Genesis - Katekyo Hitman Reborn - Chapter 16

Summary: There was a reason why Reborn got Haru involved with the Mafia. Even if she was useless to them in fights and even if she couldn't provide as much emotional strength as Kyoko, she was vital and without her, there would just be no Vongola. G86/GiottoHaru

My lack of KHR knowledge might make some things untrue or some characters OOC!

I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Please forgive any mistakes, both character-wise and grammatically-wise. I don't have time to re-read or edit things.

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Genesis: Chapter 16

HappyFace1886

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“E-Eh?” Haru looked back and forth between the two males, noticing the tension in the air. “You want me to go to town? W-Why? Do you need me for something?”

Giotto then pulled her behind him. “Old man-.”

“You stay out of this,” Attilio snapped firmly in Italian, his attention still on the girl. “You said you won’t run. Did you lie?”

Haru’s heart skipped a beat at those words. Did this mean she was going to find out more about Giotto-sama’s past? It made sense since Giotto was so edgy. She peered up and swore that she saw a flickering of flames on his hair. She probably didn’t imagine it since she heard a sharp intake of air from Attilio just as a fearful shiver went up Giotto’s body.

“Giotto-sama?” she asked confused.

When Giotto turned his gaze to her, the beat of her heart quickened even more.

Why was Giotto-sama so sad? So... scared?

The blonde haired boy swore under his breath in Italian before rushing out of the door, the scarf that they had tied together becoming undone from her side and trailing behind his neck as he ran.

“Did you see?” Attilio inquired.

“See?” she echoed, still confused by what was going on.

“The power of a monster,” he murmured quietly.

Haru openly gawked at him. What did he mean by that? No, that didn’t matter. Giotto-sama was hurting. She had to do something about that. Giving Attilio an angry scowl, she turned to run after Giotto-sama, only to be stopped by Attlio’s words.

“Before,” he said softly with his gaze on the ground, “you said you wouldn’t run.”

The way he spoke made Haru falter, but she quickly regained her scowl, summoning all her emotions to show just how unhappy she was. “That’s right.” She said fiercely. “I will not run.”

His face snapped upward towards her, but Haru was no longer there. Moments passed before Attilio fell backwards onto his seat wearing a wry smile while a hand covered a part of his face. Though her pronunciation was awkward, the girl had clearly spoken in Italian.

He had always known that Giotto would pick up the girl’s language sooner or later, but to think that the girl would be making an effort as well. Since Giotto absorbed everything like a sponge, Attilio had assumed that the girl would take comfort in how the boy easily took up her language and leave it at that... instead, she had taken the time to try and understand his as well.

“Maybe...” he began then chuckled, shaking his head. What was he thinking? That girl was just a child, an innocent child who shouldn’t be involved in something this dangerous.

No, it was impossible.

That boy’s fate was sealed.

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“Giotto-sama,” Haru called out, rushing into the forest. Knowing him well enough to stay away from the well-used path, she had turned to the unruly unseen trails Giotto would always guide her through. She hadn’t committed to memory as Giotto-sama had, but she hoped she knew well enough to navigate by herself. Though what with how dark it was right now, there was no chance she would even be able to find her way back to the house. “Where are you Giotto-sama?”

Worry tore through her and Haru almost started to cry. Hahi, she had no right to cry... but that look in Giotto’s eyes... the sadness in his face... Angrily Haru smacked her cheeks together. No, no, this wasn’t the time for that.

“Giotto-sama!” she called out once more, taking a step forward. Her foot made no contact with the ground and there was a loud shriek from her as she slipped. Falling onto her backside, she slid on the softened soil quickly and when she reached the end, was sent flying forward. There was a loud squelch as she landed on the mud. “Hahi...”

“Haru?” she heard a voice whisper softly and her face shot upward, delight clear on her face at the sight of Giotto-sama up on the tree branch. Of course he would find some place with height! He always seemed to enjoy being around high places.

“Giotto-sama!” she said, hastily getting off the ground. Ignoring how messy she probably looked, Haru wiped away some of the dirt on her and when she tried to clean her face, succeeded only on smearing more of the mud around her cheeks. The solemn look faded a little on Giotto’s features when she resembled so much like the time they had been playing hide-and-seek.

He jumped down from the tree. “What are you doing here, Haru?”

“Looking for you,” she said with an unhappy frown. “Didn’t I say not to leave me behind?”

He looked startled. “I-.”

Instead of listening to him, Haru crossed her arms, looking away. “Giotto-sama lied to me.”

“Eh? I-I-,” he stammered.

“And because Giotto-sama lied, I’m now covered in mud.” She said in mock huff, motioning to how her dress was now caked in mud. “A girl is supposed to look pretty, but Attilio-san was right, I am filthy.”

“Haru is always pretty!” he said, almost yelling those words out.

At first, Haru was surprised by the fervent way he spoke, before she started laughing. The panic was clear on Giotto’s face and he was looking very flustered, but no longer was there the sadness from before. Giotto stared at her blankly before he joined in, chuckling softly.

“Giotto-sama, promise me,” she said softly as their laughter began to disperse. “Promise me that you’ll never leave me behind.”

“Haru-.”

“Will you be the one to leave me then?”

“Never!” he looked appalled by the mere suggestion.

“Then promise me,” she said firmly.

He looked at her and saw her brown eyes gazing up at him, the orbs glistening under the light of the moon. The demands she made... did she understand just how much they affected him? She was basically asking that he never leave her.

As if he could leave her... not now, not ever.

“Then promise me too, Haru,” he replied, reaching to grab her hand. He lifted their joined hands up, keeping it between them as he looked back into her eyes. “To stay by my side.”

The moment his words registered in her head, her face threatened to turn aflame.

Was this a proposal?

Did he even know what he was saying?

This was Giotto-sama she was talking about! Of course he didn’t! Or at least he didn’t understand the true implications of his words.

Her gaze then softened at what he must truly be feeling behind those words.

He didn’t want to lose anyone close to him anymore.

Haru smiled gently at him. “I will stay with Giotto-sama as long as you want me here.”

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::tsuzuku::

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AU: Early update because I have to study for finals. I was actually pondering if I could even update this week, but forced myself to make time for it. :D So rejoice!

I've been thinking very hard about Haru's personality here because I felt like maybe she was too mature at times... but then I decided it was for the best. I'm betting on the fact that she was forced to grow up while in the TYL arc, as one can see by how instead of just letting the fighters take over, she took the initiative to take everyone to the Kawahira Realtor Shop during the Future Final Battle Arc. She had to learn to stand by herself and to take serious consideration of problematic situations... also, there aren't enough characters for her to actually act out. xD Attilio is a no-go and it's hard to act silly around Giotto what with his situation and all, though she did have her moments. I'm sure she'll be back to her lovely silly self more in the future as more characters come in and she isn't so constrained by her environment.

Chapter 15                                                      Chapter 17