A/N: Hey guys! You have no idea how happy I am! This story just reached over 100 votes and 2k views, and that makes me so happy! It's all thanks to all of you though //smiles and stretches arms in a hug// thank you guys. Took me thirty to fifty minutes to write this fic. but it was totally worth it. Overall, thanks again!

*In the process of heavy editing.

Published: 2/12/17

Enjoy! 

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"Oi!" Gokudera's loud and obnoxious voice hung in the white room like a heavily knitted quilt. "Are you testing my patience, you little brat?"

The child who was no older than five reciprocated by shoving his tongue out at him. "As if, Octopus Head!"

Gokudera's eyes widen disbelievingly at this. "Octopus Head?" He sounded incredulous, if not a little skeptical.

The child tossed him a triumph look. "That's right, Old Octopus Head!" Several chortles followed closely after the child's disrespectful outburst.

That was pushing it. A vein mark popped to life on his forehead and he thundered at the child to shut up, whilst chasing him about the room.

Tsuna, the patient residing in this small room, lets a small chuckle elicit from the gap in-between his lips. At one point, he rolled his eyes, finding the immature action of his companion edging more on the amusing side.

"Hayato-kun," Tsuna said coolly amid the chaos, "he's just a child."

His attempts in soothing the raged and insulted man were futile and he lets out another huff of frustration and left the unresolved problem as it is. Deducting that Gokudera was a grown man and was capable enough to resolve his own issues. (Never mind the fact that the said issue involves a child – just because Tsuna was good with children and Gokudera was not doesn't mean that he was always going to help him out.)

"Ara, Tsu-kun?" a soft voice addressed him from a short distance. "Are the children playing again?" Tsuna pffted at this and turned his head to the side. He found it terribly amusing in how his own mother dubbed Gokudera as a mere child. Her obliviousness to her surroundings was something else completely.

"Yes, mother," Tsuna replied back just as airily, "they're still . . . playing."

Both looked at each other and burst out into peals of laughter.

"Here, Tsu-kun," Nana managed to say through her tears. "A new basketful of fruits and your cooked favorite; just for you." Tsuna perked like this and lightened up like a brand new light bulb. His mother cooked for him his favorite? Had Tsuna's leg not been put in a cast, he would've jumped up and down in ecstasy.

"Come back here you little brats!" Gokudera's voice pierced through his thoughts. "Stop disturbing the Tenth, he needs his rest!" Tsuna rolled his eyes at that. It would've done him plenty of good to record the man's voice and shove the recorded file all over his face to pointedly show him that he was the one doing all the disturbing. And Tsuna already had plentiful of rest thank you very much, having been overdoing his stay in the hospital, there was more than enough time for naps and well-'needed' rests.

"But we want to show our present to Tsu- chan now!" replied the little boy with vague authority. "Right, guys?" The other children nodded their heads enthusiastically. The prospects of giving their gift – through no small effort, Tsuna suspected – to their adored adult sent nervous and jittery energy running up and down their spines.

Tsuna pretended to not let the subject of gift and presents interest him. "Oh? What is this about a present?" Tsuna drawled, one elegant eyebrow shooting upward, causing a few children to giggle and roll their eyes.

They shook their heads, feigning ignorance. Tsuna's eyes watered with crocodile tears. "You . . . You don't have a gift for your beloved Tsu-chan?" At this, their eyes widen and they disputed and shook their small heads, quickly dismissing the lie (meanwhile, Tsuna secretly harbored a sly grin. He should've taken a side job as an actor.).

"Then . . . what did you bring me?" Tsuna asked, this time, his curiosity stretched to the extreme. He doesn't see any small chocolates within their tiny hands and any 'get well soon!' gift cards for that matter. Just what were his little munchkins planning to give him?

They all responded by giggling, much to Tsuna's absolute perplexity.

"Tsu-kun." Tsuna shifted his gaze to his mother and saw that she, too, looked like she knew something he didn't. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Gokudera slowly tip-toeing out of the room with a knowing smile gracing his face as he gently pulls the door to a close. Tsuna blinked twice at this observation. Just what were they planning on doing?

"Would you be so kind as to close your eyes for ten seconds?" his mother asked him, striding to the children's direction and winking playfully. Tsuna stared at her, stone faced, before sighing in defeat a few moments in advance. Who was he to deny his mother of her request? With this resolve, he nodded, emotions tangling in a conflicted mess as his mother and the children alike cheered enthusiastically.

Nana smiled softly. "Now, close your eyes Tsu-kun, and count to ten." Tsuna gave her an incredulous look. "Just do what I say, boy." Tsuna rolled his eyes and reluctantly relented, clamping his eyes shut with his hands.

"One . . ." he began, and heard the rustling of footsteps and his mother's whispered and rushed instructions to the children.

"Two . . ." This time, Tsuna heard another voice from his puppy-like friend, Gokudera, and a few more unrecognizable footsteps coming from the door.

"Three . . . Four . . . Five . . ." He heard the creasing of rough paper.

Tsuna gulped. Just what in the hell are they doing? "Six . . . Seven . . . Eight . . . Nine . . ." He heard the excited squeals from the children and the hissing of Gokudera. He chuckled at that.

"Ten!" Excitedly, he tore his hands away from his face and his greedy eyes met the sudden flash of blinding and bright colors.

"Get well soon, Tsu-kun/Tsu-chan/Tenth/ Tssunayoshi-kun!" Everyone: His beloved mother, the children, Akira-sensei, and a few other familiar and friendly faces yelled together in sync, smiles blooming and eyes shining as they presented their work to Tsuna. It was most likely made by the children since it was so messy looking, hell, it looked downright ridiculous, but in Tsuna's eyes, it looked like an absolute masterpiece.

It was really the children's smiling faces that had Tsuna's eyes tearing up. "Everyone . . ." he murmured, touched. "Y-You. . . ." He broke down then, not being able to form a complete sentence, sobbing.

The kids yelped, not expecting that and jumped into his bed, worried and adorable eyes looking him up and down in concern. The adults merely stood, smiling tenderly at the heartwarming scene. Although, Gokudera huffed and rolled his eyes, knowing that his beloved Tenth was moved. "Tsu-chan, Tsu-chan, is' ther'e somethin' wron'?" Max high-pitched voice piped up from his left, his eyes watering as well. "Is'—is' it bad?" The 'it' didn't have to be defined.

Tsuna shook his head and quickly enveloped Max in a hug. He sent all the children a grateful look. "O-Of course not," Tsuna said, voice quivering. "Tsu-chan just doesn't have any words to express how really, really; really happy he is right now." The children's expression brightened and they all joined the group hug, shouting their love for Tsuna, with the said man hugging them tighter to his chest.

All the adults alike smiled, the scene worming its way to their hearts.

xXx

A few days later, Tsuna was discharged. This news was very much welcomed and made everyone he knew delighted that he would be up and working about again, the children caused havoc about hearing the news, but Tsuna was more than happy to have them visit them, having not seen them for an extended period of time.

Now, he was strolling back to work, casts and needles gone and Tsuna had the luxury of having to stretch his legs and hands again, free from the cursed berating of various doctors and medical workers.

Damn does it feel good to walk again, Tsuna chirped happily as he walked with a certain jittery energy to his legs. I swear I'm never going back to that godforsaken place ever again. The knowledge of being in a small and stuffy place for too long always left a bad taste in Tsuna's mouth.

"—And there were plenty of hotels to reside in, but I only stayed in a modest and secluded place like you advised me too," his fellow companion's voice filled the air, making Tsuna turn to him with a small smile. "It was uneventful and boring though, since you weren't there to grace such a place with your presence," Gokudera ranted, eyes shining, "but do not worry, Tenth! The next time I'm not working, I will make sure to bring you along with me!" Tsuna laughed silently at this and told him that he needn't do something so drastic and extreme.

"Why not, Tenth?" Gokudera questioned, feeling dejected.

Tsuna gave him a smile. "You're already busy enough as it is, Hayato-kun," the brunet inferred, smiling. "I wouldn't want to burden you. You've already done so much for me, and I still can't thank you enough for it."

Gokudera looked horrified. "You're not burdening me at all, Tenth!" Gokudera protested. "And besides, I would do anything—" Tsuna didn't hear the rest of his pup-like friend's rambling. All his attention was fixated on the man standing in front of his workplace.

"Hayato-kun." Gokudera paused, all eyes on Tsuna, who stood very still. "I heard that there was a small bookstore who was handing out free UMA t-shirts." Tsuna eyed Gokudera, whose eyes lit up at the mention of his childhood passion. "Would you like to see how they're designed? And after that, you could come back here. It's been a while since you set foot on Namimori grounds." Tsuna gave him an ironic smile. "You should enjoy yourself before your next flight."

Gokudera shouted something incoherent and vigorously nodded his head. "Alright, Tenth!" he yelled, but then he lowered his voice into a conspicuous whisper. "But if that tall bastard in front of your flower shop does anything strange to you, I will bury him six feet underground and send him back to kingdom come." Tsuna's hair stood on ends, surprised at his friend's accurate observations and chuckling at his choice of vocabulary.

Then, he grinned. "See you later Tenth!" Surprised at his sudden change of moods, Tsuna barely had time to reply as Gokudera sprinted away in breakneck speed, making Tsuna stare in wonder as anime dust filled the air. He chuckled.

"I didn't even tell him what bookstore it was . . ." Tsuna murmured, amused. "Oh well. He's a grown adult. He could find his way around town without me." He laughed.

Then, he turned his body and frowned. "Now, to the crisis at hand." He made his way down the narrow pathway, expression severed. "Let's find out why Yamamoto-kun is here."

xXx

Yamamoto felt tense, anxious, and edgy. His nerves were shot. And he was pretty sure one of his legs had already fallen asleep.

He mentally chided himself. Stop that, he berated. You're here for something important, don't chicken out now.

Amongst everyone who had visited Tsuna, Yamamoto had been the one who had checked up on him while Tsuna slipped in and out of consciousness. He was the most discreet and made little to no noise at all, knowing that it was his fault that Tsuna was there to begin with. He had spent hours contemplating; thousands of hidden apologies caught up in his throat, but couldn't seem to find the will to say it. He had stopped visiting all-together when Tsuna finally regained full consciousness and his mother started to visit. He didn't want to explain to her that he was the cause for the brunet's severe injuries.

Just another five minutes, he assured himself, gently banging his head on the door. Then after that, you could just come back tomorrow and head back to the hospital to see if Sawada was truly healed—

"Yamamoto-kun?" And speaking of the devil. He whirled around and forced his sleeping leg to move, and saw Sawada standing there, eyebrow raised. He observantly noticed the bandaged hand that no doubt, still wasn't healed yet from the incident a few weeks ago and he turned his head away, guilty.

"H-Hey Sawada," Yamamoto greeted, stammering. Silence met him, and he desperately tried looking for a topic they could talk about. "L-Lovely weather, right?" Was what he said instead. Yamamoto flushed and mentally slammed his head on a brick wall.

Tsuna raised another eyebrow. "Yes," he agreed. "Fantastic weather we're having." Yamamoto flushed.

Then, to his ongoing surprised and amazement, Tsuna sighed and walked passed him, unlocking the door. "Well?" Tsuna inquired, expectantly waiting. "You came here to tell me something, yes?"

Yamamoto laughed nervously. "Yeah." He grinned. "And don't call me Yamamoto-kun, it makes me feel old. Ahaha! Call me Takeshi like how everybody else does." He swung an arm around Tsuna's shoulders, and frowned when he saw the smaller brunet tense.

But then, he relaxed. "Alright," he opened the door to the flower-scented building before turning to Yamamoto with a surprisingly warm smile. "After you . . . Takeshi-kun."

xXx

I'm going to hell.

Was what Takeshi thought to himself. Sweat matted his brow as he was led inside the flower shop, barely registering Tsuna's explanation about how everything works as his eyes looked over at Tsuna's calm and pale features.

Nobody has a right to look that cute! Yamamoto thought, still not fully there. And especially considering Sawada's gender, it's not like Yamamoto was . . . it's not like he was gay or anything (gosh darn it, this passing thought made him blush incredibly hard), but Sawada was taking cute and pretty to a whole new different level; every single fiber within his being screamed at him to shut up before this thought developed into something more serious.

I'm going to die and end up in hell, Yamamoto moaned to himself. He wondered what Tsuna would look like if he was forced in a small and tight kimono, it would certainly fit him (and no doubt make him look very attractive), since he was small and tinny enough to fit in one. And Yamamoto wondered if—no, he was not going to further elaborate about that. It was amazing in how easily Tsuna could pass off as a girl.

A cute girl, his mind added unhelpfully.

"I like coming here." The adoring tone that Tsuna had had successfully snapped Yamamoto out of his perverted thinking. "It puts my mind at ease." Yamamoto had to register where they were before acknowledging the statement, the stunning background uncooperatively making Sawada look like an ethereal being.

Tsuna turned to look at him. "Before you start asking questions or say anything, I'd like to ask you something." Yamamoto looked at him, questions ringing in his dark, brown eyes.

He laughed, nervous. "Sure, Sawada."

Tsuna gave him a look that Yamamoto couldn't put a name at. "Takeshi-kun," he started, "are you all right?" Silenced followed shortly after his query.

Then, Takeshi laughed. What a ridiculous question. "Of course I'm alright!" he responded, voicing out his thoughts, laughing. "Why wouldn't I be? That was a really ridiculous question, Sawada—"

"Takeshi-kun, I do not approve of lying." That silenced Yamamoto, shocked.

Tsuna's eyes softened. "You don't have to pretend you're alright, Takeshi-kun," Tsuna said softly, quietly. "You don't have to pretend to be strong, to be okay; you don't have to hide anything from me. I understand."

There it was again. That understanding tone that aggravated Yamamoto's senses. For some, this caused him to feel livid, not thankful. Anger flared within him. "Do you?" Yamamoto asked; composure and good-natured attitude thrown out the window. "Do you really understand what I'm going through right now?" Yamamoto had no idea why he was so angry, he should be thanking Tsuna, not belittling him. "Do you know what it's like to lose love one, Sawada?"

He expected Tsuna to act negatively, to shout that he wasn't seeing reason, but Tsuna flinched and his eyes turned sympathetic. "No . . . I—I don't," Sawada admitted, eyes lowering. "But I know that . . . that feeling of hiding the painful reality from everyone that you were breaking, the yearning, wanting for someone to see through you and understand. I know because I've been there too, Takeshi-kun." Yamamoto's face went slack with shock. "Hinako-san was lonely, yes, but," Tsuna emphasized, tone softening even more than before. "You were lonely too, weren't you?"

His anger quickly dissipated and his jaw unhinged on itself. "Sawada . . . you—"

Tsuna laughed gently. "Follow me, Takeshi-kun." He gestured for the other to follow. "I'd like to show you something."

Obediently, Takeshi complied. He followed and trailed behind Sawada like an unquiet ghost, curious at the other's show of kindness. Then, they halted.

At a gazebo.

Tsuna gave him an ambiguous look. "Take my hand, Takeshi-kun." He opened a palm towards Takeshi's direction, urging him to do what he was told. "I'm going to take you somewhere."

Takeshi responded by giving him a quizzical look. "Where to?"

Tsuna smiled. "You'll see."

Once more, he obeyed the other and consented by taking his hand.

Then, almost instantly, his vision blurred and darkness overwhelmed him.

The face of his thirteen year old self looked back at him, face etched in a happy expression like an accusation.

xXx

Flashback: Eleven Years Ago

xXx

Yamamoto had won the game again and was rewarded by being praised and extolled by his fellow followers, thrown across their shoulders with the crowd going wild with excitement and joy and repeatedly shouting his name like a good-luck mantra.

"I knew we could count on you!" a teammate of his shouted, grinning.

"Of course we could! He's the baseball star after all!" another responded, belching with the other patting him in the back and laughing at his obscenity.

"You're really amazing, Takeshi-senpai!" a small raven-haired boy said, a disgusting expression filled with idolism and . . . something more.

Then, the dream shifted, turning into something more horrendous than the first.

"Get up, wimp!" A fat and arrogant-looking boy spat on the child sprawled across the alleyway, unmoving.

"Tsk, pathetic little shit, already out of consciousness," a goon of his replied, kicking the severed body of the small child.

Another teen, this time a brunet, laughed. "That's what he gets for thinking he could befriend Takeshi. Who does this motherfucker think he is?" They all chortled in unison, ignoring the body who was in dire need of medical help.

The leader pulled the brunet's hair and with start, Yamamoto saw the striking resemblance he held to Tsuna, but younger and more bruised and closer to death. "You hear that you little shit?" the leader said it so quietly that Yamamoto had to strain his ears to hear it. "Don't ever think that you could just casually stroll in and befriend one of the most popular guys in our school. Who do you think you are?" With that, he kicked the injured brunet boy in the abdomen. "A rich kid?" He stomped on the brunet's back and the unconscious brunet boy cried out in pain. "A saint? A god? Tell me." His fellow goons laughed, but not before Yamamoto noticed the slight grimace in their expression.

They know, Yamamoto thought, horrified. They know this's wrong, but they're not doing anything to stop it.

With an indignant roar, he clenched his fingers into a fist with the full intention to connect it with the leader's fat and ugly face.

But, like a hologram, his hands went past the fat boy's figure. Startled, Yamamoto skidded to a stop, dumbfounded.

"S-Stop—p-please . . ." younger Tsuna croaked, voice strained and dry. He looked like he was about to fall back into sub consciousness.

The leader's expression contorted into an ugly sneer. "Fucking piece of trash." He kicked Tsuna. Hard. The brunet tumbled back, blood spluttering out of his mouth. "Know your place."

The dream shifted once more, this time, Yamamoto was somewhere in Namimori forest, and Tsuna was there in front of him, but his eyes were sharp and orange. Calculating.

"Come," he urged, beckoning him. His open palm was held out, alerting Yamamoto to take it. "Come with me."

Yamamoto, having just witnessed what the brunet used to go through day in and day out, took the hand without hesitation.

"Lead me to him," Yamamoto whispered, hoarse. "Please."

The mysterious figure smirked.