Blankets were tossed or pushed aside as the disarrayed Vongola Decimo tossed back and forth in her bed sheets, eventually got her legs tangled in them. The scrutinizing look on her face led to the assumption that she was having a nightmare, a terrible one at that. Sweat covered her body, making her office clothes hug her skin, not wanting to let go. She felt like she was suffocating. Her eyebrows were knitted together as her face revealed a pained expression.

While the brunette was held captive in her nightmare, one of her Guardians had entered the room with the idea of toying with his dear boss. When word spread around that she had returned to her chambers to rest, he immediately snuck over here. The smirk on his face fell when he approached his boss's bedside.

His process of thought halted when he saw the young Vongola twist in pain in what seemed to be a nightmare. "Oya, it seem like our dear princess has drifted into an unpleasant dream." He sat on the bed, wary of touching her. His heterochromia eyes fell upon the woman as he sighed after removing one of his gloves. While he raised his hands to touch her forehead to get rid of her nightmare, his wrist was gripped tightly by her hand, preventing him from doing whatever he was doing, surprising him greatly.

The brunette suddenly snapped out of her nightmare once she felt someone's presence. She was breathing quite heavily as she tried to calm herself down and from moving too fast. The clothes tightened around her, much to her irritation. Her mind was still hazy, so when she noticed that she had caught someone's wrist in her sleep, she automatically entered self-defense mode. She instinctively tried to punch the intruder in the face, but her wrist ended up getting grabbed much to her annoyance. Thinking fast, she let go of the intruder's wrist and tried to retaliate, but that wrist also got caught. She growled as she tried to hit the intruder despite her handicap. Her eyes widened when she made too much of a lunge and was about to hit the floor. She closed her eyes, afraid of the impact, but to her surprise, she fell on something softer. This was strange. She opened one eye to see who it was and gasped when she saw Mukuro grimace in pain, noticing he was the one who was holding onto her wrists. "M-Mukuro!" I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hit you." Then a thought hit her. "Wait… What were you doing here in the first place?" She gave him a questioning look as she was released from his hold and got back on her bed.

"That really hurt, Tsunayoshi." He pouted but the mischievous shine in his eyes did not convince her to fall for his little trick. "Kufufu, is that how you treat someone who rescued you from your fall?" Despite his smiling face, he was groaning in pain deep inside. That fall really hurt since the ground made contact with a bruise he had from a fight with a certain Guardian. But he could not show weakness in front of the princess, right? "I was just going to get rid of the dream. I didn't think I would be rejected so violently." Mukuro smirked as Tsuna muttered a soft sorry.

She looked at him and weakly smiled in apology. Then again, it was good that she managed to keep him from entering her mind. He did not need to know of what happened today.

Noticing that Tsuna was still in discomfort, he tried asking questions to see what was going on in her little head. "So, it looked like you were having a nightmare?" He stood up and sat on the side of her bed while she lifted the sheets to cover the bottom portion of her body from the Italian cold.

"Yes…" Tsuna looked the other way while Mukuro sighed. "But it had nothing to do with the Mafia… It had to do with something else…" Her words trailed off when she realized Mukuro was gazing down at her, looking intently at her face. "Is there something on my face…?" She looked down at her nose, scrunching it up, wondering if there was something on her face. Her eyes widened and started to rub her mouth with her sleeve. There was not drool on her face, right?

Mukuro chuckled at Tsuna's reaction. She was really adorable. He pinched her nose, making her whine. "There's nothing on your face. It looks like I've done my job of cheering you up." He ran his fingers through her messy locks. "Hime-sama, you better be careful if you don't want to be possessed by me. I might use you for something else, you know?" A smirk graced his lips when he saw a light blush spread across her cheeks. "Do you need me for anything, Tsunayoshi?"

Tsuna shook her head. "I'll be fine after I get some rest. I'm just tired." She faintly smiled at him as he kissed her forehead. "Hieee?"

"Just a charm to keep the nightmare away." He chuckled to himself when he saw the blush grow darker. "I'll see you around then."

Tsuna nodded and watched the male Mist Guardian leave her room. She tossed the sheets aside as she stretched out in a more comfortable position due to her clothes. Smiling to herself, she touched her forehead. The place that he placed his lips upon was making her feel warm inside. To think Mukuro would give her affection just made her fall for him even more. She did not care if he was a player. He was the only one who could make her happy without seriously trying. It was kind of scary to think about what would happen if he actually tried to make her happy. She smiled faintly to herself as her eyes closed. However, a sigh escaped her lips when the feeling of content left her, which allowed sleep to envelop her. She had fallen deeper into this mess of deep affections.

Tsuna looked around and realized that she was in a dream. Everything around her was white, just pure white. She looked down at her feet, noticing that she was on a black path that had split into five paths. She looked up; noting that on each respective path, there was silhouette of a man standing in front of her. She could not make out who they were. There was tug on her pinky, making her surprised that there was a red string tied around it. Looking where it would end up, she was shocked that each man had a red string attached to her own… How was this possible? She was connected to all five of them…

However, as the scenery around her gradually turned dark, the strings were getting longer and longer, stretching beyond its limits. The men did not notice the restrain on the finger and kept on walking down their paths. Tsuna wanted to call out to them, that their connection was breaking. However, before she could call out any of their names, a mirror appeared before her, showing what she involuntarily doing. Her body started moving on its own, a pair of scissors materializing in her opposite hand. Tsuna fought her control over her body but it would not obey. The gleaming blades did the one thing she did not expect: it cut the strings for her. Her eyes dilated as the end of the strings slowly fell to the ground. "No… No… No…" She shook her head back and forth in disbelief.

This could not be true. This could not be true. If those men represented who she thought they were, then… She looked up, only to see that mirror again. The figure inside of it pained her heart. It was her… There was a sad smile on her face with tears running down her cheeks. It seemed like she did it in order to release herself, but there was regret and remorse swimming through her eyes. Before she could reach out and touch the mirror, the mirror fell and shards of glasses sprayed everywhere. Was this her heart she was seeing… Before the thought was processed through her mind, the floor below suddenly gave out, trying to suck her up into its depths. Her hand had caught onto the edge of the hole, trying to pull herself out of it, her mind scrambling for the truth.

"If only you had confessed to them, then you wouldn't be feeling this way…"

"The feeling of having a one-sided love was created by you…"

"If only you acted upon your feelings, then you wouldn't have to feel this way, but you're scared that you won't be accepted…"

"That they only think of you other than their lover. Maybe it's preferable this way. You don't deserve to be by their side…"

"Someone who they look up to that can't even pursue her own life interests cannot pursue the goals she had set out for others... You are unqualified to love, Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna looked up and almost let go at the sight. They were right in front of her, looking down at her with a face of sadness and anger. Why were they looking at her like that…

"How could you, Jyuudaime? I thought you were more professional than this?"

"And to think I thought you were stronger than this, Tsuna…"

"Oya, oya. You're a broken toy, aren't you?"

"Tch, and to think I thought of you as an equal."

"You have disappointed me, Tsuna."

Tsuna tried to pull herself up as she called out to the men who were leaving her side. "No! I'm not like that! I'm…" But she could not find the words. She knew that what they were saying was true. She could not voice her feelings. She was a coward. "I… I…" Seeing that they were getting further away from her, her grip on the edge loosened, making her fall, allowing them out of her sight, "No, wait! Hear me out, please!" She still had not fell to the bottom, but that did not stop her from trying to grab at anything that may helped her back up. "Please don't go! Please don't leave me! PLEASE!" She soon found herself hanging onto something, while her other hand was outstretched, reaching for the light above. "Please… Don't leave me… Please, I beg of you…" But once again, she was shocked to notice that her voice reached no one. Tears formed as she struggled to call out to them. Each time, she cried out louder, trying to get their attention, but no one came back. With one more cry, fear grabbed at her body as its arms reached from the depth of the hole, pulling her away from her last chance of happiness.

He had thought the young woman would be having a sweet dream after what happened during the early morning. She should have calmed down by now, since the evening breeze was sweeping through the mansion.

"Tsunayoshi? Tsunayoshi!" The male illusionist was surprised to see his boss drenched in so many tears with such a pained expression on her face. He was hesitant to peek into her dreams, since it was not an area he could not freely roam into without her permission. He really did not know what to do. The woman was trembling on her bed, her fingers clenching the bed until they turned white. He sat on her bed with an ungloved hand outstretched. He took a deep breath with his eyes closed. He muttered a quick apology for intrusion, but before he could touch her, her body suddenly lunged forward.

"No! Please!" Tsuna hit Mukuro's chest, her arms unintentionally wrapping themselves around the older male. She tightened her hold on him, scared that this person may leave her side before. She did not want that. She wanted them by her side, every one of them. She was scared of the thought of them leaving her. They were her support. They were her existence. They were practically the ones keeping her alive, despite killing her inside…

Mukuro's eyes widened at how much strength his boss was putting into hugging him. Just what kind of nightmare she was having? He let out a small growl as the thought of possessing her entered his mind. Why did it have to come up now? Well, it was the perfect opportunity to take her when she was at her weakness. And right now, she was grabbing onto him for dear life. Yes, right now, while her defenses were down. He was torn between soothing the brunette from her nightmare or possessing her. The metallic trident slowly materialized in his gloved hand as he positioned it right behind her, placing it near the crook of her neck, his eyes aching to see the weapon split that beautiful skin open to see that crimson red blood flow freely from it. His grip on the trident tightened but his eyes narrowed when he knew that he could not move the trident any further. He tossed the thing aside as it dissolved once it hit the ground. He sighed as his arms wrapped around the brunette to comfort her. "Kufufu, I can't do it anymore, huh…" He let out a laugh of defeat, but he quickly returned his attention to Tsuna.

Slowly, she lifted her head, her eyes filled with tears, as she raised a hand to touch his cheek. Her fingers lightly danced on the perfect skin, wanting to feel his warmth that he was here with her. "Please… D-Don't leave me…"

Mukuro looked down at her with a sad look in his eyes. He could not believe that he was doing this. And to think, he was going to destroy the Mafia. He could no longer do that, not after meeting this woman. Slowly, he pushed the woman back onto the bed as he positioned himself near her, laying a protective hand over her figure.

Tsuna sensed a familiar being and scooted closer the body for comfort. She nudged her head into Mukuro's chest as her arms wrapped around his arm. "Thank you... Thank you…"

Mukuro silently sighed to himself. He let himself relax as he let himself fall asleep alongside his boss.

Why was he doing this? He loathed the Mafia, right? Then, why was he here when he could be making plans to posses her? Why did he let that chance go? He looked down at the now calm brunette with tired eyes, who had finally calmed down. He sighed once more. It was her fault. But a smile tugged at his lips. This was not a bad exchange either. Instead of destroying the Mafia, he could be here by her side. Yeah, he'll take that offer any day. Life would not be fun without someone to tease with. Yeah, that must be his reason. He just wanted his fun to last until it had to end. Begrudgingly, he hoped it would not end.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open in the middle of the night. Her body went rigid when she realized that she was lying next to one of her most dangerous Guardians. She bit her lip in regret. She had to stop this… That dream she had… It was possible that it may happen but this was just wrong. She wanted to be by their side if they allowed her to, not forcing them out of concern. She did not want to be treated that way, always coveted and protected. She wanted to stand on an equal stage with them… However, this was the first time a male ever got this close to her. His warmth melted her walls. Unconsciously, her body moved on its own as it found itself straddling Mukuro's waist. She cupped his cold cheek into her hand, making the illusionist awaken from the sudden warmth. She then lowered her head to his chest, hearing the gentle sound of her Mist Guardian's heart beat against the ribcage.

This was something that Mukuro was only able to do. He had the strangest ability of calming her down when they were alone.

Mukuro wanted to shove the brunette off of him. Not that he had anything against her, he actually like her warm hand on his face, but to be touched by another without his permission was unnerving. Ever since the destruction of the Estraneo, he did not let anyone touch him, not even Chrome, unless permitted. He could feel himself become uncomfortable but then again, it felt strange to be touching by another so warmly. Her hand were filled with warmth instead of those cold hands who dissected him like some animal. It did not feel as disgusting as he thought it would be, but still. It did not suit him well to be touched other people. How come he could not have the strength to take his hand away from her? He did not get it. But for some reason, this woman had the power to do so.

Seeing the muscles on her Mist Guardian's face relaxed made Tsuan regret her next move. Yes, she was fully awake now. She had to do this. She rather have him hate her than have him worry about her. She did not want to burden him with that. She awkwardly smiled. Her way of portraying love was surely odd. Hovering just over his face, her locks of hair just touching his face, her eyes formed into that of a seductress, something she picked up over the years. She spoke the forbidden words that would break their silent trust in each other.

"Mukuro, will you possess me?"

It was the very words he had been waiting to hear his whole life coming out of her own lips, her own voice. But sadly, he did not expect this reaction out of him. His eyes had widened at her question, but they soon narrowed in anger. A scowl formed on his face turning darker with every minute when it did not affect the woman hovering on top of him. In an instant, they had switch spots, with him hovering over her now. The scowl was now replaced with a threatening smirk.

"Kufufu, it seems like you're fine with the world falling into my hands, Tsunayoshi. Surely, you'll know the results of your actions." His eye flashed in anger when the brunette said nothing in retaliation as If there were no words to stop him.

Tsuna looked to the side, closing her eyes shut. This was big bet on her side. If Mukuro did what he wanted to do in the first place, then that was that. But if he let her go, well, then that meant he felt something for her at least… That bit would do justice to her actions tonight. To him, it may have seemed like she was expecting him to possess her, but Tsuna knew that she was surely sending one of her precious ones away from her side. It was a great pain to bear. She knew that she was doing this for his sake, but she could not help but feel that Mukuro would still get hurt in the end.

Barely getting any response of out her, he growled deeply in his throat. What was he expecting her say? What did he want her to say? He placed himself at the crook of her neck, taking her scent in. Why was this woman so difficult to manipulate? Just what caused him to change?

Despite her efforts of staying composed, Tsuna blushed in reaction to their closeness. She tried to stop her lips from moving, to say that she was just testing him like she did Gokudera before. She tried to stop her arms from holding him close to her. Her eyes widened when Mukuro let out a deep breath, tickling her skin, allowing a quiet sound to escape her lips.

Mukuro's eyes narrowed at Tsuna's actions. His trident instantly appeared in his free hand, waiting to be used… but he could not bring himself to do it. He sighed in defeat, unintentionally creating a similar reaction in his boss once again. This woman finally had him wrapped around her finger. He pushed himself off of her and looked at her with defeated eyes. However, when he looked at her, he felt entranced by the sight of her eyes half-lidded. His eyes moved down from her neck to her… He closed his eyes in frustration. He shook his head and removed himself away from her. Turning around, he let out a low growl, trying to replace his sadness with his usual demeanor. He could not show her that she could now control him. "Oya, oya. You are no longer the vessel I envisioned to be. I don't have any wish to possess you at the moment, Tsunayoshi. Surprisingly, I thought you would struggle but you did not. You're not worth my time chase after anymore. I can't play with such a dull toy. Ask me again when you're not broken anymore."

Tsuna covered her eyes with her arm as she rolled on her side when Mukuro left. She could not believe that she just did that… The way Mukuro reacted... She knew that he was masking his feelings. Why? Call it intuition. She had hurt him deeply. She let out a frustrated groan as she curled up in a fetal position. She had never been that close to a male like that before in her lifetime. It felt different than just being by their side. His warmth seeping into her body only made her ache for more. Oh, how she longed to be touched by someone she loved. How she wanted to be held in their arms… She grabbed a pillow and held it tightly in her arms. Is this how Enma felt when he would hold her in his arms? She could feel herself crying again. If she did, then she surely had hurt him.

"How much longer will this last? How much longer should I keep falling for them…? Just tell me… When can I finally move on…?" She burst into tears as they came out muffled through the pillow she was holding.

Chrome had come to check on her boss, but she did not expect to see Mukuro sleeping beside her. She was about to closed the door until she saw Tsuna move. That look in her boss's eyes… Her eye was glued to what was playing in front of her, not wanting to move from its place. She was about to leave because she did not want to eavesdrop but when she heard Tsuna ask Mukuro to possess her, her curiosity got the best of her.

By the time the conversation was over, Chrome immediately ducked out of the door's way when Mukuro exited the room. She was a tad bit surprised that he did not notice that the door was opened yet then again, he was sad, very sad inside. She held her breath as he walked past her, bowing to him slightly out of respect. She was surprised to see his face contorted with irritation and frustration with a tint of sadness. She hurried and went to Tsuna's room, knocking on it, notifying her boss of her presence.

She saw Tsuna raise her head and smiled weakly to her, motioning her to come closer. "Come here, Chrome."

Chrome nodded and closed the door behind her. She then approached her boss as her boss wrapped her arms around her. She stiffened at the touch but relaxed as her boss tried to hold her as if she did want her to leave her side. "Bossu?"

"Please. Just stay with me. Please."

Chrome could feel Tsuna shake in her arms. Slowly, she climbed onto the bed with Tsuna wrapped around her waist. She sat against the head board as Tsuna slowly cried herself to sleep on her lap. As Chrome ran her fingers through the brunette's locks, she found herself glaring at the door.

This had to stop. It just had to. This was just getting too sad to watch them play mind games with Tsuna. No, Tsuna had no control over her Guardians. In fact, they were the ones who were controlling her actions, they just could not see it yet. They would regret it one day. The day when she starts acting of the ordinary to them, that is when they will fail to realize that Tsuna had finally stopped to catch their affections for her.

Enma leaned against a wall in an empty hallway. His ears and eyes had seen and heard everything. Chrome had not noticed his presence when he was behind her, but he pulled himself away when Mukuro stopped talking. His eyes were closed. He was biting his lip, not wanting a sound to escape. He silently walked down the hallway and decided it was best if he left for the day. He was not expecting that when he thought he had the chance to visit her after that meeting with Reborn ended so late. He thought he could have said sweet dream to her. He thought he would be the one who would catch Tsuna when she was about to fall. He guessed wrong when he saw Mukuro hold the tear-stained Mukuro in his arms. He chuckled painfully when he realized that Tsuna must have fallen for her Guardians even more after that. However, it pained him to see her having to pull off that act to get Mukuro away from her. It hurt, but it was alright. If it was her, then he would accept it. Like he said before, he would rather be by her side than win her heart when she had her eyes one someone else, even if it hurt. Yes, even if hurt… even if it hurt, huh…

EXTRA NOTES:

The way Tsuna reacted to Mukuro's touches was definitely because she was hormonal. Note that no man had gotten that close to her before, well, like that. Even Enma knows his place with her. But she remained in control of herself. With so many directions, this could have taken place, it was hard to choose whether Mukuro should be allowed to be Tsuna's side if she hadn't done anything. The first version was really sweet but this one, I just knew that I had to portray that Tsuna is slowly acting unconsciously to her dream. That dream will eventually come true... She knows that she cannot always remain like that. She's a boss before she's a woman as well as duty before love, sadly, that's a reality of her life no matter how much she wanted to run away from it before.

If any are wondering how come Mukuro is acting so "sweet" to Tsuna, it's just that Mukuro has changed. Well, it has been ten years and he managed to get out of Vendice about five years ago, so a lot of things have happened. He considers Tsuna a toy, but he's concerned about her since he noticed that she's not as energetic as before but doesn't take it any further, thinking it's the pressure of the Mafia (Even if he knows psychology well, he is still a maniac who has his moments). Every now and then, he would come in and remove nightmares from Tsuna's mind to allow her some rest. However, when he does that, he does respect her privacy of her mind, so he does not dwell in places he should not be dwelling in even if it's tempting. Yeah, he's that nice now, which is good thing since he does not know of Tsuna's secret yet. But every now and then, he can't help but harass the young Vongola. She's just that fun to play with. In a way, Tsuna sees him like a mischievous cat. Sometimes, it'll be nice. Sometimes, it'll just want to annoy you.

Anyway, I would like to say thanks for those who have read. It would be nice if some of you reviewed, since it gives me boosts of encouragement. I'm just putting the suggestion out there, you know, haha. Thank you reading and look forward to the next chapter. Guess who comes in next chapter: someone big and scary! Haha.