A/N: Okay, before I get the first degree lecture about posting another story, I WILL update ALL my stories this week so no harm, no foul. I just can't let this plot escape my grasp and it will stay in my head, haunting my dreams xD

Give 5996 pairing a chance! Let's make it a movement! Yeah!

This is placed in an AU universe and expect some mild OOC to incorporate with the story. If there were any previous story with similar plot then it's a coincidence and unintentional.

Warning: Language, blood, violence, adult situations

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from KHR!

On the Sightless Path We Walk

Snow fell slowly at the business district of Namimori City. People were busy bustling through the streets as chilly air breezed through their thick clothing. Children and teenagers alike awed at the colourful displays placed behind the frosted glass of shops. Several people stared at a sleek black limousine that drove on the streets. It looked so out of place among the other cars that were usually mini vans and outdated cars that were meant for suburban families. The limo stopped as the stoplight blinked red and a tap from a divider was heard before the driver pushed down the button that controlled the divider and looked at the rear view mirror.

"Yes Madam?" he asked with his brown eyes peering under the dark tinted sunglasses.

A woman wearing a thick minx coat played with a lock of her long purple hair while sitting languidly on her seat asked, "What time is the concert again? The sooner I get out of this disgusting rat's nest, the sooner we could go home to Italia" she sneered as she watched several street urchins taking a closer look at the car before they were shooed away by a policeman.

"Uh, tomorrow at seven to nine in the evening Madam. The mayor also wants to meet you before the concert to extend his gratitude personally."

The woman scoffed as she grabbed a bottle of Merlot from a bucket filled with ice and sloshed a decent amount into her personal flute glass, drinking it slowly, "I'd never thought I would be even be back in this hell hole. Tch, that overweight face ache just wants to have that meeting so that the public will see that I 'support' him. No matter, give me the phone, I want to talk to my daughter"

"Yes ma'am"

-•-

"Get them!"

A teenager wearing a dark blue bonnet ran through the narrow alleyways. His breath came out as thick puffs of smoke and his thin sweater clung loosely around his frame. Behind him was another teenager, taller and the lower half of his face was covered with a tattered scarf. He gazed back to see several boys a bit older than them waving a wooden staff, narrowing the gap between them.

Yamamoto called out to Gokudera who gave a thumb's up before he took a sharp turn on the right. The tanned teen followed the suit and within moments, the people chasing them had already run past them as they hid behind one of the wooden barrels. Gokudera cursed under his breath and wiped away the snow that piled on top of his shoulders, "Fucking assholes, if I hadn't left my bombs back at the hideout, I would've-"

"Well at least we got away from them scott-free" Yamamoto answered as he placed a hand on his knee with a cheerful grin, not minding the fact they were chased for half an hour by thugs who got ticked off by Gokudera's brash attitude. Gokudera just spat on the ground and began to walk to the alleys that lead to Namimori City's most poverty-driven area, Downtown Namimori - East.

A tiny house with two tires to hold down the makeshift roof was heated by a small fire on the fireplace with a cast-out iron pot on top of it. A seventeen year old boy with bushy hair coughed a bit before grabbing a piece of wood from the box and fed it to the fire. The door opened and the boy sighed in relief to find it was Gokudera and Yamamoto.

Gokudera took in Tsuna's grateful smile despite the bruises and tears on his clothes. He took out a paper bag under his jacket and passed it to Tsuna, "Here boss, Shamal-jii wants to give this to you. He sends his regards and promised to come here as soon as he can"

Tsuna nodded and opened the paper bag to reveal a bento box that was still warm despite the cold weather. A large smile appeared on his face as he opened the lunchbox to see a homemade meal, something he hadn't eaten for months. He automatically urged Yamamoto and Gokudera to sit and share with him but the both declined. Yamamoto said he already ate an energy bar he had stocked in his place while Gokudera pressed that he deserves it more. Yes, Sawada Tsunayoshi was not born in poverty, neither did Yamamoto. He was another story. Such as the story of an underground mafia family.

"What did Shamal-san say?" Tsuna asked as he swallowed a large helping of rice, bits of food sticking on his cheeks. "As of now, the Tomaso and Chavallone family are appealing our case to the High Council. Shamal said he will find as much information as he could before coming here" Gokudera answered. He hadn't touched the soup Tsuna had made; not that it wasn't good but the thought of eating something that was meant for someone else leaves a bad taste in his mouth. He's part of a mafia but he's no thief. Even if it's offered to him.

Yamamoto rubbed his hands together as he placed his scarf at the back of his chair, "I'm sure Shamal-san will give us good news."

Tsuna grinned weakly before he cleaned his meal and sat on an old moldy mattress that served as his bed and bid them goodnight. Yamamoto returned the greeting to him as well while Gokudera went out for a smoke.

He took off his dark blue bonnet to reveal his shoulder length dark silver hair. Gokudera took out a box of cigarettes and shook it to reveal a single drag, his last one. He took a deep breath before he grabbed his lighter from his pocket and lit the butt and took a long drag. The smoke curled around him like ribbons before they were carried off by the night air and to the sky where the stars shone like little gems. Once upon a time he watched those very same stars on the roof of the mansion they were staying, only within moments the incident happened. An incident that shattered their lives.

A shrill of a phone echoed through the large suite of the lavish Namimori Heights Hotel. The cream coloured room bordered with gold paint and exquisite silk sheets was the only sight the indigo haired girl in a petite stature could see. She hopped away from the window sill where she was leaning and answered the phone. The bell-like voice of her mother entered the other line.

"Nagi, did anyone call yet?"

"No, not yet mother"

"Good. No one gets in or out of the room you understand? Not even room service or cleaning ladies."

"But mother I haven't eaten-"

"Then just eat whatever you brought with you!" her mother impatiently said, "I will not have a five hundred US dollar dinner in my bill for a plate of foie gras!"

Then she clicked off the phone.

Tsubame Nagi stared at the phone sadly before placing it back to its cradle. If her mother even pays attention to her, she might have known that Nagi hates foie gras or any of the stuff in the mini fridge. The only thing her mother touches in her hotel rooms was the wine in the mini bar. Don't get her wrong, her mother's not a raging alcoholic but when she turns into one when she gets too stressed out.

"It looks like I will have to eat Godiva chocolates for dinner again" she sighed as she took her bag and got a large box of chocolates. The first level was already empty and so was the half of the second one, both her lunch and dinner from yesterday.

With her mother raking millions every day, she could at least give her daughter some money for food only to find she was so stingy. The girl gave another sigh and unwrapped the golden foil from the chocolate and turned on the television.

"-and in other news, headliner Tsubame Miyoko confirmed her concert will push through in Namimori City even with yakuza activity is at its high. Sasagawa Kyoko was on the scene, Kyoko?"

The camera shifted to a girl with dark orange hair wearing earmuffs and a coat as she held on the microphone with shaking gloves, "That's right Aoki-san, Tsubame Miyoko called in a press conference earlier and reassured fans and guests that she will continue the concert. The mayor Takeba Hiro has phoned in and said he will personally meet with the singer tomorrow before the concert and the media are invited as well." Under the reporter's frame was a smaller one that had a label "Recorded Earlier", shows a woman with her shades on walked through the mob of paparazzi and fans alike. Nagi watched hundreds of girls and boys push each other to get an autograph or a glimpse of her mother but she just shrugged them off before retreating to her limousine.

Nagi gingerly licked the melted chocolate off of her fingers as she changed the channel. A catchy music was on and a bubbly woman with short chestnut hair greeted the audience, "Konnbawa minna-san! This is Haru's Interview Show! Tonight's guest is considered one of the geniuses of the century! Please give a warm welcome to Spanner!" The crowd cheered as a young man with blond hair entered the stage with a lollipop in his mouth. "Aaaand his assistant Irie Shouichi!"

A red haired teen with freckles on his face staggered on the stage as well and a considerable amount of clapping was ceased. Nagi giggled a bit as she watched the host, Haru began to appear in crazy costumes and even berated some of the audience who booed whenever Irie talked. The lock on the door clicked suddenly that she stood up and spun around, forgetting that the chocolates were on her lap that now lay on the carpeted floor.

Miyoko entered with her thick coat on her arm and her hair falling into wavy cascades. She pulled off her shades and gave a distasteful look at her surroundings, "Keh, I said I didn't want anyone in here but with the mess you've made- tsk, clean that up and get back into your room."

Nagi scrambled to clean the box of chocolates and straightened the line of pillows on the sofa. Other than that, the room was immaculate. She was about to bid her mother the usual soft goodnight before Miyoko interrupted her.

"Make sure to clean up and wear something good tomorrow. You're coming with me to meet the mayor."

"E-eh?" She was surprised; her mother never invited her to come along basically anywhere in public. Heck, she even came in Japan in a different airline only to be picked up by the hotel staff with her name on a plaque. "I will introduce you to the public and remember; I will do all the talking. You are not to speak to anyone, don't even look at them without my permission. Understood?"

"Yes mother" came her meek tone. A ruthless order but it made her happy nonetheless. A day with her mother in public, a dream come true.

The next day came with Nagi being rudely woken by a loud knock on the door. She stumbled to answer it, still half-awake to see her mother in her robes and her hair covered in numerous rollers.

"Let me see the clothes you have" she ordered.

The girl fixed her night wear and walked to the closet and opened it to reveal only five shirts and mostly skirts and pants. The only thing formal there was a pale blue dress that will be acceptable when strolling in the park. Miyoko clicked her tongue in disparagement and took out her cellphone, "Hello Naru-sensei? Yes, it's been so long. I have an emergency here. Yes, fashion-wise, can we meet with you as soon as possible? Lovely." She snapped the phone shut and crossed her arms as if to study her daughter before she walked out and said "Clean up, we'll be going to meet someone at Namimori avenue. And keep your eyes open, I hear those disgusting mafia members were prowling about on the streets."

The trip to her mother's... friend was anything but a fun experience for the girl. She saw a lot of people dressed in thin clothing and several children were walking barefooted on the snow. Her heart ached at the sight of several urchins asking for alms only to be chased away. She would love nothing more than to give her earmuffs and expensive-than-it's-really-worth coat to the children but her mother was hovering over her like a vulture.

As the car stopped by the curb, a group of teenagers walked past the limo and looked at it for a moment before their driver; Iwagari lowered the window and told them to get lost. A teenager, who looks as if he's in the same age as Nagi made a rude gesture that made Miyoko gasp and spouted curses at the man. Nagi tentatively lowered her own window without Miyoko's knowledge due to her shock and saw the boy's face clearly. He was wearing a dark blue bonnet with a grungy sweater and ripped jeans plus a pair of worn out sneakers. He was held back by his two companions; a taller teenager with spiky black hair held him by the shoulders while the shortest one with unruly bushy brown hair was trying to talk him down, only to fail miserably. The stoplight turned to green so Iwagari immediately closed the window and urged Nagi to do the same. The teen turned to look at her and she manages to get a glimpse of his pale face and his striking light green eyes before the window was pulled up by Iwagari.

"Don't gawk at them" Miyoko suddenly spoke, seemingly getting over her initial shock at being flipped off by a stranger. "Ruffians like that have no ambitions in life and if they all die, the world would be a much better place."

Now, Nagi loves her mother even if it looks as if the feeling wasn't mutual but it was a bit rich of her mother to call them scum just by judging them on how they look. It wasn't their fault if they were brought up in such an environment. She looked at the dingy houses as they sped by and saw a group of people with odd hairstyles, carrying what looks to be like aluminum baseball bats and leered at their direction. Nagi cringed and slid closer to her mother who was busy fixing her hair and retouching her makeup.

The limo stopped in front of a complex painted in eggshell white. Numerous windows had their blinds drawn down and white smoke came from one of the pipes. Miyoko snapped her fingers and Iwagari scrambled out of his seat to open her door with an umbrella as it started to snow again. Nagi slid out of the car and held out her hand to catch a snowflake. She smiled to herself before Miyoko yelled at her to hurry up.

"Miyoko you're as elegant as ever! And this has to be your daughter~!"

A platinum blond middle aged woman walked around Nagi with a tape measure in her hands, "She got her hair and eye color from you! But that pretty face surely came from her-"

"Let's get it done with it Naru-sensei. I have an appointment by six and I want her to look presentable enough to stand by my side."

Naru nodded and began to measure everything from her height to her chest (to her embarrassment), then to her waist and lastly her thighs. The woman then took out fabrics of different colors and held them next t her face and started to speak to herself increasingly. Things like-

"Hmmm, pink looks drabby on you"

"Darker tones of blue is suitable but more for evening wear"

"Yellow, no. Lime green, definitely not. Lavender, maybe but not for this occasion. Red emits too much of the 'come hither' aura.

Finally, she picked the safest color; black to contrast with her skin and 'really made her eyes pop'. And drafted out a design which she only showed the uninterested Miyoko the final product before it was sentenced as "Passable" Naru assured them that the dress will be ready to be picked up by three thirty. Miyoko wrote a check for the woman and told Nagi to go back to the hotel and pick it up by four before going to the concert grounds to meet with her and the mayor.

Naru watched from her window the retreating form of Miyoko back to her limousine while Nagi was forced to stand on the waiting shed and wait for a cab to drive by. "Poor girl," she whispered.

Iwagari slid on to the driver's seat and ignited the engine. He looked at the side mirror and watched the girl look at the empty streets with worried eyes, "Madam," he started "It would be no trouble if I would just fetch Nagi-sama to the hotel and back-"

"Iwagari you have no children do you?" she asked in a rhetorical manner "When I was a teenager my mother didn't give a shit about me and do you know where I am today? I am now living in luxury and my mother now worships the dirt I step on, pity I don't recognize her as my parent anymore. We're living in a cruel world Iwagari; and it's not obligated to be kind to sixteen year olds who can't even stand on their own."

The man was silent before he slowly stepped on the gas pedal and took one more look at the teenager before driving the songstress to the concert grounds.

Somewhere in Downtown Namimori - East

"You shouldn't have done that Gokudera-kun" Tsuna gently berated as they walked through the streets. Gokudera huffed and pocketed his fists, "Well they shouldn't have treated us like dogs! It's not like we're gonna take that car away from them."

"Maybe they're just uncomfortable with us. We did stare at the car a bit too long" Yamamoto reasoned out before they entered a small nabe shop. A man wearing a white apron gave them a smile and welcomed them in though hesitantly. "I didn't know they hired a new employee" Tsuna said as they sat down in a booth. Gokudera sighed and stared through the thin rice paper of the door panel to see figures from other booths sitting in the exact same position.

The young man walked towards them and took a note on their shoes; Gokudera's worn sneakers, Tsuna's old school loafers whose stitches were now loose and Yamamoto's wooden gentas. He cringed at their appearance and decided to give them a proper warning; so he went into their booth and cleared his throat. They were just teenagers after all and the only one who looked dangerous was the guy with a bonnet. The one with the scarf looks understanding and the smallest one will be as dangerous as a puppy.

"We would just want to clear out that we have a 'No Credit' policy and if you can't pay I'm afraid you have to wash the dishes for a given time allotted by the owner." Tsuna's jaw dropped while Yamamoto looked mildly surprised. Gokudera on the other hand, calmly stood up and walked out of the booth to stand in front of the middle aged man. Tsuna hold on to Gokudera's jacket but he fell on the tatami mat instead.

"What did you just say?" he asked softly, acid dripped from every word that made the man's heartbeat jump fast.

"What is goin' on here ya chicken shit? Orders are pilling in the kitchen!" the rough voice of a woman came behind them. A portly woman whose mousy brown hair tied into a tight bun placed her hands on her hips and barked at her employee, "Juuko, what the hell are you doin? I ain't paying you shit for looking like a fucking moron!" Several customers poked their heads from their respective booths to see what was happening.

Tsuna took a look at the customers and understood why the man called them out. The others were business men and some looked well-off with their shined shoes and suits. The woman grunted as the man explained before he pointed at them. The owner's face brightened significantly and gave Tsuna a crushing hug, "Oh jyuundaime! It's been a long time! I thought you've lost your taste for nabe!"

Tsuna nervously laughed and hoped the woman wouldn't take offense as he tried to push her away from him. Her hair smelled like mushrooms and beef stock and he could really feel the grease from her apron to the front of his clothes.

The man looked as if someone killed his family right in front of him. He spouted incoherent nonsense as Gokudera grabbed the front of his shirt and held a fist in front of him, "Look deepshit, you insult me, I'll beat you up. Insult the jyuundaime, you'll be begging for me to kill you!"

Before the man's sweat could even drip from his face, Gokudera's fist was replaced by his employer's meaty fists, "You stupid moron! You bad-mouthed the jyuundaime?! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't mince and serve you as a dumpling?" she roared.

"I-it's alright Kotoke-san! He didn't mean to!" Tsuna yelped as he saw the man fainting right then and there. Kotoke let the man go and reduced into a heap before she wiped her hands on her apron and gave a wide smile to him, "Well regardless of that Jyuundaime, my door is always opened to you and your guys. Now... the usual yosenabe?"

Tsuna nodded enthusiastically as Kotoke called several other workers to drag the man back in the kitchens. Gokudera returned to his seat, his mood still foul while Yamamoto tried to change the topic and talked about the gathering that will happen that night.

"I heard there would be a brawl between the Ignancie family and Moriveria family" he said. Tsuna looked up in alarm and turned to Yamamoto, "B-but why?! Did something happen?" Yamamoto leaned in and cupped his mouth, "I don't know if it's true but some rumors say that Roderiko Ignancie killed the boss of Moriveria now the son and next in line to be boss of Moriveria, Adriano, wants revenge and demanded compensation."

Tsuna groaned as he leaned on the wood panel with his hand on his face, "If we weren't in this mess, nothing like this would happen!"

Gokudera frowned and folded his hands on the table, "None of it was your fault jyuundaime. As soon as the claims have been sorted out, Vongola would be back on top of the food chain again. I promise."

A/N: Well that's it for now.

Yech, I hate foie gras. Nasty little things but hey, some enjoyed them. But I adore Godivas; I could just devour a whole box in one sitting xP

Oh and shameless request but if anyone can draw a good cover for this I would be most grateful! I haven't touch a pencil in a long time and I'm afraid I'm getting rusty.

Questions? Suggestions? Comments? Feel free to review and I will get back to you as soon as possible! Please be honest but no flames ok? Bye for now~!