Pegasus In A Field of Spring

A/N: Please pardon my naming sense. I always have a hard time naming my stories. Originally I love HibaHaru, and I am working on fics of this pairing. But right now I can't help but write up a Dino x Haru fic, because I think that these two might look good together. I don't know, it's just a whim on my part. I just hope that you guys would like it too, and please be kind because this is my second time writing a KHR fanfic, after my first was shot down rather harshly. I prefer not to dwell on it too much. So enjoy! ^^

Please take note: Italics are flashbacks. 'this is for inner thoughts'

Rating for now is T, but will change to M in later chapters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! and the characters.

Prologue

There he was again, at the ever-famous Vongola Headquarters in Italy. Brown eyes scanned the area, finding the star of that very dinner party standing in the middle of the garden with Vongola Nono's hand on his shoulder. Timoteo was probably introducing the next in-line to be Vongola Decimo to the couple standing in front of him, who were old friends of the aging mafia boss. As usual, Tsuna was smiling kindly and trying to keep up with the conversation, and Dino could hear the broken Italian of the young Vongola successor. A chuckle escaped his lips when the younger man, now eighteen, caught sight of him and gave a wobbly smile. Poor guy.

"Wine, Sir Cavallone?"

The blonde man declined the offer of red wine from a passing server, and quickly made his way towards Tsuna. By that time Tsuna was somehow relieved of the company of Vongola Nono and his old friends.

"Thank heavens you're here, Dino-san."

The Cavallone Decimo smiled at the greeting, feeling a wee bit happy that his presence could offer some relief for the future mafia boss, if only a bit. He patted Tsuna's shoulder, giving a thumbs up.

"You're doing great. Happy birthday, you're now eighteen. Man, you're all grown up!"

Tsuna chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I am. Ah, there they are."

Dino followed Tsuna's line of vision as the Japanese teenager waved at a pair of women heading their way. He saw Kyoko, all dressed up in a peach cocktail dress. She turned a few heads as she waved back at Tsuna, and Dino could really see why. He nodded at her as she stopped a couple of feet from Tsuna, and that was when he noticed another person coming from behind Kyoko.

For a moment, it felt as if someone had punched him in the guts and the air was knocked out of him. He had always thought that Haru Miura was pretty, even if she was a little weird at times. But describing her as pretty that evening was an understatement. The strapless emerald green dress she wore hugged her perfectly, and the skirt ended just above her knees. The edges fluttered and brushed her legs as a gentle wind blew past them, and the light from the garden lamps reflected by the small emerald cuttings in her earrings made her look even more beautiful.

He plucked a glass of Dom Pérignon from a passing tray, and tried to calm himself down by sipping on some of the champagne. Someone's kid bumped into her, and she leaned down for a bit as she helped the seven-year old boy to his feet. That was when he noticed the thin necklace and the glinting emerald pendant resting in the middle of her chest, and understood what Reborn had meant when he said, 'Haru is growing up well these days.' From the rim of the glass, his eyes swept over Haru again, and found that time really did some good to her figure. He cleared his throat and used a hand to subtly loosen the knot on his necktie.

'Shit.' He swallowed.

He's got it bad. Real bad. If Romario had been there, he would never hear the end of it.

"Sorry, we were kind of lost on the way here, Tsuna-san. Kyoko-chan had to call for a cab. Oh, and good evening Dino-san."

His eyes smiled before his lips could even follow as Haru brought up a hand for a handshake. He nodded and reached for her outstretched hand, which was a bit chilly, he noted.

"Looking good tonight, girls. What happened to the others?"

Kyoko was about to answer when Timoteo came by to greet the girls.

"Ah, Miss Kyoko and Miss Haru! I take it that you're enjoying this party?"

Haru grinned. "We actually just got here because we were lost for a moment, but I have a feeling we'll enjoy this evening. Thank you for inviting us along, Nono-boss. You have a nice garden! Look, you even have a fountain over there!"

The elder mafia boss laughed, one hand on his stomach and the other holding his cane. His face beamed at hearing the fluent Italian coming from Haru. The first he met them they had been struggling to communicate. To make so much progress over a short period of time delighted him.

"As always Miss Haru, you never cease to put a smile on me. And Miss Kyoko too, I see you are even prettier today."

Dino watched silently as the current Vongola boss talked and shared stories of his recent escapade to Milan with the two girls and Tsuna. Haru's eyes lit up when a server offered her a tray of mini quiche and took two pieces. The delight in her face showed the instant she popped the mini pie into her mouth. He declined when she offered him her second quiche, content just watching her.

"I envy you Tsunayoshi. Look, you have two nice girls by your side. Why don't you have a girlfriend yet?"

He nearly choked on the second glass of champagne he was drinking at the moment, and automatically his eyes darted to the three young adults. Tsuna scratched the back of his head, his shock of brown hair rustling a bit as he did so. His ears were painted red, and anyone could see the blush on his cheeks.

"W-Well... I uh..."

Dino mentally sighed. It sucked to be Tsuna.

Vongola Nono raised his brows.

"Well, I guess you do have a person in mind don't you?"

He watched as the young Vongola laughed sheepishly, and glanced at Kyoko. The youngest Sasagawa looked back at him, and they ended up smiling shyly at each other. The Ninth let out an amused chuckle as he saw the interchange between the two blushing youths.

"Aaah, forget I ever asked that."

Dino brought the glass to his lips, and he shifted his eyes onto Haru. He saw the smile on her lips falter a fraction when she saw the exchange that transferred between her other two friends, even as Timoteo moved onto another topic, oblivious of her inner turmoil.

"I do think that we need to do more of this kind of gathering, don't you think so, Miss Haru?"

He watched from his position next to the elder Vongola, as that small falter in the corner of her lips came back when she replied to Nono's query.

"Eh? Yes! Yes, of course! I mean, what better way to celebrate good things?"

A server came by with a tray of the mini quiche, and she took three pieces, stuffing one into her mouth after another until her mouth was full. Kyoko took out a napkin from her purse and wiped at the crumbs on the brown-haired woman's face. Kyoko's lips, which were lightly tinted with pink, stretched up into a smile as she finished wiping off a crumb.

"Haru-chan, were you hungry?"

Haru swallowed and nodded a little bit too eagerly. "Yes, yes I am. I guess I should um... maybe grab something to eat."

"Ah, then let's go and try the cakes?"

Haru replied all too quickly, her feet already edging away from their circle.

"No, it's okay. I mean, we finally came here after months, and you finally get to see Tsuna-san, right? So why don't you guys sit somewhere and you know, talk about… things."

Tsuna smiled at her. "Thank you, Haru."

Haru made a mock salute and excused herself from the group again, her figure quickly disappearing into the crowd of guests.

"So um, Dino-san, I'll see you again in a bit alright?"

The Cavallone boss nodded and watched on wordlessly when Tsuna walked away to where he assumed to be a private section of the manor, Kyoko's hand held in his bigger one. A blonde-haired woman waved at the two as they passed the fountain in the centre of the courtyard, and then they disappeared as well.

Dino scratched the back of his neck, and contemplated whether he should look for Haru.

'And do what? Geez, Dino. You really shouldn't butt into her business.'

So he stayed there, making idle conversations with the other guests, joking around with his subordinates, until he felt like he should really go and check up on her.

Four years later….

Romario frowned as he checked the time on his watch. It was late, but it seemed that the person behind the heavy oak door was still working in his trusted office. He nodded to the two guards standing vigilant by either sides of the dark oak that had a silver plate with the name Cavallone Decimo engraved on it and pinned to the door.

"I'll take over from here on out."

They were reluctant at first, especially the newbie fifteen-year old boy that had just joined in the early spring.

"B-But I'm just fine. I mean, I want to be useful to Boss, and I want to wait until he finishes, no matter how long."

The boy swallowed as Romario stood in front of him silently, watching the young man with an unreadable expression. The boss' right-hand man gave a small smile and patted the young boy's shoulder.

"The boss would cry if he knew I kept you standing outside his door and miss your sleep. Go, take a rest and be ready for tomorrow."

The boy nodded, a bit bummed but understood Romario's intentions.

He waited until the two young figures disappeared when he pushed open the door, finding Dino burying his nose in paperwork. Closing the door, Romario stopped in his tracks when his boss spoke from behind the desk.

"I'm not that much of a crybaby, Romario."

Chuckling, Romario walked towards the windows and pulled the curtains closed. He was used to that excuse. Dino looked up from the last batch of papers for the night, unsatisfied that his right-hand man did not seem to acknowledge his statement.

"So, what brings you here? I thought I told you I would finish late."

"I have a letter for you. From Vongola Decimo."

At the mention of Tsuna, he quickly put aside the report he had been reading but hadn't been able to understand, and waited for Romario to continue. The older man pulled out a letter with the Vongola seal stamped on it and placed it onto the desk.

"Do you remember when you requested for a helping hand for an upcoming mission? Someone who is nimble and light on his feet, as well as someone who excels in security hacks?"

Dino's face lightened up as Romario brought out the special letter, and immediately proceeded to open it. He watched as Dino's eyes moved over the words on the letters, and a small smile painted his face as he saw those brown eyes peek up at him.

"No way."

Romario nodded. "Yes way."

The thirty-year old man put down the letter and rubbed the back of his neck. Not looking up from the paper with the Vongola Seal, he ran a hand through his hair.

"Are they seriously sending her here?"

"… I thought you'd be happy. To see her again after so long."

He looked up from his table. "…I am, but…"

"Do you doubt her skills? She is one of their best other than the six guardians, despite not having a ring."

"I know that."

"Then what's the problem?"

Dino sighed. "Nah, nothing. Nothing at all."

He stood up to stretch, and yawned as he headed towards the oak door.

"You know what, I guess I'm retiring for the day."

Romario nodded, and followed his boss out of the office. He raised a brow as Dino stopped in his tracks.

"Oh, could you perhaps arrange a room for her when she gets here?"

"Alright boss."

Dino rubbed the back of his neck, and wondered about Haru. The Japanese woman would be 22 when they meet again. The last time he saw her, she had been wearing a light blue bridesmaid dress, concealing the gun she had strapped onto her hip. She always had one on her, ever since she joined the mafia. He still remembered the light makeup she had on to mask the tear marks, tears that only he had seen hours before the reception.

He brought up a hand to open the door to his room, and quickly shrugged out of his shirt as soon as he shut the door behind him, followed by his pants. Being in only his boxers, he crawled into his king-sized bed and lied down in the middle with his arms spread. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh as he relaxed into the comforts of the blankets.

That wedding reception night had left him with mixed feelings.

He had been happy to see Tsuna marrying the girl of his dreams, but he had also felt sad when he saw Haru with that big grin on her face as she danced happily with a teenage Lambo.

Dino sighed as he plopped into a seat next to Romario by the bar, and downed the shot of scotch he ordered seconds ago.

"Did you see Haru anywhere?"

"Saw her by the fountain a while ago, eating cake."

"…Okay. Thanks Romario."

Romario cleaned his glasses, and put it back onto his face. "Not going to see her?"

The Decimo shrugged. "…And say what?"

"… I don't know either. But it looked like she needed someone to talk to."

"I want to help her, but I don't know how."

Dino didn't know when the feelings started. They haven't been talking to each other much before. That was until Haru officially started working under Vongola when she turned sixteen. He knew she wasn't combat material, she probably didn't know how to hold a gun let alone fire one for self-defense. But he had been surprised to see her climbing into his office through the balcony, four stories above ground level to deliver a parcel from the Ninth Vongola boss. He had heard the sound of something knocking against the window, and had to rub his eyes just to be sure if he was dreaming when he saw her perched there, grinning and holding a small parcel with the Sky Flame seal on it.

Since that first encounter, she had been entering his office the same way for the following year. When she turned seventeen, she started using the normal route, going through the front door while Romario escorted her. Dino would put aside his work and spend some time chatting with her, and the maids would bring in tea and some cake, and Haru would always finish them. She would use some of the tea-time learning to perfect her Italian, and Dino would always lend her a new book for her to read up on to help brush up on the language.

And Romario would let them. Because he knew the young Cavallone boss needed some time to rest and relax, and without Haru then his beloved boss wouldn't really stop at anything to finish his work unless threatened by the head maid.

Which was why it didn't sit well with him to see Haru smiling a little less lately.

"Romario… I guess I should go to her. Right?"

"Right."

The Cavallone Decimo immediately went to the aforementioned fountain in the middle of the courtyard. The area was empty then, most of the guests were inside the mansion. The bright lights from around the fountain lit up the otherwise dark courtyard, and there he found a woman in a green dress looking at the reflection of lights bouncing off the surface of the water.

"Haru." He called out.

She turned around then, and he saw the glass of wine in her hands. If it wasn't because of the well-lit fountain and the lights bouncing off the surface of the water, he wouldn't have noticed the slight flush on her cheeks. Wordlessly, he took the glass from her hands and placed it onto a nearby stand.

"How many have you had?"

Haru smiled. "Not many."

"How many, Haru?"

She pouted, and held up two fingers. "Only two. Geez, can't I have a little fun?"

"You're underage. You should know better."

Her pout disappeared, and was replaced with a small smile. She glanced at the people in the manor, laughing happily and congratulating the eighteen-year old Tsuna on his birthday. Dino followed her line of sight and they saw some guests say something that made both Kyoko and the future Decimo to blush.

"Yeah, you're right. I should know better. They suit each other, why do I even bother hoping?"

She turned away from the scene, and opted to watch the ripples on the water surface.

"I thought by drinking I would feel better. I was stupid."

Dino rubbed the back of his neck, and cleared his throat. He reached out a hand and took her hand in his, squeezing it lightly. Haru turned to him, a questioning look on her face.

"Dino-san?"

"I'm sorry."

It took her a few seconds, when she laughed softly. "What are you sorry for?"

"Well, cause I know seeing them together hurts you."

She squeezed his hand a little. "You don't have to be sorry, I'm not hurt."

"I'm sorry… cause I can't say that Tsuna is a bad guy. If he was a bad guy then I could at least punch him for hurting you."

Haru shook her head. She bit her lip as she felt the oncoming tears.

"I told you, you don't… you don't have to be sorry… I'm not hurt."

"I'm sorry."

She didn't let go of his hand as she cried. "I don't mean to cry… Dino-san, I don't…"

He watched on silently as she brought up her other hand to wipe off her tears. When it seemed that her hand couldn't keep up with the tears, he pulled her to him.

"You're hurting aren't you, Haru."

He felt her nod, and he let her cry.

"It's hurts, Dino-san. It hurts."

He sighed as he turned on his right side, trying to sleep but could not. It still bothered him how she managed to convince Tsuna that she had no romantic feeling towards the Decimo. Maybe it was the way she acted silly around others most of the time, that made the people around her forget how strongly she felt for the Vongola heir. Most of them would think that her continuous proclamations of love were just to annoy Gokudera and fool everyone into believing that she just really loved Tsuna as a good friend. The constant grins and smiles managed to secure the belief that Haru Miura was just a ditsy girl who loved to joke around and had no worries of her own.

Though mostly people believed that Haru was alright with the news of her beloved Tsuna dating Kyoko, Dino knew there were also others who knew her enough to know that she really was hurting inside. Bianci, Reborn and even the selfish Lambo knew the underlying pain in her eyes as she laughed happily and smiled at the wedding.

He remembered that later on that night when he had stood with her at the balcony, as he had watched her close her eyes and let the wind blow against her face, he had the strong urge to hug her and say everything was going to be okay. That there will be a person who would love her unconditionally and be with her until she grows old.

That he would be that person if she would let him.

But he had refrained himself from doing so, and ended up patting her head like he always did when she had been the sixteen year old delivery girl.

"You're a good person, Haru."

She had smiled then, and for a moment, the smile was earnest and real. "Thank you, Dino-san."

Three months after that, he had received news that Haru and her father were kidnapped by an up-and-coming syndicate. They were saved in time, not that he doubted Tsuna and his team, but what happened after that was one thing he could never forget.

The last time she came to deliver a sealed document from Tsuna had been more than a year ago, and that was the last time he saw of Haru. She had been wearing black leather gloves, and left as soon as she arrived. There were no more idle chat, no more cakes and tea. Her Italian was fluent, albeit the hint of the tell-tale accent of a non-native speaker.
he had watched her bid farewell, and walked out of the door.

And never once, did he ever see her smile.