Oh, wow. It's been awhile, hasn't it? I hope you all enjoy. Also, this will be a two-shot. Not sure when the next part will be out. I am still a student and therefore don't have much time. This was inspired, mostly, by Takigawa's explanation of Lin's eye colors in the newest chapter of the manga. I hope everyone enjoys. Please remember to review. Also, this timeline is after the canon and within the same universe as "Conversations", "Siblings", and "Future". None of those have taken place at this point. If you have read "Ghost Ship" then you may recognize a certain character even though they do not make an appearance at this point.

Lin Koujo was not a vain man. Perhaps that was why it had never truly bothered him that his right eye was a different color than his left. He had been born with a light blue right eye and normal grey left eye. His mother had told him, after he had asked why his eyes seemed to be different than his peers, that he was special. Nearly thirty years later he had to wonder if she was saying that because she believed it or because she, like everyone else he had met outside of his current job, was uncomfortable with the subject of his bi-chromatic eyes. He found, even now, he was unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

His different colored eyes had never bothered him. He had never seen the need to judge someone based on their physical outward appearance. Indeed, the only reason he kept his bangs long over the right side of his face was because he had become tired of being stared at once it was revealed his eyes were different colors. The staring did not bother him in the way it would bother others but it irritated him all the same. He was a powerful onmyouji who could easily control shiki and have them help when needed. He did not have time for people he had never met to just sit and stare at him because he had been born with a blue eye and a grey eye.

Gene had been one of the ones who had outright stared him when they first met as Lin had not yet decided to grow his bangs to hide the different eye. Gene had then proceeded to tell him, in a voice that Lin now understood to be a mocking imitation of Noll's know-it-all voice, that it was believed people who possessed blue eyes were more open to the spirit world and capable of spiritual communication. Lin had been unable to bring himself to tell the eight-year old, newly adopted, Gene that he had already been aware of the theory. Instead, he had just nodded in agreement.

Noll's reaction, as to be expected, was completely opposite of his brothers. The younger twin had studied him for a moment at their meeting before turning away. The end. Noll had never brought up his eye color. Lin had the distinct feeling it would never be brought up and for that he was thankful.

Mai had been an altogether different reaction than the twins. It had been shortly after the Urado case that Mai had discovered his eyes were different colors. He had not been hiding it from the teenager. Before the Urado case he had simply made so they did not cross paths frequently and even had refused her tea on several occasions to keep their interactions at a bare minimum. After their discussion in that awful house, however, he had tried to be more welcoming in their interactions. It was a normal day when she had walked in with his tea that she had found him rubbing his forehead above his right eye as he tried to fight off a migraine. He glanced at her and her intake of breath had told him she had seen. He had just stared at her, with her staring back, before she smiled at him while telling him that his blue eye was a lovely shade. He had just stared, slack-jawed, as she set his tea down before leaving his office. His tea had grown cold by the time he'd managed to pull himself from his stupor.

Only one other person had told him the other eye was beautiful. Madoka. Lin had met her after he had been hired by Martin Davis to teach Noll how to control his powers. Lin had only been seventeen at the time but he and his mother had lived in London for three years prior to him being contacted by the well-known paranormal researcher. He had met Madoka in the most predictable manner if one knew how alike she and Mai were. She had landed on him after falling down the stairs of the Davis home.

His back had been turned towards the stairs, as Gene had been the first one to greet him even though Lin was sure the boy had been told not to open the door by himself when the screech had met his ears. He thought Gene had tried to warn him as he turned to look only for a mass of magenta hair and flailing limbs to knock him to the ground as he landed on his back with a loud thump. He had stared in shock at the woman that had landed on top of him as she grinned down at him breathing hard. It had been obvious she had noticed his different eye color that moment as she had told him exactly what Mai had told him. She thought his blue eye was beautiful. It had been then that Noll, though he hadn't been introduced to him yet, had dragged the woman off as he demanded to know why she had taken something from him. Lin had still been too stunned by being knocked to the ground, and the compliment, to understand what she had done to the boy. That was Lin's first meeting with Mori Madoka. His back still ached during the colder parts of winter.

Lin had never been bothered by the fact his eyes were two different colors. That was until he woke up one day, after spending the night with Madoka in her hotel that she was staying in as she visited to check on Noll for Luella, to realize he could not see out of his right eye. He had blinked a few times believing it to only be a fluke that he couldn't see immediately. After realizing that was not working, Lin had sat up as he rubbed his eye while wondering what was going on. He had glanced up as Madoka entered the bedroom from the bathroom while drying her hair only to freeze when she saw the way he had his hand over his eye.

"What's wrong?" she had asked.

"I'm not sure. I can't see out of my right eye." he told her. Her eyes had gone wide and she moved over to him and pulled his hand away. She had proceeded to push his bangs up only for her eyes to widen even more.

"It's almost white, Lin. We need to get you to the doctor. Now. Get dressed. I...I'll call Noll." she whispered. He had watched her leave the room before looking down at his hands as they rested in his lap. He had only closed his eyes as he wondered if he should have seen such a scenario creeping upon him. It was also well-know that people with light blue eyes, such as the one he possessed, were more prone to blindness. He supposed there had always been a part of him that had hoped, after twenty-nine years, he would not suffer that fate.

It had been confirmed by the doctor Madoka had dragged him to see after she'd discovered the drastic color change of his eye. He had gone completely blind in his right eye. Madoka had asked, pleaded really with the tone of voice she had been using, if there was any way to repair the damage. The doctor had been sympathetic when he told them that all of the nerve endings in Lin's eye had basically died.

In the end, Lin did not mind being partially blind as Noll, and Martin, were convinced he could still do his job well. At least, Lin had not minded until Madoka had informed him of his impending fatherhood in front everyone involved with the Japanese SPR. He had felt as though he had been tackled to the floor again as she fell from the stairs. The first thing he had thought about, after getting over the shock, was that he didn't know a thing about being a father. The second thing he had thought was that he was overjoyed even though he did not show it in the same manner as the rest of his friends when they realized he was to be a father after Madoka's bombshell news. The third, and darkest, thought came four months later in the middle of the night after a particularly stressful visit with Madoka's doctor in England.

Lin sighed as he continued to stare out at London from the balcony of the apartment he owned. He had debated selling it several times as he stayed in Japan but was glad he hadn't. He knew his time in Japan was coming to a close. Noll and Mai were to wed in only a few weeks, Luella wasn't letting anyone at the London office forget, and his presence was becoming needed less and less. He didn't mind the change in role as he preferred London to Japan and all who knew him knew why. That did not mean he was adverse to dropping in, on occasion, to see how the office was doing. He knew he would be doing so if only because Madoka would not be able to resist going to tease her former student at least once a year.

It was as he thought of Noll and Mai marrying, and undoubtedly starting their own family, that what he was trying to avoid thinking about crept into his thoughts. His unborn son. Madoka's obstetrician knew of his blind eye, it had been the first thing they told the woman when she'd asked if they had any health problems they were worried about, and had even asked him to have bloodwork done so she could attempt isolate what might have caused the blindness. The lab had isolated, according to her, three separate genes that could be the culprit behind his blindness. She had revealed that the baby also carried those genes after an amniocentesis had been performed. The look on Madoka's face would be burned into his memory. The horrified look, the suppressed tears, and the way as she covered her stomach protectively. And it was all his fault that their son was more than likely going to be born blind.

"Lin, what are you doing out here? It is freezing not to mention the middle of the night! And you don't even have a shirt on! Get in here before you make yourself sick!" he turned to see that Madoka was glaring at him from where she stood at the sliding door that led out to the balcony. When he didn't move soon enough for her she moved out onto the balcony, grabbed his arm, and dragged him back into the dim apartment. He watched as she shut the door and turned on the overhead light before turning to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Why were you out there?" she asked again.

"It's nothing, Madoka. You should be asleep. You had a long day." he told her. She huffed as she crossed her arms while glaring at him.

"I'll cut to the chase: I don't believe you. People that don't know you might believe you but not me. You've been acting oddly ever since we left the doctor's office. I'm your partner, Koujo, don't shut me out." she pleaded. He studied her for a moment before moving to stand in front of her. He felt her tense slightly as he reached out to place his hands on her stomach. He could feel his child kick against his hand almost as though his son knew who he was.

"Our son is going to be born blind, Madoka. He will never be able to see this world because I, for some reason, have defective genes. I...I have doomed him." he told her. He blinked as her knuckles gently met his forehead. He looked up to meet her eyes to see she was looking at him exasperated.

"That is not what the doctor said, Koujo. She said it was a possibility. Yes, it is much stronger now that we know he could possibly be carrying one of the genes that caused you to lose your sight in your right eye. But she also said the test, the one to isolate the genes based on the symptoms, is not a hundred percent reliable. She said there is still the possibility we will have a perfectly healthy, happy baby boy." she told him. He looked away from her gaze to stare out the glass sliding door. He found her words did not help relieve the guilt that he felt at the fact if his son was born blind then it was his fault. He had provided the defective genes.

"And if he is born blind? Then what, Madoka? I am the one to blame. I am the one who will pass that trait on to him." he asked. He felt her hands on his cheeks as she turned his face towards her. She had a gentle smile on her face as she studied his gaze.

"Then we will do everything we can to give him his best chance. He will have the most amazing support group there is out there. Do you honestly think that Dr. Davis, Luella, Noll, Mai, and everyone at the British and Japanese offices won't do everything they can to support him? Blind or not our son is one of the luckiest people in the world because of the support he has. Don't ever think that you've taken something away from him if he's born blind." she whispered. He moved so his forehead was resting against hers and she could see both his eyes, grey and blue. Seeing and unseeing. Anguish reflected in one and the other blank.

"Madoka, how can you be so optimistic? The chances of him being born blind are much higher than him being born without eye complications. I looked at the charts the doctor showed us. I know, realistically, that our son will be born blind. And even if he isn't blind at birth, the chances are even higher that he will go blind before he reaches adolescence." he told her. She nodded before leaning forward to gently press he lips against his for a moment.

"You're right, Koujo. You're right. But let me ask you something. If our son is born blind or goes blind later on in life, will you love him any less?" she whispered. He tensed before pulling away with a horrified look on his face.

"Of course not! How could you ask such a thing, Madoka?!" he demanded of her. She smiled at him before pulling his face back down.

"Because that is all that matters don't you think? That you'll love him no matter what. We'll both love him no matter what." she responded. He studied her for a moment then nodded with a soft smile.

"No matter what."

"Daddy?"

"What is it, Deshi?"

"Why is everything black?"

Please remember to review. I will try to get the next part out as soon as possibly so don't worry since this is already marked as complete.