The Ball - Katekyo Hitman Reborn - G86

Summary: In the midst of the party, the hunt begins... Giotto x Haru / G86.  Sequel to Bargain - Katekyo Hitman Reborn - G86

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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The Ball

HappyFace1886

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Haru stood outside of the terrace with one hand on the rail, her gaze listless as her mind drowned out the noise of the festivities behind her. The Primo and his Guardians had arrived into their timeline just yesterday and a welcoming party was decided on by the upper echelon of the Vongola. With the heavy losses and the grim atmosphere that’d basically become the normality of their world, it was proposed that the party would signify a new auspicious beginning... and a way for the other members of the Vongola to meet their new allies.

There was a loud crash and the familiar shouts of ‘scum’ and ‘Voi!!’ and Haru knew the Varia was probably causing some sort of chaos with one of the members of the Famiglia. She wouldn’t be surprised if it was with Tsuna-san’s guardians, especially Gokudera. Despite maturing over the years, he still had a mouth on him and wasn’t shy about using it on people who piss him off. His past counterpart, G, wasn't much better in that regard either. Anyone who said one inappropriate quip about the Vongola or the Primo would have their ass whipped faster than Gokudera could pull out a stick of dynamite.

She sighed and jumped when she heard a soft velvety voice murmur behind her. “Is something the matter?”

Haru turned and found herself staring right into the eyes of the Vongola Primo himself. Her face flushed at being caught in such a melancholic moment and she looked firmly away from him, back towards the towering trees that stood outside of the Vongola headquarters. “I-It’s nothing. Um... what are you doing here? I thought you’d be trapped inside, interrogated by all the people curious about the past.”

An amused smile played on his lips, but she didn’t notice as she was looking away. “Are you trying to get rid of me, little one?”

“O-Of course not!” she looked at him incredulously, the blush on her face deepening. “A-And why do you always call me that?”

He tilted his head, his blonde hair flickering as a slight breeze blew by. “Little one?”

Haru nodded, turning around so that her back was now facing the rail. “Even while we were in the past, you’d always call me that.”

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A small moan escaped her lips as a delicious warmth surrounded her completely. A soft heavy blanket was strewn over her and she just wanted to curl up into a ball underneath it. How long had it been since she felt so nice and comfortable like this? Her muscles felt so relaxed and the tension... wait...

Her eyes flung open and Haru sat up, biting back her whimper when pain shot out throughout her entire body. She’d forgotten about the abuse her body had endured before and during the travel back in time. She was about to hug herself in an attempt to at least obtain a modicum of comfort when she felt warmth draped over her shoulders.

She gasped and turned her head, meeting smoldering two-toned eyes that reminded her so much of...

“Tsuna-san...” she whispered without meaning to.

Those unreadable glowing orbs stared for a moment before Haru felt the world shift a bit as the hand on her shoulder tugged her closer towards an equally warm and comforting body. Despite her inexperience as a fighter, she’d been exposed to enough powerful flames to have formed some sort of sensitivity towards them... and right now, an immensely powerful source was brushing against her skin, wrapping themselves around her in a soothing, protective cocoon that made her eyelids heavy.

“Rest,” she heard a gentle murmur from the person she was leaning against... those heavy golden eyes still vibrantly burning in her mind. “We have many things to talk about once you’re properly rested, little one.”

---

He smiled enigmatically at her. “Perhaps it’s simply become a habit by now.”

“I suppose so,” Haru said with a small smile of her own. After her disastrous, not to mention desperate, entrance to the past, she’d ended up bedridden for a couple of days due to her injuries. The exposure to the cold hadn’t helped either since she’d ended up sick at the same time. She then paused, giving him a petulant frown. “I’m not little though.”

Giotto chuckled lightly at that. “No. You’re not.”

It was so odd to her, how she was conversing so easily with someone like the Primo. He’d been almost a godly figure to her back when she was in middle school. Though, honestly speaking, he wasn’t what she’d been expecting. Or perhaps she’d simply grown up.

Gone were the days when she expected to meet a prince charming that’d sweep her away on her feet. Gone were the days when she believed the world to be a safe and righteous place... gone were the days when she believed that everyone would be safe and happy together.

“You are sad,” Giotto noted and Haru jerked her head up, feeling the sting in her eyes warning about the coming tears.

“No, no, Haru is fine,” she shook her head, trying to discreetly brush the tears away. No, she couldn’t lose hope. One thing that had never changed about her was that Tsuna-san would always emerge victorious. Even if... even if there were lives that were lost and people who got hurt, he’d make it so that the bad guys would pay. “I’m just... worried about what’s coming.”

“The enemy concerns you.” He remarked.

“They’re,” Haru hesitated and crossed her arms, feeling a slight shiver of fear running down her spine as she looked to the side, “They’re not ordinary people. Granted, I suppose we can’t say much for our side in that regard... but the way they think is frightening. I sure you’ll be briefed more on that tomorrow since everyone is gathered. You’ll be able to strategize properly tomorrow with the Vongola and the-.”

Her words abruptly came to an end when she felt a warmth enveloping her bare shoulders, the simply white sleeveless dress having provided no protection against the cool night breeze. Her eyes widened and she looked upward at Giotto, who was now suddenly much closer to her than before. His hands settled right before her chest, where he still grasped the edges of his cloak, and he looked down at her with those piercing orbs that seemed to glow under the shadows of the night.

“There’s no need for you to worry,” he murmured. His voice sounded so close, but her heart was pounding so hard that she could barely hear his words. She hardly even noticed how his hands had moved away from the front of his cloak until one hand rested on her waist while another trailed higher, daringly brushing her cheek with the back of his knuckles.

“Giotto-...sama?” she whispered, her wide doe-like brown eyes staring up at him in innocent bewilderment.

He leaned closer and whispered gently across her lips, his hot breath searing the vow across her sensitive skin. “I’ll protect you.”

“Giotto-sama, a moment of your time please?” one of the party guests called out from the entrance of the terrace, the Primo’s taller figure hiding the fact that there was another person with him outside.

The sound of another’s voice broke the spell that had bewitched her and Haru’s eyes widened as she seemed to realize just what sort of position she was in. But no... it wasn’t as though she’d been the one who’d force this scenario to happen. She timidly looked back up and found Giotto still staring down at her. It was a known fact that the Primo’s gaze was intense and heavy, often causing men to break down just from a simple look alone. But there was something about them... something that seemed to call out for her, to reach out and grab a hold of him before he slipped away...

Her hands instinctively went to clutch onto the edges of the heavy cloak draped over her shoulders and she looked down, an alluring dust of pink settling on her cheeks. Giotto watched her intently before grasping her chin, tilting her face upward so that she was looking at him once more. He smiled kindly at her. “It’s a promise.”

“R-Right. Th-Thank you,” Haru stammered out and felt as though her heart was going to burst with the pressure within her chest. Had they been this close to each other this entire time? H-He was just being kind by providing her his cloak and was just comforting her because he’d seen her near tears.

And yet...

As his hand slowly moved itself from her waist and face, her skin seemed to tingle under the lingering warmth of his touch as he pulled away.

Haru shook her head.

No, she was just imagining things.

But as she took in a deep breath to calm her frayed nerves, her cheeks flushed to a scarlet red as she found herself unwittingly drowning in the heady, masculine scent of the Primo’s emanating from his very cloak that was draped possessively over her shoulders... the intent clearly made to all the guests within the ballroom of the claim he had over her.

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::owari::

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AN: My second attempt in writing the sequel to Bargain. Just a little something I wrote while trying to work on Ambigram and figure out what direction to go with Genesis. I originally had an idea, but while re-reading the manga, I'm having second thoughts on it, haha.

Prequel: Bargain - Katekyo Hitman Reborn - G86