Edited: 7/18/14

Many thanks to my great beta: LDK

Chapter 1

His steady hand held a delicate brush, skimming over the canvas in a straight, unwavering line. Trailing the hand, a dark green streak coated the previously blank surface. He loved being here, in his workspace. It was his own and no one else's; the others knew to leave him alone when he was there. If they wanted a scenic artist, they either had to let him be or let him go home. Due to his skill, it was usually the former.

The door opened and he glanced up in surprise, immediately tensing. "I'm not...done."

The girl huffed and placed her hands on her hips before sighing. "Can't you just be a little bit less of a perfectionist, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

"I'm almost done," Tsuna said quickly, trying to convey that he wanted to be left alone.

"Well, let me take a look."

"No!" Tsuna shook his head quickly. "It's fine. Here. I - I'll take a picture and send it. Or when I leave you can -"

The girl laughed and waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry, don't worry. I was just messing with you."

"Kasumi-chan!" someone called from the hallway. "Tomoko-san wants you in the meeting room!"

"Okay!" Kasumi said. "I'll be right there."

Sighing in relief, Tsuna went back to painting. Another close interaction avoided. Dabbing his brush in brown paint, the boy returned to painting, brushing it on an unfinished branch.

"I'll see you later then!" Kasumi called, waving as she skipped away. Suddenly, she came back and poked her head through the doorway with a deadpan. "You better finish it. The play is in a week and the stupid jerks need to practice." Returning to her smile as if nothing additional had been uttered, she called out a "Bye-bye!" before stepping out of the room.

Tsuna felt his lips twitch before turning his full attention back to painting, a soothing, almost calm feeling washing over him. He stood up and took a step back, assessing the painting with a critical eye. The trees were tall and slim, yet grand with their majestic height. There were several glowing balls of light, golden and almost shimmering, as they floated in mid-air. Shadows made it all darker in hue, extending from the trees.

He gazed at his creation, taking in the finished trees and golden orbs floating throughout them. The picture seemed to glow under the lights, as if it had a life-force of its own. He smiled as he set the palette and brush down to the side.

After he cleaned it up and placed the paint away back in the closet, he grabbed his bag and moved to leave the school his work room was situated in. On his way out, he glanced back at the room to make sure that his painting was still there, still standing. This lead to him nearly knocking over a vase that was sitting on a dresser blocking his exit. He thanked Kami-sama that he had noticed the vase falling and had caught it in time. If he hadn't, Kasumi would have murdered him.

Breathing a final sigh of relief, Tsuna locked the room and took out his phone, texting Kasumi that it was done.

Tsuna sorted through his bag, finding his book to read while walking. Ignoring the few sneers he was getting, Tsuna subconsciously let his senses guide his path. His body practically moved on its own, avoiding every single person that walked his way, allowing his eyes to remain glued on the page. He let his intuition guide him, something he called a miracle.

He wasn't sure when he developed his ability to sense the things around him, but it was useful. He hopped over a foot that was stuck out in front of him and quickened his pace to leave the auditorium. While he walked, Tsuna was constantly followed by whispers.

"It's Dame-Tsuna."

"Hey, hey, who is he?"

"He's a murderer. I don't know how he managed to stay here. Don't go near him. Something bad will happen to you."

Tsuna slightly flinched at the word "murderer". His grip tightened on his book but he didn't show any other signs of the mental strain their words put on him. He would never cave in. Let them believe what they want. After all, he had tried his hardest to stop what had happened to his classmate. Tsuna hadn't caused the other boy's death; he had tried to prevent it!

Soon, Tsuna sensed the familiar entrance hall. It was, as usual, filled with moans of pain. Unconsciously pulling his bag closer to his side to make himself small, he edged closer and closer to the wall, keeping his eyes on the text in front of him. The current scene was a dramatic reunification of the hero and heroine.

"Oh, Ken! I knew you'd come back!" Sophia cried, flinging her arms around Ken's tense shoulders.

Tsuna grimaced and skipped a couple of pages. Why did the teacher pick such a... Contrived book? Oh, yeah. She was a romantic.

Although, this was constituted as romantic? Tsuna wondered to himself, closing the fake-feeling assigned book.

Suddenly, Tsuna sensed some kind of danger. From the corner of his eye, he saw Hibari relax from his fighting stance and cross his arms over his chest. His eyes were sharp and dangerous, though his face was impassive.

"No crowding, herbivores," he said to the trembling students who remained standing.

"We understand!" they all said, bowing with their heads. "Excuse us!"

They dashed out of there (some with a limp) and turned the corner, stumbling over their clumsy feet. Tsuna, moving with the crowd, saw the main entrance door come into view and internally sighed in relief.

A few steps more and I'm out, he thought.

And then, out of pure instinct, he lifted up his book. The novel blocked one of Hibari's tonfas. His eyes widened a bit and he turned around. "H-Hibari-san?"

"Herbivore," he said, "violating school dress code is unacceptable. I'll bite you to death."

"E-eh?"

Tsuna looked down and flushed. Damn it. He hadn't noticed, but this morning he had mistakenly put on jeans. Again. And to think he had avoided the prefect all day.

"I-I'm sorry, Hibari-san!" Tsuna said with a bow as he took a step back. "Please forgive me!"

The prefect stepped forward and Tsuna instinctively threw his book at him before running from the violent prefect. Hibari merely moved his head to the side, but Tsuna was already out the door.

He dodged loitering students quickly and ran all the way home. Track was probably the best thing he ever took in his life.

Tsuna stared blankly at his notebook. The notes he took in class earlier weren't helping him complete his homework at all. It wasn't that he was stupid, only that Tsuna struggled with… Well, numbers in general. For a second, he thought about going to his sister for help but he shook the thought away and closed the book. He didn't need this in life anyways.

He stood up and walked over to his easel, taking out a piece of charcoal from the holder. His hand moved in long, steady strokes, his mind going elsewhere. He could smell the sea breeze and the light rain before envisioning a cliff, a woman standing on the top. A smile quirked on his lips.

Cliché it may be, what he drew, he still enjoyed it.

"Tsu-kun!" a voice said from behind. "I brought your laundry for you. Oh, and I found your slacks."

Tsuna turned around and nodded. "Thank you, Okaa-san. I'll take it."

He dropped the charcoal but she shook her head with a chuckle. "Your hands," she scolded, noticing the remaining black smudges marring his fingers.

He flushed. "O-Oh...yeah."

His mother smiled as she opened his closet, placing all his clean laundry inside. "How was school today? Is the play going well?"

Tsuna sat down, mumbling a response. "It was… Okay. I finished a few sceneries."

Nana smiled. "Oh, my Tsu-kun is so responsible."

She walked over to give him a hug but he flinched away, his eyes slightly wide. He sidled away from his mother, from physical contact.

Nana stiffened, realization dawning on her features. Sorrow lingered in her eyes before she brightened up, a fake smile on her lips. "Dinner will be ready soon. Do your best, okay?"

She lifted the laundry basket next to her hip and walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

Tsuna looked down at his hands and clenched them into fists with a light scowl. He hated it. He absolutely hated his fear.

Turning back to his sketch and retrieving the charcoal, Tsuna poured his misery and frustration onto the paper. Suddenly, everything became too much and he threw the drawing across the room. He buried his face into his hands. What did he do to deserve this? What the hell was wrong with him?

Ever since that incident, everything changed. He despised it. Hell, even looking at his mother just made him want to scream.

Why...?

Why...?

Why...? he thought, internally screaming.

His questions, as always, remained unanswered. Only silence, his long-time companion, remained, embracing him tightly and never letting him go.

"Tomoko-chan!"

Tsuna turned over in his bed and covered his head with his pillow, trying hard to nullify Kasumi's calls. It was too early for this. What day was it? Oh, wait. His sister's friend did this every freaking day.

He heard his sister shuffling through the hallways and heard a faint, "I'll be back at four."

Tsuna rolled over in his bed, about to fall back asleep. Then, something smacked against his window and Tsuna jumped awake, his eyes wide in confusion. He walked over and opened it, peering outside. Kasumi looked up with a grin and a wave, dressed in casual clothing.

"Hehe, sorry about that," she said, scratching the back of her head. "Had to get your attention somehow. Anyway, the forest scene is absolutely gorgeous! You did amazing as always!" she gushed, then turned to his sister who had just joined her outside. "Don't you think so, too, Tomoko-chan?"

His sister was tying her blonde hair into a bun on top of her head. "Don't scream like that. You probably woke everyone up."

Kasumi laughed sheepishly. "Sorry." She waved again at Tsuna. "See ya!"

They both walked away, probably headed to the Main Square. Not that he cared at all. Tsuna shut the window and closed the drapes, diving back into his bed and pulling the covers over his body. He found himself drifting back to sleep before being woken up again by a knock on his door.

"Tsu-kun?" his mother said, her voice muffled. "Are you awake? Can you go out and buy some groceries for me? We're going to have a guest coming over tonight."

It took a few minutes for the brunette to comprehend what she just said. A guest? They never had guests before aside from a few of Tomoko's friends.

"Never mind," his mother said quickly, misinterpreting his delayed response. "I'll go and -"

Tsuna got off the bed and opened the door with a small yawn. "I can go. You don't have to do it."

Nana had prominent circles under her eyes, eyes that somehow sparkled with energy despite her exhaustion. She worked as a waitress at a nearby restaurant for money rather than accept his father's monthly checks. The reason he didn't know, but he had an odd feeling about the whole affair. Whatever his mother's reason for not accepting the check, it was not good.

"You're tired," Tsuna said with a small smile. "I can handle it. The list isn't long, is it?"

Nana still looked uncertain and shook her head. "I can do it, Tsu-kun. I'm sorry for asking. You can go back to sleep."

"It's Saturday, Okaa-san," Tsuna said. "Your only day off. You can go sleep some more. I got this."

Inside, he was terrified at the prospect of going to society. He didn't do well with crowds, or people in general really…

Nana sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "The list isn't long. Be careful, Tsu-kun."

Tsuna nodded, ignoring the doubt that nagged him from the back of his head. "I will."

He strengthened his resolve as he searched for his precious gloves, slipping them on his hands. For Okaa-san.

Tsuna managed to avoid contact with all the other shoppers, and quickly bought the items on the list. He had found the items a bit odd, considering parmesan cheese and fettuccini were uncommon to use. Unless, of course, his mother was planning to cook an Italian dish. But why? Shaking his head, Tsuna continued on his path home. Soon, the crowds disappeared once more, and his house came in to view.

Tsuna sighed in relief, until his senses suddenly flared. Someone was coming towards him fast. He quickly moved out of the way but the person grabbed his arm as they flew past, and they both fell to the ground.

"Hahi!" the person said. "Haru is sorry, desu! Are you okay?"

Tsuna couldn't hear her. A shrill silence rang in his ears and he turned to the side, placing his hands over his ears. Then, the silence turned into tires shrieking along the road and a scream piercing the air. Pain exploded all over his body as he felt tremors course through his skull. The intense smell of blood wafted through his nose and, for a moment, he saw himself lying on the road, crimson liquid trailing over the darkened pavement. The vision was extraordinarily strong.

The girl drew back, terrified, but she mustered up her courage. Reaching out to touch the shivering boy's arm, her eyes widened in worry.

"Are you –"she started, worried about this stranger.

"Don't touch me!" Tsuna said, smacking her away weakly. He had to stop her from reaching out to him!

It was too late.

The vision came back again, repeating another time. The screeching tires returned, as did the smell of blood. Tsuna tried to get away from her, but his body felt as though he had actually been hit by a car.

The vision switched, and he saw the girl instead of himself lying in a pool of blood. Her black framed glasses was broken, the glass scattered across the ground.

" - kun! Tsu-kun!" he heard a voice call. Okaa-san?

He had to get it out. He had to. As if answering his internal plea, something slim was placed into his hands.

He let out a shuddering gasp as he shot up, his hand trembling violently. He moved the appendage in fast, hard strokes on a sheet of paper his mother placed for him. The charcoal in his hand trembled from the force, threatening to break. His eyes were wide and it was too difficult to move; everything had locked up except for his one, shaking hand.

"I - Is he okay?" the girl said quietly.

Nana smiled weakly. "He'll be okay, sweetie. Are you alright?"

The girl nodded silently. Tsuna dropped to the ground with sweat dripping down his forehead. It had been so long since he had a vision. Damn it...

"Okaa-san..." he said, his eyes closing.

Nana reached out for him but drew back her hand, knowing the consequences. She said in a soft voice, "I'm here, Tsu-kun. Don't worry. Mama will always be here."

Darkness consumed him and he welcomed the silence again. The tires' screech echoed faintly in his aching head. Then, the vivid red that had encompassed his vision was eaten away by the shadows of sleep, never to be again.

A/N I apologize for not posting this sooner. I was supposed to do it last night but my computer got all weird and I fixed it this morning - somehow. 0_0

Anyway, here is the newly written "The Weeping Shadow". Hope you all like! ^^ Although, I had to change the title around due to the "Title Error". Hope you guys won't mind. ^^

Yes, I changed Tsuna's ability a tad bit. Guess what I did! Although, it's obvious...I think.

That scene with Ken and Sophia are purely made up unless there is a real book out there with Sophia and Ken...0_0

Thank you for reading! I'll keep the original up if you want to see the changes that I've made.

See you in the next chapter! ^^

Edit 7/18/14: Again, many thanks to my beta LDK!