Chapter 9

Raven: sorry for long wait had writers block! It was bad!

Giotto: its fine just get on with it, I want to know what happened to my son!

Raven: Yeah yeah

Giotto: Raven does not own KHR

Giotto picked up his speed as he made his way across the mansion-like grounds, his worried thoughts about his husband and son spurring him on. Giotto knows Alaude well. Kyoya wouldn't exactly escape with only minor wounds. When Alaude and Kyoya fought, even if it was just training, both would usually come home with at least one serious injury that can leave anyone's heart stammering up to their throat in anxiety. It worried and annoyed him every time they came home. Self-restraint wasn't in those two's vocabulary! They just insist not to do anything by halves.

He turned the corner that led to the room they were probably destroying and saw the door...or lack thereof. It looked like it was blown clean off its hinges and was leaning against the opposite wall. He sprinted the last few paces to the room and came to an abrupt stop at the newly designed entrance.

What he saw nearly made him want to shout in fear, cry with worry and tear his hair out by its roots in exasperation.

The room was an absolute mess. The walls all looked like they were about to crumble and there were fissures in the floor, or what's left of it anyway. He didn't see any place where there was not a small crater. They must have used all strength they could muster in such a small space! He started to scan the room for his boys but he didn't see them anywhere so he carefully entered the room watching where he was stepping so he wouldn't slip and fall accidently. He would hate to bang his head on any of the sharper pieces of plaster and dirt that made up the compound of a floor. Giotto cringed. He would hate it if any of those two hit their head on it.

An uneasy feeling settled in his stomach at the image his brain conjured up. He shook it away with firm determination and belief that those two could survive the end of the world so there is nothing he should be getting upset about.

"Alaude! Kyoya! " he called out after a while of finding nothing in his immediate surroundings.

"Over here Giotto!"

Giotto turned around when Alaude answered him. He trekked to one of the biggest crater in the room and saw Alaude sitting next to a distraught Kyoya. He slid down the side of the crater; completely ignoring the fact that he was getting bruised even worse, to run to them. He came to a stop next to them looking at Alaude and then Kyoya who looked like he was trying to say something but just couldn't find the right words.

"Dad I…" he started but before he could finish his sentence he was pulled into a bone crushing hug by Giotto. Kyoya was surprised but then immediately clutched onto Giotto and held on tightly, hiding his face from them by burrowing it against his father's chest. The only indication that Kyoya was upset was his shaking frame as he held his father and the increasing of his grip he had on the older man

Giotto looked down at Alaude, clearly angered, yet saddened, by how his usually prideful son was acting. He must really be distressed over attacking his own parents, trying to kill them. Also his pride must have gotten a huge blow after getting affected by the illusion. He might be in some way frightened of illusionists for a few days before he will go back to trying to kill everyone, Giotto summarized.

"Kyoya it was your first time dealing with an illusionist of that calibre. It wasn't your fault and will never be. You're still our strong little demon," Giotto whispered softly as he stroked his hair, trying to be as comforting as he could to the usually overconfident man. He watched as Alaude slowly approached them and ruffled Kyoya's hair to show his own sign of agreeing with his husband.

"You will get better and soon you will even be able to beat Daemon's illusions," he muttered before turning around and grabbing the forgotten illusionist that he had carelessly thrown on the ground earlier.

Giotto chuckled; that was as much encouragement that Alaude would give to his prideful son. He looked down at Kyoya, who had stopped shaking, with a smile. He snickered softly when Kyoya pulled away from the embrace, his eyes a bit red but otherwise he was his normal aloof self just like his father. If Giotto didn't know him, he would probably have seen as someone with multi-personality disorder by how quickly he could change moods. The thought had a small smirk tug at his lips.

"That's our boy," he said while he ruffled Kyoya's hair. At the action, Kyoya glared, with a bit of annoyance, up at him but otherwise did nothing to stop him. Giotto then looked at Alaude that was already halfway out of the crater.

"Now then, we should get home before your father gets mad at us for being slo…" he stopped mid-sentence when he look down and saw no Kyoya. When he looked up he saw both father and son already at the top. He also noticed his two other guardians were there as well waiting for him. He pouted, it was so unfair! How was his damn son so fast? One minute he was here the next he's gone!

"Wait for me!" he called out as he sprinted after them when they turned around and started to leave without him.

Giotto sighed as they came to a stop in front of the main mansion. It was already dark and it seemed like Alaude was a bit agitated. He was twitchy almost the whole car ride back home. The illusionist was in the trunk of the car tide up, and yelling a lot of words a child shouldn't hear. They should have duct taped him as well, but they thought he might stay unconscious for the whole ride back. How wrong they were. He had been holding Kyoya's ears closed the whole ride back and Kyoya just looked annoyed but didn't fight back, only rolling his eyes. Kyoya knew that he wouldn't do something to annoy him without a plausible reason. The door was thrown open making Giotto flinch at the force. It's a wonder the door is still attached to the car. He heard the yells get louder and then everything was silent. He let go of Kyoya and smiled down at the confused, yet annoyed boy as he got out.

He looked up when he heard a yell of relief and watched with mild surprise as Kyoya was practically attacked by Tsuna who was crying loudly. He looked at Asari with a raised eyebrow; knowing the man would understand the unspoken question.

"We were playing inside when he started to get upset and then he started crying. We couldn't get him to stop. When we asked what was wrong he told us that Kyoya and his father was hurt," Asari said as he assessed Kyoya with a shocked look, "apparently he was right. But how did he know?"

They watched as Kyoya, in his aloof and awkward way, tried to get Tsuna to stop crying but nothing worked. He looked at Giotto with a helpless look on his face, clearly trying the older man to help him, only to have him chuckle at his expense. After a few seconds he gave in to the boy's silent pleas.

"Tsuna, your brother is fine; you can stop crying now." he said gently as he patted the boy's head. Tsuna looked up at him with teary eyes. He then pulled away from Kyoya only to wrap Giotto a hug. Kyoya nodded at his father gratefully before they walked up the steps. Tsuna released his tight hold on Giotto and almost instantly pulled Kyoya to the door announcing proudly how he wanted to show his "big brother" the picture he drew. Giotto stopped, his face pulling into a conflicted expression, making the other Guardians stop as well. They waited for Giotto's orders.

"Alaude I want you to do a DNA test on Tsuna. Find out exactly who his parents are," he finally ordered, but Alaude only looked as if saying he should explain.

"Tsuna has been showing signs of having hyper intuition and as far as I know, that has only ever been in my family. Meaning there might be someone of my family living somewhere and I don't know about them or someone has been having escapades that he never reported in," he finished. If that was true that meant that he might have a family member out there who might have sky flames as well or there could be more children with practically royal blood running through their veins and they don't even know it.

"Very well, but you have to explain to Tsuna why I would need his blood," Alaude said with an amused edge to his voice.

"You could just acquire a strand of hair from him, Alaude," Giotto stated with exasperation.

"But what fun would that be? Any case, I like the bloody option better."

He just left Giotto with the worse job ever: convincing Tsuna to let Alaude come to him with a needle. He knew all kids hated needles; Kyoya hasn't even grown out of it yet! Giotto's mood suddenly went a little sour as he wanted to pout but knew he couldn't.

He walked into the mansion and glared at the man the guards were dragging away for added affect. He knew that Deamon and Alaude were going to torture the male but first things first:

"Tsuna!" he called out making the boy stop showing Kyoya his collection of pictures he had drawn. He turned to him and Giotto beckoned him forward. Tsuna came running with bright eyes and stopped right in front of Giotto with a huge, innocent smile on his face. It made Giotto hesitate to say anything. He shook his head and squatted down. He was patting Tsuna on the head as he started to talk,

"Tsuna, I need you to me a favour," he started slowly. Tsuna nodded excitedly glad to be able to help his daddy.

"Your father is going to need a bit of your blood." he started again while watching Tsuna's reaction closely before he continued; "your Papa is going to use a small needle to get the blood. It won't hurt I promise. The call it a Butterfly needle for a reason. At worst you will only feel a little sting," he finished. Tsuna looked hesitant, but help his arm out nonetheless making Giotto smile at his hesitant bravery. Alaude appeared behind him out of nowhere and gently took hold of Tsuna's arm. He pulled out the required needle and as gently as he could insert it into his arm. It made Tsuna flinch and his eyes started watering up with unshed tears but not a peep of complaint left his lips. As soon as it begun it was over. Alaude ruffled Tsuna's hair, making the child giggle and blink back the first tear that would have rolled down his cheek, then he turned and left with the vial of blood secured.

"Wasn't that bad, huh?" Giotto asked with a small smile and Tsuna shook his head with a bright smile. The rest of the guardians laughed as Tsuna ran back to Kyoya who was patiently waiting for him at the top of the staircase. The moment they disappeared from view Giotto looked at his guardians.

"What's up Gio?" G asked as he lighted a cigarette and blew smoke into the air as soon as it lit, "You look like we have something to dread for tomorrow."

"We do is a sense," Giotto groaned, "The Chiavarone family is coming over tomorrow. We have to try and keep Tsuna away from the meeting hall at all costs."

"But Dino is a good ally," Asari started, "why keep Tsuna away from him? Dino could always help in protecting him."

"Dino isn't the one I'm worried about," he muttered, "it's his family."

"Care to elaborate, Primo?" Deamon asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Dino can keep a secret, but if his family see Tsuna running around do you really think they are going to keep quiet about him? The news will spread like wild fire through the mafia network. The Great Primo of Vongola has a seven year old son. If that reached the Underground Networks before we could stop it then it won't be just the Mafia we need to worry about," Giotto stated. The others nodded in understanding.

"And if that would happen Tsuna might become a target for kidnapping."

"No. Then he WILL become a target."

"So we, in some way try, to keep Tsuna busy and thus away from the meeting room until we can officially introduce him into the family, is that correct?" G asked pointedly prompting Giotto to nod affirmative and the others agreed silently to their task.

"You all go get some sleep! I'm tired from all the killing at the Trader's place," he yawned out while he turned around, fully intending to head up the stairs and get some decent shut eye before he would have to get ready for the meeting.

Giotto just hoped that everything would go alright tomorrow but that sinking feeling in his gut didn't recede in the slightest on their trek from the destroyed mansion.

Raven: Sorry for the late update, I've had the writing blues!

Daemon: I hope so you ended it on a cliff

Raven: Sorry! R&R please!