::Alright, so me and a friend of mine got ourselves into a random fanfiction challenge. We'd have to write an at-least 1000 word Gokudera-Haru oneshot that contained three random words from our classmates (who had no idea why the hell we were asking them for the first word that came to their mind), and at least two genres. I just decided to theme it with the Holidays in mind.
::So the words I got were: pills, chair and headband. And for genre: fluff and angst. God, this is gonna be tough.
::I don't own Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn!
".A Reason for Being."
I wonder if he's alright… Haru mused as she gazed upon the empty chair in the front row of their classroom. The teachers have been enjoying a Gokudera-free week before the holidays, the silver-haired straight-A delinquent not there to sleep right in front of them and answer any question thrown at him regardless. Haru had to admit, class without him was, well… uneventful.
It's only been a few months since they all decided to go to the same high school – she and her friends from Namimori Middle. And she just had to get stuck in Section A with the grumpy silver-haired bomber that she never really got along with.
It's been a tough ordeal. Daily bickering, constantly being outdone by someone who didn't even pay attention in class, shouting at each other, calling each other names… but as the days turned into weeks that turned into months, they learned to live with it – accepted the fact that a day wouldn't be complete without her exclamation of 'Hahi!' and his retort of 'stupid woman.' the past week however, had gone without either.
.:Flashback:.
"What the hell?" He said to her in the usual annoyed tone as they walked to Tsuna's house. "What are you going to do there, stupid woman? It's a Vongola meeting and-"
"Haru's a member of the Vongola too!" she said with a pout. "I want to help in any way I can!"
"You'll only be a bother, you don't have to-"
"Haru is going, whatever Gokudera-san says." She replied stubbornly. "Haru may not be much help, but at least I could do something-"
"Tch. Whatever." He resigned. "Do what you want then."
They were only a couple of blocks away from getting there when Haru noticed that the silver-haired Storm Guardian wasn't falling in step beside her. She looked behind her and saw him, his leaning against a tree and his hand clutching his chest – he was heaving like he'd run a hundred laps.
"Hahi? What happened, Gokudera-san?" She said worriedly, running back to him to see what was wrong.
"It's nothing." He gasped, getting back on his feet and wiping the dirt off his clothes like nothing happened. "Let's just go. The Tenth is waiting."
"But - but something's wrong." She said, hurrying beside him. "Haru has never seen Gokudera-san so – what's wrong? Even after a battle you've never-"
"I said it was nothing, stupid woman!" he said, raising his voice. She winced. His expression changed from anger to – what was it? Pleading? "Look," He took a deep breath, as if the next thing to come out of his mouth would cost him a lot to say. It probably did. "I know we've never really gotten along, Haru… but please don't mention any of this to anyone else, especially the Tenth."
"Hahi?" She said under her breath. That sentence was hard to take in – Gokudera had actually called her by her name, he had said please – and he actually sounded like he meant it. "But… I'm sure Tsuna-san and the others would-"
"Would what? Understand? Feel sorry for me?" He said, still breathing heavily, like even just speaking was a hard thing to do. "I don't need understanding or pity." He coughed. "There are more important things to worry about."
"But, Gokudera-san-" she gasped, her face a mixture of horror and concern as she pointed at his hand.
Gokudera looked down at his hand – he'd just coughed out blood, and the world was slowly fading away to darkness.
.:Flashback End:.
Haru changed her clothes quickly and put her hair out of its ponytail, letting her hair fall to her shoulders, and wore a simple headband in place of her many clips. She then took the food basket from the kitchen.
"I gotta go mom!" she said. "Enjoy your New Year's date with dad!"
"Take care, Haru-chan!" she heard her mother reply from upstairs.
As she walked through the busy streets of Namimori, hearing the shrine's bells ringing, Beethoven's ninth symphony on the speakers, the laughter of the little kids as they got their New Year's gifts, and people exchanging cards… a smile made its way to her face as she made her way to Namimori Hospital.
"He's not well enough to leave yet." The nurse said in a consoling 'were-doing-everything-we-can' tone as she closed the door to let Haru inside Gokudera's hospital room. "But his condition is improving." It was the same answer they got yesterday, and the day before that.
"Thank you." Haru sighed as she took the seat beside the bed. "You know you're really stubborn." She knew it was childish and stupid to be talking to someone who was probably unconscious, but she also knew she might not be able to talk to him like this if he was awake. "I can't believe I actually rushed you to a hospital and didn't tell anyone what was really going on." And because of that, she's the only visitor he's ever gotten.
"Haru hasn't been able to do all her shopping for the holidays because of you!" she sighed. Gokudera-san is really sick… I have no right to blame him. "It's hard to make up excuses for Tsuna-san and the others about you, you know." She started peeling apples. Yes, she knew Hayato would probably tell her apples were more nutritious and tasted better with the skin on, but she was getting bored, and there wasn't anything better to do – wasn't this what girls usually did when they visit people at the hospital? "Hahi – they probably think that we're…" she brushed the thought away from her mind and concentrated on the fruit.
"That we're what, stupid woman?" he said weakly, sitting up from the bed. "Why the hell are you peeling apples?"
"Hahi! You're awake Gokudera-san!" She said plainly. "The nurse told me to give you your medicine when you wake up." And she handed him a red-and-yellow capsule, a couple of pills and a glass of water.
He looked a little surprise, but took the medicine all the same, and then looked around the room – this must've been the first time he's woken up since getting confined in the hospital.
"Why can't we just tell them the truth?" Haru said after setting the empty glass on the bedside table.
"I'll just worry the Tenth. And I'll die first before I make that baseball-idiot feel sorry for me." He snapped, and then sighed. "What are you doing here anyway? I didn't tell you to take me to a hospital."
"Haru couldn't just let you die a little every day – not when I know what's going on." She said, sadness evident in her eyes. "You might get better if you stay here… the doctors will treat you… then everything can go back to normal and-"
A small smile somehow made its way to his lips. "Stupid woman… there is no cure." This is the same disease that killed my mother…
"So you're just going to pretend that everything's okay while you're fighting for your life every single day? Alone?" she said, head bowed and tears falling from her eyes. "Haru has been visiting you the past week because she is the only one that can! If we tell them then-"
"I never asked you to come-"
"Then who will?" she said. "You can't possibly think that Tsuna-san would feel better when you just suddenly die than when he is worrying about you! Why do you have to take this alone? Isn't the Vongola-"
"There's nothing that can be done." He said, unable to face her.
"So you're just going to wait and die all alone, is that it?" she said, standing up and trying to wipe her tears with her eyes.
"I wanted to be as useful as I could to the Tenth for as long as possible." He muttered under his breath. "No one was supposed to find out-"
"And we'd suddenly just get news that you died?"
"Everyone dies. I've been raised as a Mafioso, Haru. I've lived every day prepared to die." He said. "Even before I found out that I had this sickness."
"But-" she wanted to protest but was taken aback by the barely audible words that she heard from his mouth.
"Sorry."
"Hahi?" the words took her by surprise that she wasn't even sure if she heard correctly.
"Don't make me repeat myself, woman." He said. "Look. It's the last day of the year, I know there are other places you'd rather be. You can leave if you want-"
"Everyone else had plans," she muttered. "But it would be sad if you had to spend your new year's night all alone in a hospital room."
"You don't have to do all this you know."
"Haru wouldn't have been able to forgive herself."
"Tch, fine." He said, taking a sliced apple from the bedside table.
The night went on, both of them absorbed in a book of their own. Gokudera had to admit, Haru was alright when she was quiet like this… and it was kind of nice that he had someone to talk to on the same intellectual level. As the fireworks lit the sky outside, Haru set down her book and watched from the window.
"Strontium." She muttered under her breath as the sky exploded with color. "It's what makes fireworks burn red, isn't it?"
"Uh… yeah." He replied. He put his book down too, watching the fireworks outside reminded him of his own weapon of choice – his dynamites, so similar to him – living for that single fleeting moment of existence.
"When you get better you'll have to help me explain to everyone why I'm the only one who knows what you've been up to-"
"You could just tell them we wanted our privacy or something." He said so matter-of-factly.
Haru felt the blood rush to her cheeks. "But we aren't-!"
"But they wouldn't ask any questions either, would they?"
"Gokudera-kun has a point, but we couldn't possibly lie to everyone about something like that." She blurted out.
"What if we weren't lying?"
"Hahi?"
"Tch. Happy New Year, stupid woman."
She smiled.
"Happy New Year, Gokudera-kun."
Hours later, as the first sunrise of the year rose up in the sky, Gokudera found himself another reason for wanting to stay alive, to fight and to protect… and it came by the name Miura Haru. And he prayed that he would live long enough for her.
::A little rushed, but whatever. It's five hours to New Year here, so HAPPY NEW YEAR!
::I wonder if I actually met criteria, but I'm pretty happy about how this one turned out. Having Hayato inherit his mother's sickness had always seemed pretty interesting to me.
::Thanks for reading, please review!