Prompt: Rain
Character(s): Miura Haru, Gokudera Hayato (present time: 15 YO)
Prompts by: artemis-amplifieddottumblrdotcom
Disclaimer: I make no claim to KHR

Rain

He takes cover under the awning of a cake shop. It's just his luck, he decides irritably, that as the storm guardian he should get stuck in exactly that kind of weather. There isn't much choice for him but to wait it out. The wind is strong enough to unbalance him, and because it had been jetting against into him as he walked he had to close his eyes. Trudging through it was out. So he crouches down against the building's wall and cups his face with his hands, blowing hot air into the basin they make to splash against his skin.

He's outside for about five minutes before the door opens. The little bell swings with the movement, chiming as it sways. "Haru can manage," he hears a girl call out back into the shop. His stomach prickles.

"Gokudera san?"

Crap. It's her.

He glances up, a frown etched on his brow. "Stupid woman," he greets. "If you go out in that you'll be blown away, and I'm not going to do anything about it."

Her lips purse in childish anger. "Haru doesn't need Gokudera san to do anything anyway," she retaliates, gripping hard at the plastic bag in her grasp.

"Woman, if I couldn't manage, what makes you think you could?" he asks rhetorically, rolling his eyes.

"Hahi! It's that strong?" she exclaims, looking out questionably into the storm. He watches her expression become uncertain. "Even Gokudera san couldn't…"

"Duh," he scoffs. "Or else why would I be here?" Certainly not for cake.

"Gokudera san should go inside then," she says, gesturing towards the door with one gloved hand. He tks's at her.

"No thanks."

"But why? Gokudera san looks really cold!"

Of course he was. It was freezing outside and the wind felt like it was going to splinter his bones if it sank in any deeper. But he was not going into that cake shop.

"I said no."

"But that doesn't answer why," she notes with an air of superior logic. He bares his teeth at her in a grimace.

"Because I hate cake, and sweets in general. Cookies, candy, you name it I hate it."

She gasps, astonishment widening her eyes. "Gokudera san is…"

An old man. A scrooge. A weirdo?

"…Afraid of sweets."

He chokes on his own spit. Coughing, he doubles over trying to breathe. It's stuck in his throat and he gasps for air. A small hand smacks across his back, forcing the clump asphyxiating him to become loose. In spite of being so delicate looking the stupid woman packs some strength. Her hand will probably be embossed into his skin, he thinks.

"Is Gokudera san alright?"

"F-fine," he manages to say, still coughing a little. But he can breathe now. "It's not like you saved my life, woman."

"Hmph!" she harrumphs, crossing her arms over her chest and turning away from him. "Gokudera san like a mean little child," she tells him.

He glares menacingly in her direction. "And you're a stupid costume freak."

She gasps again, swiveling on her heels to face him again. Her eyes are shining with outrage. "Gokudera san is an alien idiot!"

She did not just imply that UMAs were something demeaning. "You dumb cake freak!"

"Gokudera san is only saying that because Gokudera san is afraid of them," she shouts with finality. He stands up, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt and pulling her close as he glares in a most threatening way. She hardly blinks. She doesn't fear him, he realizes.

"I. Am. Not," he enunciates angrily.

"Are. Too," she says back, equally slowly.

"I said I'm not," he bites back.

"Then prove it. Have cake with Haru," she proposes, an eyebrow arching challengingly.

He unhands her after a moment of weighing the pros and cons. Scoffing, he agrees. "Fine. I'll show you I'm not afraid."

She grins triumphantly and steps to the door, holding it out with a smile. "Haru is happy. Cake with Gokudera san! That's never happened before."

"And it won't happen again," he adds, grabbing her wrist and hauling her inside. The door clicks shut behind him. As if he would let her hold the door for him.

Second Rain

5YL

He's not happy at all. But he's also not the same temperamental child he used to be. So he holds it in with a swift bite to his tongue to keep from saying something venomous.

"Haha, that's amazing Haru," Yamamoto says to her, holding her hand in his to examine the ring on her finger. It flares with blue flames. Like the idiot's.

"Hahi! Haru is glad you think so! I'm really looking forward to training with Takeshi san," she says enthusiastically. Her eyes are shining with resolve and he knows that no matter what he says she won't be persuaded to look for another teacher.

It isn't like he hates Yamamoto. He'd even call him his best friend. It was just that he didn't like to feel jealousy.

He'd been so sure that she'd be compatible with storm flames, since her disposition was much like his own. Then again, she's also an idiot like the baseball freak so he should have known. He makes a mental note not to let that slip when they're alone again, lest he cause an argument. It's her birthday so he's trying his hardest to make it special. The ring was only part one.

"Hayato san? Can Haru stay a little more?" she asks him, questioning in the lilt of her words and the frame of her brows.

She wants to stay with Yamamoto when it's her birthday? He bites down harder on his tongue, enough relief the shape of his teeth into the muscle. But the pain keeps him in check.

"By all means," he says, glancing dangerously at the baseball idiot. He smiles, warmly and probably guessing at the fury in his expression.

"Haru, I'm going out now. But I'll help you with your flame as soon as I can. In the meantime, I'm sure Gokudera will be just as good a teacher."

"Takeshi san is right, Hayato san can also use rain flames," she remembers, grinning at him proudly. It's a little sad, but that one gesture is enough to douse his anger.

Yamamoto says goodbye, winking playfully at him as he leaves. He makes another mental note to bomb his new car to oblivion.

Haru takes his hand. "How does Haru put out the flames?" she asks, examining the flaring ring. He holds up his own. The Vongola Rings were now gear, so this is a replacement to power his boxes. But the quality rivals the previous one that he wore. He holds it level to her hand and ignites it with his will.

"You just have to feel it," he says. "Imagine your flame inside of you. It's yours so do what you like with it. Picture it fading…" He watches as her face screws up with concentration. Her flame slowly dwindles with his own. They'll have to practice a lot, he thinks.

"Haru did it!" she enthuses, looking up at him excitedly. "Hayato san, thank you for my present."

"It's not like it's a toy, idiot. I'm going to teach you how to fight with it," he reminds her, a little exasperated.

She nods. "Tsuna san won't be happy though," she points out. He knows.

He hates having to cause him worry, but he isn't going to back down in this matter. "Juudaime will just have to understand that I can't leave you unprotected. And you're strong enough. You always have been. He needs to recognize that."

She stands up on the toes of her feet and kisses him lightly on the lips, lingering for a second before drawing away. He takes that as her thank you.

"One kiss won't suffice," he says, arching an eyebrow expectantly.

She gasps with mock shock but still complies.

Thank you all for the kind reviews!

The next prompt is: Sword