A/N: Okie-dokie, thank you for clicking this and those who still following this hehehe. Anyway, enjoy the story and don't forget to check out the fun facts below! THANKS for your support!

P.S. This has been rewritten, especially the last scene hehe. It turn out very different from the previous version, because truthfully I feel uneasy with the previous version, so here it is. If you spot any mistakes or something, do point it out! XD the length is also… hahaha

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR

Summary: It all started with simplicity. Nobody questioned about the accident happened years ago. But it was about to make a dark entry to the world, especially a certain blonde and brunette. And the worst penalty was not just about death— it's another love snatched away. GiottoxFem27! AU

Warning: fem27, AU

Continue: the Rejection and the Patching

"To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there."
- Barbara Rush

Previously…

Tsuna, as she's being dragged away, looked back at Giotto, as if demanding his words. Giotto smiled reassuringly and nodded before he said, "Excuse me Madam, if I may, could I accompany Tsuna? Who knows if I could be of any help?"

"My, of course," her black eyes showed happiness and relief. Really, has she been that hard on the woman? Tsuna thought, somewhat felt guilty. She didn't want to trouble the older woman, but the way Madam Rosee pushed tons of dresses and fabrics into her room every day just wearing her out. The Madam added, "It would also help to prevent her escaping."

Tsuna sweat dropped while Giotto stifled a chuckle. That's not what he promised but… A smile pursed on his lips, "Thank you Madam."

With Tsuna…

"Ngg… just a little more…" Tsuna puffed her cheek as she tried hard to zip the back of her dress. And for your information she's not fat, but rather, the space of the bathroom and her arms weren't quite compatible. By then, her arms already felt numb and her muscles were protesting severely. When she finally felt that oh-so-awaited click on the top of the line, she breathed out a sigh of relief and satisfaction. Sucking a long, deep breath, she turned and looked at herself in the mirror.

When she did, she blushed and unconsciously smiled at her own reflection. What she's wearing now is a soft cream dress with simple, but yet rich decorations that make it somehow looked like a complicated dress. It wasn't the puffy type, but it was a bit wide at the bottom, and she liked the way the layers make it that way. The upper part of the dress was decorated with small soft-colored flower artifacts and thin layer of white fabric, while the lower part was layered and decorated similarly with the upper part of the dress. It was added with some thin, almost-invisible flower patterns, and thin gold border.

The only problem is that it's a little bit itchy.

Tsuna scoffed in humor. "As expected of the infamous Giotto-san, huh?"

Truthfully, Giotto's presence in the place has given more than enough help for both Tsuna and Madam Rosee. Just a few minutes ago, Madam Rosee has spread the dresses on Tsuna's bed to let her choose. It was then that Giotto stepped in and nonchalantly commented about one particular dress. Stunned and feeling encouraged when she heard him remarked that it'll look good on her, she tried the dress.

"I should've known from his appearance that he has a good taste in this stuff," Tsuna whispered to herself, with a slight pout. She can't help but keep turning around to see every angle of her reflection in the mirror. It felt a bit strange to know that a boy just picked a dress for her. The truth is, let alone having a friend, it would've been very fortunate that she didn't have some bullies in her life. She wanted to tell that to him when he mentioned about having a female friend around, but who is she to him? Nothing but a troublesome girl, she bet.

She sighed.

Knock. Knock.

"How did it look, Tsuna?" Giotto's voice came from the other side of the door.

She almost jumped when she heard the sound of knocking and now has a difficulty in suppressing her racing heart. Trying to sound as calm as possible, she said, "Y-yeah! It looks great!" Tsuna replied, and silently breathed out a long sigh.

"Really! Then come out and show us!" this time, it was Madam Rosee. Tsuna rolled her eyes in humor and pulled her hair nervously. She's excited but apprehensive, shy but satisfied. Hmm.

After one final turn, she unlocked the door and turned the knob. She was immediately greeted by Giotto and Madam Rosee, which the latter gasped and the former smiled. Tsuna involuntarily blushed and turned around slowly.

"W-well… I guess it's settled huh?" Tsuna shrugged shyly. Madam Rosee nodded slowly, still looking dumbfound, before she clapped her hands with enthusiasm.

"Yes, yes! This was perfect! It really suits you! Though I think it'll be even better if the color was purple or blue though; it's richer and suits your personality! And maybe here we could add-"

"Madam Rosee!" Tsuna half-whined, half-exclaimed, stopping the elder from pointing and scanning the decoration around her waist. Tsuna pouted and put her hands on her waist. "There you go again! If you do it every time, then there won't be an end to it!"

"Ah, right, right," she chuckled and straightened herself. She cleared her throat, "I wouldn't want to start from zero again, anyway." She gave a strange laugh toward the two teen, which was replied with a reluctant smile from Giotto and a sweat-drop from Tsuna. "Anyway, it's all thanks to you, Giotto! My, am I so grateful that I bumped you along the way!"

"I'm glad that I could be of any help," Giotto waved a hand dismissively.

"Oh, you did more than a petty help, mind you," Madam Rosee laughed again. "Then, I guess I'll tell the others that your outfit is all set. I'll come again to talk about your make-up and hair-do, but… that could wait for a while," she smiled widely, "For now, you're free."

"Yes!" Tsuna raised both hands in the air happily. Madam Rosee shook her head and left the room, while Giotto chuckled at her antics.

"It was finally over, huh?" he said as he sat in one of the empty space. Tsuna nodded enthusiastically and approached him.

"It's all thanks to you! I wouldn't pick this gown in the first place if I was alone," Tsuna explained. "You see, whenever I see lots of dress lined up like that, it's hard for me to pick one particular dress! Every one of them looks kinda equal, you know?"

"I guess I know," Giotto agreed, a bit reluctant. It took a while until the feeling is low and the atmosphere has calmed down. She smiled calmly now, and breathed a soft sigh. Stretching her limbs upwards she moaned in delight.

"Guess I'll go and change first," she said. Giotto nodded an okay before she left to the bathroom again.

With Giotto…

Giotto leaned backward slightly, in attempt to loosen himself. He's in a girl's room, and since he's been educated about the strict borderline between girls and boys, he preferred to spend his idle time looking out from the window in her room rather than looking around. The sun was setting down and the sky's turning orange and it was sure to get dark in just a few moments. Below, he could see some adults calling the children for dinner, which was greeted happily by the younger kids.

Which made him wonder…

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Tsuna huffed as soon as she opened the door and stepped inside the bedroom. The gown was in her arms while she's now wearing casual shirt and pants that stopped at her knees. She crooked an eyebrow at Giotto's uneasy expression. "What is it?"

"Hmm? Nothing," he said, now his composed expression returned as if nothing has ever happened. Tsuna was still a bit confused but shrugged. She closed the door behind her with a quiet click.

"… Is it time for you to go back?" Tsuna asked, worried if that's the problem. Giotto shook his head.

"No, I was just… thinking about something," he answered. Tsuna nodded and sat on the edge of her bed. Observing the change of his gesture, she realized something that she always realized every time a stranger came to her life. She puffed her left cheek then her right.

"Let me guess…" she sighed. "You must be wondering why I am in an orphanage right?"

As soon as those words slipped out of her lips, she immediately regretted it. Giotto's eyes looked sad and it reflected an apology. His smile turned a bit strained, "Sorry."

"Uuh… no, it's really… nah, I shouldn't have said that," she threw a frustrated sigh unto her side. "It was a bad habit of mine. I mean, that's what people usually ask the first thing they meet me here. It got too often that it will always come to my mind first thing."

"… I'm sorry," Giotto said once again, now his smile has perfectly disappeared from his face.

"I'm also sorry for saying something like that, especially after you've helped me a lot," Tsuna smiled bitterly. There was a temporary pause before she shrugged. "I actually lived in Japan. My parents and I visited Italy when I was five years old. But then someone told me that they were attacked, some said that they were caught in an accident… Well, either way, I heard that they were sent to the hospital," she stopped abruptly, as if in the middle of the painful process of composing herself. "… And I never saw them again."

"… I'm truly sorry, Tsunahime," Giotto half-whispered.

"Nah, it was just a truly old story that I can't forget," her lips quirked into a smile. "And besides, I already moved on. It's nothing but a memory now."

"You're a real tough one huh?"

"I try to be," she shrugged and thought of a way to divert the topic. "Anyway, enough about me, what about you?"

"Hmm?"

"I meant… is there anything you want to talk about?"

Giotto chuckled, a bit less-strained. "Well, if you ask it like that, I honestly don't know."

"Huh…" she felt a bit awkward. Her inner-chibi was running wild. "It's almost time for dinner… you know, if you want to stay for a while."

"Thank you, but I guess I shouldn't trouble you that much," Giotto refused politely. "Besides, my friends would be worried if I stay too late."

"Your… friends?" Tsuna mentioned the last word with a strange tone. Giotto nodded.

"Yep, we were supposed to meet up earlier, but since there's a lot that happened… I told one of my acquaintances, Paolo, to tell my friend that I'll be going to Madam Rosee's place," Giotto explained.

"… But this isn't Madam Rosee's place," Tsuna pointed out worriedly. "Are you sure it's okay to leave your friend alone like that?"

"Well, I never thought that we'll be going here instead of Madam Rosee's boutique," Giotto laughed. "But I'm sure he had it all figured out. He's one smart guy after all."

"Really…" she smiled reluctantly. "What kind of guy is he?"

"Let's see… he has red hair and a good sense of humor," Giotto said with a happy tone. Tsuna let out a 'heeeh' while listening attentively to what Giotto was saying. "Hmm, and if we're talking about red hair, there's one more guy that I befriended with. But the latter one is pretty grumpy; you don't want to make him mad."

Tsuna giggled as she took one of the pillows and cuddled it. "And you're yellow," she pointed out and laughed. Giotto followed suit and felt a twinge of humor when he noticed how it's such a funny coincidence. It would be even more amusing if he also has red hair, he thought.

"Well, although I said 'red hair', the second guy has more of a pinkish hair than red, I guess," Giotto said. "His name is G., while the first guy that I mentioned is Cozart."

"Hooh… I do think I ever heard those names before too," Tsuna sweat-dropped, immediately felt déjà vu of the girls that loved to gossiped in Madam Rosee's boutique. 'I wonder if they're also as good-looking as Giotto-san?'

"As expected, they're also famous huh?" Giotto laughed. "But it's a bit embarrassing to know that someone's talking behind your back."

"Don't worry, don't worry, they talk only the good things," Tsuna remarked with a monotone laugh. "But, why 'G'?"

"He has his own circumstances you see," Giotto chuckled lightly. "Do you want to meet them?"

"Eh? Eh? Who? The girls?" Tsuna asked a bit mindlessly.

"I meant my friends," Giotto clarified. His eyes showed something other than direct question, not that Tsuna notice it. She was too entrance by the offer that she didn't really pay attention to other thing.

"R-really? I can? Wait… you're gonna visit me again?" a train of questions was shoved to the blond. He sweat dropped, but nodded for all three questions.

"Well, it's not like I have to cross mountains or something right? And besides, my friend liked children, so I think he'll like to visit this place," he told her, which she replied with another glittering 'heeeh'. "I could ask them to come tomorrow if you want."

She clasped her hands together, "I can't wait for it!"

Time skip…

In the living room…

Tsuna and Giotto were now in the middle of rearranging the books into the shelves. It's almost dark and truthfully they're just spending some time before dinner and also to wait for Giotto's friend(s). They're absolutely very late. The place was mildly quiet as it mostly filled with children's voices outside, and in the indoors, was an awkward silence between the two. Each of them has some thoughts of their own at the moment, and there hasn't been a question yet to ask the other. Until Giotto finally decided to crack the ice.

"What is it like living here? Is it lively here?" Giotto asked politely and carefully. It was a sensitive topic, with a sensitive girl, and the fact that he's still a stranger makes him even more cautious than he normally was. Tsuna glanced at him for a moment before it returned to the books on her hand. The brown orbs didn't wavered as it wondered around, pondering.

"Yeah, I guess," she answered almost too casual. It brought a few questions in his mind, sensing the indifference in her expression.

"Really?"

"Yeah," she said again. "I mean, of course sometimes it got lonely cause there's hardly anyone at my age… but the children's are very kind and cheerful that I can't help but also feel happy too you know?" He saw her smile as she cocked her head toward the window. "You hear that? It's the life of this place."

Giotto smiled too, hearing the laughter and exclamations of the children. They sounded light and happy so it's not hard to imagine the bright grin and smiles on their faces. Giotto nodded and again his hand pushed forward the book into the rack. "Are you the oldest one here?"

"Mm-hmm," she answered but her eyes still on the books. "Actually there's one that used to be here too, but years ago he got out. He's only in and out of the orphanage for a few months. Pretty sweet that he'd found a family isn't it? Though I got so lonely those days when he's not here anymore, but I'm happy that he finally found the place he belongs. After all, his is not here."

"Who?"

When the answer popped into her ears, she couldn't help but chuckled. "Oh, it's hard to describe him really. He has black hair and sharp eyes. He's so hard to get close with, but I guess it's only natural that I could befriend with him, otherwise we would've stuck alone with each of our own right?"

"The boy must be special," Giotto commented, watching her smiled a small smile, her eyes fixed on the book on her hand. She sighed.

"Yup," she finally said resolutely. "He's special. He's my first, and one and only friend… I hope he wouldn't mind me calling him my best friend. Though he'd probably get annoyed if he heard that."

"… You must've gone quite a hard time when he left," Giotto said with sympathy.

"Unn… it's terrible to not see the person that has always been your only friend and companion. Every day, he usually just lied down or walked around the place…" Tsuna sighed. "And I secretly hope that he'll never leave this place—I'm a terrible person am I?"

"No, I couldn't imagine someone call that terrible," Giotto's voice laced with sadness.

"It's okay," Tsuna smiled again, although it faltered. "I knew that he'll have to leave sooner or later, we couldn't stay here forever, and one way or another we're going out. I just lied to myself that it wouldn't be any time soon—I mean, I was pretty scared of being alone again. It was boring and lonely every day. The worst part is that I can't spend my time on TV because the children always snatch the remote from me, so I'm pretty bored."

"Well… you're not alone anymore right?" Giotto shrugged. The word sent tingles through her body. Her lips formed a straight line.

"What?"

"I'm here," a gentle smile was on his face. His smile broadened, "We're friends, aren't we?"

The brown orbs widened, the books were long forgotten. Her eyes glued to him, "I hope so…"

"Then you shouldn't worry again; if you got bored you can always hang around my place," he smiled and returned to the books on his hand. He put the few last ones to its places.

"Friends…" she whispered, swallowing the lump on her throat. She smiled. "You know what, it may sound strange, but it's really the first time someone said that to me."

"Hm?" Giotto paused.

"Most people of my age rarely visit this place, of course. And it's not my hobby to walk around the town aimlessly all by myself… so it's pretty hard for me to find another teen. Especially, I'll get nervous whenever I meet a new person," she laughed sheepishly. Then an imaginary bulb lit, "Now that I think about it… you are really good at making friends."

"Eh?"

"What's the secret trick? Please tell me!" she demanded. "But, hmm, if it's about physical appearance then I can't do anything about it huh…" she mumbled, suddenly being overly-conscious. The blonde sweat-dropped, but find her serious expression a bit funny. He cocked an eyebrow and smile. Very softly, he knock the book his hand on her head, giving a soft thud.

"You shouldn't think of those matters too hard," Giotto comforted her. "Friends will come to you sooner or later, all you've got to do is open up when that happen."

"… I wish it's that easy," she smiled and looked at him with mixed feeling. She's very, very happy about the way he cared for her. But on the same time, she can't get rid of the troubled feeling—if only everything is that easy.

"Well, it won't be that hard either so don't worry," Giotto smiled reassuringly and retreated the book from her head. She nodded and felt a bit more hopeful. "Ah, speaking of which, Tsunahime."

"Un?"

"I've been thinking, should I call you 'Tsunahime', 'Tsuna-chan', or just 'Tsuna'?"

"Eh? Why… wait, are you Japanese?" Tsuna stopped at what she's doing. Giotto shook his head.

"I have a friend who is. And besides, my grandpa love to learn about cultures and the likes, so he told me a lot," he explained. She hmm-ed and pondered a while.

"T-then… 'Tsuna-chan' is okay. It feels less like a boy's name right?" Tsuna laughed sheepishly. "Then, can I call you 'Giotto-san'? It feels a bit uncomfortable to call you by your name only. Not to mention it's your first name."

"I'm fine either way," the blonde nodded. "Oh yeah, the children also called you by 'Tsuna-nee' too, aren't they?"

"Aah, yes," she grinned. "It feels a bit weird, so I figured that I'll teach them to call me 'Tsuna-nee'. It means sis-Tsuna, by the way."

"That makes sense," Giotto smiled.

"Right?" she laughed a bit. Then her lips formed an 'o' when she saw something by the right side behind Giotto's head. "By the way… is that a book over there?"

She pointed her finger toward the object on the top of the shelf. It was dangling dangerously and she wondered who on earth put it there. She crooked her head a bit to see it better. Giotto looked up too and his eyebrows came together into a troubled expression.

"Hmm, that was pretty high; I don't know if I can reach it," Giotto said, sliding the last book on his hand without even looking. Tsuna, on the other hand, put the stack of her books on the empty space of the shelf.

"But it looks pretty dangerous… what if one of the kids bumped into the shelf and it fell down? It looked pretty thick…" Tsuna pondered of all the possible outcomes and decided that it's dangerous after all. She pursed her lips downward and put her right hand on her chin. "What should we do? Should I find a ladder?"

Giotto checked the height of the shelf again and nodded to himself. "I think if I lift you up, we can reach it?"

"Well… that's possible," Tsuna agreed. A blush appeared on her cheeks, though. "U-umm, but I'm pretty heavy, is that okay?"

"I doubt you'll be that heavy," Giotto smiled. It's hard to imagine the petite girl in front of him actually worried about her weight. "So, will you do it?"

"Well, it's more troublesome to find a ladder…" Tsuna nodded with a hardened resolve and walked toward her supposed place. Giotto was right behind her, and he bent down slightly to get a better grasp. She blushed almost furiously when she thought of her position. 'Wait… what am I doing?!'

"Are you hurt somewhere?" Giotto asked almost immediately after he put either of his hands on her waist. Her ears felt hot from embarrassment and hesistance, but all she could manage was a shaky 'no'.

"I-I'm fine," she utter, as if telling the exact same thing to herself.

"Then, here we go," was all she heard right by her ears before her feet left the ground. One of her hand held on to the shelf to support her body, while her other one was trying to reach up the mysterious object. She huffed in annoyance when her fingertips touched the edge of the rectangular thing but couldn't really grasp it. Giotto sensed her dilemma too, and adjusted his arms so he could lift her higher.

"Uff, just a little more…" she whimpered. Hearing that, with one last effort, Giotto pushed himself further and lift her a bit higher. Goodness, who on earth put an object on such a place, she thought with irritation. Finally… "Ah! I got it!"

As soon as she exclaimed the victorious words, she felt the arms that supported her started to lower down and in an instant, she's already back to her own feet. She breathed a sigh of relief, while Giotto panted a little. Her face flushed a bit in embarrassment, 'I'm pretty heavy, after all…' her inner-chibi sighed. The color returned to her cheeks, though, when Giotto said to her.

"Um? What's that?"

"Ah, now that you mention it… it doesn't really feel like a book…" Tsuna observe the thing on her hand. It was pretty light when she shake it, so… She turned the item around to see it from every angle. Indeed it was a rectangular object, however it wasn't a book, but rather it's a box. The thing was dusty but from the hard texture of it, they could tell that it's made of wood. Giotto cocked an eyebrow, feeling somewhat uneasy, seeing it. Tsuna, on the other hand, felt like she has experienced the same thing before. They both stayed silent.

"Could it be… there's something more? I mean… maybe there's a key or something up there, that we didn't see," Tsuna said and pointed to the hole where a key supposed to be inserted. From his facial expression, she could tell that he's thinking the same thing. He nodded and looked upward, too.

"Maybe we should try looking at it once more?" his voice laced with curiosity.

"But it must be pretty far… we barely reach the edge just now," Tsuna said worriedly. But without a doubt, she's also as curious as Giotto. When their gazes met, they only need a simple, mute nod before getting into earlier position.

"Right… one… two… three!" Giotto's arms once again boost her upward. This time, having experienced it once already, one of her feet find an empty place on the shelf where she could step unto. One of her hand support her higher, as she tried to climb upward. The only thing she's worried about right now, if the shelf could hold her correctly. It started to scare her when she felt the shelf shifted a bit. She started to lessen the weight she put on her limbs that stayed on the furniture.

"Uugh… as expected… it's hard…" Tsuna groaned and forcefully tried to lift herself with the support of her left hand. The shelf swayed a bit and her inner-chibi shrieked in horror.

"Just a bit more… can you see it?" Giotto asked with effort. Tsuna tried to regain her grasp and wets her lips with her tongue.

"I'm trying…!" her right hand, which has reached the top of the shelf, scanned the dusty area as far and wide as it could. She hoped that her arm is long enough to find whatever she's bound to find, and getting more desperate as her other limbs started to give up. When she felt a cold, rough metal on her fingertips, she almost jumped in delight. "I got it…!"

"W-wait, Tsunahime, don't move too much…!" that's all Giotto could utter before everything as if crushing down. Tsuna had loosened her grips, unconsciously, and had forgotten that there's someone right below her. And that's all it took before she fell down on top of the blonde, only managing a too-similar 'ooph', while Giotto's arm spontaneously went around her head to protect her from the fall. She thought she's imagining things when she heard a creak of the door, though…

"O-ouch…" Tsuna whimpered. 'That was horrible…'

Drop.

"… WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING?!"

A/N: Alright, thanks for reading! This chapter has been rewritten twice (this is the second one) haha. This time, hopefully nothing will be changed again. If you wonder why, it's because I feel that the previous person is so… "Huh? What? So sudden? How did it come to this?" especially when I read about Giotto comforting Tsuna about being friends and suddenly they hug each other. From the very first moment, I already have a bat feeling about it… now that I think about it I dunno why did I dare enough to publish that version… anyway, *ahem* I hope that you find this chapter better (and more reasonable haha), so yeah, thanks for the support! XDDDD

P.s. if you guys wondered, "Why does Giotto still call Tsuna by Tsunahime instead of Tsuna-chan in the last part?" it's because he accidentally say it because he's in a tight-and-rushed spot.

Fun fact: the Longest Dress in the World!

Romania's Andree Salon fashion house has completed a 1.85-mile-long ivory train. This wedding train was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest one in the world. The train is composed of 4,700 meters of taffeta, 5.5 meters of Chantilly lace, 45 meters of lining, 1,857 sewing needles and 150 spool threads and took 100 days to stitch with 10 people working on it!

"The lace was imported from France, while the taffeta and other fabrics were purchased from Italy, costing approximately £5,000 ($7950)."