AN: Happy New Year! Next chapter is here and hope you guys like it. Like always, reviews and comments are appreciated. I want to know how to improve the story. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

Previously

"Then the doctors aren't good enough. Misa-nee will walk again. I promised her." Tsuna determinedly stated.

"That's right! We'll make her better! If these doctors aren't good, then we'll find better ones!" Emilia exclaimed followed by murmurs of agreement.

"All right then, Dex and Alex do a worldwide search for anyone that specializes in cases like this. They don't have to be doctors; they just need to have a method that works. Hell, I'll even take an old Chinese blind man if he can help." Tsuna ordered. "We are gonna find help and Misa-nee will walk again."

-5 Years Ago-

It was ironic because it just so happened that the best person the Gram siblings could find was in fact an old Chinese blind man.

Yang Qing, creator of Chinese remedies and master of Qigong, was hopefully the answer to their prayers. The information they received spoke highly of the old man. Around China, he's known as the "miracle worker" who can cure patients that most doctors had long given up on.

The only problem was that although he could cure everyone, he doesn't. Only people who he deemed worthy would ever receive his help. There was a case years ago where he went all the way to France to look at a dying rich nobleman upon the request of the nobleman's wife. But, the second Yang Qing step into the room that housed the nobleman, he refused to cure him. It didn't matter how much money was offered, the old man would not so much as lift a hand for the dying man. It was as if the nobleman didn't meet the healer's requirements.

Dexter and Alexandra had managed to contact the aged healer, but whether or not he would help Misaki was another question. All they could do was wait.

It took 2 weeks for Yang Qing to make his way to Nanimori and what an agonizing 2 weeks it was for Tsuna and his friends. Everyday, someone from Tsuna's family of friends could be seen in the hospital with Misaki. The girl in question was torn between being flattered that her surrogate little siblings would actually fly to Japan to see her and being sad that they had such hope in their eyes whenever they talked about this healer.

Misaki wasn't stupid. She knew that the chances of her walking again were slim to none. After all, what could a healer do that trained doctors couldn't? But she couldn't say that to them, not when they believed like that. For those children who were trying so hard, she had to believe too.

Dexter and Alexandra were able to go to Japan because it was summer vacation time and their grandfather didn't really care what they did during their vacation time. Emily had only been able to go to Japan for a week before her family became suspicious so it was agreed for her to arrive two days before Yang Qing was due. Tsuna, Sung Ha, and Hiroshi took turns visiting Misaki with Tsuna going the most.

When the agreed upon day arrived, Tsuna made sure that no expenses were spared. He would be damned if he didn't at least guilt trip the old man into helping them. Misaki was scheduled for another test run at the hospital that day, which ended at 7 pm, so everybody went to the airport to pick up the healer.

The plane arrived at a little before 12 pm which gave them around 7 hours to convince the man to help them. They would then head to a late lunch and go to the shopping district to see if he wanted to buy anything. None of them had any old blind relatives so they didn't know what the healer would want to do for the rest of the day. But, they made reservations at a nice restaurant for dinner before they visited the hospital.

Now, Tsuna and the others had quite a sum of money and because they all loved Misaki, it was agreed that they would seek help even if they used up all their money for the treatment. So, they transferred all the money they could into a new account at a Japanese bank for quick access.

Alexandra and Dexter poured all their money in because they still had their inheritance from their grandfather to fall back on. Emilia, Tsuna and Hiroshi did the same because they had working guardians to provide for them. Sung Ha gave as much as possible while still being able to provide for his sister.

But, even though they had quite a sum of money, they didn't know how much the old man would charge them.

So at 12:00 pm, Tsuna and his friends stood in the airport, nervously watching as people trickled out of the gate. The limousine driver held up a sign with Yang Qing's name on it and stood beside them.

When 12:45 pm came and no old Chinese man came out of the gate, everyone became worried. 'Did Yang Qing decide not to come?' were the thoughts in their heads.

But, their fears were unfounded because 5 minutes later, an old man wearing a traditional Chinese outfit slowly walked out. His long hair was braided so that it fell close to his waist and he was wearing an old mandarin hat. Dark round sunglasses rested on his face and his gray beard went down to his chest. He was walking with the help of a finely crafted cane with a dragon head.

Walking slightly behind the aged healer was a boy who looked no older than they were, wearing an equally traditional Chinese outfit.

Tsuna was curious. Who was the boy who followed Yang Qing and what was he doing here? The boy looked bored as he walked with his head down. 'He looks kinda sad, like he doesn't want to be here. I wonder what's wrong.' Tsuna roughly pushed his thoughts of the boy away. He didn't have time to think about this kid; not when Misa-Nee's injuries needed more attention. All that mattered was the old man and finding a way to get him to help heal her. The boy didn't really matter at all. Right?

While Tsuna was deep in thought, the odd couple spotted the driver holding the sign and walked towards the group. He studied the old man's face as they approached. When the old man got close enough to not only see the tall driver but also the group of children surrounding him, he showed a brief moment of surprise on his face that only Tsuna seemed to see.

"Hey Dex, is it me or did Yang Qing just look surprised when he saw us?" Tsuna whispered to his friend.

"Don't be ridiculous dude, the man is blind. He probably doesn't even know we're here." the boy replied, also in a whisper.

"I thought I saw it though…." Tsuna said back.

"Look, there's a kid behind him. He probably told the old man we were here or something. See? They're talking."

"You're right. I mean the man can't possibly have seen us. He is blind after all." Tsuna murmured to himself more than anyone. But, Tsuna couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something.

It took another couple of seconds before both travelers arrived to where they were standing. Tsuna took the initiative and spoke for the group. "Welcome to Nanimori, Yang Shifu.* My name in Sawada Tsunayoshi. These are my friends; Dexter and Alexandra Gram are the ones who contacted you. Kim Sung Ha is the tall one at the side. Emilia Conti is the red haired girl who is standing by Yanagi Hiroshi, the dark haired one with glasses." he said as he pointed to each person.

Everyone gave a small bow when the introductions were over and collectively said a "It's nice to meet you."

Yang Qing smiled at them and commented on how polite they were. "It's nice to meet you too. As you know, my name is Yang Qing. I wish my grandson was as polite as you young ones are." he said and then looked at the boy behind him and continued, "Introduce yourself and be polite."

The boy looked up and stared at them with dark brown eyes that almost looked black. He gave them a nod and said a brief "Name's Yang Ju Long." and went back to staring at the ground.

-Present-

Tsuna found his father sitting in his study typing away on his laptop. It was unusual for the teen to see his dad with such a serious face. Iemitsu usually smiled and joked around when he was at home. But ever since Tsuna got pulled into this Vongola business, he started seeing a new side to his dad.

Tsuna knocked lightly on the opened door instead of just walking straight in. He knew when to be professional and when to be personal and this was definitely the time to be professional.

Iemitsu beckoned his son into the room and motioned for him to take a seat. He wasted no time before asking, "Did you tape the video of the apology?"

Tsuna nodded, a little miffed that his dad's first words weren't to ask about his safety, but to ask about the video that cost him so much. He gave the video he took to his father, who sent it to Nono via the internet.

Upon seeing that his Guardians weren't here, he asked his son "Tsuna, where are your Guardians? I thought I told the driver to tell you that I needed a report from everyone?"

"They," Tsuna paused to collect himself and continued, "They didn't want to come." His voice didn't betray his feelings and he kept himself calm and collected.

If Iemitsu was surprised by the statement, he didn't show it and continued to talk to Tsuna. "That's not a good professional attitude to have. Why didn't they come?"

"Everything went according to my plan so they didn't feel the need to come and report. Besides, they want to spend time with their families."

Iemitsu gave his son a hard look. "If I'm not mistaken, only Yamamoto and Hibari have any family members that are not involve with the Mafia. They shouldn't have all left. What is the real reason?"

Tsuna sighed before answering. "They saw me kill Alberto Genovesse and…didn't approve." he said while struggling to find the right words to say.

The external advisor's look softened. "Don't worry Tsuna; I'm sure they'll come around soon."

"I don't think they will dad. You didn't see the looks they gave me when we were on the jet."

"Don't underestimate the bond between yourself and your Guardians. The rings chose them for a reason. They learned that the Mafia world isn't all that pretty today. Give it time and they'll understand that you had to kill. You did your job." Iemitsu said before asking his son for the full report.

It took roughly an hour for Tsuna to recount everything that happened. Soon, their topic turned to the inheritance ceremony that would take place after Tsuna turned 16 in a few months. His father explained that he had to take lessons on diplomacy, manners, and leadership starting next week to prepare him. He needed to present a good front to all the people that would attend.

Soon, father and son were downstairs eating dinner, Mafia business forgotten as they talked about random things.

Iemitsu left half way through dinner, leaving Tsuna, I-Pin and his mother to finish all the food Nana made. Tsuna felt bad that his mom's cooking would go to waste. Sure, they would still be eaten as leftovers the next day, but it wouldn't be as good. He could see that his mom was also disappointed that even though she cooked all this food, there weren't enough people here to enjoy it.

Then, Tsuna had an idea. "Hey mom?"

"What is it Tsu-Kun?" his mom replied.

"I'm thinking about visiting some friends later today. They aren't going to the same high school that I am so we were going to hang out while we still can."

"Sure thing, Tsu-Kun. Just don't come back too late." Nana said while she started to clear the table.

"Well…I was wondering if I could take some food for them. We do have all these leftovers." Tsuna asked.

"But aren't their parents going to feed them?"

"Mom, we're growing teenagers! We're practically bottomless pits if the cooking's good and trust me, your cooking is good. So, can I?" he said with a smile.

Nana visibly brightened up. "Of course, Tsu-Kun! Here, just give me a few minutes to put them in some containers. I'll call you when I'm done." she happily voiced while hurriedly working.

Tsuna watched amused as his mom moved in speeds that his school track team would be jealous of. He couldn't wait until he could see all of his old friends again. They did talk on the communicator occasionally, but it just wasn't the same as talking to them physically.

-Ombranera Nanimori Base-

The Ombranera Guardians moped around the conference room, waiting for their Boss to arrive. Some were playing cards, one was sleeping, and some were just talking. All had their attention towards the door as the doorknob started to turn.

They stood up as one when the door fully opened to reveal a person wearing a Phoenix mask. The figure had spikey brown hair and was wearing a standard suit with the Ombranera Family insignia on it.

"Welcome back, Boss!" they chorused together with a bow.

The figure slowly removed his masked and gave the group a genuine smile. "It's great to be back guys. And, look! I've brought food!"

Tsuna laughed as the professional and stiff stances his Guardians had melted away. They darted towards him and snatched the box he was carrying. The girls hugged him and the boys either ruffled his hair or patted him on his back. Everyone seemed to talk at once so he couldn't understand anything.

But, he still loved it here.

He was back with his friends, the people that would never abandon him. His family of friends, his Familigia.

*Old Chinese healers like Yang Qing are usually called Shifu instead of Doctor. Shifu could also be taken to mean master, as in the master part of a master and apprenice relationship.