"Moments in Time":
"Once Again (First Part)"
Setting: KHR, 5YL!
Pairing: G02, 02G; minor 5927
Rating: T
Summary: In which Giotto and G. are reborn, and manage to find themselves once again, all thanks to one brunette named Tsunayoshi.
Word Count: 7,883 words (part one); 16,244 (total)
Genre: Romance/Family
Point of View: Third-person
Warnings: Homosexual relationships, swearing, and possible OOC. Italics are flashbacks, thoughts, or stressed words.
Further Notes: Broken into two parts, because I didn't want to overload you with too many words. Plus, I wanted to change the point of views around.
Giotto didn't understand. Why did his family have to die? In a car crash, no less. They said they would be right back. They said they would come home as soon as possible. Why weren't they coming home? And then he learned what happened. His parents were mafia. Low mafia members of some family that ended getting wiped off the face of the earth. His parents had escaped and were deliberately hit by a car. They died on impact. And with no people to stay with, he was forced onto the streets of Italy to live out his days as a thief and outcast ever since he was eight years old.
Now, aged fourteen, Giotto had gained various tricks and skills to let him slide by and pickpocket without a second thought or suspicion aroused. His ability to slip in and out of shadows like a pro practically earned him a reputation. None of this consoled him.
He had nightmares of something every night. Odd visions of older days, with a tattooed redhead by his side. A vigilante group with various kinds of characters. Flames sprouting from his hands! He was convinced he was crazy.
Giotto sneaked around men in the crowd, nimbly weaving in and out like a dancer, skillfully removing wallets from purses and pockets a like. He took a silent turn into an alleyway, looking over his haul for the day. It wasn't much. Were all people nowadays broke or something? He sighed, shaking his head and slipping the cash into his pockets before zipping them closed. He had enough smarts to buy a pair of black jeans with zipper pockets to prevent himself from being stolen from. Zipping his gray hoodie up further, he stepped back out onto the sidewalk, casually joining back in with the crowd.
He surveyed a few possible rich men, and then spotted his next target. A brunette, not that tall, with hair kind of like his. He was dressed in a suit, and carried a poise of grace and power. Definitely wealthy. The blond began to tag the target, trailing behind a decent amount. He had his hands stuffed in his hoodie's pockets, trying to look like any casual person. Alongside with food, he had to have money for decent clothes in order to not stand out too much. Otherwise he could be spotted and caught, and he did not like trying to run from the police. He shook his head, waving away all thoughts. He slowly picked up his pace, and passed by the brunette without a second thought, fingers easily swiping the wallet from the front pocket. He continued on like nothing happened, and was about to enter a crowd when,
"Hey," two hands clapped down on his shoulders. He froze, twisting around in surprise. A silver-haired male, dressed like the brunette he just stole from and probably the same age as well, glared down at him with menacing green eyes. "Give me back the wallet."
"What are you talking about?" Giotto frowned, trying to look clueless.
"Don't act stupid. I watched you take it after you trailed him for two blocks. Hand it over," the man scoffed and the blond tried to hide his fear and embarrassment. He had been seen the whole time?
"Now, now, Hayato," The brunette strolled up to the other male, Hayato presumably, "why not just let him have it? I didn't have anything important in there."
"But Tenth," Hayato told the brunette, Tenth apparently, "letting a pickpocket, a thief, go? I'd rather not."
"Why? He looks like he needs it," Tenth shrugged and smiled, "you can't say that anyway. You had this kind of life at one point."
"I-I didn't steal!" Hayato sputtered.
"Hey," Tenth addressed to Giotto, who had his head down the whole time, trying to hide his face, "we'll just let this go, okay? Keep the wallet, too."
"I don't need your pity," Giotto muttered.
"Little brat," Hayato's clutches on his shoulders tightened, and he fought back a wince, glancing at all the rings adorning his captor's fingers. He blinked suddenly when the hands were removed by Tenth, and the brunette crouched down to him.
"Its not pity. My friend here has had a similar lifestyle to yours and helping people out is something I do on a regular basis. Take it as a random act of kindness," Tenth smiled. "My name is Tsuna, and he is Hayato. It's nice to meet you." Giotto didn't know if it was the smile, the calming aura, or just the friendliness of the older male, but he looked up to the brunette and said,
"Giotto. Hello." He wondered if it was something he said when Hayato and Tsuna suddenly exchanged surprised glances. He tilted his head, furrowing his eyebrows. Was it his name? No wonder he was an outcast.
"Ah, Giotto, then," Tsuna went back to smiling, and he could tell by his gut that it wasn't forced. "I know I may sound weird saying this, but would you like a place to stay? I must sound like a kidnapper or stalker, but I just honestly want to reach my hand out for you. I understand if you don't, and you can go about your way with my wallet in your possession."
Stay with some stranger he just met? What? Was this man insane? He shot the brunette a disbelieving look. Why would someone just offer him a home, an outcast like him? A thief, no less. He's had no home for six years, why would he need one now? And yet, Tsuna's warm caramel colored eyes portrayed no ulterior motive, no coldness, no hidden agenda. Just warmth and kindness. Giotto glanced up at Hayato, who seemed to be indifferent about the matter, yet the jade irises did show something along the lines of agreement with what Tsuna offered. For some reason he trusted the brunette before him.
"...alright," he nodded slowly, "as long as you don't ask me about my past."
"No problem," Tsuna smiled and stood, "shall we go then?"
Giotto glanced around the mansion in awe. The architecture was beautiful and well designed, and the furniture matched, if not a little modern for the older building. He was right: Tsuna was wealthy. He didn't have keen eyes for nothing.
"Let me show you to a guest room, but it'll be yours for however long you like," Tsuna told him before turning to Hayato, "Hayato, let the chefs know they are going to cook for one more person from now on, and then gather Reborn and the guardians so we can inform them before hand."
"Right away," The silverette nodded, and disappeared down one of many hallways. Giotto had a feeling he would be lost very soon.
"So who is he exactly?" The blond asked. Hayato certainly didn't seem like a bodyguard or anything.
"To be specific, he is my right hand man for work. He was accompanying me for an errand when we ran into you," Tsuna answered.
"And what do you do?" He curiously asked this time. He noted Tsuna's small frown, as if he was hesitating. Giotto decided to shoot out just out of curiosity, "you're not mafia or anything, right?"
"I don't like to think of us as mafia," Tsuna tilted his head, looking down to the blond, "We're a vigilante group. We help out others, and are reconstructing the darkness of the mafia."
"So, who are you then?" Giotto frowned when he didn't get his answer. Tsuna pursed his lips and said,
"I am the tenth head of the Vongola famiglia, Tsunayoshi Sawada." Giotto nearly sprung back, but kept his composure. So, Tsuna was mafia. Okay, so were his parents and they still loved him dearly. Not to mention, his intuition wasn't detecting anything strange.
"Okay," he simply said and as if to explain his nonchalance, "...my parents were mafia."
"I see," Tsuna nodded and smiled with what seemed to be relief, "here we are." The brunette gestured to a door and opened it. Within the room was a simple queen sized bed with red duvets and gold colored pillows. A small wardrobe sat across the room from it, and the back wall had a small desk under a glass window pane. Off in the left corner was a door.
"Its...big."
"Sorry," Tsuna laughed a little, "my ancestors designed it this way. I prefer smaller spaces myself, but all the bedrooms are like this. The door in the corner over there will lead to a private bathroom just for you. Dinner is in two hours, so either Hayato or myself will come get you. In the meantime, feel free to shower and rest. Just don't wander about. I don't want anyone to mistake you for an enemy."
"...Thank you," was all the blond could say.
"No problem at all, Giotto. If you need anything, press this button here," Tsuna gestured to a button on the phone on the wall, "I'll set it to connect it to my private office phone."
"Okay." Giotto nodded, "um, if anything, a clean set of clothes would be nice."
"Right," Tsuna nodded, thinking of Lambo, "I think I have someone who has similar sizes to you. I'll bring them in a few minutes." Giotto nodded again. "I'll see you soon then."
"Bye," The teen watched as Tsuna closed the door on his way out. This was certainly strange, but he could think about it later. First, a shower.
Tsuna entered the guardian's lounge once he ditched his Lambo idea (the ten year old's clothes wouldn't fit) and looked around for some of his old clothes and dropped them off in Giotto's room. He found his guardians plus Reborn waiting for him.
"Dame-Tsuna, what have you done now?" Preteen Reborn questioned, annoyed.
"Hayato, what did you tell them?" Tsuna looked to the silverette.
"I just said you wanted them for a meeting. I didn't really go into specifics," Hayato shrugged, looking a little embarrassed.
"Right. Well, today Hayato and I have brought home a teen about fourteen or so."
"What? Why?" Yamamoto blinked.
"Sawada, couldn't he extremely be a spy?" Ryohei nearly shouted. Huh, Tsuna thought, usually Hayato would say that. Though considering Hayato knew already, it could be expected.
"No, I'm certain he's not." Tsuna placated.
"Explain, herbivore," Hibari raised a tonfa.
"Hayato and I believe he is the reincarnation of Vongola Primo."
Silence.
"But he's extremely dead!" The boxer protested. Tsuna hid the urge to smile when Gokudera face palmed.
"Obviously, you idiot," The storm said, surprisingly not losing his temper just yet, "that's why we said he was reincarnated. Some people believe that reincarnation exists, which is the rebirth of a soul after they die. It wouldn't be surprising if they had the same looks and name, like this kid does. Reincarnation can happen after decades or centuries, which can explain his sudden appearance."
"I always thought that people said that we were the reincarnations of the first generation," Takeshi thought aloud.
"Perhaps we aren't then. We just happen to look alike. There are cases in families where kids can actually look like their grandparents just due to genetics skipping generations," Gokudera continued. "Also, its not even odd that he's not that younger than us now. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the other guardians from his time were older than us."
"I happen to believe that the Giotto we have offered a place to stay is the reincarnation of the Vongola Primo Giotto. Hayato, is there any chance of him regaining memories of the past?" Tsuna said.
"Most likely not. However, someone with Hyper Intuition may just happen to see things as more than just deja vu and may have their old memories as dreams."
"Yare, yare," Lambo cut in, "I wonder if this means the rest of Primo's guardians are here in this era as well."
"Oh, that's a good point," Takeshi mused, "maybe we should look out for them as well."
"Why bother, we should leave them be," Reborn snorted.
"Rather, I think that's just up to whether or not we meet them." Tsuna countered.
"Kufufu, you certainly attract the oddest things Tsunayoshi," Mukuro laughed.
Giotto had passed the time staring at the ceiling and thinking. He wore the slightly big jeans and orange t-shirt Tsuna left him. His original clothes were gone, but the money and Tsuna's wallet had been on the bed when he emerged from the shower, so he carefully tucked both things in one of the nightstand's drawers. Eventually he heard a knock, so he rolled off the bed and opened the door. Before him was Hayato.
"Come on," Hayato jerked his head to the side, an unlit cigarette in his mouth.
"Okay," Giotto nodded and closed his door behind him. He followed behind the silverette uncomfortably, unable to find him as welcoming as Tsuna.
"You can walk next to me. I won't bite you," Hayato said, looking back at him with a hint of amusement. The blond blushed, catching up with the other.
"You can smoke if you want. I don't mind," He glanced up at the other, who shot him a surprised look before smirking.
"Thanks, but that's okay. Tenth will kill me if I smoke around a minor," The silverette was silent for a brief moment before adding, "I'm trying to quit anyway; its bad for my health."
"Hey, you should quit smoking already! Its bad for your health!"
"Giotto, I'm going to die already. Smoking won't make much of a difference."
Giotto stopped, clutching his head as voices played in his head. He gritted his teeth, willing the headache to disappear.
"Oi, you okay?" Hayato knelt down in front of the teen, something akin to worry etched into his face. Suddenly, the headache was gone and Giotto shook his head, trying to figure out what that was.
"Yeah, I'm okay, thanks," He assured the adult with a small smile. The other didn't look convinced, but nodded anyway. Standing, he began to lead the way again, and Giotto walked beside him, still wondering what that was about. Soon enough, the duo reached the double doors to the dining room.
"I'm gonna warn you now and say that the others here are a bunch of idiots, but they mean well," Hayato said as he placed the cigarette back in the carton, but immediately tacked on, "don't tell them I said that or I'll never hear the end of it."
"Your secret is safe with me," Giotto laughed. He let the other open the door and let him in first before following suit and closing the door. Giotto immediately took in the large dining table, with enough seating for twenty, though only currently eight seats were occupied. He noted Tsuna at the head of the table, with his seat to the right currently empty, another seat empty after that, and from there it went a white-haired male, a purple haired girl, and a cold looking raven haired male, with a bird sitting on his head. The seat to the brunette's left had a young looking fedora wearing male, and from there it went a friendly looking raven haired male, a purple haired man, and a young looking boy with curly hair. Once he had entered, everyone had stopped chatting to look at him, some looking amused and others surprised.
"Hello, Giotto," Tsuna greeted warmly.
"Hey," Giotto nodded in return. Hayato led him to the seat next to the white haired male, and then the silverette himself sat in the seat closer to Tsuna.
"I'm sorry if you're a little uncomfortable with this many people. Usually all my guardians aren't here at the same time," Tsuna explained. Giotto smiled weakly.
"It's okay," he said. He heard of guardians, and Vongola, the most powerful mafia family (which he remembered when he was thinking in his room) had several guardians that worked closely with the boss, who was considered the sky guardian. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Giotto."
"Reborn," The fedora wearer nodded to him.
"Takeshi Yamamoto. Its nice to meet you," The friendly raven smiled.
"I'm Ryohei Sasegawa. Its extremely awesome to meet you!" The white-haired male shouted.
"Chrome Dokuro," The purple-haired girl nodded shyly.
"Kufufu, Mukuro Rokudo," The purple haired male smirked eerily.
"I'm the great Lambo," The curly-haired male laughed.
"The quiet one over there is Kyoya Hibari," Tsuna smiled and gestured to the last male, who grunted. Giotto nodded. Once introductions had been done, dinner started, and it was like he wasn't a stranger at all. Ryohei and Takeshi were making conversation with him like they were friends for years. Giotto witnessed Hayato (who's last name was apparently Gokudera, considering that's what everyone was calling him) nearly blow Lambo up with dynamite when the ten year old threw a fit over something. The blond wondered if Hayato just hated Lambo or had a soft spot for him since he hadn't yelled or anything at him; he decided it was the latter when Hayato turned his threats on Takeshi and Ryohei for being idiots (to which Giotto couldn't agree completely, but they were being a bit stupid for trying to start a food fight). Hibari had finished his food and disappeared before Giotto noticed, and Chrome and Mukuro were quietly keeping to themselves as Tsuna and Reborn discussed something. The blond smiled, feeling the warm atmosphere of a family.
"Giotto, I'm being bullied again!"
"Ma, why don't we just all quiet down."
"Shut it, flute freak."
"Nufufu..."
"Quiet down or I'll arrest you."
"Extreme food fight!"
Giotto frowned, holding his head silently. Those voices again, but none of them were his. One of them sounded like the voice about smoking earlier. He bit back a groan, feeling images he couldn't quite see flash through his head.
"Oi, you alright?" The teen glanced to the side, seeing Hayato frowning down at him.
"Y-yea..." He said uncertainly. Gokudera sighed, and seemed to contemplate something. He nudged Tsuna silently, getting his attention without alerting the rest of the guardians. He listened as the adults whispered about something and Tsuna turned to look at him worriedly.
"Have you been getting these headaches a lot?" The brunette asked quietly.
"Not recently," Giotto shook his head. "A little when I was younger, but nothing lately."
"Okay," Tsuna nodded to himself, "perhaps you just need rest then. Its been a surprising day. Hayato, lead Giotto back? I don't want him to get lost."
"Sure thing, Tenth," Gokudera nodded, standing up and leading the blond out without the others even noticing. The trip back had been silent, and as soon as the silverette left him, Giotto crashed on his bed, falling asleep almost instantly (he briefly wondered the last time he slept in a bed).
"Giotto, here are the papers."
"They smell like smoke. Would you stop smoking already?"
"...I refuse. I will, however, stop smoking around the paperwork."
"Can't you tell I care? I don't want you to get sick."
A sigh. "Alright, alright. Tell you what I'll do. I will cut down to a pack a week, and then slowly cut it down from there. Okay?"
"Okay," a relieved smile, "thank you. I love you."
A small kiss. "Love you too, Giotto."
Giotto shot awake. What...the hell was that? He glanced around, finding himself in the bedroom. It was still nighttime, as evidenced by the dark sky. He looked left and right for a clock of some sorts, eventually finding the digital one on the desk. Its neon green numbers let him know that it was two in the morning. He leaned back on the headboard, and took a few deep breaths. One of those voices was definitely his, and the other was from his original headache. He couldn't understand why he was having strange dreams of him and a person he didn't even know the name of. It was all too weird.
He swiveled his head when he heard hushed voices on the other side of the door, walking passed. Curious, he all but darted to the door, and carefully cracked it open. Peeking his head out, he watched Hayato and Tsuna disappear down the hall to his right, still talking in whispers, probably trying not to wake anyone. The blond hummed, and driven by curiosity, followed after them. He peered around the corner. Both looked exhausted, and their clothes were disheveled. Both had their suit jackets off, carrying them in the crook of their arms, and their dress shirts were no longer tucked in.
"I can't believe you've been in your office this whole time..." Tsuna whispered to the other.
"Its been a busy day and I had stuff to catch up on," Hayato frowned. The brunette shook his head with a small smile.
"We won't crumble in a day, Hayato. Its important to sleep, too."
"Hmm..." Hayato hummed, and Giotto figured he was more than likely focused on walking properly than answering.
"So..." Tsuna sighed softly, "I think Giotto is slowly gaining his old memories."
"Yea, same here," The bomber nodded tiredly, "I think its because we look a lot like Primo's generation, so its like a trigger. Deja vu, probably."
What...were they talking about? Past memories...is that what his weird dreams were, his headaches? How could that make any sense?
"I suppose reincarnation is tricky like that," Tsuna shrugged with a small sigh. Reincarnation? Who, exactly, was he a reincarnation of? Hayato had said something about Primo's generation...Primo...first? "I don't want to force memories on him though. He should live a normal life."
"Yeah. Maybe we should hide the painting?"
"I'll have to ask someone to do it tomorrow or rather, later today," Tsuna softly agreed as the two slowly came to a stop at a door.
"...Good night Tenth," Hayato nodded to the brunette, and Tsuna smiled.
"No, come on, Hayato," The sky opened the door, grabbing the other's hand, and began leading him inside. "If I leave you, you might go back to work."
"...Tenth," The silverette looked distraught, but let himself be dragged anyway. Giotto squinted. For a brief moment, he could see a redhead in Hayato's place, and a blond that looked like an older him in Tsuna's place. Giotto grabbed his head and hissed to himself.
"I know you're the one stopping me usually, but you need rest too."
"But Giotto..."
"No buts. Sleep!"
Giotto peeked back around, seeing the hallway empty and the door the two adults disappeared into shut. He shook his head, disregarding his throbbing head. Tsuna had said something about a painting. But where could it be? Not to mention, he'd probably get lost in this maze of a mansion. He'd probably get in trouble if he was caught sneaking around too. Well, he supposed, his thieving skills could be put to good use. So with that in mind, he turned around and followed the halls back to his room.
He sneaked between the corners, slipping in and out of shadows, nimbly avoiding the maids and servants who were working this late at night. He let his gut lead him, twisting down halls at a moment's notice, and turned again and again through the halls, heading down stairs and then back up them. Eventually, his gut told him to stop, and so he did, looking around. The first thing he noticed was a large painting. It was of Tsuna and the rest of his guardians. Not the one, his gut told him. He moved down, taking in all of the paintings that had to be of previous bosses and their own guardians. His gut kept jumping out in alarm at him, telling him he was close, so so close to whatever it was he was looking for. Giotto stopped before the last painting.
A distant looking blond, a man in Asian garb, a blue-haired aristocrat, a green-haired male, a raven in priest clothing, a redhead with a tattoo on his face holding a cigarette, and a blond in the center of it all.
Alaude, Asari, Daemon, Lampo, Knuckle, G...Giotto.
The names popped in his head, and he couldn't stop staring at the blond- him- not him? Or who he once was? His eyes slid to the redhead, G., and knew this was the man whose voice kept appearing in his dreams.
"Giotto, here is Lampo's report."
"Giotto, a family is requesting a meeting."
"Giotto, come here for a second."
"Giotto, why do you keep on introducing me as 'my beloved, G.'?"
"Giotto...I love you."
The blond stumbled, holding his head in sudden pain. Images flashed in his head, and he knew he had to go, get out, go. He turned, making his way back to his room off his gut's direction, stumbling into the room and kicking the door shut. He tripped onto the bed, his head screaming out in pain and he whimpered, trying to suppress the pain, unknowingly passing into unconsciousness.
The dreams from when he was a kid were more vivid than ever. The flames on his hands in fights didn't seem so strange now. Lampo running from an annoyed G. as Asari tried to calm them down and Knuckle encouraged it. Alaude disappearing, annoyed, and Daemon teasing them all. He knew, just knew this had to be his family. He was Vongola Primo, reborn into this era as Giotto the thief. It made sense now as to why Tsuna offered him a place to stay.
Giotto sat up, glancing over to the window, seeing the brighter sky and hearing the birds chirping. He shook his head, noting the time as seven thirty, when the door was knocked on.
"Giotto?"
"Come in," The blond said, recognizing the voice as Tsuna's. The brunette stepped in, holding his old clothes.
"I have these for you," He smiled and handed them over. "Once you get changed, we can head down for breakfast. Lambo and Ryohei left for a mission last night, so hopefully it won't be as rowdy."
"Okay," The blond nodded and headed into the bathroom. As he changed, he wondered how he would break the news to Tsuna, if at all. Tsuna had said he wished for him to live a normal life, though there was no chance of that now. He pulled his hoodie on and held out his hands, wondering if he could get his Will to light up. He stared, trying to spark the orange flames on his hands, but to no avail. He sighed, and walked back out, noticing that Tsuna was staring out the window. "Tsuna."
"Oh good," Tsuna smiled once he saw him, "let's get going." Giotto nodded, following Tsuna down the hall. He frowned at the silence, something he once thought as comforting. Now it was just stifling.
"Uh, Tsuna," He swallowed harshly. The brunette gazed at him curiously. "...uh, no. Never mind its nothing."
"If you say so, but if you change your mind," Tsuna smiled softly, "you can tell me at any time." Giotto nodded, turning his attention back to the walk. He felt guilty about the secret, especially since this boy (probably his some-amount-of-'great's grandson if the Vongola rings were still in use) had changed Vongola for the better. He partially remembered being in the ring itself for a time, and he felt that if Tsuna was younger he'd seem more familiar. Truth be told, he was quite proud of the brunette before him. Sighing, he silently continued on his way, missing out on the worried look the older male gave him.
Giotto's time in the Vongola mansion had turned from days to weeks to months. Before he knew it, he had been there for a whole year. He witnessed many things from the family, from peaceful meetings and the formation of alliances, to failed assassination attempts and ambushes. The whole time he stayed, Giotto had not seen anyone in Vongola kill a single person, no matter how bloodthirsty, and he had kept his memories to himself. Tsuna often seemed stressed, or Gokudera seemed more edgy than usual, but both of them always pushed aside those emotions to be kinder to him.
Giotto expected it from Tsuna, but it really was a shock for Gokudera to be softer when it came to him, especially considering his attitude towards everyone else. Whether it was the fact Hayato had a similar lifestyle to him once (as he remembered Tsuna once saying) or that because he was a reincarnation of his older self or some other third factor (perhaps Tsuna's influence), Giotto couldn't be sure, even with his intuition. The guardians treated him like family, even if they always couldn't be around due to missions.
Giotto was happy keeping his memories to himself, even if he missed being with his old family and most of all, G.; G. had erupted some kind of feelings in him that he could admit to as love. He wished to search for the redhead, but he didn't know how or even if the other would remember him. Still, he wanted to know he was safe. Finally, what drove him to ask Tsuna for help and reveal himself was what happened in the evening one day.
He had heard voices, all sounding distraught and hurried. Giotto knew this was the sound of someone coming home injured, but he didn't expect for it to be Hayato of all people. He watched from the side as Ryohei ordered people left and right for Hayato to be brought from the infirmary, and Tsuna looking worse for wear.
"Tsuna..." Giotto cautiously walked up to the brunette, who jumped and faced him.
"Yes, Giotto?" He smiled tiredly.
"What happened?"
"Ah...uh...I'll tell you later. I have to head to the infirmary to make sure Hayato is okay and to get my own injuries checked out." Tsuna disregarded the question, and followed after the boxer. However, not discouraged by this, Giotto followed.
"Tell me while you get patched up, okay?" He said, and ignored the silence he got as an answer, expecting it. Tsuna was still young, so it was likely he'd be shaken up by the injuries Hayato had. He followed the brunette into the infirmary and sat on a stool near him as Ryohei left in a hurry to help Hayato, and a doctor came in to take care of Tsuna. For some reason, Giotto loved watching the sun flames at work, as if the wound was working backwards, even though it was speeding up the healing process instead. Within five minutes, Tsuna had his small cuts and scrapes bandaged, and a brace for his sprained wrist.
"We, Hayato and I, were headed out for a negotiation with a family," The brunette began suddenly, capturing Giotto's attention, "it turns out, the family had no intentions of being peaceful, so we were ambushed. We handled most of it ourselves as our reinforcements took care of the ones outside. I...didn't...couldn't see the gun. Hayato did. I heard the shot, and then Hayato had all of a sudden been in front of me, falling and bleeding. I quickly took care of the men, and we rushed back here."
"Hm," Giotto hummed softly, in thought. Once Ryohei had returned to them some time later, both of them headed to where the silverette was resting. Neither could see the bandages, but Tsuna had said he was shot in the shoulder, but the blood loss made him pass out. The two sat side by side, both watching the peaceful face of the storm guardian and Giotto was reminded of him and G. whenever one of them was injured. It made him pale slightly, suddenly ever more worried for his missing redhead. "Tsuna."
"...yes?" Tsuna asked, a little confused.
"I...can I tell you something?" Once Tsuna nodded, Giotto spilled everything. From his first dreams as a kid, to the flashback headaches he had when he first came here, to the complete retrieval of his memories once he saw the painting (to which Tsuna sent him a questioning look and he sheepishly admitted he sneaked out to see it after overhearing a conversation between him and Gokudera). Tsuna took all this in silently, nodding to himself in thought.
"Well, though I am surprised," Tsuna half-smiled, "I figured it might happen eventually. I am happy that I will be able to put your painting back. It looked so empty without it there, not to mention I felt like I was disrespecting you."
"There...are two things I would like for you to do for me, now that you know," Giotto had smiled at the painting comment, and glanced at the right hand man once more.
"Oh?"
"First, I would like to keep this between us and Gokudera, because I figure if you keep a secret from him, he'll get mad. I know how that works," Giotto laughed slightly and Tsuna did as well, agreeing with the condition, "Second, I would like you to help me find G. with a little bit of your resources. You don't have to bring him here, but I would just like to know he is safe. For me, G. and I had the same close relationship that I know you and Gokudera have."
Tsuna flushed slightly, "Alright, I understand. Would you like me to keep an eye out for any other of your guardians, Primo, and let you know how they are doing?"
"Yes, please," Giotto smiled, relieved. "And you don't have to call me Primo. Giotto is just fine."
Finally, he could find his beloved redhead.
True to his word, Tsuna only told Gokudera about his memories. He then told his guardians (no matter how much he hated keeping secrets, but he respected Giotto's wishes) that he wanted to keep an eye out for the rest of the first generation guardians. The blond was eternally grateful, and within a month, they had already located Knuckle. The once priest was now a twenty-one year old sports trainer in America. A week after that, they found a thirteen year old Alaude disciplining people in his school in Germany. Tsuna had mentioned that it eerily resembled Kyoya's own disciplining days during school. Two days after that, a six year old Lampo was located in France, attending primary school as the son of a slightly wealthy family.
"Gahaha, the great Lambo strikes again!" Giotto turned his head sideways, interrupting his thoughts and watching Lambo "strike again"; really, it was his attempt of kicking Reborn's face in, just to fail. The blond noted that at times Lambo could be mature, and other times act like a complete child. It reminded him of Lampo.
Giotto held in a chuckle when Reborn shot at Lambo and kicked him away, all while reading the newspaper with silent ease. Lambo nearly burst into tears, running to Gokudera when the silverette entered the dining room with Tsuna.
"Ahodera, Reborn's being mean to me." The ten year old cried, attempting to hug the other (some suicidal action Giotto could only understand as an attempt for brotherly love). Hayato, however, put his palm out, stopping the younger one in his tracks with a heavy scowl on his face (it was obvious he knew what Lambo was trying to do without even being here for the incident, due to it happening so many times).
"Die." The bomber briskly walked to his seat, and Giotto watched as Reborn smirked ever so slightly. The actions reminded him of G. harassing Lampo. Lambo gaped, tears streaming down his face.
"Now, now, don't cry Lambo," Tsuna consoled, crouching down to make eye contact, "Hayato's just grumpy because we stayed up late again." Giotto snickered to himself at the loud 'tch'.
"R-really? He doesn't want me to die?" Lambo sniffled.
"Of course not." Tsuna smiled, "now, let's eat breakfast okay 'cause after that you can go out with I-Pin and find something for Yamamoto and Onii-san for when they come back later today." Giotto smiled when Lambo instantly cheered up, and remembered the Chinese girl named I-Pin, who always helped and disciplined the young lightning guardian. Breakfast was quiet, on the account of Takeshi and Ryohei's mission. Kyoya was also elsewhere, doing God knows what, and Mukuro was with Chrome somewhere in Russia. Lambo was quiet, trying not to incur the grouchy silverette's wrath a second time. Giotto loved everything about the present guardians, because it always reminded him of his old family whether it be Kyoya's aloof attitude or Takeshi's calming manner. He was happy that the mafia wasn't ruining the purity of some of these kids.
"Giotto, come with me for a bit," Gokudera spoke, breaking his train of thought. The blond nodded, and the two left the dining room. They headed to Hayato's office, and entered silently.
"What's up, Gokudera?" Giotto asked, sitting down in a chair.
"I've found both Asari and G.; they're in Japan," Hayato said, and held up a hand when he opened his mouth, "G. is seventeen, so two years older than you. Asari is twenty-two. G. is working for the shop Asari runs. I saw them when I left three days ago to meet up with a smaller family asking for an alliance."
"So...they're okay," Giotto sighed in relief. "I'm glad..." At last, he could stop worrying about his beloved. He could live easy now.
"Tenth and I are going to Japan in two days. We have to meet with the family again to put the alliance into effect. Its an hour away from where these two are situated," Gokudera continued on, sending him a look when he blinked in surprise. "Knowing this, are you going to sit idly by without seeing them, him, or are you going to tag along?"
Giotto didn't even hesitate, "I'm coming too."
Giotto couldn't help being anxious on the plane. Would G. remember him? Would Asari? What if he couldn't control himself? What if...G. hated him? He almost regretted coming along to Japan. He had sat in the car when he waited for three hours for Tsuna and Hayato to return from their meeting, and his anxiety over the situation increased ten fold. He felt like a high school girl in love (and blatantly ignored the fact he was fifteen so his hormones were probably fucking him up). Eventually the two returned, and Tsuna had apologized for the long wait. He waved it off, and for the next hour, he felt the butterflies in his stomach grow stronger.
"Giotto," Tsuna interrupted, "we're here. It should be three blocks down. We'll wait here, alright?"
"Y-yeah," The blond nodded nervously, and slowly exited the car. He glanced back and the two gave him small smiles. He returned the gesture, closing the door and walking down the block. He shoved his hands into his hoodie's pockets, making the short, antagonizing trip to the store. He stopped, looking up at the store, a ramen shop by the looks of it, and leaned back against the railings that lined the curb. He couldn't just waltz in and ask for G.; it'd make him look suspicious. He didn't even know if G. was working today. He sighed, about to give up after ten minutes of standing when,
"G., have a good trip and be careful!"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it, Asari."
Out the door, stepped the redhead Giotto was looking for. His hair was still the same length and color, and the same tattoo even adorned his face; He was wearing an apron over his shirt and jeans, and was carrying a ramen delivery case. The blond couldn't help but stare in awe and relief. He nearly started tearing up. He still went by the name G. in this life...
"I got it from you."
"Eh?"
"Your name. Giotto. I took the first letter."
Giotto released a deep breath, and watched G. for a few moments. He jumped when the other made eye contact with him.
"You need something?" G. asked, giving him a small frown and curious stare.
"Ah, no," Giotto fought the urge to blush and responded in Japanese, "your tattoo...I like it."
"Eh," G. touched the side of his face, "thanks, kid. Not many people aren't intimidated by it."
"Y-you're welcome," Giotto swore silently for stuttering, "I'm Giotto."
"Oh, foreigner? Same here," The redhead said. "I'm G., kid. Nice to meet you."
"Yea, you too," Giotto smiled, "but don't call me a kid! I'm fifteen."
"Still the height of a kid," G. smirked a little, "don't worry, you'll grow. I hit my growth spurt when I was your age two years ago."
"So you're a kid too."
"I suppose so," G. nodded. "See you around kid."
"Ah, wait!" Giotto spoke before thinking, stopping the redhead as he started to walk away, "do...do you mind if I come with you?"
"Eh," G. seemed to contemplate it for a brief moment, "I don't see why not."
"Thanks," Giotto smiled and followed after him (he made sure to send Tsuna a brief text on his whereabouts). "How long have you lived in Japan?"
"Since I was ten. I was sent here to live with some relatives," G. shrugged, walking beside the blond.
"Do you like it here?"
"Its alright. A few people are idiots, but idiots are everywhere. The town is nice enough to foreigners though. Its not hard to fit in. Where are you from?"
"Italy," Giotto ran a hand through his hair. "Its nice. I didn't have a family for a while, but I was taken in a little over a year ago. They're nice people."
"Hmm...I'm from Italy too," G. hummed and silence resumed. The deliveries didn't take very long, and the walk back felt like it was even shorter for the blond. Along the way back, they talked about various things- from sports to the foods they liked. G. even mentioned he was in an archery club ("we're small, but we're dedicated. I'm told I'm the best in the club, but I suppose as captain, I'm supposed to be," G. had explained. "Cocky," Giotto snickered. "I do a little bit of mixed martial arts for self defense, but that's about it."). The two stopped in front of the shop and Giotto checked the time.
"Good night, G.," He smiled to the other, knowing this would be the last time he would see the love of his life. "It was nice talking to you."
"You too, kid," G. gave him a half-smile, "next time, come inside and I'll treat you."
"If I can come to Japan again, I certainly will," Giotto paused and explained, "this was just to be a short trip for my family's work. I go back tonight to Italy."
"Eh, really now," G. frowned a little, "if your ever around here again, come back alright? You seem like a good kid."
"Thanks...good bye," The blond, turned and walked away, ignoring the stare of the other until he disappeared around a corner. He quickly made it back to the car, and got in silently. Tsuna and Hayato shot him surprised looks once he started to cry. He was so happy, and so devastated at the same time.
Giotto slept on the plane ride back. The whole time, he couldn't help but dream of G. and him from centuries ago. It varied from when they first met as kids to confessing their love for each other to sweet, simple moments to bloody battles. It drove him wild. He woke up crying when he dreamed of the night he left G. for Japan.
I wonder if I shouldn't have come... he couldn't help but think, wiping his tears away hastily. He glanced out the window and sighed, staring at the night sky and eventually pulled down the slide to block the view. He looked for Tsuna and Hayato (a little difficult with the lights off, but easy enough with only the three of them on the private jet), finding the brunette asleep, leaning on the silverette's shoulder, who was typing something into a phone. Giotto frowned (and squashed the small bit of jealousy that dared form in his head), but moved up and sat across from them, swiveling the revolving plane seat around to catch Hayato's attention. Ever observant, Gokudera frowned too.
"What's wrong?" He whispered, shutting the phone.
"Just...can't sleep." Giotto shook his head slightly and replied at the same voice level, "you?"
"Just thinking," The bomber admitted and then squinted his eyes a little, "...you're eyes are puffy."
"I woke up crying, okay?" The blond frowned defensively and the other raised his hands in a placating manner. "I think I regret tagging along."
"Hm," Hayato hummed, "why?"
"Seeing him again is bringing back all these feelings. I can't stand the fact that I can't see him anymore."
"Is that so..." Gokudera seemed to think it over. "I wouldn't regret it."
"...Why's that?" Giotto tilted his head, and watched as the silverette glanced down at Tsuna with a fond expression.
"When the Tenth and I finally pass away, and if I'm lucky enough to be reincarnated in the same era as him, and if I just happen to regain this life's memories, I would want to see him again, no matter what. Just hearing he's okay would not be enough for me. Seeing is believing, right? I'd like to see him, even if he didn't remember me. You even had the chance to talk to him, didn't you? I wouldn't have the guts for that." The blond could only stare when the other spoke for so long, and blinked when he was gestured over silently. He stood, walking over, and stared in surprise when a hand ruffled his hair. "Its okay to cry. Just make sure those tears are because you are happy that he's doing well."
Giotto did. He cried, broke down sobbing, all because he got to see G. smiling again.
"Hey, Tsuna," Giotto smiled when he watched Tsuna enter the dining room tiredly, dragging with him an exhausted looking Hayato. It had been a year and a half since then, and the sixteen year old hadn't thought much about it since the plane ride home. "Work all night again?"
"I didn't plan on it..." Tsuna frowned, "but apparently a certain illusionist and a certain carnivore decided to destroy three and a half warehouses when all they had to do was find the man in the warehouse we specifically knew he was in."
"Kufufufu, don't send us on missions together than, Tsunayoshi," Mukuro smirked from his spot.
"Tch," Hibari mumbled from his. Lambo laughed and Takeshi grinned widely.
"Extreme destruction!" Ryohei cheered. Reborn took aim at Tsuna,
"Control your men, Dame-Tsuna." The brunette sighed, and took his seat at the head of the table. Hayato plopped down into his, and his forehead promptly met the wood of the furniture, mumbling something about finances and too many bills.
"Tsuna, I think Gokudera fell asleep," Giotto poked the cheek of the Storm guardian, and only got a grumble in return.
"He'll be fine once he has coffee." Tsuna sighed, "actually I need some too." Giotto laughed, watching the antics of the family before him. His family really.
He supposed he could love them as much as his old one, even though he already did.
End of Part One.
I'm mean aren't I? Cutting this into parts. Oh well. Look, a mature-ish Gokudera. I can get away with it...
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