Teach Me Love - Chapter 14

Summary: "Show me this so-called greatness of the power of love," Hibari ordered. "Fall in love with me." Haru could only stupidly gawk at him. Just what the heck did she get herself involved in? HaruxMultiple Pairings

My lack of KHR knowledge might make some things untrue or some characters OOC and I guess I'll explain some stuff at the end of the chapter, just so I won't spoil things! XD

I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn because if I did, there would be a lot more Haru loving!

Please forgive any mistakes, both character-wise and grammatically wise. lol, i still don't understand the beta system thing and I don't really have time to re-read and edit things.

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Chapter Fourteen: Unnecessary Complications

HappyFace1886

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“What the hell is he doing here?” Gokudera demanded, pointing at the stoic Prefect who was leaning against the wall of Yamamoto’s dojo. Normally he arrived with Decimo so that he could watch his almighty boss teach Haru a thing or two about fighting, but had arrived later today due to how he was assigned cleaning duties at school. However, to think that he was late just once and now this was happening?

“Gokudera-san, don’t be rude,” Haru puffed in irritation. “There’s nothing wrong with Hi-,” she stopped herself when she felt Hibari’s stare and looked down with a vibrant flush on her face, her voice reduced to a small mumble. “K-Kyoya... being here...”

“K-K-K,” holy, he couldn’t even say it. So her actually calling that bastard by his first name hadn’t been a terrible nightmare he had dreamt about when Haru had been kidnapped. “What the hell did you just say?”

“I-I said K-Kyoya, that’s his name so Kyoya!” Haru yelled back, completely flustered. “And there’s nothing wrong with him being here. Even Yamamoto-san said it was alright and this is his dojo!”

Gokudera glowered back at her before looking away with a sharp ‘che’. His fingers itched for a cigarette, but he resisted knowing how the stupid woman didn’t like the smell of it. Instead, he stalked towards the opposite side of the dojo and sat against the wall.

Meanwhile, Haru sighed and snuck a glance at Hibari whose predatory gaze was on her. She stiffened and turned around nervously, giving her attention to Tsuna-san who was looking equally nervous. “I-I’m sorry Tsuna-san, please continue with your lesson.”

“Erm,” Tsuna said hesitantly. Honestly, this lesson couldn’t even be counted as a lesson. They mostly exercised together in order to get their bodies to be more flexible and to strengthen their muscles. Since it was just simple things like that, Tsuna had been okay with ‘training’ Haru... but even something as easy as this had gotten complicated the moment Hibari had arrived.

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A sharp cold sensation shot down Tsuna’s spine as he felt the intense glare land on his back. It was a piercing glower, howling with bloodlust. His sensitized instinct towards danger especially caught onto it, screaming at him to escape. However, it was impossible for him to move.

Nay, for he was currently helping Haru stretch her limbs out and if he was to suddenly leap away, she would question why he wasn’t helping her... knowing him, he would somehow turn this into a big deal and she would get her feelings hurt and then Reborn would start shooting him nonstop and at home, Bianchi would probably feed him some unimaginable concoction as consequence for making Haru sad.

But then what was he supposed to do?

Even with all his abilities with the dying-will flames and all, Tsuna had been prey for far too long to the predators. His fight of flight instinct had been changed to permanently ‘flight’ whenever he sensed danger and right now, it was weeping at the fact that he wasn’t running away.

And what exactly was the main source of his fear?

A very angry and territorial carnivore that was standing at the end of the dojo.

“Tsuna-san?” he heard Haru’s inquisitive voice from beneath him. “Are you okay?”

“E-Eh? I’m okay! I’m more than okay,” the glare piercing him intensified and he felt the sweat on the side of his face grow. Shoot, he had forgotten that Haru was literally below him as he pushed down on her back so that she could press herself onto the ground. A perfect scenario for a pervert. “I-I mean, I’m more than okay in the most innocent and neutral manner ever! Hahaha... ha... ha...”

Oh gods, he wasn’t going to survive this training session with this dangerous tension in the air.

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Tsuna chuckled hesitantly. “W-Why don’t we stop here for today? We’ve been practicing for a while s-so let’s let Gokudera-kun have his turn now.”

“Eh? But-.”

“I see!” Gokudera suddenly boomed, causing the two to jump. “This is a test for me, isn’t it Decimo? You want to check to make sure I have the ability to teach others how to be great and strong! Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to live up to your expectations!”

“I-that’s not what I... er good luck?” Tsuna finished weakly when he saw that there was nothing that would deter Gokudera. Suddenly feeling so tired, he trudged over to where Gokudera had been sitting and almost jumped in fear when he saw Hibari’s eyes lingering on him one last time before turning towards Gokudera.

Ugh, why was Hibari-san really here anyways?

“Okay woman, listen up!”

“My name is not woman! How many times do we have to go through this?” Haru yelled back with a heavy scowl. However, she obediently sat down as Gokudera pulled out a whiteboard out of nowhere. “And I don’t understand how this will help me get stronger.”

“This is why you’re the student and I’m the teacher!” he said finitely, crossing his arms. “And I told you already! If you want to grow stronger, you have to understand the concept behind everything first! Understand the theories, find their weak points, pinpoint what is the best method to utilize, and then practice!”

“No way, that can’t be it.” Haru said skeptically, but Gokudera shook his head in a manner that said he was dealing with a simpleton.

“That’s how I’ve always done it when I was starting out and look at me now.”

Haru stared at him for a bit before giving a glance at Tsuna and then a hesitant one at Hibari. There was a look of amusement in Hibari’s features, slight as it may be. It was obvious he was enjoying her struggle and she glared at him.

As if she’d let him just get entertained by all this after she had so boldly proclaimed that she would grow stronger!

“Fine, let’s get started!” she declared and Gokudera nodded in approval.

“Finally,” he said, remembering how she’d always question him whenever he began his lessons. Formulated theories and hypothesis were the best way to go! “Now let’s pick off from where we’d left off on the last lecture.”

“The... The last lecture?” Haru asked feebly, taking a step back just in time to avoid the avalanche of textbooks Gokudera had somehow crammed into his bag. Oh gods, she knew this would happen. Her hand still ached at the memory of all the notes and essays he had made her write by hand. With a sigh, she reaffirmed her determination and then grabbed a book, opening to where they had stopped. “I’m ready!”

“Okay, let’s-,” Gokudera leaned close to Haru so that he would be able to look at the page from where they had left off. He had barely entered Haru’s personal space when a shinai came soaring through the air. Tsuna yelped and Gokudera cursed as he barely dodged the flying projectile aimed for his head. “Oi, what the hell!”

He turned and glowered at Hibari who was sending him one of the most intense glares he had ever seen from him. It was nothing like those glowers Hibari had whenever he was annoyed or even mad. This one clearly stated that Gokudera was overstepping his boundaries and if he didn’t watch himself, flying shinais wouldn’t be the only thing he’d need to worry about.

Though not intimidated by this, Gokudera’s attention was brought back towards Haru when she tugged at his sleeve. “What’s wrong?”

“Huh?” he looked at her incredulously. She really couldn’t have missed the shinai flying like that, could she? No, no, wait, this was the stupid woman he was dealing with. Of course she’d miss an obvious detail like that. Note to self for the next lesson, make her more aware of her surroundings. “Hmph, fine, we-.”

“Gokudera-kun, look out!” Tsuna yelled and Gokudera yelled out while he leaped forward, dodging the chained spike ball that had been about to ram its way through his cranium. However, his action made it so that he had leaped towards Haru. The two collided and they ended up in a tangle of limbs on the ground.

“G-Gokudera-san!” Haru squeaked loudly with her face flaming red. What the heck was he doing? She was currently on the ground beneath him, Gokudera’s face literally buried against her neck as he remained collapsed on top of her.

Gokudera paused, trying to regain his bearing.

And then he realized just where it was that he was.

Shit!

Gokudera was about to leap off of her when there was a strong jerk from behind on his collar. He was tossed away like a rag doll, sent rolling on the ground until he crashed onto the wall where Tsuna was sitting. Falling onto the floor, he grunted and winced as he got up.

“What the hell!” he yelled in outrage only to feel his jaw drop at the sight in front of him. From beside him, Tsuna was equally surprised, his eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped as well.

Hibari was kneeling in front of Haru, holding a hand out for her to grab. And she was grabbing it without hesitation, a light dusting of pink on her face as she let him help her sit up. However, what surprised the duo the most was how Hibari –instead of simply helping her sit up- pulled her forward until she was in his arms.

“W-W-What!” Haru yelped in surprise at how he enveloped his arms around her. “K-Kyoya, what are you doing?”

“Are you alright?” he inquired coolly, his hand running through her silky hair while his other hand remained possessively around her back. How he had missed this even though it had just been last night when he had been able to indulge himself with this exasperating yet addictive girl.

For a brief few seconds, Haru went brain-dead. Okay, just what was going on with Kyoya? First with the whole k-kiss and now he was suddenly holding her like this in public! Just what was going through this boy’s mind? It frustrated and irritated the heck out of her how she just couldn’t decipher what he was thinking!

He had told her that she was confusing him... but then after last night... had that confusion lifted? Had he reached a conclusion that satisfied him? If that was the case, what did it mean for her?

Hahi, she just wished he would just clearly tell her what he wanted or that she was some mind-reader so that she could just pick at his brain or something!

When he tugged on her hair, she snapped back to reality and looked away when she realized how his piercing eyes were on her. “I-I’m okay.”

He nodded, accepting this answer. However, he shot a menacing glare behind him towards the fools who were still openly gawking at him. The first to speak was Gokudera who took a step forward, waving a fist in Hibari’s direction.

“Oi, what the hell was that about?”

“Hn,” Hibari turned away from the white haired boy.

“W-What, you bastard! Don’t you dare ignore me! What the hell was that whole attacking me for and then throwing me around like that? If you hadn’t attacked me in the first place, I wouldn’t have ended up tackling that stupid woman!” Gokudera snapped and Haru looked at him in bewilderment.

“What?” she yelped and looked up at Hibari incredulously. “You did what?”

“Herbivores should learn their place.” He replied simply.

As she openly gawked at him, things were suddenly starting to become clear for Haru. Like why Tsuna-san had been fidgeting so much during their lesson and why Gokudera was suddenly making weird lunges and had launched himself at her. She lightly smacked Hibari on the arm. “Why would you do such a thing?”

“They were too close to you.” He replied simply.

“Of course they’re close to me! They’re my friends and they’re helping me get stronger!” Haru said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest. “B-Besides... w-we’re not together. Officially, that is...”

Hibari paused and was about to open his mouth when the door slid open. His sharp cold eyes narrowed at the sight of the tall figure and his hand automatically tightened its hold around Haru. The other two herbivores were nuisances, but this other one... the one who has yet to chose his place in the world was a danger Hibari was yet unsure of how to place.

“Yamamoto-san,” Haru greeted cheerfully, unaware of the thick tension bulldozing its way into the air. She was about to approach closer when she found that Hibari’s grip around her shoulders prevented her from moving. “Kyoya?”

“Sorry for interrupting practice,” Yamamoto smiled at them, unresponsive to the hostility in the air. “I was just worried about what was happening in here since it was getting a little loud. Is practice going well Haru-chan?”

Haru paused a bit before smiling sheepishly at him. “It’s going somewhere though if some people would just calm down a little, it might go even better.” She said this while eyeing Hibari who snorted.

“There’s nothing you can learn from these pathetic fools.”

This time Haru rolled her eyes. “These so called ‘pathetic fools’ are a lot stronger than you think! They are fueled by the powers of love and are some of the strongest people that Haru knows!”

Yamamoto chuckled while Gokudera’s face flushed. Tsuna seemed speechless by Haru’s declaration.

“O-Oi, what the hell do you mean power of love? We’re not some sort of stupid pansy organizations. We’re the mafia!” he protested while Haru sighed in the manner one would with a child.

“Yes, yes, you are the mafia.” She replied, clearly unbelieving of the statement. “However, mafia or no, you, Tsuna-san, and Yamamoto-san all fight because you wish to protect someone you truly love. That’s why you three are strong! You rule with the power of love.”

Hibari’s eyes furrowed. These three managed something he had yet to accomplish? Just what was it that he was lacking? This so called ‘powerful’ strength of love all seemed superficial thus far and only seemed to cause further drama and unnecessary troubles in his life.

If there was one thing this troublesome thing known as love had gotten him, it was her. It had-.

“Argh, stop distracting me!” Gokudera yelled, remembering why he was angry in the first place. “Back to the original topic, why the hell is he here?” he demanded, pointing at Hibari. “Weren’t you the type that hated crowds? If you haven’t noticed, there are at least five people in here!”

Hibari tilted his head. What the silver-headed herbivore said was true. This was indeed too many people. In fact, if it was just been him and Haru, things would be a lot more comfortable. A sinister smile was making its way onto Hibari’s face, his muscles tensing while a glowing glint appeared in his eyes.

Haru stiffened and grabbed Hibari’s arm, which was still draped around her. “No unnecessary fighting!”

He gave her a look of irritation, but Haru remained firm, holding onto him tightly. She stood her ground and stared at him straight in the eye, her own gaze unwavering.

“Now, now,” Yamamoto stepped forward and easily pried Haru loose from Hibari’s grip, taking advantage of how Hibari’s attention was no longer on the other three. Hibari held in the growl and instead remained still, waiting for Yamamoto’s next move. “I think a fight is a good idea.”

“Hahi?” Haru yelped while Tsuna looked equally incredulous. Gokudera, on the other hand, looked raring to go.

“It’s about time,” he said, pulling out a cigarette from his pocket. “I’m getting tired of just sitting around and going over the basics.”

“Wait a minute,” Haru yelled, this time now trying to get out of Yamamoto’s grip. “You’re supposed to be training Haru, not causing uncontrollable destruction! And put that cigarette away, it’s bad for you!”

Gokudera growled, though he begrudgingly pulled the cigarette out from his mouth. “Stupid woman, we need to practice too.”

“How? By blowing up Yamamoto-san’s dojo?” she demanded. “And no, that doesn’t mean I want you to go outside and fight!” she added quickly when she saw Gokudera about to make a rebuttal.

“A-Ano Yamamoto-kun, why did you propose a fight?” Tsuna asked timidly, while internally pleading to whatever heavenly being that was up in the sky that he wouldn’t somehow get dragged into the brawl.

“Well learning and practicing is good and all, but seeing the actual thing will also help Haru-chan train her eyes and senses.” He explained, glancing at Haru who was looking at him uncertainly. “Don’t worry Haru-chan, we’ll have rules up so that there won’t be any chance of anyone getting hurt or anything getting destroyed in here.”

“But-.”

“And you can make sure that we’re not going too crazy since you’ll be watching, after all, as this is to help you with your training.” Yamamoto said with an emphasis on the last word. It seemed to straighten out the hesitation in Haru’s eyes and she gave a begrudging nod. “Don’t worry. This will be nothing but a spar. Something simple... to help clear things up.”

The last few lines were spoken softly, but they were no longer aimed towards Haru. Instead, Yamamoto’s clear gaze reached Hibari, who had been carefully watching him since the moment he had taken Haru away. Gokudera and Tsuna seemed to notice the tension since Tsuna paled a little while the normally hot-headed Gokudera fell silent.

Hibari tilted his head slightly, a small sign of acceptance of this challenge.

Fine, he had wanted to have a chance at fighting this man.

But as for the rules...

This... omnivore may consent to such constraints, but Hibari would never allow himself to be tied down in such a manner. Instead, he would draw out this omnivore’s true strength and bring out the carnivore within him so that the two could engage in a true battle that would settle things between them once and for all.

Yamamoto turned Haru towards the side of the dojo where Gokudera and Tsuna sat down. Strapped behind him was a shinai, which he whipped out in front of him. Haru’s back was turned so she had missed it, but there was the unmistakable glint of metal that showed that though it appeared to be a shinai, it was clearly an actual sword.

He hadn’t lied. There would be rules.

It just wouldn’t adhere to what Haru would approve of.

But there would be no chance for Haru to protest for once this fight starts, it wouldn’t end until one was kneeling before the other.

Hibari and Yamamoto both walked towards the center of the large dojo, their footsteps light and ready to react at moment’s notice. “Do you truly believe that it was alright to toy with Haru-chan’s emotions and come running back once you’ve felt as though you’re ready to confront your own emotions?”

“I did not run.” Hibari murmured simply, anger coming to life inside his chest at the accusation. However, his aura hummed in anticipation as well at the feel of Yamamoto’s angry presence. Just like the rain, this man’s true emotions were watered down, hidden by the downpour of rain. It was different from how a user of the Mist flame would hide their emotions. They would do so with tricks and games, but those that possess Rain veiled their emotions.

The truth was present.

It was just impossible to decipher without caution.

And that was one of the reasons why a Rain user was dangerous. One never knew what they were thinking, despite how they never lied about what the truly felt.

“A relationship is worked out with two people. Just because you’re afraid of what you’re feeling doesn’t mean you can walk out on the other.” Yamamoto replied coolly, holding the shinai in one hand instead of the conventional two-handed hold done by kendo users. This was no time to play games. When confronting with the brutal Prefect, one needed to attack fast, hard, and without inhibition.

“I fear nothing.” Hibari crouched down, the tonfas ready to strike.

“And yet you continue to avoid facing the fact that you want something more with Haru-chan.” Yamamoto said in a low voice. “But I won’t allow your relationship to progress with her.”

Hibari’s jaw set and the glare in his eyes grew. The thirst for battle and blood for the sake of the fight itself wavered, replaced by a blazing anger at what this omnivore was implying.

This omnivore dare threatened him? The one who had the higher status on the food chain? Did the omnivore truly believe that he would remain silent if his territory was encroached?

The bloodlust that had been surrounding Hibari doubled in strength to the point that even Haru seemed to be quite aware of it. She stared with her jaw slacked, opening her mouth slightly. Though she had witnessed such intense fights in the past, it was nothing compared to just sitting and watching it unfold slowly. It made her stomach churn in fear, knowing that she was training for possible confrontations in the future of those as powerful as Hibari.

She didn’t want to grow strong to defeat enemies... she only wanted to defend herself and be able to protect the ones she cared about.

It would be impossible to ever reach the levels of Hibari and Yamamoto...

Silence reined the dojo before Hibari jerked his head upward slightly. “Come.”

The single word ignited the flame and the two launched for each other. A powerful storm seemed to be brewing, especially when their weapons collided. Haru gasped, falling against the wall when a strong gust of wind blew throughout the dojo and pushed her back.

“Oi,” she heard Gokudera’s low whisper. “What’s with you and the fucking Prefect?”

Taken off guard by the question, especially with how they were in such an intense surrounding, Haru’s face immediately burst into flames and she looked at him incredulously. Was he seriously asking her this while there was this frightening high-levered battle happening in front of them?

“Look, this is the only time I can ask you without the stupid prefect or the baseball freak interfering.” Gokudera grumbled. “So what the hell is going on with you and the prefect? I thought everything was over now. What the hell is going on?”

“T-That’s none of your business!” Haru snapped, trying to keep her eyes on the battle. Though it was pretty pointless since all she could see was some sort of blur.

“The hell it isn’t.” Gokudera growled.

“Haru-chan,” Tsuna said quietly, looking cautiously around as if he was afraid by voicing his opinion, he would get attacked by Hibari. But in all honesty, he really was curious about this whole situation. Why was Hibari all of a sudden all over Haru and so protective over her? Not to mention, Yamamoto also seemed to be a bit in on what was going on now. “I think it’s kind of our business now since we seem to be getting involved...”

Haru wrung her hands together over her lap. There was no way she would be able to explain to Tsuna-san of how she had been avoiding him because she couldn’t handle how he had chosen Kyoko-chan... though, much to her surprise, the thought didn’t seem to hurt as much as it first did. It was still saddening, but the pang in her chest didn’t happen this time.

The revelation made Haru’s eyes widen in surprise and her hand reached up to touch her chest. Her heart was beating strong, but she didn’t know if that was from surprise at the discovery or fear of this unknown.

What did this mean?

How did this happen?

“Haru-chan?” Tsuna called out slowly, getting a little concerned over how stunned she appeared.

Haru looked up, seemingly unaware of Tsuna’s voice, and did so just in time to see Yamamoto and Hibari get in a face-off with their weapons clashed against each other. Her vision settled on HIbari, the round head she had always poked fun at and those piercing dark eyes that always sent shiver down her spine...

Oh gods, had she fallen in love?

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::tsuzuku::

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Chapter 13                                                               Chapter 15