21A Separate Peace
by: RoyaleDeuce
Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! is not mine.
Note: Time-skips.
i. heartbreak
"Haru?" Yamamoto stopped right in front of the enormous birch tree where a certain brunette currently took shelter from the downpour.
Haru's frame crouched by the trunk of the tree, her head buried on her knees.
When he received no response, Yamamoto squatted and tilted his turquoise umbrella towards the girl. "What are you doing out here?"
Haru's head slowly bobbed up. Yamamoto was alarmed to see her tear-streaked face, and he immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"Y-Yamamato-san," Her lips quivered, and she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.
"What happened?"
"...Nothing... H-Haru's fine!" And then she looked away.
The patter of raindrops on the concrete echoed in the silence.
"It's late," Yamamato stood up from his position and extended his hand. "Come on, Haru. I'll take you home."
Haru hesitated for a moment before she yielded and took his hand. The two were out on the sidewalk not long after, walking side by side under the same umbrella.
"Everyone wondered where you've been all afternoon," Yamamoto started, breaking the ice, "We worried when you suddenly disappeared... Especially Tsuna and Sasagawa."
The tranquil upward curving of his lips contrasted Haru's deepening frown, and he continued to be seemingly oblivious to her discomfort.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind hurtled past them. Yamamoto's grip on the umbrella loosened, and another flurry was enough to knock it off his hand. The umbrella toppled and rolled on the other side of the wet pavement.
"Hahi!"
They were both completely drenched in a matter of a few seconds.
"Run!" Yamamoto exclaimed, grabbed Haru's hand, and dragged her along with him, the umbrella left forgotten.
As they ran and drenched themselves even more in the downpour, Yamamoto flashed Haru another smile, "You know, for a moment, I thought you were crying back there!" She was about to protest when, "But now I can't really tell anymore," he grinned, his expression bordering between ignorance and understanding.
Time stopped as they stared at each other under the rain shower. Such fools they were.
"Haru, watch out for that puddle!"
Slowly, a small smile crept on Haru's face.
The rain washed away her tears that night.
ii. loss
"Our deepest condolences," were the last words spoken to him before he was left to his inner musings.
Despite the despondency of the afternoon, Yamamoto could not bring himself to weep over what happened. As he stood in front of the marble tombstone, he remained taut and impassive – the epitome of the perfect Vongola Guardian.
An arctic breeze swept past him. Even to that, he remained unruffled.
Then he sensed someone approach, the presence all too warm and familiar.
"Your father's in a better place now, Yamamoto-san," Haru whispered as she stood beside him.
Yamamoto was surprised and secretly pleased when he felt Haru's hand enclose his and gave it a small squeeze.
"I'm going to miss him," Yamamoto smiled softly.
There was silence as they stood hand-in-hand in front of his father's grave.
"It's raining," Haru said, with no sense of urgency or alarm in her tone. It was a silent assertion meant for him to understand.
"Mm."
He felt another squeeze in his hand.
For the first time since his father's death, Yamamoto gave in and cried.
iii. hassle
"Where'd it go?" Haru bawled hysterically as she rummaged through every nook of her apartment.
The resonant melody of the doorbell tore her from her arduous hunt, and Haru grudgingly made her way to the door.
"Yo," Yamamoto greeted as soon as she opened it.
"Hahi! Yamamoto-san!" Haru brightened and quickly ushered him inside.
Yamamoto's eyes widened slightly at the condition of her room; papers scattered on the floor, pillows overturned, and paraphernalia stacked in the wrong niches. He decided not to comment.
"It's nice of you to stop by! What brings you here?"
"Do I need a reason to visit a friend?" he grinned and made himself comfortable on the couch. When Haru mirrored his smile with a faint blush, he finally had the bravado to ask, "So what happened here?"
Haru's smile immediately turned upside down. "Ah~ I've been looking everywhere all afternoon, but I still can't find my USB! My PowerPoint presentation for tomorrow's defense is saved in there, and I'm screwed if I won't be able to find it, put in additional details, and do my final editing!" She looked ready to cry.
"I'll help you find it," Yamamoto offered and reassuringly patted her hand. "So where do you remember having it last?"
After a thorough search, they eventually found the tiny USB inserted in the toaster. By the obvious flush on Haru's face, it would appear she finally remembered how it got there.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Haru exclaimed and bowed repeatedly.
"I didn't know you enjoyed that for breakfast," Yamamoto laughed, causing Haru to blush even more.
"Yamamoto-san! If there's anything I can do in return, just let me know!"
"Actually," Yamamoto's smile softened, "I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me."
Haru turned red. "D-Dinner?"
Yamamoto nodded with a smile. "Yeah, dinner."
And then he was taken aback when Haru yelped, "You have such bad timing, Yamamoto-san!"
Yamamoto couldn't stop himself from laughing at Haru's pained expression. "A break won't hurt, you know."
Haru looked torn. "As much as I want to, I really can't! I'm really sorry, Yamamoto-san! And you came all the way here for that, too! If only I didn't all have this to do! But the Chemistry department is demanding so much from me these days, and sometimes I don't even get to sleep anymore..." and she continued to ramble.
Yamamoto tried his best to hide his disappointment as he headed for the door. "Well, I wouldn't want to be a bother. It was nice seeing you again, Haru—"
"Wait!" Haru instinctively reached for his hand before he could take a step further. "Let's have dinner here instead," she muttered.
Yamamoto looked over his shoulder, a warm, pleased smile plastered on his face. "Alright!"
"Just don't distract me when I work, okay?"
Contrastingly, Yamamoto was what really pacified her from the turmoil of being a student of Tokyo University.
iv. haemorrhage
"Yo," Yamamoto smiled like he always did whenever he made a detour in her apartment.
But unlike the previous encounters, at the moment, he looked half-dead as he sported a huge gash on his side, and he flopped down, face flat on the floor.
"Yamamoto-san!"
Haru was quick to wrap her arms around Yamamoto and transfer him to her couch. "What in the world did you do to yourself?" she asked as soon as she returned with a first aid kit, carefully removed his polo, and started tending to his wounds.
"Same old, same old," Yamamoto chuckled and winced when Haru 'accidentally' pressed the cotton a little harder. "I'm sorry, Haru. You know I can't tell you much."
Haru harrumphed and continued her meticulous task without uttering another word.
Yamamoto amusedly watched Haru try to keep her best poker-face and remain unperturbed by his intense gaze. "Hey, are you mad at me?"
She bit her lip and did not respond.
There was silence.
"I missed you, you know," Yamamoto breathed, smiling.
Haru paused and met his eyes for the first time that evening, "Stop talking, Yamamoto-san! You're making your condition worse!" Haru snapped shakily and was near tears.
Yamamoto flashed her another smile, his eyes fluttering close. "...I'm sorry for making you worry."
Haru silently cursed when she couldn't stop her hands from shaking. She reached for her phone on the coffee table, "He's not answering!" she cried frantically and tossed it back on the table. "Yamamoto-san, I'm getting the doctor living in the next flat, okay?"
Before Haru could even take her first step, Yamamoto reached for her hand. "Haru," he croaked and coughed some blood, "Marry me."
Haru froze. But she caught herself a moment later. "H-Hahi! Of course I will! But first things first! I can't marry you if you die, idiot!" she spluttered and dashed out the door.
Yamamoto caved in to unconsciousness with a smile on his face.
v. war
"Hahi!" Haru squeaked when an arm snaked around her waist and grabbed her attention away from the curry on the stove.
She suddenly found herself locked in a tight embrace, her back firmly pressed against a familiar chest. "Takeshi."
Yamamoto planted a soft kiss on the crown of her head. "I'm home."
Haru gently unwound Yamamoto's arms around her and turned to face him. She immediately detected his weariness despite the cheerful facade he put up for her, "Would you like some curry?"
Yamamoto grinned and stooped for another kiss. "No, I want you."
Haru inwardly giggled at the cheesiness of it all, but maintained an aloof front, "You need food, Takeshi."
"Who needs food when I have Haru?" Yamamoto smiled and pulled her towards him.
In the next moment, they were engaged in a fierce lip lock, their lips clashing desperately, with Haru's arms wrapped around his neck and Yamamoto's hands rubbing the small of her back. Soon after, the curry was left forgotten and they inched their way towards the bedroom.
Haru pushed her Yamamoto on the bed, and as he gazed at her from his position, she began to undress herself. Yamamoto's hands fisted beside him as he maintained his cool and patiently waited for her to finish. As soon as the last garment lay discarded on the floor, he wasted no time grabbing her arm and trapping her underneath him.
And so began that night's frenzy.
"It's been such a long time," Haru whispered as she lay contentedly beside Yamamoto.
Yamamoto kissed her forehead in response and pulled her even closer. "I missed you."
Haru snuggled him and buried her face on his neck. "I missed your scent."
Yamamoto's head snapped towards Haru, "Only my scent?"
He felt Haru's giggle against his skin, "I missed everything about you."
Yamamoto grinned goofily and kissed her head once more. "By the way, you cut your hair. I like it."
"And you have new battle scars," Haru's face darkened, "I don't like it."
Yamamoto laughed.
"But you came back alive, and that's what really matters," Haru kissed him tenderly. "Don't leave," she whispered against his lips.
"You know I can't do that," Yamamoto flashed her a sad smile.
"I know," Haru muttered. "But one can hope anyway."
When Yamamoto's lips seared her skin once again, Haru eagerly succumbed to his lingering kisses and savoured the moment, well aware that he was drowning himself in her presence before he would part from her and face bloodshed again.
It was chaos out there.
But in each other's arms, Yamamoto and Haru were at peace.
vi. anxiety
"Ten years later, we're still in the same situation, aren't we, Haru-chan?" Kyoko took a seat beside her best friend and offered her a cup of tea.
"Sometimes, it worries me that all this tension would crush me to death," Haru remarked after taking the drink. "But remembering how well we dealt with everything back then helps keep me sane."
Kyoko smiled at her comfortingly, "Let's have faith in Tsu-kun and the others."
Haru nodded, "They'll survive... They always did."
In the past, crying would have been enough for her to maintain a stable state of mind and cope with her fears.
But as Haru agonizingly waited for their return, she was overcome with an anxiety that would only subside if Yamamoto was with her again.
vii. end
"W-Where's Takeshi?" Haru implored when Tsuna and the others appeared on the doorsteps of their hideout a month later.
Her gaze was searching as she regarded each one of them, but no one could fully look her in the eyes.
"Tsuna-san?" Haru pleaded, her voice cracking, "Where is he?"
The thunder rolled, and soon after they were left sodden under the vast expanse of the weeping sky.
"I'm so sorry, Haru…" Tsuna whispered, "I couldn't do anything."
Haru's heart stopped as she fell on her knees. "N-No... No... I-It can't be..."
"He sacrificed himself so we can deliver the final blow, Haru," Reborn appeared from behind them and steadily met Haru's tearful gaze, "Yamamoto did not die in vain. The world is at peace because of him."
Reborn's words fell on deaf ears.
Haru buried her face on her knees and cried her heart out in despair.
Regrettably, in spite of the relentless downpour, the rain wasn't enough to wash away her tears this time.
∞. eternity
Haru viewed the cascading raindrops from her rocking chair, both the rhythmic forward and backward movement of the chair and the hypnotic patter of the rain shower keeping her at ease.
"Haru-chan? I brought you some mangoes," I-pin appeared from the doorway and ambled towards the eighty-year old widow.
"Do you think it rains in heaven?"
I-pin took a seat beside Haru and smiled at her, "Perhaps."
"But there's no use for rain in there," Haru reasoned out, never taking her eyes away from the window. "You won't cry in heaven."
"That's true," I-pin nodded her assent as she began to slice the mangoes she brought with her.
"And even if I were to cry in heaven, Takeshi will be there to wipe them away," Haru whispered to herself, "Good."
The rain filled the echoing silence.
"Haru-chan," I-pin called out, touching Haru's arm, "Here's your mango—" And it was only then she came to realize the stillness of her form and her closed eyes.
For sixty years, Haru had looked forward to the moment she would finally embrace an eternity with Yamamoto.
As Haru lay serenely on her rocking chair that night, a soft smile graced her features.
At long last, she found peace.
A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it. Review?