A/N: This is the final chapter, readers. Thanks for reading till the end! I'm so happy so many of you gave positive reviews and showed interest in my fic. ^^ Please enjoy!

The Flow of Rain

Kusakabe had never heard Hibari slam the shouji door closed so loudly before. He was worried the wood would splinter from the sheer force.

"Are you alright, Kyo-san?" Hibari had said nothing of where he had been going out to.

"I'm fine." He walked right past Kusakabe and went straight into his room.

'Damnit,' Hibari cursed in his head. 'I didn't think-' he cut the thought off before it could be finished. He'd deny it as much possible.

He still felt the weight of the key in his pocket. Even the kiss still seemed to linger on him.

Hibari hadn't thought he'd get so attached.

He was angry at Yamamoto for making him so confused. He hated it. He had wanted to beat the other to a pulp and be rid of him, but he hadn't been able to do it after throwing the first punch.

"Is this about that visitor?" Kusakabe asked. Silence. "Kyo-sa-"

"I need some advice." Hibari clenched his fists, back facing his subordinate.

Kusakabe blinked. That was a rare occurrence. Hibari usually preferred his own instincts. "About?"

"I have never felt this way about anyone, ever." He spat the words out so roughly, yet they were filled with things other than disgust.

Kusakabe recovered from his shock quickly. So even Hibari was susceptible to love.

---

The stitches were being undone by Shamal. Gokudera had gone off to run a few last errands before the trip home.

"What the hell were you doing? Boxing matches?" the doctor complained, poking at Yamamoto's bruised face.

Yamamoto smiled and rubbed at his cheek. "It certainly turned into that." Shamal rolled his eyes.

"You ready to leave this place?"

Yamamoto shrugged. "I guess so."

"Doesn't sound like you're very happy about your career advancement."

"I don't know what to make of it."

"The Vongola are good people. You'll be in good hands." Shamal conveniently forgot to mention that the family atmosphere was also often totally insane.

"I'm not worried about that," Yamamoto replied. "I'm just wondering if I have everything in order here."

"Regrets?"

"A lot of them."

"What is it, your old man again?" Although it was true that Shamal was often a dirty pervert, there was no doubt that he had many years of wisdom on him. He was a retired assassin, and he had reaped a fair share of lives in his days. Yamamoto also found it surprisingly easy to talk to him.

"Listen," Shamal began. He clapped his hands on Yamamoto's shoulders. "You lost your folks at a young age so you never figured this out, but lots of kids grow up without meeting their parents' expectations."

"I know."

"But their parents love them all the same." Shamal shrugged. "But don't ask me; I hate kids." When he said that, he pointed to Gokudera's desk and made an exasperated face. Yamamoto chuckled at that.

Shamal continued, "Look, your father sounds like a good guy. I don't think he wanted you to be a baseball player no matter what. He just wanted you to be happy."

"And if I'm not?"

"Well, that's why you're leaving, isn't it?"

"I guess so."

Shamal patted him on the back. "Good. Anything else Dr. Shamal can help you with? Illegal drugs? Breast implants? Love advice maybe?"

Yamamoto laughed. "That last one sounds good."

"Oh?" Shamal seemed interested. "You know, you could always send her to me..."

"I don't think she'd like that very much." Yamamoto left off the fact that it was actually a 'he.'

"Hmph, fine. Don't share." Shamal pretended to look indignant.

"Well, I'm leaving anyway," Yamamoto stated, more to himself, "It's probably best to leave as it is."

"I know what you mean. I must have broken thousands of hearts when I left," Shamal said, making overdramatic motions of distressed girls with his arms. "Ah, I regret it whenever I think about it."

"I thought you were here because you got kicked out for hitting on a queen or something."

"I can still have regrets can't I?!" Shamal exclaimed.

"Like what?" Yamamoto asked, clearly amused. "That you didn't hit on more women?"

"Exactly!" Yamamoto fell over laughing.

---

Yamamoto was standing in the former Takesushi again, spare key in hand. To his surprise though, the place had been thoroughly dusted and cleaned.

Hibari was going to watch over it as asked.

Yamamoto closed his eyes and inhaled. The restaurant still held the pleasant smell of the wood it was constructed from after all these years. If he imagined hard enough, the scent of fish and tea wafted through as well. It was nostalgic. Memories with his father began to float to mind. All the times they had played catch, all the times they had worked behind the sushi counter together...they were all there.

There was one more memory that rose to his mind. It was out of place with the rest. The time he had had sushi with Hibari.

Hibari was an enigma to him. The guy had punched him the face and then turned around and cleaned his father's restaurant. He could have just returned the key.

He'd never figure that guy out. And it would take some time, but maybe he could at least forget him.

Yamamoto opened his eyes. "I'll be back."

He set the painting of the swallow down in its original spot and left. It belonged there.

---

"Relationships require some patience," Kusakabe told Hibari sagely. He and his boss were having their usual tea time after a highly unusual visit to an abandoned restaurant.

"I have none." Well, that was true.

"Do you think he is worth pursuing?"

"I don't know."

"I think that you should try."

Hibari glared. "And what makes you say that?"

"Kyo-san, I have never seen you go out of your way for anyone else until very recently."

"What is your point?"

Kusakabe poured more tea into their cups. "You allowed yourself to change for him. And it was not just today." Kusakabe recalled being ordered by Hibari to go out and buy a series of very expensive items. Hibari had been specific about what he had wanted, and Kusakabe had been surprised to learn they were to be components of his boss' okaeshi. Such thoughtfulness had struck Kusakabe as incredibly uncharacteristic.

Hibari was silent, considering these words with a complicated face. He had probably not realized the extent of the peculiarity of his actions till now. Hibird, who was situated on its usual shoulder perch, was peering at its master curiously with its beady eyes.

To be completely honest, Kusakabe didn't want Hibari to give up. He had known his boss for more than a decade now, and not too many people viewed him favorably, much less cared about him on a personal level. Furthermore, Kusakabe had never met this man, but at the same time, he figured there must have been something special there to catch the attention of his boss. All Hibari needed now was a push.

"What is he to you?" Kusakabe continued.

"He is..." Hibari looked away, gazing at the garden revealed through the open shouji doors. "...my equal."

---

It was windy on the tarmac. The Vongola head had sent a private jet for them. Gokudera had already chewed Yamamoto out for taking so many boxes of stuff, saying that it was a burden to The Tenth.

"I didn't get my trips to a hostess club!" Shamal cried. Shamal wasn't directly related to the Vongola, so he would be staying in Japan. Gokudera had already tried to shove Uri on him, and Uri had already retaliated and caused him injury. No, the stupid cat would be leaving too. Shamal and Gokudera had already done their awkward good-byes, as both cared about each other deeply but were too macho and/or stupid to admit to such a thing.

"Haha, sorry about that," Yamamoto laughed. "When I come back to visit, okay?" Shamal sniffled.

"Hey Giannini, we ready to roll yet?" Gokudera shouted to the pilot.

"A-almost!" Giannini appeared from behind the jet. "I'm just tinkering with it a bit."

The cigarette in Gokudera's mouth almost fell out. "What?!" Obviously he didn't think this was a good idea.

Giannini skittered out of view before he could be further berated. Gokudera seethed, bending his cigarette between his teeth. Yamamoto laughed.

Gokudera squinted off into the distance. "Che, it's that guy."

Yamamoto turned around and tried to focus his eyes on the distant figure walking casually in their direction. "How...?"

"He came over to my place a couple days ago, making a big ruckus," Shamal explained. That probably explained the huge bruise on Shamal's face. It sort of matched the one that Yamamoto had received.

"He came and demanded information," Gokudera told Yamamoto, then went back to muttering things under his breath.

"And then that stupid cat tried to eat his bird, so he decided to try and destroy the place!" Shamal groaned, but he quickly turned it into a devious grin. "But I got him back good. Just wait till the next hanami." He rubbed his hands together evilly.

Yamamoto almost didn't hear them over the roar of the engine starting. He ran out to meet Hibari further down the tarmac.

"Yamamoto Takeshi," Hibari greeted once their distance had closed, Hibird on his shoulder like always.

"I...I didn't think you wanted to see me again," Yamamoto told him sheepishly.

"Who wants to see you? Maybe I just felt like taking a walk," Hibari replied, cool as ever. It was like last Friday had been forgotten.

Yamamoto laughed. "You're awfully far from Namimori to be taking a stroll."

"Perhaps."

"Hey! We have to get going!" Gokudera shouted over the huge amounts of noise.

"Okay!" Yamamoto called back.

Yamamoto lurched forward suddenly as Hibari grabbed the junction of his tie and jerked hard. Their faces were at the same level now.

"You asked why I agreed to go to dinner." Oh right, he had asked that, hadn't he?

"Yeah, ac-"

Hibari reeled Yamamoto in further and crushed their lips together violently. It was clumsy and rough, but neither participant seemed to mind.

The so-called kiss only lasted a few precious seconds. "My answer," Hibari murmured, his face still in close proximity and eyes dangerous as ever, "is the same as yours, probably."

Yamamoto was dumbstruck, but Hibari just smirked and released his grip on the other's clothing.

"I guess I've found a good way to shut you up," Hibari taunted while pulling out a business card and holding it out between two fingers. There was some writing on it, probably extra contact information. "Keep in touch." Yamamoto shook his head a couple times to get out of his stupor and snatched it up.

"Does this mean we're..." Yamamoto scratched his head. There was no real graceful way to phrase it. "Umm...together?"

"Think what you will."

"I'll take that as a 'yes' then."

"Hmm." Hibari straightened his tie, composed and in control as usual. "Be faithful," he told Yamamoto, a casual drawl in his voice but a challenging look on his face. He wasn't joking about that one.

"Can I have a proper kiss before I leave?" Yamamoto asked, feeling a bit too giddy right now to care about overstepping intangible bounds.

Hibari frowned. "And what does that entail?"

"Oh," Yamamoto blinked. "Like this."

Hibari eyed Yamamoto's arm suspiciously as it curled around his waist and pulled him against the other. Yamamoto kissed Hibari again, although this time with much less force. He made this one last, sealing their mouths together for as long as he could. As he pulled away, he nibbled at Hibari's lower lip.

"I guess a 'proper kiss' is better..." Hibari stated, his eyes not quite meeting Yamamoto's. It was quite cute, and Yamamoto laughed.

The Vongola jet revved its engines again.

"I...guess I should go." Hibari simply nodded.

"Are..." Yamamoto hesitated, "Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

"That decision does not change."

"I understand," Yamamoto replied, although he was a bit disappointed. Still, he couldn't expect the other to drop everything in a matter of minutes. "I'll come back and visit as soon as I can," he promised.

"Goodbye, Yamamoto Takeshi."

Yamamoto slid his arm off Hibari's waist and stepped back. And he smiled at the other, a mixture of reluctance and hope contained within his expression. "See you around, Hibari." Hibird flapped its wings furiously, as if waving goodbye to him. "You too, Hibird," he laughed.

He ran back towards the jet, but he had been looking back most of the way. It was a wonder that he hadn't crashed straight into the wheels.

"Come on, Gokudera," Yamamoto laughed. Gokudera's face had gone pale, and the cigarette had fallen from his open mouth. Shamal didn't seem particularly stunned, at least not to the extent of Gokudera. He just chuckled and patted Yamamoto on the back, saying, "See you around, kiddo."

"W-wait for me!" Gokudera suddenly exclaimed, scrambling up the stairs onto the jet. Yamamoto and Uri followed him on. Shamal moved back from the jet.

"So...you and him, huh?" Gokudera asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, I guess so," Yamamoto replied, grinning like a kid with candy.

"You guess s-nevermind." Gokudera reached for a new cigarette. He didn't want to know.

"Prepare for take off!" The man who was apparently known as Giannini exclaimed.

"You ready to join the Vongola family?" Gokudera questioned once he had lit up.

Yamamoto grinned. "I sure hope so."

He turned to gaze out the window, and his eyes didn't move from that spot until the clouds had covered up Japan. For some reason, Hibari floated to mind whenever he thought about clouds, and the idea of the other conquering Japan made him chuckle a bit. Gokudera had shot him a suspicious look for that.

Yamamoto felt a little sad to be going to Italy. He was leaving behind a lot. Friends like Shamal, Hibari, his old man. At the same time, he saw the necessity of getting away. He couldn't stay or he'd be drowned by his self-pity and his past choices. At one point in time, he wouldn't have minded that, but he didn't want it anymore.

While standing in Takesushi, he had promised to himself that he'd get stronger. For everyone he was leaving behind. He didn't want to feel helpless like the day his father had died ever again. He'd gain the strength behind the flow of rain; the ability, he believed, to wash away tears, pain, and even his own regrets.

--- Epilogue ---

~One year later~

"What's the report for today, Reborn?" Sawada Tsunayoshi swiveled around in his chair.

"The Cavallone family has found us a new recruit."

"Dino? Why would he do that?"

"He says that the person expressed a very pointed interest in joining the Vongola." Reborn slipped the file to Tsuna.

"Hibari Kyouya." Tsuna shivered a bit. "He looks kind of scary. What is your recommendation, Reborn?"

"I think he could be an invaluable addition to the family. From what I understand, he has exceptional combat ability, possibly better than Yamamoto's. He also has his own group of men."

"Hmmm," Tsuna looked over the file a bit more in depth. "Why request us though? The Cavallone family is also a very respectable family, and they have some ground in Japan."

Reborn held in a sigh. Tsuna was only intuitive regarding certain matters.

"I believe there are some ulterior motives involved, Tsuna."

"Like what? Spying?"

"No, something of the more...amorous nature."

Tsuna's cheeks tinged a bit pink. "Where did you get an idea like that, Reborn?" He shook it off. "Anyway," he cleared his throat, "I will fly him up for an interview at your recommendation. Is that all?"

"Yes sir."

"Very well, you are dismissed." Reborn nodded and placed his fedora back on his head before leaving.

Things were getting interesting around here.