Author's Note: Well, glad that last chapter ended... I don't think I'll ever be able to look at it again without wanting to tear my hair out. Seriously, just thinking about it is giving me a migraine. Anyway, hope that you guys like this chapter a little more.

(Thank you to Yamiroo Alice, Wicken25, tabemono604, Dustflame, Natsuki Sawada, RadioactiveInTheDark, blueflame922, Roseko-chan, Lumi yoshinigama,lacomptessa, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Dulce-tasie for reviewing. Appreciate the support. No for real, you're awesome.)

Target Thirteen:

The Breaking Point

Light danced playfully off the paper, casting reflections of silver across the rather plain room. Setsuna flipped it over for what felt like the millionth time, causing the multifaceted glimmers to shift once more across the walls.

Is this really it? she wondered to herself, trailing her fingers over the reflective surface curiously. As if in silent response, light winked at her once again.

Surely, if it had been the present that the blonde thought it was, Bianchi would have mentioned something about it.

After all, it was the last present a mother had bought for her son before she died. Something like that had to be considered important, right? Definitely meant more than a few love letters - even if the present wasn't what was keeping a ghost stuck on Earth.

Regardless of their obvious problems, Gokudera's family had some serious priority issues.

Not that it was Setsuna's business.

Quite frankly, none of it was.

No matter what Reborn had told Bianchi - even thinking about it still made the blonde's cheeks hot - she wasn't in fact Gokudera's girlfriend. They were friends at best. Acquaintances at least. There was no reason she should feel obligated to clean up a decade long mess just for his sake.

If anything, all she was truly required to do was shove the present into the silver haired teen's hands and run away, hoping that his near Poltergeist mother didn't feel so inclined to singe off the rest of her skin.

As much as she wanted to do just that though, she knew for a fact that if she didn't help them no one else would. Then they would spend the rest of their lives spiraling in this endless paradox of hatred and lack of communication.

It was all so... 'fucked up' as eloquently put by Gokudera.

Yet now, Setsuna was completely responsible for setting everything straight. Which was so ridiculously ironic considering how well she had done keeping her life normal and in check.

Hell, her own twin brother thought she was a freak, and the only people that actually believed her sane were her great-great-great-grandfather and a half man half baby that refused to tell her the truth about anything.

Ah, she was the just the picture of stability and family values.

That wasn't to say she wouldn't offer her help at least though. Truthfully, the why wasn't really the problem - or the what - it was the how.

How the hell was she supposed to convince anyone, especially someone as tortured as Gokudera, that what he based his life decisions on was actually one monumental misunderstanding?

That very question was what had plagued her the entire night. From the walk home from the cafe to laying awake in her bed. So, when the all too familiar wake up call rocketed up from the floor beneath her, she wasn't too happy.

"I, the great Lambo-sama, will finally kill Reborn once and for all!" Lambo's voice carried through the floorboards, only to be followed immediately after by the unmistakable sounds of an explosion and sobbing.

Normally, the blonde would have stormed into the kitchen and told them all to shut up, but all she could think about was the fact that they were having breakfast and she was nowhere near ready for school.

Amber orbs wide, she glanced anxiously at the clock, only to notice that she was in fact running significantly late. As she turned to leave her room though, she realized she still had Gokudera's present in hand.

What am I going to do? the question popped up unbidden in her mind again, having become a mantra of sorts over the past few hours. Closing her eyes in an attempt to calm herself, she made her way over to the open chest perched on her desk chair. With exaggerated care she placed the present on top of the letters inside.

Turning once more to leave, she sent the present one last fleeting look.

It really was beautifully wrapped.

Sure, it had gotten creased and even torn in some places over the years, but it fit both mother and son so perfectly. The paper itself was silver, sleek and lit up at the slightest provocation, while the bow was a sheer, olive green.

Just like the features they shared.

With an almost sad smile, Setsuna heaved the lid down and fastened the latch, burying the gift once more in its lockbox of secrets.

-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-

Hissing a sigh through clenched teeth, Setsuna smashed the remainder of her Onigiri back onto the counter. No matter how hard she tried, it was just simply impossible to make rice balls while she still had no skin on her hands.

Even though she had healed somewhat over the past few days, the burns took longer than any other injury she had ever seen before. The cuts and bruises had scabbed and faded for the most part, but the burns clung on stubbornly.

Which, out of everything, she had to admit, was the most irritating part.

Of course, she knew that the burns were nothing more than a result of her own mistakes, but they didn't make helping the spirit in need any easier. If anything they only made her more irritable and short tempered.

She was already the freak that talked to herself, should she really add anger management issues to the list?

"Whatever," she growled, poking the rice as if it was at fault for all of her troubles. Usually cooking and Home Economics were therapeutic for her in a way. A simple, menial action that she could actually complete without mucking anything up too badly.

Except for today.

Normally, she wouldn't have minded the Onigiri exchange all that much. She got to make the food and actually eat it too. Most other girls would be able to give their rice balls to the guys, but as no one felt too inclined to take food from someone they believed would curse or poison them the blonde typically got to keep them for herself.

Today however, she couldn't even form the rice balls much less fill them. So basically, all she had was rice - minus the ball.

As if in answer to her silent tirade, an unfamiliar voice pierced the tension that had filled the air around the blonde. "Pass me the rice."

Blinking several times, Setsuna hesitantly turned to see the familiar face of Kurokawa Hana, best friend of the school idol. "What?" the blonde asked blankly, thin brows resting high on her forehead.

"Pass me the rice," Hana repeated irritably, thrusting out a hand towards the Medium.

Setsuna opened then closed her mouth, deciding that her curiosity would be sated if she followed the order anyway. Sloppily scooping the rice up, she amassed a pile and handed it over.

Hana quickly took the rice, and began molding and shaping it in her hands. Neither girl uttered a word as she worked. Before long several salmon filled Onigiri lined Setsuna's plate.

Having never really interacted with other girls at school before Setsuna shifted around awkwardly, unsure of what to say to the other teenage girl.

"Thank you... Kurokawa-san," she decided on eventually.

"Call me Hana," the dark haired girl insisted, before turning on a heel. "I only did it because it was irritating to watch you struggle."

Setsuna smirked. "I'll try not to struggle too much then."

The blonde swore she heard faint laughter in response as Hana strode back to her own station.

Turning back towards the rice balls, she couldn't keep the grin from her face. Sure, Hana hadn't done anything all that huge, but it truly was the first thing a classmate had done for her since she could remember.

Even if someone was simply taking pity on her she wasn't so prideful that she couldn't accept the help.

Although, Setsuna did have to admit she felt kind of guilty. Hana had gone to the trouble of making the Onigiri for her, but in the end no one would eat it except the blonde herself.

Sighing, Setsuna rolled her neck in exasperation. In retrospect, she shouldn't even remotely be focusing on the exchange, but in all honesty she was trying desperately to avoid thinking about the situation with Gokudera.

One awkward, personal conversation should have been enough, yet now she had to bring up an even more personal topic that was going to be awkwarder still.

If Gokudera thought her weird before, constantly asking and speaking about his family was going to cinch it for him.

Caught up in her thoughts once again, Setsuna didn't realize that the girls were lining up already until someone called her name. "Oi! Dame-Setsu! Get over here!"

Picking up her plate, she hastily joined the other girls, settling near the back of the group. Even if the others wouldn't pick on her for taking their spots, she really didn't want to have to see the boys anyway.

Of course rationally she understood that if no guys had taken any food from her before they wouldn't suddenly start now, but that didn't make watching them scoff and turn away any easier.

Before long, the room bubbled to life with voices. The excitement in the room was palpable, and the blonde almost got sucked into it - almost.

From her spot in the back though, she noticed some familiar faces among the crowd.

Over on the boys side, Tsuna waited anxiously, surrounded by his friends. As seemed to be his default position lately, Yamamoto had his good arm slung across her brother's shoulders, a smile wide on his lips. While Gokudera appeared to be ranting about something rather animatedly.

A faint smile graced the blonde's lips, and for a moment she considered just dropping the Onigiri and joining Tsuna and his friends. But, something else caught her attention above anything else.

The sound of a piano.

Not now... the blonde groaned internally. Of all the times to pop up, of course Lavina would chose now - when Setsuna didn't have the present.

Despite the shivers that began to rake her thin frame, Setsuna tried her best to ignore the sudden onslaught. Yet regardless, the music continued to twirl about the room, and the apparition's emotions still grasped greedily at her gut.

Setsuna could only endure so much before an icy sweat broke out across her skin.

I have to, don't I?

Squeezing her amber orbs shut, she gripped her plate tightly as she made her way through the crowd of teenage girls. Once she finally reached the front, the blonde hesitantly tapped on the back of another girl.

Hana whirled around instantly, eyes wide with surprise and curiosity.

"What is it?" she asked, suddenly suspicious.

Ignoring the obvious distrust on the brunette's face, Setsuna held out the Onigiri for the other girl. "I have to go, and I figured you should get some use of these since I can't."

The blonde had to admit it was a pretty good lie, even if it was actually somewhat true. Hana seemed to buy it for the most part as well, as she picked up the rice balls and deposited them to her own plate.

That wasn't to say Hana appreciated it though. The insulted expression on her face was indicative enough of that.

Setsuna sent a fleeting apologetic look before she turned to elbow her way back through the crowd. Which, was actually somewhat easy to get through considering people flinched away from her whenever she got close.

Apparently even covered in injuries she was as intimidating as ever. The blonde just hoped Lavina was of the same persuasion at the moment.

Of course she wasn't though.

In fact, identical to their first encounter, Lavina was so deeply engrossed in watching Gokudera through the shambles of the window she previously destroyed, that she didn't offer a single indication that she noticed the Medium.

As much as Setsuna wanted to leave the ghost to its own devices, she couldn't get the image of Tsuna nearly being squashed by a desk out of her mind. Being attacked, Setsuna could take, but her brother and the only person she could actually remotely claim to be friends with? Not at all.

Running a shaky hand through her golden locks, Setsuna steeled as much courage as she could muster. It wasn't much really, considering pain still echoed beneath her bandages, but it was enough.

"Lavina," Setsuna croaked feebly, voice barely audible above the piano notes that were even louder now that the blonde was closer. The music however cut instantaneously as Lavina whipped around.

The moment their eyes met though, Setsuna recoiled from the sight of the woman.

It had been so long since the blonde last saw the spirit that she forgot how much the woman had begun to deteriorate. Rather than just a few cracks on her face, Lavina was now missing whole limbs. In the place of one of her arms there was only a billowing shadow shaped in the image of its missing counterpart.

With every movement more pieces of the apparition chipped away - revealing nothing but darkness beneath.

Setsuna's breath hitched in her throat, and she hesitantly began backing away - but it was too late. Lavina had already noticed her.

"Leave... Me... Alone.." a voice that sounded nothing like Lavina's tore from her lips. The blonde lifted her hands in surrender, but that did little to no good against the deranged glare aimed her way.

"I'll leave you alone if you leave Tsuna-nii and Hayato-kun alone," Setsuna replied hotly after a moment, the specter's rage affecting her own emotions despite her better judgement.

Lavina tilted her head slightly, as if she were looking at quite the interesting looking cockroach. Just as the woman opened her mouth to say something else though, a noise behind her caught her attention.

Relieved yet confused herself, Setsuna followed Lavina's gaze.

Honestly, the blonde wasn't quite sure what she was even seeing. Inside the classroom, Tsuna had gone Dying Will mode and was darting around for some reason - stealing all of the girls' Onigiri. The rice balls that Hana had made for the blonde weren't exempt from his tirade either.

Before long the uproar died down, and the whole thing ended as abruptly as it had began. As he had every time previously, Tsuna promptly realized he was in his underwear and dashed out of the classroom.

Straight into Lavina and Setsuna.

"Setsu-chan?" he asked, as he sputtered to a halt.

Blinking, Setsuna looked warily from the ghost to her brother, eventually settling her gaze on Tsuna. Get away from here, she tried to tell him, but found herself unable to form the words.

"Hello... Nii-chan..."

Run away...

"What's wrong?"

Please, just go.

"Nothing," she lied, her furrowed eyebrows giving her away instantly. "Just wanted to get some air."

Despite the slight suspicion that budded in the back of his mind, Tsuna had to admit he understood her on some level. From his own experience he knew that group events like the Onigiri Exchange typically ended with him getting bullied in some way. The same was probably to be said about Setsuna considering she got just as much trouble from their classmates as he did.

While he was viewed as simply useless, most people were actually afraid of his sister. Not that he blamed them really, but he could easily see why she would want to get away from it all.

"Okay," Tsuna assented eventually. "Well... I should go." He sent one pointed look at his exposed boxers, before awkwardly attempting to cover them and sprinting away.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Setsuna turned back towards Lavina, not having forgotten about her throughout the short conversation.

Lavina however, was focused on something - or more accurately someone - else.

Rather than Gokudera, the spirit had her sights set on Tsuna this time.

"Stay... Away... From... My... Son..."

Before the blonde could do or say anything to stop her, Lavina's eyes disappeared in an enshrouded darkness. Then a lethally sharp screech pierced the hallway, and the strikingly familiar sound of glass shattering followed soon after.

The blonde ducked reflexively, causing the the shards of glass to bounce harmlessly off her back for the most part.

By the time Setsuna had the clarity to stand back up though, Lavina was nowhere to be seen. Not to mention almost every single window in the vicinity was currently scattered across the floor.

"Tsuna-nii..."

For a suspended moment she was terrified that he had gotten caught by the assault, but luckily as he had been running away while it happened he had somehow avoided it.

"Setsu-chan!" Tsuna called, as he crossed the distance between them. "A-are you alright?"

Said blonde only nodded, as she dusted off her skirt. Shards of glass pricked at her hands through the bandages, but she barely paid them any mind. In the end, she was unhurt and Tsuna was as well, even for being in his underwear.

For that, Setsuna was thankful, but it wasn't enough to shake the feeling of trepidation that had taken root in her veins.

"Did you do it?" Tsuna whispered after a second, gesturing to the remains of the windows surrounding them.

Setsuna simply glanced at the wreckage - almost as if she was seeing it for the first time.

Despite her usually quick, witty explanations for things she really had none this time. She didn't particularly mind taking the blame for the windows as the alternative was rather... well, unbelievable. Yet that didn't necessarily mean she wanted to. Hell, she was still going to detention for the first window. Not to mention she didn't have the money for that, much less all of these.

Regardless of what the school could do to her though, she was more afraid of what Tsuna would think. It wasn't anything new that he thought she was insane, but it wasn't like she wanted him to give him more reason to. At this rate he would probably think she would break a window whenever she didn't get her way - or worse.

But what else was she supposed to do?

She couldn't say that it was a ghost that did it. She also couldn't deny involvement after already accepting blame the first time.

Either way no one would believe her.

"Yeah, I did it," she conceded eventually. Although, rather than backing away, or looking terrified like she expected, Tsuna only furrowed his brows in confusion.

"But..." he protested weakly after a moment, his own bewilderment overtaking his ability to speak. "I saw you, there's no way you could have."

Setsuna's amber orbs brightened with realization.

Since he had been running away, she assumed he had been turned the other direction while it happened. He must have turned around in time to see the windows break though. But he wasn't able to see the delirious with rage ghost explode them - all he saw was the windows spontaneously shatter on their own.

The sudden need to preserve her secret overtook Setsuna's need to defend her sanity.

"I did it," she insisted again, more confidently this time. "I broke the windows."

Tsuna did cower slightly at the intensity of her voice, but the skepticism refused to leave his eyes. Before he could ask her more about it though, the sound of footsteps interrupted him.

"Juudaime! Setsu-hime!" Gokudera's flustered voice sounded off, garnering both of their attention. "What happened?" Yamamoto rushed up behind him, the same questions hot on his lips. The silver haired teen looked irritated for a moment, then refocused his gaze onto both brother and sister.

"I broke the windows," Setsuna replied stoically, ignoring their surprised expressions before adding, "it was an accident."

Honestly, the blonde didn't think for a second that either of them would believe her, but she also knew for a fact they wouldn't question her about it. If they didn't question Tsuna's Dying Will mode after seeing it first hand on several occasions, surely they wouldn't care too much about a few broken windows.

Too bad Tsuna wasn't as easy to convince as they were.

She decided to ignore him for now though.

As much as she wanted to indulge him and answer whatever questions he had, she knew it was for the best. Not that Setsuna would admit it, but deep down she couldn't take another rejection from him. Not after what had happened the first time she tried to tell him about what she was.

Pushing that thought out of her mind, she quickly made her way over to Gokudera.

"We need to talk."

-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-

Author's Note: Originally I was going to include the scene with Lavina's spirit getting absolved and set free in this chapter, but I kind of wanted to give that it's own space. While also letting you guys know where in canon this is, and setting things in motion for the next arc (you'll know what I'm talking about later). In the process of doing so this chapter ended up feeling a bit like filler to me, and probably to you as well. I'm sorry for having two filler-esque chapters in a row, and holding off on the finale for this arc, but it was a necessary evil, I swear!

(Think I'm going to start doing review replies this chapter. I've always wanted to but it kept slipping my mind. So don't be surprised if you get a PM back this time around.)

Anyway, thank you for reading (and reviewing... if you're into that type of thing).

Hope to see you again soon!