Knuckle was busy entertaining the three youngest kids when the phone call came.
Patting Takeshi on the head, he stood up and walked away a little so that the kids couldn't hear him.
Picking up his cell phone, he said, "Pronto?"
There was a pause on the other line, as if whoever was speaking didn't know what to do, then a voice saying, "Konnichiwa."
Knuckle frowned a little, checking the number again. It was a long distance call. Why would someone be calling him from Japan?
"Yes, hello," he said again, this time in Japanese.
He could hear just a slight tinge of relief in the voice of the caller as he said, "Would this happen to be Sasagawa Hidemoto-san's older half-brother, Knuckle-san?"
Immediately, Knuckle's eyes narrowed. "Yes, this is him. Did something happen to my brother?"
"Hello, Knuckle-san, I am Ichikawa Ukita, from Namimori General Hospital in Namimori, Japan. I apologize greatly, Knuckle-san, but yesterday, Sasagawa-san and his family were involved in a car accident. Both Sasagawa-san and his wife passed away."
Knuckle almost dropped the phone out of shock. "Nani?" he asked. "Hide-chan has passed away?"
There was a slight pause on the other side before Ichikawa repeated, "I'm very sorry, Knuckle-san."
"W-what about the children?" he asked. "Are Ryohei and Kyoko okay?"
"Sasagawa Ryohei-san has a fractured collarbone, and a few other minor injuries, but is otherwise alright and has already regained consciousness. Sasagawa Kyoko-san, though, has slipped into a comatose state."
Knuckle nodded, even though he knew Ichikawa couldn't see him. "Has anyone arranged the funeral and wake yet?"
"No, sir. You are the first one to be called," said Ichikawa respectfully.
"Good," said Knuckle once more. "Could you please let the other family members know that I will be conducting both the wake and the funeral? I will be there tomorrow to check up on the children."
"Of course," said Ichikawa.
"Thank you very much," replied Knuckle. "Goodbye, Ichikawa-san."
"Goodbye, Knuckle-san."
After hanging up, Knuckle turned back to the children, watching them play. His mind was in turmoil; the thought that his little brother was dead still seemed so surreal to him.
Noticing Knuckle staring, Tsuna stopped playing with the others to come over.
"What's wrong, uncle Knuckle?" asked Tsuna, staring at him with those big brown eyes of his.
Suddenly, Knuckle felt as if he would burst into tears at any moment now.
Forcing a smile, he said, "Nothing, little one; nothing at all."
Tsuna, though, saw through the act and his eyebrows furrowed a little in worry. Wrapping his arms around Knuckle's legs, he looked up at him. "Does your heart hurt?" asked the six-year-old. "It's okay to cry."
"Haha, you don't have to hold it in, uncle! Crying will help you feel better!" said Takeshi, coming up with Hayato.
"Che, if there's something wrong, you can tell us, you know," Hayato said with a scowl, trying not to look worried.
Their childish innocence was endearing, and Knuckle smiled a little, a genuine smile this time.
Petting them all on the head once, he said, "I'm sorry, you three, but it looks like I have some important business to attend to. Why don't you go find one of your fathers, hm?"
"Okay!" they all shouted and ran off to look for someone else to play with.
Knuckle watched them until they turned a corner and were out of sight, then turned and walked in the direction of his room.
The moment he arrived at his haven, he closed and locked the door behind him. Sinking to the floor, he let his head fall into his arms, and before long, there were tears streaming down his face.
Giotto was in his office, finishing the last of his paperwork for the day, when the door opened a crack.
Looking up, the blond smiled at the sight of his six-year-old son poking his head in.
Putting his pen down, he gestured for Tsuna to come in.
Pushing the door open even wider, Tsuna walked into the room, followed closely by Hayato and Takeshi.
Running up to his father, Tsuna jumped into his lap and gave his father a hug.
Returning the hug, Giotto said, "Hey guys. What are you up to?"
Pulling away so that he could look his father in the face, Tsuna's expression became worried. "There's something wrong with uncle Knuckle," he said.
A worried frown appearing on his face, Giotto asked, "What do you mean?"
This time, it was Takeshi who answered. "Uncle was playing with us earlier in the courtyard, but then he got a phone call from someone."
"When he was finished talking, he looked really upset," continued Hayato. "He looked like he wanted to cry."
"Really now?" asked Giotto, who was more than a little worried.
"Yeah!" said Tsuna, nodding his head frantically. "Then, he told us that he had some important business and that he couldn't play with us anymore."
Getting up, Giotto put Tsuna back on the floor, then ushered the three children out of the room.
"I'll go check up on Knuckle to see if he's okay. Meanwhile, why don't you three go and find uncle Lampo?"
"Okay!" replied the children obediently, seeming relieved that Giotto would be checking up on Knuckle.
As they all embarked on their quest to find a certain greenette, Giotto headed in the opposite direction, to Knuckle's room.
When he arrived, Giotto knocked loudly, but there was no immediate answer.
"Knuckle?" he called. "Are you in there? The kids were worried about you! Did something happen?"
First; silence. Then, Giotto heard a slight rustling sound, and before long, the door was opened by a puffy-eyed Knuckle.
Alarmed at his friend's dishevelled state, Giotto stepped into the room, then closed the door behind him, locking it.
Steering the sun guardian towards his bed, Giotto made him sit down, then asked, "What happened?"
"My younger brother, Hidemoto, and his wife were called upon to return to God's side," said the priest in a tired voice.
Giotto's eyes widened when he heard this. "What?" he asked. "How did this happen?"
Knuckle shrugged. "I got a phone call earlier from a hospital in Japan. They told me that both Hidemoto and his wife were killed in a car crash. Both their children are alive, but Kyoko has fallen into a coma."
Even though Giotto had encountered death before many times, it still made him feel queasy. He hadn't known Hidemoto too well, but they had hung out together when they were younger, and he had fond memories of the older man.
"Who will take care of the children?" asked Giotto, looking at his friend in worry. Even through his grief, the welfare of the newly orphaned children took priority in his mind.
Shaking his head, Knuckle said, "I don't know. I am Hidemoto's only living relative, and the mother's family all have children of their own to look after; they can't afford to take on two more."
"Then why don't we take them in?" asked Giotto without hesitation.
Looking at his friend in wonder, Knuckle said, "You're okay with that?" From the very moment he'd learned about his brother's death, it had been Knuckle's intention to look after the children; he had been trying to find a way to ring it up with Giotto.
"Of course!" said the blond, looking shocked at even the thought that he might say no. "Those children are all alone in the world, and they need someone to look after them. We have enough money to give them a comfortable life. Anyways, we already have six other children here."
"But Kyoko and Ryohei aren't my kids," said Knuckle a little apprehensively.
"That doesn't matter!" said Giotto in exasperation. "They're related to you; they need a home, and we have one! That's all there is to it!"
A small, shaky smile made its way onto Knuckle's face and he said, "Thank you, Giotto."
"No problem!" said his boss, returning the smile. "So! When are we going to Japan?"
"We?" asked the sun guardian in confusion.
"Yes! We! As in, all seven guardians, Elena, and the children? The rest of us knew Hidemoto too, remember? He lived in Italy once upon a time? There's no way we would miss the funeral!"
Knuckle's smile grew a little wider, Giotto was way too selfless.
"Well," he said slowly. "I have to leave in a few hours, to go check how the children are doing and because I'm organizing the funeral and the wake. You guys can come a little-"
Giotto cut him off. "A few hours is no problem. Everyone is, conveniently enough, at the mansion right now, and no one has any assignments coming up. We can all leave in the private jet in four hours if you're okay with waiting that long?"
Knuckle just stared at the younger man in shock. "You don't have to come with me, you know."
"Oh, but we do," said Giotto with a mischievous expression on his face. "There's no way we're going to let you go through all this alone. Anyways, get your lazy butt off the floor and start packing! I'll go let the others know!"
The young Vongola don was about to leave the room when he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Turning, he looked at his sun guardian in confusion. Knuckle smiled serenely at his friend and said, "Thank you."
"No problem!" said Giotto with a wide smile. "That's what family is for!"
And with those words, he the blond turned and fled the room, already with his cell in hand to call all his guardians and let them know of their impromptu trip to Japan.
"Sasagawa-san?" said a voice at the door to Ryohei's hospital room.
The boy looked at the doctor with eyes that were red from crying. "Hai, Ichikawa-sensei?"
The man smiled and said, "Your uncle Knuckle is coming from to see you tomorrow."
"Uncle?" asked Ryohei, tilting his head to the side in confusion. After a moment of thinking, he suddenly realized who the doctor was talking about; Knuckle was his father's older aniki! Looking at the doctor with confusion in his eyes, he said, "But doesn't uncle live in Italy?"
The doctor smiled once more. "He does. And he told me that he will come to Japan as soon as possible, and that he will be here to check up on you and your sister tomorrow."
This news brought unbelievable relief to Ryohei. After the nurse had told him that his parents had died, he had felt an unbearable loneliness. He had been scared, because there was no one else in the world to take care of him and his sister now, and he was the one that had to protect them both. Knowing that there was someone in this world that would fly halfway across the world, just to make sure he and his sister were alright made him feel almost safe.
There was also the fact that he had always felt so close to his uncle. Even though he hadn't seen Knuckle since he was only four years old, he had always felt a connection to the man.
Sitting back, his mouth stretched into a small smile; his first smile since the accident.
SkyGem: Saa~ another short chapter. I'm sorry guys! I waited too long to write this~ But please do leave a review and tell me what you thought, ne?
Oh, and also, if you guys have any suggestions on surnames for the guardians, I'd love to hear them out! Asari is the only one (other than Giotto) who has a surname, and I can't use Sawada as Giotto's last name (that's reserved for Iemitsu), and Vongola most definitely wouldn't work either, so I need you guys' help ^_^. Please and thank you!