andsuddenlydynamite | (no subject)

This was much better. Much, much better. And Ryuutaro's own curiosity would be satisfied as well.
"It's only natural", he replied as they started walking.

Ryuutaro took a deep breath, wondering what this would be like. Surely, difficult, but that was fine. His own trip home had been as well.

Naturally it took them no time to get back to the port, and Hayato got tickets for the ferry... though he did pay the guy a little extra to use fake names on them. He couldn't have it recorded anywhere that he went back to Sicily... he had a bad reputation and he couldn't alert any old enemies of his presence.

He then proceeded to walk with Ryuutaro up to the top deck where he found a spot to sit while the boat left port.

"Should only take about forty minutes to get to Messina..."

When the ship started moving Ryuutaro stood up from his seat, just enjoying the growing wind. Being on top deck like this was just too nice.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment.

"I see..."
It was a good length for this traveling. Not so long that they'd get too nervous, but long enough to just enjoy it a bit.

Hayato stood up and casually draped his arm around Ryuutaro's shoulders. He remained silent though, just letting his hair blow in the wind as he thought about going home...

It had been so long... he had always worked so hard to blend in with Japanese culture (and failed miserably), now he could just... fall back on what he knew. He had Ryuutaro with him too. He glace over at him and couldn't help but smile. He couldn't help but think of earlier in the day, his beautiful body, and his face- no make up, his hail wet and out of his face. And now, his pale flawless face, wind blowing through his hair and clothes...

Hayato was just so lucky.

Hayato smiled to himself and pulled Ryuutaro just a little closer, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

Ryuutaro leaned against him, smile growing wider.
He felt just so good right now. The last day had just been fantastic and all the happyness still floated through his mind.
Almost instinctively his hand made it's way on top of Hayato's. Whatever issues they might be related to his boyfriend's hands, Ryuutaro was very much fine with them the way they were.

His eyes remained closed as he turned his face to Hayato, just to find a more comfortable spot resting against his shoulder.

And their closeness.

Hayato brings his free hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Ryuutaro's ear before gingerly stroking his cheek. He resisted leaning down to kiss Ryuutaro in fear of disturbing his chosen resting place against his shoulder.

He wouldn't mind just spending the whole ferry ride just like this... and while he was a bit embarrassed to admit- Ryuutaro's feminine appearance would save them both a lot of grief. While he wouldn't call his boyfriend a girl... he had no intentions of correcting people who did. Thank god Ryuutaro didn't know Italian...

Ryuutaro only opened his eyes again some minutes later, to look at the sea. Whatever he might think about the people here, there was no denying that the country in itself was just quite beautiful.

This was just so amazingly peaceful. There was nothing to do other than to look, breathe and feel.
Who knew what was waiting for them when the ferry ride ended, they'd better just enjoy this.

The time flew by quickly as they stood next to eachother in comfortable peace. And then Hayato spotted something, and a smile spread across his face.

"Ryuutaro, look!" He pointed to the port coming into view, "Messina!"

And there they were greeted by Messina's famous greeting landmark, when they got closer the older more classical buildings came into view, and the buildings seemed to stretch back into the mountains creatin a very lovely sight. As Hayato had said, it was lush and green, and luckily, not raining. Though a bit of snow could be seen in the higher mountains.

Hayato just stared... he was unsure of whether he wanted to be happy, or just flip his middle finger as high as he could to his homeland. But here he was... home.

Ryuutaro looked it all over carefully, thoughtfully. He definitely didn't have anything negative to say about the countryside of this. When he was done looking, he turned to glance at Hayato.
He had to feel odd about this. That stare just proved it.

Ryuutaro decided that he didn't know what to say, so he just took Hayato's hand.

"Vos et ipsam civitatem benedicimus." He scoffed, "Latin for the biggest load of bullshit we could make in big white letters."

He let out a sigh as he gave Ryuutaro's hand as the ferry turned and backed into the port. He waited a bit for the crowds to dissipate before taking Ryuutaro off the boat. He looked around for a moment and took a deep breath.

"I'm... home..."

Ryuutaro tightened his grip on Hayato's hand reassuringly.

"You are."

It was an unnecessary statement, but he somehow hoped that if he said it as well, it would sound better. Just like Hayato's presence had made his own home feel so different. They were proof to each other for how far they'd come since the time they were home.

The squeeze was returned, and Hayato finally starts walking through the streets looking around. He had spent some time in Messina... it was the last place he spent in Sicily. It's where he got his start in the Vongola.

Without meaning to he started to wander to a rather nice looking joint... and he paused and just stared. This was where Marco used to play. It was too early in the day for someone to be playing not though. He just stared at it... not sure if he should go inside or not...

"That's... that's where I met the Ninth for the first time... he suckered me into playing there for a week..."

Ryuutaro looked the place over... Even if he wasn't a person for the past, again, he couldn't help imagining a younger Hayato walk through the door. For a moment he wished he could see the past just like the future, but that was stupid.

Ryuutaro took a step forward, but only a single step. If Hayato wanted to go there, he'd continue walking, Ryuutaro was sure.

And Hayato did continue... though he simply assumed Ryuutaro was the one who wanted to go there. It was a surprisingly nice establishment... which, even Hayato in his current-day attire, Hayato clashed horribly with. Nevermind imagining his as a filthy kid off the street. Luckily, the place was mostly empty...

and after a brief look around, he was sure that there was no Marco, or his little shit looming around. He... honestly wouldn't know what to say to him if he ran into him. Personally he had just hoped everyone on the island assumed he had died.

It was honestly a stupid move coming here. There where probably a number of people here that would recognize him, and now that Marco was no longer playing here it was doubtful one of those people would be the ninth. Even so... he couldn't really bring himself to leave.

This building was part of the chain of events that had essentially saved his life.

His eyes wandered to the piano for a moment, but then he seemed to lose his train of thought and looked at Ryuutaro.

"So... you hungry or somethin'?"

Sure, this place was on the nice side... which they probably weren't dressed for... but then again, since when did Hayato conform to normal social standards?

Ryuutaro opened his fan, a gesture which could equal a shrugging of shoulders the way Ryuutaro did it.
"A bit, maybe."

It was not like ever really was hungrier than a bit, he just was that kind of person to not eat much. But right now he didn't feel like making definite statements for once anyway. For once he was willing to do just whatever Hayato wanted to do, he knew how much of a tender subject all of this was.

Hayato nodded, that sounded like a 'yes' to him. Hayato lead Ryuutaro over to a table, and sat down. He's silent for a moment, just looking around the place and thinking. Then he turned his attention back to Ryuutaro.

"I... never really told you about how I got out of Italy, did I?"

He had kept a lot of his life on the streets a secret, and he intended to keep it that way... mostly.... but this was something that was just such an important turning point in his life. As his boyfriend, Ryuutaro had the right to know this. Besides, it was... a bit easier to talk about over some of the other stories from when he was on the streets.

Ryuutaro sat down as well, still kind of busy taking in the entire atmosphere and feeling this place carried to it. He was kind of sensitive for those things, when he wanted to be.

"No, you didn't", he then replied, curiously tilting his head as he looked back to his boyfriend.

Gokudera took in a deep breath, then let out a sigh.

"It happened when I was twelve. It was.... well, after I had gotten beaten up real bad in a fight and got knocked out, some guy named Marco brought me in to his house and fixed me up. When I woke up I kinda freaked out and slammed him in the face and stormed out. But he started followin' me around. I didn't get why at first, but I guess he was worried. He started trying to get between me and my fights. During one of the fights, he hurt his wrist. I didn't know at the time but he played the piano.... here. I wandered in here once because his kid was hangin' out here. That's where I met the Ninth for the first time. I didn't know who he was at the time though. He kinda... conned me into taking Marco's place until he got better... so I ended up playing here for a weak."

He was briefly uninterrupted in his story by the waitress. He quickly orders his drink then looks to Ryuutaro, "what do you want?"

Ryuutaro almost wanted to close his eyes as he listened, trying to summon up images of these events before his eyes, but that might have looked really odd, so he kept them open.
Sadly he could imagine younger Hayato getting beaten up just too well... Maybe he didn't even need to close his eyes after all.
He wasn't sure what to make out of this story, but he was thankful for this Marco-person's existance. Hayato would have needed so much more people like that back then.
It felt odd to think this way, seeing that he usually was a person who believed in strengths from being alone. Maybe Ginga taught him better. Maybe Hayato did.

At the question however he looked almost helpless. Even with drinks he had just no idea what Italian restaurants were like. Was there tea? Wasn't there?
... culture was nice, but why did he have to get into another one again.
"Trusting you with this, this is your country."
Yes, he was just painfully oblivious to anything European. Ever. In existence.

Hayato asks the waitress something and she nods in return. Lucky for Ryuutaro they had tea. He ordered himself a coffee and then continued on with his story.

"Well... after that week was over... I got a job. It was going to be a hit, a big one, on one of the most powerful families in Italy- the Vongola. I'm not stupid, I wasn't going to take the job at first. I mean... you'd have to be a special kind of stupid to go up against the Vongola... but then they said they would take me in to their famiglia if I did, and I was all kinds of desperate, so I took the job. Back then a lot of people got cheep work out of me with that promise."

He let out a sigh and continued.

"I set up the bomb and everything, it was for some sort of pianist concert sponsored by the Ninth, but on my way out I ran into Carlo's kid. He was the one playing that night, right above where I had set the bomb up. At first I just left... I mean... I really wanted to be a part of a family. I changed my mind though and started to head back to disarm the bomb. I knew it would piss off the guy that hired me... and I would get labeled as someone unreliable, which meant no jobs and no food for a while, so I tired to go back anyway. But I ran into the guy that hired me. His goons grabbed me and I could go move. Then he told me that he really didn't plan to let me join the family and pulled out his gun. Pointed it right at my forehead."

He smirked a little.

"Next thing I know there's blood on my face and the guy is down on the ground. His guys panic and I got away and gunned it down to the basement and disarmed the bomb. I could hear Carlo as I was doin' it too... it was real close... but I did it. He even... asked if I was listenin' in the audience after..."

And Hayato started to get misty eyed. He remembered sitting in that basement and just crying after. He wouldn't cry here though, so he was quick to wipe his eyes clear with the palm.

"Th-the Ninth took me in not long after that. I was lucky... if he didn't take me in, I would have been killed for what I had learned about the Vangola..."

This place was just so cruel. But maybe Ryuutaro shouldn't constantly blame it on the worlds. Maybe he had just been lucky where Hayato had not.
But that wasn't even important anymore.
Ryuutaro had started looking down on the table somewhere along the story, putting all the little pieces of information in his head in order again.
Even after all his time in the Manor, he was still so far away from all of this that it was hard to imagine it properly.

As Hayato finished he reached over to take his hand and looked up again.
"I see... But I'd rather say he was lucky for deciding to take you in. Or at least he was lucky just as well", he smiled.

Hayato blushed and laughed a little at Ryuutaro's words.

"After all the shit I put him through? I probably aged him 20 years faster... I was a real big mess back then."

He sighed again, and happily accepted Ryuutaro's hand. lacing his fingers together. Just in time for their drinks to arrive, and while the tea may taste quite different being of Italian origin, it wasn't too bad.

"Maybe he's here! I could introduce you... to the Ninth... not Carlo. I don't really know what happened to Carlo after..."

Ryuutaro could imagine Hayato being a lot of trouble. He must've been so much worse than when they met and yet Ryuutaro sometimes felt like he was stuck on a roller-coaster back in the day.

"If the oppurunity comes up, I'd be honoured."

He took a sip of that tea. He was not really picky with tea (or food in general - after all he liked to live as if he was rich but in reality his life was 'take what you can get'), so this was perfectly fine with him, he seemed content.

Hayato smiled and continued with his drink,

"Yeah, I'll find a ride and get us over there." He pauses to think for a moment, "I should... probably do somethin' about my hair though. I kinda stick out, I used to get a lot of flack for bein' an 'albino'... among other things." Which was, kind of inaccurate. He clearly had pigment... his eyes were green after all, and his hair looked more grey than pure white in the winter when he wasn't outside as much. Well, maybe it wasn't completely inaccurate either. He had to be some sort of albino mutation at least. He was far paler than the most people on the island with their olive complexion, and his hair was definitely was an unusual color for his age. Still, albino was probably one of the least offensive terms that was used on him, but it was still something that made him easily identifiable.

"It would suck if someone I pissed off back then recognized me."

Then again, as long as he was with Ryuutaro he was going to stick out. Someone from Japan was never a good sign on an island run by the mob. It meant business with Yakuza was going on... and that always meant something was going to go sour for someone. Luckily they were young... and Ryuutaro could easily pass off as girl so long as he didn't talk. Gokudera could play it like they were tourists- as long as no one recognized him. That would be key.

"I could dye it black with somethin' temporary... I'd look more Japanese. We could pass off as tourists until we got to the Ninth's and I could wash it out."

Because as much hell as he caught for it... he knew it was a trait he inherited from his mother, and he'd be damned in hell before he would ever act ashamed of it.

Ryuutaro said nothing for a moment, as he imagined Hayato with black hair. It was pretty hard, even the other versions of Hayato he'd met always had this exact hair-colour and hairstyle after all.

"That sounds like an acceptable idea. You should be careful though, darker colors are hard to wash out of brighter ones. I hate to say this, but the lower the quality of the color is, the easier it's to be washed out. I don't imagine many people to get suspicious over hair-colours anyway."

Not like Ryuutaro had ever colored his hair or even thought about it, but somehow being informed about this went along with his almost professional knowledge of make-up. It seemed natural to him.

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FFFT GUY'S NAME IS CARLO NOT MARCO. I AM GENIUS.

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