A/N: And chapter 7 is here! Thanks for all of your awesome reviews again guys! They are very appreciated! This chapter starts the beginning of the second half of this story so I hope it's up to your guys' standards. I know you guys were looking forward to this one since this chapter stars Gokudera's mom and Luckymoto—err, I mean Yamamoto, my bad lol.

Wow. So we have the lucky number 7 chapter and Luckymoto everybody! XD

Ok, I'm done being a nerd, but please, do enjoy the chapter. =)

Also note (Edit): Yes, for the final time, I do know that Gokudera's mother's name is actually Lavina! I did not know that at the time I originally wrote this fic, because the information for that can only be found on Reborn wiki sites. That's because Lavina's name was never mentioned in the anime or manga, which are the only sources I really have access to, and I never thought of looking up a wiki page…I didn't even know that one existed until after this fic. So yes, her name is Lavina, and I don't care that I named her something else in this fic because I didn't know at the time. Either way, the name I picked for her is meaningful to her character so please don't mind that tidbit, because I'm not changing it.

Part 7

Yamamoto didn't know how long he had been staring because he seemed to have lost all sense of time as he took in the beautiful woman before him. She looked so remarkably like Gokudera that the Japanese boy had to remind himself that the person in front of him was someone different; a more feminine version of his beloved Italian.

The woman in turn, appeared very uncertain as she gazed up into Yamamoto's eyes. She wasn't sure if she should call for help since the boy who was staring at her (it was starting to creep her out) hadn't done anything yet. She remembered that the boy had asked her if they knew each other but she was fairly certain she had never seen the tall, Japanese youth in all of her life. Apparently, that didn't seem to be the case for the boy before her. It looked like the taller teen recognized her in some way.

As the raven-haired teen continued to stare at the woman in awe, Yamamoto noticed a growing pain accumulating in his chest. Realizing that he hadn't breathed for the past minute, the Japanese teen took a deep breath and shook his head to clear his thoughts, his lungs grateful for the oxygen. The woman's appearance had been such a shock to him that he really couldn't blame himself for his slight blunder.

It also didn't help that the woman was breathtakingly beautiful too.

Trying to ignore that last thought, Yamamoto remembered what he had come there to do. Even though he had his suspicions about who the woman was, he had to know for certain. As he prepared himself to ask his question, he couldn't help but notice the uncertainty in the silver-haired woman's stare. Feeling bad for his previous and slightly creepy actions, Yamamoto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he said, "Haha, sorry if I scared you. It's just that you really look like someone I know."

The long-haired woman relaxed at Yamamoto's change in behavior but only slightly. She still felt unsure. The look that the taller teen had given her before had unnerved her; it was like he was looking through her and seeing someone else in her place. "Excuse me," The woman asked hesitantly as she looked the taller teen over again to make sure that she didn't recognize him. "But do you know me? I'm certain that you asked that a moment ago and you look as if you do."

Yamamoto could feel his body tense up and goosebumps form on his skin as he heard the silver-haired woman speak for the first time. It was light, feminine, and had such a melodious ring to it that it was captivating to hear. She didn't sound like Gokudera but the way she spoke, the part that made Yamamoto wish to hear her more, reminded him yet again of his lover. "Haha, like I said, you remind me of someone. I know I've never met you personally but…" Yamamoto paused, his own hesitancy showing as he asked the woman what he had been dying to ask for a while now. "Would you happen to be the mother of Gokudera Hayato?"

The woman's reaction to the question was not what Yamamoto was expecting. As his hopeful gaze met the silver-haired woman's once again, the uncertainty in her features drastically morphed into fear as she defensively backed herself into the couch like she was trying to escape.

Before he could ask what was wrong, the beautiful woman questioned in a shaking voice, "H-How do y-you know that name?!"

Yamamoto just blinked stupidly at the question. Had he been wrong? Was this woman not Gokudera's mother? He could have sworn he had heard that waiter call her by that last name…

Seeing that the Japanese boy was obviously confused by her question, the woman elaborated. "Th-The only people who know that name are my son's father and myself."

Still confused by what the woman was saying, Yamamoto pressed on, wondering if he had heard the woman right. "So…you are Gokudera's mother?"

There was a short pause as the silver-haired woman's gaze bored into his hazel-eyes as if she was searching for something. Yamamoto was a little uncomfortable by the piercing glare but he assumed that the lady found what she was looking for because she finally responded. "If you want to be technical then, yes, I am Gokudera Hayato's mother."

Even though he had finally received his answer, Yamamoto still felt lost on what to do. He felt relieved that he had been right in guessing who the woman was and he also felt extremely lucky about being able to meet her but judging from how uncomfortable the silver-haired woman looked right now, he knew he still had to tread lightly.

"I still don't understand how you know that name." Gokudera's mom spoke up again in suspicion as she still looked upon Yamamoto in slight fright. "Did you search down my son's birth certificate? That's the only documentation for him with that name."

Yamamoto gave another sheepish laugh as he tried to figure out how to explain himself now without causing the woman to be afraid of him more. After all, it's not like he could tell her he was from the future. "Um…no…"

The silver-haired woman's eyes widened in shock at the Japanese boy's reply, her mind reeling on how it was possible for the teen to know her son's Japanese name without reading the birth certificate. "But…" The half-bred Italian woman started out in surprise, her eye's imploring Yamamoto's for an answer. "The father of my son would never tell you his Japanese name! He calls our son by an Italian name to ensure his safety from disownment within the mafia. Even our son doesn't know of his second name! I don't see why the father of my son would divulge that name to you if it would only ruin our plans of protecting Hayato…you had to have gotten access to our son's birth certificate…"

Yamamoto continued to blink in astonishment as he processed the beautiful woman's words. This was the first time he had heard about Gokudera having two names. "Gokudera…has an Italian name?" Yamamoto asked in slight surprise before an excited smile spread across his face. "Haha, that's pretty cool! So what is his Italian name?"

Gokudera's mother opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out in her shock as Yamamoto gave her an innocent and expectant look. What the Japanese teen had said hadn't made any sense at all! Feeling even more afraid of who was in front of her now, the silver-haired woman exclaimed, "How can you know my son's Japanese name and not his Italian one?! Are you playing with me?!" As her eyes narrowed in anger, the woman couldn't help but ask a question that had been plaguing her since Yamamoto had asked of her lineage to her precious son. "You're a spy, right? You're someone who was sent by a rival family to dig up secrets about my son and his father because you know I was unprotected, right?"

Seeing how worked up Gokudera's mother was being, Yamamoto desperately tried to calm her down. If he remembered correctly, she was supposed to be sick so it probably wouldn't do her any good to get very excited. "Ah, no, no, I'm not a spy!" The taller boy exclaimed with a hesitant laugh as he brought his hands up in a placating manner. "I know your son's other name because I'm a friend of his!"

If it was possible, more concerned etched itself onto the older woman's face as Yamamoto's explanation rang through the air. Now, nothing seemed to make sense. "How is that possible?!" The silver-haired woman shouted in confusion as she clutched at her arms in fear of the boy before her. Who exactly was he? "I told you that our son doesn't even know that he has a Japanese name! Not to mention, our son is two while you're obviously an older teenager. How could you two be friends when your ages are so far apart? Do you even speak Italian?!"

"Um…" Yamamoto let out pathetically, swallowing heavily upon figuring out that he had just backed himself into a corner. How could he explain himself now without divulging that he was from the future? It didn't help that the older woman was asking him questions in a foreign language now, so he didn't even know where to begin in answering her questions. All he could do was stare at her with a lost and confused look on his face until she figured out that he wasn't going to be responding back to her in Italian.

Yamamoto was beginning to wonder if this woman was just as difficult as her son.

It was here that Gokudera's mother realized that the tall Japanese boy looked as genuinely confused as she felt while she continued to rattle off questions in Italian. Realizing that the boy probably wasn't going to respond and that he didn't know the language, she stopped her questioning and gazed at the teen in worry. If he didn't understand Italian then how on earth was he a friend of her son? Even her son's birth certificate was in Italian, so if the teen before her really didn't know the language, then how come he knows her son's Japanese name when only her son's father, her and possibly even the doctor (What was his name again? Sham-something?) that helped her give birth only know the name?

Seeing the pensive look cross the silver-haired woman's face, Yamamoto saw his opportunity to explain; which he wasn't looking forward too. He saw no other alternative but to tell the woman the truth but, of course, there was the possibility that by telling her he was from another time he would only worsen the situation and that she would call for help, thinking he was crazy and possibly dangerous.

With hesitant yet hopeful eyes, Yamamoto peered into the older woman's irises, his body language cool and calming much like the rain he symbolized. He hoped that the rain flames he was emanating from his body would somehow reach Gokudera's mother in the hopes of calming her down somewhat. "I'm sorry if I'm scaring you." The taller teen started out, his voice pausing for a second in hesitation before he gathered his courage and continued. "I…I really do have an explanation for everything but, haha, I'm afraid you won't believe me!"

Gokudera's mother didn't answer but she calmed somewhat upon seeing the boy rub the back of his head sheepishly again, a friendly smile now adorning his face. She found herself slowly beginning to feel that the Japanese boy didn't mean her any harm but she was still uncertain of what his objective was.

Yamamoto noticed the silent plead in the older woman's eyes to continue and so he did, the sheepish look never leaving his face as he shyly glanced her way. "Um…would you believe me if I said I was from the future…?"

Silence was the taller teen's only answer as the silver-haired woman's eyes widened in shock, then confusion, and then trepidation as she practically welded herself to the back of the couch to get as far away as from Yamamoto as possible. The future? As much as she would like to believe that, there was no possible way, right? Was he crazy?!

Noticing the startled look on the woman's face, Yamamoto frantically went into explanation mode. "Ah! You see, in the mafia world there's this thing called the 10-Year-Bazooka which can send you ten years forward in time! But, well, it kind of malfunctioned and sent me back in time more than ten years, so that's why I'm here." With that, the still ever hopeful Japanese boy waited to see the woman's response, slightly bracing himself for the woman to start screaming that there was a crazy man in the restaurant.

"The…10-Year-Bazooka?" Gokudera's mother asked, uncertain if she had heard that right but her eyes lighting up in slight recognition nonetheless. After she received a hesitant nod from Yamamoto in confirmation, her eyes widened even further in awe and disbelief. "H-Hayato's father didn't tell me much about his mafia life but he told me about the plans for that bazooka being made. He shared that bit of information with me because…well…he found out that I was interested in time travel and science fiction."

Yamamoto couldn't stop the gentle smile that spread across his face at the woman's words. He smiled even more when he noticed how she averted her eyes from him and blushed in embarrassment at her admittance. At that, Yamamoto couldn't help but laugh. "Haha, that's cool! Gokudera loves sci-fi stuff too!"

"R-Really?" Gokudera's mother asked cautiously, like she was still unsure if she should believe what the raven-haired teen was saying. After a strained moment where she tried to figure out if she should feel wary about Yamamoto or feel happy about her son possibly sharing another interest with her (when she visited, they only played the piano), the silver-haired woman finally asked. "Are you really from the future?"

Yamamoto chuckled at that and gave the doubtful woman his most calming and assuring expression while he placed his hands behind his head in a carefree manner. "Yeah, I am! It's like you said; how else would I know about Gokudera's name if I didn't know he had an Italian name? That's impossible, right?"

There was a moment of pause before Gokudera's mother nodded her head in acceptance and patted the seat on the couch next to her for Yamamoto to sit down, her eyes shining with intrigue. Really, what else could she believe?

Laughing happily at the situation and the calmer air that surrounded the silver-haired woman, Yamamoto made his way up to her and held out his hand. "Sorry. With everything else going on I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Yamamoto Takeshi!"

Gokudera's mother gave the taller boy a slightly cautious but gentle smile in return as she took his hand in hers. "Gokudera Kazumi."

Yamamoto smiled at that, noting that based upon the characters used, the woman's name translated into 'beautiful harmony'. Feeling the woman's silent and questioning eyes on him, Yamamoto quickly took the offered seat next to Gokudera's mother. He decided that he should further explain his connection to Gokudera and their role in the mafia to her so that she would believe him more. "I've been Gokudera's friend for a long time now…" Yamamoto started out as he faced the beautiful woman beside him with an affectionate smile, his eyes somewhat distant as he talked about the person he cared for most. "I met him my first year in middle school when he transferred over from Italy. From there, even though we had a very rocky start, we became friends through a mutual friend who was training to take over the Vongola Family as the tenth head. Right now, we have been initiated into the Vongola Family as the 10th Generation Guardians, even though we are still not officially taking over the family until we're out of college, or unless something happens to the Ninth." It was here that Yamamoto's eyes regained their focus as he gave Gokudera's mother a goofy smile. "I'm not really for the whole mafia thing, but Tsuna wants to turn it into a…what's it called…a vigilante group? Well, what I'm getting at is that he wants to help those in need. We all know it's going to be difficult to change the Vongola but that's what our group is going to strive for. Besides, I owe Tsuna my life so I would never leave him in the first place, haha!"

Gokudera's mother could only stare in astonishment at the load of information explained to her, completely enraptured with the idea of her son helping people in need instead of the whole bloody, black-market, kind of vibe the regular mafia was known for. She could feel herself relaxing even further as some of her motherly worries were put to rest. With all the information Yamamoto had shared with her, it was hard not to believe that he was her son's friend from the future.

"I'm sorry for doubting you earlier." The woman spoke shyly as she slightly shifted her eyes away out of embarrassment, returning her gaze to Yamamoto's only after she had resolved herself to ask another question. "If you don't mind, could you tell me how my son is doing now in the future? D-Does he have any other hobbies that he likes besides science fiction?"

Yamamoto gave a sad smile at the questions as he noted the almost desperate look in the silver-haired woman's eyes. It must be hard for her to not know too much about the son she hardly ever got to see. "Gokudera's…pretty interesting, haha." Yamamoto laughed, trying to lighten the mood again as another endearing smile spread across his face. "He's very smart. He loves studying and reading books and he constantly helps Tsuna and me with our homework, haha! Gokudera's also came up with his own language too! He loves to crack codes, so the books he always reads are science fiction or detective novels. He also loves cats so I have to constantly stop him from bringing strays home with him. Haha, his cat, Uri, doesn't like them too much!"

As the raven-haired teen continued to rattle off what Gokudera liked to do, the Italian teen's mother couldn't help but smile at the mention of his hobbies, noting that they were very similar to her own.

"Gokudera also likes to create explosives and he tends to use them a lot on people that irritate him. I have to constantly put them out, haha!"

The silver-haired woman's smile quickly disappeared to be replaced with a look of alarm. Had she heard that correctly?!

"He also has a tendency to smoke cigarettes but I've been slowly weaning him off those, so there's nothing to worry about!" It was here that Yamamoto noticed the worry-stricken look on Kazumi's face. Feeling a little apprehensive, the taller teen went on to explain her son's personality as he continuously rubbed the back of his neck and averted his eyes. He had no idea why he was feeling ashamed of what he was about to tell Gokudera's mother but he knew that she had the right to know. "Um…heh, Gokudera can be a bit violent. He's, well, he was pretty anti-social to begin with but he's slowly come out of his shell around Tsuna and the rest of the family. Gokudera has always been wary of people and I'm pretty sure that will never change but, he definitely has trust issues when it comes to others. It took him almost two years to even start trusting me and even now..."

The woman's eyes only became more worried as she witnessed Yamamoto's eyes darken, the hazel orbs shaking with hurt and uncertainty.

"…Even now, I'm certain that Gokudera doesn't trust me. Not completely, despite everything we've been through. He can be so closed off to people sometimes because of how easily he gets hurt. He hasn't even played the piano for—what was it; eight years now?—because he's hurt by his memories of you."

Yamamoto gave a dismissive laugh at that as he glanced back towards Gokudera's mother to give her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I've just been so caught up with Gokudera acting so depressed lately that I guess I just had to let it all out. I know that's the last thing a mother want's to hear about her son, so I'm sorry if I'm worrying you."

With a sad smile, the silver-haired woman just shook her head. "No, don't apologize. I'm glad you're telling me this." There was a short pause as Gokudera's mom looked out towards the restaurant, subconsciously vocalizing her inner thoughts. "I wish I could be a little stronger. Then I could fight my illness and actually have the time to get to know my son."

The raven-haired teen could feel guilt overcome him as he witnessed the mother's lament. He felt that he should have controlled his words more instead of just saying what was on his mind. Before Yamamoto could guilt trip himself even more though, he felt a hand come to rest on his knee. Surprised at the feeling, he turned to see Gokudera Kazumi staring back at him with worry still clouding her soft, pretty, eyes.

"From what you said earlier, it sounds like I do die sometime in the future like I expect." The petite pianist murmured gently, her hand unconsciously tightening around Yamamoto's knee. "Do…Do you know when I'm supposed to die, Yamamoto-san?"

At first, Yamamoto was a little taken aback by the respectful tone Gokudera's mother was using to say his name but once he heard the question, all thoughts of correcting her to use something more casual came to an abrupt end. Was he really supposed to tell her that? A chibi-version of Gokudera was screaming in his head that telling her the date of her death went against some sort of time-travelers code; obviously he had picked a couple things up from all those sci-fi movies he was forced to watch (well, he made Gokudera watch sports movies so he guessed it made them even).

Shaking away his thoughts, Yamamoto felt that the older woman at least had the right to know, so with a solemn look, the spikey-haired athlete responded, "Yes."

There was another short pause as the two people on the couch stared at each other, the silver-haired woman's eyes widening in slight shock as the taller boy beside her looked upon her sadly. It wasn't long until the shocked expression on the woman's face melted away to be replaced by one of sad acceptance, a knowing smile crossing her features.

"Please don't tell me the date, Yamamoto-san." Gokudera's mother asked kindly as she took her hand off the other boy's knee. "I would like to live out the rest of my life to the fullest without being tied down by a due date."

As the older woman sent a gentle smile his way, Yamamoto couldn't help but return it as he nodded his head in understanding. He could feel the deep respect he had for his boyfriend's mother increase as a happier look crossed her features, her soft eyes alit with new life.

"There has to be something I can do!" Gokudera Kazumi offered as she folded her hands together with a look of determination crossing her face. "Even though I'm no longer alive in your time Yamamoto-san, there still has to be some way that I can help my son. You said he was depressed, right?"

Yamamoto averted his eyes sorrowfully, a frown quickly replacing his smile at the reminder of his troubled lover. "Yeah, it's like…it's like he's trying to run away from something and every time I try to help him he puts up a wall and tries to run away faster. I don't know what to do. Gokudera feels so far away from me now. I wonder if there's any way—"

Suddenly, an idea popped into Yamamoto's head and brought his usual smile back onto his face. With excitement flowing through his veins once again, the raven-haired teen grabbed onto Kazumi's shoulders, surprising the sickly woman who hadn't expected such an abrupt change in mood (truthfully, she preferred the excited looking Yamamoto over the droopy looking one).

"Maybe there is something you can do!" Yamamoto exclaimed happily, his hazel-eyes shining with such enthusiasm that Gokudera's mother didn't mind the iron grip the taller boy had on her shoulders. "We're having this Secret Santa exchange for Christmas and I'm supposed to buy Gokudera a gift but I couldn't find one."

Curiosity filled the older woman's eyes as she gently unhooked the overexcited teen's hands from her shoulders (they were beginning to hurt). "Why couldn't you find a present? Surely, there were plenty of options since you know his likes and hobbies?"

An awkward silence hung in the air as Yamamoto's hands retreated back from the silver-haired woman's hold, the taller teen's eyes darkening with hurt and slight confusion. "Gokudera and I had a…misunderstanding some weeks ago." Yamamoto mumbled out morosely as he turned away from Gokudera's mother, a look of shame crossing his features briefly before being overtaken by a troubled expression. "No matter what I looked at for a gift, nothing seemed to be good enough; not as an apology or for Gokudera himself. I wanted the gift to be perfect..."

Gokudera's mother blinked a couple times before a slow, understanding smile found its way to her lips. "Hayato must mean a lot to you, Yamamoto-san."

A small blush spread across Yamamoto's cheeks at the woman's statement, the reddish hue almost unnoticeable due to his darker skin color. "He does." The tall baseball player admitted without any hesitance as he continued to avert his eyes from the woman next to him. That didn't stop her from noticing the longing in his eyes and the small affectionate smile that adorned his lips as he continued to speak. "Gokudera's my best friend. I…I can't even begin to imagine a life without him. We've been around each other for so long now and we've faced so many difficulties together…"

There was a short silence before Yamamoto finally faced Gokudera's mother, a look of pure determination on his face. "I know I'm asking a lot from you so suddenly like this but if there is any way you can part with something—I mean, I can't think of a more perfect gift to give Gokudera than a memento from his mother! Is there anything you can think of that you could willingly give away?"

The older woman could only blink in shock for a moment before she asked, almost unsure if she had heard correctly. "A… memento from me?"

Now the blush on Yamamoto's face became more prominent as he shyly nodded his head. "Y-Yeah…I think…I think Gokudera would really like it. I don't think he has anything of yours besides his memories of you and the piano—but that's back at his dad's place, I think."

Yamamoto could already imagine it; the look on Gokudera's face when he opened his Christmas present and read the note that would explain his gift (Yamamoto thought of writing one later). The feisty Italian's eyes would well-up cutely with tears of gratitude and he would gaze down on his new gift and then back at Yamamoto with so much love that all their past differences and arguments would be erased. Gokudera would then fly into the raven-haired teen's awaiting arms where he would be met with a loving embrace and a passionate kiss.

As the raven-haired teen went off into his own little world, Kazumi could only laugh at the taller boy's day-dreamy expression; his whole face looking pleasantly dazed as he thought about his precious Gokudera. Yamamoto was so lost in the throes of his unrealistic fantasy that he hadn't heard the silver-haired woman's quite giggles.

Not wanting to interrupt whatever he was thinking about, Gokudera's mother thought hard on Yamamoto's request. What did she have on herself at the moment or in her luggage that she could possible part with and give to her son? She felt a little conflicted as an idea for a gift came to her but, feeling the strongest urge to help the boy beside her and her future son, the older woman nodded to herself determinedly before grabbing Yamamoto's attention.

After gently shaking the taller teen from his dazing stupor—Yamamoto felt embarrassment for outright fantasizing, about the woman's son while he was sitting right next to her and in mid-conversation—the silver-haired woman took a ring from her finger and offered it to the Japanese boy. "How about this, Yamamoto-san? This is the promise ring that Hayato's father gave to me when I was pregnant with our son."

Yamamoto's eyes widened in shock as he glanced down at the ring offered to him. A promise ring? He couldn't take that from her! Besides, it was…

Feeling a little uneasy about the whole idea, Yamamoto gently took ahold of Kazumi's hand and closed her fingers around the ring in her palm. "Um, I don't think…" The raven-haired boy started hesitantly, trying to find the proper words to turn the woman's offer down as politely as he could.

Noticing the boy's uncertainty, Gokudera's mother turned her eyes away; feeling embarrassment for the offer in the first place as she quickly realized what was wrong with her idea. "Oh my, I didn't take things into consideration at all! A ring would be too…girly, wouldn't it?"

"Ah, no, Gokudera-san, that's not it!" Yamamoto exclaimed desperately. He didn't want Gokudera's mother to feel bad for actually trying to help him. "Gokudera actually likes to wear rings." The tall teen went on to continue; conveniently leaving out the fact that the rings were probably something she would disapprove of if she saw them. He couldn't imagine an innocent and refined looking woman approving of punk jewelry. "It's the part about the ring being from his father that concerns me."

Kazumi gave Yamamoto a perplexed look. She didn't understand what the dark-haired teen was getting at. "Does…Hayato not like his father?"

Yamamoto's eyes narrowed, the color of his eyes darkening at the seriousness of the question. "That's an understatement."

As the silver-haired woman's face was overcome with grief by his answer, the raven-haired teen could feel the guilt build up in him once again. He hated that he was causing Gokudera's mother pain but he knew that he couldn't lie to her either. It just wasn't in him to lie to the person who his lover cared so much for, the person who had the same face as his beloved bomber.

Before Yamamoto could feel too much guilt over his answer, the older woman spoke up again, her voice laced with sadness as she took in the taller teen's guilt ridden face. "I know that Hayato's father hasn't made the best decisions concerning our son's upbringing because of the decisions I have made but there's nothing much I can do about that now. As much as I want to go back in time and change things, I can't. I made my decision to stay away from the people I love because of my illness and because I knew that they would be safer without me interfering with their lives more than I already have."

It was here that Kazumi took Yamamoto's hand in hers and placed her promise ring in his palm. "That's why, more than anything, I want to help my son since I was hardly there for him; because I'm the one that has hurt him with my absence and because I'm most likely the reason behind the rift between my son and his father. So please, this ring means as much to me as my son does. Please, give it to him."

In that moment, Yamamoto felt confliction arise within him as he held the ring in his hand and as the silver-haired woman eyed him pleadingly. His gut was telling him that this wasn't a good idea but his heart wanted to believe that the ring could help Gokudera and him with whatever problem that was tearing them apart.

After what felt like an eternity of glancing back and forth between the ring and the woman awaiting his answer, Yamamoto still felt unsure of what to do.

Seeing how troubled he was, Kazumi gently noted. "I believe that this gift will be perfect for Hayato. Have a closer look at the ring and you will see why."

A little curious now, Yamamoto did as he was told and brought the ring closer into his field of vision, holding the delicate, circular metal between his thumbs and forefingers as he inspected it like he was asked. Yamamoto was quick to note on his closer inspection that the ring was of very high quality. He was no expert on jewelry but even he knew, just by looking at it, that the ring was very expensive. It was made of shining silver with intricate carvings of roses and circular vines upon the surface of the entire ring. The curving, thorny-looking vines were laced with, what looked to be, tiny emeralds and the roses with fine, miniscule, diamonds. When caught in the light, the miniature jewels would sparkle and gleam and it was here, after putting it up to one of the dim lights in the restaurant that Yamamoto noticed the writing engraved across the middle of the ring. He hadn't noticed it before because the words were just engraved in the metal of the ring and not decorated with any sort of stone like the vines and roses that encased them. In the light, with the glittering jewels surrounding the silver words, Yamamoto could read, 'I'll love you forever.' engraved around one half-of the ring, the other half made up of the roses and vines.

Kazumi smiled as she witnessed the awe-struck look that overcame the taller boy's face as he inspected the ring between his fingers. He thought it was beautiful now? Wait until he actually got under better lighting then the dimly-lit restaurant they were in. Now that was a sight to see! As those thoughts surfaced to the forefront of her mind, the silver-haired woman smiled knowingly before interrupting Yamamoto's gawking. "Do you see why it would be a perfect gift, Yamamoto-san?" Surely he had found the words on the ring by now even with the poor lighting?

Yamamoto was so enraptured with the ring that he had completely forgotten that there was a reason behind him looking at the ring in the first place. As the silver-haired woman's question reached his ears again, the raven-haired athlete was quick to figure out the answer that Gokudera's mother was looking for. Facing the beautiful woman beside him again, Yamamoto replied back with his eyes shining in understanding. "It's because Gokudera would know that you would love him forever, right?"

The older woman gave a congratulatory smile in return, her irises dancing with happiness. "Yes, even when I'm no longer in this world and even though I decided to stay away from him, with that ring my son will always know how much I care for him. But that's not all." Yamamoto stared at Kazumi in confusion for a moment before she continued. "The promise in that ring will not only be mine but yours as well. That way, we will both be able to express how much we love Hayato and tell him that our feelings towards him will never change."

"W-Wha—!" Yamamoto exclaimed in slight surprise as a prominent blush flourished onto his cheeks. The ring would express his love?! When had Gokudera's mother figured out his feelings for her son?! "How?! W-When did you—"

Yamamoto's frazzled speech was cut short by the silver-haired woman's laughter as she held a dainty hand up to her mouth, her eyes closed in mirth. After she gained control of her breathing again, the older woman opened her eyes and looked towards Yamamoto again, a mischievous look on her face. If the raven-haired teen wasn't so surprised and frightened at the idea of Gokudera's mother knowing about their relationship, he would have found the mischievous look on her face to be rather cute since it resembled Gokudera's almost exactly. The only thing that was different was that it wasn't condescending like Gokudera's usually was.

"To be honest," Kazumi answered Yamamoto's unfinished questions, the look of mischievousness and satisfaction never leaving her face. "I just found out right now with how you reacted but I had a feeling from earlier on in our conversation. You don't seem to realize how much emotion you put into your eyes when you talk about Hayato. You're eyes became so endearing and loving when you were telling me about what he liked and they became so broken and concerned when you told me about Hayato's current predicament. How could I not come to the conclusion that you loved him?"

Yamamoto was rendered completely speechless by the beautiful woman's words. All he could do was stare at her in utter bafflement. She had figured all that out by just observing him? If she had figured it out, did that mean that other people had as well? His father, Tsuna, his friends; had they all noticed it too just by looking at him?!

Noticing the panic on the taller boy's face, Kazumi quickly jumped in as if she had read the other teen's mind. "Don't worry, Yamamoto-san! Even though it's obvious to me that the emotions you feel towards my son are strong, that doesn't mean that everybody else has noticed it too. It's just a mother's intuition."

Despite the beautiful woman's reassuring smile, Yamamoto couldn't stop his blush from reddening further as he looked away in shame. "You're…not disgusted, are you?" The taller teen hesitantly asked, afraid of what the older woman's answer would be. He didn't know what he'd do if Gokudera's mother disapproved of him and his relationship with her son since the silver-haired bomber held her in such high esteem and he was beginning to regard her that way as well.

Yamamoto was startled out of his inner musings at feeling a hand on his shoulder. Quickly turning towards its source, the athlete's eyes were met with the sight of Gokudera Kazumi, the reassurance in her eyes never wavering. "How could I be disgusted?" The beautiful half-Italian woman responded with a light squeeze to his shoulder. "I might have been a little wary at first since it's not exactly…natural, you know and since I just met you but…I can honestly say that I'm not disappointed in your relationship with my son. You're intentions are very easy to read Yamamoto-san, since you don't try to hide them. I can tell that you really care for my son, so what decent mother wouldn't want her son to be happy and to be loved genuinely by another? I want what's best for Hayato and I can tell that you are a truly good person at heart, Yamamoto-san."

The raven-haired teen was struck speechless yet again because he never expected to be accepted so easily. Out of embarrassment, Yamamoto shyly looked away from his boyfriend's mother, his blush practically radiating off of his face out of happiness. The silver-haired woman couldn't help but giggle at how cute her taller companion looked and offered another thought that she had been pondering for the past couple minutes. "Why don't I write a letter for Hayato as well? There are a couple things that I would like to say to him since he's old enough to understand in your time. What do you think, Yamamoto-san?"

Yamamoto stuttered uselessly for a little bit before nodding his head in assent. "I-I think that would be a great idea!" The Japanese teen exclaimed happily in appreciation.

Gokudera's mother just smiled in return as she held her hand up. A minute or so later, a receptionist made their way over to them from the front desk nearby.

"What can I do for you, Gokudera-sama?" The polite, suited man asked as he bowed out of respect.

"Could you please get me some writing paper and a pencil, please?"

"Certainly, Madame. Please wait a moment."

As the receptionist headed towards the front desk again while Gokudera's mother smiled pleasantly at his retreating back, Yamamoto couldn't help but wonder out loud, "You know, I never asked you but why are you here in this hotel anyway? You're part Italian, right? I assumed that you lived in Italy since that's where you met Gokudera's dad."

The silver-haired woman blinked a couple times in astonishment at the question but responded back with a smile. "I do live in Italy, actually. I'm just vacationing in Tokyo for a bit to visit my parents. My father is the head of a large hotel chain and one of his friends is the head of the restaurant here in his hotel. He said that their regular scheduled pianist fell ill suddenly and they asked me if I would be able to fill in for her. I haven't played the piano in so long due to how tired I easily get now, so I agreed as long as they allowed for me to take frequent breaks so that I wouldn't overexert myself."

"Oh…" Yamamoto stated in a slightly stunned manner before he laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Haha, well I guess that makes sense! I'm really lucky that I ran into you then!"

Gokudera's mother laughed at that. "Yes, this is quite the chance encounter!"

It was here that the receptionist returned with a couple sheets of writing paper and pencil, which he handed over to the silver-haired woman before leaving with another bow. Kazumi gave Yamamoto an apologetic look before saying that she would try not to take so long in writing her letter but she had a lot to say and that she was sorry for making him wait for her. Yamamoto, of course, really didn't have a problem with it but he couldn't help but worry about when the bazooka would be sending him back. He had the ring in his possession but if he had the letter besides, it would really complete his gift and give it more authenticity.

He could only hope that the bazooka could hold out a little longer and offer him and Gokudera's mother time to complete their 'perfect' gift.

Twenty hair-wrenchingly nervous minutes passed, each minute filled with uncertain scribbling and erasing from the silver-haired woman's pencil and thorough re-readings of her letter before said letter was deemed present-worthy for her son. As Yamamoto held the parchments of papers that consisted of the finished letter in his hand, a feeling of absolute joy filled him. Despite knowing that the ring was from Gokudera's father, the taller teen had the feeling that Gokudera would absolutely love his present and that it would be cherished for years to come. Yamamoto just had a feeling!

"Thank you so much, Gokudera-san." Yamamoto choked out as he gazed into the other woman's eyes, his voice thick with so much gratitude that his hands were starting to shake; one holding the letter and the other clutching the ring tightly. "You're giving up so much, I—"

"No, it's nothing, really." Gokudera's mother interrupted gently, a reassuring smile appearing over her lips once again. "It's like you said, my son does deserve a memento from his mother. It sounds like in the future that my son only has my memory and the piano in the mansion to remember me by, so I can only wonder what happened to my personal belongings. I get the feeling that if I keep my ring that something horrible will happen to it or that it will get damaged in some way. So really, being able to give it away in order to keep it safe is really reassuring to me, especially since something so precious to me is being given to something even more precious and for very great reasons. I should be the one thanking you, Yamamoto-san."

Before Yamamoto could humbly state that he didn't deserve her thanks, the silver-haired woman stood up on slightly shaking feet. The raven-haired teen was startled for a moment and was going to help her stand but the look the woman gave him as she righted herself made him freeze in his motions. The usual gentle and placating look that the woman had been wearing through their whole conversation had been replaced with an imposing and almost menacing look, her eyes shining in silent demand and looking very much like an angered Gokudera.

"Yamamoto Takeshi." The older woman demanded heavily, a foreboding aura overcoming her being as she stared down at the tall teen still sitting on the couch. The Japanese boy was so startled by the woman's abrupt change in personality that he could only let out a frightened 'Yes!' in a slightly higher-pitched voice and feel complete embarrassment for his reaction. At that, the menacing look covering the older woman's face lessened somewhat as she continued with her demand while she pointed at the sitting rain guardian. "As Hayato's mother, I demand that with the gifts I have given you that you give my son the greatest Christmas he as ever experienced. Do I make myself clear?"

As Kazumi's features softened at the end of her question, Yamamoto let out a relieved laugh, finally understanding what the woman had been trying to do. "Yes, I promise. I'll even pinky swear on it, haha!"

The silver-haired woman giggled as Yamamoto held his pinky out to her and she encircled hers with his, the two making a pact to share their promise with the one they cared for most. Both were full of hope that their plan would succeed.

With that, Yamamoto stood up alongside Gokudera's mother and held his hand out for her to shake after placing the promise ring safely in the pocket of his jeans. "I don't know when the bazooka is going to send me back but I think I've taken up enough of your resting time as it is, haha!" The black, spikey-haired teen announced with his regular goofy grin on his face. His expression became softer as the silver-haired woman grasped her hand in his. "Thank you again for everything, Gokudera-san."

"It was no trouble to me." Gokudera Kazumi replied as the two of them shook hands in mutual gratitude. "I'm glad that I was able to meet you too, Yamamoto-san. Please make my son happy."

As yet another promise was exchanged between the two and after another motherly blessing from the beautiful silver-haired woman, Yamamoto parted ways with her as he headed out of the restaurant and she headed towards the piano once again. The raven-haired teen tried not to think that this would be the last and only time he would ever get to see the strong yet sickly woman and that she only had about a year left before her illness would take her life.

Unconsciously, he touched the outside of his pants pocket to feel the lump of the ring contained within, the expensive jewelry safely tucked away. Gaining a little more confidence and comfort from the rings presence Yamamoto then, carefully, folded the multi-paged letter in his hands, being more precise with his folds in order to not damage the words written on the paper in anyway. Once the treasured letter was deemed to be folded safely, the tall, lanky teen made his way back towards the banquet hall where his father was at. He wanted to make sure he was close by for whenever the bazooka would send him back.

With the promises held between the letter and the ornate ring in his possession, Yamamoto was confident that whatever happened in the near future, Gokudera and him would get through it. This was Gokudera Kazumi's final wish to her son and also to him and Yamamoto was more than determined to keep it.

A/N: And there you have it guys! Now you all know where the title for this story came from! Most, if not all of you had probably figured out that the title was referring to a promise ring but I bet no one predicted where it would come from! If you did, congratulations! XD Well, I hope this chapter didn't disappoint anyone and I hope that you liked my characterization on Gokudera's mother. I really tried guys so I hope she didn't turn out bad. T_T

8059 Sims Story: So right after my sims' honeymoon, something drastically changed in Gokudera. I know this because the moment Yamamoto and Gokudera arrived back home in their honeymoon limo, they both got out of the car and what do you think popped up in their thought bubbles and wants?

Pacifiers.

That's right, Yamamoto and Gokudera wanted to have a baby together and they wanted it now!

Remember this is Gokudera we're talking about, the man who was afraid to get married and the man who got too caught up in his studies as a scientist to hardly have time for Yamamoto. Apparently, he was so happy that he wanted to start a family with him!

I basically died from happiness. Lol

After getting my bearings again and noticing that Yama and Goku were making out heavily in the front yard and that they wanted to sleep with each other even though they just got back from their honeymoon (I laughed like I was on crack at this and then died a little more from happiness), I disentangled Yamamoto from Gokudera and made him call the adoption services.

That's right, I ordered me a baby!

…and then I made Yama and Goku have sex because Gokudera looked very needy and also like he very much wanted to bear Yamamoto's children right then and there but that could have just been my fan-girl biased mind. XD

So the next morning, Gokudera had to sadly go to work because I made him skip out on the day before for the wedding but Yamamoto had the day off and he was there to greet their new baby into the world.

It was a boy!

And since I thought that Yamamoto would want to name his first born son after his dad and that Gokudera would want to name their first born son after Tsuna, I decided on a compromise (I was only going to make them have one kid in this game anyway). So I named the baby boy, Yoshi. Simple but fitting. =)

And after the social worker lady left, Yamamoto was left just standing on the opposite side of the road with a baby in his arms and looking completely lost on what to do with it. XD But he looked so stupidly happy about it despite that so that just made me love him more! I couldn't wait to see how Yama and Goku were going to care for their new baby boy. =)

Thanks again for reading guys and I hope to update with the next chapter by mid-November at the most.