._. I know I promised for it to be longer, but it ended up being short again. I rushed through this because it's been around two months, and it's Tsuna's birthday so I tried to quickly update for this very special day! Yeah, sorry about the hiatus, guys. I've been so busy with school and I'm STILL busy with school, so bear with me. The next update will probably be around another two months later? Or even longer than that? I don't know, man... And I apologize greatly for my absence!

AND WHOA, 20 reviews for the last chapter? I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH ;_;. I read through them and I was so happy with what you had to say! Which is why I ended up not listening during some of my classes and writing plans and scenes instead. :) So thank you all so much for your support! I'm sorry I can't reply to them now (and I have PMs to reply back to...!), but I assure you that I read every single word of your reviews, so thank you!

This was not edited, and I kind of rushed it, so... BUT I HOPE YOU ALL LOVE IT JUST THE SAME :( !
So, permasmile (since I don't know if I should say your name or not xD), you can hack into my account and just edit if you want! IF you want! O: .

THANK YOU GUYS, AND ENJOY! & AMA, I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS. :)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Pairing Hints: 9627, 8627.

IV. Misty Fairytale (2)

She was having fun, more fun than she's ever experienced in her five years. In just one day; no, scratch that. In just a few minutes, she got to understand emotions that she never knew existed, all from one boy who decided to be kind to her. Her parents never bothered to show her happiness that other kids received, or even love, but this bubbly feeling inside of her felt so warm. The warmth that the brunet was giving her was far better than anything in the world.

She was genuinely happy for the first time in her life.

This was like how princesses were supposed to feel, like in those fairytales she read. Princesses always had their tough times and it was always that one special person to help rescue them from the evil. That person...was Tsuna. He was saving her from the pain she lived with. She didn't have to hide from the world, as long as he was with her. She didn't have to be accompanied by haze as long as he was shining besides her.

These kind of people... They were called princes, right?

And that smile... It was heartwarming. Just seeing the boy's smile lifted her in higher spirits, and she never even knew such a sentiment like that existed! What was it about that smile that made her heart all fuzzy inside? What was it about this one boy who can make her feel all joyful just when she was depressed the second before? She had no idea and it was all so strange, yet she loved every single second spent with him.

The girl felt like a person. A real person living in a world full of laughter, smiles, and love. Was this all a dream...? Where had she been the whole time when the world was this lively? Was she finally given a chance to remain with these loving emotions? Was she finally able to escape from the dark abyss she's been trapped in...? There was no more of that sinister hovering cloud around her. There was...a bigger, tender region enveloping her.

It was all thanks to Tsuna, who still had on that heartfelt grin.

"Did you enjoy the chocolatey goodness?" he asked amiably. "It's good, right? Sweets make anyone smile in just a second! That's why I thought I should treat you to ice-cream! They're all fluffy and cold, but makes you feel all happy inside!"

She shyly nodded. She started playing with her fingers and looked down with embarrassment. "Th-that tasted really good... Thank you so much, Tsuna."

"Hehe, don't worry about it! I'm just glad I was able to make you smile!"

The boy paused for a moment and looked around, as if he was looking for something. The girl saw that his head stopped shaking at the direction of a dirty blond-haired man and a brunette woman. Curiously, she looked back to Tsuna, who seemed to have a mischievous grin on his face. She felt her hand being held by his hand and their fingers had intertwined the time of the hand-holding.

A light blushed formed on her face. "U-um, Ts-Tsuna? Wh-what are you doing?"

The grin never left his face, even after he answered. "I'm going to take you to a place full of smiles and laughs! I'm going to make today the best day ever for you! Just stick with me and trust me on this, okay? My goal today is for you to have fun and never cry again!"

She felt her body being dragged away. She was a bit nervous to go with his plan since she never spent a full day with anyone else before. However, her upward curved lips never left her face. He was going to give her the dream she's always wanted. He was going to sweep her away from the darkness that's always been chasing her no matter how much she avoided it.

Ah... A moment of realization struck her. The region that's enveloping me... It's the sky.

He was right in front of her. The boy that she had been crying for this whole time. She was looking up to him with such wide eyes. Everyone was there – Tsuna, Kyoko, Haru, Lambo, and I-Pin. Were they worried about her? But why was the brunet there? Did he even...know what was going on? She just couldn't understand why he was there with them...

Just because Kyoko and Haru asked them to? Not for her sake, right?

For a short moment she was so elated to see her boss right there. She knew it wasn't a dream since her butt was aching horribly from sitting in an uncomfortable position for a while. She would have gotten up from her fetal pose, but the aching pain was nothing compared to what she was going through inside. Physical pain always felt so much better.

Her happiness dropped after seeing his expression. He...said her name, but his face had a troubled and confused look following. She wanted to put her head back in her arms and hide the dry tears tainting her face. Her hope was false, anyway.

The anguish was controlling her again. She was starting to shake all over in such a severe way. He didn't know who she was. That was obvious. Her hope had disappeared completely when she saw the foreign look in his bright, honey-brown eyes...and she couldn't bring herself to stare at them anymore without wanting to cry again, and again.

"She's crying again? God, will there be a time when she doesn't cry at all?"

"My goal today is for you to have fun and never cry again!"

The next second, she noticed her head was no longer buried in her hugging, sedentary position and she was once again looking into those soft, warm eyes. Did she raise her head because of the bright voice that suddenly rang cheerfully in her mind? Or was it the light, yet blazing touch coming from the brunet's hand on her own? He had that friend, signature smile of his embroidered on his lips, and she had to wonder if her blush could intensity any further.

Tsuna's other hand reached into his pocket for something. His eyes brightened once he felt the item he was looking for and pulled out a soft handkerchief. He began to wipe away the tears marring her face, still not letting go of her hand. Gosh, the motion was done so gently and the girl almost forgot that she was back into reality. His being in front of her... Was it seriously not a dream?

But he doesn't remember me, she reminded herself. This is reality. Reality...and not a dream. It's a mist I cannot escape, because the only light that could shine my way out is gone.

She could feel the radiating kindness that was emitting from the boy. This atmosphere felt too familiar to her; it reminded her of his attempt (even though it was kind of a failure) to warm her heart to the rest of the group, which eventually happened. This reminded her of the love that he had shown to all his Guardians and friends, like a family...

"Dear, Nagi was in a car accident."

"Thanks to her, one of my business talks was ruined."

"The doctor said she could be saved if they transplant organs of the same blood type."

"Don't joke around! I'm not going to have them cut me open for that girl!"

"What are you saying? She's your child, whom you brought with you!"

"I never understood what that girl was thinking. She couldn't even make friends. She didn't even grow close to you. ...It's not just me. No one really wishes for her to keep living."

Her parents' conversation is what made her believe that "family" was a term that did not exist. Yes, she has seen close bonds between children and parents, but she could not believe them to be lasting in the end. After all, that's what happened to her, right? No, it was not some false consensus effect. Their conversation showed how she has been living. Family meant nothing to her.

Until she met him. Him – the boss.

"No more crying, okay?" That sweet, caring voice...

"Are you okay, Chrome-chan?"

Kyoko's worried voice snapped the violet-haired girl back to (the cruel) reality. Everyone was around her now. Tsuna in front of her, the two teenage girls standing at the sides of Tsuna, and the kids besides her, tugging on the green fabric of her Kokuyo Middle uniform. Lambo and I-Pin were both on the verge of tears as they both gripped tighter onto her clothes and their dolls.

Dolls...?

"I was right!" the brunet suddenly said excitedly, smiling fondly to Chrome. "About your name, I mean. Chrome, right? It's kind of weird how I knew you name. Lucky guess, maybe? Ahaha... Oh, uhm, I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsuna. It's nice to meet you, Chrome."

To her, it was weird how he could stay smiling despite the somber and melancholic atmosphere in the air, yet the negative, intangible sentiments had no effect on him. Probably because he had already calmed the lightning's rage and powered the sun to shine brightly once more. Or maybe because his mind was lost of everything. Not literally everything, but to her, it felt like he had forgotten everything...

And yet, he was so bright and friendly. She just could not understand.

She was speechless. She wanted to greet him back with the same cheerfulness and sunny smile, but the mist was obscuring her joy of seeing him again. The haze depicted a sad-filled lie – seeing him again made her heart clench with agony. It burned her.

Illusions are lies, and lies are illusions. Reality is darkened, and that is how she felt.

Not wanting the awkward silence to take complete control of the situation, Kyoko clapped her hands and turned to her best friend. "We should go set up the food and lay the picnic blanket down, right Haru-chan? We can't let the food go to waste, or our trip will be in vain!"

The brunette was listening, but she was preoccupied with her thoughts. Her eyes lingered sadly on the boy's hand that was still on Chrome's hand. But...Chrome was one of her very precious friends. It took her a lot of willpower just for Chrome to open up to her. She could not lose that. This could not affect their friendship... It couldn't... But, she remembered that the orange-haired girl was talking to her. Haru let out a stuttering, nervous laugh.

"A-ah, you're right, Kyoko-chan! Aha, we should get things ready now, desu!"

"I'll help, too," Tsuna offered, handing the handkerchief benignly to Chrome before walking off to help the two girls.

The young Chinese girl looked up sadly to the Kokuyo Middle School student. The five year old lightly jumped onto the older girl's knees and once she landed, I-Pin gave Chrome a comforting hug. "Are you okay...?"

"You have to be okay now, right?" Lambo added, asking with a worried tone.

Her violet eyes softened at the concern the two children were giving her. She was happy that she got to warm up to such loving people that worried so much for her, even if she was quiet and secluded. And yet, these individuals crawled their ways into her heart. She stared at the dolls they were holding, but a bit longer on the Tsuna doll that the cow clad kid held.

She genuinely smiled with meaning and brightness as a single tear fell from her eye. Her fingers gently brushed the hem of the handkerchief, light scarlet coloring her face as she did so.

"Yes, I am."

. 9627 8627 .

He was her knight in shining armor, and he soon became her shining prince.

She still remembered the day he had appeared in her life. She totally ignored him, only focused on the little baby that was besides him. It was ironic, really, how she ended up loving him. She hated him. No, not hated. More like she wanted to erase his existence on the face of this earth just to keep the kids pure and loving, not influenced by his outrageous behavior!

But she was wrong. He ended up being her love. Real love, not those crush kinds of love. She did not just like him. She loved him, so much, that it seriously hurt when she found out that all his memories had disappeared to nothing. He didn't recognize her, even when she was hoping that he would remember a tiny memory or just anything at all.

Her vision shattered around her when he didn't have a clue of who she was. It hurt. At that time, in the infirmary, no one knew how badly she wanted to throw a rampage in the room. She isn't a person like that, but he was such a big part in her life. Because of him, she had met wonderful people including Kyoko, Lambo, I-Pin, Reborn, Fuuta, and Chrome. Because of him, she felt like she belonged in a whole new family.

And all because of him, she was given a chance to fall in love.

But geez, Chrome. It was so obvious her precious friend Chrome was in need of someone like him. Chrome needed someone like him in her life, because she knew Chrome was suffering through so much. She knew that he was also Chrome's prince, too. This fairytale didn't only belong to her – she was sharing it with Chrome. It's not like she didn't like sharing her fantasies, but she couldn't share this one story.

She couldn't give him up just like that. After all, have you ever heard of a fairytale in which the princess willingly lets go of her prince that easily? No, and there is only one reason why.

The princess is the star of her own story, and she was always given a happy ending with her prince.

. 8627 .

"A little more to the left!"

"But the crane isn't moving! Move, thingy, move!"

"J-just a little more to the left, Ts-Tsuna! Ah, no wait, a little more to the right... Or the left!"

The little boy stuck out his tongue and squinted his eyes, trying to focus hard on the crane and the prize that he wanted to win for the girl he had accompanied for a while now. He had luckily found more money in his pockets, so he had been dragging the girl around – feeding her food (because she was too scrawny!), buying her little charms, and just trying to make some friendly talks with her.

So far, things were going great. He was really happy that she had gotten used to his company and she hadn't been crying ever since he had first bought her ice-cream. He made such great progress, and she was smiling a majority of the time! He did try asking for her name two or three times, but she still felt uncomfortable saying her name to another person and he totally respected that.

While thinking about that, Tsuna didn't even notice that the time limit was up and that the crane was slowly going down. He noticed once a sound came from the machine, indicating that there was something he got from the pile of dolls. Oh, did he get the prize he was aiming for? The young boy turned back to the bundle of prizes, but the doll he was aiming for was still there...

"Ack!" The boy bent down to the open the hatch, but there was only a weird looking owl plush sitting quietly. "Ah, no... I spaced out and picked out a different doll by mistake!" He let out a sigh and pouted, staring at the owl with regretful eyes. "I'm sorry... It's not the prince-y doll you wanted."

He heard her giggle as she gently took the owl away from his hands. She stared at it for a while, turning it at different angles to observe the item carefully. Content with the doll, the girl placed her hand on his shoulder and shook her head, smiling brightly to him.

"This is perfect, Tsuna! Sure the owl is a bit strange, but I like it a lot! The mismatched eyes of its isn't even creepy. The orange eye somehow really matches with the indigo colored eye, eheh. I'm going to keep it forever with me, okay? It's going to be my good luck charm and instead of it being my prince, it'll just be my knight who protects me and cares for me! I think that's better than a prince, right?"

The brunet tilted his head in confusion and eyed her a bit strangely. "I don't understand your taste, but it's okay! I'm glad you like it!"

"I'll like anything from you, Tsuna! That's because you're my first friend and all..."

He noticed her turn a bit sad after saying those words that reminded her of when she did not have any friends at all. But that sad expression didn't seem like the intense one he felt when he first saw her crying. Those tears were filled with so much brokenness that Tsuna, at first, didn't think he was able to make it far in having her become happy again. And if she wasn't happy to begin with, then at least happy for the first time.

However, now she was changed into such a bright person. He was so relieved at first to see that she could pull such a heartwarming smile on her face despite the continuous tears that comfortably fell from her eyes. It was so contrasting, but it was a good contrast. One that he hoped would continue on, and one that he hoped would remain for the rest of her life.

"No more crying, okay?"

"Y-yes! No more, I promise!"

She held up her pinky with one hand and held the owl doll tightly with her other. The sadness was gone now, only to be replaced with gentle eyes that sparkled with joy and amity. The glow of her smile was contagious, so he smiled back and linked his pinky with hers.

And at that moment, he swore to be her knight in shining armor.

Chrome burst up from her sleeping position, panting loudly at the sudden dream.

It was unreal. How was it that there was a young version of her with a young version of her beloved boss? How...? Her question was answered when she immediately remembered everything – all the dear memories of the past that was stored in the back of her mind. Now the real question rose up: why did she force herself to forget the memories of her first friend?

That's not the reason for her crying once more. She started to cry because she was startled to know that she knew Tsuna, and that he was the first person to give her hope. Hope to friendship, love, and family. He had given her everything that she desired since she was young, and all she did in return was forget those important and valuable memories.

Chrome realized. He was the reason why she wanted to continue living after that accident and why she had accepted Mukuro's offer for illusory organs for a vessel. She wanted to continue living, all for the sake of knowing that she had someone essential in her life that she had to look for. Chrome lost the memories of Tsuna at first, but she did get feelings of knowing that all this – her continuation for living was to find him, Tsuna.

She was stupid to forget her most dear friend, which is why her stupidity brought her out of the makeshift bed and brought her out of her bedroom in Kokuyo Land. She sneaked past the loud snoring Ken and the inaudible Chikusa, taking off her boots because she knew the heels would create noises of a bomb if she stepped around the creaking floor. Going around barefoot didn't affect her much. All she wanted to do at the moment was go to the destination she had to go to.

It was around five in the morning or something like that, so the chill in the air was still present. And no, the chill didn't have an effect on her. Chrome needed to make this trip; it was too important to her. It was going to be a long trip, but that didn't matter. The distance, length of time, temperature, and her barefoot condition were nothing compared to her stupidity of purposely slipping her consciousness of Tsuna.

She finally reached it – the mansion not far from the city. Her parents were rich, but they were amateurs in raising a daughter and didn't waste any of their time trying to help Chrome grow into a fine young woman. This was why she hated going back to the mansion, her home, whenever she had gone out with her parents at times. Chrome always dreamed of escaping the place, which soon enough happened and she was thankful for it.

But Tsuna is important, so she had to come back.

Her parents always worked early in the morning and come back late at night usually to party with their other rich friends or just work overnight. That's why she knew there would be no one, so she didn't have to worry about getting caught by her parents. Besides, Chrome did not think it would be alright to just randomly appear in front of them when she was gone for such a long period of time.

The attic was where the storage was, which was probably where the item was located. She already memorized the mansion when she was little, so making her way to the attic was no problem at all.

It's got to still be here, she thought as she rummaged through the boxes. I know for sure I didn't throw it out at all and I do remember leaving it up here before I last touched it since I didn't want my parents finding out about it... They wouldn't come up here, so it still has to be here somewhere... Oh!

Her eyes glittered with glee and her smile widened when she found the thing she had come for. She brushed off the dust that gathered all the years and held on to it tightly once most of the dirt was off. The feel of it was still the same as ever and it felt so nostalgic.

"It's funny, though," the girl whispered to herself as she observed it once more. "It looks a lot like my current box weapon, the only difference of it being the mismatched eye colors. Yet the eyes being mismatched is the same concept. How ironic..."

She paused, smiling lightly to the doll in her hands. "I'm just glad I found you."

. 9627 .

Ding-dong! ...Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding -

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Tsuna grumbled to himself in annoyance by the constant doorbell ringings that sounded through the house. Really, who would ring a doorbell that many times? None of his neighbors are like that, and it's not like the neighbors really came over to his house, unless they needed something from his mother.

He slowly opened the door, only to be tackled onto the ground with a thud. The boy winced in pain from hitting the floor and looked up to see who was on top of him. His eyes widened in surprise to see Lambo staring at him with those mischievous glints in his eyes. I-Pin and Fuuta were besides him, laughing at his pathetic fall and probably the look on his face.

"Lambo, I-Pin, Fuuta! What are you guys doing here?"

"To play, duh!" Lambo answered loudly, grinning from ear to ear (wherever those were). "Dame-Tsuna, you have to play with us today! It's an order from Lambo-sama!"

"Tsuna-san, play with us!" I-Pin added with delight.

"You have to!" Fuuta pleaded. "Please, Tsuna-nii?"

Ah, I feel special to know that there are those who are willing to play with me like this, the boy thought with a new smile on his face. I feel so lucky right now. I know there are those who wouldn't play around with kids because they're annoying, but I can't seem to think that about them. Not even Lambo. Or is it that something about them makes them feel too important? Well, I guess that doesn't really matter.

"Sure, guys! I'm looking forward to it!"

. L 2 I 27 .

It had taken her a few hours to just find the item through all those boxes, but it was worth it. But now, she had to go through the city again just to get back to Kokuyo Land, and seeing all the people around her made her feel very uncomfortable. It was probably because she had no shoes on and she was wearing an eye patch, which were two things people did not really have on when they went out.

Still, she found it, which was all that mattered right now.

"Ah...!" Chrome let out as a person had accidentally stepped on the back of her foot. She turned around to see who the person was as a natural instinct, and her eyes widened a bit to see someone familiar. "Oh, Cloud Guardian-san... It's nice to see you."

He merely nodded in response. Hibari then looked down with a bit of curiosity. "Hn, what happened to your footwear? You're not wearing shoes in a busy town like Namimori."

"Ah, uhm... It's a long story. I kind of came rushing in the morning to run an errand for myself and I figured I would make it back in time before people came outside to shop, but I guess I didn't..."

"Hn..."

There was a bit of an awkward silence after that. The raven-haired disciplinarian watched the girl fidget nervously with the item in her hand, which was too familiar. But it looked old, which he had to question. The event with the future happened recently, so why did the item she have looking like it was from ten years ago or something?

"Tsuna-san! I see the store there, desu!"

Both of them perked up by the name that was voiced out from not far away. They turned to the direction of the voice and was surprised with what they saw.

Haru was linking her arms with the brunet boy happily, which he smiled fondly back to her. The kids were around them, and the sight just made them seem so close. And watching that, Chrome felt the life drained out of her. She just couldn't believe what she was seeing. Emotions rushed out of her so quickly that she felt the need to broke right down there and sob loudly to her heart's consent, but she couldn't do that.

So, Chrome ran. Ran far from the scene that caused her heart to ache.

And in the process, the owl doll had fallen to the floor and away from her grasp.

. 9627 8627 .

Lambo was the first to notice the violet-haired girl. He saw her eyes dilating in surprise and pain that felt so similar to his pain from not long ago. He couldn't see Chrome crying like that and looking so broken with the expression of hers.

So he ran to her, ignoring the sounds of his friends that tried to call for him back.

. L 96 .

I seriously will try updating soon! If it wasn't for school, argh! AND THOSE COLLEGE APPS -_- ...!

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I'll try to get the next one in soon! Review and tell me what you think? :)
P.S. Did anyone go to the KBS concert in NJ? The one with the K-pop stars? :D

Thank you all for your support!