DISCLAIMER: I don't own KHR or any of the associated characters aside from my OCs.

My mind was groggy when I woke from the burn of sunlight beaming down on my face. I groaned and tried to turn over but my hands were locked in place. I immediately remembered the last events before I had lost consciousness and I was straining all my muscles against the handcuffs tying me to the bed frame by my hands and feet.

"Don't struggle." Dino's deep voice was filled with emotion as he called out to me, "You're safe."

I couldn't trust him. Dino was on Sawada's side. I grunted, jerking my feet upwards in an attempt to break the chains around me.

He sighed, "You're always so hard to predict. Come on, Kira. You can trust me. Maybe if you can't trust me then I should call Kyoya."

I settled at the sound of my brother's name but I was still fuming. What kind of humiliating treatment was this? Was this Sawada's sick idea of punishment?

"Now, I've got your attention, huh?" He chuckled, pulling a lone key from his pocket, "I can release you but only when I'm sure you're not going to go wild so listen up. You lost, Kira."

My heart filled with bitter remorse and I bit down on my lower lip hard enough to break the skin. Where were my allies and the boss?

"We took the Varia into temporary custody after the fight on Tsuna's orders." He explained, "You're all being held in separate rooms for now but we've given everyone medical attention. Everyone's being watched by either Vongola Guardians or the CEDEF. In your case, I'm here. Tsuna said he wants to talk to you all in person when you guys wake up. Although, we're not sure how long it's going to take some of you to be able to walk."

What's he talking about? Are the rest of the officers permanently injured? The blood in my veins ran cold at the thought of losing any of our officers to a crippling injury.

Business aside, Dino pulled up a chair next to the bed and smiled, motioning for Romario not to worry about our close proximity, "I really want to unlock those for you but can you promise me you won't go nuts?"

I can't promise shit. Although, I realized early on that it would be in my best interest to be obedient. I didn't know the status of the others and without knowing, there's no way I could be certain that my actions wouldn't cause them unnecessary suffering.

Anyways, I didn't know how much I could trust Dino. I betrayed him and yet he was coming at me with a smile like nothing happened. For all I know, Dino could be spouting nothing but lies to get me to cooperate. But then again, the Dino I knew has always been kind. I don't think he would lie to me.

"I…" I didn't know how to finish the thought but I nodded first, watching him reach up and unlock the cuffs above me before making his way to the foot of the bed to unlock my legs, "Dino…?"

He paused, watching me rub my wrists as soon as I came free, "Yeah?"

"About… I mean, you know about…" I hesitated, my eyes dropping into my lap rather than at his face as I murmured, "Using you as a hostage was… mean. Sorry."

Eyes going wide, he abandoned the key in the hole and embraced me, "It's okay. I'm just sorry I couldn't protect you."

I put my arms around him awkwardly, unsure of how to respond to his passion considering I was the one apologizing, "You're not mad?"

"No, god, no!" He huffed at me, returning to his work at the cuffs around my ankles, "If I was mad, I would've gotten away from Xanxus' grasp six months ago. Jeez, Kira. Have some faith. I'm a lot more capable than you remember."

"... But not any less kind." I noted aloud, trying not to turn pink when he turned his dazzling smile onto me, "I owe you one so if at any time, your family needs a favor. Come to me. I'll give you all my strength and more."

"I'd rather take you on a date but alright." He put his hand on top of mine, smiling that beautiful smile, "I'll take what I can get."

"D-Date?" I hadn't expected him to still have those feelings towards me after all this time. It was an honor to say the least, "Those kinds of things… Why don't you do them with someone else?"

He looked mildly offended at first but his eyes softened when he realized it was a genuine question on my part, "Well, I'm not against casual dates but I'd prefer to go with someone I have feelings for. Meaning, I'd rather go with you than someone else."

My eyes grew wide as I realized Dino and I were the same. The boss was a person who can do it with anyone but for Dino and for me, it's something special. I nodded to show my understanding but I knew I couldn't say anything more. I had other things to ask about first.

Clearing my throat, I grumbled, "Is Squalo-senpai alright?"

Dino thought about it for a moment and nodded, "I guess by your definition he's alright. He's not as beat up as you are but he's got hit in the head one too many times so they had to open up his head to do some work on his skull."

I was horrified. Squalo? Head work? Was he conscious now?

"But I think he's alright. He woke up before you." He poked my nose gently with his warm finger, "You should be more worried about yourself, Kira. They said you might end up with scars down your back. You definitely fractured a rib and you've been out cold for days. I admire your passion but I don't know how I feel about you fighting until you can't move anymore."

I felt like I was being scolded by my father except… kindly? Can someone kindly scold you? I huffed, crossing my arms stubbornly but I didn't say anything. I guess he has the right to complain. I did quite a number on his precious little brother and the Guardians.

"And the rest of my coworkers?" I prompted quietly.

"Uhh… I think Lussuria's alright. He's up and about for a few hours a day and he came by to see you. Ryohei and Lambo are keeping an eye on him." He thought about it again and grinned, "I think he's with Squalo right now. You're not stuck here or anything. As long as I'm with you, you can wander a bit. Do you want to see them?"

I nodded vigorously, rolling out of bed despite Dino's warnings. I blinked up at him the minute I was on my feet, waiting for him to lead the way.

He stared at me for a moment and burst out laughing, "I don't know why I thought you weren't going to be okay. Jeez, you're cute."

His thought process was extremely hard to follow but I didn't say anything. He has the freedom to think what he wants or however he wants even if it doesn't make sense to me. He kept a kind hand on my lower back, staying close in case I stumbled. He smiled down at me every once in a while, glancing at my feet and back as if he could see the injuries through my clothes.

Romario was following close behind us. I pretended not to see the way he kept a hand over his gun but it was unnerving. Then again, I'd be nervous if someone who used our boss as a hostage was standing next to him. Speaking of the boss, I wonder if he's alright. I don't know how to face him after yet another defeat. I wonder if he's mad.

Lussuria wasn't the only one in Squalo's room when we arrived. Levi was there with them. Their guards, Sasagawa and Lambo for Lussuria and Basil for Levi and I assumed Yamamoto for Squalo, were all standing around by the doors and windows. I made eye contact with Yamamoto and I froze. There was a thick bandage over the side of his face and his nose. I had probably broken it.

I immediately thought of the hotdog bread he had offered me as a thanks for fighting with them in the past. Although, I threw the bread at Sawada and stormed away… the kindness was all there in his gesture. I was almost ashamed to have been so brutal with his face.

I turned to Squalo and we made eye contact briefly. Surprisingly, Squalo was the one who averted his gaze. I was almost hurt by the gesture. I thought the boss might be angry about our loss but Squalo too? It wasn't entirely my fault this time either. I just… I felt a lump in my throat as I chanced a look at Lussuria. Lussuria averted his eyes too and I dropped my eyes to the floor, ashamed.

Squalo cleared his throat a few times, making a discomforted expression when I looked up, "My bad, Kira."

"Our bad." Lussuria corrected, "It's so unfortunate that you ended up fighting alone. Sorry, dear."

I saw the way the guards tensed up, Dino included, but this is a conversation we needed to have.

"If anything I'm sorry I didn't win." I admitted, stepping across the room to sit beside Squalo on the bed, "Is your head okay?"

"It was cracked open." He grumbled, "I get dizzy when I stand up sometimes but it's fine. Your back?"

"Not sure." I murmured, looking up at Levi and Lussuria, "Wounds?"

"Just scratches compared to you." Levi huffed but the IV in his arm and the stand Basil was wheeling behind him begged to differ, "Have you seen the boss?"

I was surprised to get that question from Levi out of all people, "Me? I should be asking you. Have you gone to see him?"

He didn't answer but Lussuria quietly admitted all of our feelings, "How could we even hope to face him now?"

We were silent for a long moment. Shame hung thick in the air as we struggled to find the right words for this moment.

"How are Bel and Mammon?" I muttered, changing the subject for the time being.

"Probably together?" Squalo said, "They were in here yesterday saying they can be discharged soon."

"Let's round them up and go see the boss?" I suggested, gauging their reactions. I noted the way they all went stiff for a moment, "We can't avoid him forever."

"Fine." Squalo was the first to sigh, getting up.

I steadied him as he swayed, closing his eyes a moment, "Do you have a wheelchair or what?"

"It's fine." He said, "If he's going to kill us all, I don't want to die in a wheelchair."

The guards didn't stop us but they did come with us. Dino whispered the room number to me quietly and backed off. It was such a kind gesture, leaving me time to discuss things with my coworkers, I mean. Not that we had much to discuss. We were just promising to accept our punishment without begging for our lives.

Bel and Mammon were, as Squalo said, together. Their guards Lal Mirch and Colonello smirked at us, making fun of our haggard appearances but we had more important things to think about. Rounding them up, we headed for the boss' room.

The first thing we noticed about the boss was that there were guards outside his room too. Reborn and Kyoya were outside, chatting quietly until they saw us coming. I froze, staring at Kyoya in awkward apology.

My brother paused in his conversation and spared me a subtle smile, "It was fun, Kira."

Fun? I laughed quietly, "I had fun too."

Reborn reached over and opened the door. His true form was abnormally tall even next to my still-growing brother. He smirked, cocking his head inward.

Squalo and I froze in the doorway, Lussuria bumping into us from our sharp stop. Everyone fell into dead silence as we stared into the room. Sawada Iemitsu was sitting in the corner, reading some files he had brought with him. He hardly looked up when we entered. It's almost like he was expecting us.

Xanxus was fully restrained. The bed was propped up into a sitting position. He was strapped to the back by thick leather bands, his hands and legs were cuffed to the bottom of the bed in chains. Even his head was pushed back, a full muzzle over the lower half of his face and his neck was collared to the back of the bed. All of his scars were showing, rage plain in his too-red eyes.

"Boss!" I ran for the bed, instantly reaching for the straps of the barbaric muzzle they'd crudely slapped onto his face, "Hold on."

Levi and Lussuria were immediately demanding a key from Iemitsu who absolutely refused to give it to them. Squalo was at the foot of the bed, clawing at the chains to no avail. The guards were keeping everyone else at bay, seeing the signs of oncoming violence from Lussuria and Levi.

Unable to unstrap the muzzle, I tore it from his face and tossed it to the floor. Hands clutching at the marks around his jaw from how tightly it had been strapped to his skin, "God. What did you do?"

Reborn was standing at the doorway, smirking at us like he was about to unleash hell, "It's what he didn't do that's the problem, Cannibal. We told him not to struggle. He got what was coming to him."

"True." Kyoya chuckled quietly, "If it was me, I would've bitten him to death already. Be grateful, Kira."

I gritted my teeth. I loved Kyoya but honestly, I don't know how I feel about him talking down to me the way he is… but we're the losers so he has every right to do so.

Kyoya and Reborn both stood back as Sawada entered the room with Gokudera just a few steps behind him.

Sawada smiled nervously, waving at us as he came in, "Uhhh… It's good to see you're all able to move. I came to tell you all that the Ninth is inviting you to dinner at your earliest convenience and that we're really sorry it took so long to clear your names."

"Tenth, it's no use saying that to them. They're monsters. They don't know how to be grateful for what you've done." Gokudera spat, "We should've just left them to be killed by the Ninth."

"Now. Now. It's Tsuna's fault too." Iemitsu chuckled, drawing our attention, "He didn't explain it very well. Let me put it clearly for you guys. Tsuna heard about your predicament and came running all the way from Namimori to prevent your executions. When he heard you were on the run, he asked for us to call off our hunters until there was more solid evidence for or against you. And he used all his men to gather evidence about the truth. If it wasn't for Tsuna, you'd all be dead."

Ouch. That was a low blow to our pride. Xanxus was fuming. His whole body was rigid. I hadn't moved from my position stroking the blistering red marks on his jawline. From this close, I could tell he was holding back a violent retort. He was furious for more reasons than one.

"It's nothing like that. They're our precious allies." Sawada repeated those hateful words, "There's no way they would do anything to jeopardize this family."

"Don't be so sure, Tenth." Gokudera sighed, "These are the guys who came at us to kill with their dying will just a few days ago."

"No. They were just defending themselves." He said firmly, "I have faith in Xanxus because we made a promise in the future. 'Show me the strongest Vongola.' I will and… I was told, in the future, you said it yourself. Regardless of our internal strife, when someone attacks us from the outside, we are as one. So we came to help you out. Our debt from the future is repaid."

This brat! I fought in the future too! How could he… How could he… I don't even know which part I should be angry about. I don't understand how he can say that to us. We tried to kill him for real just a few days ago. What kind of bullshit is this? I took a deep breath. No, this is an act of kindness. We should accept it. This means we can still keep fighting.

As if he could read my thoughts, he turned a smile on me and said, "And Kira-san, I know you fought with us super closely in the future. I'll forgive you for Yamamoto's nose and trying to stab me in the neck so let's call it even, okay?"

It's not about me… I turned, waiting for the boss to make his call. We were all waiting for our boss to speak. He was still furious, all the scars were so dark against his face.

"Xanxus, take a good look around." Reborn said, reminding us that he could almost read minds, "She's right in front of you."

Startled, I drew away from the boss. He closed his eyes, trying to shut me out. He knew I could read him better than anyone. We had spent six months together after all.

His scars were starting to fade and he opened his eyes slowly, glaring at Sawada for all it was worth, "Tell the Ninth we don't need dinner. We want to be reimbursed for what he ruined at headquarters and the money we spent wandering Europe. We won't forgive a repeat in the future."

Sawada sighed, relieved, "Well, I mean, you did quite a number on his Guardians so I don't know about all of that but I'll relay the message."

"Iemitsu, release Xanxus." Reborn said as Sawada began to gather the guards and his Guardians to leave us in peace, "Let the watch shift know the Varia's leaving at their leisure."

The CEDEF's leader gave us the key and went to tell the guards stationed throughout the building that we were given the okay to leave. We scrambled to unshackle our boss.

"Oh yeah. One more thing." Reborn smirked, turning to look over his shoulder. His eyes settled right on me as he spoke, "He was muzzled for trying to bite Iemitsu. Most likely, he was trying to bite him to death. The trigger was 'Miss Cannibal's perfect skin is definitely going to be covered in scars as a result of your incompetence.'"

Laughing, Iemitsu walked away, "Don't tease them, Reborn. They're kind of cute."

I turned bright red, dropped the key, fumbled to pick it up and failed miserably. I thoroughly made a fool of myself and made up for it by clearing my throat twice and mumbling, "Haha, my fingers hurt. Can't hold the keys right."

"That's right!" Lussuria shrieked, "I never got my answers! Kira-chan, what's going on here?! In six months, did you become a woman?!"

Become a woman? I was born a woman. I gave him a rough shove as punishment for his obnoxious nosiness.

As he ranted and raved about how cold I was to leave out the details, the boss and I made eye contact. I blushed darkly, rubbing at the red marks left by the handcuffs around his wrists. Neither of us said a word but I guess we don't have to. Lussuria was wildly writing his own possible scenarios for our coupling and Squalo was screaming at him to shut up and gather our things.

We're finally going home.