Gokudera turns his head and presses his lips to her collarbone. He nips at the area and makes a slight pinkish mark, pulling back slightly as Phoenix tenses up. The girl relaxes.

"I ever tell you that I love it when you do that?"

Gokudera looks up surprised.

"Really?"

He kisses Phoenix's collarbone again and trails over to her shoulder.

"Yeah."

Phoenix closes her eyes as she feels Gokudera's lips on her scars. Gokudera brings his hand up and uses his thumb to run along a scar on Phoenix's arm as he kisses another one. His other hand crawls under her shirt and he strokes the major scar that running vertically on her slender stomach with his thumb. The silver-haired teen moves his head down and places his lips at the edge of Phoenix's pants, right under her bellybutton. Phoenix take a sharp breath as she feels Gokudera's lips on her stomach.

"I'm...I'm still surprised you haven't asked me about my scars."

Gokudera kisses the same spot again before looking up at Phoenix.

"I already said that I wouldn't ask, but wait for you to tell me when you're ready."

He kisses her scar again, causing a shudder to run through Phoenix's body.

"Well...I think I'm ready. I've given you everything else anyway. So why not this?"

Gokudera smiles softly and brings himself back up, placing his lips at a large, thin, paled scar on her shoulder.

"How about this one?"

"Got that on a job about two years ago...or was it three." Phoenix is silent for a second as she tried to remember. "Either way, they guy I was after figured me out and came after me with a knife."

Gokudera felt his anger rise.

"Please tell me you killed him."

"Of course. Next scar?"

Gokudera is still angry but decides to concentrate on Phoenix's scars rather than the people that inflicted them on her. He runs his lips along the brand that says "LO"

"How about this one?"

Phoenix stiffens and sighs.

"You had to pick that one..."

Phoenix thinks as she takes a deep breath.

"That one...Well it's kinda hard to explain...and you're going to get pissed about it...Um...There was a home, my fifteenth, which had one parent. An older guy, Lionel Olson, he was a drinker, a smoker, and a druggie...but the worst thing was that he was a perv. And he marked the girls he liked by branding his initials into their shoulder. I heard it every single night, him going into the other girls' room at night...and I knew that I was marked just like them. He was the first person I killed..."

Gokudera pulls back and squares his jaw.

"Marked?" His voice goes dangerously soft and he grinds his teeth, furrowing his eyebrows. Gokudera punches the side of the couch. "What did that motherfucker do to you? Did he...Tch."

Gokudera shakes with anger at the thought of this man, this Lionel Olson, touching Phoenix.

"No...he tried though...I uhh..." Phoenix clears her throat. "I stabbed him...but he didn't die right away...he got the knife from me and...It'll be easier to just show you." Aydan takes Gokudera's hand and guides it to the small of her back. "Do you feel that? The scar running parallel to my spine?"

"He...he did that to you!"

Gokudera is still fuming with anger but tries to calm down, knowing that his anger wouldn't help Phoenix at all.

"That's not all." She moves his hand to the space between her shoulder blades. "Feel the cross there, that was him to."

Gokudera remembers what Phoenix had said about her bloody hands while she was broken. "Not again."

"So this is what she meant"

Hayato wraps his arms around her and hugs her tightly, closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't have met you sooner. If only I could've, things would be so much different..."

"He gets so mad over things that happened when he didn't even know me."

Phoenix hugs Gokudera back.

"It's okay, I'm past it."

The way Phoenix hugs Gokudera says very differently so the Italian teen kisses Phoenix softly and runs his hands along her back and up to her hair. He strokes her hair for a while before pecking her lips.

"Ti amo, Aydan. Molto."

"And I love you just as much, Hayato. So any other questions. I promise you that was the worst one."

Gokudera shakes his head.

"I think that's enough for one day. I don't think I can control my anger for that long."

"The rest aren't that bad...except for the gunshot, but that was my fault. How about the one that makes me laugh?"

"No, let's not talk about it. But how can a scar make you laugh?"

Phoenix laughs a bit.

"I wanted a tattoo when I was younger but I didn't understand the concept of it."

"Oh God, don't tell me...What did you do?"

Phoenix laughs.

"Um...Let's just say it involved a knife and three ball point pens." She laughs again. "So you want to see it or not?"

Gokudera shakes her head.

"Jesus Christ. Yeah, sure. Which one is it?"

Phoenix lifts up the bottom of her shirt to show the small star shaped scar that has a slight black tinge to it right above her right hip.

"It's my first tattoo."

Phoenix smiles as Gokudera breaks down laughing.

"You were such a crazy little shit weren't you?" Hayato pulls down his sleeve and exposes his shoulder. "This is my first tattoo." He shows his tattoo of a skull and crossbones. "Pretty elementary but hey, I was twelve. Not my fault."

Phoenix pushes herself up on her elbows and kisses the tattoo.

"I like it." She pulls up her left pant leg to show a very detailed tattoo of a Phoenix that takes up most of her lower leg. "This is my first and only real tattoo."

"Well obviously. I haven't exactly seen another tattoo on your body. And I would know." Gokudera grins as he runs a finger along Ayden's phoenix tattoo. The colors are vibrant and it's really nicely done. "I wouldn't trust anyone to a piece of art like that on my body. Well, except the guy I usually go to. He's that best in all of Italy."

Phoenix smiles.

"I love the guy I went to, Johnny. He owns this shop in Chicago, Code of Conduct...and oh jeez. I went in and said I wanted a Phoenix tattoo, thirty minutes later he comes out with a sketch and asks me if it was okay." She places a hand on the tattoo. "Three hours later he was done and I still love it."

"I bet. Hm, maybe I'll let the guy tattoo me one day. I've always wanted a tattoo for my mother but never trusted anyone to do it. Not to mention I don't know what I'd get..."

"I'm going to get a four leaf clover for my family one of these days. Go with something like that, something small but meaningful. Maybe something to do with a piano?"

"I was thinking the same thing but...like what? All of the ideas people have given me just sound like pure crap. I need something...special. A four-leaf clover is a cute idea. See? Something meaningful and creative like that I want."

"Hmmm...Maybe. Do you know what her favorite piece to play was?"

Gokudera looks away dejectedly.

"Not at all...I don't know anything about her. I'm sure she probably told me once during our piano lessons but I never thought it was important. I always thought she was just some pretty lady who taught me how to play the piano..."

Phoenix looks up at her boyfriend sadly, she couldn't even imagine what he was feeling.

"Mom...what would you do here? I don't know what to do...OH!"

"One of the very first songs my mom ever taught me to play was one of her favorites. So your mom probably taught you her favorite. Just think, is there any song she was particular about?"

Gokudera pauses as he thinks.

"She always tried her best to teach me that song I played for you the other day. Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata'. Maybe...maybe it really was her favorite. Maybe that's why I remember trying so hard to learn it and to perfect it."

Gokudera has to take a deep breath to stop himself from getting too emotional.

"You...You played for me?"