I don't own KHR. As always.

"Do you know how much longer he is going to keep on sleeping?"

Who...

A sigh.

What...

"I wish I knew, but at this point my guess ultimately is as good as yours. It could be today, it could be tomorrow. It could even be the day after that."

Who are...what is...

"He's not in a coma though...right?"

Who are...they? What is...going on?

"No, thank goodness. I was afraid that was going to be an ultimate possibility, what with all the trauma his body went through, but he's pulling through quite nicely. He honestly should be up soon, I just...don't know exactly when. Sorry that I..."

"Don't apologize Knuckle. I'm just glad that this boy is still alive."

This boy? Who...are they talking about? ...Him?

"Tell me about it. For a minute there...I thought we got to him too late. His...his heart just stopped beating Giotto..."

His heart...stopped beating? He...he died?

"It's okay Knuckle, you got his heart beating again. Thanks to you, the poor boy is going to be okay. Just focus on that, not what could have been. Alright?"

"Al...alright Giotto. It's just...I bet he's not even ten yet. How could they be so heartless as to shoot someone as young as him in the chest like that?"

He was shot in the chest? Wait...

"I...I don't know. But at least Reborn made sure that they died, so they will never do anything like this again."

He was shot in the chest...he remembers now...the pain was horrible beyond belief...

"Speaking of which, do we know who the men were?"

But at least it was him and not Chrome...

"No, but Alaude says he's getting close."

Chrome!

With a gasp, Hayato fully woke up with a jolt and opened his eyes.

"Oh hallelujah, he's awake!" a man with dark brown hair cried joyfully, not that Hayato paid any attention to him. He was too anxious to find his sister, he needed to know if she was okay, if she was alive. If he really had saved her. But no matter how his green eyes darted back and forth like a ping-pong ball, Hayato couldn't see her in the room.

"C-Chrome..." he managed to choke out. Why...why was it so hard to talk? Wait what's this thing over his mouth?! Chrome! Tsuna! Somebody!

"Oh hey, it's okay, it's going to be okay," a man with blond hair said as he took Hayato's trembling hands into his own, stopping Hayato from trying to pry whatever was covering his mouth and nose off. "Knuckle, can we take the oxygen mask off?"

"Yeah, he should be okay without it for a little while...I was going to switch him over to nasal prongs later today anyway."

The man named Knuckle then took the oxygen mask off, while the other man, who was probably Giotto, just kept on holding onto Hayato's hands. Hayato was subtly aware of how Giotto was rubbing his thumbs over Hayato's knuckles in a circular motion, in what was probably an attempt to soothe him.

But it definitely wasn't working. How in the world could it work? He didn't know these men. He didn't know where he was. He was separated from his family. He didn't know what happened after he lost consciousness. But...Chrome was still alive then...right? Yes, she was, Hayato remembered clearly pulling his sister out of the way and taking the bullet instead. But after that, what happened after that?! Did she get the gun like he told her? Or did the other mafioso get to it first? Did Mukuro and the others get there in time? If so, then where were they? Where did these men come in? Where's Chrome?!

"Chrome...where is she?" Hayato all but whimpered as anxiety threatened to consume him. His breathing became erractic as he kept darting his eyes back from one side of the room to the other, as if that would make his sister appear. Chrome, where was Chrome?! She had to be alive, he can't tell Tsuna and the others that he failed, he had to have save her, he didn't almost die for nothing, he didn't lose another sister, he can't lose another sister, he just can't...

"Whoa, easy there," Giotto said as he quickly placed Hayato's hands on his chest. "Just breathe okay? I swear on my life that you are safe here, but I need you to breathe with me alright? Just...try to match your breaths with mine. Just focus on that, and only that."

And for some reason Hayato didn't and couldn't entirely understand...he listened. Even though Giotto was a stranger, and Hayato was naturally very suspicous of strangers (especially ones that were adults). Maybe it was because he had nothing left to lose, or maybe it was because Giotto's words emitted an aura...that felt very much like the calm and steadfast aura that Tsuna sometimes emitted.

Whatever the reason was, Hayato closed his green eyes and obeyed. Whenever he felt Giotto inhaled, he inhaled. Whenever he felt Giotto exhaled, he exhaled. The process was slow, but it didn't take too long before Hayato got his breathing under control again.

"That's good, you did great," Hayato heard Giotto say as he finally set Hayato's hands back down on the bed. "Now, doesn't that feel better?"

He did feel a little better actually. Hayato didn't feel a whole lot better for obvious reasons, but at least he wasn't panicking anymore. Hayato then opened his eyes and for the first time since he woke up, he got a good look at Giotto. A real, long look at Giotto.

Giotto looked just like Tsuna. Sure, he had blonde hair and blue eyes and there was no baby fat on his cheeks but...he honestly looked like he could be Tsuna's father. Even his hair was wild in the same way Tsuna's was!

"Are you o..." a door opening interrupted Giotto, revealing the man with dark hair. Hayato was even more startled when he realized that Knuckle looked just like Ryohei. What...what kind of drugs is he on? Wait, when did Knuckle leave the room?

Then suddenly, Hayato didn't care about how much the two men looked like his brothers anymore. Because right after Knuckle walked into the room, Chrome did. Hayato's eyes roamed all over her and to his overwhelming relief, she was fine. His sister was alive.

They locked eyes for a moment before her violet eye became watery and her face started to crumple up.

"C-Chrome," Hayato stuttered as he held his hands out. "You're...you're okay!"

And just like that, Chrome ran forward and when she reached the bed, she jumped. Hayato grunted with pain as Chrome landed right on his chest but he didn't complain. He didn't even care. He just hugged her tightly back, like if he let go, she would disappear.

She was okay. He had saved her, he didn't fail her. He was okay. He still didn't know where they were or why he was seeing older duplicates of his brothers but he will soon. And once he knows everything about their situation, Hayato will get them out of it. Or at least, do his part to get them out of it, if his older brothers were here too.

"Are any of the others here?" Hayato whispered so the men wouldn't hear (Giotto was thankfully busy patting a crying Knuckle's back). Hayato felt Chrome shook her head. He sighed, out of relief or sadness he wasn't sure. Possibly both.

"It's going to be okay, I've got this," Hayato assured her in another whisper. Because if one thing was certain, he will find a way to get them back to Tsuna and the others. Hayato lost one family, and there was no way he was going to let his new one be torn apart. Never.

With that thought in mind, Hayato closed his eyes and before he knew it, he had fallen back to sleep with a small smile on his lips.

Yay he's awake! But now Vongola knows Chrome's name...is that a good thing or a bad thing? Who knows...anyway, for those who wondered, Chrome was out of the room because Elena was trying out new clothes on her. And Knuckle was crying over how heartwarming Hayato's and Chrome's little reunion was. He's a big softie and I ultimately love him:)

So...how did you guys like the chapter? How well did I write Giotto? Please let me know what you thought in a review and I will update by next month at the latest. Till then, see ya and have a Happy Valentine's day!