The two ate silently throughout most of their meal. Both were too drowned in their own worries to realise the other's muteness.

"Gokudera," Yamamoto finally spoke, leaning against the wired fence, and staring at the azure sky. "Are you going to join the Disciplinary Committee?"

Gokudera nibbled on his piece of melon bread. "I'm not sure either."

"Well, the kid said you can train yourself if you're there, that's good isn't it?"

"True, but..."

Yamamoto turned his head to look at Gokudera's silver hair covering his eyes. "But?" Some flash of hope flickered inside him for a moment, like he was hoping desperately for Gokudera to say something he didn't even know what it was that he hoped for.

"Well, I like spending time with Sawada-san and you, Yamamoto. I am afraid that being in the Disciplinary Committee will not allow me that kind of freedom." It was an embarassing thing to say, especially to the idiot.

"You will still see us, Gokudera, just, maybe not as much. But we'll still sit near each other in class!" Yamamoto did not know why he felt the need to explain this. He could have just let Gokudera say 'no I won't join', and end it all there.

Why, oh why was he confessing all these to an idiot?! "It's not that kind of see, Yamamoto. I mean, to actually spend time eating and laughing and talking to you all."

"What about it being part of your training?"

Training. Training to be a top mafia, it wasn't his dream, it was never his dream. His dream, was to become a pianist, and live peacefully in a decent little house, something that was not lavish or grand would do just fine, with his mother, and possibly a beautiful wife and delightful children.

Training to be top mafia, it was his father's dream. To be born in a family with such sinfully charred history, it wasn't something he asked for. Everything he did for the mafia, it was for his father. Because he knew, secretly behind that facet of a husband, was a thousand snipers waiting to fire should any wrong be committed. It was like taking his mother an indirect hostage everyday for the past 14 years. His mother might not detect anything, but all these malicious plots were seen through by the genius.

And after all these years of forcing himself to abide by the man's rules, it would do some good to not follow it and do something for himself, would it?

"Then," Yamamoto quickly grabbed Gokudera's shoulders firmly, shaking him like a light piece of wood, "Gokudera, can I make a selfish request and ask you to not join?"

Gokudera stared wide-eyed at him, his emerald green orbs surveying the teenager. He had always made selfish requests anyway, why be so formal now? Although, it is not too late to pick up some formalities.

Yamamoto continued, acknowledging the silent reply of astonishment, "When I asked you that just now you seem very troubled. It seemed to me that the training wasn't something you enjoy, so if you don't like it, then don't join! You should do whatever you like. It's... It's as simple as that, Gokudera."

Gokudera did feel insulted at being lectured as though he was the dumb one. But then again, the idiot's words made sense. If he didn't like training then don't join, it really should be as simple as that, shouldn't it?

But this is the world of mafia. Nothing's ever simple.

"It's... It's not that, Yamamoto..."

The loud banging of the door pierced the air. Both boys whipped their head to notice a mob of older teenagers clad in neat, black uniform and odd synanamous quiffs scuffle onto the rooftop, surrounding them.

"Gokudera Hayato," one of the teenager said, his sunglasses reflecting Gokudera's face. "The Head has ordered us to ask for an answer to his proposal."

Yamamoto let go of his grasp as Gokudera replied confidantly, "Can you kind people perhaps give me a little more time to think about it?"

The teenager, perhaps the leader of the mob, said, "The Head has given you three days. He said that after three days, if you're still unable to produce a reply, we'll decide for you."

With that, a swift kick from the leader knocked out the bread in Gokudera's hands. Gokudera immediately leapt up to sweep his feet across the floor, tripping the attacker.

"Kusakabe-senpai!" One of the underlings yelled, and rushed forward, while the rest charged towards Gokudera at the command of Kusakabe.

It seemed like there was a vast difference in power between the Disciplinary Committee and their head; Gokudera found that he could defeat them quite effortlessly. Of course, it was not without the help of Yamamoto, who was responsible for defending from Gokudera's vulnerable sides like his back.

"We are going to help you decide if you are going to join us," Kusakabe stated concludingly, as he dashed forward for another round of fighting.

Gokudera grabbed a wrist and twisted it around, turning the owner's body along and slamming him to the floor. "That would be a violation of the liberty of an individual, senpai."

The rooftop was a scene of entangled limbs, forming bruises and some spots of blood. While they had the advantage in terms of capability, the Disciplinary Committee far outnumbered them by many times, and that alone seemed almost enough to compensate for their lack in abilities. Gokudera and Yamamoto were starting to get exhausted.

After what seemed like days, only half of their men was down, and that was only their less abled ones. "It appears that the upper ranks come later," Gokudera analysed.

While they were still not as frighteningly intrusive like Hibari, the numbers were simply too important a statistic in the fight. Should he use the dynamites? But that would destroy the place, and that is not a nice thing to do.

"Boom!" The dazzle of the bomb in the sky, along with its thunderous call, caught the enemy's attention. They shifted their focus on Gokudera.

"You do not want me to use that, fellow schoolmates," Gokudera panted, his face bruised and dirtied and shirt almost torn.

"Che! Trying to scare us with fireworks?" One of them scoffed.

Gokudera gritted his teeth as he was left with no choice. Yamamoto saw Gokudera pull out long sticks of ignited dynamites from out of nowhere on his body. How, just how, did he do that? Toys are getting really advanced nowadays!

"Pardon my rudeness, but..." He flung those at the gang of black-clothed people, resulting in heavy and thick smoke spurting from blasts. He assessed the situation before fishing out another obscene number of dynamites, setting them alight all at one go.

He raised his arm, ready to throw, and he faltered. "Wha-?" He felt his head getting lighter, as the world started to spin uncontrollably around him. His weakened leg started to give out. His fingers felt numb, not even sensing anything when he dropped the malicious sticks of dynamites all around himself.

"Gokudera!" Only at the cry of his name from Yamamoto did he realised he was in danger. There was no way of escaping this. No matter how far he ran, he'd never be able to run out of the radius of his superior dynamite's explosions. Even the Disciplinary Committee were wisely retreating from him. There was... There was no hope?

And then, the idiot came crashing into him. He almost collided onto the floor at the baseballer's weight. Gokudera didn't have time to register the rising body heat when Yamamoto wrapped his arms tightly around him.

"Yama-Yamamoto! What are you doing!"

"I'll protect you Gokudera! You're an important friend!" Yamamoto shouted. "You're a foreigner!"

"Idiot! This way we'd both die!" Gokudera did not realise his slip of the tongue until now. "And by the way idiot meant 'good friend' in Italian."

Yamamoto squeezed Gokudera even tighter, almost breaking his ribs. "If I do this, you'll get less injured!"

"Wha-?" But Gokudera figured it must be fate to accept his end in such a degrading way. He closed his eyes, thinking about his mother, what she would do without him, and how his father would treat her, and would he go to heaven, and whether heaven would punish him for calling Yamamoto an idiot.

"RE-BORN!!" A charged voice came, snapping him out of his thoughts. He opened his eyes. What? Is it... Is it for real? The respected Tenth of the Vongola Clan, wearing only his underwear? And... And... it's red?!

"Sawada-san...?!"

"EXTINGUISHING THE FLAMES LIKE I'M ABOUT TO DIE!" Tsuna declared, before hopping around the hissing dynamites in at super-human speed, smothering the fire out with his bare hands. Gokudera could only watch in awe as the fire gradually die out.

When all was done the flame on Tsuna's head died out automatically. He fell onto the ground as he rolled in pain, "Ow, ow, my hand, my hand, my hand!"

"Sawada...san..." Gokudera breathed, his eyes glowing as though he reached nirvana.

He didn't realise Yamamoto had let go of him until he heard his voice, "Hibari-san, Gokudera doesn't want to join the Disciplinary Committee, please leave him alone." He was willing to go all out, for his sake.

Hibari, who had appeared at the same time as Tsuna, retorted, "I have changed my view about him. He is still ultimately a herbivore who crowds with other weaklings. My committee has enough of that already. I take back my proposal." He turned around to walk away, disregarding the sight of his underlings moaning in pain on the floor.

"So, Gokudera-kun doesn't have to join the Disciplinary Committee?" Tsuna asked, sitting straight up.

Hibari replied, "I don't need weaklings."

A smile spread across Tsuna's face as his eyes lit up. He turned to Gokudera, forgetting about the pain in his palms. "That's great, Gokudera!"

But he was met with a Gokudera who bowed so low he literally stuck his forehead on the floor. "Please!" He shouted. If you don't like then don't do it, if you like then you do it. It's as simple as that. It's okay to do something for himself. "Please, let me be serve you as your right hand man, Vongola Jyuudaime! I... I have never experienced for myself the formidability of the rumoured Dying Will Flame of the Vongola!"

"Calling me Jyuu-Jyuudaime?" Tsuna exclaimed, surprised. "I-It wouldn't be good since you're in your father's clan or somethin-"

"My father's wish is only for me to become a top mafia. It is perfectly fine to do this, please rest assured!" Although Gokudera knew his father would blow the top at him finding such loopholes in his words, but that would be reserved for later.

A frantic Tsuna turned to Reborn, who told him nonchalantly, "You have collected another mafia member, Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna sighed, and could only welcome him. While he had nothing against Gokudera at all, he would prefer having him, and Yamamoto, and the rest of the guardians actually, as friends. He didn't like to see them as his subordinates, since being a leader was way too stressful for him.

"You don't have to join!" Gokudera's moment was ruined by Yamamoto pouncing on him again. "I was so sad and depressed the past few days too because I was really worried about Gokudera! Haha!"

"You're worried about me?" Of course, he didn't need anyone to worry about him, much less an idiot. But he was just curious. Yes, curious.

Yamamoto nodded. "I couldn't even sleep, when I thought about Gokudera having quiffs! I couldn't help thinking to myself that quiffs really doesn't suit Gokudera, and how miserable you would be if you had a quiff. Thank goodness you don't have to now!"

So, this was what he was so uptight about.

You idiot, Yamamoto. In the midst of this sentence, came a weird, fuzzy feeling.

"Haha, Gokudera's my idiot too!"

"Hiee! Yamamoto!" Tsuna gasped at his rudeness.

"Tsuna's my idiot too!" He reeled the brunette in for another round of shoulder-hugging. "We're all idiots, aren't we!"

Gokudera couldn't believe he actually took advice from an idiot. (This time in its literal English term.) He was guiltily glad that people didn't know he was responsible for Yamamoto calling everyone an idiot in school, even the teachers... and Hibari... and the sumo wrestler fishing by the river.

A/N: Um, happy new year!....? So my new year was spent typing this, I lead too sad a life!

I hoped this chapter's funnier than usual! I separated this into two parts for easier reading, hope that worked out well!

(And yes, you may now shoot me for the Tsuna extinguishing Gokudera's bomb scene.)

Regarding the plot, I didn't plan for it to have action but it seems sort of unavoidable now? What do you guys think, action, or a fight-less but dramatic story? Please leave it in the reviews!

And I'm really, terribly sorry I haven't been able to reply to the reviews! I have no excuses, I was too plain lazy. I promise you my conscience will haunt me someday and I will reply you guys! I'm really sorry!

So thank you for reading and I hope you liked it! And please leave a review if you wish to donate to the homeless Sumo fishing by the river. :D

Just kidding!

No seriously.

(On Nigahiga crack. I love those guys. XP)