Daily Life Arc

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn

"Lift?" Mia repeated.

He nodded, pulling out his mittens from his pocket and slipping them on. She watched him shoot himself with the rebuke bullet again to enter hyper mode.

"Did your mittens just…?"

He wriggled his fingers in front of her, smirking. "Yup."

She opened her mouth to probably comment on it but thought better. She chose to examine his gloves instead, fascinated at its transformation properties. He let her touch them for a while until he announced that they should get going. She nodded.

"So what do you mean by lift?" she asked again.

"Hold on to me," he told her.

"Excuse me?"

"Just wrap your arms around my neck. I want to try something."

Dubiously, she did. Tsuna was pleased that she trusted him so much. Without warning, flames shot out from his gloves. Mia yelped and clung tighter to him when they were several feet off the ground. Her arms shook from the strain and it occurred to him that Mia may have left the hospital unauthorized. He wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her secured but it ended up throwing his momentum off and they careened sideways.

"Kya!" Mia screeched when they brushed a tree. Tsuna gritted his teeth as he maneuvered them above the trees with one hand.

A part of his brain registered that Mia 'kya-ed' and it was cute and another part started to notice how dangerous this was becoming. He didn't mean the 'dropping out of the sky part' but the 'oh shit this is getting way too uncomfortable part' as he remembered that yes, his best friend is a girl and was reminded of it for every second that she clung tighter to him. Maybe he should have put some more thought into this instead of diving into it.

Mia wrapped her legs around his waist and his flames flickered, causing them to falter in mid-air. If it was possible, Mia pressed herself even more against him. Holy shit. The flame on his forehead spluttered and he tried very hard not to let his other emotions overwhelm him. Reborn had told him that some emotions could either fuel his flames or extinguished them so he had to be careful.

Easier said than done.

Had Mia always been this soft?

Goddamnit!

He bit his lip and turned his head. They were close to the base of the mountain. Just a little bit more…

His control snapped when Mia hid her face in the crook of his neck, her lips dangerously close to his skin. A mind-blowing number of fifty inappropriate pop-ups appeared in his head. They ended up doing a barrel roll before Tsuna finally had enough and landed. Mia let go immediately and sunk to her knees, relieved she was on land once again.

Tsuna however, was on his hands and knees trying to recollect himself. That was the worst idea he has ever had…

"Never do that again yeah?" Mia said.

Tsuna nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing with her. "Yeah."

They walked down the mountain together in silence instead. Tsuna's head hung low as they crossed the last few yards. His mind was currently spinning from earlier, hardly believing that his mind just jumped off the deep end, his neck still tingling from earlier before.

He should probably stop thinking.

"Mia-sama!" Gokudera met them when they came out. "You said it would only take three hours! We have to go back to the hospital!" he stopped when he saw Tsuna. "Tenth! It's great to see you!" he greeted him nervously.

Tsuna looked at Mia. She was sheepishly looking away from him. "Mia…" he slowly said. So he was right that she left. She laughed anxiously.

"Please don't be mad?" she pleaded reproachfully.

"Mia!"

"Can you please be a bit more conscious of your health? What made you think you can just waltz out of the hospital after waking up?" He scolded her the entire way back.

"I felt alright," she protested. "So I left earlier than I should have. There was no reason to keep me there!"

"Oh yes there was!" Tsuna shot back. "God, do you have any idea how worried I was? Any longer than that I would have thought you were in a coma! "

Mia didn't reply, opting to look down instead. She muttered a silent "Sorry."

Tsuna sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. He looked at her again. Mia didn't meet his stern gaze and was looking down on the ground looking very much ashamed. Seeing her like that had his annoyance fade away into the cool night.

Gokudera awkwardly hung back, unable to say anything. He wanted to apologize and take the blame for Mia-sama but once the Tenth started there was no stopping him. So he just followed them like a lost and awkward little dog. It seemed they forgot about him but Gokudera didn't take it personally. He knew how much the Tenth cared for Mia – everybody could plainly see that and Mia-sama definitely had her moments of recklessness. Gokudera was torn whether he should stick with Mia-sama when she wanders away by herself or by the Tenth's side. That vow he made was really starting to have its drawbacks. An uncomfortable silence befell them and Gokudera wanted to say anything just to break it up.

Thank god for cell phones. All at once, their phones rang at once.

The two oblivious couple jumped when they heard Gokudera's personalized ring tone. Before either of them said anything, Gokudera answered the call, grateful that he had anything to do. It was short and very brief.

"Come to Tsuna's house."

Then it ended.

"What the hell is Reborn thinking?!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"Surprise!" Everybody jumped out when they went inside Tsuna's living room. A banner that said 'Welcome back Mia!' hung on the wall, there were drinks, food, and naturally anything you could find for your party needs. Tsuna and Gokudera wore smiles on their faces and turned around to see Mia's reaction.

She looked way out of her depth, like she didn't know how to react. That merely lasted for a second before she plastered a smile on. It looked the same as her usual smile but it lacked the heart she put into it. She walked past them to thank the others, her fake smile becoming wider.

When she went past him, Tsuna could feel a large stone weigh heavily on his chest.

Why did it make him feel so sad?

He watched her laugh with Kyoko and Haru, and play with the children. His mother came in next carrying a tray of drinks – apparently she had been fed with another cover story. Bianchi discreetly informed him that they told the girls and his mom that Mia went on an impromptu camping trip with her dad for the past few days. Mia seemed to have figured it out for herself and masterfully spun a lie telling them of how it went. Had she always been like that? He wondered.

As the party went on, Mia's smile became more genuine and when it ended and everybody went home, he asked her to stay over for the night. His mom wouldn't mind her staying over but what he wanted to do the most was to talk with her. But she declined and went back with Gokudera instead. To say he was disappointed was an understatement. Something heavy fell on his head. It could be the universe trying to comfort him or Reborn was just one really fat bastard.

"Dame-Tsuna…"

"I'M SORRY!"

When Mia went back into her apartment, feeling more than just tired. She was never much of a party person when it came to herself; she was never comfortable with that kind of attention. Opening the door, she noticed several boxes were piled in her living room and all of them had the Vongola insignia stamped on the upper right corners. There was a letter on top of one box. She silently made her way over to it and opened it. A dying will flame sparked to life, acting as a seal. Written in a flawless cursive Italian, it read:

To the Young Lady,

Reborn has told me much of you in his letters and how much of a good friend you are to Tsunayoshi-kun. It warms my old heart how you stand beside him, not cowed by the dangers brought on by his ancestral birthright. Personally, I would have liked not to involve Tsunayoshi-kun.

However that cannot be.

The Vongola needs an heir. I cannot express it enough in words how it is important for Tsunayoshi-kun to inherit the role of Boss. No one but him can only take this throne. He is the only hope to shine the light upon Vongola's dark path; I sincerely believe that you would greatly help him in doing so.

Reborn informed me that you wish to learn the Vongola's history. A heavy bargain you asked for. I had my doubts but he assured me of you could be trusted and so I am placing my faith upon you. Contained in these boxes hold the history of the Vongola from its founding to the present day – our customs, traditions and old contracts will be yours to study. Guard this knowledge well child and may you use it wisely.

A bright young mind like yours I only warn you that you take care of your life.

With best regards,

Vongola Nono

Mia set down the letter, feeling faint in the head. Her knees weakened and she placed a hand on the coffee table to steady herself. The weight of her impulsive actions had finally settled deeply into her mind. It didn't occur to her then how big the danger was when she had asked Reborn and she had to admit she was frightened. She bit her lip.

Despite being afraid, her curiosity was stronger. Steeling her nerves, she opened one of the boxes and took out what appeared to be a dark leather-bound ledger. The words from Nono's letter floated into her mind and she frowned. What did it mean to 'shine the light upon Vongola's dark path'? Did he expect Tsuna to change the Vongola? As a mafia family, that was an odd request. What secrets did history conceal?

Looking at the thick ledger then the rest of the unopened boxes, she had a long, long way to go. She sighed and felt a sliver of pain go through her head. She rubbed her temples tiredly.

"Maybe I should go to bed first." Thank god Reborn signed her release papers otherwise she would have been herded by Tsuna back in the hospital now.

Speaking of Tsuna… as she lied on her bed, her cheeks warmed as she remembered his gentle caresses and that fond smile he had on his face. She placed her hands where his was and sighed. Closing her eyes, she recalled how calloused his hands had become but still retained that gentleness that he had. Her hands slipped down her face. Her eyelids shut and she felt herself drifting away into the land of sleep.

Only to wake a few hours later, gasping and in tears. A terror that she hadn't felt in years since her mother died clawing its way past her throat.

The nightmares were back.

:(