Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to its respective owner/s.
Dedication: Orangesky3's birthday fic. I was supposed to do humour but my inspiration betrayed me in the last minute! And since I've never done real humour in my life, I scrapped the idea I originally intended to do a year ago. Apologies, orange-chan!
FAIL. I fail. F.A.I.L.
Warning: OOCness, character death, profanity and slight 8059. I hate BL in all honesty, but since I'm writing this, I guess I have no choice.
Prototype version. Still in progress.
It was just two weeks after his twenty-fifth birthday did he find out he had less than three days to live.
No, it wasn't Gokudera's fault. He never expected that he'll be catching the same disease his mother had. That disease, (that also killed his grandmother and before that his great-grandmother) for fucking Pete's sake targeted just females- not males.
Dammit, Fate is a real bother.
Gokudera was okay of dying. He always dreamt about skulls and hell and darkness and all that crap, but he never expected to die at merely High Twenty-five.
Yeah, Fate is a bitch.
He found out about acquiring that sickness when he, on his tea sessions a few weeks ago with the Tenth and the others accidently acquiesced to his teacup via coughing the thing he wasn't supposed to belch out- Storm Flames.
After that was an almost never-ending whirlwind of hospital trips, medicine prescriptions, and shaman (to Gokudera's delight) exorcisms that made the lot of the Vongola fatigued down to the very bone.
None of them had any effect whatsoever.
Of course, in the end only the diary of Gokudera's mother, Lavina, provided an answer to the whole mystery regarding his unknown illness.
In the diary entry that Gokudera found while rummaging through his mother's home she inhabited in before her tragic death did he find out that the sickness, also dubbed by his mother as the "Cruento Tempesta" was a condition where Storm flames will eat the body from the inside. Add to that, there was no cure.
When he persuaded the Tenth to ask doctors in examining his innards, he horrifyingly found out that the disease was real and taking over him. Almost forty-five per cent of his body was embedded in Storm Flames, and since he had no tonic like what his great-grandmother had that managed to help her reach twenty-five before succumbing to it, his chance of death was inevitably soon.
Oh god, the Storm Guardian was really in a serious pinch. Foolishly though, Gokudera asked the author to make the ride of his last days bearable.
Too bad. The author has no intention of making that happen. Genre shift! Bring the tragedy, baby!
*X*
Incarnadine Rhapsody
(For once he was glad his mother wasn't here)
*X*
Gokudera had enough of the Tenth and his Guardians visiting him every minute (second is after all, an overstatement) and asking him if he was comfortable.
Because if they care about him too much, he'll just get 'effing uncomfortable.
Good thing that Hibari was not here. He secretly dreaded to find out what that maniac would do to make him comfortable. Surely, that guy would just kill him in his sleep.
He closed his eyes forcibly, trying to drown the noise that way since his hands were strapped tightly on the sides of his body. It was a shame still, that his mouth was stuffed in a big face mask twice his size.
With the unnecessary bandage around his head and the dextrose hanging to his right, he looked stupidly like a cancer patient.
Fucking shit, the doctors are idiotically stupid.
"Gokudera-kun, want another pillow?" suddenly the Tenth was worriedly shoving another pillow to his back. He already had about eight of those shitty things that miraculously raised his body a couple of centimetres from the bed. For Juudaime though, he won't shout what a stupid shithead he was for adding another one.
"T-thank you Tenth," he said in feigned gratefulness, careful of not blurting out something bad (and stupid).
Sawada Tsunayoshi sighed in relief. The fact that Gokudera was going to die in five days somehow took off the several inches of maturity he had acquired returning him once more to the insecure fourteen-year-old like 11 years ago. Often, he had never lost his cool in facing Mafia trouble and the like.
About Gokudera's incoming early resignation to Mafia duties, however was another story.
Since the day that Gokudera puked Storm flames on his poor cup, Tsuna was the only person that ever had been with the ill Guardian through the whole thing. What made eyebrows raise though, was instead of Tsuna getting dark circles on his eyes like what normal people should have under stress, he instead somehow became more and more baby-faced with each passing day.
And damn shit, the world somehow wished that their body would respond like their 'Sawada-sama'. (His special bio clock made him an instant god).
Gokudera can never stop being thankful of the time and patience that Tsuna had mustered to give him even until then. Of course, he never complained whenever his Boss was giving him food when he had eaten already or the many pillows he offers to his already too much pillowed-head. He knew that the Tenth didn't deserve to be shouted at by him. The Tenth was someone he had to fear and respect.
"Are you sure?" Tsuna asked. Gokudera beams.
"You may go now, Tenth." He assured. The Tenth nods doubtfully, looking at his Guardian with sad eyes before closing the door of the ward.
Immediately, Gokudera checked the wall clock in front of him. He still had approximately ten seconds before another guardian comes in to bother him. It'll be either that Chrome or the lawn head. Hibari was still doing his duties with Kusakabe at Namimori Shrine. The stupid cow had school with I-pin. The baseball freak was... well he still had a mission somewhere out there in who-knows-where and still hadn't returned since his birthday.
Ahh... finally, some breathing room...
Gokudera Hayato was able to relax for the first time that day after the bombardments which occur every one-second from his subordinates.
He then heard the Tenth's low voice about leaving him to sleep for a while. Some murmurs followed.
He nearly burst into tears when Tsuna said those words. The Tenth really understands me!
He sank under the pillows and closed his eyes readily when he heard tapping sounds. He clenched his eyes shut and let wind whistle from his agape mouth. This wasn't the time for him to be disturbed, dammit!
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He tried to roll over to no avail.
Tap-tap-tap-
Goddammit- he was trying to sleep!
Taptaptaptap-!
He stopped moving.
He realized, with the back of his hairs standing on end that the noise wasn't coming from the door...
TAPTAPTAPTAP!
They were coming from the window...
TAP! TAP! TAP! TA-
The sounds abruptly stopped. Gokudera grew rigid. It was peaceful once again but... but something wasn't right.
He forced his tired green eyes to open at the window.
Nothing.
He sighed in relief. He was just hearing things. Probably the stupid sickness' fault. He then looks once more at the clock.
It was blocked from view. He grumbled a little. What the f-
His eyes grew wider when he saw the thing blocking the view. A pineapple- no a pineapple shaped hair.
Oh god no-
His eyes moved down. The hair gave way to a sallow forehead.
Oh please no-
And now to two different-tinted irises-
Dammit-
-and then to a small mouth with a wide smile.
"Hello, Gokudera Hayato," the mouth uttered. "Kufu~ you have noticed my tapping, no?"
He moved closer to the guardian, whose eyes merely stared at the intruder's own.
"Sawada Tsunayoshi has told me everything, worry not- kufu." he smiled evilly at the defenceless patient with his dextrose and bandage. "Allow me to present you a little farewell present."
Rokudo Mukuro raised his trident high and plunged it to his bed. Gokudera screamed.
*X*
For hollering like a girl, the real visitor beside him tittered by his bedside.
This was the time that Gokudera opened his eyes from his dream. When he saw the face of the visitor, fear became fury.
"What's so funny?" he eyed the guy who resumed laughing, now head-slapping himself as he chortled.
"Bad dream?" The man grinned, placing a basket of fruits on the in front of the clock.
Gokudera barely looked at that area and continued to stare down at the newcomer.
"What do you care, baseball freak? I was fucking having the time of my life and you ruined it. Get lost." he said angrily.
Yamamoto Takeshi continued grinning. "But it was Tsuna's orders. And it's not shameful if you scream in a dream if it's frightening-"
"Do you scream in your nightmares?" Gokudera interrupted, a little curious.
"Well no- but well it depends on the person-"
"Damn, even the baseball idiot's not scared of his brain-"
"There's nothing to be ashamed of if you're scared of something." Yamamoto lectured, but Gokudera was already staring at the door and wishing someone would come and shoo the baseball freak away.
"Whatever," muttered the Storm Guardian who has zero tolerance when it comes to talking with his counterpart. Eleven years have passed and nothing much has changed from their relationship.
"That aside, Tsuna told me about what happened to you so I rushed here right away-"
"Shut up." he said flatly. "You shouldn't have come and finished your mission."
"Yes but you-"
"Didn't I tell you to L.E.A.V.E. idiot?" Gokudera's eyes narrowed at the Yamamoto. "The Tenth shouldn't have unreliable subordinates like you who can't even end one order from the Boss."
"BUT THIS IS A FRIEND'S LIFE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!" thundered Yamamoto.
Gokudera stared blankly in shock at him. The people giggling behind the door also fell silent. No one had ever heard the Rain Guardian shout before.
"You..." The Storm Guardian couldn't even finish his sentence.
Yamamoto smiled albeit wearily.
"Can I ask you Gokudera something?"
Somehow, Yamamoto's shout hypnotized the patient. He nodded in reply.
"Are you afraid of dying?" he asked, a little hesitant.
Gokudera firmly shook his head.
Yamamoto grinned.
"Gokudera is really brave." he whistles, patting his head like a dog to that dog's chagrin.
"And why do you ask?" the answeree snapped back to reality and glared at the questioner.
"To assure myself that I won't have any regrets when the time comes." Yamamoto replied a little sorrowfully. "I don't want Gokudera to haunt me."
"Why the hell would I want to haunt you? I'll waste my energy in just forcing you to see me."
Yamamoto laughed. Gokudera after a few seconds nervously laughed with him. Often Yamamoto somehow makes his stupid remarks sound comforting when needed. He was a little happy about that.
"I guess this is what mother felt too, when she found out she had the same disease as mine." He looked down. "I was a little bit scared at first dying young, since the Tenth still needs a decent right hand man like me but well... you can't stop Fate when it starts bitchin's y'know?"
Yamamoto grinned warmly. He was a little satisfied that Gokudera wasn't regretting anything.
"Does it really have no cure?" he asked.
"Well... somehow my great-grandmother was able to hold it off for a little while until she turned twenty-five. She had that illness since she was sixteen."
"How then?"
"She was a Vongola guardian. Since she was often under stress because of using her disease to her advantage, the Rain Guardian was her sedative."
"Umm, I don't get it..."
"Of course the baseball idiot doesn't understand. She used that guardian's body to her advantage- get it?"
"O-oh..."
"Damn, once an idiot, always an idiot. Ironically, that dude was her arch-enemy and all that crap and she'd only get her tonic when she needed to."
"Then do you want to-"
"Fuck? No way in hell, baseball freak. You wanna die?"
Yamamoto didn't respond after and absent-mindedly snatched the apple from his gift basket and begins munching away.
"It's not a cure, you know. And it'll just prolong the suffering." Gokudera shook his head. "She needed to do that since her Boss required all the guardians for an operation or something of the sort."
"Then there's really no hope then?"
"For now, yes."
"In that case," Yamamoto tried fishing out from his jacket an embellished envelope. Gokudera eyed him beadily before taking it. "I'll just move this tomorrow. I want my best man to attend the wedding badly."
Gokudera looked incredulously at Yamamoto as he looked at the yellow envelope. Flowers adorned the opening and inside, decorated in doves and lilies were the names of the bride and groom.
"So your bride is that big-mouth idiot. Haven't you realized the risk of what kind of kid you'll have? An idiotic shrimp?"
He- the baseball freak was really getting married. Even this surprised him. That idiot and he only started to date for two years and now to see them in the aisle together, as best man-
-yeah, best man...
"Why me?" Gokudera whispered hollowly.
"Who you?
"Why did you choose me to be best man?" he ignored for once the baseball freak's stupidity. "Why not the Tenth?" He read the guests. The Tenth was just one of the godfathers.
"Tsuna wanted me to choose what I really like. And well, I choose you. Don't you want it?"
"But I call you idiot everyday since the day we met!"
"And despite that, Gokudera, you were still such a kind person to me." He grinned. "You didn't mean it when you said those words."
"But I really meant it when I say that you are a baseball freak!" He protested.
"Maa-maa. Gokudera, don't you want to be best man?"
"Well I- of course I do!" he spluttered. "Aside from the right hand, to be the best man is something I can brag about!" His anger somehow was replaced by emptiness as he said those words. Will it really be something to brag about now that he was going to die?
He smiled his widest. "I'm happy that you like it, Gokudera! Can you attend the pre-banquet tonight then? You can just wear the suit we usually wear in missions."
"I need someone to put it on me, though. Plus a wheelchair would be helpful." He reminded Yamamoto. "The nerves connecting my feet have deteriorated along with some muscle tissue so-"
He looked a little gloomily at Gokudera before letting out a small smile. "Does it hurt?"
"Like hell, yeah," he waved off. "But it's fine once you get used to it. My body kinda adapts quickly."
"Later then." Yamamoto grinned one last time before taking his leave. Gokudera stared at his shadow and waited till it disappeared.
When it had, he pulled away his mask and vomited directly into the floor a flame the size of a grown hen. He coughed more and more, the first one less dangerous than the last. With each cough passing by, as Tsuna and the doctors came to restrain him he wondered why that small talk with the baseball freak caused him to worsen like this. It was also the time that Tsuna seemed to be less and less the cool and collected boss he knew as he shouted orders at the doctors and he himself helped in Gokudera's quick recuperation.
It hurt a lot. The insides of him, rapidly deteriorating made many parts of him groan. He yelled in pain as the lawn head had to use his kangaroo to help him heal, to no avail.
Despite that though, he didn't ever cry. He shouldn't cry when these people show that they really care for him.
Like that stupid baseball freak.
Somehow, he was able to laugh even if his lungs and diaphragm were in danger. That baseball freak was a wonderful anomaly.
Hey wonderfully stupid baseball freak. He thought as more and more blinking devices pressed him harder and harder. Someday, I want your stupid shrimps to know that they're lucky to have a baseball freak like you as a father.
His breath grows less and less with each press.
Like I was, when I had you as a best friend.
And with that, he closes his eyes, perhaps for the last time.
To be continued.