Wow, this story has officially surpassed TU. That's amazing.

Thank you everyone for supporting, reviewing, following and favoriting this story! Hope you all continue to enjoy it. Just a slight warning however, there are some mature themes ahead. Not dark ones though.

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.

Hayato, who was a light sleeper, had woken up first. Disturbed by the faint smell of burning, he quickly got up. He woke his roommate with a sharp smack to the shoulder, startling Takeshi awake, a bit of drool still dripping from his chin.

"Get up baseball freak! Somethings wrong." Not even bothering to wait, he stepped out of their room.

To his horror, smoke was curling out from underneath the door of the girl's room.

"Help!" Chrome's voice cracked through the wood just as the fire alarm started blasting.

"Shit!" The doorknob was piping hot already. He rammed his shoulder against the wood. "Takeshi help me out here!" He pulled back to ram into it once more , Taskeshi this time following suit. The door creaked and groaned but didn't fall.

"This isn't working." Takeshi looked around for anything they could use.

"The fire has grown too big!" Chrome cried.

Hayato pulled out his dynamite but Takeshi pushed his hands down. "Don't! The fire is going to get worse if you do that!"

"Damn it, why aren't the sprinklers turning on?" Hayato covered his nose as the smoke began to grow thicker. "One more go baseball nut! One, two, three!" The door gave away and they jumped back as the fire leaped at them. They covered their faces at the heat, unable to pass through the doorway.

"Mia-san, snap out of it! Mia!" her voice was rising in her panic.

"Move!" A voice commanded and they jumped aside as a lean figure leaped into the flames.

"Tenth!" Hayato exclaimed.

Something was wrong, Tsuna thought the moment he passed through the fire. He could feel it, deep in his bones, this wasn't a normal fire. He summoned a wall of his own flames on either side of him, creating a shield. Man, if it hadn't been for Basil's gift he wouldn't have been able to through with this. Inside his head, he silently thanked the kind boy. His shield kept out the fire but not the heat. It felt like he had walked into a furnace but even so he pushed on, the soles of his own feet stinging.

Chrome nearly cried when she saw him. The girls were huddled by the bathroom, his mist guardian cradling Mia against her chest along with her trident. His heart stuttered but he reeled his panic in. The fire was growing and there wasn't time for him to start freaking out.

"Boss - Mia, she - " Tsuna shook his head as sweat beaded his brow.

"No time, we'll talk later. Let's get you two out first. Are you okay Chrome?"

She nodded, her lone eye wide. He looked around. The fire had crawled all the way to the ceiling. He could hear his other friends trying to contain the fire from the outside. Freeze the room? It was worth giving it a shot. He arranged his hands, preparing to use the Zero Point Breakthrough when his Intuition pricked and he switched techniques at the last second.

The flames fanned towards him. Alarm shot through him. Did an intruder break in? An enemy? Did they come in here and attacked the girls before setting the room on fire?

He pushed those thoughts away. If these flames were anything like Xanxus' or Basil's then he can absorb it. The flame on his forehead flickered and like he predicted, the fire raging all around the room started streaming into his hands.

Basil had felt like a cool drink of pop after a long day, Xanxus was hard-hitting, only what he could imagine what rum or vodka would feel like after drinking but this? It was wild. It thrashed and fought against him when he made it into his own and the effect of absorbing it felt like drinking seven cups of brewed coffee and more. The strength that flooded his body was unreal as he absorbed the rampant flames. He felt lighter - stronger and overwhelmed all at once. When he had emptied the room of the fire, he fell out of hyper mode and dropped to his hands and knees.

His body was thrumming with energy and he could feel his muscles twitching, unable to process it or how to spend the excess.

The room was a charred mess, not a single surface left that wasn't burnt, the ceiling nearly black and smoke was still heavy. He pushed himself up, ignoring the protest in his muscles and knelt beside Chrome. It was difficult to breath in here.

"Chrome can you walk? I'll carry her." The girl nodded. He carefully gathered Mia in his arms, alarmed at the large gash on her head. Other than that, she didn't look any worse for wear. He'll ask more later, as soon as they get out.

He lifted her and together, the headed out as fast as they could, avoiding scattered glass from the room's vanity that shattered in the fire. He didn't notice it the first time but he may have stepped on some of it, if the slick feeling under his feet said anything about it. The sprinklers finally turned on, completely dousing them.

They were swarmed by their friends when they came out of the smoke but relief didn't last long as their parents rounded the corner with his dad at the front, Nicolas and some CEDEF members following right behind him. Blue eyes flickered all around, the hall, the still smoking room then back to them. Oh no...

"Tsuna! Are you kids alright? What happened here?" his father started.

"Mia?" Nicolas brushed right past Iemitsu, his normal stern expression absent as his brows were drawn together in worry. Tsuna handed Mia to him without a word and he knelt, checking on her gash.

"What happened here?" Iemitsu asked again.

"Save the questioning for later," Nicolas cut in sharply. He gestured with his head at Tsuna's feet. "Your son is bleeding and my daughter is out cold. There are more pressing things to attend to!"

Members of CEDEF bristled and Iemitsu's eyes flashed. "I can take care of my son just fine." He grabbed Tsuna by the arm. Tsuna bit back a retort at that. "Oregano, contact the staff, see what happened here and turn these damn sprinklers off. Basil, take everyone with you downstairs."

Nicolas looked like he was going to argue but Tsuna shook his head. "Nicolas-san, its okay. Please take care of Mia first - I'll be alright. It looks worse than it is." He smiled. It hurt alright but it wasn't that bad. "She comes first." Gratitude welled in his eyes and he nodded. The sprinklers finally turned off but Nicolas didn't look away from him.

"You come down straight after alright?" Nicolas told him.

"Yes sir." With one last look, Nicolas followed Basil out. As soon as they were gone, he yanked his arm out of his dad's grip. He gave his father a look before turning to his friends. "You guys go too, I'll be here with dad."

"Tenth your feet - " Tsuna waved his storm off.

"I'll get it looked after. I need you all to be with Mia for now."

"We wouldn't be your Guardians if we didn't take care of you Tsuna. No probs, the rest of us can watch over Mia and Hayato can stay here," Takeshi cheerfully proposed as he guided Chrome by the shoulders. "Ne Senpai?"

"We'll extremely take care of it Sawada! Don't be stubborn and let Octopus-head watch over you!" Tsuna blinked as his Guardians unanimously came to decision. Usually they argued (Hayato) but for once they settled on something.

"Just shut up and go!" Hayato snapped. They grinned at him, only infuriating the bomber further. Chrome gave him a small nod. The moment they disappeared Hayato suddenly brought out a chair and a first aid kit from his room.

"Where did you - " Tsuna started but Hayato had already pushed him down by the shoulders to sit down and started fussing over his bleeding feet. Not sure how to feel about being manhandled by his storm, he looked up at his dad.

"What happened." His tone was hard and Tsuna reigned in the urge snap back childishly at him.

"I don't know," he said and he honestly didn't.

Iemitsu sighed. "Understand Tsuna that you have to be more aware of these things. Mia-chan and your Mist Guardian could have died. Had anything happened today? Did anyone follow you?" He shared a look with Oregano that shook her head.

Tsuna could feel himself bristling at how unfair this was. He hadn't sensed anyone following them back to the hotel and what was the point of CEDEF being with them if he did?

"Sir, the Tenth doesn't know," Hayato spoke up, frowning. He launched on his side of the story at which point Tsuna took over, explaining on how he put it out but didn't mention it was the kind of flames that he had absorbed. Somehow, he had a feeling that it wasn't a good idea to mention it - at least until he had spoken about it with Mia or Chrome first. It wasn't like his father knew either if he can absorb normal fire and a lot of things weren't adding up.

The External Advisor's frown deepened. What? No congrats or good work son for putting out the fire? Or how about a how are you? Your feet doing okay? Tsuna thought scathingly. Sensing his mood, Hayato quickly treated his feet, making sure there weren't any shards left before bandaging them tightly. He excused himself, promising to be back soon with a pair of shoes or slippers for him.

Both father and son didn't look at each other.

"Boss." They both looked up. Oregano blinked. "Iemitsu," she corrected herself. "Its too early to say this was the work of another famiglia. For all intents and purposes, this could have been an accident as well."

Iemitsu's eyes narrowed. "Well?" he prompted.

Oregano shook her head. "The damage is extensive - the best I can make out is faulty wiring. At least it can be said that we aren't responsible for it."

Hayato returned then with a pair of slippers from the hotel. Tsuna quickly put them on. "Are we done here?"

His father didn't seem happy at his tone but Tsuna didn't care or wait for his approval. When his father didn't say anything, he got up. Ignoring the uncomfortable prickling on his feet, he headed down the stairs with Hayato behind him. Even if the alarm had been shut down, the elevators still weren't functioning.

Ever since the battle for the rings, Tsuna's relationship with his father had been strained. Especially after finding out that he was the External Advisor. He still hadn't forgiven him for that. They made their way to the lobby where other guests had been gathered, roughly woken up and worried. The staff were busy sorting everything out while at the same time assuring their guests.

"Tsuna-kun!" his mother pushed through the crowd and embraced him tightly.

"M-Mom I'm soaking wet!"

Nana took he son's face in her hands, her eyes glassy but proud. "Your friends told me what you did. Going into the fire? Why I never!" she pinched his cheeks.

"Ow mom!"

"Tsu-kun do you like worrying mom that much?"

"Ow! I'm sorry for scaring you - ow! Moooom! I'm sorry!" She pulled him in a tight hug.

"You've really grown Tsu-kun," she murmured into his shoulder. He was almost a few centimeters taller than his mother now but he had a feeling she wasn't pertaining to his height. "Just... be careful okay?" She pulled away and gave him one last look over. "Mia-chan was just starting to wake up. Go."

He didn't need to be told that but he appreciated it. He fondly kissed his mother's cheek and headed towards the direction she pointed him at. He navigated around the other guests until he found his friends huddled around a couch by the far wall. Mia was sitting, a towel around her shoulders. She was holding another towel against her head, her expression twisted in pain. His friends stepped aside for him and he knelt in front of her. "Mia?" he called out to her but she didn't look up. He touched her cheek and her eyes moved, locking into his.

"Hey Tsuna," she tiredly greeted him. She tried to smile but he can tell she was shaken.

"What happened?" he murmured.

She lowered the towel. Her gash had been closed up with butterfly stitches. Her eyes swept around the room warily. "Not here," she said. "With Reborn," she added as well. "I want to talk with Reborn too."

"He's extremely with your dad right now," Onii-san jerked a thumb behind him. Reborn sat on Nicolas' shoulder as the blonde man talked with an officer by the entrance at the lobby. Her father looked tense, if the hard lines around his mouth wasn't obvious enough. The officer said something and the man nodded stiffly, when he turned and saw them, some of the tension in his expression lessened. Reborn gestured for him to come closer.

Me? Tsuna pointed at himself.

Reborn's eyes glinted. Yes you.

A bit apprehensive, he approached the man. "How are you?" Nicolas asked him, looking pointedly at his feet.

"I'm okay, I can walk just fine sir." He stepped lightly around just to prove it. He smiled reassuringly at him. Nicolas stared at him, his expression unreadable. Tsuna fidgeted under his gaze when it was starting to be really uncomfortable and nearly jumped out of skin when the man gently placed a hand on his head. His hand, while large, wasn't heavy and the pressure he felt from it was gentle. It felt strange but at the same time, it made him feel... secure.

"Thank you Tsuna." It was just three simple words but they carried the weight of the world. He looked up and found he couldn't look away as all he saw was Mia's eyes. Nicolas hand went down and grasped his shoulder. "You've done enough for tonight. We'll handle the rest." Nicolas led him back to his friends. "Take my room for now."

Before he knew it, they were in Nicolas' room now dressed in dry clothing provided by the staff. "Eh?" He didn't even get the chance to protest! He had been taken in so much by the man he hadn't realized what happened until his shirt was dry. Something about having a reliable adult around for once admittedly shocked him. He'd been so used to so many trying to kill him or to clean up their messes after he almost forgot how it felt to have a mature person around to settle things. Dino briefly wafted into his mind. Yes, his older-brother figure was certainly reliable but he felt closer to their age group. Especially when his men weren't around.

"I-I got swept away by Nicolas-san," he admitted later on to his girlfriend. Mia cracked a smile though it was shadowed. She had cocooned herself with her father's sheets, looking like kid. They were alone in the room right now with Reborn. The rest of his friends had gone out after the hitman uncharacteristically kicked them out, effectively locking them in what felt like a cage with a dragon.

"Start talking," Reborn ordered.

To their alarm, her eyes started welling up with tears. Oh no. "I-I'm sorry," she started. "It was an accident, I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"Compose yourself," Reborn advised her in a less harsher tone. "Start from the beginning."

It started with a nightmare.

She still had them from time to time but it had been a while since it felt real. She hated those the most as she always woke up, scared and confused.

Lately, she had started dreaming of that place again. She would wander in a large hall filled with countless rows of forgotten history but somehow she knew her way around it. She had this dream when she was younger but it always ended horribly. This time, it didn't go down like that. While wandering, she heard it, a cry. It reverberated all around, coming from deep within this place and against her better judgement, she followed it.

It led her to a wooden pedestal, a small cube wrapped in chains sitting in the middle of it. A low cry emitted from it, sad and broken, almost a whine. The sound tugged at her heart strings. It sounded lost, like a kid crying out for their parents when they get separated. Without meaning to she reached out and picked it up. Immediately, it's cries fell quiet and the silence that followed made the hairs on the back of her neck, rise. There was a brief moment of nothing and then a single note shrilled out before it burst into flames. She dropped it. The chains unraveled with a sickening chhhhkkkk! and struck out, clinging to her scarred arm.

The supernatural strength surprised her and she lost her balance, falling to the floor. The fire concentrated, melding into one with the chain. It wove around her skin, climbing higher on her arm. She cried out. A ribbon lifted, growing until a pair of feral golden eyes were looking at her through the fire. In her panic, her own flames acted up. A mistake that she dearly paid for. It shrieked, its screams rising to an unholy pitch. She hadn't realized she was screaming too until she woke up in a fit, the order's token hot against her skin and a silent scream on her lips.

She threw her covers aside and got to her feet shakily trying to get to the bathroom. The room spun and she staggered, collapsing against the vanity. The scream still rang in her ears and with a shaking hand, she ran it through her hair, catching a glimpse of something through the mirror. What she saw chilled her blood.

The monster's eyes were looking right back at her, the gold stark against the dark.

She couldn't move her hands. "No!" she cried and slammed her head against the mirror without thinking twice about it. Wake up! The mirror shattered and her hands were free. She stumbled backwards, clutching her head and dropped to the ground. She could still hear it - it was still there. Unconsciously, her flames acted up in response to her terror and it spread, running against the walls and the curtains. She faintly heard someone calling her name but she look up.

Wake up. Wake up. Wake up!

A sharp pain bloomed from the back of her head and then she was out.

As she retold the story to her boyfriend and tutor, she noticed how Tsuna's expression slowly grew more troubled. When she finished, she buried her face in her knees. The shame of it all making it feel like her lungs were being slowly crushed.

They were quiet for some time until Tsuna tugged her closer for a hug and she let him.

"We're lucky Chrome knocked you out before it could have gotten worse," Reborn commented and took off his fedora thoughtfully. "It's a bit of a hassle but not impossible to deal with. If Dame-Tsuna can reign in his urges then you can control yourself." Tsuna spluttered and Mia's lips twitched into a small smile. "Using flames is not known by many and very few - usually the oldest mafia families - faintly know about it. I've never heard of Flames going out of control like that before but it seems yours are more intuitive - more so than Tsuna's even and it reacted to your fear."

She peeked out of her blanket to look at the hitman. "Is that bad?"

Reborn smirked. "Hardly." The pressure that was in her chest lightened at that. He put his hat on again. "Once we arrive at Venice, we'll work on it." Her eyes lit up. Seeming to know what she was thinking, Reborn smirked. Turning to his other student, he said, "I'll be leaving you alone for a bit. Try not to get carried away with anything. Nicolas may like you now but that can still change."

Tsuna flushed. "Y-You don't need to tell me that!" He huffed. The hitman jumped off the bed and began making his way to door. "Reborn?" He paused. "Can we keep this to ourselves for now?" Mia and Reborn looked at him curiously. "Please don't tell dad about Mia just yet."

"I won't," Reborn promised. "That idiot's already on edge as it is with the enemy famiglia on our tail. He doesn't need to be concerned about this."

Tsuna nodded and turned his attention back to her. "Why don't you want your dad to know?" Mia asked him as soon as Reborn was gone.

He frowned. "It's bad enough we have problems with the Mafia. This whole thing with flames is another thing entirely - I wasn't sure if you wanted other people to know what you could do." He touched her gash, his frown deepening.

To be honest, she didn't have any idea on what she could do either. She had shared a bit with Tsuna and Reborn of what she can do - mainly tracking but that was about it and never about the web of power. She didn't fully understand her Flames all that well yet and the man who taught her hadn't shown his face in months. Not like she wanted to see him anyways but she was touched that Tsuna took her feelings in consideration.

"Thanks, let's keep it that way for a bit."

"Mia?" She looked up again. The troubled look he had before came back.

"Yeah?"

He opened his mouth and then closed it, obviously having difficulty on how to say what was on his mind but she had a feeling what it could be. She started scooting away from him. "Hey! What are you doing?" He held her in place.

She blinked. "Sorry, I thought you might have been nervous that Pa might come in any minute now."

"Wha - well I am worried about that too - but I wasn't going to say that!"

Oh, so she had it wrong. Still, she had already caused too much trouble for one night. She could try to make things easier for Tsuna at least and pried his hands off gently. She pressed a kiss against his jaw. "Thanks for saving me again," she said and fought the urge to smile as he stilled. Really, he was too cute sometimes. Taking this moment to escape, she burrowed herself in between the bed's six huge and fluffy pillows. She probably wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of the night - not like she wanted to - but she can certainly doze of for a bit.

Tsuna made a frustrated noise from the back of his throat as he watched her retreat. "Mia."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to sleep. Promise!" her muffled voice came from under the covers. "Try to get some yourself Tsuna."

For some reason that irked him and he dived under the covers until he found her feet. He yanked her by the ankles from out of her secure cocoon.

"What the heck Tsuna?!"

"Don't just run away from me!" They roughhoused under the covers.

"I wasn't running away!"

"Oh yes you were!" he retorted. He wasn't going to let her start blaming herself over this and he certainly wasn't going to let her think about it for one second!

"I'm telling you I wasn't!" she shot back, somehow managing to hook her leg around his waist then flipping him over. The covers thrown aside, Mia was on top and grasped his hands to stop him from going for her sides. It was a contest of strength and she would have lost but being on top had advantages, meaning she could push more weight on her arms.

"It was an accident!" he told her. "Don't blame yourself for something that wasn't in your control!"

Startled, her control slipped and suddenly she was the one under. Tsuna finally thought he had her until he saw the glint in her eyes. She pushed back, forcing him to roll to the side and end up falling off the bed, dragging her with him. He cushioned their fall the best he could and he grunted at her weight however, he wasn't prepared for the onslaught on his nerves as her breasts squashed his face.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. You're right," Mia relented, pushing her hair from her face. "Tsuna? Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" She immediately got off him.

He slowly pushed himself up by his elbows. Wordlessly his hand dragged down the blanket from the bed and threw it over her head.

"You're... not wearing a bra?" his voice came out hoarse.

"Um... no. You don't sleep in bras Tsuna. Remember?"

"O-Oh. Okay." She usually wore thick shirts and he had laid on her chest before when they cuddled but never when she was bra-less. This was different. This was unknown territory.

"You okay?" she asked him cautiously.

He had no idea. His head was spinning. While the shirt she had been wearing was large, it was also thin. The blood rushed to his head and he fought the desire to look at her, afraid his eyes might wander south... through the gaps of the blanket he could see her exposed collarbone. Her arms were crossed but her shirt - stop right there Tsuna. Do not follow that thought! Don't do it!

With every bit of strength he had in his cells, he turned away and covered his face.

He didn't know how but somehow she made wearing a simple shirt extremely attractive and it was taking every little bit of self control he had to not spiral into degeneracy the way his body wanted him to.

"You know Tsuna, I don't mind it."

Eh. "Eh?" he nearly broke his neck to look back at her. Mia gazed at him, not the least bit embarrassed. Holy crap she was serious.

"I said," she repeated slowly. "I don't mind it."

Oh my god she was absolutely serious. She quirked a brow at that and he realized he said it out loud. "B-B-But um... you and your dad he um... uh," he stuttered.

She sighed. "I'm not saying we should... you know. Even I'm not ready for that." Her cheeks turned pink and she fidgeted. "But I just wanted it to be clear that I trust you. I trust you a lot actually if that wasn't obvious enough so... I don't mind if you get a little... handsy."

Did she have to say that with that face? His nose nearly blew a pipe.

"I - um - well..." he had completely lost his ability to speak.

"If you're not comfortable with that its okay!" she quickly added. "There's no rush. We can take our time figuring this out."

He jerked his head into a nod. "Yeah." He swallowed, finally regaining his voice. "No rush," he repeated.

She smiled, the sight of it nearly yanking his heart out of his rib cage. Ah it was really dangerous, he thought. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to loosen the stiffness there and maybe get the blood flowing in his head again.

Tsuna glanced at her again. The shadow that was over her eyes earlier had gone. He still wanted to tell her of his own dream but decided against it. He can tell her after she's rested.

"Let's get you to bed," he told her as he stood up. He held a hand out to her.

She stared at his hand. "I know we said there's no rush but that's one hell of a next step when you haven't even touched my boobs yet."

"What?! I - "

She burst out laughing. "I'm only teasing!"

He scowled although the heat had crept up again. "Very funny." She took his hand anyways.

Her smile faded. "I don't feel like sleeping though Tsuna."

"You need to rest," he insisted.

"What if it happens again?" her voice dropped to a whisper. He squeezed her hand.

"I'm here." Brushing her bangs away he pressed a soft kiss to her temple. "Don't worry, I got you."

To his surprise, she yanked him down by the shirt and kissed him back. "Okay," she whispered against his lips.

Then she clambered back on the bed.

He ran a shaking hand through his hair. Honest to god, if the Mafia didn't get to him first he's sure Mia would.

They stared at Chrome.

"Mia caused the fire?" Takeshi repeated in disbelief.

Chrome nodded, her single eye downcast. After Reborn had kicked them out they decided to wait by the hotel's cafe. They took over one of the tables at the very back.

"She had a nightmare and well..." she helplessly waved her hand around, unable to describe her fear when she woke up to the sound of glass shattering and saw her friend curled in on herself, fire spewing from under her like a demon summoning gone wrong. "I didn't know what to do so I... knocked her out."

Ryohei placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't look so glum about it. You extremely did the right thing. Matteis might not have snapped out of it."

Hayato tilted his seat back and tied his hair into a ponytail. "Its the first time this happened for the Lady." He thought on back for the last few months. Even after the Varia it had never gotten to this point where her nightmares had left her so shaken. "Did something trigger it?" he wondered. No one replied, unsure. Chrome silently shook her head.

He eyed the girl critically. He still didn't trust Chrome but he didn't deny that she cared for the Lady and if he had to be really honest with himself, it was better than having Mukuro around.

"Chrome," he called out to her. She turned to him. "Thanks for looking after the Lady."

A little taken back, she stuttered a quick thanks. Takeshi slung an arm around his shoulders. "I know its surprising Chrome but Hayato is secretly a marshmallow. You'll get used to it."

The bomber slapped his arm off. "You looking for a fight baseball freak?"

"Octopus head can be a bit brash but he means well."

"I don't want to hear that from you lawn head!"

The two jocks laughed and Chrome smiled shyly. They settled for a comfortable silence for a bit.

"So the little cub finally showed her fangs."

They jumped. Hibari stood to the side in his black sleep clothes, a cup of coffee in hand and Hibird on his shoulder.

"Hibari! Where have you been all this time?" Ryohei asked him.

To their surprise, he replied "I was asleep."

They wondered how he could have slept through the entire commotion and the sprinklers. He didn't elaborate further and sipped his coffee.

Hayato rewinded what he said. "Wait, what do you mean her 'fangs'?"

Hibari didn't reply and just walked away. Hibird hopped around his shoulder to face them. "Mi Mi wake up! Wake up! Little cub wake up!"

Chrome placed a hand against her mouth. "S-So cute," she murmured.

Hayato clicked his tongue. "As usual, nothing much to say."

When they returned to the room after some time, their found their friends fast asleep. Tsuna was sitting upright against a column of pillows, his head tilted back as he snored, looking completely spent. On his lap with a pillow was Mia. She was curled in, facing his stomach. Takeshi didn't waste time snapping a picture with his phone.

"What's that for?" Hayato hissed quietly at him.

Takeshi grinned. "Aw come on, that's adorable."

Hayato rolled his eyes.

Due to the events of last night, their plans to leave for Venice had been pushed back. Instead, they were scheduled to leave the hotel mid morning after Bianchi had finished shopping for new clothes for the girls as most of their belongings had been lost to the fire.

"Isn't this... a little excessive?" Mia stared at her new traveling trunk filled with an assortment of clothes and underwear Bianchi brought. She held a low cut tank up. She looked over to Chrome and pouted. Most of the clothes Bianchi got for her were very cute.

Bianchi dismissed her concern. "Nonsense. The Vongola is paying for it so don't worry about it." She leaned closer to her. "Anyways, you should get ready soon. We're heading to Venice after all."

Mia bit her lip. She was still spooked by last night but she was looking forward to their next destination. She didn't know why the long way to Sicily but she didn't mind. Venice... It was a beautiful city that was rich with history. It was a bit embarrassing but she wanted to have a date with Tsuna there.

Maybe go on a romantic gondola ride or attend the mask festival... It was a bit late to go to the latter but a girl can dream right?

She picked a pair of high-waist denim shorts and a short-sleeved cream blouse with a square cut that exposed her collarbone. Tying her hair back, she slipped on a pair of sneakers Bianchi also got her.

Bianchi nodded approvingly then unexpectedly pulled her blouse to look into.

"You should have gone for the black but blue suits you just fine."

"Bianchi!"

Unfortunately, Tsuna wouldn't get to appreciate anything - not the city and especially not her - as he had been asleep throughout the ride on the train as if he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night. Reborn theorized that absorbing her flames might have been a lot tougher on him that they thought.

It wasn't like this with Xanxus but Mia briefly remembered the time when Ian had taken the full brunt of her flames once and had been out of it for several hours. She had to partially agree with the hitman on that one.

When he was awake, he was groggy, always blinking blearily. He didn't pay much attention to what went around him and he stayed that way for the rest of the day until they arrived at Venice where the moment he stepped into a gondola, he was on his way to puke-ville. Not used to the motion on smaller boats, his usually tan complexion turned green.

Both Bianchi and Chrome gave her sympathetic looks from the other boat as she rubbed soothing circles on his back. Well, she supposed she was expecting too much. Aunty looked like she was having fun with the kids at least, taking pictures every other minute and her father was pleasantly conversing with Turmeric. Ways behind them on his own boat, the Chairman was pleasantly snoozing away.

There was a snap and she turned in her seat to look behind her. Takeshi grinned at her with his own camera in hand and she giggled.

Well, there wouldn't be any romantic dates but at least she'll be able to hang with her friends. The thought cheered her up immensely.

"Hey, what's that?" Lambo pointed out to the water. Small waves were heading towards them, causing surrounding gondolas and boats to move along with it.

Reborn's pacifier began to glow brilliantly.

"Wait, who - ?" Mia never got to finish her sentence as their gondola lurched forward. They grabbed on just in time but the motion set Tsuna off and instead of puking over the side, a rainbow explosion happened on her lap.

Everybody looked at them in horror. The gondolier took his hat off and Lambo guffawed, pointing a finger at them. Tsuna was still reeling and Mia had a lap full of his lunch.

"My... Lady?" Hayato hesitantly called out.

"Not. A. Word." She seethed. Her face burned and she tried very hard not to lose her temper. They quickly docked and she immediately jumped put, trying not to gag in disgust as she headed to the nearest shop. A friendly old lady that had seen the whole thing through her window kindly offered her their bathroom and even sold her a summer dress from a shop connected to her home that Mia had to pay out of her own pocket.

Twenty euros! She would have bargained had she been in the mood. But at least the dress was lovely, if a bit revealing for her taste. It was a blue floral button down placket with a pencil silhouette and frilly shoulder straps. The skirt ended several inches from her knees and had to buy another pair of shorts. On her breast rested the order's token looking like for all intents and purposes, just an ordinary pendant. After cleaning her legs up, she stuffed her soiled clothes in a plastic bag the old lady was nice to give her.

For a moment she picked and adjusted her clothes, wondering if they suit her. Taking a deep breath she looked at her reflection. "You can do this Mia," she murmured to herself. "You look fine. Vomit-free." She cracked up at her own joke and shook her head.

She shook her shoulders to loosen the tension. "Alright!" she quickly left the bathroom before she lost her nerve. Tsuna lifted his head when she came out, eyes widening as they took her in from top to bottom. She felt a rush of pleasure the way his eyes darkened.

"Woah!" Takeshi exclaimed when he saw her. He gave her the thumbs up.

Feeling a little bit assured she cracked a smile and returned the gesture. Bianchi beamed at her from the side. She headed straight for them, pointedly ignoring Tsuna's heated stare.

"Twirl," she requested. It felt silly but she did as was asked. Pride shined through the older woman's goggles. "Very nice Mia."

"But..." Bianchi leaned in and pulled her pony tail off and her hair tumbled down. There was a flustered gargle behind them and Mia flushed. "Much better. Give him a little hell for earlier." The hit woman winked at her as she rearranged her hair.

A familiar weight pressed on her shoulder. "That's right," Reborn conceded. "Make sure you torture Dame-Tsuna a bit."

She chuckled. "Ne Reborn," Mia started, lowering her voice. "Your pacifier was glowing earlier. Do you have any idea who would be nearby?"

Reborn hummed as her other friends drew closer. Mia continued to ignore Tsuna who was flanked by his storm and rain. "Not sure, Colonello is currently at Rio right now. Whoever it is, I'm sure they'll show up soon."

Her eyes flickered worriedly to her father that stood alongside Tsuna's mother, watching them. It's been a long time since she's seen him this relaxed and she did not want any Mafia business to mess this up. Just to keep up appearances that nothing sketchy was going on and they weren't gathered around Reborn for some suspicious reason, she smiled and gestured at herself inquiringly. Nicolas motioned at his neck area, clearly wanting her to cover herself up but Nana elbowed him in the ribs. Her father doubled in himself, holding his side, not expecting the strength the younger woman had.

"You look lovely Mia-chan!"

Mia waved back, a bit stiff, not expecting that either. Reborn tapped her shoulder. "Mia, I'm going to start your training now."

"Now? As is now, now?" He pinched her cheek.

"Yes now." He hopped into Bianchi's arms. "I'm assuming everyone here knows what happened last night?" They all nodded and Mia felt herself heat up in embarrassment. "I would have preferred to shoot you with a dying will bullet but that wouldn't be productive with your Father and Tsuna around."

"Damn straight," Tsuna muttered from behind her.

Reborn continued. "Instead, you'll be practicing the methods that the Order taught you. Don't look so shocked. I'm your tutor, you think I wouldn't notice?" She gaped. Reborn must have seen the uneasiness on her face and smirked. "Don't worry, I don't know the specifics. It's all guesswork but I know enough. If you can release your flames at a low input and maintain that, you should be able to get a feel on how to control it."

Mia stared in wonder at the hitman. He was able to deduce that much? Granted, he also created a training outline for the Zero-Point Breakthrough with nothing but breadcrumb second-hand information. Maybe his fake diploma wasn't for show after all.

"So... why wait until we got here?"

"In the case you lose control on your flames, there's plenty of water to go around."

She took it back. Reborn was unbelievable. "You can't be serious."

"Heh. Try not to set anything on fire. Its a beautiful city after all." He clapped his hands, motioning for her to start.

"Here? Like right now?" In front of her father and everyone else in broad daylight?

"No time like the present Mia."

"Maybe we can do this someplace with... less people?" Tsuna suggested, coming to stand beside her. Reborn ignored him and continued to stare at her expectantly. She swallowed. Well, she could certainly give it a try. She had been practicing meditation over the last few months and it helped her immensely with her schoolwork and a matter of all other things but she hadn't tried releasing any of her flames since that time with the Ninth. After Ian's warning that overusing some skills could kill her... she kind of lost enthusiasm to pursue that. Tracking she could do just fine but that was about it.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. All eyes settled on her. Slipping into the breathing habit and pushing everything else out was easy but remembering the feeling of the flames themselves took a few minutes. It was impossible to forget but eventually she found it and when she opened her eyes, her vision were filled with brilliant lights.

Tsuna's orange was prevalent among the bunch that were her friends, his flames were still that beautiful deep orange, like the last rays of light at sunset. She was pleased that there wasn't a smudge of the the dark orange of wrath in him anymore or did it blend in with his flames? There was a richness to him that was new to her since she last saw him.

"Mia... are you okay?" Tsuna's voice was distant in her ears.

"Yeah," she murmured and switched to looking at their friends. Takeshi was blue, like Squalo, but his was more lighthearted. Ryohei was like Reborn but his was a bright yellow, a happy color. Hayato was dominantly a scarlet red but had streaks of green, blue, yellow and purple. Now that was interesting. She squinted at her friend.

"Uh... my Lady?"

Everybody around or from what she could mostly see, only had one color or flame but Hayato had several. Intrigued, she filed that piece of information away in her head. If she ever ran into Ian again and he didn't kill her on sight, she'd ask him about it. She turned to Chrome. Speaking of Ian, Chrome seemed to share a similar color to the fox but hers was soft and muted in contrast with Ian's blaring harshness. Bianchi was scarlet as well, like her brother, but she didn't have multiple streaks like Hayato did.

"Alright Mia, give it a try." Reborn ordered her.

Slowly, she reached behind her neck and unclasped her necklace. Ian's flames had long faded from the token and as it sat on the palm of her hand. If she was going to do this, she'd need a conduit.

"Wait!" Tsuna interrupted. "Chrome, maybe you can set up an illusion? Just around us."

"Good idea." She smiled at him, her previous annoyance with him forgotten at the moment.

"Yes, boss." Chrome reached into her bag and pulled out her trident. Mia watched with fascination as it flared with misty indigo then expanded, creating a dome of light mist around them.

"Woah," she breathed in wonder. Reborn clapped his hands again to catch her attention. "Right, sorry."

She readied herself. "Here's goes nothing," she breathed and dived deep in her self. She willed a ribbon of fire to rise to her palm. She tried to ignore the thought at how similar it was to her dream as it winded around her arm. Easy does it... what happened next, they were sorely unprepared for.

Fire burst from her palm like a geyser the moment it touched the metal, it slammed against the roof of the dome and nearly broke the illusion entirely. There were mixes of shouts and curses as they all jumped back. Gritting her teeth, she yanked the ribbon away from the token, severing the stream of fire. The result feeling like she pulled a muscle in her arm and shocking her out of her sight. She hissed as she held her arm. Strong hands steadied her.

"Mia?" Tsuna's concerned whisper cleared her head.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she assured him and flexed her arm.

"Huh," Reborn commented, sounding pleasantly surprised. "That was a lot stronger than I intentionally thought. Try to lessen it." Again? She thought, not wanting to do it again. Reborn's look didn't book for any objections.

"You sure you want to keep doing this?" Tsuna asked worriedly, still holding her arms. His touch anchored her, filling her with confidence and she nodded. She glanced at her father that was locked in a heated debate with Oregano. She couldn't risk losing control again. One more.

"Hold me?" She murmured. His hands tightened.

"I've got you," he promised.

She can do this. She had the drive for it, as she recalled Ian saying once. One more... if a ribbon was too much then a string should do. She willed for a thin one to come up, as thin as a hair strand. It was difficult calling up on something so small and fine but the image was there, all she had to do was maintain it. It winded around her arm and she hesitated for a second, wondering if the token would zap out of her hand or something. Sensing her hesitation, Tsuna squeezed her biceps encouragingly. She let it connect.

A small fire bloomed in her hand like candlelight.

"There you go." Reborn nodded approvingly. She could distantly hear her friends cheering but she didn't dare take her focus away from the small fire in her hand. Didn't even dare to breathe too deeply. The moment she looses her concentration, she knew it would be like a dam breaking and that... that was bad if her strained arm was anything to go by.

"Try to maintain that for three hours every day and let's see where you go from there."

She nodded, sweat beading on her brow.

"Alright, let it go."

With a deep sigh, she let her flames retract inside. "Mia-san, you okay?" Chrome asked her.

Faintly realizing that she was breathing heavily, she nodded as she waited for her ears to work normally again.

Reborn observed her. "Its hard now but like Tsuna, you'll get used to it." She nodded again. Ryohei handed her a bottle of water that she took gratefully. As she drank it nearly empty, Chrome lifted her illusion. "Also, don't do this without Tsuna and I around. If any case you lose control, Tsuna can clean up your mess."

She nodded again.

"You kids doing okay?" Nicolas approached them suddenly. Most of them jumped. "Having fun?"

"It's extremely interesting here Sensei!"

"Yeah, who knew a city like this existed?" Takeshi laughed.

Her father's eyes glinted at that. "Hmmn... its a little late for today but would any of you be interested for a short tour around?"

And just like that her father had commandeered their entire group through the city, launching into a mini-lecture that caught not only her friend's attention but surrounding tourists as well. He led them to the St Mark's Basilica. Mia had hung back with Tsuna and Reborn, still a bit spent at the earlier exercise.

A random tourist raised a hand and she giggled when her father pointed at him like he would a normal student.

"Yes?"

She couldn't make out the man's question as they were so far out in the back but her father's voice rang out clear in the middle of the busy square. She was just as engrossed as everybody else when she felt Tsuna tug on her arm.

"Hey Mia?"

"Hmm?"

"About earlier, I'm really sorry." She turned to face him. Tsuna had his large kitten eyes on. Well, if he thought that was going to work... he was fifty percent right. She didn't respond and turned back around, not willing to forgive just yet. She heard him sighed dejectedly, his arms hanging loosely on his sides. Deciding to let him off just a tiny bit, she intertwined her left hand to his right and felt him squeeze it right back.

"Aww, you're no fun Mia. At least make him beg on his knees." Reborn settled on Tsuna's head.

"Reborn!" Tsuna hissed.

"Eyes on your sixth Tsuna," Reborn had said it so low she nearly didn't hear it. Instantly, his grip on her hand tightened and he tugged her closer.

He was quiet for a moment. "It's just one person I think," he murmured against her hair.

A lump formed in her throat. An enemy? Here? She forced the rising panic down and kept her expression neutral. "A friendly or no?" she asked.

"Hasn't dad noticed yet?"

"He has," Reborn said. "Is he aware that they're nearby? Not quite." Iemitsu seemed just as absorbed as the rest of the crowd.

Mia switched sights and she quickly turned around to hug Tsuna. He was surprised but didn't pull back. His arms came around her waist naturally.

"Not that I mind Mia but your dad - "

She shushed him. Over his shoulder, her eyes scanned the surrounding area. Her ability didn't give her the power to see through walls - or maybe it did if she tried hard enough - but she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary - wait! There by the corner of the building! She squinted. It was a small figure, the size of a baby that was colored purple. If Reborn's pacifier was yellow and it matched his inner flames then the only Arcobaleno that she knew with a purple pacifier was -

"Is that...Skull?"

"Oh, so its just an idiot."

Author's Notes:

*Puts on big sister hat* So I always think that its important for couples to talk things out, especially first time ones. People often assume things on each other,resulting in expectations and misunderstandings. Always try talking things out in a respectful manner, help each other figure out what you want in the relationship. Compromising is key for me and this also applies to other relationships.

Here, I'm poking a bit on the sexual aspect of their relationship. They're still young but its during this time that teens do become curious even though I myself wasn't like that. Plenty of my peers were though. I'm not ashamed to admit I had more love for 2D guys than real guys at the time.

Fortunately they were best friends first so they have a good understanding and grasp of one another and that's a start. Romance is a whole new other territory, with its own set of challenges. I'll do my best not to butcher this.

Alright, *takes hat off*. So had a lot of fun with this chapter. It's still light and fun but next few... wouldn't be as light and fun. May the fluff from this chapter carry you readers through the rest. I also expanded a bit more on the lore of the Dying Will Flames. Yay!

Also, I'm still seeing grammatical errors in past chapters. I'm gonna go back and fix those over the weekend. Back when I was editing them, I was split in doing them on my computer at home then on my phone at work. So I missed a lot. Bugger.

Hi Readers:

Alexia Colette - I was about to sleep when my phone beeped and your review popped up. My sister smacked me for laughing out of nowhere. Also, thank you for your previous wonderful reviews.

Ghost of Magic - "Vongola's Sky Informant" That has a really nice ring to it. I like how you think.

starrat - Its really great to see a familiar name :) Thanks for always leaving a review.

lazyymusicfreak - Long chapters? Definitely. For the sequel, I planned it still within their first year of high school. Might be by the end of the year. There would be a minor time skip :)

HuangBaiLian - Another! *smashes mug* - Thor

Xmidniteangel15X - maybe one day I might do a little omake or save the idea for a future chapter. Who knows? Its a fun plot bunny to set aside. I'm glad that the adults being more active made you happy and about your question with Mia's family... her grandfather maybe but I'm still considering her Uncle ;)

mintDesco - huehuehuehue

The Solitary Tempest - glad it helped and thank you for your review!

Hahi - glad to hear Mia left an impact on you, hope you can continue to enjoy this story :)

Well guys, another chapter posted, another week of waiting. I really hope you guys enjoy this, thanks for reading!