©dwindlingflame

HEY! I live! Still! I promise! After the most stressful summer of my life, and a rather busy fall/spring semester I've been given a few months to reflect on my life and the way things are going, so I took that time to try and keep myself sane. Haha.

BUT! I'm a horrible planner and most of my stories start from a random thought and things just "build on the spot". I have lost my will to actually continue this story, but I had half of this typed last year, so I figured I'd… used it as an excuse to tell you important things.

PLEASE READ: Another thing, which may be bad news to you all, but in light of the sudden ffnet purge, I'm going to be removing my stories soon (since most of them are against the TOS, honestly) soon and reuploading them to another site, which I have yet to decide on. So in light of that, I'll be revamping the stories (I have a beta now!) and reposting them.

I mean, do you guys think this is a good idea? I really don't want to leave ffnet but so many things I think of and want to write are against the TOS and I'd rather not suddenly be banned without being able to tell you guys where to find me. So, this chapter is just… I'm not really sure; stuff and it's just here to let you know that I have intentions of returning to you! Lemme know what you think about this and gimme your feedback. I'm definitely going to respond if you're logged in! And read the note at the end, plz.

Pairing: None.

Rating: M for violence and an OOC Tsuna.

Summary: Tsuna kills a man in cold blood... and he just can't take it.

Word Count: 3,062

Disclaimer: Even after all of these years… I still don't own KHR. Damn!

"Tsuna-kun!"

Tsuna blinked, glancing over his shoulder as he saw a small, brunette girl running in his direction. Smiling widely, Tsuna waved his arm, welcoming Haru over to his current hide-away.

The girl smiled back at him before she lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as her cheek pressed against his. Tsuna let out a gasp as he fell backwards, his arms thrashing around before he landed on his back. The soft blades of the grass below him tickled his back through his shirt. "H-Haru-chan! W-what are you-?"

Haru giggled playfully. "Come on, Tsuna-kun! Don't act so shy around your future wife."

Tsuna opened his mouth to disagree but he didn't have time to speak before Haru let him go, sitting back on her legs. Tsuna sat up, disregarding the sudden wind that caused Haru's hair to whip around her face.

Wait a minute… Tsuna blinked, noticing that Haru's hair wasn't held in her normal pony tail. Her long, brown hair cascaded around her shoulders as she sat, staring at him with large and blank brown eyes. Tsuna tilted his head to the side. "Ah… Haru-chan. You look different with your hair down." He said, forcing out a fond smile.

Something in the pit of his stomach was telling him that something wasn't right with this picture. Haru said nothing. She simply turned her head away from him, looking out towards the horizon.

Tsuna's heart pounded. What was this strange feeling that he was getting?

He heard a soft chuckle escape from Haru's lips. The girl never moved, but her voice continued to flow into his ear, coursing through his body like poison.

Tsuna skin became sickeningly pale as her laughter soon changed. She continued to laugh but her voice cracked, almost as if she was choking. "H-haru-chan?"

Haru continued to chuckle before it slowly turned into laughter. Her voice came out in demonic gurgles. He wasn't sure what was wrong with her, but he was definitely worried. Crawling forward, Tsuna reached out towards her arm.

Haru let out a gasp, almost as if she was trying to catch her breath after her long fit of laughter. Tsuna blanched in shock, his hand landing on the wet grown below.

Tsuna blinked. Strange… why was the grass wet…?

Lifting his hands slowly, Tsuna froze before he could look at his hand. The liquid on his palm felt thick, warm…

Tsuna shuddered before lifting his hand to his face. Large, honey eyes widened.

Dark red blood stained his fingers.

"Wha-?"

Haru's laughter increased, causing Tsuna's head to snap back in her direction. Her arms were wrapped around her waist as she doubled over. Her laughing never stopped. It became louder, frantic.

Her breath came out in uneven gasps. It wasn't long before her laughter stopped abruptly, her voice dying on her lips. Tsuna watched, eyes wide, as her hands dropped from her side, though she never moved from her doubled over position.

Glancing down to her hands, Tsuna noticed how her fingers were covered in a thick, red substance.

Blood.

The metallic scent filled the air, finding its way into Tsuna's nostrils. He could hear his heart, pounding furiously against his ribcage as he reached out towards Haru with his other, bloodless hand.

Placing it on her shoulder, Tsuna shook her gently, "Haru-chan…?"

The girl's head snapped up, causing Tsuna to jump back at the sight before him.

Haru's large dark brown eyes stared at him with a pained expression. Her eyebrows furrowed together from what seemed to be a mixture of pain, confusion, and… anger? The side of her face was caked in blood, the thick red substance matting her hair down across her forehead. The blood trailed down her neck, her chest, her stomach, her legs. Everywhere on the young girl was covered in blood.

"Tsu…" her voice came out weakly, but he could still hear the pain in her voice. A weak, pale hand stretched out towards him. "Save… me…"

Tsuna fell back on his rear, his body trembling. As Haru reached towards him, Tsuna could hear his mind screaming at him. Move! Tsuna's body refused to listen. His eyes remained glued to Haru's bloody form.

"Save… me…!"

Tsuna's breath quickened. His chest heaved violently as his labored breathing caused him to tremble harder.

"Tsuna… SAVE ME!"

Haru's words came out as loud and as sharp as a knife, cutting through the air. Tsuna's hand flew up to his ears. Stop! His mind screamed back. What did she want from him? He did save her! He did! She was supposed to be okay!

"SAVE ME!"

Her words continued to stab him. With every added second, her request grew louder. Tsuna couldn't take it.

Burying his head between his knees, Tsuna could feel his heart breaking under the weight that was Haru's request. He couldn't save her…

"TSUNA!"

He couldn't save her!

"TSUNA!"

Tsuna whimpered, a choked sob breaking free from his lips. HE COULDN'T!

As Haru screamed at him once more, Tsuna found himself unable to bear it any longer. Squeezing his head, Tsuna let out an ear shattering shriek, trying his hardest to drown out her voice.

Snapped – A

A low whimper escaped the young boy's blood covered lips. His head whipped to the side before his teeth dug once more into his lower lip. His eyes were screwed shut by his own fear.

Footsteps were heard padding up the steps quickly, but quietly. The door opened slowly. "Tsunaaaa. How are y- Tsuna!"

Yamamoto's words died on his lips as he watched the small frame writhe unceremoniously in the bed. Tsuna's lips parted momentarily, allowing his quiet whimpers to escalate into louder moans of fear. Yamamoto stared, watching in slight shock as blood slowly trailed down the corner of Tsuna's mouth.

Yamamoto frowned and closed the door behind him, taking two long strides over to Tsuna's bed. "Tsuna…" he whispered quietly, trying his hardest not to upset the boy more than he already was. Reaching down to Tsuna's shoulder, Yamamoto placed a comforting hand on the sleeping boy.

His plan backfired as Tsuna's body jerked violently. Tsuna let out a harsh cry, his eyes bolting open in fear. He hands came up to his face, knocking Yamamoto's hand off his shoulder. He threw his palms forward, focusing some of his flame into his palms.

Purely on instinct, Tsuna's palms slammed against Yamamoto's chest. A low grunt escaped Yamamoto's lips as he felt the wind get knocked out of his lungs. It took all of Yamamoto's strength to keep his balance. Wincing at the pain in his stomach, Yamamoto acted quickly, reaching out towards Tsuna.

His fingers wrapped around Tsuna's arms, trying to hold his arms down by his side. "Tsuna! Tsuna snap out of it! It's me!" Tsuna's frantic eyes continued to dart around as he shouted; tugging with all of his might to get out of Yamamoto's grip.

Yamamoto's jaw hardened as he focused on restraining Tsuna's movements. The younger male thrashed relentlessly, his legs getting tangled in the sheets that remain wrapped around his body. It wasn't long before Tsuna found his body being drained of all his energy. Yamamoto glanced down at Tsuna's weary face, watching as he wore himself out.

Tsuna's breathing continued to come out in uneven gasps as his clouded eyes shifted up to Yamamoto's face. "Y-Yamamoto-k-kun?"

Yamamoto sighed warily, keeping his grip on Tsuna's shoulder. "Yes. It's me."

Tsuna's dull, honey colored eyes stared into Yamamoto's concerned orbs, watching cautiously, almost as if he expected the boy to burst into flames at any given moment. Yamamoto shifted uneasily on his feet, pressing against the side of the bed before he slowly sat down, sitting next to Tsuna's legs. The brunette's eyes fell downward, refusing to meet the Rain guardian's eyes any longer.

Yamamoto frowned. "Tsuna…" The smaller boy didn't move. Yamamoto's frown deepened. This wasn't good. Carefully releasing Tsuna's arms, Yamamoto reached one hand up to Tsuna's face, touching the boy's cheek with the tip of his fingers. Tsuna didn't respond. The older teen felt wetness against his fingertips. Sighing, Yamamoto wiped away Tsuna's tears with his thumb, staring in his eyes as he waited for a reaction from the fragile boy in front of him. "Tsuna…?"

No response.

Cupping the boy's cheek, Yamamoto lifted Tsuna's head, forcing their eyes to meet. Tsuna visibly flinched, jerking back slightly, ripping his face out of Yamamoto's grip. "Don't touch me." he mumbled quietly, his voice weak and broken.

Yamamoto's hand dropped to his side as he sat there, unsure of what to do next. It had been about 4 weeks since the incident with Haru. Everything had changed from that day.

Their family wasn't the same.

Everyone was walking on eggshells. Without Haru around, the memory of her hardship was burned into their minds.

Tsuna wasn't the same.

Yamamoto bit his lower lip, watching as Tsuna dragged his legs up to his chest, burying his face in his knees. The boy let out a heavy sigh, hugging his legs tighter to his body. "I… I'm sorry, Yamamoto."

Yamamoto's gaze softened as he tilted his head to the side. "It's alright!" the boy said, letting a smile return to his lips. "Are you feeling up for school today? You know you wouldn't want to be late." He said brightly, watching as the smaller boy looked towards him.

Tsuna remained silent for a moment before nodding weakly. "Y-yeah. I want to go."

Yamamoto beamed at him. Ever since the incident with Haru, Tsuna hadn't left his room. He holed himself up, barely responding to anyone. His mother was unsure of what to do for him other than keep the kids out of his room while she spent a little time tidying up, just to remain close to him.

Gokudera spent most of his days claiming to be the worst right hand man in history. Anytime he came to visit Tsuna, he could barely get a smile out of the boy. He would spend a few hours, trying to keep Tsuna up to date on his school work since Reborn managed to convince the school to excuse him for his absences.

Hibari, who did not tolerate so much cutting of school, would usually appear in front of Yamamoto or Gokudera, telling them to bring the herbivore back to class before he went to his house and did it himself. However, despite his threats, Hibari never once showed up at Tsuna's house.

Reborn walked into the room, causing Yamamoto to look back at him. Reborn raised an eyebrow wondering why the Rain Guardian was smiling so brightly. Before he could ask, Yamamoto hoped up and began to run out of the room. He paused at the door, smiling back at Tsuna.

"I'll go get Gokudera! He's probably going to be mad that he wasn't here first. Haha! We'll be back to pick you up in a few minutes!" with that, he could be heard retreating down the stairs. A few seconds later, the front door opened and closed.

Reborn stared for a second before walking over to Tsuna's bed. "Going to school, I presume?" he asked, looking up at Tsuna with his large, black eyes.

Tsuna nodded. "Y-yeah. I can't… stay here forever, right?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. The Arcobaleno looked at him silently, lifting his fedora so he can watch his student's face. The boy looked to weak, so fragile. Reborn knew he was having nightmares. A couple nights a week, he would wake up in the middle of the night to Tsuna thrashing, sweating, and crying in his sleep.

Normally, Reborn would have probably kicked the boy to wake him up and torture him in order to help him grow from this ordeal. But for some reason, Reborn couldn't bring himself to treat the boy that way. Out of all of Tsuna's encounters, this was the first time he really used his own two hands to murder. Yes, he fought Byakuran and killed him in the future, but that didn't compare to what he did four weeks ago.

Watching the teen get up from bed, Reborn stayed silent. He knew that getting Tsuna involved in this kind of world was probably a bad idea. Reborn, at first, could care less what happened to his mind. He had a mission to train him, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

After all they've been through, however, Reborn wondered if it was a good idea. Tsuna was kind, caring, naive, and not cut out for the Mafia world. The shine in his eyes was gone. The innocent smile he once wore was now a permanent frown. Reborn wasn't sure how long it would take to get that sparkle back.

Tsuna yawned, loudly, picking up his backpack off his desk. "Well, I guess I'd better go." He looked over at Reborn, offering the Sun Arcobaleno a small smile. Reborn nodded. "Make sure you aren't late. You wouldn't want to be bitten to death on your first day back, would you?"

Tsuna shivered. "No. No I do not." His face brightened ever so slightly as he walked out of his room. Reborn watched him go, listening to the sound of the front door closing. In just a few seconds, he could hear a loud cry of "JUUDAIME!" a muffled cry and a thud. Reborn hopped up on Tsuna's windowsill, looking down at the sight before him.

Gokudera was on his knees before the boy, repeatedly beating his head into the ground, apologizing for not being there before the stupid baseball freak. Tsuna was waving his arms wildly, trying to get the bomber boy to stop before he gave himself a concussion.

A small smirk formed on Reborn's lips. Tsuna had a great family. He'd be alright.

Tsuna sighed. It had taken a few minutes to calm down his storm guardian, but once he did, the three boys made their way to Namimori. With every stepped, Tsuna felt the dread returning, crushing his heart with full force. He wasn't sure if he was ready to face the kids at his school.

None of them knew what he had been through. They didn't know what he had seen. He was sure they would go back to their old ways, treating him like some sort of idiot made for their entertainment. He really didn't need that right now.

As they neared the school, Tsuna stared up at its large walls. He couldn't help but feel more fear as he approached the school. When he looked up, he noticed a dark figure walking towards him. His heart dropped as Hibari's face came into view.

The prefect walked up towards the trio, staring at them with bored eyes. "Herbivore."

Tsuna shrank down slightly. "Y-yes?"

"Get to class."

Tsuna blinked. "H-huh?"

Hibari's eyes twitched as he raised his tonfas, causing Gokudera to yell at him for threatening his precious tenth. "You heard me. Get to class before I bite you to death!"

Tsuna gulped. "Y-yes!" and with that, he darted off. Gokudera called after him and started to run after his smaller friend. He paused for a moment, looking back at Hibari. They made eye contact for a fraction of a second before he turned back around and continued to follow Tsuna.

Yamamoto, who was silent during the whole encounter, chuckled softly. "You're a good man, Hibari." He said, staring off in the direction his friends ran. Hibari glared at him. "Thank you." Before Hibari could retort, Yamamoto ran off to catch up with his friends.

Hibari scoffed. He would definitely have to bite them to death. No exceptions.

Yamamoto caught up with his friends with ease. Tsuna was standing a little ways away from the door to his class with Gokudera next to him. "Yo, Tsuna! Ready to go in?" Yamamoto ignored the glare Gokudera shot his way.

"Ah. Y-yeah."

Tsuna pushed the door open, keeping his eyes glued to the ground. He didn't want to see them. Gokudera rested his hand on Tsuna shoulder, feeling the boy tense underneath his touch. He looked up, smiling at his friend before walking towards his seat.

Tsuna avoided making eye contact with any of the other students. He could hear them whispering, talking about how it was the first time they've seen him in four weeks. He didn't want any more judgment.

"Nice to see you back, Sawada." The professor stated, though Tsuna could barely sense any sincerity in his words. Tsuna made a small noise in the back of his throat, acknowledging that he had heard the man.

Without any more delays, the man began his lecture.

30 minutes into the class, Tsuna found himself growing tired. Night after night of restless sleep, Tsuna was starting to feel the stress on his body. His head felt heavy as a wave of fatigue washed over his brain. His head started to droop down before he tried to wake himself up by shifting in his seat.

His eyes began to close. No. Don't… fall asleep. Tsuna begged his body to try and fight it. The edges of his vision started to become dark as sleep began to take over his body.

Just as the classroom began to fade, a face appeared in front of Tsuna's vision.

Haru's face. Blood poured from unknown wounds, her mouth opened in a silent scream. She stared at him with sunken eyes, her skin a pale, grey color. She looked almost as if she was… rotting. She pointed at him with a bony finger, her mouth moving silently. It wasn't long before Tsuna could actually hear her voice.

"TSUNA!"

Tsuna's body jerked upright instantaneously. His heart pounded in his chest. He could feel his body temperature rise. He started shaking slightly, placing his head on his desk to try and calm his nerves.

Covering his head with his arms, Tsuna forced back a sob that was trying to escape. How much longer would he be plagued by her? How much longer would it be before he saw her? In the past 4 weeks, he had never visited her once. He was scared. He wasn't sure if he could handle it.

Biting down on his bottom lip, Tsuna inhaled deeply, trying his hardest to keep his eyes open, for every time they closed, he once again saw her face.

Haru…

Okay, so, I didn't expect that to be good. I really gave up on it. I don't even like it… I would have been better off just ending it after the first chapter. We'll see what happens to it. But as for moving my stories, I opened an account with aff, livejournal, mediaminer, and deviantart (I can even use tumblr). I'm leaning towards using livejournal, but if anything, I can use all four/five and you all can choose where you want to go. But since my fanfiction hobby started here, any TOS approved stories will still remain here. Sound good?

Oh! I do actually update my profile often. If I have anything else important for you, it'll more than likely be there. :)

Sorry about this shitfest of a chapter.