Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Warning: Dark themes up ahead.

Tsuna couldn't stop himself from thinking about it. He had a bad feeling about that confession. After all, what if she said yes? What if Mia thought that the guy was super attractive? But hang on, what is her type anyway? He seemed to recall how she liked guys with abs. But she was joking then… or was she? B-But he had abs. Did he fit her criteria? Tsuna released a groan that channeled through his phone.

"Tenth! Shall I go back and blow that bastard up?" Hayato suggested. They were in the middle of break from training. At the moment he was conversing with friends and having some quality 'boy talk' as Mia would have put it.

"N-No." Blow that swine to hell.

"Shall I threaten him?"

"Having feelings isn't a crime Hayato." Please do so he won't even think of coming near her.

"I have a better idea! Let's castrate him instead!"

"Hayato!" It was a great idea! Definitely extreme but a great idea nonetheless! What was with him lately?

"You sure it's okay to let it happen Tsuna?" Takeshi asked him through their three-way call.

Tsuna took a swig of water from his bottle before replying, "Mia is her own person." But in reality he was regretting his decision. He hated thinking of another guy being with her. Thoughts he couldn't stop thinking about was taking over his mind. His friends told him plainly in the face that he got jealous easy. Well they were right – annoyingly right damn it guys – he was a jealous and apparently a possessive moron. But he didn't want to control her if he couldn't help it. He meant what he said - no matter how much like crap it made him feel.

"Tenth, would it not have been better if you confess first?" Hayato followed up.

"I-I don't know," he admitted. "Guys, I know you think that I should be strong and tough but I'm really not. I'm…"

"Are you afraid of being rejected?" Takeshi asked.

"Yeah."

"That's understandable. Girls are scary. Mia is no exception."

"Sis is the most horrifying one of all." They let that sink in and shuddered. Bianchi murdered her ex-boyfriend when she found out he cheated on her.

"Tenth, I think you should just do it," Hayato said bluntly. Tsuna nearly dropped his water bottle. "You'll regret it if you don't." That was the last thing he expected from Hayato, the eager-to-please-self-proclaimed-right-hand-man.

"W-W-What if she never liked me that way?" He bit his lip. "What if she was happy with things the way they are? I don't want to ruin it." Hayato and Takeshi made similar groans of frustration. Tsuna blushed.

"Trust us Tsuna, just go for it. Even if Mia didn't feel the same she wouldn't let it ruin you two."

"Stupid baseball freak! Don't go and tell the Tenth that the Lady might not say yes! That would discourage him!"

"Wha – ? Oh damn! Sorry man – Anyway, Tsuna, just do it!"

"Your suggestions suck."

"Hey, that's not nice."

"Guys…" Tsuna tried to get interfere.

"SAWADA YOU MUST CONFESS YOUR FEELINGS LIKE A MAN!" They all cringed. Tsuna dropped his bottle as he clapped a hand to his injured ear.

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU EVEN GET INTO THIS CALL TURF-HEAD?" Hayato shouted back.

"Hahaha how's training with Colonello senpai?"

"Master is extremely wise! We did nothing!"

"Nothing? How the hell are you supposed to fight the Varia if you don't train?"

"I am training octopus head!"

Tsuna sighed as they began to shout at each other and held the phone away from them. School will be ending soon and Mia will be off to meet with the guy confessing to her. Just before he could pity himself any longer, he received another call. He glanced at the screen. It was an unknown number. He frowned, thinking whether or not he should answer it.

"Hey guys, I'll be off first. I got another call coming in." He answered it. "Hello?"

"Tsuna my boy, have you been doing well?" the deep baritones of Mia's father asked him. He nearly dropped his phone and frantically caught it.

"M-Matteis-san?!"

"You sound startled." He sounded amused.

Tsuna blushed. "I-I was just surprised you knew my number sir."

"Please Tsuna, call me Nicolas."

"A-A-Alright… Nicolas-san."

Nicolas sighed. "I suppose that will do. So, how are things? Has Mia been well?"

"Yeah. She's gotten into air soft guns lately though."

"My brother, Benedict, taught her after she asked for it during her visit in England." Of course Mia would do something like that. Tsuna could imagine Nicolas pinching the bridge of his nose from the sound of it. He smiled, sympathetic to the older man's feelings. "Anyway Tsuna, I just wanted to check on things. I wanted to tell Mia that I would be dropping by tomorrow or the day after but her phone was busy earlier. Let her know for me alright?"

"O-Of course!" he exclaimed nervously.

Nicolas' reply was warm, like his daughter's. "Thank you Tsuna." Tsuna could feel his face grow hotter. He had never been so nervous before an adult like Mia's father. Before he knew him Tsuna thought he was like his father, a deadbeat, and when he finally met him, he had never been so wrong. Nicolas did love his daughter and while Tsuna couldn't agree as how he showed it most of the time, Mia loved him back.

"Also," Nicolas added suddenly. "Her grandfather will be visiting within the week. Sorry for the sudden call."

"It was no bother Nicolas-san."

"Call me if there are any problems. Please excuse me, I have a date with my grading sheets." He sounded so bland about it that Tsuna wanted to giggle. After that he tucked his phone away.

"Dame-Tsuna." He looked up. Reborn was perched on top of a boulder. The hitman looked down on his student. "You're not focusing on your training."

Tsuna winced. He rubbed his neck. "W-Well…"

"Worried about the confession?" His cheeks reddened and shook his head to deny it. It didn't work on Reborn. He saw right through his shitty lie. Though instead of being reprimanded, the hitman surprised him by saying, "Go."

"Eh? You want to cut training just like that?"

Reborn polished his gun. "I can't train you if you're bothered by a simple confession."

Tsuna stared suspiciously at his teacher. "You're not mad?"

Reborn snorted. "Have you fallen so hard for her that you don't see how much of a bigger idiot you've become?" Tsuna spluttered an unintelligent response. "You were completely out of kilter and as a result you're out of form." To make his point, Leon elongated into a whip that swiped Tsuna's feet from underneath him.

"Ah!" Tsuna yelped as his back made contact with the hard ground.

Reborn tutted at his pitiful form. "You see? I need you to concentrate. The next part of your training will be difficult. Your absolute concentration is necessary otherwise you'll die." Tsuna blanched. "Also, a boss shouldn't let his woman be touched by another man." Reborn's figure casted an intimidating shadow over him. "I'm getting tired of this dance that you two are doing." He pointed his gun towards him, the green metal glinting sharply. "So get your ass to it before I make you."

He didn't need to be told twice and booked it. As soon as he was far enough he slowed to a jog. Did Reborn figure out his feelings or was he just obvious from the start? God he hoped it was the first. It would be so embarrassing if everyone figured it out before he did. He leapt over an edge and grabbed on to a branch where he swung himself down a slope that he slid down on. He hopped over a road fence where he began to jog on the road back to Namimori. He was anxious to know of what became the confession. All his worries came back and it spurned him to move faster. He was running through the shopping district when a figure jumped into his path. He skidded to a stop.

"Haru!" he exclaimed as he wiped the sweat off his brow.

"Tsuna-san! I was just on my way to give you this!" she held out a bento wrapped with hearts. He stared at it, then at Haru. For as strong as everyone made him out to be, he was still a coward. He had avoided this long enough.

"Haru, can I talk to you?" he asked her.

She clapped her hands together in delight. "Is Tsuna-san asking Haru out? Haru will be happy to!"

"N-No Haru, I meant – "

She never let him finished as she suddenly dragged him towards a very popular café. No way. He was not going to do that to her. "Haru!" he cried out. "How about we go somewhere quiet. Just the two of us yeah?"

She stopped pulling on his arm which he was very grateful for. They managed to find themselves by the riverside. Funnily enough, Tsuna recognized it as the place where Haru became his friend and to Haru, this was the place where she stopped seeing him as the scum of the earth to the prince of her dreams. He wanted to drown himself when he thought about it. Apparently she was thinking the same thing as she twirled around and beamed at him. A ball of anxiety kept bouncing around the walls of his stomach. He had put this out long enough.

"Haru."

"Yes Tsuna-san?" she asked him. He stared at her expecting face. Haru was a good friend and unfortunately, that was all she would be to him. He felt horrible doing this to her.

He sighed. "Haru… about your feelings about me…"

"Haru will not lose to Mia-san!" Haru declared.

He backed up. "What?!" he gasped.

"Haru knows that Tsuna-san likes Mia-san a lot but that doesn't mean I'll give up! Haru wants to be your bride!" she got into his face like really close, as if she was going to kiss him but he jumped away. His face was on fire. He didn't know how to respond to that.

"Haru that-that's – " he floundered for words. "Please, I'm not saying this for my sake but yours as well!"

"Then don't say it!" she cried. Her hands were clutched into fists by her sides. "If you say it, Haru… Haru will have to… to…" then she started to cry.

"Haru please don't cry…" he didn't know how to deal with crying girls. In this aspect, he was still Dame-Tsuna.

"I'm not crying!" Haru denied. She totally was though.

"Haru…" He closed his eyes. He heard her sniffle. He didn't want to do this but was he supposed to let things stay this way? "I don't want you to get hurt Haru." He thought about the mafia, the deep shit that he and his other friends were in. People like his mom, Kyoko-chan, Haru, Fuuta and the kids… he didn't want them to get caught up with it. Mia literally jumped in with him without doubt – something that he was grateful beyond anything he ever felt – and as a result she's been put in more dangerous situations than he could count. "I don't want to hurt you." He opened his eyes and stared at her gently. "I also think it's not fair to you. Do you… do you understand me?"

Haru sniffled again. "Haru wants to say no but… Haru understands. Tsuna-san is kind."

"I-I'm not… like that…" he turned away.

Haru giggled tearfully. "Tsuna-san… is very hopeless desu."

"Haru…" Tsuna reached a hand out but she jumped out of his reach. He pulled back hesitantly.

"Thank you for being honest with me Tsuna-san… but it seems it's too soon." Haru wiped her tears. "I-If you'll excuse me." Then she ran away. Tsuna watched her form disappear in the distant, his gut wrenching as if Bianchi made his lunch. He ran a hand through his hair where he paused at the sight of his bracelet.

"A good luck charm…" he recalled Mia calling it. There was no point regretting it and resumed his search for his friend.

Where in the hell was she? He thought with dread. He couldn't find her anywhere and he couldn't contact her phone. It was dark already and at this point, he was beyond himself with worry. It must have been the hundredth time that he called her and he nearly cried in relief when it was finally answered. But it wasn't Mia's voice that spoke to him. His blood ran cold as a masculine tone spoke to him.

"Hellooooooo ~ is this blondie's boyfriend?"

Tsuna couldn't speak at first. When he finally found his voice, his anger had already begun to climb. "Who is this? Where's is Mia?"

"Shishishi… don't be so mad now. She's in good hands – here I'll allow you to talk to her." There was a rustling sound before he heard a familiar gasp.

"Tsuna?!"

"Mia what the hell is going on?"

"My admirer turned out to be a psychopath who's delusional about being a prince." She grunted. "He also has a fetish for knives."

"That's enough of that blondie."

"You're blonde too!" Mia pointed out. Tsuna wished she would shut up. His heart had jumped into his throat, making it very hard for him to remain calm. The other person was back and it seemed he was annoyed.

"I don't get why a prince like me has to babysit over a commoner of a girl." He sighed.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"Shishishishi….If you want the girl to live then you should come and hand yourself over."

"No… Varia?!" Tsuna backed into a wall feeling faint.

"Tsuna don't listen to him!" Mia shouted in the background. There was a loud crack of skin hitting skin and he froze. "Don't do it Tsuna! Trust me, I'll be okay!" There was another slap, this one sounding much stronger than the last.

The words flew out of his mouth before he could control himself. "DON'T YOU DARE HURT HER!"

"A prince doesn't take orders from the likes of you. But if you want the girl whole and untouched – come here alone Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Simmering in fury Tsuna could only stand there in helplessness. Reborn had warned him that surrendering was not an option. Xanxus would only kill them no matter what but Mia… there was no competition. Between him and Mia, there was only one choice to make. Before he could give his answer there was a yelp and the sound of the phone clattering loudly on the ground.

"I'll beat your ass if you do that!" Mia cried. "Don't you even think about it!" Then the call began to break off with sounds of cracking. Tsuna realized that she was probably destroying her own phone.

"Mia no!" but the line had disconnected. Tsuna stood there and his arm dropped. His arms hung limply at his side. It was like Mukuro all over again but a hundred times worse. He suddenly punched a wall so hard he left a cracked dent and gained a sore hand.. "Accidenti! Accidenti a tutto cazzo l'inferno!" he cursed painfully ("Damn it! Damn it all to hell!").

She was pinned down on the carpeted floor by two large goons. Her head spun from having been struck twice. Her completely destroyed phone lied a few feet away in bits and pieces. Belphegor, the person who kidnapped her, picked it up and examined it. It was thoroughly destroyed after she bit it in half and crushed it with her heel. He tossed it away and glanced at her with contempt.

She smirked back at him that was equally filled with enmity despite her face being squished unpleasantly against the floor.

"Having trouble Bel?" A hooded baby materialized into the room. Mia stared at the newcomer with newfound fear as she saw the chained indigo pacifier that hung around his neck. An Arcobaleno. She figured an illusionist had been hiding nearby but she never expected an Arcobaleno!

"She jumped on me and tried to bite me. A prince." Belphegor stalked towards her and motioned the goons to take a hike. They left the room and he pushed her with his foot to make her lie on her back. He stared her down, a knife twirling in his finger tips. Mia she stared back unwaveringly at him. "You have pretty eyes you know that?" He commented. Mia tensed, sensing his malicious intent. She whipped her head aside in time, barely evading the blade that buried itself deep through the thick carpet and into the rich wood. If she hadn't dodged that she would have lost an eye…

"Bel," the illusionist warned him. "We weren't paid to torture her."

"You and money Mammon." Belphegor wrenched the knife out of the wood. "Shishishishi… it was just a little fun. It's not like the Boss would like her. She's a bit young don't you think?"

"Age doesn't matter if you're a whore," Mammon replied. Mia went rigid. "As long as she looks good it doesn't matter."

"Awww." Belphegor pouted. "I can't hurt her at all? I think she would look a bit better if I cut that mouth of hers even wider. She'll be louder then."

"Nobody would want ruined merchandise you fool."

"The prince thinks it's a pleasant addition. Oh? And where do you think you're going?" he asked her. She had been trying to inch herself closer to the wall. "You've been quiet too – are you afraid that we'll kill you?" Belphegor approached her slowly and knelt in front of her. His hand brushed her cheek. She wanted to bite him again but he still had a knife in his other hand. "Don't worry," he crooned. "You won't be. You're just going to be sold off after we kill that Sawada kid. Right Mammon?"

"That is, unless boss decides to keep her." Mammon floated towards them.

"Shishishishi either way, you'll end up as someone's plaything."

Mia was afraid. It was a natural reaction but she was also very, very angry. First off, they threatened Tsuna, second, she had gotten herself into another kidnapping situation, third, Tsuna was going to be out of his mind with worry and fourthly, she was getting really damn sick of being the damsel in distress. Let these bastardi threaten her. She'll bid her time. What mattered was that she needed to escape but her hands were tied, her feet too, so in the meantime she had to be patient. Fortunately she was good at that. Besides, they were still ignorant of the rings. She can hold on to ten days if she had to.

Belphegor frowned at the lack of fear she was displaying. She was silent but glared at them, the shadow of the world's greatest hitman lingering in her searing gaze. For all the shit Reborn pulled Mia was proud to have him as her teacher.

"Hmnn…" Mammon thoughtfully looked down on her. "I'm going to go report this. Make sure she's presentable." He then dissipated in the air. Belphegor let out a grunt of frustration.

"Why does the prince have to babysit?" he asked himself again, disgruntled. He bent down, grabbed her by the arm and hoisted her up. He peered at her uniform. "This is not going to do." He raised his hand that held the knife.

"What do you mean 'it's not going to do'?" Mia said a tad bit terrified. His hand moved so fast her eyes were not able to keep up and when his blade was up again Mia realized that her clothing had been sheared off leaving her only in her underwear. A strangled shrill cry battled for release in her mouth as she tried to contain her humiliation inside. Her face burned as he stared at her black boy shorts where stitched upon its garter it wrote in gold lettering, 'You shall not pass'.

"S-So what if I like the Lord of the Rings too much?" she stammered out in her defense. It was a fandom choice! These happened to be her favorite too!

"Pfft…" Belphegor burst out into 'Shishishi'. His grasp loosened and she wrenched herself out of it. She stumbled because her feet were still tied and bumped into the four poster bed. "Ushishishishi… because you're so funny I'll let you keep that on." He sauntered over to the armoire and opened it. He tossed a short black dress with a neckline she was sure would show more than she'd like on the bed.

"You're too savage for a prince but I'll admit." He was suddenly in front of her, her cheeks pinched together in his bandaged hand. "With a little work you'll be passable."

She shook her head away from him and glared. "I'd rather stay a bimbo," she spat. "What kind of fucked up country did you come from anyway? Were your parents part of an occult or something to have named you after a demon?"

Belphegor tilted his head to the side and grinned manically at her. Mia backed what she could away from him. Her legs bumped into the mattress and he pushed her down on it, pinning her arms above her head. She stayed completely still as the tip of his blade lightly dragged across her stomach, through her breasts until it rested against her neck. No...

She squeezed her eyes shut. Anything but that, she pleaded inside.

"Shishishishi… still a little girl." She felt the blade lift and she slowly opened her eyes and tears leaking down her cheeks. Belphegor moved off of her and sat on the other side of the bed.

"You're an interesting girl but you're still just a girl. Be good and make yourself nice. The Boss will be here soon." He began to sharpen his blade and Mia, slowly pushed herself up, roughly brushing her tears away with shaking hands.

"I can't dress myself if I'm tied like this."

"Hmnn. I suppose you're right but don't try to do anything." He cut her bonds free.

Mia took the dress and stared at it distastefully. It wasn't that it was ugly – it was made from expensive material and was very fashionable – it's just that it was too… god it looked like something Bianchi would wear. She bet that if the older woman wore it she would be hailed like a goddess. She put it on and found it a bit tight and as she expected, it revealed a good deal of cleavage. She stripped off her socks as well. When Belphegor saw her changed he told her to stay in the room saying that 'it was that a prince deserved a break'. He may appear lax but Mia could not afford to be naïve and try to escape.

From the appearance of things she was in some fancy schmancy hotel room. The quality was nothing to scoff at. Glancing at the window, where it was dark, it was obvious that escaping through the window was impossible. She must have been in one of the top floors.

Her phone was gone so she had no way to communicate outside and she wouldn't dare risk using the hotel's phone. She searched her room for something but could not find anything of use so she moved to the bathroom. Well, if she ever decided to go against the Varia at least she had a toothbrush to defend herself with.

She slapped her hands against the marble counter in frustration. She should have stayed with Tsuna. She should have guarded herself better. Besides, why would anyone want to confess to her anyway? If she hadn't been so stupid she wouldn't be in this situation where her best friend had to choose between her and his life because that's what was at stake here. His life. She had resolved herself not to get in his way but it seemed that things won't go as she expected. She raised her head and glared at her image. She touched the side of her head where she was struck and winced when it throbbed.

Tears welled her eyes as she remembered earlier at the bed and she washed it away with some water. She let it cool her down as she washed her face. She had to remain calm at all times. The moment she loses it will be her end. She wiped her face and went back to the room. She glanced at the door then decided to listen through it. She could hear voices but she couldn't make them out. Giving up she plopped herself on the bed and lied there. Time passed while she stared out the window. The moon continued to steadily climb higher and higher in the sky. She closed her eyes hoping to get a little rest but her insomnia refused to let her sleep and also the tapping from the window was beginning to annoy her.

Wait.

Tapping?

She quickly looked to the window. Perched outside of it was a bird but around its neck hung a very familiar symbol. She ran towards it and opened the window. The bird was a small falcon with dark blue feathers. It looked up at her with intelligent eyes.

"A merlin," she recognized. She touched the small silver disk tied around its neck with a black ribbon. It was thin but the detail on it was astonishing. She also noticed a small note tied around its foot. She hesitantly reached towards it while nervously looking at the merlin and its sharp beak. "May I?" she asked it. It raised its leg towards her and she quickly untied the note with a fast beating heart.

Her eyes scanned the small note and her heart filled hope. A small mad laugh escaped her. It was crazy but certainly worth a try. If she survived this then Tsuna would never believe what she will tell them. She looked back at the merlin that was watching her. If she manages this then she hopes she'll leave a lasting impression on the Varia.

"I got the message but I'm afraid I don't have anything to write on." She didn't know why she was talking to a bird but it seemed to understand her. It puffed its chest as if it wanted her to take the trinket it had. She took it off and after a moment of considering, decided to wear it around her neck like a choker. "Thank you," she told it earnestly. Its work done, the merlin fell backwards – an odd movement for a bird – and soared into a downward spiral. She watched it fly with giddy trepidation. A knock on the door made her turn around.

"Escaping won't do you good. We're on the forty-ninth floor shishishishi." Belphegor grinned from his place by the door.

Mia fully faced him. The token around her neck matched the glint in her eyes as she replied, "I wasn't thinking that at all."

Tsuna was a mess of nerves. He sat on his house's porch while his father, Reborn, Colonello and Bianchi were discussing behind him.

"To think they managed to swipe her under our noses that easily…" Bianchi punched her palm. "To think they would lure a young maiden with a promise of love… detestable!"

"Oi Reborn, they didn't figure the rings out so soon did they?" Colonello asked.

"Of course not," Iemitsu answered with a sharp glare at the arcobaleno. "Identifying those rings as fake so soon would be impossible. They were made with the best materials."

"Why do they want me out of the picture? Does the Vongola hate me that much?" Tsuna spoke up while not looking at them. He stayed where he was, his hands clasped over his mouth as if he were praying. "I'm finally trying to accept my role and this happens?" Pain tinged his tone which quickly turned into barely suppressed rage. "If they hurt her… I'll never forgive the Vongola." A brief silence followed after his threat.

"The reason they took her because you were the other candidate," Reborn said and Tsuna whipped around to look at his tutor.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"W-Wait a minute Reborn!" Iemitsu tried to interfere but Reborn ignored him.

"Tsuna may be your son but he is my student. I decide what to tell him and not you."

"Reborn…" Iemitsu said warningly. The hitman brushed him off.

"You can't use that on me. I don't work for you."

"Tell me what?" Tsuna pressed.

"There was another candidate other than you." Reborn watched as Tsuna looked at him in disbelief while he continued to ignore Iemitsu's glare, warning him not to say anymore.

"W-W-What?" he said. "If there was another one then why was I picked then?" He thought about his friends. Most of them were dragged into this fight that they never wanted and Mia… he clenched his fist. Mia wouldn't be in the Varia's hands if he wasn't the candidate.

"Because at the time you were the only candidate." At his student's confused face Reborn went on explaining, "I mentioned once before that you were the only living candidate however recently I came to know that Xanxus, the Ninth's fourth son, had returned from god-knows-where."

"Then make him the boss!" Tsuna cried. He jumped to his feet. He pulled out the ring from under his shirt. "I don't care about being the boss, he can have it!"

"That won't bring her back kora!" Colonello snapped, instantly making him unable to retort. "Don't be so naïve as to believe that! Even if you hand over your position it doesn't change the fact that you're still a legitimate candidate!"

"So what am I supposed to do?" He looked at each of their faces, his voice filled with desperation. "I can't leave her there. I can't."

"Without knowing the full details of the situation I can't make a move." Reborn's mouth curled down. He sounded genuinely frustrated by it but Tsuna didn't care. Bianchi came to him and pulled him gently into a hug which he hesitantly returned.

"Mia is a strong girl." Bianchi patted his head. "You may find my words shallow but right now all we can do is trust in her. She's smart. She'll keep herself safe in the meantime."

Tsuna didn't reply. A sudden thought struck him that completely froze his blood. What about Nicolas?

Her feet hurt. Belphegor had given her a pair of matching stilettos to wear and she was struggling not to fall flat on her face. The last thing she needed was to embarrass herself further. She glanced at the blonde assassin walking beside her. Belphegor didn't react when he saw her. She thought that her choker would draw attention but he acted like he couldn't see it. Maybe he can't. Whatever strange power her little trinket possessed, she hoped it would stay unnoticeable.

They went up a floor to the penthouse. Despite the beauty and splendor that surrounded her, Mia could feel nothing but cold dread as the corridor they were walking on became darker and darker as they walked through it. The fear was still there but she would get through this. She refused to let the Varia corner her and her friends. Belphegor threw the doors open into a large spacious dimly lit room with a long table. Seated at its head was a man marked by scars. The moment she stepped into the room she felt the overwhelming pressure coming from the man. She could only presume he was the boss.

Her caretaker left to take his seat, cackling with that freaky laugh of his as he did so.

"This is that trash's girl?" His eyes trailed over her form.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Mia from the dumps," she responded with mock pleasantry. She even threw in a smile in there for him, the asshole.

"Heh." The man chuckled lowly. "As expected from trash. You're not even the least bit ashamed of it."

"Ashamed?" Mia echoed, still smiling. She tucked her arms behind her, her posture straight and dignified. "Even a flower flourishes from the most unnatural of places."

"Trash flower. It suits you."

"Thank you but I've yet to know your name." Mia tried not to flinch when a man seemingly hidden beside his boss jumped out of his seat to glare at her.

"The likes of you don't deserve to hear the boss' name!" he told her angrily. Loyal to a fault, a bad case of puppy love… suddenly she was reminded of Hayato but in a bad way. Her friend wasn't so bad – after she taught him some manners – but this guy reminded how annoying Hayato had been in the beginning.

Her eyes narrowed, the urge to rectify this fool rising out her. "I can't call him 'boss' because he's not my 'boss'."

He took a step towards her, his shadowed face emerging into the dim light. Mia wished he didn't do that. She would have preferred his ugly mug to stay in the dark where it belonged. "Boss, I'll take care of this impudence."

Goddamn elites knowing how to speak proper Japanese. Mia suppressed a frustrated sigh at that and focused instead on the man glaring at her. But surprisingly their bossed waved him away. "Sit down Levi. She's a guest." Grudgingly Levi sat back down. "I am Xanxus, boss of the Varia." Her eyes flickered to the other shadowed figures sitting around the table. Someone was missing.

"Superbi Squalo?" she asked.

"You remembered Squalo? Shishishi the shark ain't here. Thank god for that!" Belphegor twirled his blade. "It would be a hundred times louder if he was here." Mia thought about Squalo's impressive vocals. She nodded in agreement with him. A hand suddenly touched her shoulder and she reacted without thinking. Her elbow struck up but was caught so she maneuvered her body to twist around to punch him with her other hand but suddenly she was slammed on the table with both her hands pinned.

"Oh dear! Are you okay?" A muscularly feminine voice asked her. Her respond was a head butt. She soon regretted it as the room spun around her. "Gah!" the sunglass wearing guy with a Mohawk said. He released her as he stumbled backwards clutching his head.

"Oh! You actually got a good hit in blondie!" Belphegor commented from her side.

A heavy slam came from the other end of the table and suddenly the whole table tilted upwards. "Woah!" she cried as she abruptly slid from one end to the lap of the last man she wanted to be on. "Holy shit." She gulped as his red eyes silently judged her from his lap. Fear gripped her like a vice and it was tkaing everything she had not to show it on her face while noting inside her head how goddamn awkward this was. A hand went up to catch her chin.

"You're going to be a nuisance if I let you live."

"Then what's stopping you from killing me now?" She daringly asked him. He actually burst out laughing, surprising everyone. Mia waited patiently for his answer. When he was done he glanced down at her.

"You've got quite the pair on you trash flower." His fingers stroke the underside of her jaw. A shiver of repulsion ran through her body and she wrenched her head away from him.

"Non mi tocchi." She hissed lowly. ("Don't touch me.")

He smirked at her. "Got yourself pegged for that impostor trash?"

"Impostor?" she frowned. "You mean Tsuna?"

Levi thumped on the table. "The only true Vongola Heir is Xanxus!"

There is no way that was right. The Ninth himself was the one who chose Tsuna himself and wasn't Tsuna the only living candidate? No. She wasn't wrong. Tsuna being the heir wasn't wrong. Something fishy was up and this bastard who was holding her knew it. "Tsuna is the direct descendant of Vongola Primo. Wherever you're from, you can't claim superiority over that!" The smug look was wiped off his face. He narrowed his eyes at her and grabbed her arm.

"What do you know about that?" he challenged her. "I am the Ninth's son!"

She grabbed his arm that held hers and she looked back into his eyes with equal ferocity. "The birthright to be Vongola Decimo belongs to Sawada Tsunayoshi. Not you who came from Secondo's line, nor anyone else!" She seemed to have struck a nerve as his grip turned crushing. She bit back a choked scream.

"You dare…" he growled.

"Try me borsa di cazzi." There was a heavy silence that came after her words. Xanxus' grip did not lighten in the least. In fact, her wrist was quickly growing hotter. Sharp stinging pain pricked all over the skin he touched.

"I'll burn you to a crisp." Her nails dug into his arm as she frantically struggled to pull her arm from out of his grasp. She could feel her skin becoming hotter and hotter. Anytime would be perfect right now! When she began to smell her own flesh burning, she refused to scream. "I'll prove to you that I'm the heir." He threw her aside and stood from his chair. He looked down on her trembling figure on the ground. "And when I do I will kill that Sawada trash and his guardians and I'll make sure to put the mouth of yours to use properly."

Cradling her burned arm, Mia glared at him through her bangs with such intensity that the presence around her changed. It was like something inside her lit up and it was slowly growing to consume her entire being. She couldn't bring herself to be scared of him, too furious at what he said. Her rage was stoked by his arrogant words. Kill Tsuna? Over her dead body. When she spoke, it was damning.

"You will never become Vongola Decimo." She stood up, the pain from her arm receding briefly. Were her eyes deceiving her? Xanxus actually took a step back from her. Why did he do that? A slightly fearful part of her asked. Why was he looking at her like that? From the corner of her eye she saw Levi move and she pushed those doubts aside. She held her arm close and backed to the window. Xanxus' face contorted into a rage once he had realized what he had done.

"You…" Before any of them could touch her, a single bullet broke through the glass showering shards all over before making its mark dangerously close to where Xanxus was standing. She whipped around as a screech streaked across the window at the same time Xanxus began barking out orders in Italian. That was what she was waiting for. She gave the Varia one last defiant look before breaking into a run and crashing through the already cracked window. It gave away and suddenly she was falling. Wind screamed in her ears but none of it seemed to matter to her, as the world began to fade before her eyes in a whirl of heavy mist. A hand came out of nowhere to snatch her and before she knew it she was gasping and trembling on hard concrete under a sky filled with stars.

"Ah… ah…" her body was so deep in shock she could barely speak coherently.

"Jesus Christ…" Ian was there beside her. He was just as badly shaken up as she was but for different reasons. "I'm never doing that again."

"W-What did you do?" she asked through chattering teeth.

He tiredly glanced at her. "That's a trade secret but right now you have nothing I want." He shrugged his jacket off and placed it on her shoulders. "Does anything hurt? Felt like something was torn?"

She hadn't realized she was cold until he gave her his jacket. She pulled it tighter around herself and shook her head. Her wrist though, was hurting badly. Ian carefully pulled her injured arm straight, his features twisting unpleasantly. Mia didn't watch, a bit afraid of knowing how it looked. Eventually she had to ask, "How bad?"

"… Second degree." He hissed as he slowly twisted her arm around. "It's like his hand is red-hot iron. It's completely all around."

"Thank you for that," she snapped, feeling sick at the mental image now stuck in her head.

"Blisters are already starting to form," he quietly pointed out. "Do you want to rest or do you want to go back to your precious Decimo?"

"Go back," she rasped out. "I want to go back." She didn't protest when he picked her up. Her legs didn't seem to want to move, which was concerning but Ian assured her that she would be able to walk in a while. She hadn't noticed it before but they were in an empty parking lot save for a single white van. When she asked where they were, Ian replied that they were in a neighboring town near Namimori. She blinked when the car door slid open and a middle-aged man with bright coppery hair met them with keen grey eyes, holding a sniper rifle in his hands.

"Thes th'lassie?" he asked them gruffly. His accent was thick.

"This is Tyr. He's the guy who nearly blew your head off." Tyr sent Ian a dirty look.

"I never noticed," she admitted. "I was actually thinking how much of a godsend your shot was."

Tyr grinned. "Ah loch'er." He pointed at her. His accent was so heavy she could only guess what he said. She assumed he said that he liked her. Ian rolled her eyes. "That's a mingin' burn thaur. Hae ye taken ay it? There's a first aid kit in th' van."

"Thanks," Ian said shortly and pushed his way inside. "Tyr, we have to go now. The Varia are close by." Tyr grunted and jumped into the driver's seat. Mia watched Ian as he tried to treat her injured wrist while on the road. He finished by wrapping her wrist. "We'll be there soon so try to rest a little." She nodded a little, too tired to even reply verbally. She leaned on the window, her injured arm resting on her lap. She stared listlessly outside while Ian was checking something out on his laptop that he must have pulled somewhere.

A night. All of this had only taken in a span of a night.

"Ian… is there something I can call with?"

"What happened to your phone?"

"It's broken."

He lent her his phone. As she punched Tsuna's number, she paused and glanced at Ian. "How did you find me?"

Ian was looking outside when he answered flatly, "Trade secret."

Tyr chuckled from up front. "It willnae be a trade if ye joined us lassie."

Ian scowled at the older man. "That's not for her to decide. I hardly think she's qualified!"

"Qualified?" Tyr repeated with a snort. "Efter whit she did back thaur? She's mair than qualified. Huvnae seen somethin' 'at ballsy in a while." He winked at her and Mia smiled slightly at the older man, quickly warming up to him.

"You mean to say that I'm being scouted?" she asked, suddenly interested. It wasn't a bad idea and after seeing what Ian can do, she wondered if she would be able to do things as well. "What is it that you guys do?"

"Lots," Tyr told her with a short laugh. "Naethin' shady min' ye. Nae unlike th' mafia."

Ian let out a suffering sigh. "You're supposed to shut up by now Tyr."

She leaned towards Tyr. "What is it I'm supposed to do to get in?"

Tyr kept his eyes on the road but he happily answered her. "Naethin' particularly difficult - ye jist hae tae prove yer worth."

"How?"

"Make sure the Vongola wins." She looked in surprise at Ian. He fixed her with a firm look. "You make sure that Sawada Tsunayoshi becomes Vongola Decimo. If you do that, you can join."

Author's Notes

I actually like Xanxus as a character but not as a person.

I don't have anything againts the fandom for shipping or idolizing him for one way or another but in reality, if he really was real you wouldn't want to be near him. He has no problem killing anyone, regardless of their age and gender (might I remind anyone that he attacked the Cervello, tried to kill Tsuna and the others who were all teenagers including Lambo who was a child, tried to kill his father and doesn't care about most people), and he's abusive physically and verbally.

He has priorities and sometimes his pride can be a good thing however but the bottom line is, I wouldn't want to be in the same room with him. Although I do think TYL Xanxus has mellowed out his cruel personality. I think its because of this the fandom grew to like him.

There is an implication of rape in this chapter and I'm not saying he would (I don't think that Xanxus is that much of a scumbag) but I do believe he has it him to threaten it. Its terrifying and you should fear him. If you think this is awful then you should look up how cruel the mafia can really be.

But again, if this bothers you reader, I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention however it doesn't change Mia's perspective on him.

I understand this would turn a lot of people off and that's fine. I did warn ahead that the story would get darker. If i go any deeper, promise the next installment will get higher rating.

Anyways, thanks for reading.