*Comes out from behind giant boulder* ...Is it safe?

Um...Helloo...ahaha...

HONTO NI GOMEN FOR NOT UPDATING!

Hopefully you forgive my sorry ass, but Middle School is SUCH A PAIN. Um, sorry again I love you all and hopefully you're not mad at me! AND OMG THE REVIEWS! THE REVIEWS ARE SO AWESOME! :D! KK, not going to waste anymore of your time...sorry sorry sorry, and here you go! :)

Hope it was worth the wait.

ENJOY! :)

Sometimes she thought it wasn't fair. How everyone seemed to just fit in to everything. How watching Tsuna and Kyoko share a light kiss in the park made her want to smile, and cry at the same time. At how selfish she was being for still holding onto that hopeless love she had for a certain Tenth Generation Vongola Boss.

Everything was falling apart.

It had been couple day's since their spat with Hibari, and right now she was all alone.

Kuroki and Tatsuko had left to pick up some item her advisor's had left her. They'd be back by tomorrow, but Tatsuko had said something to her before he left. Something she just couldn't get off her mind.

"Haru.." His face, his rare face expression of seriousness was showing. "Haru we've been here for almost a week now with no progress whatsoever. You know I don't like to snap at you...but we really need to get a move on. Your family needs you." A smile had cracked through then, pearl white teeth gleaming. "And I thought you said you weren't going to let these people hold you back."

Haru sighed, running her hands through her hair unconsciously. Stupid Tatsuko! He was such a guilt tripper!

So she was afraid to face them? So what?!

"Haru know's what.." The brunette mumbled to herself, her mind suddenly going back to all the good times she's had with Tsuna, and the rest.

To her life five years ago.

"Gokudera-san's mean!" Haru yelled, random people on the streets stopping to stare at them.

Green eyes flashing with annoyance, Gokudera snapped at the brunette in front of him. "Like I give a fuck about what you think!"

It was then, that Gokudera noticed how many people were now looking at them, and mentally cursed his habitual potty mouth. So he accidentally tripped her and she scraped her fucking knee! It was just a teeny tiny scrape! Nothing compared to what he, or the Tenth go through...

And if she was going to go around, everyday, fucking screaming about becoming the Tenth's wife, well then she had to know that the wife of the Tenth Generation Boss of the Vongola Family, had to be able to endure more than a TINY FUCKING KNEE SCRAPE!

Huffing in irritation, Gokudera glared. "Aho-na! Stop fucking yelling!"

"MOU! Gokudera-san's yelling louder than Haru desu!" Tears were in her eyes now, as the small brunette glanced down at her now bleeding knee.

He was such a meanie! Meanie, meanie meanie meanie! Meanie Gokudera! MEEEAAANN!

Too busy screaming in her mind, Haru almost had a panic attack when she felt something touch her wounded knee.

It was then that she noticed it was only Gokudera...and it was then when she realized...she had just kicked him in the face...

"H-Hahi!" Gasping, Haru quickly stood, scrambling over to the silver haired boy.

The bottom of her shoe had left a nasty red mark on the side of his face. There must have been something sharp under her shoe because there was a cut on his left, upper cheek; leaking blood.

Again, she panicked.

"H-Haru is s-so very sorry, desu! She...Haru didn't mean to kick Gokudera-san in the face p-please forgive Haru! Haru is so so so so so so s—"

"Just put the damn bandage on..." Sighing, Gokudera quietly placed the small bandage over the girl's open cut, pressing on it gently to secure it.

Haru smiled, staring at the green eyed boy before her.

Maybe he's just a little sweet...

"Arigatou, Gokudera-san! Haru thinks that is very sweet desu!"

"Che..." Turning away from the girl, Gokudera rolled his eyes. "Whatever..."

And Haru just had to giggle. Just a little.

Smiling at the fond memory, Haru stayed silent for a while. Gokudera Hayato...Out of all the people in the world, he was probably the only one she actually really enjoyed arguing with. Maybe because she knew he cared. Because at the end of every argument he'd always do something for her. Whenever she started crying he would always unintentionally make her feel better.

And up until five years ago there's never been a doubt in her mind that he stopped caring.

...For that she would always think of him as a friend.

Even if he was a friend she couldn't face at the moment.

There were other friends, too...

Like her bestfriend.

It was late. Everyone at the base was already asleep, the two girls just finishing up the dishes. Haru sighed. She didn't like being in the future...what if them being in the future causes the present time to mess up? ...What if when they go back everything's different..?

"Ne, Kyoko-chan?"

"Hai, Haru-chan?"

"Do you ever think...D-Does Kyoko-chan ever think...that one day, we wont be bestfriends anymore?"

Not even glancing up at her, Kyoko stated her answer casually. "No."

"H-Hahi..." Haru stopped scrubbing a dirty plate to look towards her bestfriend, and secretly her love rival. "K-Kyoko-chan.."

"I've been through a lot with you, Haru-chan...I don't think I could ever stop being bestfriends with you after we've been through so much together. Tsuna-kun, Yamamoto-kun, and Gokudera-kun, too...everyone in our family. I love you all so much, especially you, Haru-chan!" The blonde haired girl smiled, then, grabbing Haru's soap covered hands in hers.

"I'll always be there for you!" She had murmured, determination shining in her light tan eyes. "No matter—" And then she was interrupted. Interrupted by a nearly crying Haru, wrapping her arms around her in a hug. Kyoko smiled. "..what..."

Feeling tears prickle at her eyes, Haru wiped them away quickly. Thinking about all these memories...She missed them. No matter what she did, what she said...she missed them. And thinking about all the good times she's had with all of them, her stupid, insensitive reason for running away seemed really childish to her now.

It's not like they were obligated to listen to her twenty four seven.

But it seems as if five years ago, her immature mind had her thinking that. It made her sick.

"Haru.." His face, his rare face expression of seriousness was showing. "Haru we've been here for almost a week now with no progress whatsoever. You know I don't like to snap at you...but we really need to get a move on. Your family needs you." A smile had cracked through then, pearl white teeth gleaming. "And I thought you said you weren't going to let these people hold you back."

His words flashed in her mind again.

Haru sighed.

He was right. Tatsuko was always right. What was she doing here? She should have been home by now. She should have had this stupid alliance done, and over with by now...

But thinking about them...

It turned her into a weakling. A coward.

It broke her, until she didn't even know how to think clearly anymore.

And she didn't know why.

"Tch. Crying again, Haru?" A voice struck her then, and Haru suddenly had the urge to crawl in a hole and die.

Kuroki rolled his cloudy silver eyes. "I swear you PMS more than Lieko bitch." A hand then came out, gently ruffling her hair. The blonde crouched down to gaze at her, saying softly. "Stop crying."

And of course that only made her want to cry more.

Kuroki sighed, pushing the small girl into his chest and resting a hand on her back soothingly. These supposedVongola people they were building a alliance with? Yeah? He hated them.

Absolutely hated them.

It made it even worse that the supposed package they were suppose to pick up from the family advisor's was but a mere message (Kuroki personally flipped out at that – why the fuck didn't they just use a damn telephone?!) saying that they had to build the alliance the long way.

Pfft. Whatever the fuck that meant.

Of course he had asked, (well, more like: "Shit heads, HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSE TO KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.) but they said to ask Haru.

And so here he was, while Tatsuko went back to the estate to go get the rest of the guardians; apparently they were needed for this supposed long way, to work.

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Kuroki paused when he felt Haru lift her head from his chest.

He stared at her. "Nuisance."

Hoping it would get some kind of rise from her, Kuroki almost face palmed when he remembered that Haru was an idiot who didn't respond to his insults like a normal person.

She smiled sadly at him – a heart broken smile, that almost broke his heart in the process. She whispered. "I'm sorry."

And then Kuroki wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

She wasn't suppose to sound like that.

"Haru—" He practically cut himself off.

Someone was watching them.

Tightening his hold on the brown eyed girl, Kuroki glared at the bush straight ahead of him. "Do you enjoy stalking crying girls?" Kuroki grimaced. "Show yourself."

There was a pause, before the same bush the blonde was glaring at started to rustle. Kuroki could feel Haru stiffen in his arms. It only made him want to pull her closer.

Finally someone came out.

He was tall – dark brown hair, with lighter, carefree eyes. And there was a certain air around him that unconsciously reminded him of Tatsuko. Kuroki scowled.

How disgusting.

About to cuss the boy out, Kuroki paused when he felt Haru firmly break out of his grip. She hid herself behind him, tears still falling from her eyes, and small stature still shaking slightly.

Again, he frowned. Was she doing this because of the idiot in front of them?

"The hell are you?" Kuroki questioned the man harshly.

Though he merely smiled sadly at him – before that smile slowly disappeared. Kuroki could practically hear him take a breath as he quietly answered, and stiffened when he heard Haru gasp quietly behind him.

Once more, he grimaced.

Yamamoto Takeshi?

"Long way?"

Back at the estate, Sataru scowled. Long way? What did that mean?

Tatsuko merely nodded. "That's what Ayoko baa-chan said."

Though calm on the outside, inside, the Rain Guardian was worried. Not even Sataru knew what that meant? That honestly didn't make any sense to him. Throughout the years, it was common knowledge that Sataru knew more than Haru when it came to rituals and alliances. When it came to business, actually. Did that mean this supposed long way was some kind of secretive process that was preserved only for the bosses? Only for Haru?

"Go call Rin and Haruka." Sataru's monotone broke through his thoughts. "I'll get Leiko."

"Why do you always get to go to Leiko-chan?" Without thinking, Tatsuko let the dumbass worthy words spill out of his mouth.

Glare. "Why do you care?"

"Why do you care?"

"I don't!"

"Well then let me get Leiko-chan!"

"No!"

"WHY NOT?"

"Urgh - because I said so! Fucking brat, go away!" Whacking him in the head, Sataru rolled his eyes before strutting off.

The brat - did he seriously just argue with him?

Just because he had a little school boy crush on Leiko didn't mean he was going to help him with it! Sataru thought everyone in his house knew that what he said went. If he had let Tatsuko get Leiko the idiot would have gotten lost staring at her, and knowing her whorey ways Leiko would probably flirt back.

He didn't have time for such foolishness.

And NO - He wasn't jealous.

Geez.

"Haha..hey Haru...Long time no see, huh?"

And when six other figures stepped out of the bushes after him, Kuroki wanted to murder them all.

Because Haru had fallen to her knees; pleading for them to go away.

And he could do nothing but stand there and watch her suffer. Because she wouldn't tell him why she was hurting.

So, I guess you've guess it already - Full Tsuna&Haru reunion next chapter.

BUT YOU'RE WRONG.

I'm not telling you how, but you're wrong. Muahaha.

Anyway, thanks to all the people who have waited so long for this. Hope I didn't disappoint.

If anyone is still reading this half-assed fanfic, review for me! :) ...But I understand if you hate me because I haven't updated...

I still love you all anyway!

KK, love you guys, leave a review to make me feel loved, and have a nice day! :D!

~ Lauren :)