Disclaimer: KHR doesn't belong to me. If it did, I would have shot whoever thought of deathperation. Honestly?!

Set in small bits and pieces of alternating POVs between Gokudera and Tsuna.

Weather Forecast

Gokudera Hayato sighed as he leaned back against the cushioned back seat of the taxi. The sky outside was gloomy and overcast, even more so through the tinted windows. It had been this way for several days now, today's weather having been forecasted with a light shower. Yet even the impending rain could not dent the 16-year-old's happiness, no matter how dark the scowl on his face was.

The thought of the sky and rain made him clench his hands in anticipation. The rain not so much, but thinking of the weather always made his mind wander to a certain Vongola boss's face, a face he now had not seen for a year and a half.

One year, 5 months, 28 days, he thought wryly. Approximately 545 days since I've last seen him—

Gokudera's musing was cut short with the taxi's arrival at the airport. "Grazie," he muttered to the driver, tossing him a wad of bills from his wallet. No need to get the change back, it would only cause hassle having it converted back into Japanese yen. Slamming the door shut behind him, he ran a hand lazily through his silver hair before picking up the small suitcase and striding into the building.

It wasn't that Sawada Tsuna wanted the chaos that came with being a mafia boss. No, in fact, it was quite the opposite. With the noise and distractions that took place in his house 24/7, it was a wonder he even got his homework done at all. Not that he did it well, of course, and he wouldn't have even bothered trying if Reborn didn't threaten him with bodily harm involving a bullet and a target. He could only be thankful that one of the main distractions, no matter how helpful he was with homework, had gone to Italy upon his father's request. At least now there weren't as many explosions in his home.

Tsuna let his thought wander a bit farther, wondering what Gokudera was possibly doing in the boot-shaped country. When he departed a year and a half ago (my, has it already been that long? Tsuna thought), he had tearfully parted with his beloved 'Jyuudaime' with claims that he would return "as soon as physically possible" and Tsuna "won't even notice I'm gone, I'll be back that fast." But days had turned into weeks, and weeks into months, and eventually it had become a year since the boy who claimed to be Tsuna's right-hand man had left the country.

Through that year and a half, Tsuna and the others had completed their years at Namimori Junior High and had moved up the ladder system to Namimori High School. As a first year now, Tsuna found that the workload had increased immensely – yet his famiglia still needed his care and support to keep from killing each other. Yamamoto –who was in the same boat as him – was somehow holding out with being a Vongola guardian, school, and baseball with his endless optimism and denseness, so Tsuna had started inviting Yamamoto over to his house to study together.

During these meetings, Tsuna and Yamamoto would compare their different (and equally incorrect) homework answers and wonder about what they possibly did wrong until someone took pity on them, usually Haru. Reborn, even with his status of being Tsuna's tutor, refused to help them.

But these study sessions had allowed for a closer bond between Tsuna and Yamamoto. They found that they had similar interests, like video games, manga, and tv shows. The young Vongola heir found himself depending more and more on his rain guardian to get him out of chaotic situations with the younger ones, even if Yamamoto was oblivious to it.

Tsuna looked up at the clock. It was about time for Yamamoto to arrive from baseball practice, smiling and expressing his shock at how advanced kids' toys were nowadays.

"Hey," Tsuna jerked his head towards the bedroom door, where Yamamoto was calmly stepping in. "Kids and their toys these days…. Man, I remember when I used to play with those cheap plastic water guns," he laughed, as usual. "Makes me feel old!"

Tsuna laughed meekly and cleared away some of his papers from the table. "How was practice?" he asked.

"Ah, same old, same old," Yamamoto flopped onto the cushion on the other side of the table. "The team will be having an inter-school competition soon to determine who gets to be regulars. Hopefully I won't get kicked out because I wasn't practicing much these days!" He laughed sheepishly and ruffled up the hair on the back of his head.

Tsuna blinked at him. "But you've been trying so hard to balance everything!"

"Ah, well, the regulars don't really decide on how hard members try, it's more of how well they play… but all that aside, how did you answer the first question on the math homework?"

Gokudera Hayato was miffed. An Italian girl of around 18 had sat down next to him at the gate, introducing herself and asking his name in a flirty manner. He had responded in crude Japanese that he didn't know how to speak Italian, only to learn that the girl, whose name he didn't even bother to remember, was pretty fluent in it as well. She then tried to "teach" him Italian, all the while trying to make a move on him. Gokudera played along for a while purely for manners' sake, thinking that he would be able to ditch her in the airplane.

To his chagrin, the girl had ended up only two seats away from him on the plane. She had asked the man next to him if he would be so kind as to switch seats with her, and to Gokudera's horror, the man had agreed. Now, the plane had yet to take-off, and his ears were already ringing from the girl's giggling and attempts to teach him Italian.

The silver-haired youth growled in frustration. He couldn't take it anymore! He turned rather suddenly to face her, and ignoring her shock, told her in sharp Italian, "I already know Italian. What do you think I was doing in this goddamn country anyways, being lost? Can't you tell when someone is trying to ignore you?!"

The girl recovered from her shock and, glaring at Gokudera, hissed out "fine!" before promptly asking the previous man to switch seats again. The poor confused man returned to his original seat and turned to the livid boy next to him.

"Relationship troubles?"

Gokudera scoffed. "No, just a stranger who was being too friendly."

"Ah, I understand." Nodding sagely, the man returned to his magazine, humming to a tuneless song.

Gokudera sighed and gazed out the small window. Tsuna…

Sawada Tsuna sighed and stretched happily. He and Yamamoto had finished their homework, coming to compromises on problems they disagreed on. A small voice in the back of his head pointed out that this was probably not the way to solve problems, but Tsuna pushed it away. At least his homework was finished.

He watched Yamamoto scrutinize his work for careless errors. Apparently finding no blindingly obvious ones (as those would be the only ones to get through his thick skull), he grinned lazily and sighed.

"Ah… feels good to finish homework after working on it so hard," he commented to Tsuna, who completely agreed but decided not to voice it. "Huh, I guess it's time to go then, my old man's probably waiting." He started packing up his papers.

Tsuna smiled in relief. The homework session had gone by with generally no interruption, save for one Lambo who had come in to show off his new and improved Lambo Stick. He had been dragged out of the room by a well-meaning I-Pin, who then proceeded to explode a few moments later. "Ah, all right then… I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked Yamamoto, who had stuffed his things carelessly in his school bag.

"Yeah, for that family meeting, huh?" Reborn had asked all the guardians to meet at the house tomorrow evening for some reason he would not say. Tsuna didn't really like the feel of that smirk.

Tsuna walked with Yamamoto down to the door, ignoring the younger ones who were playing with hand grenades in the kitchen. He did take a moment to shake his head at the absurdity of that thought, however. As he bade Yamamoto goodbye, he looked up at the clouded sky.

Looks like it might rain soon…

Gokudera blearily opened his eyes. He had been awoken by the strange sensation in his ears that told him the outside pressure was increasing. Taking a moment to glance at his watch, which said that he should be arriving in Japan very soon, he plugged his nose with his hand and blew gently to increase the pressure in his head. It was immediately accompanied with the clogged-up feeling that made him desperately want to yawn. He held it in, though, knowing that he would only lose pressure by yawning.

He had spent the majority of the flight sleeping, only waking once to ask for a cup of water from a stewardess. His dreams had been plagued with the thought of Tsuna, how he would look now, how much he should have grown, how he would respond to Gokudera's return. He had specifically asked Reborn to keep it a secret from the others, and said that he would announce his return later that day at a family meeting Reborn would instigate.

The plane was gradually getting closer and closer to the ground, a sure sign of their arrival. Gokudera had already set his watch to Japan time, almost 8 in the morning. He slumped back into his seat, trying to catch a few more winks of sleep before the aircraft completely touched down.

Tsuna sighed as he wandered around the marketplace. His mother had brought him here upon learning that his homework had been completed the day before. She had insisted that he needed some fresh air from all that studying and playing video games. But while she was inspecting the bread with the kids, he had excused himself with a mumble that he was sure only Reborn had heard and escaped into the crowd.

As he poked through the various stands, carefully avoiding one that sold food that looked too much like Bianchi's poison cooking for his comfort, he found himself wondering what later today's meeting would be about. Surely it would be something important, because Reborn had plenty of chances to talk to the famiglia as a whole between the time he announced the meeting and today. Maybe today was some special day…?

No, it wasn't. Tsuna made a habit of knowing birthdays and other such important days to avoid hurting someone's feelings by neglecting them. Maybe Reborn was just planning on starting a new training program or something…

"Tsuna!"

Tsuna turned and almost immediately caught sight of Yamamoto, who was holding a few boxes of what looked like sushi and waving. He smiled and started walking towards the rain guardian.

"Yamamoto! What brings you here?"

The baseball player laughed. "I should be asking the same thing of you! I'm delivering sushi for my old man, by the way," he gestured towards the boxes of sushi he held.

Tsuna perked up. Maybe he'd be more entertained by this then meandering around the marketplace. "Can I come with you?"

"Sure! I don't see why not," Yamamoto chucked amusedly. "I guess you're bored?"

"Yeah… it'll kill time until the family meeting."

The storm guardian was at a loss of what to do. The plane had touched down and he had disembarked without any trouble (save for the still affronted Italian girl who gave him the cold shoulder), claiming his baggage and hailing a taxi. He had directed the driver to go to Namimori Junior High, honestly having nowhere else to go, as Tsuna might run into him if he went to his house. But now, standing in front of the closed gates and vaguely remembering that it was a Saturday and none of his friends were even at this school anymore, he turned and headed for a park he remembered to be somewhere around the general area.

As he began walking, he glanced at his watch (despite already knowing what time it was) and wondered what he could do for another couple – actually several – hours. He then cursed himself for not asking the driver to take him to his old apartment so he could drop off his things. Gokudera just continued dragging the suitcase along.

By the time he got to the park, his shoulders were numb and his suitcase felt several times heavier than it was originally. Sitting gracelessly on a park bench, he opened up his bags to find his dynamite. As he wasn't allowed to board the plane with them (or his cigarettes, for that matter), he found relief in shoving his dynamite back in his pockets and lighting a well-missed cigarette between his lips.

Taking a deep breath, he savored the relaxing effect of the nicotine before, rather abruptly, a very familiar voice interrupted his peace.

"Gokudera-kun?"

Tsuna sighed in his head. He watched Yamamoto talk with a customer as she pulled money out of her wallet, yawning slightly from his seat on the park bench across the street.

He had discovered not too long ago that accompanying Yamamoto on his sushi run was not as entertaining as he had originally perceived. Thankfully, this house seemed to be the last. He looked up and waved at Yamamoto, who grinned as he walked toward Tsuna.

"Alright… looks like I'm done here. Should I take you back to the marketplace, or do you want to come over to my place for some sushi?"

Tsuna smiled and shook his head. "We've freeloaded off your family enough, I think I should pass. I'll stay here for a while. It's not too far from my house."

"Okay," Yamamoto shrugged. "I'll probably have to deliver more sushi anyways, so I'll be sure you invite you another time. See you later, then!" With a wave, he set off.

Tsuna watched his back for a while before looking around him. Huh, he thought. This is the park that's a couple of blocks away from Namimori Junior High.

He had just started walking when he realized that it was the first time in a long while that he was actually alone. No crazy hitmen after him, no toddlers exploding, no chaos, just… silence. Even alone in his bedroom at night, he could hear noises downstairs and around the neighborhood, but in the park, there was nothing but the rustling of the trees and the chirping of birds and the distinct smell of nicotine—

What?

Tsuna realized that yes, he was smelling nicotine. He followed the scent, trying not to breathe in too much. Eventually he reached a small trail of smoke coming from someone sitting on a park bench unlike the one he was sitting in earlier.

Who in the right mind would be smoking in the middle of a park? Tsuna wondered. Moving closer, he nearly started when he spotted the back of a familiar head with silver hair. Could that be—

"Gokudera-kun?"

Gokudera swung around. At the sight before him, he let in a sharp intake of breath, nearly swallowing his cancer stick in the process. The boy he had so longed to see – the one he had missed for a year, five months, and 29 days – was standing before him, a bit taller, a bit more matured, and a lot sweeter to the mostly-Italian teen. Gokudera's hidden artistic side noted that the dappled sunlight made Tsuna seem almost ethereal. But he shoved that away, because Gokudera really didn't have much of an artistic side. He did, however, wonder how the sight of his young boss made him lose his breath so easily. Because absence makes the heart grow fonder…

"Jyuu… daime…" The cigarette fell from his mouth.

He nearly froze in blissful shock when Tsuna let his name fall from his lips again, this time with a smile and an earnest hug.

"Welcome back, Gokudera-kun!"

Gokudera smiled and hugged him back as well as he could from his awkward twisty position on the bench. Finally, when he felt his spine couldn't take the stress anymore, he let go of the 10th.

"Jyuudaime…"

Tsuna's breath caught when the teen whirled around. Somehow, the boy he had once considered a friendly, well-meaning nuisance had become more… more mature during his time spent in Italy. He was starting to really look more and more like his 10-year-older counterpart he had met for a brief instant quite a while ago. He watched Gokudera's eyes widen at the sight of him.

"Jyuu… daime…" Tsuna nearly laughed as the cigarette slipped out of the other's mouth, falling on the grass. He really hoped that didn't catch on fire.

"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna smiled widely at the storm guardian, stepping forward quickly to pull him awkwardly into a hug. He failed to notice Gokudera's eyes widening even more, then softening with a smile. "Wecome back, Gokudera-kun!"

What he wasn't expecting was for Gokudera's own arms, lean from years of throwing dynamite, to come around his form in a semblance of a hug. Of course, it must be difficult for him, being twisted into a strange position on the park bench. But Tsuna didn't have the heart to let go.

After what seemed like an eternity, Gokudera finally let go, probably from the strain on his spine. He murmured softly, "Jyuudaime…"

Tsuna never felt more welcomed in his life.

Gokudera would have been happy with anything. All he really was expecting was a smile and a "welcome back." But the hug, and the fact that Tsuna was the one to initiate and didn't let go, would have made him want to follow the teen for the rest of his life, if he wasn't doing so already. Gokudera stood (ignoring as best he could the pain in his back), noting that Tsuna, even if he was a bit taller, was still quite a bit shorter that the other.

His heart was pounding, and he was so elated he could have floated off into space without noticing, but he leapt lightly over the park bench to stand in front of a slightly shocked Tsuna, who had moved backwards. Taking a deep breath, he bowed and began immediately apologizing for staying in Italy so long without so much as a phone call or a letter or –

He stopped in mid-sentence with the sound of Tsuna's laughter. As he listened from his position from the ground, he realized that he had never really heard the sound before. The Vongola boss-to-be was always worried or stressed about something that it was hard to get him to do such a carefree thing as laughing. Gokudera stayed there for a while, just listening to the sound and smiling to himself.

Eventually Tsuna must have realized Gokudera was still on the ground, because the next words out of his mouth were, "Gokudera… aren't you going to get up?"

This brought the teen hurtling back to earth. He chuckled to himself and stood back up. Tsuna smiled at him, bringing an upward quirk to his own lips.

"It's been a long time, Gokudera-kun."

Tsuna had started laughing the near instant Gokudera had gotten on his knees. The position was so comical, and the words spewing out of his mouth were making absolutely no sense, but he just kept laughing until he realized Gokudera had stopped talking. He looked at Gokudera's form for a while, before asking if he was going to get up.

With that, Gokudera stood again, and just the way he was looking at Tsuna was enough to make him smile at the teen. Tsuna was pleased to see something of a smile in return.

"It's been a long time, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna started. He didn't want to pry, but he did want to know what had been going on in Italy. "Why the sudden return?"

Gokudera's eyebrows furrowed, then relaxed as he seemed to remember something. "It's actually not sudden," he explained. "I had told Reborn weeks beforehand, just told him to keep it a secret from you."

Realization dawned on Tsuna. "Is that why he called a family meeting for later today?"

"Yeah. I was supposed to announce my return then, but it looks like I was found out too soon."

"…What were you doing in Italy?"

Gokudera looked away. "I was originally planning to return to Japan as soon as I could get my hands on a ticket," he sighed. "But things kept happening right after each other. I found out that my father's legal wife – Bianchi's mother – had ordered someone to drive my mother off the edge off the cliff that day she died…so I was caught up in all these legal affairs and problems. I'm so sorry, Jyuudaime, I would have returned sooner!"

Tsuna was strangely relieved. So it was something that Gokudera himself couldn't help… Then he wanted to smack himself. Just last night he was thinking about how fortunate he was to have gotten rid of Gokudera and the distractions he caused! But why… why was he feeling so happy that he was back?

Because he's a member of your famiglia, and you care for him just like you care for the others, a little voice, the same one who told him compromising homework problems wasn't right, spoke up.

In fact, maybe you care for him even more than the other members…

Tsuna was horrified, and being careful not to show it on his face, ran that thought out of his head. What in the world…?

Then, out of impulse, he found himself stepping closer to Gokudera, arms going around to hug him once more. As he felt the teen relax into the hug, he looked up at Gokudera's face, startled at the distance between them. A year and a half ago, had they been in the same position, Tsuna would have thought Gokudera's head was too high up over his own. But now… now Tsuna had gotten taller, and the height difference was much smaller.

Gokudera looked down at the boy who had latched his arms around him. Then Tsuna made the decision to look up.

This proved to be a bad move on his part, because with the proximity between their faces, he could see exactly how wide Tsuna's eyes were, how soft his lips seemed. Gokudera was overcome with the urge to bend slightly and see for himself how soft they were, but mentally shook his head. That was inappropriate, and Tsuna still probably had a crush on Sasagawa Kyoko…

Yet somehow Gokudera found himself leaning over, watching Tsuna's eyes instinctively slide closed and his lips slightly part—

"Oy, Tsuna!"

Tsuna jerked out of Gokudera's arms, blushing furiously. What was he thinking?! He liked Kyoko-chan, for goodness's sake, what was he doing about to kiss—

Are you sure you still like her? That little voice had returned, amplified about a hundred times. Tsuna bit his lip, his back facing Gokudera.

"Tsuna! Are you still here?"

He clearly recognized the voice of Yamamoto, who must have forgotten something. This was bad. If he saw Gokudera, the whole surprise would be ruined! (Of course, he didn't even bother thinking of the possibility that the surprise was mainly for him.) He turned back to face Gokudera, who was looking a bit… strange. Fighting back his embarrassment, he pushed Gokudera around the park bench.

"It's Yamamoto! Hold on – I'll deal with this."

As Tsuna pushed away from Gokudera, the Italian nearly felt his heart clench. Of course, he thought. Why would Jyuudaime ever want to be with someone like me—

"Tsuna! Are you still here?" That voice… could it be…? Gokudera's eyes narrowed.

Tsuna turned suddenly, pushing Gokudera back behind the park bench. Trying not to appear surprised, he did as Tsuna wanted.

"It's Yamamoto! Hold on – I'll deal with this."

Gokudera nearly growled at the name. What was Yamamoto doing, bursting in on their privacy? Well, technically it was a public park, but… the baseball nut had no right to intrude!

He watched Tsuna disappear behind a few trees. Getting up slowly, he padded over, trying not to make a sound. He moved around a bit until he caught sight of Tsuna and Yamamoto. Gokudera noted that Yamamoto hadn't changed much, only getting a bit taller and sharper around the edges. But from where he was, he couldn't hear the conversation between the two.

After determining that he wouldn't be able to hear them without being detected, he tried to focus on the pair. Yamamoto was scratching his head sheepishly, and Tsuna – well, Tsuna looked rather clueless as to what Yamamoto was saying. After a bit of this, the brown-haired boy seemed to come to a conclusion. Laughing, the baseball nut locked him under a friendly headlock, ruffling his hair. Gokudera seethed. He got up abruptly and returned to his park bench. On the way, a white thing stood out against the grass. Upon closer inspection, Gokudera realized it was his cigarette, the one that had fallen out of his mouth earlier. Snorting softly, he threw it towards a nearby trashcan.

He waited on the park bench for what seemed like quite a while before Tsuna returned. And when he did, Gokudera noticed the smile on Tsuna's face.

"What did the baseball nut want?"

Tsuna was in rather high spirits. Yamamoto had returned to explain a math problem they both had difficulties on. Apparently, he had been to a customer who knew math well.

When he returned to the park bench, he noticed that Gokudera seemed rather upset. Before Tsuna had a chance to say anything, though, he spoke up.

"What did the baseball nut want?"

Tsuna blinked and answered truthfully, "He was explaining to me one of the math problems," he was interrupted by a growling from his stomach. Grinning sheepishly, he looked down at his watch and noticed it was already nearing noon.

"Gokudera-kun, do you want to go eat lunch?"

He watched the Italian teen's eyes light up, then flick towards a pile of bags he hadn't noticed before. "I have a few bags…"

Tsuna walked over to the pile to see a suitcase, a stuffed shoulder bag, and a backpack. He pulled the shoulder bag out, and staggering slightly from its unexpected weight, slung it over his shoulder. It sagged from the pressure. How in the world did Gokudera-kun carry these..?

He was startled when the pressure suddenly lifted and the bag was pulled over his head. He turned to see Gokudera holding it, swinging it over his own shoulder instead. "I can't have Jyuudaime carry my bags, that would be disrespectful of me," he went to the pile and picked up the backpack, pulling it on, then grabbing the handle of the suitcase.

Tsuna shook his head. "That's much too heavy for you to carry by yourself! Let me take something," he reached forward and tugged the suitcase handle from Gokudera. Gokudera, startled, let go of it.

"Jyuudaime… I couldn't ask you to carry my things!"

Tsuna pinned him with a stare. "You're not asking me to carry them, I'm doing so on my own free will. You'll injure yourself."

Gokudera opened his mouth to argue some more (probably something about Jyuudaime's health coming before his, Tsuna thought), but he just sighed and mumbled, "Well, if you insist…"

"I do insist."

Gokudera blinked at Tsuna. Honestly, he thought, recognizing the stubborn look on his face. Jyuudaime can be so hard-headed sometimes…

He was just about to say that Tsuna's health came far before his own did, then remembered Shamal's lesson. If he couldn't take care of himself, there was no way he was going to be able to take care of anyone else. Well, if all he did was roll the suitcase along… it shouldn't be that bad, right?

He sighed resignedly, "Well, if you insist…"

He watched Tsuna grin and pull the suitcase handle more firmly. "I do insist."

Gokudera smiled at the younger teen and asked, "So, where to?"

He watched Tsuna ponder this for a moment. After a while, he answered, "Well, we can't really go to Yamamoto's sushi place… so how about that popular takoyaki stand near the sports center? It's a pretty decent place…"

Gokudera felt a stab of jealousy at Yamamoto's name. First they were discussing homework like they were best friends, now going to Yamamoto's sushi restaurant was an open option? What was going on between them? He glared at a nearby tree, imagining it to be the idiot's head.

He suddenly felt the urge to blow it up.

Tsuna was in no way comfortable. He and Gokudera were walking to the takoyaki stand, the only sound between them being the rumbling of the suitcase on the pavement. Now the silence between the two teens left room for thinking, and Tsuna was feeling more and more flustered by the minute. No matter what he thought of (Reborn, his last test, the movie he had watched last week), his mind kept dragging him back to before Yamamoto arrived on the scene. Was Gokudera really about to…?

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the silver-haired Italian. Gokudera seemed to be lost in thought as well, and Tsuna quickly averted his eyes before he realized his boss was staring. I wish I could be more like Gokudera-kun, Tsuna thought miserably. He probably wouldn't worry about things so much…

He sighed and continued pulling the bag along.

Gokudera was troubled. He and Jyuudaime had quickly fallen into an awkward silence on the way to lunch. He probably won't want anything to do with me now…Gokudera mentally hit himself. Why did you do that? Now Jyuudaime must be freaked out… stupid, stupid, stupid…

But he knew he couldn't deny it anymore. The boss-to-be had taken up all his thoughts in Italy, even as his family crisis was revealed. He had carefully kept his feelings to himself as the devotion of a right-hand man to a mafia boss developed into a sort of puppy love until finally, the love became so strong Gokudera could no longer remain in Italy, so far away from Japan.

As Gokudera continued walking, his heightened senses told him that Tsuna was now looking at him. He fought hard to keep from blushing and forced himself to continue walking normally. Tsuna turned back not too long later.

Gokudera cursed himself again. Of course Jyuudaime didn't feel the same way! He probably thinks I'm bothersome and useless…

A little voice in his head replied, but wasn't he responding? Didn't he close his eyes and lean just a little closer…?

Gokudera mentally shook his head. I was probably imagining things… Jyuudaime would never feel the same way about me… Then he realized he was talking to a disembodied voice in his head. Okay, now I'm going crazy…

The two teens arrived at the takoyaki stand just then, which was great because Gokudera was seriously considering smashing his head in against a tree.

At the takoyaki stand, Tsuna immediately walked up without looking at the menu. He ordered for himself and Gokudera, explaining that it was the best thing they offered. Gokudera didn't seem to mind.

As they sat at a small patio table, Tsuna tried to make small talk, asking what Gokudera did while in Italy, what the weather was like, if he had fun there. Gokudera replied awkwardly to each question, before Tsuna got the hint that Gokudera didn't want to talk about Italy much. He sighed.

They sat in silence for a bit longer, before Tsuna was startled by Gokudera's voice.

"How… how are the others?"

Tsuna easily replied, "They're the same as always, only Lambo and I-Pin started their first year in grade school. It looks like they're really planning on staying in Japan for a while…"

They fell into an uncomfortable silence again until a young waitress came to their table with their takoyaki. Tsuna's mouth started watering, and he dug in as quickly and as politely as possible.

"Mm… this is good," Gokudera's voice stopped Tsuna from completely inhaling the contents of the plate. He took a moment to swallow before replying.

"Yeah, it is. Yamamoto brought me here a couple of times," Tsuna resumed eating, unaware that Gokudera was now glaring at his takoyaki like it had Lambo's face printed on it.

Gokudera had really been enjoying the takoyaki – it had been so long since he had eaten something that wasn't spaghetti or pizza or other Italian food. Even the plane had served only European cuisines (not that he ate it, of course).

But Yamamoto… that baseball idiot had first taken Tsuna here? That original stab of jealousy morphed into what felt like a dying will bullet straight to his heart. He vaguely wondered what a dying will shot to the heart would really be…

"Gokudera-kun? Is something wrong?"

Gokudera's head shot up to meet Tsuna's worried brown eyes. He meant to say no, but what slipped out instead was, "You and Yamamoto have gotten pretty close, huh…"

Tsuna smiled. The older teen found himself wishing he would smile like that at the mention of his name, not Yamamoto's. "Well, Yamamoto and I study together, and we like a lot of the same things."

Gokudera snorted incredulously. "That idiot? What use is there in studying with him? His grades are terrible," he popped a takoyaki ball rather violently into his mouth.

Tsuna frowned. Why was Gokudera so against Yamamoto? "He's not that bad, it's just he can't study much because of baseball practice." Besides, he thought. My grades are worse than his.

Gokudera met his eyes with a blank stare. "Yeah right. Even if he had all the time in the world to study he wouldn't get any smarter."

Tsuna felt a dull ache in his chest. If Gokudera thought Yamamoto was stupid… what did he think of Tsuna? He was sure Gokudera didn't mean to make him feel even more dim-witted, but this didn't make him feel any smarter.

"Jyuudaime?" Tsuna looked up. Gokudera was looking at him worriedly. "Jyuudaime, are you okay? Are you feeling sick?"

Tsuna shook his head. "Gokudera-kun…"

"Yes?"

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

Gokudera looked startled. "Of course not, Jyuudaime! You're amazing!"

At that, Tsuna felt his heart clench even more. "But my grades are worse than Yamamoto's, and I actually have time to study and a home tutor!" He didn't mention that said home tutor didn't help him much.

"Jyuudaime…"

"No!" Words were starting to spill out of his mouth uncontrollably. "Yamamoto always supported me while you were gone. Even when you were still here, Yamamoto was probably the only thing that kept me from being blown up in my own house! He's not stupid, he's a life saver. Gokudera-kun, you only ever made the situation worse!"

As soon as the worlds left his mouth, Tsuna wished dearly that he could somehow use the dying will to turn back time. Frozen to his seat, he watched Gokudera's eyes widen, then look down in heart-breaking sorrow. The Italian boy stood slowly and bowed from the waist.

"I… I'm sorry."

Gokudera ran.

When Gokudera came to a stop in the park, he cursed as he realized he had left all his bags at the takoyaki stand. Great, something to trouble Jyuudaime even more… He ran a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated growl.

"Gokudera-kun, you only ever made things worse!"

Gokudera let his hand drop limply. Years ago, he had made the vow to be Tsuna's right-hand man. He had tried so hard to follow and protect Tsuna, but… now he realized he really only did make it worse. He fell onto the now-familiar bench, clutching his heart and doubling over in an attempt to appease the pain.

I'm not worthy to be Jyuudaime's right-hand man, Gokudera squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore the prickling behind them. He thought rather morbidly, Even the desolation bullet would have no affect on me right now…

He fumbled with his pockets, trying desperately to find his cigarettes with shaking fingers. After nearly dropping the lighter, he lit the stick and took in a deep lungful. The calming effects of the nicotine took place immediately, stilling his shaking hands and allowing him to think a little clearer.

He sat there for what seemed like hours (but was really a few minutes, according to his cigarette). I should go back to Italy, he thought. Maybe that would all be for the better—

"Gokudera-kun!"

Tsuna sat at the patio table in horrified silence as his recently reunited friend disappeared around a corner. He stood quickly to run after him, only to trip over a backpack lying on the ground. With a mental groan, he realized Gokudera had left all his bags behind.

He hurriedly dragged the bags over to the takoyaki stand and asked the waitress to look after them. She nodded and smiled at him sweetly.

With that, Tsuna turned and started to run. After a while, he realized he didn't really know where he was going, so he headed towards the park, hoping that was where Gokudera went.

Sure enough, when he reached the park (huffing and puffing and trying desperately to ignore the burning pain in his legs) and crashed rather ungracefully into the same clearing, he saw Gokudera's back with faint wisps of cigarette smoke curling away from him.

He cried, "Gokudera-kun!"

Gokudera turned slowly, as if thinking that if he turned to abruptly, Tsuna would be gone. But when his eyes flicked upwards from the park bench, the boss-to-be was still there, out of breath.

Déjà vu, a cynical part of his mind told him.

He stood and walked around the park bench, leaning against the back. He looked at the ground to his left, unwilling to meet Tsuna's eyes.

"Jyuudaime."

He sat in silence for a few moments while Tsuna regained his breath.

"Gokudera-kun… I…"

He shifted his eyes again and pulled his face into what was supposed to be a smile, but came out more as a grimace.

"I'll go back to Italy."

"Eh?!"

Gokudera looked up sharply, then immediately regretted it. Tsuna looked so heartbroken, and the longer he looked, the more he felt his resolve crumble. He shut his eyes and turned his face away.

"I don't want to be a bother anymore, Jyuudaime. Maybe things will be better if I just go back and stay there."

It took all of Gokudera's effort and pride to admit this. He clenched his fists until his nails dug into his skin and bit down on his cigarette.

"Gokudera-kun, you can't leave!"

"I don't want to be a bother anymore, Jyuudaime. Maybe things will be better if I just go back and stay there."

Tsuna wanted nothing more than to shake Gokudera by his shoulders and scream at him that it wasn't his fault, it was Tsuna's. But his body refused to respond, and he simply stood there awkwardly, watching Gokudera go through some internal conflict with himself.

Finally, his mouth caught up to his brain and he blurted out, "Gokudera-kun, you can't leave!"

Gokudera looked up in surprise, and Tsuna tried to find words to say and fight down his blush at the same time.

"I… I… you're a part of our famiglia… and the house always feels a bit more empty without you… I didn't mean what I said before! Or well, I guess I did," he paused a moment to see Gokudera's face fall again. "But I mean, well, I like having you around! Um, everything's more… more interesting when you're here! Gokudera-kun… Gokudera-kun, please don't leave!" Tsuna bit his bottom lip and looked wide-eyed at Gokudera. His eyes remained on the ground.

Tsuna's heart beat painfully and he clenched his eyes shut. "Gokudera-kun…" He opened his eyes and gazed imploringly at Gokudera. "Gokudera-kun, I need you."

"Gokudera-kun, I need you."

Gokudera's head shot up. His eyes met Tsuna's own, raging with his own inner dying will flame.

"W-what?"

Tsuna twisted his hands together nervously. "W-well, we are a famiglia, and if I'm the sky, then I'd be pretty boring without… without a storm, right? And you're the storm guardian, and… and… well…"

What Tsuna did next startled him so badly he almost sucked in his cigarette (for the second time that day, he thought). The Vongola boss had darted forward and wrapped his arms tightly around his right-hand man.

"Gokudera-kun… just please… don't leave…"

He leaned down slightly to murmur softly in Tsuna's ear.

"If Jyuudaime doesn't want me to… then I won't."

Tsuna had been running out of words to tell Gokudera how much he didn't want him to leave. So he had simply run and wrapped his arms around the teen, trying to explain his feeling through touch. Gokudera had stiffened, and he was afraid he was going to be pushed off for a second, but then he felt arms winding around his smaller form.

"Gokudera-kun… just please… don't leave…" Tsuna tried to pour out all his emotions into those few words, but apparently it didn't work like in those romantic novels Kyoko and Haru always talked about.

He felt Gokudera shift above him, and was startled when a voice murmured close to his ear. "If Jyuudaime doesn't want me to… then I won't."

Tsuna felt a rare gratefulness for Gokudera's loyalty.

A split instant after that, Tsuna's face heated up with the recent memory of the last time he and Gokudera had been in the same position. He groaned softly and buried his face in Gokudera's shirt.

"Jyuu… daime?"

"Gokudera-kun…"

"Yeah?"

"About before… before Yamamoto came… were you really going to… I mean! Not that I really wanted you to or anything… Ah! No, Gokudera-kun, that's not what I–" Tsuna was cut off abruptly by a hand tilting his face upwards. He blinked up at a smiling Gokudera.

Gokudera leaned down and captured those soft lips in his own.

Later that day, Gokudera and Tsuna arrived at the family meeting together, wet from the unexpected storm, not light shower, that raged outside.

Ah.. please review :D Only dying will flames accepted