Dear readers, I'm quite pleased with this one. I'd say this is the best of my chapters at how quick I can change a chapter's tone. This chapter will be delving a bit in the Blackthorn Arc. I'll say this now that two more chapters will follow that are out of canon which tells of Mia's little adventure to Tokyo where she meets Nagi before she became Chrome and runs into Ian again. You know, some typical Mia time.

After that we'll be resuming the Ring Arc. So by story time, a week has passed since she left Namimori and came back just in time for picking a fight with the Varia.

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR

Mia was lying face down on her bed. One of her arms and legs dangled over the side while the other half of her body was sprawled openly into the sheets. She was staring at the far wall, her expression empty. She felt like the world could burn and she couldn't care less. Her door opened and a small blonde head poked his head into the room.

Fuuta frowned in worry when he saw her. She had been this way ever since she came back last night from the beach. He clambered up her bed and sat down beside her.

"Mia-nee?"

"Hmnn?" she didn't even turn her head to look at him.

"Did something happen yesterday?" She let out a low shuddering sigh and remained silent. Fuuta shook her shoulder gently. Mia rolled to her side to look into brown innocent orbs staring at her with deep concern. Her numb heart warmed at him and she reached out to ruffle his hair.

"Mia-nee?"

"I feel weird Fuuta," she confessed to him. "My heart hurts."

The child's brows scrunched up in worry. "Are you sick?" he asked. "I can go to Hayato-nii or Mama for some medicine."

She shook her head. "It's not a sickness – although I sure wished it was."

"Then why is it hurting?"

"I don't know." Mia burrowed her face into her hair. "I just want it to go away."

"Tsuna-nii would know what to do," Fuuta declared. She flinched and instantly got up. She waved her hands wildly.

"No, no, no, I'm perfectly alright now. See?" She gave him a fake smile. "No need to call Tsuna for anything!"

"Did Tsuna-nii do something?" Mia's jaw snapped shut. Fuuta frowned. "So he did do something," he said disapprovingly. Mia's eyes turned downcast and her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"It wasn't Tsuna's fault," she said. She wasn't sure if she was defending him or justifying herself. "It was stupid of me to think that maybe he could like me like… that. I don't know what I was thinking." She ran her hands down her face. "Actually, I don't know why I'm even confessing my teenage drama to a kid."

Fuuta didn't look too happy to be addressed as a kid but it soon didn't matter when he realized what she said. "Mia-nee, you like Tsuna-nii?" Mia's face turned crimson but she gave him the tiniest of nods. Fuuta jumped up, grinning so brightly he could have been the sun. "That's great!" he exclaimed. "Mia-nee, don't give up just yet. You can still win Tsuna-nii's heart!"

Mia stared at him, her expression a mixture of exasperation, incredulous and sadness. "Fuuta, I'm not sure I'd want to do that. Doing everything that the heart wants doesn't mean it's always right."

Fuuta's grin faltered. "What do you mean Mia-nee?"

Mia voiced out her biggest fear in a whisper. "What if this ruins our friendship?" She bit her lip, waiting to see what Fuuta would think.

"How?" Fuuta was confused.

Mia almost let out an exasperated sigh. It was obvious that Fuuta was still too young to understand. But the little boy did understand. He just wondered how this could have ruined their friendship. From the way his ten-year old mind saw it, Mia liked Tsuna and Tsuna liked her. What was there to ruin it?

"I hear Aunty and the other kids are going to the festival, do you want to go?" Mia suddenly asked him.

"I do! How about you Mia-nee?"

Mia pursed her lips. "I'm really not in the mood to go Fuuta. I'm sorry."

From her tone, Fuuta knew that she wouldn't talk anymore. Discouraged, the little boy sighed and crawled off the bed. He headed towards the door, paused and looked back at her. Mia was staring down at her hands. Then quietly, he shut the door.

Mia waited until she heard the front door shut later that afternoon before she went to change. Four in the afternoon and she was still moping around the house – it was starting to make her sick. A walk had always helped to clear her mind. A festival… she had always wanted to go to one but she knew that for this particular festival, girls had to wear kimonos. She knew the boys were going, as well as the girls. Knowing that Kyoko and Haru would be dressed at their best, Mia lost heart to go. She didn't want to see Tsuna's happy expression every time he saw Kyoko. It used to not bother her, but things were different now.

She found herself standing outside Nami Middle and she stared at the white building. A roar of a motorcycle engine made her jump. A black muscle motorcycle parked beside her, its rider glaring at her with suspicious eyes.

"School is closed for the day, what are you doing here little cub?" Hibari asked her.

"Just… going for a walk," she replied lamely. Lord, even to her it sounded pathetic. Hibari studied her for a little while as if he could decipher her emotions. Mia wondered if he can glare people into confessing.

Then suddenly he said, "Get on."

"What?"

"I said. Get. On." He jerked his head to the seat beside him. Bewildered and more than just confused, she did as she was told. It wasn't like she had anything better to do after all, her mind reasoned. Hibari kicked his bike to life and Mia quickly latched her arms around the older boy's torso once they began to move. Mia had the urge to ask if he had a legitimate driver's license when she remembered this was Hibari Kyoya. He practically was the law around here. She did ask though where he was taking her but all she got was a side glance. She only realized where they were when they arrived to a rather large traditional Japanese house outside of town.

Her eyes were wide when she saw it. "This is your house?" she whispered. "Oh wow that's so cool."

"Hn. Follow me," he ordered her and she quickly followed him. The house was old but well kept. She didn't see anybody around so she wondered if Hibari lived by himself. Despite only having what it seems to be Hibari as the only living person underneath its roof, the house wasn't cold. It was daunting, uninviting and wondrously peaceful here. It was perfect for Hibari.

He led her to a room where he ordered her to sit by the table to wait for him. She meekly did as she was told. A few minutes later, Hibari came back and threw something black at her. She scrambled to catch it. The material was finely made in her hands. Sakura petals adorned its glossy black body. She opened it and a dark pink (she didn't know what shade of pink it was only that it looked good) fabric dropped to the floor. She picked it up to find out it was a sash.

Her face wrinkled into confusion. "What am I supposed to do with this Chairman?"

"Put it on." Hibari crossed his arms. "I have work for you to do."

"I thought I was finished with my secretarial duties." That ended the previous school year.

"I'll bite you to death."

Mia pursed her lips. If she was some sick twisted person who was into BDSM then she would have had a thrill run up her spine from hearing on how he will 'bite' her to death but she wasn't. Hibari really meant to beat the crap out of her. She mumbled something on how he needed to get a new catchphrase that wasn't misleading. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked. "And why do I need to wear a kimono?"

Hibari glared at her. "You ask too many questions little cub."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh sod off Chairman. I'm complying to your request so would it kill you to give me straight instructions for once?"

If Hibari gave any reaction to her snarky reply, he didn't show it except for the fraction of his eyes widening. Mia didn't honestly care if he wanted to beat her senseless for her rudeness or not but if he was roping her into some Disciplinary work then she needed direct, clear and concise instructions.

"You will go about checking the stalls at the Festival tonight. Kasukabe will provide you a list where you need to collect profit from stall owners."

"See it wasn't that hard," she teased him then hurried away to change when she saw his murderous glare. It was easy to put on the kimono… well that was a lie; she had to ask for help to tie her sash. Hibari gave her one look and she flushed. He tied it for her. For a guy who loved to beat the living daylights out of anyone, Hibari was surprisingly gentle as he fixed her kimono. Of course, Mia was just dying of curiosity.

"Whose kimono was this?" she asked. Hibari pulled the sash tightly and she squawked like a bird.

"My mother's."

"Oh…" she said, feeling dumbstruck. Hibari had a mother? She quickly scolded herself for that. Of course everybody had one! "It's beautiful."

Hibari stepped aside and she looked at herself in the mirror. Oh the kimono looked lovely but her hair. She frowned and grabbed her brush. She managed to fix her hair to a bun with her bangs brushed to the side. There. She looked like a human being. Hibari made a sound that suspiciously sounded like a scoff. She curiously looked at him. He went outside only to return with a long Sakura hairpin. Mia mused how ironic it was that he was holding it since she knew he now disliked it because of Mukuro. She took it and placed it in her hair. She looked back at the mirror.

A young, solemn girl stared right back at her, looking quite mysterious and graceful. Mia decided she liked this girl. It was definitely more interesting than the other girl wearing the pretty little dress. She turned back at Hibari to see his amused gaze, as if he knew what was going through her mind. She grinned.

"Shall we go Chairman?"

Tsuna was selling chocolate bananas.

Damn Reborn for scheming. Tsuna didn't want to sell bananas – he wanted to enjoy the festival but no, Reborn roped him and his two friends into doing this instead. Gokudera and Yamamoto didn't mind and Tsuna was glad for that. What did bother him though were these stares that his friends would give him when they think he didn't know.

It made him uncomfortable.

"Is… is there something wrong?" he asked out loud.

"Nothing at all Tenth!" Gokudera exclaimed.

"Then why do you guys keep looking at me like I did something?" he turned around, frustrated. Gokudera and Yamamoto had similar looks of guilt on their faces.

"Well.." Gokudera started nervously.

"Tsuna, how do you feel about Mia?" Yamamoto suddenly asked him.

His heart skipped a beat, blood flooded his cheeks and his words practically died in his throat. "W-Why?" he asked, sounding extremely nervous.

Yamamoto looked uncomfortable to answer. Instead, it was Gokudera who answered him. "Tenth, we just want to know your feelings toward the Lady. Because… we're confused."

"Confused? Why would you two be confused?" He looked at the two of them. Yamamoto ran a hand through his hair, not noticing that he had gotten a bit of chocolate mixed in.

"Tenth, am I wrong to assume that you like the Lady more than... just a friend?" Gokudera asked him meekly.

Tsuna opened his mouth to tell him that no, but stopped. He had always known that ever since Mia had managed to get herself captured by Mukuro that he would do anything to save her. Well it would be the same for his friends and family but Mia… she was different. She was always different, always the exception. It had dawned on him at that time during the clearing that his feelings towards her had become something more, more than his little crush for Kyoko and more than just friendship. He didn't know what to make of it. But he was certain that when she was around, he was happy.

"I…" he swallowed thickly, feeling confused at the same time sure. "You're not wrong Gokudera-kun."

His friends let out a gasp. Tsuna thought irritably how dramatic they were getting. Then identical grins grew on their faces which made him twitch anxiously.

"Hahaha, I knew you liked her!" Yamamoto exclaimed cheerfully. "At this I'll rest easy now that I'm sure."

Tsuna could feel the heat rise to his neck. "Sure that what?" he mumbled.

Yamamoto gave him a resigned look. "That I don't have to feel too guilty for having used to have a crush of her." Then he laughed at the look on both Gokudera and Tsuna's faces. Before Gokudera could make an angry statement, the baseball ace calmly pointed out to him, "Didn't you have a crush on her too?" Gokudera covered his mouth and turned pink.

The young boss stared at his two friends. "You two… liked her?" he said, sounding a bit high-pitched. Knowing that, he felt odd. Something inside him reared its ferocious head.

Gokudera grumbled something in embarrassment while Yamamoto nodded eagerly. "Yup!" he said. "But don't worry. I think of her like a sister now, so does Gokudera. So don't get jealous Tsuna!"

Tsuna spluttered. "J-Jealous?"

"Well Tenth… you haven't exactly been discreet about it." Gokudera scratched his chin and smiled apologetically at him. Tsuna was blushing so hard that he turned back front, refusing to talk to them anymore now that he was mortified beyond his entire life. He heard Yamamoto laugh again and Gokudera chuckle but otherwise the two went back to work.

After handing a few bananas, he turned around to procure more of the treats when a familiar voice said, "One choco banana please." Tsuna's eyes turned wide when he saw Mia standing there. Mia had the same look on her face. There was a silence between them.

"Ah…?" she was going to ask.

"Reborn," he explained quickly. She nodded absentmindedly. Then silence came again. Tsuna's heart was beating loudly in his ears. Their conversation from earlier was brought back to mind and he blushed. Mia was blushing too as well, and he noticed how pretty she was right now.

She glanced behind him and exclaimed, "Hayato! Takeshi!"

Tsuna felt his blush die out. At either side of him, Gokudera and Yamamoto greeted her with smiles. Since when was she in a first-name basis with Yamamoto? Even he hadn't managed to do that yet. It made him feel a bit sour.

"I thought you weren't coming to the festival my Lady?" Gokudera asked her.

She shrugged. "Hibari asked me to do some work. Couldn't refuse."

"Is that your kimono?" Yamamoto asked.

Mia smiled uncertainly. "Well… it's actually Hibari's. His mother's to be precise." Astonished, the three boys looked at each other. Tsuna felt a growing sense of unease inside him at the mention of the prefect. It always bothered him whenever he thought of them together. Before they could ask her anything else, a commotion between two disciplinary members and a stall owner happened. Mia's expression quickly slipped into a hard mask and she turned away from them with a grace of a hunter. Tsuna recognized the signs as he fondly dubbed as her 'attack mode'. He watched as Mia marched straight to the two harassing members. Her mouth opened and her words started striking the two members like lightning on the spot.

It never ceased to amaze him how utterly aggressive she was when riled up. She quickly sent the two away with an order. Mia huffed and tucked a strand of her hair back, something that Tsuna longed to do himself. She walked towards them slowly, her kimono following her movements like a tree dancing in the wind. She immediately had their attention. Then she stepped on the fabric of her kimono and tripped, falling flat on her face. Just like that, the spell was broken. She quickly got back to her feet, blushing.

"I'll just go… like um… I got more work… and stuff. I'll see you guys around!" she excused herself and rushed off. Tsuna stared after her.

"She forgot her banana," he said dumbly, holding the very banana on a stick for her.

Gokudera coughed while Yamamoto bit his lip. His cheeks puffed out as if he wanted to laugh. Tsuna stared at them oddly. "Did I say something?" the two quickly shook their heads and went back to work.

Hibari had always been intrigued with the young brunette. Ever since he had beaten Mochida hands down in his first year, Hibari knew he was someone interesting. He was the first person to smack him in the head with a slipper, the prefect mused. It wasn't everyday a person with a carnivorous side would switch on and off as Sawada Tsunayoshi often would. He was still a mystery to him.

As he clashed with the younger male, Hibari was surprised at how agile and stronger his opponent had become. When the Herbivore refused to hand over the money box to him, Hibari was willing to give him a beat down of his life. He had first taken on the loud-mouthed Gokudera Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi earlier and had left them unconscious by the base of the shrine which enraged the brunette. He had taken a fighting stance and Hibari charged.

They had exchanged blows. Hibari had felt like he had met an interesting opponent. One minute he was weak, the next he was strong. But it frustrated him that his opponent remained on the defensive. He wanted the other boy to become stronger – he sensed there was great potential there – and fight against him in equal terms. Before he could so much as give the other boy a black eye, a clear and sharp tone ripped their fight apart.

"Enough!"

Hibari did not take orders from anyone, especially from his Secretary Mia Matteis. The girl was an even bigger mystery than Sawada Tsunayoshi. She had the body of a herbivore but her eyes shone with the spirit of a hunter, a carnivore. But despite that, he glared at her through narrow eyes. He refused to back down and he will not be cowed by a little cub like her.

She approached them, her eyes never leaving his. She stopped to stand beside her friend. "Chairman, I hardly think now would be an appropriate time to fight. This is a festival."

Her tone was polite, but her intentions behind them were as fierce as his bloodlust. She didn't appreciate the violence any more than Sawada Tsunayoshi did. Hibari stepped up until he was standing inches from her, his tonfa poised to strike yet she did not move from her position nor did she let her gaze waver. He stared down at the girl. She was mentally strong but physically weak. He could strike her then and there but the thought didn't really appeal to him.

Strong opponents rarely came and the girl was still just a cub. She had yet to grow into the hunter she was meant to be. The same could be said for Sawada Tsunayoshi although he still was unsure where he stood. Herbivore? Carnivore? Hibari did not like to wait but in this case, he will.

Just when he had hidden his weapons, several thugs – more than twenty – had shown up. Hibari growled. This was the very reason why the Disciplinary Committee was supervising the festival. Last year had been a near wreck from a bunch of low-life hooligans. This year was supposed to be different but these thugs had managed to worm their way in. What was even more pathetic was that they thought they could gang up on him.

"I'll call for cleanup in five minutes," Mia said. She pulled out her phone. Hibari smirked. He disliked her snarky attitude but she knew how he liked things done. He had made the right choice to make her his secretary.

"Mia…" Tsuna glanced at her. She smiled at the brunette, hands up.

"I'll stay back," she promised.

The Prefect fell into step with the herbivore standing behind him. Back to back, the two faced their opponents. "I don't need help," Hibari said.

"I didn't do this for you," was the brunette's retort.

Hibari knew that.

He took the first step and soon thugs were flying in the air. The two made quick work with their opponents. It was probably four minutes later that the younger male was panting. He wiped his forehead with his sleeve, his brows furrowed. Since there was nothing more for Hibari to do, he let the herbivore keep the money and turned around to leave.

"Chairman." He glanced back. The girl held out the forms and he took it without saying anything. He looked at her, then at Sawada Tsunayoshi. The other boy was scrutinizing him – why? Hibari didn't know. He decided to leave without a word. Dealing with these two together was twice more tiring than fighting and that was something.

Tsuna was still a coward, no matter what Mia said. He didn't have the courage to confess.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Mia looked very much at ease now and was joking with Yamamoto. He smiled when she laughed and turned to face ahead. They went to the spot where the girls promised to save for them before the fireworks. Kyoko-chan and Haru greeted them. Tsuna saw many of his other friends as well. Onii-san, Bianchi, Lambo, I-pin, his mom and Reborn. Fuuta dashed pass him to hug Mia who caught him with a laugh.

"You came!" Fuuta exclaimed.

Mia chuckled and ruffled his hair. Everybody chatted with one another and Tsuna decided to take his seat beside Mia. His muscles were taut sore but it was a good feeling and having Mia near him just practically made him feel all the better.

"You're not going to sit with Kyoko and Haru?" Mia asked him, her voice soft.

"I actually wanted to sit here."

Mia snorted. "You want to miss your chance with Kyoko? Alright, who are you and where is Tsuna?"

Tsuna rolled his eyes. "Can't a guy enjoy his time with you?" But inside, his heart jumped in panic when he realized another problem – Kyoko-chan. He realized he didn't want her to think that way anymore, that Kyoko Sasagawa was the only girl he was ever interested in. He wanted her to stop thinking that. But how can he?

"That depends," Mia rambled, not noticing his inner conflict. "I mean, he has to be good looking. Great jaw and probably a six-foot-something with rock hard abs – I definitely would make his time enjoyable." she giggled at his sulky expression.

Tsuna pouted, not liking where that thought ended. She laughed at him. "Oh loosen up Tsuna! Always taking things so seriously…" Mia fondly shook her head while Tsuna was dying to do anything. He only began to notice that there was a certain distance between them and he didn't know how it got there. He scooted closer to her and grinned when she sent him a questionable look. After a moment of hesitation, she placed her head on his shoulder.

Tsuna had no words to say when the fireworks started. He 'ooo-ed' and 'aah-ed' with the rest. Soon his eyes drifted away from the sky to look at his friends that were gathered there and noted how blissfully normal they were. There was no escaped convict to worry about, no future responsibilities, no titles and no craziness. Just a group of kids hanging out together to enjoy a fireworks show. A particular big firework exploded in the sky and Mia gasped out, her hands coming up to hold onto his arm. A smile grew on his face.

A single thought formed in his mind. He wished that they could watch fireworks together like this again next year.

It was his ignorance though, that would be his undoing. At the back of his head, something stirred. He hadn't realized there was danger close until he was too late to stop it.

Standing outside the gates of Namimori Middle, the young man stared inauspiciously at the building. No one was around to see him vault over the gates as if they were nothing. No one saw how he easily broke into the student's records like some ghost. He skimmed through the documents until he found what he was looking for. When he held the paper up against the moonlight shining through the window, the image of a young girl with blonde hair appeared.

"Found you."

It was just a normal night after a normal day of doing nothing. So Mia didn't really have anything to worry about. Ever since the festival the day before, she felt… well she's not exactly moping but a little lighter.

Last night was nice, she thought as she absentmindedly peeled a carrot. If Hibari hadn't given her work then she would have been feeling sorry for herself the whole night. She had given the kimono back earlier and was sad to say that she would miss it – it was a lovely thing to wear. She smiled slightly when she remembered the thrill of seeing the look on Tsuna's face when he saw her. Well maybe wearing pretty clothes aren't so bad, she thought with a giggle. She wouldn't deny also how it pleased her that Tsuna hung out with her even though Kyoko and Haru had gone all out to get his attention.

"Mia-nee, what else can I do?" Fuuta asked her.

"Can I leave it to you to stir the stew please?" Fuuta eagerly went to get a chair to stand on. Dinner that night was a simple, hearty stew reminiscing of Mia's childhood dishes. Afterwards, she sent the little boy to bed while she washed the dishes and took a bath.

Hot showers often soothed her body, no matter what the situation. There was just something to the running water that eased her thoughts to a tranquil flow. Would it be laughable that she thought best when taking a shower? She let herself be lost to it and closed her eyes. Sometimes she didn't think at all, nothing to worry about, just listening to the water as it hit her skin. The peace didn't last though and she opened her eyes.

She turned off the shower and listened. Nothing. Frowning, she stepped out and wrapped a towel around herself. She dismissed it and thought that it was Fuuta looking around her room. Wiping a hand across the mirror, she inspected her reflection. She was examining her eyes when a strange rustling sound caught her attention, promptly pulling her away from the mirror. It sounded it was coming from her father's room. Her frown returned, knowing that she strictly told Fuuta not to go in there. Perhaps she left the door unlocked? Fastening the towel tightly around herself, she went outside, dripping droplets of water in her wake. The door was left ajar and a sense of apprehension grew.

"Fuuta?" She swung the door open only to face the barrel of a gun. Her breathing was caught in her throat, her eyes fixated on the weapon.

"Hullo." A familiar, English male voice jostled her from her shock. She trailed the gun with her eyes until she saw a hand and then a face. Eyes like emeralds, she recognized him immediately.

"I-Ian?" she gasped in disbelief. "What are you doing here?!" Then her jaw clenched tightly, realizing that Ian may not be who he was.

His eyes were cold as he regarded her. She was paralyzed by the hate she saw in those orbs. He smirked. "Normally I'd enjoy seeing a girl in a towel but I'm not here to screw around." He suddenly grabbed her by the arm and shoved her hard against the wall. He jammed the gun to her throat and she choked. His arrogant façade melted into a loathsome snarl. "How did you know where to find us?" he hissed.

Mia couldn't process what he was saying as she was highly aware of the cold metal digging in to her windpipe. Realizing this, Ian lessened the pressure and she gasped for air. He brought his face closer to hers, their noses almost touching. She could feel his hot breath and she instinctively turned away. He grabbed her face and forced her to look again.

"You led them to us." He said. His eyes were tight with anger. "You tell me where they are!"

"I-I don't know who you're talking about!" she cried and tried to push him away. He stepped closer, trapping her hands between their chests.

"Like I haven't heard of that before," he snarled. The gun dug harshly against her cheek and she shut her eyes when it jarred her teeth. "You knew it was us. If you can't rat out your little friends," he spat. "You're useless to me."

Before he could squeeze the trigger, a young boy cried out in a terrified voice, "Mia-nee!"

Quick to act Ian directed his gun at Fuuta to shoot him. Mia could not let that happen. She broke free from his grasp and tackled him to the floor before he could even squeeze the trigger.

"Go!" she shouted at the frozen boy. "GO!" she bit Ian's hand hard until she drew blood. He dropped the gun, roaring in pain. Fuuta quickly ran but Mia didn't have time to wonder if he was truly safe as Ian had backhanded her with his other hand and fell to the floor, grasping the side of her face in pain. He reached for his gun to go after Fuuta but Mia quickly got up and jumped on his back. The only thought in her head was that she couldn't let him go after Fuuta. Her sudden weight on his back made his knees collapse for a moment until he regained whatever balance he could and staggered outside the room, trying to get her off. He rammed her against anything, knocking things to the floor with a large crash. What finally did her was the wall and she let go, groaning at the pain that flared in her back.

Ian stepped back, huffing with fury. He stomped into the kitchen and she briefly heard her utensils clinking. She forced herself to stand up and just in time evade a knife from burying into her shoulder. She scrambled backwards into a table where a box of relics – that she still hadn't put away – fell to the floor beside her. Her hands tried to grasp for anything she could use. Ian stalked her, his eyes burning deep into her soul. Her hand closed around a familiar object, the size of a miniature horn. It was small but its end was sharp.

"You," hissed lowly. "Are harder to kill than I thought."

"That's what makes me charming," she quipped back at him. He lunged at her with her knife. She intercepted it by striking his fore arm with the palm of her hand, sending the blade flying and followed it after by slashing the small horn from his collarbone down to his chest. The small thing turned so hot that she dropped it. She realized it wasn't a horn. It was a claw.

Ian screamed in agony, the wound she gave him flared red as if he were burned. She kicked him off her and scrambled for the knife that lay a few feet away. Before her fingers could touch it, she was slammed to the ground on her side. Hands wounded tightly around her throat and she clawed them with her fingers. He raised her by the neck and slammed her head hard against the floor. Once. Twice. Thrice.

Mia was aware of the uncomfortable wet sticky feeling running through her hair though she could do nothing about it. She was dazed and helpless now. Ian's hands tightened around her throat and she could feel cool drops hitting her flesh. Somewhere in her mind, her towel must have come undone but she didn't let herself continue thinking that as her oxygen getting cut off. Her body wretched underneath Ian's as it begged for air. Her hands weakly tried to get his hands off her.

"Kghaa – " she choked out. Black spots danced around her vision and she could feel her hands growing weaker, her body becoming less responsive. Was she going to die now? At least Fuuta had gotten away, she thought as her consciousness began to drift. Her eyes rolled up and she saw a figure standing outside her front door with familiar spiky hair.

There was a roar of fury, the hands flew off her neck, and suddenly she could breathe again. And oh how much it hurt. The lack of air, the pain her body was feeling and the disorientation. She curled into herself as though it would lessen the pain. There were sounds of struggle happening around her but it sounded so distant.

She felt something drape over her naked form and she forced her eyes to open to look into a pair of onyx orbs.

"R-R-Reb-orn…" she croaked. "H-h… hurts."

"Don't talk Mia," The hitman said in the gentlest tone she had ever heard from him.

"Fu-gha…?"

"He's at home." Relieved, she struggled to smile.

The sound of glass shattering followed by a growl of frustration made her eyes flicker around, trying to sense where it was coming from. Two very familiar male voices called out her name fearfully but Mia couldn't move her head, feeling that every part of her had turned into lead. Reborn barked out something but Mia couldn't understand it. The heavy pressure in her head was slowly bearing down on her senses and her eyes were slowly closing.

"Mia no!" Reborn woke her. "You cannot sleep!"

Suddenly two pairs of warm hands reached out for her face. "Mia l-l-look at me okay?" Tsuna's frantic face swam into view. "Do not close your eyes!" Easy, her mind replied but she struggled to keep her lids open. She felt herself being lifted.

"Oh god," she heard him say in horror.

"Hayato find Shamal! Takeshi, you stay with me!" She had never heard Tsuna call the other boys by their first name. She supposed that propriety was thrown out of the window. Mia could feel him trembling, as she was taken outside. It was dark and it was late. Nobody was out and Tsuna walked in a brisk pace but was careful to not jostle her injured head.

Tsuna had never been so afraid in his whole life.

When Fuuta frantically pounded on his door at eleven o'clock at night, he knew something terrible happened. Before Fuuta could even explain, he was out the door in seconds, leaving his two friends behind. He had feared the worst but never did he imagine the sight he would face when he arrived. The door was hanging wide open and when he looked into the apartment, he saw a man on all fours above his nearly naked best friend, strangling the life out of her.

Rage like he had never felt before burned through his veins. His vision turned red and with an animalistic roar, he threw himself against the man. He knocked the attacker off her but his opponent quickly rolled back to his feet again. Tsuna didn't let him do anything else as he assaulted the attacker with numerous kicks and punches but was blocked every single time. When he noticed that the attacker was favoring his left hand, Tsuna kicked it hard and he howled in pain. He staggered backwards into the kitchen and the young don followed him, his eyes flickering between orange and brown.

The arrival of his two friends made the young man realize that he was fighting a losing battle and jumped through the window before Tsuna could stop him. Tsuna wanted to go after him but he heard Reborn say something sharply. He whirled around to see both Gokudera and Yamamoto frozen by the door but it was Mia who demanded his attention. He flew to her side and cradled her head. He begged for her to look at him, to stay awake. She listened to him. Looking disoriented and weak, he almost cried then and there. But she couldn't stay here and she had to be treated. He carefully lifted her, trying hard not to have the blanket covering her fall and felt something wet soak his shirt and fingers. Horror overcame him when he realized it was blood. He barked out orders to his friends and they obeyed without question.

"We can't take her to the hospital," Reborn said. "Take her home Tsuna, I'll have Bianchi keep Maman occupied."

Tsuna could have argued that Mia needed to be taken to the hospital but he didn't. He trusted the hitman to know what he was doing. He tried to go as fast as he could without jostling her so much. He often looked at her to see if her eyes were still focused on him. He was slightly relieved when her eyes blinked at him. He couldn't focus on anything else other than getting her somewhere safe. The door to his home was held open by Yamamoto and he quickly strode in. He passed by the living room where he heard his mother's voice exclaiming that she was happy to go to a spa the next day. He didn't bother listening and went straight up to his room where he gently laid her on her side.

She whimpered in pain. He was agonized that he could do nothing for her. Why? He thought. Why did she have to be hurt? Reborn suddenly materialized by his side.

"Why would – " Tsuna choked. "Why would anyone attack her?"

"We're not sure yet what their intentions were." The hitman was tense too and Tsuna realized that Reborn was angry. "But we'll soon find out."

"What if it was because of me?" Tsuna whispered.

Reborn smacked his head with a Leon-Pole and he yelped. "Ridiculous. This is something different."

"How?" Tsuna cried. "I'm Vongola Decimo! What else could it be?" He pounded on his chest to emphasize his point. It had to be his fault. There was no way around it. This happened because she was involved with him. Before he could even feel guilty, Shamal arrived. The doctor looked the most serious and most sober he had ever seen him. He quickly tended to her head.

"Is she concussed?" Reborn asked.

"Miraculously, no." Shamal tried to lift the fabric to look at her body but was stopped when Tsuna slapped his hand away.

"Keep your perverted hands to yourself," the younger boy all but snarled. Shamal would have attacked him had it not been for the smoldering orange eyes. He lifted his hands, palms up.

"Tsuna," Reborn placated his student calmly. "Mia needs to be treated. You must calm down." Tsuna looked like he had no intention to as his breathing became heavy, his hands curled into fists so tightly that the whites showed around his knuckles and his shoulders were shaking. A feminine hand rested on the tensed boy's shoulder and he looked up to see it was Bianchi. She gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he won't do anything." The hitwoman promised. Tsuna believed her. He nodded slightly, to show that he understood. Bianchi squeezed his shoulder. "Go on outside. Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi are worrying out of their minds." Tsuna didn't want to go, he really didn't want to. But he couldn't hang around either, knowing what they would have to do. He hated it, knowing that Shamal would see her like that. But even worse he was afraid that if he saw anything else that that person did to her he would fly off to the sky, find that bastard, and possibly kill him.

"Tsuna, control yourself." Reborn repeated. "Look into the mirror."

Why? He wanted to ask but found himself turning to look at the Leon-Mirror. His eyes that were usually brown, was now a deep sunset hued orange. "How?" he gasped. Instantly the orange faded to brown and his eyes were back to normal.

"Control your emotions," Reborn told him. "If you can't handle it then get out before you set something on fire."

Set something on fire. Can that happen when he wasn't in hyper mode? He wasn't sure. His own powers were a mystery to him. He didn't want to leave Mia – oh god how he didn't want to – but he had to. It was just as for her sake as it was for his. But before he did, he reached out for her hand and pressed a kiss on her palm. Then, without looking at the people around him, he fled the room. When he closed the door he leaned his back against it.

"Tenth…" Tsuna looked up. Deep concern was etched on his friend's faces.

"Is it… right to take Mia here instead of the hospital?" Yamamoto asked, frowning.

Tsuna sighed heavily. "Reborn has his reasons."

"But that's crazy! She needs medical help!" Yamamoto protested.

"Baseball nut, this is serious!" Gokudera snapped. "Whoever attacked her must have come from a different Family. If the Lady were to be taken to the hospital, anything could happen – an enemy might disguise themselves as medical personnel and we wouldn't know until it was too late."

Tsuna hadn't thought of it that way before. Reborn knew what he was doing.

"Family? You mean that Mafia game we play? This is too much for a game," Yamamoto said, confused. Tsuna held a hand up to the bomber before he exploded at his friend.

"Yamamoto – no, Takeshi," he started, eyes shining seriously. "This is no game. Everything is real. I'm Vongola Decimo, the next heir in line for position of boss for the Vongola Family. Gokudera, Bianchi, Reborn… they're all part of the Mafia." Tsuna stared earnestly into his friend's eyes. "I'm sorry I involved you but know that you can walk away if you want. Mia and I won't blame you for it."

The usual cheerful boy fell silent. When Tsuna dropped the mannerism, he knew he was being serious. They waited for his reaction. In the end, Yamamoto Takeshi looked resigned. He smiled tiredly at them and Tsuna let out a breath he was holding. He was afraid that Yamamoto would reject him if he realized the truth.

"I don't walk out on my friends," Takeshi declared, eyes resolute. "I couldn't care less even if you were aliens!"

"As would I," Hayato quickly added, not wanting to lose against the other.

Tsuna smiled despite the worry that gnawed at him from the inside. "Is it alright with you guys if I called you by your first names?" Their smiles were comfortingly warm as they regarded him.

"I don't mind one bit."

"Of course Tenth."

When Mia awoke it was because she could hear the birds chirping outside. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she heavily rose from the bed, wincing at the pain she felt that vibrated through her body. It felt like Reborn had thrown her off the Grand Canyon, she thought when she tried to sit up straight. Why was she feeling so shitty? Did Reborn throw her off a cliff? She raised a hand to her head and felt bandages wrapped around it.

"Wha – " Her throat flared up in pain and her hands flew to it. Images of last night flashed into her mind and her shoulders slumped as she numbed. Ian. Ian had come here to Japan and found her. He accused her of leading them – whoever the hell they were – and tried to kill her. She had fought him with just her teeth and nails. He was about to kill her when… Tsuna saved her. Her eyes widened and she quickly looked around the room she was in. It was Tsuna's room. What was she doing here? She assumed she would have been taken to the hospital instead.

"Feeling better Mia?" Reborn suddenly asked her out of nowhere. When she couldn't reply, he jumped to her lap to look at her with his big black eyes and noticed how her hand was still against her throat. "Mia, what I'm about to do you must not tell to no one. Understand?"

She nodded and the hitman baby placed a small hand against her throat. His pacifier glowed a brilliant light and she shut her eyes. A tingling sensation grew in her throat that quickly became an unbearable itch. "Bear with it Mia," Reborn sternly told her. Her hands fisted into the sheets until it was over and Reborn had removed his hand.

"What was that?" she found herself saying, and then froze in surprise. She was healed!

"Not quite," Reborn told her. He knew what she was thinking. "I've only accelerated your body's healing capabilities. Right now, all you have left are bruises. I've also healed your head to stop the bleeding."

She nodded, accepting the explanation. She realized that she was wearing clothes that were not her own, a baggy t-shirt and women's boxers. She recognized the shirt as Tsuna's and the boxers must have been Bianchi's.

"Where's Tsuna?" she asked, her voice oddly detached.

"He'll be back. Maman sent him to go shopping."

"How long…?"

"You've been out for seventeen hours. It's four in the afternoon."

Mia nodded again, still feeling cold and lied back down again. She felt Reborn's weight disappear and she rolled to her side, clutching the sheets. He didn't talk to her anymore and Mia was content to not speak. Mia didn't know how long she stared at the opposite wall. Even when the room grew dark she hadn't moved an inch. Not until the lights flipped on and she felt a weight sit behind her.

"Mia?" she heard. The cold numbness that she felt slowly melted away and she shifted to look at him. From the bags underneath his eyes she knew he hadn't slept at all. Did he worry about her so much? She slowly got up, ignoring his protests to lie down. She stared at him emotionless for a second before her mask began to crack.

"Tsuna I…" she broke off into a rare sob.

Tsuna was still as a statue, paralyzed with a kind terror he'd never experienced before. Mia was crying. Strong-willed, stubborn, sarcastic Mia was crying and he had no fucking idea what to do. Nothing could prepare him for this, even if Reborn thought of training him. He had never seen Mia break down. He would have preferred if she was raging to her heart's content. An angry Mia was better than a sad Mia. As he watched her hands cover her face to stifle the sobs that tried to escape her body, it hit him that he wanted nothing more than to stop her crying. He pulled her to his chest, trying to make her feel that she was here, that she was safe.

She was struggling; he could feel, with herself. She was trying to stop herself from crying. He ran a hand through her hair. "Shh," he murmured. "I'm here." Her tears soaked his shirt but he didn't mind.

"It's my fault," she mumbled, repeating her words over and over. "It's always my fault."

His arms around her tightened. "If it's anyone's fault its mine," he said to her. Mia shook her head and pulled back. Tears glittered on her cheeks. His heart broke at the sight of her crying face. He hated it.

"Y-You don't understand Tsuna." She bit her lip. Tsuna wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

"No, I do." He told her firmly. "I don't know which Family he's from but I'll find him. I promise you." Just thinking of what happened last night… his expression hardened.

She shook her head again. She sniffled and scrubbed the wetness from her face with her hands. "Tsuna… he's not from the Mafia."

He stiffened in shock. "Wha – how did you know?"

"He-He didn't go after Fuuta or the Vongola documents… he was after me. I… I…" she recalled the news reports that followed at night after her trip there. Argentum Works had been completely wrecked and people living in it missing. Ian had come for revenge, she knew now. He came because someone died. It was the only logical explanation. The rage of his eyes was still clear to her, even now.

"S-Someone died Tsuna," she confessed mournfully. "It was my fault."

But Tsuna didn't understand half of what she was saying. He smoothed her hair made her look at him in the eyes. "Slow it down Mia. I don't understand."

She nodded slowly and began to tell him of what happened from when she was in England. She told him of her broken memories that came to her as a result of Mukuro's interference. The longer he heard, the colder he began to feel. He realized it was fear. If they were dealing with the Mafia, then the Vongola could have handled it. But it wasn't. Whoever Mia had managed to get herself tangled with weren't part of the Mafia at all. Reborn had just informed him earlier that there was no match, no records for the unnamed attacker; it was as if the person didn't exist.

He brought her to his chest again, his cheek on top of her head. "What did you get yourself into Mia?" he said in a harsh whisper.

"I'm sorry," she said brokenly.

He was angry at her for being so foolish, for not telling him before. But he was also angry at this 'Ian'. How dare he hurt her, made her cry like this? Mia would never intentionally hurt anyone.

"He'll come back," she whispered.

"I won't let him touch you," he promised into her hair.

"Tsuna… w-what if he goes after someone else to get to me?" she said in a terrified whisper. "What if he goes after my Papa?"

Tsuna hadn't considered that and his heart nearly stopped at the thought of it. He quickly relaxed his body, not wanting Mia to think her father might be in danger. "He'll be alright," he said lightly, voice optimistic.

"How can you be so sure?" She raised her head to look at him in the eye. She looked so afraid, so fragile that he didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise.

"Intuition remember?" he lied. He watched as confusion flittered across her face before acceptance settled. She nodded, a bit of hope coming into her eyes. Relief washed over him.

"I…I believe you." His heart clenched at how much faith was in her words. He didn't want to lie to her but he didn't want her to get worked up over it either. "I always know I can trust you Tsuna. Even with my life." Her expression broke into a watery smile.

He couldn't help it. The urge to kiss her had grown so much he couldn't resist it. But the rational side of him, the one that argued a lot with his other irrational side, said that Mia's feelings were on cracked ice and that he should tread carefully. Instead, he forced himself to be content with a kiss on her forehead. When he looked at her expression, he thought he saw a trace of guilt but it was quickly overshadowed by happiness.

He pointedly looked away even though he knew his cheeks were red. He heard her chuckle and he knew everything was as it should be. He heard something that made him turn even redder. "Tsuna… I'm not wearing a bra."

If that wasn't awkward then he didn't know what. His hands flew off of her as if she shocked him and he skittered off the bed. This time, Mia was laughing now. He thought that he wouldn't mind if she was laughing at his expense. He loved hearing her laugh.

Later that night, Mia woke in the middle of the night. She rose from the bed, wincing as her back ached. Looking around the dark room, she saw Tsuna's dark silhouette on the floor where he slept. Guilt twisted in her heart at the thought at what she was going to do and she hoped that Tsuna won't be too angry at her for it. She climbed off the bed slowly and silently made her way to the door. Looking back on her closest friend, Mia thought back earlier. At the tingling feeling that fluttered in her heart when he pressed a kiss on her forehead.

But she had no choice. She quietly left.

She walked down the streets of Namimori barefooted when she was stopped by Reborn. He waited for her outside of her apartment complex.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"Are you going to stop me?" she asked back, sounding oddly calm.

"Depends. What are you going to do?"

She looked ridiculously haggard and small in her clothes – definitely nothing dangerous – but Reborn was struck at how coldly calculative her expression was. Her eyes were flashing in the dark like two hungry orbs. Hungry for what, he'll know soon enough. Her eyes continued to study him until she sighed.

"No point hiding it," she sighed. "I'm going to Tokyo to check on my Papa."

Reborn actually expected more. "And what happens if 'Ian' finds you?"

Her eyes were forbidding and empty when she answered rather flippantly. "Probably kill him."

If Reborn was an innocent, ignorant fool he would have sucked in a breath. She said it so easily, so surely. He wondered if this really was Mia.

"Why?"

"I want answers and I plan on getting them."

Then she walked pass the hitman. Reborn didn't stop her.

Sorry I'm not sorry.