ooc log: Mallowmateys 101
Who: Gokudera migi_te_man , Yamamoto omgbaseball , and Tsuna captain_dame
What: Gokudera picks Yamamoto from some island
Where: An island, then a mini sub, then the Sweet Death Submarine, then the Vongola yacht
When: April 9
Warning: Gokudera's mouth.
Yamamoto sat on the beach of the island he'd found himself on, laptop in his lap. He'd discovered a simulated baseball game and had been playing it for the last three hours, completely forgetting about the fact that Gokudera was on his way to pick him up. "HOME RUN!!!! YES!!!" He shouted, pumping his fist into the air. This game was awesome. If only he had enough people to play a real game, that would've made this island a whole lot more fun!
The sun was setting and Gokudera had put off picking up Yamamoto for as long as possible. Working on repairs for the ship, scheduling some conversations with Inspector Zenigata, and worrying over every minor detail about the transfer of certain crew members was driving him insane. Retrieving the Rain Guardian wasn’t the best distraction, but it prevented him from feeling guilty when he remembered how excited his boss had seemed when the athlete had commented to his entry. There was only one thing that made it unbearable, and it wasn’t even who he was going to see, or how inconvenient it felt. As he walked down the beach, scanning it for signs of the other boy, the ghost of his mother lingered behind him. She was completely visible, expression blank, as she floated peacefully over the tracks he left in the damp sand. He hoped Yamamoto wouldn’t point her out, since he’d been doing a very good job of keeping her a secret from everyone else, and ignore her openly in public.
Yamamoto was so wrapped up in his game that he didn't even notice Gokudera's approach, totally absorbed as his character was now pitching. "YOU'RE OUT!" He shouted after a moment, with another fist pump.
The silver-haired teen sighed. Crap, his feet were getting sore and he was already getting a little irritated. When he heard the shout, though, it was like he'd never been tired. His slouch grew a little deeper with every step, and he lifted a hand in greeting. "Oi! Idiot, you wanna stay here?" He called. No that wasn't a bit of happiness in his expression, it was just relief... because he wouldn't have to keep walking all over the whole damn beach.
Yamamoto's head shot up, and his face broke into a wide grin. "Gokudera! Hey! You're here!" He jumped up, stuffing the laptop into a backpack. "Did you really come in a submarine? Where are we? Lambo said we were playing PIRATES!"
Maybe if he turned back now, he could just tell the Tenth that it had been an imposter... He stared for a bit and let his cigarette burn, just considering his options. "Yeah and we're leaving in it, too." Without any warm greeting or even a smile, he turned and began walking back, leaving Yamamoto to follow behind him. "This is the Grand Line and NO we're not playing pirates! We're bounty hunters... why the hell would you listen to the dumb cow anyways?" He really hoped that someone else could pick up Lambo, because he really doesn’t want to have to babysit the kid or watch him stress out the Tenth.
Yamamoto ran to catch up, laughing. "Ooh! Bounty hunters? That sounds like fun! Who else is here?"
As usual, that laughter annoyed the hell out of him. It was completely pointless! He didn't even say anything funny to laugh at! "It's not. Ah, just the Tenth, Reborn-san. You, Hibari, and that dumb cow just showed up recently." He said thoughtfully.
"Oh, Reborn is here too! Cool!" Yamamoto said, skipping ahead. "Where's the submarine? Is it under water? Hey, can you play baseball on a yacht?"
"If you talk this much in the submarine, I'm going to feed you to a sea king." Green eyes narrowed at the back of Yamamoto's head. "And no shit the submarine is under water. The smaller one is a bit away and it's surfaced, though." Gokudera wasn't even going to humor the baseball question with a response. Yamamoto would just have to see for himself.
Yamamoto scanned the horizon, finally seeing the submarine. "Ooh! I see it! Can you teach me how to drive it?" He ran ahead without waiting for a response.
"Don't get carried away now!" He snapped and growled before he gave chase, shoes slapping the water as it ran up the beach. When he caught up, he huffed a little, "Can't you at least wait until you're settled in?" Dammit, why did he have to play teacher to an idiot like this guy? It's not like he minded teaching the boss how to drive -the small don still hadn’t gotten the hang of the controls even after a few months and a very scary test-drive- but to teach someone else, and so vastly inferior was asking a bit much. "You can watch over how I do it and then MAYBE I'll give you a lesson." The idea of Yamamoto screwing up behind the controls was actually kind of amusing. Gokudera walked ahead and climbed up, opened the hatch and looked over at the taller teen. "And I mean it about the sea king thing."
"What's a sea king?" Yamamoto asked, climbing up too. "And I'm a really fast learner, I promise it won't take long!" He was practically bouncing in excitement.
"Basically a sea monster that makes Namimori middle look like a speck." He answered, rolling his eyes at the second comment as he took a seat before the controls. "Not now, you're too fucking annoying." There's nothing deeper than the usual bite to his tone. He's obviously not going to blow Yamamoto up for talking too much since hey, the guy was curious, but he won't hesitate to at least burn him with the lit end of his smoke if he really can‘t get the message.
"Sea monsters? Like giant squid and stuff? Can you eat them?" Yamamoto settled in behind Gokudera, watching him at the controls over his shoulder, oblivious to how annoying that probably was. But he really did want to learn how to drive a submarine!
"Yeah, but they look weird as hell." Gokudera said, too distracted with adjusting the system to really care much about explaining the creatures in detail. When he leaned back in the chair, he realized that Yamamoto was right over his shoulder. Startled, he jumped and spun about to fix a glare at him, "The fuck, idiot--! Just sit next to me and quit breathing down my neck!" Never had driving the mini-sub seemed such an uncomfortable task.
"Sorry!" Yamamoto sat in the chair next to Gokudera, still watching him work the controls curiously. It didn't look too difficult. He could probably figure it out... "What does this button do?" he asked, pointing to a big red button.
"Fill ballast." He answered. "Don't press it." Gokudera stood up and walked over to the hatch, checking to make sure it was completely sealed before he returned to his seat and took over the controls again. It took a few minutes for the gauges to reach the right levels, filling the ballast with the correct balance so that they could reach a depth suitable for movement back to the main submarine. "We only have one miniature submarine, and the main one requires a lot of work. So you can use this one for practice and once you get an idea of how to operate it, then you can try moving the Sweet Death Submarine."
Yamamoto's face lit up even more than it had already been. "Seriously? I can drive the whole big submarine too? Cool!" He bounced up and down in his seat. "Can I try it now? Please?"
"Not by yourself! It's too big and there's no way you could do it!" Yet he manages to do it all the time. He credits it to reading the entire manual on the submarine from cover to cover. "Did you even listen to what I said?!" Gokudera can't even steer the submarine or start the propulsion system since he's still waiting for the depth to even out.
Yamamoto flapped his hand at Gokudera. "Fine, fine. I can wait. Can you at least tell me what you're doing?"
If it will make you shut up, he thought and sighed. "Controlling the depth by filling the ballast tanks with water. We're diving, but we can't move forward until I know it's clear." He watches the gauge carefully and then nods, pulling his glasses out from a pack behind him and pulling his hair back. It's time to get serious. "And it controls the trim, which is also the angle of the vessel. Because it isn't very large, it's already at the right level and we can go on." He pressed a few more buttons, glanced at the sonar system, and placed both hands on the wheel. "And now we're moving. When we're halfway there, I'll bring us up some more and check through the periscope to make sure it's safe."
"Can I look through the periscope too?" Yamamoto asked, grinning. "This really is awesome. How did you manage to get a mini submarine, anyway?"
He looked over at Yamamoto, unsure how to answer him. The last owner had been an important person to him, someone he would actually consider a friend, and it hurt a little to think she's completely gone now. That pain behind his eyes was short lived, and he turned to look back at the blinking screen, "It was a gift from the last owner."
Yamamoto frowned for just a moment, you wouldn't have noticed unless you were looking right at him. "Wait...a gift? How long have you been in this place?"
"A year." He said and pressed a few more buttons. "Reborn-san has been here longer, though." Gokudera leaned back once more, relaxing as he left the submarine to move forward, free of any obstacles except the water it pushed through.
"A year” Yamamoto's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "But I just saw you all the other day! You haven't been gone for a year!"
"That's because you probably came from a parallel universe." He said and glanced over at Yamamoto, looking at him critically as though trying to place what would make him vastly different from the baseball idiot he used to know.
Yamamoto frowned thoughtfully. "Like that Irie guy explained to us when we went to the future? So you're not the same Gokudera that I know?"
"Well I'm obviously still Me! Tch, I went to the future, too... I just came here sometime after and things are complicated." He frowned openly, pointing it at Yamamoto again. So this guy went to the future, too...
Yamamoto laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I still don't really get how the whole parallel universe thing works, then. Is this the future too? Where are we?" This whole thing was really weird, be as per usual, Yamamoto was taking things in stride.
"Don't hurt your head from thinking too much." He lit up another cigarette. Sure, it's wasn’t healthy to do in such a closed space when the air was recycled, but he doesn't care. "This is a different world. Around here, they don't even know what Namimori is. This place is all ocean and fish, pirates, and cursed fruit... It's really-" He couldn't emphasize it enough, "really weird."
Yamamoto coughed from the smoke, but remained cheerful. "An ocean world? How did we get here? Is this another...mission or something?"
"I'm not sure how or why, but people show up here from all over the place occasionally. There hasn't been anyone from our world in a while." If he noticed that cough, he didn't show it. "I think Reborn-san knows more than he’s letting on, it’s probably for our own good."
"Well," Yamamoto said, shrugging," If you, Tsuna, and Reborn are all here, then that's good enough for me!" He grinned. "Now. What does this button do?" He pointed to a yellow button.
"Hn." He smiled inwardly at that, "guess you're right." Gokudera watched as the baseball player motioned to another button on the control panel. Except it wasn’t a button. "It's a knob. You turn it to activate the thrusters in the back." Which they didn't need since the actual submarine wasn't that far away. Though, if Yamamoto would stay quiet during the little trip, he would be tempted to use the thrusters to escape the company.
Yamamoto nodded, watching Gokudera pilot the submarine, memorizing the buttons he pushed and what they did, and was quiet for just a moment. But then he remembered something someone on the network had told him. "...hey, Gokudera?" he asked. "This random girl online told me that you have a girlfriend! Is that true?"
"Wha-- Who told you that?!" He gasped, shocked and whirled around so quickly that he nearly struck the 'Fill Ballast' button. His cigarette hung from his lips as he stared at Yamamoto suspiciously.
Yamamoto laughed at his reaction. "Some girl named Meru-chan? I just met her. She said she knew you!" He was still skeptical. How could Gokudera have a girlfriend?
"Mer- oh HER." His glare suddenly intensified and he turned back to the screen, grip tightening unnecessarily on the wheel. "Tcheh! She doesn't know me at all!"
Yamamoto's smile widened even more. He KNEW it. "So you don't have a girlfriend?"
"I didn't say that." And when he looked over and noticed that wide smile, it caught him off guard "Why do you seem so happy about it?!"
Yamamoto laughed again. "Sorry! Was I smiling too much? So you do have a girlfriend?" He reached out to poke at Gokudera's shoulder, genuinely curious now.
"Shut up, it's none of your business!" He said and swatted at Yamamoto's hand, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the screen so he could hide his expression on his face behind the silver fringe of his bangs.
Whoa. Maybe he really did have a girlfriend. Yamamoto's eyes widened. "So..." he asked, casually, "what's her name?"
"Why do you want to know so badly?" He snipped out sharply, still not taking his eyes off the screen. There seemed to be some kind of cloud hanging over him, though it was clearly not depression. It was more like an embarrassed buzz. If Yamamoto looked hard enough, he might be able to make out the slightly pink glow of his ears behind the pale hair.
Yamamoto shrugged. "I don't know. We're friends, right? And none of my friends have girlfriends. So. It's...new." He grinned. "What's she like? Is she pretty? How old is she?"
He was quiet for a moment before he sat up, careful to maintain his usual slouch. "Oh... You can look through the periscope now." Gokudera said and put out his cigarette, dropping it in a can he used as a makeshift ashtray.
Yamamoto jumped up and ran over to the periscope, looking into it. "What am I looking for? And you know that if you don't tell me I can probably find out from someone else, right?" He turned the periscope, surveying the area around them.
"You see that Yacht in the distance? That's the Vongola's. And her name is Miranda… stubborn retard." Gokudera said, rolling his eyes. He could see that the sub was up ahead and although it was huge, it would be invisible from Yamamoto's view through the periscope.
Yamamoto squinted to make out the yacht in the distance. "So that's where Tsuna is?" he asked, grinning at the fact that he'd finally gotten Gokudera to flat out admit that he had a girlfriend. "Miranda, huh?"
He waited for Yamamoto to get his fill of the view before he started moving forward again. "Yeah." Gokudera really hoped he didn't have to answer any more questions. It's not like he's ashamed to have his girlfriend... he just doesn't like to talk about her that much.
Yamamoto pulled back from the periscope and went back to his seat. "So we're almost to the submarine now? How come you're not on the yacht with Tsuna? And who is that lady anyway?" he said all in one breath, finally actually noticing the ghost hovering behind Gokudera.
"Well, we travel together and it's easy to move between the yacht and submarine. Recently, a lot of people have gone missing, so they need a pilot on the sub. And because I work best with the Tenth, and the two vessels operate as a team I'm naturally the only person fit for the position!" He boasted, sitting a little taller. The childlike excitement over what was essentially, his giant kickass toy on the Grand Line died quickly when Yamamoto suddenly steered them off-topic. "What lady?"
"Wow! So you're like...the captain of the submarine? I want a SPANISH GALLEON!" Yamamoto exclaimed, jumping up and hitting his head on the ceiling. The pain, however, did not distract him. "That lady," he said, holding his head with one hand and pointing to the ghost with the other.
"What would you even do with one?! It's also pretty lame to have something made of wood." Because it's what everyone else has and clearly, the Vongola should not have anything other than the best that dirty money could buy. The clear look of distaste on the bomber's face suddenly tightened as he realized that Yamamoto was pointing to the ghost of his mother. "You must be seeing things."
"Baseball bats are made of wood," Yamamoto pointed out, as if that made any difference at all. He moved closer to the ghost. "It's not a real person, is it? It's like that projection thing of Reborn while we were in the future or something. Right?" He held out his arm and it went right through the woman. "Oh weird."
He would reply in a witty manner that baseball bats can be made of metal, but when he saw Yamamoto putting a hand through the image, he couldn't help but jump up, startled. He knew she wasn’t real, can't speak or move really, but the fact that she is someone so important and Yamamoto just PUT HIS ARM RIGHT THROUGH HER struck a chord. "Stop! Idiot!!" The teen slammed his hand over the larger teen's forearm, glaring up at him intensely through his glasses.
Yamamoto backed away, his eyebrows shooting up. He hadn't realized that the woman was a sore point, and hadn't really had a reason to think so. "Sorry! I didn't--who is she? What is she?"
Gah, was this guy really so dense that he couldn't pick up the resemblance?! Gokudera's eyes lingered on Yamamoto as though he could find someone else behind those amber eyes. He didn't want to call attention to his mother, but after getting so upset so suddenly, it'd be hard to play cool. "She's a ghost." Gokudera turned away a little to check the screen, but also because he wanted to hide that little bit of emotion on his face.
Realization dawned on Yamamoto's face. "She's your mother," he said, his voice full of wonder. "...Gokudera..."
The silence that lingered after Yamamoto said his name felt nearly suffocating. Gokudera wanted nothing more than to completely vanish from existence. He doesn’t even know Yamamoto knew about his past, and he doesn’t intent to tell him. Gokudera doesn't want to be pitied... "One of those stupid curses around here." The teen was convinced he would be free from a curse as long as he didn't eat any strange fruits, but like any natural -or unnatural- phenomena on the Grand Line, this one forced it's ways on him.
Yamamoto didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry," he said after a long silence, shrugging.
"Don't be. I'm not the only one who has one..." He knew it was selfish to sulk about in his room all day, haunted by the bittersweet memories of his mother when so many other people were probably going through worse, but he can't help it. He never had her around before, and even if she wasn't completely there with him, it hurts to think she'll leave again, and he doesn't want to waste a moment. "A-Anyways, it's just a curse and it will go away. Like I said... it's weird around here." He returned his attention fully to the control panel. They're almost there.
"Other people have them? What is this place?" Yamamoto looked slightly concerned for the first time since he'd met up with Gokudera.
"Some people have more than one ghost, too. It's all over the network." Gokudera glanced behind him, a little surprised by the lack of cheer in his friend. He can't exactly help Yamamoto more than he's doing now, and he considered the athlete lucky for arriving AFTER so much has happened. "Welcome to the Grand Line."
Yamamoto looked thoughtful for a moment and then smiled. "The Grand Line, huh? I kind of like the sound of that."
"I'll show you some maps later so you can get a firm grasp of where you are, and then teach you about the ships that sail around here. So if you get picked up by a gang of pirates, I'm not coming to help you." Gokudera wouldn't expect Yamamoto to run off on his own, but he'd love nothing more than to look like the loyal one in his boss' eyes if something like that happened. "Sit down, I'm taking us in." Green eyes narrowed and he pushed up his glasses to look at the sonar while he emptied the ballast.
Yamamoto sat obediently, like a dog. "Thanks," he said, looking a little sheepish, but still smiling, "for picking me up and helping me out and stuff. I really appreciate it."
"Yeah well... It makes the Tenth happy. He's got enough to worry about." The statement wasn't entirely true. The last he saw, his boss was in a really good mood and probably would have made the trip alone had Gokudera not volunteered. He smiled internally just thinking about Tsuna's thoughtfulness for others. The submarine lurched a little and he stood to turn everything off. He'd performed these actions so much that they were second-nature.
"Does he have a ghost thing too?" Yamamoto asked, trying to think of who Tsuna would have a ghost of. Both his parents were alive... "And still...thank you." He watched Gokudera work the controls, memorizing what he was doing. "You're really good at this whole submarine thing."
"I haven't seen anyone following the Tenth around." Gokudera would know, because he's usually that person following Tsuna around. He moved about, flicking various switches and taking note of the mini sub's condition. "Of course. I read the whole manual! The Tenth has it right now and I'm giving him lessons." He opened the hatch and climbed up with little difficulty, then stood on top of the submarine to wait on Yamamoto.
Yamamoto mimicked the shorter boy's motion, climbing out of the hatch easily. He was a fast learner. "You'll give me lessons too, right?"
"Yeah, sure. You have to pay attention, though. This isn't as simple as algebra and it's much more important." Gokudera climbed down the side and looked around, making a note to have someone clean the large space. Maybe they'd get to it after the repairs were complete on the yacht.
"I'll pay attention! I promise!" Yamamoto said, laughing and climbing down as well. "So...what now?"
"Do what you want. You can stay on the ship or this submarine. There's plenty of room on both of them. If you stay here, you'll need to make a plaque for your room door. If you stay on the ship, there is a suite you can use and should be on the upper level. I spend time on both vessels, so it's not like you have to stay in one." He walked ahead toward the door so they could relocate to the galley or upper deck.
Yamamoto nodded. "Okay, cool. I'd like to at least go over to the yacht to see Tsuna. How do you get from one to the other?"
"We use a dinghy, but you can swim." He lit another cigarette and pulls a den den mushi from his bag. "This" He tapped the small snail-looking creature, "Is your new method of communication. If you hadn't noticed, cell phones don't get shit for signals around here."
"How far of a swim is it?" Yamamoto asked, taking the snail and holding it up at eye level. "It's co cute! What does it do? What do you mean 'method of communication'?"
“…” Gokudera stared for a moment, taken aback by the question. He couldn’t believe that Yamamoto was taking the whole swimming thing seriously. “Not even a few yards,” He answered while reaching into his pocket to pull out his own den den mushi. The tiny creature appeared to be sleeping, eye stalks sagging in a groggy state. “It transmits your voice in the place of a cell phone. Here, I’ll call the Tenth and let him know I have you here.” He poked the small creature, “Hey, call the Tenth.” After calling Tsuna so many times, Gokudera had to do little else for it to transmit appropriately. While he waited for his boss to answer, he looked up at Yamamoto, “And they don’t work in the cold very well.”
Yamamoto laughed. He didn't have any reason to think that Gokudera was lying about the swimming thing, and he was a pretty strong swimmer anyway, so it didn't seem so bad. "Maybe they just need coats!" He poked at the snail's shell. "It's really calling Tsuna? How does it work?"
All was quiet in the bridge of the Vongola, the young captain’s head rested on his arms below the control panel for the ship. All the windows were open, letting the sun pour in as the boy enjoyed a small nap, but it's cut off to the sound of, "Pirru pirru.... pirru pirru.“ He jumped at the noise and glanced around to find his ringing(?) den den mushi on the desk top. He reached over, pressing a big green button on the creatures shell, "Hello?"
Gokudera’s den den mushi’s mouth moved, Tsuna’s voice drifting out around Gokudera and Yamamoto. The silver-haired teen grinned, “Hey Tenth! I just picked Yamamoto up, do you want me to take him over to the Vongola?”
Yamamoto grinned at the sound of Tsuna's voice coming from the snail. "Hey Tsuna!" he shouted, completely interrupting Gokudera. "What's up! These snail things are pretty cool, huh?"
“Oh! Yamamoto!” The boy’s voice perked up at the sound of Yamamoto’s greeting. “The Den Den Mushi? Yeah, they are kinda neat… Where are you guys at? Just come over to the ship when you get here, ok?” Tsuna sounds a lot more excited then when he’d first picked up and it shows on Gokudera’s snail’s face.
Gokudera seemed to be holding the den den mushi a bit more carefully, as though it were the Tenth Vongola himself, and as it spoke to Yamamoto, he lifted it a bit higher. He caught the excitement in his boss' tone and although there was a small bit of jealousy and annoyance, it was well hidden. "We're on the SDS now, and we'll be over shortly!"
"Alright, thanks Gokudera-kun! I guess I'll see you in a bit!" And then he pressed the red button on the other side of his snail's shell.
The den den mushi fell silent as it drifted back to sleep in Gokudera’s palm. “There. I think they communicate telepathically with one another…” He placed the small creature away and started walking ahead, excited to go visit his boss, regardless of the fact that he visited him every day.
Yamamoto was nearly bouncing. "That was so cool! Telepathically? This place is crazy! Ghosts and giant sea monsters and telepathic snails? How do we get over to the yacht? You're coming too right? Are we swimming?"
"No idiot, we're not swimming" He rolled his eyes and walked ahead. Hands settled in his pockets and shoulders hunched in his usual posture. "We'll take a boat." Really, he thinks they should do something about how they move between ship to sub. Maybe they could just tip Yamamoto over and walk across him... His body was long enough...
"How do you get from a sub to a boat, then? Aren't we underwater?" Yamamoto asked, running his fingers through his hair absently.
"Guh! When we aren't travelling, we surface beside the Vongola and can cross easily using a small dinghy." Gokudera said and looked up at Yamamoto. He suddenly remembered telling him they were underwater and an irritated blush dusts beneath his eyes. He's not going to admit he was wrong if he doesn't have to.
Yamamoto was pretty sure that he was the one that was remembering wrong, so he didn't mention it. "All right!" He followed Gokudera as they headed for the dinghy. "So what's the yacht like, then? How did you guys get it, anyway?"
As they passed by a porthole, he could tell they were already surfaced. After a sigh, he opened a door to the stairs leading out. Beyond the door, the sunlight was blinding, bouncing off the white sides of the Vongola yacht. "See for yourself." He bent down to untie the dinghy. The yacht would have seemed more glorious, were its sides not covered in dents, paint chipping away where acid had eaten away. "Reborn brought it after the last one shrunk."
Yamamoto raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Jeez. That thing is huge. I mean. It looked a lot smaller through the periscope."
"The submarine is larger. This yacht is also smaller than the last, since it's built for speed. It's the perfect bait!" His eyes shined with excitement at the idea of having to fight more pirates. It'd been a long time since they'd had a serious battle. He was always prepared, since he spent most of his time on the submarine, where the training rooms acted as his usual hangout. He stepped onto the small boat and waited for Yamamoto, drumming fingers impatiently as he grabbed the oars.
Yamamoto stepped into the dinghy and sat down, looking thoughtful. "You guys have really been here for a whole year?"
"Yeah. This is our sixth yacht. I wasn't here for all of them... only the last three." He said and as he began rowing, bangles on his wrists clicking noisily with the sweeping motions of his arms.
"What happened to the first five?" Yamamoto asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not sure about the ones before I arrived. The third and fourth exploded, the fifth shrunk when we went to a cursed island. The Tenth has it with him." After one particularly hard stroke, the ship lurched and cruised lazily before gently bumping against the metal of the yacht. He stood to tie the dinghy up, setting aside the oars.
"Exploded?" Yamamoto asked, eyes wide. "This place is pretty dangerous, huh?" He automatically started helping tie the dinghy up.
"Yeah. Even when we're just cruising, it's important to keep an eye out. It's always dangerous around here. A few weeks ago, we were eaten by a dinosaur." Gokudera sighed, a little astounded with himself that he could say something so unbelievable with a casual attitude. When the dinghy was safely attached to the ship, he glanced over their work, glad to have a hand, and began clambering up the metal ladder onto the first deck.
Yamamoto followed close behind. "How did we all get here, anyway? This isn't the future or the past or something, right? This is...somewhere completely different."
"It's unintentional. The Tenth..." He remembered how the trip to the future had all been an intricate plot devised by their future boss, "He didn't plan to come here. Some people have shown up by crossing oceans on their own worlds." Gokudera took out another cigarette, but didn't light it, content to let it rest between his lips as he spoke, "Most people just show up here." For his own girlfriend, who had been in the middle of a war, appearing suddenly in such a place and being expected to play a new role was especially difficult. People just made do with the cards they were dealt. The silver-haired teen doesn't actually appear upset, but the way his pace has slowed suggests he's lost in thought. In a few more minutes, they'd approach an elevator that would lead them to the bridge where the mafia boss was waiting.
Yamamoto still had a thousand questions about the place he'd ended up in, but he didn't want to push. There'd be time for questions later. For now he was just going to be happy that he'd found his friends. The fact that they were together, no matter where they were, gave him the utmost confidence that everything would work out okay. Suddenly, he laughed. "So, we're all in the same boat, right?" he joked.
He caught the joke and rolled his eyes at Yamamoto as they stopped before the elevator. "Except that Hibari. That guy would rather cause trouble than suffer it." The teen stepped inside as the door opened, leaning against the wall and watching the Vongola's new guest. It'd been a long while since he'd seen him, and although his stare is a bit critical, it's not full of the distaste Yamamoto is probably used to.
Yamamoto just smiled, following the shorter boy into the elevator. "I talked to him the other day," he said, nodding. "He's just the same as ever."
Gokudera pressed the button to the bridge floor and folded his arms over his chest. "You've been here a couple weeks. What were you doing before then?" It's his turn to ask questions, though there wouldn't be nearly as many as he's had to answer.
"Surviving," Yamamoto said, shrugging. "There were banana trees so I had food and everything. And I made a shelter and stuff. There were monkeys, too! They were angry that I took their bananas at first, but then we were friends!"
He blinked, having meant to ask what Yamamoto had been doing before he appeared on the island. "...Friends?" Gokudera gave him an odd look, "With a group of wild monkeys?" He'd heard of more far-fetched things, but it still seems extremely odd. The doors slid open and he stepped out into the hallway.
Yamamoto followed with a wide grin and a nod. "They were pretty cool. They shared their bananas with me!"
"Oh!" He stopped walking and turned, remembering something, "When you're here, try not to eat any strange colored fruit. Pink bananas, red peaches, purple lettuce, blue carrots... anything you aren't sure about. Don't put it in your mouth." Gokudera made sure to stare at him, checking to see how well the baseball player would pay attention.
"Why not?" Yamamoto asked, looking around at the hallway, distracted. This yacht really was huge. And impressive. Where the hell did Reborn even get things like these?
"They're cursed. You could turn into something, or end up switching bodies with someone. If you eat one and end up becoming a piece of cake or something, then you'll be no use to the- Hey pay attention!" Gokudera reaches forward and grabs Yamamoto's collar, giving a yank to bring him closer. "I won't tolerate you being an inconvenience!"
Yamamoto held his hands up in apology. "I'm listening! I'm paying attention! Turning into cake!"
His grip was unrelenting, as was the gaze fixed on Yamamoto's dark eyes. "I know it's hard for you, but try not to be a complete idiot." He can't see how his words would really get through. Everyone he's met on the Grand Line had eaten something strange, sometimes intentionally. Ultimately, he doesn't want Yamamoto to get hurt. He released the taller boy, giving a slight shove with the outside of his forearm and sneered a bit, "Tch. They only last a week, but we can't afford one minute around here. Got it?"
Nodding emphatically, Yamamoto attempted to pull away from Gokudera's grip. "I get it, Gokudera. I'll be careful. Okay?" He might have a reputation for being a little dim, but he did come through when it was important.
"Good." He turned away without another word and although he'd just warned the swordsman and had him swear, he wonders which cursed fruit Yamamoto will eat first. After the marines had outlawed many of them, there were only a select few their ship could obtain. Try as he may to avoid it, Tsuna usually ended up having a few ones around.
Yamamoto stepped back and adjusted his shirt where Gokudera had pulled it slightly askew. "...so where's Tsuna? We've got to be almost there, right?"
"The bridge," He answered without missing a beat. In the back of his mind, he's realized that walking down this hall with Yamamoto is far more irritating than with anyone else. He'd probably bark at him about all the questions he's had to answer, but the sound of Tsuna screaming from inside the main control room pulled his attention. Without a second of hesitation, he rushed down the hall and flung open the door.
Yamamoto ran too, following Gokudera to the bridge, his heartbeat picking up a little. "Tsuna?" he called.
“G-GOKUDERA-KUN! YAMAMOTO! W-WHA…WHATDOIDO?” Tsuna screeched, the loud beeping and sirens mingling with his confused hysteria. The Vongola Captain flailed about in place, not sure if he should try to fix what he’d messed up to begin with but not doing anything out of fear he might make it worse.
Gokudera rushed in, and as soon as he was sure his boss was safe, started to assess the situation. "Here, Tenth! I'll fix it!" Obviously, the alarm was coming from the computer so he checked there first, sitting down and lowering his fingers onto the keys. "... Sticky?" A can of soda sat at his feet as he inspected his fingers.
Yamamoto had just arrived on the ship so he...really didn't think he'd be much help. He peeked over Gokudera's shoulder at the computer screen, but he couldn't really tell what was going on. "Did you try 'control, alt, delete'?" he asked.
"Of course that won't work!" Gokudera shot back, not even bothering to look at Yamamoto as he clicked about and looked up the defense codes. If he locked the system down, then it wouldn't be able to receive further damage. “CRITICAL SYSTEM ERROR. DEFENSE SEQUENCE ACTIVATED. CRITICAL SYSTEM ERROR. DEFENSE SEQUENCE ACTIVATED.”
"Do you know how to fix it?!!" The smaller of the boys asked, turning to the bomb expert typing away at the control panel. He regretted not asking Spanner to stay onboard and as he thinks to check with the rest of the crew, a large sheet of metal drops down over the only door to the bridge. Large gold eyes went blank... great, now they're sealed in with all the noise and chaos and there's no way out.
Yamamoto scratched his head. He really had no idea what was going on. "Just...try control, alt, delete. That always works," he said, shrugging.
"Fine!" Irritated that his method hadn't worked, Gokudera held down the buttons Yamamoto had instructed him to, "If that didn't work I don't see how the hell your empty head could come up with..." Task manager opened up and the sirens fell silent. He stopped talking as he ended the lockdown and cleared the screen. "Tch! It was just luck..."
Tsuna gawked, a little awed and partially amused. Wow, that actually worked and he can't help but to smile at just how simple that was and how much more complicated he'd made it out to be. Well, whatever worked. The boy turned to his rain guardian, that little smile turning into a pleased grin. "So... how do you like the ship?"
Yamamoto grinned back. "It's huge! And hi, by the way! It's really good to see you, Tsuna!"
Oh good, at least Yamamoto seemed the same! It made his grin brighten to see an old friend who wasn't somehow changed by the Grand Line. "Yeah, I haven't seen you in ages!" Tsuna chirped, calming down and wanting nothing more than to bring them to the lounge, crack open a window and hang out just like old times.
Gokudera grumbled something from across the room as he cleaned up, trying to make up for his earlier mistake. He walked over to his boss and Yamamoto, standing casually as he watched them converse. The teen would usually be more jealous, but it's hard when Tsuna was smiling so brightly.
Yamamoto looked thoughtful. "I still don't really get how this all works," he said. "I could've sworn that I saw you just a couple of weeks ago. At home."
“Oh, maybe you’re from a different dimension or something…? I haven’t seen anyone from home in a really long time.” Tsuna mused, a flash of sadness covering his eyes for a second at the memories of his home. He looked up at Yamamoto and attempted to give him a somewhat shy smile. There were two many nostalgic thoughts passing through his head and he’s just trying to be thankful that one of his closest friends had shown up.
"That's what Gokudera said," Yamamoto replied, nodding. "It's still really weird though. But...I'm glad to be here, either way."
Gokudera looked between them and sighed, glancing back at his mother. "Ah. I've something I need to take care of. I'll see you tomorrow morning for another lesson, okay, Tenth?" He smiled gently, bowing lowly and then glanced at Yamamoto.
Tsuna glanced at Gokudera, a little concerned, but not wanting to pry. "Alright, Gokudera-kun take care." He turned back to Yamamoto, his face becoming distressed as a nervous sweat broke out on his brow. "B-But now that you're here we have no idea how you can get back!!
Yamamoto waved a goodbye to Gokudera. "Thanks again, for coming to pick me up and everything, Gokudera," he said, before turning back to Tsuna. "It's all right. You probably need all your guardians here, right? So. I'm here.”
It's awkward to have someone so nice to him, even if it is Yamamoto. He hunched his shoulders hunch a little, "I didn't do anything you need to thank me for! ...Anyone would have done it." And he's sure about that. He's just really glad it wasn't one of the pirates. Gokudera doesn't give Yamamoto a chance to make him accept the gratitude. He walked out through the previously locked doors, on his way to his room on the ship with the ghost of his mother following behind him.
"It is nice to see a familiar face! Oh! Wanna see your room?" Tsuna chirped suddenly, remembering to acquaint his rain guardian with the yacht.
"Yeah! There's a room here for me and everything?" Yamamoto exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "What else does this ship have?"
"Uh-huh, there are lots of free rooms and stuff!" Tsuna answered, patting at his pocket for keys while trying not to fall down a flight of stairs. "A kitchen, a bar... it might have a pool or jacuzzi... "
Yamamoto nodded, still grinning. "Wow, this ship is really cool. Are there batting cages???" He sounded very hopeful.
"No, but if you want, we could probably set some up for you?" He's happy to see Yamamoto so eager and the Don made note to bring the idea up to Reborn. If anyone could stick a batting cage on a ship, it's Reborn. Tsuna led the way to one of the suites, stopping outside a red, wooden door, knocking and waiting for a response before he pushed it open.
The rain guardian practically leapt with joy. "Really? You could do that?"
Tsuna seemed a little startled by Yamamoto's enthusiasm, but he nodded. "Sure! It shouldn't be that hard, right? And it'd get some use."
Yamamoto nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! I'd use it every day!"
"Then yeah, we'll make one for you." Tsuna answered and led the other boy into the room. "So here it is." The room was neat and would be spacious if not for the large bed in the corner.
"Wow. This is bigger than my room at home," Yamamoto said, stepping into the room and doing a full 360 degree spin. "This is really for me?"
"Yeah, everyone else has their own room and this ones the second biggest. Is it missing anything?" The Don checked to make sure that the drawers in the room were empty and opened the blinds to let some sun in.
"I get the second-biggest room?" Yamamoto asked, plopping his backpack with his few meagre belongings in it down onto the bed. "Does that make me like your second in command on the ship? Since Gokudera has the sub?" He grinned, thinking about how angry that sentiment would make Gokudera.
"W-Well, no, there are three types of room." Tsuna answered quickly, raising his hands as he imagined how defensive Gokudera would be if he were to hear that. "There are twin suites, the crew suites and then the master. Gokudera-kun has the same kind as you."
"So he and I have the same sized room?" Yamamoto asked, shrugging. He didn't really care about being second-in-command the way he knew Gokudera did. It was just fun to push the storm guardian's buttons.
"Yeah. So do you like it? You can always add things or take them away if you want..." Tsuna stated nervously, hoping his friend approved of his new home.
Yamamoto grinned. "I just spent two weeks on a deserted island eating bananas. This is amazing."
Tsuna scratched at the back of his head, giving the other boy a nervous but all around pleased smile. "I-I'm glad and it's good to have you on board, Yamamoto!" The Don held the key to the room out. "Well, if there's anything you need, just ask, ok?"
Yamamoto grabbed the key and then plopped down on the bed and stretched out with a groan. A real bed. "Thanks Tsuna. I really appreciate all of this. And...it's good to see you. I'm glad I'm here."
“Sure.” I’m glad you’re here too. “See you later, Yamamoto.” The boy waved before exiting the room and heading back to the controls for the ship, a little spring in his step and a smile on his face.
And then Gokudera removed his panties, and told Tsuna, “Oh my love, I have waited so long for this day! Take me! Take me in my love hole!”
What: Gokudera picks Yamamoto from some island
Where: An island, then a mini sub, then the Sweet Death Submarine, then the Vongola yacht
When: April 9
Warning: Gokudera's mouth.
Yamamoto sat on the beach of the island he'd found himself on, laptop in his lap. He'd discovered a simulated baseball game and had been playing it for the last three hours, completely forgetting about the fact that Gokudera was on his way to pick him up. "HOME RUN!!!! YES!!!" He shouted, pumping his fist into the air. This game was awesome. If only he had enough people to play a real game, that would've made this island a whole lot more fun!
The sun was setting and Gokudera had put off picking up Yamamoto for as long as possible. Working on repairs for the ship, scheduling some conversations with Inspector Zenigata, and worrying over every minor detail about the transfer of certain crew members was driving him insane. Retrieving the Rain Guardian wasn’t the best distraction, but it prevented him from feeling guilty when he remembered how excited his boss had seemed when the athlete had commented to his entry. There was only one thing that made it unbearable, and it wasn’t even who he was going to see, or how inconvenient it felt. As he walked down the beach, scanning it for signs of the other boy, the ghost of his mother lingered behind him. She was completely visible, expression blank, as she floated peacefully over the tracks he left in the damp sand. He hoped Yamamoto wouldn’t point her out, since he’d been doing a very good job of keeping her a secret from everyone else, and ignore her openly in public.
Yamamoto was so wrapped up in his game that he didn't even notice Gokudera's approach, totally absorbed as his character was now pitching. "YOU'RE OUT!" He shouted after a moment, with another fist pump.
The silver-haired teen sighed. Crap, his feet were getting sore and he was already getting a little irritated. When he heard the shout, though, it was like he'd never been tired. His slouch grew a little deeper with every step, and he lifted a hand in greeting. "Oi! Idiot, you wanna stay here?" He called. No that wasn't a bit of happiness in his expression, it was just relief... because he wouldn't have to keep walking all over the whole damn beach.
Yamamoto's head shot up, and his face broke into a wide grin. "Gokudera! Hey! You're here!" He jumped up, stuffing the laptop into a backpack. "Did you really come in a submarine? Where are we? Lambo said we were playing PIRATES!"
Maybe if he turned back now, he could just tell the Tenth that it had been an imposter... He stared for a bit and let his cigarette burn, just considering his options. "Yeah and we're leaving in it, too." Without any warm greeting or even a smile, he turned and began walking back, leaving Yamamoto to follow behind him. "This is the Grand Line and NO we're not playing pirates! We're bounty hunters... why the hell would you listen to the dumb cow anyways?" He really hoped that someone else could pick up Lambo, because he really doesn’t want to have to babysit the kid or watch him stress out the Tenth.
Yamamoto ran to catch up, laughing. "Ooh! Bounty hunters? That sounds like fun! Who else is here?"
As usual, that laughter annoyed the hell out of him. It was completely pointless! He didn't even say anything funny to laugh at! "It's not. Ah, just the Tenth, Reborn-san. You, Hibari, and that dumb cow just showed up recently." He said thoughtfully.
"Oh, Reborn is here too! Cool!" Yamamoto said, skipping ahead. "Where's the submarine? Is it under water? Hey, can you play baseball on a yacht?"
"If you talk this much in the submarine, I'm going to feed you to a sea king." Green eyes narrowed at the back of Yamamoto's head. "And no shit the submarine is under water. The smaller one is a bit away and it's surfaced, though." Gokudera wasn't even going to humor the baseball question with a response. Yamamoto would just have to see for himself.
Yamamoto scanned the horizon, finally seeing the submarine. "Ooh! I see it! Can you teach me how to drive it?" He ran ahead without waiting for a response.
"Don't get carried away now!" He snapped and growled before he gave chase, shoes slapping the water as it ran up the beach. When he caught up, he huffed a little, "Can't you at least wait until you're settled in?" Dammit, why did he have to play teacher to an idiot like this guy? It's not like he minded teaching the boss how to drive -the small don still hadn’t gotten the hang of the controls even after a few months and a very scary test-drive- but to teach someone else, and so vastly inferior was asking a bit much. "You can watch over how I do it and then MAYBE I'll give you a lesson." The idea of Yamamoto screwing up behind the controls was actually kind of amusing. Gokudera walked ahead and climbed up, opened the hatch and looked over at the taller teen. "And I mean it about the sea king thing."
"What's a sea king?" Yamamoto asked, climbing up too. "And I'm a really fast learner, I promise it won't take long!" He was practically bouncing in excitement.
"Basically a sea monster that makes Namimori middle look like a speck." He answered, rolling his eyes at the second comment as he took a seat before the controls. "Not now, you're too fucking annoying." There's nothing deeper than the usual bite to his tone. He's obviously not going to blow Yamamoto up for talking too much since hey, the guy was curious, but he won't hesitate to at least burn him with the lit end of his smoke if he really can‘t get the message.
"Sea monsters? Like giant squid and stuff? Can you eat them?" Yamamoto settled in behind Gokudera, watching him at the controls over his shoulder, oblivious to how annoying that probably was. But he really did want to learn how to drive a submarine!
"Yeah, but they look weird as hell." Gokudera said, too distracted with adjusting the system to really care much about explaining the creatures in detail. When he leaned back in the chair, he realized that Yamamoto was right over his shoulder. Startled, he jumped and spun about to fix a glare at him, "The fuck, idiot--! Just sit next to me and quit breathing down my neck!" Never had driving the mini-sub seemed such an uncomfortable task.
"Sorry!" Yamamoto sat in the chair next to Gokudera, still watching him work the controls curiously. It didn't look too difficult. He could probably figure it out... "What does this button do?" he asked, pointing to a big red button.
"Fill ballast." He answered. "Don't press it." Gokudera stood up and walked over to the hatch, checking to make sure it was completely sealed before he returned to his seat and took over the controls again. It took a few minutes for the gauges to reach the right levels, filling the ballast with the correct balance so that they could reach a depth suitable for movement back to the main submarine. "We only have one miniature submarine, and the main one requires a lot of work. So you can use this one for practice and once you get an idea of how to operate it, then you can try moving the Sweet Death Submarine."
Yamamoto's face lit up even more than it had already been. "Seriously? I can drive the whole big submarine too? Cool!" He bounced up and down in his seat. "Can I try it now? Please?"
"Not by yourself! It's too big and there's no way you could do it!" Yet he manages to do it all the time. He credits it to reading the entire manual on the submarine from cover to cover. "Did you even listen to what I said?!" Gokudera can't even steer the submarine or start the propulsion system since he's still waiting for the depth to even out.
Yamamoto flapped his hand at Gokudera. "Fine, fine. I can wait. Can you at least tell me what you're doing?"
If it will make you shut up, he thought and sighed. "Controlling the depth by filling the ballast tanks with water. We're diving, but we can't move forward until I know it's clear." He watches the gauge carefully and then nods, pulling his glasses out from a pack behind him and pulling his hair back. It's time to get serious. "And it controls the trim, which is also the angle of the vessel. Because it isn't very large, it's already at the right level and we can go on." He pressed a few more buttons, glanced at the sonar system, and placed both hands on the wheel. "And now we're moving. When we're halfway there, I'll bring us up some more and check through the periscope to make sure it's safe."
"Can I look through the periscope too?" Yamamoto asked, grinning. "This really is awesome. How did you manage to get a mini submarine, anyway?"
He looked over at Yamamoto, unsure how to answer him. The last owner had been an important person to him, someone he would actually consider a friend, and it hurt a little to think she's completely gone now. That pain behind his eyes was short lived, and he turned to look back at the blinking screen, "It was a gift from the last owner."
Yamamoto frowned for just a moment, you wouldn't have noticed unless you were looking right at him. "Wait...a gift? How long have you been in this place?"
"A year." He said and pressed a few more buttons. "Reborn-san has been here longer, though." Gokudera leaned back once more, relaxing as he left the submarine to move forward, free of any obstacles except the water it pushed through.
"A year” Yamamoto's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "But I just saw you all the other day! You haven't been gone for a year!"
"That's because you probably came from a parallel universe." He said and glanced over at Yamamoto, looking at him critically as though trying to place what would make him vastly different from the baseball idiot he used to know.
Yamamoto frowned thoughtfully. "Like that Irie guy explained to us when we went to the future? So you're not the same Gokudera that I know?"
"Well I'm obviously still Me! Tch, I went to the future, too... I just came here sometime after and things are complicated." He frowned openly, pointing it at Yamamoto again. So this guy went to the future, too...
Yamamoto laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I still don't really get how the whole parallel universe thing works, then. Is this the future too? Where are we?" This whole thing was really weird, be as per usual, Yamamoto was taking things in stride.
"Don't hurt your head from thinking too much." He lit up another cigarette. Sure, it's wasn’t healthy to do in such a closed space when the air was recycled, but he doesn't care. "This is a different world. Around here, they don't even know what Namimori is. This place is all ocean and fish, pirates, and cursed fruit... It's really-" He couldn't emphasize it enough, "really weird."
Yamamoto coughed from the smoke, but remained cheerful. "An ocean world? How did we get here? Is this another...mission or something?"
"I'm not sure how or why, but people show up here from all over the place occasionally. There hasn't been anyone from our world in a while." If he noticed that cough, he didn't show it. "I think Reborn-san knows more than he’s letting on, it’s probably for our own good."
"Well," Yamamoto said, shrugging," If you, Tsuna, and Reborn are all here, then that's good enough for me!" He grinned. "Now. What does this button do?" He pointed to a yellow button.
"Hn." He smiled inwardly at that, "guess you're right." Gokudera watched as the baseball player motioned to another button on the control panel. Except it wasn’t a button. "It's a knob. You turn it to activate the thrusters in the back." Which they didn't need since the actual submarine wasn't that far away. Though, if Yamamoto would stay quiet during the little trip, he would be tempted to use the thrusters to escape the company.
Yamamoto nodded, watching Gokudera pilot the submarine, memorizing the buttons he pushed and what they did, and was quiet for just a moment. But then he remembered something someone on the network had told him. "...hey, Gokudera?" he asked. "This random girl online told me that you have a girlfriend! Is that true?"
"Wha-- Who told you that?!" He gasped, shocked and whirled around so quickly that he nearly struck the 'Fill Ballast' button. His cigarette hung from his lips as he stared at Yamamoto suspiciously.
Yamamoto laughed at his reaction. "Some girl named Meru-chan? I just met her. She said she knew you!" He was still skeptical. How could Gokudera have a girlfriend?
"Mer- oh HER." His glare suddenly intensified and he turned back to the screen, grip tightening unnecessarily on the wheel. "Tcheh! She doesn't know me at all!"
Yamamoto's smile widened even more. He KNEW it. "So you don't have a girlfriend?"
"I didn't say that." And when he looked over and noticed that wide smile, it caught him off guard "Why do you seem so happy about it?!"
Yamamoto laughed again. "Sorry! Was I smiling too much? So you do have a girlfriend?" He reached out to poke at Gokudera's shoulder, genuinely curious now.
"Shut up, it's none of your business!" He said and swatted at Yamamoto's hand, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the screen so he could hide his expression on his face behind the silver fringe of his bangs.
Whoa. Maybe he really did have a girlfriend. Yamamoto's eyes widened. "So..." he asked, casually, "what's her name?"
"Why do you want to know so badly?" He snipped out sharply, still not taking his eyes off the screen. There seemed to be some kind of cloud hanging over him, though it was clearly not depression. It was more like an embarrassed buzz. If Yamamoto looked hard enough, he might be able to make out the slightly pink glow of his ears behind the pale hair.
Yamamoto shrugged. "I don't know. We're friends, right? And none of my friends have girlfriends. So. It's...new." He grinned. "What's she like? Is she pretty? How old is she?"
He was quiet for a moment before he sat up, careful to maintain his usual slouch. "Oh... You can look through the periscope now." Gokudera said and put out his cigarette, dropping it in a can he used as a makeshift ashtray.
Yamamoto jumped up and ran over to the periscope, looking into it. "What am I looking for? And you know that if you don't tell me I can probably find out from someone else, right?" He turned the periscope, surveying the area around them.
"You see that Yacht in the distance? That's the Vongola's. And her name is Miranda… stubborn retard." Gokudera said, rolling his eyes. He could see that the sub was up ahead and although it was huge, it would be invisible from Yamamoto's view through the periscope.
Yamamoto squinted to make out the yacht in the distance. "So that's where Tsuna is?" he asked, grinning at the fact that he'd finally gotten Gokudera to flat out admit that he had a girlfriend. "Miranda, huh?"
He waited for Yamamoto to get his fill of the view before he started moving forward again. "Yeah." Gokudera really hoped he didn't have to answer any more questions. It's not like he's ashamed to have his girlfriend... he just doesn't like to talk about her that much.
Yamamoto pulled back from the periscope and went back to his seat. "So we're almost to the submarine now? How come you're not on the yacht with Tsuna? And who is that lady anyway?" he said all in one breath, finally actually noticing the ghost hovering behind Gokudera.
"Well, we travel together and it's easy to move between the yacht and submarine. Recently, a lot of people have gone missing, so they need a pilot on the sub. And because I work best with the Tenth, and the two vessels operate as a team I'm naturally the only person fit for the position!" He boasted, sitting a little taller. The childlike excitement over what was essentially, his giant kickass toy on the Grand Line died quickly when Yamamoto suddenly steered them off-topic. "What lady?"
"Wow! So you're like...the captain of the submarine? I want a SPANISH GALLEON!" Yamamoto exclaimed, jumping up and hitting his head on the ceiling. The pain, however, did not distract him. "That lady," he said, holding his head with one hand and pointing to the ghost with the other.
"What would you even do with one?! It's also pretty lame to have something made of wood." Because it's what everyone else has and clearly, the Vongola should not have anything other than the best that dirty money could buy. The clear look of distaste on the bomber's face suddenly tightened as he realized that Yamamoto was pointing to the ghost of his mother. "You must be seeing things."
"Baseball bats are made of wood," Yamamoto pointed out, as if that made any difference at all. He moved closer to the ghost. "It's not a real person, is it? It's like that projection thing of Reborn while we were in the future or something. Right?" He held out his arm and it went right through the woman. "Oh weird."
He would reply in a witty manner that baseball bats can be made of metal, but when he saw Yamamoto putting a hand through the image, he couldn't help but jump up, startled. He knew she wasn’t real, can't speak or move really, but the fact that she is someone so important and Yamamoto just PUT HIS ARM RIGHT THROUGH HER struck a chord. "Stop! Idiot!!" The teen slammed his hand over the larger teen's forearm, glaring up at him intensely through his glasses.
Yamamoto backed away, his eyebrows shooting up. He hadn't realized that the woman was a sore point, and hadn't really had a reason to think so. "Sorry! I didn't--who is she? What is she?"
Gah, was this guy really so dense that he couldn't pick up the resemblance?! Gokudera's eyes lingered on Yamamoto as though he could find someone else behind those amber eyes. He didn't want to call attention to his mother, but after getting so upset so suddenly, it'd be hard to play cool. "She's a ghost." Gokudera turned away a little to check the screen, but also because he wanted to hide that little bit of emotion on his face.
Realization dawned on Yamamoto's face. "She's your mother," he said, his voice full of wonder. "...Gokudera..."
The silence that lingered after Yamamoto said his name felt nearly suffocating. Gokudera wanted nothing more than to completely vanish from existence. He doesn’t even know Yamamoto knew about his past, and he doesn’t intent to tell him. Gokudera doesn't want to be pitied... "One of those stupid curses around here." The teen was convinced he would be free from a curse as long as he didn't eat any strange fruits, but like any natural -or unnatural- phenomena on the Grand Line, this one forced it's ways on him.
Yamamoto didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry," he said after a long silence, shrugging.
"Don't be. I'm not the only one who has one..." He knew it was selfish to sulk about in his room all day, haunted by the bittersweet memories of his mother when so many other people were probably going through worse, but he can't help it. He never had her around before, and even if she wasn't completely there with him, it hurts to think she'll leave again, and he doesn't want to waste a moment. "A-Anyways, it's just a curse and it will go away. Like I said... it's weird around here." He returned his attention fully to the control panel. They're almost there.
"Other people have them? What is this place?" Yamamoto looked slightly concerned for the first time since he'd met up with Gokudera.
"Some people have more than one ghost, too. It's all over the network." Gokudera glanced behind him, a little surprised by the lack of cheer in his friend. He can't exactly help Yamamoto more than he's doing now, and he considered the athlete lucky for arriving AFTER so much has happened. "Welcome to the Grand Line."
Yamamoto looked thoughtful for a moment and then smiled. "The Grand Line, huh? I kind of like the sound of that."
"I'll show you some maps later so you can get a firm grasp of where you are, and then teach you about the ships that sail around here. So if you get picked up by a gang of pirates, I'm not coming to help you." Gokudera wouldn't expect Yamamoto to run off on his own, but he'd love nothing more than to look like the loyal one in his boss' eyes if something like that happened. "Sit down, I'm taking us in." Green eyes narrowed and he pushed up his glasses to look at the sonar while he emptied the ballast.
Yamamoto sat obediently, like a dog. "Thanks," he said, looking a little sheepish, but still smiling, "for picking me up and helping me out and stuff. I really appreciate it."
"Yeah well... It makes the Tenth happy. He's got enough to worry about." The statement wasn't entirely true. The last he saw, his boss was in a really good mood and probably would have made the trip alone had Gokudera not volunteered. He smiled internally just thinking about Tsuna's thoughtfulness for others. The submarine lurched a little and he stood to turn everything off. He'd performed these actions so much that they were second-nature.
"Does he have a ghost thing too?" Yamamoto asked, trying to think of who Tsuna would have a ghost of. Both his parents were alive... "And still...thank you." He watched Gokudera work the controls, memorizing what he was doing. "You're really good at this whole submarine thing."
"I haven't seen anyone following the Tenth around." Gokudera would know, because he's usually that person following Tsuna around. He moved about, flicking various switches and taking note of the mini sub's condition. "Of course. I read the whole manual! The Tenth has it right now and I'm giving him lessons." He opened the hatch and climbed up with little difficulty, then stood on top of the submarine to wait on Yamamoto.
Yamamoto mimicked the shorter boy's motion, climbing out of the hatch easily. He was a fast learner. "You'll give me lessons too, right?"
"Yeah, sure. You have to pay attention, though. This isn't as simple as algebra and it's much more important." Gokudera climbed down the side and looked around, making a note to have someone clean the large space. Maybe they'd get to it after the repairs were complete on the yacht.
"I'll pay attention! I promise!" Yamamoto said, laughing and climbing down as well. "So...what now?"
"Do what you want. You can stay on the ship or this submarine. There's plenty of room on both of them. If you stay here, you'll need to make a plaque for your room door. If you stay on the ship, there is a suite you can use and should be on the upper level. I spend time on both vessels, so it's not like you have to stay in one." He walked ahead toward the door so they could relocate to the galley or upper deck.
Yamamoto nodded. "Okay, cool. I'd like to at least go over to the yacht to see Tsuna. How do you get from one to the other?"
"We use a dinghy, but you can swim." He lit another cigarette and pulls a den den mushi from his bag. "This" He tapped the small snail-looking creature, "Is your new method of communication. If you hadn't noticed, cell phones don't get shit for signals around here."
"How far of a swim is it?" Yamamoto asked, taking the snail and holding it up at eye level. "It's co cute! What does it do? What do you mean 'method of communication'?"
“…” Gokudera stared for a moment, taken aback by the question. He couldn’t believe that Yamamoto was taking the whole swimming thing seriously. “Not even a few yards,” He answered while reaching into his pocket to pull out his own den den mushi. The tiny creature appeared to be sleeping, eye stalks sagging in a groggy state. “It transmits your voice in the place of a cell phone. Here, I’ll call the Tenth and let him know I have you here.” He poked the small creature, “Hey, call the Tenth.” After calling Tsuna so many times, Gokudera had to do little else for it to transmit appropriately. While he waited for his boss to answer, he looked up at Yamamoto, “And they don’t work in the cold very well.”
Yamamoto laughed. He didn't have any reason to think that Gokudera was lying about the swimming thing, and he was a pretty strong swimmer anyway, so it didn't seem so bad. "Maybe they just need coats!" He poked at the snail's shell. "It's really calling Tsuna? How does it work?"
All was quiet in the bridge of the Vongola, the young captain’s head rested on his arms below the control panel for the ship. All the windows were open, letting the sun pour in as the boy enjoyed a small nap, but it's cut off to the sound of, "Pirru pirru.... pirru pirru.“ He jumped at the noise and glanced around to find his ringing(?) den den mushi on the desk top. He reached over, pressing a big green button on the creatures shell, "Hello?"
Gokudera’s den den mushi’s mouth moved, Tsuna’s voice drifting out around Gokudera and Yamamoto. The silver-haired teen grinned, “Hey Tenth! I just picked Yamamoto up, do you want me to take him over to the Vongola?”
Yamamoto grinned at the sound of Tsuna's voice coming from the snail. "Hey Tsuna!" he shouted, completely interrupting Gokudera. "What's up! These snail things are pretty cool, huh?"
“Oh! Yamamoto!” The boy’s voice perked up at the sound of Yamamoto’s greeting. “The Den Den Mushi? Yeah, they are kinda neat… Where are you guys at? Just come over to the ship when you get here, ok?” Tsuna sounds a lot more excited then when he’d first picked up and it shows on Gokudera’s snail’s face.
Gokudera seemed to be holding the den den mushi a bit more carefully, as though it were the Tenth Vongola himself, and as it spoke to Yamamoto, he lifted it a bit higher. He caught the excitement in his boss' tone and although there was a small bit of jealousy and annoyance, it was well hidden. "We're on the SDS now, and we'll be over shortly!"
"Alright, thanks Gokudera-kun! I guess I'll see you in a bit!" And then he pressed the red button on the other side of his snail's shell.
The den den mushi fell silent as it drifted back to sleep in Gokudera’s palm. “There. I think they communicate telepathically with one another…” He placed the small creature away and started walking ahead, excited to go visit his boss, regardless of the fact that he visited him every day.
Yamamoto was nearly bouncing. "That was so cool! Telepathically? This place is crazy! Ghosts and giant sea monsters and telepathic snails? How do we get over to the yacht? You're coming too right? Are we swimming?"
"No idiot, we're not swimming" He rolled his eyes and walked ahead. Hands settled in his pockets and shoulders hunched in his usual posture. "We'll take a boat." Really, he thinks they should do something about how they move between ship to sub. Maybe they could just tip Yamamoto over and walk across him... His body was long enough...
"How do you get from a sub to a boat, then? Aren't we underwater?" Yamamoto asked, running his fingers through his hair absently.
"Guh! When we aren't travelling, we surface beside the Vongola and can cross easily using a small dinghy." Gokudera said and looked up at Yamamoto. He suddenly remembered telling him they were underwater and an irritated blush dusts beneath his eyes. He's not going to admit he was wrong if he doesn't have to.
Yamamoto was pretty sure that he was the one that was remembering wrong, so he didn't mention it. "All right!" He followed Gokudera as they headed for the dinghy. "So what's the yacht like, then? How did you guys get it, anyway?"
As they passed by a porthole, he could tell they were already surfaced. After a sigh, he opened a door to the stairs leading out. Beyond the door, the sunlight was blinding, bouncing off the white sides of the Vongola yacht. "See for yourself." He bent down to untie the dinghy. The yacht would have seemed more glorious, were its sides not covered in dents, paint chipping away where acid had eaten away. "Reborn brought it after the last one shrunk."
Yamamoto raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Jeez. That thing is huge. I mean. It looked a lot smaller through the periscope."
"The submarine is larger. This yacht is also smaller than the last, since it's built for speed. It's the perfect bait!" His eyes shined with excitement at the idea of having to fight more pirates. It'd been a long time since they'd had a serious battle. He was always prepared, since he spent most of his time on the submarine, where the training rooms acted as his usual hangout. He stepped onto the small boat and waited for Yamamoto, drumming fingers impatiently as he grabbed the oars.
Yamamoto stepped into the dinghy and sat down, looking thoughtful. "You guys have really been here for a whole year?"
"Yeah. This is our sixth yacht. I wasn't here for all of them... only the last three." He said and as he began rowing, bangles on his wrists clicking noisily with the sweeping motions of his arms.
"What happened to the first five?" Yamamoto asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not sure about the ones before I arrived. The third and fourth exploded, the fifth shrunk when we went to a cursed island. The Tenth has it with him." After one particularly hard stroke, the ship lurched and cruised lazily before gently bumping against the metal of the yacht. He stood to tie the dinghy up, setting aside the oars.
"Exploded?" Yamamoto asked, eyes wide. "This place is pretty dangerous, huh?" He automatically started helping tie the dinghy up.
"Yeah. Even when we're just cruising, it's important to keep an eye out. It's always dangerous around here. A few weeks ago, we were eaten by a dinosaur." Gokudera sighed, a little astounded with himself that he could say something so unbelievable with a casual attitude. When the dinghy was safely attached to the ship, he glanced over their work, glad to have a hand, and began clambering up the metal ladder onto the first deck.
Yamamoto followed close behind. "How did we all get here, anyway? This isn't the future or the past or something, right? This is...somewhere completely different."
"It's unintentional. The Tenth..." He remembered how the trip to the future had all been an intricate plot devised by their future boss, "He didn't plan to come here. Some people have shown up by crossing oceans on their own worlds." Gokudera took out another cigarette, but didn't light it, content to let it rest between his lips as he spoke, "Most people just show up here." For his own girlfriend, who had been in the middle of a war, appearing suddenly in such a place and being expected to play a new role was especially difficult. People just made do with the cards they were dealt. The silver-haired teen doesn't actually appear upset, but the way his pace has slowed suggests he's lost in thought. In a few more minutes, they'd approach an elevator that would lead them to the bridge where the mafia boss was waiting.
Yamamoto still had a thousand questions about the place he'd ended up in, but he didn't want to push. There'd be time for questions later. For now he was just going to be happy that he'd found his friends. The fact that they were together, no matter where they were, gave him the utmost confidence that everything would work out okay. Suddenly, he laughed. "So, we're all in the same boat, right?" he joked.
He caught the joke and rolled his eyes at Yamamoto as they stopped before the elevator. "Except that Hibari. That guy would rather cause trouble than suffer it." The teen stepped inside as the door opened, leaning against the wall and watching the Vongola's new guest. It'd been a long while since he'd seen him, and although his stare is a bit critical, it's not full of the distaste Yamamoto is probably used to.
Yamamoto just smiled, following the shorter boy into the elevator. "I talked to him the other day," he said, nodding. "He's just the same as ever."
Gokudera pressed the button to the bridge floor and folded his arms over his chest. "You've been here a couple weeks. What were you doing before then?" It's his turn to ask questions, though there wouldn't be nearly as many as he's had to answer.
"Surviving," Yamamoto said, shrugging. "There were banana trees so I had food and everything. And I made a shelter and stuff. There were monkeys, too! They were angry that I took their bananas at first, but then we were friends!"
He blinked, having meant to ask what Yamamoto had been doing before he appeared on the island. "...Friends?" Gokudera gave him an odd look, "With a group of wild monkeys?" He'd heard of more far-fetched things, but it still seems extremely odd. The doors slid open and he stepped out into the hallway.
Yamamoto followed with a wide grin and a nod. "They were pretty cool. They shared their bananas with me!"
"Oh!" He stopped walking and turned, remembering something, "When you're here, try not to eat any strange colored fruit. Pink bananas, red peaches, purple lettuce, blue carrots... anything you aren't sure about. Don't put it in your mouth." Gokudera made sure to stare at him, checking to see how well the baseball player would pay attention.
"Why not?" Yamamoto asked, looking around at the hallway, distracted. This yacht really was huge. And impressive. Where the hell did Reborn even get things like these?
"They're cursed. You could turn into something, or end up switching bodies with someone. If you eat one and end up becoming a piece of cake or something, then you'll be no use to the- Hey pay attention!" Gokudera reaches forward and grabs Yamamoto's collar, giving a yank to bring him closer. "I won't tolerate you being an inconvenience!"
Yamamoto held his hands up in apology. "I'm listening! I'm paying attention! Turning into cake!"
His grip was unrelenting, as was the gaze fixed on Yamamoto's dark eyes. "I know it's hard for you, but try not to be a complete idiot." He can't see how his words would really get through. Everyone he's met on the Grand Line had eaten something strange, sometimes intentionally. Ultimately, he doesn't want Yamamoto to get hurt. He released the taller boy, giving a slight shove with the outside of his forearm and sneered a bit, "Tch. They only last a week, but we can't afford one minute around here. Got it?"
Nodding emphatically, Yamamoto attempted to pull away from Gokudera's grip. "I get it, Gokudera. I'll be careful. Okay?" He might have a reputation for being a little dim, but he did come through when it was important.
"Good." He turned away without another word and although he'd just warned the swordsman and had him swear, he wonders which cursed fruit Yamamoto will eat first. After the marines had outlawed many of them, there were only a select few their ship could obtain. Try as he may to avoid it, Tsuna usually ended up having a few ones around.
Yamamoto stepped back and adjusted his shirt where Gokudera had pulled it slightly askew. "...so where's Tsuna? We've got to be almost there, right?"
"The bridge," He answered without missing a beat. In the back of his mind, he's realized that walking down this hall with Yamamoto is far more irritating than with anyone else. He'd probably bark at him about all the questions he's had to answer, but the sound of Tsuna screaming from inside the main control room pulled his attention. Without a second of hesitation, he rushed down the hall and flung open the door.
Yamamoto ran too, following Gokudera to the bridge, his heartbeat picking up a little. "Tsuna?" he called.
“G-GOKUDERA-KUN! YAMAMOTO! W-WHA…WHATDOIDO?” Tsuna screeched, the loud beeping and sirens mingling with his confused hysteria. The Vongola Captain flailed about in place, not sure if he should try to fix what he’d messed up to begin with but not doing anything out of fear he might make it worse.
Gokudera rushed in, and as soon as he was sure his boss was safe, started to assess the situation. "Here, Tenth! I'll fix it!" Obviously, the alarm was coming from the computer so he checked there first, sitting down and lowering his fingers onto the keys. "... Sticky?" A can of soda sat at his feet as he inspected his fingers.
Yamamoto had just arrived on the ship so he...really didn't think he'd be much help. He peeked over Gokudera's shoulder at the computer screen, but he couldn't really tell what was going on. "Did you try 'control, alt, delete'?" he asked.
"Of course that won't work!" Gokudera shot back, not even bothering to look at Yamamoto as he clicked about and looked up the defense codes. If he locked the system down, then it wouldn't be able to receive further damage. “CRITICAL SYSTEM ERROR. DEFENSE SEQUENCE ACTIVATED. CRITICAL SYSTEM ERROR. DEFENSE SEQUENCE ACTIVATED.”
"Do you know how to fix it?!!" The smaller of the boys asked, turning to the bomb expert typing away at the control panel. He regretted not asking Spanner to stay onboard and as he thinks to check with the rest of the crew, a large sheet of metal drops down over the only door to the bridge. Large gold eyes went blank... great, now they're sealed in with all the noise and chaos and there's no way out.
Yamamoto scratched his head. He really had no idea what was going on. "Just...try control, alt, delete. That always works," he said, shrugging.
"Fine!" Irritated that his method hadn't worked, Gokudera held down the buttons Yamamoto had instructed him to, "If that didn't work I don't see how the hell your empty head could come up with..." Task manager opened up and the sirens fell silent. He stopped talking as he ended the lockdown and cleared the screen. "Tch! It was just luck..."
Tsuna gawked, a little awed and partially amused. Wow, that actually worked and he can't help but to smile at just how simple that was and how much more complicated he'd made it out to be. Well, whatever worked. The boy turned to his rain guardian, that little smile turning into a pleased grin. "So... how do you like the ship?"
Yamamoto grinned back. "It's huge! And hi, by the way! It's really good to see you, Tsuna!"
Oh good, at least Yamamoto seemed the same! It made his grin brighten to see an old friend who wasn't somehow changed by the Grand Line. "Yeah, I haven't seen you in ages!" Tsuna chirped, calming down and wanting nothing more than to bring them to the lounge, crack open a window and hang out just like old times.
Gokudera grumbled something from across the room as he cleaned up, trying to make up for his earlier mistake. He walked over to his boss and Yamamoto, standing casually as he watched them converse. The teen would usually be more jealous, but it's hard when Tsuna was smiling so brightly.
Yamamoto looked thoughtful. "I still don't really get how this all works," he said. "I could've sworn that I saw you just a couple of weeks ago. At home."
“Oh, maybe you’re from a different dimension or something…? I haven’t seen anyone from home in a really long time.” Tsuna mused, a flash of sadness covering his eyes for a second at the memories of his home. He looked up at Yamamoto and attempted to give him a somewhat shy smile. There were two many nostalgic thoughts passing through his head and he’s just trying to be thankful that one of his closest friends had shown up.
"That's what Gokudera said," Yamamoto replied, nodding. "It's still really weird though. But...I'm glad to be here, either way."
Gokudera looked between them and sighed, glancing back at his mother. "Ah. I've something I need to take care of. I'll see you tomorrow morning for another lesson, okay, Tenth?" He smiled gently, bowing lowly and then glanced at Yamamoto.
Tsuna glanced at Gokudera, a little concerned, but not wanting to pry. "Alright, Gokudera-kun take care." He turned back to Yamamoto, his face becoming distressed as a nervous sweat broke out on his brow. "B-But now that you're here we have no idea how you can get back!!
Yamamoto waved a goodbye to Gokudera. "Thanks again, for coming to pick me up and everything, Gokudera," he said, before turning back to Tsuna. "It's all right. You probably need all your guardians here, right? So. I'm here.”
It's awkward to have someone so nice to him, even if it is Yamamoto. He hunched his shoulders hunch a little, "I didn't do anything you need to thank me for! ...Anyone would have done it." And he's sure about that. He's just really glad it wasn't one of the pirates. Gokudera doesn't give Yamamoto a chance to make him accept the gratitude. He walked out through the previously locked doors, on his way to his room on the ship with the ghost of his mother following behind him.
"It is nice to see a familiar face! Oh! Wanna see your room?" Tsuna chirped suddenly, remembering to acquaint his rain guardian with the yacht.
"Yeah! There's a room here for me and everything?" Yamamoto exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "What else does this ship have?"
"Uh-huh, there are lots of free rooms and stuff!" Tsuna answered, patting at his pocket for keys while trying not to fall down a flight of stairs. "A kitchen, a bar... it might have a pool or jacuzzi... "
Yamamoto nodded, still grinning. "Wow, this ship is really cool. Are there batting cages???" He sounded very hopeful.
"No, but if you want, we could probably set some up for you?" He's happy to see Yamamoto so eager and the Don made note to bring the idea up to Reborn. If anyone could stick a batting cage on a ship, it's Reborn. Tsuna led the way to one of the suites, stopping outside a red, wooden door, knocking and waiting for a response before he pushed it open.
The rain guardian practically leapt with joy. "Really? You could do that?"
Tsuna seemed a little startled by Yamamoto's enthusiasm, but he nodded. "Sure! It shouldn't be that hard, right? And it'd get some use."
Yamamoto nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! I'd use it every day!"
"Then yeah, we'll make one for you." Tsuna answered and led the other boy into the room. "So here it is." The room was neat and would be spacious if not for the large bed in the corner.
"Wow. This is bigger than my room at home," Yamamoto said, stepping into the room and doing a full 360 degree spin. "This is really for me?"
"Yeah, everyone else has their own room and this ones the second biggest. Is it missing anything?" The Don checked to make sure that the drawers in the room were empty and opened the blinds to let some sun in.
"I get the second-biggest room?" Yamamoto asked, plopping his backpack with his few meagre belongings in it down onto the bed. "Does that make me like your second in command on the ship? Since Gokudera has the sub?" He grinned, thinking about how angry that sentiment would make Gokudera.
"W-Well, no, there are three types of room." Tsuna answered quickly, raising his hands as he imagined how defensive Gokudera would be if he were to hear that. "There are twin suites, the crew suites and then the master. Gokudera-kun has the same kind as you."
"So he and I have the same sized room?" Yamamoto asked, shrugging. He didn't really care about being second-in-command the way he knew Gokudera did. It was just fun to push the storm guardian's buttons.
"Yeah. So do you like it? You can always add things or take them away if you want..." Tsuna stated nervously, hoping his friend approved of his new home.
Yamamoto grinned. "I just spent two weeks on a deserted island eating bananas. This is amazing."
Tsuna scratched at the back of his head, giving the other boy a nervous but all around pleased smile. "I-I'm glad and it's good to have you on board, Yamamoto!" The Don held the key to the room out. "Well, if there's anything you need, just ask, ok?"
Yamamoto grabbed the key and then plopped down on the bed and stretched out with a groan. A real bed. "Thanks Tsuna. I really appreciate all of this. And...it's good to see you. I'm glad I'm here."
“Sure.” I’m glad you’re here too. “See you later, Yamamoto.” The boy waved before exiting the room and heading back to the controls for the ship, a little spring in his step and a smile on his face.
And then Gokudera removed his panties, and told Tsuna, “Oh my love, I have waited so long for this day! Take me! Take me in my love hole!”