idk what warnings to put here so pls lmk if you guys need anything tagged :0

Everybody walked off the plane tense and guarded. Nobody spoke much on the plane ride over. It was an odd change from the loud and obnoxious group they usually were.

They were escorted to a modestly big house in three black cars. It was the house Luce lived in before everybody went to Japan. The six siblings and Luce all had their own rooms because of that. Yamamoto, Gokudera, and Tsuna all crashed into one of the bigger guest rooms.

Tsuna was the first one up because he heard his phone chiming. He had fallen into a fitful sleep so it hadn't taken much to wake him up. He felt around underneath his pillow blindly and half asleep, checking the screen. There was an email. There wasn't much of a decipherable email and it had no subject. Tsuna found that odd but in his sleep muddled state, he didn't dwell on it too much.

He rubbed his eyes as he opened the email and felt his heart drop.

Inside the email was a picture of Reborn. The entire left side of his face had splotches of purple and blue. There were old and new bruises along his neck that Tsuna could see too. His lip had split and there was dried blood flaking on his chin and just peeking out of the corner of his mouth.

"No", Tsuna mumbled without thinking.

Tsuna locked his phone and slide it back under his pillow slowly. He got up and walked to the bathroom, closing the door softly. He slid down to the floor, curling in on himself. He was hoping nobody had woken up from his phone going off. If the other two saw the picture...Tsuna wasn't even sure what they'd do. He wished he hadn't seen it. He could feel his stomach starting to turn just thinking about it.

Reborn...he didn't look alive in that picture. His lips looked blue underneath the blood…Tsuna's worst fears had been realized too quickly. He realized that Reborn could very well be dead. And there was nothing they could even do.

Tsuna buried his face into his knees and felt a small sob build in his chest. It felt so hopeless. There were no ways of finding these people. The only thing they had to go on was that they maybe, could be, underneath a wind farm in a church. They were in Europe. They had churches on every block probably. His chest felt too tight as he realized how little they had to go on. No leads, no evidence, nothing.

He clutched his chest, feeling tears well up in his eyes. This was so infuriating. He hated this. He couldn't stand having so many questions and next to no answers.

There was a knock on the door and a sob escaped Tsuna before he could stop it. He clamped his hands over his mouth, feeling tears rush out of his eyes. He didn't want to explain what was happening. He couldn't explain it.

But the door opened anyways and Yamamoto walked in. He paused for a second before he shut the door and sat down. He ignored Tsuna, waiting for him to finish furiously wiping his face.

"Are you okay?" Yamamoto finally asked.

"I'm fine", Tsuna said a little too quickly.

Yamamoto looked down at Tsuna before sighing. "Gokudera went to go get you some water. We heard you moving and thought you were getting a drink. But we realized there were no cups in here! He'll probably get food so we can eat in here before you go back to bed. It's still early so you have time."

"I don't want to sleep alone", Tsuna mumbled. "I'll stay up, don't worry."

"You kept moving in your sleep. It didn't sound like a very good one so you'll eat before going back to bed. It'll work out."

Tsuna sniffed, rubbing his eye again. He didn't answer, not seeing the point. He knew Yamamoto was right and wasn't going to argue. He just wasn't sure he deserved it.

"You look like you need a hug." Yamamoto announced after a few moments. "Am I allowed?"

"Oh…" Tsuna picked at his nails before nodding. "Yeah, that'd be nice."

Yamamoto smiled before pulling Tsuna to his chest. He felt Tsuna shake slightly, burying himself as far as possible against Yamamoto as he could. He tried to match Yamamoto's breathing so he would calm down but it didn't work as he couldn't forget about the thought of what was going to happen to Reborn. He could feel himself starting to panic again and he gently pushed himself away from Yamamoto as he started shaking, his chest hurting again. It wasn't the same kind of pain that was centred in his lungs.

"Hey, Tsuna, you can tell me what's wrong if you need to", Yamamoto said softly. Tsuna looked up fearfully and Yamamoto smiled patiently. "We're friends! If I couldn't support you, what kind of friend am I?"

Tsuna laughed, trying once again to wipe his eyes. It didn't work as he had started crying again and he felt Yamamoto grab his hand.

"I won't get too close until you say it's okay but holding your hand will help, right?"

Tsuna nodded, feeling his breathing pick up. He pulled his bangs away from his face as he tried to calm down. He couldn't though as all he could think of was that damn picture and the fact that Reborn was dead and how they were no closer to finding him and so much was going wrong-

There was another knock on the door and Tsuna flinched harshly. Gokudera walked in with a water bottle and some snacks. He put them on the counter before he sat on the other side of Tsuna. He didn't say anything; just silently took Tsuna's other hand and squeezed it gently before letting go. That small gesture was enough to make Tsuna finally explain about the picture and how scared he was about what had happened.

Not once was he interrupted and when he had finally faltered and stopped, Yamamoto handed him water and some tissues. His nose was running and he was sobbing as he talked. Gokudera had scooted closer and Tsuna was the one to grab his hand this time as he needed it now.

"Who's phone is ringing..?" Gokudera asked.

Tsuna listened before recognizing his ringer. He stood up and tore out of the bathroom, tripping over himself as he ran over to his bed, ripping his phone out. He collapsed to his knees as he saw the same "Unknown Caller" ID come up.

"...Hello?" Tsuna said hesitantly.

There was a moment of silence before he heard Reborn groggily mutter into the phone, "You've been crying."

Tsuna let out a shaky laugh. "It doesn't matter. D-Did you just wake up?"

"Sadly. I was put to sleep for hours." He coughed before groaning. "I would've thought they'd...make me keep sleeping…just skip over the phone call of the day."

"Well, if it means we get to talk and I know you're alive." Tsuna said half-heartedly. He sat back on his heels and leaned against the bed behind him. "Did they do much to you?"

"Oh, I have some stories. Don't think they'll appreciate me telling you though."

"Can't be rebelling, no."

Reborn laughed weakly. "I'm about to fall back asleep…'M tired."

"I'll see you soon. Go to bed." Tsuna said fondly. Reborn mumbled something but the call was ended before Tsuna could ask what he said.

He looked at the phone screen, feeling his mood plummet even further. His phone was being taken out of his hand though and he was being steered onto his bed. Water was thrusted into his hand and so was a bag of graham crackers. He didn't do anything but eat numbly. It was the only thing he could do. He heard people talking to him but he only made soft sounds or nodded. He wasn't sure he could focus even if he tried.

Soon he was climbing back into his bed and underneath the covers. He pulled them over his head so he wouldn't have to awkwardly explain what was wrong. He didn't want to do that again. He wasn't sure if he could even manage it.

When he had woken up though, he wished somebody was there. It was light when he woke up again. Tsuna fumbled for his phone to check the time and saw that it was almost noon. They had all gotten into their rooms near eight and all crashed by nine. Tsuna had been woken up at three though and had two panic attacks.

Remembering what happened was embarrassing. Tsuna felt his insides turn at the thought of having to face his two friends. He hated how he had broken down so much in front of them and felt shame boil inside of him at the very thought it could happen again.

He tried to push that out of his mind as he got up though. He took a shower and got ready before creeping into the hallway. He had no idea where to go to get to where everybody was. When he tried to email Gokudera and Yamamoto, the messages didn't deliver. He was walking around dimly, trying to figure out where everything wasnow.

Tsuna walked down the stairs. He wasn't paying attention to what he was doing though and instead tripped down the stairs. He rested at the bottom, his eyes closed, just breathing. He was trying to calm himself and not get angry at himself for being so clumsy. He heard somebody stop walking near his head and he peaked his eyes open.

Mukuro was leaning over him, looking mildly concerned. Tsuna felt his stomach turn inside out as he locked eyes with Mukuro. He smiled, offering his hand, but Tsuna stumbled away. He was shaking his head furiously, backing away from Mukuro and trying to put as much space between the two as possible. Mukuro wouldn't take the hint though and was walking nearer.

"Tsunayoshi, please-" He started to say but Tsuna cut across him.

"Don't!" He said. He was shaking and he hugged himself to try and hide it. "Please, don't talk to me."

"Can I have one conversation with you?" Mukuro asked. He tried to put his hand on Tsuna's shoulder in a comforting gesture but Tsuna collapsed to the ground to avoid being touched. Mukuro hesitated before he dropped his hand limply to his side.

"Tsuna!" Gokudera yelled. He came over, kneeling down beside him. He saw Mukuro and his face changed into a snarl as he stood up, getting in Mukuro's face and growled, "Get the fuck away from him."

"Who's going to make me?" Mukuro said smugly.

"You'd rather not find that out", Gokudera said angrily. He stepped away and leaned over Tsuna, helping him stand up. "I better not see you near Tsuna alone again or so help me-"

"You'll do what exactly?"

"Don't push it."

Gokudera turned and helped Tsuna sit down in another room, closing and locking the door behind him so Mukuro couldn't follow. It was hard to get Tsuna to sit down as he was so rigid but when he did, he put his head in his hands, and stared at the floor. Gokudera left him be as he sat in another chair and started reading.

Tsuna couldn't breathe very well again and he felt dizzy and his chest hurt and he was so scared. He was having a flashback to what happened underneath the pool and Mukuro's hands on him and how violated he felt. It was a miracle when his mind started to drift. He knew he was starting to dissociate.

But he remembered something Reborn had told him weeks before any of this started. He looked over at Gokudera reading and cleared his throat. Gokudera looked up curiously but Tsuna couldn't make eye contact so he wasn't sure if he was going to even be listening. But he needed to say something so Tsuna started talking breathlessly.

"Reborn told me about how Angelo plays dirty and that when he was in that camp last time, some of the parents actually thought this was going to help their kid. They weren't selling their kids to this group or anything. The people let the kids send letters home and the parents didn't believe what the kids were saying about what was happening. Only one parent believed their kid though and they collected all of the letters and took them to the police.

"The police came to the camp and Angelo pinned the entire thing on one person in the group so they arrested him but left the rest of the kids alone. After that, nobody was allowed to send letters. Whoever tried were hurt in front of everybody and the parents that told the police, their kid died in a car accident a week later. It took a few more weeks for Reborn to escape though so the police didn't think it was connected."

"Wait", Gokudera muttered. "What happened to that person that the police arrested?"

"He was put in the big prison. I think Reborn said it was in Si-Siclary?"

"Sicily! Of course! That's where we are right now!" Gokudera bolted to his feet, talking fast. He looked at Tsuna, grinning. "I'll be back, Tsuna. Don't move from there."

"Don't leave me alone", Tsuna muttered fearfully. He let his eyes flick to the locked door before he looked back at Gokudera. He nodded, going to the door.

"Okay, don't worry. I'll get somebody to keep you company in our room. You're probably tired so take a rest."

"I slept too long. I-I don't need rest."

Gokudera looked over his shoulder critically before he beckoned to somebody to walk over. Colonnello appeared in the doorway, looking confused. Gokudera explained in a low voice what was happening and he seemed to understand, walking into the room while Gokudera ran off.

"Hey, Tsuna!" Colonnello said. Tsuna flinched at the volume but gave a weak smile. "Do you mind if I sit down? I'm gonna keep you company, might as well be comfy while doing it."

"Y-Yeah, I don't mind", Tsuna mumbled. He pulled his knees to his chest and tried to make himself as small as possible but he was falling asleep and kept leaning sideways.

After ten minutes, Colonnello just pulled Tsuna to him, saying, "Reborn told me you're more comfortable sleeping next to somebody so hopefully I'm a good substitute while Reborn's gone, hey!"

Tsuna was already almost asleep and just mumbled a small, "Yeah", before falling asleep. He dimly felt a blanket covering him and somebody sitting at his feet. Voices were talking over him too but it was a soft lull that helped him sleep better.

Colonnello was asleep when he woke up again. He tried not to move, not wanting to wake the other. He felt heat rising up his neck as he realized how close the two were. He looked over to try and distract himself and saw Lal Mirch looking at him, just watching him.

"Don't tell Reborn about this. He'll try to fight Colonnello." Lal said. Tsuna laughed, feeling his face hurt from the smile.

"Why would he be mad?" Tsuna asked curiously.

Lal gave a snort. "Colonnello has a habit of forgetting to ask people's boundaries. He was livid when he found out Colonnello was trying to talk to you and was getting annoyed you wouldn't actually say anything."

"I thought he looked annoyed", Tsuna said quietly.

"In my defense, I didn't know you had something wrong with your throat." Colonnello spoke up.

Tsuna flinched, falling onto the floor. Lal pushed Colonnello's head forward so he wouldn't laugh. It didn't help as Tsuna also let out a small, weak laugh as he picked himself back up.

Gokudera ran back into the room then. He was grinning, panting with the exertion. Tsuna, Lal, and Colonnello all looked at each other, wondering what could possibly be so exciting.

"We found where Angelo is", Gokudera said breathlessly. He leaned against his knees, trying to catch his breath. But it didn't work as he started talking a mile a minute. "Tsuna, what you said. The person arrested last time...we got him on a secure phone line...he spilled everything. Angelo only has one other hiding spot besides the last camp. And it's underneath a wind farm in-in Germany."

Tsuna looked hopefully at Gokudera. "When are we leaving."

"As soon as everybody knows."

Tsuna hurried after Gokudera, Lal and Colonnello following at a slower pace. The two went and found everybody and directed them to meet in the dining room. Luce was already waiting with Mukuro and finally, Tsuna and Gokudera dropped into chairs beside Yamamoto.

There was a buzz in the room as people tried to ask what was happening, trying to be heard first. Luce held up her hand and the noise slowly died. When it was silent, Luce cleared her throat, standing up to her full height.

"It's come to our attention that Angelo has another hiding spot. In Berlin, they're hiding within the mountains. I know that it is illegal for us to be doing this but I've got a few favours to call in with influential people that might help us pull this off." Luce looked at Tsuna as she paused, looking sympathetic before she continued. "Mukuro and his cousin, Chrome, have a very influential family in the underground. Mukuro has agreed to get them to help us and they'll be here shortly. In the meanwhile, all of you are to pack some things and get ready to leave within the next few hours."

Everybody scrambled to get ready and Tsuna was trying to leave quickly but Luce called out to him, making him stop.

"Tsuna, can you stay back a minute?" She asked.

He looked back and saw Mukuro still sitting and Luce walking around the table. She beckoned Tsuna to come closer and he did so cautiously, giving a wide berth to Mukuro's chair as he walked by.

"I need you to make amends with Mukuro before we leave", Luce said. Tsuna stared at her, waiting for her to continue but she just stared back. "It's getting foolish to be so afraid of him. Make amends so we can work towards getting Reborn back."

She smiled in what she must've thought was a motherly way before leaving, closing the door behind her so Tsuna had no choice but to be alone with Mukuro.

He hugged his arms around his stomach, tasting bile in his throat as he heard Mukuro get up. He tried to edge along the wall, away from him. But Mukuro blocked his way. Tsuna guessed he was trying to look friendly but Tsuna could never think of him like that.

"I am sorry for what I've put you through", Mukuro said. Tsuna didn't move, staring at the opposite wall. "Being so afraid will just hinder what we're trying to do, though. Luce is right. We have to forgive and forget."

Tsuna felt his lip quiver and his voice shook as he spoke, "Do you know what it's like to wake up terrified because it's too dark? Or how I can't smell chlorine without thinking about a pool and how underneath that...Do you know what it's like to stay in the bath, scrubbing your legs just to get the feeling of hands off of you?"

"...I do not know those feelings." Mukuro admitted evenly.

"How can you tell me to forgive you when Reborn had to guide me through a flashback that lasted hours", Tsuna's voice broke and he couldn't talk anymore. His hands shook and he tried to leave. Mukuro caught his arms though so he couldn't move. Tsuna let out a terrified whimper, going weak as he closed his eyes, waiting for Mukuro to snap and start guilting him.

But Mukuro dropped his hands from Tsuna's arms. He entwined their fingers together and looked longingly at their hands. "I never wanted to hurt you so much. I did care for you...But Angelo took Chrome from me. She's the closest family member I have...They said the only way to get her back was to hurt Reborn. And the only way to do that was through you."

"M-Me?" Tsuna said in disbelief. "What could I possibly-"

"He's in love with you, Tsuna. I saw it. He hides his emotions well but when he's tired...things slip."

Tsuna yanked his hand out of Mukuro's, looking furiously up at Mukuro. "So you only got close to me so you could get to Reborn?"

"Not at first…"

"That still doesn't excuse it. You-You-"

"I know what I did, Tsuna. It was directions from Angelo to do what I did. I'm not proud of it. I...regret it almost as much as what I put you through before Angelo."

Mukuro tried to push hair behind Tsuna's ear but Tsuna had had enough. He gave a disgusted look to Mukuro before ducking around him. Mukuro caught his wrist and started to say something but Tsuna didn't care to listen any longer.

"Next time," Tsuna said harshly, looking back at Mukuro with angry tears in his eyes, "Next time you come near me and try to tell me to forgive you for ruining my already bad life, I'm not going to be so passive."

Tsuna fled the room, hurrying back to his shared room. He walked in and immediately Yamamoto swooped in, checking to see if he had any bruises. Tsuna smiled sheepishly, dancing away from Yamamoto.

"I-I'm fine." He had said. Yamamoto wasn't believing it but he caught Yamamoto's hands and gave a soft smile. "Really, it's fine."

"What did you two do. Do I have to find Mukuro?" Gokudera growled from his bed.

Tsuna shook his head. He explained what happened, how Luce said to make amends, how Mukuro tried to coerce him into agreeing, everything. Tsuna told the story as he started packing a small backpack. He needed something to do with his hands. But he finished packing first. He finally looked up and saw Gokudera and Yamamoto absolutely livid. Tsuna blinked, shocked at the reaction.

He faltered in his story and Gokudera said lowly, "If he ever comes near you again after we're finished getting Reborn and the others…" He didn't finish the threat but it was still sending chills down Tsuna's spine.

Yamamoto looked equally as angry, his eyes narrowed and hostile as he said, "Don't hesitate to call us, Tsuna. We won't mind."

"I-It's fine! Don't worry. Ms. Bianchi helped me a lot when she was teaching me self-defense. I think I'll be able to do more this time around."

The three soon finished packing, talking about what they could do to get Reborn out quickly. They weren't sure what they were getting into but discussing things to do in case helped them stay on task and distract Tsuna.

Everybody got back on a private plane this time. Mukuro had walked up front to greet the pilots while everybody else got situated. Tsuna tried to hide between Gokudera and Yamamoto but Mukuro still managed to sit near him. Tsuna couldn't help but feel like Mukuro enjoyed doing this to Tsuna.

Tsuna fell asleep the entire way so he was spared trying to avoid Mukuro's eye. The three fell asleep leaning against each other and Tsuna was sure there would be at least one picture sent to him.

They landed in Paris first. Tsuna was woken up so he could sit up and put on a seatbelt. They weren't in Paris long though. They only stopped to load more people onto the plane. They filed in quietly, sitting near the back with Mukuro. They start discussing things in rapid Italian with Mukuro, almost interrogating him.

The plane took off again and landed in Berlin by midnight. The people that got on in Paris were the first to get off and were urging everybody else to hurry up into the waiting cars. Mukuro directed all the drivers in German where to go before he got into a car with his family.

It was tense in the cars. Everybody was on edge and excited. They were excited they were so close to getting Reborn back but they were also on edge because it was going to be dangerous. There was no telling what they were going to see. But they barely had time to think about what was to come as they were all being shunted into a mansion buried behind tall trees. Mukuro was already walking off and most of the family members were following.

Staff hurried forward and took bags and people, guiding them to rooms and smiling happily as they chattered to them. It was completely lost on Tsuna and Yamamoto as they didn't know any kind of German and looked helplessly at the retreating figures of Reborn's siblings and Gokudera. They were all conversing in German, making the staff laugh.

But they were soon shut in their rooms for the night. Tsuna and Yamamoto shared a cramped room with bunk beds. Tsuna stared in concern at the top bunk, knowing it'd be smarter for him to take it. But deep in his heart he knew that he'd fall off in the middle of the night if he did.

"I call top bunk!" Yamamoto said enthusiastically. He ran and hoisted himself up, sitting with a hunch so he wouldn't hit the ceiling.

"I can take the top…" Tsuna said in disbelief.

"Pshhhh," Yamamoto said. "You won't go blah out of your bed like this!"

Tsuna just shook his head, climbing into the bottom bed. He pulled the blankets closer to him, sighing as he hugged them tighter. He was so close to getting Reborn back but he was scared. Reborn was going to be different. There was no doubt about it. It had taken months for Reborn to finally open up to Tsuna. All of that trust could be gone though from these people making Reborn have no faith in anybody but himself.

He knew it was selfish to be worried about how Reborn would act around him. He tried to forget about that fear, instead wondering how to help Reborn cope. There wasn't much he could think of but Reborn had done so much for Tsuna. He refused to leave him hanging like that when Reborn would need him the most.

man i never thought id have updated so soon but here we are...hopefully next chapter thingsll wrap up to where i want it omg

don't forget to leave a review please!

-Gate