Attention!:

I have been away from for a long time because of school and the workload it kept pouring onto me. But I'm back now and I have a brand new story I'm working on! My first story 'Rules Were Meant to be Broken' has been discontinued because of the problems with the flash drive I saved the chapters on. So, for now, please enjoy this new story! :)

It was the night that started it all.

The night that I met the man called 'Giotto.'

It was at that moment that I had found a reason for my existence.

For that man I would give up everything, even my own life…

Two chariots are seen pulling up in front of a large mansion. People are seen hustling and bustling about their business in fancy suits and dresses, some even carrying their children with them as they talked among themselves. The carriage doors open to reveal seven handsome men who wore clothes to emphasize their high status. People stared as they walked through the entrance hall, murmuring among themselves.

"Nay, Giotto, are you sure about this?" one of them asked the person to the front, who had blonde hair. He seemed to be the leader of the group.

"Yeah, this Family may be allies with us but they're still a bunch of no-good bastards." The one with a tattoo on his face snarled.

"Well, it's not really polite to refuse an invitation to a party. It'll make me look bad." Giotto replies to his subordinates, earning some groans and chuckles. That's what you're worried about?

They took their seats at a table and chatted among themselves, while making sure no one overheard their conversation. "So the Intaglio Family is having another useless party huh? I don't even know why the hell I'm here." the other blonde one hissed, obviously annoyed at their current situation.

"Now, now, Alaude…"

"Shut up Asari. I for one agree with him."

"G…"

"Nufufu… I actually agree with you for once, pinky."

"What was that, Daemon?"

"Jesus Christ, guys! Can you please just get along and stop fight –"

"Giotto!"

"Oh, sorry Knuckle…"

"Sigh… Lampo-sama is so bored. Can people ever find anything interesting to do in their spare time?"

"You guys… wait… what?" Giotto just turned his head in shock as he looked at the scene before him. His guardians all looked at each other in confusion before following their bosses stare. The cigarette G was smoking fell out of his mouth and Knuckle, Lampo and Asari all spat out the beverages they were drinking, while the others just gaped.

It was a young boy, probably around six or seven years old. He had spiky brown hair that stuck out on all sides and clothes that showed he was a noble. However, the boy had bandages on his face, and he looked like he had been beaten pretty badly, as it looked like it was painful for him to even walk. His eyes were covered by his bangs so it was difficult to see his face. "What the hell…" G muttered as he watched the boy. Slowly, the young child lifted up his face and several gasps came from the Vongola table. The boy wore a black eye-patch over his right eye while the other eye just looked dull and empty. It looked like it was filled with hopelessness, despair, anger and sadness. The boy made eye contact with Giotto for about 2 seconds before he walked limply back into the crowd of people and disappeared.

Giotto just looked at the place where the boy stood before he once again turned back to face his guardians. Images of the boy's painful and emotionless face made him want to gag, and he knew his friends felt the same way. Each one of them was in shock, though some of them showed it more than others.

"Hey, did you guys see that?" Asari asked in disbelief.

"Of course we saw it, you colossal idiot!"

"Who in the world would do that to a child?" Giotto asked, almost to himself.

"The person or persons who did it obviously don't have God in their hearts."

"That is if they have a heart to begin with." Alaude commented.

"Nufufu… I enjoy torturing people. But a child…" Daemon trailed off.

"So you're not heartless after all." Lampo said before quickly covering his mouth.

"Well, I am human. Or shall we test it…?" Lampo visibly paled at this.

"Guys, that's enough. Let's –"

"Everyone, welcome!" A booming voice sounded through the room and people stopped talking among themselves and looked up. The leader of the Intaglio Family, Oz Segnare, was standing on the stage watching down at the hundreds of people who attended the party. He had long red hair which was held in a ponytail by a thin purple bow. He had green eyes and wore some very fashionable clothes. "Thank you all for attending my party. My five guardians and I wish you have a nice time here tonight and I look forward to working with you in the future."

The guests all clapped in delight as Oz walked off the stage. Giotto and the others glanced at each other. "Well then everyone, let's enjoy the night while it lasts."

~~~~ Hours Later ~~~~

"Man, I'm beat." G whined as he and the others stepped out of the mansion.

"Hn. That's what you people get for drinking so much."

"Oh, please. You didn't drink a damn thing!"

"And look at what happens when you do." Alaude snarled as G groaned.

"Let's just hurry up and get home. I swear to Go – I mean, I swear I'm gonna pass out if I don't lie down soon." The blonde said, causing everyone to nod in agreement.

They each boarded their respective carriages and took off, with Giotto, G and Lampo in one, while Daemon, Knuckle and Asari sat in the other, with Alaude on the roof.

~~~~ VFW ~~~~

As the carriage bellowed down the dirt road, the driver noticed a small figure standing in the middle of road. He squinted his eyes to see what it was, and when he did, he abruptly pulled on the reigns of the horses to make them stop; startling the occupants inside, who immediately came out when it stopped. An angry G stormed up to the man and pulled him by the collar. "What's the big idea, asshole? You wanna kill us or somethin'? HUH?"

"G, I'm sure he had a good reason…" Giotto muttered, trying to calm his right-hand man down. Daemon and the others got out of their carriage and came to see what the commotion was about. "Hey you, why'd you do that? Those who disrupt my sleep must be punished." Alaude said, his fingers itching towards his handcuffs. "W-Well, t-t-that boy a-appeared out of nowhere and –"

Everyone's heads turned to see what the man was pointing at, and they all did a double take. "That's… the boy that…" Giotto couldn't even finish his sentence.

The boy was down on all fours and was panting heavily. His sweat made his clothes – which were now tattered – stick to his skin as blood soaked through them. He looked up at the men with the same blank expression as he had before, his eyes scanning every one of them. Asari, who couldn't stand it anymore walked up to the boy. "Hey, kid, what are you doing here all by yourself?" he said as he knelt down to the boy's level and reached a hand out to him, "where are your pare –"

The boy immediately gasped and scrambled back from Asari, who looked shocked. "What's the matter?" He said as he walked towards the boy, who only stepped back further. "Asari, I think you should step back." Giotto said in a concerned voice. "Yes, it seems that the boy doesn't want to be touched." Knuckle added.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. It looks like he has been physically abused." Alaude stated matter-of-factly.

Giotto's frown deepened as he walked over the boy who looked at him defensively. "Don't worry we won't hurt you, okay? Why aren't you with your parents?"

The boy just remained silent and looked away. Giotto tried to reach out to him but pulled back when the boy tensed. "Why don't you come and stay with us then? I promise we won't hurt you." Giotto said in the most soothing voice he could make. The boy looked into Giotto's eyes before nodding slowly. He didn't really understand it, but he felt he could trust this person. The smile this person gave him was the kindest expression he had ever received from another human being. And even if this person was tricking him, at least he'll have a quick death, because these people didn't look like a bunch of weaklings. The other guardians had mixed reactions. G, Lampo and Alaude both had a 'are you out of your mind?' look on their faces, while Asari and Knuckle smiled and lastly was Daemon, who was obviously enjoying this. The others didn't even want to know what was going on in that sick bastard's mind. However, the angry ones kept their emotions in check. After all, the Vongola was made to help people. There was no way they could ignore this helpless boy. "Fine, I'll go along with it. But he's your responsibility, since this was all your idea." G said as he walked back to the carriage. Everyone else nodded in approval and turned, walking away.

Giotto couldn't help but sweat-drop at his friend's reactions. Those people always took the easy way out. "Can you stand?" he asked the boy, who only nodded. He slowly got up to his feet and followed Giotto back to the carriage. "Well then," he said as he faced the boy, "let's go."

The boy stood wide-eyed for a second. What was that warm feeling he felt in his chest? However, he just shook it off and followed the man to wherever he was taking him.

After arriving back at the Vongola Mansion, everyone gathered inside the infirmary sitting or standing around the room as they watched Knuckle heal the boy. Giotto was right beside him, his brows furrowed. Some of the boy's body was already bandaged, so Knuckle had to remove them. When he removed a bandage from the boy's hand everyone looked in shock to see that he had scars that went right around his arm. His left arm was the same way, as was his abdomen. The only place that did have scars was his feet and face, where he still had fresh injuries. The boy just laid there with his eyes shut in pain, jaw clenched. "Well," Knuckle said as he got up, "all of the wounds on his feet and face have been healed; though it's a pity that he has been scarred to such a degree."

The heavy weight in the room had been lifted and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "So he'll be okay then?" Giotto asked, relieved. "Yes, that's right."

"Wait a minute, Giotto, doesn't that child look just like you?" Lampo asked incredulously. "What are you talking about, Lam…po…? What? You're right! How could I not notice?" Suddenly, Giotto felt a change in the environment and looked back to see his guardians staring at him furiously.

"HEY! Don't get the wrong idea! I haven't even dated a woman before!" All of them seemed to realise this fact. However, they again looked at him with another emotion: pity. "Oh, shut up!"

"HEY YOU GUYS, CAN YOU EXTREMELY KEEP THE SOUND DOWN? YOU'RE DISTRURBING THIS KID TO THE EXTREME!" Knuckle yelled, making everyone flinch. "And what the hell do you think you're doing right now?" they all yelled back in unison.

A groan was heard and they turned to the bed to see the boy covering his ears in displeasure. "Sorry about that. They just get a little… um… carried away sometimes." Giotto laughed nervously and turned around, giving his friends his signature 'shut ur traps or else…' look. They all gulped. (A/N: Yes, Alaude included)

"Now, can you please tell us how you ended up in this condition?" Knuckle requested. They all thought the child wasn't going to answer. However, he did.

"I ran away from home. The reason I got these injuries was because I ran through a patch of thorns, which injured my feet and I tripped and fell, thus the scratches on my face." They all listened as the child spoke. His voice sounded so adorable; though none of them would admit it.

"Who gave you those scars boy?" Daemon asked. "I'd rather not answer that question, sir." No matter how much they begged, the boy didn't utter a single word. Giving up, everyone retired for the night. When G, the last one to leave the room, closed the door, Giotto turned to the tired child.

"I'll come see you first thing in the morning okay?" When no reply came, he began to walk to the door but turned when he heard movement. "T-Thank you, sir." Giotto looked at the boy, and noticed that the gloomy look in his eyes had vanished and was replaced with something else that he couldn't quite put his fingers on. A smile slowly formed on his lips. "You're welcome. Good night." he said as he closed the door.