Mio shivered in her jacket as she followed the three guys across the bridge. Her hands were firmly latched onto the bottom of Yamamoto's jacket and she looked terrified and miserable. "Eh, Kiyo-chan, you don't look so good. What's the matter?"

She shook her head and mumbled, "I'm not good with heights and bridges are especially scary. I can't sense anything up here. Everything is askew."

"Why are we going to a mountain in this weather?" Gokudera grumbled.

Yamamoto grinned, "We don't get to see nature like this very often, though."

"Yeah, it's an unexplored region that's not even on the map" Dino replied, "As an apology for hospitalizing Tsuna last time; I thought this would be a good place to have a heart-to-heart talk. Spending a night in a place like this deepens the family's unity."

Mio felt herself warming up at his words. She had been invited so she was part of the family, right? Gokudera interrupted her thoughts, growling, "What the heck are you talking about, you worthless bastard? Where's the Tenth! Is he really here?"

Dino stopped walking, "Can you tell if they're near Mio?"

She could only cling to Yamamoto weakly, shuddering. "Guess not then. Well, don't worry. He's already gone ahead with Reborn. Guessing from the time, they're probably having lunch."

They got to the end of the bridge and Mio took deep gulps of air, as she calmed down. Suddenly, her ears perked up; was that Tsuna screaming? She took off running in the direction of the sound and crashed straight into a tree. Spluttering, she tried to continue, only to trip over a tree root and faceplant on the ground. "Oi, woman! What the hell are you doing?"

"I heard Tenth screaming! Fuck! Why is there so much forest here?" she shouted, as she tripped over a branch on the ground.

"Ehh? Shit! Tenth!"

They grabbed her and ran towards where Tsuna should have been. To their shock, the boy was tied to a rock directly underneath a waterfall. The boy was screaming his head off and wailing pathetically. Dino rushed over, "What are you doing Reborn? We weren't going to train today!"

"It's boring to have a heart-to-heart talk on a mountain" the baby said, sipping tea. "So I decided to have some fun."

"Don't use me as your toy!" Tsuna yelled, as Gokudera helped untie the ropes.

"That's true. Then let's play with Enzo." Reborn said, taking out the turtle. He casually tossed it into the water.

"if you throw Enzo in the river…" Tsuna gulped. They all screamed and started running. As they crossed the bridge, Mio found herself completely lost and directionless. Suddenly the bridge gave way under her. She screamed as she fell. Underneath her, she could hear the bubbling of water, and then she hit it. The current immediately started sweeping her away, and she struggled uselessly. Blind, deaf, and unable to sense anything, she flailed in the water.

As she felt herself losing consciousness, a hand suddenly grabbed hers and pulled her from the river. She dragged herself out weakly, spitting out water and gasping for air. She was sobbing, tears pouring down her face, as she remembered just how helpless she had felt. She could feel someone rubbing her back comfortingly, but with all her senses thrown off, she couldn't tell who it was. When she had finally calmed down, she could hear the boys discussing their options in the wild. She wasn't paying very close attention, but she could tell that they had been joined by some others as well.

"Forest fire!"

"Oh no! We're surrounded by the fire!"

"Mio's still trapped over there!" Dino shouted suddenly. His urgent tone snapped the girl out of the daze she had been in and she realized that she had been separated from the others and was surrounded by fire. The smell of smoke and fire overwhelmed her and she slowly sank to the ground. Dimly, she heard someone yelling, the earth underneath her shook, and then water came raining down on her. The fire died out slowly and then she was picked up. The last thing she remembered before falling unconscious was the sound of a soothing voice, muttering fiercely, "Stupid woman."

Darkness, she couldn't feel anything, her lungs were killing her, burning, pain. She was going to die like this. Unable to see anything. "No!" she screamed, flailing, and sitting up abruptly.

"Am I awake?" she thought, "Or is this part of the nightmare…"

She could smell the scent of eggs and toast. "Okaa-san?" she thought. Throwing off the covers, she slowly made her way out of her room. She walked into the kitchen and a voice said, "Oh, you're finally up."

Her heart dropped. It wasn't her mother. Reality came crashing down on her again. Of course it wasn't her mother. Her parents had left her. She didn't realize it, but tears were pouring down her face again. "O-oi! What are you crying for? I'm sorry my breakfast isn't that good, okay?"

She stumbled over to the boy and clung onto him, sobbing, "Gokudera-kun…"

Although he wasn't sure what had suddenly caused her to break down, Gokudera was deeply worried. Reborn had told him that the girl carried a heavy past, but he had decided not to pry. Now he wasn't so sure. There was clearly something that she was keeping to herself that was tearing her apart.

"Oi, woman. I think it's time you tell me what happened in your past."

She hiccupped and nodded reluctantly. Bringing their breakfast plates to the table, he sat her down and then took a seat himself to listen to her story. "When I was a kid, I used to be really good at chemistry. My parents encouraged me, buying me supplies and challenging me to make new things. I thought they were proud of me. But it turned out that they were using me to make gunpowder and other explosives. When I was eight, they used my experiments along with some other bombs they had obtained and launched a terrorist attack."

It had been a normal morning. Mio had bid her parents goodbye and then rushed to her room to experiment with the chemicals she had been given. She had been mixing some extremely dangerous chemicals with the television on when she heard the report on the news. "The building is in flames, with 23 people trapped inside. The suspects of this incident are Kiyomizu Minoru and his wife Kiyomizu Emiko. They are currently on the run…"

She didn't hear the rest of the report; her mind in complete disarray as she tried to process the words that continued echoing repeatedly in her head. Too late she realized that she had taken her attention away from the chemicals she was working with. There was an explosion and everything went black.

When the police forced their way into the apartment an hour later, they found only a young girl, unconscious on the ground. She was not charged with her parents' crimes, but instead put into an orphanage. But Kiyomizu Mio was different from the other kids. She didn't attempt to get along with people, ignored their attempts to help her, and chose to show only a cold uncaring exterior. She was passed along foster home to foster home. And the more she was pushed away, the more she pushed others away.

"Mio-chan, you left your cane at home. Don't forget to bring it with you, alright?"

The girl accepted the white stick sullenly, even as she muttered, "I don't need it to get around." But no one heard her. Of course they didn't. All they could see was a broken blind girl who needed other people's help to do anything. She was being pitied everywhere she went and the feeling made her blood boil.

While it was true that the cane had originally made it easier for her to get around, it wasn't necessary anymore. She had already tuned her senses into the world around her. She could hear and feel much more reliably than a stick could guide her around. But no one tried to understand this, instead forcing the cane on her. It was a reminder, she knew, for them as well as her, to treat her gently. Because she was blind.

"I can't take it anymore! That girl is always trying to run off, always causing trouble at school, always doing things she shouldn't be doing! I'm tired of it! The neighbors are talking about us!"

"Honey, she's been through a lot. You can't expect her to suddenly adjust-"

"It's been 5 years since the accident! How much longer does she need? There are other foster homes that can take her, but I can't handle her anymore!"

A book dropped on the floor and the two adults whirled around to see Mio standing there quietly. She mumbled an apology and rushed out, ignoring the man's calls. It was time to end this. She refused to be passed around like an unwanted piece of baggage. If no one wanted her, then she would live on her own. The government was giving her stipends to live off of. She could easily survive on her own. Grabbing her stuff, she quickly hurried out of the building. She ignored the pair of shoes and chose to go barefoot. As she stepped onto the street, she could feel the vibrations of the people moving around her. Using her internal map, she made her way to the subway and bought a ticket to a small town where she would hopefully be able to live peacefully. Namimori.

Gokudera listened to the girl's story in shock. He had no idea that she had been carrying such a heavy burden. "I'm used to being blind and I'm used to being treated differently for it. But I still really hate the feeling I get when people decide that I'm less capable than others because of what they think is a disability."

Before he could say anything, she continued, "You said I was accepted as a member of the Vongola family, but to be honest, I don't really know what that means. Family is just a word to me. I've never been irreplaceable in a family before. My parents left me without a backward glance; the foster homes passed me along like I was a toy they had gotten bored of."

She wiped away her tears, "Sorry, I just had a nightmare and I was thrown off when I woke up and found you here. I'm fine, really."

He suddenly snarled, "I'm going to kill that Bucking Bronco bastard the next time I see him."

"Eh? Why Dino?"

"It's his fault you fell into that river and almost died! You had a nightmare, didn't you?"

She felt her heart warm up at his words, "Gokudera-kun, you're actually really nice, aren't you?"

"Don't be stupid, I'm just doing what the Tenth's right hand man should do."

"Reborn-san said that you and Bianchi-san are siblings from different mothers…"

"Yeah…we are…Listen, I don't really like talking about my family, okay?"

He didn't trust her enough yet. She had spilled her story to him, but he still wasn't ready to tell her the details of his own past. The realization hurt a little, but she accepted it, knowing that it was difficult to spill one's darkest secrets.

"Then…in that case, can you let me see you?"

"What…?"

She reached over for him and gently placed her hands on his face. He twitched in surprise but stayed still for her to examine him. She pulled back a moment later smiling, "You're very pretty Gokudera-kun. I bet all the girls like you, huh?"

The boy scoffed, blushing slightly, "As if I care about them. As the Tenth's right hand man, I don't have time for such things."

"No time for romance?" she asked, her head tilted to the side, "That's kinda sad. Although I guess I'm the same. I'm too busy just living normally to even consider romance."

"Tenth! Why didn't you tell me that the ranking kid is here?" Gokudera burst into the room.

"We bumped into him a while ago. It seemed interested so we tagged along." Yamamoto said, laughing, his arm flung around Mio in a friendly manner. The girl nodded in agreement.

"I have been meaning to ask the ranking kid something for awhile now. There's only one thing I want to know. For the ranking of people suitable to be the Tenth's right hand man, what place am I?" Gokudera asked seriously.

Fuuta's eyes went blank again as he contacted the ranking planet and after a moment, responded, "Out of range."

At the silver haired boy's look, he quickly added, "I didn't say it was out of range for the ranking. It's atmospherically out of range."

"Ahaha another funny guy" Yamamoto commented.

"But there are more jobs for you than just being the right hand man, Hayato-nii" Fuuta continued, "Hayato-nii ranks number 1 out of 82,203 for people suitable as a kindergarten teacher."

Complete disbelief filled the room, but Fuuta continued to make another ranking, "After all, Hayato-nii is number 2 out of 82,203 people who likes kids. It's the most suitable job."

"I…I liked kids…?" Gokudera stuttered, clutching his head in confusion and shock.

Mio grinned, "We should get ranked too Takeshi-kun. We might find out something interesting about ourselves."

The boy laughed, "Yeah we should! I commend you Fuuta! Great ranking skills."

"But the most important thing is love" a voice from above them said.

"Hiiii! Bianchi!" Tsuna shrieked.

"Take this opportunity and make a love ranking. It's time to clarify who loves who."

Yamamoto grinned, "Ah ah, do Kiyo-chan's first! I bet Dino will be on her list ahaha!"

Mio squealed indignantly, "Takeshi-kun! I told you not to say that!"

The boy only grinned at her. Fuuta nodded and concentrated. "Mio-nee's love ranking: number one is…her MAC 11."

"Eh…?"

"…I had no idea I liked my weapon that much…" Mio muttered, "Actually, I've been having trouble mastering it…" Her expression went dark. The gun was tricky and although her aim had improved, she couldn't seem to let go of the trigger on time to prevent the entire magazine from emptying all at once.

"Her number two is… Hibari Kyouya."

"What?" Mio shrieked this time. "There's no way I like that bastard! He's not my type at all! He broke my arm for goodness sake!"

"Her number three is...Xanxus."

"Hmm. Who's that?" Mio questioned. No one noticed the look on Reborn's face.

Yamamoto started chuckling, "I guess I was wrong after all, huh? This ranking seems pretty interesting! Maybe I should try it too ahaha."

Reborn cut in, "Hmm seems pretty interesting, why don't you do it No good Tsuna."

Fuuta nodded at the request, "Tsuna-nii's love ranking: number one is… Leon."

Tsuna shrieked in confusion even as Haru started pitifully crying in a corner. "Haru's heart is just like the sky. A rain storm."

Fuuta blinked, "Rain…?" He suddenly collapsed, muttering, "I hate the rain. My ranking goes all crazy."

"So, the ranking after it started to rain is all wrong?"

"Haha so then it's possible that Kiyo-chan likes Dino after all!" Yamamoto teased.

"Takeshi-kun…" the girl groaned.

Class was a loud affair that day with all the girls attempting to give their chocolates to the boys of their choice. Mio herself hadn't made any chocolate, having made plans with Kyoko and Haru to make some later that day so she wasn't sure what to do about the few boys who came to hover near her seat casually. Finally the last bell rang and she began to quickly pack up her stuff. Telling Kyoko that she was going to go pick up a few things before meeting the two girls, she left without another word.

"Should bring some coconut flakes and nuts to add into the chocolate; that'll definitely be yummy" she thought to herself, smiling. She was looking forward to making the chocolate creation. And since she had proven that she couldn't make poison cooking, it wouldn't matter that it would be Bianchi teaching the girls.

Lost in thought, she briefly noted the sound of footsteps of someone behind her but thought nothing of it. It was only as she was leaving the convenience store that she noticed that the same set of footsteps was still following her. She stayed calm but her free hand strayed towards her jacket where she kept her weapon.

Four detours later, she was certain that the person was following her. Leading the person who was most likely a male to Tsuna's house wasn't an option, so she chose to go to the playground where she had trained her skills. She casually sat down on a swing and waited rather impatiently for the person to make a move.

She didn't have to wait long. He made his way over to her like a lumbering beast and by the time he was next to her, she had already planned out her course of action. As he, because it was definitely a boy, reached forward to grab her shoulder, she hopped off the swing and kicked out viciously in the general direction of a certain tender area. Her aim was true and the boy crumpled onto the floor, groaning in pain.

"Can I help you with something Mr. Stalker who's been following me since I left the school?" she asked coldly.

The boy only growled a string of colorful curses that would have made any girl blush. Mio however, used most of the words he had chosen to throw at her herself and was unaffected. She sighed, "Listen, Mochida-san" the boy jerked, shocked that she had figured out his identity, "I don't know why you're following me, but I can assure you that I am more than capable of looking after myself. If you don't want to end up with worse injuries, then give up on whatever you've followed me here for."

The boy panted and then finally picked himself up off the floor. "You little bitch…I was just going to ask if you knew where Kyoko was going. This was uncalled for!"

She raised an eyebrow, despite him not being able to see it, "I highly doubt that. You followed me all the way here from the school, making sure to stay at least ten meters away, hiding here and there. I had every right to do what I did and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again."

"You'll regret this" he snarled. With that he left quickly, limping a little.

She smiled bitterly, "I've regretted many things, but this won't be one of them."

Then sighing in relief, she hurried to Tsuna's house where she would arrive just in time to help complete the chocolate. She hadn't forseen the idea of Bianchi making cookies and could only apologetically offer her nuts to be dipped in the fondue they had made.

When Mio got to school the next day, she immediately felt as if she had walked into enemy territory. Normally, the chattering of students would echo loudly throughout the halls as she silently made her way to her classroom, but today, the halls were silent. Groups of girls would whisper to themselves as she walked past them. Upon arriving at her classroom, she was immediately grabbed and dragged to the front. And then the questions started.

"Kiyomizu-san, is it true that you confessed to Mochida-san and that when he didn't return your feelings, you kicked him?"

"Why did you kick him?"

"Do you think that just because you're blind, you get to have special treatment?"

Attacked from all sides by the vindictive students, Mio stayed silent. From the questions being asked, she had a general idea of what had happened. And to say she was furious was an understatement. But she knew that now that she was the target, regardless of what she said, she would be ignored and treated as the enemy. Especially since she would be competing against the popular Mochida.

The door slammed open and Gokudera stalked in, hands in pockets, hunched over, and glaring. "What the hell are you doing?" he snarled at the students that were pestering her, "Get the fuck outta the way for the Tenth!" Tsuna entered the classroom a moment later with a laughing Yamamoto.

Mio smiled to herself; Gokudera hadn't meant to help her but at least this way she would be left alone for awhile. She quietly took her seat and ignored the negative thoughts being sent her way. She would find Mochida during lunch and take care of the problem.

As soon as the bell rang, Mio was out of the door and walking quickly towards the year three classrooms. She knew which class he was in and it wasn't difficult figuring out where his classroom was based on the layout of the school. She grabbed someone by the collar outside of the room and slammed him against a wall. "Where the fuck is Mochida?" she hissed.

"Um…I saw him going to the gym earlier…" the boy stuttered.

She dropped him and ran. Sure enough, the boy was in the gyms, in his kendo gear. Evidently, he had been expecting her because he turned to her and said, "It's about time you showed up. Had enough of being bullied? I can stop it all if you just apologize."

She snarled angrily, "I've done nothing to have to apologize for. What's wrong with attacking a stalker?"

The boy frowned, "Then what are you doing here?"

"I did come looking for you" she responded, "but only so that you would stop these fake rumors."

"Oh? I don't think they're fake" the boy replied snidely.

Mio stalked over towards him and growled, "Listen popular play boy. Either you stop these rumors or I'll rip out your testicles and force you to stop them."

He laughed, "What can a blind girl do? Besides, I'm in my kendo gear. You can't hurt me."

She cracked her knuckles threateningly and pulled out a gun and pointed it straight at him. "You want to bet your life on that?"

His eyes widened in alarm, "Y-you crazy bitch! W-why do you h-have a gun?"

She kept it aimed at him and responded lazily, "Obviously so that I could take care of bastards like you." She cocked the gun and asked, "So? What's your answer? Are you going to stop these rumors or not?"

At that moment, the doors flew open and Tsuna and his friends poured into the gym. Upon seeing the gun Mio was holding, Tsuna shrieked, "Kiyomizu-chan? What are you doing? I heard Mochida-sempai spread some rumors about you so we got worried and came to find you, but this is too much isn't it?"

"You don't need to worry Tenth" Mio replied firmly, "If he dies, I'll make sure the body can't be found."

This however did not reassure the timid boy, nor did it put Mochida at ease. The third year kendo captain collapsed on the ground, stuttering, "I-I'll take it back! I'll take it back! I'm sorry!"

Still shaking with fear, the boy ran out, kendo gear and all. As soon as he left, Mio placed the gun back in her jacket and ran over to Tsuna to reassure him that she wasn't going to do anything. "I was just bluffing of course Tenth" she said, smiling.

The others seemed to accept it but Yamamoto kept his eyes on her. Something about her expression didn't seem right.

"Hey Kiyo-chan" Yamamoto asked quietly, his expression somber for once, "When you found out about the rumor, why didn't you ask any of us for help?"

"I didn't want to bother anyone" she muttered.

He frowned, "But as friends, we want to help you."

The girl didn't answer and he assumed she had fallen asleep. In reality, Mio was deep in thought. What was the difference between friends and family? They all left without any regret when there was any trouble. She hadn't had any friends after the accident, but the friends she had had originally hadn't made any effort to stay in contact either. Feeling rather lonely at the idea that she had no idea what friends or family really were, she curled up closer to Yamamoto's spot on the grass and closed her eyes tightly, relishing the warmth and reassuring scent.

Mio sighed as she relaxed from her spot on the grass. It was a beautiful day and since school wasn't in session, she had decided to go out and enjoy the weather. The warm sun and gentle breeze gently made her drift off to sleep and it was only when there was a loud crack that she woke up with a start. She jerked up out of her seat, her hand on her weapon, and listened closely.

"Hey Tsuna, look at that. It seems that pole is made out of foam. I bet he's trying to boost my confidence by doing things like that."

That voice…Yamamoto? What was he doing here? She got up and made her way over to where they were, calling their names. Evidently, she wasn't the only one who had just arrived, because another familiar voice called, "Tenth!"

The girl walked up to Yamamoto who ruffled her hair in a friendly greeting, "Yo Kiyo-chan, what're you doing here?"

She grinned sheepishly, "I was napping over there, but I heard you guys so I decided to come check it out." Yamamoto's voice was always so cheerful and soothing, the boy being too oblivious for his own good.

A childish voice declared, "The next weapon is this."

Unable to see what it was, Mio gently reached forward and felt it. "Oh, a bat. I guess that fits Takeshi-kun."

"Oh, a bat for training, eh? There's some weight in this. It's pretty heavy."

"Look into the tip of the grip."

"Oh I see, it's a telescope" Yamamoto laughed, enamored with the new toy.

As Yamamoto looked through the telescope, his eyes suddenly widened in alarm, and he jumped back quickly. A bullet hitting the spot he had been in a second earlier. Gokudera got into a defensive position and Mio's hands flew to her own gun.

"I got them to shoot from 500 meters away" Reborn stated, making them relax, "Let's move onto the next training. Dodge the bullets that come flying toward you."

Yamamoto grinned, "Okay, this is supposed to train my hand-eye coordination and response time, right? Hey you guys do it too." He said to Tsuna and Mio.

Another bullet came flying at them and Tsuna dodged in the nick of time with a shriek. "I see" Yamamoto said, looking through his telescope, "It's coming from there as well. Okay, let's go Tsuna, Kiyo-chan. I'll lead the way."

The three of them took off running. As Yamamoto helped Tsuna clumsily dodge the bullets that were suddenly raining down on them, Mio was tuning her senses. She strained her ears for the sound of the bullets and then based on the sound they were making as they streaked through the air, predicted how far away they were and where they were going to hit. Behind them, they heard a "Tenth, please dodge it!"

Suddenly heavier objects were falling towards them. Gokudera's dynamite. There was no way Tsuna and Yamamoto could get out of the way in time. Mio whipped out her handgun, loaded with the blanks and shot the dynamite as it was falling in midair. The ensuing explosion in the air had Tsuna flailing and screaming in fear. Yamamoto continued running, dragging the boy along, and Mio followed at her own pace.

They had almost gotten out of the line of fire when in front of them, Reborn stated, "Die Yamamoto."

There was the sound of a gun firing and then the sound of something being swung in the air at a high speed. And then silence. And then Tsuna was screaming, "A…a sword? So Yamamoto's weapon is a katana?"

"I christen it Yamamoto's bat" Reborn replied; he was clearly pleased by the day's events.

Yamamoto burst into laughter, "Ahahaha how strange! This is hilarious!"

He continued practicing swinging the bat turned sword and Mio was content to just listen to the sound of his swings. She couldn't help but wonder why Reborn hadn't tried to help her improve with her use of guns, when both Gokudera and Yamamoto had gotten training.

"The sakura should be in full bloom today. It looks like a good day to go sakura viewing."

"It's still early, we should be able to get good spots."

Mio smiled at the eager boys and sniffed the air. The sakura petals smelled sweet and lovely and while she wouldn't be able to see the view, she could definitely appreciate the delicate fragrance they emitted. They seemed to find a good spot and were preparing to save it when a deep voice declared, "This place is off limits. All the sakura trees around here have been reserved. Scram."

"Hey, that's not fair. It's not like this is private property." Yamamoto commented.

"I never said that this was open for discussion" the delinquent started cracking his knuckles, "If you don't leave, you better watch out."

Gokudera strode up to the man and from the sound of things, kneed him straight in the gut. And then the voice of the devil itself reached them, "I was just wondering who was being so noisy. So it's you guys?"

"Hibari-senpai? Ah! He's a member of the Disciplinary Committee!" Tsuna shrieked.

"I don't want to view the sakura with a crowd, so I got him to chase people off." Hibari said, his face neutral. "But it seems you weren't of much use. I'll take care of the rest. Weaklings" he viciously kicked the boy on the ground, "should just go decompose!"

Mio found herself shaking at the words. This boy didn't care for anyone but himself, using others as stepping stones for his own purposes. Just like her parents. As she was fuming to herself, she didn't notice the approach of another person and when two hands found their way to her chest, she screamed in surprise. Whirling around, she punched the drunken man in the face. Shamal hiccupped and attempted to cling to her but she backed away quickly, straight into a boy who smelled of blood, metal, and green tea.

She froze completely, her blood running cold. Before she could say anything, a tonfa came crashing into her shoulder and she was flung away like a rag doll. She hit a sakura tree, sending a shower of petals falling on her, and fell unconscious.

By the time she woke up, they had claimed the spot for themselves and she could only rage to herself. "Hibari Kyouya, I swear I'll beat you someday." She muttered through gritted teeth, "Don't think you can continue your ridiculous idea of discipline forever."

"Mio, you should go bowling with them. Hone your senses and learn to mingle and cooperate with other heads of mafia families." Reborn said.

So Mio found herself at the bowling alley with Tsuna, Gokudera, and Naito Longchamp, boss of the Tomaso Family; with them, were three girls that Naito was fawning over. She sat quietly next to a girl that she strongly believed was Reborn cross-dressing, due to the similarities in scent and Tsuna's reaction. One of the girls asked, "Which of us do you think is the cutest?"

"Ahh you're all so cute, I can't decide!" Naito squirmed, "All three of you are my type! Of course, Kiyo-chan isn't that cute but she's one of Sawada-chan's family members, so it's okay."

Mio pretended to not have heard him and took a sip of her drink instead. While she wasn't normally very aware of her appearance, being blind and all, she was still a girl. And being called "not cute" so blatantly by a person of the opposite gender, made her the slightest bit miffed.

The girls ignored him in favor of fawning over Gokudera, who was clearly uncomfortable, or rather horrified by the attention he was receiving. Finally, at his breaking point, the boy whipped out his dynamite and started threatening to blow them all to pieces. "Okay, Gokudera! Just calm down first! If you really want to leave then go ahead!" Tsuna tried to placate him.

The silver haired dynamite user gritted his teeth and grabbing Mio's hand, fled from the place, calling behind him, "I'm sorry, Tenth!"

He kept running, dragging the girl behind him, until they collapsed in the park where they had trained. "What" she panted, "the hell are you doing?"

He caught his breath and then replied, "You were okay with sitting there and letting that bastard call you unattractive?"

She smiled softly, "I'm blind and can't see myself. For all I know, I could be that ugly."

"You're not-" he suddenly stopped and took a deep breath. "You're not ugly, all right? Especially not compared to the monsters that Longchamp bastard thinks are cute."

Touched by his gesture, Mio made a decision. She wanted to be able to trust someone and in order to do that, she would have to take the first step. She scooted over to him and asked seriously, "Gokudera-kun, I can trust you, right?"

He raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "Of course."

Without another word, she approached him and lifted her bangs up to show him her eyes which were wide open and filled with emotion. After a moment, she pulled away and coughed, embarrassed, "I haven't let anyone see my eyes since the accident so you better not tell anyone."

The boy didn't respond, too preoccupied with what he had seen. After a moment, he spoke up, "Your eyes…they're…"

Flustered, Mio stood up and muttered, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then." With that, she ran off, leaving Gokudera to ponder over what had just happened.

"Does this mean she trusts me now?" he wondered. "More importantly, those eyes…"

Author's Note:

Happy Valentines/Singles Awareness Day everyone!

It's been awhile since I've updated, but I can never seem to write properly these days. :/ Either I have no inspirations, or my fingers are frozen and I can't type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts. #firstworldproblems OTL

If anyone has any suggestions on how I could build relations between Tsuna and Mio, it would be greatly appreciated. I managed to fit Yamamoto in there somehow, but for some reason, whenever I think of Tsuna, I can only think of him shrieking and being surprised about stuff... :( (Mind you, I love him, I just think he's a wimp outside of hyper dying will, and somehow that leads me to being unable to characterize him properly).

Read and review~