Hello :]

Thanks for the reviews, he he he, I think I really misled you about Gokudera's condition... Well, the answer is in the last conversation, so just read :D

Blanco: Chapter 3 – Fathers and Sons

Soon, I will want you to go away,
so I could fall silently.
So you won't see my wounds opening,
so we could stay lonely and break slowly.

Judging by the way the sun had begun to set, painting the sky crimson red, it seemed to be sometime in the late afternoon. For the last few minutes Gokudera and Yamamoto sat in silence, the tall one laying on the bed while the other was sitting on the floor, leaning slightly with his arm on the bed.

Yamamoto couldn't find it in himself to be nervous, even when he was about to tell someone whom he had never thought would care, about something that he told no one. To be honest, he had never really planned to share this story with anyone, but decided that it would be better to tell the other boy. After all, if Gokudera knew more about where he came from, they might be able to finally get along better and actually feel a bit more comfortable around each other. That, considering the situation, was for the best.

So he took a deep breath and started telling his story, making Gokudera lean ever so slightly in rising curiosity.

"In my family there were only three members: Mom, dad and myself. Mom was a florist and dad owned a sushi restaurant. I was an only child and got all the attention I needed to be happy, at that time I thought the situation at home was normal, that it was ideal. But it wasn't. Ever since I remember myself, I have memories of dad coming home drunk every once in a while, a problem that only became worse in a matter of months. During that time, I remember that there was not a day that passed without a fight going on between my parents. Dad would shout and mom would try to make him see sense, but in the end she would always end up in my room, hugging me with tears in her eyes and telling me that everything will be alright."

At first, Yamamoto thought it would be difficult to talk about his family and past, but miraculously, once he had gotten one sentence out of his mouth, the words just went through his lips with unexplained ease. "I remember how after every fight that ended too badly, mom would take me out of the house for a walk." he now had a small smile on his face and a distant look in his eyes, as if he was seeing the story playing right in front of him. "Those used to be the best moments in every week.

"And soon we would be back at home, we would see dad passed out on the sofa with a bottle clutched in one hand, resting on his stomach while the other hand was hanging off the sofa, touching the floor.

"When I was seven my parents divorced, after mom couldn't take it anymore and the future actually looked much brighter than it ever had. Mom thought it was better to leave dad, even though it meant that I would be raised by only one parent. She was right, we couldn't continue living that way. Mom raised me by herself for a year and it was by far the best year I ever had in my life. There was not even a word from dad but I didn't care because to me, he was not family, I didn't know anything about him. But just when everything seemed to be changing for the better, it all crushed down on us once more.

"Mom became ill, she had a terminal illness and almost nothing could be done to prolong her life. She told me with those tears I had hoped I would not have to see on her face ever again, she told me how there was nothing that could be done, that the doctors could do nothing but make life a bit easier for her. She told me with so much regrets in her eyes, that she wouldn't be able take care of me anymore, that soon I will have to go and live with dad.

"This entire period, while mom was in treatments and medical checks I would stay with dad and he will be worse than he ever was before. Dad was still not talking to me, not even a word, and only gave me food when it was really needed. I couldn't believe just how, from the best times in my life, I was suddenly dropped to the worst. Mom was dying with every day that passed, dad had not changed and once more I found myself in the middle, my life changing with every item that was transferred back from mom's new apartment to the old house the three of used to stay in. It really felt like my life were going backward instead of forward, slowly, everything was going back to the way it used to be. Only mom wasn't there.

"I almost couldn't manage, because I knew that mom would never recover but I drew my happiness through the times that I could see her. Those times were becoming further and further from each other and by the time I reached the age of nine, mom was already gone, and I was left to live alone with my father." he said with a solemn face, thinking back was bringing all those unwanted memories back, but he didn't stop.

"After mom's death, I moved in completely with dad. He was acting worse than he ever was, coming home drunk almost every night of the week, sometimes even bringing home women I didn't know or other drunk friends of his that would look strangely at me, make me nervous and tense. There were times he would come home so drunk that he would hit me for no reason, and that made me hate him. I hated him, so much.

"For years i have done nothing, I took everything, suffered silently. I only came to take comfort in my hobby. Baseball kept me going, week after week, month after month, year after year. I was slowly losing hope and the will to live because other than baseball, I had nothing.

"This year though, everything got better. Of course, it started just as badly if not worse than any year. I was beginning to really close my true self from the world, acting my happiness, not taking everything other than baseball seriously. Because of this, my marks dropped and dad had one more reason to be cruel to me.

"Then I broke my arm and was told that I couldn't play for months. After less than a week, I couldn't take it anymore and tried to kill myself." At this point, Gokudera knew when that happened. He remembered that it was the tenth that saved Yamamoto that time from falling off the school's roof. He continued to sit quietly, amazed at how calm Yamamoto seemed this entire time and waited in silence for the other boy to continue. He really found himself hoping that things have, in fact gotten better.

"Dad was contacted by the school that day and was shocked. Finally he seemed to accept the fact that he was not the only family member residing in the house. Finally he seemed to realize that he could have lost the only family he had left. That day everything changed. That night dad I came home, and for my surprise dad was not only home early, but also evidently sober. We had a really long conversation which lasted the entire evening and went long past midnight. For the first time ever, I could see my own father as more than just a person I live with. He swore to be better, to make himself better for the both of us, and I believed him.

"And dad did make himself better," he said with a smile. "He got professional help and everything about him kept changing bit by bit, and the more he changed for the better, the closer I grew to him and the more I could hope for the both of us to be like a normal family."

His face then fell again, "But it seems that bad news are just following me whenever I go. When we got here, to the future, I was told he died in one of the Millefiore attacks on the family, the one in Namimori. It took place less than a week before we arrived in the future." Yamamoto had tears in his eyes at this point, "To think that I would spend more than half my life hating him and just when we were finally becoming closer we would have only a few years together before I lose him again."

Gokudera didn't know what to say to that, this was the worst. He still tried though, "You probably already know," Gokudera said while he turned completely towards the crying boy and laid his hand on the other's shoulder, trying his best to calm Yamamoto down, "that things always get worse before they get better." Stopping only when he remembers just how bad the situation was, he continues, "We are already in the future, taking a part and fighting a war not from our time, there are many causalities but nearly not enough survivors and allies for the family to keep on existing." the situation really was bad, he noted for himself while he continued listing one event after the other.

"And now, we are locked, prisoners in the hands of the opposing family, the Millefiore." he spat, frowning at the thoughts that were currently residing in his head, "The only thing we can do to support the family at the moment is wait, try to survive while not revealing any information to the enemy and last but not least, hope and trust the others to break us out of here.

"So you see? I doubt it could get any worse." the Italian reassured, though he could see that just as himself, Yamamoto had his doubts about the statement. "Everything will get better, we will make it better soon."

"Yes, I know." Yamamoto said, not feeling really encouraged but that truly was all they had. "The question is how much worse will things get before they get better." he mumbled to himself, and though Gokudera still managed to hear it he said nothing.

Gokudera didn't have anything to say to that.

Later that day, it seemed to be already night but Yamamoto was still feeling awkward. He didn't mean to share all those things, just small parts of everything really. Though he must admit that it did help him with the pain, to concentrate on something else, no to mention the unintended relief he felt for talking about his past with someone.

They didn't do anything interesting other than bandaging Gokudera's wounds. Although, they found out that it was a difficult task in itself. What with one of Yamamoto's hands being useless and the fact that it was extremely difficult for Gokudera to bandage his own back. Not to mention the fact that once they tried pulling the shirt Yamamoto had tied to cover Gokudera's back and make the bleeding stop the shirt material pulled on the closed wounds and opened them once again, making them bleed.

It was not a pretty sight, all the blood rushing from the freshly opened wounds. Also Gokudera's evident pain and suffering made completing the job even more difficult. But in the end, the result was quite satisfying, and also ensured that the wounds would not infect for at least the next few days.

The food came for the second time this day and he struggled a bit to eat with his left hand but still managed. Another meal passed in silence.

Gokudera's sleep was once again disturbed. He didn't even realize he had fallen asleep, but it still irked him that he had to wake up over his stupid problem. He sat up and looked down, seeing Yamamoto sleeping, curled on the floor. Letting out an exhausted sigh the Italian was almost giving up, the boy just doesn't learn, does he? And now he had, in god knows what time it is, to find a way to drive it through that thick skull of this stupid boy just why it was important him to not sleep on the floor.

Gokudera however, couldn't find one reason other than what he had already told Yamamoto, to make the boy stay on the bed. Well, no reason other than the one that kept nagging him, but he wouldn't, couldn't, ask Yamamoto for this reason. The other boy would probably think that he was weak and fragile, and he wasn't!

But it was for the best, and then maybe he could sleep peacefully again, not feeling so damn cold all night. He frowned, what was he doing? Since when had he cared what anyone thought of him? Well, other than the tenth, he was not just anyone. But really, why should he care? Why should he try to convince himself what was better for them both when he already knew the answer?

Finally coming to a resolution with himself, he ended the mental debate and turned to face it's main character.

"Yamamoto," Gokudera called softly from the bed, getting no answer, "Yamamoto, get up!" he said again, this time a bit more harshly. It worked, and Yamamoto stirred lightly in his sleep before opening his eyes fully to scan the room, his eyes stopping on Gokudera's green ones that were staring tiredly right at his.

For a few seconds no one said a word, an unnerving silence filling the cell. Gokudera gestured towards the bed and waited for Yamamoto to move himself and get it over with, but the rain guardian wouldn't make it easy for him seeing as he just continued to sit still on the floor. He then sighted for the second time in the last few minutes and finally gave up. "Yamamoto,"

"Takeshi." the other boy said, not making any sense to his friend on the bed.

"What?" Gokudera asked, confused.

"Well, you already know pretty much all about me so its stupid for you to still call me by my last name."

"I see." Gokudera said, contemplating how he should react to this. He realized it didn't really matter, what mattered right now is to fend off Yamamoto's stubbornness. "Takeshi," he said, "sleep on the bed with me."

"What?" Yamamoto asked, thinking that there won't be a repeat of last night once Gokudera came to his senses and was not hurting so much that he was probably hallucinating. Gokudera on the other hand, could not believe he was actually asking this.

"I need you," Gokudera started lamely, knowing he could not phrase it any worse than he had just done, "to hold me." he finished, just as lamely. "I don't feel so good and I don't know what to do anymore. We need all the sleep we could get, but for the last two days I haven't slept for more than a few hours straight and I'm exhausted." he said, trying to save himself from falling into the hole he personally dug for himself. "I think I'm having Withdrawals."

"Withdrawals?"

"Nicotine withdrawals, I haven't had a cigarette in almost a week."

"Oh... Okay." Yamamoto said, it never occurred to him... Perhaps this was why Gokudera was so easily irritated these days? He just passed it as stress from their position, not as an actual medical condition that could possibly make it worse. Really, you just couldn't know with Gokudera, he was always acting like that. Choosing not to reply anymore, and thus make the Italian drown in even more embarrassment, he climbed on to the bed. As opposed to last night, this time he was facing Gokudera. He carefully wrapped his arms around the boy and pulled him awkwardly towards his chest.

Gokudera involuntarily let out a contented sigh and reveled in the rain guardian's warmth. He knew it shouldn't feel so good, but it didn't change the fact that it did. "Good night." he said, closing his eyes and hoping to actually get some peaceful sleep tonight.

"Good night." Yamamoto returned, closing his eyes and hoping for a better tomorrow.

The silence filled the room once more, both boys were laying on the bed, in each other's warmth and soon they were both falling into much needed sleep, having one dreadful, eternal question tugging at the back of both their minds,

'What is going to happen next?'

Fathers and sons, grandmothers and grandchildren,
mother's heart is exploding.
Who is guilty for her? who is guilty for me?
Who will bury who?
Father crying for his son crying for his father.

So... Yeah, that's it for now... Was it any good?

Next chapter will hopefully be this week and will have some GammaXGokudera, and for any of you who don't like it, although I would like you to read it, feel free to skip. You already know it's there so you don't really miss the plot :]

But now it's almost six a.m for me and I better get some sleep, so good night and I hope tomorrow will be better for you than it is going to be for me =\