Chapter 5-One Last Kiss

Nana opened her eyes slowly, straining to see in the darkness of the room. Once again, she was chained to the wall, her wrists chafed and bleeding from the harsh steel of the handcuffs. Tears once again began to run down Nana's face as she thought about her friends, the only hope she had now.

Shifting her weight to her heels, Nana managed to stand up partially, still shaky from loss of blood. Staggering slightly, she rattled her chains softly, rasping, "Yo, Pineapple Head, you still there? I'd love to give you some more verbal bashing."

Silence met Nana's request, and she sat back down, slightly suspicious. It was never silent in that place, and Mukuro always responded when she called him Pineapple Head. Stretching her feet out in front of her, Nana looked at the various bruises and gashes on her legs. Her jeans had been torn up to her thighs so that Mukuro could get to her legs when he went on his masochistic rampages. "Dammit," she whispered to herself, leaning her head back against the wall. "Why haven't they fed me yet? I'm fuckin' starving here."

Closing her eyes, Nana tried to imagine that Yamamoto was there in front of her, reaching out to touch her. Sighing, she began to cry softly again, longing for Yamamoto's strong arms to wrap around her, embracing her tightly as his deep, calm voice comforted her. "Rescue me," she suddenly found herself whispering to thin air. "Rescue me Yamamoto."

"I'm here, princess," a very familiar voice whispered.

Nana opened her eyes to see Yamamoto kneeling in front of her, a look of concern etched on his handsome face. Sobbing, Nana tried to reach out, only to be stopped by the chains binding her to the wall. "Is….is this real?" she whispered, squinting at his face.

Yamamoto reached out and softly touched Nana's cheek, a tear rolling down his cheek. "Yes," he said, stroking her bleeding cheek, "this is real. I'm here, Nana. I'm here."

Picking up his sword, Yamamoto hacked at the chains binding Nana until they broke apart, freeing her from the wall's grasp. Nana began to fall forward, unaccustomed to her freedom, and Yamamoto caught her, holding her tightly to his chest. Placing her small, bruised hands against Yamamoto's chest, Nana began to sob softly again, soaking his shirt in salty tears and blood.

Yamamoto stroked her back, feeling her raw skin peeking out from tears in Nana's shirt. While she wept into his chest, Yamamoto tried to control his hands from shaking in rage. How dare Mukuro do this to Nana, a sweet, innocent girl? Gently, Yamamoto pushed Nana away and said, "Look, the others in a couple of rooms away fighting Mukuro. While I carry you out, you have to be quiet, or else they might catch us."

Nana nodded, and Yamamoto gently picked her up in his arms, her head still buried in his chest. "Yamamoto?" she asked quietly as he began to run towards the exit. "How long have I been here?"

Yamamoto clenches his fists, trying to calm down. "Three days, Nana. You've been here for three days."

Burying her face further into his chest, Nana whispered, "Really? It felt like I was here for months…" With that, Nana's breathing leveled out, and she fell asleep in her savior's arms.

With utter tenderness, Yamamoto looked down at the bruised and battered girl in his arms, feeling his heart bursting. Slowly, he bent his head and placed his lips on hers…

ONE MONTH LATER…

Nana stood up in the crowd, white bandages wound around both arms. "Go, Takeshi!" she screamed, pumping one of her bandaged fists into the air. "Take 'em down!"

Gokudera glared at Nana, trying desperately to ignore the baseball game the others around him were watching. "C'mon, Nana, quit screaming and sit down. If you don't watch it, your wounds will open up again."

Glaring at Gokudera, Nana turned back to the game, shouting encouragement. "What are you, my mom?" she asked Gokudera snidely.

Trying desperately to keep himself from blowing this girl up, Gokudera growled, "Look, I honestly don't care if you bleed to death, but Yamamoto placed you in my care. If something happens to you, he'll kill me."

Nana grinned evilly at him, and Tsuna had to hold Gokudera back to keep him from blowing Nana up. Ignoring the ruckus behind her, Nana focused on the game. Yamamoto was up to bat, a surprisingly serious look on his face. Clasping her hands together, Nana closed her eyes and whispered, "Please, please let him get a home run, god. Please."

Opening her eyes but keeping her hands clasped, Nana looked back down at the field. "C'mon," she breathed, leaning forward. "C'mon, Takeshi!"

With a resounding crack and a roar from the crowd, Takeshi hit a home run, grinning the entire time he ran around the bases. By the time he got back to home base, his entire team was there to meet him, some of them giving him hearty slaps on the back, others mussing his hair. Glancing up into the stands, Yamamoto saw Nana rooting for him, her hands waving in the air as she screamed his name. He winked at her, and she blushed, looking away. She had been acting shy ever since the kiss…

TWO WEEKS PREVIOUSLY…

Nana lay in a bed in Shamal's clinic, her entire body covered in white bandages. She stared out the window, longing to go outside and spend time with her friends. But instead, she was stuck in a hospital bed, surrounded by the smell of disinfectant and the soft beeping of machines. Nana sighed and turned her head back to stare at the white ceiling.

A pile of books and manga that Dino had brought for her sat on the table by her bed. Alongside the books was a taser that Gokudera had given her, just in case Shamal tried anything.

There was a soft knock on the door, and Nana called, "Come in!"

Tsuna walked into the clean white room carrying a vase of flowers and a box of chocolates. Shooting into a shooting position, Nana bowed her head. "Boss!" she said, trying to hide the pain she felt just from sitting up. "How are you?"

Placing the vase near the windowsill, Tsuna sighed and said, "I'm fine. What's more important is how you're feeling."

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Nana struggled to stand up, a pained grin on her face. "I'm just fine, Boss!" she said, desperately trying to control the severe pain that shot through her legs. "In fact," she said, taking a few staggering steps toward the door, "I'm ready to go out and help you guys! I've missed way too much school too. People must be worried."

Nana felt a sudden wave of dizziness, and she slammed a hand on the wall, trying to support her weight. Tsuna rushed over and felt her forehead. "You've got a fever again. Didn't Shamal tell you not to move around so much? You'll reopen your wounds," Tsuna said soothingly as he led the shivering, feverish girl back to the bed.

"No," Nana said, weakly pushing Tsuna away, "I'm fine. That quack doesn't know what he's talking about, obviously. Half the time he's drunk, and the other half of the time he's completely ignoring me." Tsuna had started moving to take her back to the bed, but Nana held a hand up, stopping him in his tracks. "I'm fine, Boss. I feel more than fine, actually."

Another wave of dizziness shot through Nana, and she fell forward, trying to reach out for the door. At that exact moment, Yamamoto had walked through the door with a bag of fruit, grinning cheerily. That grin, however, disappeared as Nana fell on him, grabbing the shoulders of his jacket to steady herself.

"Whoa," Yamamoto said, placing his hands on Nana's shoulders to steady her shaky form. "You all right there, Nana?"

Tsuna breathed a sigh of relief. "She was trying to get out again," he said, placing the box of chocolates he had brought next to the books and taser.

Gently, Yamamoto picked Nana up and carried her over to the bed, placing her down on the sheets with utter tenderness. "You need to stop escaping, Nana. It's only sapping more strength from you," he scolded with a smile.

Nana pouted and turned away, blushing. "I'm not escaping, I'm simply doing what I should be doing, instead of what that quack tells me to do." She rubbed her arms and winced slightly as pain shot through her.

Reaching over, Yamamoto took her hands and placed them by her sides, where she couldn't reach her arms. "Dr. Shamal told you not to do that," he said, taking out an apple and a knife. Peeling the apple, he continued. "Nana, if you keep being reckless like that, you're only going to get worse. We only want the best for you."

"And let me guess," Nana said sarcastically. "The best for me is to stay in this clinic and let Shamal tend to my wounds."

"Exactly," Yamamoto said with a grin. Nana snorted and began to rub her arms again. "Aw, c'mon," Yamamoto said with a sigh, "don't be so stubborn. It wouldn't hurt you to listen to people for a change."

"What are you, my mother?!" Nana suddenly screamed, shooting up. Tsuna, suddenly uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere pervading the room, silently slipped out the door. "Don't tell me what to do. There's a reason why I'm a Mafioso, and that's so I can be free." Nana grabbed the knife from Yamamoto's hand and pointed it at him, deadly serious. "I like you, Yamamoto, but if you try to pin me down, I won't take any mercy on you."

A rare serious look painted itself on Yamamoto's face, and he stood up. "Nana, put the knife down right now."

Tears suddenly falling from her eyes, Nana shook her head, the knife shaking unsteadily in her hands. "I won't!" she screamed, and lunged for Yamamoto.

Yamamoto dodged the attack and grabbed Nana roughly by the waist. Throwing her down on the bed, Yamamoto pinned Nana's hands to the pillow. Crouching above her, Yamamoto used his free hand to take the knife from Nana's hands. Tossing it to the side, Yamamoto looked Nana in the eyes, a fierce expression on his face. Nana, suddenly afraid, turned her head away from him, her eyes screwed shut.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Yamamoto hissed. "Ever since we got back, you've been nothing but rude to everyone but Tsuna. What's the deal?"

Nana was silent.

Yamamoto sighed. "Nana, tell me."

A shake of the head from the girl beneath him.

"Please…" he said, a look of pain crossing his face.

Nana, surprised by this sudden change of attitude, blurted out, "I'm a sorry excuse for a Guardian. I let you all down when I was captured by Rokudo. I figured that if I ignored you guys, Tsuna might finally realize that I'm unfit to be a Guardian."

"Don't be stupid." Yamamoto released Nana's hands and held her face with both hands. "Tsuna and everyone else think that what you did was very brave. You protected us even though you were being tortured mercilessly." He leaned forward and touched his forehead to hers. "You showed a lot of strength and guts back there."

Blushing, Nana closed her eyes. "Thank you…" she whispered, tears streaming down her face again.

Pulling back, Yamamoto looked Nana in the face, a strange expression on his features. "What's wro—"

Nana was cut off as Yamamoto leaned forward and kissed her, his warm, soft lips pressing against hers with urgency that she had never encountered before. She relaxed into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Yamamoto's neck, closing her eyes.

Suddenly, the door open, and Gokudera walked into the room. "Whoops, sorry," he said, not the least bit sorry. "Didn't mean to interrupt your consummating of the relationship there." A pillow flew across the room and smacked him in the face. "Whoa, sorry," he said, putting his hands up to avoid other objects that Nana threw at him. "I'll leave, I'll leave."

The door shut, and the two looked at each other again. Nana suddenly grabbed Yamamoto's head, and they picked up from where they had left off.