DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN. ALL RIGHTS TO AMANO AKIRA.

ABCs of Fatherhood- Part I- A to H

.Apathy and Acknowledgement

Giotto rested his spiky head of blond hair in his hands, still processing the information brought to him. His love was dead, and in her place was… He didn't want to look at it, yet he did.

The little baby snored softly in his basket, blissfully unaware of the inner turmoil its father was facing. A chubby fist reached up to wave softly in the air before coming back down to rest at its side.

All around them were the sounds of a bustling hospital- wheels rolling, chattering, laughter, and for some, sobbing. If not for the incredibly empty feeling he was experiencing, Giotto would have broken down and done so too.

With shaking hands, the blond approached the child. The baby… had killed his love. His love had died after giving birth to it. It deserved a punishment.

He set a hand on the edge of the wooden crib, preparing to harm the being inside with all the strength he could muster.

And then he caught sight of the child's eyes.

Clear, warm brown, with intelligence wavering just beyond the chocolaty depths. Just like her. Exactly the same.

Dropping to his knees, Giotto reached for the infant's hand and grasped it in his own, much larger one. He let the tears well in his eyes and drop silently down his face.

The baby cooed at him, blinking in wonder.

"Tsunayoshi," Giotto breathed, not even bothering to stop the salty tears pouring into his gasping mouth. "Tsunayoshi." That name… It was what his love would have wanted.

Tsunayoshi; the lucky rope that binds. She had chosen the name herself.

"I'm your daddy, Tsunayoshi," said Giotto, gazing down on his son's face. "Welcome to the world."

.Baby Shower

"Congratulations!"

Giotto almost dropped Tsunayoshi's basket in shock. He squinted against bright lights and tried to recognize the idle chatter going on.

"TO THE MAX!" shouted a man with spiky black hair. He raised a rather badly-wrapped box above his head and shook it proudly.

"Get out of the way, you retarded apostle!" roared one with a tattoo of a flame on his face. He carried a bright red parcel under one arm. It appeared to be on the verge of snapping in half from the sheer pressure being inflicted upon it.

"I'll give Giotto his present first," said another black-haired man gleefully. He held a tote bag that looked like it was filled with many items.

"Nufufu, is that so? I've beat you to that, I'm sad to say." The blue-haired man snickered.

(Giotto blinked as he discovered that he was holding a little gift box in his free hand. Since when was that there?)

"An aristocrat such as I shouldn't have to associate with such hooligans," sniffed a green-haired teen, his hands behind his head in a sleazy manner.

Giotto placed his sleeping son gently on the floor and allowed a confused smile to grace his face. "G, Asari, Knuckles, Lampo, Daemon? What are you all doing here? My birthday isn't until another month." said the blond, amused.

"A baby shower." The cold, calculating voice from behind the crowd of people was enough to send shivers down Giotto's back.

Alaude stepped out of the shadows, donning his customary trenchcoat. His icy blue eyes landed on Giotto's own warm orange, pinning him to the spot.

"…Congratulations." Alaude said blandly. He crossed his arms and turned away from Giotto's growing smile.

"Thank you, Alaude." Giotto said warmly. "I never knew that you could arrange such a thing."

If one looked closely enough, they might see a slight reddish tinge to Alaude's otherwise pale face.

Asari offered a grin to his blond friend. "How did you know that it was Alaude who arrange the whole thing?" he asked.

"Intuition," said Giotto, tapping his head with a knuckle.

G snorted, shoving his gift into the blond's arms. "You sure it isn't your old age catching up to you? Like, insanity? Look who's a daddy now!"

Giotto snorted right back, setting the crinkled present right next to Daemon's. "Hark who's talking, O father of Hayato."

"I got you some of Ryohei's old clothes!" exclaimed Knuckles as he thrust his box into the blond's arms. "There are a few of his old toys, too!" He drew out a beaten-up stuffed zebra from the box, not noticing that he was ripping quite a lot of the wrapping paper in the process.

Asari came forward and, with a quiet laugh, set the tote bag beside his friend.

"A few CDs in case Tsunayoshi has trouble sleeping at night," He explained. "Takeshi seems to have outgrown them- he prefers listening to sports commentators."

Lampo smiled lazily at Giotto from where he stood. "My very presence is a fine gift, wouldn't you agree?"

"I'm just here for the fun and games." said Daemon, flicking imaginary dust off his crisp lapel.

"Open the presents, and then we'll give you a few tips, mommy," laughed G. Giotto rolled his eyes at that and proceeded to tearing the wrapping off of his newly obtained gifts.

He opened G's first, the white package covered in tape piquing his curiosity. He then glanced up at G upon seeing what the red-head had gotten him. "Thank you for the… what is this?" he deadpanned, jabbing a finger at the large white square.

"Baby stuff." said G helpfully.

"They're wet wipes. Jumbo pack. Though, I must admit, I've never seen a pack so big before." marvelled Daemon.

"Oh," was Giotto's intelligent answer.

Shaking his head to dispel the possibilities as to why he needed so many wipes, Giotto reached for Daemon's little package.

It was a small orange pacifier, so bright in colour that it seemed to glow. "Thank you, Daemon." Giotto's words were heartfelt as he smiled at the man.

"You're very welcome." replied Daemon with a smirk.

"Nah!" squeaked Tsunayoshi. Giotto rushed to his son immediately, his hands scrambling with the orange pacifier. The baby was smiling adorably up at everyone, his chubby fists gripping onto Giotto's fingers.

The child was lifted into the air by Alaude. Giotto was ready to protest, but stopped upon seeing the fatherly expression on the French man's face.

"Hello," greeted the pale blond.

"Gah," answered Tsunayoshi, grabbing Alaude's nose.

.Candy

"Lampo, you've been playing with Tsunayoshi for a while now. He must be tired." stressed Giotto. He had become a true 'mother hen', fussing over his son every chance he got. It was only after much coaxing from anyone that he handed the boy over.

Lampo looked up, his body shielding Tsunayoshi from Giotto's view. "It's fine. He's really energetic." He insisted.

Giotto's sharp eyes caught a few wayward candy wrappers stuffed haphazardly into Lampo's sleeve. "Did you feed him candy?" he pressed, taking a few steps forward.

Lampo protested against the protective face the blond currently wore. "Candy is a part of life. He should experience it early."

"Eeeeeee!" agreed Tsunayoshi.

Lampo smirked and cradled the bouncing baby in his gangly arms. "See, he likes it."

Giotto sighed, forcing his tense shoulders to relax somewhat. "Fine. But don't give him so much at one time, okay?"

"Okay."

.Daycare and Dimples

Tsunayoshi clung to his father's pant leg, his wide brown eyes darting fearfully around the new environment.

Children squealed and laughed at tables and on the floor, doodling nonsense with stubby crayons and building block towers.

Giotto smiled gently and ruffled his child's scruffy brown hair. "It's okay, Tsunayoshi." he soothed, pressing on the four year-old's back.

With a last fearful glance at his father, the little brunet scurried away to where a group of familiar children were fighting.

"T-Tsuna is here," he squeaked timidly. The squabbling boys looked up at him with spreading smiles.

"Hehe, hi, Tsuna!" smiled a boy with black hair and milky brown eyes. His dimples were quite prominent in his round face. He was quite tall for his age, and rather friendly. The other boys sitting beside him stopped trying to bite each other momentarily to greet Tsunayoshi in a similar matter.

"Can Tsuna play?" asked the brunet as he fiddled with his fingers.

"Yeah! You're it, Tsuna!" said Takeshi as he tapped the brunet on the shoulder.

.Examination

"Daddy, what's that?"

"That's an ant, Tsunayoshi."

"What's that?"

"An airplane. They fly through the air while carrying people. I'll take you on one someday."

"What's this thing, daddy?"

"…That's a… line."

"Lampo said it's an old man wrinkle. What's a wrinkle, daddy?"

"…Excuse me, Tsunayoshi. I'll have to talk to Lampo."

"Okay, daddy!"

.Friends

"Giotto! Can you look after Hayato for a bit?" G rested a hand on his child's silver head, apparently not noticing the boy's attempts to shake it off.

"M' fine." muttered the boy, his green eyes fluttering behind long lashes.

Tsuna appeared from behind Giotto, his eyes half-lidded with sleep. They snapped open in excitement upon spotting who was at the door.

"Hayato!" he exclaimed, running up to the boy to hug him tightly. "Are you here to visit? Can you stay longer than last time?"

The silver-haired boy's expression softened. "Sure, Tsunayoshi. That's what friends are for, right?"

G and Giotto inwardly grinned at the exchange between their sons. Unknown to the children, both of their fathers snapped a photo of them, to keep laminated forever.

.Gondola

"We're so high, dad!"

"Careful, Tsunayoshi," cautioned Giotto. "You might get hurt."

Immediately, the little brunet boy stepped down from the elevated step. "O-Okay." He murmured, staring at the river roaring beneath them.

"Kufufu," tried Mukuro in an attempt to mimic his father. "I think you should let Tsunayoshi do as he pleases."

Daemon patted the boy on the back proudly. "Nufufu, that's my boy!" he beamed.

"Daemon…" sighed Elena, running a hand through her golden locks. The other hand was preoccupied with Nagi, who played with her mother's hand as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. Her huge purple eyes were transfixed on the grand wedding ring, which sparkled whenever she twisted it to either side.

Tsuna glanced at Lavina, whose arms surrounded a sleeping Hayato in a protective embrace. Beside her was Asari, with Takeshi seated on his lap. The man didn't seem to mind that the boy was squishing his arm as he 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed at the scenery out the window. Alaude sat next to his son, occasionally reaching up to stroke the tense boy on his hair.

Tsuna wobbled over to them and sat down beside Kyoya, smiling at his startled expression. The brunet wordlessly took the black-haired boy's hand and turned to the window, grinning at the clouds.

Giotto observed the scene with a fond eye. Tsuna resembled his deceased mother in so many ways, it was astounding.

The blond's eyes clouded over as he gazed at the roof of the gondola. 'My love…'

.Happy Birthday

Giotto led Tsuna to the door, smiling at the brunet's confused pout.

"What's going on, dad?"

"You'll see," said Giotto, lifting his hand from the boy's face.

Tsuna's eyes widened in wonder as a few party crackers were popped and confetti flew through the air.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TSUNA!" everyone cheered.

Giotto grinned and pushed his son forward. "Time for the birthday boy to make a wish!"

Tsuna's delighted and touched gaze rested on every single one of his friends and family. "Thank you," he whispered, tears budding in his eyes.

"SAWADA! STOP CRYING TO THE EXTREME! THIS IS A HAPPY PARTY!" Ryohei knocked over a chair with his exuberance.

"SHUT UP, TURF-TOP!" Gokudera, too, knocked over a chair, this time cracking it finely in half.

"Hayato! Manners!" The silver-haired teen's father stood from his crouch, brow furrowed.

"SHUT UP, OLD MAN!"

"WHY, YOU...!" As fast as his calm disappeared, G leaped over the table in order to try to strangle his thirteen year-old son. "WHO'S THE ONE WITH SILVER HAIR HERE, HUH?"

"Daemon! Get your hand away from the cake!" scolded Elena as she slapped her husband's hand from the cake. The man whined at her, his now red hand reaching over to stroke his daughter Chrome on the head. "But, Elena~!"

"The great me is starting to regret coming..." muttered Lampo as he edged towards the door. He was stopped in his tracks by Giotto, who only gave him a wide grin.

"Ahahaha, everyone's so lively!" Takeshi laughed, his arms behind his head. He grinned at the birthday boy, who was still frozen to the spot. "Hey, Tsuna, open my present first!"

Instantaneously, all the squabbling and fighting stopped as everyone ran forward to present Tsuna with gifts.

"Tsunayoshi! Please accept my humble gift!" said Hayato with a bow.

Takeshi laughed again and playfully nudged the boy out of the way. "Don't push, Hayato!"

"PRESENTS TO THE EXTREME!"

"THAT'S MY SON TO THE MAX!"

"Uhhh... Knuckles, Ryohei, please keep it down, I think you're scaring Ts... Tsuna?" Giotto's berating expression dropped into one of shock. "Where is he? !"

Unknown to the entire group, Tsuna was with Kyoya, outside on the porch.

"Um... Kyoya?" Tsuna's mouth frowned in confusion. "Why did you bring me out here?"

Silently, the raven-haired boy thrust a neatly-wrapped parcel into the brunet's hands. "No noisy herbivores," was all he would say before running off.

Tsuna stared after his retreating figure with wide brown eyes. "... Thank you...?"