Title: Under the Endless Sky

Chapter 1: Spring Skies

Author: Primal Red

Character(s)/Pairing(s): Sawada Tsunayoshi. Miura Haru. Eventual Tsuharu, 1896.

Genre: Action/Adventure/Crime/Romance

Rating: PG-13 for intense combat violence and dark themes

Warnings: Combat violence, blood, psychological themes

Summary: Many things change with time; for Tsuna, however, nothing would ever be easy. The years after the Future Arc and everything that may come to pass. [sequel to When Spring Fades, eventual TsuHaru, 1896]

A/N: So…I decided to write a long action/adventure fanfic on KHR that is TsuHaru (with romance and general themes) for the sake of my other work, When Spring Fades. Somehow, this idea needs to be written, because it has bothered me day and night and refused to stop until I finally finish it. ^_^; I hope, however, that this chapter and the following ones will please you all.

So…on with the masterpiece! Er…at least, I hope it is.

"Now I've lived through my share of misfortune,

And I've worked in the blazing sun,

but how long does it take somebody

Before they can be someone?"

—Mute Math in "Typical"

Chapter 1: Spring Skies

Tsuna found himself walking along the road to Haru's home. Today was, as usual, something that didn't turn out too badly, though it was often in his definition that anything that turned out to be "not that bad" ended up meaning something that was considered "typical" in the words of Reborn. So far, though, he had managed to stay home for the majority of the weekend to prevent any mishaps. Hectic as the day turned out to be, he didn't find anything happen out of the ordinary other than what usually did occur.

He had promised, though, to meet Haru this afternoon to talk about what role he was going to give her in the mafia ranks.

Such was, perhaps, the reason why he had stayed up for a while last night. He had thought about the situation all week, and though he knew that the girl wanted very strongly to be part of the team that would help support him, he also knew that he did not have a single idea about what was the best task for her in the ranks of the Vongola.

In fact, he had no idea at all what to tell her.

"She could learn to be a spy."

"…I don't know about tha—HEY! REBORN!"

The hitman nodded as he sat on Tsuna's shoulder. "From what I think, Haru has all the qualifications of a good spy for the Vongola. At first glance, she may seem very silly, but she is quite intelligent and knows how to observe things. What's more, she was able to detect the fact that you were hiding many things from her and found out enough to get you and the rest of the team to start talking…"

"B—but Reborn! She's a girl! She might not like the idea of…well…"

"—of getting into dangerous situations for your sake? Just ask her."

"NO! I will forbid Haru to do such things for my sake! No way!"

The infant mafioso smirked slightly, then nodded. "Very well. If that's your decision."

"Definitely," Tsuna nodded determinedly.

"Then, she could be a strategist."

Tsuna blinked. "Strategist? What do you mean?"

"She knows enough about the mafia, that girl. With enough training, she can sharpen her mind enough to be trained in helping you decide how to run the family."

The teenager stopped. "…I'm not sure…yeah, Haru is a smart girl, but…I'm not sure if she could…"

"…if she could come up with the ideas to help you make decisions?"

"…well…the thing is…I don't know how much she can do yet."

A silence fell into the streets, as Tsuna stopped to ponder about the matter. Haru being a strategist…it could work, if Haru was determined and smart enough to go to such a level. Despite the fact that the girl didn't have any formal training, she could very well be someone that could help him find out about certain things in the mafia and do more than just cook and clean for the family guardians…

Tsuna thought for a moment, then spoke, "How about…we ask Haru what she would like to do…then find out from there and look in the mafia to see what sort of tasks there are?"

"Now you are thinking like a mafia boss. Good. What's more, Haru would appreciate the fact that you are thinking for her and considering her role."

Tsuna nodded. As far as he knew…Haru needed to find something to do other than the schoolwork that she had and so forth, if she was spending so much time with his friends. What's more, it would be a bad idea if Haru was forced into a role that she wouldn't appreciate.

"Speaking of which, your role for today is to train yourself further," the hitman smiled as he pulled out Leon. "Your task now is to speed and power yourself up in the Dying Will mode."

"W—what?"

"You do realize just how much power it has taken out of you and the rest of the group to defeat Byakuran, right? The fact was, we were barely enough to destroy the Millefiore, and we were THIS close to being wiped out. If it hadn't been for Uni and the Giglio Nero and the assistance of the others, we would have been toast."

"Oh…" Tsuna winced at the reminder. Reborn was right; if it hadn't been for all of their efforts placed together, the enemy they had faced in the future would have wiped them out.

Not to mention that everyone's lives would have been destroyed as well.

Tsuna thought for a moment, then looked up determinedly. "Alright. Where shall we begin?"

They walked continuously, until Reborn jumped off Tsuna's shoulder onto the ground, right in the mountainous area where there was little else but trees and a cliff.

"Here?"

"Yes."

"But…wasn't this the place I trained before?"

"Indeed, but we're doing something different this time around. First off, you're going to train yourself further on certain other aspects that we have been neglecting; in particular, your speed and dodging skills, your blast power, and your combo accuracy and precision. What's worse is the fact that you strongly lack the flexibility in combat—as you have proven yourself in the battle against the Millefiore—and you are far from having reached your full potential even as of now."

"…damn…"

Of all things, he was going to have to do more things that he didn't particularly like.

"So…shall we begin?" Reborn took out Leon and a few weapons.

"WAIT! This is…"

"…too quick? Well, get used to it."

"What do you mean?"

"First off, let's say this: the Vongola is currently dealing with a lot of matters at hand at this point in time. Being your tutor, it is my responsibility to make you ready for the problems you are going to have to face in the future."

"What problems?"

"…Rokudo Mukuro, for instance."

Tsuna choked at the name and felt his heart stop in fear. "M—Mukuro? Damn it…erm…"

"Of all the people out there who the Vongola are dealing with, one of the first people that you would want to resolve completely will definitely be Mukuro. Remember, he and Chrome ARE your future Mist Guardians."

Tsuna blinked. "…you mean…I have to…gain his trust or something?"

"Exactly."

"…Eek!" Tsuna blanched. The idea of him having to get Mukuro to side with him was, in all respects, very dangerous and could very much cost him his life.

"That's exactly what we are going to work on," Reborn smiled. "First off, by strengthening your combat skills enough so that you will handle him with no problem."

Tsuna stopped to think for a moment. If this was the way he would have to go, it could prove to be very horrible for him. Nevertheless, if he wanted to protect everyone in his family and in his circle of friends, he would have to do it.

He would have to take this path and go to a new level of being able to ensure everything runs accordingly to how he wants things to go.

Tsuna looked at the ground, then turned his gaze to Reborn, his eyes shining with determination for once. "…tell me how this is going to make me stronger."

Reborn nodded. "About time you realized it."

Tsuna nodded, and began to concentrate. Slowly, he began to feel a certain warmth in his heart, and it gradually grew to the point where it was pervading his existence. When he finally opened his eyes, Tsuna realized that he was suddenly in his V.R. Hyper Dying Will mode.

It was a bit surprising that he was able to begin to use this mode at will to an extent. He had heard from earlier times that the First Vongola boss was capable of doing something like this and knew how to use the mode at will much more easily. From what it seemed, he was to strengthen himself to such a level.

Tsuna turned to Reborn, and noticed that the hitman was preparing a number of guns. "So…how is this going to work?"

Reborn pulled out a number of bullets. "We're going to test you on your dodging skills first. From what it seems, you are very susceptible of being hit by guns even in the future, and that is something we need to work on in terms of strengthening your capacity to not get hit. What's more…" the hitman smirked, "your dodging skills in the Millefiore battle was pretty horrible."

Tsuna paled. This was not going to be a good day.

Haru walked out of her house. So far, it seemed that no one was watching her, and she was thankful. In some ways, she wondered if the current and future safety of her environment might involve her relationship with the Vongola family's future leader, then brushed the thought off.

She was here to find Tsuna, and to ask him what was going to be her role in the Vongola family.

Haru stopped to think. So far, it seemed that Tsuna might not exactly know about all of her hopes and dreams, nor would he understand her preferences in a job. From what she knew, however, she didn't exactly have many high expectations of such a thing. She was lenient on the job hours—as long as it involved Tsuna-san—and though she didn't know her full capabilities, she will use almost anything to help Tsuna-san be safe and ensure the safety of the family.

If that was the case, she will tell him, and hopefully they will find out together what she could do for the Vongola.

Haru nodded, and continued walking towards the park where Tsuna had talked to her alone several days ago. In some ways, the experience had been very surreal, for she had not expected Tsuna to carry her in his Dying Will stage to such a nice place without the assistance of anyone being around. What's more, she had not expected him to listen to her completely and hear out her thoughts so that she would be understood so fully.

For someone who was only fifteen, Tsuna-san had a natural talent for ensuring the safety and well being of his followers.

Her thoughts were cut short when she looked up. Tsuna-san was walking towards her.

Haru jumped up at the sight of his injuries, and ran over to him. "Tsuna-san! What happened?"

Tsuna-san looked up, and his expression went from exhausted to relieved. "…I was…training…"

It was then that Haru began to realize the full gravity of the situation. "Wha—why do you need to train, though? Is something wrong?"

"It's because he is going to be a mafia boss."

Haru looked up and saw Reborn sitting on Tsuna-san's head. "Oh. Hi, Reborn-chan."

"Ciaossu."

Something bothered her, though, about Tsuna-san's injuries. From what it seemed, he was walking in a manner that seemed very awkward for someone who was supposed to have normal control over his limbs—or perhaps it was because he had broken a few bones. What's more, the burns on his skin were evident in a way that seemed to say plenty about what had happened.

Tsuna saw the frightened expression on Haru's face, and apologized regretfully before he unintentionally fell into her arms, unconscious from exhaustion.

"…Haru…I'm sorry…"