10th chapter, 10th chapter! I really love you , guys! Thank you for following this story!
Yamamoto Takeshi was what one could call a very lucky boy. He was good-looking, he had a smile that could make any girl swoon, he had a natural gift for sports and, without even giving the impression of working hard, had always got respectable grades since he was in junior high.
His childhood friend, Tsuna, on the other hand, was what everyone called a good-for-nothing: plain look, pathetical grades and hopeless in sports, it was a wonder how he and Yamamoto had become friends. Yet, friends they sure were.
Classes and exams were over and had made room for few days of break – the kind of break you can see the end without even starting to enjoy it. Like every time such circumstances occured, Yamamoto would always spend the greater part of his time at Tsuna's home, watching movies, playing games or, like it's the case here, revising the latter's remedial course.
"Hiiiii! I can't learn this!" Tsuna squeaked while throwing sheets and sheets of paper in the air, then collapsed on the floor of his bedroom. For lack of understanding it, he had been trying to remember by heart the same formula for hours and hours now but nothing – nope, absolutely nothing – was staying in his mind. And the fact that the one who was helping him swotting up for the second chance examination was the extremely gifted Gokudera Hayato wasn't helping him at all. In fact, listening to Gokudera explaining their courses was more like listening to some strange voodoo incantation rather than anything else.
"Come on, Tsuna!" Yamamoto cheered up. "It's not that hard. Look, if you divide this with this, you'll get… Um… I think you can obtain β this way…"
Hayato glared at Yamamoto behind his thick glasses. "You baseball freak! That's completely wrong!"
"Really? But I got the right answer, didn't I?"
Hayato started scribbling some undecipherable notes in Tsuna's book "You've got it all wrong. S+ shouldn't be here. It's not even the right ratio. It's more like #?!©À¥ minus Ü◊↙₮‼ῶ then you get ῗὩὍ. You see? So what's so hard with this?" Or that's more or less what Tsuna could comprehend from what the silver haired boy was saying.
"Kyaaah! I give up!"
Suddenly a knock on the door. "Tsuna?" His mother called. "Can you go buy eggs? I used the last ones and I can't leave the kitchen right now."
"Heee? But it's already dark outside!" The brunette complained. That was right: it was already past 8p.m. and the next convenience store was three streets further. And in Sawada Tsunayoshi's defense, I also have to add that the boy was a scaredy-cat.
Takeshi got up. "It's okay, Mrs. Sawada. I'm going to buy them. Anyway Gokudera can explain this better than me, can't he Tsuna?" He smiled. It wasn't a sarcastic smile. The dark haired youth actually believe every word he had uttered, and this in spite of the fact Tsuna had opened wide, horrified eyes and was shaking his head frantically as though to say 'don't you leave me with this madman.'
Yamamoto left the apartment and ran down the stairs leading to the ground floor. What he didn't expect, though, was to find, once at the entrance of the building, a gorgeous silver haired man standing outside in casual clothes, a lit cigarette between his thin fingers, the complexion strangely pallid under the streetlamps' light.
"Sensei…?" He rose to ask. That encounter was so incredible he almost couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. Heavy greyish orbs slowly turned to look at him.
"Oh, that's you." Squalo said very simply. "What are you doing here?"
"I… Um… My friend is living here." The dark haired boy pointed at the building. "And you? You look like you're waiting for someone."
The silverette frowned. Did he give that impression? He pondered. That was the last thing he needed. He took a gulp from his cigarette then puffed out. "I'm not. I'm just short of cigarettes. Was about to buy a new pack."
"Oh, are you? Mind if I go with you? I have stuff to buy, too."
Squalo shrugged and turned his back to Yamamoto, who followed him closely. The boy couldn't believe his luck. It wasn't everyday he could see the silverette that close and in such a different environment. It was as though he'd finally overtaken that professor-student barrier that had always stood between them when they were in the university. But what was rejoicing him the most was the fact the silver haired man didn't seem to be angry at him anymore, and that did mean a lot for the boy.
They were walking slowly in the desert streets. Takeshi had no idea for what the eggs would be used for, and he didn't truly care. All that did matter to him at the moment was to make the time he was spending with the silverette longer. He didn't know what they could talk about. If there was something the younger swordsman didn't want was to say some stupid things to the silver head again and to make him run away. So he remained silent, only listening to their footsteps on the asphalt and, from time to time, watching at any change in Squalo's expression. And Yamamoto hadn't been wrong: as monotonous as the walk could be, Squalo indeed needed that silence around him. Just for a while.
However the night was starting to get chilly and Yamamoto noticed Squalo was only wearing very light linen clothes. All of a sudden a blast of wind blew in the street, making silver locks gracefully spread all around the older man and give the latter a goose skin. Without thinking, Takeshi took off his jacket and wrapped the silverette's narrow shoulders with it.
"What's that?" Squalo inquired, eyebrows furrowed.
It was Yamamoto's turn to shrug. "It's cold, you know. It would be a shame to fall sick now."
Squalo stared at him suspiciously, but said nothing. They resumed their walk. Few minutes later, they arrived at the convenience store, got the cigarettes and eggs, and were on their way back home. Anyway, Squalo didn't wait to ruffle for his packs in the bag. Bringing a stick to his lips, he tried to light the lighter up but grimaced as the fire would always die too fast.
"It's broken?" Takeshi asked.
"Nah…" Squalo groaned. "It's that hand… I hurt it earlier. It's annoying."
"Lemme see." The dark haired boy just irreverently pulled at Squalo's left hand and stared at the palm. He smiled. "Ah, I can see it. It's just a splinter. All right, I take it out. Don't move…" And as he said, he slowly took the fragment of wood between his fingernails. He threw it away. "How did it get stuck in your hand?"
The silverette's frown grew deeper. "Che. I just removed a broken table from my living-room."
"You broke a table? How?" Yamamoto bit his lower lip. Somehow he felt he shouldn't have asked that question. Quick. A diversion. "Er… Maybe you'll need some help to take it outside. I can give a hand, if you want."
Squalo still was frowning, but it was more because of his weighing the pros and cons of that proposition. But, it looked like the pros won since Yamamoto Takeshi was finally allowed in the silverette's rooms.
…
"Where the hell have you gone yesterday?" Gokudera yelled at Takeshi, so loud everyone in the classroom turned to look at them with curious eyes. A very useless act indeed since the silver haired boy was sitting right in front of him. Hayato should try to control that, that is, the attitude he has in public. Nonetheless the silver haired youth seemed to be utterly oblivious to people's gape.
Yamamoto smiled whilst averting his eyes. "Yesterday… I-I think I was with dad. You know… He suddenly asked me to help him at the restaurant, so I went back home."
"You were at the restaurant, you say…Of course, 'cause that's what you said in your message." Hayato glared. "I went at your father's restaurant yesterday. You weren't there! We were fucking worried about you!"
"I'm sorr-… Ah?" Yamamoto gaped. "You say you were worried? You, Gokudera?"
Hearing this, a slight blush tinted Gokudera's cheeks. He stuttered. "I-I wasn't! Tsuna was… And Mrs. Sawada too!"
"I'll talk to them later. Is everything all right now?"
Hayato grunted. The dark haired boy had always had that habit to smile happily at him, and he always used to smile such a bright smile it was nearly impossible to bear him ill-will for his behavior. Was he doing it on purpose? Or was he only a stupid baseball freak, too idiot to notice the trouble his always cheerful attitude could do to people? Hayato didn't like him, but he could do absolutely nothing to change that side of him. Finally, he sighed. "Yeah… At what time is Tsuna's exam ending again?"
"12, maybe." Yamamoto watched at his phone. "Do you want to wait for him?"
Gokudera looked up, pensive. "Mmh… I think I can't. I have something to attend before that."
"Do you? Can I go with you?" He asked out of the blue. Hayato didn't see it coming at all and, when this kind of thing happens to him, he bristles up.
"Why do you ask…" He stammered. "I mean… It's nothing important or anything, and I don't need you to… And don't you have practice today? With that psycho sensei? You said he would teach you sword again."
"Well, yeah. But not today."
"Anyway! why do you want to follow me?"
"Because I don't have anything to do today." Takeshi gave tit for tat. "So? Can I?"
"Tsk. All right." The silver haired boy gave up. "But you'd better not bother me, did you hear me?"
"Yup!"
That ended the conversation. The baseball freak was practically beaming with the only idea of tagging along with him the whole day. But as he said, what Gokudera had to do that day wasn't something that important. Just a familial affair: he simply had to welcome someone at home. And two hours later, Yamamoto Takeshi met for the first time the silver haired teen's family. But Hayato had forgotten (for years) to mention that his family was descended from a long line of landed gentry, that they were flush with cash, and also that that 'someone' was in fact WHS Holding's leader Byakuran, and his half-brother.
"WH… What?" Takeshi asked as they were waiting for Byakuran in the flight of steps of the immense and beautified hall of the Gokuderas' estate.
A magnificent chandelier was illuminating the whole place, irradiating the women's jewels and the refined crystals waiters were serving to the guests. In spite of the incredible dimensions of the hall, an intense smell of perfume altogether with a low humming and classic music were filling the place, faintly dizzying Yamamoto. He felt awkward in his everyday outfit in the middle of all that high class society. Hayato didn't look flustered. He didn't even care about getting a change of clothes, yet with his aloof attitude, he seemed to fit perfectly in the scenery.
The silver haired youth eyed shiftily at a couple who was passing by them. "WHS Holding. It's a company my brother set up maybe five or six years ago with a friend of his, in college. Who was that guy again… A What's-his-name Souichi, I think. They started with funds father gave him. They did well at first, but then small shits started to happen. Maybe a fight between Byakuran and the Souichi guy, no one ever knew. But the guy left their business and then something really weird started: things just started to go too well for WHS. Father didn't ask anything. The accomplished son (Hayato stressed ironically on the word 'accomplished') was exceeding his expectations, why would he ask for more? At any rate, his son is back from an important business trip. It's been years since he last came back home, so what kind of face would they show if the family didn't throw a party corresponding to WHS's successful story?"
"Okay…" Yamamoto was smiling gawkily. "So?..."
The silver haired teen scowled. "Of course, you don't get anything of what I'm talking about. Whatever. Ah. That's him."
He beckoned at the dark haired teen. They both went down the stairs and headed to another room adjacent to the hall. There a little committee was chit-chatting idly while drinking cocktails and moving like ghosts in the bright space. And there, in the middle of that little crowd was standing, as a perfect host, Byakuran. He had left his sweater and jeans and now was wearing a flawless designer white suit. The white haired man was smiling politely at everyone, yet one could feel some kind of coldness around him, like a wall he had built on purpose around him in order to keep unwanted people at distance.
Gokudera Hayato knew that wall very well. Even if he had known Byakuran for years, almost since his childhood, it had always been there. Well, it's not as though he could get on that well with his own sister, too. But what he felt around Byakuran when they first met was… fear?
Byakuran was talking to a man in tuxedo when Hayato came into view. He immediately beamed at him. "Isn't this my little brother? How have you been, Hayato?"
"Not bad." Hayato replied. "Dad said you have some stuff to do here. You'll be leaving right after, I guess."
"Yes, but I think this time the job will take a little longer than usual. Is this a friend of yours?" He looked at Takeshi. "How rare to see one."
"No. How rare to see you." Gokudera stiffened. "We're following the same courses at university, that's all."
The white haired man ignored the remark. His expression didn't even change once while Hayato's steadily grew angrier. "You really don't change at all. That's a good point for you."
"Shut up."
"Now, now. I was complimenting you. It's a shame but we can't talk any longer. I have to go back to work…"
"To go back?" The silver haired youth raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you just arrived?"
"My plane landed in Japan yesterday and I immediately attended a meeting. I didn't have time to go home so I stayed at the hotel instead." His cellphone rang. He took it out from his pocket. "Oh, that must be Kikyo. I got to go. See you, Hayato. You too, Um…"
"Yamamoto Takeshi." Said teen bowed.
"Takeshi, then. Oh! I almost forgot." Byakuran rummaged in the inner pocket of his jacket, and then gave enormous packs of marshmallows to the two dumbfounded youths. "For you. I brought them from France. Did you know they make the best marshmallows of the world? I'd love spending even only a week there."
"What the…" Hayato mumbled.
"You're welcome. Sur ce."
Byakuran left the room, then the hall. Yamamoto didn't lose sight of him until the man was totally out of his field of vision. "He doesn't look that bad. Maybe a little weird."
Gokudera sighed and weighed the marshmallows in his arms. "Just how did he put those in his jacket…"
The young swordsman took a piece of marshmallow in his mouth. "And he's right." He gulped down. "They really taste good."
Gokudera snapped. "You two stop talking about fucking marshmallow!"
Byakuran barely heard his brother's angry shout. In no time, he was already in the mansion's backyard. He picked up the call and, for the first time since he crossed the mansion's entrance, his air slightly darkened. "Kikyo, things are going on smoothly, I hope… Mmh. Xanxus found out, huh?... Yeah… You don't have to apologize. I knew it wouldn't be that easy… It doesn't matter. As long as they agree, it doesn't… What? The party? Boring. I should have stayed in my hotel room instead… Right. Send me a car. Okay."
He hung up but didn't put his phone down. For one minute, the white haired man remained completely still, his eyes lost in some unknown place and the screen of the cellphone against his forehead. Something sure was troubling him. Slowly a wicked grin stretched his lips.
"Xanxus…" He murmured. "You sure are a dangerous man."
TBC
