A/N: Hello! This is a new story idea that just plowed into my brain the other day and I really hope you guys enjoy the first chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR, I think I'm only going to say this once because seriously. Does it look like I own it?

It hurt, growing up like this but he dared not complain. And acknowledging his bitterness only disgusted himself. He knew how difficult it had been on his parents to have arranged this for him but he couldn't stop the little twinges of resentment. But he hadn't felt that way in ages. At the ripe young age of 17, the boy had come to accept his unusual situation and he never created a fuss. He might have been slightly clumsy and a little slow but never dumb, he knew how lucky he was to even have a roof over his head. Albeit, a little shabby but a roof nonetheless. Of course, it was nowhere near the quality of his old roof but it was still a roof. It shielded him whatever the skies threw at him and was a perfectly good roof. In fact, it was an awesome roof and he decided that he had nothing to complain about. A loud thumping from his floor interrupted his musings.

"Wake up, love! It's almost time for work!"

"Yes, I'll be right there!" He answered but in his haste to get downstairs, he ended up tripping over his feet and tumbling down the wooden stairs.

"Ow…" he muttered, rubbing his back where he was sure a mean bruise was going to form.

"Oh baby, did you fall down the stairs again?" His mother, well not really his mother more like his foster mother, asked with concern and amusement in her eyes. He grumbled and snagged a piece of bread from the table, his face red with embarrassment.

"No…the stairs are just a safety hazard…" he muttered, stabbing a piece of sausage like it was the reason for his embarrassment. He glanced at the clock and nearly dropped the meat.

"Gotta go Ma, I'll see you later!" He said, abruptly standing up and planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Wait, don't forget your lunch!" She cried, picking up the packed food to hand over to her son but it was too late. The only sign left of him was the swinging door. She sighed, it wasn't the first time he had forgotten his lunch and she knew it wasn't going to be the last one. But she really did hope this was going to be happening with less frequency, the child needed some meat on his bones! Especially if he wanted to grow out of that lanky frame of his! Of course, it wasn't like he was girlish or anything. He had thankfully grown out of that stage around the age of 15, and what a relief that had been! She peeked at the clock, "Goodness! If I don't hurry, I'm going to be late for work too!" With that, she began to clear the table with renewed vigor.

X

The boy kept running towards the Big House, even a second late and he knew the Head Cook would have his hide. As he was approaching the gate, he cursed his luck. Of course the day he was late they decided to close the gate early! Curse his weak arms! The heavyweight iron gate was too much for 5 people to push open, let alone a single teenager. He looked around for another alternative…there! In the midst of the iron bars, there was one that was slightly looser than the others that could be pushed back just a fraction but that was enough for his slight frame. He jiggled the bar and wiggled his way in. As soon as he landed he checked the perimeters for any human life forms but so far, nothing. He stealthily made his way to the kitchen's backdoor and entered without a sound. He quickly grabbed his apron and blended in with the other people, with all the hustle and bustle going on it was hard to catch those who snuck in.

He sighed with relief when the Head Cook didn't notice his tardiness, she wasn't mean per se. Just a little scary…okay, a lot scary. She had a way with food that had many people in disbelief on how she got the job; she practically poisoned every edible matter into something beyond recognition! But she was great at pairing different kinds of food together, as long she didn't touch them so that made more sense. He glanced around the kitchen, good. He hadn't been late enough to miss breakfast, now that would have been a hard one to explain. The boy quickly went to the nearest station and started the fire, after asking around what dishes were left, he got to work. He congratulated himself silently, he had perfect timing. He hadn't been here to cook the hardest dishes but he hadn't been late enough to miss breakfast entirely. Maybe he should do this more often, he mused as he kneaded the dough. But as soon as he saw a flash of the Head Cook's pink hair, that idea instantly dissolved inside of him. No, she was too terrifying to even think about breaking the rules, he couldn't imagine what horrors he would have to endure…best keep this to himself. When he decided he had sufficiently worked this piece of dough, he floured it and put it in the oven to bake. Which meant he had around 30 minutes to kill. He weighed his options, help around the kitchen and cook more or start plating the food or find a corner to daydream? No competition there. He searched the room for any empty hidden corners until he caught sight of a small area that was covered by gigantic sacks of flour. Bingo. He quickly made his way across the room, trying to look as unsuspicious as possible. Mission accomplished, he thought as he quickly situated himself in between the giant bags. He heaved a sigh as he wondered for the millionth time how his parents, his real parents, were doing and if they were happy.

X

He was not happy. How dare they even suggest this to him?! Him! The prince of the Vongola Kingdom! They couldn't just place him in this position and just try to rip the carpet from underneath his feet! Not after all his hard work and the years he spent refining his plan! He wouldn't allow it, he would even kill the king himself if it came to it. But no, he was a prince and it was beneath him to bloody his hands. He only had to set his plan into motion a little faster with a few tweaks here and there. Nothing was going to ruin this for him, not when everything was finally in his grasp. The timing and everything else was absolutely perfect, it wasn't like all the other times. This time, he had done it for sure. Now, all he had to do was to get rid of the brat. Permanently.

X

The boy quickly jerked awake, his messy brown hair falling into his eyes. A quick glance at the clock told him he needed to be back at his station pronto or the bread wouldn't be the only thing getting burnt that day. He rushed towards the oven and hastily pulled out the baked good, relieved to see that it was a beautiful, golden brown color. The teenager expertly cut the bread and placed it on a plate with a speed that only came from years of practice. He placed the dish into the waiting hands of a waiter and quickly sidestepped the seemingly endless stream of servers. Seeing as there was nothing else for him to do there, Bianchi, the Head Cook, dismissed him and sent him to the gardens.

"Thank you so much, Head Cook!" he gasped, eyes wide with happiness. He finally had an excuse to talk to some of his friends!

"Get out here kid before I change my mind!" she grumbled halfheartedly and he quickly scampered off. The boy was so cute, he used to look almost like a bunny but now he was growing into a fine young man, she thought with fondness. It's about time he got to see those friends of his, she decided. Shaking her head at the unfortunate state of things, she went back to work but her mind kept drifting off on how to help the boy.

Said boy was running quickly towards the direction of the castle gardens, his long legs moving with unusual grace. I get to finally see Kyoko and the others, he thought excitedly, I really hope they are all okay…and he began to run faster. He slowed down as he caught sight of the beautiful rose archway that marked the entrance to the gardens. Now where could they be…he wondered then nearly smacked himself on the forehead. Where else would they be other than the tulip patch? He swiftly made his way there, navigating the maze-like structure from memory. Sure enough, there was a head full of bright orange hair.

"Kyoko! How are you?" yelled the boy, barely containing his excitement.

The girl whirled around and her eyes widened.

"I missed you!" she said as she ran forward to give the other a hug.

"Me too! Haru wants to give him a hug too! Haru missed him too!" the black haired girl pouted and the boy laughed.

"I missed you both! Where are the others?" he asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

"Fuuta is taking a nap right now and I-Pin is tending to the marigolds at the moment," Kyoko answered, "You should have warned us you were coming! We could have prepared something for you! It's been so long, the least we could have done is at least offered you some tea!"

The boy sheepishly scratched his head, "I really appreciate it but I would much rather just spend time with you guys! The flowers look beautiful."

The girls flushed happily at this, both were extremely content that someone appreciated their work. Soon enough, they started chatting about how they had been for the past few weeks and were eventually joined by the others. He stayed there for a few hours and reluctantly stood up to leave.

"Where are you going? Haru hasn't seen you in forever and you're already leaving?" Haru asked sadly.

He could only nod unhappily, "It's almost lunch time and the kitchen usually needs as much help as they can get." The others sighed, they weren't happy about it but what else could they do but accept it? They knew how they had to follow the rules. They all stood up to give him a hug and he left but not without a promise to visit soon. As he made his way towards the kitchen once more, he couldn't help but feel guilty. The others trusted him with their deepest secrets but he had never mentioned his past to them, not even once. He quickly shook his head, he wasn't going to burden them with his problems. He had dealt with it for this long, he could deal with it just a little longer. He hastened his pace, he hadn't been lying when he said the kitchen was busy during lunch. Scratch that, he decided as he pushed the kitchen door open, it's more like a war zone during lunchtime. Busy doesn't even begin to describe this chaos. The brown haired boy navigated himself through the masses of bodies until he reached his station where he quickly got to work. He began to toss salads, a mixture of spring greens and fresh fruits. He then placed them into equal portions onto the awaiting plates and handed them to the many waiters. However, in the midst of all the confusion, he found himself being forced out the doors together with the waiters. Out the doors meant inside the castle dining hall. Inside the dining hall meant facing the royal family. And he could not let that happen.

"Excuse me, I need to get back to the kitchen. Please get out of my way," he pleaded to the servers, trying to push his way back towards the doors.

"Sorry kid, there are too many people to try to get back in," answered one of the waiters tersely, lunchtime was always a stressing part of the day. The boy began to struggle even harder but no matter what he did, he kept getting pushed back. His lanky frame was nothing compared to the mob marching out the doors. And in that moment, Destiny decided to give him a little push, a push that was going to change the kingdom and land him right at the feet of the prince. He landed with a soft Oomph and right before his eyes were the trademark white shoes of the kingdom. He gulped and when he looked up, he found himself staring into the cruel eyes of Crown Prince Tsunayoshi.

So...what did you think? Confused? Don't worry, everything will clear up in the next chapter...hopefully *cue evil laughter*

Please leave a review and let me know what you guys thought! Until the next installment(:

CGC out!