A/N: Gah. I have absolutely no idea why this chapter was such a pain to finish--but I finally managed to get it done in the end. It had been sitting on my computer for god knows how long, then put on my lj to see if I could find more inspiration from my f-list. I know that there are probably a lot of mistakes- and once I finish my exams and assignments, I'll be sure to come back and neaten up the chapter a bit. Or find a reliable beta.

I found a very interesting tidbit when doing some research for this story: Japan apparently has these yellow lines with brail on them(you have no idea how many awesome Blind!Hikaru fics there are) on the main streets and subways.

(I also apologize for the odd switch from "mama" and "papa" in the last chapter to "Kaa-chan" and "Tou-san" in this one. ...Mama and papa...it just sounded weird in this chapter, whereas their Japanese counterparts...fit...)

Dedicated to Momo-chan, whose b'day I forgot to make a present!fic for. And yes, I lack line breaks-- ff net killed them.

XXX

It had been almost a year since Tsuna had lost his sight. Things were slowly getting better, and slowly but surely, their life began to pick itself up and become right and normal again. It was almost like before- that, Nana could deal with. Still, there were the little things around the house that reminded her harshly of what had changed for good- the various books filled with brail (which she had never managed to learn herself), the off white lines along the walls that were similar to the yellow lines that covered the main streets and subways, odd little gadgets around the house.

They didn't stop Tsuna from tripping over his feet or bumping into inanimate objects though("Tsu-kun!WATCH OUT!" "UWAAAH!!" CRASH! BANG! "O-o-owww"). Tsuna might have been a bit accident prone before, but now--now, he was almost a walking disaster(though the doctor said in due time, he'd be able to find his way around without bumping into anything- so that was what Nana was hoping for). Almost. Because for some odd reason, he never managed to walk into anything that was living and breathing.

"Tsu-kun, you know I don't like you wearing sunglasses inside the house," Nana scolded as she set the dishes on the table. Her son sighed before reluctantly taking off his sunglasses and placing them on the table before he scrambled into his chair.

At the very least, Nana thought with relief, Tsu-kun's night terrors had completely vanished and he was slowly becoming the Tsu-kun before the incident. She smiled at her son across the table(for two again— Iemitsu had been called away to his job once more) and gave a small cheerful hum.

"Tsu-kun, how was school today?"

Tsuna looked up from his dinner and an odd look crossed his face before he smiled brightly(and had Nana been focusing on her son with her full attention, she would've noticed it was a little forced).

"It was good. Nakamura-sensei said I was making a lot of progress with learning brail recently," Tsuna began excitedly, "and Dr. Akiyama said that I was doing really well with my ph-ph-therapy and everything."

Nana smiled. Unlike the first doctor, Dr.Akiyama was much more pleasant and sympathetic to Tsuna's plight.

"Ne, 'Kaa-chan...when is 'Tou-san going to come home?" Tsuna's sudden question startled her out of her musings. There was an oddness to his voice as he began poking at his rice.

Nana brightened instantly at the thought of her handsome husband. She squealed and buried her face in her hands.

"Tou-san is coming home on Saturday. So I got the school to let you have a day off so you can welcome him home!"

She paused suddenly before adding as an after thought, "the lovely man that takes care of 'Tou-san all the time is coming to visit too. So, Tsu-kun, be on your best behavior!"

Tsuna sweated. "Ye-yes, Kaa-chan."

xxx

The Vongola mansion was a majestic place, with a rich elegance to it, one that could not be replicated by the flashy, quick to be gone riches of smaller crime lords. It's elegance wasn't so much to do with the high class, expensive items found in the mansion, but the soft aristocracy in the design, one that both intimidated and lulled people into a sense of security. It's peaceful, normal nature was a complete contrast to the bloody and blackened world the occupants delved themselves in.

Despite the peaceful and relaxing appearance at first glance, there was a certain tenseness to the peoples' walk, as if expected an attack to hit them at any time soon. In various sections of the mansion, coated people milled around aimlessly, projected illusions of unblemished surfaces, hiding away the destruction and damaged that had ravaged the mansion only a few weeks prior.

"Are you sure about this, Ninth?" Iemitsu questioned. Timeoto chuckled as they walked side by side down the soft carpeted hallways of the mansion. They moved soundlessly, despite Iemitsu's heavier gait and the older man's cane that tapped into the floor every now and then.

"I may no longer be as young as I used to be, but I'm pretty sure even after my short bout with the flu I can still manage to visit Japan for a short period of time."

"But with the cradle incident and the rival mafia families getting rest--" Iemitsu's protest was cut off by a simple wave of an elderly hand.

"Do not worry, Iemitsu. My flame still burns as strongly as it did so many years ago. I am still capable of defending myself from possible threats." Timeoto's tone was stubborn and Iemitsu knew better than to push the topic.

Kindly or not, Timeoto was the Ninth Gen. Boss of the Vongola Famiglia, Iemitsu knew how dangerous and frighteningly powerful the man could be. After all, working as the outside advisor, he knew the ins and outs of the Vongola better than almost anyone.

The man had proved that strength once again, when he took down Xanxus without much damage to himself—Xanxus, who had become the leader of the Varia and somehow managed to twist their loyalty to him and only him. Considering Xanxus's violent, vengeful and angry nature, Iemitsu still wasn't sure what compelled him to ask the Ninth to save him. The damage to the castle and the death toll would've been considerably less had the Ninth outright killed the ringleader.

"Of course, Ninth." Iemitsu murmured, inclining his head slightly in respect. The elderly man smiled, losing his sternness and pushed the conversation to a much more pleasant topic.

" Now, I believe you were telling me about young Tsunayoshi and your lovely wife Nana earlier on? I do want to know more about them before I actually visit them this weekend."

Iemitsu wasn't exactly pleased with Timeoto's refusal to discuss his condition or the Cradle Incident, but it wasn't often that people generally wanted to hear about his beautiful wife Nana(NANA-he felt giddy already just thinking about his wife) and his adorable son.

Xxx

Tsuna whined and buried his face into the back of his mother's skirt, attempting to block out the heavy buzz of noise that went on and on. The squeaky wheels of trolleys, bawling babies and other kids("BUT KAA-CHAN!! I WANT CANDY, NOOW!!" "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"), business men and women jabbering away half a mile a minute into their phones("No, you don't understand! That shipment had to have come in--" "I see, I see. So, I'll see you in New York at the Emerald Pavilion? Good, good. Get a cab there if you can't get a limo"), the crackly almost robotic voices over the intercoms(" Flight 147 will be delayed for two hours. We apologize for the inconvenience"), the heavy roar of the planes as they took off-- it was all almost too much for him to bear.

"Tsu-kun, be patient for another minute, okay? 'Tou-san will be out with his boss in a little while! There aren't any chairs, so I'm afraid will have to remain standing till they get out. I'll treat you to some candy later," Nana said in a distracted manner, scanning the crowds for a familiar face that always managed to tower over everyone else and gave Tsuna a light pat on the head. Tsuna pouted and continued to bury his face into her skirts in order to block out the noise(the smells weren't so bad, actually, so he didn't mind it).

It wasn't that he was tired, it was just that it was too noisy and it hurt his ears, he wanted to say. However, the thought of receiving candy later stopped him from complaining.

"There he is!" Nana cried in happiness, waving her hand madly to catch the attention of the tall, burly blond man who stuck out like a sore thumb over the milling crowd(who incidentally, where avoiding him like plague (strange, because he was in a suit for once and actually cleaned up).

"IEMITSU!" Nana called out, adoration colouring her voice. Tsuna blanched at the familiar tone and quickly took three steps back, away from her.

"NANA!" He called back, a silly lovesick grin on his face as he pushed his way through the crowd and gave his petite wife a sloppy kiss on the cheek, much to her delight(judging by the way she quickly buried her face into her hands and squealed with delight) and spun her around. Forgotten for the moment, Tsuna pulled a face. Ick. Lovesick parents kissing. Ick. Ick. Ick.

"Iemitsu, I don't believe you've introduced me yet."

A hearty chuckle caught his attention and disrupted his parents adoring, lovey-dovey words to each other. He turned and sucked in his breath. Every once in a while, he'd find a person who had a presence that seemed to shine in a certain colour. Even in, most people he met – their presence were always too weak or had a mix of other colours to it( sometimes, he could see a yellow colour to his 'Kaa-chan. But it came and went all the tine). This was the first time he had ever seen someone with an orange colour-- let alone such a strong and powerful one.

Shaking slightly, he took a couple of steps forward and went back to clutching his mother's skirts.

"Haha. Sorry, Ni-Timeoto-san. Timeoto, meet my lovely wife Nana." Iemitsu grinned, pushing his wife forward gently with a small pat on her back. Nana smiled brightly and bowed.

"It's such a pleasure to meet you, Timeoto-san. I've heard wonderful things about you. And I have to thank you for taking care of Iemitsu."

Iemitsu laughed. "Aww, Nana, don't say that."

Timeoto gave another hearty chuckle. " It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Nana-san. I don't see how someone like Iemitsu could managed to get such a lovely and beautiful wife like you. In my personal opinion, you are far too good for him."

Nana blushed, "o-oh, my..." and cupped her cheeks in embarrassment, while Iemitsu was torn between spluttering indignantly and praising the man for his good taste in recognizing beautiful, exceptional women.

Out of the corner of his eye, Timeoto spotted a spiky mass of hair hiding behind Nana's skirts. He crouched down to the child's level and smiled warmly.

"Well, who might you be, young one?"

"Tsu-kun, say hello to Timeoto-san," Nana persuaded, giving her child a gentle nudge to the elderly man's direction. Tsuna hesitated before taking half a step away from the protection of his mother and gave a short, clumsy childish bow to the man in front of him.

"H-h-hi" he muttered shyly, trying not the quail under the powerful presence.

"Hello, Tsunayoshi-kun," Timeoto smiled again.

And like a wave, the orange presence crashed down on him, shocking him to his very core with the sheer power it radiated. With a squeak, he ducked back behind his mothers legs, burying his face in her skirts. Timeoto looked startled and looked up at Nana and Iemitsu with a partially amused partially helpless look.

Nana laughed, "Don't be offended, Timeoto-san. Tsu-kun is just really shy around strangers."

Grinning himself, Iemitsu reached down behind his wife and hoisted his son onto his shoulders(who let out a surprised yelp before clinging to his head for dear life).

"Well, I think we've milled around here long enough--it's time to get home, isn't it?"

-- -

"Ni-Boss!" Iemitsu called from the doorway as he signed off the delivery. " The thing you ordered just arrived!" The crate wasn't anything special. Aside from the "FRAGILE!" and "HANDLE WITH CARE" labels that covered it, there was nothing unique about it at all. It was what that was inside the box that was important. Iemitsu was tempted to shake it up for fun, but figured there had to be something delicate inside if it was brought to the house in such a careful manner.

Curious, he lifted the crate up to his shoulders with ease and carried it to the kitchen, settling down onto the floor beside the table.

"Ah, I was waiting for my present for Tsunayoshi-kun to arrive." Timeto smiled, cutting off his story to the little bundle of joy he currently had on his lap. Tsuna, distracted peered at the crate with the same curiosity as his father, scrambled down and began poking it and tugging at the top.

Taking a break from Italy was really doing wonders to his health, Timeoto found out. The lack of mafia duties during his stay with Iemitsu certainly took a burden off his shoulders. Or maybe it was the cute little bundle called Tsuna who, after getting over his fear seemed to follow him around like a lost puppy. Which, ironically, was exactly inside the crate.

When Timeoto had found out the young boy had gone blind, he had been worried. If the boy couldn't see, then how would he protect himself from would be assassins? The answer came to him, when he spied the arcobalenos' familiars. He knew exactly what he could do to help.

"Ne...Ojii-san...is this present really for me?" Tsuna questioned, poking his fingers through the holes of the crate. Nana turned away from the sink and gasped.

"Tsu-kun! You shouldn't do things like--" A surprised yelp from Tsuna cut her off. The boy stumbled back, staring at his fingers in surprise. "Th-that tickled," he whined.

"Of course the present is for you," Timeoto laughed. "Go on, open it. Just push the top open."

At his prompting, the small boy scurried back over to the box and using all his strength and height, pushed the lid right off it. And was promptly attacked by a yipping fluffy ball of yellow, sending hims sprawled into the ground.

"H-hey! S-s-stop!" The boy burst into fits of giggles as the puppy pressed its wet nose against his face, nuzzling him and sniffling him, apparently investigating its new master. After a few minutes(much to the adults' amusement), Tsuna finally managed to stop his giggling fit to figure out what exactly his present was.

"Thank you, Timeoto-jiisan," Tsuna beamed as he held the puppy closer to his face.

The silky fur felt ticklish, soft and light against his face. Giggling again, Tsuna hugged the small, seemingly fragile puppy to his chest, delighting in the warm that enveloped him. In the distant part of his mind, he blurredly saw- or rather felt an orange glow surrounding the puppy, outlining its form. It was a bit like the glow that surrounded Timeoto-jiisan. But not quite as strong or as intimidating.

"Well, Tsu-kun? What are you going to name him?"

Tsuna thought about his answer for a bit as the puppy yipped happily and licked his face. He threaded his fingers through silky fur. It felt short and fluffy, a bit like a dandelion he was playing with earlier. A dandelion. Dandelions were suppose to be bouncy too, weren't they?

"Tanpopo,"he declared brightly.

"Well, not my first choice of name," Timeoto mused, as he knelt down to the child's level, patting the yellow fluff ball in Tsuna's small arms lightly on the head. Tanpopo yipped in acknowledgment before turning back to his new owner. who was fluffing its fur up. Timeoto chuckled.

"But certainly fitting enough."

Nana suddenly squealed and scuttled out of the room. Iemitsu stared at his lovely wife in confusion.

"Nana?" Just as quickly as she left, she raced back in, camera in hand.

" Tsu-kun looks so cute with Tanpopo-chan!" She cooed, snapping photos rapidly of the oblivious duo, one after another. Suddenly, she paused and turned to the two men with a bright smile.

"We should take a group photo so we can always remember this day!"

A couple of minutes of scurrying about and laughter before a bright flash appeared, followed by a simple photo immortalising a sweet, family moment. It would be one of the few things, Timeoto knew he would cherish above everything else- and be the only reminder of a happy, innocent time that he could no longer be apart of.

xxx

The smell of antiseptic, blood, sickness and death that constantly hung around the hospital made Tsuna ill. He really didn't like being in the hospital at all. It wasn't just the scents that no one else but him seemed to be able pick up but the constant quiet buzz of noise that gave him headaches that he never seemed to be able to shake off.

The beeping of machines, the crying, sobbing, the sounds of dying breaths, quiet mutterings of doctors- the noise just swirled around and pounded in his head relentlessly. He hated it. He just wanted it to stop. He rubbed at his eyes. Still, he comforted himself with the knowledge it was never as bad as airports or train stations.

Pouting and lost in his thoughts, he didn't take care to watch his step till he crashed into another kid.

"Ooof!"

"Ah!"

The two children fell to the ground, rubbing their foreheads in an almost identical manner.

"Ow, hey...are you okay?" The other kid was the first to recover, and he scrambled to his feet before extending his good arm out to help.

"...yes, I-I'm okay," Tsuna stammered, not noticing the hand that was held out to him. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry for bumping into you." He nearly wailed.

"Ahaha, no worries. You didn't do it on purpose!"

The boy's cheerful smile faltered slightly when Tsuna didn't take his hand but he didn't drop his arm- instead he reached out and pulled the boy to his feet. Laughing, he helped brushed the dirt off the other more flustered boy.

"My name's Yamamoto Takeshi, you can call me Takeshi- what's yours?" The taller boy(it was now more obvious as both were standing up side by side) asked. Tsuna tilted his head upward, looking up with pale, blank irises in confusion. Had Takeshi been anyone else, he would have gasped in shock- instead, he took it in stride(it certainly explained why the smaller boy hadn't taken his hand- blind people couldn't see after all)

Why would someone want to know his name? He hesitated before giving his own name. "T-Tsuna." There. He had given his name to this strange boy who was oddly friendly and cheerful. Now what?

"Tsuna," Yamamoto Takeshi repeated before brightening again and dragged the boy along with him. "Do you want to learn how to play baseball?"

"Wh-what? I don't really think I can learn..."Tsuna squeaked, stumbling after the energetic boy, trying to ignore the feelings of happiness and acceptance bubbling up inside his chest. Takeshi-kun probably only felt sorry for him- Tsuna doubted someone like Takeshi-kun who was obviously cheerful, popular and probably someone with lots of friends would want to talk to "No Good Tsuna".

"Haha, anyone can learn how to play baseball- but that's okay. You can be my arms 'cuz I sprained my wrist and I'm not suppose to play baseball in that time- and I'll be your eyes!" Takeshi laughed. "It'll be really fun- I don't want to keep off baseball for too long!"

"B-but..."

"Sides, this is what friends do for each other! And we're friends now, right?" Takeshi-kun cut him off, still smiling.

Tsuna stared in shock, before smiling back.

"Un."

Friends. That sounded...nice. He really liked Takeshi-kun. He was cheerful, friendly and really nice.

It wasn't till they parted ways as the sun went down that Tsuna realized something very important. When Takeshi-kun was teaching him to play baseball(it was a complete and utter failure, but they had fun anyway), Tsuna could've sworn Takeshi-kun's presence was burning a bright, pleasant blue- unlike anyone else he had ever encountered.

Xxx

(I wasn't going to add this scene into the original version at first-- but people seemed to like it so it's here for fun. It wont be an actual part of the story, since Tsuna's personality differs a little too much)

Creaking of chains to his right meant that the swings were nearby. Eagerly, he ran towards them, not noticing how his loose shoe laces flicked against his legs till he tripped wonderfully onto the hard pavement.

He lay there for a few moments, his breathing harsh and loud, and tried to regain his bearings.

"Hey, are you alright?" A tall teenager(or man? He couldn't tell) asked as he made his way over to the small boy sprawled on the footpath, who was struggling to pull himself up.

Tsuna whimpered quietly as he clutched his bleeding knee and nodded at the question. A fiery burning sensation ran up his knee and the sharp metallic scent of blood stung his sensitive nose. Tears prickled at his eyes and he blinked rapidly to stop himself from crying.

"Here, let me help you." Strong arms gently encircled themselves around him, sliding under his knees and arms and Tsuna found himself lifted into the air. He felt a moment of fear when the man stumbled, but the feeling quickly faded when he found himself gently placed on a nearby bench.

The teenager laughed nervously, "close call, eh?" and rummaged through something(his bag? Coat pockets? Tsuna couldn't tell). He gave a small triumphant "aha" and pulled out small box that rattled when he shook it.

He felt the teenager gently wipe at his knee with a wet handkerchief before sticking a bandage on it. The teenager laughed and patted him on his head before tying up his loose shoelaces.

"Be careful with your shoelaces next time. All better now?" Tsuna sniffled once more and rubbed at his eyes before nodding. The bench moved slightly as the teenager plopped himself next to him.

"Thank you," he mumbled looking down at his knees. The teenager laughed again, ruffling his already messy hair.

"It was nothing. What's your name? I'm Dino." Tsuna looked up and gave a shy smile.

"I-I'm Tsuna." Suddenly, he frowned in contemplation. "Why do you speak funny?"

Dino grinned and carefully made sure not to make a big fuss about the kid's cloudy eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

Tsuna tilted his head to one side. "You have a funny ac-"He paused, trying to remember what the word was. "You have a funny accent! It doesn't sound right!"

Dino sweated slightly before deciding to play along.

"I do not! And it does sound right!" He protested in mock anger. Tsuna nodded vigorously.

"You do sound funny and it doesn't sound right! You pronounce things funny- like wrong- and and and and," Tsuna paused dramatically " you don't sound like anyone I know! Ne, ne, ne you're a gaijin, right?"

He had an odd triumphant look on his face that only a child could pull off. It was as if he had found out the secret to the universe.

"Yeah, I am. How'd you figure that out?" Dino couldn't help but laugh. Tsuna opened his mouth to ask another question, but was cut off by another voice.

"Tsu-kun! Time to go and pick up your daddy and his boss from the airport!" Dino looked up to see a young woman, no older than twenty five who bore a striking resemblance to the boy beside him. Tsuna beamed and jumped off the bench, forgetting about the conversation with the ease of a child who had a short attention span.

"Bye mister Dino!" Tsuna shouted over his shoulder and waved as he ran over to his mother. Dino smiled and waved back, forgetting that the kid couldn't even see it.

What a cute kid. It was nice to see such cute kids still running around- Dino hoped he could meet the kid again. And for some odd reason, he knew he would.

"Oi. Greenhorn!" Was the only warning Dino got before he was roughly kicked to the ground.

"R-Reborn!"He stammered. Oh shit.

"I don't think I ever said you could play around like the kid you are." A click of a gun, followed by a menacing smile.

"HIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE--EEEK!"

Xxx

Ffnet is a pain. It killed my formatting.

Does anyone want actual, factual information about why Tsuna is blind? I went out and did a lot of research, but I didn't want to include it in this chapter because I thought it would be a bit odd. Cookies to the first person who can guess which of Tsuna's abilities are developing early. I was really, really obvious about it. xD

Next chapter, another time skip-- finally, Reborn can come into the picture!

Oh and I'm changing the name of Even in Dark, There is Light to "Cloudy Eyes"- just so people know.