Sunset Hue

by Syrlai

When Tsuna was twelve, he ran into a pole in the middle of the night, knocking himself out. There, he met a girl named Mia that just moved in. He was a loser and she was weird. But somehow, they brought out the best and worst in each other. Friends, lovers or partners - Mafia or not, nothing was going to change that. [TsunaxOC] [AU covering Kokuyo and Varia Arc from canon]

38. Dissipating the Illusion

Varia Arc

Lambo - 6

Chrome - 14

Tsuna, Mia, Hayato, Takeshi - 15

Ryohei, Mukuro - 16

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.

Warning: Some mature stuff.

---

Mia supposed that shouting Takeshi's name to her phone in the women's toilet wasn't the most sensible thing to do. Heads poked out from the stalls and a woman who just entered paused unsurely while holding the door open. As awesome as it felt to have made an idiot of herself, she couldn't deny feeling optimistic for Takeshi's match. It probably was thanks to Tsuna's firm belief that their friend would be fine and that she was included in the circle even if she wasn't physically there.

Ignoring the strange looks that were being sent her way, she walked back to their table where her Nonnino was examining the menu. For an old veteran, her grandfather was the picture of health. His tanned wrinkled skin betrayed his age but his eyes were as clear as ever as he vigorously searched the menu. Man that's some intense choice-making right there.

"Have you decided on something Nonnino?"

"Ah yes Mia." He set the menu down. "Could you read these for me? I don't understand Japanese." He let out hearty laugh at the look on her face. She joined him good-naturedly and explained to him the menu. Dinner was nicer than she thought. Such was she in a good mood that it was surprisingly easy to tell her Nonnino all about her friends and her life in Japan. For a while, the rings were put out of her mind.

"I know Pa said that you would be visiting but Nonnino, why did you come to Japan?" she asked curiously when she ran out of topics to talk about.

Nero Matteis wiped his mouth with his napkin before answering, "Hasn't your father told you anything?"

She shook her head.

He sighed. "Not surprising Nicolas wouldn't. Well, I am here for a business transaction."

"A business transaction? What sorts?" She wasn't aware her Nonnino had business trips given his age.

His smile became wicked and her heart jumped in excitement. She knew that look. It meant he was going to tell her something that her Pa wouldn't like. "My dear, your grandfather has a hobby for collecting rare, antique weapons. I could spend my time on the family farm, growing crops until I my knees give out but where would the fun be in that?" She couldn't contain her grin. No, she imagined that he wouldn't. "Your father often comes across such things. Despite disapproving of my hoarding – as he calls it - he does have some sort of appreciation."

"Wow." And here she thought she knew almost everything about her family.

He nodded, sipping from his glass. "Indeed. Half of my collection is thanks to your father and he finds the most curious types of weaponry I have ever seen. Though he has no interest over the items themselves, he seems to deem their history more important. I don't know how to feel about that."

"Like a dog being fed scraps?" she suggested.

"I like to think that my son is giving me gifts – not scraps."

She giggled at his disgruntled frown. She was really enjoying this. She never asked anything personal of her Pa – too afraid it might set him off – so when she did find something new about him, she tucked that piece of information close to her heart. Little by little, Mia would get to know more about the man that was her father. She just wished she could learn more about her Mama too but no one knew her better than her Pa and she dared not ask.

"So have you found yourself a sweetheart yet?" She jumped in her seat, the tips of her ears fizzling with heat.

"W-What?" she spluttered. Her Nonnino's eyes were sparkling knowingly with mirth. She remembered him asking a very similar question before. Had he known then? If so, this was a hundred times more embarrassing. But then she shouldn't be surprised. He always had a knack for figuring her out better than she could do so herself. So she sighed and fought the urge to drop her head into her plate. She mumbled something incoherent.

"What was that my dear?"

"I just have someone I like. That's all," she said a little clearly but still small in volume.

"Why sound ashamed?" he asked her gently. She looked up to see him genuinely concerned. Somehow everything that had been bearing down on her shoulders became lighter. There was no one, not even Tsuna, who understood her better than her Nonnino. He always took her seriously, no matter how silly or hopeless it was. Looking into eyes so much like her own, how could she not answer him truthfully?

"Well… he already has this girl he's pinning on. He has the crush bad," she said, training her eyes on her glass. Just because she trusted her Nonnino not to laugh at her didn't mean she wanted to see his reaction – if he had one. She wouldn't know. He had at least eighty years of experience over his facial muscles.

"And?" he pressed kindly.

"And… well… do I have to say it?" The look she got was yes, she had to. If there was one thing about her Nonnino she wished he wouldn't do is his persistence to drag the experience out of her so that she would 'learn' from it. He wouldn't impart any wise words if she didn't which she sorely needed at the moment. Other girls would be getting relationship advice from other girls or their mom but she didn't have one and the only girl friend she had had a complicated spiritual relationship with a nefarious pineapple.

"Look at me Mia." Unwillingly but found that she couldn't disobey, she lifted her head. "And?"

"And… It's just that he might not like me back," she finished slowly. Each word that came out left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Back in my day, ladies were the ones being chased," he huffed.

She chuckled a bit. "Times changed."

"Infatti. But my dear, you forget what I've taught you." She frowned, not able to recall a single thing to mind. This was the first time she had asked of the sorts. "Fear is not an excuse to venture into the unknown. Whether in war or discovery, love is no different."

She wanted to speak out loud in her defense that she wasn't afraid lest of all love but the words never left her tongue. If she said anything after that it would have made her look like a petulant child. How did the conversation even got here anyway? She had long ago decided to push that aside in favor for more serious things – like helping her friends any way she can from getting murdered by a group of assassins, dealing with the Order and ultimately Tsuna. Because that's where everything ends and begins again, with the boy she met almost by fate. In an attempt to swerve things her way, she said instead with a small sigh, "Nonnino, can I ask you something else?"

Maybe he sensed the change in her but his eyes took on a more distinct form. If she looked any closer she probably would be able to count the shades of blue. "What would that be dear?" he asked her calmly.

Where to start… her mind raced to put the question together. "Have you ever made… allies with people you don't trust?" She waited with bated breath as her Nonnino considered her question. He probably would ask her why but he didn't. He never did. That was his way of teaching.

He gave her a careful look-over. "More than on one occasion Mia," his voice was gruff when he replied.

"But how do you deal with them?" she was pushing it, she knew but he hardly seemed perturbed by her questioning. It wasn't surprising, given how inquisitive she was when she was a child.

He placed his hands on the table. They were large and wrinkled but they still bore scars from the war. She wondered how he got them but never asked. Everybody had their scars, it wasn't her place to ask. "It becomes a matter of waiting then to see who betrays who first." Something inside her shivered at the cold but understandable words. But she wasn't the least surprised by it. She had always suspected Ian and what happened last night, after the Storm match, she caught a glimpse of his old fury that she had gotten very intimately acquainted with. What had he said?

Wrath isn't an emotion you can just shake off. It's there… simmering in the darkest pits of his heart.

She had a feeling that he wasn't talking out of his ass.

Everything that they had until now, she wondered if all that was an act. If that were true, he was even more dangerous than she thought. It seemed she wasn't the only liar hiding in their midst. At the very least, she managed to hold on to something firm and that helped immensely. She didn't like it when things would spire out of her control so having this bit of information helped her stand on equal ground with him.

She fell silent, her mind churning in deep speculation. So deep she was in her thoughts she hadn't realized that her Nonnino went on to order dessert and was enjoying himself rather fondly with his white chocolate and passion fruit mousse. He was halfway through his dessert when she realized that she hadn't touched her dessert even though it had been sitting in front of her the whole time.

"I enjoy our talks Mia – why stop now?" he asked her cordially. "I'm sure you have many more questions for me."

"Uh… um… right, sorry. It's just that…" Just that what? She was worried of how such a power came to develop in her friend? If Ian thought the flames of Wrath to be important then it's something to worry about. Flames react to emotion and it could just be possible that something different could manifest from it. This was just her theory but with nothing to disprove of it, she could go on forward with confidence but she lacked information to back it up so before she could make her move, she needed to be sure first and for that to happen, she needed to begin with the fundamentals.

"There is no need to rush dear if I may suggest, you must try this." Her Nonnino tapped his glass, smiling at her knowingly. "Food for your thoughts."

The little tidbits of wisdom over small things made her laugh. That didn't mean he wasn't right though. Once the cool mousse touched her tongue, she relaxed not having realized how stiff she had been. She savored the flavor, her thoughts slowing down to a tranquil stream.

"Better?" he asked her.

Lowering her spoon she looked right back at her Nonnino with clearer eyes. "Yes sir."

---

They all stood in shocked dead silence.

The only sound that was heard was the aggressive lapping of water inside the building and Takeshi's frustrated growls over his failure. He won the match but they all felt his defeat. Their friend hadn't wanted to kill his opponent but to beat him except Squalo… the waters were tainted red around Takeshi and all Tsuna could think about was why his friend looked so devastated.

They won and a member of the Varia was gone.

Why was he so affected by it? These people are trying to kill them. If they die on their own accord, then they shouldn't be so distressed by it. So why Takeshi?

"He shouldn't be upset," the cold and heartless words tumbled from his mouth without thinking. Tsuna didn't realize it even came from him until he felt every single person's eyes on him.

"Tenth…?" Came Hayato's unsure inquiry.

A force similar to a truck slammed into him when he finally registered the otherworldly words that came from him and his hand came up to cover his mouth as if he could have stopped it. But the damage had been done. His friends, his allies were staring at him with varying degrees of disbelief. Guilt consumed him. How could he have said such a thing? It was true Squalo was a threat that if given the chance, wouldn't spare them if given the opportunity but did that mean that his death should be brushed aside like it was nothing?

What was wrong with him?

He couldn't take it and stormed away from them and sought a dark corner at the edge of school. A place befitting his mood. He rubbed his hands into his face, trying to understand where those thoughts came from. This wasn't like him. Someone still died. Enemy or not, nobody deserved to go that way. Nobody.

He deserved it. A voice said darkly inside his head. They all do.

These people came here with an intention to kill them. They hurt his friends, especially Mia and Lambo. He hated them. Hated them with deep-rooted passion. So why shouldn't he wish ill-will against them? Why should he care?

Because it's not you. A smaller, softer voice said but it was too faint for him.

"Master Decimo." He jumped and whipped around. The fox did not react to his jittery manner. "The next match is to be Mist," he announced dutifully. Tsuna wanted to ask why he was the only one who approached him but remembered the looks he was given, including the heavy-laden gaze of his tutor. They were unsettled by his words. He couldn't blame them for that.

"Mist." He licked his lips. He still didn't know who his Guardian was. Reborn knew of course but he never actually asked the hitman. He was too focused with his training then. But since the hitman wasn't perturbed in the slightest, it meant that whoever his Mist Guardian was, they could be trusted. "Right, thanks for telling me."

"Do you know who it is?" The fox asked him.

His eyes narrowed. "Do you know?" he returned but had the sneaking suspicion that the fox knew.

"Indefinitely," the fox responded vaguely. "I may know a great number of things but the identity of your Mist Guardian lies with the miss. Only she can tell you."

A memory sprung up from the past few days. When the rings were being handed out to his chosen Guardians, Reborn said that Mia knew what to do. That could have been the ring right? Shortly after, Mia had given him an impish smile when she said 'surprise' but there was also a hint of uneasiness in her eyes that suggested that he might not like it. Could this be the 'surprise' that she was talking about? He didn't know. He could ask Reborn but had a feeling that his tutor won't answer him. But who could it be? Curiosity began to eat at him. For some reason and probably the first time, he actually doubted Mia. What other person out there could possibly be his Mist?

He remembered, when they were discussing this that he expressed that he didn't want her to be a Guardian which she snorted at.

"Do I look like Guardian material?" she asked him, her eyes dancing with the mere thought of it. "Nah, I'm better off doing the back stage work."

He believed her then but he felt unsure of it now. He hoped that it wasn't her. His eyes flickered to his silent companion. Mia called him her contact. Could it be possible that he was his Mist? God he hoped not. They may have settled in a tolerable relationship but Tsuna couldn't brush off the feeling of familiarity and the large amount of dislike towards the fox.

"However," the fox drew him out of his thoughts. The young don glanced at his companion skeptically. "I do believe that the miss is meddling where she shouldn't."

Worry and frustration slowly began to build inside him. "What do you mean?" What did Mia get herself into this time?

The fox took a step closer to him. His whisper evoked dread. "A dangerous gamble has been made Master Decimo. The miss believes that the good far outweighs the bad and ignores the consequences."

"What?" he hissed and grabbed the fox's coat to pulled him down. "What. Did. She. Do?" he asked, each word rising as his panic grew.

But the fox never lost his composure and studied him with infuriating calmness. "How is it that you do not know?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious. "Does she not tell you anything?" The question struck him deep and he shoved the fox away. He never knows because Mia never tells him anything. To make it worse, the fox had to rub salt on the old wound. "I thought that the two of you were close. I guess I was wrong."

Tsuna gritted his teeth, his lithe body trembling with emotions he had been turning a blind eye to all this time. Over and over he had asked her to trust him… why was it so hard for her to do that for him? But if she can't tell him… why did the fox know? He slowly looked at the other, who had gone oddly quiet, as if he was expecting him to ask something and Tsuna realized, a moment after, that Mia had confided in him. A complete stranger. Hurt, bitterness and betrayal didn't even cover it.

"She told you." It wasn't a question and the damn fox didn't even bother denying it. His Intuition spiked warningly but he ignored the sharp needles digging into his brain as his anger overshadowed everything else. "Why?"

The fox straightened his coat and glanced towards him. The slits in his mask glinted emerald green. "You can say that… we have peculiar bond. She can't help but share the strangest things with me."

He was too wired to have been able to sense the lie. "What is your relationship with her?" He demanded unreasonably but damn everything he wanted to know why.

The fox sighed in sympathy at him. "I feel quite sorry for you Master Decimo… even though I'm the one wearing a mask it seems that I'm not the only one who has them." Tsuna turned rigid. The fox clapped a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to his ear, "If you would like to know the truth I suggest you ask the miss. Beware though, for the truth can be quite ugly." With one final pat, the fox walked away from him, leaving him frozen on the spot and a great deal of uneasiness. He quickly turned around but the fox had disappeared without a single trace. Not a hair or even the sound of his boots. He was gone.

Deciding not to stay any longer and worry his friends, he headed towards the school gates. By then his anger had faded to a dull echo but it was there, waiting to be reignited. When his friends appeared he apologized to them for his out of character moment. None of them had taken it seriously and laughed it off to his immense relief. They thought his nerves just got to him and Tsuna went along with it, smiling shyly but through all that there was one person who saw what he really felt.

Reborn did not question him but his heavy gaze spoke volumes.

But Tsuna didn't care. He really couldn't.

---

Mia scoured the Vongola documents in her apartment, searching and looking up on Secondo's history. After her talk with her Nonnino, she immediately came here after – dress and all – to find anything useful. As she was riffling through several papers, she had her phone wedged between her ear and shoulder, making a quick call to Tsuna so he wouldn't worry. But as she relayed her message, Tsuna had seemed detached and she wondered about that because to her immense joy and relief, Takeshi had won. But she didn't dwell over his weirdness and chalked it off to him being nervous for the next match. She didn't blame him concerning that she hadn't told him about Chrome and Mukuro. She was nervous too but she had complete faith in – well not Mukuro – but in Chrome – and by extension, the pineapple's – skills.

She just hoped he won't flip out.

On a side note, she wondered what Ian had been doing while she was gone. She hadn't seen him the whole day either and it worried her. She couldn't exactly pinpoint the reason why but there was something about the way their talk went that bothered her. Ian was planning something, she was sure of that but didn't know what it was. Not knowing where he was and what he was doing… it unnerved her.

As the night wore on, Mia found what little she could find. She gathered a small collection of papers in relation to her search. Little as it may be, it was enough. It won't back her idea much without something on Xanxus but it was enough to support it.

She had researched all about Secondo. There wasn't much about the First before he founded the Vongola but Secondo had plenty on him. Primo and Secondo were cousins, that much was well-known already but what few knew was that Secondo, Ricardo, had been raised in a rich and powerful family in comparison to his bastard cousin Giotto who had been abandoned in an orphanage ever since he was just a baby. However, Ricardo was the youngest of twelve children.

'Utterly deprave' didn't even cover the treatment of the children. In a family where power was what mattered, the household that Ricardo had grown up in was cold and merciless. It was like the survival of the fittest. The family was painted to be cruel and dreadful – which really helps when you want to build a reputation on death and strife – but if there was anything that she knew well about history, is that there was never one version of it and that sometimes, a few things are omitted. His older siblings were accomplished and being the youngest, that surely had to have a lot of pressure. Other than his older by a year sister, ironically the one family member that did care was Giotto and by then he had already established the Vongola but by the time the First had taken the young Ricardo under his wing, the damage had already been done.

Ricardo had no qualms over murdering his own father and older brothers out of revenge many years later when he had become a young man. The reasoning behind it was unknown but Mia suspected it had to do with Ricardo's favorite sister that gone missing recently around that time. She had found a letter written by the First to Ricardo about it but the man's writing was so damn narrow, the cursive looked like squiggles. But she managed to read it anyway. Its contents saying things like he shouldn't let hate dictate his actions and would only bring him misery... but if history hadn't made it obvious enough, Ricardo ignored his older cousin's advice. Men and women who stood in his way were killed without mercy, just as how his father once did.

She imagined a young boy who only had his sister to look out for him, unaware of the harshness surrounding his family until the cruel truth bit him as he tried to seek out affection as children always do. The struggle to compete with his older siblings, seeking for approval but always being overshadowed by his older brothers, to be criticized and made inferior… She wasn't surprised how he came to be when he grew into adulthood.

She knew she might be reaching out a little bit, making it more dramatic than it was but you can never truly know. One thing that was for certain was that Ricardo wanted to be respected and earned so through blood and strife. He wanted power. He wanted the world to grovel beneath his feet. But what set him down this path was the loss of his sister.

She didn't need personal documentation to figure it out. Among the other eleven siblings, his sister, Lucy, had the least amount of information on. It could be that she hadn't done anything remarkable or perhaps anything concerning her memory had been struck out of history through grief. She had disappeared shortly around the time Ricardo was teetering on the edge of a knife. Ricardo wasn't perfect. He wasn't a good man but he wasn't evil or particularly cruel in the least. He was just a very moody person. But when Lucy died that's when things turned a darker turn and he became the man that the Mafia would sooner learn to respect or die.

By then, the First had abdicated his position to pursue a life in Japan and Secondo came to be.

When she was done piecing together the tale, she sat back and drew her knees to her chest. It played out like some dark Shakespearean drama and it saddened her because while she didn't agree, she understood where he was coming from.

His ability to wield Flames started around the time he met the First. Maybe the man taught him maybe not, Mia didn't know but it was clear that his Flame had turned out to be the Flames of Wrath. She knew that Flames responded to emotion but she believed them something more than just a window to a person's heart. It was a testament of the hardships that he had suffered. A theory began to piece itself together in her head and she wondered if you needed to meet a few certain requirements to attain power like that.

She slowly began to pick and sort the papers back. After searching for hours, her legs were sore. She took a shower shortly after. Glancing at her alarm clock at her bedside table, it read three-fourteen in the morning. Mia didn't feel like sleeping. As she sat down on her bed, it struck her how much she missed her bedroom and her apartment. It was her fortress of solitude. A place where she could keep to herself without being disturbed. Tsuna's home was nice but it was loud and she missed the silence that her own place offered.

But after twenty minutes of letting the information sink in, she got up and dressed into her uniform and set out to the hospital. She hadn't had time to visit Lambo lately which made her feel quite guilty. Visiting hours were over in Namimori Hospital but being the unofficial secretary to Hibari Kyoya had its perks. The receptionist barely stopped her when she strode past. None of the staff that were awake even wanted to look her in the eye. Well, she must have left a real left impression on them when Tsuna had been here after that time in Death Mountain.

When she entered the hospital room, she saw Nana Sawada fast asleep with her head in her arms on the edge of the bed. Her heavy, blue eyes swept towards the small child who laid peacefully in his sheets. She approached Lambo and brushed his hair back, her eyes pricked. This was wrong and there was no one to blame for it but herself. Tsuna had disagreed but it was her who hesitantly pushed it that Lambo could have made a fine Guardian.

First Chrome then Lambo.

She led them into these roles that weren't meant for people who were so young.

But the hardest and most painful one of all was Tsuna.

She was the one who encouraged him and if this darkens his heart, Mia would never forgive herself. If she was right, if Tsuna tips over into darkness like Ricardo did, he'll be changed. Forever. The Flames of Wrath weren't flames born out of hate for the world – they were born from the suffering that the world has inflicted. It was their way of protecting themselves. Tsuna had been oppressed and treated less before she met him. She wouldn't be surprised if he harbored deep resentment for the way he was treated. As for Xanxus… she was sure he had his own story but with the way things were going, he was past the point of forgiveness.

Her eyes wandered up and saw small hand-sewn dolls hanging on the rails of the bed. It was Tsuna and the other boys, she saw, with a hint of fondness. There was even one of her.

"Mia-chan?" Nana Sawada rapidly blinked as she tried to focus on her.

"Aunty," Mia responded calmly. "Sorry for the late night intrusion."

"Oh, it's nothing at all!" Nana stood up to get a chair for her but Mia quickly but politely refused it.

She smiled. "I won't stay long." She glanced back at the dolls. "Where did these come from?" she asked.

"Haru-chan and Kyoko-chan came by today. They wanted to surround Lambo-kun with friends." Her heart twisted bitterly but at the same time she was grateful. People don't always realize it but the little things do matter and she was grateful that Kyoko and Haru were here when she and Tsuna were not.

Nana sunk back in her seat, her expression uncommonly worried. "Mia-chan… whatever in the world is Tsu-kun doing?" She sounded so helpless, so lost, Mia felt sorry for her. If this was how Nana reacts to their deception then she didn't want to see the woman when the truth was laid bare to see. She made her way around the bed to put her hands comfortingly on the older woman's shoulders. Looking deep into dark-chocolate pools, she was painfully reminded of her son. She pushed those feelings back and smiled reassuringly at her.

"I'm sorry if Tsuna didn't tell you sooner about this - he's actually taking part in a martial arts tournament."

"And Lambo-kun?"

She let her smile fade. Her gut rolled. Why was it so easy to lie? "Lambo wanted watch Tsuna but he wandered off into the technical area and well..." she trailed off. "Tsuna pulled him out... I'm sorry Aunty - Tsuna blamed himself for it. I guess he was just too ashamed to tell it to you." A half-truth.

"Oh Tsu-kun..." Nana blinked, her eyes glassy.

"No matter what happens Aunty. You have to trust in him."

Nana's brown eyes were wide but she hung on her words. Mia thought that that was it. Everything was taken, hook, line and sinker however as she pulled away, Nana clung to her wrists, her brows knitting together in worry.

"I trust Tsu-kun Mia-chan. You have my promise but please, take care of yourself. Your father…" Mia froze. "I know I don't have the right to be telling you this but if your mother was around, she wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

Her breath hitched as her lungs tightened. She never expected that.

"I'll be okay," she managed to say mechanically. She will be. She has to be. Don't lose it. Don't lose it.

Nana looked heartbroken at her reply. Mia wanted nothing more than to leave. "Mia-chan," Nana approached her carefully.

Mia forced a clamp over her emotions and her entire being went cold. "Everything will be alright Aunty," she said and fled from the room, unable to look the woman in the eye, afraid that she would see her for what she really was.

Just a girl.

---

She grabbed her bag from Tsuna's house and went to school early, not wanting to run in with anyone. School hadn't even opened yet but she walked in anyway and hid where she knew she wouldn't be bothered until it was time for school – the library.

There she spent her time preoccupying herself to writing notes. She wanted to be focused on anything that didn't concern the mafia, her friends or her family. She wanted something normal.

When light began to creep in through the windows, Mia was leaning against her chair, her notes for Sasagawa Ryohei completed. She had her eyes closed but she wasn't asleep. She couldn't anyways even if she wanted to. She was meditating for a different reason. She found, with satisfaction, that mediation well… wasn't exactly fun but it eased her nerves. It was a little while later when she was drawn out of it when her name was called.

"Yes?" she opened her eyes slowly.

Standing beside her, looking more than a little nervous was Sasagawa Kyoko. Being the object of Tsuna's affection and an all-around perfect angel, someone might as well have driven a knife into her eyes. Kyoko was not a welcome sight for her and her already depressing mood but she could hardly fault the girl for things that happened that was outside of her control. So she plastered on a pleasant but tired smile for her.

"Mia-chan, do you feel alright? Do you want to go to the infirmary?"

Mia let out a short laugh without humor. "Trust me Kyoko-san, this is how I always look in the morning." Kyoko nodded and stared down on her shoes, wringing her hands nervously. Mia waited for her to say something. Kyoko couldn't have been here only to talk about her health.

"Um… H-How is Tsuna-kun lately? I haven't seen him much what with the tournament and everything."

Ah, there it was.

"He's okay," she replied simply. What other answer was there to give?

"I-I see…" Kyoko trailed away downheartedly.

Mia wanted to groan but held it in. Kyoko didn't mean to annoy her, she just was. As much as her feelings pained her, they were beginning to be a distraction for her that she just didn't have the luxury to have at the moment. Sometimes she wished she was like Hibari – hardcore right down to the very cell. But… she glanced sideways at the girl who looked like her puppy was taken away from her and repressed a sigh.

Mia wanted to comfort her, tell her that Tsuna would find her concern appreciated but held her tongue. She promised herself to let go of her feelings but that didn't mean she would encourage another girl to take her friend. If Kyoko really liked Tsuna, she would have to earn her best friend's affection without help from her. If they do manage to get together… well… she'll deal with it when the time comes.

She stood up and started packing her things away. Taking the notes that she had finished just a while ago, she handed these to Kyoko. "These are for your brother. Will you give it to him? I might not have time to do it myself."

Kyoko took them curiously. "What are these for? Are these notes?"

Mia wanted to tell her that her brother was an idiot and that she wasn't that much different in that aspect but felt it was too rude to say. Kyoko wasn't an idiot – oh no – she was just an airhead. What kind of person believes in Reborn's crap anyway? Other than Takeshi of course – he was in his own category of idiocy.

Ugh. She can be such a bitch when she was cranky.

"It's for your brother's finals next week. His sensei asked me to tutor him or else he'll be held back a year. These should be able to help him. Until the tournament is over I won't be able to have him sit still long enough to learn all this. Until then, I hope he would review these." She shouldered her bag and headed towards the exit when Kyoko suddenly stopped her.

"Mia-chan!" Mia turned around and Kyoko was staring at her in shock. "These – these notes…"

She waved it off. "Thanks for taking it to him and also… thanks a lot. You and Haru both. Thank you," she said over her shoulder and quickly left the library. Even when students were filing in their classrooms, Mia only went inside hers just as class was about to begin and paused when she noticed that one of her three friends was missing. Tsuna was nowhere to be seen. Hayato and Takeshi were there, the latter sporting some injuries and an eye patch.

He was absent and probably for good reason but it didn't stop the uneasiness from growing. Something about this was wrong. She couldn't tear her eyes from Tsuna's empty seat without feeling like an icy worm had crawled into her gut but surely there wasn't anything to worry about right? Tsuna was with Reborn and Hayato and Takeshi didn't seem all too concerned. They were more worried about the mysterious Mist Guardian. Mia didn't tell them. She wouldn't want her 'surprise' ruined. But the bad feeling may have something to do with what she had uncovered in the past hours.

She wanted to find Ian. It unnerved her that he wasn't around. Not a single hint of his presence. She had gotten so used to him being her shadow but ever since their little spat, Ian had stopped. He worried her because of what he could do and being the only one who knew how dangerous he could be, she had to keep an eye on him. But where would she even begin to look?

Mia kept expecting the worse to happen. Her fingers tapped nervously against her desk, she kept biting her lip and she couldn't focus ten seconds on the board in front without her thoughts being drawn back to Ian. She fretted for hours. After school she spent her time looking for him before anybody could have stopped her. Before the sun had set she was wandering the park, one of the few places that he haunted. He wasn't there even when she called out for him discreetly. She scowled. What happened to 'at her call he'll be there'? Time was wasting and when darkness fell she had no choice but to go back to school for the next match. To her shock, Ian was there, standing behind a very sullen and scowling Tsuna. Blood drained from her face when she saw him and she went cold all over. Ian was the first to notice her and his mask turned towards her direction. Somehow she knew he was smirking underneath that mask and it infuriated her. She marched right towards him, past Tsuna, her fists clenched to her sides until she was standing toe to toe with him.

Ian coolly looked down her while she tried to incinerate him with her gaze alone.

"Where were you?" she asked him, her voice tight.

Ian chuckled lightly. "Did you miss me?"

She ignored it. "What were you doing all this time?" Mia demanded, unaware of Tsuna's strange behavior.

Ian shook his head slowly, humor coloring his tone as he said, "You're starting to sound like a clingy girlfriend. Not that I mind."

She was going to retort with a vicious comment when she was pulled back harshly away from Ian. Everybody had gone silent around them. Tsuna's grip on her wrist was like a vice and his eyes were dark. Mia got chills from the way he looked at her but he wasn't angry at her… or maybe he was angry with her but he was even more so towards Ian. If Ian had been a lesser man he would have run for the hills with the way Tsuna was looking at him. Mia would have thought Tsuna really could have turned Ian into a pile of ash if he can.

"He was with me," he informed Mia rather coldly. "Really annoying actually." Dread ate at her guts. Ian had been with Tsuna? Her eyes quickly roamed his form for any sign of something but Tsuna was physically in top form. Even though his grip on her was tight, it wasn't so hard that he was hurting her. In fact, he seemed really irritated.

"I can imagine," she said faintly and Tsuna let her go. He was still glaring at Ian, a warning in his eyes that she couldn't understand. Her gaze kept shifting between the two wondering what on earth happened. Could Tsuna have found out Ian's identity? She wondered fearfully for one minute. That wasn't possible! She quickly denied. Ian wouldn't be walking around like the jackass he was if Tsuna did.

"Discord among yourselves? Shishishi not that we're complaining." Their opponents had shown up. Belphegor waved a bandaged arm at them, the Storm ring glinting provocatively. Hayato made a sound, frustrated but didn't retaliate. Levi was giving them a curdling look which just served to make him even more butt ugly. Xanxus was there but what held her attention was the silent baby that was floating in front of them. Mammon. The Arcobaleno who was going to be Chrome's opponent.

"Why didn't your pacifier glow Reborn?" she asked. "I thought they were supposed to when one of you was nearby?"

"I'd like to know myself." Reborn said from Takeshi's shoulder. "Where's the Mist guardian?"

"They'll be here," she guaranteed. "And thanks Reborn, for helping me sort out some of the things to work out."

"Negotiation wasn't easy Mia. Next time I'm letting you handle it." Mia grimaced but accepted it. It wasn't long when the doors to the gym opened and Ken and Chikusa appeared. As expected, there were many who were against seeing them, Hayato being the loudest but the protests died away when Chrome showed up from behind them wearing a dark trench coat.

Mia raised an eyebrow at the dramatic display when her friend revealed herself. That was definitely Mukuro working through her.

"Mia, what is this? Who is she?" Tsuna asked her, his face laced with confusion. She was slightly relieved that the darkness has left his features. For the moment at least. "I-Is that Mukuro…?"

"Tenth, that is Mukuro! The trident, the eye patch… even the hair style! It's him alright!" Hayato accused. Mia choked at the hair part. She had to admit, Chrome bore a coincidental appearance to Mukuro. When Chrome saw her, Mia rushed to greet the girl in a hug. Mia turned back towards her friends, all who wore the same stunned expressions.

"Guys, this is a friend of mine. Her name is Chrome Dokuro." Mia carefully watched their expressions go from shock to unsure. Hayato approached her.

"My Lady, this has to be a misunderstanding. Surely that has to be Mukuro?"

Mia was going to speak up in defense but it was Tsuna who surprisingly spoke up. "She's not Mukuro Hayato." He had said with the most perplexed expression yet his tone was full of certainty. With that, all of the bomber's objections died off. Hayato wouldn't argue when Tsuna says so. Mia wondered how Tsuna would feel when he finds out that Mukuro really is his Guardian. Chrome brightened and Mia was relieved that the girl wasn't rejected by Tsuna. She went forward to Tsuna and boldly kissed his cheek.

There were several reactions and most were surprised. Hayato seemed adamant to blow Chrome up but Takeshi held him back. Tsuna blushed a bit but stared at the girl like he was trying to figure out who she was. Maybe he was. Meanwhile she felt put out over the affectionate display. Hayato's protests came back until it got to the point where Ken and Chikusa were rearing up for a fight. Chrome had stopped them and Mia held Hayato back.

"Boss, am I unfit to be your Guardian?" She asked Tsuna. "If you don't want to, I'll obey." It was strange seeing this subservient attitude from her friend but Mia didn't try to interfere. She may have chosen Mukuro (and Chrome) to be his Guardian but the decision lies with Tsuna if he wanted them.

"Is this your surprise?" Tsuna turned to her.

Mia nodded. "Chrome is the only person I know who can fight as your Mist Guardian."

Tsuna frowned, like he couldn't quite believe her. She knew all of this was shifty. The Kokuyo gang, Chrome's appearance… they all suspected Mukuro and she didn't blame them for it. Hayato looked gob smacked.

"My Lady… you chose her?"

Mia turned to her friend. Hayato would probably be the hardest to get along with Chrome. She needed to fix that. That is, if Tsuna accepts her. "I did Hayato, for good reason. I trust her."

Tsuna studied his Mist. "Mia trusts you… if she does, then I will." Tsuna looked to her and Mia felt warm when his chocolate-brown eyes focused on her longer than they should have. Hayato swallowed his protests, hopefully for good. He couldn't go against the two of them. Chrome sighed in relief.

"Thank you," Chrome said earnestly. Her single eye wandered to the only one hanging at the back and froze.

Ken noticed. "What's wrong byon?" Ken asked her. Chrome shot a fearful glance towards Mia and Mia remembered that she never told Chrome that Ian was there. Mia pulled the girl to her side as she led them towards the center. Sasagawa-senpai was crying out for a circle which Chrome politely declined.

"What is he doing here?" Chrome whispered to her.

"Don't worry," she tried to assure her friend. "He comes as a…. friend to the Vongola."

Chrome gave her a long and concerned look. "Why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"Mia-san… he hates you." Did he? He wouldn't have been flirting or teasing her if he did. But Chrome looked genuinely worried. Ian can't have been too fond of her after what happened between them but surely he doesn't hate her that bad right? Mia wanted to ask more but they had reached the center.

Mia relented. "Alright, let's talk about this later but for now good luck and don't try to get yourself killed."

"Why would I want to do that?" Chrome curiously wondered. Mia gave her friend a flat look.

"At the first sign of serious trouble, forfeit. I don't care if we lose, I am not about to lose you."

Chrome blinked at her, honestly touched. Mia didn't care if it sounded cheesy. She was serious. Chrome nodded. The Cervello then asked impatiently if they could start the match now. Mia made a face at them. With one last look at each other, Mia went back to stand with the others.

"Mia, what were you two talking about?" Tsuna asked her quietly.

"The usual stuff – don't be like Hayato. That's what I basically told her."

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'll do something unspeakably horrible to her."

The whole gymnasium flared up as Chrome released an impressive illusion of the earth collapsing. Tsuna and Mia continued their muted exchange even if the others were losing themselves in the illusion. Sasagawa-senpai was screaming and trying to swim towards the edge of a large piece of rock. Hayato was clinging to Taeshi's leg.

"Where did you even find her?" Tsuna asked as they seemingly appeared not to be affected by the illusion. Mia wanted to frown because Tsuna made it look easy ignoring the illusion. She was focusing really hard on Chrome so that she wouldn't be swept away. She was barely managing to keep herself out of it.

"Tokyo," she answered simply and tensed as Chrome suddenly cried out. Blue tentacles that came from underneath Mammon's hood wrapped around Chrome's body, choking the life out of her. Suddenly it wasn't Chrome that was in its grasp but a container filled with basketballs. A fight between illusionists was incredibly confusing and disorienting. It was hard to keep up. Chrome floated down safely ways away from the tentacle-sprouting baby. The tentacles retreated, becoming toilet paper that rolled back underneath Mammon's cloak.

Seeing as that his opponent wasn't an ordinary illusionist, Mammon returned to the ground. There was a clinking sound as small chains clattered on the floor from underneath his cloak. Reborn and Colonello's pacifiers glowed. Compared to the time she had been captured and now, the difference was obvious that Mammon had been using the chains to conceal himself from the others. It was only after Mammon revealed himself as the Arcobaleno Viper that Reborn and Colonello were sure of his identity.

Mia wondered how they could not recognize one of their own when it was a talking baby like themselves. Surely there wasn't that many talking babies but didn't bother calling them out of it, too focused on the battle before her. Mammon's pet frog had turned into a halo of white and bright yellow scales that never stopped spinning above his head. Mia felt a surge of energy emanating from the flying felt it too and went to attack. Mia admired how quickly the girl had learned. Chrome attacked with sharp jabs and thrusts, handling her trident with the fluidity of a master fencer. She backed Mammon into a spot where she summoned a knot of snakes to drop on him.

It was obvious to their group how eerily similar to Mukuro she was. She could practically feel the unsaid question on her back. "I know what you guys are thinking." Her friends looked to her. "But Chrome isn't Mukuro. He taught her those skills."

"Mia… just who is she?" Tsuna asked her. "I look at her and sometimes she gives me the feeling of… well Mukuro but I know she's her own person."

"It's a long story."

Mammon blasted the snakes away, the force driving Chrome back but she quickly got back to position. She summoned columns of fire that engulfed her opponent but Mammon countered by freezing everything. Mia's teeth was clattering as she hugged herself for warmth, the others seeking heat similarly. Tsuna was surprisingly caught in it as well as he shivered. An illusionist's battle was unlike anything they have ever seen. It was almost like a battle of magic. Ice froze Chrome's legs in place and with a twirl of Mammon's finger, she was sent flying and crashed against an icy pillar. The ice, the cold, it was all gone as Chrome fell, the trident falling out of her hands.

She desperately grasped the trident and Mia knew her friend made a mistake. Mammon had noticed it and raised a hand.

"No…" Chrome held her trident. "No!" she cried as Mammon's fingers curled into a fist. The trident shattered into pieces. There was one moment of horror on her face before she started retching into her hand.

"Chrome!" Mia cried, more than willing to be shocked with a hundred volts to aid her friend when she was held back by a pair of strong arms around her waist. "Let me go!" she said as Chrome fell. "Let me go you bastard!" She was smothered when Ian's other arm went around her neck. He held her against him effectively.

"He broke the core of her illusion," Ian grimly announced.

Mia cried out loud as the pallor of her friend's skin quickly paled. There were gasps all around when Chrome's stomach began to cave in and a trickle of blood began running down the side of her mouth. Mammon circled around like a vulture, revealing the horrible truth of Chrome's condition. Mia didn't bother listening to her friends, she couldn't look at Tsuna or anyone else not wanting to see what their reactions would be. She just continued to struggle against Ian. Chrome turned her head towards them. Tears ran down her one eye and Mia was devastated to see it.

"I-I'm sorry…" she choked out shamefully.

Mia shook her head furiously. "You did your best… you did." Her voice never trembled but her eyes were ready to shed tears. Chrome squeezed her eye shut and whispered a name that would change the tides of the battle. Tsuna had a hand against his head as if he was struck with a sudden headache.

"Tsuna?" Ian released her and she ran to him.

Pain danced across his face and his eyes were wild. "He's coming."

Mia didn't need to guess who it was and whirled around. Steam emanated from the edges of Chrome's clothing until it completely hid her body from view.

"He's coming!" Tsuna repeated, his face screwing up. He grabbed on to her shoulder to steady himself.

"He?" Takeshi said.

"What are you talking about Tenth?"

"Mukuro Rokudo," he softly growled. They all looked towards the silhouette that rose over the steam. Suddenly a great force of power exploded all around, unearthing large chunks of rock and sending it everywhere. Tsuna immediately shielded her from stray debris. There was a mighty shake as a strike ripped through the floor and smacked Mammon out of the air. It wasn't Chrome but the lithe form of a boy they had long last seen at Kokuyo Land before he had been taken away to Vindice. Mukuro smiled eerily at them as the mist dissipated. His mismatched eyes focused on Tsuna greedily before turning to hers.

"If you could have done that earlier why didn't you?" she snarled at him. "Chrome wouldn't have needed to have fought if you had!"

Mukuro scowled at her. "You forget how much power this costs me." Mia didn't care. "Impatient and reckless as ever." The boy shook his head. "Oya… I never thought of seeing you here. Miss Vongola, you certainly do like keeping dangerous company."

Tsuna's arms around her went rigid but she ignored it and tried not to panic. Mukuro better not say anything to give away Ian's identity or else she was screwed.

She forced a smile. "I'm always in dangerous company. Everyone around me are certified badasses."

Mukuro's eyes focused on Ian. "Really? Does he count? Last I saw he wanted you dead." The pineapple couldn't have said it any worse. Their whole side froze and stared, mouths hanging open. Tsuna in particular was drained of any emotion. Mia herself felt faint. Before any of them could get their bearings, Ian calmly spoke up.

"I remember you now. This is what you really look like you freak?" The mischief, the seriousness, the cheekiness… everything that Ian had been pretending before them crumbled as he regarded Mukuro with nothing but spite. He was bitter and cruel. "You should focus on your battle if I were you Mukuro. Lest your doll would have suffered for nothing." The insult of calling Chrome a doll brought nothing but anger in Mia and she easily slipped from Tsuna's slackened grip to slug him in the face. Ian caught her fist though and pulled her down.

"Easy miss," he consoled her with mock politeness. "How about we settle this later hmnn?"

The reminder of the ongoing fight woke many of them up. They glared at Ian but understood that they couldn't exactly duke it out in a confined space without pushing each other through the infared barrier.

"Mia… he's right," Reborn called out to her. "Stand down. We'll deal with this later."

Still glaring she wrenched her fist back and grudgingly turned back to the fight. Mukuro had already engaged his opponent who he had entangled with lotus flowers. Mammon broke through it and unleashed an onslaught of illusions that distorted the very fabric of reality. The floor melted, reality itself had blended into a sea of blood red. Mia cried out, as several others did, as pain seeped into their minds. Reborn and Colonello had called it 'Illusionary Poisoning'. The only other person who didn't seem to have been affected would be Ian.

Mukuro put a stop to that as columns of fire wrapped with lotus flowers jagged Mammon's illusion into place. Fire became ice as the Arcobaleno retaliated by freezing everything. Tsuna dropped to his knees in pain.

"My head… it feels like its splitting open!" He threw his head back and his eyes glazed over.

"Tsuna!" she cried. "Tsuna are you okay?"

At the sound of her voice his eyes turned to her. He was disoriented and he blinked furiously. The others held him steady as the fight continued on. Mammon became a cloak of darkness that engulfed Mukuro, his halo of scales turning into a ring of death as two-feet long spikes all around stabbed into Mukuro. Mia actually thought for on second that it was the end for him until Mukuro broke out of it, vines of lotus flowers all around him and the whole Mist ring in his hand.

Particles of Mammon was building into a whole but Mia knew, that Mukuro had won this by a landslide. Mammon had lost his perception and Mukuro knew that. As if realizing this, the realm Mammon had created began to crumble. His partner wrapped around him, choking him. He staggered over the edge and fell. Mukuro finished him off by overwhelming the Arcobaleno. He turned into black smog that forcefully entered Mammon's mouth, filling him. They watched with horror as Mammon began bulging in size until he resembled a misshapen lump the size of a wrecking ball. His body not being able to handle it, he exploded.

With Mammon's demise, the illusion ended and Mukuro stood triumphantly in the middle, the Mist ring in his hands.

"Mukuro." Tsuna's voice caught the illusionist's attention.

Mukuro eyed Tsuna and frowned. "It seems things have changed since we last met Sawada Tsunayoshi. The darkness in your heart is new." Mia's own heart jumped at this. Tsuna's face twisted into confusion.

"Oi Mukuro, did you kill him?" Takeshi asked.

"He had saved enough energy to escape since the very beginning. What a shrewd Arcobaleno." Mukuro chuckled.

For the first time since the beginning of the match, Xanxus finally spoke and it was to issue an order to Gola Mosca to kill Mammon. This brought Mukuro to facing the tyrant. "You truly are an embodiment of the Mafia's darkness, Xanxus. Even I feel awe from the dreadful scheme you have in mind." Heart racing, Mia looked at Mukuro. The damn pineapple knew. How does he know about these things? Where does he get his information? To her shock, Mukuro also addressed Ian. "As for you… how devious you are. You wear the mask of the fox, the spirit of the trickster. Yet you are more than just a simple kitsune."

Mukuro chuckled once more. "I don't have any intention sticking my nose into any of that, as interesting as they are. I am not a good person… however: a word of warning." This one he directed to Xanxus. "You shouldn't toy with the seemingly weaker and smaller candidate." The words were instilled with heavy foreboding. It wasn't like Mukuro had faith that Tsuna would win, he knew it. Felt it deep in his soul like when she had foretold it herself.

He headed towards them, his eyes focused solely on Ian who was stiff as a statue. "For all the things that I am, I am no hypocrite though I will say one thing. You may think you have the King checked but so long as his Queen is standing, you are doomed to fail."

Mukuro turned to her. He dropped the ring into her awaiting palm. "With this I have upheld my end of the bargain." She closed her fingers around it. Mia looked up at him.

"Thank you." There was no sarcasm, no hate, it was just pure sincere gratitude. His eyes widened a bit before letting out his usual string of creepy signature laughs.

"Beware," Mukuro warned her in a whisper, his eyes falling shut as he reverted back into Chrome. Mia caught her just as she fell. She was sleeping soundly, exhausted from fighting. She gently laid the girl on the floor. Her mind raced for a way to prevent the shit storm that was coming. Mukuro had blatantly exposed Ian in front of everyone for the smarmy git he was. She knew that as soon as the Varia left chaos would erupt. Accusations would be thrown about and Tsuna… her eyes searched for him. He looked ill. Whatever happened when Mukuro showed up, it left him sick and nauseous. There was a shadow that lurked behind his eyes and it was growing clearer as he slowly recovered. Soon, she would have to face him because she knew what was coming next. She couldn't hide it away any longer.

She faintly heard the Cervello announcing that Cloud was to be next and then the dismissal. As soon as the doors closed and the Varia was gone, Ian spoke up.

"Now, now, before you all try to kill me – there's a perfect explanation for all of this." Ian held out his hands peacefully.

"Is it true you tried to kill the Lady?"

"Don't talk shit about Mukuro-sama!"

Hayato and Ken closed in on him but Ian didn't look threatened. "Like I said you dogs." He pointedly looked at them. The two bristled. "I have an explanation."

"I'm waiting," Tsuna short reply cut through the air. He straightened himself. His entire presence was practically screaming 'danger'.

"On one condition." Ian lowered his hands. "Only you can hear it."

Objections erupted. Mia was one of them. She got to her feet and moved towards him. "Like I'll leave you alone with him," she declared. Because she can't, can't, can't let him do that. Reborn and Colonello stepped up.

"Can't you see? You're surrounded kora."

Ian laughed. Honest to god laughed. With a sinking feeling, Mia knew why. "Am I really? Did the miss tell you how I swiped her underneath the Varia's very own noses when I saved her?" Mia withstood the stares directed towards her, the questions evident in their eyes.

"I don't blame her for not divesting the truth. It's quite hard to explain really but it's curious as to how she covered it up. Tell me, what sort of elaborate lie did she tell? I know she's quite good at them."

She wanted to tell him to shut up. Her hand was already on her gun. Hayato was shaking in anger. Numerous sticks of dynamite were just waiting to be ignited in his hands. "Shut up," he hissed.

"Or what?" Ian asked innocently. "I could just disappear, never to be heard from again and none of you would be able to know the truth. You think she will tell you?" Mia flinched.

"Fine." Tsuna was gritting his teeth. "You're not lying. I know. I'll come with you."

"It's nice to have someone cooperate for once. Remember, only you can hear what I say. I'll know when someone tries to."

"What makes you think Tsuna will just go along with all this?" Reborn asked. "What makes you think I'll allow it?"

Ian lazily lolled his head around to look down on Reborn. "Because he's sick of it. Aren't you Master Decimo?" Tsuna didn't reply. "And besides, if he wants to can you really stop him? You're his tutor, not his adviser."

"I should have killed you when I had the chance." Mia cowered at the unbridled anger in the hitman's tone as did everybody else. Ian seemed a bit wearier of the Arcobaleno because of that. He turned back to Tsuna.

"Shall we?" He held out a gloved hand. Tsuna took one long look at the fox. Ignoring the protests from his friends, he moved forward to take it.

"Tsuna you can't!" she cried out. His eyes turned to hers and she recoiled at the red tainting his brown eyes.

"I can't?" he repeated softly. "I don't even know if I can even believe what you say anymore."

Everything that day or any day before couldn't compare to the pain that she felt after hearing those words and she physically recoiled. Tsuna grasped Ian's hand. She felt it come before it even hit them. A dull roar steadily built in her ears until it was screaming. Heat blew into their faces so fierce it was as if a dessert sandstorm was conjured in the gym. They shielded their faces and then… and then it was over. When Mia lowered her arm Tsuna and Ian were gone.

"Tsuna… they-they just…" Takeshi ran a hand through his hair in disbelief.

"What was that?" Sasagawa-senpai was gaping at the spot where his boss once stood. "They're extremely gone!"

"T-That wasn't an illusion." Chikusa was also staring.

"My Lady?" Hayato was the only one who approached her. Mia wondered if she looked as devastated as she felt. Tsuna didn't trust in her anymore. She saw it in his eyes. What had she done? The bomber grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "My Lady! Whatever that bastard said… I know you did it for a reason. You always do."

"Hayato…" his green eyes, so different from Ian's, was shining resolutely. He believed in her. But did it matter? "Tsuna… he-he…" she wanted to cry.

In a more gentle tone that she didn't expect from him, Hayato spoke, "He doesn't hate you for it my Lady. Angry and hurt maybe but he can never hate you."

"How can he not?" she said, her voice dropping into a whisper. "I-I'm…"

"Because he cares for you more than anyone else."

The blood rushed to her head and she felt faint. "T-That's absurd Hayato… you're making it sound like-like.." The feelings that she had buried were beginning to resurface. No! It wasn't possible… was it?

"Mia." Takeshi was behind her. "Hayato is right. Tsuna …"

Reborn hopped on to Takeshi's shoulder. "Is downright in love with you that hopeless idiot. Even if he doesn't say it, I know." Her heart was slamming itself against her rib cage, trying to bust out of it with unbelievable hope. Love? They were pranking her, that had to be it. This was ridiculous! Tsuna loves her? This had to be some sort of horrible joke. She waited for someone to say, 'Just joking!' but not one of them did. Not even Basil! She couldn't believe it but she badly wanted to. For some random moment, her thoughts flew to the cultural accuracy of her situation. Tsuna was Japanese, surely the proper term would be 'like'? But if that were the case… her heart hardened and dropped like stone.

"We have to find them," Mia spoke out loud, dread seeping into her tone. She gestured wildly for all of them to gather closely to her, including Ken and Chikusa. "There's not much time. I don't know where to look but they can't have gone far. They will still be in Namimori." It would be a wild chase but they didn't have time. "I know I've lied and done a lot of shady stuff but you have to believe me – we can't leave Ian with Tsuna."

"Did you say Ian?" Takeshi repeated.

"The guy who tried to kill you?" Hayato was alarmed.

"That was him?" Mia winced at Reborn's sharp demand. Damn, well that secret was out.

"Look, it doesn't matter right now. He won't hurt Tsuna but…" she bit her lip. "He… Tsuna might be different. He could change and probably for the worst. Please, trust me on this and I swear I'll come clear… except for you two." She pointed at Ken and Chikusa.

"We don't give a damn about your stupid drama!" Ken angrily said. "That bastard insulted Mukuro-sama!"

"That's something we can't let go." Chikusa pushed his glasses up. "But if this concerns Sawada Tsunayoshi then we don't really care."

Mia paused as if considering something then said, in a slow and cautious tone, "When Ian and Mukuro met, Ian thought Mukuro was trying to hit on him…"

"What?!" they both exclaimed, turning into similar shades of anger. "Whatever! Just tell us where to go byon!" Ken spat.

"I don't get what's going on exactly but you can extremely count on me!" Ryohei pumped his one good arm up.

"I as well, for Sawada-dono's sake." Basil also volunteered.

"We'll help too," Colonello gestured to both him and Reborn. "If it's as serious as you say it is then we shouldn't be wasting time."

Mia nodded. "Okay but go with caution. We can't let the Varia see that we're freaking out. Takeshi, the school. Senpai, you take the streets and the parks. Hayato, the shopping district. Ken and Chikusa, the warehouses near the edge of town. Reborn, Colonello, Basil… anywhere that I think I didn't cover or missed."

"What about you my Lady?" Hayato asked her. Mia bent down and hauled Chrome to her back.

"First I'll get Chrome somewhere safe… then I'll go looking on my own."

"Why aren't you guys taking care of her? Isn't she your comrade?" Sasagawa-san accused the Kokuyo gang. Ken stuck out his tongue.

"Like we care!"

"You should be!" Mia cut in sharply. "She's your link to Mukuro!"

Chagrined, the two Kokuyo delinquents looked away. Chikusa eventually went to help her carry Chrome. "We'll drop her off where you want before we go." She nodded gratefully. They headed first to her apartment to drop Chrome into her room. As soon as her friend was on the bed, Chikusa left to join Ken, leaving Mia all alone.

She still hardly believed what Reborn said about Tsuna loving her. But everybody around her told her Tsuna felt something for her and even Ian had to have picked on to that. And he did, she recalled. All the jabs and the teasing remarks, all this time he had been intentionally pushing Tsuna's buttons while she had been blissfully ignorant over the whole damn thing. Damn it! He had been subtly grooming her best friend right under her nose! And all that's left was to drive him over the edge.

Not if she had anything to do about it.

She needed to find him and fast. So she closed her eyes and focused. Driven by the intense need to find them, when she opened her eyes a second later, she could see the lines of fire everywhere. Reaching into her shirt, she yanked the disk pendant off its chain. It's surface rippled with indigo flames. Like she suspected, it was more special than she thought. The longer she looked at it, the more obvious the single strand that was coiled around it. Ian had used this before to accurately pinpoint her location every time he went looking for her. If this strand belonged to him then all she needed to do was follow it.

---

Tsuna was thrown into a tree feeling like his guts were ready to come out through his mouth. The fox meanwhile was trying to stand on his feet while staggering around like a drunkard. Shaking, he pushed himself up and tried to get his bearings. A soft fresh breeze had him looking up to an endless black sky with twinkling lights. It would have been a beautiful sight if he wasn't fighting the urge to spill his guts on the ground. He lay there for what maybe felt like an hour until his insides stopped reeling.

"Ugh…" he got up on weak legs and looked around. He recognized the area as where he trained. "W-Why did you bring me here?"

"Not by choice mind you… also it's perfect. We won't be disturbed here." The fox recovered faster than he did. He bent down and dug something from the ground. Tsuna saw it was a small little disk the size of a coin. "Now… to business." He pocketed the small item and stood up.

The fox patiently waited for him to recover though Tsuna had to say he looked quite shaken himself. It was several moments later, after he got over the gagging sensation, he was able to stand without falling on his ass. He shook the last remnants of confusion out of his head and viewed the fox.

"Who are you?" Tsuna started off.

The fox chuckled and picked a twig off the ground. He studied it. "You know the answer to that."

"I never met you."

"Are you sure?" the fox returned swiftly. "You say I'm familiar. That's because we have met before."

"I would have remembered someone like you." Heart racing, Tsuna's mind was working furiously to remember. He did say the fox was familiar but he couldn't place where he could have met him.

The fox bobbed his head into a nod. "True, I'm hard to forget. I can assure you though that we met once. It wasn't the most ideal of circumstances really; you didn't seem pleased to see me." When Tsuna didn't speak, it was probably because he had been holding his breath. Something, a terrible memory was just sitting there in the corner of his mind. He was close, so close… the twig that the fox was holding snapped in half by itself. He tossed it away and looked into Tsuna's eyes. "Of course, who wouldn't be happy seeing a stranger strangling the life out of his beloved?"

It clicked into place. The memory came rushing back to him as he remembered that night. The tremors started with his hands which then spread all over his body until he shook from head to toe. It only took one brief second for Tsuna to cross the gap between them and even less to strike out.

"You!" he snarled.

The elusive Ian managed to catch his attack but underestimated the force of his punch. There was a crack, as the mask he had been wearing was knocked off. When he raised his head, brown met with poisonous green.

He smirked. "Yes, me." Ian shoved him away. Tsuna staggered backwards.

"I'm going to kill you," he growled.

Ian pretended to think about it. "Hmnn… well that sounds amusing but unfortunately it won't be a while before I'm dead. Aren't you interested about knowing the truth?"

"You hurt her, you made her cry…" Tsuna couldn't help but remember all of it. As he looked at the face that hurt Mia, all he could feel was hate. He surged forward, intending to smash his brains in with a kick when Ian simply slipped away.

"Why is she so important to you? She's nothing special."

The words only served to infuriate him more. He was wrong, Mia is special to him. He lunged forward with renewed strength, aiming with blows that were no longer to disarm but fatal. Ian kept dodging and parrying his attacks with calm perception but there was a crazed look in his eyes as they continued their violent dance.

"I've seen what she has to offer – you could do better!" Ian locked his arm, pinned the other and twisted to deliver a harsh kick to the side of his head at the same time releasing him so he was thrown on the ground like a rag doll. Tsuna got up, a headache building where he was hit. All he could think about was beating Ian. He didn't pay attention to the bells ringing in his head as a warning.

There was something wrong.

Shut up, he told it. Shut up!

Ian let out a laugh that transformed into something he knew. He would know it from anywhere, especially if he was the one who brought it out. Unwilling to believe it, he looked up. Mia stood in Ian's place, her features twisted into an expression of haughtiness that didn't look right on her. She wore nothing but a bath towel, her hair and skin moistened with water as if she had just stepped out of a shower. Even though he knew it was just an illusion, he couldn't help take his eyes off her. She knew this and smirked.

"It's funny how I say she has nothing but really, she's just lacking in growth." Her voice, it was hers but… it sounded wrong. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, almost lovingly. His breath hitched. Her hands went up to her hair, her fingers winding around golden locks. "Such a pretty thing," she purred. "Would you like to take a look?" she asked him in a shushed whisper. He heard it from where he was.

"Stop it…" his voice shook.

"I remember every single de-tail Master Decimo…" He froze when her hands ran down from her hair, to her chest then to her hips in agonizing motion, tracing her curves with such delicacy. "I saw quite a lot." Her blue eyes flashed to green. "And I enjoyed every single moment of it. She would have looked exquisite as a corpse. Pity she didn't die."

Tsuna silenced him with an animalistic roar. Like a damn bursting, power he never knew he had surged through his entire body filling him with such rage for Ian's disregard for Mia's modesty. He was tainting her image… He felt his eyes burn while his hands grew hot. He held out his hand and watched with cold satisfaction as her illusion was swallowed up with flames. Ian emerged from his fiery attack frantically trying to put out his jacket that caught on fire.

He was going to burn him until nothing was left but ash.

When Ian saw him advancing he laughed, despite his hair standing on end and smoking. "That's it Master Decimo. This is the power that you need." Tsuna socked him hard and he went flying, crashing into a boulder. He spat out a tooth and continued to laugh despite blood running down the side of his mouth. He was pale and was exhausted but Tsuna didn't care.

He smelled burning flesh and his hands were stinging painfully but he ignored it. He didn't care if this new found power of his burned him from the inside out. As long as Ian was gone, that's all that mattered. Each step he took towards the fox was heavy with memories, each one filled with blood and tears. Mia meant more to him than he could ever understand. She saved him. She gave him a reason to love life. Ian tried to take that from him and that was unforgivable.

It was enough to warrant a death sentence.

When he got close enough, Ian struck with the speed of a cobra and swiped his feet from under him. Tsuna rolled to the side to avoid getting his ribs broken and got back at his feet before lunging like a lion at his opponent. They exchanged punches and kicks the likes Tsuna had never experienced before but he could sense that Ian was growing tired. Tsuna meanwhile had plenty of energy to spare. He backed him into a corner. Ian chuckled. His lip was busted and he cradled his arm that Tsuna had dislocated.

There was a sick satisfaction from seeing your opponent trying desperately to survive. Tsuna wondered how it would look like to paint the ground with Ian's blood. He blasted Ian off his feet and he crashed against a tree. Ian gasped, his chest smoking from where he had been struck. Tsuna watched him with cold glee as he touched his burn with one shaking hand and nearly screaming at the pain it caused him. He gathered all his power in the palm of his hand. It glowed harshly, knowing this next attack would reduce the fox into ashes.

Ian looked up at him, not with despair but with satisfaction.

Why wasn't he scared? A small part inside him asked.

Tsuna didn't care. He was going to burn that smug look he abhorred so much from the face of the earth. Just as he was about to lay down his wrath, a new weight pressed behind him, embracing him.

"No!" a cry, feminine and compassionate, resonated behind him. "Tsuna don't!" He spun around so quick the hands retreated. Mia was there, disheveled. It was like she had run miles to be there. She looked to him, pained. "Don't do it Tsuna," she pleaded with him. "He's trying to change you. Can't you see that?"

He stared at her coldly despite his heart clenching. She looked real, she sounded real… the look of pain on her face hurt him too for some reason. She was a really good illusion if she could illicit a reaction like that from him. His heart immediately hardened at the thought.

Mia stared at him but Tsuna's expression remained unchanged. He wasn't listening, she thought, panicking. When she stumbled into the clearing, she was beyond horrified with what she saw. Tsuna was standing with Ian by his feet, bloody and barely hanging on to consciousness. He was going to finish him off and Mia couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let him kill, not like this, not in cold blood. She begged him not to do it and for one moment, Tsuna hesitated before his expression hardened.

He stepped forward menacingly towards her but she wasn't frightened. Tsuna was caught too much in his rage and was blind to everything else, including common sense. There had to be something she could do, anything to snap him out of it - but what?

She didn't think long, didn't have the time to. Instead, she went with her gut and kissed him.

Mia didn't have a clue on how to kiss. How do you even do that? Do you just smash faces with each other? She thought of how much of an idiot she must have looked. Her eyes were shut so tight. It almost seemed like she was practically head butting him instead of kissing. She never imagined their first kiss being this way but it didn't matter because it did have some sort of effect on Tsuna.

He practically turned into stone. She tentatively opened one eye. Tsuna had his eyes closed and the flames around his hands died down. She pulled back, hands still on his face. "Tsuna?" she whispered, afraid to move. It was sudden, but his one arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against him while the other cradled the back of her head. She yelped but was silenced when his warm mouth closed over hers and she was subjected to an onslaught of sensations that left her weak in the knees. His hands gripped her possessively, his mouth hot shooting hhot tendrils of fire that ran down all the way to the tips of her fingers and toes. Her limp hands, which had gotten trapped between them slid up to wrap around his neck. She kissed him back with equal want. It was sloppy, it was wet and it was more of a teeth knock-off than anything else but it was perfect. Her heart swelled with happiness despite the seriousness of their situation.

Tsuna pulled back slightly, gasping for air before diving back in for more. His hand moved from the back of her neck to cupping her cheek. Her hand went out to hold it in place. Fingers brushing the back of his hand, her heart thumped erratically when his rough kiss became tender, becoming more of the Tsuna that she knew. She was losing herself, she knew and Tsuna knew it too so he slowly pulled back, leaving light kisses and pecks on her lips.

Foreheads touching, there was nothing but their breathing that can be heard in the clearing. There were Ian's pained groans but that wasn't really important. Slowly, Mia raised her head to look at Tsuna. His eyes were still closed but at her movement, his eyes opened. The red and rage was gone. His warm-chocolate eyes were filled with wonder.

"Mia…" he said her name. It brought shivers to her. The good kind. "You… we…" he was lost for words.

She couldn't help it. She smiled and hugged him fiercely but was easily overwhelmed with relief. "I'm so glad I made it in time!" she cried into his shoulder. Not knowing how to react, he hugged her back.

"I'm dying here and you two are snogging. God, just kill me already," Ian groaned from his place on the ground.

The red crept back into Tsuna's eyes as he turned around to face his opponent. Mia jumped in between them, her hands held out. His anger faltered into confusion. "Tsuna you can't kill him. It's wrong."

"But he hurt you!" Tsuna argued. "He – he…" his fists shook angrily.

Mia took his hands into her own. They were alarmingly dry, almost like paper. "He only went after me because I was stupid and endangered his family," she reasoned quietly. "He had every right to hate me. I'm sorry if I lied to you and hurt you but I can't let you kill him. He's my responsibility." When Tsuna still didn't look convinced, she let her remorse show. "His brother is in a coma because of me… I can't… I… I don't even know where to begin to say sorry."

"You can't," Ian said bitterly from behind her. "Just let him kill me and be over with it."

She shook her head. She needed to right this. She kept her eyes focused solely on Tsuna. "I know he's a real bastard… but he did help. He saved my life twice. Please Tsuna, this isn't like you." Her voice cracked near the end and Tsuna's glare slowly fell apart. "He's not evil… he's a victim of circumstance. I know you think I'm smart and everything but I really am not – I get myself into the shittiest of places for the dumbest of reasons. It's stupid – really stupid and I'm even more stupid for letting it all happen and I'm sorry and please just let him go – " Her rambling was put on a stop as Tsuna pulled her into a hug.

He deflated as he held her. She could feel the rage bleed out of him when he sighed.

"I can't forgive him," Tsuna said and she froze. "But I'm willing to hear him out."

Was it true? Can she really believe it? The resignation in Tsuna's tone was more than enough to convince her. She was so relieved she would have kissed him again, which she did.

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Author's Note:

At long last the two are together! *roars of cheers from the readers that have long awaited this moment*

Going through this I did make a few minor changes but not too big. Also, shout out to Frost190 (or Miyako190 at deviantart) for her wonderful fanart. Three years later and this still makes me smile like I'm thirteen. Check it out: www. deviantartart /Mia-OC- and-Chrome- 604737587

As FF still has a problem with sharing links, just delete the spaces in between.

So I always had this theory that any Sky has the potential to gain the Flames of Wrath. As it goes, you need to reach certain requirements before attaining it. It's not hereditary as supported by canon. Xanxus isn't even related to the Vongola but here he is. I admit I didn't write it out that well in my original draft but I'm glad how the re-edit turned out.

Thanks for reading!