Resta Con Me

Resta Con Me



"Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not rejoice in evils but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."




"We have players on third and second base, let's see if our next batter has it in him to win this game!"
Yamamoto Takeshi smirked. Yes, lets.
"You're up Yamamoto! You can do it!" One of the brunette's teammates grinned and slapped him on the back in encouragement as he bent to pick up the baseball bat.
Takeshi grinned back, "Haha, thanks!"
He walked into the diamond to stand in front of the catcher, gripping the bat tightly as the pitcher grinned cruelly.
The opposing team had been trying their hardest the entire game to mentally decapitate the teams' spirit, but with Yamamoto in the picture, they should have known better. It wasn't easy to rain on a parade when he was present.
The pitcher threw the baseball hard and fast, but Takeshi hit it and sent it soaring.
But instead of running, he merely let the baseball bat hang loosely in his hand, hitting the dusty ground with a dull thud.
The pitcher grinned again, "Foul ball, loser."
Yamamoto raised his eyebrows and tilted his head, a smirk of his own playing across his face, "Really?"
The pitchers grin faded quickly as the audience roared and the announcer exclaimed,
"Aaaaaaand it's outta here! Home run! Namimori High Skylarks win the game!"

--

Yamamoto sighed in relief as he finally managed to slip away from the crowd unnoticed.
He loved baseball more than anything, but getting swamped by girls and even some guys after every game?
Not so much.
He wiped his forehead on the sleeve of his jersey. He really needed to get out of this sweaty thing and take a shower. As he walked in his front door he noticed that all the lights were out, so he flicked on the switch near the kitchen, banishing the shadows that had started creeping in from the slowly approaching twilight outside.
The house was empty, and it would be until the next morning.
His father had gone out to help an elderly neighbor who had just gotten back home from the hospital.
She was in and out of the place, and had no family left to care for her, so his father, being the saint that he was, had closed up their sushi restaurant early and went over to help the 'poor old girl' as he affectionately called her, and was going to stay the night just to make sure she was alright.
That was the only reason he hadn't been at the game that night cheering his son on with all the air he could fit into his lungs.
Not to mention help fight off the various fans who threatened to smother him after every single game.
Yamamoto was somewhat unused to his father being absent, but that didn't stop him from going on with his night.
He took his much needed shower and changed into fresh clothes, and was about to start making dinner when he realized that he wasn't actually hungry.
That's what comes from routine I suppose…
He pondered what he should do instead of cook, and it took him mere moments to decide.
He smiled to himself and jogged over to the door, yanking on his sneakers and grabbing his house key from its hook before he headed out, locking the door behind him.
He made his way down the street to a more secluded walkway, free of most walking and driving traffic, and continued down the path for over a mile.
When he saw his destination, a dark expanse of woodland that went on for miles and miles, he started to jog, disappearing into the trees with nothing more than the sound of his sneakers hitting the soft grass and fallen leaves that littered the forest floor.
After awhile he stopped jogging and merely walked for roughly five minutes, until he came to a wide expanse of rock pronounced by a huge solitary boulder.
The boulder stood almost three times his height and was surrounded by more rock, though the others were flatter and considerably smaller.
The boulder itself was like a stone archway, permanently frozen over the mouth of a cave by many years of erosion that had wedged it firmly into the smaller rocks surrounding it.
Yamamoto smiled and ducked into the cave without hesitation, having to bend almost double to fit into it.
He walked the well-known path, the path known only to him, into the very core of the cave and surrounding tunnels.
The sight he was greeted with never failed to put a smile on his face.
The underground river that ran through the tunnels of the cave was sparkling silver in the newly arrived moonlight seeping through the gaps in the caves' ceiling, making the walls dance with silvery water patterns.
Yamamoto sat down in the sand next to the small water source, letting his hand trail in the cold liquid as he looked up and beheld an indigo sky with an almost-full moon looking down at him.
There wasn't a cloud in the sky that night, and Yamamoto smiled, just watching the stars twinkle brightly and the moon move higher into the sky.
He was fully aware that never before in his life had he felt as peaceful as when he was here, just watching the sky with the feeling of the cold water running over his skin.
Baseball was fun, but it wasn't exactly peaceful. Hundreds of people screaming encouragement and profanity at the same time, the mad dash he made whenever he knew he had hit a good one, the many back-slaps and congratulations he got when he returned to the dugout.
It was all so exciting and energizing, but hey, even he needed a break from it sometimes.
He vaguely realized how high the moon was, and when he looked at his watch, he wasn't too surprised when he read 10:48 on the tiny screen.
He shrugged and stood from his spot, not flicking his hand to rid it of the water like most would, but rather just letting it run off on its own.
As he exited the cave and walked through the alternating black and silver which made up the forest floor, he wondered whether he should just go home and go to bed, or do something else tonight.
It was Friday, so the weekend was finally upon him, and he wouldn't have to get up at an ungodly hour to get ready for school, so he could afford to be up later than usual.
He decided on walking around the town. There weren't many people out at this hour, so it was nice and quiet. Besides, the chance that he would come across any of his friends was very minimal where he was going.
He had decided on the most left-alone part of town, a street that barely anyone ever went down, with only a very old furniture store with a bar next to it that was just as old.
All of the other buildings were either run-down or out of business, so no one visited that part of town much anymore.
Just the kind of place he was looking for at the moment.
Somewhere where there was nothing but the silence of the late night hours and the creaking of old doors with loose hinges and windows with broken shutters.
Perfect for someone who just wanted to spend a bit of time alone.
From the direction he was walking, he passed the furniture store first. He smiled when he saw the old woman who owned it asleep in a rocking chair with a quilt draped across her lap, as per usual, as her husband closed up shop for the night.
After he passed the furniture store, their was a hanging sign that caught his eye. It read 'Requiem', and Yamamoto had to wonder whether or not people still attended the place.
As he passed the open door of the bar, he became aware of a sound.
A beautiful sound that came from within, and he didn't resist when his curiosity got the better of him and he peeked inside.
There was no one behind the counter, and no one sitting at any of the stools or tables, so his attention was drawn to the back of the room where the sound was coming from.
Yamamoto's chocolate eyes fell on the grand piano that occupied the slightly risen platform in the back left corner of the bar, as well as the boy playing it.
He was sitting with his back to Yamamoto, completely oblivious to his presence.
He had shining silver hair that fell between his shoulders, and even in the dirty yellow light from the old light bulbs of the lamps hanging from the ceiling it had a dull sheen to it.
The boy sat up straight in his seat, his fingers gliding gracefully over the keys of the piano, gently enticing out of it the most beautiful sound Yamamoto had ever heard.
The song began to ascend and then slowly descend as Yamamoto unconsciously moved closer and closer still to the boy and the piano, thoroughly entranced by the sound he was creating.
The song was low now, and it made Yamamoto feel like he did when he was in the cave in the forest. It made him feel peaceful, like moonlight was shining on him.
The song suddenly changed tempo to what sounded like something more desperate. The boy's hands moved quickly over the keys to create a sound that made Yamamoto feel something tug at his heart. It felt…painful. And angry. He couldn't help but wonder if the silverette felt the same thing as he was playing, or maybe the reason he was playing that way was because it was how he felt in the first place. It was impossible for Yamamoto to tell, but he was still drawn ever closer to him.
The boy didn't even seem to notice, even when Yamamoto was nearly beside him, watching his hands moving over the keys more intensely than he had watched the pitcher throw the baseball earlier that day.
The way his hands moved entranced him just as much as the music.
They were so gentle on the keys, yet so full of feeling, as if the boy were playing purely from his heart and just didn't realize it.
Yamamoto could see his face somewhat now.
His hair obscured his eyes still, but the corners of his mouth were being tugged into a sad but content smile.
It was quite small for a smile, but Yamamoto saw it nonetheless.
The ending was suddenly upon him, the song coming to an end with two low combinations of notes, and only when the last of the sound had died away did he notice that he had barely moved a muscle since he had gotten beside the boy.
He couldn't help the whisper that slipped from his lips, "That was beautiful."
The boy gasped, sputtering what sounded like "Cosa!?" in surprise and spun around, and Yamamoto's mouth opened in slight shock.
The boy's silvery hair framed a pale-skinned face, and his eyes, now wide with surprise, were a shade of green that matched his hair perfectly.
His mouth too was open, though slightly wider in his surprise, and Yamamoto smiled nervously, pawing the back of his neck, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. It's just…I was walking by and heard you playing. It really was beautiful."
The boy's mouth closed and he nodded, his cheeks tinged ever-so-slightly pink. "T-thank you…I was…umm…I just come here to play now and again…you're the first person to ever hear me though…"
Yamamoto's eyes widened, "What? Why?" Seemingly confused at the question, the silverette blinked his emerald eyes and Yamamoto verified, "I mean, why do you play here? No one ever comes around here. And why don't you play for others? Don't you want them to hear you play?"
The boy tensed, and Yamamoto had the feeling that he'd said the wrong thing.
"It's none of your business!" The boy yelled and stood up from his seat and walked towards the door like he was going to leave.
For some reason Yamamoto could not fathom, he stood up with him and said quickly, "I'm sorry."
The boy stopped and turned around slowly. Yamamoto's eyes were drawn to his, and he saw a fire burning in their depths. Whether it was anger or something else entirely, all he knew was that he couldn't let this boy leave.
Not yet.
Not without getting his name at least.
He stood in front of the piano and frowned apologetically, repeating, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be nosy…please don't leave."
The boy scowled, and for a moment Yamamoto thought for sure he was going to walk away, "Why do you care?"
Yamamoto was silent for a minute, unsure of what to say, so he just said what he meant, "I don't know…"
The boy's green eyes, of which had previously hardened to granite, softened, and he sighed, walking back to the piano and taking a seat on the long bench, "Scusi. My temper just got the best of me. My name's Hayato, Gokudera Hayato."
The silverette held out his hand and Yamamoto shook it with a small smile, "Yamamoto Takeshi." He sat down beside Gokudera on the bench and gestured to the piano, "So what were you playing?"
Gokudera brightened somewhat, "Moonlight Sonata. It's Beethoven. Have you heard it?"
Yamamoto shook his head, "I don't think so. But I'm not likely to forget it after hearing you play it. That really was amazing."
He was treated to a tiny smile, but only for an instant, then it was gone.
A stout and somewhat chubby man with side-swept black hair suddenly walked out of the back of the bar to behind the counter and addressed Gokudera, "Hayato, I have to close up for the night. I think you should be getting home. Who's this?"
Gokudera stood and Yamamoto followed suit, "His name is Yamamoto Takeshi, he's my friend."
For some reason, hearing Gokudera call him his friend made Yamamoto feel very warm, almost like he was standing in the sun.
The man behind the counter nodded, "Nice to meet you. I'm Giannini, the owner of the bar. Sorry to interrupt your little recital, but its almost midnight and I have to get home to the missus."
Gokudera nodded and headed towards the door, beckoning Yamamoto to follow, "Yeah, have a good night Giannini. Don't forget to lock the door. I know no one ever comes here, but its better to be safe than sorry."
Giannini mumbled something about thanking Gokudera for the 'encouragement', but the silverette stayed behind to help him lock up anyways.
When the front door was locked and Giannini had disappeared down the street, Gokudera once again turned to Yamamoto, "So, do you live around here?"
Yamamoto nodded, "Yeah, pretty close actually. I can walk."
Gokudera raised an eyebrow, "Do you usually walk around after dark?"
Yamamoto pawed the back of his neck again, "Haha, no, not usually. I just had a baseball game tonight, so I needed to get out for awhile."
This time both of Gokudera's eyebrows went up, "You play baseball?"
Yamamoto nodded, "Yep!"
"Your jersey number isn't 80 is it?"
"Yeah! How did you know?"
Gokudera shrugged, "I went to a couple games and saw you."
Now it was Yamamoto's turn to raise his eyebrows, "You like baseball?"
Gokudera attempted a half-hearted glare in his direction, "I was bored. And what, I don't look like the athletic type?"
Yamamoto chuckled, "I didn't say that. You just don't seem like the kind of person I'd expect to see at a baseball game."
Gokudera snorted and Yamamoto smiled suddenly, "I know! You should come to my next game! It's Monday, 6 o'clock at the school."
Gokudera made a face, "I don't know…"
Yamamoto grinned at him, "Ohh come on, why not?"
Gokudera sighed after a moment, "Oh alright. But what the hell am I gonna do when its over?"
Yamamoto grinned wider, "Come down to the dugout and see me! I probably won't be able to get past the…er, I probably won't be able to get to where you're going to be sitting."
Gokudera nodded, "Alright."
Without noticing, the two suddenly found themselves in front of Yamamoto's house.
The brunette looked into the windows of the poorly-lit house, and it suddenly didn't seem very inviting.
Gokudera paused when he saw the look, "Is this your house?"
"Yeah." Yamamoto nodded, then turned to him, "Well, I'll see you Monday then, 'kay?"
Gokudera nodded, and as Yamamoto turned to walk up to the house, the silverette's hand gently rested on his shoulder, "Hey…" Yamamoto turned around and Gokudera said somewhat stiffly, "Thanks…"
Yamamoto gave him a beaming smile, "Hey, what are friends for?"
Was that just him, or was Gokudera blushing? "Yeah…See you Monday…"
Gokudera released his shoulder and walked away.
Yamamoto had barely just touched the doorframe when he felt a sudden and painful pang of loneliness, and when he looked down the street in the direction Gokudera had gone, the silverette had disappeared.

--

Monday came surprisingly fast for Yamamoto.
When his father had come home Saturday morning, they had opened up the sushi shop as usual and went on with their day. When they were closed on Sunday, he accompanied his father to check on their elderly neighbor and keep her company for a few hours.
What was only supposed to be a couple hours turned into the whole day. They helped her with the laundry and the dishes, fed and played with her cat Nibbles, a large orange tabby in his senior years as well, and conversed with her the entire time. They spent a very enjoyable evening with her.
She had even imparted a bit of her 'old woman wisdom', as she called it, during one of said conversations. And the fact that she was at least 20 years his father's senior, as she claimed, made the 'wisdom' useful to him as well as Yamamoto.
As the two were walking the few short blocks home that evening, they both agreed to visit 'the old girl' more often, as they had both grown accustomed to calling her.

--

Yamamoto tensed on third base, glancing back at his teammate who was on second. Yamamoto gave him a dazzling smile of reassurance that he returned, then turned back to the next batter.
He hit the ball and Yamamoto grinned.
Yes!
The batter dropped the bat and started running, as did Yamamoto and the other team member on second base.
Out of the corner of his eye Yamamoto saw the pitcher wind back his arm to throw the ball to the catcher and ran faster, sending bits of the ground flying in all directions. The pitcher threw the ball, and Yamamoto was as close as he needed to be to home base.
He smirked and dropped to the ground, sliding the rest of the way and touching the base a millisecond before the catcher caught the ball.
A thunderous roar arose from the crowd.
Yamamoto stood up and dusted himself off as the announcer blared, "SAFE! Namimori High Skylarks win!"
The teammate who had been on second base ran up and practically tackled Yamamoto, ruffling his hair affectionately, "That was awesome Yamamoto!"
The players on the field all ran back to the rest of the team, of which were cheering and shouting just as loud as the people in the bleachers. As Yamamoto made it to where the rest of his team was, they were all practically invaded by people hell-bent on congratulating them, or more specifically, him.
But Yamamoto looked for only one.
There! He saw someone with silver hair threading through the massive amount of bodies, trying to get past them. When Gokudera finally managed to get to the front, he stumbled and went careening into Yamamoto.
"HEY! Watch where you're falling!" A girl who had been talking to, or rather swooning over Yamamoto, snapped.
Gokudera glared daggers at her, but before he could say anything Yamamoto had an arm around his shoulders.
"It's okay Haru, he's my friend."
The girl scrunched her eyebrows together in slight disbelief, then put up a fake smile, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then Yamamoto~!"
Haru turned and bounced away, and Gokudera snorted, "She sure got her panties in a bunch."
Yamamoto laughed at his choice of words, "Hahaha! She's alright, she just likes me."
"You don't say?" Gokudera said sarcastically, eyes half-mast.
Yamamoto grinned down at him, "Jealous?"
Gokudera blushed brightly, "W-what are you talking about, you baseball nut?!"
Yamamoto laughed again, "Ahahaha! Relax, I'm just kidding!"
Yamamoto squeezed his shoulders lightly, which brought Gokudera closer to him. So close that Gokudera's whole left side was pressed up against Yamamoto's right.
He was close enough to where he could feel the heat radiating off of Yamamoto's body, and whenever he inhaled all he would smell was his scent, and it was very strong at the moment, not surprisingly.
E 'bello...
The silverette mentally slapped himself for noticing and pushed Yamamoto's arm away, shifting uncomfortably, "I have to get out of here…"
Yamamoto tilted his head, "What's wrong?"
Gokudera's eyes glared at anything and everything, "There are too many people. I feel like I'm being suffocated."
Yamamoto nodded, "Just let me grab my stuff and we'll go."
Yamamoto was suddenly lost in the crowd of people, and Gokudera could do nothing but wait for him to return.
He suddenly heard a pair of girls talking obnoxiously loud to be heard above the din of the crowd.
"Who's that boy with Takeshi?" one girl asked the other.
"I don't know. Looks like his best friend or something." the second girl shrugged.
"Yeah. Yamamoto doesn't usually put his arm around anyone, so he must be…"
"I envy this guy, I must say."
"You're horrible!"
"And you aren't?"
"…You got me there."
Gokudera was about to turn around and tell those girls to shut their mouths and close their legs, but Yamamoto was suddenly back, and they were on their way out before he got the chance.
Yamamoto dropped off his baseball things at his house, then he and Gokudera went walking around town.
They made their way to the large park that the town boasted, full of huge and not to mention old trees with a large fountain in the middle of it.
Yamamoto was making his way towards it, his arm draped across Gokudera's shoulders.
Gokudera shrugged his arm off roughly, scowling over at Yamamoto, "Why do you keep touching me?"
Yamamoto's eyebrows had gone up, "Sorry. It bothers you?"
Gokudera grimaced, "I just don't get why you do it."
Yamamoto shrugged happily, "Everyone likes a little contact once in awhile I've found."
Gokudera frowned, "Well un-find it. And don't lump me in with everyone else either. None of them are anything like me, and they never will be."
"You sound awfully sure of that."
"I am."
They came to the fountain and Yamamoto sat down on the stone edge, beckoning Gokudera to do the same.
He did, and Yamamoto rested his elbows on his knees, "You don't like people touching you? Don't you ever kiss your parents goodnight?"
Gokudera almost snarled, "Never. In. My. Life."
Yamamoto's eyes got impossibly wide, "Then…when was the last time someone hugged or kissed you?"
Gokudera suddenly sent him a vicious glare, "Just shut up okay! Why the hell does it matter!? It's just a stupid interaction! It means nothing!"
"That's not true."
"And you'd know that wouldn't you!? If you're so smart, then what the hell does it show?" Gokudera fumed, thoroughly incensed.
Yamamoto's brown eyes stared levelly into his, "They show love of course. That's why kids always hug their parents and family and kiss them goodnight."
Gokudera made his hands into fists, rising from his seat to stand a few feet away from Yamamoto, his back to the brunette, "Then I must be the most unloved person in this town." he ground out from between clenched teeth.
Yamamoto frowned, then got up and walked in front of Gokudera, quickly wrapping his arms around him.
The silverette jumped slightly, "What the hell are you doing you idiot!?"
Yamamoto hugged him tighter, "Showing you that you're wrong."
Gokudera was still for a moment, then he viciously shoved Yamamoto away from him, "How would you know if I'm right or wrong? You don't know what I'm thinking or feeling! And even if you did you wouldn't even know how to relate to me! You're nothing like me, and you wouldn't understand! God, why didn't you just walk out of the bar the other night and leave me alone!?"
"Then how are you feeling?"
Gokudera's mouth hung open slightly. He couldn't believe this kid.
"What are you talking about!?" Gokudera sputtered.
"What's this huge difference between you and me?" Yamamoto asked simply.
Gokudera felt his face turning red, "You have a mother!" he yelled.
He was surprised when Yamamoto's face broke into an angry frown, "No, actually, I don't. Was that your big difference?"
Gokudera felt his face go blank and his words die in his throat.
The silverette felt the fight leave him all in one go, and it left him feeling exhausted.
He couldn't even find the words to put a sentence together.
After what Yamamoto had just told him, he suddenly felt sick and had to sit down, his back resting against the fountain, muttering an ashamed, "I'm so sorry Yamamoto…"
He covered his eyes with his hand, uncharacteristically tired.
Yamamoto's eyes were downcast.
He hadn't been angry per se-- how could Gokudera have known anyway? He felt worse about making Gokudera feel bad about it.
He reached out for the silverette, and noticed that he had stood up.
When Gokudera saw Yamamoto reaching for him, he flinched.
He shook his head a couple times and muttered another, "I'm sorry…" before he turned and ran out of the park at top speed.
Yamamoto still had his hand outstretched, and he let it fall back to its place at his side very slowly.
I really am an idiot…

--

Yamamoto sighed for the millionth time in an hour, flicking his pencil forward on his desk and letting it roll down before flicking it again.
It was harder than usual for him to focus on his homework.
And the fact that it was algebra wasn't very encouraging at all, and he was thanking his lucky stars that this was their last week of school before summer started.
It was already Thursday, and he'd gone the whole week without talking to Gokudera.
And it didn't help any that the silverette was purposefully avoiding him either.
He doesn't really feel THAT bad…does he?
After another moment of staring listlessly at the desk in front of him, Yamamoto sat up straight and got to work on his homework.
He was going to talk to Gokudera tomorrow for sure.

--

Gokudera had managed to give Yamamoto the slip after the bell that signified the end of the day had rung.
The brunette wondered if Gokudera had known his intentions, because almost before the bell rang he was up and running out of the school like a bat out of Hell.
Yamamoto thought he might know where to find him though, so he went home and waited for ten o'clock to come around.
It was agonizing.
He had gotten his homework done in record time, showered, and had even cooked dinner for the old man, but ten o'clock still seemed determined to avoid him. Even his father noticed when he couldn't help but start pacing slowly behind the kitchen counter after not having dinner-- his stomach was too tied up anyway.
"Something wrong Takeshi? You seem…out of sorts."
Yamamoto jumped slightly then smiled, "Nah, there's nothing…wrong really…"
He trailed off at the look he was receiving, "What did you do."
It wasn't a question, it was a statement.
Yamamoto gave in-- he was a really bad liar anyway. "Ahh, I…umm, I hurt someone's feelings."
Tsuyoshi raised an eyebrow, "Then what're you doing here?"
"Waiting for ten. I think I know where he's going to be, but only around ten…"
His father turned and looked at the clock, "It's almost ten now."
Yamamoto looked up and saw that his father was right, "Good! You don't mind if I go, do you?"
Tsuyoshi shook his head with a small smile and waved his hand dismissively, "Oh go on, tell 'em you're sorry."
Yamamoto nodded, but before he went to the door, he went back up to his room for something.
He took the object from his desk drawer and looked at it for a moment, then put it in his pocket where it would be safe and left the house.

--

Yamamoto ran down the same deserted street that he had ventured down a week ago, slowing to catch his breath when he caught sight of the sign above the bar.
As he got closer, he saw that the door was open, but no sound was coming forth. He frowned in slight disappointment, but brightened up almost immediately.
Giannini will know where to find him!
But when he came to the door, Giannini wasn't behind the bar. Instead, there was a solitary silver-haired boy sitting at the piano.
He wasn't playing it, and Yamamoto saw that his hands were in his lap.
He wasn't moving, and the only thing that made him stand out from the otherwise motionless room was the steady rising and falling of his body as he breathed.
Yamamoto decided it wouldn't be very nice to sneak up on him, so he quietly cleared his throat.
Gokudera looked up, and Yamamoto frowned.
The silverette's eyes looked tired and beaten, and to Yamamoto they also looked…sad. But he perked up slightly when he saw it was Yamamoto.
His body tensed like a rabbit about to run from a predator, and Yamamoto stepped inside, "Wait Gokudera."
The silver-haired boy relaxed, but only just. "What is it Yamamoto?"
The brunette walked up to the piano stool. "Can I sit with you?" Gokudera nodded and moved over to make room for him, "I came to apologize. I didn't mean to say what I did…and I didn't mean to say it the way I did either…could you forgive me?"
Gokudera shook his head, "I should be the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have said that, and I don't know why I did in the first place. I'm the one who should be asking for forgiveness."
Yamamoto turned his body to face him, "How about this: if you forgive me, I'll forgive you. Sound good?"
He held out his hand and it took mere moments for Gokudera to take it, "Yes."
"Friends?"
"Amici."
When Gokudera released his hand Yamamoto gestured to the piano, "Don't feel like playing?"
Gokudera looked like he might say something, but he ended up just shaking his head forlornly.
Yamamoto smiled and stood up, holding out his hand to him, and Gokudera gave him a puzzled look. "Come with me, there's something I want to show you."
After a moment's hesitation, Gokudera nodded and took his hand.

--

"Watch your head, you're going to have to duck." Yamamoto called back to Gokudera as the silverette did as he said to fit into the tunnel.
He had a hold of his hand again, though only to lead him through the darkness that he knew, but Gokudera did not.
The tunnel in front of them came to an end, and Gokudera suddenly found himself no longer inside a cramped tunnel, but entering a large cavern.
The moon above was just over half full, but it still sent enough light down into the cave for water patterns to be dancing across the ceiling, the walls, and even their bodies.
His mouth hung open slightly from the beauty of the place, from the spring running through the cavern to the moss on the walls, and even the randomly scattered rocks on the cave floor.
He was smitten with the sight.
Yamamoto smiled, "It's beautiful isn't it?"
Gokudera nodded slowly and whispered, "Yeah…"
Yamamoto walked further into the cavern, "Come on, look around a bit."
Gokudera nodded and started walking towards the spring.
When he got there, he crouched down to feel the water.
He shivered when he submerged his hand in the cold water, but when he stood back up, he was smiling. "It's so beautiful here. Just…incredible."
He took a step forward, but the water had made the rocks around it slippery, and Gokudera had stepped on one of said rocks.
He lost his footing and flailed his arms, sure he was going to fall backwards into the water.
Yamamoto suddenly surged forward and grabbed his arms, pulling him back and steadying him.
Gokudera breathed a sigh of relief, "Thanks…"
Yamamoto's hands still gripped his arms, though his grip had loosened to something more gentle. Gokudera felt his heart skip a beat.
Yamamoto was smiling, and he tilted his head, "Yamamoto?"
Though he did not know it, in doing so Gokudera caused the left side of his face to be enclosed in shadow, while the right side was bathed in a blue-silver light from the water that also reflected in his emerald-green eyes.
The sight was enough to take Yamamoto's breath away, and unbeknownst to him, Gokudera was in the same predicament while gazing upon him.
The silverette's hands slowly came up to gently hold on to Yamamoto's arms as well, and he blushed slightly, hoping that Yamamoto couldn't see it in the darkness.
When Yamamoto had grabbed him, he had pulled him very close, far too close to be casual. The odd thing was, though, Gokudera barely minded at all.
Yamamoto's thumbs started stroking his arms and Gokudera's blush deepened, but he didn't pull away.
Yamamoto moved his face closer to Gokudera's, and when the silverette didn't move away from him, he smiled and pressed their lips together.
Gokudera gripped the brunette's arms hard at first, but when Yamamoto's arms encircled him, holding his body close to him like a precious object, he let his eyes flutter closed and allowed his arms wrap themselves around Yamamoto's neck.
Yamamoto pressed a bit harder and Gokudera felt him smile. That small gesture somehow gave him courage, and he opened his mouth to Yamamoto's gently probing tongue.
The silverette gasped, but Yamamoto cradled his body reassuringly and he relaxed.
When Yamamoto pulled away he left Gokudera feeling hot and somewhat dizzy.
Seeming to notice, Yamamoto helped him to sit down in the cool sand next to the water, venturing to hold him close by his waist.
Gokudera didn't mind at all, in fact, he leaned into Yamamoto and rested his head against his shoulder.
The brunette smiled, "Hey Gokudera?"
"Hmm?"
Yamamoto shifted, "Uhh, you're not mad at me…are you?"
Gokudera raised an eyebrow and looked over at him, "Why would I be?"
Yamamoto blushed suddenly and Gokudera made a small 'o' with his mouth.
Cautiously, trying to reassure Yamamoto, he put his arm around his waist, like the brunette was doing to him.
Yamamoto smiled and pressed his lips to the silverette's forehead, lingering a moment before he pulled away.
He then reached into his pocket, saying, "Gokudera, I have something for you…"
Gokudera raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"
Yamamoto pulled out a ring from his pocket and showed it to him.
It was a simple silver band, and yet it wasn't simple at all.
It had a phrase etched into the surface of the metal, and Yamamoto read it out loud, "Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart."
Gokudera held the ring gently in his palm, "Where did you get this…"
Yamamoto smiled sadly, "My mother gave it to me." Gokudera's head snapped up from the ring to look at him, "She told me that I would always be in her heart, then she gave it to me. She said that when I found someone who I knew would always be in my heart to give it to them, and never let that person go."
Gokudera shook his head vigorously and grabbed Yamamoto's hand, gently placing the ring in it and wrapping his tan fingers around the silver band, averting his eyes, "I can't take this! Your mother gave it to you. Besides, sooner or later it'll be for the best if you let me go, believe me…"
Yamamoto shook his head, "I don't believe that. Gokudera, I want you to have this ring. And I know I don't always say the right thing, and I can be really dense sometimes, but I do know this for sure." He tilted Gokudera's face up towards his and looked directly into his eyes, "I love you, and I never want to let you go."
He took Gokudera's right hand and put the ring on his forefinger, holding that hand in both of his tenderly.
Gokudera looked down at the ring then up at Yamamoto, and before he even knew what he was doing, he strained upwards and kissed him, gripping Yamamoto's hands in his own.
Gokudera was the first to pull away, and he buried his face in Yamamoto's chest. The brunette wrapped his arms around the silverette's body, holding him close and resting his chin gently on the mess of silvery strands.
"Yamamoto?"
Gokudera's voice was somewhat muffled, but Yamamoto heard him, "Yeah?"
After a moment's pause Gokudera removed his face from Yamamoto's shirt and nudged underneath his chin instead, "I love you too, you baseball idiot."
Yamamoto smiled and held him tighter, pressing a kiss to his temple.
Gokudera held on to Yamamoto's arms, allowing the brunette to place kiss after kiss on his face and neck, leaning into his touch.
The silverette let out a sudden gasp, and Yamamoto faced him, "You don't mind, do you?"
Gokudera surprised him by grabbing the front of his shirt and crashing their lips together, saying in between rough kisses, "Just shut up."

--

How did this happen? Yamamoto wondered.
It seemed like only minutes ago that he and Gokudera had been in each others' arms, simply kissing and being kissed in return.
Well, it was minutes ago he supposed: about thirty of them.
Now the both of them could feel the rapidly cooling air nipping at their bare skin and the dark sand clinging to their sweat-dampened bodies.
Yamamoto wasn't very sure how he'd gotten into his current position, kneeling above Gokudera with the silverette, breathless and panting, beneath him.
He leaned down to kiss him passionately, and Gokudera's arms flew around his neck, tangling themselves in his short brown hair as he arched his body up to meet Yamamoto's.
He moaned loudly into the brunette's mouth, who drank it right up, kissing him harder than before.
For Yamamoto it was over all too quickly. After repeating the process no more then three times, Gokudera's body shuddered with release, and he wasn't far behind.
Gokudera's body relaxed into the sand as Yamamoto tried to regain his breath.
After a minute he gently eased out of the silverette, and they both slowly got dressed.
Yamamoto was pulling on his shoes when he felt Gokudera rest his chin on his shoulder.
He smiled and turned his head to show him, "You can shower at my place. Is that okay?"
Gokudera leaned in and kissed him lightly, "It's fine. Thanks."
Yamamoto wrinkled his nose, helping the silverette up from the ground, "Well it's not like I'm going to make you go home like this."

--

Yamamoto handed some clothes to the silverette who was currently toweling his hair dry, "Do you just want to stay the night here? Its already past midnight…"
Gokudera took the clothes with a small nod of thanks, but then shook his head, "I can't. The old man is used to me being out late, but he doesn't like me staying away from home."
Yamamoto nodded, "Understandable."
He sat down on his bed as Gokudera shut the bathroom door behind him to put the clothes on.
When he came out once again, Yamamoto smiled, "You didn't have to shut yourself in the bathroom for that, you know."
Gokudera smirked, "Please, I just got out of the shower and I'm not inclined to take another one tonight."
Yamamoto laughed, "Haha, worth a try though wasn't it?"
Gokudera rolled his eyes, "Mhmm."
Yamamoto walked him out of the house, and before he left Gokudera to walk home, he placed a light kiss on his forehead, smiling when the silverette made a face but didn't protest.
And as he walked away, he couldn't help but wonder whether the reason why Gokudera was walking so normally was because it really didn't hurt that bad or because of his pride.
Yamamoto was willing to bet on the latter.

--

Gokudera walked up to a nice, cozy-looking house a few blocks away from Yamamoto's.
He paused in front of it, then sighed and kept walking, past the 'For Sale' sign on the front lawn, until he reached the black iron gate of the mansion he lived in, pushing on the old metal until it opened with a rusty grating noise.
Upon walking in, he was purposefully avoided by the staff still awake at the late hour.
No one questioned where he had been, or asked him whose clothes he just so happened to be wearing at that moment, or even bothered to ask if they could help with the bundle of dirty clothes he had in his hands.
Gokudera just snorted and made his way up to his bedroom, where he promptly tossed the clothes into the hamper.
Then, not even bothering to get out of the clothes he was wearing, fell down on his bed with an exhausted sigh.
He didn't mind sleeping in the clothes, if anything, he liked it. Yamamoto's scent was surprisingly comforting.
With this in mind, he threw his bed sheets over his body and almost immediately fell into a peaceful slumber.

--

When Gokudera woke the next morning and opened his bedroom door, the first thing that was handed to him was a piece of stationary by one of the maids.
Sniffing disdainfully at her, Gokudera opened it and read,
'Make sure you come down to breakfast this morning. I have some good news.             - Dad'
Gokudera curled his lip.
Perfetto.
That was just what he needed.
Oh well, it couldn't be helped, so he made his way downstairs and into the dining hall.
As soon as he opened the door, he put on a fake smile and stifled a pretend yawn, "Good morning."
Gokudera's father, a man with dark brown hair and light brown eyes, looked up from his newspaper and smiled, "Ahh, good morning Hayato."
"Was there something you needed?" Gokudera asked with polite curiosity.
His father nodded and set down the newspaper, "Yes actually. I have a new project starting in a little less than a week. The crew is going to be taking down a forest to put up some new homes not very far from here."
He took out a piece of paper and handed it to Gokudera, "The area is huge, and it'll hold a good few dozen homes, not like the lots I've had the boys work on before. This one'll take a good long while to complete, but when it does, boy are we going to be in the money all over again!" his father announced enthusiastically.
"Why do we need more money though? We have just about everything anyone in this town could ask for." Gokudera asked, not looking at the paper quite yet.
His father waved him away, "You'll understand when you're older. Go ahead, take a look at what your old man's going to be doing for the next few months!"
Gokudera's eyes drifted to the paper, and he scanned it quickly.
He was just about to look back up when something printed there caught his eye.
He could feel his mouth curving into an ugly snarl and his eyes hardening to flint, and all at once he knew exactly how his morning was going to end.

--

"Vaffanculo vecchio!" Gokudera hissed viciously under his breath as he slammed the black iron gate shut forcefully.
His father had finally left, and the maids and such making their way around the mansion were at least smart enough to stay well out of his way when he and the old man fought, so he got out easily enough.
They had fought many times before, but not like this.
Every other time, at least the silverette hadn't shown his true personality to his father. But this time he had been thoroughly enraged, and he ripped off the façade he wore quicker than a tornado tears a tree from the ground.
He hadn't held back in the language department either. Looking back, he realized how…colorful, his vocabulary was these days.
But he didn't care anymore. This was just too much.
He had to tell Yamamoto…and he was not looking forward to it in the least.

--

Yamamoto blinked in pleased surprise when he opened the door to find his silverette standing on the doorstep.
He smiled widely, "Yo Gokudera! Would you like to come in?"
Gokudera shook his head, hoping his reaction wasn't as instantaneous as it felt, "No, um, can we just walk?"
Yamamoto, as oblivious as ever, nodded happily and threw on his shoes, then the two were off down the street.
Somehow they had gotten to talking just about random things, like how Yamamoto was admiring the clouds, and Gokudera just agreed with him. He really didn't know how to break the news to Yamamoto, but his thought process cut off when they were suddenly at the edge of the forest and he began panicking.
The sun was setting now, and the trees were all turned blood red and deep orange from the dying rays. Gokudera felt guilt crash down on him faster and harder than he thought possible.
He seriously just needed to say it! Before he lost his nerve completely!
But Yamamoto's eyes, soft, beautiful, and now tinted red were constantly killing his sentences just as they were about to come out.
They were walking into the forest now, almost unconsciously, and Gokudera's emerald gaze was drawn to one of the trees around him. It had been snapped in half during a large storm a few weeks ago. The pure, pale wood near the center of the tree now exposed to the elements in a gruesome, splintered display, much like a shattered bone, and in the red sunlight it looked like the tree was bleeding.
The sight made Gokudera sick to his stomach and he didn't pay attention to where he was putting his feet. He tripped and fell hard into the dead leaves and twigs, amongst other things, littering the forest floor, and the flyer his father had given him fell out of the inside pocket of his shirt where he'd stowed it.
Of course it just had to land right in front of Yamamoto, who was a few feet in front of him.
He bent to pick it up for him before he rushed over to Gokudera, "Hey! Are you alright?"
Gokudera sprang up on his own, fast than he thought he could, "I'm fine!"
Yamamoto raised his eyebrows, then unfolded the paper in his hands, "What's this?"
"N-no! Wait!" Gokudera felt a panic rise up in his chest, the likes of which he had never felt before, as Yamamoto's eyes widened.
As Gokudera watched, the brunette's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Gokudera actually shuddered.
Such a look didn't belong on someone as gentle as Yamamoto… "What exactly is this, Gokudera?"
Yamamoto's voice was colder then winter, and Gokudera shuddered again. "Just wait okay! I didn't mean for you to--"
"What, you weren't going to tell me?" Yamamoto cut him off.
"No! I mean, I was! But--"
"This should have been the first thing you told me! I've been coming here for my entire life, and your dad wants to level it!? Can't you do anything? Can't you at least talk to him?"
By the way Yamamoto was acting, specifically cutting him off more than once, Gokudera could tell that he was genuinely very upset with him.
The silverette sighed sadly, "It's not that simple…I just can't go up to him and tell him not to do this! He wouldn't listen anyway! He doesn't--"
"Couldn't you at least try!?" There was the interrupting again, "Don't you want this place to stay? Doesn't it mean anything to you now!? Or do you just not care!?"
Yamamoto was yelling now, and, oh god, were those tears in his eyes? Not just sad tears either. Yamamoto was…angry. God, that emotion didn't even belong in the same category as Yamamoto, but here he was, the angriest probably anyone had ever seen him, and Gokudera was intimidated by it to say the least.
He shook his hands vigorously in front of him, trying to communicate to Yamamoto that he didn't mean it in the way he was perceiving, "N-no! That's not what I meant at all!"
Yamamoto crumpled up the paper and actually growled, the kind of sound a rabid dog makes, and threw the paper down at Gokudera's feet. When the silverette looked up, he was met with, what he could only describe as, the most frightening expression he had ever seen any human being wear.
Yamamoto's eyes, no longer soft and beautiful, but sharp and hostile, bored into his with what he could have sworn bordered on…hatred.
"Then why won't you fight for it!?"
Yamamoto turned away from him then and bolted out of the forest, leaving Gokudera to sit down heavily in the leaves and bury his face in his hands.
Perché?
He raised his face and stared off listlessly in the direction Yamamoto had gone, and he swore that he was able to hear his heart breaking as he murmured forlornly, "Non andare…"

--

The days passed by slowly for Gokudera.
The day his father's 'project' was supposed to commence came all too soon for the silverette. They would cut down all the trees, trample anything else in their way and build dozens of cheap homes out of cheap material and then sell them for twice their worth.
Gokudera hated his father for it, he really did. They had to be, if not were, one of the richest families in the whole of Namimori, and his father could think of nothing but money!
It made him sick. The same had gone for his mother. She couldn't stand the man she married, and decided to pack up and leave him one day.
She would have taken a eight-year-old Gokudera with her, but while she was still putting all of their belongings into her car, a drunk driver going over 80 miles an hour came screeching down their street and hit her.
His father had come running when he heard Gokudera screaming. He was the only one who knew that Gokudera had seen his own mother die, and he had always thought he didn't remember it.
He did.
Every last detail, but his father never bothered to ask.
He didn't care if his son remembered, he didn't care if he woke up out of a dead sleep in the middle of the night and cried himself back to sleep.
He just didn't care about him. And he certainly didn't care about what he had to say the other morning when he handed Gokudera that flyer.
He didn't care that the forest was something very special to him, and that it was even more special to a 'close friend' of his. All he cared about was his stupid money.
And now, the dreaded day was upon him. He didn't know what he could do, but he had to do something.
This in mind, he pulled on his shoes and threw on a hoodie, then dashed down the street.
Past the house he had always wished he could live in, not that huge stupid mansion he was forced to reside in, past Yamamoto's house, around the corner, down another street.
And there it was: the forest. Without a seconds hesitation, he plunged right into it, running as fast as his aching lungs would allow him to the spot where the demolition was supposed to start.
He felt tears stinging his eyes when he remembered Yamamoto's face the other day. It was killing him. The unimaginable guilt he felt in making Yamamoto feel that way. They hadn't spoken since.
He knew that he couldn't undo anything, but maybe, just maybe, he could set them right.
Even as he finished his last thought, he reached the demolition sight.
There was a clearing straight ahead, and just as he was about to stumble into it, he caught sight of the dark-haired boy standing at the other end and froze.

--

As the earth rumbled with the first bulldozer, Yamamoto stood his ground. Hands at his sides and feet planted firmly in the grass. When the machine finally slowed itself to a stop in front of the boy in its path, Gokudera sucked in a breath.
There was a man holding onto one of the bulldozer's yellow outside rods, who was ushering them forward and who called the stop. So, his father was even overseeing this one!
Il senile vecchio bastardo!
He heard his father begin to speak, "Hey kid! I'm going to have to ask you to move."
Yamamoto's face took on a stubborn look. "No." was his simple answer.
Gokudera saw his father raise an eyebrow, "And why is that, pray tell?"
Yamamoto made his hands into fists, "I won't let you destroy this place!"
The man atop the bulldozer sighed in slight exasperation, motioning to one of the machines in back of the one he was on as he spoke, "We aren't destroying it, we're getting rid of it. There's a difference."
As he finished speaking, the machine he had motioned to toppled over a huge maple tree, at least three times larger than the crane itself and probably over a hundred years old.
Pain showed itself on Yamamoto's face as Gokudera jumped up, unable to take it anymore.
They both yelled at the same time, "STOP!"
Gokudera saw the surprise in his father's eyes when he ran up to Yamamoto as fast as he could and took his hand, uncurling his angry fist to mesh their fingers together.
He took a couple deep breaths, then raised his face to his father, meeting his eyes, "Dad, this is my boyfriend, Yamamoto Takeshi. He's the person this place means so much to…it means more than you could imagine to both of us." His father was staring dumbfounded at him, "Just stop all of this right now and go home!"
His father shook his head incredulously, "What!? You're talking nonsense! This project is expensive--"
"What the hell do we need more money for!?" Gokudera fumed, aware in some small place that Yamamoto was squeezing his hand, "We have everything! We don't need any more money! It's the last thing we need! You always wondered why you had no friends and why people didn't like you, well its because you acted like you were better than them because you had money! It tends to drive people away, doesn't it!?"
He paused for a breath when his father's eyes became somewhat downcast, "After all, you didn't even know what your own son was really like until a few days ago! That morning when you showed me that flyer? That was who I truly am, and I'm not hiding it anymore! You drove me away, just like you drove mom away! Money was why she hated you, and that's what got her…"
Gokudera's voice wavered but he choked down his tears, squeezing back on Yamamoto's hand. His father had a horror-filled expression on his face.
"Yeah, I remember. You thought I didn't, right? You think I don't even remember what she looked like!" Gokudera yelled at the top of his lungs, "You've never done anything for me, and I never asked you to! So why do you deny it when I do ask you! Just once! If you leave this forest alone I will never ask for anything again!" His voice softened, "Please…papà."
Gokudera could feel Yamamoto shaking, and he took a quick glance at the brunette. Tears were running down his cheeks, and he looked down to meet Gokudera's eyes. The silverette could almost hear his words.
I'm sorry…
Gokudera gripped the hand holding his tighter, as if for strength, then turned back to his father. He was rubbing the back of his neck, obviously in thought.
After a minute or two of deliberation, he turned back to Gokudera and nodded slowly, "Yeah…okay, bambino."
He made a 'pull the plug' gesture with one of his hands, and the machines at the end of the line started to turn around.
"Gokudera…" The silverette turned to his father when he said his name. "I know I haven't been the best father, but I hope you'll give me another chance…"
Gokudera nodded slowly, "Sì."
The bulldozer carrying his father moved away, leaving the clearing feeling empty, but whole at the same time. Yamamoto let out a shaky sigh and slowly lowered himself to the ground, Gokudera doing the same.
Each still had a death grip on the others hand, and they didn't even try to pull away.
Yamamoto looked over at him with a sad expression, "Gokudera, I…" His gaze captured the silverette's, "I'm sorry. For everything."
Gokudera just scooted closer to him and rested his head on his shoulder, gently stroking the back of his tanned hand with his free hand's thumb, "I forgive you."
Io sarò sempre ti perdono.
He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, inhaling his scent.
I could stay this way forever, he thought, as long as Yamamoto is the one with me.
"Stay with me?"
The question broke him out of his reverie, and he looked up to meet Yamamoto's eyes, "Always."
Sempre e per sempre.
Gokudera glanced down at the ring on his right hand and smiled, "Prometto."

--

"Se di noi due uno solo potesse ricever l'amor del mondo, io sarei felice di donarlo a te."
Yamamoto smiled, watching his boyfriend's hands move over the piano keys as he sang.
"Accettalo senza esitazione, te ne Prego, Io ti stringo dolcemente nell'abbraccio del mio amore più sincero.Te ne prego, va avanti per la strada che tu credi. Prego perchè tu non perda mai la tua anima pura e sincera."
The sound changed from light and happy to something lower and sadder as Gokudera sang, "Se uno di noi due fosse scelto per il regno della morte, io sarei felice di offrirmi."
The sound stayed low, but became more uplifting as the silverette continued, "Ti prego, non essere triste, perchè io già ricevo da te tanta felicità da non meritarla. Il mio cuor ti sarà per sempre vicino. Prego perchè quel tuo sorriso gentile non si oscuri mai."
Gokudera's hands moved over the piano keys quickly, making a sound not unlike the first moments of the song, "Se di noi due uno solo potesse ricever l'amor del mondo, io sarei felice di donarlo a te. Prego perchè quel tuo sorriso gentile, sorriso, non si oscuri mai."
The song ended with the last word of the song, and Gokudera put his hands in his lap, smiling, but blushing ever-so-slightly.
Yamamoto smiled and took his hand, kissing the side of his face, "It was beautiful. Much better than you were making it out to be."
Gokudera's blush went up a couple notches, "You don't even know what it means!"
Yamamoto chuckled, "I don't need to know what it means to know that it's a beautiful song. Besides, you can tell me later."
He got up from his place beside Gokudera on the piano bench, and the silverette followed.

--

Yamamoto smiled and held Gokudera closer from his position on his back in the sand, and Gokudera all but nuzzled into his side.
"I can't believe your dad is making this into a forest preserve. I mean, not that I'm complaining!" Yamamoto corrected himself.
Gokudera smiled, listening to the water bubbling over the stones only a few feet away as he glanced up through the gaps in the cave ceiling at the night sky beyond, "Yeah, me neither."
Yamamoto gently stroked up and down Gokudera's arm, "You two aren't at each others throats anymore then?"
Gokudera shook his head and Yamamoto pressed a kiss to his cheek, "Good. I'm happy for you."
Gokudera smiled and moved his body upwards, seeking Yamamoto's face.
Yamamoto turned his head to face him, and Gokudera kissed him lightly, then pulled away to look at him.
Yamamoto raised a chocolate eyebrow, "What?"
Gokudera smiled and pressed their foreheads together, closing his eyes, "Ti amo."
Yamamoto smiled, "What does that one mean?"
Gokudera opened his eyes and smiled gently at him before whispering, "I love you."
Both closed their eyes as their lips melded together and their arms wrapped around the others body, seeking; receiving.
Sarò sempre stare con te, perché ti amo.