Ambigram - Katekyo Hitman Reborn - Chapter 12

Summary: AU; In where Tsuna and Xanxus grew up together, watching each other's back... where innocence was tainted since the start... One Miura Haru finds herself in a very precarious situation 2786/TsunaxHaru

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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Chapter Twelve

HappyFace1886

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Tsuna exited from the meeting room knowing that after he left, his Guardians would discuss amongst themselves on what they would do. It was already predictable in his eyes on what form of attack they would prefer. Mukuro would stand down until he was attacked while Hibari would go and attempt to annihilate the Shimon Famiglia on his own. Though Hibari bore no personal grudge against the Shimon, if it meant for an exciting battle, he would go forth because he wanted to.

Yamamoto and Gokudera were loyal and would follow any plan Tsuna provided. Ryohei would be a bit more hesitant on blatantly attacking someone in the manner Tsuna proposed, but it would be easy to convince the Sun Guardian as to the necessity behind a direct attack against the Shimon.

The bitterness in Tsuna’s face was profound.

Yes, it was simply too easy for him to manipulate the people around him to do his bidding.

He turned the corridor and the weight on his shoulders somewhat lifted at the sight of a familiar door approaching his line of vision.

And yet there was one who refused to follow his way. Even the likes of Bianchi fell in line to his orders when the situation called for it, but not this girl. No, Haru refused to listen unless it was something she herself believed in. He could tell by the way she constantly defied Dante, going about her own in order to learn of the Vongola. Even after she learned of his true identity, she merely spat more fire in his direction instead of becoming in awe or in fear of him. She was also brave, willingly going against Xanxus when he attacked her instead of cowering in fear.

A smile danced on his lips at the memory of how her eyes sparkled when enraged. It was something he wanted to see more often. He could already see the way she would bristle at him like a disgruntled kitten and his eyes darkened at how she’d be wearing one of the neat selection of clothing he had left her behind. Ah, if anything, he could simply dismiss Bianchi and he and Haru could spend the rest of the days indoors... exploring.

His steps quickened at the thought and he flung the door open without knocking. His eyes then widened in surprise when he saw what Haru was dressed and it didn’t look like any of the clothes he had left her behind. The simple black dress that clung modestly to her form looked familiar, but he remembered it being slinkier, something that could have been easily torn off with a flick of his wrist. Not to mention, he didn’t remember providing her with anything that would cover her arms. And yet here she was, wearing a white shawl that nearly covered her entire top.

Tsuna’s eyes then noticed something wrong with the bed sheets. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration and when he noticed the nearby scissors, he was easily able to put two and two together. “...you cut the bed sheets in order to make a shawl for yourself?”

Haru, having broken away from her surprise when he had come bursting in without permission, scowled at him. “You have no right to say anything, you perv! And I’m not paying for the sheets, if that’s what you’re going to talk about next.”

On the side, Bianchi chuckled under her breath. Tsuna promptly ignored her. Judging by the sewing tools littering the room, Bianchi had a hand in this development.

Apparently he had underestimated both Haru and Bianchi. Though he had expected Bianchi to help in some form, if only to get under his skin, he hadn’t thought she’d provide Haru with a method to bypass his plans. And he definitely hadn’t expected Haru to be skilled enough with the needle to modify clothes to suit her needs.

“You look... nice,” he remarked honestly, surprising even himself. The clothes he had provided would have provided quite the delicious view, but what she wore looked... nice.

Haru appeared taken aback by his words before scowling again, unwilling to fall for any of his lies. “Thank you. And now that you’re done with whatever you’re up to, Haru is leaving.”

He frowned. “No, you’re staying here.”

“I’ve been here all night because you kept telling me it was dangerous outside but you can’t keep me here any longer! You have no right!” she crossed her arms angrily over her chest. The way she was bristling indicated that she wouldn’t back down without a fight.

“You were attacked last night,” Tsuna tried to reason with her. “It’s safer for you here.”

“I was only attacked because I went outside when everyone was told to stay in. Granted, no one would explain to me why I couldn’t go outside in the first place, but now that I know, I won’t be making the same mistake twice.” She easily retorted. “So there’s no reason for me to stay here any longer.”

“What if the one who attacked you remembers you and tries to come after you again.”

Haru frowned at him. “And why would they come after Haru again? She hasn’t done anything for them to attack her.”

“I think what Tsuna means is what if they come after you again because of your connection to him? After all, someone could have noticed that you were carried off by intimate members of the Vongola.” Bianchi intervened smoothly. “I’m sure you’re likely to not know this, but the ones who brought you here, Hayato and Yamamoto, are members of the Vongola Guardians.”

“Guardians?” Haru echoed in confused.

“The Guardians are my own personal guards. I suppose if you think of it in a military standpoint, they would be my generals and the ones right beneath me.” Tsuna provided while leaning against the wall with his own arms crossed. “Of all the members of the Vongola, they would be the ones considered the closest to me and the ones I consider most trust-worthy.”

“If the Shimon, whom the Vongola are currently in strife with, saw that you were taken personally by the Vongola Guardians to a safe location, they would have reason to consider you to be potential bait.”

“Bait,” Haru gawked at the word. “Bait for whom? Why would anyone believe that Haru could be useful bait to someone?”

When Tsuna hesitated, Bianchi provided an answer. “There have been rumors of the Vongola heir scandalously playing with a Japanese whore who has some secret technique in bed that has captivated the Decimo’s attention. His fondness and addiction to her is so great that he is even forgoing his usual pattern of dropping a woman after a few days. His record is an hour, by the way. Many would see this as a weakness and an opportunity to cripple the Decimo and wouldn’t hesitate to kidnap you if it means having some leverage over him.”

By the time, Bianchi was done with her nonchalant speech, Haru was trembling with anger and indignation. Her fiery brown eyes turned to Tsuna and for once, the fearless leader found that he couldn’t face her ire. There was a bad taste in his mouth that Haru found out about the baseless rumors spread about her and he couldn’t understand why there was a sharp twinge in his chest when he saw the hurt in her eyes as well.

“A-A whore? Is that... is that what you think of me?” she all but snarled at him, pointing an accusing finger towards him. “Especially since you’re the one who gloms all over me whenever I try to get away? A-A... hahi, I can’t say that word again!”

He didn’t even bother trying to defend himself, his instincts telling her that even attempting to say anything would just sound like lies. Not to mention, it was unlikely that she would even listen to what he’d say. And as though she knew exactly what was going through his head, Bianchi rolled her eyes in exasperation.

For someone who was so possessive over Haru, he really had difficulty reading her.

“I’m leaving and don’t even bother trying to stop me!” Haru stormed past him and Bianchi almost face palmed when Tsuna didn’t even attempt to grab her arm. He just stood there as Haru slammed the door behind her.

“Idiot,” she remarked.

Tsuna glared at her.

“Don’t give me that look,” she rolled her eyes again. “You should have defended yourself.”

“Would she have listened?”

“Not immediately, but you know she’s going off right now to stew in her thoughts. Wouldn’t it have been better to at least provide a decent explanation for her to think over while she does? Your silence just proves that the rumors hold an inkling of truth in them.” Bianchi scolded. Really, for someone with so much experience with women, he really sucked when it came to actually connecting with them.

“You’ve only known her for a few hours,” Tsuna said sharply. “What makes you think you know her better than I do? Women’s intuition?”

Bianchi ignored the sarcasm and flicked her hair over her shoulders with a toss of her hand, looking more and more annoyed with the younger Vongola Decimo. “Please, you can already tell that the girl has a good head over her shoulders.”

“And how is that?”

“Because she hasn’t lost her mind while dealing with you and hasn’t acted stupid either after learning that she’s become involved with a dangerous organization. She already proved that she can handle unusual situations, what with your stupid taste in clothes and how she didn’t back down when Xanxus tried to kill her.” Bianchi then smirked at him. “If anything, you’re the one who should try and keep up with her.”

Tsuna glared darkly at her. “Just hurry and go after her.”

The sigh Bianchi released was heavy with exaggeration. “And apparently too much of a coward by sending someone else to do what should be your job.”

“I am doing my job,” he murmured softly as she walked past him, “and that’s being the leader of the Vongola.”

“Don’t think that a single duty is what defines a person,” she countered with ease, “if simply being a bloodthirsty animal was what made the Vongola leader, we could have gotten an actual blood thirsty animal to do the job for you. And in that sense, Reborn was right. It was much too early for you.”

This time, Tsuna fell silent as Bianchi left the room, her words lingering in his mind while his hands tightened into clenched fists.

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“The... The nerve of that jerk!” Haru wanted to scream out in rage over the new information she had obtained, but forced herself to keep her cool. She was still in enemy territory. It wouldn’t do to attract unwanted attention. The whole Xanxus incident immediately came to mind.

Breathing in and out carefully, she glowered angrily and somehow managed to keep her feet from stomping loudly onto the ground. With the quick pace she was walking in, it wasn’t long until she reached the end of the hallway, which diverged to two paths. She gritted her teeth.

Great.

Left or right?

“Go left.”

Haru stilled at the familiar voice and how, once again, it came from somewhere below. She slowly lowered her gaze and saw the adorable baby boy from before. A piece of her anger dissipated at the sight and she sighed, crouching down before the infant to reach his level.

“It’s you again,” she said softly.

“Ciaossu,” the baby greeted with a tip of his fedora.

Haru gave a mirthless giggle. “Left again?”

“It may help give you some answers that you’re looking for.”

She paused at this information, her brows knitting together in contemplation. “Thank you for telling me how to find the perv-... ahem, the person I was looking for. But,” she hesitated, “if I go left again, will I end up meeting someone as scary as Xanxus-san?”

“You were never really in danger,” the baby grinned at her. “Dame-Tsuna came at the right moment, didn’t he? And you’re also quite capable in taking care of yourself.”

Haru smiled at her. “What’s your name?”

“Reborn.”

“Reborn,” Haru repeated, testing the word out. It obviously wasn’t a Japanese name and didn’t appear Italian either. “So Reborn-chan, what are you still doing here? It’s pretty dangerous here, after all.”

“I’m part of the mafia,” Reborn patiently explained to her. “I’m an assassin.”

Haru resisted the urge to frown. It couldn’t be that the pervert actually allowed children to work as assassins here, right? Even he wouldn’t stoop that low. Then the rumor about her being a whore came to mind and Haru didn’t know whether to blow up in anger or wilt over that information.

“Don’t think so little of him.”

“Hahi?” she looked in surprise at the baby. It was almost as though he read her mind!

“Dame-Tsuna may be an idiot, but don’t give up on him.” Reborn watched her reactions carefully. “He’s not a complete buffoon. At least not yet. So give him a chance. Listen to what he has to say.”

“I... I don’t think he’s a bad person,” Haru admitted softly. “I just don’t know what to believe. He kept secrets from me and now I learned that people are talking about false things about me and he’s not even denying it.”

“If you don’t think he’s bad, maybe there’s a reason why he never stopped those rumors from flying.” he reasoned and couldn’t help but smile at the fact that despite feeling rightfully hurt about what she had learned, she was still clear-headed enough to think things through. “And don’t be too harsh on him. There are reasons why he’s the way he is.”

“Like what sort of reasons?” Haru murmured with her eyes downcast.

Reborn placed a tiny reassuring hand on her cheek. “He’s the same age as you, Haru. Take a moment to consider that fact.”

Haru looked into the eyes of the tiny baby in front of her. For a small child, he seemed so wise beyond his years. Was this normal in the mafia? Were children much older and wiser than they seemed here? “But... I-.”

“There you are.” Haru looked behind her to see Bianchi standing there with one hand propped against her hip as she stood casually in the middle of the hallway. “What are you doing there?”

“Hahi, I was just talking to...” by the time Haru turned her attention back to where the infant had been standing, he was gone. She frowned. “Eh?”

“Talking to?” Bianchi arched an eyebrow.

“N-Nevermind!” Haru hastily got off the ground, patting invisible dust off of herself. “What are you doing here, Bianchi-san?”

“I can’t let you go off on your own. It’s my job to watch over you today, after all.” the older woman said with a shrug. “I see you’ve cooled down already.”

The reminder of why she had stormed off in the first place caused Haru to tense up. She looked away, unable to meet Bianchi’s gaze anymore. She grabbed onto her arm self-consciously. That’s right. She was angry at the stupid perv right now. She had every right to be furious at that jerk for what he had just put her through last night.

“Bianchi-san...”

“Hm?”

“What’s in the direction of the hallway to the right?” Haru inquired quietly, keeping her back turned from the older woman.

“The right should lead you to near the entrance of the manor. Granted, I can’t let you go off on your own, but if you truly wish to go to Dante-san, I can escort you to him and keep watch over you at his place.” she explained. “If he really works for the Vongola, there would also be other staff with him as well. I can convince the brat to let you stay there since there will be personnel to back us up if we find trouble.”

“What about...” Haru felt her heart beating loudly against her chest and was almost worried that Bianchi-san would hear it. “What about in the direction of the hallway to the left?”

“Well since the right would lead to the entrance, the left will lead you further into the manor.”

“But is there anything... specifically there?”

Bianchi crossed her arms, internally narrowing her eyes. Something felt amiss. There was a change in there air. Had someone met Haru in the middle of the hallway? “There’s the kitchen, the courtyard, the library, the-.”

The other words seemed to fade away as Haru latched onto the key.

A library.

There was a library in that direction.

A library within the stronghold of the Vongola organization...  it possibly held information regarding the history of this place and it could also hold the answers to all of her questions.

“Haru?” Bianchi asked, sounding somewhat concerned.

Left or right?

“He’s the same age as you, Haru. Take a moment to consider that fact.”

Haru’s grip on her arm tightened as she swiveled on her heel, turning towards the hallway of her choosing. Bianchi looked puzzled at her decision, but followed nonetheless. “Changed your mind, have you?”

“I came to Italy to learn,” Haru secretly applauded herself for being able to keep her voice from shaking. The applause turned to cheers when she was able to give Bianchi a sincere smile. “And what better place to learn than the library belonging to an organization such as this?”

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::tsuzuku::

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AU: Hope you enjoy~!

Chapter 11
Chapter 13