Aaaaand third in my EQUINOX series! Hooray! Don't forget to read Autumn Sky and Winter Moon first to get it all.

Here's the deal:
FIRST: Autumn Sun
SECOND: Winter Moon
THIRD: Spring Star
FOURTH: Summer Sky

Common theme time!

TTTTT

EACH IS FROM A DIFFERENT PERSON'S POV. Yes, they all go together. But you're in someone else's head each time, yeah? :D

ALL FOUR ARE SET ABOUT TEN YEARS IN THE FUTURE FROM THE PRESENT TIME. MOST OF THE GANG ARE 25. I think they all say vaguely at some point specifics about the timing, but you'll see.

THESE STORIES ARE TOLD MOSTLY THROUGH FLASHBACK. ALL FLASHBACK SCENES WILL BE IN ITALICS. There's some stuff that happens real-time, and the flashbacks take place at various times over the years between the current manga and the setting of this series. SO: If you see a bunch of text in italics, IT'S FLASHBACK, okay? Italics=Flashback, Normal=Real time.

ALL 4 ARE SONGFICS. THE LYRICS WILL BE PRINTED IN BOLD ITALICS THROUGHOUT THE STORY. Self-explanatory :D

TTTTT

SONG FOR THIS STORY: Half Alive by Secondhand Serenade

"I think we should be able to come to some sort of agreement."

'Finally,' I couldn't help but think. Not that I'd say it out loud. If we had any hope of negotiating successfully with Fiello Ombra and his family, I knew I had to be let him think he was in control. And appearing impatient was not the way to go about doing it.

We found out from Reborn almost a month ago that the Ombra family had been responsible for a chain of illegal drug transactions in Italy—in Vongola territory. They'd become very wealthy and powerful among the mafia in recent years, though before now no one could explain the origin of their mysterious rise to fame. Their boss, Fiello—a man about my height but considerably wider—had agreed to meet us in an abandoned hotel not far from Namimori, where he'd 'done business' before. So we'd set off for the Hizashi Hotel not long afterwards, and we'd been here attempting to reason with him ever since.

The goal was to persuade him to cease his unlawful dealings and sell back to us the land he'd bought through the black market. If all went well, we could make a powerful ally in the Ombra family. Though, because of their increasing influence within the mafia, they also had the potential to become a serious enemy. And that was something we had vowed not to let happen.

Still, I wanted to solve it with the least amount of violence possible—a fact I made sure every one of my guardians were fully aware of. On the other hand, though, if Fiello and his men struck first, I couldn't guarantee that the people behind me wouldn't fight back, knowing them.

"So what do you want for the land you stole from us?" I asked calmly. Fiello's eyes flashed, telling me that may have been taking it a step too far. But to be honest, I was ready to get this deal over with and get back home. It had been long enough already. I had a wedding to finish preparing for, after all.

Fiello glanced at the man standing beside his ornate armchair, before fixing me with an ugly grin that showed his yellow teeth. "Fifty million," he stated smugly.

"Fifty million yen?" Yamamoto exclaimed, surprised. "That's insane! You didn't buy that land for any more than three-hundred thousand!"

"You misunderstand me," Fiello continued, his haughty grin widening. I narrowed my eyes at him. "I am an Italian man, am I not? My price is fifty million Euros."

"WHAT?" Gokudera shouted from my right. If fifty million yen was a high price, fifty million Euros was unthinkable. "Like hell we'd give you that! We don't even have that kind of money!"

"Calm down, Gokudera," I warned, watching as his fingers twitched threateningly. This wasn't over. We could still reason with him. There had to be a way to avoid fighting.

"Well, if you don't have it all, Vongola," there was a somewhat mocking tone to his voice now and an innocent expression on his face, "you could always borrow some cash from your fiancé, Haru Miura."

That wasn't what I'd expected. "What?" I growled.

"She's got quite an impressive house there, doesn't she?" I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. Why did he know what Haru's house looked like? I stared warningly at Fiello, noticing everyone behind me go quiet as well. "Then again," he continued, the evil grin back in place, "I could always pay her a visit myself."

That did it. I snapped. I don't know what I was thinking, but all of a sudden I was inches in front of Fiello, forcefully grabbing a fistful of his finely-pressed shirt and yanking him by it out of his chair. I glared at him and said in a low, threatening voice, "If you lay one finger on her, I'll—"

BANG!

I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to say, but whatever it was, it was drowned out by the piercing sound of a gunshot splitting the air. The next thing I knew, I felt a sudden and intense streak of pain tear through my left side, making me yell through gritted teeth and back away from Fiello, releasing him and letting him drop back into his chair with a bizarre mixture of surprise, fear, and wonder on his face.

About four or five people shouted my name at once, and two forms appeared on either side of me as I knelt down on the carpet, both arms wrapped tight around my stomach.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO ACT!" the Ombra boss shouted over the side of his chair. One of the men behind him was still pointing his gun, which was now emitting a faint crimson smoke stream from its barrel.

"Good," I heard Hibari say from behind me. "Looks like this pretense is over." I glanced up and saw him open the box containing his tonfa before rushing toward the group of men behind Fiello, engaging four of them at once.

"No!" I tried shouting at him, but he wasn't listening, and the strain only made the pain in my side increase.

"Tsuna, just hang tight, okay?" Yamamoto said from my left, putting his hand on my shoulder. "We'll take care of this."

Great. Just what I wanted. An all-out brawl.

Fiello pulled back his sleeve and pressed a button on his watch, bringing it to his face. He spoke into it frantically, saying, "The plan's been compromised! Attack!"

Just then the door behind us opened and I heard the sound of many footsteps from outside.

"There's more of them!" Gokudera yelled unnecessarily from my other side, reflexively activating his own box weapon and turning to face them. I heard Yamamoto draw his sword and all the others react accordingly.

There was no way around it anymore. As much as I'd wanted to avoid it, things had definitely gotten… violent.

It's 4 a.m., I'm waking up to your perfume
Don't get up, I'll get through on my own
I don't know if I'm home

Beep… Beep… Beep…

That's the first sound I become slowly aware of. My eyes are closed, and I'm lying on my back somewhere. That much I can tell. I'm trying to fight against the rush of memories that are bombarding my brain, each trying to make itself known first. We were in the hotel with the Ombra family… Fiello wanted a huge amount of money… We couldn't give it to him, so he threatened Haru… I overreacted, and things got out of hand. I… got shot? Yeah, that's right. And everyone started fighting. But what happened next…?

Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have reacted like that and threatened Fiello. But, well, what he said had scared me. She's been hurt before because of me, and I vowed a long time ago that I would never let it happen again.

Or if I've lost the way into your room
I'm spiraling into my doom

The fight… The hotel, it was collapsing. We were running, trying to escape. Did we? We must have, if I'm still alive. Am I? I open my eyes a sliver to find myself in a dimly-lit room with pale, tan walls. I'm lying in a hospital bed, a respirator mask over my mouth and an IV in my left arm. How long has it been since we escaped the falling hotel?

Escaped… Falling… Someone got left behind. I wanted to stay, to get him out, but they wouldn't listen. Why? Well, duh, I was hurt too. I hate it when they worry more about me than listen to what I want them to do. Why would they listen to Ryohei, anyway?

Ryohei… We left him there. We didn't find him. Did he get out? Is he here? Is he…? I'm starting to get a headache from all these questions, especially the ones I have no answer to. I'm also becoming increasingly aware of the sharp ache in my left side. I flex my fingers just to test that I still could, just as the door to the dim room suddenly slides open.

I'm feeling half alive
But I know one day you and I
Will be free

The ensuing crash only serves to further irritate my headache. I squint my eyes and twist my head a fraction of an inch to better see the doorway. The crash apparently resulted from the collision of a vase of flowers with the hard, linoleum floor. Standing directly above it ignoring the water now soaking her shoes is Haru.

"Tsuna!" she squeals my name in a high-pitched voice, an overjoyed expression on her face. She's beside my bed in a flash, forgetting completely about the mess she'd left in the doorway. I'm glad to see her, especially since it proves she's alright and Fiello hasn't been able to get to her. But I need to ask her something.

I force myself into a sitting position, pulling off the mask and doing my best to ignore the sharp pain in my side. Haru reaches forward in protest. "You shouldn't get up!" she scolds, trying to shove me back down. Trying and failing, that is. "That bullet did a lot of damage, and you've already lost an awful lot of blood. You need to stay in bed and get your strength back." It's true that I can tell my body was nearly drained of energy, making it difficult for me to even lift an arm. But that doesn't matter at the moment.

"Where's… Ryohei…?" My voice comes out in a rough whisper, burning my dry throat like fire. I grit my teeth and cough sharply, which of course doesn't help at all.

Haru places a hand on my arm and says hastily, "He's fine! He's here in the mansion. He made it back on his own early yesterday."

"On his own…?" So we'd left him there after all.

She smiles and shakes her head. "You know him. Even by himself, there's no way he'd ever give up." I feel immensely relieved at this news and allow myself to lie back down against the pillow behind me, still breathing somewhat heavily.

To live and die by our own rules
Free
Despite the fact that men are fools

"You know, it was my fault… the fight broke out in the first place," I admit as she pulls over a chair and sits down.

"I'm sure that's not true," she insists. "You never start fights if you can help it."

"I know, but he… He knew where you lived…" My voice is starting to return to its usual sound the more I talk, so I somehow don't mind recounting the cause of the fight that nearly killed all of us.

"What?" she says with a small gasp, her eyes sharp.

"He said he'd… pay you a visit. I got… scared…" I shake my head, looking up at the ceiling. "I shouldn't have done anything. This whole thing was my fault."

I'm almost alive
And I need you to try and save me

Haru falls silent for a moment, looking thoughtful. When she speaks, her voice is careful. "From what I've heard, the Ombra aren't exactly known for their pacifism. I'm sure a fight would've broken out no matter what you said or did." She places both her hands on my arm and squeezes it gently. "I'm just glad you're okay." This time when she smiles, her eyes gleam as if with tears. "All of you," she adds.

"Yeah," I agree tiredly, "me too."

She glances over her shoulder toward the doorway, biting her lip at the small pool of water, glass, and forgotten flowers that still lie there. "I guess I should clean that up…" she says, rising to her feet. I laugh a little, but the sound quickly turns into a sharp grunt of discomfort as the dull ache in my left side suddenly spikes, sending a jolt of pain through my body.

Haru spins around, instantly back in worry-mode. "What's wrong?" she demands. I put a hand over my side in response, shaking my head. It's getting difficult for me to keep my eyes open, let alone speak in complete sentences. She moves my arm and lifts my shirt, after which she lets out a tiny gasp and her eyes widen. I can't see what she sees, but judging by her reaction and the vaguely damp feeling of the bandages over my skin, I guess the wound has re-opened. Maybe I shouldn't have tried to sit up after all.

"Just… hang on, okay? I'll get a doctor." I hear her speak, but my vision is getting fuzzy again. I barely see her yell something else before giving in to the weariness and letting my eyes slide closed.

It's okay that we're dying
But I need to survive tonight, tonight

"I can't believe Kyoko's leaving tomorrow."

To be honest, I couldn't believe it either. "Yeah… It was weird, saying goodbye to her today."

Haru looked around at me, walking sideways to keep pace as we headed down the sidewalk. "Are you okay?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

I looked up. "Sure, why?"

She smiled wryly. "I know you're still not over her," she said simply.

I frowned, not sure if I could refute this or not. Was I? "I don't know…"

She put her hands on her hips and fixed me with a pointed look, though there was a hint of mirth behind it. "You know, you're the one who broke up with her back then," she pointed out with a small grin.

I smiled and shook my head. "I know, it's just… Ever since then, I've felt weird. Like I'm… missing something, you know? Like there's something I should've seen by now, but I can't figure it out…" I'd been thinking about this for a while now, especially since the news of Kyoko moving to America. It didn't feel strange at all telling Haru about it, though. Maybe because she had, in the last few years, become one of my best friends. "I don't know if it has anything to do with her or not. I mean, when I think about her, it's just… as a friend, right? I just feel… kind of lost on something…" I scratched the back of my neck absently. "It's kind of hard to explain I guess," I admitted unnecessarily.

Haru looked thoughtful, falling back into step beside me. "Well, whatever it is, I hope you find it." Was it me, or did that sentiment sound sort of half-hearted?

"Yeah, me too."

After a minute of walking in silence, she spoke again. "You know, Kyoko asked me to go with her. To America."

I froze in my tracks. Kyoko had what?

Haru kept walking, seeming not to notice that I wasn't next to her anymore. "I thought a lot about it. I'm not in school here, and you know how much I want to be a designer… I thought, maybe it would be a really good opportunity for me. So I said…" She turned to the side and finally noticed my absence. Now about ten feet in front of me, she turned around and gave me a puzzled look.

"W-What…?" I stuttered vaguely, still trying to understand what she was saying.

"I said… I'd go with her."

I could swear my lungs dropped into my stomach at those words. "You're… leaving too?"

Well excuse me while I get killed softly
Heart slows down and I can hardly
Tell you I'm okay
At least till yesterday

She nodded slowly. "There's not really… much reason for me to stay, is there?" Her vaguely hopeful eyes made me wonder if that was a question I was supposed to answer and not just a rhetorical one, but I was too busy dealing with the shockwave she'd just thrown at me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I couldn't understand why I was just finding out about this now. Now, the day before they were scheduled to leave. There were so many opportunities for her to tell me she'd planned to leave also. It wasn't as though Kyoko had asked her to go today, I was sure.

She bit her lip, looking a tiny bit afraid. Maybe she thought I was angry with her. "I'm sorry. I just… didn't know how."

I was quiet for a good minute, staring at a spot on the sidewalk, a million thoughts racing through my head. From what she'd said, it sounded like she'd really thought this through and figured it would be beneficial for her career. And if that was true, and if I were any kind of friend at all, I wouldn't try and hold her back from it, right? Surely what she wanted was for me to wish her well.

Whether that was what I personally wanted to do or not.

I shook my head and put on the most convincing smile I could (though I wasn't sure how effective it would be). "That's great!" I may have sounded a little too enthusiastic, because Haru looked a bit taken aback. "It sounds like it'll be good for you. I'm really happy for you." I hoped my act was enough to fool her into thinking that was true. I may have imagined it, but I could've sworn I saw a flash of disappointment streak across her face, before the familiar bright smile was back in place.

"Thanks," she said warmly.

The rest of the walk home was relatively uneventful and a bit awkward, mostly because I was still dwelling on the fact that she was leaving in a day. When we reached my house, I opened the gate and turned to say goodbye, but she spoke first.

"I… probably won't see you again, before…" Her voice trailed off and she breathed out shortly. "Our flight is at six tomorrow morning, and I'll be leaving my house by four-thirty. Plus I've still got a lot of packing to do and stuff…" She looked down. Was she avoiding looking at me on purpose?

"I guess we should just… say goodbye now, then," I suggested, hating how emotionless my voice sounded. She'd noticed, a tiny cringe making her shoulders hunch momentarily.

"I guess so," she agreed. She held out her hand, still not looking me in the eye. I took it and shook it slowly and somewhat awkwardly. I noticed her skin felt tense, her arm stiff. Was there something else she wanted to say?

"Good luck," I said with a smile. This time I meant it.

Her smile looked almost… sad. "Thanks," she replied simply. "'Bye." With that she pulled her hand away from mine and spun around, surprising me with the sudden movement. She only took two steps away, however, before she stopped, halting still on the spot. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but then, just as quickly as she'd turned the first time, she spun again so she was facing me (though still avoiding my eyes). She ran straight up to me and curled her arms around my waist, burying her face in my shoulder. I hesitated for only a moment before returning the embrace, holding her tightly.

Her body seemed to relax at last and loosen the uncharacteristic stiffness. It was a minute or so before she let go, taking a step back and finally looking up to meet my eyes. It looked like she was about to cry, but also that she was trying her hardest not to.

A small smile crept across her face, breaking the sad expression from before. "'Bye, Tsuna." This time, she sounded a bit surer of herself, like the Haru I was used to.

I offered her the most encouraging smile I could muster. "'Bye, Haru. Good luck."

She nodded, and this time when she turned to leave, she didn't come back.

Later that night, I still couldn't stop thinking about Haru's sudden plans to leave the country. I felt kind of bad about it, but to be honest, I didn't want her to go. I'd become so used to always having her around, it was like I couldn't imagine my life without her now. One friend leaving was bad enough, but two was just too much. Furthermore, this was way too sudden.

At the same time, it had seemed like she'd already made the decision, and that she really wanted to go. It would be wrong to ask her to stay, wouldn't it?

Would it?

You know you got me off my highest guard
Believe me when I say it's hard
We'll get through this tonight

The more I thought about it, the more I got it hopelessly stuck in my mind that the last thing I wanted was to let her just leave. Once I even considered kidnapping her and forcing her to stay against her will, but thankfully for my potential criminal record my rationality quickly won out over that idea. Still, by the end of the next few hours, I'd realized there was no arguing with the larger part of me that was adamant on not letting her move away.

Around nine that night, I stopped thinking rationally altogether. I left my house and started walking resolutely toward hers, not sure what I was doing or what I was going to say when I saw her. Did she even want to see me? What would she say if I asked her to stay? Would she laugh at me? Would she be angry that I didn't support her decision? A million doubts were rushing through my brain, trying to change my mind and grind me to a halt, but my legs just wouldn't listen.

When I reached her house, her parents let me in and told me she was up in her room packing for the trip. They mentioned briefly that they too were skeptical about their daughter moving to another country, and how they wished she'd reconsider, but they knew Haru even better than I did. Once she'd made up her mind, it would take a volcanic eruption to change it.

I knocked twice on her door and waited. At the sound of the words 'come in' from the other side, I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded. Gee, what a friendly greeting. "We already said goodbye and everything… I didn't want to…" She stopped herself, though I didn't know what she'd been about to say. Regardless of her surprised and demanding demeanor, I thought I saw her eyes flash for a moment with some other emotion, not that I could tell what it was.

"I… I just wanted… to…" Why wasn't my voice working? Maybe it was the sight of the nearly-full suitcases on the bed beside her, or the empty walls and tables around the room. She was serious about leaving after all. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. "To… tell you good luck, one more time," I finished lamely, mentally smacking myself for coming here in the first place.

"Oh… Thanks, I guess," She seemed at a loss for words. What the heck was I doing, anyway? I'd come all that way, and now here I was standing there like an idiot? The only thing I'd likely accomplished was making her feel worse than she'd obviously felt the last time we'd said goodbye. "Well, I need to finish packing, so…" She gestured to her open suitcases, avoiding my eyes again.

"Right, sorry," I retracted, hating myself for giving up like this. "I'll just… go, then… Good luck again," I said for about the twelfth time that day, wondering why I was suddenly in broken-record mode.

"Th-Thanks." Was it my imagination, or were there tears in her eyes? Was that… my fault? "Goodbye."

I turned around, my brain screaming at me not to but my body being unable to oblige. I put my hand on the doorknob, but froze in that spot, mind racing. My fingers were shaking on the knob as a result of the internal conflict that was raging inside me.

That image of her just now, on the verge of tears—I couldn't get it out of my head. Why did she look… so sad? She wanted to go, didn't she? Whatever the reason, I'd caused it. She was fine before I got there, and I had to show up and ruin it. And for what? I couldn't even say what it was I'd wanted so much to say. I couldn't stand it, seeing her like that. Especially because of me. So why couldn't I say it? 'I want you to stay.' 'I want you to stay.' 'I want you to stay.' Why was it so hard? More importantly, to address the question I seemed to have been avoiding until then, why couldn't I let her go?

For the first time, I realized what I'd never thought of before. She wasn't just a good friend of mine. I needed her, more than anyone else.

And I wouldn't let her leave. Not like this.

And I know one day you and I
Will be free
To live and die by our own rules

"Tsuna?" she asked tentatively when I froze stock-still in front of the closed door. Her voice sounded puzzled, but also sad. I hated it.

This time, before I could stop myself, I let go of the knob and turned around. Of the many thoughts racing through my head, once was screaming the loudest: She wasn't going anywhere. I needed her. And now I thought I knew why.

"Wait," I said in a calm, even voice. I strode across the room straight toward her. She took a reflexive step back, an unsure expression on her face. I think she was about to say something, but she never got the chance, because as soon as I reached the place where she stood, my hand found the back of her neck and I forced her lips closed by pressing my own against them.

Instantly I felt her entire body go rigid with alarm. To be honest, I was a little surprised myself, but that didn't mean I regretted the act. At this point, it was the only way I could express what I was thinking and feeling.

When I let go of her, she had a somewhat dazed expression on her face, her eyes unfocused and staring at some unknown sight just below my chin. "I…" she muttered in a breathy voice.

"I don't want you to go," I finally stated firmly.

Free
Despite the fact that men are fools

She blinked and looked into my eyes. "What?" It sounded more like she was asking for clarification than she'd misheard.

"I didn't come here to wish you luck," I admitted, my strained voice betraying how angry I'd been with myself. "I want you to stay." She lowered her gaze again, the same dumbfounded expression never leaving her face. I started to backtrack a bit, thinking maybe I'd made some mistake. "I just…" I tried to explain hurriedly, but I was back to my state of now knowing what to say. "Argh, I'm sorry." I stepped back and raised my hands to my head in frustration. "Maybe this was a bad idea after all. I should just—"

"No!" she shouted as I turned away from her. I spun back around slowly to see her reaching out a hand. "Don't go," she said in a small voice. "It's just…" She shook her head, before looking up at me. There were tears in her eyes again, but this time a gentle smile graced her flushed face. "Do you know how much I wanted to hear you say that?"

Now it was my turn to wear the confused expression. "Huh?"

"I wanted you…" she explained carefully, "to ask me to stay."

I raised my eyebrows. This was news to me. She'd seemed like she really wanted to go, after all. "You did?"

She nodded. "It's true that going to America would be a good opportunity for me, but that wasn't the reason I decided to leave. It was because…" she took a deep breath, "it's gotten painful for me, being here."

Painful? Here? "What do you mean?"

"I mean—being around you. I couldn't take it anymore." She looked down, like she was ashamed of what she was saying.

"…Me?"

"It's not your fault, really!" she said hastily, holding out her hands. "It's just… Don't freak out, okay?" She offered me a shy smile, and I fixed her with a puzzled look. Why would I freak out? She took a deep breath. "I'm just… still so in love with you." I guess that was why.

I didn't 'freak out,' but that didn't mean I wasn't confused. I knew she had a sort of… thing for me back when we first met, but she'd said that was over, hadn't she? "But… I thought you—"

"I know, I know," she admitted, shaking her head. "I tried to make it seem like I'd moved on, but…" When she looked at me, there was pain behind her eyes. "I never did. I guess I thought moving to another continent would… help me forget about you."

I smiled wryly. "Gee, thanks." She laughed.

"I'm sorry," she said honestly, lowering her eyes again.

"No, don't be sorry," I insisted. "I'm sorry. I never even realized. Not until you threatened to leave, anyway." I folded my arms. "Which wasn't very nice, you know." She giggled again. I took a few steps back toward her and gestured to the open luggage on her bed. "So you gonna unpack those suitcases or what?"

She moved forward a bit as well. "Oh, I dunno," she said evasively. "Are you saying there's a reason for me to stay after all?"

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck absently. "This is gonna sound lame, but… I think I finally figured out what I was missing. And if you leave now, I may never get it back."

"I think you're wrong," she replied. I frowned slightly as she took both my hands and rested her forehead against mine, a warm smile on her face and a light blush on her cheeks. "It's not lame at all."

I'm almost alive
And I need you to try and save me

For the second time in a row I'm slowly drawn awake by the soft, steady beeping echoing around the medical room. I sluggishly open my eyes to once again be met with the dim lighting, though the window is open, allowing a stream of morning sunlight to penetrate the air. This time, however, there's no respirator mask over my face, and also I'm not alone. Haru is sitting beside me, her head resting on the edge of the bed. Gokudera is standing by the window, staring out through it with a beleaguered expression on his face. There's someone sitting in a chair by the closed door, but I can't tell who it is. I don't have long to dwell on it, though, because Haru chooses that moment to raise her head.

"You're awake!" she realizes at once, her eyes lighting up. Gokudera turns so fast it seems like his neck was snapped, and in a flash he's at my other side, looking like he's just found a pot of gold. The person by the door rises as well and hurries to stand beside Haru, finally allowing me to identify him as Yamamoto. He also wears a tired expression, but it's gradually changing to reveal his usual carefree grin. Haru sits up straight and rubs her eyes, wiping half-dried tears from her face.

It's okay that we're dying
But I need to survive tonight, tonight

"You're… crying…" I say, disappointed to hear my voice once again reduced to a hoarse whisper. This time it seems worse than the last, though.

"You were dead!" she shouts, sounding exasperated. My eyebrows crease in surprised, that being about the extent of facial expression I can force myself to show at the moment. "I thought… I thought I'd lost you…" Her voice is quiet now. She looks so incredibly sad—I feel terrible, knowing it's because of me.

"I'm not going anywhere," I tell her honestly, still trying hard to make my voice sound human. She looks up and smiles, but to my surprise, the smile quickly changes to a glare.

"How do you do that?" she demands.

"What?" I ask. I have no idea what she's talking about.

"One second I'll be freaking out, and then you give me that stupid look and I can't help but feel like everything's gonna be okay." Her glare fades slowly to a small smile. The feeling is starting to come back in my face, so I force a reassuring grin. "Stop that, now you're just being cocky," she snaps in response, making Yamamoto and Gokudera laugh, the relief clear as day on their faces. It makes me laugh a bit, too, which unfortunately brings on an unpleasant coughing fit. Haru grabs a glass of water from the table beside my bed and hands it to me as I sit up. My throat is still intensely dry, and the cool water helps ease the soreness.

"Anyway, you'd better hurry up and get back on your feet," Yamamoto begins cheerily. "You're wedding's in less than a week."

"What?" I yelp, choking on a mouthful of water. Haru glares at Yamamoto, who shrugs with an innocent grin. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Four days," Gokudera answers as my mouth drops open in shock. "Today's Saturday, the fourteenth. You're wedding's Thursday, right?" I nod numbly. I've been asleep for four days… How did that even happen? I guess that explains why my throat's dryer than usual.

And you touch my hand ever so slightly
Girl, we're not ready for this yet

"We can reschedule, if you want," Haru says. It looks like she's trying to be reassuring, but I can tell that isn't what she wants. "I wouldn't want you to be anything less than perfectly healthy, after all." She smiles, but she isn't fooling me. I know her too well.

"No, don't worry about me," I insist, sitting up straight for effect. "I'll be one hundred percent by then, for sure." This time her smile is genuine.

And the deadly looks you cast upon me
I won't regret, I won't regret
I won't regret, I won't regret

"You always have been a fast healer," Yamamoto agrees.

"In that case," Gokudera says, possibly looking happier than I'd ever seen him, "we've got a lot of preparation to do. We should let the Tenth rest if he's gonna be up and about by Thursday." He looks down at me and grins, and I smile back, grateful. Even though I've apparently just slept for four days, I'm still considerably exhausted.

Haru leans over and kisses me briefly before standing up and sliding her chair against the wall. "Go on and get your strength back. I'll see you later, okay?" I nod, lying back down against the pillows as the others offer their goodbyes as well, before all three leave the room and silence takes over once more.

As I drift off to sleep, I can't help but think of how lucky I am to have friends like all of them. Clearly they've been through a lot while I was unconscious, which brings a pang of guilt to my mind, but they stuck by me the whole time. And they're still determined now to make my wedding a complete success, even though here I am less than a week beforehand, too weak and tired to stand up properly.

But I trust them, more than anything. All I have to ensure is that I'm good and ready when the time comes.

And I was trying to disappear
But you got me wrapped around you
I can hardly breathe without you

"You wanna know something?"

Haru twisted her head on the grass to look at me. "What?"

I glanced up at the night sky above us and said, "They remind me of you."

She followed my gaze. "What do?"

"The stars."

"They do?"

"Yeah." I raised my arm from its position at my side and pointed straight up. "Especially that one, right there."

She chuckled. "You mean the North Star?" she asked skeptically, clearly thinking I was kidding.

"See how it shines brighter than all the others?" I let my hand drop back down to the cool grass beneath me. "It looks so small from here, but it's strong enough to help guide you home no matter how lost you are."

She was quiet for a moment, allowing us both time to lie there and stare contentedly up at the clear, night sky. "Do you wanna know something?" she asked finally.

It was my turn to glance over at her. "What?"

"It reminds me of you."

"The North Star?" I wondered with a wry smile.

"No," she responded with a light giggle, swatting at my arm. "The sky."

I looked back upward, eyes wandering the heavens. "Really…"

"It protects the stars," she explained, her voice softening. "It holds them and keeps them safe. It's their home, so much bigger and stronger than them. They need it. I think…" she turned again to face me and I met her gaze, "they love it."

I offered her a friendly smile. "Well, I think the sky needs the stars too."

"Oh, does it?"

"Yeah," I confirmed matter-of-factly. "Without them, it'd be empty. Dark. Alone." I reached over and squeezed her hand. "They give it light. And hope. And love."

"I guess they both need each other," she agreed. "The stars… and the sky."

"Then it's a good thing the world can't exist without either one." She smiled a wide, content smile. We lay there like that for a little while longer in silence, watching the stars in the sky above.

After a bit, I sat up and stretched my stiff arms. Just then, the sound of Gokudera calling our names from somewhere up the hill penetrated the still air.

"Maybe we should head back," I suggested, glancing over my shoulder toward where the call had come from. "It is our party, after all." Before Haru could answer, Bianchi's voice joined the fray, followed by a strangled yelp from Gokudera and laughter from Haru and me.

"Aw, we don't have to go back yet," Haru insisted, sitting up and looking back up the hill. "They're fine without us."

"I dunno…" I persisted. "It seems like they're worried…" Haru fixed me with a pouting look. "That won't work, you know," I told her, wagging a finger at her. She laughed, before scooting closer to me in the grass. This time instead of showing puppy-dog eyes, she put both hands on my neck and kissed me. It was brief, but it got the point across. I grinned, before giving up and letting her win. "I guess a little longer wouldn't hurt."

I was trying to disappear
But I got lost in your eyes now
You brought me down to size now

I wake up later that night, just as the sun finishes setting outside the window. No one else is in the room, I quickly notice. Deciding it would be better to try walking around than sit and wait for someone to show up, I carefully sit up and pull back the sheets, swinging my legs around to rest on the cool floor. It doesn't take me long to notice I'm not wearing a shirt, but thankfully there's one waiting for me on the table beside the bed. I pull it on, the strain making my side ache (but not unbearably so; all in all I'm feeling considerably better than I did before), before getting shakily to my feet. My vision swims uncomfortably for a few seconds, but it doesn't last long. Determined to actually leave this room, I make my slow way outside and down the hall, listening for activity all the way.

I finally find life in the den off the mansion foyer downstairs. I open the door and walk in to find Gokudera, Yamamoto, Bianchi, Ryohei (whose shoulder is bandaged and arm is in a sling), Hana, Shoichi, and Giannini, all of whom look up and grow suspiciously silent as I enter.

"Tenth! You shouldn't be moving around yet!"

"What are you guys doing?" I ask sharply, ignoring Gokudera's greeting. They all exchange worried looks.

"Nothing," Hana answers in a slightly high-pitched voice. A few others voice similar sentiments, none more convincing than the next. I glare directly at Gokudera, knowing he's probably the most likely to cave.

And of course I'm right. "…Haru's been kidnapped by the Ombra family!" he bursts out after holding out for a measly few seconds, causing his older sister to punch him in the arm.

"What?" I demand, putting strain on my dry throat and forcing a violent cough from it. Nearly everyone flinches at my raised voice or the brief show of pain. I ignore every one of them. "How the hell did that happen?"

"She went to her house to get some stuff," Bianchi explaines calmly. She's probably the only one who didn't appear nervous at my shouting. "That's where Fiello and a few others cornered her."

"They left us this note," Shoichi speaks up, brandishing said slip of paper. "It says if we want her back unharmed, the original demand of fifty million Euros still stands."

"Which is still extremely insane!" Ryohei cuts in. "Where are we gonna get that kind of money?"

"Maybe if we pool our resources, we can gather enough?" Hana suggests hopefully.

"Screw that!" Gokudera exclaims, slamming a fist into the table beside which he's standing. "Let's find them and take her back by force!"

"But we have no idea where they are right now," Bianchi points out rationally.

"So what?" her brother persists. "They haven't had time to get far. If we search the area near Haru's house, we might—" His voice is cut off by a sudden and loud beeping sound originating from the communicator screen covering the west wall of the den.

"We're getting a message request," Giannini informs us, typing away on the laptop in front of him. "I'll put it up on screen." He presses a few buttons turns to face the monitor as it glows to life.

On the giant screen before us, sitting smugly in another ornate armchair, is Fiello Ombra, flanked on either side by two unassuming men. There are no windows visible behind him, so it's impossible to tell where he is. All I can see is that he's in some sort of fancy hotel room. The dresser behind him to the left bears a spectacular golden swirled design twisting around the handles. Sitting atop it is a bottle of what looks like wine, behind two tall glasses containing small amounts of some dark liquid. Beside them is something that looks like it might be a room service guide, but it's flipped upside down, hiding the hotel name. The wallpaper has tiny golden vines on it, laced across the wall in a complicated pattern.

"Ah, Vongola," Fiello says upon locking eyes with me. "You're looking well," he notes in a mocking tone.

"Where is she?" I demand at once, a cold glare in my eyes.

"Not to worry," Fiello assures, holding his hands out defensively. "She's safe and sound. At least for the time being." That evil smile that so angered me almost a week ago spreads slowly across his face, his yellow teeth glinting in the dim hotel room lighting. "I assume you received—"

"I want to see her," I interrupt him adamantly. I have to make sure she's okay. That's priority number one.

Fiello nods to someone off the screen, and a moment later Haru stumbles into view, hands tied behind her back. I hear a few people around me gasp or say something in surprise.

"Haru!" I yell, jumping forward and knocking over a chair in the process. She's there. She isn't safe exactly, but she looks unharmed.

"Tsuna, I—" The goon behind her clamps a hand over her mouth to quiet her. He exchanges a look with his boss before taking Haru forcefully by the arm and leading her back out of sight.

"Now, about what I requested," Fiello begins again in a sly voice, resting his elbows on the arms of his chair and pressing his fingertips together.

This time Yamamoto speaks up. "You know we don't have the money, Ombra," he states. "Just give us a little time and we can get it."

"I'm not a very patient person, you know," Fiello says in that same mock-innocent tone that's starting to make me sick. "I need that money by tonight."

"Fine," Shoichi says after a minute. I glance over at him with a bemused expression, but he doesn't look away from Fiello. "We'll get it to you somehow. Just tell us where you are and we'll deliver it tonight." So he's trying to get Fiello to let slip their location. Not a bad plan, actually.

Fiello narrows his eyes at Shoichi, who stands his ground. "Nice try," he scoffs. "But I'll be sending someone to your mansion to pick it up at ten o'clock tonight. And if there's any funny business, she will pay for it."

"But…" Giannini argues, looking frantic. "There's no way we can get that money by ten o'clock! That only gives us two hours!"

Fiello shrugs. "If you don't value her life, that's fine with me. After all, you are all responsible for the deaths of quite a few of my subordinates. It's only fair that I should be allowed one of yours."

"Wait—" I start, but he waves a hand and the next thing I hear is the horrible sound of Haru's shriek from just beyond the screen. "NO!" I scream, terrified now. "You'd better tell me where you are right now—!" I growl at Fiello, who blinks innocently at me.

"Isn't there anything else you want other than money?" Bianchi asks desperately.

Fiello pauses for a moment, looking thoughtful. "There is one thing." He fixes me with an almost hungry stare. "The life of the Vongola Decimo."

"What?" Yamamoto and Bianchi exclaim almost in unison as Hana gasps. Shoichi slams his hands down on the table, Giannini's eyes widen in surprise and fear, and Ryohei flings his good arm out beside him and yells, "Like HELL!"

"If it weren't for you," Fiello continues flatly, the false sweetness almost gone from his voice, "my family could have simply gone about our business, making bags of money off of pitiful fools who don't realize what they have. Now, because of you, Vongola, my once-proud family has been whittled down to what you see here." He gestures around him for emphasis, before fixing me with a cold glare. "I want revenge. My men will arrive to meet you at the specified time. Give to me the Vongola Decimo, and his beloved fiancé will go free." He sits back in his chair, finished explaining his terms.

Almost at once people start protesting, but I'm hardly listening. If that's the only way to save her, then maybe…

All of a sudden, Haru bursts back onto the screen. "Don't do it!" she shouts at me. "You're life is far more important than mine! I won't let you—" The man who was holding her appears behind her just then and clubs the back of her head with his gun. She collapses in a heap on the floor, not moving.

It's seeing that more than anything that makes up my mind for me.

"ALRIGHT!" I shout over the din, quieting everyone in the room as they all turn to look at me, bewildered. "You promise to let her go?"

"On my word as a Mafioso."

"…Alright," I say again, quieter this time. "You've got a deal."

A triumphant grin spreads across Fiello's ugly face. "Excellent choice. I'll be seeing you later tonight." With that, the transmission ends and the screen goes black.

"What were you thinking?" Yamamoto rounds on me angrily almost at once. "You can't give yourself up! There has to be another way to save her."

"Well, there isn't!" I yell back just as adamantly. "Unless you're planning to pull fifty million Euros out of the air in the next two hours, this is the only option we've got! And if it'll keep her safe, then it's good enough for me."

They all exchange glances, no one sure what to say.

"So we're supposed to just…" Giannini begins almost miserably, "let you die?"

"Hold on a second," Gokudera finally speaks up, making me realize how conspicuously silent he's been since the start of the transmission. "No one's dying tonight."

"Weren't you listening?" Hana demands. "They're either killing Tsuna or Haru. There's no way around it."

"Not if we get there first and take her back," he insists.

Bianchi turns to her brother, hands on her hips. "We've been through this, Hayato. We have no idea where they are."

Gokudera grins slyly. "Had no idea where they are," he corrects her. Everyone freezes in unison.

"What do you mean?" I ask him sharply. If he knows something…

"Notice the glasses on the table behind Fiello?" he asks with the air of someone explaining a difficult mathematical equation.

Ryohei scratches his head. "You mean the ones with the black stuff in them?"

"Those were flower petals," Gokudera explains. So it wasn't dark liquid after all.

"So what?" Yamamoto challenges. "Lots of places do fancy stuff like that."

Gokudera raises an eyebrow. "But black lily petals? Those aren't exactly common. In fact, there's only one place in the country that does that for their guests."

Shoichi's eyes widen in realization. "The Kurohasu Casino."

"Bingo," Gokudera agrees, crossing his arms in triumph.

"That's not far from here!" Bianchi points out excitedly.

I look at my best friend and can't help a wry smile. "Gokudera, you're a genius."

He grins cockily. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Okay," Shoichi begins, already in planning mode. "So the first thing we've gotta do is assemble a rescue party to—Tsunayoshi, where are you going?"

"Where do you think?" I reply as everyone turns and notices me halfway to the door. "The Kurohasu Casino."

"But you're still injured," Hana argues somewhat weakly. "You shouldn't be fighting."

"Look," I say, glaring at them all, "it's my fault they've got Haru. I'm not just gonna take this lying down."

They look like they want to insist, but I guess working with me for long enough has taught them that they have no chance of winning whatever argument they could start. It's quickly decided that Gokudera and Yamamoto will be going with me, seeing as Ryohei is still injured and we don't have time to call for Hibari, Lambo, or Chrome. Besides, with the limited manpower we saw in the transmission, the three of us should be more than enough.

I'm almost alive
And I need you to try and save me

We reach our destination a little after 8:30 pm. Before us stands a tall, magnificent, fifteen-story building with gigantic, ornate lettering above the door reading 'Kurohasu Hotel and Casino.' Upon entering, we notice that the inside is every bit as decked out as the glimpse of one of the rooms that we saw through Fiello's video transmission.

To our left is a long desk behind which four hotel clerks sit. "I'm gonna go talk to them," Yamamoto offers, before striding up to one of them. Gokudera and I take the chance to look around the lobby. There's a large, open doorway on the right that leads into the casino. Casinos are fairly new in Japan, having only been made legal about five years prior, and thus there are still very few. But people are fast getting into the fad, and from where we stand, the casino looks packed with citizens.

Yamamoto comes back a few seconds later with a key to room 1421 (how he obtained this, I have no idea). Thinking Fiello is probably on the top floor—floor fifteen—we decide to head to our room and figure out the best way to find him without causing too much ruckus.

It's okay that we're dying
But I need to survive tonight, tonight
Tonight

Room 1421 looks almost identical to the room we saw in the transmission, which would make searching the hotel for Fiello and his men very difficult.

"Why don't we just break down all the doors until we find the weasel?" Gokudera suggests, jamming a fist into his other hand.

Yamamoto shakes his head. "That'll be like screaming, 'Here we are! Go ahead and hide now!' We'll never find him that way."

"Well then what do you suggest we do?" Gokudera rounds on Yamamoto, who shrugs.

"Maybe we should ask around and see if anyone's seen anything suspicious."

"That'll take way too long! We don't have time to screw around!"

"Well we've got to be quiet about it otherwise he'll know we're here."

"So what if he does? We'll catch him if he tries to run!"

"But what about the other guests? We can't just run wild around the hotel—"

"That's enough!" I yell over their arguing, which is starting to give me a massive headache. I'm not sure I agree with either plan, but both of them have good points: we have to hurry, but we have to be careful.

Just then, a crash sounds directly above us, followed by a muffled shout. I recognize it instantly as Haru, and by the looks on the others' faces, so do they.

"Guess we won't have to search long after all," Yamamoto says gravely. "They're right above us."

I'm almost alive
And I need you to try and save me

We dash out of the room to the end of the hall where the elevators are. Gokudera jams on the button three or four times, but all the elevators are many floors below us. Rather than wait for them, I turn and dash back down the other way toward the stairs, Yamamoto and Gokudera right on my heels. We fly up the stairs and back into a hallway identical to the one we came from.

Sprinting down the hall, I ignore my still semi-weakened state and allow myself to enter Hyper-Dying-Will mode, bright orange flames erupting from my fists and forehead. Gokudera's cannon appears on his arm and Yamamoto draws his sword a fraction of a second later. None of us are taking any chances on this encounter.

It's okay that we're dying
But I need to survive tonight, tonight

I can see room 1521. She's inside, I know it.

I need to survive tonight, tonight

I reach the door and skid to a halt before grabbing the doorknob and yanking it toward me with all my might, ready for whatever is waiting on the other side.

Ooooh, a cliffhanger! BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! (last time I get to say that, haha) Go and check out Summer Sky for the exciting conclusion! haha

~oMM