Disclaimer: The usual.

Shadows. They were very unique. They crept, they crawled, but most of all, they hid things right in front of your eyes. Both good and bad, shadows were now apart of everyday life. They could hold many things hidden deep inside, for long periods of time, until someone final stepped up the courage and plunged into the darkness. In many cases, shadows held people, all sorts of people, hiding for different reasons. But perhaps, it was the other way around. The people, or the person, was being the shadow, holding something deep inside and away from others, so that the world wouldn't know what it was until a light was shined upon it.

The light was finally shined on Gokudera's shadow.

Yamamoto stood still, contemplating what to do. On one hand, he could act as if everything was ok, and Gokudera was going to be ok, and just go on about life without a care in the world. On the other hand…

He slammed his fisted palm against the wall and stood up quickly, frustration swelling in his eyes. It had been two days since the confession about his life threatening illness, and Yamamoto was still in shock. After Gokudera had told Tsuna, he had another coughing-up-blood situation and the nurses had rushed the short teen out, and then drugging him so that he could sleep, leaving it up to Tsuna to tell Yamamoto the dreadful news.

At first, Tsuna had expected Yamamoto to believe it was a joke, which he normally did, despite the fact he had matured in so many ways. But he didn't. Instead, the said teen had stayed silent and listened carefully the whole time, never loosing eye contact nor speaking a single word. When Tsuna had finished, Yamamoto had quietly thanked him for telling him, and declared he was going out for a moment.

Tsuna had watched him leave, watched the way he had slowed down as he neared the exit as if he was arguing with himself on staying or not, and then watched him run out and down the street, disappearing into the setting sun. It wasn't a secret what happened to Yamamoto when he returned. His face was pale, his hands were shaking, and his eyes were still red and slightly puffy.

'They had released Gokudera earlier this afternoon,' Yamamoto thought to himself as he peered into the other room. His lover was lying on the couch still, almost curled up in a ball with an arm draped off to the side. Grabbing a towel, Yamamoto quickly dried his black, spiky, hair and threw on his clothes. He bent over and drained the tub and re-hanging the towels he had used. 'So…what the hell does that mean?'

Yamamoto walked out to the living room of the apartment and bent down near the silver haired teen. His eyes were closed and his breathing was soft, a gentle slumber resting upon him. 'Did it mean there was nothing they could do for him?' A tan hand reached out and removed some of the silver hair on his forehead, a weak smile placed upon his face. Gokudera's forehead was hot, and slightly sweaty, but he didn't show any signs of being disturbed or even noticing the fever as he continued to sleep. Yamamoto leaned down quietly and placed a quick kiss on the Italian's head, closing his eyes as he did so.

"Yamamoto…." Hazel eyes opened quickly and looked down at the man below him. Gokudera's eyes were still closed, almost tightly, for he was afraid to see the look on the swordsman's face. He opened his mouth again, the first words he spoke coming out in a whisper, and so he stopped and tried again. "I'm sorry…."

Yamamoto stared at him, his eyes wide and confused at why he had just said that. He leaned forward and gently rubbed Gokudera's cheek. "Don't be sorry…its gonna be alright…" Gokudera finally opened his eyes and looked at his crush and lover. His bottom lip trembled slightly, showing that his emotions were about to get the better of him. Upon seeing this, Yamamoto sighed softly and muttered his name before pulling him up into a sitting position and hugging him tightly.

"Trust me, Hayato," Gokduera's shoulders twitched once, "I wont let anything happen to you." Yamamoto pulled back and looked into those sea green orbs he had come to love so much. He didn't dare say the words that came so naturally to him, he couldn't say them to Gokudera at a time like it. It would just make things harder then they already were.

Swallowing the three words, Yamamoto pressed his tan forehead against the pale one in front of him, touching their noses together as well.

"Don't worry about things for right now, just try to relax and focus on getting better." He smiled brightly, being brave for the Italian, and stood up with smirk plastered on his face. "Are you hungry? You've been sleeping all day."

Yamamoto made his way to the kitchen and opened the fridge, examining the contents it held inside. "I'm gonna make us some dinner, alright?" He glanced back at Gokudera, who was staring down at his hands, deep in thought. His stomach decided to ruin his silence as it growled loudly at the thought of food. Embarrassed, Gokudera blushed and swore at his stomach for being stupid and annoying. Yamamoto laughed at him, walking back over for a moment and kissing the top of his head. "I take that as a yes?"

With a scowl, Gokudera waved him off and stood up. "Yeah, I'm hungry. But knowing you, and how much of an idiot you are, your probably gonna make sushi, correct?" Yamamoto's laugh was as good as any 'yes' could have gotten. Gokudera rolled his eyes and walked into his own kitchen, and began to get out the ingredient so he could help out. Pausing as he rolled up his sleeves, Gokudera glanced behind him at the taller man.

"Hey, Yamamoto?"

"Yes?"

"Don't worry about me…ok?" Gokudera turned around and looked at him, his face totally serious. Yamamoto stared back. "Just promise me two things?"

Yamamoto walked over to him and nodded, his smile slipping down into a thin line, and waited to see what it was.

"One, no matter what happens, never loose that dumbass annoying laugh of yours!" His smile came back in full force, and he chuckled absentmindedly, putting a hand on Gokudera's shoulder and saying a quick 'yes sir'.

"And two," Gokudera stood on his toes and got his face as close as he could, touching their forehead's together once more, "never stop smiling."

The silence was unbearable as Gokudera waited for Yamamoto's response. The baseball player grinned and leaned down to gently kissed his boyfriend, but stopped right before he did.

"I promise."

[AN]: Does anyone know how weird it is to type Gokudera over and over and OVER? Its CREEPY! Review plz!