Hi, everyone! Sorry for the long wait! So, without further ado, I present unto you... chapter 2!

It was yesterday that that had happened. And since then, the child still wasn't really talking to anyone, just saying a few words and sentences, nothing more.

Giotto sighed. He really hoped the kid would feel better soon. He hasn't even come out of his room since then, Giotto thought, flipping his pen in his hand. Though, it's understandable. It seems like he's been through a lot…

"Giotto!" G, his storm guardian and right-hand man, stormed into his office. "What is it, G? I'm doing my paperwork like you asked." Primo inwardly groaned at this.

"It's not about that! It's the kid, he's missing!"

Giotto nearly fell out of his chair. "What?! How can he be missing?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?! I'm going to go look for him!" G flew out the door. "I'm going to look too!" Giotto called out to his guardian. However, he wasn't sure that he was heard. Not that it mattered though. He had to find the child, at all costs!

~~~ VFW ~~~

The yells of G, Asari, Knuckle and Giotto echoed throughout the mansion. Since Lampo said he didn't care where the brat went, Daemon said he could care less and Alaude said he had better things to do than look for a child. Where could he have gone? He should still be somewhere out here. "Hey! Kid are you out here?!" Giotto was afraid. What if something happened to him? A million scenarios flashed through his mind but he shook it off.

No, no! I mustn't think like that! He must be somewhere around here!

The next place he had to look in was the kitchen. There's no way he could be in here anyway. Their head chef, Alanzo, would have obviously… noticed… him… say what?! Giotto stared wide eyed at what he was witnessing. It was Alanzo. He was unconscious on the floor with his spirit coming out of his mouth. "Oh my gosh! Al, are you all right?!" Giotto quickly forced the spirit back down the man's throat and shook him until he woke up. "Oh my heavens! Primo!" he fumbled to stand up straight. "Al, what happened?"

"Um, well… the only thing I remember was seeing the face of a child… then everything went black."

Oh God…

"Did you see where he went?" he asked, but Al just shook his head, "No, I don't remember anything after that."

"I see. You can go and take a rest, Al. I'll take care of this." Al nodded numbly before heading out the door. Sigh, what am I to do? This is getting way out of ha –

The blonde was interrupted when he heard a sneeze. He turned around and scampered to one of the cupboards, opening it with a bang. The child inside flinched and backed further into the tiny space, as if hoping he would go through the wall. "What are you doing here? And why did you knock the chef out?" Giotto asked sternly. Was it just him, or did he sound like a parent just now?

The boy had no choice to answer because of the stern tone in the blonde's voice. "I-It was because he w-wanted to send me b-back to my room…" the child stammered nervously, his one eye avoiding contact, "… so I kicked him in the nuts and whacked him with this frying pan." he explained, lifting the pan for emphasis.

Giotto sweat-dropped and held his face in his hands. Dear Lord, what is this world coming to?

"Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"My… parents…" he murmured it so low it was barely a whisper. A dark cloud seemed to settle over the room. "Here, give me your hand," he held out one hand to the boy, "I'll take you back to your room."

The brunette glanced at Giotto through his left eye. "And why should I?" the boy spat, his voice seeping with venom, "It's obvious you guys don't want to have me around. No one ever did…" The child curled himself into a small ball. Giotto felt his heart sink. Poor kid.

"Of course we want you around! If we didn't then why would we pick you up from off the streets? We could have just left you there!"

"I'm not so sure… That man with the melon hairstyle and the other blonde one. They would obviously not want to have me around." Tsuna muttered, his voice still cold. "No of course they do! They just don't show that they're concerned about anything; they think it'll show that they're weak."

The boy's eyes seemed to soften in relief. "Oh and since you'll be staying here, I guess I'll tell you about them."

"Who?" Tsuna didn't want to admit it, but talking with this man made him happy. "My friends. The people who were with me yesterday when we found you."

"Oh…"

"The red-head, remember him?" Tsuna nodded. "His name is G. He's been my friend for as long as I can remember. He's loud, brash, hot-headed and sometimes over-protective. But he's a good person at heart and I don't think you'll get on his bad side. That is if you steal his cigars. He always gets mad when Lampo does it."

Tsuna made a mental note of that and he grinned a little. "Hey, don't get any funny ideas!" Giotto warned, causing the child to stifle a snicker. Wait, did I really just do that?!

"Next is Asari, the one with the blue and white outfit. He's the nicest most normal person here. I think you'll get along the easiest with him." The child raised an eye-brow at the way the man said normal. "After that is Knuckle, he's the one that healed your injuries. He's the loudest of us. He's a priest, but he also does boxing now and then. He often says the word 'EXTREME!' a lot."

The brunette inwardly groaned at this. How could he forget? That man nearly made him go deaf the last time.

"After him is Lampo. He's a bit annoying (A/N: A bit?! Lmfao) and likes sweets a lot. He's lazy but is useful when he wants to be." Tsuna nodded.

"Next is Daemon. He's a bit of a creep and he likes to annoy people. But deep inside he's a kind and caring person. Just don't comment on his hair being a melon. I remember the time someone called it that and… well… let's just say it didn't go well."

"Lastly is Alaude, the blonde one. He's a bit aggressive and takes his job in disciplining people very seriously. So don't do anything wrong. Trust me. You wouldn't like to see him when he's angry." Giotto shivered as he reminisced on that horrible day. "I-I'll take your word for it. W-Wait, what about you? Your name is Giotto right?"

Primo sat there shocked for a second. He… remembered? "You remembered?" Giotto asked, still surprised and impressed. "W-Well, yeah…" How could he forget? He was the one who suggested they take him in. He treated him kinder than anyone else had before. He gave him a warm bed to sleep on, besides not knowing him for even an hour. So, how could he –

"Well, I can't really describe myself to you, since people's opinions of me might be varied, but…" the blonde thought for a second. "Let's just say I'm a friendly guy that just loves helping people!" he finished, smiling sheepishly. Are you serious Giotto?! That's all you have to say? Ah! I'm such an idiot.

Tsuna just sat there for a second. This man… he's different. Different from all the other adults that had surrounded him and different in the way he treated him. Other's just took advantage of him and belittled him, but he only welcomed him with kindness and love. I can… trust this man…? It had probably been the first time that the brunette had said the word 'trust' and believed it. "Now are you ready to go?" said the blonde, once again holding out his hand.

However, instead of taking the hand, the boy threw himself at Giotto and wrapped his small arms around the blonde's neck. Giotto got up and held the boy in his strong arms. The brunette felt the warmth the man emitted and snuggled closer into it, feeling his throat begin to contract. "H-Hey, are you okay?" Giotto asked when he felt something wet touch his shirt. Did I do something wrong?

(A/N: Primo is a naïve one, wouldn't you agree?)

"C-Can I really… trust you…?" the brunette asked as tears fell from his eye. "Of course you can! As long as you're under my care, nothing bad will happen to you. Nothing." The boy's sobs quickly quieted down. "T-Thanks…"

Giotto placed the frying-pan down and carried the boy out of the kitchen. He ran into G on his way to the brunette's bedroom. "It seems that you've found him." G commented, slightly impressed. "Yeah, he was in the kitchen. Hey G. Did you know he kicked Al down there and knocked him out with a frying-pan?!"

G didn't look shocked, he looked impressed. "Oh-ho? Looks like this quiet brat's got spunk." he smirked and pulled out a cigar.

"G, that's not something to be impressed about!" he thought for a second. "Okay, maybe it is. But still!"

G just grinned as he pushed the cigar in his mouth and lit it. "Hey, no smoking around children!" Giotto snarled as he backed away. "Fine, fine." G went to a nearby window and let out a puff of smoke.

"Oh and how did you manage to get that child to trust you?" G asked curiously. Giotto was about to explain when he felt the brunette's right hand drop from his neck. "Huh? Hey are you… oh." The boy's head rested on the crook of his neck, his eyes closed and his mouth forming a little 'o'. He was fast asleep. "Ah, he looks so cute~!"

G sweat-dropped. "I hate to admit it, but he is adorable."

"I'll take him back to his room. See you later." G said farewell to Giotto before walking off. The blonde placed the brunette on his bed and put a blanket over him.

~~ x ~~

Tsuna POV

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.

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Deep in the willow,
a lonely figure in requiem,
sings for the sadness of the world,
in a voice heard by none.

Deep in the crevice,
of the accursed souls of the dead,
darkness envelops all,
and light is nowhere to be seen.

But even though darkness plagues this world,
I will rise from the ashes anew…

I listen to my father's beautiful voice with my eyes closed. I allow its slow rhythm to envelop me as I sway my head from side to side. The first time I heard him sing, his voice was so beautiful, it hurt. But now that I'm used to it, it awakens emotions in me that I have never even felt before. Sadness was one of them. I had never experienced sadness in my life, but I have certainly heard of it. Father says that sadness is something that eats away at the very core of your soul, and that if it is not contained, can spread like a wild-fire. I heard it destroys people. But I find myself being unable to believe that an emotion can ruin a person. Probably because the only feelings I've ever had were good ones.

"Hey, Dad? Can I ask you something?" I ask as he finishes singing. "Mmm?"

"How did you feel when mom…. you know…." Even though I hadn't met her, since she died soon after I was born, I still find myself unable to say to 'D' word. I feel Father's long, slender fingers slide around me. "It was the saddest day of my life, but I can't bring myself to forget it." I don't understand how he can be so strong. I guess it comes from being an adult or something. "Your mother was a very beautiful and respected person, and everyone loved her. Hahaha. I even remember the time when she proposed to me. I was so shocked I passed out."

I laughed out loud at this. This was the first time he had told me this. "Hahahaha! Are – Are you serious. Mom proposed to you and you…. fainted?!" I was laughing so hard and for so long that my throat began to hurt and I began to snort. "H-Hey! That's not funny! Jeez…" I could see the heavy blush on his pale cheeks, so I willed myself to stop. The grin, however, was still plastered on my lips.

"Well, there's no use worrying over something like that! Your mother would want us to be happy!" My father slightly nudged at me to get up, since I was currently sitting on his lap. We were sitting under a large tree in our backyard. My Family was very rich, and my grandfather was the head of the house, along with his wife by his side, who was waaayyyy younger than he was. My dad was the next heir, so when grandpa retires, he's going to take over as Head of the House.

"I still wish I could see her though…" I mutter as something pangs my heart. Is this what they call… sadness?

"Well that's obvious! After all, you took almost all her traits!" I was about to reply when I saw that same wide smile dad makes anytime he was aware of something and I wasn't. Then it hit me. "Father, what are you saying? I do not look like a girl!"

My father laughed; a low, rhythmic, sweet-sounding thing from inside his throat that made people flock to him like flies. Especially women. I would always get jealous when they started to come around him. I crossed my hands and looked away, trying to hide my rosy cheeks. I yelped as I was lifted off the ground, and before I knew it, I was in his arms. "Don't worry. Whether you look like a girl or not doesn't matter to me. I would love you either way." He said in that soothing voice, that somehow always brought tears to my eyes. Today was no exception. "H-Hey! Don't cry! You'll make me want to cry too!"

I snuggled closer and into the warmth of his chest. I blocked out everything around me. I loved my Father more than anything. Nothing else mattered as long as I was with him.

Nothing… nothing… nothing… nothing… nothing… nothing…..

Normal POV

The voice of the little boy faded into oblivion.

The brunette's eye tightened and he squirmed as the light from outside fell over his face. Huh? How long have I been sleeping? He sat up on his bed. "That dream guess now…who was that person? Why did I call him that when he and my father sound or act nothing alike…?" He was interrupted from his train of thoughts by the sound of his bedroom door opening. It was Giotto.

"Oh, you're awake! Did you have a good rest?" he asked, smiling cheerfully. "Y-Yeah…" was the child's weak reply. "Come on! There's no need to be shy." Giotto went over to the bed and sat down beside the brunette. "Can you tell me your name?" The child flinched but kept silent, unconsciously touching his eye-patch. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. You can tell me whenever you're ready."

"S-Sorry…" He felt bad. Giotto was so kind to him, and he couldn't even tell him his name... "Don't worry about it. You fell asleep about 2 hours ago. Lunch will be ready in about an hour. Do you want anything in the meantime?"

The brunette thought for a second. He looked up at Giotto, a blush appearing on his face. "I'm thirsty."

"You're thirsty? What do you want to drink?"

"It doesn't matter…" Ah! Why am I acting so shy?

Giotto just laughed, very amused. "Come with me to the kitchen. It'll also give you an opening to apologize to Al for knocking him out." Giotto stated. The brunette just sat there in a trance as the blonde got up. Something about Giotto's touch felt… familiar. It erased all of his pains and fears, which were there since the moment he was born. It made him feel… whole. Ever since the torture had started, a part of him had died on the inside. But if he were to stay by this man's side… could the part that had died become whole again? "Are you coming?" he heard Giotto's voice ask. He nodded and followed Giotto to the kitchen.

~~~ VFW ~~~

When Giotto and the boy arrived at the kitchen, all the cooks looked up and stared at them. "Um, where is Alanzo? I'd like to see him please." One of the chefs, who Giotto identified as Niccolò ran up to him. His short, silky light blue hair flew in all directions as he ran, and his green eyes were gleaming with excitement. "Hello, boss!" he saluted, making Giotto sweat drop. Niccolò was a bit of a klutz and would sometimes do careless things that would always affect the kitchen. Tripping over his own feet, falling down stairs, breaking plates/cups etc. However, he was one of the best chefs in his entire staff. His skills were even enough to rival that of Al's, the head chef. And, Giotto thought, if Nick is here then…

Primo wasn't even able to finish his sentence as a young male about 20 years old walked forward to stand beside Niccolò. "Hey, primo."

… his twin brother can't be too far behind.

They had the same light complexion and their faces were the same shape, as were their eyes. However there were a few things that set them apart. Unlike his brother Niccolò, Niko had short, choppy black hair and brown eyes. Their personalities weren't exact, that's for sure, but there were still some similarities.

Niko wasn't a klutz like his brother, but he was the more mischievous of the two. It made it even worse because he seemed so innocent, which in reality was the exact opposite. "Hi, guys. Have you seen Al? I want to talk to him about something."

"Yes, he's in the back." Niko replied calmly.

"Can you go get him for me please?"

"No problemo! I'll be right back!" Niccolò answered as he ran to the back. Niko turned around, noticing the small boy who was now hiding behind Giotto. "Primo, who is that?" he pointed, curious. "Oh, this was the boy we rescued yesterday. He's a little shy though."

"Why hello, it's nice to meet you." Niko held out a hand. However, the brunette continued to hide behind Giotto, his eyebrows furrowed. "Sorry, he's not good with strangers."

"No, no I understand. Being in a new place and all…"

It was at that moment that Niccolò came out, Al in tow. "Ah, there he is. Thanks Nick. You can go back to work now. Oh and while you're at it, can you get me two glasses of lemonade?"

"Aye, sir!" The twins saluted before they walked away. It still amazes me how they can say the same things at the same time…

"Did you need something, Primo?" Al asked, kind of annoyed to be interrupted from his work. "Yes, this young one here wanted to apologize for what he did earlier. He looked down and noticed that the same 'young one' was giving him a 'who said I was going to apologize?' look. "Don't give me that. Apologize, now." he ordered sternly. The brunette's eye twitched and he pouted, but he listened anyway. Stepping out from behind Giotto, the boy said: "I'm sorry."

"Wrong. Say it like you mean it."

The boy grumbled, but listened anyway. He bowed. "I am terribly sorry for harming you sir. Can you please forgive me?" Giotto's eye twitched. That was sarcasm. Mmm-hmm. No doubt about it.

Luckily, Al didn't notice. He probably just wanted to get back to work anyway. "No problemo kid." he turned to the blonde. "Can I go back to work now?"

Giotto sighed. "Of c – CRASH!" He was interrupted by the sound of about 20 silverware breaking to pieces against the tiled floor. "AL! Nick broke the silverware again!" Niko's voice was heard inside the kitchen. All the workers cringed. Oh, they knew what was coming all right. As a sixth-sense, Giotto quickly placed his hands over the boy's ears.

"GODDAMMIT NICK! I JUST BOUGHT THOSE FRIGGIN' SILVERWARE A WEEK AGO! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS INTO NEXT SUNDAY, YOU HEAR MEEE?!" Al thrashed and yelled some more profanities. Luckily, Niko brought the lemonade while Al was in his rage mode. "Sorry about that, Primo."

You don't look sorry, Giotto thought. You could just tell by the way Niko was grinning. He was sooo enjoying this. "You broke the plates on purpose and blamed it on your brother, didn't you." Since Nick was known as the clumsy one, Niko would never be considered a suspect. "Hehehe… yes. That's what he gets for stealing my chocolate." He gave Giotto the glasses and slipped back into the chaos, laughing all the way. The blonde looked down, only to find the young child looking at Al with complete awe and amazement at all the words he had never heard before. "We're leaving."

~~~ VFW ~~~

Tsuna's POV

I swung my feet idly as I stare at the glass of this thing called lemonade on a bench in the garden. Giotto sat next to me. He was gulping his drink down so fast that he choked. I giggled a bit before I could stop myself.

"That's not funny!" I heard him yell, embarrassed. I sipped some of the lemonade and my eyes widened. It was so delicious! I gulped mine's down as well, causing me to choke also. The man next to me started laughing.

I threw my remaining lemonade on him in retaliation. "Ha! Take that!"

"Why you… then take this!" Giotto pulled me up on his lap and began to tickle me like crazy. "The ultimate divine punishment: The Tickler!"

"Psh… HAHAHAHA! W-What kind – hahahaha! - of punishment is that…! HAHAHAHA! Stop i – HAHAHA!" When he stopped I had tears in my eyes, and I was still giggling. Giotto pulled me closer to him, and just held me there. I'd never felt so loved before. Experiencing this new feeling made me smile. "See? Doesn't it feel good to have fun?"

All I could do was nod. "Let's go inside shall we?"

"Mmm-hmm! Let's do that!" This was probably the first time I had interacted with someone so willingly. I was… happy. I let my hand slide up to my black eye patch. The people who gave me this injury… I hope I never see them again.

Things at the mansion were about to change from then on…

~~ x ~~

Normal POV

At 7 o'clock the next morning, Giotto abruptly went to see the boy. He opened the door slightly and peered inside. Huh? Why isn't he in here?

He then saw some movement to his left and went to investigate. It had come from the bathroom. He walked in and saw the boy looking at the tub quite curiously. He began poking it and touching it rather cautiously, as if it could bite him at any moment. He blinked once, twice and three times. He then got up and put his tiny fingers on his chin, like a detective trying to solve a mystery. What is this weird… thing? And why is it in here? What's this place called anyway?

Giotto couldn't help but grin at the boy's expression. It just made him look even cuter. Giotto broke the silence by clearing his throat. The young child quickly turned around on his heels, and stared at the man in white with a shocked and comical expression on his face. When did he…?!

"What are you doing in here, investigating a tub like that?" Giotto asked, obviously amused. A blush appeared on his face as he looked at the 'thing' one more time. Then, in a voice that wasn't even a whisper, he said: "Is that what a tub looks like?"

Giotto blinked a few times to register what he'd just heard. "Y-Yeah…" The boy's voice sounded so cute, he should speak more often. "Haven't you ever used one before?" he said, astonished. "W-Well, when I bathed, I just had a bucket of water splashed on me…" the boy said, pushing his two index fingers together cutely, "I have heard about bathrooms, but I haven't actually been in one. This one's so big."

Giotto couldn't help but feel bad for the boy. He hadn't been in a bathroom before? Not even once? He decided to lighten the mood a little. "Well boy! Today is your lucky day!" he declared, "Starting today, you are going to bathe every day, starting in the mornings!"

The child's eyes obviously brightened at this. "Really?" he asked, eyes sparkling. "Yep, that's right! Now go on, take off those clothes." Giotto gestured to the boy's attire, which hadn't changed since he arrived. "O-Okay…"

"I'll go and look for a change of clothes in the meantime," he said as he walked out to find some clothes. By the time Giotto returned, the boy was fully naked. He also noticed that the child was holding his crotch with a shade of pink on his pale cheeks. "What's wrong?" he asked, "I won't do anything to you. And we're both males aren't we?"

The boy seemed relieved, and slowly straightened himself. "Now let me show you how this works," he said as he made his way to the tub. "Now see here, this is what they call a tap. When you screw it out like so…" Giotto explained as he turned it, allowing water to flow out of the tip, "water comes out to fill the tub. See?" Giotto explained as he pointed. "Wooowww! Cool!" the boy squealed, jumping up and down, looking amazed, "It's like magic!"

Giotto laughed at the boy's naivety. It was good to see that he was getting used to him. He then stood up; causing the boy gave him a questioning glance. "Now let's see…" he said as he searched through the cabinets. "Ah, here it is!" Giotto said as he returned to the tub, pouring in some sort of blue liquid in the water. "What's that?" the boy asked in confusion. "Just watch."

The water soon began to form bubbles and Giotto stirred the water with his hand for a bit. "This makes it even more exciting, don't you think?"

"Y-Yeah! So cool!"

"Oh, and I haven't even asked you your name yet!"

"I-It's T-Tsunayoshi. But I prefer T-Tsuna…"

"Don't you have a last name?"

"N-No…"

Giotto could tell that the boy was lying, but thought he had a good reason for not telling him. "Well then Tsuna, you have to take off the bandages you wrapped yourself with." Tsuna's smile immediately turned into a frown. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, since all of your injuries have healed, there's no need for you to wear them."

"I-I know that but… The only reason I wear them is because I don't want to see the scars across my body…"

Giotto felt a pang of sadness over his heart. "I promise I'll put some bandages back on when you're done bathing ok?"

"Thanks. But can I keep the eye patch on?" he said, pointing up to the right side of his face.

"If you want to, but it'll get wet."

"I don't mind."

Giotto picked Tsuna up and placed him in the tub. "So warm! I usually had to bathe in cold water." Tsuna said as he playfully splashed the water with his hands. "H-Hey!" Giotto said, narrowly avoiding getting soaked. The brunette stifled a laugh.

Reaching out and grabbing a sponge, he began to rub Tsuna's skin clean. "Hahaha! That tickles!" Tsuna exclaimed as Giotto rubbed his sides. Giotto chuckled as he finished scrubbing Tsuna's skin and reached for a bottle of shampoo. "Now close your eyes."

Tsuna did as he was told. Giotto then squirted the shampoo on his head, massaging it softly. "Ahhhh…" Tsuna wanted this moment to last forever. The warmth and kindness that this person gave him made him feel great inside. He hadn't felt like this before.

After Giotto finished bathing Tsuna, he pulled him out of the tub and dried him off. "We should do that again!"

"Hahaha, whenever you want."

"Then how about every hour?!"

"Ehhhh?! Now that's impossible."

They both laughed. Once he finished drying Tsuna off, Giotto put on new bandages and a change of clothes on him. "Now we're ready to go downstairs to get breakfast. Follow me." he said as he walked out of the room, Tsuna following closely behind. The maids and other servants couldn't help but stare at Giotto and his look-alike. Had the boss finally found a woman? "Don't get the wrong ideas, you guys. This child isn't related to me what-so-ever."

All the servants hung their heads. Yep, thought so. Shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.

Tsuna, obviously nervous about all the stares he was getting, ran up to Giotto's side and held his hand. Giotto looked surprised at this, but accepted it with a smile.

They made their way down to the dining room and were greeted by the guardians in different ways.

"Morning, Primo."

"Kufufu…"

"Yawn…"

"Ohio Gozimas."

"Extreme!"

"…"

"Morning," he said as he took his seat.

The young child just sat next to Giotto, staring at his lap and playing with his fingers. Everyone surveyed the child with scrutiny but made no comment. Dinner was pretty much silent after that, with everyone immersed in their own thoughts.

After breakfast, Giotto told his guardians to make it back to the meeting room by 11 o'clock, before lunch.

Giotto knelt down to face the child, who had been following closely behind him. "I'm going to go have a short meeting with my friends. I'll be back in about an hour. If you want you can stay in your room until then, but if you want to venture outside you should at least have someone go with you, okay?" Tsuna was frightened. He didn't want to be alone in this strange place. Giotto, picking up on Tsuna's feelings, gave the boy a pat on his head. "Don't worry. I'll be back in no time."

All Tsuna could do was nod as Giotto waved and disappeared down the hall.

~~~~ VFW ~~~~

"So, what are we going to do about this child, Giotto?" G asked as he took his seat in the meeting room. "Well, I don't know… We obviously can't adopt him, since we don't have any idea where his real parents are. Though I have no idea why his parents would allow him to have such injuries..." After Giotto finished his last sentence the room turned silent.

"That's true. But what if the parents are the cause of the child's injuries?" Asari commented, making all heads in the room turn towards him.

"Could that be why the boy wasn't EXTREMELY with them?"

"Hmmm… it is possible that he ran away from home because of all the abuse he was getting."

"Isn't it obvious?"

"You obviously saw the boy's condition." Alaude stated, "He probably couldn't take it anymore and ran away when he got the chance."

"But who in their right mind would do that to a child? Especially a parent!?"

"Are you so sure? He probably just got bullied and ran away."

Everyone looked at Lampo like he was retarded. "Then why the hell wouldn't he just tell his parents and have them take care of it?! They are rich after all! They could easily take care of a bunch of bullies!"

"Oh right…"

"In any case, I think Tsuna should stay here. It'll be safer for him, especially if it's the parents themselves that are behind it!"

Everyone turned in confusion at their boss. Tsuna? "Oh right, I didn't tell you. He told me his name was Tsunayoshi, though he prefers Tsuna."

"Wow that's Japanese! So does that mean—"

"I am TERRIBLY sorry to ruin your moment of happiness but can we please not go off-topic?" G said, rather calmly. Asari just pouted.

"Why don't we just take him to the orphanage?" Lampo offered.

"Are you out of your mind? His parents could find him in an instant that way." G spat.

"For torturing an innocent child, I'll arrest the perpetrators without delay."

"Fine then, let's have a vote: All in favour of keeping the boy!"

Giotto, Asari, G, Alaude and Knuckle all raised their hands. "Huh?! Why?" Lampo asked in an exasperated tone.

"Well, think about it. We obviously can't let an innocent child go back to abusive parents!"

"I think so too."

"Sadly, I agree."

"Though I don't like the idea of adding another person to the crowd, it must be done." Everyone sweat-dropped at this. That's Alaude alright…

"I agree, to the EXTREME!"

"But why do you not agree?" Giotto asked.

"Kufufu… though having another toy – I mean person might be interesting…" Everyone – minus Alaude – shivered at this, "I really don't see how this will benefit the Family in the long run. Besides we aren't entirely sure that the parents are the cause of this."

"I agree. I hate brats."

"Aw, come on guys! There was obviously some reason why this boy appeared in front of us TO THE EXTREME. It must be God's will!"

"There you go again with that crap…"

"WHAT WAS THAT DAEMON?!"

"Now, now…"

"I expected this from Lampo, but not you. What about the child Daemon? Do you not care what happens to him?!" Giotto asked angrily.

"As long as it doesn't benefit the Family, it doesn't concern me."

"You heartless bastard!" G yelled.

"Sigh… but the majority of the vote goes to him staying. So then, it's decided. Tsuna will be staying with us until we figure out for sure what caused him to be in that condition. Understood?"

They all nodded – except for Daemon and Lampo, who looked pissed – and walked out of the room, going to do whatever the hell they wanted to.

~~~~ VFW ~~~~

That night, a thunderstorm was wreaking havoc on Sicily. The trees swayed from side to side in rhythmic movements, along with the howling of the wind and the hoar of the thunder, which sounded through the sky every 2 – 3 minutes. Giotto found this extremely annoying, since he couldn't focus on his paperwork. When he couldn't handle it anymore, he slammed the paper he was reading on the desk and cursed the bad weather. As if to respond to this, a lightning bolt flashed close to his window. Giotto yelped and shut his eyes, blocking his face with his hand. "Dammit…" he said as he stormed out of his office and changed his clothes, preparing for bed.

He arrived in his room and turned off the lights before collapsing on his king-sized bed. As soon as he made himself comfortable under the golden covers, he closed his eyes only to open them again when he heard the door creak open. "Huh?"

Giotto sat up and turned on his bedside lamp. "U-Umm…"

Giotto's eyes widened at the familiar babyish voice and looked towards the door to see Tsuna holding onto his door; as if he was going to faint if he didn't do so. "I-I can't sleep…" he said, a blush appearing on his face. Giotto smiled at this. "Then what are you waiting for? Come here." he said as he held out his two hands from where he sat. "Are you sure about–"

Tsuna was interrupted when a bright bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, following quickly by the loud roar of thunder. "HIIEEE!" Tsuna cried as he flew into Giotto's arms. It was so fast, Giotto fell back. Now lying down on Giotto's stomach, Tsuna suddenly felt safe. Yes. This man could protect him from anything.

Giotto could feel Tsuna's heartbeat, which went from really, really fast to normal in record speed. Giotto laughed, causing the boy to blush furiously. "Sorry, sorry." he said as he set the boy down beside him. Tsuna, however, went directly back into Giotto's arms and held onto the front of his shirt. "Are you sure I should stay here, with you and everyone else. I don't want to be a burden to anyone else…"

"You were never a burden, Tsuna. There's no way I can refuse someone in need of help."

"You're a nice person. The people who were in my life before you have always been cold, so cold… but you're different. You feel… warm."

"Is that so?"

"Mmm-hmm. I'm glad… that I… yawn… met someone… like you…"

Giotto suddenly felt the tears in his eyes, but he kept it in. He held Tsuna in his arms, like he was something precious that could easily be broken. Neither of them saying anything; just enjoying the other's embrace. The thunder and lightning sounded outside again. Only this time, Tsuna wasn't scared anymore. This man could protect me from anything, he thought.

They held onto each other tightly, until the two of them fell asleep together.

Vongola Chat

VFW: Wow, my hands are literally on fire from writing this chapter. So anyway -
SpadeTheTorturer: So… have they burned off yet?
VFW: Wait… what?
AsariLovesHisSword: He asked if they burned off yet.
VFW: I'm very well aware of what he asked Asari, thank you.
TheNumbuh1Boss: What the hell?
VFW: Yes, Giotto. What the hell kinda question is that?
SpadeTheTorturer: I just asked because I thought that if your hands burnt off, you wouldn't be able to write anymore of this unicorn shit.
VFW: …! O.O
The Badass Loner: …
CandyLover: …
AsariLovesHisSword: …
ExtremeDude1: …
Sharpshooter: Holy shit… I hate to say this Daemon but…
SpadeTheTorturer: Hmm?
Sharpshooter: …you are a genius!
TheNumbuh1Boss: Wow. You just made her shit list, Daemon.
VFW: …
ExtremeDude1: Um, are you alright?

VFW has just signed out of Vongola Chat

CandyLover: Better start runnin' Daemon
SpadeTheTorturer: Yeah right like that'll ever happen… Holy

SpadeTheTorturer has just signed out of Vongola Chat

AsariLovesHisSword: Is he gonna be okay?
The Badass Loner: Who cares?
TheNumbuh1Boss: I kinda wish I was there to see it…
CandyLover: I had no idea you were a sadist Primo
TheNumbuh1Boss: … I regret nothing.
Sharpshooter: Hmph, he was a lot worse when we were kids
AsariLovesHisSword: Really?!
CandyLover: Oh, please! Do share!
TheNumbuh1Boss: Don't you dare!

VFW has just logged in via mobile device

The Badass Loner: Hn, you're back.
ExtremeDude1: May God bless his soul…
TheNumbuh1Boss: Spill all the details!
CandyLover: Okay, now you're just plain creepy. But please, Writer-san, tell us.
VFW: Let's just say he won't be able to walk or utter a single word for about a week.
AsariLovesHisSword: *faints*

Sharpshooter: Haha, ouch…
ExtremeDude1: *makes the sign of the cross*
CandyLover: That's gonna leave a mark
TheNumbuh1Boss: Pure genius
The Badass Loner: I'm starting to like you already
VFW: Finally! Someone who hates that illusionist as much as I do! *high fives*
The Badass Loner: *high fives back* This is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship
TheNumbuh1Boss: …
CandyLover: Dear God, is the world ending already?
Sharpshooter: But seriously, I had no idea he had a sense of humour
CandyLover: Yeah, hahaha! Unicorn shit!
ExtremeDude1: That was pretty funny
TheNumbuh1Boss: Hahahaha!
AsariLovesHisSword: *stifles laugh*
VFW: …All of you suckers are next

TheNumbuh1Boss, AsariLovesHisSword, CandyLover, ExtremeDude1 and Sharpshooter have
all signed out of Vongola Chat

VFW: What a bunch of scaredy-cats! Hahahaha!
The Badass Loner: Now you see the kind of crap I have to go through on a daily basis
VFW:I hear ya. Well then everyone, bye-bye! Oh, and please review!