bianchi's, Yamamoto was singled-out.
And as much as she would delude herself into believing she was okay with her forced smiles, she was in the same boat as he. There were instances that certain realizations and homesickness would sink in that she would rush off to her little corner in the sea of boxes by the foot of the staircase and just cry her heart out in despair.
True, like Yamamoto, she would manage to smile despite all that was happening.
But unlike Yamamoto, there was a need for her to remove her mask once in a while and let reality bear her down to tears.
After all, sooner or later everyone has a breaking point.
ii.
Getting lost in the base was a glitch in her daily itinerary.
She was on her way to the laundry room to collect the baskets of freshly cleaned garments when Uri, Gokudera's lovable box weapon, jumped out of the hamper with a pair of socks in his mouth and scampered away from her, evidently wanting a game of tag. Being a sucker for all things cute, she was quick to tail the feline around the corridors while squealing her head off in delight.
Then it was only moments later she would realize the disappearance of her previous company and take note of the unfamiliar hallway she was in.
The sounds of metal clashing and gunshots were what led her to a small hole that allowed her to view the sight in the room that had her completely floored.
She watched as Yamamoto gracefully swung his katana, slashing the air borne blue blobs in half. She covered her mouth with her hands in shock and stifled a scream when Reborn directed his gun towards the boy, the fast-approaching bullets ready to bear a hole in Yamamoto's chest. Completely horrified, all she could do was close her eyes and wait for the thud that signified Yamamoto's fall.
True enough, there was a resulting clatter on the floor.
Plucking her remaining courage, she willed herself to open her eyes to witness what had become of the boy. To her immense relief, Yamamoto was still alive, surprisingly unscathed save for the grime all over his body.
But what truly had her taken aback was the absence of his usual smile and the solemn and anguished expression foreign in his face.
It was then she realized that perhaps her initial perception of the boy was wrong; Yamamoto's beaming façade wasn't as remarkable as she thought.
"Are you giving up now?" Reborn grimaced, tipping his hat upwards.
It amazed her how Yamamoto wordlessly stood up and picked up his sword, looking at Reborn with unwavering determination. The fire in his eyes had her frozen in place, the unfamiliar air Yamamoto carried with him left her utterly flabbergasted.
Yamamoto-san…
"I was just getting started." Yamamoto cracked a smile.
It was not long before the boy's smile was mirrored in her expression but more solemn and regretful.
...Yamamoto-san sure is strong.
iii.
She deemed herself a wonderful actress.
Despite her newly found knowledge on the kind of training the boys had to undergo, she had flawlessly carried out her charade for a week, continuing to greet Yamamoto in the corridors at six o'clock in the morning with a smile convincing enough to fool everyone that she was strong and emotionally stable. In any case, there was no room for anyone to worry about an upset and lonesome Miura Haru.
"Is it Haru Appreciation Day today, Haru-chan?" Kyoko had asked her when she decided to make cake one afternoon.
"Mmm! But Haru was also thinking of making for everyone since everyone has been working really hard in the past few days. So let's make a super scrumptious and enormous chocolate cake, okay?"
"I think everyone will like that," Kyoko said, smiling sweetly.
But it turned out that they were short on ingredients and was not capable of making a gigantic cake. Left with no choice, Kyoko and she made use of whatever they had and managed to bake a small one good for four people. Lambo and I-Pin would surely get a slice each, so they were left to decide on the lucky two. Kyoko had insisted that Haru take one slice since it was her Appreciation Day, but she refused and said that it wouldn't hurt to miss it once.
From the start, she had already decided on whom to give a slice to. After all, he was the reason why she decided to make a cake in the first place.
"Uwaaa! Cake! Cake! Lambo wants some cake!"
"Wait for your turn, Lambo!"
The small cake had unexpectedly resulted to a massive uproar at dinner. It initially was really just between Lambo and I-Pin, but when it came to the point that Kyoko and she had to decide on whom to give the remaining two slices, they eventually decided to place the cake on the table and let the boys decide themselves.
And much to her inner chagrin, Yamamoto and Reborn were delayed in their arrival.
With the lack of formidable enemies, Gokudera was quick enough to collect a slice from the plate. Just when he was about to reach out for another with intentions of placing one on Tsuna's plate and even before she could stop herself, she reached out for the plate with the last slice, preventing Gokudera from getting a hold of it.
"Oi, what do you think you're doing? That's for Juudaime!" Gokudera snapped, glaring at her.
"I-It's fine, Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna smiled reassuringly, trying to appease the angered boy beside him. "I don't mind... Haru can have it." He smiled at her.
And it was only then she realized the gravity of what she had done, for the usual Haru would have no second thoughts of handing out a slice of cake to Tsuna.
"You can have mine, Juudaime!" Gokudera offered, sliding his plate towards Tsuna. "At least I'm not a greedy pig like some people." He shot her a sideward glare.
She saw the need to defend her actions. "I-It's Haru Appreciation Day! Haru needs her regular dose of cake, hahi!"
"A-Ahhh, there's no problem with that. There's no need to fight, Gokudera-kun, Haru," Tsuna said, smiling gently.
"Sorry, Juudaime!"
Grateful that they finally dropped the subject, she placed the plate in front of her with no intentions of eating it. She ignored the inquiring gazes she received from Tsuna and the others, and instead focused her attention on her dinner while glancing at the door every once in a while. But even before she had the chance to offer the slice of cake to her chosen person, loud whirring erupted throughout the base, startling everyone and causing the boys who were now comfortably settled in their seats to grudgingly leave their dinner and check out what was happening.
"Stay here," was Bianchi's order before she headed out with the rest.
"They didn't even get the chance to rest and eat yet," Kyoko muttered as she regretfully eyed the deserted meals on the table. "I wonder what happened."
"Kyoko and Haru are left out of it again," she could not prevent the bitterness seeping out of her voice.
Kyoko's lips thinned, but decided not to comment.
The two busied themselves with covering the plates with plastic wraps and eating their dinner in silence. After finishing her food, she could not help but stare at the slice of cake she had worked so hard to make. The more she stared at it, the more she swam in resentment of not being able to fulfil her original plan.
"You're not going to eat your cake, Haru-chan?" Kyoko broke the silence and looked at her curiously.
She put on a smile for her best friend, "Nah... This is actually Yamamoto-san's."
iv.
She wasn't certain of what she was seeing.
Perhaps the waterfall of tears from her continuous crying in the past hour had blurred her vision. It was also possible that her occasional isolation in the storage room, as she squished herself in between the stacks of boxes to relieve her fears through tears and regain enough strength to plaster on a smile for everyone, addled her brain to form images of Yamamoto Takeshi.
"Yo." He smiled gently.
For some reason, his smile brought an ache to her heart. She continued to stare, still unsure whether the Yamamoto standing in front of her was real or a mere figment of her imagination.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked. When she did not respond, he took a seat anyway, inserting himself in the niche between a gigantic box and her.
The touching of their arms and legs as they sat side by side was enough indication that this was the real deal.
Suddenly aware of her bedraggled state, she steadfastly wiped her tears away and fixed her unkempt ponytail. An uncomfortable silence reigned moments after, and she used this time to regard Yamamoto from her peripheral vision. He was completely covered in grime, his clothes tattered, and his eyes reflecting weariness she had seen in him in the past few days. From the state he was in, she could easily infer that he was fresh from "business".
"You want some?"
A familiar slice of cake wrapped in aluminium foil was held out to her that in the next moment, all she could do was gape at it.
"You didn't return for dinner, so Tsuna and the others wondered where you were. Sasagawa-san said this was for me, but I thought that maybe the reason why you were upset was because you weren't able to have some." He was smiling that frustratingly innocuous smile of his. "I heard it's good."
She wanted to pound him on the head for still smiling and for the stupid reason he thought was the cause of her depression. But then she decided she would put on her usual facade and act as if he hadn't seen anything to escape inquiry.
"Hahi, Haru's still full from dinner! Yamamoto-san can have it!" She grinned from ear to ear.
From the way Yamamoto's mouth slightly hung open, she knew she had him taken aback. But it wasn't long after the usual smile was back on his face, his eyes full of mirth.
"I see, I see! But are you sure? I can share," he offered once more.
"Can you really? Are you willing to share what's really going on?" The words slipped out of her mouth, her brimming emotions making her impulsive. The smile on her face hurt.
Yamamoto's expression softened, "That's not for me to decide... sorry, Haru." This time his smile was apologetic.
Her lips quivered, but she managed to get a hold of herself. "Hahi, no worries! Haru understands," she said with a smile. "It's just that Haru can't help but worry whenever she sees everyone totally worn-out. Sorry."
"Ahhh, there's no need to apologize! I kind of feel bad that you don't know anything, but I'm sure Tsuna has a good reason for it," he said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "Which reminds me... I still need to bathe before I meet with the little kid. He's going to have my neck if I'm late."
He was already on his way when he stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder.
"If it's any consolation, I insist that you have my slice, Haru," Yamamoto beamed, handing out the foil towards her.
The sincerity in that gesture brought a genuine smile on her face. "With the way you insist, it makes Haru think that you don't like the cake, Yamamoto-san!"
"Ah, that's not what I meant!" he exclaimed, chuckling.
She couldn't help but smile even wider. "Haru made that for Yamamoto-san, so it's Yamamoto-san's."
"Thank you, Haru." Yamamoto mirrored the smile. "Well, I really must go now!" He waved as he climbed the stairs in shocking speed an injured person wouldn't normally have.
Then she remembered something. "Hahi, wait! Yamamoto-san, how did you know Haru was here?!"
The boy stopped when he was at the top of the stairs and grinned, "Amazing intuition." But something in the way he smiled told her that he had known all along.
"If that's the case, then Yamamoto-san must be super strong!" she giggled.
"Haha! If only Haru knew, I still have a long way to go!" Yamamoto laughed jovially.
"Haru's not kidding though. She really thinks Yamamoto-san's super strong."
Yamamoto's laughter faded with those words, and she was stunned in place when a smile of adoration suddenly appeared on his face.
"I think that Haru's really strong, too."
A/N: And this is my first attempt of writing an 8086 and tackling an in-depth characterization of Haru. I'm aware it's not fully accurate, but this is my take on it anyway. This piece is rather deep, and I'd just like to let everyone know that I'm very much willing to answer any questions. I'm also open to any kinds of review – if it's a flame, it's fine as long as it still has some constructive criticism in it. Anyhow, I hope you liked it! It would really help if you tell me your thoughts on this story. (:))