Genesis - Katekyo Hitman Reborn - Chapter 21

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 21

HappyFace1886

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“Nothing but an ordinary child,” a deep gravelly voice remarked as he watched the foreign girl running around with Adelina outside his window. “And yet... so foolish. She doesn’t understand the dangers she is in. No, she doesn’t want to listen.”

From behind, Attilio watched with impassive eyes. He had reported how he had found the girl with the boy a few mornings ago even though they had schemed it so that she would stay behind in the village. And now, it seemed some of the elders felt more troubled than normal. It was one thing to know that there was a strange foreigner who had become friends with the demon boy, but it was another if such a person was strongly loyal to the demon.

Loyalty towards such a creature was dangerous.

“Bring the girl here.” One of the elderly men ordered.

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“Adelina,” Haru bumped her shoulder against the younger girl, giving her a sly smile. “Michael is here.”

“Shut it!” Adelina shoved Haru back, a vibrant flush on her face. “Tell him I’m busy. You go talk to him.”

Haru laughed and shook her head. The younger girl was always so shy and violent whenever it came to her crush on the village head’s grandson. The boy was a year older than Adelina with kind brown eyes and jet black hair. Though he had acted a bit reserved around Haru, she hadn’t faced much hostility from him. In fact, he seemed more relaxed around her now.

“Adelina is busy right now. Do you have a message?” Haru asked, wiping her flour covered hands on her apron as she approached the younger boy in the front door.

“Its fine,” Michael replied, sounding a little whimsical while his eyes trailed towards Adelina who was in the back room. She was far away, but close enough that one could make out her features. He blushed shyly and turned to leave. “I’ll return later.”

Haru giggled. “Michael.”

He turned his head.

“Don’t give up.” Haru leaned closer, placing a hand next to her mouth as she whispered. “Adelina likes you a lot.”

Two things happened simultaneously. Michael’s face burst into flames while Haru was hit in the back of the head by a wet towel.

“You idiot!” Adelina yelled, chopping knife in hand. There was an eerie glare in her eyes that made Haru take a step back. For a short girl, she sure had an intimidating aura. Still, it was just so cute, being able to tease these two! These two weren’t babies, but they sure were innocent and adorable, especially in regards to their feeling.

Fortunately for Haru, Adelina’s wrath faltered when she realized that Michael still hadn’t left. The knife fell and embedded itself onto the ground while she stared at him agape.

“M-Michael!”

He smiled at her sheepishly, face still red. “H-Hi.”

“I’ll leave you two kids alone.” Haru teased and ran away before Adelina could recover her rage. She exited through the back door of the kitchen and squealed at how the chickens, having become startled by her sudden appearance, tried to take flight.

“Haru!” Adelina’s mother scolded for the ruckus.

“Hahi! Sorry,” Haru said quickly with a bow.

“It’s fine, but what are you doing here?”

Haru smiled mischievously. “Michael is here.”

“Is he now?” an equally impish smile reached the older woman’s lips. Apparently when it came to Adelina’s love life, her mother was simply devious. “They are alone?”

“They are now.”

“Good girl.” She praised with a smile. “Now whatever shall we do with you, Haru?”

“Hahi?” Haru looked in surprise, but she immediately realized what Adelina’s mother was trying to do. For the past few days, for some strange reason, Adelina’s mother was intent on trying to play matchmaker with her. It had been with the butcher’s son, the blacksmith’s son, and even with Adelina’s neighbor who had a son that was five years younger than her!

“I’m sure there will be no complaints this time.” There was excitement bubbling in the older woman’s face. “He’s the son of the village’s doctor and a year older than you are.”

“A-Ano, I-.”

Adelina’s mother clicked her tongue. “Such a fussy child. There are so many who would love to be with you.”

Haru’s eyes bugged out. While she was fond of Adelina’s mother, it was strange how she seemed almost desperate that Haru got married to someone and fast.

“And it’s also wonderful how they all showed interest in you as well... though I do suppose Rizzo’s boy is still too young to consider marriage.” She mused and Haru mentally agreed with that notion. The nine year old boy was adorable though, with the pudgiest cheeks ever. “So what do you say? I hear he’s also interested in you as well and is-.”

“Haru?”

Oh, she could have just hugged the life out of her savior. She turned to Attilio with sparkling wide eyes that relayed her thanks and he arched an eyebrow.

“Return later?”

“No!” Haru yelled and then coughed, lowering her tone. “N-No. What is it Attilio-san?”

“The elders require your presence.” He said, speaking in Italian so that Adelina’s mother was aware of the situation. A look of reservation appeared and Adelina’s mother nodded, placing a hand on Haru’s shoulder.

“We’ll be waiting here. You are always welcome to spend the night here if you wish.” She murmured before entering into her home.

Haru smiled solemnly. While touched by invitation, she would never accept unless Giotto would also be allowed here. Shaking her head, she returned her attention to Attilio. “Elders?”

“The heads of the village.” He explained curtly, turning to leave. Haru followed him quickly.

“What do they want with me?” she inquired carefully. When she had first arrived at the village, she had expected to be taken to authoritative people immediately. Instead, she had been put to work within the village. And now that weeks have passed, they wanted to see her?

“To talk.”

“About what?”

“You will find out.” Attilio’s pace quickened and Haru had to rush in order to keep up with his long legs. Fortunately, the long hikes she took to reach the village and back had made her stronger. There was no hitch in breathing as walked up the hill with him, merely needing to move faster to follow his pace.

To speak honestly, she felt nervous. What did this mean now? What had changed that they wanted to see her? And... what did they want with her?

There was a small wooden shack at the top of the hill. It was small, but big enough for a large group of people to enter. It was also located close enough to the village to be of easy walking distance, yet far enough that one could talk in silence without the chance of wandering ears from listening in.

She stopped a few steps away from the door, staring at it while an ominous air surrounded her.

Attilio stopped when he saw that she wasn’t behind him anymore. “What’s wrong?”

“Will they-Will they try to separate me from Giotto-sama?” she asked quietly as she stared at the ground.

“Of course.”

The bluntness of Attilio’s reply made Haru’s head snap upwards. He gave her a look of impatience, adjusting his weight on his feet.

“What did you believe in? A fairy tale?” there was a derisive snort. “Their goal has and will always be to separate you two. Make no mistake.”

“Attilio-san.” Haru murmured, her brown eyes wide and startled.

Attilio opened the door, one hand against the side of it while his body was halfway in. Despite their distance, Haru heard him speak quietly, almost sadly.

“There’s nothing for the boy here.”

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“Stupid boy,” Adelina grumbled while she vigorously hit the dough. She glanced at the blue vase where there were a couple of wildflowers sitting in the water and the redness on her face grew. The dough was punched even hard while she mentally screamed in her head.

Oh gods, she was an idiot!

A really big hopeless idiot!

Still... she couldn’t help but feel happy...

Adelina looked up when she heard footsteps. “Mama?”

Her mother glanced at here. “Hm?”

“What are you doing?” Adelina asked, seeing her mother fussing over what looked like a coat. Mending was done often in their village, but most clothes were made by the tailor or bought during the bazaar. From the looks of it, her mother was making a coat from scratch, something Adelina hadn’t seen in ages.

“I’m making a coat for Haru,” she replied before the loud whirr of the sewing machine took over. “It’s getting cold and the clothes she’s wearing are too thin for the winter.”

Adelina nodded, that was true. Haru’s clothes were mostly donated things and weren’t really durable. She then perked up in realization. “Mama, where’s Haru? She was supposed to help in the kitchen, but she disappeared.”

There was silence from Adelina’s mother before she answered stiffly. “She is with the elders.”

Green eyes widened in surprise. “What?”

“It is as I said. The elders wished to see her.”

“B-But why? For what reason?”

Her mother stopped her work and walked over to Adelina, kneeling in front of her while placing her hand on her shoulders. She appeared tired and a bit distressed, her features aging more with the burdensome topic. “I’m not sure, but if the rumors are correct, perhaps they see Haru as the key to completely getting rid of the demon from our lives...”

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::tsuzuku::

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AU: Sorry if this feels like a filler, but it is important in its own way. But believe me when I say that the next chapter will be spicy and -hopefully- longer. :D I can't wait, actually. See you guys next week!

Chapter 20                                                         Chapter 22