Final Arc for Sunset Hue, High School - 1st Year

Mia - 15

Tsuna - 15

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR

Brown eyes lost focus as the lesson on the board failed to capture his attention. Eyelids drooped and before he knew it, his head began to dip down.

"Sawada!"

Sawada Tsunayoshi jerked himself into attention. He cleared his throat. "Yes Sensei?" The teacher sternly pointed at the question on the board. He squinted at it, mind churning before coming up with an answer.

"Fifty... No fifty-two."

With a stern glance saying that he would be forgiven for now, their teacher resumed the lesson and Tsuna sat back down, sheepishly avoiding the stares of his fellow classmates except for his right hand man's double thumbs up from the front. He hid a grin, pleased he was able to answer a question without stuttering or taking too long.

But as he looked to his side, expecting proud blue eyes, he found a guy sitting beside him instead and then he remembered.

Mia wasn't part of his class.

He forgot that Mia, with her exceptional scores during their entrance exam for Nami High, had been placed in the A class where most of the smartest of their year went. Hayato would have been placed there too but his delinquent reputation wasn't for show. Something that the bomber was dismayed to have realized after. Her grades had slipped a bit last year in middle school and while her Dad didn't reprimand her or anything, he did take notice and she worked hard to get good scores for high school so he wouldn't find anything suspicious. He couldn't help but feel however that it backfired a bit or maybe that was just him sulking.

Tsuna returned to his notes. It was alright, he tried to convince himself. They could still have lunch together and dates. Don't forget about those! But his optimism could only last for so long until lunch came round and Mia - once again - did not show up.

Takeshi regarded his friend with sympathy. "I'm sure she'll show up soon."

"We only have ten minutes left."

Takeshi cringed and Tsuna picked on his lunch. Stupid.

Stupid. Even though he was annoyed, he finished the carefully done bento Mia made for him and after he was only done with it did he feel his irritation disappear. She can't help being the new prefect of the Disciplinary Committee anymore than he could help himself from being the heir to the world's most powerful syndicate family.

Though in this case he can scorn his Cloud Guardian for making it that way. Oh screw you Hibari. Screw you.

They packed their lunches and went down the rooftop. As they neared the end of a corner, a blur of yellow barreled straight towards them. With reflexes honed by training, Tsuna hooked his arm around the blur and pulled Mia to his chest to stop her from running into Takeshi.

Cheeks flushed, hair in disarray, Mia had a strand of hair in her mouth as she gaped at him.

"Oh." She gasped.

Feeling her chest rise and fall against his, he felt heat creep up to his neck and promptly let go. Mia didn't seem to have noticed what she did and fanned herself with her hand.

"What's the rush Mia?" Takeshi asked her. Tsuna heard the spark of humor in his friend's tone, almost borderline teasing. If he looked behind him, he was sure his friends would have this infuriating twinkle in their eyes. Just the thought of it caused the heat to creep up to his ears.

He kept his eyes on Mia instead. "I'm sorry I couldn't be with you guys for lunch."

"Council stuff?" He asked.

Mia stifled a groan.

"Tenth! Please excuse me but I think I left my homework in the library!" Hayaro loudly said and not-so-subtly elbowed Takeshi, who was grinning at them.

"Oh? Oh yeah! That assignment for Sensei!" Takeshi gave them a two-fingered salute. "See ya at class Tsuna!"

The couple watched them go. Bemused, Mia said, "Hayato doesn't go to the library."

Tsuna snorted. "We don't have homework either."

They looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Point is they tried," Tsuna chuckled.

"Such skill, much wow." Mia teased before letting out a giggle. "How was it?"

He lifted his lunch box and gave it a little shake. His chopsticks rattled inside. He smiled, "Good as always." She beamed and Tsuna felt that small moments like these made up for the times she wasn't around. "Um, Mia..." He suddenly began and cleared his throat. "Uh... There's a new arcade that opened up in the shopping district. Wanna go there after school?" He peered at her hopefully.

Mia shook her head and his shoulders drooped. She kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry but I promise, lots of cuddling instead."

He perked up at that. "Cuddling?"

Her grin was sly as her fingers traced his jaw, leaving a searing trail on his skin. "Oh yes, complete with dinner, hugs and kisses." She pulled her hand back and tucked it behind her back. "Think you can wait until then?"

He swallowed.

She promised him good things. Awesome things that left his body tingling with anticipation. He was a goner, for sure. Not trusting himself to speak, he nodded instead. With a shy smile, Mia left, eager to finish her duties while Tsuna fought the urge to jump up and down like an idiot. It may not have been the date he was wishing for but it sounded just as good. With a silly grin, he went back to class.

His good humor stayed with him for the rest of the day and when he strolled straight past a couple of Disciplinary members guarding the Committee room, he was grinning like the sun. They tried to stop him but with skilled movements, he weaved through their flailing grasps.

"You can't go in there!"

On the contrary, he could. He could either go through the door or the window. But he decided that the window took too much effort. The door clicked open and Mia poked her head out. When she saw who it was messing with the two members, she fondly rolled her eyes. "Konosuba-kun, Yoichi-kun, its alright - you can let him in." The two stilled and backed away respectfully. They gave Tsuna a quiet apology before returning to their respective positions. "I'll be finished in a couple of minutes so you two can go on ahead."

"Hai senpai!" But they didn't leave. Mia slightly frowned before gesturing him to come inside.

"Senpai?" Tsuna repeated. "We're in the same year." He shook his head. "Different middle school?"

Mia went to take her seat behind the desk that used to belong to Hibari. It felt odd seeing her there but she was a more welcoming sight than his Cloud Guardian who glared daggers at anyone who came through his door.

"How did you know?" She asked him.

Tsuna's smiled wryly. "They didn't know 'Dame-Tsuna'."

She shot him a disapproving look. He shrugged. "You never were useless Tsuna. Besides, you're different now. That nickname needs to die out at some point."

Fondness for her rose up and he couldn't help pressing a kiss on top of her fuming head. She deflated, the tips of her ears turning pink. Laughing quietly to himself, he peered over her shoulder and at the papers on the desk.

There were several brown envelopes. Some had tags, some didn't. There were folders for school activities, field trip proposals and all sorts of stuff that the Disciplinary Committee didn't need to oversee over but had a hand in it anyway. His eyes found a folder labeled 'Under Investigation' which was right under Mia's arm. A picture of a boy dressed in a gakuran peeked out from the folder. Before he could ask about it, Mia swiftly tucked the paper and the folders away.

"Reborn hasn't planned anything today?" She asked him.

At the mention of his tutor, exhaustion washed over him and he sat on the desk so that he could slouch. "Ughhhh please don't mention him," he moaned. "He's been really hard lately."

Mia's sympathetic look contrasted with her words. "Don't sit on the desk Tsuna."

"What are you gonna do?" He challenged her. A mischievous grin worked its way into his face. "Are you gonna... 'Bite me'?"

She burst into laughter and slapped his knee. He listened to her, her voice washing away the stress that grew over his muscles from the intense training sessions that Reborn had put over him lately since their school year started. As her laughter faded, she crossed her arms over his lap and placed her head on them.

"What do you want for dinner?" She asked him.

His fingers winded up in her hair. Her hair reached her shoulders now. In maybe a couple of months it'll be back to its original length before it was cut. "Something spicy I guess."

"Spicy?" Mia lifted her head to look at him.

"What?"

A curious look crossed her features. "Nothing really, I was just surprised. I never knew you were into spicy stuff."

He poked her forehead, his reply flat. "I eat wasabi. Of course I can eat spicy food."

She laid her head back on his lap. "Alright, alright." Mia yawned. Tsuna frowned.

"Busy as ever huh?" He murmured though there was a hint of a scold. Mia didn't even bother to deny it. She shrugged helplessly.

He sighed. "What am I ever going to do with you Mia." She shrugged but he could feel a wide smile pressing against his calf.

Tsuna was hoping after the whole thing with the Varia, they could take things a little easy now except that it didn't. After graduating things had been great but at the start of their first year in High School, Reborn had been firmer with his training lately, keeping him busy usually after school and Mia landed herself in a position no one saw coming. No one was more surprised about it than Mia herself. Disciplinary Chairwoman of Namimori High. No one knew about it until the last minute where Hibari unceremoniously dropped it in the middle of their Opening Ceremony because he had other things to attend to.

And Mia? She took on the position with grace and acceptance he could only envy. It was only after the Ceremony did she collapse in a fit of nerves, calling Hibari an ass in every language she knew.

A few months has passed with them trying to find time in their busy schedules for the other and whatever time they manage to grab, Tsuna wasn't letting it go to waste especially now that Reborn wasn't around. He carried the groceries for her as they browsed several stalls for ingredients.

A couple of high school girls were gathered near them, whispering loudly with one another.

Tsuna wasn't one to eavesdrop but he couldn't help it.

"Its scary, there's been a lot of attacks happening lately."

"There's one from Shinten Academy, Kokuyo, Minden..."

"Its terrible. High School and Middle school... Most of the victims were high school guys though so there's that."

"Don't think that." Another cut in sharply. "There's been a lot of break-ins in people's houses too. No one's really safe."

"Except for..." Tsuna could feel several pairs of eyes turn to them, a mixture of envy and grudging admiration. He didn't look, despite feeling like someone was pressing several knives on his back but he knew what they were referring to.

The Disciplinary Committee. Despite what recently occurred, Namimori Middle and Namimori High as well had to be the safest places in the entire town. Even though Hibari's methods were ethically questionable, he protected his territory fiercely.

But really. Attacks? He knew that there had been cases of theft lately but attacks on students too?

"They're lucky. Namimori students have it so easy."

Tsuna said nothing. That wasn't true, he thought, thinking about all the times his school had been endangered by the mafia. If anything, the events happening all around town just added to the danger that his school already was in because of him.

Mia came into his view, smiling. "I'm done."

"Great!" He said a little too enthusiastically. Mia raised her brows.

"Are you okay?"

He faked a cough. "Yeah... Its just... You know..." He trailed off.

Understanding dawned on her expression. "It must be difficult for guys to adjust to their voices huh?" She said sympathetically. "Don't worry Tsuna, I'll still like you even if you sound like a strangled cat."

"Wait what? I sound like - "

"Hush." She pushed the last of the grocery into his hands. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about - everybody goes through puberty... Certain changes are bound to happen," she said solemnly.

"What?" On cue, his voice cracked an octave higher and he flushed. He couldn't believe his girlfriend was telling him this!

With a teasing grin, she left him spluttering after her.

Tsuna hadn't expected for things to turn out the way they did. Neither did Mia. What started out as a random encounter turned into friendship. He was a loser who couldn't do anything right and she was a girl that carried too much weight on her shoulders. Falling for each other wasn't part of the plan but here they were. Together.

And really, that's all that mattered to Tsuna.

"Its bad for your eyes to read while lying down," he told her. He just finished washing the dishes when he found Mia lying down on the couch, deeply engrossed with a book in her hands.

"Took you long enough." She closed her book and placed it on her chest. She wore a too big blue plaid shirt that dwarfed her frame. She had to roll the sleeves up to her elbows and brown shorts that were hidden underneath her shirt. Tsuna had accidentally gotten her the male size when he gave her the shirt for as a gift.

"What's the rush?" He nudged her legs aside so he could sit down.

She set her book on the coffee table and poked him in the chest with her toe. "Mooooviieeee," she whined.

He caught her ankle. His fingers slid to her shin. Brown eyes met blue and he drew to her almost naturally. It was so easy, to fall into her embrace. He placed his ear against her chest and closed his eyes, listening to the thrum of her heart.

While intimate, it wasn't sexual. He never did anything that would make her uncomfortable... Besides, he didn't know if he had the balls to do something so risky. He knew for a fact where Mia kept her handguns and they were always close. Slender hands traced lazy lines on his back, making their way to his hair where they stayed. Tension flowed out of his frame and he nearly melted. Mia lazily ran her hands through his hair.

"You know, you remind me of this video of a cat that I saw. He was just like this - sprawled on his owner like the lazy bum it was."

He opened one eye. Thinking silently to himself he smirked. He pushed himself up, enough to be on eye level with her. A lazy smile grew on his lips.

"Was it also doing this?" Leaning forward he rubbed his cheeks against hers.

"Tsuna!" She protested but indulged him all the same, laughing. She squealed as his nose tickled the area beneath her ear.

She pushed against his shoulders but he resisted and assaulted her with 'kitten kisses'.

Mia, he found, was very sensitive to light touches. It was hilarious when he accidentally incited a very un-Mia sound while he was just reaching for something over her shoulder.

The corner of their mouths brushed and time slowed between them. Foreheads touching, noses brushing, they were suspended in the comfort of each other's presence. Tsuna would have kissed her but he found he enjoyed moments like these too.

"You know, I'm half expecting for you to be purring by now," she mused, her breath warm on his face.

A smile tugged on his lips. "You like cats?"

"I think they're adorable but I'm not a cat person."

He made a face. "What about this poor stray?" he mournfully whined at her.

"Well…"

Tsuna leaned in and began rubbing his cheek against hers again. Mia giggled and he moved to brush their noses together. "Mreow…" She laughed and with two fingers on his chest, pushed him slightly away.

"I think I might consider. He's pretty cute after all." His ego slightly swelled. If he had a tail, it would have been swishing back and forth.

"Either he goes or he stays," his voice lowered to a playful whisper, aware of the heat building slowly between them and he yearned to touch her. His hands though remained where they were on either side of her in silent permission.

Her fingers trailed underneath his jaw with feather light touches, causing a small tremor to sneak up his spine. He let her guide him towards her soft lips. Slow and sweet, he let the warmth in his chest build up. The light brush against his spine was the silent approval he had been waiting for and his hand moved.

His left tugged at her shirt and slipped his hand in so he could place it on the skin of her hip. A small stroke with his thumb and she clutched the back of his neck, pulling him deeper...

Somebody knocked on the door heavily and Mia pulled away.

Tsuna groaned in disappointment and made little noises out of it when she wriggled out underneath him and to answer the door.

"Maybe next time gatton." He stared at her and she laughed, booping him on the nose. Kitten, she called him. A grin curled on his lips. He liked it. Rearranging himself of the couch, he heard whoever it was at the door, come in. His ears perked up at the sudden shift from Japanese to English. The person she was talking to was a man and from the sounds of his accent, British.

"I'm sorry for showing up unannounced."

"It's fine Mr. Calamite - Pa told me in advance." Mia appeared around the corner.

"I wasn't getting in the way of anything was I?"

Tsuna blushed while Mia made an incomprehensible sound. Mia cleared her throat, "Tsuna, you remember that thing I had encased a week ago? Could you get it while I get some drinks?"

A man who looked older than Mia's father came in and Tsuna was washed over with a strange feeling. Fading brown hair, luminous green eyes and dressed in a tattered grey suit, he was overcome with a sense of familiarity that he couldn't put his finger on.

"Tsuna," Mia repeated. She frowned at him and he realized he was staring.

He blinked. "Right, sorry." Embarrassed, he fled to her father's study. He stepped over the many boxes scattered all over the floor and headed straight to the desk buried underneath piles and piles of paper. He sneezed. Wiping his nose, he couldn't understand how Mia could live in this stuff. This place was the perfect breeding ground for dust bunnies.

Sitting in plain sight on the middle of the desk, was a small wooden box with a glass lid. Inside was a single item. Mia told him that it was a tip of either a claw or a horn but it was longer and thicker than his own forefinger. Its metallic surface stood out hauntingly in contrast against its red cushion. If he had to be honest, this thing actually creeped him out. Its end was wicked sharp and looking at it reminded of all the horrible Saw movies Mia had him watch with her. For some reason he could imagined how it would feel dragging across his skin and he shuddered at the thought. Not wanting to stay with it in the same room for long he took it back to the living room. The television was on, showing the local news.

"I hope you didn't get lost in there," Mia teased him as she served her guest.

Still embarrassed with how he acted towards her guest, he ignored her and offered the box to the man. Calamite took it from him with a smile. Their eyes met and that feeling came surging back. He didn't know this man but…

"How… do you do… boy?" Calamite addressed him in broken Japanese. "Sorry… not good."

Tsuna jerked away. "I-I'm uh… s-sorry sir. Um... nice day." Mia subtlety jabbed her elbow into his ribs and he hid a yelp. They sat down with him rubbing his side. Calamite was inspecting the item through the glass with a frown on his face.

"Is something the matter Mr. Calamite?"Mia asked. She sounded on edge and he glanced at her.

"Has this been… tampered?"

Mia's blue eyes widened and she shook her head slowly. The man brought it but Tsuna didn't. He would have given his girlfriend a look but he felt her hand tug at his shirt, warning him not to give her away. They waited in anticipation… for what he didn't know but Mia acted like a lot of things were at stake for the thing in question to be brought. After several minutes, Calamite nodded in approval.

"Well, it's not like I'm the expert," he joked and Mia cracked a smile. "Centuries old, it's bound to have gone through a lot."

"But you do know what it is sir?"

"No. I can only guess what it could be." He placed the box tenderly on the coffee table and reached inside his jacket. He pulled out a check and held it out for her.

"What do you think it is sir, if you don't mind my asking?" She took it from him.

Calamite smiled. "It's hard to say. There's no sign of deterioration, discoloration or deformation. It's unlike any metal that we know… that is if it's metal at all." Mia didn't seem appeased by the answer but she didn't ask anymore. Reaching down, Calamite picked up his leather bag from the floor and carefully tucked the box away. "I wouldn't want to impose any longer. Thank you miss."

As soon as Mia escorted her guest out, the moment the door was closed, Tsuna confronted her. "What was that about?"

She leaned against the door. "I told you, Pa sometimes sells the stuff he finds if a buyer was interested. It doesn't happen often."

"Not that. You were acting weird."

Her forehead creased into a frown. "That thing that was just sold… I was just curious about it."

"Yeah sure, you were curious about it." He rolled his eyes. Mia snorted.

"It's not that big of a deal but…" A hand went up and she played with the tips of her hair. "There had to be more to that thing…"

Tsuna turned around, shaking his head. His girlfriend, ever the Indiana Jones. Sometimes he couldn't understand why she was obsessed with finding out stuff. "Curiosity killed the cat remember? Try not to poke your nose into things too much."

He heard her bounce towards him and felt her weight press against his back. Arms wounding around his waist, she chuckled coyly. "But satisfaction brought it back you know..." She purred right into his ear. He couldn't feel the cheeky grin on her face that was pressed against his neck. His skin was boiling hot. His brain completely shut down. Hot. Everything was on fire. Goddamn.

"Tsuna? Hey? Tsuna!" She circled around him to see his flushed face. She stifled a giggle with her hand. "Too much?"

He ducked his head shyly. After the initial awkwardness of best-friends-turned-lovers, flirting had become a natural thing between them. It was so easy to slip into it too when they're bantering but sometimes Mia would catch him off guard and he would be left to sizzle in the open. She kissed his cheek.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed - you've gotten me just as much you know," she pointed out.

"Doesn't seem like it," he mumbled. "It's unfair how good you are sometimes."

She grinned. "It may be my natural Italian charm." He huffed. He was part Italian. Sort of. She placed her hands on her hips. "Come on gatton, where did your charm from earlier go?"

"I-Is that nickname gonna be permanent?"

"Do you want it?" She had a teasing smirk playing on her lips. Hell yes he wanted it but he wasn't going to tell her that. Instead he poked her ticklish spot on her side and she yelped away from him, squealing. He poked her again and again and before they knew it, it was a full on tickle fight on the floor. They roughhoused for a while, squealing and laughing until they collapsed, side by side on their backs.

"You know… I remember you being a lot weaker than this," Mia panted.

Tsuna barked out a laugh. "You're falling behind Mia - maybe you should start training too."

She snorted. "Please, I'm fit. That's enough for me and besides, as if I ever want to compete physically with you… wait…" She was suddenly struck with a thought. "I never thought I would ever say that," she said, a little dazed.

"Are you trying to annoy me?" he asked her because if she was, it was working.

"Never," she replied sweetly and sat up. "You staying for a while?"

"Yeah," he replied with a grin. She smiled and kissed his forehead. As Mia went to prepare snacks or more drinks, Tsuna dragged himself back on the couch, a silly look on his face and turned his attention to the television.

And his smile slid off.

Thanks for reading!