Disclaimer: I don't own KHR but be warned of mature themes and feels up ahead.

When the flame died out, Mia threw Leon at Tsuna's face. The chameleon turned into blindfold that slapped on to Tsuna's eyes, causing him to fall, surprised at how strong her throw was. Before the other two could move, in a very dangerous and close to detonation tone, she said, "Turn around and I will end you." They didn't dare to turn around. If one would look at it this way, if they did look at her, Mia would probably castrate them and Tsuna… well god knows what he would do. Dutifully, they obeyed her request.

She shoved her embarrassment deep inside an impenetrable bottle of resolve. She had it coming after all, since she was the one who asked for it in the first place.

Hold your head up high and hope for the best that this doesn't make things awkward, she thought to herself. Tsuna did this all the time – she's seen him in his underwear more than a girl should have. So what if they saw her half-naked and she had boobs? She's still the same wise-crack girl that they've always known. That thought provided her with little comfort but it was enough to keep her going.

Mia went to grab Tsuna's vest. She put it on since it fitted her better and tied Gokudera's jacket around her waist, ending with a knot to the side that gave her improvised skirt a slit. Thankfully it covered what she wanted to cover at least but there was still too much skin for her to be comfortable with. She returned to where the boys were – Gokudera and Yamamoto had not moved an inch from where she ordered them to stay and Tsuna was currently sitting Indian-style on the ground with his arms crossed on his chest.

"Okay," she said heavily. "I'm decent."

Leon fell off of Tsuna's face and landed on his lap. He crawled right back up to hide in Tsuna's hair. Mia actually found it adorable how Tsuna didn't mind but she didn't let it show. Tsuna awkwardly looked up at her. His eyes recognized the clothing she wore and his expression changed. Her heart did a roller coaster impression when she noticed how he looked at her. She had no words to describe it except that it made a tingling sensation run up and down her forearms.

Then it was gone as soon as Gokudera and Yamamoto turned to face her.

"I hope you don't mind if I borrowed your jacket Gokudera."

"Not at all!" The bomber exclaimed.

"Looking good Mia," Yamamoto complimented her. She was sure he didn't mean it that way and he knew it too, although it didn't stop Gokudera from telling him off. Before it could escalate into something bigger, Tsuna rapidly stood up and briskly walked past his two friends while holding his shovel. The mood suddenly became tense and both boys halted. Yamamoto rubbed his head sheepishly.

Mia was sure that something just happened. Tsuna smiled disarmingly at her without looking at her in the eye and dug the shovel to the ground where she said the capsule to be. The other two came to help as well and Mia was left on the side, feeling that she had missed something significant… or it could be just her imagination. Eventually, they hit something hard and picked up the pace to dig out the capsule. When they were done, Mia peeked into the capsule, a cruel smile making its way to her lips and erasing all remaining traces of mortification from the dying will bullet. It made her loads better.

Off to the side, the three boys sweat dropped.

"Mia… you're evilness is showing," Tsuna pointed out. Mia ignored him.

"Well… at least she won't be expelled right?" Yamamoto cheerfully said.

"As long as Mia-sama is happy…" Gokudera trailed off as Mia let out a mad cackle. "Happy." He repeated, sounding a bit more unsure of himself.

Mia swirled around; her eyes were alive with mischief. "Boys, I'm so going to bust Nezu!"

"Uh… let's get you some clothes first," Tsuna suggested. She nodded and went back to looking through the papers.

They went to class after Mia changed into a spare uniform. It was on her own insistence that they went back. When they tried to talk back at that time, she threatened to rip the papers to shreds saying, "No. You've spent half the school day helping me. It's lucky you three haven't been discovered yet and I'll have it stay that way. I'm thankful guys, I really am so please just do this for me?" Then she looked at them with those blue pleading eyes. Gokudera went down easily, followed by Yamamoto. Tsuna did not look at her, knowing that if he did, it would be over.

"Tsuna…" she pleaded in that adorable way that just made him want to bang his head against the wall because damn it… with a groan, he looked at her. Just as he thought, saying no was impossible.

When they went back to class, Tsuna was startled as all their classmates crowded around them asking about Mia's unfortunate fate and why they were gone for so long. Gokudera blatantly told them to screw off while Yamamoto tried to calm him down. Tsuna slipped away, ignoring his classmates and making a beeline to his seat where he sat there, arms crossed. He intended to sit and wait there until Mia came back.

Kyoko approached him with a concerned frown.

"Tsuna-kun, what happened to your vest?" she asked. He looked down on himself for a moment. He forgot that he lent Mia his since there wasn't anything else in her size. He didn't mind if she kept it. He much preferred it she wear it.

"Um, it got dirty so I had to take it off. Why?" he looked up at Kyoko. The lighter-headed brunette shyly shook her head. He smiled at her and noticed a new sunflower hair clip hanging near her ear. He remembered helping Onii-san pick something similar the other day. His smile grew a bit.

"Your sunflower's cute Kyoko-chan," he told her. "It looks good on you."

She touched the sunflower, her cheeks dusted with pink. "R-Really? Onii-san gave it to me."

"Having older brothers are cool ne?"

Kyoko blinked in surprise. "I didn't know you had an older brother Tsuna-kun!" she exclaimed.

He nervously laughed. "I don't. I just have an older brother figure that thinks that we're family." Now that he thought about it, he still hadn't thanked Dino for the heads up of info during that time with Mukuro. If it wasn't for him, Tsuna wouldn't have known what they were up against. He took out his phone to see if he had Dino's number. Nope. He'll just ask Reborn later.

"I bet he's kind," Kyoko said thoughtfully.

Tsuna nodded, thinking how caring Dino was of his men. "Yeah, he is."

Actually, if someone like Dino was in the Mafia, could it be really as dark as he thought it was?

"Tsuna-kun." He focused his attention back at her.

"Sorry Kyoko-chan. I just have a lot on my mind." She nodded understandingly. It looked like she was going to say something but thought more on it. He tilted his head to the side.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Kyoko blushed and looked down on her shoes. She took a deep breath and met his eyes with such determination that it surprised him. "Tsuna-kun," she started. His heart jumped and his face turned warmed.

"Yeah?" he breathed.

"Will you – " she was interrupted as the door ferociously slid open. Cue the scary piano solo and Hibari enters the room, his black eyes practically scaring the pants out of everyone as they scanned the area. He huffed when he saw that what he was looking for wasn't there. Tsuna slowly stood up from his seat.

"Herbivore," he addressed Tsuna. He flinched wondering why the hell was it always him? "Where is the little cub?"

Little cub? Who the hell was that? Seeing as Tsuna didn't get it, Hibari made an unimpressed sound that somewhat ticked him off. How was he supposed to know who he was referring to? He didn't speak animal. The prefect left, leaving the class in stunned silence for it was odd for the devil of the school to refer to anyone other than 'herbivore'. People spoke to each other in hush tones after that.

"I wonder who 'little cub' is?" He wondered out loud.

Kyoko looked like she was about to give her own thought about it when the door opened again and Mia staggered inside, looking as if all her problems had been doubled tenfold. Dread filled him and he stood up, fearing that things may not have gone as planned but his worries were unnecessary as she shook her head and winked at them.

Forget her sleepless nights and haunting nightmares, the nuisance is gone!

Mia punched the air with her fist as soon as she was in the privacy of her home. She had been hiding her feelings the whole time in case someone causes trouble for her. In a way, the stress that she had accumulated over the past week of school felt easier to deal with. No shitty teacher and at the moment, she had something for her sleep troubles. She doubted Tsuna would approve but it was necessary. Also, it was prescribed.

That sobered her up as she went to her room and opened the drawer on her desk. Tucked in a corner at the very back, she took out a small orange cylindrical container. Her father often reminded her to keep some medication on hand if she needed sleep. It had been years since she took these. When she had lost her mother, she had developed insomnia that never really went away. She had gotten better in time but still kept a few pills at hand for some rough nights.

Through the plastic she could see at least six pills inside. She placed it on the table and went to change. Choosing to wear a baggy shirt and some shorts, she tied her hair into a messy bun and clipped her bangs away from her face.

She paused as she held Tsuna's blue vest in her hands. Cautiously looking around to see if anyone was watching and then finding none, she rubbed the garment against her cheek and smelled it deeply. Tsuna didn't know, but he had a nice smell. It reminded her firewood and cinnamon. She liked it and found that it was very comforting. She folded it and put it in her bag ruefully. She had to give it back sometime.

She went into the room next door that she had temporarily used as a study with her Pa's permission. All the boxes she had received from the Ninth had been put into the room. She flipped the switch and a messy sight greeted her. The boxes were in plain sight… alongside the tower of boxes that her own father hoarded over the years. She figured that they would fit the picture. A good decision on her part. Nothing looked out of the ordinary unless you went looking for it.

On a desk was a ledger that she had left the previous night. She went towards it. She sat down and continued where she left off.

At the beginning, she didn't know where or when to start. Eventually, she had managed to find the Historical ledgers and began sorting through them. There were nine in total, with a ledger dedicated to each generation. They were thick with information on the boss at that time and their accomplishments, some holding copies of truces that bosses have signed with other Families. But she ignored all that and searched for the First Generation. Compared to the others, it was thinner and contained only the briefest of information on Vongola Primo and his Family.

But despite the lack of details, it shocked her.

The longer she immersed herself in it, the more she was befuddled by it. The First Generation was nothing like its predecessors. Ever since she was a child, Mia had always had a good perception of things and the significance of it. Her mind was able to take events apart like a puzzle, trace the lines around the edges of each piece's importance, to know how it fits where and why, and to appreciate the resulting picture. To her, History was like that but the Vongola confused her so much she wondered if this is the same Vongola that existed now.

Something at large was working here, she thought as she gazed at a passage. How could the first boss just abdicate like that and leave the second to ruin everything they left behind? There had to be more than this and she felt that pieces were still missing. Perhaps studying the other generations would help her but she couldn't imagine Tsuna fitting in all of that.

From what she had skimmed and some of Bianchi's lessons, the Vongola had come a long way. Its history had been painted blood red for several generations and Tsuna was supposed to inherit that? What were they getting into?

He was one of the sweetest people she knew, always patient (especially with her) and kind. They were still young but she was already afraid of what the future had in store for all of them.

A humorless chuckle escaped her lips. Was the Ninth expecting her to convince Tsuna? She hoped not. She didn't understand the Ninth's request. There were too many things it could mean and she did not have the time or the spare patience to pick it apart and figure it out.

But it came to her after she finished studying the First Generation. Like light casting its rays into the darkness, it illuminated the answer. She slowly straightened herself as it dawned on her. Absurd as it was, Mia could tell that quite possibly… this could be the one reason that Tsuna would want to be boss. But she was hesitant in telling him. She respected his choices but this wasn't something to be overlooked either. It was his right, whether he wanted it or not.

But was it alright to destroy whatever illusion of normalcy he still had?

She didn't want to be the person to do that.

In fact, she had a feeling that if she told him, it would throw the whole status quo of the Vongola out of proportion. Pandemonium was just out there, waiting to happen. She sighed.

Glancing at the digital clock on the desk, it read eleven-thirty.

"Time sure does flies," she murmured to herself.

Taking the ledger back with her to her room, she placed it beside her bed and swallowed a sleeping pill dry. She crawled underneath the covers and placed the ledger underneath her pillow. From there, Mia turned off the light and waited for the drug to kick in. She felt the drowsiness come to her after a while and the soft lull of sleep. Her eyelids fluttered until they fell shut and for the first time since she came out of the hospital, she had fallen into a deep dreamless slumber.

Tsuna knew Mia was hiding something from him despite acting normal about it. He didn't know how but he just did, which was funny because he was trying to avoid her. A week had gone by since the 'incident' – as the boys called it – and Tsuna had still not adjusted to the fact that Mia wore lingerie. Every time he would look at her, the image of blue lace would pop into his mind and it would do everything in his power to resist a nosebleed.

Reborn had taken advantage of what he called his 'Virgin Power' to train him in the art of self-control. Tsuna hated it. He almost wished he could die of embarrassment. It didn't help either how Bianchi recounted all of the wares she brought for Mia to him – what resulted was him guessing what color of panties she was wearing that day.

Mia didn't notice their distance and Tsuna was glad of it because he didn't know what to make of his inexcusable thoughts. Until he had sorted that out, he couldn't bear to endorse himself any form of physical affection with her so no hugs, which was disheartening for him. To make up for it, he had picked up on his reading again. Even though he kept his distance, he wasn't apart from her and couldn't help but sense that she was being troubled.

The bags underneath her eyes were gone and she was much more active than before but underneath all that, was a sense of weariness. It dragged across her every movement that he couldn't help but take notice of and admittedly it was slowly killing him on the inside because for one, he knew personally as a close friend that Mia would never seek help and second, he was worried that it could become a self-destructive habit. After almost a week of it, he was sick of it and he decided to corner her alone on the roof after telling both Gokudera and Yamamoto that he needed to speak with her.

Both boys had sly grins on their faces and Tsuna had a feeling that they misunderstood his request. Still, they listened to him to give the privacy they needed and even helped out into cornering Mia so that she wouldn't dodge him again. When he went up into the roof, Mia was scowling at him. He smiled pleasantly at her.

"Okay, tell me what's bothering you." He walked towards her, watching her frown.

"Nothing's bothering me," she replied. He snorted.

"Right." They stood in front of each other. He remembered that they stood similarly like this before at the clearing. The memory felt so distant now, it felt like years ago. "Come on Mia, you can trust me," he pleaded softly to her.

Her resolve crumbled. He could see how she shifted her eyes away, unsure. He took a step closer. "You do trust me right?"

"I do," he heard her mumble. She sighed dejectedly. "How is it that you always know?"

"Hyper Intuition." He watched with amusement as her eyes widened.

"Seriously?" she said, slack-jawed. "That's one freaky gift you have there."

He scowled at her. "It's not freaky!" he defended.

"It is if you can sense stuff like a metal detector!"

Tsuna resisted the urge to reply to that. He could tell she was trying to distract him. "Mia," he started again. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at him and he could see it in her eyes that she wasn't going to tell him. Before she could say anything though, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"I'm worried Mia. I respect your privacy but I just can't watch this anymore," he confessed. "I thought I was your best friend so why won't you let me help you?"

Guilt flooded her expression and for a moment, Tsuna regretted making her feel that way. It disappeared though as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him fiercely. He went rigid with shock. "I'm sorry," she said. He nodded jerkily, his cheeks tainted with pink. Eventually he relaxed himself and awkwardly wrapped his arms around her waist, fighting the desire to pull her flush against him. He was happy that she was still comfortable enough to be weirdly affectionate with him after the… 'incident'… but he didn't know how to act around her anymore.

He felt her bury her face into his shoulder and his heart quickened. "Are you sure you want to know?" she whispered. He fought the urge to shiver and nodded, too nervous to trust himself with words.

"Yeah," he rasped. Mia pulled back, to his relief but she didn't remove her hands that stayed on his shoulders. She gave him a searching look.

She took a deep breath and said, "If I were to tell you that the Vongola isn't what you thought it to be… would you consider?"

He was very curious and taken aback at the same time. Of all things she could have talked about it was this? His first thought was to say no because he wanted nothing to do with it. But after coming this far to convince her, he wasn't about to back down.

"I'm… interested I guess," he said uncertainly.

She licked her lips "Tsuna, remember what Reborn taught us? When he explained how you were considered as a candidate for boss?"

"Yeah. Said I was related to the founder. Primo."

She nodded encouragingly. "That's right. You're a direct descendant of Vongola Primo, the founder of the Family."

He frowned at her. "Where are you going with this Mia?"

"Just hear me out," she told him. "You might not believe me but the Vongola started out as a vigilante group. Not a mafia family but an organization that fought to protect people."

He stared at her, dumbfounded. He wanted to laugh it off but Mia was being openly honest with him. He sensed no lie from her words but that didn't mean he wanted to accept it. He shook his head in denial. "If that's the case, then why did it turn into one?"

A sad smile crept on Mia's face. "Vongola Primo, your ancestor, was betrayed by one of his closest friends. If I had to guess, if he was anything like you Tsuna and I know you, he would never go against that friend. He stepped down from the position of boss and left for Japan."

"I…" he was at lost at what to say.

"The reason it turned into a Mafia Family is because Primo's cousin, Secondo, succeeded and made it that way." She frowned into space.

"Why didn't he just fight his friend?" he wondered out loud.

Mia stared at him for a while then asked, "If I betrayed you Tsuna and you had no choice but to either kill me or spare me what would you do?"

"I would never hurt you!" he shook her shoulders, angry that she could even say that.

But Mia remained calm. "Then you understand why Primo couldn't just go against his friend." His fingers loosened slightly as his shoulders slumped, unable to deny that if he were in Primo's stead he would have done the same.

"How is it you know all about this?" He could see her walls going up as her mouth clamped shut. She wasn't going to tell him how she knew and it made him angry. He had shared plenty of his insecurities with her and it cut him deeply how she couldn't return in courtesy. Did he mean so little to her? As if she predicted his reaction, she touched his face and forced him to look her in the eyes.

Her eyes were stern but her tone was kind, "Don't be mad Tsuna. I made a promise not to tell."

"To who?" he muttered.

"A friend." She ran a thumb across his cheek. The action washed whatever resentment he held at the moment away. "I can't betray their trust. You understand right?"

Eventually, he sighed. "Yeah." She smiled and he returned it in kind. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked her quietly.

It took her a moment to answer. "I... guess I just wanted you to have a choice in all this."

"What?" He gaped at her defiant expression. "What?" he repeated again, coming off idiotic the second time he said it. She shook her head hopelessly. Her other hand came up until she held his face and very gently, clapped them on either side of his cheeks.

"Focus on me," she ordered. Easy, his mind thought. It wasn't hard not to.

"I want to help you," she started. "I know how much you hate this whole thing with the Vongola but you and I... we can't do anything about it. I can't change history and I can't tell Reborn to sod off – he would kill me for that." She chuckled ruefully. "You get what I'm trying to say?"

"Basically you're telling me that becoming the boss is inevitable." Mia didn't even bother denying it. Anger swelled in him for different reasons now and he wrenched her hands off of him. He turned away from her and said bitterly, "Thanks, if I wanted a reality check I would have had Reborn hit me." This was not what he expected to talk to her about and he was an idiot for pursuing it in the first place. This topic was something he avoided the most and for good reason – he was determined to not become the boss. The fact that she was sounding as if she was coaxing him into the role sent a flash of betrayal through him. He thought she understood him and thought that she was more but he was wrong. Contempt reared its ugly head but he pushed it back down. Mia was only doing what she thought was right but he still didn't want to hear it.

"Tsuna… I'm sorry." he heard her say and he shook his head.

"Don't," he said, not wanting to hear it. "I don't expect you to understand so just leave it alone."

There was silence. He waited for her to reply and when she did, her tone was filled with regret. "Okay," she promised.

He glanced slightly at her. Her lips were twisted to a bitter smile and the light had dimmed in her eyes. A spike of worry jolted in him but he was still so angry at her that he disregarded it. The silence was stretched thinly before them until Mia decided to break it.

"I'll see you at class." She kept her eyes down as she passed him.

"Right," he replied stiffly. Then she was gone. He stayed there on the roof, brooding silently to himself for a while until he went back to class.

Mia couldn't stand the way Gokudera and Yamamoto were staring at her. She knew they sensed that something went wrong between Tsuna and her. She wouldn't blame them if they came to resent her for putting Tsuna in such a terrible mood. She didn't mean to, honestly. She thought it was for the best but there goes her arrogance again, assuming that whatever she thought it was right. God, why did she had to stick her nose in somebody else's business?

She was a horrible friend, she told herself sullenly.

By the end of school, she disappeared faster than the bomber and the jock could call out for her. She didn't go back to her apartment, knowing that Gokudera would probably be there if he wasn't at Tsuna's side. Instead, she hopped on a bus that took her to the seashore. She didn't care where she went only that she could be alone for the time being. Since Summer was just around the corner, it was slightly warm but the breeze was pleasantly cool. She walked, not bothering where her feet took her.

She shouldn't have given in, she chastised herself. If she wasn't so pitiful, she could have prevented that situation from happening. Tsuna didn't want to be boss, period. Why didn't she listen? In fact, why was he still friends with her anyway? Her sense of humor was weird, trouble loved to find her and she was more of a burden than Kyoko and Haru ever could be. The way her thinking progressed, she thought that he was better off not being with her. All she did was cause misery. A familiar well of sadness consumed her heart.

She found a bench to sit on that overlooked the sea and sat on it.

She wallowed there until the sun set and the stars twinkled in the sky. Mia begun to hum a slow tune that matched her mood and continued to hum as the night dragged on. All she could hear was the crashing of waves and her own voice. Before she realized it, it was already two in the morning when she arrived at her place.

Deciding that one pill will be too much, she halved it with a kitchen knife and swallowed a half piece. As she waited for sleep to come to her, she remembered how Tsuna looked at her and buried her face into her pillow. She was tired. So, so tired. She hadn't slept right ever since Kokuyo land.

When sleep took her, the nightmares came and she realized the next morning, soaked with sweat and trembling that it wasn't working.

She was left in the mercy of her own mind and terror like never before overcame her.

Reborn had noticed the distance between the two. Tsuna and Mia barely spoke to each other, only exchanging pleasantries. At first neither of them seemed willing to talk to the other then Tsuna began to be more open. It was Mia who remained withdrawn, keeping a safe and respectable distance as if she didn't want to get close. Tsuna was becoming increasingly worried and with good reason. As some days went on and while Mia appeared to be healthy, her state of mind was becoming… off.

For one was she was much too alert and was startled easily. She had gotten slightly thinner as well, had she been eating lately? It looked like signs of PTSD and Reborn wondered why it was only showing up now. He expected it ever since she woke up but she managed, not letting her fears stand in her way. Could a spat between her and Tsuna be the final straw? He didn't know so he decided to terrorize his student into telling him. Tsuna, doing the name Vongola proud, had his mouth clamped shut as tight as a clam would. He would not tell him what he wanted to know but he admitted that he had said some rather hurtful things to her in an argument.

Reborn sighed. "Lovers' quarrels are so troublesome." The tip of Tsuna's ears went red. "You need to talk to her."

Tsuna's shoulders sagged. "I've been trying to," he said miserably. "But… she…" he couldn't find the words to describe it. "I think she's afraid of me," he finally said. She never mentioned a word of their argument but every word that came out of her mouth after that sounded so scripted, answering how they expected her to answer. He didn't like it. It didn't feel like the girl he knew that was so spirited.

Reborn had proved once again how adept he was at reading people. "She's insecure."

He stared at his tutor in disbelief. "Are we talking about the same person here?"

"Dame-Tsuna, she's only fourteen. All teenagers are insecure about something. Including you." He reminded him.

"But Mia, insecure? You do remember she's the girl that got Nezu fired right?"

"I'm well aware of that." Reborn slapped him with a green stick. He yelped. "Now listen closely," the baby pointed the stick threateningly in between his eyes. "I'll say this once so you better get this in your head. This is a rather delicate situation we're in and you are to handle it with out most care, capisce?"

Tsuna quickly nodded.

"Times like these are when the Family should stand by one another. Mia had dealt with things for a long time by herself. She's smart but she's overly cautious and gets hurt easily. Remind her that its different now, that she's part of this Famiglia too."

It was a warm sentiment. Family.

Mia didn't have friends while she was growing up, just like he did. They didn't talk much about her life before she came to Japan but he knew they moved too much and couldn't settle in one place long enough for her to do so.

Even when she had her dad, he spent too much time at work and left her alone most of the time. Had she ever complained once about it? Not that he knew.

Guilt settled heavily in his chest. Maybe it had been wrong for her to have overstepped her boundaries but she only wanted what was the best for him, like she always did. And he was the one that pushed right?

Tears welled up in his eyes unknowingly and he bit his lip. He was such an idiot. "I didn't want to make her sad," he whispered. "What can I do?" he moaned miserably.

Reborn remained silent as he contemplated for an answer. "Let her deal with that herself. This is something she can only overcome. Other than that, there's another thing that concerns me."

There's more? Tsuna dreaded.

"Mia might be developing PTSD."

"PTSD?" Tsuna asked.

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," Reborn answered. "So far she has only shown few symptoms but if left alone, it could lead to something a lot worse."

Whatever that was, it sounded horrible to him.

"I expected too much of her," Reborn added quietly, filled with emotion that was rare for the Hitman. "Its true that she has a natural gift to resist mental attacks but she's still young and vulnerable. She's probably having difficulty sleeping at night. Mukuro really did a number a number on her."

At the sound of the illusionist's name, he gnashed his teeth together in anger, for himself, at the stupid pineapple and the world in general. His fists shook at his own helplessness and regret.

"I… have to help her."

Reborn nodded. "As you should. If anyone could help her, it's you."

Tsuna stared at his tutor, humbled and a bit embarrassed by his faith in him. It was the first time he'd heard Reborn like this.

He ducked his head, not knowing how to reply but took the words to heart as encouragement.

Right, first thing to do was how to approach Mia without scaring her off. Reborn let him think when something occurred to him. Trying to keep his voice void of interest, he asked his tutor, "Reborn, did Vongola Primo really start the Vongola to protect people?"

"Hmnn? Yes, he did. The Vongola was created to protect those who cannot be protected by the law at the time." Tsuna nodded and left. When he was gone, Reborn murmured to himself quietly. "Now where did he learn that?"

Mia had proven herself to be a tough cookie and even a tougher person to follow. As soon as classes were over, Mia had disappeared among the masses. Tsuna cursed. Even when enlisting the aid of all his friends Mia was quick to make herself scarce.

"Did anybody find her?" he asked when they gathered in the park.

"I could not extremely find her at school!" Ryohei declared.

"She wasn't at the usual places that she likes to be," Yamamoto reported.

"Mia-chan wasn't in the shopping district." Kyoko frowned worriedly.

"Hahi! Why are we looking for Mia-chan anyway?" Haru wondered.

Tsuna released a heavy sigh. "We had a fight a few days ago. I said some mean things and I wanted to apologize."

They didn't question what they fought about and he was grateful they didn't ask as he didn't want to talk about it and instead offered words of encouragement. He smiled gratefully at them then addressed the surprisingly last person to report. "What about you Gokudera-kun?"

The silver-haired bomber was staring down at the ground, his brows set in a deep frown. "Forgive me for saying so Tenth but… I believe it would be best to just wait for Mia-sama to return."

"How can you say that Gokudera-san?" Haru demanded. "Mia-chan must be suffering all alone right now!"

"Shut it stupid woman! Mia-sama will come back once she feels better!" Gokudera retorted.

"How do you know Mia-chan will?" Haru shot back.

"Because she always does," Gokudera simply said.

They all stared at him. Gokudera fidgeted nervously under their stares. "Wait, you mean to say that she does this a lot?" Tsuna asked.

"Not often but she does it sometimes," Gokudera admitted. "Some nights she would take a walk for an hour or so… a few nights ago after your fight with her Tenth, I waited for as long as I could for her to return. I was going to report the day after but she came home way past midnight. She wasn't hurt at all!" he added quickly at the sight of Tsuna's alarm.

"You sound like a stalker Gokudera-san," Haru commented.

Gokudera rounded on her. "Oh shut it you hag! For your information, I live next door to Mia-sama!"

Tsuna ignored them as he considered Gokudera's suggestion. He did believe it would be a waste of time to go searching for her. If Mia didn't want to be found, she won't show up. As much as he hated to, he decided to wait.

"Thanks a lot you guys," he told his friends earnestly.

He decided to sleep over at Gokudera's for the night. His friend was very ecstatic to have him around, much to his chagrin. He offered almost the best for him – dinner, the best seat, the remote and even the bed which Tsuna all declined politely. Time continued to tick on. From an hour to the next, he waited until it was too late and they decided to get some sleep.

As Tsuna lied in his futon, he couldn't stop his thoughts and his guilt from keeping him awake. He was aware that the time right now was probably around eleven and that Mia had been gone for a very long while. A knot of worry developed in his stomach. Where could she be at this time? Mia wasn't an idiot. After her last kidnapping she had been mindful of herself.

It seemed almost an eternity when he heard the soft click of a door being unlocked and soft footsteps. He immediately rose. Gokudera was fast asleep; Tsuna decided not to wake his friend and crept outside. As he stood in front of her door with trepidation, Tsuna took a deep breath and knocked. Five… Ten… Twenty minutes passed. Nothing.

Maybe in the morning? No, he shook his head. He wasted enough time as it is. He either does it now or never. An idea formed in his mind and he hoped that Mia won't push him off the window.

His great idea was to enter through the window, specifically her window by using his gloves. Thank god he asked to borrow Leon before he left home. As he hovered in midair, he fumbled with the window and managed to slide it open. Pushing the curtains aside, the flame on his forehead illuminated the dark room. He crept silently inside and shut the window so the cold air won't come in.

A whimper startled him and he turned to see Mia curled in around herself, the pillows and sheets in a tangled mess around her. She twitched and whimpered in her sleep and Tsuna had pulled off his gloves. They turned into mittens and he stuffed them in his pocket. He crouched beside her bed. A feeble noise escaped her and Tsuna couldn't watch her like this anymore. He shook her shoulder lightly.

"Mia," he called her name out softly.

She cried loudly, lashing out an arm that nearly hit him. She didn't wake but curled herself back into a ball.

He called out her name again, albeit a bit louder. She still didn't wake up. Why won't she wake up? He looked around her room and something small and orange caught his eye. He walked towards it and plucked it off the desk. His whole body went still. In his hand, he held a canister of sleeping pills. There were only four inside but it felt heavy in his hand. He slowly turned to look at the girl at the bed.

"Oh Mia," he whispered out, his heart heavy.

The flame on his forehead extinguished. He set the pills back on the table and crouched back beside her again. "I'm sorry," he apologized quietly. "I never meant to hurt you." He placed a hand against her cheek. Her hands that were so close to her chest reached out slowly to grasp at his hand. Her fingers were riddled with sleep but it did not change the fact that she was seeking for comfort from beyond her nightmares.

He desperately wanted to comfort her any way that he could, just so that she could be spared from the pain. Mia had always looked out for him, had his best interests at heart.

Making a split decision that probably was a horrible idea; he clambered on to her bed and lied down beside her. There was nothing more comforting than a hug for him so he hoped that this would be enough. He just wanted her to be his normal Mia again.

He pulled her against his chest and tucked his chin on the crown of her head. She twitched a few times, knocking against his jaw. It took a while for her body to relax against his and like a moth being drawn to a flame, Mia turned, her arms wrapped around his torso as she sought his warmth. When he was assured she wasn't going to kick him, he let himself fall asleep. His breath hitched as he realized just what kind of hell will be raised in the morning but found he was too tired and too comfy to care about it.

Mia also smelled really nice it was impossible not to be lulled to sleep by it.

It was odd, she thought as she struggled to wake up. She felt better than she had for a while. It was like as if the nightmares had been chased away during the night. She breathed through her nose and smelled a familiar scent. With effort, she opened her eyes… only to be greeted by the serene sleeping expression of Sawada Tsunayoshi.

She froze. She was suddenly aware of how their arms were wrapped around each other and the close proximity of their bodies. But the better question would be was why the hell was Tsuna in her goddamn bed? She untangled herself and slowly got up only to have an arm wrap across her stomach and pull her down with her back against him. She blushed as he spooned her. She wriggled in his grasp.

"Tsuna!" she squeaked when he buried his face into her shoulder blades.

Embarrassed and unable to form one coherent thought, she decided not to move until Tsuna moved of his own accord. When he wakes up, Mia will be mad but for now, with all these butterflies flying in her stomach, she decided to get a little bit more of sleep.

Meanwhile, a green chameleon had transformed into a camera and proceeded to take pictures of them unknowingly.

Author's Note:

Word of the wise, if someone you know has been diagnosed with PTSD or experiences nigh terrors, don't try to wake them up if they're having nightmares or night terrors. Its better to wait them out if they're thrashing around. Even if you wake them, there's no guarantee they'd regain consciousness so soon. At best they might not even remember what happened in the morning.

My sister used to suffer from this but it has gotten a lot better after years of therapy and support from family and friends. It bothered me a lot that I couldn't help her through the night.

When I originally wrote this, I'll admit I could have written it better. I'm glad I was able to re-do this chapter as it reminded me so much of what I wanted to express but didn't have the words show.

Also, sleeping pills or sleeping aides are not the cure-all for insomnia. Their side-effects often outweigh the benefits and they shouldn't be taken consistently, especially kids as they can build a tolerance to it.

It wasn't my intention to have so much angst in this chapter and believe me, I didn't do it for the lols.

But it'll get better, promise.

Also, I've been toying the idea of Dad!Reborn of a while now. I wouldn't go so far to make him OOC just to entertain that idea but I definitely like having him show fondness for his students.

Anyways, thanks for reading!