We're late by a couple of hours ): Sorry guys!

Anyway, don't forget this is an RP, so the format might be a bit clunky despite our efforts to fix it!

Also, seriously, this chapter might as well be called "The Trainwreck" xD The things we do for the sake of the plot...

With that said, enjoy!

Target 02: Feelings Emerge

Gokudera dialed the number of Shamal's cell and willed his hands to stop trembling. He took another shaky puff of his cigarette as he waited for Shamal to pick up.

"Amy-chan~! Is that you~?" Shamal's voice held a playful tone. "I'm sorry about yesterday! She wasn't supposed to be over until tomorrow! Would you like to come over today and we can finish where we left off~?"

"You. Damn. Pervert! Does it sound like I'm 'Amy-chan'?" Gokudera growled harshly into his phone, pounding his fist against the wall.

"Oh. It's you." Shamal's tone of voice changed completely. "What is it now, Hayato?"

Gokudera's anger diffused completely. "Please come over to my apartment," he pleaded, feeling completely desperate. "Please, Shamal, I need your help! The Tenth… There's something wrong with him!" Gokudera held on to his cell phone tightly, fearing Shamal would refuse him.

"The Vongola brat? You know more than anyone that I don't treat men, Hayato," Shamal replied predictably.

"You quack! You know I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't serious…!"

"Absolutely not, Hayato. I don't treat men under any circumstances! Only women!" Shamal said, before checking his watch. "Now, I must be heading off~! I have a date!"

"Dammit, Shamal! I'll do anything!" Gokudera shouted into his phone in frustration. "I'm not asking you to treat him at all! I just need to know what's wrong with him… I'll take care of the rest!"

"…" There was a silence on the other line as Shamal considered it. The doctor glanced at his watch again and sighed. "I'll be over in ten minutes," he grumbled, before hanging up, shrugging on his jacket, and heading out.

Gokudera sighed in relief and put out his cigarette. He walked back into his room and sat down woozily at his desk, cradling his head as he felt his relief course through him. After a couple of minutes, he shot a worried glance in the direction of the bed. He moved his chair over so he could keep a closer watch over the unconscious brunette. "Please be okay, Tenth…" he murmured as he waited for Shamal to show up.

In exactly ten minutes, there was a knock at the door.

"Hayato! It's me!" Shamal called from the door as he knocked again. He wanted to get this over with. He had a date to attend to.

Gokudera rushed towards the door, murmured an agitated greeting, and quickly got to the point. "He's in my room," he told the doctor, closing the door after him.

"Yes, yes. I figured." Shamal was already walking inside and soon entered the bedroom. He took out his stethoscope then and looked at the unconscious Tsuna, grimacing slightly at the lack of breasts on his patient as he pulled back the blankets and lifted Tsuna's shirt. With an annoyed sigh, he placed the stethoscope on Tsuna's chest, and listened. "What happened, Hayato?" he asked as he worked.

Gokudera followed him, leaning against a wall and crossing his arms against his chest as he waited for Shamal's verdict. He felt oddly vulnerable. "I don't know… We were just talking!" Gokudera's brows furrowed in confusion; his voice was full of worry. "I left him for a second. I was in the kitchen when the Tenth screamed my name. He was on the floor, shaking, by the time I found him…" Gokudera's eyes closed tightly as he recalled the image; his fingers itched to light another cigarette. "He… His body was really cold, and right before he passed out, it was as if he was going into his Hyper Dying Will mode. The flame… It kept flickering," he explained hesitantly, not sure of what exactly he had seen.

Shamal glanced at Gokudera when he mentioned the Dying Will mode before straightening up and pulling down Tsuna's shirt. He looked at Gokudera for a moment as he ran his fingers through his hair. "There's nothing you can do for him," he said simply, and began to pack up his things.

"W-what?!" Gokudera was startled by the abrupt words. "What do you mean? What's wrong with him?!" He began to panic again.

"Don't worry, he's not dying. Reborn would probably be able to explain things better but… Well, his Dying Will seems to be getting a mind of its own," Shamal explained simply, not looking at Gokudera as he picked up his bag. "Well, goodbye, Hayato! I'm off to my date!" he said cheerily as he moved to walk out of the room.

"A… mind of its own?" Gokudera repeated incredulously. "…What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!" The bomb-user growled in frustration, slamming his fist hard against the wall. "There's got to be something I can do!" he insisted, grinding his teeth. "Dammit…"

Shamal sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I'll tell Reborn about this. He knows his little student best. He'll be able to do a lot more than I can," he said, before turning to leave. "If you need me again, Hayato, please think twice before you call!" Shamal called back, and closed the door shut behind him.

Gokudera slid back into the chair next to his bed, feeling suddenly exhausted. He gazed at his boss' sleeping face which looked so peaceful… Tentatively, he reached over to check the other's temperature again. He didn't feel cold anymore but it didn't look like his boss was going to wake up any time soon. Gokudera frowned. "Please be okay, Tenth…" he whispered, watching over him in concern.

But as he waited for his boss to wake up, Gokudera ended up nodding off.

About half an hour later, Tsuna finally woke up, his body fully rested from the shock it had received. The brunette rubbed his eyes and sat up a bit before noticing Gokudera, who was slumped over the bed and asleep. "G-Gokudera-kun…" Tsuna whispered softly before he reached over and gently shook the other's shoulder. "Gokudera-kun?"

"Tenth…" Gokudera murmured in his sleep.

Tsuna froze for a moment, his cheeks heating up upon hearing Gokudera's voice. Was he dreaming about him? What was he doing that for? A funny feeling like butterflies fluttered around in his stomach as he remembered just how much Gokudera trusted him. The pressure was unnerving. He shuffled around in bed a bit, shifting closer to his right-hand man as he just looked at him.

/ He's your subordinate. Your underling. He is nothing more. /

Tsuna bit his lip slightly, rubbing his forehead. Where was this voice coming from? It felt so familiar, and yet it was saying such things. "Gokudera-kun…" Tsuna shook the other's shoulder again, wanting to hear a more desirable voice.

"Te…Tenth?" Gokudera murmured sleepily as he pried his eyes open and gazed up at the figure above him. He became alert in an instant. "Tenth! You're awake!" Gokudera exclaimed, throwing his arms around his boss before he could stop himself. "I was so worried!"

Tsuna tensed slightly but quickly hugged him back. "I'm sorry, Gokudera-kun," he said softly, holding on to him tightly. But Tsuna quickly caught himself and forced himself to loosen his grip. What had even happened to him? He didn't feel any more pain. There wasn't any heat and he didn't feel the Dying Will lingering under the surface anymore. "Should… should we call Doctor Shamal? Or Reborn?" He looked at Gokudera worriedly.

Gokudera bit his lip at the question, before shaking his head. "I already called Shamal," he said, faltering as he looked down at his lap and wondered how to explain what the quack had told him.

"Tenth…" Gokudera's expression was a mix of frustration and helplessness. "That guy, he said that your Dying Will was getting a mind of its own…"

Tsuna stared at Gokudera for a moment. He first thought of how weird it was for Shamal to have actually come and checked him over. Shamal was famous for being picky about his patients and would only treat the ones that had breasts. But then, at Gokudera's last words, Tsuna was at a lost. He didn't really know what to make of that. He remembered the times he'd spent in his Dying Will mode and how different it had been the previous night. "What does that mean?" He looked at Gokudera, unsure of what to think, of what to do. It didn't cross his mind until after he'd said it that Gokudera probably knew as much as he did.

Gokudera nearly wilted at the question. "I… I don't know. Shamal didn't say much, only that he'd call Reborn-san after, since he would know what to do…" Gokudera bit his lip.

Tsuna looked down and nodded slightly. Yeah, Reborn would know what to do. They were his bullets, after all. He nodded again, with more resolution. "Alright. Reborn will take care of it." He looked back at Gokudera. "It'll be okay." I hope. "This isn't the first time Reborn has had to help me."

Gokudera met his boss' gaze, looking worried. "Then, until the Tenth is better… Please tell me if there's anything wrong. I'll do anything I can to help!" he promised.

Tsuna smiled a bit. "Yeah, I know. Thank you, Gokudera-kun," he said, though as usual, he was forever put off-guard by Gokudera's enthusiasm. Still, he was happy to have a friend, especially now. But until Reborn showed up, Tsuna wanted nothing more than to forget about all of this. He wanted to relax. "So…" Tsuna's smile turned sheepish. "I guess no ramen, huh?"

Gokudera felt a bit more at ease upon seeing his boss' smile. Though he still looked worried, he couldn't help but to smile as well at his boss' attempt to lighten up the mood. "I guess not…" Gokudera looked sheepish as he answered, and he was about to offer to go continue cooking when his stomach growled loudly, making its opinion on the matter loud and clear. "Um, we could order take-out…" he offered instead.

Tsuna nodded. "Yeah, that sounds great. I'll get some of my money and we can split the cost," he said, standing up to go get his bag, which had had left by the front door.

Gokudera had been about to ask his boss what kind of food he would like to eat, but upon hearing the offer, he reached a hand out to stop him. "Don't worry about it, Tenth! I'll take care of it!" he assured him earnestly. After all, Gokudera was the host. His boss shouldn't waste his money!

But for some reason, his words were not to be taken as lightly as usual.

Tsuna suddenly whirled around then and backhanded Gokudera across the face. "/ You don't think I can take care of myself?! You would defy my orders?! /" The Dying Will Flames were roaring angrily on his forehead as Tsuna growled… but they disappeared just a moment later. Tsuna's eyes widened in mortification. He pulled back his hand, holding it as if it was threatening to hit Gokudera again. "Gokudera-kun! I'm… I'm so sorry!" What had just happened? Why had he done that?

Gokudera blinked and felt completely and utterly bewildered. "I'm… sorry?" Gokudera raised a hand to touch his stinging cheek, looking wide-eyed and confused. He barely registered the brunette's nervous apologies. "I…" He stared at his boss with an entirely mystified expression. Was this what Shamal had meant?

"No, Gokudera-kun! This isn't your fault!" Tsuna quickly moved forward and did the only think he could think of. He hugged the teen in front of him, trying to comfort him like Gokudera had done earlier. It was a weird sort of urge but he did it anyway. Then again, Tsuna supposed it might not work when he wasn't calm himself. His chest felt tight as his hands gripped the back of Gokudera's shirt. "I didn't mean to do that—I don't know why…" Tsuna trailed off, his brows furrowing in confusion. "I never want to hurt you," he murmured, his voice sounding utterly miserable.

Gokudera tensed as he felt the Tenth wrap his arms around him once more, but the action served to break him out of his trance immediately. He quickly tried to reassure his boss, bringing up a hesitant hand to rest on the other's shoulders. "Tenth, it's fine! I understand…" he told him soothingly as he wondered what one was supposed to do in this type of situation.

That wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Tsuna had hurt Gokudera, and now Gokudera was comforting him? Tsuna felt his eyes prickle in frustration, and a few tears slipped past his eyes unnoticed. "Gokudera-kun, I'm so sorry…" he mumbled miserably as he buried his face into Gokudera's chest.

Oh, God. The Tenth is crying, what do I do?! Gokudera inwardly panicked, and tried not to flail. "Tenth, it's okay, really!" he tried to assure him to no avail. Not knowing what else to do, Gokudera began to nudge the other back, much like before. It pained him to see his boss' distraught expression, so Gokudera cupped his boss' face, holding his cheeks delicately in his hands as he wiped the wet tears that fell with his thumbs. "Please, don't cry…" he pleaded with a pained but earnest expression.

Though he was not really aware at first how close he was to the other, it didn't take long for Gokudera to notice their breaths were mingling. His fingertips burned hot, and his heart slowed into near stillness in his chest, but Gokudera didn't dare move. All he wanted was for his boss to calm down.

Another shudder ran up Tsuna's spine as he looked into Gokudera's eyes, unable to tear away his gaze. He leaned into the touch, and his hands found their way up to Gokudera's face as well. Tsuna could hear his heart pounding. "Gokudera-kun…" he whispered, his mind without restraint. Gokudera trusted him. Gokudera trusted him so much. He trusted Gokudera too. Tsuna swallowed a bit before licking his lips in hesitation. The thought crossed his mind, and he found himself wondering if he was crazy. Maybe he was, because he was asking the question before he could even begin to think twice. "Would you please… kiss me?"

Gokudera's cheeks burned at the other's touch. And at his words… "Tenth?" Gokudera whispered in shock as he felt his heart try to slip out his throat. There was a moment of hesitance, full of wonder and disbelief. The longing he'd been keeping in his chest for what felt like forever was threatening to burst. Finally, nervously, Gokudera tentatively leaned in and closed the gap between them.

It felt… wonderful.

Gokudera's heart thumped loudly in his chest. His body felt warm, but it also thrummed with insecurity. He was sure his hands were shaking, but Gokudera steadied them as best as he could and slid them from his boss' cheeks and towards the back of his neck instead. He pulled the other closer, trying to meld their mouths together into one as his mind began to lose its reservations. He ran his tongue slightly over the other's lips before he could stop himself, wanting, needing more.

Tsuna gasped as the contact sent the fire in his chest into a blaze. Electricity buzzed across his skin, especially his lips. "Gokudera-kun…" Tsuna murmured against the other's lips. His hands were shaking, but he wrapped his arms around the other's neck, his mouth opening for Gokudera's tongue when he felt it brush against his lips. "Nngh…" The sensation felt foreign and strange, but so good. Tsuna was slightly nervous but he knew he wanted this. This was what he had been waiting for. What he had been anticipating.

I'm kissing the Tenth…

Gokudera's cheeks burned hotly, and his heart began to beat even more erratically when he felt the Tenth open up to him. At that moment, it felt as if a dam had broken inside of him, drowning him with heat and desire. All of his qualms flew out of his mind as the Tenth groaned his name; the sound sent a thrill through his body that it had never felt before. He held on tighter to the brunette as he became lost in their kiss, all tongue and warmth and need. He wasn't even sure when they ended up stumbling back onto the bed or when his hands had slid under the other's shirt, exploring the warm skin underneath. Gokudera felt as if his body was burning, and he could not get enough of it. His tongue slid inside the other's mouth as his chest ached desperately.

Tsuna's breath hitched in his throat, and his back arched a bit to meet the other's hands. He shuddered, and pressed the other closer, and then—

And then, there was a knock on the door.

Tsuna jolted and froze for a second. His eyes snapped open and he stared at Gokudera as if just realizing the position they were in, and what they had been about to do. He gripped Gokudera's shirt and pushed him back a little bit. "G-Gokudera-kun!" he squeaked, somewhat breathlessly. "T-there's someone at the door. You should go get it!"

Gokudera's body froze as well. He stared down at his boss with wide eyes for a full second, before springing back as if he had been burned. "Tenth!" Gokudera looked half-way horrified. "I—" There was an immensely guilty look gathering in his eyes. He halfway wanted to throw himself down on the ground to apologize and halfway wanted to run far away in mortification. He ignored the disappointment that was welling inside him, closing his eyes tightly as he finally forced himself to speak. "I… I'll get the door." He bit his lip. "S-sorry, Tenth," he murmured, almost too quietly to hear, before he fled towards the door.

What the hell am I doing? Gokudera berated himself, feeling angry at himself. He tried to ignore the ache in his heart that just kept growing by the second, trying to push all of this back as he opened the door. He wondered for a brief second just who had interrupted them. Not many people knew where he lived…

"Huh?" Gokudera was startled to see the baseball idiot outside his apartment, with a bag of leftover sushi from his dad's restaurant dangling from one of his hands. Gokudera's eyes widened. "What the hell are you doing here?!" he blurted out without thinking.

"Yo, Gokudera!" Yamamoto grinned once the door was opened. "I heard Tsuna was staying here so I decided to come over. You guys hungry?" He smiled and held up the bag.

Tsuna, who had straightened his clothes out while Gokudera made for the door and was now by the entrance as well, blinked in confusion. "Yamamoto… How did you get here?" he said, as the blush on his face receded from his cheeks.

"That kid told me where Gokudera lives," Yamamoto explained happily.

Gokudera tried not to jump away from his boss's side, and instead focused on the irritation he felt at this declaration. Oh, great. This idiot knows where I live now. For the first time ever, the smoker questioned Reborn's character. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Tch. Saves us the trouble of ordering food anyway," he muttered grumpily, scowling as Yamamoto made his way in.

Yamamoto chuckled slightly. "Thanks, Gokudera. I probably should have called ahead." He grinned sheepishly, placing the bag on the table. "Yo, Tsuna! Has Gokudera been a good host?" he asked, putting his arm around Tsuna's shoulders.

Tsuna flushed and avoided looking at Gokudera. "Y-yeah. Great host…"

"Don't act so casual around the Tenth!" Gokudera growled, and tried to ignore the sheer guilt that bubbled up inside him at Yamamoto's words. He stared down at the floor as he fought to keep down his troubled feelings. He felt suffocated… Taking Yamamoto's bag, he headed towards the kitchen. "I'll go and serve this and bring out something to drink," he told them, glad to have an excuse to be by himself.

Yamamoto did his best to keep his cheer. The tension in the room was palpable. Despite the common misconception about the baseball player, Yamamoto was not an idiot.

He smiled a bit to Gokudera. "Nah, it's fine. I'll do it!" he volunteered, grabbing the bag instead to go and serve it. "My old man made it after all!" he said with a laugh, before he moved and closed the door to the kitchen behind him. He did in fact get to work serving it… but he kept a sharp ear out for any conversation.

Gokudera felt panic well within him as he stared at Yamamoto leave through the kitchen door. He half wanted to yell at him for leaving them alone—but Gokudera could barely feel the will to say a word. His heart stuttered anxiously in his chest as he did his best to avoid looking at his boss.

Tsuna swallowed. He stared at the door for a moment until his gaze was attracted to Gokudera. He looked at him only for a second before quickly deciding that staring at the floor was a much wiser decision. "Um…" Breaking the silence felt like smashing a window. "I'll just… wait here, I guess," he said, slowly sidling over to a chair.

Gokudera's instinctive nod was more of a flinch. "I… I'm gonna go help that idiot," he stammered nervously after a long, awkward moment of silence, and then nervously escaped off to the kitchen.

He tried not to let the tension he was feeling show.

Inside the kitchen, Yamamoto was taking out some plates from the pantry. He set them aside, before turning to place the sushi on a serving platter. He looked perfectly fine on the outside, but inside, he was not fine at all. There was something up. "Hey, Gokudera. You don't need to help me out, you know." He grinned.

Gokudera shrugged, and tried not to look too uneasy as he crossed his arms and he leaned over the counter. "I'm just making sure you don't break anything," he bantered, trying to fall into their usual routine in an attempt to distract himself.

Yamamoto smiled slightly. "I'm not that clumsy," he told the other softly. After a moment, he spoke up again. "So… Gokudera. What have you and Tsuna been doing this afternoon?" He glanced up at him as he finished serving, but his hands didn't stop moving. He began to fiddle with the plates, his fingers not wanting to stay still.

Gokudera gulped nervously at the question. "I was helping the Tenth with that extra homework we got this morning," he muttered, almost wishing that was the truth.

"Really?" Yamamoto looked at Gokudera. "Because… Tsuna told me you already did that at lunch today," he said. He observed Gokudera's nervousness slowly seep into his expression. It was something that Yamamoto didn't enjoy.

Gokudera's eyes widened slightly in shock but he hid it quickly. "We weren't quite done yet," he nearly stammered, feeling his heart begin to pound anxiously. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away from the other's probing gaze. "Mainly we were just talking… Does it matter?" he asked defensively, almost aggressively, as a scowl settled on his face.

Yamamoto was no stranger to Gokudera's aggressiveness, but this time, he seemed more hostile than usual. He was tempted to push harder, ask more questions. He wanted to know what Gokudera was hiding; at the same time, he was scared of what he might find. So he pulled back. Yamamoto smiled at Gokudera. "No, I suppose it doesn't." He laughed lightly, before grabbing the plates and taking them to the living room.

Tsuna hadn't moved, still sitting anxiously in the chair. He kept stewing in his own thoughts and emotions, so much so that he felt relieved when Gokudera and Yamamoto returned from the kitchen.

"Ah, Yamamoto, I forgot. Did you ever figure out the homework?" Tsuna asked him amiably.

Yamamoto laughed slightly. "I haven't had the time. Baseball practice and then helping my old man, you know."

Gokudera felt chills run down his back. For some reason, he felt as if Yamamoto was onto them. He tried to ignore this feeling as he moved to take a seat, but it was impossible. What if that idiot asks the Tenth what we did this afternoon? Gokudera glanced at them both nervously for a moment before turning his attention to the sushi. He began to serve some on his plate, trying to look casual instead of the nervous wreck that he was.

"Oh, well. If you brought your homework with you, we can help?" Tsuna offered with a smile.

Yamamoto smiled in return. "I didn't, sorry. I guess I'll do it later tonight." He laughed as he sat down next to Gokudera, across from Tsuna.

"Oh, but don't stay up too late, Yamamoto." Tsuna frowned in concern.

Yamamoto grinned. "You too. You and Gokudera are going to party, right? Sleepovers are always fun!" He then looked at Gokudera. "Hey, can I stay over?" he asked the other cheekily.

Gokudera tensed slightly. Truthfully, he wasn't sure if he felt relieved or panicked at this question. On one hand, the thought of Yamamoto staying at his house irritated him, on principle if not anything else, but also because the baseball player might find out… about before. Gokudera didn't know how much longer he and the Tenth could keep up this act up. Gokudera already felt at his wit's end.

Speaking of which… Now that he thought about it, the thought of Yamamoto leaving his apartment suddenly terrified him. To be left alone with the Tenth after all that had happened… Gokudera didn't think he could do it. But he couldn't just say that, could he?

"Tch, don't you have to get back to that homework of yours?" he answered instead as he scowled down at his plate.

"Ah, if Yamamoto stays over, he still has to go back home and get his things, right?" Tsuna tried not to sound too eager. Now, the thought of spending the night alone with Gokudera made the nervousness bubble ever higher in his chest. It wasn't that he didn't trust Gokudera, of course! But Yamamoto had always acted as a buffer for the dynamite user. Having him close by was something of a comfort.

"Yeah, and I'll pick up my homework along with my things! I'm sure my old man wouldn't mind." Yamamoto smiled as he looked back at Gokudera, awaiting an answer.

"Tch, whatever. You're sleeping on the floor though!" Gokudera snapped but didn't look up from his plate. He tried not dwell on the ache he felt upon hearing his boss' relieved tone.

Yamamoto laughed in his usual carefree way. "No problem! I'll even bring my own pillow and blanket. I don't want to trouble you too much, Gokudera," he said, putting his arm around the other's neck before rubbing his fist into the silver locks.

Tsuna smiled lightly at this, slightly more at ease now.

"Get… off… me!" Gokudera protested as he tried to struggle away from Yamamoto's grip. He elbowed the other in the stomach, hoping to loosen the hold. He felt his temper become shorter and shorter by the second.

"Oof!" Yamamoto let go of Gokudera and rubbed his stomach with a laugh. "A little touchy, Gokudera?" he teased the other.

Gokudera shrugged Yamamoto off with a scowl.

Tsuna, on the other hand, let out a nervous laugh and looked to the side uncomfortably.

Yamamoto noticed the tension build up again. "Hey, is everything alright? Even Gokudera isn't this depressed all the time." His lips tugged down slightly in worry.

Tsuna looked at him for a moment. "Well, uh…"

"You shouldn't keep secrets from your Family, Tsuna."

"REBORN!"

"Ciaossu." Reborn smiled from the middle of the table where he had apparently appeared out of nowhere.

"Reborn-san!" Gokudera glanced wide-eyed at the Tenth, trying not to freak out. This was definitely not someone he wanted here right now! Gokudera hadn't felt this stressed since the last time Bianchi tried to feed him her Poison Cooking. In fact, he would rather put himself through that again than to be in this situation.

Yamamoto smiled. "Hey, kid! What did you mean by keeping secrets?" he asked.

Tsuna immediately reached out and grabbed Reborn, covering his mouth. "Nothing! Nothing at all, Yamamot—OUCH!" Reborn bit Tsuna's hand, and once the brunette let him go, the future Vongola boss received a kick to the face that knocked him back a few feet. "Don't touch me," Reborn said, brushing off his coat.

Gokudera felt his stomach drop as the situation became more and more hopeless. "Tenth!" He rushed over and fussed over his fallen boss. "Are you alright?" he asked as he tried to help his boss up from the floor without touching him too much.

Tsuna rubbed his nose and nodded. "Y-yeah… I'm fine, Gokudera-kun," he assured the other, but frowned in Reborn's direction.

"Oh, was that the secret?" Yamamoto looked at Reborn who had moved onto his shoulder.

Reborn nodded.

Yamamoto smiled slightly at Tsuna. "You guys didn't have to keep that from me. Don't worry, Tsuna. We'll find out what's wrong."

Tsuna blinked, confused for a moment, and then his eyes widened in comprehension as he remembered exactly what had led to all this. That's right… My Dying Will…

"Shamal told me about what happened. You should probably do your best to stay out of Dying Will mode unless you really need it, Tsuna," Reborn said with a smile that indicated they'd speak later. It seemed Reborn had told Yamamoto about Tsuna's current "illness" and not about what had happened just half an hour before. It was a mystery though whether or not Reborn even knew about that.

Gokudera felt a mixture of relief and worry at the Arcobaleno's words. Does he know? He wondered minutely, before inwardly berating himself for focusing on such a thing when he should be focusing on his boss' well-being. "You mean, you don't know why this is happening, Reborn-san?" He had been hoping that the Arcobaleno had more information on what was happening to the Tenth. Gokudera ran a hand through his hair, feeling his earlier helplessness return. He wanted to help the Tenth more than anything. He felt useless not knowing what to do.

Reborn looked at Gokudera. "I have a hunch. But I need to talk to the Ninth before anything." He looked at Tsuna then. "Stay away from Dying Will mode. Rely on your Family for now," he told him.

"Alright, Reborn," Tsuna said with a small sigh, hoping he wouldn't need to use the Dying Will.

Gokudera looked at his boss upon hearing his dejected tone. He tried to cheer him up. "Just leave everything to me, Tenth! There won't be any need for you to use your Dying Will. I'll take care of anyone who gets in our way!"

"Me too, don't worry, Tsuna!" Yamamoto smiled happily.

Reborn nodded. "The Family should always stay together," he said in approval, before he jumped down from Yamamoto's shoulder and waved. "Ciao Ciao. I'll come tomorrow to check up on you, Tsuna," he said, before walking over to Gokudera's wall and pressing a hand to it. A part of it pulled away to reveal a hidden door. Reborn walked in and went down the elevator. A second later, the wall returned itself to normal as if nothing had happened.

Tsuna gaped. "…He has hideouts even in your apartment?"

"As… expected from Reborn-san…" Gokudera stared open-mouth at the wall where the Arcobaleno had disappeared in, feeling awed. He then flinched slightly, wondering what else was in his apartment that he didn't know about… He shivered self-consciously. "A-anyway," Gokudera turned to address Yamamoto. "As the Tenth's right-hand, I'll make sure to watch over him!" Gokudera's usual competitive glint shone in his eyes. "You should just go home already and pick up your stuff, baseball freak. Go on, we'll save you some food." Gokudera shooed him off, wanting to get this over with already.

Yamamoto laughed slightly. "Yeah, sure. I'll be back in a little while!" He grinned as he stood up. "Don't freak out while I'm gone, Tsuna." He moved over to ruffle Tsuna's hair, teasing the other before turning to leave.

Tsuna smiled slightly at Yamamoto's actions and watched him go. But as the door closed shut behind him, that's when he realized…

They were alone again.

Tsuna tensed, feeling his earlier nervousness return full force.

Oh, God. What now? he thought.

Gokudera took a couple of seconds to realize the same thing. He had gotten so caught up in one-upping Yamamoto as usual that he had forgotten about what had happened already.

Fuck. I'm such an idiot. Gokudera's glanced towards his boss' nervous expression and felt himself grow anxious. He looked back down to the floor.

Now what?