"So… you like-like him?"

Gokudera turned his head to the side, exhaling smoke with his cigarette held delicately away from his face. He turned a glare on his companion, one from jade green eyes. "I don't like-like anyone; he'd a good sex partner."

Yamamoto fidgeted – fidgeted – next to him, copper eyes sliding away. "What's a good sex partner for Gokudera?"

"Someone who doesn't ask a lot of questions," he snapped instantly. On a calmer note, he added "and someone who knows when I need them and leaves when I'm done with them." He let the cancer stick fall from his grasp, watching as it perished against the cement ceiling of the high school. "Yuukyuu gives me what I want and doesn't bother me… unlike someone I know." Another not-so-subtle glare.

Yamamoto laughed – obviously forced – and rubbed the back of his head. "Mah mah… I didn't know Gokudera could have sex with someone he didn't even love!"

A growl from the temperamental silverette. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hah hah… Nothing, nothing~" The baseball idiot gave him the look; the look Gokudera had last seen him wear when up against Daemon. It was the look that said that he regretted nothing, but there would be a lot to regret in a moment.

He gulped; and then he scowled, annoyed by the pang of fear that actually dared to touch his heart. What had he to be afraid of? It wasn't like Yamamoto would ever hurt him! Sure, there had been that one time when they had been up against Gamma… but that had been to knock sense into him (which he would not admit that he needed).

This time… he was damn certain the bastard didn't have to give him another shiner just to prove his point.

He growled, "don't you dare touch him, Yamamoto." The idiot's gaze shot back to his, wide-eyed innocence in his laughing eyes. "If you love me," he took momentary glee in watching the other's face pale of color, the nervous smile, "you will not hurt him."

Takeshi said nothing… instead, he stood up with all his things and left Gokudera alone. The silverette watched after him, knowing that he would be heeded. For what reason?

Well, as he had said earlier, because Yamamoto loved him.

As it turned out, Yuukyuu did want something more from him then just sex. Unfortunately for him, it was more than what Gokudera was willing to give up.

He stumbled to the sushi shop, cursing himself and then his partner to the seven levels of hell (he didn't even care if he saw Mukuro or Daemon there), for his own stupidity. Of course turning your back on someone was dangerous… wasn't it even more so when you were captured in ecstasy?

He hadn't seen the blade coming down; sure, he had been fast enough to escape death, obviously. But not fast enough to escape injury. Not only that, but Yuukyuu had been fast enough to escape his wrath.

And he was pissed about it. Pissed so bad… he was going to make that bastard regret it; he was going to make his (ex)partner wish he had never been born.

He ran a tongue over his split-bottom lip. He wanted to strangle the bastard with his own two hands, shove a wad of dynamite up his ass, and then watch him light up like the American fourth of July. But he had a better plan…

Oh, what a plan he had.

He jerked himself into the shop; good, no dad. Smirking to himself at hearing the familiar footsteps above his head, he concluded who was home.

He went up the stairs and then made a sharp turn, peeking around the corner to view Yamamoto mopping the floors.

He let the smirk fade away. He let his anger and shame forth; what were a few tears to what would happen to Yuukyuu next?

He applied the slightest pressure to the floor; just a little more than a butterfly's touch – Yamamoto spun around, mop handle out as if it was his katana.

And then he saw Gokudera; the sweaty silver locks, bruised cheek, split lip, blood running down his one side… His copper eyes took on a scarlet hue.

Gokudera let loose a sob. "Y-Yuukyuu… he did this to me!" Yamamoto whispered his name and ran towards him. Instantly, the swordsman caught him up in his arms and held him as if the world might end if he did not embrace him tight enough. "You have to… you have to avenge me,… Takeshi." He let his hands run up the other's back, fingers digging into the pale folds of his yukata. "You have t-to make sure he never hurts me again."

Yamamoto's whispered threats made him want to laugh; not because he thought the vile and terrifying words would never come true, but because he knew they would.

He pressed a kiss to Takeshi's pulse just beneath his jaw. "But, p-please… just for tonight… h-hold me…" What was the rush? Yuukyuu would never be able to get away fast enough; Yamamoto would have him in no time, devour him like meat to a wolf.

And he had never gotten to climax, what with his (ex, and soon-to-be-dead)partner trying to kill him in the height of things.

The baseball player nodded, whispered some less violent, much more loving things (Gokudera refrained from rolling his eyes), and led him to bed.

He knew he didn't love Yamamoto – was he even capable of loving anyone other than Tsuna? But he knew that if there was a soul mate in the world for him… it would definitely be the bastard ramming him into the bed at this very moment, riding him like fury rides a storm.

With a blissed-out smile on his face, he welcomed Yamamoto to rest in his arms – just for a bit… because when the swordsman would regain his strength~

Gokudera grinned into Takeshi's hair, the other kissing his skin feverishly. Oh, yes… Yuukyuu would learn that he had definitely messed with the wrong guy.

Tsuna was aghast. So was his Nana, though in a more cheerful manner. Lambo was too young to understand and Reborn turned his head cryptically away from the truth.

The front page of the morning paper described a teenage boy named Yuukyuu, who had gone missing three months ago. They had just found him – or what they supposed to be what was left of him – in the river… 'sliced and diced', and then fit into a leather bag. Not even Lambo would have been able to fit into that bag…

There was a knock on his front door; a moment later, Gokudera and Yamamoto walked through, the baseball player with his usual grin on and Gokudera brightening up the moment he saw Tsuna.

"Tenth! I have great news – ! Why do you look so pale?" He began to outwardly freak out, fanning Tsuna with the same paper he had just been reading. "Quick, you idiot! Can't you see the Tenth's about to pass out?"

"Oooh, Gokudera, you take such great care of my son…" Nana cooed over the silverette; after a pause, she sighed. "Oh no, don't worry about him though… it's just that the news is bad today."

"What?"

"Didn't you hear? They found a body in the river, cut into over a hundred, precise pieces – like sushi! They think he's the boy who went missing some months ago… Yuukyuu? Goodness, I don't know his first name…"

Yamamoto patted Tsuna on the back. "Mah mah, don't worry, Tsuna. That's why we're a family, isn't it? So that we can protect each other against things like these."

The brunette, slowly but surely, began to relax at those words. "You're right, Yamamoto." His voice was soft and low, just as it usually got right before he would let loose his anger or come upon an epiphany. "We're going to work for a future where sick people – like the person who did this to that kid – don't exist." He looked up at his rain guardian with stony resolve in his caramel eyes. "We won't let people get hurt like this again, right? Especially in our own town."

Yamamoto chuckled and nodded; Gokudera nodded once in agreement as well. Lambo grabbed onto Nana's apron and demanded breakfast and Fuuta came drowsily into the room, soon followed by Enma (who held Nuts in his arms, tiredly greeting everyone).

Reborn stared at his hands – his chubby, baby hands – and for a moment, wandered at the darkness in the souls of the Tenth generation. Was it even controllable? Or had it been inevitable?

He looked up; Yamamoto met his gaze with an easy-going smile. His copper eyes were hazed red.

He clenched his tiny jaw. Because he knew that Yamamoto knew. And that mean that, in reality… it had been more than inevitable that he would lead the monsters right into his stupid student's life.

It was inevitable that they would never leave.